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This invention refers to the waterproofing of hydraulic structures such as roller compacted concrete dams (RCC dams), concrete gravity dams and masonry gravity dams, embankment dams with a concrete waterproofing upstream facing, canals, tunnels, reservoirs and similar, and of concrete and masonry structures in general. In particular, this invention concerns a method for the waterproofing of contraction and/or construction joints, deteriorated joints and/or cracks, here in after referred to also as xe2x80x9cjointsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccracksxe2x80x9d in the concrete or masonry lining or body of hydraulic structures as well as in the concrete and/or masonry structures of the type previously referred to, having a surface in contact with water or a surface with joints and/or cracks through which water seepage can occur; the invention also relates to a layered waterproofing covering device for joints, cracks and the like, obtained by the waterproofing method mentioned above.
According to well known concepts, in the construction of hydraulic structures, for example of concrete dams or roller compacted concrete dams, or in the construction of embankment dams, both earthfill and rockfill, it is necessary to provide a proper waterproofing of the upstream face in order to prevent water seepage from the reservoir, which represents an economic loss and which can compromise the integrity and the stability of the dam body itself.
The constructive methodology of dams and hydraulic structures, or of concrete or masonry structures of any type, has therefore to take into account the shrinkage and thermal expansion phenomena, and the movements due to settlement or to other causes which the hydraulic structure or the concrete structure can undergo over time, for example at variation in hydraulic load on the upstream side of a dam, which can cause the opening or widening of the joints of the concrete waterproofing liner, or the formation of dangerous cracks through which seepage of water could occur.
In particular, in the design and construction of RCC dams it is necessary to consider the deformations induced by the hydration process of the concrete because, after reaching the maximum hydration heat, the decrease of the temperature of the dam body until it reaches a stable condition, is accompanied by contraction phenomena of the concrete volume, which can cause cracking.
Therefore, in these hydraulic structures it is necessary to provide proper contraction joints in order to avoid that uncontrolled cracking can occur.
The contraction joints generally create preferential lines for the formation of cracks in the upstream face of the dam, due to the contraction of the concrete, which develop vertically parallel to the slope.
The contraction joints also undergo some movements, generally to a lesser extent, even after the concrete has reached its equilibrium temperature. These movements can be caused by the variations of the water level in the reservoir, by seismic phenomena, or by other causes.
In general, joints and/or cracks represent a discontinuity in the concrete or masonry waterproofing liner of the upstream face of a dam or of any hydraulic structure or other structure. Therefore this discontinuity must be treated so as to avoid possible water seepage.
The traditional systems which are at present adopted for the waterproofing of joints and/or cracks usually foresee the use of synthetic or copper material, the so-called xe2x80x9cwaterstopsxe2x80x9d, arranged in single or double rows, embedded in the concrete as it is being cast during the construction of the hydraulic structure or other structure, and therefore they interfere with the constructive process.
In general, the employment of the known waterproofing systems, besides interfering with the constructive process, makes it quite difficult to intervene for any maintenance or repair operation, when joints deteriorate. As a matter of fact, these systems generally do not provide a proper waterproofing, durable over time and capable of compensating movements or settlements that should occur in the body of the hydraulic structure or of the concrete and/or masonry structure, without losing their fundamental waterproofing characteristics.
While the contraction joints in RCC dams or the construction joints in concrete dams or similar hydraulic works represent a discontinuity induced in the concrete waterproofing liner, and therefore waterproofed since the construction of the hydraulic work itself, other casual discontinuities can occur during operation, when, for any reason, the concrete or the masonry crack, or the waterstops waterproofing the joints deteriorate over time or for accidental causes.
Therefore, this cracks or deterioration, if not properly protected and checked, can cause water seepage, with damaging consequences.
The general object of this invention is to provide a method for the waterproofing of joints and/or deteriorated joints and/or of cracks in the concrete liners of hydraulic structures such as dams or similar, and in concrete and/or masonry structures, which can remedy the inconveniences of waterproofing systems previously in use.
More in particular, an object of this invention is to provide a waterproofing method as referred to above, which is quite independent from the constructive process of the hydraulic structure or structure and which can be applied subsequently.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for the waterproofing of joints and/or cracks as mentioned above, which has such a high degree of elastic deformability and of independence of its components, that it can follow any movement which should occur in joints or cracks, subsequent to the movements of the dam body or the hydraulic structure to be protected and/or repaired, without losing the waterproofing and mechanical resistance characteristics.
A further object of the invention is to provide a waterproofing of joints, cracks and the like as previously defined, which is external to the hydraulic structure or other type of structure and which therefore allows control and repair interventions after its installation.
The invention is also aiming to employ a membrane in elastically yieldable synthetic material, for the waterproofing of contraction joints, construction joints, cracks and the like, in particular in the upstream faces or in existing surfaces which get in touch with water in hydraulic structures such as RCC dams, concrete dams, embankment dams having a concrete upstream face, tunnels, water conveyance structures, reservoirs and similar hydraulic structures.
What has been previously mentioned can be provided by means of a method for the waterproofing of joints and/or cracks in the concrete and/or masonry linings or body of hydraulic structures, masonry structures and similar, as well as with a waterproofing covering device for joints, cracks and the like.
In particular, according to the invention, a method has been provided for the waterproofing covering of joints and/or cracks in hydraulic structures, masonry structures and similar, by means of a waterproofing membrane comprising a strip of elastically yieldable synthetic material, which is positioned along a joint or crack on an existing surface of the hydraulic and/or masonry structure to be protected, comprising the steps of:
positioning at least one support element of rigid material on the existing surface of the hydraulic and/or of the masonry structure, to cover the joint and/or crack, and to provide a support surface for the membrane, anchoring said support element across the joint and/or the crack to allow a sliding movement in respect to said existing surface;
positioning at least one protection substrate for the membrane, over the support element, between the latter and the membrane to allow a sliding movement of the same membrane in respect to the support element and the existing surface;
placing the waterproofing membrane over the protection substrate and the support element; and
watertightly fastening the peripheral edges of the membrane to the existing surface of the hydraulic and/or of the masonry structure, along the sides of the joint and/or the crack.
According to another aspect of this invention, over the waterproofing strip of the membrane it is possible to install a protection slab, preferably in steel or another proper material, to cover the waterproofing strip along its whole development or along only a portion of it, anchoring this protection slab in such a way as to allow it independently move in respect to the waterproofing membrane. Should the membrane be employed to waterproof a crack through which water can seep from the back side, the protection slab can be used for frontally supporting the same membrane and avoid its swelling.
According to another aspect of this invention, it is preferable to extend the waterproofing of the joint to waterproofing a concrete beam at the dam heel, extending and positioning the waterproofing covering membrane on a foundation beam, watertightly anchoring the membrane in correspondence of the area where the joints of the foundation beam, if any, are waterproofed.
According to another aspect of the invention a waterproofing covering device for joints and/or cracks on an existing surface of hydraulic or masonry structures has been provided, said covering device comprising:
at least a support element longitudinally extending for at least a portion of the joint or crack, said support element being fastened to the existing surface, so that it can slide in respect to said surface;
a waterproofing membrane comprising a strip of elastically yieldable material, longitudinally extending over the support element and tightly fastened to the existing surface on both sides of the joint or crack;
an intermediate protection substrate between the waterproofing membrane and the support element; and
fastening means for water tightly fastening the waterproofing membrane to the existing surface on both side of the elastically yieldable strip. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to systems, methods and computer program products for mapping resources between entities and/or datasets such as databases and data buffers.
Businesses or other organizations that deploy information technology (“IT”) resources such as computers, peripheral devices, smart phones and other hardware (referred to herein generally as “firmware resources”) may track the resources using various information systems. However, firmware resources may be constantly changing or evolving. For example, computers in an office may be replaced or modified with new hardware or software as old technology becomes obsolete or too inefficient to support evolving business needs. As firmware resources change, the organization deploying the firmware may wish to update its inventory of firmware resources.
It may be difficult for an organization with a large amount of firmware resources to track changes to those resources. Accordingly, the organization may implement automated firmware resource tracking. This resource tracking may be divided into two tiers. In the first tier, a firmware resource may be configured to provide information about its own firmware to an intermediate data buffer such as a database. In some instances, the data that is received from the firmware resource may be organized in the intermediate data buffer in accordance with a standard model schema, such as the Common Information Model (“CIM”), the Simple Network Management Protocol (“SNMP”), the Network Configuration Protocol (“Netconf”) and so forth.
In the second tier, data from the intermediate data buffer may be mapped to data in a data destination such as a database (e.g., a configuration management database). The data that is received from the intermediate data buffer may be organized in the data destination in accordance with a different schema than that of the intermediate data buffer, such as the Universal Systems Management Initiative (“USMi”), or the Common Data Model (“CDM”).
Mappings between entities may be implemented in various ways. One way of mapping data from one dataset to another is to use one or more queries, which serve to map data from a dataset with one schema to a dataset with a different schema. For example, a firmware resource such as a computer may have an application programming interface (“API”) that is configured to receive one or more queries in a nomenclature particular for that API, and return information about the firmware resource (e.g., motherboard manufacturer, power parameters such as voltage and amperage, and so forth) in response to the queries. An intermediate data buffer may be a CIM database that is configured to receive CIM queries and return information in response. A data destination may be a CDM database at which a user may define CIM queries to obtain data from the CIM database for the CDM database. Multiple queries may be organized at the data destination as a set of queries designed to obtain particular information from the firmware resource. For example, a predefined set of queries at the data destination may be configured to determine the electrical power P delivered to a particular firmware resource, and therefore may seek voltage V and current I (P=V×I).
Two-tiered resource mapping may give rise to various issues. Data available at a firmware resource may not correspond directly, with data at an intermediate data buffer because the two may use different schemas. However, the schema utilized at a data destination may correspond with the schema at the firmware resource. In such a scenario, data mapped from the intermediate data buffer to the data destination may experience a loss of atomicity from that which is available at the firmware resource. For example, assume that a set of queries at the data destination is designed to obtain voltage V and current I. The firmware resource API may be configured to provide both of these values, but the schema of the intermediate data buffer schema may only allow for it to receive and provide power P.
Another issue with two-tiered mappings is that data may experience a loss of precision as it traverses the two tiers. For example, a firmware resource may provide a datum with 64 bits. Even if the schema utilized at a data destination seeking this datum allows for 64-bit data, if the intermediate data buffer only supports 32-bit data, then a datum from the firmware resource may lose precision as it is obtained from the firmware resource by the intermediate data buffer and ultimately provided to the data destination.
A third issue that may arise with two-tier mappings is an aggregation bottleneck. A query to an API of a firmware resource from an intermediate data buffer may return hundreds of pieces of information, all of which may be needed at the data destination. However, multiple queries may be required to obtain the same data from the intermediate set for the data destination. Each query from the data destination to the intermediate data buffer may require a round trip of packets across a computer network, causing a bottleneck.
A fourth issue may arise where data desired from the firmware resource at the data destination is not represented by the schema of the intermediate data buffer. In such a scenario, it may be necessary to create a mapping directly from the firmware resource to the data destination. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Prosthetic cardiac valves have been used for many years to treat cardiac valvular disorders. The native heart valves (such as the aortic, pulmonary and mitral valves) serve critical functions in assuring the forward flow of an adequate supply of blood through the cardiovascular system. These heart valves can be rendered less effective by congenital, inflammatory or infectious conditions. Such damage to the valves can result in serious cardiovascular compromise or death. For many years the definitive treatment for such disorders was the surgical repair or replacement of the valve during open heart surgery, but such surgeries are prone to many complications. More recently, a transvascular technique has been developed for introducing and implanting a prosthetic heart valve using a flexible catheter in a manner that is less invasive than open heart surgery.
In this technique, a prosthetic valve is mounted in a crimped state on the end portion of a flexible catheter and advanced through a blood vessel of the patient until the prosthetic valve reaches the implantation site. The prosthetic valve at the catheter tip is then expanded to its functional size at the site of the defective native valve such as by inflating a balloon on which the prosthetic valve is mounted. Alternatively, the prosthetic valve can have a resilient, self-expanding stent or frame that expands the prosthetic valve to its functional size when it is advanced from a delivery sheath at the distal end of the catheter.
A prosthetic valve that has a relatively large profile or diameter in the compressed state can inhibit the physician's ability to advance the prosthetic valve through the femoral artery or vein. More particularly, a smaller profile allows for treatment of a wider population of patients, with enhanced safety. Thus, a need exists for delivery devices that can minimize the overall crimp profile of the prosthetic valve for the delivery of the prosthetic valve through the patient's vasculature.
Relatively long delivery devices, such as used for transfemoral delivery of a prosthetic valve, can inhibit the physician's ability to position the prosthetic valve precisely at the desired implantation site because the forces applied to the handle at one end of the delivery device can cause unwanted movement of the prosthetic valve at the opposite end of the delivery device. Thus, a need exists for delivery devices that allow a physician to accurately control the positioning of the prosthetic valve at the desired implantation location.
Known delivery devices typically require a physician to use both hands when positioning the prosthetic valve at the implantation site. Additionally, in certain circumstances, control mechanisms for positioning the prosthetic valve can become jammed or kinked during operation. Thus, a need exists for delivery devices with improved control mechanisms for positioning valves. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Elastomeric compositions are used in a wide variety of applications, including hoses, belts, footwear components, vibration isolation devices, tires, and tire components such as treads, innerliners, and sidewalls. The selection of ingredients for the commercial formulation of an elastomeric composition depends upon the balance of properties desired, the application, and the application's end use.
For example, in the tire industry the balance between processing properties of the green (uncured) composition in the tire plant and in-service performance of the cured rubber tire composite is of particular importance. The ability to improve the endurance of tires used in a wide variety of conditions, such as is required for agricultural tires, aircraft tires, earthmover tires, heavy-duty truck tires, mining tires, motorcycle tires, medium truck tires, and passenger car tires, while maintaining ease of proccessability of the uncured elastomeric composition is also of significant importance. Additionally, the goals of improving air impermeability properties, flex fatigue properties, and the adhesion of the elastomeric composition to adjoining tire components without affecting the proccessability of the uncured elastomeric composition while maintaining or improving the physical property performance of the cured elastomeric composition still remain.
Conventionally, various processing oils, such as naphthenic, paraffinic, and aromatic oils, have been added to many tire components to aid compound processing. Naphthenic oil has been preferred for tire innerliner compounds due to its processing effectiveness and beneficial secondary properties, e.g., compatibility with isobutylene based elastomers. However, while these conventional processing oils improve proccessability, this benefit may have an undesirable impact on various other properties, including air impermeability.
Generally, the raw ingredients and materials used in tire compounding impact all tire performance variables, thus, any alternative to conventional processing oils must be compatible with the rubbers, not interfere with the vulcanization rate, be easily dispersed in the tire compounds, be cost effective, and not adversely impact tire performance. This is of particular concern for tire innerliners and tire innertubes where performance properties must be maintained within specified tolerance levels. For example, small increases in a tire innerliner compound's 300% modulus can lead to reduction in fatigue resistance and cracks with consequential loss in tire durability. Furthermore, for an elastomeric composition that acts as an air barrier it is of particular importance that any benefits in compound proccessability are not to the detriment of the composition's air retention capabilities.
As oils such as rubber grade naphthenic oil or paraffinic oil tend to increase an elastomeric composition's permeability, halobutyl rubber has been used in tire innerliner compounds to aid in improving air retention. Further improvements in impermeability have been obtained by adding clay to the elastomer to form a “nanocomposite.” However, there still remains a need for elastomeric compositions having good proccessability and improved air retention capability.
As many tires are compounded and engineered for particular performance characteristics, it is desirable that any replacement for traditional process oils maintains tire performance characteristics, such as rolling resistance, traction, and wear performance. Improvement in air retention qualities can allow improved maintenance of tire rolling resistance performance through the service life of the tire, improved durability, and lower tire operating temperatures, thus there is still a need for a replacement for traditional process oils in tire and tire innerliner compounds which allows for beneficial compound proccessability and improved tire innerliner impermeability. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor lasers, laser controllers, laser projection systems, and other optical systems incorporating semiconductor lasers. More particularly, the present invention relates to conversion efficiency expansion in optical packages where a semiconductor laser is coupled to a wavelength conversion device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Automobiles are generally classified as two types depending on whether the power transmission is manual or automatic. Soft copper wires are predominantly used as electrical conductors in an automotive wire harness Because automobiles with an automatic transmission system are gaining wider acceptance today, there has been a shift from use of a carburetor to an electronic fuel injection system and a corresponding increase in the number of electronic instruments and other devices aboard vehicles. As a result, the number of electric and electronic wiring circuits in an automobile has increased so markedly that an increase not only in the space of the automobile occupied by the wire harness but also in the vehicle harness weight has occurred. From the viewpoint of fuel economy, the vehicle weight is desirably as light as possible and the increase in the volume of the automotive wire harness is not consistent with this objective. Hence, a need has arisen to reduce the automotive harness weight and space for the principal purpose of reducing the vehicle weight.
Theoretically, a very thin wire such as a lead will suffice for use in small-current circuits such as those including micro-computers in an automotive harness. In practice, however, the vibrational impact that develops while the car is running is so great that in the absence of high mechanical strength, disconnection of the joints or wire breakage might occur to impede smooth running of the car. Therefore, in order to insure sufficient mechanical strength, it has been necessary to use conductors thicker than the diameter theoretically required in electrical terms.
To realize lighter electric wires, hard copper wires that are capable of insuring mechanical strength with small conductor diameter have been considered. However, the elongation of hard copper is so small that even if two terminals of hard copper wires are joined by thermocompression, the joint may be damaged under an externally exerted mechanical load. Thus, the area at which the terminals are thermocompressed becomes a mechanical weak point, which will readily break upon external impact and hence has low reliability.
The automotive harness weight could be reduced by employing smaller-diameter conductors but with conventional soft copper wires, the outside diameter of a conductor cannot be reduced without loss of mechanical strength. Under these circumstances, Cu-Sn alloys Cu-Fe-P alloys useful as lead materials, Cu-Fe-P-Ni-Sn alloys, etc. have been designed as copper alloys that have high strength, improved cyclic bending strength and good electric conductivity and which, as a result, insure the production of conductors having satisfactory mechanical strength even if their outside diameter is reduced.
As shown in JP-B-60-30043 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"). Cu-Sn alloys have satisfactory elongation and cyclic bending strength. Although their tensile strength is improved by forming a solid solution of Sn, the improvement is still insufficient. Another disadvantage of Cu-Sn alloys is their low conductivity. Cu-Fe-P alloys are designed to provide improved conductivity and tensile strength by dispersing and/or precipitating an Fe-P compound therein. However, the elongation and cyclic bending strength of Cu-Fe-P alloys are too small to justify their use as conductor materials. Cu-Fe-P-Ni-Sn alloys are intended to provide improved tensile strength by dispersing and/or precipitating an Fe-P compound and by forming a solid solution of Sn. Although Cu-Fe-P-Ni-Sn alloys have excellent elongation and cyclic bending strength, they have the disadvantage that Sn is dissolved in such a great amount that a marked drop in electric conductivity occurs. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the rapid chilling of foodstuffs in order to lower temperatures in order that harmful bacteria cannot form in the foodstuffs in question.
2. Background Art
Food service professionals are increasingly concerned about the process of food preparation and storage as it relates to the production of hazardous bacteria. This is particularly true in that instance where the temperature at which prepared foods are being held pending more permanent refrigerated storage. This concern obviously is compounded by the amount of time it takes to reach the desired storage temperature from the cooking temperature.
As one instance of concern in this area, the United States Government has instituted a new program to monitor the process of food preparation and has, in turn, recommended guidelines under a program entitled, "Hazardous Appraisal Controlling Critical Procedures" or "HACCP". This program involves some seven principles set forth as follows:
Principle #1 Assess the Hazards PA1 Principle #2 Identify the Critical Control Points PA1 Principle #3 Establish Procedures to Address the Critical Control Points PA1 Principle #4 Monitor the Critical Control Points PA1 Principle #5 Take Corrective Action if Critical Control Point is Breached PA1 Principle #6 Establishing a Record Keeping System PA1 Principle #7 A Verification Program PA1 3,820,597, issued Jun. 28, 1974, discloses a mixer having a device for the cooling of powdered granular liquid, or otherwise flowable material to be mixed. The patent teaches a rotating mixing element associated with a container connected to a cooling source. A paddle-shaped mixing element rotates within the cooling container. PA1 5,135,355, issued Aug. 4, 1994, teaches a rotor to provide the heat to circulate a substance comprising a shaft with two electrically connected elements utilized to provide heat to the product. PA1 5,472,274, issued Dec. 5, 1995, discloses a pitcher with a cooling element included therein as well as a stirring assembly to effect agitation and stirring of the material contained within the pitcher.
In reviewing the application of the above program to food preparation, questions are raised, "Does the program work?" Consequently, should the recipe be altered containing fewer steps? Or, is the training program addressing the critical control points appropriately? An additional question is raised, "Are front line employees empowered to take the necessary corrective action to correct the critical control point to remove food from service?" Finally, is there a cost saving by using the "Hazardous Appraisal Controlling Critical Procedures"?
The usual solutions for inhibiting the growth of bacteria in food preparation today suggest that the temperature of prepared food must be lowered to at least 41.degree. F. or below as quickly as possible after removal from heat and definitely in no longer than four hours elapsed time. Currently, this is accomplished by placing the prepared food in ice baths and continuously monitoring the process until the desired temperature is reached. This method, of course, is labor intensive and very time consuming. The existing margin for error runs very high and when errors do occur, hazardous conditions are easily produced in the food product
A search of the background art directed to the subject matter of the present invention conducted in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office disclosed the following U.S. Letters Patent:
A thorough review of the above-identified patents has concluded that none are believed to claim, teach, or disclose the particular novel combinations of elements and functions set forth in the present invention. All of the cited patents are for different purposes or environments. Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved food chilling apparatus that facilitates the lowering of prepared food temperatures, evenly, and economically. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a procedure which combines asthma analysis and therapy in the context of magnetic resonance scanning of a subject.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Asthma is a serious illness of the lungs characterized by recurring attacks of dyspnea (shortness of breath), a feeling of pressure on the chest, wheezing, cough, fear, etc. The distressing symptoms are caused by a constriction of the bronchial tubes, which are the tube-like structures that carry air to and from the lungs. The length of an asthma attack can vary; it may last for a few minutes or several hours, or longer.
The primary cause of so-called xe2x80x9ctruexe2x80x9d asthma is sensitivity to certain substances, generically referred to as allergens.
There are approximately 100 million asthmatics worldwide. Asthma is one of the most common causes of death of persons under 50 years of age in highly developed countries, wherein instances of this illness continuously increase. Although several types of medication are available for asthma therapy, each type of medication is effective only for specific groups of patients. Other than the triggering effect of an allergen, the mechanism which produces an asthma attack is still not completely understood, particularly on an individual patient basis. Because of this lack of knowledge, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find an optimal dosage for the medication. The patient himself or herself is not aware of the presence of the latent illness before a dangerous condition already has been reached, typically the occurrence of an attack. Under normal circumstances, an asthmatic feels comfortable during times when the illness is latent, but begins to experience repeated and surprising asthma attacks, which can be very dangerous. The separation in time, and the seeming spontaneity, of such asthma attacks compound the problem of prescribing an appropriate dosage of therapeutic medication.
The following examination techniques and dosage prescriptions are currently practiced in the field of asthma therapy.
A thorax X-ray is a fast and inexpensive examination technique, but has a highly limited informational content, because the thorax X-ray image only represents a two-dimensional projection of the lung onto the X-ray film, and shows very little soft tissue contrast.
Computed tomography is a relatively expensive method and requires longer measuring time and exposes the patient to a dose of ionizing radiation. Computed tomography is therefore not practical for patients requiring repeated examinations, particularly young patients.
Lung function measurements, such as those obtained by connecting a patient to a ventilator, are relatively inexpensive and allow conclusions to be made regarding the functioning of a patient""s lungs with a specific time resolution. Such lung function measurements, however, provide no visual information of the lungs themselves.
As a supplement to lung function measurements, an allergen provoker can be administered to the patient so that changes in the functioning of the patient""s lungs as a result of the presence of the allergen can be monitored and analyzed.
Scintigraphy (i.e., imaging using a scintillation camera) provides spatially resolved functional information, but the spatial resolution is relatively modest and can be conducted only by personnel trained in nuclear medicine.
The production and properties of hyperpolarized gases are well known and are described, for example, in PCT Application WO 99/08766. Obtaining magnetic resonance images after administering a hyperpolarized gas to a patient is a known technique for monitoring physiological processes because the hyperpolarized gas produces a uniquely identifiable magnetic resonance (MR) signal, and thus the diffusion of the hyperpolarized gas into body tissue and organs can be monitored in one or more MR images. The use of this technique for lung imaging and analysis is described in the article xe2x80x9cKernspintomographie der Lunge mit hochpolarisiertem Helium-3,xe2x80x9d Schreiber et al., Physilkalische Blxc3xa4tter 55, No. 3 (1999) pages 45-47. 3He or 129Xe is polarized up to approximately 60 percent by spin exchange under laser irradiation. This hyperpolarized gas (HPG) is administered to the patient for one breath. During the inhalation and the subsequent phase wherein the air is held, a series of MR images of the patient is obtained. The measuring time is determined by the subsidence of the hyperpolarization in the lung, and by the time that the patient holds his or her breath. The hyperpolarization subsides primarily due to reaction with O2 (see xe2x80x9cPhysics of Hyperpolarized Gas NMR in Biomedicine,xe2x80x9d Darrasse, European Radiology 9, Abstracts B2 (1999)) and the flip angle of the MR sequence (see xe2x80x9cDynamically Adaptive Hyperpolarized Noble Gas MR Imaging Using Spatially Selective RF Pulse Encoding,xe2x80x9d Zhao et al., European Radiology 9, Abstracts B3 (1999)).
Only the polarized noble gas is visible in the MR images, thereby providing information regarding ventilation of the lung with a high degree of spatial resolution. The results of different MR measuring sequences are described in the article xe2x80x9cLung Air Spaces:MR Imaging Evaluation With Hyperpolarized 3He Gas,xe2x80x9d de Lange et al., Radiology, Volume 210, No. 3, pages 851-857 (March 1999). Depending on the measuring sequence, one or several images of the ventilated areas of the lung, in one or several slices can be acquired. Alternatively, a time history of the ventilation can be acquired, but with a relatively low spatial resolution, as described in xe2x80x9cUltrafast MR Imaging of Lung Ventilation Using Hyperpolarized Helium-3,xe2x80x9d Schreiber et al., European Radiology 9, Abstracts B28 (1999).
Subsequently, breathing air, possibly enriched with oxygen, is administered to the patient and after a waiting period, when it is assured that the patient""s blood oxygenation is normal, the examination can be repeated or the patient can be discharged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a combined procedure for asthma analysis and therapy determination which does not expose a patient to ionizing radiation and which provides high time resolution and spatial resolution.
The above object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention and integrated asthma analysis and therapy determination method wherein hyperpolarized gas is administered to a patient in a xe2x80x9cnormalxe2x80x9d state, i.e. the patient is not exhibiting acute asthmatic symptoms, and an MR scan of the patient""s lungs is undertaken, to obtain a first MR image or a first MR image sequence. Subsequently, an allergen provoker is administered to the patient, hyperpolarized gas is again administered to the patient, and a further MR scan of the patient""s lungs is conducted, so as to obtain a second MR image or a second series of MR images. Subsequently, asthma therapeutics, such as medication, are administered to the subject, hyperpolarized gas is again administered to the subject, and another MR scan of the patient""s lungs is conducted, to obtain a third MR image or a third series of MR images. The patient then leaves the MR system. The first, second and third images or the first, second and third series of images are then compared with each other so as to obtain an indication of the difference between the state of a patient""s lungs in the xe2x80x9cnormalxe2x80x9d condition and in the condition after allergen provocation, and in the condition after asthma therapy has been administered. The physiological affect of the presence of the allergen can be ascertained by comparing the first and second images, or first and second series of images, and the effectiveness of the administered asthma therapy can be ascertained not only by comparing the second and third images, or second and third series of images, but also by comparing the first and third images, or the first and third series of images.
After each MR scan, the patient""s blood oxygenation can be measured and/or an electrocardiogram (ECG) can be obtained from the patient, in order to insure that the patient is not adversely affected by the procedure. Such a blood oxygenation measurement and/or an ECG also can be obtained prior to conducting the first MR scan, in order to provide baseline data. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, ticket readers, coin and token acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin and token hoppers, and button pads.
Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, including bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads and button pads, to determine the wager amount and initiate game play.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the traditional method of dispensing coins as awards for winning game outcomes is being supplemented by digital systems such as electronic tokens and ticket dispensers that print ticket vouchers, either of which may be exchanged for cash or accepted as credit in other gaming machines for additional game play. An award ticket system, which allows award ticket vouchers to be dispensed and utilized by other gaming machines, increases the operational efficiency of maintaining a gaming machine and simplifies the player pay out process. Award ticket systems and systems using other cashless mediums—such as electronic tokens—are referred to as cashless systems.
Currently, cashless systems have become very popular and have been embraced by casino customers. For example, tokens that are bought during buy-in and used for cash at poker and blackjack tables within a casino are well accepted by game players. However, currently, portable tokens, even those with digital chips and other forms of digital management included with newer tokens, can be used for game play in a gaming machine or redeemed for cash by anyone who has possession of the token, whether or not the rightful owner presents the token. If there were a way to authenticate the rightful owner, cashless system integrity (and casino patron confidence) would be enhanced. | {
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Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major health problem for most of recorded history and Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains one of the world's most significant pathogens. Responsible for millions of new cases of tuberculosis annually (see e.g. Pablo-Mendez et al., (1998) New Engl. J. Med. 338, 1641-1649), it is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. While the incidence of the disease declined in parallel with advancing standards of living since at least the mid-nineteenth century, in spite of the efforts of numerous health organizations worldwide, the eradication of tuberculosis has never been achieved, nor is imminent.
TB is acquired by the respiratory route; actively infected individuals spread this infection efficiently by coughing or sneezing “droplet nuclei” which contain viable bacilli. Overcrowded living conditions and shared air spaces are especially conducive to the spread of TB, underlying the increase in instances that have been observed in the U.S. in prison inmates and among the homeless in larger cities.
Medical experts estimate that about 10 million Americans are infected with TB bacteria, and about 10 percent of these people will develop active TB in their lifetime. However, TB is an increasing worldwide problem, especially in Africa. It is estimated that, worldwide, about one billion people will become newly infected, over 150 million people will contract active TB, and 36 million people will die between now and 2020 unless TB control is improved.
The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses serious threats to the control of this disease due to the complex nature of second-line drug treatment (WHO Report. (2004) WHO/HTM/TB/2004.343). Upon infection the bacterium goes through an initial replicative phase inside the alveolar macrophages after which it enters a non-replicative, drug-resistant state of dormancy. This state of dormancy is probably induced by the environmental stress exerted upon the pathogen by the host's immune response. The bacterium is able to survive in this dormant state for decades until the host's immune system is weakened when it reactivates and causes the infectious disease (Dannenberg, Jr., A. M., and Rook G. A. W. (1994) In Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection and Control, Bloom, B. R., (Ed.) American Society of Microbiology, Washington D.C.). The current anti-mycobacterial drugs are able to kill only the actively replicating mycobacteria and do not clear the latent bacteria from the host (Honer zu Bentrup, K., and Russell D. G. (2001) Trends Microbiol. 9, 597-605). Thus latency is a major problem in TB control. One-third of the world population is infected with the latent microorganism and nearly two million deaths occur annually (Dye, C., Scheele, S., Dolin, P., Pathania, V., and Raviglione M. C. (1999) JAMA. 282, 677-686, WHO Report. (2005) WHO/HTM/TB/2005). Individuals carrying a latent infection are estimated to harbor a 2-23% lifetime risk of reactivation (Zahrt, T. C. (2003). Microbes Infect. 5, 159-167).
If an individual has TB disease, i.e., has active TB, the individual typically is administered a combination of several drugs. It is very important, however, that the individual continue a correct treatment regimen for the full length of the treatment. If the drugs are taken incorrectly, or stopped, the individual can suffer a relapse and will be able to infect others with TB. When an individual becomes sick with TB a second time, the TB infection may be more difficult to treat because the TB bacteria have become drug resistant, i.e., TB bacteria in the body are unaffected by some drugs used to treat TB. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is a very dangerous form of tuberculosis. In particular, some TB bacteria become resistant to the effects of various anti-TB drugs, and these resistant TB bacteria then can cause TB disease. Like regular TB, MDR TB can be spread to others.
To avoid drug resistance in the treatment of TB, a four-drug regimen, i.e., isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and streptomycin, is administered to TB patients. Aminoglycosides, such as streptomycin, are important anti-TB agents, but their utility is restricted by the requirement of parenteral administration, which is inconvenient and leads to poor patient compliance. It is theorized that poor patient compliance also can lead to the development of drug resistance, and it appears that the frequency of streptomycin resistance among anti-TB drugs is surpassed only by isoniazid.
In view of the above, an urgent need exists for new anti-TB agents useful in an effective treatment regimen for both the active and latent TB, and that effectively treat TB caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of bacteria. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide compounds and compositions for administration to an individual in the treatment of tuberculosis. | {
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Description of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,354 shows a chip capacitor. The chip capacitor has external electrodes. The electrodes of the capacitor are on the ends of the capacitor. The electrodes are electrically connected to the outer edges of plates of the capacitor.
The viad chip capacitor of the present invention has electrodes that begin on the bottom surface of the capacitor. These electrodes are electrically connected to the plates of the capacitor by means of metalization which is internal of the capacitor. The metalization lies within vias of the capacitor. The vias are internal of the capacitor. | {
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With the proliferation of computers and the advent of the Internet, and in particular, the maturing of the World Wide Web (“web”), real-time conversations between conversation participants via their computer systems are becoming increasingly common. These conversations, which take place virtually over computer networks, are ever replacing the traditional face-to-face meetings.
Collaboration applications, such as MICROSOFT LIVE MEETING, are increasingly being used to conduct these virtual meetings between potentially geographically distributed people. For example, a meeting organizer can schedule a meeting with a collaboration service server, and provide a list of meeting participants. The meeting organizer then invites the participants to attend the scheduled meeting by sending those people invitations. The invitation contains privileged information, such as a meeting time, meeting location—i.e., a universal resource locator (URL), meeting identifier, and meeting password, the participant will need to attend the meeting.
