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1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of digital communications and, more particularly, to error detection in a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) buffer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital electronics frequently require the communication of data between systems (or components thereof) of varying clock frequencies. In such a case, one system may have the ability to transmit data at a faster rate than another system is capable of receiving and processing. Also, various components may have clocks which originate from different sources or clock domains. Such clock signals may have the same frequencies, but have phase differences. In order to compensate for a disparity in transmission rates between sender and receiver, First-In-First-Out (FIFO) buffers are frequently used. A FIFO is a memory buffer which may store data and returns that stored data in the same order in which it was received. A FIFO typically comprises a fixed number of memory storage locations and circuitry for selecting read and write locations. By storing received data in a FIFO, a slower system may receive data at a rate which is higher than the rate at which it can process data, or data may be synchronized between different clock domains.
As is well known, because spikes, transients, glitches and other noise may exist within an electrical system, circuitry which reads from and writes to a FIFO may operate incorrectly. Consequently, a write to a full FIFO or a read from an empty FIFO may occur. Alternately, data may be read from or written to a wrong location in a FIFO. As a result, data which is assumed to be correct, but is actually erroneous, may be read from the FIFO.
The problems outlined above are in large part solved by a FIFO and method as described herein. Additional circuitry is included which enables a read from a FIFO to compare a value stored with the data to an expected value. When a mismatch between the stored value and expected value occurs, an error is detected. Advantageously, greater confidence may be had in the data which is read from a FIFO and the incidence of the transmission of erroneous data may be reduced.
Broadly speaking, a FIFO is contemplated. The FIFO includes a number of locations for storing data, each having an associated verification bit. Upon initialization, the verification bits are set to an alternating sequence of binary values. Also included is write circuitry which may write data to an entry of the FIFO. When data is written to an entry in the FIFO, the verification bit associated with that entry is toggled.
Also contemplated is a method. The method includes initializing a number of verification bits to an alternating sequence of binary values, where each verification bit corresponds to a storage location in a FIFO. Data may be written to a storage location of the FIFO and the corresponding verification bit toggled in response to that write.
Also contemplated is a FIFO which includes a number of verification bits and read circuitry. Each of the verification bits corresponds to a storage location. The read circuitry may read data from a storage location and the verification bit which corresponds to that storage location. The read circuitry includes an expected value bit which is compared to the verification bit on reads of data from the FIFO. Based on this comparison, errors may be detected. In addition, the expected value bit is toggled in response to reads. Though in the case where the FIFO has an even number of locations and it is the last entry which is read from the FIFO, the expected value is not toggled.
Finally, a method of error detection in a FIFO is contemplated. The method includes reading data and a corresponding verification bit from the FIFO, detecting an error in the FIFO by comparing the verification bit to an expected value bit, and toggling the expected value bit in response to a read and a first condition. | {
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This invention is directed to an insert for prosthetics that is connectable between prosthetic parts. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an elastomer linear energy management unit for inclusion in a prosthetic lower limb or the like.
When a patient moves with a prosthetic limb, such as during walking or athletic activities, the patient's stump and or pelvis experiences shock, and this shock may cause pain and further physical deterioration. This is particularly true in patients with recent amputations. Providing a flexible insert within the patient's prosthetic minimizes such shocks. Examples of prostheses including a flexible element may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,038,705, 4,883,493, 5,217,500, and 5,458,656, and GB 2 014 855A.
One such flexible elastomeric prosthetic including an elastomeric flexible element is described in DE 196 42 719 A1 to D. Kuczka filed Oct. 17, 1996 entitled "Insert for Prosthetic Devices". Kuczka teaches a prosthetic insert having a prosthetic sleeve (2) and a lower sleeve (10) that at least partially projects into the prosthetic sleeve (2), a bearing (11) to provide low friction movement between the sleeves (2, 10), a counterbearing (9), and a longitudinally displaceable elastomer damping element (8') positioned at the lower end of and within sleeve (2). Threaded disc (5) interconnects to the sleeve (2) and contacts elastomer element (8'). Anti-rotation is provided by element (15) including an external key (16) formed on the sleeve (2) and a slotted bolt (17).
The Kuczka device suffers from a number of problems. First, the anti-rotation feature is external to the sleeve, thus it is bulky and unsightly and provides a large lower profile. Further, the elastomer element is subject to buckling because of its long length. Also, since the elastomer element is positioned near the foot adapter, the large upper tube (2) must extend the distance from the prosthetic part near the knee to the foot adapter, thus providing an unwanted massive and high rotary inertia structure. Moreover, the Kuczka device may click during rebound as stop (13) hits bearing (II). Therefore there is a need for a low inertia, low profile prosthetic insert which solves the problems associated with the prior art. Additionally, in some applications, rotational compliance of the prosthesis is desirable.
The present invention, in one aspect thereof, is directed to prosthetic suspension insert, comprising a lower cylindrical sleeve attachable to a first (lower) prosthetic member; an external attachment member attachable to a second (upper) prosthetic member and surrounding a portion of the cylindrical sleeve; a slide bearing located between an internal peripheral portion of the external attachment member and an external peripheral portion of the cylindrical sleeve, such that the external attachment member may slide freely relative to the cylindrical sleeve; an elastomeric energy storing element positioned within the cylindrical sleeve; a piston cooperative with the external attachment member and slidably positioned within the cylindrical sleeve to engage an axial end portion of the elastomeric energy storage element; and an anti-rotator engaged between the cylindrical sleeve and the external attachment member restraining relative rotation therebetween whereby the elastomeric energy storage element will provide an axial cushioning action to the user during walking.
In another aspect, the elastomeric energy storage member is relatively unstable and collapsible is provided with guide means along its length. The guide means engage the internal surface of the sleeve and provide damping of movement between the sleeve and external attachment means. Preferably, the cylindrical sleeve includes an inner diameter of constant dimension along its length, and the elastomeric energy storing member is positioned entirely within the inner diameter. The elastomeric member may include a plurality of individual units, preferably including a central aperture therethrough, and is preferably precompressed by a desired amount. This precompression may be adjustable.
In yet another aspect which reduces the profile width of the insert, the anti-rotator feature is formed integral with the slide bearing. In this aspect, the slide bearing preferably includes at least one protrusion which slides in at least one groove formed in the external attachment member. In another aspect, the anti-rotator includes a compliant member to provide limited rotation between the sleeve and the attachment member. Preferably, the compliant member is a annular elastomer member bonded to the cylindrical sleeve and integral with the slide bearing.
In another aspect, the insert includes an anti-click element, such as one or more elastomeric washers, to minimize rebound clicking during use. Optionally, or additionally, internal noise transmission may be further retarded by use of an acoustical treatment, such as a open cell foam contained in the insert, to deaden sounds generated by action of the insert. Other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. | {
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Chemical analysis probes, such as pH probes, ion-specific electrodes and fiber optic probes, are widely used to chemically analyze samples, usually liquid samples contained in a sample vessel. When the probe is a fiber optic probe, light can be directed down a fiber optic cable to the fiber optic probe, is then directed through the sample to a mirror, then bounces off of the mirror back through the sample and then back up another fiber optic cable to a photometer. The sample absorbs a portion of the light so directed through it and this absorption is measured to analyze the sample.
The probe is generally supported and positioned by apparatus which allows the immersion of the probe into the sample where it is held during the analysis. Then, generally, the probe is removed from the sample and any residual sample remaining on the probe is washed away with a suitable liquid. In the case of a fiber optic probe the wash liquid is frequently a volatile liquid. Generally, the probe is supported and positioned by an arm vertically movable along a vertical column or by an arm comprising link members which provide for horizontal as well as vertical movement. When chemical analysis probes are used for routine analyses by unskilled persons (such as by an industrial worker who may be more used to operating rugged process valves than more fragile laboratory equipment), the known probe supports either provide too little freedom of movement of the probe or too much. Care is needed to guide the probe into the sample (generally a two-handed operation) without bumping the probe or probe arm into the sample vessel with the possibility for breaking the probe and/or the vessel. In addition, contamination of the sample can be a problem if a washed probe is used for another analysis before the wash liquid has completely evaporated. | {
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This invention relates to a force measurement device for controlling the position of an implement for towing by an agricultural machine.
Said devices are known to enable the force acting on the implement connection to be measured in order to allow the position of the implement to be controlled automatically. This control enabling the performance of the agricultural machine to be optimized and, more specifically, enables the power of the machine to be distributed in an optimum manner between its implement towing or conveying function and that function involving the positioning of the implement at the required depth in the earth furrow being worked.
The devices presently in use comprise a flexure bar mounted on the agricultural machine and connected by two arms to said implement. Under the action of the force transmitted by the implement when in operation, said bar deforms, and this deformation is determined by mechanical members which transmit their movement to a generally hydraulic control system as the function of the deformation of the flexure bar. The control system is able to cause raising or lowering of the implement, and thus control its position in relation to the working depth required, to the earth quality and to the agricultural machine power.
A force measurement device is also known, which instead of said mechanical members, uses an electronic member able to determine the deformation of the flexure bar by suitable sensors, and to feed a corresponding electrical signal to said control system.
The aforesaid devices have certain serious drawbacks.
In particular, the devices comprising mechanical members for determining the deformation of the flexure bar have limited sensitivity because said mechanical members do no detect small deformations of the flexure bar. Thus, as the flexure bar has to deform in a manner which can be appreciated by said mechanical members, it is subject to considerable wear. To prevent any possible breakage, it must be constructed of a suitably treated and thus high-cost material. Moreover, such devices have a low speed of action on said control system, due to the complexity of the constituent elements of the mechanical members. Finally, because of the aforegoing, the aforesaid devices are complicated from the design and construction aspect, and are of high production cost.
Although the devices comprising said electronic member for determining the deformation of the flexure bar have certain advantages over the aforesaid devices in terms, for example, of constructional simplicity and speed of action, they are difficult to maintain because they are sensitive to the environmental conditions, such as the presence of moisture and mud, in which the agricultural machine often finds itself. In addition, such devices are influenced by the vibration and jolting of the agricultural machine, and electromagnetic interference between the electronic member and the agricultural machine engine. Again, as said electronic member determines deformation of a resilient element (flexure bar), the electrical signal corresponding to the deformation is subject to errors due to friction at the supports of the flexure bar and to the non-linearity thereof. Finally, with such devices it is not possible to obtain data on the different components of the force in a plane parallel to the travel direction of the implement. | {
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Patent Literature 1 discloses a clutch engagement control system for engagement and disengagement of transmission of a rotating force between the mainshaft (first shaft) and the countershaft (second shaft). In the clutch engagement control system, for a gear shift and/or the like, the rotational speed of the first shaft and the rotational speed of the second shaft are compared. Then, when the two rotational speeds have become approximately equal, it is determined that the clutch engagement is approximately completed, and then the clutch engagement state is controlled for further transition in order to complete the clutch engagement after the gear shift. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory system and a semiconductor memory device used therefor, and more particularly relates to a high speed memory system and a semiconductor memory device for the system achieving high speed transfer of a large amount of data.
2. Description of the Background Art
The performance of a microprocessor has been improved, and the storage capacity of a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) as a memory device is increasing. However, a large amount of data (including instructions) requested by the microprocessor cannot be transferred at high speed from the DRAM to the microprocessor since the operation speed of the DRAM is slower than that of the microprocessor. Therefore, a high speed memory system has been proposed in which a memory controller/processor and a plurality of DRAMs are connected by a bus, and data are consecutively transferred in synchronization with a clock signal. As one example of the high speed memory system, a memory system employing a high speed memory interface referred to as xe2x80x9cSync Linkxe2x80x9d will be described in the following.
FIG. 16 is an illustration showing a structure of a general Sync Link memory system. In FIG. 16, the memory system includes: a controller 1; a send link 10 transmitting a request packet output from controller 1; memories (RAMs) 2-0 to 2-n located in parallel and connected to send link 10 in parallel with each other and executing a designated operation according to the request packet supplied via send link 10; a sink link 20 commonly coupled to memories 2-0 to 2-n transmitting a response packet read from a selected memory to controller 1; and a control bus line 12 transmitting a flag flg and a strobe srb which are operation timing signals from controller 1.
Strobe srb on control signal bus 12 defines an operation speed and an operation timing of controller 1 and memories 2-0 to 2-n, and flag flg indicates the start of a packet transmitted onto send link 10. Send link 10 transmits the request packet from controller 1 in one direction only, while sink link 20 transfers the response packet output from memories 2-0 to 2-n only in one direction toward controller 1. The request packet includes a slave ID (identifier) for identifying each of the memories 2-0 to 2-n, a command which instructs an operation to be executed, and information on address and write data, for example. The response packet transferred onto sink link 20 includes only read data in a normal operation.
As for the path along which the request packet is transferred from controller 1 to the memories and the response packet is transferred from the memories via sink link 20, the length of the packet transferred path for each of memories 2-0 to 2-n is made equal. Accordingly, sink link 20 includes a portion coupled to memories 2-0 to 2-n transferring the response packet output from a selected memory in the direction away from controller 1, and a portion transferring the response packet in the direction toward controller 1. The packet transfer path of the same distance allows controller 1 to take the same period of time for each of memories 2-0 to 2-n, from outputting the request packet to obtaining the response packet, and synchronized packet transfer is thus easily implemented.
It is noted that controller 1 may be a processor. In the following description, xe2x80x9cmemory controllerxe2x80x9d is used as a term referring to both of a controller controlling the access to memories 2-0 to 2-n and a processor having an operational processing function.
Send link 10 generally has a width of 8 or 9 bits, and sink link 20 has a bit width two times larger than that of send link 10.
FIG. 17 is a timing chart at the time of data reading of the memory system. Referring to FIG. 17, a data reading operation will be described.
At time t0, xe2x80x9copen.rowxe2x80x9d request is generated. Prior to sending of an open.row packet at time t0, a flag fig is raised from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d. Transfer of the packet is instructed by the rise of flag FIG. The open.row packet includes a slave ID (identifier) designating one of memories 2-0 to 2-n, a command indicating the open-row, and an address designating a row to be opened. In the case of the open.row, an addressed row in a designated memory 2-i is selected. At this time, only a row select operation is performed, and data in a memory cell connected to the selected row is not output. Therefore, there is no output of a response packet on sink link 20.
At time t1, a xe2x80x9cread.of.openxe2x80x9d request is output. At time t1, flag fig is also raised from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d, and transfer of a packet is instructed. The xe2x80x9cread-of-openxe2x80x9d request instructs to select a necessary memory cell out of memory cells connected to the row selected by the open.row command and to read data. In other words, the read.of.open corresponds to an ordinary xe2x80x9cpage hitxe2x80x9d state. The request packet on send link 10 is taken into the addressed memory at both of the rise and fall edges of strobe srb. A time period required for the addressed row to be selected in the addressed memory (corresponding to RAS-CAS delay time tRCD of an ordinary DRAM) is needed between time t0 and time t1.
According to the read.of.open, from the addressed memory, corresponding data in the addressed memory cell is read. The data in the addressed memory cell is sent onto sink link 20 at time t2. The time between time t1 and time t2 is defined by information included in the request packet. The response packet (read data) onto sink link 20 is taken into controller 1 at one of rise and fall of strobe srb.
The bit width of send link 10 is one half that of sink link 20, while the sampling rate on send link 10 is two times higher than that of sink link 20. The data transfer rate is accordingly the same. The request packet and the response packet are transferred respectively on send link 10 and sink link 20, so that data can be consecutively transferred between the memory controller and the memory by sending the request packet to one memory while sending the response packet to memory controller 1 from another memory.
FIG. 18 is a timing chart representing an operation at the time of data writing in the memory system shown in FIG. 16. At the time of data writing, transfer of request packet is also indicated by the rise of flag flg from xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9dto xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d prior to time t0. A request packet instructing the open.row is sent onto send link 10. An addressed row is selected in an addressed memory by the open.row.
After an elapse of row act time (tRCD), a request packet instructing a write operation is sent at time t1. The request packet instructing the write operation includes a slave ID for identifying a memory, write data, a command indicating writing of data, and the number of write data. When the write request packet is sent at time t1, data is written to an addressed memory cell (column) on the row selected by the open.row in the addressed memory. In the case of the write.request packet, a data packet is not sent onto the sink link since only the writing of data is executed and there is no sending of the response packet.
At the time of data writing access, only the sending of the request packet is performed using send link 10. Therefore, the response packet can be sent using sink link 20 in parallel with the data writing operation, and high speed data transfer can thus be possible.
FIGS. 19A and 19B show structures of packets transmitted and received by the controller. FIG. 19A illustrates a request packet. The request packet includes an identifier area 22 storing a slave ID (identifier) for identifying the memory, a command area 24 storing a command instructing an operation to be executed, an information area 26 storing information about, for example, address, time to start a response, number of transfer data byte, and write data. FIG. 19B illustrates a structure of a response packet. A response packet 28 is only transmitted according to a request packet and includes only the information which is read data.
As is described above, when information is transmitted in the form of a packet, the size of the area included in each packet is defined. Therefore, the bit number of address information or the like could be constant. The memory controller has no knowledge about information specific to a memory constituting a memory system (size of address bit number of row/column address, storage capacity, and bank number), so that memories employed in the memory system should have the same structure, and a problem of lack of flexibility in structuring the memory system occurs. In other words, if a nonvolatile memory is used in addition to the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) as a memory in the memory system, the memory system cannot be structured when these address configurations are different, and a problem of the lack of flexibility of the system arises.
Further, when the memory system is utilized in a system which processes image data while executing an ordinary operational processing, a memory for storing the image data and a memory for storing data used in the operational processing are often used separately in the memory system. In this case, if respective characteristics of the memory for storing image data and the memory for storing data (instruction and data) used for the operational processing are different, the memory controller cannot acknowledge the characteristics of the individual memories constituting the memory system. As a result, a memory system cannot be structured utilizing memories of different types or characteristics. Accordingly, the use of the memory system is limited and generality of the system is adversely affected.