These collaboration applications typically provide for multiple classes of participants. For example, one class of participants in a virtual meeting may be “presenters,” while another class of participants may be “attendees.” The classes of participants may be distinguished based on permissions, with presenters having permission to perform additional or more functionality during the meeting than attendees. To provide the different permissions, the collaboration application usually provides presenters with a different application view—user interface (UI)—than the application view that is provided to attendees.
One problem with providing different desktops to different classes of participants is that one class of participants, for example, presenters, often are not provided good feedback regarding the other classes of participants, for example, attendees, are seeing. For example, during the virtual meeting experience, attendees may not have permission to see all of the UI components that are available in a meeting to presenters. Thus, during voice conversations conducted in conjunction with the meeting, presenters may not know exactly what an attendee is able to see, and may get confused about what attendees can actually do.
Another problem arises where a view of a participant's desktop or a portion of the desktop is shared with the other participants in a collaboration session. For example, application sharing allows a specific presenter—e.g., host—to share some portion of his or her screen with the other participants in the meeting. The image that is being shared is made available via a connection, typically through a computer network, to the other participants' computer screens. Because the image that is being shared is made available by transmission from the application sharing host's computer to the other participants' computers, typically over a network, issues such as network transmission latencies and/or slowdowns and the difference in computer performance may cause some or all of the participants of the meeting to fall significantly behind what is being displayed to the host of the application sharing session. Thus, the presenter who is hosting the application sharing session has difficulty knowing what the other participants in the meeting are seeing.
It would be desirable to have a technique that allows one class of participants—i.e., presenters—in a collaboration session to have a view of what another class of participants—i.e., attendees—is visually experiencing during the collaboration session. | {
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It is frequently necessary in a packaging operation or the like to move a succession of objects between two locations which not only are offset to one another spatially because of the types of processing equipment involved, but to which the objects arrive and from which they exit at different rates. For instant in a pill-making plant a stamping or similar device will deliver bubble packs of pills with their flat sides vertical to an intake location from which they must be moved to an output location, for instance a conveyor belt or chute, where they must be deposited flat side horizontal. Thus the packages must be held securely as they are swung through about 90.degree. between when they are picked up and when they are dropped off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,153 to Walters and German patent document No. 2,922,171 filed 31 May 1979 by Rolf Andra describe such transfer conveyors which move objects between two adjacent locations. In the Walters device a plurality of suction cups are mounted on a carousel rotatable about a horizontal axis. These cups can move radially and angularly of the wheel in S-shaped tracks as the wheel rotates to bring the cups to a dead stop as they pick up and drop off a carton, passing through an intermediate position in which a flattened carton is broken open. In the device of Andra another such carousel carries a plurality of such suction cups, but they are not movable on the carousel. Instead the carousel is rotated by a step-type drive and is moved by another actuator toward and away from the pickup location where it pulls a bubble pack of pills from the machine that stamps it from a continuous strip of such pills to the output location where the individual bubble pack is dropped on an output conveyor.
Another arrangement seen in German patent document No. 2,923,909 filed 12 June 1978 by Otto Weller has another such carousel but carrying the suction grippers by means of complex lever-type linkages that allow these grippers to move relative to the carousel so they can move radially inwardly at least as the object, here a carton to be broken open, is pulled from the supply.
All these arrangements have the considerable disadvantage that the mechanism effecting the desired motion is extremely complex and acts in a jerky, normally reciprocating manner. Thus the parts are subject to substantial stress and have a short service life. | {
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Titanium and its alloys are widely used in medicine as implants because of their biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, titanium alloys are good for the load-bearing applications because of high strength to weight ratio, high fatigue resistance, and relatively low, as for metals, Young's modulus. In addition, the Young's modulus and the associated stiffness of implant can by controlled by increasing porosity. There are many publications in which the positive impact of high roughness and porosity of the implant on the emergence of a strong connection between it and the bone is shown. The pore sizes of 100-400 microns is considered most preferred for biological implants, as it favors the penetration of the cells, tissue growth, vascularization, and nutrient transport.
The viability of titanium in the human body is determined to be around 20 years, but it could be extended up to twice, where the most common modification of the surface is with calcium-phosphate coating fabrication directly on titanium alloys. The calcium-phosphates coating on an implant provides a barrier, shielding tissues from possible release of ions from the titanium and other alloys. Furthermore, all calcium-phosphate ceramics are a good substrate as a structural support for cells, and cells proliferation. The most common calcium-phosphate ceramic used for implants is hydroxyapatite with chemical formula Ca10(PO4)6(OH2). Hydroxyapatite is the major inorganic mineral component of human bone, and numerous publications show that hydroxyapatite ceramic coating is the best promoter of proliferation of implanted cells, increases their survival, and improves their metabolism, when compared to the uncoated implant.
The biggest disadvantage of calcium-phosphate ceramics produced by engineering method is their low mechanical strength, which is revealed by the tendency to cracking and falling off of the implant shell fragments. The biggest disadvantage of the popular methods for producing hydroxyapatite coating on implants by thermal spraying is unfeasibility to use those methods when the entire volume of the porous implant has to be covered evenly. | {
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In a serial printing apparatus such as, for example, a dot printer, an ink-jet printer or the like, an image is formed on a sheet of printing paper by printing an image having a predetermined width a plurality of times on the paper. Therefore, the feeding of paper at intervals corresponding to the predetermined width should be performed with relative precision.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a paper-feed control unit of a conventional image-forming apparatus. FIGS. 4A through 4D illustrate the operation of a paper-feed control unit of an orthogonal-transfer-type image-forming apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H09-230715, in which a toner image is transferred in an orthogonal direction to the paper feeding direction.
In FIG. 6, a printing controller 2 controls a transfer controller 3 for controlling image transfer, and a paper-feed-motor-drive-controller 4. The paper-feed-motor-drive-controller 4 controls the drive of a paper-feed-motor 5. The paper-feed-motor 5 causes resist roller 6 and paper-ejection-roller 7 to rotate. The components shown in FIG. 6, with the exception of transfer controller 3, comprise the paper-feed control unit.
In FIG. 4A, resist roller 6 is disposed upstream of toner image carrier 100 (the paper feeding direction shown by arrow 20) and paper-ejection-roller 7 is disposed downstream of toner image carrier 100. In toner image carrier 100, a toner image is formed corresponding to inputted image data. Transfer-facing-roller 8 performs printing by transferring a toner image, formed in the toner image carrier 100, to a sheet of printing paper 12 by rotating and moving in a direction orthogonal to paper feeding direction 20. As shown in FIG. 2A, printing area P is an area between right end 100a (end at downstream side of paper feeding direction) and left end 100b (end of upstream side of toner image carrier 100) of toner image carrier 100. A transfer plate 9 is pressed by transfer-facing-roller 8 through toner image carrier 100 and printing paper 12. Resist-pinch-roller 10 faces resist roller 6. An explanation of the structure and operation of a chassis supporting transfer plate 9, etc. is omitted. In FIG. 4D, LP represents the length of printing paper 12 in paper feeding direction 20, 12a represents the front end of printing paper 12 of the downstream side of paper feeding direction 20, 12b represents the back end (final end) of the upstream side of paper feeding direction 20, and "A" represents the dimension from resist roller 6 to left end 100b of toner carrier 100 as shown in FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an operation of a paper-feed control unit of a conventional image-forming apparatus. The operation is described below referring to FIG. 4A through FIG. 4D, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6.
First, paper-feed-motor-drive-controller 4 rotates paper-feed-motor 5 by an A-step (S21). For paper-feed-motor 5, a stepping motor may be used. Following an A-step rotation of paper-feed-motor 5, front end 12a of the printing paper reaches to substantially the same position as that of right end 100a of printing area P of toner image carrier 100. Then, a first transfer is performed (S22) on first printing area P.
Next, paper-feed-motor 5 rotates by a B-step (S23) feeding printing paper 12 by paper-feed-dimension B1. Dimension B1 is equal to the width of first printing area P as shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4B through FIG. 4D show the relative movement from the position in FIG. 4A of printing paper 12. In step S24, a second transfer is performed on second printing area P.
Then, paper-feed-motor 5 rotates again by a B-step (S25) for feeding printing paper 12 by a paper-feed-dimension B1. In step S26, a third transfer is performed on third printing area P.
Further, paper-feed-motor 5 rotates by B-step (S27) for feeding printing paper 12 by a paper-feed-dimension B1, and as shown in FIG. 4D, a fourth transfer is performed (S28) on forth printing area W (final printing area). After final printing, the printing paper is ejected (S29).
As shown in FIG. 4D, in the paper-feed control unit of the above conventional image-forming apparatus, because the paper-feed-dimension after the third printing is B1, back end 12b of printing paper 12 arrives at a position displaced by a dimension LL from resist roller 6. In FIG. 4, LL>A, and a paper-feed of dimension LL is performed by paper-ejection-roller 7. Due to the dispersion of the diameter of the roller of paper-ejection-roller 7, however, the paper-feed-dimension may not be accurately B1, and may differ from the paper-feed dimension traversed by resist roller 6, by which the quality of the transferred image may deteriorate. Therefore, it is desirable to make the dimension of paper-feed traversed by a paper-ejection-roller as short as possible. | {
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Optical fiber cables are utilized in a wide variety of applications, and many cables include tight buffered optical fibers. A tight buffered optical fiber typically includes an optical waveguide fiber, one or more protective coatings (e.g., a primary coating, a secondary coating, etc.) surrounding an outer surface of the fiber, and a buffer layer formed to surround the optical fiber and its protective coating(s). The buffer layer is formed in intimate contact with the optical fiber or outer protective coating(s), requiring the buffer layer to be stripped in order to access the optical fiber. For example, during installation or patching of a cable, a technician is often required to strip a buffer layer from an optical fiber in order to terminate the optical fiber.
Conventional tight buffers are often difficult to strip or remove from an underlying optical fiber at lengths longer than an inch or two without damaging the protective coating(s) or breaking the fibers. As a result, the stripping of conventional buffer layers often requires multiple passes of stripping small segments of a tight buffer layer until a desired strip length is reached. This process is time consuming and inconvenient. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for improved tight buffer designs that are relatively easy to strip from optical fibers. Additionally, there is an opportunity for improved methods or processes for forming tight buffers on optical fibers such that the buffer layers may be relatively easier to strip or remove. | {
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The present invention relates to a device for dispensing tablets, and more particularly concerns a tablet dispenser for dispensing a solid-form pharmaceutical preparation on a periodic regimen.
Medicaments and other pharmaceutical preparations are often prescribed for the patient on a time related basis. Whether the time schedule be daily, multiple doses per day or less frequent doses, it is important that the prescribed amount and regimen be adhered to by the patient. In taking solid-form pharmaceutical preparations, the amount of dosage is inherently controlled. Thus, each tablet is prepared to contain a fixed amount of dosage, so that there is little or no confusion in the amount which should be taken. As used herein, tablet means any solid-form pharmaceutical preparation including a pill, capsule and the like wherein the dosage of each unit is fixed by the size, weight and other characteristics of the solid form. On the other hand, some uncertainty, forgetfulness and confusion as to whether or not the tablet has been taken at the prescribed rate and time may easily be engendered, especially when the dosage is to be repeated a number of times daily or when multiple medicaments are prescribed to be taken at various times. As a result of this confusion and uncertainty, the patient may, in reality, take more or less than the prescribed rate of dosage, thereby altering the intake which he should be receiving.
Tablet dispensers and devices for dispensing solid-form pharmaceutical preparations especially in a time related sequence have become well known. For instance, the tablet dispenser will include a plurality of tablets and time related indicia referenced to the tablets. Thus, the user of the dispenser is readily informed as to the time period when the tablet should be taken; also, when the tablet containing portion of the dispenser is empty, it readily informs the user that the tablet for that time period has been taken, thereby eliminating any uncertainty in that regard. Representative examples of tablet dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,904,075; 3,800,940; 3,743,085; 3,651,927 and 3,276,573. These patents describe some of the various ways to dispense tablets individually in a time related fashion; however, in the search for a more reliable means of dispensing tablets on a time related basis, in conjunction with simplicity of operation, improved functionability and economies of operation along with inexpensive cost of manufacture and convenience to the user, there is still room for further improvements in this field of tablet dispensers. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a communication method control system, for controlling a communication method employed for communication with a writing apparatus which writes images on a display retaining medium, and to a writing apparatus and a control apparatus that together constitute the control system, and a computer readable medium for these apparatuses.
2. Related Art
A printed material is a material such as paper to which pigmented material including a developer such as an ink or a toner is supplied and on which a fixed image is displayed. As another medium replaceable the medium which displays and retains a fixed image, an display retaining medium has been developed which is configured to rewrite images according to an external writing force to form images on the medium, and which retains the images with displaying the images even after application of the external writing force is halted.
This display retaining medium includes a display portion as a portion displaying and retaining images and the display portion contains display material used for forming images. And when an external writing force, such as electricity, magnetism or heat or a chemical reaction produced by a liquid having a given PH, is applied to the display material, its state is physically or chemically changed. As a result, images are formed according to application of an external writing force. Subsequently, even when the application of this external writing force is halted, the images formed during its application are not lost and retain their shapes and illuminated state. But later, when a different external writing force is applied to the same display material, the images can be altered according to the different external writing force. Whenever an external writing force being applied to a display retaining medium is halted, the appearance (the data retaining state) of the display retaining medium, and the images displayed thereon, conveys to a viewer an impression of reading paper. And just like other electronic displays, the displayed information can be easily updated without externally supplying a coloring material or a developer. For this reason, the display retaining medium is commonly referred to as electronic paper. | {
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This invention relates to a pillow which can be used to absorb some of the energy created by deep breathing, coughing, sneezing, or hiccuping and thereby prevent movement of the chest or abdomen in a manner which causes stress at a surgical site located therein, and yet permit the full expansion necessary for the event to occur in its normal manner.
After a patient has undergone thoracic, open heart or abdominal surgery, taking a deep breath, coughing, sneezing or hiccuping can be an extremely painful experience. Yet such events are necessary to help remove fluids from the respiratory system in order to reduce the incidences of respiratory complications following these surgeries.
The pain comes not from the deep breath, cough, or sneeze itself, but from the expansion of the chest or abdominal cavity in a manner which places stress on the surgical site. Thus, if movement of the chest or abdominal cavity can be caused to occur in a way which does not stress the surgical site, sneezing or hiccuping can take place without excessive pain. In the past attempts have been made to achieve this result by clutching a pillow or similar soft compressible object against the surgical site. While clutching conventional pillows may provide some relief, the degree of relief often is limited and varies. This is because a conventional pillow will absorb little shock in this type of situation. If the user clutches the pillow sufficiently close to his or her body to be of any use it often will collapse or become disformed and lose its compressibility. The pillow, then, acts only as a cushion and if any shock is absorbed it will be absorbed by the user's arms. Consequently, the use of a conventional pillow usually either suppresses the cough completely or permits expansion of the chest or abdominal cavity in a manner which places stress on the surgical site. Even if a normal pillow is made stiff enough to provide some shock absorbing capability, after a cough or sneeze has occurred the user will completely compress the pillow as part of the reaction to the cough or sneeze and the pillow will be of no value for subsequent coughs or sneezes when they closely follow the first.
The subject invention overcomes the foregoing problem by providing a pillow having shock absorbing and quick recovery capability. This is accomplished by using a foam core which is encapsulated in a membrane which is impervious to air. A series of holes are placed in the membrane to permit air to pass through it when the core is compressed and again when it expands after having been compressed. By limiting the total area of these holes to a predetermined value, the rate at which air flows through them can be controlled. Thus, the pillow also will compress at a controlled rate, which is slower than would occur with a normal pillow.
The core and membrane are covered with a cushion which is made from a foam material that is softer than the foam used in the core. The cushion provides firmness in the pillow and permits it to be held against the user's chest or abdominal cavity without compressing the core.
The cushion is covered by a polyester retention layer which conforms to the user's body and makes the pillow more comfortable. The retention layer also prevents the cushion from becoming bunched and permits the cover of the pillow to move relative to the cushion.
The outer layer of the pillow is a nonwoven fabric ticking which holds all of the other elements in place. Since the ticking is nonabsorbent it is easy to clean if fluids are spilled on the outer surface.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a pillow which has shockabsorbing capability.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a pillow wherein the rate at which it can be compressed is limited to a predetermined level.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a pillow which limits movement of the chest or abdominal cavity in the region of a surgical site and yet allows full expansion of the remainder of the chest or abdominal cavity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a pillow which is firm and supportive when squeezed against the user's chest or abdominal cavity.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a pillow that conforms comfortably to the user's body.
The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polypeptides exhibiting follicle stimulating hormone activity, to methods for preparing such polypeptides, and to the use of such polypeptides in therapy, in particular in the treatment of reproductive disorders.
2. Description of Related Art
a. Gonadotropins
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is a member of the family of gonadotrophins that play key roles in human fertility. The gonadotrophins, which also include luteinising hormone (LH) and chorionic gonadotrophin (CG), are heterodimers, each consisting of a common α-subunit (92 amino acids) and a unique β-subunit (111 amino acids in FSH). The amino acid sequences of the mature forms of the α- and β-subunits are shown in SEQ ID NO. 1 and SEQ ID NO. 2, respectively.
Human FSH has been isolated from pituitary glands and from postmenopausal urine (EP 322,438) and has been produced recombinantly in mammalian cells (U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,640, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,957, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,805, U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,896, U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,251, EP 211,894 and EP 521,586). The latter references also disclose the human FSH β-subunit gene. U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,945 discloses a modified human α-subunit gene comprising only one intron.
Liu et al., J Biol Chem 1993, 15; 268 (2): 21613-7, Grossmann et al., Mol Endocrinol 1996 10 (6): 769-79, Roth and Dias (Mol Cell Endocrinol 1995 1; 109 (2): 143-9, Valove et al., Endocrinology 1994; 135 (6): 2657-61, Yoo et al., J Biol Chem 1993 25; 268 (18): 13034-42), U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,261 and Chappel et al., 1998, Human Reproduction, 13 (3): 1835 disclose various structure-function relationship studies and identify amino acid residues involved in receptor binding and activation and in dimerization of FSH.
b. Use of Gonadotropins in Assisted Reproductive Techniques
The gonadotrophins play crucial roles in the reproductive cycle, and their use in exogenous therapies is essential for assisted reproductive techniques (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), IVF in conjunction with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET), as well as for ovulation induction (OI) in anovulatory patients undergoing in vivo fertilization either naturally or through intrauterine insemination (IUI).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,402 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,077 disclose purified human FSH which is free of LH and the use thereof for in vitro fertilization. EP 322 438 discloses a protein with at least 6200 U/mg FSH activity which is substantially free of LH activity, and wherein the FSH α-subunit and the β-subunit, respectively, may be wild type or specified truncated forms thereof.
Prolonged therapy is necessary to achieve a therapeutic effect, typically for 8-10 consecutive days and sometimes up to 21 days to stimulate folliculogenesis in women, and for up to 18 months in hypogonadotrophic males to induce spermatogenesis. Recombinant hFSH is typically administered as an i.m. or s.c. daily injection, with consequent discomfort and potential for local injection site reaction. Decreasing the frequency of administration would facilitate therapy and render gonadotrophin administration more convenient, more tolerable and patient-friendly.
c. Glycosylation of FSH
The gonadotrophins are glycoproteins, with each sub-unit having asparagine-linked (N-linked) oligosaccharide side chains that are important for in vivo activity and function. Carbohydrate addition (glycosylation) to polypeptides is a post-translational event that results in the addition of sugar chains to specific asparagine (N-linked) or serine/threonine (O-linked) amino acids. In contrast to the invariant amino acid sequence of the protein portion of glycoproteins, the carbohydrate structures are variable, a feature referred to as microheterogeneity. For example, N-glycosylation sites on the same protein may contain different carbohydrate structures. Furthermore, even at the same glycosylation site on a given glycoprotein, different carbohydrate structures may be found. This heterogeneity is a consequence of the non-template-directed synthesis of carbohydrates.
N-glycosylation of proteins occurs specifically at the consensus pattern Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr, and to a lesser extent at the consensus pattern Asn-Xaa-Cys, where Xaa can be any amino acid residue. However, the presence of a consensus tripeptide is not sufficient to insure that an asparagine residue will be glycosylated. For example, N-glycosylation of the Asn-Pro-Ser/Thr sequence occurs at a rate 50-times lower than the other consensus patterns of Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr.
Human FSH contains four N-linked glycosylation sites: two on the common α-subunit at positions 52 and 78 and two on the β-subunit at positions 7 and 24. Carbohydrates attached to the α-subunit of FSH are critical for dimer assembly, integrity, secretion and signal transduction, whereas β-subunit carbohydrates are important for dimer assembly, secretion and clearance of the heterodimer from the circulation.
Galway et al., Endocrinology 1990; 127 (1): 93-100 demonstrate that FSH variants produced in a N-acetylglucosamine transferase-I CHO cell line or a CHO cell line defective in sialic acid transport are as active as FSH secreted by wild type cells or purified pituitary FSH in vitro, but lacked in vivo activity, presumably due to rapid clearance of the inadequately glycosylated variants in serum. D'Antonio et al., Human Reprod 1999; 14 (5): 1160-7 describe various FSH isoforms circulating in the blood stream. The isoforms have identical amino acid sequences, but differ in their extent of post-translational modification. It was found that the less acidic isoform group had a faster in vivo clearance as compared with the acidic isoform group, possibly due to differences in the sialic acid content between the isoforms. Moreover, Bishop et al. Endocrinology 1995; 136 (6): 2635-40 conclude that circulatory half-life appears to be the primary determinant of in vivo activity. These observations led to the hypothesis that the half-life of FSH could be increased by introducing additional glycosylation sites to increase the sialic acid content of the polypeptide.
d. FSH Variants
FSH agonists with increased half-lives have been developed by fusing the carboxyterminal peptide of hCG (CTP) to native recombinant human FSH (rhFSH). The CTP moiety consists of amino acids 112-118 to 145 with four O-linked glycosylation sites located at positions 121, 127, 132 and 138. U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,835 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,345 disclose a modified FSH β-subunit extended at the C-terminal Glu with the CTP moiety of hCG. The resulting modified analogue is stated to have the biological activity of native FSH, but a prolonged circulating half-life. U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,945 discloses that the carboxy terminal portion of the hCG β-subunit or a variant thereof has significant effects on the clearance of CG, FSH, and LH.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,073 discloses single-chain proteins comprised of two α-subunits with agonist or antagonist activity for CG, TSH, LH and FSH. U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,261 discloses heterodimeric polypeptides having binding affinity to LH and FSH receptors comprising a glycoprotein hormone α-subunit and a non-naturally occurring β-subunit polypeptide, wherein the β-subunit polypeptide is a chain of amino acids comprising four joined subsequences, each of which is selected from a list of specific sequences. Klein et al. (2003) discloses a single chain analogue of FSH with an increased half-life, wherein the α- and β-subunits are linked by an oligopeptide containing two N-linked glycosylation sites.
WO 01/58493 discloses 77 mutations that may be made in the α-subunit of FSH and 51 mutations that may be made in the β-subunit of FSH in an attempt to improve the in vivo half-life of FSH. WO 01/58493 discloses that the mutant α- and β-subunits may be used individually (1 additional glycosylation site) or in combination (2 additional glycosylation sites). The 128 candidate mutants were identified by using 50 models of the 3D structure of FSH that were generated based solely on the structure of hCG and a sequence alignment of FSH and hCG despite only 32% identity between the β-subunits of hCG and FSH. WO 01/58493 does not disclose the production or testing of any α- or β-subunits of FSH where a glycosylation site was introduced by site directed mutagenesis.
A clinical need exists for a product which provides part or all of the therapeutically relevant effects of FSH, and which may be administered at less frequent intervals as compared to currently available FSH products, and which preferably provides a more stable level of circulating FSH activity as compared to that obtainable by current treatment.
The present invention is directed to such products as well as the means of making such products. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a two-dimensional scanning apparatus and a scanning type image displaying apparatus using the same, and particularly is adapted to two-dimensionally scan a beam (deflected beam) deflected by deflecting means to thereby project and display a two-dimensional image on a surface to be scanned (a screen surface).
2. Related Background Art
There have heretofore been various two-dimensional scanning apparatuses adapted to two-dimensionally deflect a beam emitted from light source means by deflecting means, and two-dimensionally optically scan a surface to be scanned with a spot to thereby form a two-dimensional image (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-146320).
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-146320, a beam emitted from light source means is deflected by deflecting means capable of two-dimensional deflection, and a surface to be scanned is two-dimensionally scanned with the beam by a scanning lens of which the distortion characteristic has an f·sinθ characteristic. In this publication, the distortion of an image is corrected by the f·sinθ characteristic of the scanning lens and electrical correction.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-84291, there is disclosed a two-dimensional scanning optical system using an optical element including a refracting surface and a reflecting surface, and turning back an optical path in the interior of the optical element, and in order to correct eccentric aberration, the refracting surface or the reflecting surface is constituted by a non-rotation symmetrical surface having an axis of rotational symmetry in neither the inside nor the outside of the surface. In this publication, although adopting a two-dimensional scanning optical system constituted by an optical element, the speed constancy of scanning beam on a surface to be scanned is corrected well over a wide scanning angle. It is also made possible to achieve telecentricity necessary for highly accurate image depiction.
As previously described, the two-dimensional scanning apparatus deflects a beam emitted from light source means by deflecting means capable of two-dimensional deflection, and forms a two-dimensional image on a surface to be scanned through a two-dimensional scanning optical system. It is generally known that at this time, image distortion occurs to the two-dimensional scanning image on the surface to be scanned. This is the so-called distortion.
The distortion includes distortion as the distortion of a two-dimensional scanning optical system, the distortion of a constant speed scanning property, TV distortion which indicates that the frame of an image depicted on a surface to be scanned curves, and the like. Also, when an image is obliquely projected onto the surface to be scanned, trapezoid distortion occurs.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-146320, TV distortion is corrected by the f·sinθ characteristic of the scanning optical system and electrical correction, however there has been the problem that it is difficult to electrically correct it.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-84291, it is also made possible to have a wide scanning angle, correct distortion of a constant speed scanning property and achieve telecentricity, however TV distortion caused by two-dimensional scanning cannot be corrected. In the publication, there has been the problem that when image distortion such as TV distortion and trapezoid distortion occurs, the quality of the image is deteriorated, so that an image of high quality cannot be displayed. | {
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Field
The present disclosure relates to technology for wireless communication systems.
Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems typically include a communication platform such as a dedicated terrestrial antenna, airborne platform, or communications spacecraft (e.g., a satellite). Such platforms typically operate within regulations that allocate at least one operating frequency bandwidth for a particular set of communications. A growing market exists for provision of high data rate wireless communication services to consumers and businesses. To meet the demand, systems are being designed with increased capacities. For example, using higher frequencies for wireless communication allows for wider bands and, therefore, greater system capacity. However, with higher frequencies it may be harder to close the link between the communication platform and the ground terminal. | {
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Millions of individuals listen to radio stations and/or television stations each day. Individuals utilize radios in order to listen to music, radio programs, radio news programs, and/or radio talk shows, etc. Individuals utilize television in order to watch television programs, television shows, television news programs, television talk shows, movies, and/or music videos, etc.
As many individuals can attest, oftentimes a song may be playing which the listener desires to purchase. For example, a listener can be listening to a song, find it enjoyable, and desire to purchase a copy of the song or a copy of the album on which the song is featured. Typically, in order to effect such a purchase, the individual will have to obtain information regarding the song, such as, for example, the name of the song, the performer who is performing the song, or any other information (i.e. the name of the album on which the song may be featured or found, etc.), the retailer or distributor of the song or album, and/or the price of a copy of the song or a copy of the album on which the song is featured. Thereafter, the individual can purchase the copy of the respective song or album.
More often than not, however, an individual's desire to purchase a copy of a respective song or album is stronger at the time the individual is listening to same. Some may argue that the desire can fade away if not acted upon quickly. In this manner, individuals may not satisfy their desires and producers or distributors of the respective songs or albums can be deprived of sales which could have been made had the individual been able to act on his or her impulse.
In a similar manner, there are many instances in which an individual may be watching a television show, program, or movie and, finding same to be enjoyable, desire to purchase a copy of same. Typically, in order to effect such a purchase, the individual may have to obtain information regarding the respective show, program, or movie, such as, for example, the name of the respective show, program, or movie, retailer or distributor of the respective show, program, or movie, and/or the price of a copy of the respective show, program, or movie. Thereafter, the individual can purchase the copy of the respective show, program, or movie.
In a similar manner, there are many instances in which an individual may be listening a radio or watching a television advertisement and, finding same to be desirable, desire to purchase a the object of the advertisement. Typically, in order to effect such a purchase, the individual may have to write down a telephone number and or the Internet website address (URL). Thereafter, the individual can purchase the subject of the respective advertisement by dialing the telephone number or visiting the website.
More often than not, however, a desire to purchase a copy of a respective show, program, or movie, is stronger at the time the individual is viewing same. Here too, some may argue that the desire can fade away if not acted upon quickly. In this manner, individuals may not satisfy their desires and producers or distributors of the respective shows, programs, movies, or vendors of the objects of advertisement, can be deprived of sales which could have been made had the individual been able to act on his or her impulse.
In today's information age, individuals are use to, and typically expect, if not demand, to be able to make purchases and/or to otherwise act on their desires in an instant. Yet, in spite of this, no system or apparatus is currently available which can provide an individual with the ability to purchase a copy of a respective song, album, television show, television program, movie, or object of advertisement instantly either during, or in conjunction with, a broadcast of same, or shortly thereafter. Further, no system or apparatus is currently available which can facilitate the purchase of a copy of a respective song, album, television show, television program or movie, or object of advertisement via a respective media playing device, such a radio or television, on or over which the respective song, album, television show, television program, or movie, is being played. | {
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In order to prevent infection in the operating room when performing arthroscopic surgical procedures, it is necessary to follow aseptic draping techniques to avoid the possibility of infecting the patient. More recently, and with the advent of HIV and other infectious viruses, it is also highly desirable to be able to protect the operating room personnel as much as possible from infection by contact with body fluids of infected patients. Accordingly, it is highly desirable to be able to avoid contact with and to collect all waste body fluids that result from an invasive procedure during an operation such as an arthroscopy.
It has been common procedure in operating rooms for many years, to cover the patient with sterilized drapes in all areas except where the operation is being performed. Once the drapes have been placed in position, it is important to the maintenance of the aseptic condition of the operating room that the drapery not be moved from the patient or from covered equipment.
In performing many of the arthroscopic operations, it is necessary that the limb of the patient upon which the operation is being performed be moved to be certain that the proper range of motion is maintained in the effected joint. During such movement, it has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prevent movement of the drapery covering the patient. Thus, great care must be exercised to avoid exposing a portion of the operating room equipment or a portion of the patient and thereby violating the required aseptic procedure.
A conventional method for collecting body fluids of a patient undergoing an arthroscopic procedure has been to attach a collection pouch to a surgical drape by an adhesive material. The surgical drape has an opening that allows the limb to penetrate the drape, and the collection pouch has a window and an opening arranged so that the limb can pass through the pouch with the portion to be operated on located at the center of the pouch.
While this design is a great improvement over techniques and apparatuses that existed prior to it, the design and method of using adhesive to secure the collection pouch to the surgical drape has presented problems. During many arthroscopic procedures the limb of the patent must be moved considerably from side to side, and during this movement the collection pouch has moved the drape severely which can violate aseptic technique.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved arthroscopy drape that includes a collection pouch that is securely adhered to a drape panel, but one that permits substantial relative movement of the collection pouch relative to the drape panel without disturbing the position of the drape relative to the patient. | {
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Three-dimensional modeling may be used to design, model, test, and/or visualize a product. In creating a three-dimensional model-based design, the designed product is defined in the context of three dimensions (e.g., height, width, and depth). The result is a digital prototype of the product, which can be visualized and/or tested in detail in a digital environment without the need to create a physical prototype. One example of a software suite for three-dimensional modeling is the Creo suite of products from PTC of Needham Mass., although one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other three-dimensional modeling applications may be employed in connection with exemplary embodiments described herein.
Three-dimensional models may be feature-based models, in which models are built using one or more features. A feature may be defined by a geometry, and may be defined with respect to two-dimensional space, three-dimensional space, or both. Features may be combined, stretched, extruded, or otherwise manipulated to achieve a shape or series of shapes as desired by a user. Examples of feature-based modeling environments include computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) environments.
Designers usually take one of two approaches to 3D design and solid modeling: direct or parametric modeling. Direct modeling provides users with the capability to push and pull directly on geometry. Direct modeling is typically used for quickly developing an initial model and making simple changes to the model. In parametric modeling, the modeling environment maintains consistent relationships between components, so a change to one component may result in a change to other components.
Once constructed, a simulation may be performed on a model. Simulation is the virtual, mathematical process by which a computer processes input data intended to represent certain real world conditions. Stresses and loads under which the modeled product will operate may be defined and the simulation may be carried out based on these parameters. Using the simulation results, design flaws may be fixed or forestalled.
Models may also be utilized in Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), in which computers guide product design and manufacturing; for instance, manufacturing may be performed by a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine guided by a plan from a three dimensional model. In one example, CAM may be used to design and/or produce molds for molded parts. Once the mold is designed and used to produce a part, CAM processes may be used to machine the part efficiently and precisely.
After a part is designed and manufactured, it may be necessary or useful to track the lifecycle of the product (e.g.) to identify problems with the product and/or to facilitate repairs, upgrades, recalls, etc. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) provides techniques for managing complex-cross-functional processes and for coordinating the efforts of distributed teams to consistently and efficiently deploy well-functioning products. PLM software may mange different aspects of the product development lifecycle, from conception through service and retirement. An example of a PLM software suite includes the Windchill suite from PTC of Needham, Mass., although one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other PLM applications may be employed in connection with exemplary embodiments described herein. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to user interfaces for electric devices, and more specifically relates to touch sensors and digitizer systems.
Description of the Related Art
A variety of different types of input devices are commonly used in a variety of different electronic systems, including computers (e.g., laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants) and communication devices (e.g., mobile phones, wireless handheld communication devices). One type of input device is generally referred to as a touch sensor or proximity sensor. A touch sensor uses a variety of different techniques to determine the position of proximate objects, such as fingers. For example, capacitive touch sensors determine the position of proximate objects by determining a change in capacitance that occurs due to the presence of proximate objects. Another type of input device is commonly referred to as a digitizer tablet, but also referred to as a graphics tablet, graphics pad, or drawing tablet. Digitizer tablets include a sensing surface upon which a user can enter input using a transducer, typically implemented as a stylus or other pen-like drawing apparatus. In typical digitizers, the transducer emits an electromagnetic signal, which is detected by the sensing surface. The electromagnetic signal detected by the sensing surface is then used and processed to determine the position of the transducer.
In general, digitizers offer increased position-detection accuracy and resolution when compared to typical touch sensors. Digitizers typically require the use of a specialized transducer for inputting. It has been desirable to combine the attributes (e.g., convenience) of touch sensors with the improved accuracy and resolution of digitizers. Unfortunately, combination touch sensor-digitizers have had limited applicability, mainly due to high cost and complexity associated with implementation, the additional three-dimensional space required to accommodate the combination, and the requirement for special types of displays that could support both touch sensing and transducer (e.g., stylus) sensing. Thus, there remains a continuing need for improved combination touch sensor and transducer-based input devices. | {
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For proper spooling of a cable on a winch drum, it is necessary to keep a certain amount of tension on the cable for a neat, tight spool. When paying out cable from a drum it is necessary to keep tension on the line to prevent what is commonly called "birdcaging". This occurs when the winch drum pays out line faster than the line is retrieved or taken up.
One type of cable tensioner generally has one driven sheave and one or two idler sheaves with one or more pinch rollers to force the wire rope down into the sheave grooves causing a wedging action on the cable. To obtain the necessary friction area to lower the pounds per square inch force it is necessary to have an "S" curve cable lead to obtain the friction area required. These tensioners are required to handle the full line pull of the winch drum and must have sheave diameters proportionally larger than the cable diameter to avoid excessive bending of the cable.
Another type of tensioner presently utilized has compressible floating sides to the friction sheave along with a pinch roller to provide the necessary friction. Again it is necessary to have an "S" curve in the cable in the tensioner plus again having to handle the full winch load with the necessary large sheaves.
The two types described above cause constant bending, flexing and pinching of the wire rope causing premature failure of the cable.
Still another type of tensioner simply has the wire rope pinched in between two sheaves. In order to develop any appreciable amount of line pull it is necessary to place considerable pressure on the cable which then also results in premature cable failure.
Attention is directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,469,267 and 2,647,699.
An object of this invention is to provide a cable tensioner which will maintain a constant tension on a cable without any bending, flexing or pinching of the cable.
Another object is to provide a tensioner which will follow the cable lead which means the structure does not change the direction of the cable lead (and load). It only has to support its own weight and some of the weight of the cable between the drum and the guide pulley. The tensioner must also handle the line pull under some conditions. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bias circuit providing different levels of bias power according to various power modes and a power amplifier having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a power amplifier is a device supplying power to a load, and since it is positioned in a final stage of an amplifier circuit, it may also be referred to as a final stage amplifier.
It is important for a power amplifier to effectively supply power to a load without distortion, so a power transistor may be used as an amplifying element thereof.
Meanwhile, due to recent explosive growth in the wireless communications device market, large numbers of people can transmit and receive information through portable communications terminals, regardless of time and place. However, as large numbers of people are increasingly using wireless communications, diverse wireless services may be requested, and in order to meet the demand for diverse wireless services, portable terminals provide diverse applications; however, maximum talk time may be reduced.
The shortening of the maximum talk time is mainly due to power consumption and is caused by the limited battery capacity of portable terminals. However, an increase in battery capacity may lead to an increase in the volume of portable terminals, therefore failing to satisfy user demand for lighter, thinner, shorter, and smaller portable terminals. Thus, portable terminal battery power is required to be used effectively.
The foregoing power amplifier may also be employed in a portable terminal to be used for wireless communications and may be used to amplify the power of a transmitted and received signal. Thus, in order to use the battery power of a portable terminal effectively, the power amplifier is also required to use power effectively. Thus, a power amplifier may selectively operate in either a high power mode or a low power mode.
A power amplifier receives bias power in order to perform an amplifying operation. In general, a power amplifier receives the same amount of bias power while operating in both the high power mode and the low power mode, causing a problem in which power usage is ineffective.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, a technique of supplying different levels of bias power according to various power modes has been disclosed in the related art document, but in this technique, a separate bias circuit is provided for each power mode, thereby increasing a circuit area and thus causing a further problem in which the volume of a portable terminal is increased. | {
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Tissue engineering is an approach for regeneration, replacement, and improvement of the functions of damaged tissues by manipulating materials according to the specific structure or function of the desired tissues. Porous and biodegradable polymer scaffolds are utilized as a structural supporting matrix or as a cell adhesive substrate for cell-based tissue engineering. A major side effect of the surgical implantation of three dimensional scaffolds is the trauma created by physicians while treating patient illness. For example, current technologies for the surgical implantation of three dimensional scaffolds involve incisions that lead to patient pain, bleeding, and bruising. As such, there is a pressing need in the art to develop less invasive structured polymer scaffolds. | {
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The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents one or more different approaches to database management issues, which may be unique.
A multi-tenant database system (“MTS”) typically includes various hardware and software components and is shared by one or more customers as a “cloud computing” solution for data storage and management. Service providers offer access to such systems through a network, such as the Internet. For example, an application server may be configured to simultaneously process multiple requests for many different customers, and a database may be configured to store data that is shared by many different customers.
The growing popularity of cloud computing and software as a service (“SaaS”) has led to the development of software platforms for businesses and other enterprises that provide more advanced cloud-based products and services, in addition to simple data storage and management requirements. Salesforce.com inc., of San Francisco, Calif., offers a number of customer relationship management (“CRM”) products and services that are cloud-based solutions upon which relevant applications can be launched and/or built for any business or enterprise. For example, the Salesforce1 platform is a cloud-based platform for the development and deployment of mobile enterprise applications.
An application (“app”) is a collection of components such as tabs, reports, dashboards, and other pages that address a specific organizational need. For example, the Salesforce1 platform supports mobile application development, and is built on a foundation called Force.com, which is a set of tools and services for creating and launching employee-facing applications that are both mobile and social. The Force.com platform includes a number of standard applications, which may be extended by customization, or custom applications may be created. The Force.com platform also includes access to a store for applications called the AppExchange, which is similar to the iTunes App Store, but for business applications.
One of the popular features of the Salesforce CRM software is sales lead management and tracking. With Salesforce CRM software, critical information regarding leads and opportunities can be shared in real time with colleagues. Further, using the data repository services of Data.com, searches for new leads can be conducted.
However, while searching for and following up on new leads is easy enough when the user/salesperson is in the office, it can be more difficult when the user/salesperson is on the road visiting accounts, leads and prospects. Often, such a person would like to visit new prospects, but real time tools for finding new leads are not readily available for mobile applications. Thus, it would thus be desirable to have a mobile application that supports real time lead support, including identifying and locating contacts that are near the user's present location. In addition, a means should be provided for purchasing a contact if the contact information is not accessible to the user. | {
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A marked increase in prevalence of multi-drug resistance in disease-causing Gram-positive (G+ve) (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp. and Streptococcus pneumoniae) and Gram negative (G−ve) pathogens (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) has coincided with an unprecedented global decline in investment in new anti-infective drugs. There are few currently registered alternatives for multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections, forcing clinicians to consider older generation drugs such as colistin with narrow spectrum and considerable potential for toxic side-effects. In addition, there are fewer novel classes of antiinfective therapeutics moving through the drug development pipeline.
Since the year 2000, a period of almost 15 years, only 5 novel mode of action (MOA) antibacterial agents have been approved by the US FDA—linezolid (an oxazolidinone) in 2000, daptomycin (a lipopeptide) in 2003, retapamulin (a pleuromutilin) in 2007, fidaxomicin (a macrolide tiacumicin) in 2011, and bedaquiline (a diarylquinoline) in 2012. Notably, none of these agents has significant activity against gram negative bacteria. No novel MOA antibacterial agents were approved in 2013 and to date in 2014 only tedizolid and dalbavancin, both analogs of existing classes, have been recommended for approval in the US. While there are more than 300 anti-infective medicines in various stages of development, the large majority of these medicines are previously approved antibacterial compounds or their derivatives that are undergoing studies for new Indications.
Furthermore, the prevalence of multidrug-resistance in animal-specific pathogens together with greater regulation of the registration and usage of antimicrobials in animals, has caused veterinarians to become increasingly reliant on the traditional classes of antimicrobial agents. The risk of transfer of MDR zoonotic organisms from animals to humans has also led to calls for further restrictions on the usage of some recently registered antibacterial drugs such as the fluoroquinolones and the third and fourth generation cephalosporins.
Epidemiology of Antibacterial Resistance Development in Pathogens of Humans and Animals
Much of the evolution in resistance development is driven by changes in the epidemiology of key MDR organisms. Once only restricted to human hospitals and aged care facilities, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are now being isolated from the community in alarming proportions. Furthermore, community-acquired MRSA strains are more likely to carry the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin, a virulence factor linked to skin and soft tissue lesions as well as a rapid, fulminating, necrotizing pneumonia with significant associated mortality. Recently MRSA strains have become host-adapted in several key animal species including livestock, horses and companion animals and regular cases of human-to-animal and animal-to-human transfer are being documented. This has important consequences for strain transmission and public health. A recent survey of 751 Australian veterinarians for MRSA nasal carriage found that a remarkable 21.4% of equine veterinarians were MRSA-positive compared to 4.9% of small animal veterinarians and 0.9% of veterinarians with little animal contact. These ecological shifts of MRSA together with the emergence of resistance to new drugs developed specifically for MRSA such as linezolid confirm that new MRSA anti-infectives are urgently needed. Furthermore, hospitals that use vancomycin for treating MRSA then have to contend with outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections in their patients, once again with limited alternative antimicrobial choices.
The global emergence and spread within the community of highly virulent MDR Gram-negative (G−ve) bacteria such as E. coli O25b:ST131 confirms that bacterial pathogens can simultaneously evolve both virulence and resistance determinants. Echoing recent MRSA epidemiology, E. coli O25b:ST131, a major cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections in humans, has now been isolated from extraintestinal infections in companion animals, and poultry. The increasing significance of E. coli O25b:ST131 and other MDR Enterobacteriaceae with combined resistance to fluoroquinolones and extended spectrum beta-lactams and carbapenems is another worrying trend, especially considering there have been few recent breakthroughs in the development of G−ve spectrum anti-infectives apart from incremental advances in the carbapenem family.
The World Health Organisation has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the three major future threats to global health. A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that “in the United States, more than two million people are sickened every year with antibiotic-resistant infections, with at least 23,000 dying as a result.” The extra medical costs, in the USA alone, associated with treating and managing a single case of antibiotic-resistant infection are estimated to be between US$18,588 and US$29,069 per year resulting in an overall direct cost to the US health system of over US$20 billion annually. In addition, the cost to US households in terms of lost productivity is estimated at over US$35 billion per annum. Twenty five thousand patients in the European Union (EU) still die annually from infection with MDR bacteria despite many EU countries having world's best practice hospital surveillance and infection control strategies. The EU costs from health care expenses and lost productivity associated with MDR infections are estimated to be at least 1.5 billion per year.
There is an unmet clinical need for antibacterial agents with novel mechanisms of action to supplement and replace currently available antibacterial agents, the efficacy of which is increasingly undermined by antibacterial resistance mechanisms. There remains a need for alternative antibacterials in the treatment of infection by multi-resistant bacteria. However, as reported by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, few new drugs are being developed that offer promising results over existing treatments (Infectious Diseases Society of America 2010, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 50(8):1081-1083).
It is an object of the present invention to overcome at least one of the failings of the prior art.
The discussion of the background art set out above is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus with a detachable electrical member such as an external memory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional electronic apparatus such as an electronic calculator with program function, the use of an external memory, particularly a detachable memory card storing predetermined program or data, is well known for expanding the function of the electronic apparatus and is extremely useful for the operator in dispensing with the cumbersome operation of program or data entry through the keys provided in the electronic apparatus itself.
Such external memory or memory card is provided, for the purpose of mounting the same onto the electronic apparatus and transmitting the stored programs and data thereto, with plural connecting patterns which are maintained in electric pressure contact with a connector having plural contacts provided in the electronic apparatus.
However, attaching or detaching of the memory card, if conducted while the power supply is continued, may lead to the destruction of the program or data stored in the memory card or even of the processing circuitry in the electronic apparatus, since the connector functions as a spring and causes unstable chattering phenomenon. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved method of securing head suspension members to actuator arms for use in disk drives, and particularly relates to a method of securing the head suspension members to very thin shelf segments of actuator arms for the purposes of decreasing the internal spacing of storage disks in a conventional disk drive envelope and minimizing actuator arm shelf cracking during production.
2. Related Art
In a disk drive assembly the magnetic heads of the drive are secured to the distal ends of head suspension members. The proximal ends of these head suspension members are attached to an actuator having multiple arms with protruding shelf segments. The actuator is in turn connected to a servo or stepping motor. The magnetic heads of the drive are moved to selected tracks on the disks by means of the servo or stepping motor via the actuator, its arms and the connected head suspension members.
There are various methods of attaching head suspension members to an actuator arm. Such methods include glue, screws, clamps, and staking.
In one known staking method two head suspension members are attached to a shelf segment of an actuator arm by means of two staking members having short tubular stems each of which are aligned through holes in the head suspension members and into a through hole on opposing sides of the protruding shelf segment of the actuator arm. The stems of the staking members are thereafter forcibly expanded within the structural material of the shelf segment of the actuator arm by driving a ball bearing through the stem tubes.
This particular method, although effective, has several limitations. One limitation of this method is the requirement of using two separate staking procedures to attach two head suspension members. The individual staking members, being positioned on opposing sides of the arm shelf segment, have to be staked to the actuator arm in separate procedures (i.e. one from each side).
A further limitation of expanding the tubular stem portion of the staking members within the structural material of the shelf segment lies in the configuration of the acutator arm and its shelf segment. To allow expansion of two staking members within the structural material of the shelf segment there must be a significant thickness of the actuator arm and the shelf segment. The thickness of the shelf segment necessary to this method prevents an ideal back to back mounting of the head suspension members and thus prevents a decreased internal spacing of the disks which rotate in between the multiple arms of the actuator. Ideally the space between the disks should only be limited by the height of the magnetic heads and the thickness of the head suspension members.
The most significant limitation in expanding the stem of the staking members within the structural material of the shelf segment is the possibility of cracking the shelf segment during the staking procedure. Cracking of the shelf often occurs despite the given thickness of the actuator arm and shelf segment. The nature of the assembly employed in this method channels the force of the staking procedure directly into the material of the shelf segment. If there is even a slight structural defect in the material of the actuator arm or shelf segment or if the staking procedure is not performed correctly the shelf segment of the actuator arm will crack. Cracking of the shelf segment results in defective assemblies and is a costly problem in mass manufacturing the actuator arm assemblies. The staking procedure is one of the last assembly procedures to take place in the manufacturing process. If the shelf segment cracks during the staking procedure the entire semi-complete multiple arm actuator assembly must be discarded at a significant cost.
In response to these limitations another method of staking was developed in which only one staking member was employed. In this method two head suspension members are first attached to opposing sides of the flange of the staking member and then the staking member is subsequently secured to the actuator arm shelf in a single staking procedure. In using only one staking member the thickness of the actuator arm and shelf segment is decreased because the shelf segment only has to withstand the force of one staking procedure. Using this method simplifies manufacturing procedures and decreases disk spacing to some extent but it still has significant limitations.
The single staking member procedure allows a small decrease in the spacing of disks, but the spacing of the disks is still limited by the thickness of the shelf segment and the resulting space between the mountings of the head suspension members (i.e. the thickness of the flange of the staking member. Also the force exerted by the staking procedure is still channeled directly into the structural material of the shelf segment. Cracking within the structural material of the shelf segment still occurs due to structural limitations. As a result, a significant percentage of the actuator arm assemblies still have to be discarded.
The problem related to the cracking of the actuator arm becomes more severe with an anticipated change in structural materials to ceramics. The metallic materials presently used expand and contract slightly when exposed to changes in temperature due to a metallic material's inherent coefficient of thermal expansion. These expansions and contractions hinder the accurate placement of the magnetic heads on the disks.
Because ceramic materials have no coefficient of thermal expansion there is an anticipated change in actuator arm materials to ceramics. This change will increase the accuracy of head placement by eliminating thermal expansions and contractions. However, this change creates problems in attaching head suspension members to ceramic actuator arms by any type of staking method. Expanding a staking member within an actuator arm formed from a ceramic material is impossible without shattering the arm and shelf segment. The cracking problem described is a major hindrance in the development of technology related to ceramic actuator arms.
Accordingly a purpose of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an alternative assembly and method for securing head suspensions to very thin shelf segments of metallic and ceramic actuator arms. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Various vehicles, such as automobiles, are powered by gasoline, diesel fuel, or the like. As such, the vehicles typically include fuel systems having a tank configured to retain fuel, such as gasoline or diesel fuel, and a fuel fill line that serves as an inlet for supplying fuel to the tank from a fuel nozzle of a refueling station. In general, a fuel fill line includes an opening that may be exposed during refueling to receive the nozzle. An exposed end portion of the fuel fill line is of sufficient size to receive a discharge tube of a refueling nozzle. The nozzle typically fits relatively loosely in the fuel fill line so that the nozzle may be quickly and easily inserted and removed from the fuel fill line.
Many passenger and commercial vehicles are powered through diesel fuel. However, many diesel powered vehicles are susceptible to being mis-fueled (for example, mistakenly fueled) with gasoline. Gasoline nozzles typically are smaller than diesel nozzles and may be inserted into a refueling orifice of a diesel powered vehicle. Conversely, the larger size of a diesel nozzle typically prevents it from being inserted into the smaller refueling orifice of a gasoline powered vehicle.
Accordingly, various fuel systems include a mis-fuel inhibitor (MFI). An MFI is a device configured to prevent a gasoline nozzle from being inserted into a diesel fuel tank, or vice versa. For example, one type of MFI includes an inlet having an opening that prevents mis-fueling by nozzles having a diameter that exceeds that of the opening. As an example, the MFI may include top and bottom doors. While an improper nozzle may be inserted past the top door, the nozzle generally is unable to engage the bottom door as the diameter of the nozzle is too large to pass through a passage proximate to the bottom door. Another type of MFI includes a locking bottom door that only allows a complimentary nozzle to fit therethrough. Additional MFI systems are disclosed in EP 1 155 154, WO 2005/077698, WO 2010/021829, WO 2011/053563, U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,425, U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,443, and FR 2 753 138, for example.
Another known MFI includes an actuator having a spring-biased C-ring. The spring-biased C-ring exerts a force into the actuator that tends to maintain the actuator in a retracted or closed position. A flap may be pivotally secured to the actuator. During nozzle insertion, a proper fuel nozzle abuts into the actuator proximate to an opening, and exerts an opening force into the actuator that overcomes the closing force of the spring-biased C-ring. The distal tip of the nozzle then abuts into the flap, which then pivots open. However, an improper nozzle is typically unable to pass into the actuator and/or force the actuator open to engage the flap.
In general, the MFI may be crimped to a plastic inlet of a fuel fill line. A metal cover is positioned over the MFI such that the MFI may be sandwiched between an outer surface of the plastic inlet and an inner surface of the metal cover. An O-ring is positioned between a portion of plastic inlet, the metal cover, and/or the MFI to provide a sealing interface therebetween. The MFI may be pressed and crimped between the metal cover and the inlet of the fuel fill line. As such, the process of securing an MFI to a fuel fill line may be time and labor intensive.
Additionally, MFIs that are used with automobiles are typically not sized and shaped to be used with respect to larger vehicles, such as commercial trucks. For example, the actuator used in an MFI for an automobile may simply be too small for an MFI of a commercial truck. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method of making contacts in integrated circuits. More particularly the invention relates to a method of making low resistance contacts between levels of metallization in integrated semiconductor circuits, where the contact openings and channels are cleaned by means of cathode sputtering. The invention also comprises a device for carrying out said method.
2. Background Art
If aluminum metallization is used in semiconductor technology, making good contact connections from one level of metallization to the next one is a problem because when aluminum or an aluminum alloy with a high oxygen affinity such as aluminum-copper is exposed to air, a strongly adhering, thin oxide skin forms thereon because of the high oxygen affinity of aluminum. In circuits with low circuit density and relatively few but large contact openings this problem is solved in an uncomplicated manner in that prior to the application of the next level of metallization the semiconductor substrates are etched with dilute buffered hydrofluoric acid. As a consequence, a thin, noncontiguous aluminum oxide layer is formed in the contact holes. A heat processing of the thus prepared substrates following metallization at approximately 400.degree. C. causes an aluminum self-diffusion and recrystallization at the original metal to metal interface in the contact openings. In this manner, useful and low resistance contacts are obtained.
It has been suggested (IBM-TDB Vol. 19, No. 1, 1976, p. 20) to provide a zinc coating on the previously precleaned metal surface by the immersion of wafers in a zinc sulfate-hydrofluoric acid. The wafers are then heated to approximately 200.degree. to 250.degree. C. and the respective metal is deposited. Following the metal deposition, the wafers are heated in an inert atmosphere for approximately 30 minutes to approximately 350.degree. C., with the consequence of the out-diffusion of zinc atoms into adjacent metal layers, and therefore of low resistance contacts.
It has also been suggested to use an intermediate layer of titanium between the metallization levels. The titanium film reduces the aluminum oxide in the area of the via hole and thus effects a reduction of the contact resistance between the two conductor planes. The disadvantage of this method is that it is difficult to control, and that the reduction of the contact resistance achieved thereby is insufficient in connection with small via holes (d<5 .mu.m).
In high density integrated circuits where the diameter of the holes decrease and the number of holes increase drastically, conventional cleaning methods can no longer be used. It has therefore become necessary to find an effective cleaning process for via holes. An in situ cleaning process by means of cathode sputtering was developed (IBM-TDB Vol. 20, No. 2, 1977, pp. 574 to 576). Prior to the evaporation of the second metallization level the surface of the first metallization level is cleaned according to this process by means of cathode sputtering, i.e. by applying a high frequency voltage to the wafer holder in an argon atmosphere at low pressure. The conditions for cathode sputtering were such that approximately 10 nm aluminum or aluminum oxide are removed. With this process, the contact resistance is practically reduced to zero. The effectivity of the method is particularly evident when wafers which had been cleaned in a vacuum system by means of cathode sputtering, and subsequently exposed to air for several minutes prior to the vapor deposition of the next metallization level, are compared with wafers which after cleaning by means of cathode sputtering are applied with a metallization level by vapor deposition without the vacuum having been interrupted. It can be demonstrated that under the former conditions aluminum again oxidizes quickly, forming an oxide barrier with a layer thickness of approximately 1.5 to 2.0 nm. The in situ cleaning process by means of cathode sputtering without an interruption of the vacuum is therefore particularly advantageous for high product yields.
However, this method cannot be effectively applied in processes using masks of temperature-sensitive photoresist materials. The reason for this is the length of time required for effective sputter cleaning. During sputter cleaning, the resist reticulates and partly polymerizes due to the argon ion bombardment and high temperature associated with prolonged bombardment and the resist can no longer be removed from the substrate after this process. Prolonged ion bombardment is required to obtain a clean, oxide-free contact in a via because the level of water vapor in the chamber atmosphere causes reoxidation to occur on the previously cleaned substrate surface, thus requiring repeated sputtering until reoxidation does not occur. For example, bare aluminum contacts which are cleaned react with water vapor, and form an oxide layer on the aluminum. This oxide layer is subsequently removed again in the sputtering process. A clean, oxide-free surface is maintained on the aluminum coated wafer holder and in the via when the sputtering reaches a point in time where all residual water vapor has been consumed in the reaction with the aluminum metal.
Thus, to avoid prolonged ion bombardment, and still obtain a clean, oxide-free metal to metal contact in via connections, a low residual water vapor is required in the vacuum work chamber where the wafers are located. Vacuum conditions in standard high vacuum chambers, (i.e. standard chambers are built with seals and gaskets made of rubber material such as viton), are insufficient to maintain an oxide free contact area after the removal of an oxide layer from a contact by sputter cleaning and before the next layer of metal is deposited by evaporation. Standard high vacuum tooling is required in manufacturing type equipment because the manufacturing chambers must be continually and rapidly accessed to move parts in and out thereof.
Considering the restraint that the chamber be of the standard high vacuum type for manufacturing purposes, the problem is how to eliminate oxygen, and oxygen containing compounds, particularly water vapor in the work chamber, which causes reoxidation after sputter cleaning. A Meissner trap may commonly be used to lower the residual water vapor in a vacuum chamber. However, Meissner traps do not reduce the level of residual water vapor low enough to prevent re-oxidation of the sputter cleaned contacts.
Commercial ion getter pumps are also available to reduce the residual water vapor in vacuum work chambers. There are basically two types of ion getter pumps, one operates by evaporation mechanisms and the other by sputtering. These getter pumps are designed to be attached to a flange or a port in a vacuum work chamber. However, these ion getter pumps require ultra high vacuum work chambers to operate effectively, and are thus not suited for use with standard vacuum chambers as are required for manufacturing. Ultra high vacuum chambers require metal gaskets and fastening means such as large, heavy bolts. Such ultra-high vacuum tooling could not be effectively used in a manufacturing mode wherein substrates are continually entered into and removed from the chamber.
Standard high vacuum tooling, which is compatible with rapid access use as required in the manufacturing mode, is not suited for use with commercial ion getter pumps. One reason for this is that vacuum chambers that are pumped with ion getter pumps must be able to withstand relatively high temperatures to drive residual gases from the chamber walls, e.g. temperatures in the range of 400.degree. C. If the chamber walls were not heated, ion getter pumps would not be very effective because of the high outgassing rate of residual gases from the walls of the chamber into the chamber itself. If the chamber walls were heated, ion time if used with standard high vacuum chamber tooling getting pumps would lose their effectiveness in a short because the high temperatures required to drive the residual gases from the chamber walls would cause the rubber seals to leak. When using an ion getter pump, there is a relatively low pressure conductance between the work chamber and getter pump, (i.e. low pressure conductance exists because of pressure drops in the connections and shielding baffles which keep getter material from getting into the work chamber). Due to this low conductance, the pump is effective in its own chamber, but not very effective in the work chamber where residual water vapor would exist for extended periods causing reoxidation on metal surfaces after cleaning.
An additional problem with using ion getter pumps in conjunction with a work chamber to remove water vapor therefrom is that these pumps are generally not selective in the gases that they remove from the chamber. These pumps remove all species of residual gases in the chamber. The only gases that are of concern for the present application are those containing oxygen, particularly water vapor. Because the commercially available ion gettering equipment pumps all gases, they incorporate means for generation of a magnetic field to enhance pumping action. This makes such equipment bulky and awkward to use and does not allow one to place such pumps in close proximity to the wafers or workpieces inside the vacuum work chamber.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a method for cleaning semiconductor substrates covered with masks of temperature-sensitive resist materials, by means of a more effective cathode sputtering method wherein shorter sputter clean cycles can be used.
It is another object to provide a method for cleaning semiconductor substrates by cathode sputtering in a manufacturing mode, wherein rapid access is required to a standard high vacuum work chamber, and ultra high vacuum tooling is not required.
It is another object to selectively remove water vapor or other oxygen containing gases from the work chamber, particularly in the area of the chamber in close proximity to the wafers.
It is another object to provide an effective means for carrying out this method and for improving the vacuum conditions in a sputtering deposition chamber. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Batteries Phenomena and Mechanism
Batteries may be divided into two principal types, primary batteries and secondary batteries. Primary battery can be used once until it discharges. Secondary batteries are also called rechargeable batteries because they can be recharged to use again. In secondary batteries, each charge/discharge process is called a cycle, and eventually reaches an end of their usable life after many charge/discharge cycles. Electrochemical cell constitutes of a cathode (positive) and anode (negative) electrodes, an electrolyte (an ionic conductor) to chemically connect the electrodes, and an insulator separating the electrodes. In actual operation, the secondary battery converts the chemical energy into electrical energy. During discharging of battery, negative charge (electrons) leave the anode and move in external circuit, while the positive charge (Li-ion) travel through the electrolyte to reach cathode. During charging, Li-ion moves from the cathode to anode via electrolyte depending on the electrochemical potential (ECP) between the cathode and anode to maintain charge neutrality. Charge-discharge may be a complex process due to the nature of cathode, anode, and electrolytes. Li—S cathode is very poor conductor due to the insulating nature of sulfur which causes capacity fading. Therefore, high conductivity is an essential requirement. Since carbon is highly conductive, S—C composite is an obvious choice, but creation of conduction link between C and S is crucial. Nano-links between carbon and sulfur can provide the conducting channels, if one could synthesis them. Nano-links facilitate conduction of the Li-ion in Li—S cathode. The discloser provides the synthesis routes of C—S nanocomposite with nano-network which is highly conductive with long cycle life in actual testing with assembled battery.
Unlike most rechargeable batteries, where ion moves via intercalations into and out of a crystal lattice, lithium-sulfur batteries are based on topotactic chemical reaction at the anode and cathode (16 Li+S8⇔Li2S). But, theoretical capacity (1675 mAh/g) of Li—S cathode is much higher than that of the oxide based cathodes (<200 mAh/g). Li—S also operates at a safer voltage range (1.5 V to 3 V), but the poor conductivity of Li—S is very serious problem. High theoretical capacity of Li—S is due to the ability of sulfur to accept two electrons per atom. The high-order polysulfides (Li2Sn, 4<Sn<8) produced during the initial stage of discharge process, are soluble in the electrolyte and move toward the lithium metal anode, where they are reduced to lower-order polysulfides. Moreover, solubility of these high-order polysulfides in the liquid electrolytes and the nucleation of insoluble low-order sulfides (e.g. Li2S2 and Li2S) results in poor capacity retention and low coulombic efficiency. Since carbon is an excellent electric conductor, C—S material system was an obvious choice do develop conductive cathode. Based on this fact various investigators have intensively studied the routes for the synthesis of C—S material system.
Several synthesis approaches have been pursued including composites with carbon black and nanostructured carbon with considerable capacity fading. But, Li—S synthesized by mesoporous carbon with amorphous sulfur and polymer have exhibited high reversible capacity of approximately 1000 mAh/g up to 20 cycles. Most traditional methods to synthesize sulfur-carbon composites include processing by sulfur melting route, resulting in high manufacturing costs due to additional energy consumption. Several reports have noted that the sulfur content in the sulfur-carbon composites synthesized by the sulfur melting route is limited to a relatively low specific capacity to obtain acceptable electrochemical performance, which leads to a lower overall capacity of the cathode. Synthesizing homogeneous sulfur-carbon composites through conventional heat treatment is complicated and still challenging. In this method of synthesis, sulfur is heated above its melting temperature, and the liquid sulfur is then diffused to the surface or into the pores of carbon substrates to form the sulfur-carbon composite. A subsequent high-temperature heating step is then required to remove the superfluous sulfur on the surface of the composites, and leads to waste some sulfur. Thus, the conventional synthesis by the sulfur-melting route may be difficult for scaling to obtain a uniform industry level demand for sulfur-carbon composite. Recently, another alternative of sulfur deposition to synthesize core-shell carbon/sulfur material for Li—S batteries was introduced. The capacity fading after one cycle (solubility of polysulphides) was the clear result. The carbon-sulfur composite material where sulfur particles are wrapped by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and carbon sheets showed stable capacities of 600 mAh/g over 100 cycles. Also, one-port reaction has been developed to obtain carbon-enveloped sulfur composite which had high sulfur content of 87 wt % with acceptable cycling stability. Despite the fact that carbon-sulfur network was found effective to enhance the cycle performance of Li—S batteries, its synthesis is usually complicated and challenging for large-scale application. Most of the solution-based synthesis without heat treatment produces large crystalline sulfur particles with poor rate performance due to lack of the full utilization of active material. Thus, there remains urgent need for a highly functional and readily synthesized sulfur-carbon cathode material for Li—S battery. Nano-network links are very effective to provide new electrical paths to Li-ion. We used this concept for the material synthesis and the performance of Li—S cell assembled with this nano-composite cathode with battery capacity >910 mAh/g up to 80 cycles. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Various communication networks comprise multiple Base Transmission Station (BTS) sites that transmit and receive Radio Frequency (RF) signals to and from mobile devices using one or more antennas. In various network configurations, the BTS sites communicate the RF signals with other elements in the network in a sampled and digitized form. For example, the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) standard defines interfaces between Radio Equipment Controllers (REC) and local or remote Radio Equipment (RE) units of the BTS sites. The CPRI specifications are described, for example, in “Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI); Interface Specification,” version 6.1, Jul. 1, 2014, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
In various applications, CPRI signals are transmitted as 10-bit symbols using an encoding scheme that maps 8-bit characters to the 10-bit symbols (referred to as 8b/10b encoding). An 8b/10b line coding scheme is defined, for example, in IEEE Standard 802.3-2005, entitled “IEEE Std 802.3-2005: Part 3: Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) access method and physical layer specifications,” Dec. 12, 2005, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
Some high rate CPRI signals use a 64b/66b line coding scheme in which 64-bit blocks (i.e., eight 8-bit characters) are mapped into 66-bit line codes. A 64/66b line coding scheme is defined, for example, in clause 49 of the IEEE standard 802.3-2008, entitled “Telecommunications and information exchange between systems—Local and metropolitan area networks—Specific requirements Part 3: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications,” Dec. 26, 2008, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
CPRI signals may be sent over various types of networks, such as, for example, optical networks. Several schemes for sending CPRI signals over the Optical Transport Network (OTN) are described, for example, in ITU-T G-series Recommendations—Supplement 56, entitled “OTN Transport of CPRI signals, Series G: Transmission Systems and Media, Digital Systems and Networks,” July, 2015, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Retail stores are in business to sell merchandise and make a profit. Store managers are most concerned with product-related marketing and decisions such as product placement, assortment, space, price, promotion, and inventory. If the products are non-optimized in terms of these product decisions, then sales can be lost and profit will be less than what would otherwise be possible in an optimal system. For example, if the product assortment, space, or inventory is not properly selected or maintained, then the consumer is less likely to buy these products. If price is too high or too low, then profit can be lost. If promotions are not properly targeted, then marketing efforts will be wasted. If the product placement is poorly laid-out, then the store loses sales.