An object of the present invention is to provide a memory system and a semiconductor memory device for the memory system capable of mixedly employing memories having different characteristics.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor memory device which can be easily incorporated in a high speed memory system.
A semiconductor memory device according to a first aspect of the invention is provided with circuitry for storing specific information representing inherent characteristics, and an output circuit for transferring the specific information stored in a storing unit onto a bus according to a transfer instruction command supplied via the bus.
A memory system according to a second aspect of the invention includes a memory controller, and a plurality of semiconductor memory devices connected in parallel with each other to the memory controller via first and second buses. Each of the plurality of semiconductor memory devices is provided with a storing unit for storing specific information inherent to the semiconductor memory device, and output circuit for transmitting the specific information stored in the storing unit onto the second bus according to a transfer instruction command supplied via first bus.
Since the information inherent to respective semiconductor memory devices is transferred to the memory controller, the memory controller can manage the specific information for respective memories (semiconductor memory devices), and achieve an efficient address mapping, so that a memory system can easily be structured under the management of the memory controller even if the memories have different characteristics.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
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The present invention relates to a cooling device for an electric motor such as a switched reluctance motor in which a coil is wound on each of a plurality of projected poles of a stator.
In general, there are four types of cooling devices for electric motors as follows:
(a) Free cooling device: constructed such that a plurality of fins are provided on the outside of a housing of an electric motor. PA1 (b) Compulsive cooling device: constructed such that a fan is provided inside or outside a housing of an electric motor so as to exhaust high temperature air outside the electric motor housing. PA1 (c) Water cooling device: constructed within a housing of an electric motor. PA1 (d) Oil spray cooling device: constructed such that an amount of oil is sprayed from an output shaft of an electric motor for cooling the same.
However, the foregoing four devices are not satisfactory at all. In detail, the fins are not expected to be practical especially when no winds blow or a heat generation source is isolated from the fins. The compulsive cooling device is widely used but its cooling ability is not very good. The reason is that the electric motor has to be located in a sealed construction when it is placed under wet or humid conditions and therefore, the generated heat in the sealed motor housing has no passages to escape outside. In addition, the water cooling device is often spaced from a heat generation source so that the cooling ability is inefficient. Furthermore, to form water passages in the housing of the electric motor, the thickness of the housing becomes inevitably thick and therefore the total weight of the motor and castings for forming the housing are very large, expensive and complex. In the oil spray cooling device, foreign matter or particles are generated due to oil deterioration and the resultant foreign matter or particles may clog or plug an oil passage. Thus, it is difficult to achieve satisfactory cooling using the oil spray cooling device. | {
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This invention relates to a frequency hopping and direct sequence spread-spectrum receiver system and, more particularly, to a spread-spectrum coherent processor for estimating frequency, angle-of-arrival (phase), and time-of-arrival of frequency-hopped and direct-sequence spread-spectrum signals. | {
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Current and proposed state and federal regulations require that underground storage tanks used for the storage of hazardous substances meet certain environmental safety requirements. In particular, these environmental regulations require that the underground storage systems include a primary containment unit and a secondary containment unit. Moreover, the primary and secondary containment units are required to comply with the environmental standards that require underground storage tank systems to be product tight. The term “product tight,” for purposes of these environmental regulations, is generally defined as impervious to the substance that is contained to prevent seepage of the substance from the primary containment unit. Moreover, for a tank to be product tight, the tank cannot be subject to physical or chemical deterioration by the contained substance over the useful life of the tank. Further, these regulations require that owners or operators of an underground storage tank system with a single-walled component located within 1,000 feet of a public drinking water well implement a program of enhanced leak detection or monitoring.
One known method of monitoring leaks disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,894, entitled “Leak Detection Device for Double Wall Pipeline Systems and Container Systems,” uses a leak detector with a vacuum pump including a pressure-dependent switch and an alarm device to detect leaks in a double-walled pipeline or container system. The disclosed leak detector is adapted to simultaneously monitor several containers connected to a collecting main and a vacuum pump by vacuum lines. Each monitored container incorporates a vacuum connector or valve to fluidly connect a control space to the leak detector. Each vacuum line has a first liquid lock arranged at the vacuum connector to block liquid that has leaked into the vacuum lines from a leaky container from penetrating into the control spaces of the leak-free containers. A second liquid lock is arranged in the collecting main to prevent liquid from entering the vacuum pump. While this method can detect leaks within the control space of a container, it is a mechanically complex system requiring a great deal of materials and set-up time.
Other methods of monitoring secondary or interstitial spaces are well known in the art and include continuous leak detection using both pressure and brine solution monitoring techniques to determine the presence or absence of leaks between the storage system and the surrounding environment. However, to effectively calibrate all of these known methods and systems for operation, a great deal of set-up time and system knowledge is required. Specifically, to configure these monitoring systems for operation, the user must enter the volume of the secondary or interstitial space to be monitored, which requires a detailed knowledge of the layout and the configuration of the double walled piping and containers used in the underground storage system. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a coated optical fiber, and more particularly it relates to a method for producing an optical fiber which has improved strength and suffers less decrease of strength for a long time and no increase of light absorption due to hydrogen molecules, and an apparatus for producing an optical fiber coated with pyrolytic carbon by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
2. Description of the Related Art
In some optical communication systems, an optical fiber having a length of 1 km or longer is required. In such case, one of problems is insufficient strength of the optical fiber. When the optical fiber is used, for example, as a wave guide in an undersea cable, the optical fiber is required to have a tensile strength of at least 200,000 psi. However, commercially available optical fibers have tensile strength in a range between 50,000 and 80,000 psi.
If a quartz optical fiber were made by drawing a preform under ideal conditions, it could have a tensile strength in the order of a hundred million psi. However, actually, the long optical fibers do not have such high mechanical strength. One of the reasons for the smaller mechanical strength of the commercial optical fibers is that submicron order flaws are formed on the surface of optical fiber by mechanical friction or chemical attack with impurities such as moisture in an atmosphere during and after drawing. That is, the optical fiber having no flaws may have the tensile strength in the order of a hundred million.
To overcome the above problem, the conventional optical fiber is coated with an organic coating material. The organic coating material cannot prevent diffusion of water vapor or hydroxyl ions in the optical fiber. Therefore, minute flaws can be formed on the surface of the optical fiber glass due to water vapor or the hydroxyl ions during use or storage, so that the strength of the optical fiber is decreased. In addition, the OH ions increase the transmission loss of the optical fiber. Accordingly, the optical fiber should be coated with a hermetic coating to prevent minute flaws on the surface.
Hitherto, the hermetic coating is formed from silicones or an inorganic material such as metals, and the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is one of the most attractive methods. In the CVD method, a coating material is supplied as a raw material gas and forms a coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber. That is, one or more raw material gases are reacted at a certain temperature and deposited on the optical fiber surface.
By the CVD method, various kinds of coatings can be formed on the optical fiber surface, for example, silicon nitride, silicon, phosphosilicate glass, tin oxide, silicon oxynitride, boron, boron nitride and the like. It is also possible to form a coating of polycrystal of aluminum or tin on the optical fiber surface by the CVD method. Since the coating is formed homogeneously around the optical fiber by the CVD method, the optical fiber can be protected with the very thin coating. Thereby, light transmission loss due to microbends can be prevented.
FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for coating the optical fiber by the CVD method which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 25381/1985. This apparatus 11 comprises a first isolation chamber 12, a reaction chamber 13 and a second isolation chamber 14. The first isolation chamber 12 and the reaction chamber 13 are connected with a small-diameter opening 16, and the reaction chamber 13 and the second chamber 14 are connected with a small-diameter opening 17. The first isolation chamber 12 and the second isolation chamber 14 have small-diameter openings 15 and 18, respectively. An optical fiber 10 is introduced in the apparatus 11 from the opening 15, passed through the first isolation chamber 12, the reaction chamber 13 and the second isolation chamber 14, and drawn out from the opening 18. During passing the reaction chamber 13, a coating is formed on the surface of the optical fiber 10 through chemical reactions. The first and second isolation chambers 12 and 14 are connected to the reaction chamber 13 to isolate the reaction chamber 13 from the ambient atmosphere. In the isolation chambers 12 and 14, inert gas is introduced through gas inlets 19 and 20, respectively, and internal pressure in the isolation chambers 12 and 14 are kept higher than the atmospheric pressure to prevent approach of the atmospheric air through the openings 15 and 28. The raw material gas is introduced in the reaction chamber 13 through an inlet 21 and the reacted gas is exhausted through an outlet 22. The raw material gas in the reaction chamber 13 is kept at a desired temperature with a heating coil 23.
As described above, the raw material gas is subjected to a chemical reaction and deposited on the surface of the optical fiber 10 to form the coating. The reaction proceeds on the optical fiber surface or in the gas phase, and the reaction product is deposited on the optical fiber surface. The raw material gas may be activated by applying energy through photochemical excitation with microwaves or radiofrequency plasma.
To increase a reaction rate or reaction efficiency in the CVD method, the raw material gas can be preheated before being introduced in the reaction chamber. In such case, the temperature of the optical fiber is kept higher than that of the raw material gas, whereby the deposition of the reaction product on the chamber wall is prevented. To this end, the optical fiber is introduced in the reaction chamber just after it is drawn and still kept at a considerably high temperature. Alternatively, the optical fiber in the reaction chamber is selectively heated by the application of IR light or a laser beam. FIG. 2 shows such heating apparatus for selectively heating the optical fiber, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 32270/1986.
The apparatus 2 of FIG. 2 comprises a pair of elongate heating sources 31 which are installed in a housing 33 in parallel in the progressing direction of the optical fiber and irradiate radiations such as IR light for heating the optical fiber 10, and a pair of reflective mirrors 32 each of which is combined with one of the heating source 31 and has an ellipsoidal cross section. Each of the elongate heating sources 31 is placed at one of focuses of the ellipsoidal cross section, and the optical fiber passes the other focus of the ellipsoidal cross section. The radiation irradiated from the heating sources 31 is reflected on the reflective mirrors 31 and passes a transparent window 34 and heats the optical fiber 10. The housing 33 contains many cooling water conduits 35, through which a cooling medium is circulated to cool the atmosphere near the mirror 32 in the housing 33.
However, in the conventional CVD methods, the reaction products react with the surface of the uncoated optical fiber and cause minute flaws on the surface, whereby minute cracks are formed in the uncoated fiber so that the initial strength of the optical fiber is decreased.
To overcome such defects of the CVD methods, Japanese Patent Publication No. 32270/1986 proposes a heterogeneous nucleation thermochemical deposition (HNTD), in which, on the surface of the heated bare optical fiber, fine particles of materials such as metals, glass and ceramics are directly formed. It is said that, since there were no or little reaction between the solid particles and the bare optical fiber surface in the HNTD method, the optical fiber surface would be less damaged than the CVD method.
A method for forming a hermetic coating of carbon on the optical fiber surface is disclosed by Japanese Patent Publication No. 10363/1963. This method is schematically shown in FIG. 3. In this method, a silica fiber preform 10' is heated and melt with a gas burner oxyhydrogen flame 41 made by a heating ring 40 which surrounds the preform 10'. Then, the preform is drawn under tension so as to decrease its diameter to form the optical fiber. Just below the heating ring 40, a cylinder 42 is provided, with which a carbon-containing gas is supplied in the direction indicated by arrows. Thereby, a thin carbon film is formed on the surface of the optical fiber.
EP-A-0 308 143 discloses a method for coating carbon on the optical fiber which comprises drawing a glass rod to decrease its diameter to form a bare optical fiber, introducing the optical fiber kept at high temperature in a carbonaceous atmosphere to coat the optical fiber with carbon.
The reason why carbon is selected as the material of the hermetic coating is that the carbon film is formed at a higher rate than other materials, and prevents transmission of hydrogen (H.sub.2), and deterioration of optical fiber strength.
Although the hermetic carbon coating improves the long term strength of the optical fiber, it decreases the initial strength of the optical fiber.
The above European Patent Application proposes the addition of chlorine gas to the raw material gas. However the addition of chlorine gas deteriorates the ability of hermetic carbon coating for preventing the transmission of hydrogen (hydrogen resistance) and, in an extreme case, the coated optical fiber has the same hydrogen resistance as a bare optical fiber. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP), and more particularly, to a PDP capable of improving the electrode structure to increase the brightness and of stabilizing charge.
2. Description of the Related Art
A PDP is a display in which discharge cells and a pair of sustaining electrodes provided so as to correspond to each discharge cell are arranged between a pair of substrates, and phosphors corresponding colors including R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are excited with ultraviolet rays generated in the process of plasma discharge to display images.
Typically, a display electrode is composed of a transparent electrode so as not to intercept light radiated from the substrate. However, since the transparent electrode itself has the high resistance, the display electrode is formed with composition of a metallic electrode and the transparent electrode in order to complement conductivity.
In this case, the transparent electrode is formed of a material, such as an ITO (indium tin oxide) or SnO2, and the metallic electrode is formed of a thin film made of Ag, a thin film consisting of three layers of Cr/Cu/Cr, and a thin film consisting of two layers of Al/Cr.
The metallic electrode is typically formed on a glass substrate by a photo etching method and a liftoff method, and then the transparent electrode is formed by the photo etching method and the liftoff method.
As such, according to the conventional approach the work process is very complicated and thus, the cost of manufacturing the panel increases. Further, since the transparent electrode is expensive, this also increases the manufacturing cost.
For this reason, in recent years efforts have been to form the display electrode with only the metallic electrode without using the transparent electrode. As one example of such a display electrode approach, a plasma display panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,072. While manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared to the above-mentioned structure of the electrode, there is still a problem in that the display electrode formed with only the metal electrode lowers the opening ratio of the panel, which decreases the brightness.
As an alternative to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method has been considered in which it makes a distance between two metals located with the discharge gap interposed therebetween increase. However, according to such a method, there are still problems in that the discharge voltage increases and the discharge becomes unstable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Reversing a vehicle toward a trailer in order to attach a tow hitch to a trailer coupler can be challenging for many drivers, particularly those who are unfamiliar with trailers and the hitching process in general. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that assists a driver in navigating a vehicle toward the trailer such that a hitch connection can be made therebetween. The present disclosure is intended to satisfy this need. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to women""s lingerie. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to a brassiere for augmented breasts.
2. Description of the Related Art
The past decade has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the field of cosmetic surgery. Once the province of movie stars and other public celebrities, face lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, etc. have been adopted by the masses with such fervor that cosmetic surgery has become a multi-million dollar industry. Aside from the face lift, augmentation of the female breast is probably the most common cosmetic surgery performed.
After breast augmentation, problems have arisen involving the selection and wearing of a proper and comfortable brassiere. First, the augmented breast is substantially self supporting and does not require the uncomfortable support structure (underwire, hard elastic, etc.) incorporated in most conventional brassieres; secondly, after surgery, the breasts tend to be wider, consequently they are not completely covered by the cup sizes of conventional brassieres; third, protrusion of the nipples of augmented breasts often can be detected through an outer garment creating an unflattering image.
Examples of prior art brassieres which employ support structure are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 355,294 (Bussey et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 2,132,128 (Rasch), U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,321 (Dubner), U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,269 (Weintraub) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,444 (McGuaghey).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,158 and 3,939,845, both to Guidoni, show brassieres used for bathing suits. Neither patent is concerned about masking nipple protrusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,847 (Hwang) is drawn to adjuster structure for a brassiere. There is no discussion as to the structural makeup of the brassiere per se.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,082 (Barker) discloses a brassiere having pouches to retain a breast-augmenting gel pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,672 (Woodley) discloses nipple covers to be worn by women who choose not to wear brassieres.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,272 (Herbert) shows a liner to be used by nursing mothers to avert leaking fluid from soiling the mother""s clothing.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to disclose a brassiere especially designed to be worn after breast augmentation surgery as will subsequently be described and claimed in the instant invention.
The instant invention,to be dubbed xe2x80x9cSweet Braxe2x80x9d, is a brassiere to be worn by women whose breasts have been surgically augmented. The brassiere is fabricated from soft cotton, LYCRA, or polyester blends. Each cup is reinforced at the center and an insert is provided to ensure a smooth, opaque appearance. The brassiere is devoid of any breast supporting structure such as elastic panels and/or underwire. Adjustable, cloth straps are provided to support the brassiere from the wearer""s shoulders. An elastic band passes through a hem at the bottom of each cup and through loops in the shoulder straps. The cups are dimensioned to be wider than comparable cups in conventional brassieres to accommodate the generally increased width of augmented breasts. The brassiere of the instant invention may be utilized as a swim top or a maternity bra, if desired.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a brassiere, which brassiere is adapted to be used by women who have had breast augmentation surgery.
It is another object of the invention to provide a brassiere which is comfortable to wear.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a brassiere which is devoid of any extraneous breast supporting structure.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere having an insert which will present a smooth and opaque appearance when the brassiere is worn.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. | {
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hat having elasticity and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hat having elasticity and a method of manufacturing the same having advantages of enhanced comfort and free-size feature without deteriorating exterior aesthetical features.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Typically, a hat, which has a brim, includes a crown portion for being worn on a head and a brim combined to a bottom edge of the crown portion. Structurally, such a hat can only show a very weak elasticity since the brim is combined to the bottom of the crown portion. In addition, when the brim is fabricated from a material having sufficient elasticity, exterior aesthetical features may be easily deteriorated since only limited types of materials may be used.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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An electronic key system has been proposed. The electronic key system performs a wireless communication between a portable communication terminal such as a so-called smartphone and a vehicle control apparatus mounted to a vehicle, and the electronic key system causes a door to be locked or unlocked or an engine to be started when authentication information on the portable communication terminal and authentication information on the vehicle coincide with each other. In this type of electronic key system, the portable communication terminal and a vehicle communicate with each other by employing a short distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) that is widely prevailing among portable communication terminals including the smartphone.