In a similar manner, suppliers (manufacturers and distributors) who supply to retail stores are in business to sell merchandise and make a profit. Suppliers are concerned with manufacturing, inventory, price, promotions, transportation, delivery schedules, returns, and seasonal merchandise. Yet, both retailers and suppliers share common concerns as they are inherently connected by supply chain logistics and economics. Problems at one end of the supply chain can adversely affect the profitability of another part of the supply chain. For example, if the supplier has not properly planned for inventory requirements for a promotional item, then the product may not be available to meet the retail demand or the supplier may be left with excess inventory at the end of the promotion. If the products sold by the suppliers are non-optimized in terms of their product decisions, then sales may be lost and profit will be less than what would otherwise be possible in an optimal system.
In order to maximize the outcome of product-related decisions, retail store and supplier management have used statistical modeling and strategic planning to optimize the decision making process for many product decisions. Economic modeling and planning is commonly used to estimate or predict the performance and outcome of real systems, given specific sets of input data of interest. A model is a mathematical expression or representation which predicts the outcome or behavior of the system under a variety of conditions. An economic-based system will have many variables and influences which determine its behavior. In one sense, it is relatively easy to review historical data, understand its past performance, and state with relative certainty that the system's past behavior was indeed driven by the historical data. A much more difficult task, but one that is extremely important and valuable, is to generate a mathematical model of the system, which predicts how the system will behave, or would have behaved, with different sets of data and assumptions. The field of probability and statistics has provided many tools, which allow predictions to be made with reasonable certainty and acceptable levels of confidence.
In its basic form, the economic model can be viewed as a predicted or anticipated outcome of a mathematical expression, as driven by a given set of input data and assumptions. The input data is processed through the mathematical expression representing either the expected or current behavior of the real system. The mathematical expression is formulated or derived from principles of probability and statistics, often by analyzing historical data and corresponding known outcomes, to achieve an accurate correlation of the expected behavior of the system to other sets of data. In other words, the model should be able to predict the outcome or response of the system to a specific set of data being considered or proposed, within a level of confidence, or an acceptable level of uncertainty.
Economic modeling has many uses and applications. One emerging area in which modeling has exceptional promise is in the retail sales and supplier environments. Grocery stores, general merchandise stores, specialty shops, and other retail outlets face stiff competition for limited customers and business. Suppliers must manage the supply chain to service the retailers. Retailers and suppliers alike make every effort to maximize sales, volume, revenue, and profit. Economic modeling can be an effective tool in helping retail storeowners and suppliers achieve these important goals.
Retailers and suppliers have traditionally used a variety of modeling tools to represent and optimize one or more of the product decisions described above, i.e., product placement, assortment, space, price, promotion, inventory, delivery, and seasonal merchandise. One modeling tool may optimize for product placement, assortment, and space. Another modeling tool will optimize inventory. Yet another modeling tool may optimize for price. Still another modeling tool will predict optimal manufacturing schedules. Each modeling tool may yield good results for the specific criteria being considered.
Retailers and suppliers each generate and track different data and utilize different models customized to their business for planning purposes. The cost of creating and executing the different models reduces the overall profitability for both parties. Moreover, getting suppliers and retailers to share information is no small feat. Suppliers and retailers are cautious to the idea of sharing data because of competitive concerns. The data may be only partially disclosed or tightly restricted as to its dissemination and use. Even when shared, the data is not necessarily compatible with the recipient's model. The recipient may not be able to make any meaningful judgments from the limited shared data. In addition, the output of these models do not necessarily correlate, which inhibits the supply chain members from reaching any mutually beneficial or optimal supply chain management and product decisions. For example, the supplier may, with its data and models, forecast a given demand for a product based on a given price and promotion. The retailer could run the same product pricing and promotion and get a different demand forecast based on its data and models. With the present supply chain system that tends toward isolation of data and individualized modeling tools, suppliers and retailers are often disjointed in making important product decisions.
A need exists to improve the performance of supply chain logistics and economics for both suppliers and retailers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to electric machines and, more particularly, to a multi-piece generator rotor including flat windings for generator fields.
In a conventional generator having a rotor and a stator, the rotor is provided with field windings that excite the generator while receiving a current from an exciting current source. The stator is provided with armature windings from which electrical power is obtained.
The rotor is typically provided with rotor spindles to effect rotation. With this structure, however, the spindles on each end of the rotor body require at least two sides of the field winding to be formed into an arc concentric with the spindle. This rotor construction including a one-piece rotor forging and end winding modules having curved ends is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/491,504, filed Jan. 26, 2000.
It would be desirable, for simplicity of manufacturing, to be able to flatten the curved sides of the prior end winding modules and thereby eliminate the need to form the arcs required for concentricity with the spindle.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a multi-pole electric machine rotor includes a rotor body having poles with defined pole faces and parallel sides adjacent to the pole faces, a winding module that fits over the parallel sides of the poles, and a pair of spindles secured to respective ends of the rotor body and holding sides of the winding module to the rotor body. The spindles are preferably secured to the rotor body with bolts or threaded studs. Each of the spindles is provided with a notch shaped to receive one side of the winding module. In a preferred embodiment, the winding module includes a plurality of abutting flat field windings joined end-to-end and having openings sized to fit over the rotor body. The flat field windings may have a smaller perimeter at outside ends of the winding module that taper toward a largest perimeter at the middle of the winding module.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a multi-pole electric machine includes a stator and the rotor of the present invention.
In still another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of constructing a generator rotor includes the steps of providing a rotor body having pole regions with defined pole faces and having parallel sides adjacent to the pole faces, fitting a winding module over the parallel sides of the rotor body, securing a pair of spindles to respective ends of the rotor body, and securing ends of the winding module to the spindles so as to thereby secure the ends of the winding module to the rotor body. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Current techniques for Ultra-Violet Lithography (UVL) are well known and established within the semiconductor fabrication industry. For example, ultra-violet (UV) light having a wavelength of 193 nm is used in the process of photo-etching a semi-conductor microstructure using combinations of positive and negative photo-resists (PR), UV sources, and lensing apparatus. One example of a lens used in this process is a fused silica glass (SiO2); however, technology in lens manufacture is investigating the use of lenses made of other materials, such as calcium fluoride. The continued use of technology employing fused silica lens becomes increasingly difficult due to absorption characteristics of the lens at wavelengths much below 193 nm. For example, the extreme ultra-violet (EUV) systems of 153 nm and less suffer from near total absorption by SiO2 lenses. As a result, there is continued interest in the development of a calcium fluoride lens.
The smallest structure that can be created by a “dry” lithography UV system is about 100 nm and is referred to as the resolution of the system. The resolution of a lithography system is limited by the nature of light passing from one medium to another, the resolving power of the lens used, and Rayleigh's Criterion. Rayleigh's Criterion is a function of the wavelength of a light source, the refractive index “n” of a lens, the physical diameter of the lens, and the angle separating the maximum and minimum points of diffraction of the light source through the lens.
One way of increasing the resolving power of a lens is to increase the diameter of the lens while maintaining a constant focal length, which in turn increases the numerical aperture of the lens (a term commonly used in photography to express capturing the detail of a subject by increasing the amount of light incident on a lens). However, according to Snell's Law of Reflection, the angle that a light ray can intercept the boundary layer between two refractory mediums before there is total reflection of the light ray within the medium with a higher refractive index is limited. Therefore, the practical size of lens that may be used in the dry process is restricted.
Because of the technical difficulties encountered developing EUV systems, “Immersion Lithography” is being investigated as an alternative to conventional dry lithography processes. Immersion Lithography is a “wet” process that uses water as an intermediary refractive layer between the lens and the wafer substrate being exposed to an UV light source. One advantage of IL is that water has a higher refractive index (e.g., about 1.4 at 29° C.) than air (e.g., about 1.0). The index of refraction of pure water is significantly closer to the index of refraction for a silica lens than air. Therefore, bending is reduced, a larger lens may be used, and the numerical aperture and the resolving power of the system are increased. As a result, the resolving power of the lens/water system is substantially greater than the lens/air system
The refractory properties of water in all of its physical states have been thoroughly investigated. The index of refraction of water is based on the physical system under which it exists and the wavelengths of light to which it is being exposed. The refractive index for water can be determined a number of ways, although direct observation for a fixed set of conditions is the most reliable. Good approximate values can be calculated for a wide spectrum of wavelengths using a derived formula first presented in a paper by P. Schiebener et al. and later modified by Levelt Sengers et al. The formula is as follows:(n2−1)/(n2+2)*(1/ρ)=ao+a1ρ+a2T+a3λ2T+a4/λ2a5/(λ2−λ2uv)+a6/(λ2−λ2IR)+a7ρ2
a0=0.244257733 a4=1.58920570×10−3 λUV=0.229202
a1=9.74634476×10−3 a5=2.45934259×10−3 λIR=5.432937
a2=−3.73234996×10−3 a6=0.900704920 T=normalized
(K)
a3=2.68678472×10−4 a7=−1.66626219×10−2 λ=normalized
ref-ρ*=1000 kg m−3 ref-T*=273.15° K. ρ=normalized
ref-ρ*=0.589 um
Values close to points of discontinuity may be approximated through extrapolation and checked through observation. The above formula uses reference values to derive dimensionless constants in order to take into account the variables of density, temperature, and wavelength. The formula itself was numerically derived using observed values and a curve-fitting algorithm. Extrapolated results have been demonstrated to give good approximate values. Other formulas to derive the refractive index of water using observed dielectric values may be found.
Two processes being investigated using water as an intermediary layer are briefly described in an IEEE article, “Chip Makings Wet New World” by Linda Geppart, Spectrum-IEEE Press, May 2004 and are briefly described here. One method uses total immersion lithography in which the lensing system and wafers are completely immersed in water during the lithography process. However, full immersion of the system provides slower processing times due to the inertial forces of the water. For example, the inertial forces affect the velocity of moving the wafer, fluctuations in optical properties due to currents in the water and temperature gradients, and the inability to properly control the creation of air bubbles either through cavitations of the moving mechanisms or air bubbles trapped on the wafer's photo-resist during immersion (which affect the number of defects created on the substrate during processing). In addition, particle and chemical contaminants are introduced in the liquid medium with one possible particle source being the photo-resist layer itself.
A second method being developed uses a water injection system whereby a layer of water is injected via nozzles located around the lens onto a wafer substrate. After the wafer has been exposed to the UV light source, the water is “sucked up” by the injector system. However, the water injection system also produces air bubbles within the water layer that are introduced by the injectors in addition to air bubbles trapped on the photo-resist as the water is sprayed over the surface and contaminants are introduced within the medium due to the injection of water directly onto the photo-resist resulting in photo-resist surface ablation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A silicon carbide is expected as a material for next generation semiconductor devices. In comparison with silicon, the silicon carbide has superior physical properties such as a band gap of about 3 times, a breakdown field strength of about 10 times, and a thermal conductivity of about 3 times. By utilizing these characteristics, for example, it is possible to realize a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) which can operate at a high breakdown voltage, a low loss, and a high temperature.
A vertical type MOSFET using silicon carbide has a pn junction diode as a parasitic built-in diode. For example, the MOSFET is used as a switching element connected to an inductive load. In this case, even when the MOSFET is turned off, by using a pn junction diode, it is possible to allow a reflux current to flow.
However, when a reflux current is allowed to flow by using a pn junction diode, stacking faults grow in the silicon carbide layer due to the recombination energy of carriers, and thus, there is a concern that the on-resistance of the MOSFET may increase. An increase in the on-resistance of the MOSFET causes degradation in the reliability of the MOSFET. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to bearings between relatively moving elements, and particularly to slider bearings and to thrust and journal bearings between a shaft and bearing block.
Properly arranged grooves in slider, thrust and journal bearings are useful for increasing the load carrying capacity of the bearing structure, as by pumping the lubricant into the bearing against the influence of the load, which usually tends to squeeze the lubricant out. When the bearing is at rest, however, many lubricants tend to leak out of the bearing, urged by the bearing load, unopposed by pumping action. To counter this tendency, it has been proposed to use certain greases which are solids, in effect, and which remain as solids at the bearing entrance when it is stopped. Alternatively, it has been proposed to provide the entrance zone of the bearing with non-wetting surfaces to which lighter lubricants such as oil adhere with the result that the lubricant is retained in the bearing even at rest.
Another problem with grooved or pumping bearings, which problem is not solved by the use of grease or non-wetting surfaces, is that of entrainment of air into the bearing during operation, due to the combined effects of centrifugal force and the pumping action of the grooves. Such entrainment decreases the load-carrying capacity of the grease or oil in the bearing.
Now it has been discovered that the use of properly arranged magnetic lubricants in grooved bearings, together with magnetic retention means therefor, not only has the effect of preventing leakage of the lubricant when the bearing is stopped, but also has the more surprising effect of preventing entrainment of air into the bearing during operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a bearing structure in which the load-carrying capacity of the lubricant is increased during operation without having leakage of the lubricant when the bearing is not operating; and
It is another object of the invention to provide a bearing structure as above described, and also having the effect of preventing entrainment of air into the bearing and lubricant during operation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having a flow-reading mode in which a sheet being conveyed is read.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image reading apparatuses have at least one of: a fixed-reading mode in which a sheet placed on a platen is read; and a flow-reading mode in which a sheet conveyed by an auto document feeder (ADF) is read. Especially in the flow-reading mode, if dust or glue of sticky notes and the like (such dust or glue is hereafter referred to as “foreign material”) adhering to the platen is read, a linear foreign material image appears in the read image. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,236 describes an invention of changing the reading position by moving a mirror table when a foreign material adhering to a platen is detected.
According to the invention in U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,236, whether or not a foreign material is present needs to be checked for each of a plurality of reading position candidates, in a state where no sheet is present on the platen. A certain amount of processing time is required to detect whether or not a foreign material is present for all of the plurality of reading position candidates. Image reading apparatuses in recent years have a sleep mode for saving power. In the sleep mode, whether or not a foreign material adheres to the platen is unclear. Therefore, the need for the foreign material detection process is high upon return from the sleep mode. Upon return from the sleep mode, however, the user wants to perform flow-reading. If the foreign material detection process and the reading position change process take a long time, the time to complete flow-reading increases, and the usability decreases. In particular, conventionally flow-reading cannot be started until the detection process is completed for all of the plurality of reading position candidates, unless a reading position candidate in which no foreign material is detected is found. The detection process thus tends to take long. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to a method and a microscope, in particular a laser scanning fluorescence microscope, for high spatial resolution examination of samples, the sample to be examined comprising a substance that can be repeatedly converted from a first state into a second state, the first and the second states differing from one another in at least one optical property, comprising the steps that the substance in a sample region to be recorded is firstly brought into the first state, and that the second state is induced by means of an optical signal, spatially delimited subregions being specifically excluded within the sample region to be recorded.
Methods and microscope of the type named at the beginning are known from practice. In principle, Abbe's law sets a theoretical limit to the spatial resolution of imaging optical methods owing to the diffraction limit, the diffraction limit being a function of the wavelength of the light used. However, it is possible with the aid of the method and microscopes discussed here to achieve spatial resolutions that are improved beyond the theoretical diffraction limit known from Abbe.
In the known methods, there are provided for this purpose in the samples to be examined substances that can be repeatedly converted from a first state into a second state, the first and the second states differing from one another in at least one optical property. In the case of most known methods, a first state is a fluorescence-capable state (named state A below), and the second state is a nonfluorescence-capable state (named state B below). After the substance in a sample region to be recorded has been brought into the fluorescence-capable state A by means of a switching signal, state B is induced in spatially limited subregions of the sample region to be recorded by means of an optical signal, and the fluorescence of fluorescence molecules is thereby suppressed. The physical process of fluorescence suppression can be of a very different nature in this case. Thus, for example, stimulated emission from the previously excited state, or an optically induced structural change in the fluorescence molecules is known.
What is decisive is that the transition induced by an optical signal from the first into the second state in the sample volume takes place in large regions in a saturated fashion, that is to say completely, and precisely does not take place in at least one subregion of the sample volume in that the optical switching signal is specifically not irradiated there. This effect can be achieved by producing an intensity zero point of the optical signal. No transition into the second state (in general the nonfluorescing state B) takes place at the zero point and in its immediate vicinity, and so the first state (in general the fluorescing state A) is retained. Even in the close vicinity of the intensity zero points, a saturation of the transition A→B owing to the optical signal leads in the illuminated regions of the sample region to be recorded to a (virtually) complete transfer into the state B. The more strongly the process is driven into saturation, that is to say the more energy that is introduced by the optical signal into the regions around the zero point, the smaller becomes the region with fluorescence molecules in the fluorescence-capable state A, or generally in an “luminous” state. This region can be rendered arbitrarily small in principle as a function of the degree of saturation in immediate zero point vicinity. It is therefore possible to mark regions of the state A that are arbitrarily much smaller than the smallest regions of an applied optical signal that are possible on the basis of the diffraction limit. If the region of the state A is subsequently read out, for example by radiating a test signal, the (fluorescence) measuring signal originates from a defined region that can be smaller than is permitted by the diffraction limit. If the sample is scanned point by point in the way described, an image is produced with a resolution that is better than is allowed by diffraction theory.
Methods of the type described here in the case of which the optical property of fluorescence capability/nonfluorescence capability is used as difference between two states are disclosed, for example, in DE 103 25 459 A1 and DE 103 25 460 A1. In these methods, fluorescence molecules are brought with the aid of an optical signal from a state A (fluorescence-capable) into a state B (nonfluorescence-capable), saturation being achieved in the transition A→B. The regions of the sample that remain in the fluorescence-capable state A result in each case from an intensity minimum, having a zero point, in the irradiated optical signal. The intensity minima are part of an interference pattern. The sample is scanned by displacing the intensity minima in the optical signal, the displacement being effected by shifting the phase of the interfering beams. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small-sized spindle motor employed for a disk player, more particularly to a spindle motor which has a more compact structure due to a decrease of its height.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an optical disk is capable of high-density recording and reproducing as compared to a magnetic recording tape and a LP and can be stored semi-permanently. Due to its merits, recently, disk players utilizing optical disks have been being widely spread.
Such a disk player includes a laser disk player, a compact disk player and a DVD (digital versatile disk) player and the like. Among such optical disk players, particularly, compact disk players, which have a small size and are portable, have been being widely spread. Recently, however, DVDs, which have the same size as compact disks while having a larger memory capacity than the compact disks, are being rapidly spread.
Disk players of this type are being minimized in size, height and weight so that users can carry them conveniently, and, in the future, slim type disk players having a 9.5 mm height are expected to form the mainstream.
One of the most important components in this disk player is a spindle motor for a drive for rotating a disk at a high speed without a movement. Spindle motors are also being miniaturized so as to conform to the miniaturization of disk players.
Of course, the miniaturized spindle motors have to be developed such that they can show a high-speed performance at a minimum current though its size becomes smaller, minimize vibration generated during driving and prevent the deviation of a disk during high speed driving.
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional spindle motor for a disk drive.
As illustrated therein, the spindle motor includes a deck plate 1 which has a circuit substrate mounted on the upper surface and is fixed to a disk player (not shown) and a shaft 10 rotatably disposed perpendicularly to the deck plate 1.
On the lower end face of the shaft 10 is disposed a thrust bearing 11 for preventing the friction between the shaft 10 and the deck plate 1. To the lower end of the shaft is engaged a stopper ring 12 for preventing the shaft from deviating upwardly by a centrifugal force generated during high-speed rotation.
And, the spindle motor also includes a stator 20 composed of a cylindrical metal bearing 22 which is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 10 and supports the shaft 10 so as to stand vertically, a cylindrical holder 24 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the metal bearing 22 and a core 28 wound with coils 26 which is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the holder 24 and generates a magnetic force by an applied power.
Additionally, a cap type rotor 40 of metallic material is coupled to the upper end of the shaft 10 so as to be located at the upper part of the stator 20. The rotor 40 and the shaft 10 are integrally formed because the shaft 10 is press-fit to the inner peripheral surface of a cylindrical boss 42 protruding at the center portion of the rotor 40.
Moreover, a magnet 45 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 40 so that it can be opposed to the core 28 of the stator 20 with an air gap therebetween. A pulling magnet 30 is disposed on the upper part of the stator 20 and pulls the rotor 40 downward by a magnetic force.
Meanwhile, on the upper surface of the rotor 40 is disposed a turntable 50 which is fixedly installed integrally with the rotor 40 and mounts a disk (D). The turntable 50 includes a disk chuck 52 on which the disk (D) is centered so as to be mounted at the precise position of the turntable 50, a jaw 54 which is slidably disposed at the disk chuck 52 and fixes the disk (D) mounted on the disk chuck 52 and a disk seat 56 which supports the mounted disk (D) from a lower side.
Of course, the jaw 54 is inserted into the lateral side of the disk chuck 52 along with a spring 54a and the disk seat 56 is formed in a flange extending from the lower part of the disk chuck 52 and is formed integrally with the disk chuck 52.
Here, the integral fixing of the turntable 50 and the rotor 40 will be explained in more detail. The disk chuck 52 is formed with a hub 52a penetrating through the center. After positioning the hub 52a of the disk chuck 52 at the boss 42 of the rotor 40, the boss 42 is press-fit to the inner peripheral surface of the hub 52a by pressurizing the disk chuck 52 from an upper side.
Of course, in order to press-fit the boss 42 of the rotor 40 to the hub 52a of the disk chuck 52, the outer diameter of the boss 42 and the inner diameter of the hub 52a must be made identical by precision finishing. Because the outer diameter of the boss 42 is the same as the inner diameter of the hub 52a, the disk chuck 52 is forced-fit to the rotor 40.
At this time, the disk chuck 52 is forced-fit to the rotor 40 after coating an adhesive (B) on the outer peripheral surface of the boss 42 of the rotor 40 so as to make the press-fit disk chuck 52 more firmly fixed thereto.
That is, the disk chuck 52 is firmly fixed by bonding-fixing the disk chuck 52 to the rotor 40 as well as press-fitting it thereto.
In the thus constructed conventional spindle motor for the disk drive, the disk (D) is fixed by centering a through hole formed at the center of the disk (D) on the disk chuck 52 of the turntable 50. During the fixing, the jaw 54 is slid into the lateral side of the disk chuck 52 via the through hole formed on the disk (D). Thereafter, when the centering is finished, the jaw 54 compresses the inside of the through hole of the disk (D) while slidably protruding to the outside of the disk chuck 52 by an elastic force of the spring 54a, thereby firmly fixing the disk (D).
Once the fixing of the disk (D) is finished, a power is applied to the coils 26 of the stator 20 to generate a magnetic force on the core 28. This makes the magnetic force of the core 28 and the magnetic force of the magnet 45 to interact with each other.
Then, the core 28 and the magnet 45 rotate the rotor 40 along with the shaft 10 at high speed by the interaction between their generated magnetic forces.
At this time, the shaft 10 can rotate at a high speed smoothly and vertically without movement by the metal bearing 22 disposed on the outer peripheral surface. Even if the shaft 10 is rotated at a high speed by the stopper ring 12 disposed at the lower end, it does not deviate upward.
That is, the metal bearing 22 supports the shaft 10 rotating at a high speed from the outer peripheral surface and the stopper ring 12 interrupts the shaft 10 from being lifted by a centrifugal force caused by the high-speed rotation.
The rotor 40 rotating at a high speed along with the shaft 10 is also likely to be lifted by the centrifugal force caused by the high-speed rotation, but is prevented from being lifted owing to an attractive force of the pulling magnet 30.
By the rotation of the rotor 40, the turntable 50 fixedly disposed on the upper surface of the rotor 40 rotates and the disk (D) mounted on the turntable 50 also rotates at a high speed along with the turntable 50. Therefore, the disk player (not shown) can records data on the disk (D) or reproduce the recorded data within a short time.
Of course, the disk (D) is firmly fixed by the jaw 54 of the turntable 50, so it is not lifted or deviated from the turn table 50 even when rotated at a high speed. Also, it is not lifted or deviates by a disk clamp (not shown) pressurizing the disk (D) from an upper side.
However, in the above-described conventional spindle motor for the disk drive, when the boss 42 of the rotor 40 is forced-fit to the hub 52a of the disk chuck 52, the adhesive (B) coated on the boss 42 is all squeezed out downward and is aggregated at one portion of the upper surface of the rotor 40.
Therefore, the turntable 50 is not tightly fixed to the upper surface of the rotor 40 by the adhesive (B) aggregated on the upper part of the rotor 40, but is fixed thereto, being lifted upward as much as the thickness of the adhesive (B) and accordingly there occurs a problem that the height (h) of the spindle motor is also increased as much as the lifted length of the turntable 50.
And, since the adhesive (B) is aggregated on one portion of the upper surface of the rotor 40, the adhesion surface area of the disk chuck 52 is decreased to thus cause the weakening of the adhesion force. This leads to a problem that the turntable 50 deviates from the rotor 40 by a centrifugal force during high-speed rotation of the rotor 40 to thus reduce the life span of the spindle motor. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a three-piece oil-control ring for use on the piston groove of an internal combustion engine, comprising a first upper/higher annular segment and a second lower annular segment, associated to an intermediate expanding element provided with a geometry that exhibits thickness, taken adjacent its internal end (smaller diameter) substantially smaller than the thickness taken in the region of association with the first and second annular segments.
The geometry of the expanding element prevents undesired contact with the inner wall and the upper/higher and lower edges (angles) defined by the piston groove, decreasing the tolerance accuracy required in the manufacturing process of this component. In this way, one achieves a reduction in the piston manufacture cost and a smaller number of incompatibilities between the expander and the groove, reducing to zero the occurrence of a situation called “pop-out”, corresponding to the distance between the inner diameter of the ring when it is free, that is, not confined in the cylinder, with respect to the walls of the outer diameters close to the groove flanks where the ring is housed. The larger the pop-out the greater the risk of occurring inadequate mounting by causing the rings to deform and lock at the moment of inserting piston and rings into the cylinder.
2. Related Art
Internal combustion engines are energy transforming mechanisms used by most automotive vehicles, and comprise basically two main parts: one or more cylinder head and the engine block. On the base of the cylinder head(s) are located the combustion chambers (in Diesel engines the combustion chambers are generally at the piston heads) and in the engine block are located the cylinders and the crankshaft assembly. The crankshaft assembly is composed by pistons, rods and the crankshaft.
The engine converts the energy produced by combustion of the mixture (fuel and air) in the combustion chambers to mechanical energy capable of driving the wheels.
Since the driving force required for moving the automobile comes from the burning of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, and in order to ensure a homogeneous combustion, without burning oil, and still prevent the excessive passage of gases from the cylinder to the oil pan, it is necessary to use rings to provide good sealing of the clearance existing between the piston and the cylinder wall.
In most present day internal combustion engines that operate according to the Otto and Diesel cycles three rings are used, two of which being compression rings and one being oil control ring (scraper). The compression rings have the function of preventing the passage of gases from the combustion into the oil pan and the oil ring has the function of scraping the excess of oil from the cylinder wall and return it to the oil pan, controlling the thickness of the oil film, so that the operation of the engine will take place within the design and operation premises.
Another important function of the rings is serving as a bridge for transmitting heat from the piston to the cylinder wall/jacket, where heat dispersion occurs through the cooling system.
The oil scraping rings may be of one, two or three pieces. The present solution has been developed in the form of a three-piece ring that, as a rule, has first upper/higher annular segment and second lower annular segment, associated to an intermediate expanding element, which presses the upper/higher and lower segments against the cylinder wall in a controlled manner. The force exerted by the expanding element, which is nothing more than a resilient element, is calculated so that the oil film on the cylinder wall will have the desired thickness.
Although the 3-piece oil scraping rings are quite specified by the engine designers, there are a few disadvantageous characteristics coming from the constitution thereof, the greatest of which being the need to design the expanding element so that it will never interfere with the inner piston wall and the upper/higher and lower edges (angles) defined by the piston groove (the third groove, farther away from the groove).
This is achieved, in most cases, by applying a more reduced tolerance variation, namely 0.3 millimeter in the dimensions of the upper/higher and lower groove borders. Starting from this low dimensional variation, the expanding element is designed so that its proportions, under consideration of the tolerances in manufacturing it, will not cause undesirable interference with the groove in its most critical dimension, in view of the tolerance variation. In other words, groove and expander should be sized so that, even in the most critical situation of interference, no interference will occur.
Due to this kind of sizing, an opposite situation may occur, when the dimensions of groove and expander are such that the opposite situation of maximum clearance between them will occur, which may lead to the undesirable phenomenon of “pop-out”, mentioned above.
There are various prior techniques referring to three-piece oil scraping rings, proposing improvements on this constructive concept, some of which are briefly listed hereinafter.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,191 relates to a three-piece oil scraping ring, designed to reduce the consumption of lubricating oil and to increase the sealing properties. The expanding element has support portions (resting protrusions) to enable positioning and fixing of the two annular segments. In order to enable the ring to perform as desired, the resting protrusions exhibit an angle between 10 and 20 degrees with the vertical and a geometric relationship 2X/Y between 0.04 and 0.15, wherein 2X corresponds to the projecting length of a respective support protrusion of the segment in the axial direction and Y is the distance between the distal end faces of the protrusions in the axial direction.
Document US 2006/0061043 relates to a 3-piece oil scraping ring, the expander of which has protrusions (which are in contact with the annular segments) made from austenitic stainless steel and coated with a nitrided coating layer.
Finally, document U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,391 relates to a 3-piece oil scraping oil, the expander of which exhibits slots and ribs that contribute to obtaining a desired rigidity value, reducing the consumption of lubricating oil of the engine equipped therewith.
The three documents cited above show different approaches to the improvement of three-piece oil scraping rings, with a view to increase its performance, which has the result of reducing the consumption of lubricating oil. But there is no concern, in any of these documents, about the shape of the cross section of the expander with regard to the dimension tolerance of the groove and the occurrence of the pop-out phenomenon, which undoubtedly bring drawbacks while assembling the engine.
Until the present moment, no three-piece oil scraping ring had been developed with an expander designed geometrically to prevent the need for great tolerance control of the piston groove, while eliminating the occurrence of the pop-out phenomenon. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Recently, because fossil fuel is gradually depleted, the development of various alternative energy resources (i.e. solar cell, fuel cell, wind power) gets more and more attention, particularly the solar power generation.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view of a conventional solar cell element is illustrated, wherein when forming the conventional solar cell element, firstly providing a p-type silicon semiconductor substrate 11 which is etched to form the roughness of surface. Then, a light receiving side of the p-type silicon semiconductor substrate 11 is formed with an n-type diffusion layer 12 of reverse conductive type by heat diffusion using phosphorus or analogues, so as to form a p-n junction. Subsequently, an anti-reflection layer 13 and a front electrode 14 are formed on the n-type diffusion layer 12, wherein a silicon nitride layer is formed on the n-type diffusion layer 12 to be the anti-reflection layer 13 by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) thereof. Furthermore, the anti-reflection layer 13 is coated with silver conductive pastes by screen printing, and then processes of curing, drying and high-temperature sintering are carried out to form the front electrode 14. In the process of high-temperature sintering, the silver conductive paste for forming the front electrode 14 can be sintered and penetrate the anti-reflection layer 13 until the silver conductive paste is electrically in contact with the n-type diffusion layer 12.
Furthermore, the back side of the p-type silicon semiconductor substrate 11 uses aluminum conductive paste to form a back electrode layer 15 of aluminum by printing. After, the processes of curing and drying are applied, and the process of high-temperature sintering is carried out, as described above. In the process of high-temperature sintering, the aluminum conductive paste is dried and converted into the back electrode layer 15 of aluminum. Simultaneously, the aluminum atoms are spread into the p-type silicon semiconductor material 11, so that there is a p+ layer 16 having a high concentration of aluminum dopant and formed between the back electrode layer 15 and p-type semiconductor material 11, which is usually called a back surface field (BSF) layer for improving the optical conversion efficiency of solar cell. Because the back electrode layer 15 of aluminum is difficult to weld, the back electrode layer 15 is printed with an aluminum-silver conductive paste thereon by the screen printing, and then sintered to form a conductive wire 17, so that a plurality of solar cells can be serially connected to form a module.
However, the conventional solar cell elements still have the following problems: for example, the front electrode 14, the back electrode layer 15 and the conductive wire 17 are made of silver, aluminum or aluminum-silver conductive pastes. And, the material cost of these conductive pastes is high, and is about 10% of the total cost of the module. Furthermore, the conductive pastes have a predetermined ratio of metal powders, glass powders and organic agent, for example, Japan Kokai Publication No. 2001-127317 and 2004-146521 and Taiwan Pat. No. 1339400 issued to DuPond, wherein the conductive pastes contain glass microparticles that decrease the conductivity and solderability; additionally, the conductive pastes contain the organic solvent therein. Therefore, after sintering, the solar cell chips will be contaminated and thus must be additionally cleaned.
In addition, the electrodes or conductive wires made by the conductive pastes must pass through the high-temperature sintering at 450-850° C. But, at the high temperature, the materials of others material layers may be deteriorated or malfunctioned, and even the yield of manufacturing the cells is seriously affected. Simultaneously, during the sintering of the front electrode 14, the conditions must be controlled, so as to ensure that the conductive pastes of the front electrode 14 completely penetrate through the anti-reflection layer 13 and are electrically in contact with the n-type diffusion layer 12. If the front electrode 14 is not actually in contact with the n-type diffusion layer 12, the manufacture yield of the cells will be dramatically reduced. As described above, according to the precise control requirement of the conditions of the high-temperature sintering, the process of high-temperature sintering needs to consume much time and have more complication, so as to affect the throughput per unit time when generating the cells.
As a result, it is necessary to provide a method for manufacturing electrodes of a solar cell formed by an active solder to solve the problems existing in the conventional technologies, as described above. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications.
2. Background Art
Wireless access points, such as wireless routers, are associated with a media access control (MAC) address. Certain location databases exist that store the location of a wireless access point and the MAC address of the wireless access point. Such location databases may be used by mobile telephones and other handheld devices for location based services. For example, if GPS is unavailable for some reason, a mobile telephone may use assisted GPS technologies (A-GPS) to approximate the location of the mobile telephone. Such A-GPS technologies use Wi-Fi to determine one or more closest access points, determine the MAC address of the access points, and look up the location of the access points in a location database. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Single serve beverage brewing is popular among consumers. There are many formats of single serve brewers on the market. These brewers are designed to quickly brew a single cup of coffee or tea. The coffee or tea grounds are sold in prepared, single serving portions.
Reusable devices for single serve brewers, such as devices with metal or steal filters, may not suitable in some situations. For example, when efficiency is required such as in a busy home, in an office environment, or in a waiting-room environment. Reusable devices require cleaning, which may be complicated by the tendency of beverage grounds to cake into the filter openings. Additionally, to accommodate cleaning of reusable devices, the single serve brewer will be required to be placed near a source of water and a sink or drain. Provision of a sink or drain may be impracticable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device. The invention more particularly relates to an active matrix type display device which is improved in the response speed or the emission efficiency by decreasing the contact resistance in a through-hole.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an organic EL display device or a liquid crystal display device, scanning lines are extended in a first direction and arranged in a second direction. Further, video signal lines are extended in the second direction and arranged in the first direction. Areas surrounded by the scanning lines and the video lines define pixels and a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed for each of the pixels.
The organic EL display device is configured to control current supplied to an organic EL layer by a TFT while the liquid crystal display device is operated to select signals on images supplied to pixel electrodes. The TFT is formed of a-Si or poly-Si.
In the organic EL display device, since the organic EL layer is driven by the current, it is necessary to increase the mobility of a semiconductor constituting the TFT. Further, a small-sized liquid crystal display device is such that a driving circuit is mounted in a liquid crystal display panel. Since high speed operation is necessary for the TFT for the driving circuit, it is necessary to increase the mobility of the semiconductor. Accordingly, a poly-Si TFT is used in the organic EL display device or the small-sized liquid crystal display device.
Generally, to form a poly-Si semiconductor layer, an a-Si semiconductor layer is first formed and then excimer laser is radiated to the a-Si semiconductor laser to convert a-Si into poly-Si. Installation investment is necessary and process control is difficult for the radiation of the excimer laser. In view of this, JP-A-2007-142059 that a semiconductor layer of poly-Si is formed by radiating an a-Si semiconductor layer not by the excimer laser but by light of a lamp. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Proper thermal management is critical to the successful operation of many types of devices. Standard industry practice for cooling ruggedized avionics modules, for example, involves use of a conduction-cooling frame that is bonded to a printed circuit board to conduct heat out to an external chassis via a standard interface.
Such a technique is illustrated in FIG. 1. In the example shown, a conduction-cooled card assembly 100 includes a conduction-cooling frame 102 with a host printed wiring board 104 mounted on it via standoffs 106. Various components 108 are disposed on the host board 104, and a thermal fill material 110 is disposed between the components 108 and the frame 102 so as to allow heat to be conducted from the components 108 to the frame 102. A PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC) 112 is electrically interfaced with the host board 104 via a PMC connector 114. Heat from components 116 on the PMC 112 is conducted to the frame 102 via thermal pads 118 and a thermal rail 120. Wedgelock fasteners 122 are attached to thermal management interfaces 124 on either side of the frame 102. When the card assembly 100 is inserted between rails 126 of a chassis 128, tightening of the wedgelock fastener 122 causes the width of the fastener 122 to increase so that a top surface 130 of the wedgelock fastener 122 is pressed firmly against one of the rails 126a and a bottom surface 132 of the thermal management interface 124 is pressed firmly against another of the rails 126b, thereby securing the assembly in place within the chassis and creating a thermal interface between the frame 102 and the chassis 128. Heat from the frame 102 may thus be conducted from the frame 102 to the chassis 128 and may be dissipated from the chassis 128 via fluid flowing through a cooling wall 134 or by some other known mechanism. | {
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The present invention relates to a hydraulically operated device adapted to be connected in a pipe string, specifically coiled tubing. For example, the device can be used in order to facilitate pushing of the string into highly deviated or horizontal wells in connection with working, and in maintenance operations such as logging, assembling or disassembling parts, acid and sand washing etc.
It has previously been proposed to provide drill strings with hydraulically operated devices or vibrators to facilitate the advance of the string. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,625 proposes subjecting the drill string to vibrations in the form of resonance oscillations to reduce the friction between the drill string and bore hole wall in deviated wells to extend the reach in rotary drilling. As an example of a vibrator the patent refers to a fluid operated eccentric weight, implying substantially transversal vibrations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,014 describes a method and apparatus for generating axial vibrations through a drilling swivel to transmit a percussive effect to the drill bit. Furthermore, various types of hydraulic hammer or percussion tools are known, which are intended for loosening sticking drill strings. An example of this type of tool is disclosed in NO patent 171 379.
Coiled tubing has substantially lower mass and diameter than drill pipes, which means that a transversally acting resonance vibrator with accompanying hydraulic motor as proposed in the above U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,625 would be rather ineffective when used in connection with coiled tubing. The main object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a device that effectively reduces friction, both at the coiled tubing head (lowermost tool section) as well as upwardly along the coiled tubing itself. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a tank for a pump, which accommodates a fluid for pumping, such as a chemical, and used with a small size pump.
This type of tank is used with a pump in a system for quantitatively pumping a fluid such as a chemical. In the site of installation of the tank, the pump is installed on the tank top, for instance, for saving the installation space. Further, the tank is secured in position by an anchor bolt in the installation site.
As this type of tank, a synthetic resin molding is used, which is comparatively light in weight. Therefore, when the residual quantity of fluid for pumping in the tank becomes small, the balance of the tank is deteriorated, and the tank may be displaced or turned down when it is touched from the outside or by strong winds in case where it is installed outdoors. Particularly, where the pump is installed on top of the tank as in the prior art use, the centroid of the tank is at a high position, and the possibility of the displacement or turning-down of the tank is increased. Where the fluid for pumping in the tank is a chemical or a chemical compound, the turning-down of the tank may bring about a grave accident.
The installation of the tank, therefore, requires an operation of securing the tank with anchor bolts of the like. When the tank is installed on a roof or an existing equipment, it is necessary to newly mount anchor bolts or the like, thus leading to cost increase. Actually, in many cases the tank is left without being secured. Further, when the tank is installed on the ground surface, it can not be sufficiently secured with anchor bolts. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a pressurized-flow self-cleaning whirlpool tub system and, more particularly, to a self-cleaning whirlpool system and method that is both relatively simple in design and efficient in use.
Whirlpool tub systems typically include a tub structure which have water/air jets designed to introduce streams of pressurized water and air into the tub. Water is typically withdrawn from the tub through a suction inlet, pressurized in a recirculation pump, and distributed to the water/air jets through a water distribution line for re-introduction into the tub basin.
During normal use, the recirculated water includes various types of contaminants, including dirt, bacteria, skin cells, and oils. The contaminants are deposited as a thin layer on the interior surfaces of the various water-carrying conduits and represents a sub-optimal sanitary condition.
Various techniques and procedures have been developed to clean the water-handling system of whirlpool bath systems. For example, the tub basin can be filled with water and an appropriate cleaning agent added to the water (typically a detergent, deodorant, and/or disinfectant) and the tub system operated in the usual manner to circulate the cleaning agent. After the cleaning cycle is completed, the tub is drained in the usual manner. The tub basin is thereafter refilled with clean rinse water that is recirculated to rinse the cleaning agent from the water conduits. In some cases, a second rinse cycle is indicated. After the rinse water is drained from the tub basin, the surfaces of the tub are typically wiped clean. This cleaning technique is generally effective, although tub basins that are relatively large require a correspondingly large volume of the cleaning agent to achieve an effective concentration in the circulated water. Additionally, the requirement for one or more rinse cycles results in a large volume of water being used. The time required to effect cleaning, including the final wipe-down of the tub surfaces, results in labor costs that may be inconsistent with commercial whirlpool tub applications.
Other approaches have been developed to provide closed-loop recirculation through the water conduits. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,245 entitled "Self-Cleaning Whirlpool System for Bathtubs in General" discloses a representative closed-loop system in which a bypass conduit is provided to effectively isolate the water-carrying components from the tub basin. The recirculation pump is then operated to recirculate a cleaning agent within the water path. While such closed-loop recirculation systems tend to be effective, they are also complex and expensive to install. | {
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Advancements in technology have made the electronic distribution of information a more convenient task. Satellites, telephone systems and communication networks such as the Internet provide many tools to communicate information. As a result of the ability to conveniently distribute information, organizations have incorporated these technological advancements into their operations. One approach in the mass distribution of information is to have distribution lists. These lists contain several names or entries that simultaneously receive information from a source. A result of the increasing number of potential data recipients is the difficultly in coordinating data delivery to a wide audience, e.g., a large number of recipients. Towards this end, distribution lists, or “mailing lists” in an electronic document context such as E-mail, have been developed to facilitate grouping and tracking recipients.
The creation of these lists can be a tedious and/or complex manual task, since there may be many list members requiring processing for entry on to the list. Some of these lists are manually created and other lists are automatically created based on characteristics of an environment, e.g., a “customers” list may refer to all customers of a computing system. However, regardless of how the list is created, in some instances, persons that need to receive the information are omitted from the distribution list. When omissions occur, the sender may not be aware of the omission or may not know of persons that need to receive the information. Traditional static distribution lists and dynamic distribution lists do not provide the features commonly needed in a multiple of usage scenarios.
There are several usages of distribution lists that are not efficiently addressed using present static or dynamic distribution lists. The present state of distribution lists does not provide the following functionality: (1) Permanent and Semi-permanent modification of static distribution lists from a message destination field; (2) Semi-temporary modification with a temporal component static distribution lists from a message destination field; and (3) Creation of semi-permanent or permanent distribution lists by combining static or dynamic distribution lists using a variety of set operations.
Current technology has addressed some of the problems associated with modifying electronic distribution lists. U.S. patent application, publication number 2005/0010645 provides a method in which additive and subtractive message operations can be performed on a distribution list based at least in part on an intersection of various distribution lists to determine, if only temporarily, a new distribution list for a message. A particular distribution list may respectively be combined or intersected with an additive or a subtractive distribution list. Thus, for example, an e-mail message may be addressed to a distribution list for all employees, but where a subtractive list is applied to remove certain employees from receiving the e-mail message. The distribution list for all employees need not be altered. Although this method does provide a means to modify distribution lists, this method is limited and does not provide any features to semi-permanent distribution lists that last for an extended period of time following the distribution of information to entries on that semi-permanent distribution list. In addition, this method does not provide the means for incorporating dynamic decision-making capabilities for determining whether to save a newly generated distribution list into message transmission instructions.
There remains a need for an advanced method for automatically modifying a previously generated distribution lists based on a set of one more distribution rules. The list modification is done without interaction or input by the user or sender of the message. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Microencapsulation technology allows to encapsulate a compound inside a tiny sphere, known as a microsphere or a microcapsule, having an average diameter as small as 1 millimeters to several micrometers. Many different active materials like drugs, enzymes, vitamins, pesticides, flavours and catalysts have been successfully encapsulated inside microcapsules made from a variety of polymeric and non-polymeric materials including poly(ethylene glycol)s, poly(methacrylate)s, poly(styrene)s, cellulose, poly(lactide)s, poly(lactide-co-glycolide)s, gelatin and acacia, etc. These microcapsules release their contents (active material) when needed thanks to different release mechanisms, which depend on the end use of the encapsulated products. This technology has been used in several fields including pharmaceutical, agriculture, food, printing, cosmetic and textile.
In particular, aminoplast core/shell microcapsules are suitable for the encapsulation of active materials for the cosmetic, textile, and agrochemicals applications.
Aminoplast microcapsules represent a widely used and industrially relevant approach in the field of microencapsulation. There are established processes of forming aminoplast microcapsules that are well documented in the prior art. Typically, in a first step, an oil-in-water emulsion is formed. This emulsion consists of active material-containing oil droplets dispersed in an aqueous continuous phase. Thereafter, shell-forming monomers or pre-condensates contained in the emulsion allow the formation of an encapsulating polymeric shell around the active material-containing droplets and therefore lead to the formation of core-shell microcapsules.
Reagents and reaction conditions are selected to ensure efficient migration of the monomers or pre-condensates to the oil-water interface so that the polymeric shells can form rapidly around the oil droplets, thereby retaining all, or substantially all, of the active material within the cores and preventing leakage of encapsulated active material from the microcapsule cores. If the shell-forming materials do not migrate to the oil-water interface quickly or in sufficient amounts, it may be impossible to form microcapsules. In that case, if microcapsules are formed, they may be characterized by poor active material retention and may be prone to agglomeration.
Polymers, acting as protective colloids stabilizer, are employed to stabilize the oil-water interface during the microcapsule formation. The polymeric stabilizer functions in several ways: it ensures that stable oil-in-water emulsions are formed; it facilitates migration of monomers and pre-condensates to the oil-water interface; and it provides a template around which the monomers or pre-condensates can react to form the encapsulating polymeric shells.
Polymeric stabilizers employed in the preparation of aminoplast microcapsules are anionic or non-ionic polymers, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 8,119,587. Particularly effective polymeric stabilizers are acrylic acid-based copolymers bearing sulphonate groups. Examples of commercially available copolymers include LUPASOL® (ex BASF), such as LUPASOL PA 140, or LUPASOL VFR. These commercial polymers are exemplary polymeric stabilizers, which are employed in the preparation of commercial aminoplast microcapsule compositions.
The aminoplast microcapsules prepared by the process described above are typically collected in the form of a slurry comprising a plurality of microcapsules suspended in a suitable suspending medium. The microcapsule slurry may then be used directly in applications, or further processed. For example, it is conventional to post-coat aminoplast microcapsules with a cationic water-soluble polymer in order to provide them with a net positive charge. This coating acts as a deposition aid and increases the substantivity of the microcapsules when deposited on certain substrates. However, post-coating requires an extra step, which increases the cost of the manufacturing process. Indeed, large amounts of cationic polymer are necessary to first neutralize the negatively charged microcapsules before these microparticles can finally have a net positive charge.
As a result, there is a need to develop microcapsules with an increase of stability and a better control of the thickness. Moreover there is a need to improve the preparation of microcapsules without using conventional post-coating techniques. | {
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1. Technical Field
The disclosure generally relates to formation of semiconductor elements, and specifically to performing a via first trench last (VFTL) process in a die seal area of a semiconductor device.
2. Related Art
In semiconductor device manufacturing, it is often necessary to use metal fill technology to form metal in a dielectric trench and via for interconnecting different layers and/or different metal materials in the semiconductor device. One such metal fill process is commonly referred to as a “damascene” process, in which dielectric layers are first etched, and then filled with a desired metal material. There are two types of commonly-used damascene processes: (1) single damascene—separately etching and filling a trench (used for inter-level connections) and a via (used for intra-level connections); and (2) dual damascene—etching the trench and via, and then filling them together at the same time. Generally, dual damascene is preferred over single damascene processes due to reduced manufacturing costs, etc. FIG. 1A illustrates an preferred semiconductor cross-section after an ideal dual damascene etch. However, various process conditions often cause resulting profiles to be deviated from the desired profile. For purposes of the following discussion, FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate exemplary semiconductor devices that result from conventional dual damascene processes, and which include an upper dielectric 130, a lower dielectric 120, a via 150, and a trench 155.
There are two preferred types of dual damascene processes that are common in the industry: Trench first via last (TFVL) and via first trench last (VFTL). In TFVL, as its name implies, the trench is etched prior to the via. For example, a first mask is used to define a width of the trench. The device is then etched, using the first mask as a guide to etch the trench in an upper dielectric. Following the creation of the trench, a second mask is patterned within the trench to define a width of the via. A second etch is then performed, using the second mask as a guide, to form the via in a lower dielectric. Once the trench and via have been formed, they are filled with a metal material, such as copper, for example. In VFTL, on the other hand, the via is etched before the trench. In particular, a first mask is used to define the width of the via. The via is formed by etching, using the first mask as a guide, through both an upper and lower dielectric. Once the via has been formed, a spin-on planarization process are used to fill the via holes and provide better pattern process windows. Usually, spin on organic (e.g., resist or organic BARC) or dielectric materials (e.g., spin-on-glass (SOG) or spin on low k materials) are used to fill the via holes and to planarize the wafer surface. After surface planarization, a second mask is formed over the upper dielectric to define a width of the trench. The trench is then formed by etching, using the second mask as a guide, through only the upper dielectric.
As mentioned above, in these conventional VFTL processes a planarization step using a spin technique is used to fill the via holes and to planarize the wafer surface. As a result, the spin-on underlayer may not have uniform thickness among all areas of the semiconductor device. For example, the spin on layer may be thicker in isolated via holes or areas having no vias of the semiconductor device and thinner in the area where via holes are more dense. The thinnest spin on layer will be in a die seal area (e.g., an area of the semiconductor die having a continuous trench line located at the edge of the device area, which is used to stop cracks caused during a cutting process from harming the functional areas), where the trenches are larger and require more spin on materials to fill the trench holes. As a result of the non-uniform coating of the spin on layer, a subsequent etching process may cause defects in the semiconductor device that can greatly affect performance.
For example, FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of the desired semiconductor device profile resulting from a VFTL process. FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate deviations from the desirable profile and can be easily found in many semiconductor devices that employ VFTL approaches. In each area, an etch-stop layer 115, a via tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) layer 120 (e.g., lower dielectric layer), a silicon layer 125, a trench TEOS layer 130 (e.g., upper dielectric layer), and a silicon-rich nitride layer 135 are formed over a substrate 110, separated by a via 150 and a trench 155.
As shown in FIG. 1B, when the spin on layer is too thick, the subsequent etching of the conventional processes produces undesired fencings 190 in the final structure. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the spin on layer is too shallow, the etching of the conventional processes produces undesired sub-trenches 195. Both the fencings 190 and the sub-trenches 195 can cause reliability concerns and defects, which will greatly affect performance of the device. Therefore, it is desired to perform the VFTL processes in a manner that can prevent the formation of these defects in order to enhance device performance and manufacturing yield. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to methods for altering surface characteristics of microspheres. Certain embodiments include coupling an enolic acid to the microsphere to modify the surface characteristics of the microsphere such that a reagent can be coupled to the microsphere via the enolic acid.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Spectroscopic techniques are widely employed in the analysis of chemical and biological systems. Most often, these techniques involve measuring the absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation by the material of interest. One such application is in the field of microarrays, which is a technology exploited by a large number of disciplines including the combinatorial chemistry and biological assay industries. One company, Luminex Corporation of Austin, Tex., has developed a system in which biological assays are performed on the surface of variously colored fluorescent microspheres. One example of such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,180 to Chandler et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. In such a fluid flow device, microspheres are interrogated by laser excitation and fluorescence detection of each individual microsphere as it passes at relatively high speed through a detection zone. Measurement data generated by such a system may be easily exported to a database for further analysis.
Assays based on fluorescent microspheres for multiplexed analysis have been also reported by several groups and individuals as described by Fulton et al., Clin. Chem., 1997, 43, 1749-1756; Kettman et al., Cytometry, 1998, 33, 234-243; McDade et al., Med. Dev. Diag. Indust., 1997, 19(4), 75-82; McHugh, Methods Cell Biol., 1994, 42, 575-595; and Nikiforov et al., Nucleic Acid Res., 1994, 22, 4167-4175; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,330 to Fulton, U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,807 to Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,107 to Fulton, U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,800 to Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,222 to Chandler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,354 to Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,904 to Chandler, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,562 to Chandler et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
In the above-mentioned systems, fluorescent dyes are absorbed into the microspheres and/or bound to the surface of the microspheres. The dyes are chosen based on their ability to emit light in the wavelength of a chosen detection window of the system. Further, the detection windows are spaced apart by a number of wavelengths, and the dyes are designed to minimize the overlap of a dye's fluorescent signal within adjacent detection windows. By employing two detection windows and two dyes, each at 10 different concentrations, there would thus be 100 fluorescently distinguishable microsphere sets.
In the last three decades, advancements in the fields of affinity chromatography, solid-phase synthesis, and immobilization of bio-macromolecules, such as proteins, oligonucleotides and the like, have led to microsphere-based biomedical applications. For example, one or more biomolecules may be bound to the surface of microspheres. The one or more biomolecules are selected based on the specific assay to be carried out. For example, one population of microspheres may include different subsets of microspheres, each coupled to a different antigen. The subsets may be combined with a sample, and the assay may be performed to determine which antibodies are present in the sample. The biomolecule(s) that are bound to the microspheres may include any biomolecules known in the art.
The immobilization of biomolecules or any other such entities can be achieved by coupling by (a) ionic interactions; (b) adsorption; (c) complexation (e.g. “metal-coordination” mediated coupling); and (d) covalent bond formation between active/stable reactive groups on the surface and specific functional groups on the entity to be immobilized. For example, particles (e.g., micro- and nano-spheres; nanotubes; metal particles including one or more metals with any size, shape, or composition; semiconductor particles; molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPS); magnetic particles; and other dyed materials) and microtiter plates are common solid matrices in many immobilization systems. Preparing and maintaining the active, functionalized surface of the solids are important to assure immobilization of biological material for development of a sufficiently sensitive assay. Current procedures for immobilization of biomolecules on solid surfaces generally involve reactions of activated carboxyl, amino-, hydroxyl- or thiol-groups on the solid surfaces with the biomolecules. After activation of, or introduction of a functionalized spacer to, these groups, the activated groups provide sites on the solid surface for direct attachment of the biomolecules.
Currently used groups for providing direct attachment sites, however, have a number of disadvantages. For example, most of these functional groups (such as N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters, isothiocyanates, etc.) are prone to hydrolysis in an aqueous environment and become non-reactive (i.e., chemically inactive) in a matter of less than an hour. Therefore, such functional groups may undesirably exhibit time-dependent variations in the quantity, repeatability, and uniformity with which biomolecules may be attached to the surface of solids using these functional groups.
Reactive or functionalized microspheres are conventionally produced via copolymerization of suitably functionalized monomers or via chemical modification of preformed microspheres. Post-functionalization is a popular method for preparing reactive particles as earlier described by Upson, (J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Symp., 1985, 72, 45, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
More recent work on the production and evaluation of a variety of tailor-made particles has been reported by several groups including Margel, et al., (J. Polym. Sci., 1991, A-29, 347-355; Anal. Biochem., 1981, 128, 342-350), Ugelstad et al., (Makromol. Chem., 1979, 180, 737-744; Adv. Colloid Interface Sci., 1980, 13, 102-140), and Rembaum et al. (Br. Polym. J., 1978, 10, 275-280; J. Macromol. Sci. Chem., 1979, A-13, 603-632), which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. A review by R. Arshady, Biomaterials, 1993, 14, 5-15, which is also incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes the synthesis and physico-chemical properties of reactive and labeled microspheres.
Fray et al., Bioconjugate Chem., 1999, 10, 562-571, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, have reported a strategy in which particles are pre-activated with hydrolysis-resistant aldehyde functional groups, but low reaction yields of less than 8% have been observed with these microspheres. U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,833 to Milton, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a reaction between an acyl fluoride activated polymer-surface and an amino derivatized biomolecule at room temperature. The use of fluorophenyl resins in the solid phase synthesis of amides, peptides, hydroxamic acids, amines, urethanes, carbonates, sulfonamides, and alpha-substituted carbonyl compounds has been described in International Publication No. WO 99/67228 to Clerc et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Medvedkin et al., Bioorg. Khirn., 1995, 21(9), 684-690, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, illustrates using sulfo-tetrafluorophenyl activated esters in peptide synthesis and demonstrates their reactivity combined with good stability under aqueous storage conditions. Apparently, the pre-activation of a polystyrene surface with this reagent has not yet been reported.
Hoechst, in German Patent No. DE 960,534 to Heyna et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, claimed the use of reactive vinyl sulfone (VS)-modified dyes for dyeing of cellulose and wool fibers in 1950. A review by Siegel provides a complete account of reactive dyes based on VS and its protected 2-sulfatoethyl and 2-thiosulfatoethyl sulfones (E. Siegel in The Chemistry of Synthetic Dyes, Vol. VI, (Ed. K Venkataraman); 2-108, Academic Press, 1972, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein). U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,135 to Snow et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes modification of proteins with PEG-supported VS.
The most frequently used method to immobilize biomolecules (such as oligonucleotides, proteins, and carbohydrates) onto fluorescent microspheres is by activating carboxy groups present on the surface of the microspheres. The activation requires excess N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and a coupling pH of 4 to 6. The reaction between the carbodiimide and carboxyl functional groups forms an activated O-acylurea derivative reaction intermediate. A subsequent nucleophilic attack of the reaction intermediate by the primary nitrogen of the amino-groups of the biomolecule being attached to the microspheres releases the substituted urea and produces an amide linkage between the reaction intermediate and the biomolecule.
There are, however, a number of disadvantages to such activation of the carboxy groups. For example, the reaction intermediate has an extremely short half-life and rapidly undergoes hydrolysis or rearranges to produce the N-acylurea adduct. In addition, the optimum pH for the formation of O-acylurea is about 4-5. However, the primary amino group of the nucleophile is predominantly protonated at a pH of about 4-5 and is thus mostly unreactive. These limitations of the reaction intermediate can severely restrict coupling yields of biomolecules to microspheres. Furthermore, at low pH, nucleic acid bases of a biomolecule may undergo intensive protonation. Such protonation induces DNA melting that exposes the hydrophobic core of the helix thereby facilitating nonspecific hydrophobic interactions of the helix with the solid matrix of the micro spheres.
Despite these drawbacks, EDC-mediated coupling is currently the major mode of covalent immobilization of biomolecules to solid surfaces as described by Hermanson, G. T., in Bioconjugate Techniques, Academic Press, NY, 1996; Frey, A. et al., Bioconjugate Chem., 1999, 10, 562-571; Gilles, M. A. et al., Anal. Biochem., 1990, 184, 244-248; Chan V. W. F. et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Communications, 1988, 151(2), 709-716; and Valuev, I. L. et al., Biomaterials, 1998, 19, 41-43, which are all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
For combinatorial libraries, building blocks such as malonic acids, dihydroxy benzoic acid, hydroxy phenyl acetic acid, pyroline carboxylic acids, bromodihydroxy benzoic acids, 3-oxo-1-indancarboxylic acid, 3-nitrophenyl acetic acid, and 3,4-difluoro benzoic acid have been reported by, for example, Lin, R. et al., in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2002, 124, 7678-7680, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Some molecules that can be incorporated into polymers to modify the surface characteristics of the polymers have been reported and are shown below.
Organic reactions using polymer supported catalysts, reagents or substrates are known as described by, for example, Hodge, P. in “Synthesis and separations using functional polymers,” Editors, Sherrington, D. C. & Hodge, P., 1988, John Wiley, 44-113, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Polymer supported phenolic compounds are known. For example, polymer supported tetrafluoro phenol is now used as an activated resin for chemical library synthesis as described by Salvino, J. M. et al., J. Comb. Chem., 2000, 2, 691-699, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Boronic acid is routinely incorporated into synthetic receptors for the complexation of saccharides and other guests that possess 1,2 and 1,3 diol functionality, as described by Czarnik, A. W. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 5874, Shinkai, S. J., J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 1994, 477, and Geert-Jan Boons et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 200, 41, 6965, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Boronic acids have also been incorporated into a chemical affinity system for the purification of proteins, as described by Bergseid, M. et al., in Biotechniques, 2000, 29, 1126, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. The use of various boronic acids to link two entities together has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,406 to Stolowitz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,075,126 to Stolowitz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,471 to Stolowitz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,179 to Stolowitz et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,577 to Stolowitz et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Acidic functional groups have also been added to glass surfaces as described by, for example, Geiger, F. M. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126, 11754, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop a method for altering the surface characteristics of a microsphere without one or more of the disadvantages described above such as time-dependent variations in the attachment of biomolecules to the surface of microspheres due to hydrolysis of the functional groups used to attach the biomolecules. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an input apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the same. More particularly, the present general inventive concept relates to an input apparatus in which diverse keys and a display panel are arranged to accommodate a task flow, and an image forming apparatus using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As electronic technology has been developing, diverse image forming apparatuses such as printers, scanners, copiers, and facsimile machines have become widespread. Recently, multifunctional apparatuses integrating functions of diverse image forming apparatuses have been widely distributed. The more functions image forming apparatuses have, the more tasks users can perform using the image forming apparatuses.
The user can use the image forming apparatus in the following three situations: when the user writes and prints a document using a computer connected to the image forming apparatus; when the user copies or scans a document by manipulating a control panel of the image forming apparatus; and when a facsimile is externally received and printed.
In these cases, the user must be able to input diverse selection commands using an operation panel mounted on the image forming apparatus so as to utilize the image forming apparatus conveniently. However, since the image forming apparatus has more diverse functions but is miniaturized, utilizing the image forming apparatus efficiently and conveniently using the conventional operation panel is difficult.
Furthermore, the user needs to recognize whether the image forming apparatus is functioning normally and whether the user is manipulating the image forming apparatus normally when the user carries out a desired task using the image forming apparatus.
Accordingly, the conventional image forming apparatus provides the user with feedback of user input using movement of a cursor or texts on the LCD area. However, the LCD area and navigation keys are disperse, so the user can be distracted. That is, in order to check the feedback (reaction) of the image forming apparatus, the user has to monitor the display unit while manipulating the diverse keys.
In addition, if the structure of the operation panel is complicated to implement increasingly diverse functions, manipulating the operation panel by the user is difficulty.
These limitations are not restricted to the image forming apparatus, but are commonly applied to all electronic apparatuses having diverse menus. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a bipolar transistor, more particularly a power bipolar transistor.
With recent trend of rationalization and automation of various industrial installations, electronization thereof has been enhanced.
In power supplies of an electronic computer, and in such control apparatus as a motor control device utilized for a forklift, an electric motor car, etc., electric control apparatus of industrial apparatus, driving apparatus for fans and compressors of air conditioners, a control device of a numerically controlled working tool, which are required to control a large electric power generally utilize thyristors since thyristors for large power control can be easily available.
Due to the operating characteristics, the drive voltage drop in the thyristor at the time of ON-state is about 0.7 V to 1.5 V which is higher than that in a transistor, and once it becomes ON it is impossible to render it OFF unless its anode voltage reaches zero. Although OFF control is made possible by using an complicated and expensive control circuit, such circuit accompanies troubles.
A bipolar transistor requires much finer manufacturing technique than a thyristor, and even when a transistor having the same element area as that of a thyristor can be obtained the effective area for current conduction is 1/3 to 1/5 of that of the thyristor so that the heat generated by the transistor increases which renders it unsuitable for large power.
On the other hand, the voltage drop in a transistor at ON-state is 0.5 V or less which is smaller than 0.7 V to 1.5 V of that of the thyristor, and the transistor can readily be turned OFF by applying a negative bias across its base and emitter electrodes. Moreover, when compared with the thyristor the transistor has advantageous feature of high speed operation. Therefore, we have made exhaustive research to obtain a power transistor which has the feature and can control comparable power as the thyristor, and succeeded in obtaining a transistor of this invention. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and particularly to a static semiconductor memory device (Static Random Access Memory; SRAM) of which memory cells include inverter latches. More particularly, the invention relates to a configuration for stably writing and reading data even under a low power supply voltage condition in a static semiconductor memory device.
2. Description of the Background Art
When transistors are miniaturized with development of miniaturization technology, voltage scaling according to the miniaturization is required from the viewpoint of reliability and power consumption. However, an influence by variations in manufacturing parameters increases in accordance with miniaturization, and accordingly, threshold voltages of transistors forming memory cells vary increasingly so that an operation margin of a memory lowers, and it becomes difficult to perform stable reading and writing with a low power supply voltage.
Various configurations have been proposed aiming to stably write and read data in the SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) even with such a low power supply voltage.
For example, a prior art reference 1 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-042476) has disclosed such a configuration that a voltage at the same level as an external power supply voltage is supplied to SRAM cells as an operation power supply voltage in a data read operation, and a voltage (VCC−VTH) lower than the external power supply voltage is supplied to the memory cells as the operation power supply voltage in a data write operation. In the data write operation, a Static Noise Margin (SNM) of the memory cell selected by a word line decreases so that data held in the memory cell can be easily inverted, and a write margin is improved.
A prior art reference (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-303340) has disclosed a configuration in which substrate (back gate) potentials are controlled in units of SRAM cell columns so that the back gate potentials of the memory cells in a selected column are made different between the data writing and the data reading, to speed up the data writing. In the data writing, the source to the back gate is deeply reverse-biased, to reduce the static noise margin of the memory cell for performing fast data writing. In the read operation, the source to the back gate of the memory cell transistor is shallowly reverse-biased, to increase the static noise margin for holding the data stably.
Further, a prior art reference 3 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-362695) has disclosed a configuration in which voltage levels of VDD and VSS source lines supplying high and low-power supply voltages to the memory cells are controlled in units of SRAM cell columns. In the standby state and the data write operation, levels of power supply voltages VDD/VSS are set to a level at which an absolute value of a gate-source voltage of a memory cell transistor is reduced so that a gate leakage current is suppressed, and a current consumption in the write operation and standby state is reduced. In a read operation, the VDD/VSS source line potential in the selected column are set to a level at which the absolute value of the gate to source voltage of the memory cell transistor is increased to increase a current drive power of the memory cell transistor for achieving fast data reading.
In the configuration disclosed by the prior art reference 1, a common voltage is supplied from a voltage supply circuit to the memory cells in the memory cell array as an internal power supply voltage of the memory cells. Therefore, the write margin can be improved by lowering the internal voltage (operation power supply voltage) of the memory cells in the write cycle. All the memory cells connected to the word line that is selected and activated by a row decoder have the internal voltage lowered. Therefore, the static noise margin decreases in the memory cell on the column that is selected by a column decoder as a write target, allowing easy writing. At the same time, however, the static noise margins similarly lower in the memory cells of non-write-target on an unselected column and the selected row, and writing of data (inversion of held data) is liable to occur in these memory cells. Therefore, read margins (static noise margins) decrease in these memory cells on the selected row and the unselected column, and a bit line current (column current) may invert the data to cause destruction of stored data.