A service to change control contents to be implemented according to a positional relationship between a portable communication terminal and a vehicle is proposed, so that when the portable communication terminal approaches the vehicle, locking or unlocking a door is permitted, or when the portable communication terminal exists in a vehicle compartment, starting an engine is permitted. This kind of service utilizes a technology (refer to, for example, patent literature 1) which measures a distance on the basis of a received electric wave intensity of a wireless signal or a response time elapsing from transmission of the wireless signal to receiving a response signal of transmission a range finding request signal.
The inventors of the present application have found the following regarding a vehicle control apparatus.
According to a technique of measuring a distance based on the received electric wave intensity or a response time in wireless communication, a measured value of the received electric wave intensity or the response time to the distance may change according to an environment in which electric wave propagates, and an error may occur in the distance to be measured. When a result of distance measurement has an error, a determination around a border of a vehicle compartment and a place outside the vehicle may be unreliable, and a false determination may occur. | {
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This application is based on and claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 of German Patent Application 198 38 494.7, filed on Aug. 25, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing multi-layer hygiene products from various generally web-shaped starting materials forming the individual layers of the finished products, whereby the starting materials are supplied from material supply stations and processed in processing stations to form the finished products.
Methods and apparatus of the above mentioned general type are known in the art and are used for producing feminine hygiene pads, liners and shields, sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, liners, shields, panties, and the like, as well as baby diapers and the like, for example. Such modern hygiene products of this type generally comprise several parts and several layers that are connected together in a sandwiched or layered structure. For this purpose it is typical to supply narrow webs or bands of various starting materials from large supply rolls to the actual processing stations in which the starting materials are processed in a suitable manner to form the finished products.
Generally, the supply roll arrangements for supplying the web-shaped starting materials are arranged above the processing stations so that they are easily accessible, and so that successive web-shaped materials can be supplied and seamlessly spliced into the processing sequence from new supply rolls without problems when a prior supply roll has been exhausted. Although the known arrangements with the supply rolls above the processing stations are made as compact as possible, these known arrangements are still often more than 15 meters and up to 20 meters long and very tall.
Generally, the above mentioned apparatus are extremely noisy during operation. In fact, they generate such a level of noise that they must be enclosed in order to reduce the externally emitted noise level. Due to the large size of the overall apparatus arrangement, the noise abatement enclosures or housings are also very large and become inefficient and expensive. Moreover, since the supply stations as well as the processing stations must be housed within the enclosures in the prior art arrangements, the enclosures must have large access doors or flaps through which empty supply rolls may be replaced by new full supply rolls. In view of the high operating speed of the modern apparatus of this type, the material supply provided by the supply rolls is relatively quickly exhausted. Thus, after a relatively short time it will again be necessary to open the enclosure access doors in order to carry out another replacement of the now-empty supply rolls. This, of course, leads to the undesirable emission of noise, and extra complexity and extra work steps in the overall operation of the apparatus.
During each exchanging of the supply rolls it is necessary to temporarily reduce the operating speed of the entire apparatus, to ensure a problem-free splicing of the head or lead end of the web-shaped material of the respective next supply roll onto the tail end of the material supplied by the previous, almost-empty supply roll. Nonetheless, it remains necessary to remove or reject and then dispose of or recycle and reprocess a certain number of the products produced during the transition period when a supply roll exchange is carried out, because these products are likely to have defects resulting from the switch and splicing of the supply material.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to improve an apparatus and a method for producing multi-layer hygiene products, such that the apparatus can operate at the highest possible operating speed and output capacity for the longest possible periods of time without slow-downs or interruptions, whereby it is necessary to utilize material supply rolls having the largest possible diameter. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to minimize the waste and reject rate of products and of the various starting materials per work shift. Also, the manpower necessary for operating and monitoring the apparatus should be as low as possible. The invention further aims to avoid or overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent from the present specification.
The above objects have been achieved in a method and an apparatus for producing multi-layered hygiene products, according to the invention, wherein plural starting materials which are generally in a web shape are supplied from material supply stations to a plurality of processing stations in which the starting materials are processed as required, e.g. by being embossed, supplied with an adhesive, bonded together, cut and folded to appropriate sizes and shapes, and the like, in order to form the finished hygiene products. Particularly according to the invention, the at least one processing station used for producing the finished products is spatially separated from the at least one material supply station by respectively arranging the processing station and the supply station in separate parallel planes. More particularly, these separate parallel planes, namely a processing plane and a supply plane, are respective vertical planes that are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction. Thus, the one or more material supply stations and the one or more processing stations are arranged laterally next to one another with a passage aisle or alley therebetween, in a preferred arrangement.
Basically according to the invention, at least one, but preferably as many as possible or all of the material supply rolls of the supply station are arranged on the supply plane which is separate and parallel relative to the processing plane on which are arranged the processing stations serving for the production of the hygiene products. By separating the supply rolls from the processing stations in this manner, it is possible to provide a noise abatement enclosure or housing around the noise-generating processing stations, whereby this enclosure or housing substantially encloses the entire processing stations continuously during the operation of the apparatus. In this context, xe2x80x9csubstantially enclosingxe2x80x9d means enclosing a predominant portion (e.g. at least 90%) of the top and all sides of the processing equipment.
On the other hand, the supply stations including the supply rolls typically generate a very low level of noise, and so these supply stations do not need to be enclosed for noise abatement purposes at all. Instead, only simple worker safety enclosures or guards are provided around the supply stations for the protection of the operating personnel. By thus separating the supply stations from the processing stations, and keeping the supply stations outside of the noise abatement enclosure of the processing stations, it is no longer necessary to repeatedly open the noise enclosure for the purpose of switching supply rolls. Also, the noise abatement enclosure can be made smaller and thereby more effective for its noise abatement purpose as well as more economical.
Moreover, with the present inventive arrangement, the supply rolls arranged on their own separate supply plane can be made larger than typical prior art supply rolls, because these supply rolls do not need to fit inside a noise abatement enclosure. In this manner, the larger supply rolls provide a longer continuous supply of material, and the operating time during which the apparatus can be operated at the highest output speed between exchanges of the supply rolls can be increased. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the amount or rate of reject products and also to increase the production output per work shift, because the apparatus suffers less down time and slow-downs due to supply roll exchanges.
These benefits are particularly achieved in connection with a complete separation between the processing plane on which the processing stations are arranged and the supply plane in which the starting material is stored on respective supply rolls of the supply stations. In other words, preferably all of the various material supply arrangements (including supply rolls supplying web-shaped materials and other supply means supplying non-web materials) included in the apparatus are arranged together on the supply plane, and all of the processing equipment is arranged together on the processing plane.
It is further advantageous if the starting material is guided generally along or near the floor, from the supply plane to the processing plane. This can be carried out in a supply channel or under a floor platform arranged between the supply plane and the processing plane. It should also be understood that such an advantageous arrangement is not limited to the supply of web-shaped starting materials. To the contrary, starting materials that are not web-shaped also can be transported along or near the floor from the supply plane to the processing plane through an appropriate channel or transport arrangement such as a conveyor arrangement.
Nonetheless, the invention is not limited to a transport of the starting material along or near the floor. Instead, the starting material can be transported overhead or along or near the ceiling for example, between the supply plane and the processing plane.
Various types of starting materials, including starting materials that are not in a web-form and that are therefore not stored on supply rolls, can be supplied from appropriate supply stations that are also arranged on the supply plane. Such non-web-shaped starting materials include flaky or flocculent materials, super absorbent materials comprising absorbent swelling substances based on acrylic or cellulose materials for example, deodorant substances, odor blocking or masking substances, binders, glues and/or adhesives, or the like.
For supplying web-shaped starting materials from supply rolls, it should be noted that the supply rolls themselves can be arranged either parallel or perpendicular relative to the supply plane and relative to the processing plane, with suitable transport and guide arrangements so that the web-shaped starting material can be rolled from the supply roll and then driven and deflected as necessary to be supplied from the supply roll to the processing stations in the processing plane. | {
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The invention relates to a method of producing a natural leavened dough for the preparation of bread and pastries by using a pure or mixed culture of bread-leavening bacteria which form lactic and acetic acid, which culture is added to a cereal mash, lactic and acetic acid being formed in the cereal mash.
Baking with a natural leavening agent imparts to the baked product an excellent taste and very pleasant aroma. Thus, the natural bacteriological leavening of dough must be regarded as extremely advantageous particularly since such a baking method, using no chemical agents at all, provides a natural and very hygienic product. Recent scientific medical publications have clearly shown that the highest hygienic value is placed upon natural leavening of dough particularly when whole-meal rye groats are used.
However, the production of a naturally leavened dough is uneconomical. The main reason for this is that large quantities of leavened dough are required in order to impart to the product the taste and aroma of the naturally leavened baked material. Furthermore, the production of the leavened dough as a shortening material, two-stage material or three-stage material is extremely time-consuming.
Within the art, efforts have been made to rationalize the production of leavened dough by means of known methods such as the rotating ring method, which can be regarded as a discontinuous-continuous method, and the silo method. Such production methods however require costly apparatus which, in addition, is prone to breakdown.
The main disadvantage in the production of a naturally leavened baked material is that the amount of previously leavened material in the dough is disproportionately great. It has also been established that a further considerable disadvantage in the production of naturally leavened baked material is that the naturally leavened initial dough has to be produced over a lengthy period of time involving many different stages, the duration of which and the temperature used therein require to be accurately controlled.
However, the greatest disadvantage is that a naturally leavened initial dough, produced by the prior art methods, must be used up immediately following the leavening stages. This means that for each charge of dough, the quantity of initial dough required therefor has to be produced and processed in a precise manner suited to the amount of each charge. It will be readily seen that this sets extremely narrow limits upon the time available, particularly in the industrial preparation of pastries, and this is also the reason why naturally leavened baked material is hardly ever produced on an industrial scale.
It has also to be emphasised that methods of producing naturally leavened baked material have not been adopted because the individual leavening stages for forming leavened dough bacteria have been carried out on the entire quantities of the dough proper or on certain quantities thereof, and not on an initial dough. In carrying out the leavening stage on the entire quantity of dough necessary for the baking operation a considerably greater amount of time is required to achieve the required degree of leavening in all of the dough.
Furthermore, pastries produced industrially by the prior art methods exhibit unduly limited keeping qualities. Expensive preservatives therefore have to be added to the dough. Such preservatives adversely affect the taste of the product considerably but are necessary to ensure that the product will keep for a reasonable minimum period of time. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact fluid system, and more particularly, to a micro pump adoptable to a compact fluid system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent rapid progress of micro machining techniques enables the development of a Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) having various functions. Such an MEMS is widely used in the fields of genetic engineering, medical diagnoses, drug discovery, and the like. In particular, the performance of all necessary processes including chemical reaction and analysis on a chip, a so-called Lab On a Chip (LOC), is introduced. Thus, an MEMS is more actively studied.
A fluid such as a sample, a reagent, or the like, must flow in units of micro-liters to drive such a chip or a compact fluid system. Thus, a drive source is required to flow such a fluid. A micro pump is one such example of a drive source.
The micro pump may be a bubble pump, a membrane pump, a rotary pump, or the like. The bubble pump heats a chamber to generate bubbles in a fluid filling the chamber and flows the fluid using a pressure of the bubbles. The membrane pump contracts and compresses the chamber using an electrostatic force to flow the working fluid. The rotary pump rotates a rotator, having a plurality of blades on a circumferential surface thereof, to flow a fluid in and out therefrom.
However, each of the above described drive sources have certain disadvantages associated therewith. For example, a bubble pump has a complicated structure and requires a long time to heat a drive fluid for flowing a working fluid. The membrane pump also has a complicated structure and consumes a large amount of energy to generate the electrostatic force. The rotary pump has a complicated structure and a low reliability, and is easily not assembled. It is therefore difficult for the bubble, membrane, and rotary pumps to control a minute flow amount of a working fluid. | {
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Conventionally, source drivers (video signal line drive circuits) of liquid crystal display devices perform a process for converting digital image signals, which are externally transmitted in serial format, into parallel format in order to provide sufficient time for writing to (charging) each pixel capacitance. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a source driver in a conventional liquid crystal display device having n video signal lines (hereinafter, referred to as the “first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn”). The source driver includes a shift register 71, a No. 1 latch circuit group 72, a No. 2 latch circuit group 73, and an output circuit group 75. The shift register 71 includes n flip-flop circuits (hereinafter, referred to as the “first to n'th flip-flop circuits FF1 to FFn”) associated with the first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn, respectively. That is, the shift register 71 is composed of n stages. The No. 1 latch circuit group 72 includes n latch circuits (hereinafter, referred to as the “first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn”) associated with the first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn, respectively. The No. 2 latch circuit group 73 includes n latch circuits (hereinafter, referred to as the “first to n'th No. 2 latch circuits Ls1 to Lsn”) associated with the first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn, respectively. The output circuit group 75 includes n output circuits (hereinafter, referred to as the “first to n'th output circuits B1 to Bn”) associated with the first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn. In addition, each of the output circuits B1 to Bn includes a digital/analog conversion unit (not shown) and a buffer unit (not shown).
Inputted to the shift register 71 are a source start pulse signal SSP and a source clock signal SCK, and based on these signals SSP and SCK, the shift register 71 sequentially transfers each pulse included in the source start pulse signal SSP from the first flip-flop circuit FF1 to the n'th flip-flop circuit FFn. In response to the transfer, sampling pulses SO1 to SOn are sequentially outputted from their respective flip-flop circuits FF1 to FFn. The sampling pulses SO1 to SOn are respectively inputted to the first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn in the No. 1 latch circuit group 72. Also, a digital image signal Da outputted from a display control circuit 200 is inputted to each of the first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn. The digital image signals Da are sampled by the first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn, with the timings of the sampling pulses SO1 to SOn, respectively, and outputted as internal image signals (hereinafter, denoted by characters dLf1 to dLfn). The first to n'th No. 2 latch circuits Ls1 to Lsn respectively receive the internal image signals outputted from the first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn, and concurrently output the internal image signals in accordance with a transfer instruction signal TR outputted from the display control circuit 200 (hereinafter, the internal image signals outputted from the first to n'th No. 2 latch circuits Ls1 to Lsn are denoted by characters dLs1 to dLsn). The first to n'th output circuits B1 to Bn receive the internal image signals dLs1 to dLsn, respectively, and subject them to digital/analog conversion and impedance conversion before outputting them as drive video signals Out1 to Outn. The drive video signals Out1 to Outn are respectively outputted from output ends 39 to the first to n'th video signal lines SL1 to SLn.
FIG. 10 is a signal waveform diagram in relation to the above configuration. Character Ts denotes a cycle in which sampling pulses are outputted from the shift register 71 (a period corresponding to a pulse repetition cycle of the source clock signal SCK). Character Ta denotes a period corresponding to one horizontal scanning period. This corresponds to a pulse repetition cycle of the start pulse signal SSP. Character Tx denotes a period (hereinafter, also referred to as the “process period”) in which writing to the pixel capacitance is performed. Character dTm denotes a period related to the writing to the pixel capacitance and required for switching from one horizontal line to the next horizontal line. Characters t11 to t28 denote time points (timings) for each pulse repetition cycle of the source clock signal SCK. Characters d11 to d1n each denote pixel data for a pixel included in the first horizontal line, and characters d21 to d2n each denote pixel data for a pixel included in the second horizontal line.
When a pulse of the source start pulse signal SSP is inputted to the shift register 71, the flip-flop circuits FF1 to FFn sequentially and respectively output the sampling pulses SO1 to SOn in order from the first flip-flop circuit FF1 to the n'th flip-flop circuit FFn, in accordance with a pulse of the source clock signal SCK. The first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn sample the externally transmitted image signals Da, respectively, with the timings of the sampling pulses SO1 to SOn as described above, and output the sampled image signals Da as the internal image signals dLf1 to dLfn. For example, when the time point t11 is reached, the first No. 1 latch circuit Lf1 receives the sampling pulse SO1, and samples the image signal Da. At this time, the image signal Da represents the pixel data d11 as shown in FIG. 10. Accordingly, in a period from the time point t11 until the time point t21 at which the first No. 1 latch circuit Lf1 receives the next sampling pulse SO1, the internal image signal dLf1 representing the pixel data d11 is outputted from the first No. 1 latch circuit Lf1. As for the second to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf2 to Lfn, similarly, in their respective periods from reception of the sampling pulses SO2 to SOn until reception of the next sampling pulses SO2 to SOn, the internal image signals dLf2 to dLfn respectively representing the pixel data d12 to d1n are outputted. The internal image signals dLf1 to dLfn are inputted to the first to n'th No. 2 latch circuits Ls1 to Lsn, respectively.
Thereafter, when the transfer instruction signal TR changes from low to high level, the first to n'th No. 2 latch circuits Ls1 to Lsn respectively output, as the internal image signals dLs1 to dLsn, the internal image signals dLf1 to dLfn representing the pixel data d11 to d1n transmitted from the first to n'th No. 1 latch circuits Lf1 to Lfn. As such, the internal image signals representing pixel data for pixels included in each horizontal line are concurrently outputted from the No. 2 latch circuit group 73, thereby ensuring a sufficient charge time for writing to each pixel capacitance.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a source driver of a display device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-140053, and FIG. 12 is a signal waveform diagram in relation to that configuration. As shown in FIG. 11, the No. 2 latch circuit group 73 of the source driver does not include a No. 2 latch circuit associated with the n'th video signal line SLn. In addition, the sampling pulse SOn outputted from the n'th flip-flop circuit FFn is inputted to the No. 2 latch circuit group 73 as the transfer instruction signal TR. As a result, while the No. 2 latch circuits are reduced in number, a sufficient charge time for writing to each pixel capacitance is ensured. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-140053 | {
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According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of transmitting an encoded sequence over a network to a terminal, comprising: storing a plurality of encoded versions of the same sequence, wherein each version comprises a plurality of discrete portions of data and each version corresponds to a respective different degree of compression; transmitting a current one of said versions; ascertaining the data rate permitted by the network; ascertaining the state of a receiving buffer at the terminal; for at least one candidate version, computing in respect of at least one discrete portion thereof as yet unsent the maximum value of a timing error that would occur were any number of portions starting with that portion to be sent at the currently ascertained permitted rate; comparing the determined maximum error values with the ascertained buffer state; selecting one of said versions for transmission, in dependence on the results of said comparisons; and transmitting the selected version.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of transmitting an encoded sequence over a network to a terminal, comprising: storing a plurality of encoded versions of the same sequence, wherein each version comprises a plurality of discrete portions of data and each version corresponds to a respective different degree of compression; for each version and for each of a plurality of nominal transmitting rates, computing in respect of at least one discrete portion thereof the maximum value of a timing error that would occur were any number of portions starting with that portion to be sent at the respective nominal rate; storing said maximum error values; transmitting a current one of said versions; ascertaining the data rate permitted by the network; ascertaining the state of a receiving buffer at the terminal; for at least one candidate version, using the ascertained permitted data rate and the stored maximum error values to estimate a respective maximum error value corresponding to said ascertained permitted data rate; comparing the estimated maximum error values with the ascertained buffer state; selecting one of said versions for transmission, in dependence on the results of said comparisons; and transmitting the selected version.