The configuration disclosed in the prior art reference 2 changes the substrate potentials on a column-by-column basis for improving the write margin. A column address signal is used for controlling the setting of substrate potentials of a selected column and unselected columns. For controlling the voltage on a column-by-column basis, the substrate region is formed of a well region common to the memory cells in one column, and has relatively large resistance and capacitance. In particular, when the memory cell capacity is increased, an increased number of memory cells are arranged in one column. For suppressing the interconnection resistance and capacitance of the substrate region in such a state, it is desired to arrange switching elements in a plurality of positions of each column for selecting a substrate potential. For selecting the substrate potential in this case, a column address signal interconnection for the column selection must be made for the switching elements provided for selecting the substrate potential. This increases the number of interconnection lines to increase an interconnection layout area, resulting in an increased area of a memory cell array. Further, a drive circuit and others are additionally required for fast transmission of a column address signal (column select signal) to the switching elements provided for the substrate potential selection, and this configuration increases a circuit scale as well as current consumption. Further, the above configuration increases lengths of interconnection lines that transmit signals for controlling the switching elements provided for the substrate potential selection, which increases the charge/discharge currents on the interconnection lines transmitting the switching element control signals, and thus increases power consumption.
It is necessary to make an adjustment between timing of change of the substrate potential and timing of change of the column address signal so that data writing into the memory cell may be performed in such a state that the static noise margin of the memory cell is lowered. This results in a problem that timing design is difficult.
In the configuration disclosed by the prior art reference 3, the potentials of the VDD/VSS source lines are controlled in units of memory cell columns. Although high-side power supply potential (VDD source potential) of the memory cells or the low-side power supply voltage (VSS source potential) of the memory cells is controlled, this prior art reference 3 aims at reducing the power consumption by reducing the gate leakage current of the memory cell on the unselected column or in the standby state and reducing the charging/discharging currents of the bit lines on the selected column. The prior art reference 3 fails to disclose a configuration for improving the write margin in the data writing. Since the column select signal is used for controlling the potentials of the VDD and VSS source lines, problems similar to those in the prior art reference 2 may occur depending on arrangements of the potential control switches. | {
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Untreated internal combustion engine emissions (e.g., diesel emissions) include various effluents such as NOX, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, for example. Moreover, the untreated emissions from certain types of internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, also include particulate carbon-based matter or “soot”. Federal regulations relating to soot emission standards are becoming more and more rigid thereby furthering the need for devices and/or methods which remove soot from engine emissions.
The amount of soot released by an engine system can be reduced by the use of an emission abatement device such as a filter or trap. Such a filter or trap is periodically regenerated in order to remove the soot therefrom. The filter or trap may be regenerated by use of a burner or electric heater to burn the soot trapped in the filter. | {
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In recent years, partly on account of the higher power levels that have become possible, there has been a remarkable growth in the use of laser beam machines which employ fiber lasers. However, the resonance state of the laser light source built into a laser beam machine is destabilized by the entry of outside light, disturbing the oscillation state. Disruption of the oscillation state is particularly severe when the light that has been generated is reflected by intermediate optics and returns to the light source. To keep this from happening, an optical isolator is generally provided just in front of the light source, for example.
Optical isolators are made of a Faraday rotator, a polarizer situated on the input side of the Faraday rotator, and an analyzer situated on the output side of the Faraday rotator. The Faraday rotator is used by applying a magnetic field parallel to the propagation direction of light, at which time a polarized component of light, whether traveling forward or backward through the Faraday rotator, rotates only in a fixed direction. In addition, the Faraday rotator is adjusted to a length such that the polarized component of light rotates exactly 45°. When the polarizer and analyzer planes of polarization are offset by 45° in the direction of rotation by forward-traveling light, polarized light traveling forward coincides with the polarizer position and with the analyzer position and thus passes through each. By contrast, polarized light traveling backward from the analyzer position rotates 45° in the opposite direction from the direction of angle offset by the polarizer plane of polarization that is offset 45°. As a result, the returning light has a plane of polarization at the polarizer position that is offset 45°−(−45°)=90° with respect to the polarizer plane of polarization, and thus cannot pass through the polarizer. Hence, the optical isolator functions by allowing forward-traveling light to pass through and exit therefrom and by blocking backward-traveling return light.
Materials hitherto know to be capable of use as the Faraday rotator in optical isolators include TGG crystals (Tb3Ga5O12) and TSAG crystals (Tb(3-x)Sc2Al3O12) (see JP-A 2011-213552 and JP-A 2002-293693 (Patent Documents 1 and 2, respectively)). TGG crystals have a relatively large Verdet constant of 40 rad/(T·m), and today are widely used in standard fiber laser systems. TSAG crystals have a Verdet constant which is reportedly about 1.3 times that of TGG crystals and is likewise a material used in fiber laser systems.
In addition, JP-A 2010-285299 (Patent Document 3) discloses a single crystal or ceramic composed primarily of the oxide (TbxR1-x)2O2, wherein 0.4≦x≦1.0 and R is selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, holmium and lutetium. Oxides composed of these constituents have Verdet constants of 0.18 min/(Oe·cm) or more, with the largest Verdet constant mentioned in the examples provided therein being 0.33 min/(Oe·cm). The same document also mentions, in the text thereof, a Verdet constant for TGG of 0.13 min/(Oe·cm). Hence, the difference between the Verdet constants for both is 2.5-fold.
An oxide composed of substantially similar components is disclosed in JP-A 2011-121837 (Patent Document 4) as well, where it is mentioned that this oxide has a larger Verdet constant than a TGG single crystal.
When, as in Patent Documents 3 and 4 above, an optical isolator having a large Verdet constant is obtained, the total length required for 45° rotation can be shortened, which is desirable in that it makes a smaller optical isolator possible.
One material that has a very large Verdet constant per unit length is iron (Fe)-containing yttrium iron garnet (YIG) single crystals (JP-A 2000-255947 (Patent Document 5)). However, iron has a large light absorption at a wavelength of 0.9 μm, which absorption affects optical isolators used in the wavelength range of 0.9 to 1.1 μm. This makes optical isolators that use such yttrium iron garnet single crystals difficult to employ in fiber laser systems where the trend is clearly toward higher power levels. | {
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This invention relates to control apparatus for controlling the operation of an air compressor, in a system driven by the compressor, to avoid stall or surge and to improve efficiency. Surge, surging or stall in an air compressor-driven system is an unstable condition that may occur when, for example, the flow rate of the air through the compressor drops below a given minimum. It is an oscillation or the onset of oscillation in which the flow rate increases and decreases alternately, and the air flow may even reverse its direction through the compressor. Surging causes excessive vibrations and noise, and may cause permanent damage to the air compressor.
In order to control surge, it is first necessary to understand what causes surge. FIG. 1 in the drawings is a plot of pressure versus flow (Q) for the source (air compressor) and the load (pipes and tank system). It is well known that if the slope of the source is less than the slope of the load, the system will be stable. Thus, it would be well to design a compressor whose slope on the pressure vs. flow plot is always negative and then, because a passive load always has its slope greater than zero, the slope of the source will always be less than the slope of the load. FIG. 2 shows a plot of pressure versus flow for a compressor at various speeds (N) of the compressor. The line A intersects the pressure-flow curves for various speeds. If the flow in the system is measured and the speed is then changed to always remain on line A, the compressor characteristic will always have a slope which is negative. Only flow need be measured because the P versus Q curves for various speeds are known and it is only necessary to set the speed for the flow desired. This is shown in FIG. 3. As the load requires a different operating point, the value of "b" shown in FIG. 3 will be matched to the load.
It has thus been described how the compressor curves can be made to always have a negative slope. It is, however, only necessary to have an effective negative slope dynamically, and statically the old characteristics will remain. FIG. 4 shows the compressor characteristic for various speeds. Line S is known as the surge line and connects all of the maxima from the compressor characteristic for the different speeds. The "surge region" is that area to the left of the surge line S and the "non-surge region" is the area to the right. Point O is an operating point within the surge region. By dynamically controlling the speed of the compressor, a negative slope of the pressure versus flow of the compressor about the operating point O can be maintained. Note that the system can be operated stably in what is normally known as the surge region without any accessory system loading means. It will be shown that such a negative slope is always maintained in the system of the present invention and thus the system can actually operate within the surge region and stability will always occur and no surging will take place.
The present invention may be applied to any system having a variable load which is driven by an air compressor, such as a turbine, pump, fan, jackhammer, electric generator, jet engine, etc. It is particularly useful when incorporated in an electric power generating system having a turbine-driven generator and a turbine-driven air compressor and will be described in that environment.
Unfortunately, all of the previous attempts to avoid surge have substantially lessened the efficiency of the air compressor. For example, in one prior control arrangement, when the possibility of surging exists guide vanes at the compressor inlet (usually called prerotation vanes or PRV) are adjusted to throttle the input flow to introduce drag or resistance in an amount sufficient to prevent surging. This changes the load characteristic of the system such that over the desired operating range the net system impedance has a positive resistance. In another control scheme, when a surging condition is approached, gas is bypassed from the compressor discharge to the inlet or is merely passed through a blow-off line. In effect, an additional load is placed on the system such that the impedance of the total system exhibits a net positive resistive component. These prior solutions to the surge problem employ passive and inefficient mechanical mechanisms that dissipate considerable energy. The surge prevention arrangement of the present invention, on the other hand, constitutes a significant improvement over the systems developed heretofore since essentially no energy is needed to keep the air compressor-driven system out of surge. Moreover, additional economies are realized in that the construction of the air compressor may be simplified considerably from that which is usually required. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ethanol fermentation and more particularly to processes for the continuous fermentation of ethanol in a series of fermentation vessels provided with means for recycling fermenting organisms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the ever-increasing depletion of economically recoverable petroleum reserves, the production of ethanol from vegetative sources as a partial or complete replacement for conventional fossil-based liquid fuels becomes more attractive. In some areas, the economic and technical feasibility of using a 90% unleaded gasoline-10% anhydrous ethanol blend ("gasohol") has shown encouraging results. According to a recent study, gasohol powered automobiles have averaged a 5% reduction in fuel compared to unleaded gasoline powered vehicles and have emitted one-third less carbon monoxide than the latter. In addition to offering promise as a practical and efficient fuel, biomass-derived ethanol in large quantities and at a competitive price has the potential in some areas for replacing certain petroleumbased chemical feedstocks. Thus, for example, ethanol can be catalytically dehydrated to ethylene, one of the most important of all chemical raw materials both in terms of quantity and versatility.
The various operations in processes for obtaining ethanol from such recurring sources as cellulose, cane sugar, amylaceous grains and tubers, e.g., the separation of starch granules from non-carbohydrate plant matter and other extraneous substances, the chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of starch to fermentable sugar (liquefaction and saccharification), the fermentation of sugar to a dilute solution of ethanol ("beer") and the recovery of anhydrous ethanol by distillation, have been modified in numerous ways to achieve improvements in product yeild, production rates and so forth. For ethanol to realize its vast potential as a partial or total substitute for petroleum fuels or as a substitute chemical feedstock, it is necessary that the manufacturing process be as efficient in the use of energy as possible so as to maximize the energy return for the amount of ethanol produced and enhance the standing of the ethanol as an economically viable replacement for petroleum based raw materials. To date, however, relatively little concern has been given to the energy requirements for manufacturing ethanol from biomass and consequently, little effort has been made to minimize the thermal expenditure for carrying out any of the discrete operations involved in the manufacture of ethanol from vegetative sources.
The substitution of alcohol for at least a portion of petroleum based fuels is particularly critical for developing economies where proven domestic petroleum reserves are limited, such as in India and Brazil and these nations have therefore increasingly emphasized the production of alcohol from vegetative sources.
Processes for the continuous fermentation of sugars to provide alcohol and ethanol fermentation processes featuring yeast recycle are known (viz., U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,201,062; 2,054,736; 2,063,223; 2,122,939; 2,146,326; 2,169,244; 2,230,318; 2,272,982; 2,285,130; 2,155,134; 2,371,208; 2,657,174; 2,676,137; 2,967,107; 3,015,612; 3,078,166; 3,093,548; 3,177,005; 3,201,328; 3,207,605; 3,207,606; 3,219,319; 3,234,026; 3,413,124; 3,528,889; 3,575,813; 3,591,454; 3,658,647; 3,676,640; 3,705,841; 3,737,323; 3,940,492; and 3,984,286; "Process Design and Economic Studies of Alternative Fermentation Methods for the Production of Ethanol", Cysewski, et al. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol. xx, Pp. 1421-1444 (1978)). In the continuous fermentation process described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,026, referred to above, a stream of sterile sugar liquor and a quantity of yeast cells are introduced into the first of a series of fermentation vessels wherein initial fermentation is carried out, generally under conditions favoring rapid cell growth. Partial fermentate is continuously withdrawn from the first fermentation vessel and is intruduced into a second fermentation vessel wherein fermentation is carried out under conditions favoring rapid conversion of sugar to ethanol. Effluent from the second fermentation is separated into a yeast stream and a subsantially yeast-free ethanol ("beer") stream with the yeast stream being recycled to the first fermentation vessel. In this and similar fermentation processes, practical difficulties are encountered in maintaining optimum levels of yeast in both fermentation vessels since the quantities of yeast available for recycle are directly tied to conditions of fermentation which happen to exist in each vessel at a particular point in time. Accordingly, there has heretofore existed a need for a process of continuously fermenting sugar to ethanol in a series of fermentation vessels in which optimum levels of yeast in each vessel are readily and conveniently maintained without regard to the specific fermentation conditions in the vessel at a given moment. | {
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Many electrical devices are incorporating touchscreen type displays. A touchscreen is a display that detects the presence, location, and pressure of a touch within the display area, generally by a finger, hand, stylus, or other pointing device. The touchscreen enables a user to interact with the display panel directly without requiring any intermediate device, rather than indirectly with a mouse or touchpad. Touchscreens can be implemented in computers or as terminals to access networks. Touchscreens are commonly found in point-of-sale systems, automated teller machines (ATMs), mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable game consoles, satellite navigation devices, and information appliances.
There are a number of types of touchscreen technologies. A capacitive touchscreen panel is coated, partially coated, or patterned with a material that conducts a continuous electrical current across a touch sensor. The touch sensor exhibits a precisely controlled field of stored electrons in both the horizontal and vertical axes to achieve capacitance. The human body is also an electrical device that has stored electrons and therefore also exhibits capacitance. When a reference capacitance of the touch sensor is altered by another capacitance field, such as a finger, electronic circuits located at each corner of the panel measure the resultant distortion in the reference capacitance. The measured information related to the touch event is sent to the controller for mathematical processing. Capacitive sensors can either be touched with a bare finger or with a conductive device being held by a bare hand Capacitive sensors also work based on proximity, and do not have to be directly touched to be triggered. In most cases, direct contact to a conductive metal surface does not occur and the conductive sensor is separated from the user's body by an insulating glass or plastic layer. Devices with capacitive buttons intended to be touched by a finger can often be triggered by quickly waving the palm of the hand close to the surface without touching.
In capacitive touch applications, the touch sensor acts as an antenna that can pick up ambient noise, such as RF and power supply noise. When used in a touchscreen application, the touch sensors are placed on top of a display screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). Switching noise from the LCD adds significant noise to the touch sensors. When used in an application having an RF transceiver, such as a mobile cell phone, additional noise is picked up by the touch sensors. These noises if not handled correctly may cause a capacitive touch screen controller (CTSC) to detect false touches and report wrong touched coordinates. | {
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In a typical wireless, cellular or radio communications network, wireless devices, also known as mobile stations, terminals, and/or User Equipment, UEs, communicate via a Radio-Access Network, RAN, with one or more core networks. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into cells, with each cell being served by a base station, e.g. a radio base station, RBS, or network node, which in some networks may also be called, for example, a “NodeB”, “eNodeB” or “eNB”. A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio base station at a base station site or an antenna site in case the antenna and the radio base station are not collocated. One radio base station may serve one or more cells.
A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, UMTS, is a third generation mobile communication system, which evolved from the second generation, 2G, Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM. The UMTS terrestrial radio-access network, UTRAN, is essentially a RAN using wideband code-division multiple access, WCDMA, and/or High-Speed Packet Access, HSPA, to communicate with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP, telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for third generation networks and UTRAN specifically, and investigate enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some versions of the RAN, as e.g. in UMTS, several base stations may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller, RNC, or a base station controller, BSC, which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural base stations connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.
Specifications for the Evolved Packet System, EPS, have been completed within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP, and this work continues in the coming 3GPP releases. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio-Access Network, E-UTRAN, also known as the Long-Term Evolution, LTE, radio access, and the Evolved Packet Core, EPC, also known as System Architecture Evolution, SAE, core network. E-UTRAN/LTE is a variant of a 3GPP radio-access technology wherein the radio base station nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network rather than to RNCs. In general, in E-UTRAN/LTE the functions of a RNC are distributed between the radio base station nodes, e.g. eNodeBs in LTE, and the core network. As such, the Radio-Access Network, RAN, of an EPS has an essentially flat architecture comprising radio base station nodes without reporting to RNCs.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a network access procedure performed in a wireless communications network for a wireless device. In this example, the wireless communications network is based on EPS/LTE. However, other wireless communications network based on other wireless communication technology may also comprise a similar network access procedure.
The network access procedure starts with a random access, RA, procedure for synchronizing with and gaining initial access to the wireless communications network, as shown in FIG. 1 by Actions 101-104. The RA procedure also serves the purpose of assigning the wireless device with a unique identity when establishing an initial radio link to a network node serving a cell in the wireless communications network. The network access procedure also comprises a Radio Resource Control, RRC, connection establishment procedure which serves to perform authentication, to configure the connection, and to establish appropriate states on higher layers. The RRC connection establishment procedure may be said to actually start in Action 103 in FIG. 1, but is continued in Actions 105-1028. After the RRC connection establishment procedure, the wireless device has transitioned from a RRC_IDLE state to a RRC_CONNECTED state in the wireless communication network and may begin transmitting and receiving data, as shown in FIG. 1 by Actions 1029-1034. Note that Actions 105-1034 are not further described herein, but may e.g. be found in the standard 3GPP TS 23.401 V13.1.0 (2014-12), section 5.3.2.
As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the RA procedure in the wireless communications network may comprise the following actions 101-104.
Action 101
The wireless device, denoted UE in FIG. 1, transmits a RA preamble on the Physical Random Access Channel, PRACH to the network node, denoted eNB in FIG. 1. This message is commonly denoted RA Msg1. Each cell in the wireless communications network may have its own set of RA preambles. However, RA preambles may also be reused between cells, but preferably not in adjacent cells. Optionally, the RA preambles may also be divided into two groups, e.g. group A and group B. In this case, the UE may then select the group from which to pick a preamble, e.g. at random, based on the potential message size, i.e. the potential message size being the data available for transmission in Action 103 plus MAC header and any possible MAC control elements, and the channel quality, e.g. estimated in terms of the measured downlink path loss. Here, two conditions may be met for the wireless device to select a preamble from group B, i.e. the potential message size has to exceed a certain threshold and the estimated path loss has to be lower than a certain threshold.
Action 102
In response to the RA preamble, the network node transmits a Random Access Response, RAR, to the UE using a broadcast identifier, such as, for example, a Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier, RA-RNTI. The RAR also includes an uplink, UL, grant, i.e. an allocation of uplink transmission resources, for the wireless device. This message is commonly denoted RA Msg2.
The RAR Packed Data Unit, PDU, may comprise a back-off indicator and zero or more Medium Access Control, MAC, RAR. Each MAC RAR contains a temporary identifier, i.e. a Temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, TC-RNTI. Each MAC RAR further contains a timing advance command, an uplink grant and a reserved bit. The MAC PDU header contains one MAC sub-header, i.e. Random Access Preamble ID, RAPID, sub-header, for each MAC RAR that is included in the RAR PDU. Each such corresponding MAC sub-header, or RAPID sub-header, includes a RA preamble identifier which indicates the received RA preamble that the corresponding MAC RAR pertains to. Hence, in this way each MAC RAR is mapped to a RA preamble that is transmitted by the wireless device and received by the network node in Action 101 and PRACH resource.
Action 103
Here, the wireless device transmits an RA message containing a pre-set identity in a RRCConnectionRequest message. This message is commonly denoted RA Msg3. In a Frequency Division Duplex, FDD, mode, this RA Msg3 may be transmitted 6 or 7 subframes after the reception of the RAR in Action 102 depending on the parameters in the UL grant received in Action 102. In a Time Division Duplex, TDD, mode, the timing also depends on the configuration of UL and downlink, DL, subframes.
The pre-set identity which the wireless device includes in the RRCConnectionRequest message is a SAE Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity, S-TMSI, if the S-TMSI is available. The S-TMSI is a 40-bit determined identity, which is assigned by the Mobility Management Entity, MME, and which consists of the MME Group ID, MMEGI, and the MME Code, MMEC. This is typically the case unless the wireless device is accessing the wireless communications network from a DETACHED state, e.g. when the wireless device is turned on. Alternatively, the pre-set identity which the wireless device includes in the RRCConnectionRequest message may, if no S-TMSI is available, be a 40-bit random number.
Action 104
In response to the RA message in Action 103, the network node transmits the identity of the wireless device to be used in the cell on the DL together with an RRCConnectionSetup message. The identity of the wireless device may be contained in a UE Contention Resolution Identity MAC Control Element or as a parameter in the RRCConnectionSetup message. This message is commonly denoted RA Msg4.
In case of possible RA preamble collisions of two or more wireless devices, the result of the contention resolution in the network node is communicated through the above mentioned identity of the wireless device in this RA Msg4. It should also be noted that the RRCConnectionSetupComplete message in Action 105 is herein considered to not form a part of the RA procedure, but may still be a part of the RRC connection establishment procedure when the RA procedure has been concluded.
Contention resolution in a network node serves to resolve a situation where two or more wireless devices in the same cell happen to use the same RA preamble in the same PRACH resource, e.g. in Action 101. In this case, the two or more wireless devices will both assume that they are the intended recipient of the RA message in Action 102 from the network node, i.e. RA Msg2. Consequently, both of the two or more wireless devices will send an RRCConnectionRequest message in RA Msg3 to the network node in Action 103. The network node will then at best correctly receive one of these messages. The network node may then indicate which of the two or more wireless devices that it is responding to by including the identity of the wireless device, for which it correctly received the RA Msg3, in the RA Msg4.
However, in a worst case scenario, the network node may not be able to receive any one of the RA Msg3 messages. In this case, all of the two or more wireless devices using the same RA preamble in the same RA resource, i.e. PRACH resources, will fail to access the wireless communications network. A wireless device that fails the RA procedure has to restart the RA procedure. This has several adverse consequences, for example, increased radio resource consumption which puts a further strain on the RA resources, increased RA load, increased interference, increased processing load in the network node, delayed network access and increased energy consumption in the wireless device.
One option to solve this issue would be to largely increase the resources available in the wireless communications network for the RA procedure. However, this is not a very practical or economically feasible option, since this would wastefully over-dimension resources which may only be fully used during occasions of high network access loads. | {
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Individuals often experience pain or discomfort in various parts of the body. Many individuals experience a type of pain commonly known as a headache. The origin of a headache is frequently unknown. An extremely severe type of headache known as a migraine is even more problematic for individuals. An individual typically desires relief from the pain of headache even if the precise cause is not known or treatable. Sometimes, treatment for headache pain can be as simple as resting, with varying degrees of success. Often individuals will consume over-the-counter or prescription medications to obtain relief from headache pain, with varying degrees of success. However, many individuals desire a reliable form of relief from headaches and other fairly minor manifestations of pain and discomfort that does not encompass taking medications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The distance a golf ball travels when struck by a golf club is determined in large part by club head speed at the point of impact with the golf ball. Club head speed in turn can be affected by the wind resistance or drag associated with the club head, especially given the large club head sizes of typical modern drivers. The club head of a driver, fairway wood, or metal wood in particular experiences significant aerodynamic drag during its swing path. The drag experienced by the club head leads to reduced club head speed and, therefore, reduced distance of travel of the golf ball after it has been struck.
Air flows in a direction opposite to the golf club head's trajectory over those surfaces of the golf club head that are roughly parallel to the direction of airflow. An important factor affecting drag is the behavior of the air flow's boundary layer. The “boundary layer” is a thin layer of air that lies very close to the surface of the club head during its motion. As the airflow moves over the surfaces, it encounters an increasing pressure. This increase in pressure is called an “adverse pressure gradient” because it causes the airflow to slow down and lose momentum. As the pressure continues to increase, the airflow continues to slow down until it reaches a speed of zero, at which point it separates from the surface. The air stream will hug the club head's surfaces until the loss of momentum in the airflow's boundary layer causes it to separate from the surface. The separation of the air streams from the surfaces results in a low pressure separation region behind the club head (i.e., at the trailing edge as defined relative to the direction of air flowing over the club head). This low pressure separation region creates pressure drag. The larger the separation region, the greater the pressure drag.
One way to reduce or minimize the size of the low pressure separation region is by providing a streamlined form that allows laminar flow to be maintained for as long as possible, thereby delaying or eliminating the separation of the laminar air stream from the club surface.
Reducing the drag of the club head not only at the point of impact, but also during the course of the entire downswing prior to the point of impact, would result in improved club head speed and increased distance of travel of the golf ball. When analyzing the swing of golfers, it has been noted that the heel/hosel region of the club head leads the swing during a significant portion of the downswing and that the ball striking face only leads the swing at (or immediately before) the point of impact with the golf ball. The phrase “leading the swing” is meant to describe that portion of the club head that faces the direction of swing trajectory. For purposes of discussion, the golf club and golf club head are considered to be at a 0° orientation when the ball striking face is leading the swing, i.e. at the point of impact. It has been noted that during a downswing, the golf club may be rotated by about 90° or more around the longitudinal axis of its shaft during the 90° of downswing prior to the point of impact with the golf ball.
During this final 90° portion of the downswing, the club head may be accelerated to approximately 65 miles per hour (mph) to over 100 mph, and in the case of some professional golfers, to as high as 140 mph. Further, as the speed of the club head increases, typically so does the drag acting on the club head. Thus, during this final 90° portion of the downswing, as the club head travels at speeds upwards of 100 mph, the drag force acting on the club head could significantly retard any further acceleration of the club head.
In actuality, during the course of the downswing, not only does the yaw angle vary, but also do the pitch and roll angles (although not to such a great degree as the yaw angle). Thus, club heads that have been designed to reduce the drag of the head at the point of impact, or from the point of view of the club face leading the swing, may not function well to reduce the drag during other phases of the swing cycle, such as when the heel/hosel region of the club head is leading the downswing.
It would be desirable to provide a golf club head that reduces or overcomes some or all of the difficulties inherent in prior known devices. Particular advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain embodiments. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of downhole fluid analysis in boreholes penetrating the earth. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for estimating fluid density, viscosity, and other parameters using a flexural mechanical resonator downhole in a borehole during monitoring while drilling or wire line operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is considerable interest in obtaining density and viscosity for formation fluids downhole at reservoir conditions of extreme temperature and pressure during formation sampling, production, or drilling.
One type of instrument for measuring the density and viscosity of a formation fluid is a flexural mechanical resonator such as a tuning fork. The tuning fork is immersed in a fluid downhole and electrically excited at multiple frequencies. The interaction of the tuning fork with the fluid will introduce additional complex electrical impedance that can be measured in an electrical circuit. It has been shown that this complex electrical impedance can be represented by the sum of two terms: one that is proportional to liquid density and a second one that is proportional to the square root of the viscosity density product.
Unfortunately, conventional flexural mechanical resonators when used downhole can present several problems. For example, a tuning fork may be prone to breakage if not properly protected. Surface contamination of a flexural mechanical resonator due to being disposed downhole may cause low repeatability in resonator measurements. Flexural mechanical resonators, which use permanent magnets, may be prone to attract magnetic particles. These magnetic particles cannot be removed downhole and can affect the accuracy of measurements.
It is important for flexural mechanical resonators to function properly downhole because it can be very expensive in time and equipment if they fail and have to be extracted from the borehole, repaired or replaced, and then sent back down the borehole. It would be well received in the drilling industry if flexural mechanical resonators could be made more robust to survive the extreme environment downhole. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer interfaces, and more particularly to an apparatus and technique that reads serial data from a magnetic card and wand reader to a microprocessor for processing, and is characterized in that the interface is comprised of a novel combination of commercially-available hardware to provide control, character synchronization and serial-to-parallel data conversion required by the microprocessor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a modern computer system there are a variety of devices and methods for entering data into the computer system. Some of these data entry devices include Hollerith card readers, terminal devices, magnetic tape transport devices, magnetic card readers and magnetic swipe readers. More recently, because of the increased use of credit cards, magnetic card readers have poliferated. In a magnetic card, data is collected and stored in a magnetic stripe integrally attached to the card. This data can be read by a magnetic card reader by placing the magnetic card in the slot and sliding it by a read head. Alternately credit card readers have been developed in the form of a wand which can read magnetically encoded signals on suitable mediums by passing the wand past the medium containing such magnetic codes. One variation of this type of storage medium is a magnetic stripe which can store data utilizing a suitable magnetic code. These stripes may be attached to a variety of products, such as is found in a supermarket, to identify the product and other of its characteristics such as price, weight, etc. Information from such products can be retrieved by means of a magnetic wand which is passed over (i.e., swiped past) the medium. There are innumerable other applications for such data collection terminals which can be located in a factory, department store, office, supermarket or in other similar locations where magnetic wand readers are utilized to input inventory, sales, or attendance data.
One of the problems in utilizing such magnetic wand readers is the requirement of an interface either between the magnetic wand or swipe reader and the processor which is to utilize the information because the processor cannot utilize the raw signals of the readers. In the industry there are several variations of encoding techniques and formats that operate with magnetic cards or magnetic stripes and are generally known as Track I, II and III type encoding. In Track II type, for example, data from the reader is comprised of a data bit stream in which every bit that is encoded on the card also has a clock output provided by the reader and associated with it. Additionally the Track II encoding structure is such that every 5 clocks represents a character. However, because there is a clock bit associated with every data bit in the stream, there is no way to determine where a character begins or ends unless a special synchronization character is detected by some device. Without such detection the receiving microprocessor would be interrupted excessively on each data bit resulting in excessive overhead, reduced throughput, and inefficient operation.
Past solutions for reading serial data from magnetic cards required complicated hardware circuitry or CPU processing to provide control for character synchronization and serial-to-parallel data conversions. One such approach provided for serially latching data bits from a reader into a serial-in-parallel-out shift register. Character synchronization and local buffering is provided in the manner that a CPU could read complete characters while bits of the next character are being assembled by hardware. This solution requires an excessive number of complex components which adversely affect power consumption and reliability; moreover they require a significant amount of processing overhead for performing such management functions.
Another solution requires a microprocessor to input the serial data from the reader. Character synchronization and serial-to-parallel data conversion is accomplished by software. Although this solution requires minimal hardware, it has the disadvantage of requiring a large software overhead, as well as total dedication of a microprocessor during a read cycle. Since most data collection terminals have only one microprocessor, they cannot be monopolized by any one device without seriously reducing efficiency.
What was needed, therefore, was a simple apparatus and a technique for providing control character synchronization and serial-to-parallel data conversion which preferably utilized readily commercially-available programmable communications hardware. One such piece of hardware commercially-available is the 8251 programmable communications interface (PIC). However, the commercially-available 8251 was designed to interface with different formats and interfaces than those utilized by magnetic wand readers or magnetic swipe readers. What was needed, therefore, was a special interface circuit between the commercially-available PIC and the magnetic wand and/or swipe readers to make the signals coming from the magnetic and swipe readers compatible to those handled by the PIC. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Wide bandgap (WBG) power devices such as SiC and GaN power devices can provide superior performance characteristics relative to Si power devices for many high power applications. For example, as disclosed in an article by J. Burm et al., entitled “Wide Band-Gap FETs for High Power Amplifiers,” Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 175-182, September (2006), wide bandgap semiconductor materials having band-gap energy levels in a range from about 2 eV to about 6 eV may be utilized to provide high breakdown voltages for high power generation in power amplifiers and low dielectric constants for better isolation and lower coupling. Similarly, as disclosed in an article by J. Reed et al., entitled “Modeling Power Semiconductor Losses in HEV Powertrains using Si and SiC Devices,” Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC), 2010 IEEE, Sep. 1-3 (2010), silicon carbide (SiC) power devices can have potential benefits over conventional silicon-based devices, particularly in high power electronic converters.
Examples of high power switches that embody wide bandgap semiconductors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,556,994 and 7,820,511 to Sankin et al., which illustrate normally-off vertical JFET integrated power switches, U.S. Pat. No. 7,230,273 to Kitabatake et al., which describes a plurality of wide bandgap switching elements connected in parallel to increase device yield, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,017,978 to Lidow et al., which illustrates multiple power devices of different type connected in series. These SiC and other wide bandgap power devices can provide greater power converter efficiency and power density by operating at higher switching frequencies and temperatures. However, all-SiC high-power converters with exclusively SiC devices will significantly increase the semiconductor device cost, especially if the power converters need to meet any overload requirements and the semiconductor devices are sized according to overload requirements. For example, in Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) applications, typically the overload performances are 150% overload for 10 s to 60 s and 200% overload for 10 to 20 cycles (with the current limit).
To address this excessive cost issue and meet overload requirements, higher and lower cost devices may be paralleled together as a hybrid device, which may be capable of more fully utilizing each of the individual devices positive characteristics so that a higher power rating may be achieved at lower overall cost. Examples of such hybrid devices are disclosed in articles by Jih-Sheng Lai et al., entitled “A Hybrid-Switch-Based Soft-Switching Inverter for Ultrahigh-Efficiency Traction Motor Drives,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 50, No. 3, May/June (2014); and Pengwei Sun, et al., entitled “A 55-kW Three-Phase Inverter Based on Hybrid-Switch Soft-Switching Modules for High-Temperature Hybrid Electric Vehicle Drive Application,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 48, No. 3, May/June (2012). Still further hybrid power devices are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Publ. App. No. 2014/0185346, entitled “Hybrid Power Devices and Switching Circuits for High Power Load Sourcing Applications,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Notwithstanding these devices, there continues to be a need for more efficient methods of operating hybrid power devices for higher performance and efficiency and lower overall cost. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Conventionally, as disclosed in, e.g., Patent Literature 1, there has been known a system for testing a power system in a single unit in order to identify performance of the power system before installation in a fuel cell powered vehicle and evaluate the power system in a process of development. In this Patent Literature 1, disclosed is a configuration of performing an evaluation test of the power system while the power system of the fuel cell powered vehicle is connected to a dynamo (here, noting that the power system includes an electric motor and a control device thereof). In this configuration, an actual fuel cell and auxiliary battery are connected to the electric motor in order to supply power and store regenerative power.
However, in this conventional system mentioned above, since the actual fuel cell is used, it is necessary to provide a high-pressure hydrogen tank or the like and there arises a problem of safety and the like relating to handling thereof. Therefore, surrounding facilities become large-scaled and it takes a great deal of time and effort to set-up for securing the safety.
Further, since a status of a fuel cell is changed by being affected by temperature, humidity, hydrogen pressure and the like, it is difficult to perform a repetitive test under the same condition and it is likely not to be able to achieve development and specify a defect smoothly. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to photosensor circuits and, more particularly, photosensor circuits for light level switching control.
Photo controllers are devices that automatically turn electrical devices on and off in response to the ambient light level. They are used, for example, on street lights to automatically turn them off during the day and on at night. They are also used on billboard lighting systems to turn the billboard lights on early at night, off late at night during periods of low vehicular traffic, on again during early morning rush hour periods when high traffic levels resume, and then off during the daylight hours. Photo controllers may also be used in reverse, for example, to turn a golf course water fountain on during the day and off at night.
A variety of devices, including photo controllers may make use of power converters to convert relatively high voltage alternating current to relatively low voltage direct current as is used in many conventional electronic devices. Some conventional power converters make use of large, high-voltage resistors to drop the voltage. However, these resistors are typically inefficient and generate high heat. The heat generated from the resistors may require that the resistors be housed in a large package and include heat dissipating elements, such as heat sinks. Also, the high heat generated by the resistors can lead to problems with reliability and longevity in the resistors and in other electronic components situated near the resistors.
Another conventional approach to power conversion is the use of a switch mode power converter. The switch mode power converters typically require six transistors or a micro-controller to implement. The requirement for multiple transistors or a micro-controller may cause the implementation of switch mode power converters to be cost prohibitive in some applications, such as in photo controllers.
A small, low cost, efficient switch mode power converter is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,942 (“the '942 patent”), which is hereby incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety. The switch mode power converter of the '942 patent is illustrated in FIG. 1. The circuit shown in FIG. 1 is a switch mode power regulator, which implements power line synchronized pulse width modulation (firing angle modulation). The circuit comprises a power circuit and a control circuit. The power circuit comprises an output stage, which comprises a transistor Q3. The transistor's collector circuit comprises a relay K1 and a diode D6, known as a snubber diode, in parallel with the relay K1.
The circuit further comprises a first capacitor C6 coupled to the base of the transistor Q3, a first resistor R4 coupled in series to the first capacitor C6, and a second resistor R8 coupled in series to the first resistor R4. The circuit shown further comprises a first diode D7 coupled in parallel with the second resistor R8. The circuit further comprises a third resistor R5 coupled to the base of the first transistor Q3 and a Zener diode D1, whose cathode is connected to the first capacitor C6 and a second diode D5, and whose anode is connected to the third resistor R5.
The circuit also comprises a fourth resistor R6 coupled in series with the third diode D5, a relay K1 coupled in series with the fourth resistor R6, a third diode D6 coupled in parallel with the relay K1, a second capacitor C5 coupled to the fourth resistor R6, a fifth resistor R7 coupled in series with the second capacitor C5; and a plug, comprising a load, a neutral, and a line, wherein the load is coupled to the relay K1, the neutral is coupled to the emitter of the transistor Q3, and the line is coupled to the variable resistor.
Transistor Q3 regulates the average voltage across the relay coil K1 by means of pulse width modulation. In the embodiment shown, transistor Q3 comprises a bipolar transistor, however, transistor Q3 may instead be a field-effect transistor (FET), or an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), provided a diode is placed cathode to drain and anode to source.
Transistor Q3 starts conducting at the start of the power line cycle (0 degrees) and continues conducting until enough current has flowed to maintain the relay voltage at the desired level. When transistor Q3 turns off, a voltage will be induced across the relay coil K1 by magnetic induction. This voltage is partially suppressed by diode D6 in order to prevent the failure of transistor Q3 due to over voltage.
The circuit shown in FIG. 1 utilizes half-wave rectification. Half-wave rectification is less expensive that fill-wave rectification and requires less components. Since the relay K1 is highly inductive, it does not require a particularly clean DC signal. For example, the DC signal may include a large amount of ripple, which will not affect the operation of relay K1. Half wave rectification allows the circuit to operate in two modes, positive and negative. During the positive half, the transistor Q3 generates a current pulse, which is regulated by the average voltage across the relay K1. This process is pulse width modulation.
The control circuit shown in FIG. 1 comprises a pulse generator whose pulse width varies proportionately with the difference between the Zener voltage of diode D1 and the average voltage across the relay K1. At the start of the power line cycle (0 degrees), a current will begin to flow through diode D7, resistor R4, capacitor C6, and the base of transistor Q3. The current will cause transistor Q3 to turn on, starting a pulse.
Diode D7 and Resistor R8 provide half-wave power rectification. Resistor R8 is applied across the power rectifier D7, applying a negative current during the negative half of the line cycle. Resistor R8 allows a small negative current to be applied. Resistor R8 provides the negative current that switches on transistor Q3 during the negative half of the line cycle. That negative charge conducted through R8 must exceed the charge that conducts through capacitor C6 to assure transistor Q3 will turn on. Negative current switches on rectifier D6 and turns on transistor Q3, providing a current path between the low voltage side of capacitor C5 through resistor R7.
In the embodiment shown, without resistor R7, transistor Q3 would not saturate during the current pulse, causing excessive power to be dissipated in transistor Q3. The transistor Q3 collector voltage would drop until diode D5 would conduct, diverting base current from transistor Q3 and preventing transistor Q3 from saturating. During the transistor Q3 current pulse, a voltage is generated across resistor R7 that will keep diode D5 from conducting and preventing transistor Q3 saturation. To prevent diode D5 from conducting during the positive half of the line cycle, a voltage of at least the capacitor C6 ripple voltage must drop across resistor R7. Transistor Q3 does start conducting until the instantaneous line voltage is approximately twice the Zener voltage of diode D1.
Capacitor C5 filters the voltage across the relay K1. If the value of C5 is too small the relay coil current will oscillate on and off during power up causing the relay contacts to chatter. Therefore, capacitor C5 shown is large enough a value to prevent this chattering of the relay contacts.
Capacitor C6 is pre-set to the output voltage and provides a timing functionality. During the positive half of the line cycle, a current flows through resistor R4 to capacitor C6, causing it to start charging, and through the base of transistor Q3, which will turn transistor Q3 on. Transistor Q3 remains on as long a current flows through capacitor C6. Increasing the value of capacitor C6 has the positive effect of increasing the gain of the feed back loop of the regulator circuit. However, increasing the value also slows the time it takes for the current pulse of transistor Q3 to be turned off, increasing commutation losses in transistor Q3, and increases the time for the regulator circuit to stabilize at startup.
As this current flows, the voltage across capacitor C6 increases. When the voltage across capacitor C6 plus the base to emitter voltage of transistor Q3 reaches the Zener voltage of diode D1, the current flowing through capacitor C6 ceases because the current is diverted to the Zener diode D1. Zener diode D1 provides the reference voltage to which the relay coil voltage will be regulated. When the current through capacitor C6 ceases, no current flows to the base of transistor Q3, turning it off and ending the pulse.
During the negative half of the line cycle, a current flows through resistor R8, diode D6, the collector and base of transistor Q3, and resistor R5. This current will turn transistor Q3 on. Also, during the negative half of the power line cycle, resistor R5 provides part of the current path through which capacitor C6 discharges into C5.
During the positive half of the line cycle at the end of the current pulse, resistor R5 causes transistor Q3 to more rapidly turn off, reducing energy losses during the commutation of transistor Q3. Resistor R5 will shunt some of the current that would otherwise go through the base of transistor Q3 during the pulse of transistor Q3 base current. If the current shunted is too much, the base current of transistor Q3 will not be enough to turn transistor Q3 completely on.
Capacitor C6 will now discharge into capacitor C5 until their voltages equalize. The voltage across capacitor C5 is equal to the average voltage across the relay coil K1. Diode D7 disconnects during the negative half of the power line cycle assuring that the relay current is direct current. As such, the discharge of capacitor C6 into capacitor C5 determines the pulse width for operation of the transistor Q3, which in turn allows current flow to establish the average mean voltage of relay coil K1.
The circuit shown in FIG. 1 also comprises a voltage averaging circuit, further comprising resistor R6, capacitor C5, and resistor R7. The averaging circuit essentially measures the average voltage across the relay coil K1. The average voltage across capacitor C5 is the voltage to which the circuit is regulated. The purpose of resistor R7, apart from forming part of the averaging circuit is also to ensure that diode D5 will not conduct during the positive half of the power line cycle. The current to resistor R8 flows through diode D6, turning it on, and then the current flows through the collector of transistor Q3, causing it to turn on. When transistor Q3 turns on, it creates a base current between the emitter of transistor Q3 and the negative end of capacitor C5. When the current begins flowing, diode D5 starts conducting, which causes capacitor C6 to discharge until at the same voltage as capacitor C5. The capacitors reach equal voltage at the average output voltage.
This feedback of the output voltage into the pulse forming circuit determines how long each cycle transistor Q3 will be turned on. (The feed back loop is as follows. Average voltage of relay coil K1 voltage-->voltage of capacitor C5-->voltage of capacitor C6-->duty cycle of transistor Q3 commutation-->average voltage of relay coil K1 voltage.) If the average voltage across the relay coil K1 is too low, the voltage across capacitor C6 will be less than the Zener voltage of diode D1 resulting in a longer On time of transistor Q3, which will cause the average relay coil voltage to increase. If the average voltage across the relay coil K1 is too high the voltage across capacitor C6 will approximate the Zener voltage of diode D1, resulting in a shorter On time of transistor Q3, which will cause the average relay coil voltage to decrease.
The circuit shown in FIG. 1 also comprises a plug J4. Plug J4 is a twist lock Hubble type connector, used to connect a line voltage, neutral voltage, and load. The circuit also comprises a metal oxide variable resistor MOV. MOV is not necessary for the operation of the circuit. It provides a level of protection, eliminating high voltage transients like might come from a lightning strike. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a program for producing a reduced image of which image information is distinguishable.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a number of images recorded in a memory has increased as the memory has higher capacity. Among the many images recorded in the high-capacity memory, a user selects a certain image to be outputted (to be displayed or to be printed). At this time, an index image is outputted first by an image output device. In the index image, are arranged thumbnail images produced by reducing the recorded images. The user searches the index image with the eyes to select the desired image. Such a way is generally performed.
As to a reduced-image producing method in which the reduced image is distinguishable, it is known that the thumbnail images respectively reduced in a fixed image size are arranged so as to correspond to image information stored in each of image files, such as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 63-233475 (Japanese Patent No. 2596740). Meanwhile, in the reduced-image producing method described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-174052 (Japanese Patent No. 3019791), the respective images are reduced at a predetermined rate. In this case, the image size is distinguished on the basis of its display size.
However, the above reduced-image producing methods need to display the image information every image. Thus, there is a shortcoming in that much labor is required for displaying the information. Moreover, the different sizes of the reduced images disfigures the arrangement thereof. In addition, it is necessary to coordinate the display sizes and display positions in accordance with the respective image sizes so that much labor is required. Since image processing is complicated and has priority in comparison with other processes, it takes a lot of time. In a case that multitask processing is executed, the other processes are likely to be affected. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Processes for maximizing the amount of PPS produced from a given reactor are desired for purposes of gaining economic efficiency. Increasing the concentration of reactants per reactor volume offers a seemingly evident approach to maximizing PPS production. However, after the concentration of reactants employed exceeds about 0.36 moles of sulfur source per mole of polar organic compound, the molecular weight of the PPS resin significantly decreases.
The molecular weight of a PPS resin is generally related to the melt flow rate of the resin. Extrusion rate is a specific type of melt flow rate particularly useful for characterizing phenylene sulfide polymers in the lower molecular weight range, such as those produced in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,129, (Nov. 21, 1967). The term extrusion rate, as used herein, refers to a flow rate measurement on molten polymer based on ASTM D1238, Procedure B-Automatically Time Flow Rate Measurement, Condition 316/0.345, using a 5 minute preheat time and an orifice having the dimensions of 0.0825.+-.0.002 inch diameter and 1.25.+-.0.002 inch length. A low value extrusion rate indicates a higher molecular weight resin, while a high value extrusion rate indicates a lower molecular weight resin.
Maintaining a sufficiently high molecular weight PPS resin is important for many of the commercial applications of the resin such as injection molding and the like. The deterioration of molecular weight associated with using reactant concentrations greater than about 0.36 moles of sulfur source per mole of polar organic compound is of a significant enough degree to change the characteristics of the resultant polymer. Therefore, increasing reactant concentrations beyond 0.36 moles of sulfur source per mole of polar organic compound has not been a method utilized for purposes of maximizing PPS production. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dynamic random access memory or in particular to test of dynamic random access memories.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A dynamic random access memory comprises a plurality of circuit portions for processing address, data and control signals as well as a memory cell for storing data. An internal voltage generator generates internal voltages such as a cell plate potential, a precharge voltage for bit lines or a substrate voltage from a power supply voltage applied from the external, and the internal voltages are supplied to operate the dynamic random access memory.
Because internal voltages are generated from the external supply voltage, they change with the power supply voltage. Then, it is desirable that circuit portions receiving internal voltages in a dynamic random access memory operate stably against variation of power supply voltage. However, there are products which are liable to operate abnormally against such variation. It has to be prevented to forward defective products having a narrow operation range dependent on internal voltage. However, defective products may not be checked if input signals are provided to input pins of dynamic random access memories to observe response at output pins. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to beverage containers, and more specifically relates to a holder for a beverage container.
2. Background Art
Many different kinds, sizes and types of beverage containers have been developed over the years. Sports bottles have been developed that allow a person easy access to a beverage while playing a sport. For example, sports bottles with holders have been developed for bicycles that allow mounting the holder on the bicycle and placing a sports bottle in the holder, making the sports bottle available to the rider while the rider is riding the bicycle. Many different types of sports bottles and holders have been developed.
Disposable water bottles have become very popular. Because hydration during a lengthy sporting activity is desirable, various holders for water bottles have been developed. For example, fabric holders for water bottles that can be worn on a belt or strap are well-known. These fabric holders typically have a closure, such as a zipper, snap, or hook-and-loop fastener, that, when opened, allows a water bottle to be placed within the holder, and when closed, retain the water bottle in place. When a person wants to take a drink, the person opens the closure, removes the water bottle, takes a drink, returns the water bottle to the holder, then closes the closure.
Other beverage bottles have been developed that are intended for repeated use. For example, rigid plastic bottles are often used by backpackers, who repeatedly refill the bottle from a hand-operated water filter when the backpacker encounters a suitable water source such as a stream or lake.
Most beverage bottles are hand-held, which necessarily occupies one or both hands to carry the beverage bottle. For most beverage bottles, including disposable water bottles, there are few holders that provide the desired flexibility and convenience. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protection diode for protecting the gate oxide film of the MOS field effect transistor (hereinafter referred to as MOSFET) from surge breakdown.
2. Background Art
In general, the thickness of a gate oxide film used in the MOSFET is several tens of nanometers. Therefore, when a surge is inputted into the gate and the gate voltage reaches several kilovolts, the gate oxide film is broken down. For preventing this, a protection diode to discharge a surge is inserted in the gate. As protection diodes, not only vertical diodes, but horizontal diodes have been used (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-238973). As a horizontal protection diode, there is a horizontal bidirectional diode wherein a P-type gate side diffusion layer, an N-type well layer, and a P-type grounding side diffusion layer are transversely arrayed on a semiconductor substrate. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The reference index of this invention has specific application in the field of aircraft instrumentation and is specifically adapted to altitude indicating instruments or altimeters. Heretofore, attempts have been made to provide selectively positionable index or reference markers which are selectively positionable with respect to the face of the instrument dial for manual reference as to a selected or assigned altitude, or a restricted or limitative altitude which must be adhered to or strictly observed during the course of aircraft flight. The usual altimeters that are available and installed in aircraft are seldom provided with reference indexes as an element with original equipment structure. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide such reference index devices as auxiliary components in the many instances desired for facilitating maintenance of the assigned altitudes and aiding in observance of minimum altitude restrictions on instrument approaches. The known auxiliary devices available for attachment to altimeters are of a relatively expensive and cumbersome nature and are incapable of providing the desired distinctive indication that enhances the pilot's awareness of a specific assigned altitude or altitude limitation.
Another disadvantage of the known devices commercially available for this purpose, is that they are incapable of providing any selectivity as to two substantially distinct modes of operation normally encountered during flight. These two modes of operation are the maintenance of an assigned altitude on departure from an airfield and during the cruise aspects of the flight. There is also a period of time upon initial descent into an airport traffic control area wherein other assigned altitudes are given by approach controllers for effecting a safe expeditious movement of numerous aircraft through the control area. The second mode of operation desired for an altimeter reference index is associated with the instrument approach phase. Instrument approaches have either a decision height or minimum descent altitude (DH/MDA) associated with the respective approach. These altitudes are minimum restrictions that must be strictly observed for maintenance of safety and avoiding violation of aeronautical regulations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a hydraulic drive urinal flushing system, and more particularly to such a urinal flushing system which flushes the urinal before and after each use.
As shown in FIG. 1, a regular urinal flushing system is generally comprised of a water outlet pipe connected to the urinal at the top for guiding flushing water from a water source to the urinal, a valve mounted in the water outlet pipe, and an infrared sensor connected to the valve for controlling its operation. This structure of urinal flushing system has drawbacks. Because the infrared sensor is operated with electricity, it does not function when power fails. When the infrared sensor does not function, the flushing system becomes unworkable. Further, because the infrared sensor is sensitive, it will be triggered when a person passes through its detective range, causing the flushing system to process to the next step. Frequently triggering the infrared sensor falsely wastes much water, and shortens the service life of the infrared sensor. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to anchoring devices and methods and, in particular, to anchors for securement in bores in first members and which allow attachment of second members to the first members. The invention accordingly relates to devices for coupling a second member, i.e., a cylindrical or tubular member, into a bore in a first member. The present invention is particularly applicable in the medical field, but also has application in other fields, for example, the general field of fasteners and in the construction industry.
There is a need for a simple acting and quickly installable device for coupling a second member into a bore in a first member. There is particularly a need for such a device in the medical and surgical fields. In particular, there is a need for such a device which can be used to connect tissues or bones to other tissues or bones. Furthermore, there is a need for a device which will allow manmade materials to be connected to tissue or bones, in particular, to allow cylindrical or rod shaped objects, e.g., prostheses, to be fastened to a bore in a bone or other tissue. There is furthermore a need for an easily installable device for anchoring or fastening sutures to tissue, which sutures can then be connected to another object, for example, other tissue.
In the medical and surgical fields, there is a particular need for a device which can be coupled to a first object which is then inserted into a bore in the second object, thereby to quickly lock the first and second objects together. For example, there is a need for such a device which can connect prostheses to bone or bone to bone. There is furthermore a need for such a connection device which is essentially hollow in the interior thereby to allow placement of parts of tissue, bone or manmade materials inside the device, such as rods, pins, valves, sutures, etc.
There is also a need for a device which can lock two objects together in a quick and simple manner, for example, by compression, thereby to lock a component inside the device and simultaneously to a medium, for example, bone. There is a need for such a device for locking two components together, for example, bone and bone or tissue and bone or tissue and tissue, and which device can be left hollow to allow fluid to pass through the inserted device. There is furthermore a need for such a device which can direct or inhibit the flow of fluid passing through the device. Such a device could be used in the medical field to connect bone to bone, for example, to repair fractures or in spinal surgery. Such a device could also be used to connect other materials to bone, for example, prostheses to bone. These could be used in hip prostheses, knee prostheses or as bone plugs and dental implants.
There is furthermore a need for such a connection device which allows connection of tissue to bone. This could be used for ligament repair, meniscus repair and soft tissue repair. There is also a need for such a device which can provide tissue to tissue connections, for example, liver, lung and spleen resections.
There is also a need for such a device which allows materials to be connected to tissue. Such a device could be used in applications involving stenoses to provide clear passageways in esophageal, prostate and coronary tracts through the hollow center of the device, as filters and valves to block and emboli and as dams, for example, pancreatic blockers.
There is furthermore a need for a quick connection device which can be used in the fastener and construction industry and which allows connection of first objects into bores located in second objects.
Various anchoring, quick connection devices and devices for securement in blind holes are known. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,143,086, 2,100,570, and 5,161,916, a screw is fastened in a bore by the action of an expandable member, for example, a tubular element enlarged by a conical member. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,247,621, a screw is fastened in a bore by the action of an expandable member comprising expandable wings. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,259, expandable locking elements which fit into an undercut provide anchoring.
In each of the above patents, a screw element causes the expandable members, generally through the intermediary of a conical element, which may be a part of the screw or separate from the screw, to expand to grab the inner surface of the bore to provide the attachment.
In another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,563, two interdigitated spacers are provided which allow the securement of an element to a wall having a hollow construction. In this patent, the interdigitated fingers are used to provide support between the skins of the hollow wall to prevent collapse of the wall.
Re. U.S. Pat. No. 34,293 shows a ligament attachment method which works on a similar principle to the construction fasteners described above, i.e., employing an expandable element which is expanded by a conical element operated by a screw. U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,422 discloses a bone anchoring device for securing sutures to bone. The device is conically shaped with serrations on the external surface. The device is forced into a recess in the bone and the conical shape and serrations keep it secured in the bone.
None of the prior art devices, however, provides a simple, quick and secure fastening device, which is especially adaptable in the medical field, for securing two objects, such as bone, tissue or foreign objects, together. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to a method of winding an armature body provided with armature slots. The armature has a commutator mounted on an armature shaft and the commutator segments are provided with attachment elements. Winding wire is fed through the armature slots in accordance with a winding cycle and are attached to the attachment elements of the commutator segments to form a set of coils. The coils are electrically connected to one another via the commutator segments.
The invention also relates to an electric machine provided with a stator and an armature.
The method as described above is generally known and can be carried out with winding machines which are commercially available. Such a winding machine is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,738 (herewith incorporated by reference). The known method is used to provide a drum-type armature body provided with radial armature slots with a winding distributed over a number of coils, starting from a winding wire which is wound around a hook-type attachment element of a commutator. For the purpose of forming a first coil, the winding wire is then fed a required number of times through two approximately diametrically situated armature slots and finally is wound around a further hook-type attachment element of the commutator. The winding wire is then again fed through two armature slots and wound round yet another hook-type attachment element to form a second coil. This last operation is repeated sufficiently often for the number of required spools to be formed, after which two of the spools are connected to each other via each commutator segment of the commutator by connecting the coil ends electrically to the commutator segments by bending over and heating the hook-type attachment elements. The winding time of the known method can be shortened by using two winding wires, as a result of which symmetrical winding is possible, two coils being formed at the same time.
The known method is suitable for use with thin winding wire, for example, copper wire having a diameter of less than 0.50 mm. For various applications, for example, certain electric motors which are designed for an AC voltage of 100 to 120 V, it is necessary, for considerations of temperature, to use a thicker winding wire, for example, copper wire having a diameter of greater than 0.60 mm. It has been found, however, that the percentage of rejects increases if thicker wire is used, inter alia because, after winding, coil ends touch each other at the attachment elements of the commutator or because an attachment hook is mechanically deformed during the breaking of the wire, which is brought about at the end of winding by a pulling movement. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Secondary fastener forming machines take cylindrical workpieces, such as headed fastener blanks that have been formed in a primary fastener forming process, and perform additional operations on the workpieces such as tapering the ends. To perform additional operations such as pointing on the blanks, some secondary forming machines drive the blanks axially along a linear forming stroke into engagement with cutters mounted on a cutting head. It is highly desirable that secondary fastener forming machines of this type include means for adjusting the length of each forming stroke to accommodate fastener blanks and other workpieces of various lengths. It is also desirable that such machines include a mechanism that senses when a blank has reached the end of its forming stroke and causes the machine to reverse and disengage the formed workpiece from the forming tool.
Optical Boring Company, the assignee of the present invention, manufactures a secondary fastener forming machine (the OBC machine) that forms pointed ends onto headed fastener blanks. The OBC machine includes a reciprocator in the form of a 2-piston hydro-pneumatic cylinder that reciprocates a reciprocating portion of the assembly including a fastener gripper upward to a fully retracted "remote" position and downward through a cutting stroke to a fully extended "proximate" position. During the lower portion of the cutting stroke the lower end of a fastener blank held in the gripper axially engages a rotating cutting tool at a cutting tool rotational axis. The cutting tool includes carbide cutting blades that are positioned around the cutting tool axis to cut a tapered conical tip on the fastener blank. One piston within the cylinder is hydraulically dampened leaving no hard linkages between the forming machine and the fastener blank being worked. This lack of hard linkages allows the downward travel of the fastener blank and gripper to slow with increased resistance during the cutting stroke and to slow further or even stop completely in response to excessive resistance. After cutting, the cylinder lifts the gripper and extracts the fastener from the cutting tool, completing a cutting cycle. The OBC machine also includes a part transfer mechanism that inserts and ejects parts. The reciprocal motion of one of the pistons within the hydro-pneumatic cylinder drives the part transfer mechanism.
An adjustable screw axially engages a limit switch whenever a fastener has reached the end of its forming stroke. When the limit switch is thus activated it signals the reciprocator to reverse the reciprocating portion of the assembly and disengage the newly-tipped fastener from the cutters. The screw may be advanced or retracted to adjust the reversal point of the cylinder at the end of the cutting stroke.
While a reciprocator of this type provides many advantages it cannot consistently terminate the downward forming/cutting stroke at the same proximate position within acceptable tolerances. If cycle speed is increased for any reason, the reciprocating portion of the assembly and the fastener blank can overshoot the proximate position resulting in a deeper cut on the fastener. Conversely, if cycle speed decreases for any reason, the reciprocating portion may undershoot the desired reversal point resulting in a shallower cut on the fastener. Cycle speed will tend to decrease over time as the cutters begin to get dull from repeated cutting cycles. The cycle speed slows because the force required to advance each fastener blank into the cutters increases while the pneumatic pressure supply remains relatively constant. In addition, small variations in pneumatic pressure supply are common with most industrial air compressor systems and can result in cutting depth variations that are unacceptable in certain applications.
What is needed is a hydro-pneumatically driven fastener forming machine that, without hard linkages, moves fastener blanks through a forming stroke while positively and consistently maintaining the end-of-stroke stopping position, i.e., the "proximate" position of each workpiece relative to the forming tool. What is also needed is such a machine that can accommodate bolts of various lengths. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a battery pack operating in a hybrid-electric powertrain for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of managing the state of charge for the battery pack.
In today""s automotive market, there exist a variety of propulsion or drive technologies used to power vehicles. The technologies include internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric drive systems utilizing batteries and/or fuel cells as an energy source, and hybrid systems utilizing a combination of internal combustion engines and electric drive systems. The propulsion systems each have specific technological, financial, and performance advantages and disadvantages, depending on the state of energy prices, energy infrastructure developments, environmental laws, and government incentives.
The increasing demand to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions in present vehicles has led to the development of advanced hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles are classified as vehicles having at least two separate power sources, typically an internal combustion engine and an electric traction motor. Hybrid vehicles, as compared to standard vehicles driven by an ICE, have improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. During varying driving conditions, hybrid vehicles will alternate between separate power sources, depending on the most efficient manner of operation of each power source. For example, during most operating conditions, a hybrid vehicle equipped with an ICE and an electric motor will shut down the ICE during a stopped or idle condition, allowing the electric motor to propel the vehicle and eventually restart the ICE, improving fuel economy for the hybrid vehicle.
Hybrid vehicles are broadly classified into series or parallel drivetrains, depending upon the configuration of the drivetrains. In a series drivetrain utilizing an ICE and an electric traction motor, only the electric motor drives the wheels of a vehicle. The ICE converts a fuel source to mechanical energy to turn a generator, which converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy to drive the electric motor. In a parallel hybrid drivetrain system, two power sources such as an ICE and an electric traction motor operate in parallel to propel a vehicle. Generally, a hybrid vehicle having a parallel drivetrain combines the power and range advantages of a conventional ICE with the efficiency and electrical regeneration capability of an electric motor to increase fuel economy and lower emissions, as compared with a traditional ICE vehicle. In addition, hybrid vehicles can incorporate both series and parallel paths. Further, hybrids are often described as being either charge depleting or charge sustaining with reference to a battery pack. Charge-depleting hybrids can be charged off the electrical grid; thus, these hybrids share many of the characteristics of purely electric vehicles. In contrast, the batteries in charge-sustaining hybrids receive all of their electrical charging from the ICE.
Battery packs having secondary/rechargeable batteries are an important component of hybrid vehicle systems, as they enable an electric motor/generator (MoGen) to store braking energy in the battery pack during regeneration and charging by the ICE. The MoGen utilizes the stored energy in the battery pack to propel or drive the vehicle when the ICE is not operating. During operation, the ICE will be shut on and off intermittently, according to driving conditions, causing the battery pack to be constantly charged and discharged by the MoGen. The state of charge (SOC, defined as the percentage of the full capacity of a battery that is still available for further discharge) is used to regulate the charging and discharging of the battery.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a nickel/metal hydride (NiMH) battery in the battery pack. A NiMH battery stores hydrogen in a metal alloy to generate potential/voltage. When a NiMH cell is charged, hydrogen generated by the cell electrolyte is stored in the metal alloy (M) in the negative electrode. Meanwhile, at the positive electrode, which typically consists of nickel hydroxide loaded in a nickel foam substrate, a hydrogen ion is ejected and the nickel is oxidized to a higher valence. On discharge, the reactions reverse. The reaction at the negative electrode is more clearly shown by the following reaction diagram:
MHx+OHxe2x88x92←xe2x86x92MHxxe2x88x921+H2O+exe2x88x92
The discharging direction is represented by xe2x86x92. The charging direction is represented by ←.
On discharge, OHxe2x88x92ions are consumed at the negative hydride electrode and generated at the nickel oxide positive electrode. The converse is true for the water molecules.
A difficulty with NiMH batteries is predicting their SOC because of the charging and discharging characteristics of NiMH battery technology. Referring to FIG. 1, typical charge increasing 10 and charge decreasing 12 curves are illustrated for a NiMH battery. Referencing points A and B and points C and D, it can be shown that the voltages are the same while the SOCs are substantially different. Thus, it is very difficult to use an open circuit voltage to accurately predict the SOC of the NiMH battery, as the battery operating mode (charge increasing, charge sustaining or charge decreasing) must be known. When used with a hybrid vehicle, the intermittent charging and discharging of the battery pack amplifies the problems associated with predicting the SOC of a NiMH battery back.
The present invention includes a method and apparatus to more clearly determine or predict the state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack utilizing NiMH batteries or any other battery technology known in the art such as lead acid, lithium polymer, etc. The method of the present invention includes an SOC algorithm that utilizes coulomb integration and a voltage-based model to extract a battery pack""s SOC from recorded current and potential data.
The present invention further includes a vehicle having both parallel and series hybrid drive systems incorporating a hybrid system controller executing the methods of the present invention, an ICE, and a MoGen that charges and discharges the battery pack. The MoGen not only provides for propulsion of the vehicle during certain vehicle operating conditions but also replaces an alternator to charge the battery pack in the vehicle and replaces a conventional starter motor to start the ICE. The hybrid drive system of the present invention will utilize the ICE and MoGen to propel or motor the vehicle during the vehicle conditions which are most efficient for the ICE or MoGen operation. The transfer of power between the MoGen and ICE or vice versa is transparent to the operator or driver, as the vehicle will perform as if there is only one drive system propelling the vehicle.
During normal operation of the vehicle when the ICE is running, the MoGen will act as an electrical generator to supply electrical power to the vehicle""s electrical infrastructure (fans, radios, instrumentation, control, etc.) as well as recharging the battery pack. The battery pack and a power transfer device, such as a DC-DC converter, will supply power to the vehicle electrical infrastructure and power the MoGen when it is operating as the motoring device for the vehicle. In the motoring mode, the MoGen is an electrical load drawing current from the battery pack. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to technology for identifying dynamic groups that correspond to an entity, such as a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the growth of the Internet, the use of networks and other information technologies, Identity Systems have become more popular. In general, an Identity System provides for the creation, removal, editing and other managing of identity information stored in various types of data stores. The identity information pertains to users, groups, organizations and/or things. For each entry in the data store, a set of attributes are stored. For example, the attributes stored for a user may include a name, address, employee number, telephone number, email address, user ID and password. The Identity System can also manage access privileges that govern what an entity can view, create, modify or use in the Identity System. Often, this management of access privileges is based on one or more specific attributes, membership in a group and/or association with an organization.
In many instances it is useful to identify the groups corresponding to a user. For example, an employee at a company may want to know all the groups that include the employee as a member. Ideally, an Identity System would be able to create a list of such groups for the employee. Providing such a list can be very computation intensive when all or some of the groups are dynamic groups—groups that identify membership with a filter instead of a static membership list. One implementation of a filter or rule specifies attribute values an employee profile must contain in order for the employee to qualify as a group member.
The Identity System may need to determine a user's dynamic groups by comparing the user's profile to each dynamic group's filter, even though users typically belong to much less than all of the groups. This comparison can consume substantial processing time and memory bandwidth. In a directory based Identity System, each dynamic group comparison requires a separate directory access of the user's profile. It would be desirable for a user's corresponding dynamic groups to be identified more efficiently in some circumstances.
In order to avoid the identification of dynamic groups, some systems maintain dynamic filters for group membership in user profiles. The group filter in a user profile dynamically defines one or more groups that include the user. In this scheme, all of a user's groups can be identified by a single directory access of the user profile. This solution, however, does not allow system administrators to organize users through the implementation of group profiles. This can be a significant drawback. The use of dynamic group profiles is a popular scheme for grouping large numbers of entities, such as users. Without the use of dynamic groups, the creation of a new group may require the updating of each group member's profile.