Further aspects of the invention are set out in the claims | {
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} |
The present invention relates to a composition which is capable of imparting a high degree of fluid loss controlling properties to aqueous systems under elevated temperature conditions. More particularly, the present invention relates to the formation of an improved water-based drilling fluid containing the subject composition and to an improved method of drilling bore holes into subterranean formations wherein high temperature conditions are encountered.
In normal well drilling operations in which a well is drilled by a rotary method, the well bore hole is generally filled with a drilling fluid or mud which is circulated therein. Drilling fluids are usually pumped down through the drill stem of the rotary rig, circulated around the drill bit and returned to the surface through the annular passage between the drill stem and well wall. These drilling fluids perform a number of functions including lubricating the drill stem and bit, cooling the bit, carrying the cuttings from the bit up the bore hole to the surface where the cuttings may be separated and disposed of, and providing a hydrostatic head against the walls of the well to contain downhole geopressure.
A primary requisite of a satisfactory drilling fluid is its ability to readily circulate and flow, that is, to have low viscosity, under the high shear conditions which are present in the environs of the drill bit while, at the same time, being capable of having and maintaining sufficient viscosity to be capable of efficiently carrying the bit cuttings to the surface and maintaining in suspension, any other solid components of the drilling fluid.
One of the primary requisites of a satisfactory drilling fluid is its ability to inhibit the amount of fluid, normally water, which is lost into the porous strata through which the bore hole traverses. The loss of fluid causes the formation and build-up of a cake deposit which, after a period of time, can cause sticking of the drill pipe and stoppage of the drilling operation. The drilling fluid must, therefore, be of a nature which permits minimum loss into the porous strata. Agents which impart such property are conventionally termed "water loss controllers" or "fluid loss controllers".
The drilling fluid components must also be stable and functional after subjection to elevated temperature conditions. In addition to the heat generated by the frictional forces of the drill bit, it is well known that the temperatures encountered in the bore hole are substantially above that found at the earth's surface. The deeper the bore hole is, the higher the temperature encountered. Drilling to greater depths has become common in today's guest for discovering new reserves. A general rule of thumb indicates that for each 10.degree. F. to 20.degree. F. increase in temperature stability one can use the same fluid to drill an additional 1000 ft. It is, therefore, desired to produce a composition capable of exhibiting stability and desired functionality at the elevated temperatures commonly encountered in deep drilling operations.
The viscosity of a drilling fluid has been relied upon as a mode of aiding in fluid loss control with little success especially when drilling into and through porous substrates. Various agents have been added to enhance the fluid loss properties of the mud. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,498 describes a cynaoethylated starch as a water loss controller to be used in combination with a clay-based mud. U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,246 describes an esterified or etherified starch as a water loss controlling agent which is compatible with a xanthan gum based drilling mud. Other agents as well as the starches mentioned above which have been employed in clay-free muds to control fluid loss are generally found to be unstable to the temperature conditions encountered in deep well drilling.
Bentonite clays which have sodium as the major exchangeable ion, such as Wyoming bentonite, have been used to impart fluid loss controlling properties to drilling fluids. These bentonites must be used in large dosages to approach practical fluid loss properties and usually impart fluid loss control which is still less than desired by the industry. Bentonite clays which have calcium or magnesium as the major exchangeable ion are not capable of imparting fluid loss properties.
The various agents which have been used to aid in controlling fluid loss have, generally been found to be unstable at elevated temperatures encountered in deep drilling presently done.
There is a general need for a composition which is capable of imparting and water loss controlling properties to aqueous compositions while being stable to varying conditions and elevated temperatures commonly encountered in deep drilling operations. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many percussion instruments such as marimbas, vibraphones, and xylophones are manufactured with legs that are of a fixed height. This can pose a problem for musicians who are tall since they must bend or lean over in order to adequately play the instrument.
The present invention provides a solution to this problem by providing a device that allows a fixed-height percussion instrument to be raised to varying levels. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer using a recording technique of the electrophotographic type, the electrostatic recording type or the like, and a developer replenishing apparatus for use in such apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings is a general construction view of a color image forming apparatus, which will be helpful in understanding the present invention. In the color image forming apparatus, four process cartridges 1 as image forming portions are detachably mounted on the main body A. These four process cartridges 1 are four yellow, magenta, cyan and black, respectively. A photosensitive drum 2 as an image bearing member is rotatably mounted in each process cartridge 1, and a primary charger 3, a developing portion 4, etc. are arranged along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum, and further a cleaning portion (not shown) etc. are provided. Image exposing light of each color is applied to each photosensitive drum 2. In order to replenish the developing portion 4 of each process cartridge 1 with a developer, a developer replenishing portion 6 is detachably mounted on the main body A of the apparatus in the upper portion thereof.
A transferring portion 5 is provided in such a manner as to contact with each photosensitive drum 2. The transferring portion 5 is comprised of a primary transferring portion 8 and a secondary transferring portion 9, and the primary transferring portion 8 has an intermediate transfer belt 10, a driving roller 11 for driving the intermediate transfer belt 10 and an intermediate roller 12, and a primary transfer roller 13 disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 in opposed relationship with each photosensitive drum 2. Also, the secondary transferring portion 9 has a secondary transfer roller 14 and a pressure roller 15.
The main body A of the apparatus is further provided with a plurality of feed cassettes 16 containing recording materials S of respective sizes therein, and a feed portion 18 for conveying the recording materials S to a pair of registration rollers 17, and the feed portion 18 in turn is provided with a pickup roller 19 and pairs of feed rollers 20-23, and is further provided with a pair of feed rollers 24 for feeding the recording material S from an insertion port provided in the main body A of the apparatus to the pair of registration rollers 17. The main body A of the apparatus is further provided with a fixing portion 25 for fixing the recording material S conveyed from the secondary transferring portion 9, and a delivery portion 26 for delivering the fixed recording material S to a delivery tray.
Description will now be made of the process of forming a color image by the above-described image forming apparatus. Each photosensitive drum 2 rotated at a constant speed in the direction indicated by the arrows is first uniformly charged by the primary charger 3, and then image exposing light of each color is applied to the surface thereof by the whole or a part of each exposing portion 7. A latent image is formed on each image-exposed photosensitive drum 2, and those latent images are then developed in the developing portions 4 by color toners as developers. These developed images are color developed images, but in the case of monochromatic image formation, a black developed image is formed only on the photosensitive drum 2 mounted in the process cartridge 1 for black.
Next, the developed image formed on each photosensitive drum 2 is primary-transferred in the primary transferring portion 8. That is, the developed image is transferred (multilayer-transferred) onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 running at a constant speed in the direction indicated by the arrow by a primary transfer bias voltage applied to each primary transfer roller 13. The developed images transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 are then transferred onto the recording material S in the secondary transferring portion 9 while the recording material S passes between the secondary transfer roller 14 and the pressure roller 15. The recording material S is stopped and stands by in advance at the pair of registration rollers 17 portion, and is fed to the secondary transferring portion 9 in accordance with the transfer timing.
The recording material S to which the developed image has been transferred in the secondary transferring portion 9 is then conveyed to the fixing portion 25, where the developers thereon are fused and fixed by heat and pressure, and the recording material S is further delivered from the delivery portion 26 onto the delivery tray.
The developing portion 4 provided in each process cartridge 1 has a developer container for containing the developer therein, agitating means for agitating the contained developer and supplying it to a developing sleeve, and a developing blade for regulating the layer thickness of the developer supplied onto the developing sleeve, and the developer on the developing sleeve is supplied onto the photosensitive drum 2 opposed to the developing sleeve with a minute gap therebetween. The developer necessary for image formation fills each developer container in advance, and as the amount of developer (filling level) in the developer container is reduced by development, the developing portion 4 may be automatically replenished with the developer from the developer replenishing portion 6.
FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings is a detailed cross-sectional view of the developer replenishing portion 6 shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings is a right side view thereof. The developer replenishing portion 6 has an elongate main body 30 serving also as a container for containing the developer T therein, and agitating means 31 having a plurality of agitating vanes is rotatably supported in the substantially central portion of the main body 30, and a replenishing screw 32 is rotatably supported in the lower portion of the main body 30. Further, a developer discharge port 33 is provided in the bottom of the main body 30 so that when the developer replenishing portion 6 is mounted on the main body A of the apparatus, the developer discharge port 33 may communicate with a supply port opening to the upper portion of the developing portion 4 which is indicated by the double-dotted line.
The replenishing screw 32 is opposite in the helix direction of the screw on the left side and right side of FIG. 11, and when the replenishing screw 32 is clockwisely rotated, the developer T is moved from left to right toward the developer discharge port 33 and is discharged therethrough.
When the developer replenishing portion 6 is mounted on the main body A of the apparatus, the end portions of the rotary shaft 34 of the agitating means 31 and the rotary shaft 35 of the replenishing screw 32 are detachably connected to driving shafts 41 and 42, respectively, in a driving portion 40 provided on the main body A side of the apparatus through couplings. In the case of connection, two guide pins 43 and 44 protruding from the driving portion 40 side are inserted into two guide cylinders protruding in parallel to each other from the end portion of the main body 30, whereby accurate positioning is accomplished.
The driving portion 40 has a driving motor 45 as a drive source, and a gear mechanism 46 connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 45. The gear mechanism 46, as shown in FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings, comprises a plurality of gears, and the detecting shaft 48 of rotation amount detecting means 47 is connected to a second gear G2 meshing with a first gear G1 coaxially coupled to the output shaft of the driving motor 45. A fifth gear G5 having the driving shaft 42 coupled thereto meshes with the second gear G2 via a third gear G3 and a fourth gear G4, and an eighth gear G8 having the driving shaft 43 coupled thereto meshes with the fifth gear G5 via a sixth gear G6 and a seventh gear G7.
The rotation amount (phase) detecting means 47 comprises a light emitting element and a light receiving element disposed in opposed relationship with each other with a slit portion interposed therebetween, and the output signal of the light receiving element is transmitted as a detection pulse to control means 50. That is, four flags 49 are provided on the tip end portion of the detecting shaft 48 at intervals of 90xc2x0, and these flags 49 shield the slit portion of the rotation amount detecting means 47 by the rotation of the detecting shaft 48, whereby light from the light emitting element is intercepted and a pulse-like flag detection signal (detection pulse) is transmitted from the light receiving element to the control means 50. On the other hand, the fill amount of the developer in the developing portion 4 is detected by level detecting means 51, and the detection signal thereof is likewise transmitted to the control means 50.
Description will now be made of the developer replenishment control from the developer replenishing portion 6 to the developing portion 4 by the control means 50. The fill level of the developer in the developing portion 4 is always monitored by the level detecting means 51, and the detection signal thereof is transmitted to the control means 50. The control means 50 compares the detected value with a preset level, and when for example, the detected value has dropped by a predetermined amount from the set value, the control means drives the driving motor 45 so that an amount of developer corresponding to the amount of drop (deficient amount) may be supplied from the developer replenishing portion 6 to the developing portion 4.
Here, when the rotation ratio between the driving shaft 42 for rotating the replenishing screw 32 and the detecting shaft 48 of the rotation amount detecting means 47 is defined as K, if the amount of developer corresponding to the aforementioned amount of drop corresponds to the amount supplied by the replenishing screw 32 of the developer replenishing portion 6 being caused to make five revolutions, the control means 50 drive-controls the driving motor 45 until the integrated value of the number of revolutions detected by the rotation amount detecting means 47 becomes 5K.
However, in the design of a popular gear mechanism 46, the gear ratio is set to non-integral multiple in order to prevent particular gears from always meshing with each other and therefore, the rotation ratio between the detecting shaft 48 of the rotation amount detecting means 47 and the replenishing screw 32 does not become an integer. Therefore, the stop angle (phase) of the replenishing screw 32 does not become a desired angle. The amount of opening xcex4 (see FIG. 11) formed between the screw of the replenishing screw 32 and the developer discharge port 33 is varied by the rotation phase of the screw when the replenishing screw 32 is stopped and therefore, in conformity therewith, the amount of developer supplied to the developing portion 4 becomes uneven.
Therefore, even if an attempt is made to supply the developer T in a slight amount in such a manner as to effect the rotation control of the replenishing screw 32 by one revolution (one-pitch feed: Pt in FIG. 11) or several revolutions each, the amount of one-pitch feed of the replenishing screw 32 and the phase detected by the rotation amount detecting means 47 do not coincide with each other, and this has led to the problem that when the driving and stop control of the driving motor 45 is repeated, the above-mentioned amount of error is integrated and the deviation of the amount of replenishment also becomes great.
FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings shows the relation between the phase of one revolution (360xc2x0) of the replenishing screw 32 and the detection pulse (flag count) by the rotation amount detecting means 47. It is apparent from FIG. 13 that the detection pulse by the rotation amount detecting means 47 and the phase of one revolution of the replenishing screw 32 do not coincide with each other. Particularly, in the color image forming apparatus, the unevenness of the fill amount of developer in each developing portion 4 becomes a factor, which will cause the problem of deteriorated quality of image such as the unevenness of the hue of color of an output image or the instability of image density.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-noted problem and an object thereof is to provide a developer replenishing apparatus, which can effect highly accurate replenishment, and an image forming apparatus provided with the same.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a developer replenishing apparatus comprising:
a developer container having a discharge port for discharging a developer therethrough;
a screw for carrying the developer to the discharge port;
a drive source for driving the screw;
motive power transmitting means for transmitting motive power from the drive source to the screw; and
rotation amount detecting means for detecting the amount of rotation of a predetermined rotary shaft in the motive power transmitting means,
wherein the rotation period of the screw is an integral multiple of the rotation period of the predetermined rotary shaft.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member;
developing means for developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member;
a container for containing therein a developer to be supplied to the developing means;
a screw for carrying the developer to the discharge port of the container;
a drive source for driving the screw;
motive power transmitting means for transmitting motive power from the drive source to the screw; and
rotation amount detecting means for detecting the amount of rotation of a predetermined rotary shaft in the motive power transmitting means,
wherein the rotation period of the screw is an integral multiple of the rotation period of the predetermined rotary shaft.
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Accessing services via web-based applications is an expected convenience for many individuals. As such, various financial institutions offer members and/or customers online access to financial services. These individuals are often allowed 24-hour access to services, such as online account management, offered by the respective institution via portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones, smartphones, etc.
Security associated with online banking, for example, is a concern for both the financial institutions and their customers. As such, various authentication procedures can be implemented to offer levels of assurance as to the identity of an individual. For instance, in order to logon to an online account, an individual may be asked to provide logon credentials such as an online user ID and password associated with the online account. Additional security can be provided via use of personal identification numbers (PINs) or hardware and/or software based security tokens.
In order to simplify the logon procedure, some electronic devices “remember” an individual's logon credentials (e.g., authentication information). For example, an individual's online user ID and/or password can be stored on the electronic device. However, remembering an individual's credentials in this manner can have various drawbacks. As an example, storing such logon credentials locally on the electronic device can expose the individual to security compromises via “hacking,” for instance. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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As is known, a current trend of automobile manufacturers is to replace the traditional starting motor and generator with a single reversible electric machine, which is connected to the engine shaft by means of a drive belt. During the starting step, said reversible electric machine functions as a motor and drives the engine shaft of the internal-combustion engine; when the vehicle is in motion, instead, the electric machine is driven by the internal-combustion engine and generates electric current for recharging the battery.
The belt that connects the electric machine to the engine shaft of the internal-combustion engine may be used also for driving one or more further auxiliary members, such as, for example, the compressor of the air-conditioning system.
As is known, normally associated to belt drives is a belt tensioner, i.e., a device provided with an idle pulley mounted on a mobile arm loaded by a spring in the direction of the belt in order to compensate for the variations of tension of the belt itself. The belt tensioner acts on the slack branch of the belt, i.e., on the less-tensioned branch, located downstream of the drive pulley with reference to the direction of motion.
In the case where a reversible electric machine is used, which has the function of starting motor and current generator, the branches of the belt have a different tension according to the mode of operation: the branch that is tensioned during the starting phase, in which the electric machine is the driving member and the internal-combustion engine is the driven member, becomes slack in the stage of normal running, in which the internal-combustion engine is the driving member and the electric machine is the driven member.
To overcome this problem bi-directional belt tensioners or two-arm belt tensioners, i.e., which comprise two arms provided with pulleys, each acting on a respective arm of the belt, have been proposed. The two arms can be mounted on one and the same pin, in order to turn about a common axis and be loaded in the direction of one another by a spring so that the respective pulleys will co-operate with respective branches of the belt, so ensuring their tensioning.
WO-A-00/77422 discloses a belt tensioner including a fixed portion, a first and a second arm hinged to the fixed portion about a common axis and carrying respective idle pulleys, and a spring biasing the arms towards one another to maintain the pulleys in contact with respective branches of a transmission belt.
Stop means are provided to limit the travel of each arm both in the direction of the spring force, so as to define an assembly position of the arms, and in the opposite direction to prevent overtravel of the arms under dynamic pull variations of the belt. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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This relates to methods, systems and devices for managing communications between groups of people. The disclosure can be applied to audio, text, video, any other suitable communications medium, or any combination thereof. The disclosure can be applied to telecommunications networks, radio networks, the Internet, or any other type of communications network.