Some Identity System users also employ an Access Systems. An Access System provides for the authentication and authorization of users attempting to access resources. For efficiency purposes, there is an advantage to integrating the Identity System and the Access System. For example, both systems may utilize a single set of group objects that identify user membership in various groups. Additionally, integrating the Identity System and the Access System allows for single-sign-on functionality across multiple resources. Thus, there is also a need to efficiently support the identification of a user's dynamic groups for Access Systems and integrated Identity/Access Systems. Systems other than Identity and Access Systems can also benefit from the efficient identification of a user's groups. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an image printing device and a method therefor, and more particularly to a movable pressing and light-shielding mechanism for digital stereo image printing and a method therefor.
Description of Related Arts
With the gradual development of digital stereo image industry, the digital stereo image printing device has developed from small sized digital stereo images printing devices adopting LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) as a display device for projection imaging to digital laser stereo printing devices adopting laser scanning exposure imaging.
Due to the consumers have different vision distance on digital stereo images and different appreciating and accepting requirements for visual environments, stereo grating photographic materials adopted by digital stereo printing device are different. The digital stereo printing device generally utilizes two types of stereo grating photographic materials. The commonly utilized stereo grating photographic material is an ultra-thin shaped stereo grating photographic material which curls easily, has a thin thickness, fine optical grating lines and is directly coated with silver halides on the back of the optical grating or adheres the photosensitive material and the optical grating to form an ultra-thin shaped stereo grating photographic material. The ultra-thin shaped stereo grating photographic material is simple and convenient for printing technique of a digital stereo printing device. In addition the ultra-thin shaped stereo grating photographic material is firstly combined, then performed with projection sensitization, and then are printed and dried to form a stereo. This kind of stereo images has a fine quality and a close viewing distance.
Another kind of stereo grating photographic material has a high thickness and is not capable of crimping, the optical grating has thick lines. Thus this kind of stereo grating photographic material can't be put into a stereo printing system for an automatic printing, can't be covered with silver halides on a back of the optical grating. Furthermore, the photosensitive material and the optical grating can't be adhered in advance. This kind of thick optical grating photographic material has a complicated printing technique in the digital stereo printing device. This kind of thick optical grating photographic material can only be performed with superimposition firstly and then projection to have an exposure of a latent image. Then the photographic material and the optical grating are separated, printed and dried to form an image, and then the image is combined with the optical grating to from a stereo. This kind of stereo has a far vision distance, a good stereo sense. However, the method is not suitable for printing devices of common digital stereo images. In addition, besides the digital stereo printing device, the method requires a high quality of technical skills, has complicated techniques and unsteady quality. The stereo partial focus point is fuzzy sometimes, which is particularly critical to the success of composition of the image and the optical grating by lines. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Refrigerators traditionally have one or more doors providing access to the stored items within the fresh food and the freezer compartments. Refrigerator doors typically include shelves or bins mounted to the interior of the door. Storage bins may be designed for specific purposes, such as storing dairy products in various small containers or milk jugs.
Traditional door-mounted bins have a single-piece rotating lid. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Assembly machines for various devices are well known. Perhaps the most famous and first mass assemblor was Henry Ford, who created an assembly line to assemble his Ford automobile. Since that time, the automated assembly line has been refined for use in many industries.
The introduction of assembly lines has greatly reduced the cost of merchandise by eliminating manual labor. Today, such cost has been reduced to a point where many items may be assembled with the intent of disposing of them after they have been used. Such items include the ballpoint pen and the disposable razor.
The assembly machine of the present invention was created to assemble an automatic pencil which may be utilized until its lead is exhausted and then disposed of. This pencil is shown in a co-pending patent application Ser. No. 578,734, filed on Feb. 9, 1984, entitled Mechanical Pencil, now abandoned and replaced by a continuation application filed June 24, 1985, Ser. No. 747,587, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Accordingly, a principal object of this invention provides a fast and efficient assembly machine for assembling an automatic and disposable pencil. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The power and flexibility of personal computers has grown tremendously in terms of their use in many areas. Personal computers typically contain a microprocessor chip, random access memory and non-volatile memory provided by semi-conductor memory chips. Non-volatile memory retains previously stored information within the memory even when power is removed from the chip. One type of non-volatile memory, which will be referred to as flash memory, uses floating gate technology and may be electrically erased rather than erased by an external energy source such as ultraviolet light. Flash memories may also be programmed electrically by using a high-voltage programming current.
Flash memories have used complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) level-shifting circuits to switch to the high voltage required for programming operations. In a typical flash memory, the high voltage required for programming operations is controlled by 5-volt logic signals. These signals require a level-shifting circuit for switching to the higher voltages needed for programming, normally in the range of 10 to 13 volts. A typical level-shifting circuit for CMOS devices is shown in FIG. 1. The circuit is symmetrical, comprising a cascode configured pairs of P-channel and N-channel transistors. A cascode configuration is normally used to avoid snapback problems with metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET), such as transistors 10, 12, 14 and 16, during high voltage switching. A disadvantage to this type of circuit is that one of the P-channel transistors, either 18 or 20, is coupled to Vss (ground) at its drain when their respective NMOS transistors are conducting which results in a high reverse bias voltage (Vpp) on the drain to N-well junction. Another disadvantage is that one of the P-channel devices, either 14 or 16, is coupled to high voltage (Vpp) across its gate oxide while the device is activated which may result in the deterioration and failure of the flash memory over time.
FIG. 2 illustrates a second known circuit which includes transistors 30 and 34 having their respective N-wells coupled to their sources. This approach limits the drain to N-well junction voltage to a level corresponding to a bias voltage (Vpt) minus the threshold voltage of the P-channel transistor. While this approach does limit the drain to N-well voltage on the P-channel transistors, one of the P-channel devices, either 32 or 36 depending on which of the devices is activated, still experiences a "Vpp" voltage differential across its gate oxide. As a result, the risk of deterioration and failure of the flash memory still exists.
Therefore, a need exists for a level-shifting switch which minimizes P-channel transistor exposure to high voltages on drain to N-well junctions and gate oxides, particularly in switching applications where the switch is known to be in one of its two logic states for most of the time. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Typical MRAM structures have a nonmagnetic layer sandwiched between two ferromagnetic films. The two ferromagnetic films are also known as magnetic thin films. The MRAM employs the magneto resistive properties of this structure to store data. In each storage element, an MRAM employs two lines, commonly termed a word line and a sense string, in order to detect the magnetization direction of these magnetic thin films. Each string comprises a magnetic thin film that serves as a memory element, and the word line generally addresses multiple sense strings. Magnetic thin films that have a parallel moment have a low resistance and are typically assigned the ‘1’ state. Magnetic thin films having an anti-parallel moment have a high resistance and are typically assigned the ‘0’ state, but may also be assigned to the ‘1’ state.
During a read operation, a word current passes through the word line causing the magnetic layers in the sense string to rotate, thereby changing the resistance in the sense string. A sense current passes through the sense string. A sense line receives the signal from the sense string. A differential amplifier compares the signal from the sense line to a reference line to determine whether a one resistance or a zero resistance is stored in the MRAM. A differential amplifier notes the change in voltage across the sense line to determine resistive state of a storage element.
In MRAM designs, word current sources are needed to provide large currents while operating with short turn on and turn off times. Since every memory element is associated with two such word current sources, the word current sources are replicated and present in many places throughout a typical MRAM. As a result, a sizable area of an MRAM chip is consumed by the numerous word current sources. Word current sources in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits are conventionally constructed using regulated p-channel transistors, where the regulated p-channel transistors are typically connected to a chip's positive voltage supply. The positive voltage supply is conventionally considered to be a current input.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there shown is a schematic circuit diagram of a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) system 445 using a prior art word current source constructed using a conventional p-channel transistor device. The MRAM system 445 includes a positive voltage supply VDD, a supply ground GND, p-channel controlling circuitry 410, MRAM circuitry 420 supplied by the regulated current source and a p-channel transistor 430. The p-channel transistor 430 includes a gate Gp, a drain Dp and a source Sp. The gate Gp is connected to the output 412 of the p-channel controlling circuitry 410, the drain Dp is connected to a current input 422 of the MRAM circuitry 420. The source Sp is connected to the positive voltage supply VDD. When an activation signal is applied to gate Gp, current I flows into the MRAM circuitry 420 that then releases the current I′ into the supply ground GND. In this case, the p-channel controlling circuitry 410 regulates the voltage level of p-channel control and limits the amount of current fed through it and the other components. The p-channel controlling circuitry 410 also regulates the current when the p-channel and hence the source itself is turned on and off.
Control while switching the p-channel transistor 430 on and off is also important because the p-channel transistor 430 is turned on and off rapidly. Rapid cycling between on and off conditions could lead to a brief period where the current exceeds the desired level. This is a condition known as switching overshoot. In the MRAM, currents exceeding the desired level for only a brief time could cause faulty operation. Thus, word current sources must be closely controlled so that there is very little switching overshoot.
There is therefore a need in the art for a new word current source with a smaller transistor size that maintains a more stable control. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Highly fluorinated organic compounds, such as perfluorcarbon compounds ("PFC") are well known to be chemically and pharmaceutically inert. They also have the capacity of dissolving, transporting and delivering biologically and chemically significant quantities of oxygen. These properties make them potentially useful as oxygen transport agents, "artificial bloods" or red blood cell substitutes, in the treatment of heart attack, stroke and other vascular obstructions, as adjuvants to coronary angioplasty, cancer radiation treatment and chemotherapy and as contrast agents for various biological imaging modalities, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, ultrasound, x-ray and positron emission tomography.
Neat fluorocarbon liquids, however, cannot be injected into the blood stream, because their hydrophobic character makes them immiscible in the blood. As a result, they may cause vascular obstruction and death when transported into small blood vessels. Accordingly, for medical uses that require intravascular injection, such highly fluorinated organic molecules must be dispersed as physiologically acceptable, aqueous emulsions. See, e.g., L. C. Clark, Jr. et al., "Emulsions of Perfluorinated Solvents for Intravascular Gas Transport", Fed. Proc., 34(6), pp. 1468-77 (1975); K. Yokoyama et a., "A Perfluorochemical Emulsion as an Oxygen Carrier", Artif. Organs (Ceve), 8(1), pp. 34-40 (1984); and U.S. Pat. Nos.. 4,110,474 and 4,187,252.
To date the medical usefulness of such emulsions of highly fluorinated organic compounds as "artificial bloods", red blood cell substitutes, oxygen transport agents or contrast agents for biological imaging has not been as successful as hoped. This results from the fact that none of the prior fluorocarbon-containing emulsions satisfies all of requirements of a preferred "artificial blood" or oxygen transport agent.
These requirements include: | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for polishing the surface of a workpiece, and more particularly to a polishing system that can be suitably applied to planarization of a silicon wafer surface in a semiconductor manufacturing process.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a manufacturing process for fabricating a high density semiconductor integrated circuit element on the surface of a silicon wafer, steps are formed on the surface of the silicon wafer by the formation of a dielectric film, a metallic pattern or the like. If pattern formation is further carried out over the silicon wafer having the steps formed on the surface, for example, the depth of focus in lithography is caused to decrease, so that there is caused a drawback that a resolution becomes insufficient. For this reason, the wafer process employs a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) technique for planarizing the steps of the device fabrication.
At the polishing step in the device fabrication, usually, a removal per unit time (hereinafter referred to as a removal rate) is periodically measured for grasping the degradation of the wafer polishing efficiency depending on the loss of sufficient surface roughness of the polishing pads or the like. More specifically, every time a predetermined number of silicon wafers are polished, a dummy wafer is polished, to detect a ratio m/T of a change m in a thickness of a silicon dioxide film formed on the surface of the dummy wafer, (a difference in thickness obtained before and after the polishing) to a polishing time T, as a removal rate.
At the polishing step in the device fabrication, a value obtained by dividing a target removal by a removal rate thus calculated periodically is set to be a polishing time per silicon wafer. Consequently, there can be prevented a fluctuation in the removal caused by a deterioration in the polishing efficiency of a polishing pad. Further, when the removal rate comes to be smaller than a predetermined value during the polishing, the surface of the polishing pad (a surface used for polishing the silicon wafer) is dressed through a diamond disk or the like, so as to recover the polishing efficiency of the polishing pad which is deteriorated by the loss of sufficient surface roughness of the polishing pads or the like. A fluctuation in the removal rate can be therefore suppressed.
By a process utilizing the removal rate periodically calculated during the polishing, a fluctuation in the removal rate is suppressed and the time required for polishing the wafer is controlled depending on the removal rate. Therefore, the error of the removal from the wafer can be prevented.
In the periodic measurement of the removal rate utilizing the dummy wafer, it is difficult to make real-time detection of the removal rate which successively changes during the polishing. For this reason, it is possible to miss the optimum timing of a dressing process and the optimum timing of a process for correcting the time required for polishing might. Moreover, while the removal rate is measured through the dummy wafer, the polishing process of the wafer is interrupted, so that the manufacturing efficiency of a semiconductor device decreases to that extent.
According to the present invention, there is provided a polishing system for polishing workpieces, comprising:
a polishing tool for polishing workpieces;
moving means for relatively moving the polishing tool and a workpiece while causing the polishing tool and the workpiece to be in contact with each other;
measuring means for successively measuring a friction generated between the polishing tool and the workpiece when the moving means relatively moves the polishing tool and the workpiece;
quantifying means for quantifying a characteristic of the polishing tool related to polishing efficiency of the polishing tool on the basis of the friction measured by the measuring means;
deciding means for deciding whether or not a value obtained by quantification by the quantifying means is smaller than a predetermined reference value; and
dressing means for dressing the polishing tool when the deciding means decides that the value is smaller than the reference value.
Further, the present invention provides the polishing system, further comprising:
storage means for storing information about correspondence of a friction generated between the polishing tool and the workpiece to a removal rate;
calculating means for calculating a removal from the workpiece from a removal rate corresponding to the friction measured by the measuring means, on the basis of the information stored in the storage means; and
control means for controlling the moving means on the basis of the removal calculated by the calculating means. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connections. More particularly, the present invention relates to electrical connection means using mechanical structural elements which act to provide both electrical connections and balanced structural attachment forces between electronic components.
2. Background and Related Art
Various techniques exist in the prior art for making electrical connections between electronic components. These techniques typically use solder ball or solder column connections, wire bond pads or pin arrangements. Solder ball and solder column connections are known to have fatigue limitations. Fatigue limitations further limit the size of substrate that can be used for solder ball or solder column connections. Solder ball and solder column connections also have limitations because of the amount of space they require.
Pin arrangements, likewise, have space limitations. For example, the connectors to which the pins are attached utilize flexed metal compression bits as pin sockets. Such structure, in itself, requires a relatively large amount of space and additional space must also be allocated for the flexing movement upon pin insertion. Moreover, these pin sockets are typically soldered into the next level of assembly, using additional space for holes and/or surface lands.
Other forms of connectors, particularly when configured in large arrays, require application of a relatively large amount of force necessitating mechanical support structure which is bulky, cumbersome and costly.
In addition to the solder and pin connection techniques described above, various other connector techniques have been developed for connecting electronic components.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,939 to Walker et al describes a spring array connector for interconnecting electronic components and circuit boards. This spring array connector requires a continuous application of an engaging force to maintain connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,569 to Moran describes a contact connector within a protective enclosure. The connector of Moran also requires continuous application of an engaging force to maintain a single electrical connection. Such force is provided by either an adhesive or hook-and-loop fastening system.
Another example of prior art connector techniques is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,046 to Ong. Ong describes an electrode connection arrangement for medical electronic devices which may easily be disconnected. To do this Ong also uses a hook-and-loop fastening system for making a single electrical connection.
Japanese patent JP52073394 to Akiyama describes a connector arrangement for use in a liquid crystal display. Application of engaging force to maintain a single electrical connection is provided in one embodiment by a hook-and-loop type fastening system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,296 to Urbish et al describes a multipoint electrical connector having deformable J-hooks. A continuous external engaging force is required in Urbish et al to, again, makes but a single electrical connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,305 to Svenkeson et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,128 to Murphy et al each describe a high density pin connector arrangement using "floating ring" engagers adapted to resiliently couple pairs of mating pins together.
The difficulty with these later examples of connectors resides in the fact that they either require the application of an external engaging force, are designed for a single connection or their inherent structure necessitates utilization of too much space to meet today's requirements for density of connectors. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a gaming machine, a method of gaming, a gaming system and a game controller.
Players regularly playing gaming machines need to have their interests maintained. Therefore, it is necessary for manufacturers of these machines to develop inventive game features which add interest to the games provided on such machines in order to keep the players entertained and willing to continue to play the games.
There is a continuous trade-off between what the players of the machines want and what the operators of the machines want from the machines. Naturally, operators want the players to stake more money per game so that the overall turnover is higher. Conversely, players will not do this unless they feel that they are getting more for the extra money that they are betting.
Further, as the range of machines and games increases, it is becoming increasingly important to offer more options to the players. The more options that are available in one machine, the easier it is to maintain the player's interest and the easier it is for players to be able to gain access to a machine that will offer them exactly the game that they want.
To date, most types of video gaming machines which are available to players offer limited options. At best, a range of bet sizes and paylines upon which the players can bet are offered. Certain machines also offer a double-up option available after a win while other machines have various ranges of paytables particularly for higher bets. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Aliphatic polyester polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) based polymers are desired for their excellent porosity and decomposition characteristics. These bio-based polymers however lack formability, mechanical strength, and heat resistance. Since polylactic acid polymers have a low resistance against high temperature, a molded product can be distorted at 60° C. or higher.
Polylactic acid polymer resins have been blended with petroleum-based thermoplastics such as polycarbonate resins, but the addition of the PLA makes articles derived from the blends brittle. In addition, the polycarbonate/polylactic acid blends have low compatibility as these blends have low flow marks and continued impact strength issues.
Based on these demands, there exists a need for a polymer/thermoplastic material that meets impact strength requirements, e.g., improved toughness and ductility, but also having high biocontent without necessarily the need for impact modifiers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to display hangers and, more particularly, to a showroom window display hanger suitable for supporting a hanging banner from a window surface.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of typical hangers available in the prior art can be found in U.S. Patents Garrison, U.S. Pat. No. 327,939, St. Clair U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,824 and Janssen U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,181. None of these prior hangers were suitable for attachment to a glass window surface, or more generally, for facile and economical suspension of articles from support surfaces.
This invention is concerned with this general area and has among its objects to provide a simple, economical hanger which can be readily attached to a support surface to, in turn, support an article from that support surface and, more specifically, to provide such a hanger which is particularly well suited for use with a glass window as the support surface. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This invention relates to the field of online digital content distribution and more particularly, to a system and method for facilitating music distribution and authentication over a communications network.
The internet has created a highway for users and companies to share digitized content. Online services allow digitized content stored on servers to be shared by multiple users via the internet. Online services also allow users to play digitized content stored in an Internet-connected repository.
It is advantageous for online service providers to detect and verify whether or not the user has a physical copy of digitized content, such as a CD or DVD, prior to allowing the user access to the digitized content. | {
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The present invention relates to an image forming method for developing an electrostatic latent images formed on the surface of an image-bearing member by using a magnetic developer held on the surface of a cylindrical developer conveying member made of a permanent magnet.
Conventionally, an image forming method in which an electrophotography or electrostatic recording is applied to a printer, facsimile machine, and other printing devices, is comprises steps as follows: forming an electrostatic latent images on the surface of an image-bearing member drum shaped, for example, attract magnetically and convey the magnetic developer on the surface of a developing roller provided opposite to this image-bearing member, and comprising a non-magnetic sleeve and a permanent magnet inside the sleeve and relatively rotatable. Thereafter, with the formation of a magnetic brush in the developing region, rub the electrostatic latent image formed surface on said image-bearing member with this bush, thereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image. It is the most common step to heat-fix the developed toner image after transferring it onto transfer sheet such as plain paper.
In a development and fixation means as above, since not a small amount of toner remains on the image-bearing member after transferring the toner image onto the transfer sheet, a cleaning device is ordinarily provided to remove the residual toner. From this arises a problem in that a space for said cleaning device must be secured around the image-bearing drum, thereby hindering the entire structure inclusive of a printer from being made compact.
Known as one example of means for solving the problem and aiming at the miniaturization of the whole device are the omission of said cleaning device and the provision of a so-called developing and cleaning unit for removing residual toner remaining on the image-bearing member after transferring as well as for developing an electrostatic latent image in the developing region where the image-bearing member and developing roller are opposed to each other.
In the conventional developing method mentioned above, since a magnetic developer is attracted magnetically and conveyed on the surface of a sleeve positioned outside the permanent magnet and a magnetic brush is formed on the surface of the sleeve in the developing region, the magnetic developer is conveyed through a frictional force with the surface of a sleeve, and its conveyability and the shape stability of a magnetic brush are mainly depended on a frictional coefficient of the surface of the sleeve.
Consequently, the surface of the sleeve is ordinarily formed into a rough surface, but is worn out and becomes smooth during use of long period and therefore the frictional coefficient changes with the lapse of time or sometimes changes locally. Not only the conveyability but also the shape and/or stability of a magnetic brush thus changes. Thus, when performing one development per turn of the image-bearing member by using a magnetic brush in said developing and cleaning unit, no residual toner is completely removed if there is a residual toner after transferring of a toner image onto transfer sheet on the image-bearing member and residual toner may deposite to and remain on the previous electrostatic latent image formed area even after developing.
There is a problem in that such poor removing of a residual toner as described above considerably deteriorates the quality of an obtained image. Therefore, to solve such a problem, there is also a scheme for the complete removing of said residual toner by using a step of performing one development for two turns of an image-bearing member. However, this method has a problem in that the formation speed of images inevitably decreases and the requirement for speedier image bearing cannot sometimes be met.
Meanwhile, to meet a recent increase in the need for a higher quality image, there is a tendency for toner to become smaller in size and, consequently, a mean particle size must be formed of 4 to 9 .mu.m. Known as an ordinary method for the production of toner is the method by grinding and classifying a raw material after heating, kneading, and cooling. However, a small-particle size toner produced by the aforesaid method is disadvantageous in that it has low fluidity due to the non-sphere shape of particles. Thus, such a developing and cleaning station as described above has a drawback in that it is difficult to completely remove residual toner after transferring.
Incidentally, when a large amount of fluidity-improver such as fine particles of silica is added to improve the fluidity of the aforesaid small-particles size toner, in spite of improved fluidity, disadvantages occur in that the surface of an image-bearing member is damaged and a large change in charge quantity of toner due to a change in humidity becomes larger.
A conventional method for forming a color image has been carried out as follows:
FIG. 6 is an explanatory drawing of the main constitution showing one example of a color image forming device without the use of a conventional intermediate transfer medium. In FIG. 6, the image-bearing drum 101, including an image-bearing surface (not shown) shaped like a cylinder and comprising photosensitive layer such as zinc oxide or organic semiconductor on the peripheral surface, is provided so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow. Developing unit 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102BK contain magnetic developer comprising yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners, respectively, at the opening of which a rotatably installed developing roller 103 is disposed near said image-bearing drum 101.
Most generally, the developing roller 103 comprising a coaxially inserted and relatively rotatable composite of a permanent magnet with a plurality of axially extending magnetic poles provided on the peripheral surface and a sleeve shaped like a hollow cylinder made of non-magnetic material, for example, is for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said image-bearing drum 101 attracting magnetically the magnet developer on the surface of the sleeve and forming the magnetic brush.
Near the peripheral surface of the image-bearing drum 101 are provided a charger 104, a transfer means 105, and a cleaner 106. Downstream of the transfer means 105 in the paper feed path 108 is provided a fixer 107, comprising a pressure contact and rotatable composite of a heat roller 107a and a pressure roller 107b.
According to the constitution described above, the image-bearing drum 101 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the surface of which is uniformly charged by means of the charger 104, for example illuminating an exposure L corresponding to image information for yellow, the first color, leads to formation of electrostatic latent image. When this electrostatic latent image reaches the developing unit 102Y, the developing unit 102Y begins to function and yellow toner is supplied to said electrostatic latent images by the developing roller 103 so that a yellow image is formed.
The image-bearing drum 101 carrying said yellow image successively passes the inactive developing unit 102M, 102C, and 102BK, the transfer unit 105, and the cleaner 106, then charging with the charger 104 and illuminating an exposure L corresponding to an image information of magenta, the second color, leads to formation of an electrostatic latent image in magenta. From this electrostatic latent image, a magenta image is formed by using the developing unit 102M for holding a magenta color. Further, after a similar process, each individual colored image is superimposed to form a full color image on the image-bearing drum 101.
When said color image reaches the transfer unit 105, paper P is supplied simultaneously with this and the color image is transferred to the paper P, then is fixed by means of the fixer 107. The residual toner remaining not yet transferred to the paper P at the transferring, is removed from the surface of the image-bearing drum 101 by using the cleaner 106, followed by the next image formation process.
As said conventional magnetic developer to be used for a color image formation is used a two-component magnetic developer, mainly comprising a non-magnetic color toner and magnetic carrier. However, the two-component magnetic developer to be used in this case must be controlled to maintain the toner concentration within definite limits and, accordingly, a toner concentration control device must be provided in each one of the developing unit 102Y, 102M, 102C, and 102BK. Although an ordinary image forming device has a single developing unit, a color image forming device needs four developing unit. Thus, there are problems in that the provision of a toner concentration control device in each developing unit complicates not only the constitution of the whole apparatus but also maintenance and manipulation and further hinders miniaturization and cost saving.
Formation of a color image without use of an intermediate transfer medium must proceed from one process to another for the superimposition of individual colored images and consequently, undesired toner may attach to the non-image area, thereby lowering the image quality. To solve this drawback, a so-called non-contact developing process is proposed wherein a magnetic brush kept away from contact with the image-bearing drum 101 as an image-bearing means have been proposed, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 216324/1993.
However, conventional devices including that proposed above have drawbacks in that the constitution of the developing roller 103 to insert a hollow cylinder-shaped sleeve outside the permanent magnet as a magnetic field generation means lowers the magnetic flux density on the surface of the sleeve, thereby reducing the magnetic attraction force of the magnetic developer.
Also, an arrangement in which the permanent magnet is fixed and magnetic developer is magnetically attracted and conveyed by a rotation of the sleeve has problems in that the wearing of the surface of the sleeve causes the conveyability to vary in time series or locally, thereby bringing about a shape instability of the magnetic brush and also an unstable developing ability.
Further, since the thickness of the developer layer increases and a magnetic brush happens to stand up near the magnetic poles of permanent magnet, magnetic developer to be attracted and conveyed on the surface of the sleeve has drawbacks in that toner in magnetic developer scatters and mixes with other-colored toner, thereby lowering the image quality. A further problem lies in that, to prevent the scattering of toner and contamination of colors, the concentration of toner must be kept lower than, say, 7 weight %, thereby bringing about lowering of the image density.
Recently, requirements for the miniaturization of devices used for image formating process have been intensified and it has become important to miniaturize the developing unit. As a means for satisfying these requirements, it has been proposed to attract magnetic developer directly on the surface of permanent magnet member without using a sleeve and to convey magnetic developer by a rotation of a permanent magnet member (e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Out Publication No. 201463/1987).
FIG. 5 is an explanatory drawing of the main part showing one example of sleeveless type developing unit as described. In FIG. 5, a developing container 201 contains a magnetic developer 202 mainly comprising, say, toner and a magnetic carrier, under which a permanent magnet 204 is rotatably provided. The permanent magnet 204 is formed in such manner as to be conductive at least on the surface, on the peripheral surface of which a plurality of axially extending magnetic poles is provided in a cylindrical form.
Said permanent magnet 204 can be formed of a resin bonded magnet comprising a mixture of ferromagnetic powder and resin (cf. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 130407/1982, No. 905/1984, and No. 226367/1984). As a means for making the surface conductive, it is allowable to form a conductive layer on the surface by plating for example, or to add an electro-conductive powder during kneading of raw materials. It is also possible to make the permanent magnet 204 semiconductive by making it of a hard-ferrite magnet.
An image-bearing drum 203, formed in such a manner as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow, is opposed to the permanent magnet 204 via a gap g. A doctor blade 205, provided in the developer vessel 201, is opposed to the permanent magnet 204 via a gap t and serves to regulate the layer thickness of magnetic developer 202 to be attracted on the surface of the permanent magnet 204. A charging roller 206, a transfer roller 207, and a cleaning device 208 are disposed around the image-bearing drum 203, with the surface of which a doctor blade 209 is in contact. Incidentally, to magnetic developer 202 to be attracted on the permanent magnet 204 is applied via the permanent magnet 204 or the doctor blade 205 a bias voltage supplied from the DC power supply (not shown).
According to the constitution described above, on rotating in the direction of the arrow the image-bearing drum 203, charging roller 206, permanent magnet 204, and transfer roller 207 individually, the surface of the image-bearing drum 203 is uniformly charged by means of the charging roller 206. On illuminating an optical signal (not shown) onto the image-bearing drum 203, an electrostatic latent image is formed. When magnetic developer 202 is attracted onto and conveyed by the permanent magnet 204 and gets to the developing region opposite the image-bearing drum 203, toner in the magnetic developer 202 is put in the electric field of an electrostatic latent image formed on the image-bearing drum 203 and the electrostatic latent image can be developed.
The developed toner image is transferred to paper P by means of the transfer roller 207, moves in the direction of the arrow, and is fixed. Residual toner that remains on the image-bearing drum 203 after image transfer, is scraped off with a cleaning blade 209 in rubbing contact with the surface of the image-bearing drum 203 and is collected in the cleaning device 208.
Used as a two-component magnetic developer in the image formation device described above is magnetic developer 202 comprising a mixture material of, say, magnetic toner with a particle size distribution between 5 and 20 .mu.m and a ferrite carrier with a particle size distribution between 70 and 140 .mu.m. Incidentally, there are also cases where non-magnetic toner is used in place of magnetic toner.
In these cases, the use of small particle size toner is needed for formation of a fine image. There is a problem in that, in using large-particle size magnetic carrier as described, the poor capability of giving electric charge to toner is apt to induce the generation of fog, thereby lowering the quality. Accordingly, not only to obtain a fine image, but also as magnetic carriers, small-particle size toner is required.
However, for the conventional development roller with a sleeve, by use of said small-particle size magnetic carriers, the carrier is likely attach to the image bearing member, leading to a decrease in quality. For an image formation means of such a type as directly attracts and conveys magnetic developer 202 by using the permanent magnet 204 with omission of such a sleeve as shown in FIG. 5, although no carrier attaching occurs, unlike said developing roller with the sleeve, there are other problems in that the use of magnetic carriers having a high magnetic force increases a rotation torque for driving the permanent magnet 204, which is apt to induce spent phenomena that the resin component constituting toner adhere to the surface of magnetic carriers, thus leading to a reduction in the life of magnetic carrier and the generation of fog.
Furthermore, a conventional image formation means has combined problems in that, since toner concentrations in a two-component magnetic developer is 3 to 5 weight % for non-magnetic toner and lies in a relatively narrow range of 20.+-.5 weight % for magnetic toner, a toner concentration control means such as a toner concentration sensor is needed, resulting in low operability and a complicated device.
In addition, when developing an electrostatic latent image by means of said developing roll of a sleeveless type, the use of small-particle size toner, such as 4 to 9 .mu.m in average particle size, is preferred for toner containing in the magnetic developer 202. In recent years, a fine image is required, so that the particle size of toner must be still smaller.
It is known as a general method for the production of toner, to grind and classify blended raw materials after heating, kneading, and cooling. However, the production of small-particle size toner by such a method has problems in that, since a long time is needed for the grinding process, a possible mean particle size is limited to around 7 mm and in that the production work is complicated and the production cost rises.
For these reasons, methods by polymerization have been proposed for the production of small-particle size toner, which polymerization process includes suspension polymerization and disperse polymerization process. These methods permit small-particle size toner to be produced with comparative ease, magnetic developer suitable for said developer of the sleeveless type to be obtained, and a fine, and high-resolution image to be formed.
However, toner produced by an ordinary polymerization process is restricted to that of spherical particles, has difficulty in the uniform dispersion of coloring agent and other blend components into toner particles, and cannot satisfactorily meet the required properties for toner. In particular, toner particles formed in a spherical shape are so large in fluidity that they often pass between the image bearing member and blade in the blade cleaning means representative of an ordinary cleaning scheme, thus entailing a problem in incomplete removal and collection of the residual toner on the surface of an image-bearing drum 203. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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When an image is printed by a printer or the like, a bit map that is a two-dimensional arrangement of pixels forming an original image is converted into a bit map with a higher resolution before printing is carried out. When doing so, some devices improve the printed image quality by smoothing corner parts of pixel patterns in the bit map.
Methods of smoothing such corner parts are disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. H7-283946 and H7-288693, for example. In such conventional methods, pixel patterns of corner parts are detected from the bit map and such pixel patterns are replaced with smoothed pixel patterns given in a look-up table that is prepared in advance. A method that performs smoothing by inserting average values for two lines of pixels in the original image between those two lines is also known.
The smoothing method that inserts pixels with averaged values between two lines of pixels in the original is realized by simple processing and there is no need to prepare a look-up table, so that the method can be used easily. However, in this method, pixels that are arranged for smoothing corner parts are concentrated in the corner parts, so that on the contrary stepped parts actually become more prominent. As a result, in the original image, parts formed of a plurality of consecutive steps so as to represent an oblique outline become wavy, so that there is the problem of linear outlines being lost when the resolution is raised.
A smoothing method that uses a look-up table can produce smoother outlines than the method described above by preparing pixel patterns in advance so that the pixels disposed for smoothing purposes are not concentrated in corner parts. For example, in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. H7-283946 and H7-288693 mentioned above, smoothing is performed not only by adding pixels to fill in corner parts but also by cutting out parts with consideration to the white/black balance. However, processing time is required to search the look-up table. Additionally, it is not easy to produce a look-up table in advance. There is also a limit on the pixel patterns that can be prepared as a look-up table, which limits the range of corner parts that can be amended. Accordingly, although it is possible to amend short-cycle unevenness extremely well, long-cycle unevenness cannot be amended. This means that when an original image includes a part formed of a plurality of consecutive steps so as to represent an oblique outline as described above, raising the resolution results in a wavy state, again causing the problem of a loss of linear outlines.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that can perform smoothing without using a look-up table and can also perform smoothing favorably even when there is long-cycle unevenness. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that can perform smoothing where linear outlines are not lost when raising the resolution of parts formed of a plurality of consecutive steps for representing an oblique outline in an original image. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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