Traditional communications networks are rigid an inflexible. For example, traditional communications networks may only allow devices to form single-use connections with other devices, and those single-use connections must be established from scratch before any communications can begin. By establishing a separate single-use connection for each new communication, traditional systems provide a choppy user experience that includes initiation delays. Moreover, traditional communication networks do not allow users to seamlessly move in and out of communications with pre-existing groups of users. This can prevent users from interacting in a fluid manner.
Traditional communications networks also provide inadequate functionality for calls amongst multiple users. For example, traditional communications network may only allow devices to form new communications as one of two types: a direct communication with a single other user or a “conference” or “party” communication amongst multiple users. In the “conference” or “party” communication, all users are given an equal opportunity to provide input (e.g., all users can speak at once) and all input is treated as having an equal priority so that all input is provided to the receiving user in the same manner. Moreover, the “shared” line of a “conference” or “party” communication provides the identical experience (i.e., audio output) to all users. For example, traditional communications networks are inadequate at managing multiple, simultaneous communications. Most traditional networks will simply display the communications in parallel with minimal distinction. Moreover, the traditional networks are largely devoid of mechanisms for combining communications of different media (e.g., audio, text, and video).
Accordingly, in traditional communications networks, both types of traditional communication—direct communications between two users and “conference” or “party” communications amongst multiple users—provide a unitary option where an individual user either opts into or out of a particular communication but creating any additional communication requires opening up a wholly new communications channel which has no interaction with the pre-existing communication and does not share architecture, efficiencies or features with the pre-existing communication. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Multilayer, particularly bilayer, metal articles are used where no single metal meets the physical, chemical, or economic requirements of an application. Examples of such articles are containers that must be corrosion resistant or chemically inert, such as tubes for heat exchangers in corrosive service. Metals meeting these requirements, such as copper, gold, or platinum may lack the strength or be too expensive to be used alone. Combining these metals with a layer of stronger or less expensive metal such as steel is a way of providing strength or reducing cost. Various methods of joining such layers have been developed. Their suitability depends upon the use to which the article will be put. Extended high temperature use is especially severe in its demands on interlayer bonds.
Among the methods for combining metal layers, one of the more general is the use of loose liners, that is linings or inserts that are not bonded to the substrate metal. However, the absence of interlayer bonding adversely affects the efficiency of heat transfer through the layers of the article. Thus, loose liners are unsuitable for applications that require good heat transfer between the metal layers. Furthermore, because the loose liner is not bonded to the substrate metal, it is not supported against collapse, which may occur, particularly at high temperature or high flow conditions.
Where bonding between layers is desired, various ways of bonding are available. One such way is adhesive bonding using organic or inorganic adhesives. Such bonding techniques are limited by the temperature tolerance of the adhesive. In addition, the adhesive layer generally has poorer thermal conductivity than the metal layers it joins, and it thereby interferes with heat transfer through the joined layers.
Explosive cladding (Gold Bulletin, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 34-37, Apr. 2, 1977) gives metal to metal bonding. In this method, an explosive is coated on one of the metal layers. On detonation, the explosive force drives the coated metal layer against the second metal layer and bonding is achieved. However, the bond is not always uniform in strength or coverage because the shock wave characteristic of explosions causes a variation in the impact pressure on the metals. For the same reason, the bonded interface may have a waviness and therefore a nonuniform thickness in the metal layer. Another drawback of this method is that the blast force can cause work hardening of the metal, which is not always desirable. Furthermore, explosive cladding is unsuitable when one of the metals lacks the strength to withstand the explosive force necessary to get an acceptable bond between the layers. Also, by its nature, this method imposes safety requirements in its application, and can be difficult to control.
Making bonded layered metal articles by rolling or pressing the layers together is known, but is suitable only for flat articles such as sheets. For articles that are not flat, rolling is often not possible, and pressing can be done only with tools that match the shape of the article, that is, dies. For larger articles and where a variety of sizes and lengths are to be made, this can be prohibitively expensive.
Electroplating is practical for the application of thin layers only, and not all metals can be electroplated. Weld overlay is limited to articles of shapes and sizes that permit access of the welding equipment. Coextrusion can be used only with metals for which the rheological properties are closely matched at the extrusion temperature. This need for matching rheological properties limits the combinations of materials that can be coextruded. Gas pressure bonding or hot isostatic pressing is used to bond metals. It is done in an autoclave, and temperatures of 1100-1700° C., pressures of 10,000-15,000 psi (70-100 MPa) are typical. This method is not well suited to applying a liner to the inner surface of a vessel or tube.
There is a need for non-flat uniformly metallurgically bonded layered articles of metals having dissimilar properties, and for a process for making such articles. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Diatomaceous earth type pool filters require that the earth material be replaced when the filter becomes dirty through continuous use. To determine when the filter material should be replaced, it has been the practice to provide an indication of the inlet pressure to the filter. Dirt removed from the water gradually clogs the pores of the diatomaceous earth thereby increasing the back pressure on the pump.
It has been the practice in the past to provide a conventional Bourdon type pressure gauge which is connected to the top of the filter housing on the inlet side of the filter. Associated with the coupling gauge is a stop cock or valve for bleeding off air which may become trapped in the top of the filter housing. The combination of the valve, pressure gauge, and coupling to the top of the filter, which conventionally are made of brass, add a substantial cost to the pool filter installation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Frequency conversion between baseband and a radio-frequency radio channel is normally required both in mobile radio transmitters and in mobile radio receivers. A frequency mixer is used in homodyne transmitting arrangements, for example, to convert a baseband modulation signal to a radio frequency in the Gigahertz band. A carrier frequency which corresponds to the desired transmission frequency is required for this purpose.
The carrier frequency is normally provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator which does not, however, oscillate at the transmission frequency but rather at a frequency which is different than the transmission frequency. Said frequency is selected in such a manner that it can be converted to the transmission frequency with as little effort as possible. Selecting an oscillation frequency other than the transmission frequency diminishes the effects of the transmission frequency on the oscillator. The performance of the voltage-controlled oscillator may additionally be improved if the oscillator frequency is selected to be lower than the transmission frequency. The oscillator may oscillate, for example, at half the transmission frequency in order to ensure a low power consumption and good phase noise characteristics. A frequency-doubling circuit which converts the oscillator frequency to the desired carrier frequency—corresponding, in this example, to the transmission frequency—is therefore required.
Similarly, a frequency-doubling circuit may also be used, in receiving arrangements for converting a received radio frequency to baseband or an intermediate frequency, to provide a radio-frequency so-called local oscillator signal from an oscillator signal.
The frequency-doubling operation described is normally effected by means of a radio-frequency mixer having two inputs which are both connected to the oscillator and square the oscillator signal at the output of the mixer. For this purpose, the oscillator signal is split, by means of a phase shifter, into two signal components (which are orthogonal to one another) and is up-mixed to the desired transmission frequency. An output signal at twice the oscillator frequency is then available at the output of the mixer on account of the signal-squaring operation described. In addition to a radio-frequency mixer, the known frequency-doubling circuit therefore requires a phase shifter for producing orthogonal signal components.
The document JP 10-004683 A specifies a rectifier circuit for processing a single-ended signal. An operational amplifier which forms the output of the circuit is provided. The output is fed back to the input connection via resistors. In addition, an external reference signal is supplied. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Primitives which may be referred to as spatial data or primitive data, are basic elements, such as lines, curves, and polygons, which can be combined to create more complex graphical images. In the context of an electronic document such as a map created by a mapping application, primitive data may define locations on the map. Primitive data may be described by a Cartesian coordinate system such as an X-Y convention in two-dimensional space.
A group of primitive data may make up a particular shape. In the context of a map, the particular shape (i.e., group of primitive data) may define a city, county, state, etc. Entity data may be associated with primitive data or a group of primitive data. Such entity data can describe or provide detail (information) as to the particular primitive data or group of primitive data. For example, entity data may include the name, demographics, and population of a particular region defined by the group of primitive data.
In a specific example, a group of primitives may represent the shape of the United States at a particular resolution. A different set of primitives might be used to represent the shape of the United States at a higher resolution. Each set of primitives needs to be stored at a different level of detail. Such levels of detail may be represented by a quad-tree arrangement, where a given level is the grids of the previous level divided into four equal-sized grids. The primitives assigned to that level are associated with the quadrants they intersect. At the subsequent level of detail, each quadrant is sub-divided into four equally sized smaller quadrants, each occupying a proportionally smaller part of the coordinate space. The higher detail primitives assigned to this level are again associated with the quadrants they overlap. The division of grids in a quad-tree can continue to infinitesimal degrees of level of detail. Additionally, at each level of detail new features which had no appropriate representation at higher levels may be introduced. As an example, the lowest level of detail might contain only the primitives for the United States. The next higher level of detail would contain primitives for the United States and each of the states. The next higher level would contain higher resolution primitives for the United States, all of the states, and introduce primitives representing the counties, and so on.
If entity data is used to describe the primitive data or groups of primitive data that represent the United States, the state of Texas, the city of Amarillo, and a street in Amarillo, separate entries would have to be made for each group of primitive data. In other words, the group of primitive data representing the United States would have its own entry for entity data, the group of primitive data representing the state of Texas would have its own entry for entity data, the group of primitive data representing the city of Amarillo would have its own entry for entity data, and the group of primitive data representing a street in Amarillo would have its own entry for entity data.
In many situations, it is necessary to retrieve information through spatially directed queries. An example of such a query would be to return all the primitives and associated entity data that intersects some subset of a given coordinate space. It is desirable to have the entity data stored such that a minimum amount of information is scanned in order to retrieve the data required to satisfy the query. It is also desirable to store entity data likely to be retrieved together in physically close locations on storage media to minimize retrieval time.
When storing multiple levels of detail of primitive data in a quad-tree arrangement as described above, it may be necessary to determine a reasonable storage location and reference system for the entity data to be associated with primitive data or groups of primitive data. An approach is to store the entity data in a relational table tied to the primitive data (i.e., groups of primitive data) with a key. A second approach as described above is to duplicate the entity data with each association of primitive data (i.e., groups of primitive data). The first approach has the drawback of losing storage locality when accessing the entity data, while the second approach involves wasteful duplication of entity data. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Virtually every home and apartment in this country has at least one refrigerator for storing perishable food products. Additionally, many households also have a freezer for storing food products over extended periods of time. As a consequence of such widespread usage, these domestic appliances consume a substantial part of the electrical energy which is generated by the nation's utility companies. In this regard, it should be noted that despite recent strides, refrigerators are still only half as efficient as the theoretical limit allowed by its use of the Reverse Carnot Cycle. Consequently, opportunity still exists to substantially increase the energy efficiency of domestic refrigeration appliances. Since even the newest refrigerators consume approximately 700 kwh of electricity per year, it should be understood that a substantial need still exists to increase the energy efficiency of domestic refrigeration appliances.
In addition, the cost of operating commercial refrigeration systems constitutes a substantial portion of the overhead expenses of the perishable food distribution industry. A reduction of the operating costs would likely translate into increased profit margins as well as a reduction in consumer prices.
Accordingly, it is a principle objective of the present invention to provide a system and method which reduces the energy required to operate domestic and/or commercial refrigerator and freezer systems.
It is also known in the air conditioning industry that an air conditioning system can operate more efficiently if the compressor of the air conditioning system is appropriately cooled.
Thus, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method of cooling the compressor of an air conditioning system.
The cost of heating a grocery store during the winter months can also be very substantial. The use of open refrigeration cabinets within the store greatly increases the amount of heating that is required in order to keep shoppers comfortable. Typically, there is a large amount of heat that is generated by the refrigeration components such as the compressor and condenser. This heat is typically vented out of the building. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to utilize the heat generated by the refrigeration components to aid in heating a building.
These and other objects of the present invention are obtained by providing a refrigeration system including a housing defining a cooling storage compartment. Refrigeration means are provided for cooling the cooling storage compartment. The refrigeration means includes a compressor and a condenser. A cooling passage is provided for carrying cooling fluid for cooling at least one component of the refrigeration means. A storage vessel is disposed external of the housing for containing the cooling fluid. The cooling passage is connected to the storage vessel. Pumping means are provided for moving the cooling fluid through the fluid passage in order to cool the at least one component of the refrigeration means. A heat exchanger is disposed in the cooling passage, and a fan is provided for blowing air at said heat exchanger for transferring heat from said cooling fluid to an interior of a building.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a furnace charging construction and in particular to a new and useful throat stopper for shaft furnaces, in particular blast furnaces with two hoppers, of which the upper hopper is rotatable via a drive device and to a method of operating the furnace charging construction.
Most of the known devices for introducing and distributing the charges for the burdening of blast furnaces are built on what is called the McKee principle. In this arrangement with two bells, a large bell in the lower region and a smaller bell in the upper region, the two bells being arranged one above the other, the upper hopper is rotatable.
The McKee throat stopper has the advantage, among others, that its overall height is relatively small, an advantage which is significant with respect to maintaining the lumpiness of the charged material. A disadvantage of this type of stopper, which may be termed a single-chamber stopper because the upper hopper is not formed as a sluice chamber, consists in that the sealing of the lower distributor bell relative to the sluice chamber wall constitutes a problem in particular because of the relatively large seal elements. This seal is, for one thing, under heavy stress due to wear by the abrasive charge material, but, for another, it is also problematical because of possible deformations due to uneven gas temperature distribution over the cross section of the furnace. As soon as a leak occurs at any point of the seal, dust particles are entrained with the outflowing gases due to the high pressure in this zone, and they will very soon increase the leaks. This source of dust constitutes an unacceptable environmental pollution, not to mention the fact that the seal elements must be replaced frequently.
To remedy this situation, it has been proposed before to design a throat stopper of this kind in such a way that the lower large bell need no longer from a gasproof seal. This is done in that the rotary distributor closed by the bell is disposed in a tightly closed envelope. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a seat frame structure for a vehicle seat and, more particularly, to a seat frame structure for a vehicle, which comprises a seat frame main body integrally formed by blow molding of a synthetic resin.
In a conventional vehicle seat, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61- 3406, a structure for coupling a seat cushion as a seating portion of a passenger and a seat back as a backrest portion by a hinge knuckle mechanism is known. In a vehicle seat of this type, the seat back and the seat cushion respectively have seat frames having a predetermined stiffness. An outer portion of each seat frame is covered with a trim having a cushion member.
In order to meet a requirement for reducing the weights of vehicles, an attempt is made to form, using a lightweight synthetic resin, a seat frame, which is conventionally made of a metal pipe, as described in the above prior art. For this purpose, as disclosed in , e.g., Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-75916, a technique for forming a seat frame by blow molding of a synthetic resin has been proposed. According to this blow molding technique, since the sectional shape of a hollow seat frame can be formed into a bag-like shape, the stiffness of the entire seat frame can be increased. According to this blow molding technique, since a backrest portion of a seat back, and a seating portion of a seat cushion can be formed to have recessed states, a so-called cushion function can be obtained, thus providing a comfortable seat. In this manner, various advantages can be provided when a seat frame is formed by blow molding.
In general, although a synthetic resin material is advantageous since it is light in weight, it suffers from a relatively low stiffness. For this reason, when a seat frame is formed by a synthetic resin, if a portion of a synthetic resin seat frame is simply fastened to a hinge plate of a metal hinge knuckle mechanism by bolts when a seat cushion and a seat back are coupled to each other through the hinge knuckle mechanism, a sufficient coupling strength between the hinge knuckle mechanism and the seat frame cannot be assured. Thus, such a seat frame in this state cannot be put into practical applications.
For example, when a seat frame formed by blow molding is to be reinforced, it is basically impossible to entirely embed a reinforcement plate in a resin. For this reason, a stiffening plate may be arranged on the inner surface side of the seat frame. However, in order to arrange the stiffening plate, after the seat frame is blow-molded using only a synthetic resin, a portion thereof must be cut out, and the stiffening plate must be inserted and fixed inside the seat frame. In this manner, a conventional reinforcing operation of a seat frame is troublesome, resulting in poor workability.
In order to fix a mounting member for mounting a hinge plate to a seat frame formed by blow molding of a synthetic resin, it is preferable to fix this mounting member to the outer surface of a resin molded body in an exposed state in consideration of workability and coupling reliability. In this case, however, it is difficult to fix the mounting member to the surface of the seat frame. In addition, as the surface area of the mounting member is increased, not only the peripheral portion of the mounting member but also its central portion must be fixed to the seat frame. For this reason, a demand has arisen for developing a reliable and firm method of fixing the mounting member to the seat frame.
As a method of solving a problem unique to a synthetic resin seat frame, i.e., a decrease in coupling strength with a hinge knuckle mechanism, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 53-74304, an insert molding technique is known. In this technique, a seat frame is formed by injection molding, and a reinforcement plate is entirely embedded in the synthetic resin during injection molding, thereby increasing a stiffness of a portion of a seat frame, which portion is fastened to a hinge plate by bolts.
However, in the technique disclosed in this prior art, a synthetic resin is interposed between the hinge plate and the reinforcement plate. As a result, when a bolt is fastened, the interposed synthetic resin is plastically deformed, and the fastened bolt may be loosened. If the bolt is fastened too strong, the interposed synthetic resin may crack. In this manner, although the stiffness of a portion of the seat frame to be fastened to the hinge plate by bolts can be increased, a coupling strength cannot be ultimately increased. Thus, the insert molding technique using injection molding cannot be applied to formation of the seat frame in practice. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to access management methods and access management servers, and more particularly to an access management method in a network system including a packet communication apparatus for conducting a routing and an access management server having an authentication function, and the access management server.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a personal computer has been widely used, and functions and performance of the personal computer and a network have been improved. In an organization, as a tool to smoothly operate a business, the network becomes more important and also important data are transmitted through the network. In order to secure the data, a security device such as a firewall system is provided against attacks of illegal access and viruses.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2003-249944 discloses that an organization secures safety of a new base station arranged by a general user by conducting an authentication mutually between an authentication server and the new base station and the authentication is mutually conducted between the base station and a new radio terminal. In addition, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2003-249944 discloses that the base station first when the new radio terminal accesses and the base station does not transmit a packet being sent by the new radio terminal to a network at an organization side until the authentication succeeds mutually between the base station and the radio terminal, so as to prevent from a DoS (Denial of Service) attack which pretends an authentication.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2003-8660 discloses that a permission list of IP addresses is provided to a router after a user is authenticated.
Recently, since it has been desired to provide means against problems such as a data leak, an attack by a virus to the network, various methods are proposed. However, those methods are not sufficient to solve the problems.
In the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2003-8660, the permission list of IP addresses is provided to the router after the user is authenticated. Accordingly, the list of IP addresses is just one way of managing the list of IP addresses. In addition, since information showing a communication permission is set to an access management server and the information is just one way of managing the communication permission, it is impossible to manage the communication permission on a case-by-case basis in that one communication partner temporarily denies a communication with another communication partner or it is impossible to flexibly manage the communication permission in a case of determining a communication permission corresponding to a detail condition such a condition for each session. Since the communication permission cannot be dynamically managed, when a communication partner being regularly permitted infects with a virus and attacks to other communication partners, it is impossible to prevent from the attack. Moreover, when the number of terminals is increased, the list of IP addresses becomes greater and then performance of the router is degraded. Accordingly, it is difficult to realize a larger scale.
As the authentication for each session, a technology such as SSL (Secure Socket Layer) can be generally used. However, since this technology is used at an end system, it is impossible to prevent from an attack such as the attack by DoS passing through a regular procedure.
The above-described problems in a conventional system can be summarized as follows: (1) Since only a member can-be authenticated, it is impossible to authenticate a user over a different network being managed by another manager. (2) Since the communication permission is managed based on information showing the communication permission for each communication partner, which is fixed, it is impossible to prevent from an attack by a terminal when the terminal temporarily becomes an attacker. (3) Even if a session authentication is conducted at the end system and a filter is provided, when the attack of DoS, the attack achieves the end system. Accordingly, it is not sufficient to prevent from the attack. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The shaft seal such as disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature 1 has been known as a member for hermetically sealing the gap between two members which are coaxially rotatable relative to each other. This shaft seal is comprised of an inner circumference side sealing portion located on the inner circumference side and an outer circumference side sealing portion located on the outer circumference side, these sealing portions being fit to each other such that they can come into slidable contact.
Incidentally, if earth, sand or the like penetrates into the seal slidable contact parts of the inner and outer circumference side sealing portions, wear of the seal is accelerated, extremely shortening the service life of the seal. It is therefore important to provide a means for preventing penetration of earth, sand or the like into the seal slidable contact parts in order to extend the service life of the seal. The shaft seal disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is designed to prevent penetration of earth, sand, etc. into the seal sliding parts by providing a covering member so as to stride over the inner and outer circumference side sealing portions so that early wear of the seal can be avoided.
Crawler track units are widely used as an undercarriage in work vehicles such as hydraulic excavators. Such crawler track units often include roller units in which a floating seal is assembled into an annular space defined between a roller configured to roll in contact with the crawler belt and a roller shaft for rotatably supporting this roller (see e.g., Patent Literature 2). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The problem of latch-up is a concern in the operation of integrated circuit devices that use CMOS technology. A description of latch-up in CMOS circuitry is given in Eaton, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,505 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS OF REDUCING LATCH-UP SUSCEPTIBILITY IN CMOS INTEGRATED CIRCUITS, issued Feb. 18, 1986 to INMOS Corporation of Colorado Springs, Colo., which patent is incorporated herein by reference and to which attention is invited for reference. Generally, latch-up results from (usually parasitic) devices such as PNP and NPN transistors that are formed unintentionally and which respond to such events as rapid changes in power supply voltage, light, radiation, input and output over-voltage, and on-chip capacitive disturbances.
In driving an output node or pin of an integrated circuit to a full power supply level (such as may be referred to as "VCC"), the prior art has heretofore used a P-channel transistor with its gate electrode driven from VCC to zero volts, or an N-channel transistor with its gate electrode driven from zero volts to some voltage above VCC. A bootstrapped driver can be used to achieve such elevated voltage. If the P-channel transistor is used, then latch-up may occur if the output is forced above VCC. If an N-channel transistor is used, then a speed loss and/or reliability problem can occur due to the need to drive the gate electrode to a voltage above VCC. Also, even with the gate electrode of the N-channel transistor at zero volts, if the output is forced to a negative voltage (such as -1.0 volt), the transistor will turn on, causing substrate current and possible reliability problems.
The aforesaid Eaton U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,505 provided a method and apparatus which involved a circuit for sensing a power supply transition, clamping the substrate to ground in response to sensing the transition, and thereafter releasing the clamp. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a process for producing 5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptyltrichlorosilane which is useful as a copolymerizable monomer or modifier, etc. for organic high molecular weight compounds.
5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptyltrichlorosilane is produced by subjecting 5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene (II) and trichlorosilane (III) to an addition reaction (hydrosilylation) in the presence of a chloroplatinic acid catalyst [J. Gen. Chem. USSR, 31 [4], 1109-1117 (1961)]. ##STR1##
According to this process, 5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptyltrichlorosilane (I), which the addition occurs on the double bond present in the ring of the cyclic hydrocarbon, and 5-(2-trichlorosilylethyl)bicyclo-[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene (IV), which is obtained by reacting with the vinyl group outside the ring, are produced in almost equimolar amounts. In addition, the reaction yield is also as low as 35.8%. The hydrosilylation using chloroplatinic acid as the catalyst involves a significant drawback that the reaction 10 selectivity of obtaining compound (I) alone is low. Further, (I) and (IV) are structural isomers in which only the position to be added is different and, it is impossible to isolate (I) alone by distillation.
A known method for enhancing the selectivity uses trimethoxysilane instead of trichlorosilane (U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,172).
This method is characterized in that the vinyl group outside the ring is predominantly reacted with trimethoxysilane in the presence of an addition catalyst (chloroplatinic acid) to selectively give 5-(2-trimethoxysilylethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene. However, this method is not suited for obtaining the compound having a vinyl group outside the ring which is the object of the present invention.
In the present invention, the reason why the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond at the carbon terminal such as a vinyl group and containing a reactive silyl group is necessary is because it is wished to produce a compound having a high reactivity as a modifier for organic high molecular substances and to produce a raw material having a great effect of quality modification. Namely, the carbon-carbon double bond generally shows a higher reactivity when it is present at the carbon terminal than when it is present within the ring of the cyclic hydrocarbon. For example, where a mixture of polymerizable monomers containing an alkenyl group such as ethylene, propylene, (meth)acrylic acids or (meth)acrylic acid esters, etc. and the compound described above are copolymerized with each other using a radical generator such as an organic peroxide, copolymers tend to be produced in which intake of compound (I) is larger than when the compound of formula (IV) having the double bond within the ring and the compound (I) having the vinyl group outside the ring are both present. From this tendency, a process for selectively producing the compound (I) of the present invention having a vinyl group outside the ring in a high yield has been strongly desired in view of molecular design of high molecular substances. | {
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Recent developments in equipment for roller reefing and furling have included supporting the luff of the sail on a rotatable tubular member in such a way that the tubular member, not the mast, bears the tension of the downhaul and the weight of the sail.
One of the problems, however, with such rotatable tubular members relates to interference with the halyard. Normally, after hoisting the sail, the portion of the halyard used for hoisting the sail is cleated, coiled and hung onto a cleat at the base of the mast. When a rotating tubular member, however, is used for reefing or furling the sail, the halyard must be fitted with a swivel at the peak of the sail or else it must be adapted to rotate with the tubular member. The swivel alternative is undesireable because, in a salt air environment, swivels are difficult to maintain and tend to become jammed. On the other hand, rotating the entire halyard also presents problems because the coil of the part of the halyard used for hoisting the sail cannot be swung around without a serious risk of its becoming uncoiled and tangled. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,036, a solution for the halyard problem is suggested. It provides for disconnecting and stowing the part of the halyard used for hoisting. Once the sail has been hoisted, the halyard is made fast to the base of the rotatable tubular member, and the part of the halyard which was used for hoisting the sail, is removed and stowed. This frees the tubular member for rotation without interference from the halyard. (A similar procedure is also described in co-pending application Ser. No. 898,290). Employing a two-part halyard, however, and having to separate it or reconnect its parts is a nuisance, and exposes the user to the risk of losing the tension part of the halyard up the mast. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to employ a single piece halyard which does not interfere with the rotation of a rotatable tubular furling member and with which there also is no risk of losing the halyard up the mast. A further object of one embodiment of the invention is to provide an endless one-piece halyard which presents no interference with the operation of a rotatable tubular furling or reefing member and which does not need to be cleated.
Rotatable tubular furling arrangements of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,036 have a further disadvantage in that they require the use of a sheave at the top of the rotatable tubular member over which the halyard passes. Such sheaves can cause problems particularly if the halyard slips out of the pulley groove. In addition, with such an arrangement the sheave subjects the rotatable tubular member to twice the force of the weight of the sail and the downhaul. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable tubular member for furling a sail which does not require the use of a halyard sheave at the top of the rotatable tubular member and in which the thrust on the rotatable tubular member is only once the weight of the sail plus the force of the downhaul.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,460 means are described for supporting the sail on a rotatable tubular member without the use of a halyard sheave and thereby achieves the latter-mentioned object. The arrangement employs a sleeve slidably mounted on the rotatable member and a ratchet and spring-loaded pawl to latch the sleeve at the top of the rotatable member while the sail is in use. When it is desired to lower the sail the sleeve is released from the top of the rotatable member by a cam-release mechanism similar to that used on ordinary extension ladders. The halyard is used to lift the sleeve. This brings into play a cam element which prevents the sleeve from latching as it is lowered. This frees the sleeve from the ratchet and permits the sail to be lowered. Once the sleeve has been lowered below the ratchet, the cam element drops back by gravity to its original position in which the sail can again be hoisted and latched to the top of the rotatable member if desired. Thus, by operation of the halyard, the sleeve which supports the peak of the sail can be latched to the top of the rotatable tubular member so that the latter bears the weight of the sail. Alternatively, the sleeve can be unlatched from the top of the rotatable furling member, so that the halyard bears the weight of the sail.
The arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,460, however, has other problems. For one thing, it requires the halyard to remain secured to the sleeve at the peak of the sail, and this creates serious problems due to the fact that, when the rotatable tubular member is rotated, the halyard becomes wound up on the stay and is difficult to unsnarl. This problem is not cured by the use of a swivel because the halyard and the stay are so nearly parallel that only slight resistance in the swivel causes the undesired wrapping. Conversely, if the tension on the halyard is relieved, the undesired wrapping action takes place without resistance. Further, once the halyard is wrapped around the stay in this manner, the sail cannot be raised or lowered, and can be either embarrassing or dangerous.
Another problem associated with release mechanisms of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,460 is that they do not operate well in the sailboat context. Thus, when a fore-and-aft rigged sailboat "comes about", the sails go through a phase of flapping while the boat passes through the head-to-wind position. The intensity of the flapping, of course, increases with the force of the wind. This flapping action in fact often causes the peak of the sail to oscillate back and forth through an arc of as much as 120.degree. creating substantial centrifugal force which in turn acts on the latching mechanism tending to release the pawl from the ratchet teeth. This tendency to release, of course, is increased as the force of the wind increases, and accordingly, the danger of unintentional release increases at the same time as the undesireability of surprise increases. The centrifugal force also affects the operation of the cam element used to release the sleeve for lowering the sail, and can cause the cam to fail to operate and thereby prevent the lowering of the sail at the critical moment in a gale when the need to lower the sail may be the greatest. An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a latching mechanism which can be operated with certainty from the deck without interference from centrifugal forces due to flapping of the sail during the head-to-wind phase.
Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention is the provision of means for supporting the peak of a sail on a rotatable furling or reefing member independently of the halyard and in such a way as to relieve the mast of the weight of the sail, and the tension of the downhaul. In addition it is an object to relieve the rotatable tubular members of the tension of the halyard, and simultaneously to provide means at the deck level independent of the halyard for releasing the peak of the sail from the rotatable member so as to lower the sail without operation of the halyard. A further object is to provide means for securing the peak of the sail to a weight-supporting rotatable member, the operation of which securing means is relatively immune from the centrifugal forces which flapping at the peak of the sail creates. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a disk drive unit for transferring information between a disk and a reading and/or writing head for recording and/or reproducing information. More specifically, the invention relates to a disk drive unit which is suitable for recording and/or reproducing information on a flexible disk. More particularly, the invention relates to a disk drive unit which can establish a stable of relationship between the flexible disk and the reading and/or writing head during recording and/or reproducing information on the disk.
2. Description of the Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,955, issued on July 15, 1986 to Curtis R. Regruit and U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,250, issued on Oct. 28, 1986 to Robert G. Hill disclose so-called "contacting" type information transfer technology for recording and/or reproducing information on a flexible magnetic disk. Both of these U.S. patents propose employment of a head-to-disk stablizing unit for stably establishing head-to-disk contact. In the proposed technology, a flexible disk is rotatably housed within a disk cartridge in such a manner that the successive radial portions of the disk move over an opening formed through the disk cartridge. The opening of the disk cartridge is disposed to provide limited radial access to the disk. The head-to-disk stabilizing unit seals the opening to cause formation of a Bernoulli drawing force for forming the successive radial positions of the disk as each portion is passed over the opening. Such drawing force momentarily deflects each portion of the rotating disk toward the opening, causing a deflected portion of the disk to remain substantially in contact with a magnetic recording or reproducing head movable along the opening and thus ensuring stability of the head-to-disk contact.
In order to exert the drawing force, vacuum pressure is generated around the head. The disk is forced toward the head for establishing firm contact with the later so as to enable a steady transfer of information between the head and the disk. Such arrangement for establishing head-to-disk contact is successful to assure head-to-disk contact. However, the magnitude of vacuum pressure to be generated around the head fluctuates. Namely, fluctuation of the vacuum pressure is caused by tolerance in the surface flatness of a stabilizer block which determines the sealing ability. The sealing ability may be influenced not only by surface flatness of the stabilized block but also by waving of the flexible disk during rotation. Due to such fluctuation of magnitude of vacuum generated around the magnetic head, contacting force between the head and the disk can fluctuate to cause variation in information transfer performance. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Augmented reality refers to the simultaneous visualization of real world objects and computer-generated objects presented on a display for a user. Sometimes, though not always, augmented reality applications are used with wearable devices, such as wearable eyewear devices having a transparent display overlaying the lens portions thereof. Computer-generated objects typically overlay relevant objects in real space as captured by a camera. Consequently, because of movement by the relevant objects and/or the user relative to positioning of the camera frame, automatic detection and tracking of the relevant objects is used to accurately superimpose the computer-generated objects on the relevant objects. This can optionally turn the relevant objects into active objects—that is, reactive to click-like or gesture input actions. For object-tracking implementations on wearable and other types of mobile devices, the heaviness of the calculations is a consideration because of the modest computing power available on the mobile devices and the direct correlation between heavy computations, latency and limited battery life. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Many methods for preparing porous polymeric supports useful in various separation applications are known today, such as suspension polymerisation of synthetic or native monomers. In order to improve the properties of so prepared supports, various strategies have also been suggested for modification of their surfaces. Such surface-modifications may for example be performed in order to enhance the available surface area of a support, to facilitate subsequent derivatisation with ligands for chromatography, to modify the hydrophobic/hydrophilic surface thereof etc.
One such surface modification is suggested in WO 95/13861 (Ericsson et al), wherein hydrophilic poly(vinyl ethers) are polymerised by cationic polymerisation to subsequently be coupled to the surface of a porous polymeric support, such as agarose. The method disclosed necessarily involves a step of protecting the hydroxyl group of the vinyl ether monomer before the polymerisation and a corresponding step for deprotection thereof in the polymer obtained. Thus, a drawback of the method described is the number of process steps required to obtain a surface-modified product.
It is known from EP 0 337 144 (Merck Patent Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) to graft chromatographic supports in order to develop separation materials, which are universally employable in chromatography. The grafting is effected in the course of customary redox polymerisation. Cerium(IV) ions are employed as polymerisation catalyst in order to form radical sites on the pore surfaces of support particles. Thus, one object of EP 0 337 144 is to improve the dissolving ability as compared to the known materials, which is provided by use of hydrophilic separation based on supports containing hydroxyl groups, the supports of which are coated with covalently bonded polymers. More specifically, the polymers are bonded to the support via radicals generated at the α-C atoms of the hydroxyl groups, and this kind of grafting therefore represent the principle “grafting from”, see e.g. P F Rempp, P J Lutz: Comprehensive Polymer Science vol. 6, pp 403–421, Eds. G Allen et al, Oxford 1989. This technique is based on the initiation of polymerisation by a limited number of radicals on the support surfaces and is accordingly sensitive to termination by eg oxygen. The preferred monomers are monomers with a high rate of propagation, which typically means acrylamide, acrylate or methacrylate monomers, which also are those mentioned in the application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,214 (Peters et al) discloses porous synthetic polymer monoliths wherein the pores contain grafted temperature-responsive polymers and copolymers. These monoliths are especially suitable for use as thermal gates or thermal valves. The pores in such monoliths are greater than about 600 nm in diameter, and therefore the polymers need to be of a sufficient size to occlude such macropores. Suitable monomers to form the thermally responsive polymers grafted onto the support of the pores are known and include acrylamides and methacrylamides substituted on the nitrogen atom with slightly hydrophobic groups, vinylcaprolactam, methyl vinyl ether, 3-hydroxypropylacrylate, vinyl acetate, 2-(C.sub.2–C.sub.6)-alkyl-1-vinyloxazolines, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, as well as copolymers thereof with copolymerisable comonomers which do not preclude thermal responsiveness of the resulting polymer. Suitable comonomers, e.g. methylenebisacrylamide with N-alkylacrylamide, may be used to provide cross-linking and controllable swelling or other desirable properties. The polymers produced according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,214 undergo a rapid and reversible phase transition from a first structure, below their lower critical solution temperature (LCST), to a second structure, above their LCST, and are therefore referred to as “thermo-shrinking” polymers.
Dhal et al (Dhal, Pradeep K.; Vidyasankar, S.; Arnold, Frances H. Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif., USA. Chem. Mater. (1995), 7(1), 154–62) have disclosed surface grafting of functional polymers to macroporous poly(trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate). The type of functional monomer is selected in order to retain the physical properties of the original matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,994 (Dionex Corporation) discloses a bifunctional cation-exchange composition comprised of crown ether functional groups, which allow formation of a complex with a cation, and non-crown ether cation-exchange functional groups, which are capable of charge-interaction with cations. Preferred non-crown ether functional groups are sulphonate, carboxylate and phosphonate groups. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,994, a comparative example of a standard cation-exchange resin is provided, wherein maleic anhydride and ethyl vinyl ether are grafted onto a macroporous polymeric resin. In the field of chromatography, the term “macroporous” is used for particles that are porous both in a dry or wet state, as compared to gelporous particles that are porous only in the wet state. Examples of the first group are e.g. the synthetic polymers, such as divinylbenzene and styrene, while the latter can be exemplified by various polysaccharides, such as agarose. In this context, it is well known that vinyl ethers in general are very difficult to polymerise as the sole monomer. See e.g. “Principles of Polymerization”, Third Edition, page 200, Author: George Odian, and publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., wherein in Table 3-1, the family of vinyl ethers are rated as a − (minus) for radical polymerisation. However, in the comparative example discussed above and presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,994, the polymerisation is possible since the maleic acid anhydride will act as an electron acceptor while the ethyl vinyl ether will act as the electron donor.
Finally, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,933 to form a hydrophilic-coated support, which comprises a hydrophobic domain including an unsaturated group and a hydrophilic domain. Hydrophilic coatings can e.g. be covalently attached to hydrophobic polymers, such as divinylbenzene cross-linked polystyrene. The purpose of the coatings described is to mask the hydrophobic supports and to provide a polymer, which is chemically stable at high and low extremes in pH. | {
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} |
Modern research and studies are raising significant concerns over the long-term health consequences that can result from sports concussions and other types of play-related head injuries. As the concerning evidence mounts, American tackle football has become the topic of considerable controversy. Dangerous collisions/injuries can happen accidentally in any sports, however in tackle football the risk factors are significantly higher since collisions are an intentional rather than accidental part of the game. In American tackle football, the primary method of downing the ball carrier is by tackling the ball carrier to the ground, which inherently results in collisions. The magnitude and repetition of these collisions can cause concussions and head injury.
Research is showing that it's not always just one large collision that leads to injury, but even repetitive smaller collisions that can make the brain more susceptible to injury over time. This is concerning, since tackle football players experience repetitive collisions as part of the games, practices, and drills. In regards to youth football, there are some further unique concerns. Youngsters are not miniature adults. For starters, their brains are not yet fully myelinated, meaning nerve cells in the brain lack the complete coating that offers protection. This makes youth more susceptible to concussions, and also means they recover more slowly from them compared to adults. Children have big heads relative to the rest of their bodies and weak necks, creating a “bobblehead effect” that elevates the risk of concussion. Kids typically play in the oldest equipment, with the least educated coaches, and with little or no available medical care. And finally, kids are unable to provide meaningful informed consent. Rarely do kids really understand the situations and risks they're putting themselves in.
Flag football is an alternative to tackle football. However, most football enthusiasts would view flag football as an inferior version of the game. In Flag football, there is no tackling. Instead, all players wear one or more flags that, when removed from a ball carrier, indicates that the ball carrier is down, thereby signifying the end of that play. The flags are typically flat, narrow strips of nylon or fabric. One end of the flag is normally releasably secured to a belt worn around the player's waist. A hook-and-loop (i.e., VELCRO®) type attachment is a common means to secure one end of the flag to the player. The other end of the flag hangs freely down toward the players knees. As the players run, the flag is free to bounce, move, and flutter around (as the name “flag” would suggest). The flag therefore has its own movements independent from the ball carrier. This dynamic, independent motion of the flag makes it difficult to grab the flag even if a player has a good position or grip on the ball carrier. In fact, often it takes a bit of luck to grab the flag. For example, players can be in what's considered a good defensive position to down the ball carrier, but the elusiveness of the flag allows the ball carrier to escape and continue advancing the ball. This attribute makes flag football a unique sport to defend. In tackle football, defensive players are taught to focus on a ball carrier's movements (specifically the torso) when tracking and downing the ball carrier. Many other sports and games similarly share this common ingredient, whereby defense has to watch and interpret movements of opposing players in order to make a defensive stand. Flag football is distinctly unique, in that defensive emphasis is placed on movements of an independently moving flag instead of movements of a player. Many football and sports enthusiasts alike do not care for this non-conventional emphasis.
In flag football, the flags generally attach approximately at the player's waistline, and the flags hang freely down toward the player's knee region. This attachment location is not ideal for head safety. Even though there's no tackling in flag football, the low flag positioning often results in players lowering their heads to make a play for the flag. Any time players are lowering their heads to reach for a flag, it is creating a dangerous situation in terms of head injuries. For example, accidental collisions between a ball carrier's knee and a defender's head can be very dangerous in terms of concussions and head injuries. Positioning flags on the lower body (waist down) is a poor location, as it requires players to lower their body and head to make a play for the flag, which puts players' heads at risk of experiencing collisions.
Furthermore, the flag is a flat strip of fabric, or the like, with very minimal thickness. Flag length is often around 12-16 inches. Flag width is typically around 1.5 inches. And, flag thickness is typically only around 0.062 inches (typical fabric thicknesses). This slim thickness profile along with the fabric type construct can make the flags difficult to distinguish or grab, as they can easily slip out of the defenders' hands. Essentially, flags are not ergonomically designed to be grasped by a hand, as they lack any sort of grab features or dimensions. Therefore, the flag construction and profile further adds to the luck factor in downing the ball carrier. For many American football enthusiasts, the emphasis on a flag rather than a player, combined with the proportion of luck versus skill in downing the ball carrier is unappealing for flag football.
With the growing awareness and evidence associating tackle football with head injuries, concussions, and long term health implications, there exists a need for alternative ways to down the ball carrier. Specifically the alternative means of downing the ball carrier should avoid tackling, thereby minimizing collisions associated with head injuries and concussions. Furthermore, downing the ball carrier should encourage upright play, such that players don't have to reach low to down the ball carrier, thereby lowering and exposing their heads to dangerous situations. Furthermore, there exists a need for alternative ways of downing the ball carrier that reward good defensive positioning, and minimizes the luck factor in downing the ball carrier. Furthermore, there exists a need for alternative ways of downing the ball carrier that preserve conventional defensive focus on a player's movements, rather than arbitrary movements of an accessory. | {
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The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to an apparatus and method for improving the performance and efficiency of multi-core processor architecture by enabling effective collaboration of processor cores.
Three-dimensional integration provides performance improvement for microprocessor architectures through the increased interconnectivity and higher packaging density. Through silicon via technology allows low latency and high bandwidth communication between the layers in a 3D stack. As the TSV scaling continues, splitting the computation onto multiple strata becomes possible at a finer grain (such as processor core, functional unit or macro level).
However, splitting logic onto multiple silicon layers presents various challenges such as: Thermal problems due to increased power density; Timing and functionality problems—as a result of process variability among different dies; Yield problems, since any faulty layer in the stack is likely to impact the functionality of the entire stack in fine-grain logic stacking. | {
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In many components that contain elastomeric elements, it can be difficult to inspect parts because of their installation location and/or their assembly layout. In particular, in configurations where layers of elastomeric material are arranged between shims or partitions and/or are located in small areas of the component, there is often a further practical difficulty in inspecting such layers. Furthermore, even where inspection is possible for portions of an elastomeric element, in some cases it is also difficult to know whether the condition of the inspected portion is representative of the condition of the component as a whole since predicting where the damage of the elastomer will initiate first depends on the working conditions of the parts and on the strain and stress level distributions.
As a result, it would be advantageous for components that contain elastomeric elements to be configured such that the condition of the elastomeric elements could be easily inspected, thereby allowing the amount of degradation or damage experienced by the components to be readily identified, which can enable users of the components to more accurately estimate when the components will need to be repaired and/or replaced. | {
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It is often desirable to embed various data in an image, audio, or video file. In some instances, the embedded data may comprise a digital watermark. A digital watermark may comprise a pattern of bits inserted into a digital image, audio, or video file. The watermark may comprise copyright information, such as author, rights, etc. The watermark may serve to provide copy protection for intellectual property that is in a digital format. Unlike printed watermarks, for example imprinted on stationary, digital watermarks may be designed to be as invisible as practicable, or in the case of an audio file as inaudible as practicable. Watermarks are merely one example of data that may be embedded in a digital object. | {
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Cross Reference to a Related Application
A related application entitled PRECURSORS FOR BORON NITRIDE CERAMICS, U.S. Ser. No. 07/312,881 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,779 issued Nov. 20, 1990, to Paine, et al., the specification thereof is incorporated herein by reference. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to an electrically-operated heat exchanger release mechanism, and more particularly, to a memory metal apparatus for providing a high engagement force between a heat exchanger and a central processing unit (CPU) while facilitating insertion and withdrawal of a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of Related Art
It is common knowledge that CMOS integrated circuits can be chilled to sub-zero temperatures, thus creating an environment that allows higher operating frequencies. A common method of effectively chilling a CPU is to hold a heat exchanger (HEX) in intimate contact with the CPU's heated surface. One means of biasing the two surfaces together is to provide appropriate spring action. However, the best heat transfer is achieved when the spring pressure is high.
Further, a system PCB can normally be inserted and withdrawn from a card cage merely by pushing or pulling. Any other method of inserting or withdrawing the PCB is highly objectionable, especially if a tool is required. In most designs, the CPU is part of a PCB assembly. It is thus necessary to engage/disengage a CPU with/from its heat exchanger when the system PCB is inserted or withdrawn.
It should therefore be apparent that there are two conflicting requirements. First, optimum heat transfer is achieved when the spring pressure is high. Secondly, it is desirable to insert and withdraw the PCB from a card cage merely by pushing or pulling. Nevertheless, a high spring pressure between the CPU surface and the heat exchanger does not facilitate PCB insertion and withdrawal. On the contrary, the required high spring pressure makes it difficult to insert or withdraw the PCB. Furthermore, reducing spring pressure to ease insertion and withdrawal compromises heat transfer characteristics.
Accordingly, mechanisms have been designed to solve this dilemma. However, prior designs have exhibited disadvantages that make them undesirable. They are generally bulky, require manual operation to secure and release, easily broken, difficult to repair, and thus become stuck and are usually expensive.
It can be seen then that there is a need for providing the necessary high spring force while still facilitating insertion and withdrawal of the PCB.
It can also be seen that there is a need for a means for maximizing cooling while simultaneously facilitating insertion and withdrawal of the PCB without the use of tools. | {
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Certain exemplary embodiments address the problem in a dual web-site operation, for example, where access to a web application (which may or may not be provided by a second party) is made available for service delivery to a user through a service provider web portal (which may or may not be provided by a third party), for example, where the web portal enables single sign-on (SSO).
FIG. 1 shows a conventional communications network for providing user 10 access, via browser 12 and internet 14, to an application (e.g. App1, App2, App3) on back-end servers (BES) 28. Browser 12 connects via internet 14 to network switch 16, for example a Cisco ACE which provides standard functions such as load balancing and address translation. Network switch 16 is in communication with web server 40, for example a SunOne server hosting SiteMinder single sign-on web agent for a web portal. Web server 40 is connected to policy server 42 and application server 50 hosting a web portal.
In order to be able to use conventional single sign-on to access an application running on back-end servers (BES) 28, user 10 first has to be authenticated by signing-on to web portal 50 via web server 40. To allow access to an application e.g., App1 running on BES 28, following a successful sign-on, portal web server 40 displays on browser 12 a list of applications accessible by the authenticated signed-on user. Only those applications which the user is authorized to access are displayed to the user on browser 12 by the web portal on application server 50, through web server 40. A domain name server (DNS), not shown, is included in internet 14. With the single sign-on system of FIG. 1, all applications (e.g. App1, App2, App3) running on BES 28 share a single domain name server (DNS) record (e.g.: sso.<Portal DNS>). When the user, signed-on with the web portal via server 40, selects a prompt displayed on the web page displayed in browser 12 for one of the applications running on BES 28, browser 12 opens a new window and generates a request, including a URL associated in the DNS with a public IP address of portal web server 40. On receiving the request, the single sign-on web agent on portal web server 40 authenticates user 10 and, following successful authentication, portal web server 40 forwards the request to single sign-on proxy 18. Single sign-on proxy 18 is responsible, with reference to portal database 32, for authorizing requests from user 10 for access to the applications on BES 28 and is responsible for proxying user requests to BES 28.
The specific application on BES 28 that is the subject of the request is determined from the context path (comprised in the request URL). Requesting user 10 is identified from a HTTP header “SM_USER”, which is injected in the request by the single sign-on web agent on web server 40. Any other information necessary for user authorization is either supplied in the request or is obtained from portal database 32 and the user's authorization to access the requested application is validated accordingly.
If the single sign-on web agent on web server 40 authenticates—and single sign-on proxy 18 authorizes—the user to access the requested application, the user request is proxied by single sign-on proxy 18 to BES 28 in conventional manner using the Apache httpclient library. For access to applications via single sign-on, proxy 18 is responsible for sending to BES 28, in a HTTP header, any information required for authentication and authorization of requesting user 10. The response from BES 28 to the user request is processed by the single sign-on web agent on proxy web server 40 to remove any references identifying an application on BES 28, such as IP address, DNS entry and port number—so that any further requests from browser 12, to access a resource on BES 28 are addressed to single sign-on web agent on web server 40, rather than directly to BES 28. Having been suitably processed on single sign-on proxy 18, the response from BES 28 follows the return path to browser 12 via web server 40.
The conventional access system of FIG. 1 has a number of disadvantages. The performance is limited due to the inefficient authorization and communication with the back end system. The logic to authorize the request is quite complex, as identifying the application from the context in the request is complicated, requiring a lot of bespoke coding to handle the request and response when it passes through single sign-on proxy 18.
Simultaneous requests require additional threads to be created on single sign-on proxy 18. Therefore, the number of users is limited by the number of simultaneous threads the single sign-on proxy 18 can handle. The number of threads has a practical limit, as allowing a high number of threads can cause an adverse impact on the performance of the SSO proxy application server 18. The conventional access system does not support desirable features such as load balancing, support for fail-over and connection monitoring.
Certain exemplary embodiments improve upon known methods and computer networks for providing access to web applications as part of a web portal session. This is achieved, according to a first aspect, through a computer network, comprising: first and second traffic managers connected via an intermediate web server. The first traffic manager comprises interface means for receiving from the user, as part of the portal session, a request for access to the web application and for passing the request to the intermediate web server; for forwarding to the second traffic manager. The second traffic manager comprises interface means for receiving the request from the first traffic manager via the intermediate web server and for passing the received request to the web application.
The computer network advantageously achieves efficient portal session validation together with distribution of the workload between the components (i.e.: the two traffic managers and intermediate web server).
According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of validating a user as part of a web portal session. The method includes receiving from a web browser a request for access to the web application; in which the request comprises a web portal session cookie. The method includes detecting, at a first traffic manager, the web portal session cookie provided in the request and; when a web portal session cookie has been detected, checking the request for a cookie generated by the first traffic manager indicating authorization of the user to access the application. When the cookie generated by the first traffic manager is found in the request, forwarding the request via an intermediate web server to a second traffic manager; which forwards the request to the application.
According to a further aspect, on detecting a first request, the first traffic manager forwards the request to the intermediate web server for authentication and authorization, to ensure the session is valid. In order to avoid having to re-validate the session again on subsequent requests, the first traffic manager inserts special cookies in the response to the first request. These special cookies are repeated in subsequent requests issued by the same user for access to the same application in the same portal session. The presence of these special cookies in subsequent requests allows the first traffic manger to omit further validation steps.
According to a further aspect, the second traffic manager forwards the request to the application along with information provided from a database via the intermediate web server identifying the application.
According to a further aspect, the first traffic manager does not need to do any processing to ensure a session is kept alive; as this function is handled by the intermediate web server. On 1 receipt of a request from the first network traffic manager, the intermediate web server validates the portal session and keeps the portal session alive before forwarding the request.
According to a further aspect, one or more cookies generated by the application are name-spaced in which each name space corresponds to a different virtual server running on the first traffic manager. This name-spacing facilitates avoiding a clash between the names of cookies set by the back-end servers and those set by the web portal or the traffic managers.
An aspect of certain exemplary embodiments relates to a computer readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable storage medium) storing processor executable instructions for causing the methods described herein to be carried out when run on a general purpose computer. | {
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This invention relates to portable handheld computing devices, such as handheld personal computers (H/PCs). More particularly, this invention relates to an external notification system for handheld computing devices.
Small, handheld computing devices have been steadily growing in popularity in recent years. The devices go by different names, including palmtops, pocket computers, personal digital assistants, personal organizers, and the like. This disclosure is primarily directed to a class of computing devices referred to as handheld personal computers, or xe2x80x9cH/PCsxe2x80x9d, although aspects of this invention can be implemented other types of handheld computing devices.
H/PCs are small, pocket-sized devices having an LCD (liquid crystal display) with a touch-sensitive screen, a stylus to enter data through the screen, and an input device such as a keypad or miniature QWERTY keyboard. H/PCs have a microprocessor, memory, and are capable of running an operating system and one or more applications on the operating system. Microsoft Corporation recently released the Windows(copyright) CE operating system for use on H/PCs, which is a scaled-down version of its popular Windows(copyright) operating systems manufactured for personal computers.
One of the most desirable characteristics of H/PCs is their portability. The compact, portable H/PCs provide a user with real computer-like applicationsxe2x80x94such as email, PIM (personal information management), Internet browser, spreadsheet, word processing. A traveling user can receive email messages, schedule meetings or appointments, and browse the Internet from the H/PC.
Some handheld computing devices can notify a user of a scheduled event, if they are turned on. The device plays an alarm sound, or pops-up a dialog box, to alert the user of the event. However, many handheld computing devices have no means of notifying a user when they are turned off, which is normally the case to conserve power. While some handheld computing devices might be configured to wake up and sound an alarm, such devices typically time out the alarm after a short period. As a result, the user can miss the alarm because it terminates before being noticed. In addition, audio alarms may, on occasions, be too faint for the surrounding environment (e.g., an alarm might be overpowered by noise in an airplane flight) or not sufficiently strong to command a user""s attention when the user is not immediately next to the device.
It would be advantageous to develop a notification system for handheld computing devices, such as H/PCs, that notifies a user when an event occurs regardless of whether the device is on or off, open or closed, pocketed, or docked, and which remains active until the user acknowledges it. It would also be advantageous to develop a notification system that provides a lasting external notification to the user, rather than a short-run alarm or a pop-up box that is not externally visible.
This invention concerns a portable handheld computing device having a notification system that alerts a user of an event regardless of whether the device is on or off, open or closed, pocketed, or docked. The notification system has a notification mechanism that is activated upon occurrence of the event and remains active until the user acknowledges the activated mechanism.
According to an aspect of this invention, the notification mechanism is a light emitting diode (LED) that is (by user option) turned on by the notification system when an event occurs. The LED remains activated until the user takes action to handle the event.
According to another aspect of this invention, the LED is mounted externally on the handheld computing device. More particularly, the handheld device has a casing with a lid and a base. The LED is mounted on the lid""s upper surface and wraps around to one of the end surfaces of the lid. In this manner, the LED is visible to the user when the lid is closed onto the base (i.e., the device is off) or when the lid is open (i.e., the device is on).
According to another aspect of this invention, the notification mechanism also has a deactivation button mounted externally of the handheld computing device. The user depresses the deactivation button to deactivate the LED (as well as any other external signals that may be used). In one implementation, the LED and deactivation button are integrated as a single component mounted on the device lid.
According to yet another aspect of this invention, a notification program runs on the handheld computing device and is callable by an application to help schedule events. The notification program sets timers with the system clock, which is always on even when the handheld computer is turned off. When a timer expires, the system clock sends an interrupt to the notification program to wake up the notification program so that it can turn on the LED. The LED is coupled to power so that it can remain on and the notification program can go back asleep. The LED continues emitting light until the user notices and presses the deactivation button.
According to another aspect, the notification program places a taskbar annunciator in the taskbar of an operating graphical user interface window when an event is realized. After depressing the deactivation button in recognition of the LED, the user can actuate the taskbar annunciator with a stylus or other means and jump directly to the source of the event. For instance, actuating the taskbar annunciator might open a window that describes an appointment, which is the root of the event.
According to another aspect, the notification program supports a graphical user interface that enables a user to set notification options specifying how external notification is to operate. For instance, the user might prefer a flashing light in combination with an alarm. The user can set these options through the user interface. The options are saved in a structure that is accessed when a user notification is set.
According to still another aspect, the notification program is called by the applications on the handheld computing device through an application program interface (API). The API defines a time parameter that specifies when the user notification should occur and a type parameter that references the structure containing the user-defined notification options. | {
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1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an image projection apparatus for magnifying and projecting a generated image to the outside.
2. Background
Image projection apparatuses for magnifying and projection a generated image are known. However, they suffer from various disadvantages. | {
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There are a wide variety of situations in which it is desirable to lift, compress or otherwise reposition normal or aberrant tissues or anatomical structures (e.g., glands, organs, ligaments, tendons, muscles, tumors, cysts, fat pads, and the like) within the body of a human or animal subject. Such procedures are often carried out for the purpose of treating or palliating the effects of diseases or disorders (e.g., hyperplasic conditions, hypertrophic conditions, neoplasias, prolapses, herniations, stenoses, constrictions, compressions, transpositions, congenital malformations, and the like) and/or for cosmetic purposes (e.g., face lifts, breast lifts, brow lifts, and the like) and/or for research and development purposes (e.g., to create animal models that mimic various pathological conditions). In many of these procedures, surgical incisions are made in the body, and laborious surgical dissection is performed to access and expose the affected tissues or anatomical structures. Thereafter, in some cases, the affected tissues or anatomical structures are removed or excised. In other cases, various natural or man-made materials are used to lift, sling, reposition or compress the affected tissues.
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH):
One example of a condition where it is desirable to lift, compress or otherwise remove a pathologically enlarged tissue is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is one of the most common medical conditions that affects men, especially elderly men. It has been reported that, in the United States, more than half of all men have histopathologic evidence of BPH by age 60 and, by age 85, approximately 9 out of 10 men suffer from the condition. Moreover, the incidence and prevalence of BPH is expected to increase as the average age of the population increases in developed countries.
The prostate gland enlarges throughout a man's life. In some men, the prostatic capsule around the prostate gland may prevent the prostate gland from enlarging further. This causes the inner region of the prostate gland to squeeze the urethra. This pressure on the urethra increases resistance to urine flow through the region of the urethra enclosed by the prostate. Thus, the urinary bladder has to exert more pressure to force urine through the increased resistance of the urethra. Chronic over-exertion causes the muscular walls of the urinary bladder to remodel and become stiffer. This combination of increased urethral resistance to urine flow and stiffness and hypertrophy of urinary bladder walls leads to a variety of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that may severely reduce the patient's quality of life. These symptoms include weak or intermittent urine flow while urinating, straining when urinating, hesitation before urine flow starts, feeling that the bladder has not emptied completely even after urination, dribbling at the end of urination or leakage afterward, increased frequency of urination particularly at night, urgent need to urinate, and the like.
In addition to patients with BPH, LUTS may also be present in patients with prostate cancer, prostate infections, and chronic use of certain medications (e.g. ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, and the like) that cause urinary retention especially in men with prostate enlargement.
Although BPH is rarely life threatening, it can lead to numerous clinical conditions including urinary retention, renal insufficiency, recurrent urinary tract infection, incontinence, hematuria, and bladder stones.
In developed countries, a large percentage of the patient population undergoes treatment for BPH symptoms. It has been estimated that by the age of 80 years, approximately 25% of the male population of the United States will have undergone some form of BPH treatment. At present, the available treatment options for BPH include watchful waiting, medications (phytotherapy and prescription medications), surgery and minimally invasive procedures.
For patients who choose the watchful waiting option, no immediate treatment is provided to the patient, but the patient undergoes regular exams to monitor progression of the disease. This is usually done on patients that have minimal symptoms that are not especially bothersome.
Medications for treating BPH symptoms include phytotherapy and prescription medications. In phytotherapy, plant products such as Saw Palmetto, African Pygeum, Serenoa Repens (sago palm) and South African star grass are administered to the patient. Prescription medications are prescribed as first line therapy in patients with symptoms that are interfering with their daily activities. Two main classes of prescription medications are alpha-1 a-adrenergic receptors blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. Alpha-1 a-adrenergic receptors blockers block the activity of alpha-1 a-adrenergic receptors that are responsible for causing constriction of smooth muscle cells in the prostate. Thus, blocking the activity of alpha-1 a-adrenergic receptors causes prostatic smooth muscle relaxation. This, in turn, reduces urethral resistance thereby reducing the severity of the symptoms. 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors block the conversion of testosterone to di-hydro-testosterone. Di-hydro-testosterone causes growth of epithelial cells in the prostate gland. Thus, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors cause regression of epithelial cells in the prostate gland and, hence, reduce the volume of the prostate gland, which in turn reduces the severity of the symptoms.
Surgical procedures for treating BPH symptoms include Transurethal Resection of Prostate (TURP), Transurethral Electrovaporization of Prostate (TVP), Transurethral Incision of the Prostate (TUIP), Laser Prostatectomy and Open Prostatectomy.
Transurethal Resection of Prostate (TURP) is the most commonly practiced surgical procedure implemented for the treatment of BPH. In this procedure, prostatic urethral obstruction is reduced by removing most of the prostatic urethra and a sizeable volume of the surrounding prostate gland. This is carried out under general or spinal anesthesia. In this procedure, a urologist visualizes the urethra by inserting a resectoscope, that houses an optical lens in communication with a video camera, into the urethra such that the distal region of the resectoscope is in the region of the urethra surrounded by the prostate gland. The distal region of the resectoscope consists of an electric cutting loop that can cut prostatic tissue when an electric current is applied to the device. An electric return pad is placed on the patient to close the cutting circuit. The electric cutting loop is used to scrape away tissue from the inside of the prostate gland. The tissue that is scraped away is flushed out of the urinary system using an irrigation fluid. Using a coagulation energy setting, the loop is also used to cauterize transected vessels during the operation.
Another example of a surgical procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Transurethral Electrovaporization of the Prostate (TVP). In this procedure, a part of prostatic tissue squeezing the urethra is desiccated or vaporized. This is carried out under general or spinal anesthesia. In this procedure, a resectoscope is inserted transurethrally such that the distal region of the resectoscope is in the region of the urethra surrounded by the prostate gland. The distal region of the resectoscope consists of a rollerball or a grooved roller electrode. A controlled amount of electric current is passed through the electrode. The surrounding tissue is rapidly heated up and vaporized to create a vaporized space. Thus, the region of the urethra that is blocked by the surrounding prostate gland is opened up.
Another example of a surgical procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Transurethral Incision of the Prostate (TUIP). In this procedure, the resistance to urine flow is reduced by making one or more incisions in the prostate gland in the region where the urethra meets the urinary bladder. This procedure is performed under general or spinal anesthesia. In this procedure, one or more incisions are made in the muscle of the bladder neck, which is the region where the urethra meets the urinary bladder. The incisions are in most cases deep enough to cut the surrounding prostate gland tissue including the prostatic capsule. This releases any compression on the bladder neck and causes the bladder neck to spring apart. The incisions can be made using a resectoscope, laser beam, and the like.
Another example of a surgical procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Laser Prostatectomy. Two common techniques used for Laser Prostatectomy are Visual Laser Ablation of the Prostate (VLAP) and the Holmium Laser Resection/Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP). In VLAP, a neodymium: Yttrium-aluminum-gamet (NdYAG) laser is used to ablate tissue by causing coagulation necrosis. The procedure is performed under visual guidance. In HoLEP, a holmium: Yttrium-aluminum-gamet laser is used for direct contact ablation of tissue. Both these techniques are used to remove tissue obstructing the urethral passage to reduce the severity of BPH symptoms.
Another example of a surgical procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP). In this procedure, laser energy is used to vaporize prostatic tissue to relieve obstruction to urine flow in the urethra. The type of laser used is the lithium triborate (LBO) laser. The wavelength of this laser is highly absorbed by oxyhemoglobin. This laser vaporizes cellular water and, hence, is used to remove tissue that is obstructing the urethra.
Another example of a surgical procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Open Prostatectomy. In this procedure, the prostate gland is surgically removed by an open surgery. This is done under general anesthesia. The prostate gland is removed through an incision in the lower abdomen or the perineum. The procedure is used mostly in patients that have a large (greater than approximately 100 grams) prostate gland.
Minimally invasive procedures for treating BPH symptoms include Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT), Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA), Interstitial Laser Coagulation (ILC), and Prostatic Stents.
In Transurethral Microwave Thermotherapy (TUMT), microwave energy is used to generate heat that destroys hyperplastic prostate tissue. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia. In this procedure, a microwave antenna is inserted in the urethra. A rectal thermosensing unit is inserted into the rectum to measure rectal temperature. Rectal temperature measurements are used to prevent overheating of the anatomical region. The microwave antenna is then used to deliver microwaves to lateral lobes of the prostate gland. The microwaves are absorbed as they pass through prostate tissue. This generates heat which in turn destroys the prostate tissue. The destruction of prostate tissue reduces the degree of squeezing of the urethra by the prostate gland, thus, reducing the severity of BPH symptoms.
Another example of a minimally invasive procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Transurethral Needle Ablation (TUNA). In this procedure, heat-induced coagulation necrosis of prostate tissue regions causes the prostate gland to shrink. It is performed using local anesthetic and intravenous or oral sedation. In this procedure, a delivery catheter is inserted into the urethra. The delivery catheter comprises two radiofrequency needles that emerge at an angle of 90 degrees from the delivery catheter. The two radiofrequency needles are aligned at an angle of 40 degrees to each other so that they penetrate the lateral lobes of the prostate. A radiofrequency current is delivered through the radiofrequency needles to heat the tissue of the lateral lobes to 70-100 degree Celsius at a radiofrequency power of approximately 456 KHz for approximately 4 minutes per lesion. This creates coagulation defects in the lateral lobes. The coagulation defects cause shrinkage of prostatic tissue which in turn reduces the degree of squeezing of the urethra by the prostate gland thus reducing the severity of BPH symptoms.
Another example of a minimally invasive procedure for treating BPH symptoms is Interstitial Laser Coagulation (ILC). In this procedure, laser-induced necrosis of prostate tissue regions causes the prostate gland to shrink. It is performed using regional anesthesia, spinal or epidural anesthesia or local anesthesia (periprostatic block). In this procedure, a cystoscope sheath is inserted into the urethra, and the region of the urethra surrounded by the prostate gland is inspected. A laser fiber is inserted into the urethra. The laser fiber has a sharp distal tip to facilitate the penetration of the laser scope into prostatic tissue. The distal tip of the laser fiber has a distal-diffusing region that distributes laser energy 360° along the terminal 3 mm of the laser fiber. The distal tip is inserted into the middle lobe of the prostate gland, and laser energy is delivered through the distal tip for a desired time. This heats the middle lobe and causes laser-induced necrosis of the tissue around the distal tip. Thereafter, the distal tip is withdrawn from the middle lobe. The same procedure of inserting the distal tip into a lobe and delivering laser energy is repeated with the lateral lobes. This causes tissue necrosis in several regions of the prostate gland which, in turn, causes the prostate gland to shrink. Shrinkage of the prostate gland reduces the degree of squeezing of the urethra by the prostate, thus, reducing the severity of BPH symptoms.
Another example of a minimally invasive procedure for treating BPH symptoms is implanting Prostatic Stents. In this procedure, the region of urethra surrounded by the prostate is mechanically supported to reduce the constriction caused by an enlarged prostate. Prostatic stents are flexible devices that are expanded after their insertion in the urethra. They mechanically support the urethra by pushing the obstructing prostatic tissue away from the urethra. This reduces the constriction of the urethra and improves urine flow past the prostate gland thereby reducing the severity of BPH symptoms.
Although existing treatments provide some relief to the patient from symptoms of BPH, they have disadvantages. Alpha-1 a-adrenergic receptors blockers have side effects such as dizziness, postural hypotension, lightheadedness, asthenia and nasal stuffiness. Retrograde ejaculation can also occur. 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors have minimal side effects, but only have a modest effect on BPH symptoms and the flow rate of urine. In addition, anti-androgens, such as 5-alpha-reductase, require months of therapy before LUTS improvements are observed. Surgical treatments of BPH carry a risk of complications including erectile dysfunction; retrograde ejaculation; urinary incontinence; complications related to anesthesia; damage to the penis or urethra; need for a repeat surgery; and the like. Even TURP, which is the gold standard in treatment of BPH, carries a high risk of complications. Adverse events associated with this procedure are reported to include retrograde ejaculation (65% of patients), post-operative irritation (15%), erectile dysfunction (10%), need for transfusion (8%), bladder neck constriction (7%), infection (6%), significant hematuria (6%), acute urinary retention (5%), need for secondary procedure (5%), and incontinence (3%). Typical recovery from TURP involves several days of inpatient hospital treatment with an indwelling urethral catheter, followed by several weeks in which obstructive symptoms are relieved, but there is pain or discomfort during micturition.
The reduction in the symptom score after minimally invasive procedures is not as large as the reduction in symptom score after TURP. Up to 25% of patients who receive these minimally invasive procedures ultimately undergo a TURP within 2 years. The improvement in the symptom score generally does not occur immediately after the procedure. For example, it takes an average of one month for a patient to notice improvement in symptoms after TUMT and 1.5 months to notice improvement after ILC. In fact, symptoms are typically worse for these therapies that heat or cook tissue, because of the swelling and necrosis that occurs in the initial weeks following the procedures. Prostatic stents often offer more immediate relief from obstruction but are now rarely used because of high adverse effect rates. Stents have the risk of migration from the original implant site (up to 12.5% of patients), encrustation (up to 27.5%), incontinence (up to 3%), and recurrent pain and discomfort. In published studies, these adverse effects necessitated 8% to 47% of stents to be explanted. Overgrowth of tissue through the stent and complex stent geometries has made their removal quite difficult and invasive.
Thus, the most effective current methods of treating BPH carry a high risk of adverse effects. These methods and devices either require general or spinal anesthesia or have potential adverse effects that dictate that the procedures be performed in a surgical operating room, followed by a hospital stay for the patient. The methods of treating BPH that carry a lower risk of adverse effects are also associated with a lower reduction in the symptom score. While several of these procedures can be conducted with local analgesia in an office setting, the patient does not experience immediate relief and, in fact, often experiences worse symptoms for weeks after the procedure until the body begins to heal. Additionally, all device approaches require a urethral catheter placed in the bladder, and in some cases for weeks. In some cases, catheterization is indicated because the therapy actually causes obstruction during a period of time post operatively, and in other cases it is indicated because of post-operative bleeding and potentially occlusive clot formation. While drug therapies are easy to administer, the results are suboptimal, take significant time to take effect, and often entail undesired side effects.
Cosmetic or Reconstructive Tissue Lifting and Repositioning:
Many cosmetic or reconstructive surgical procedures involve lifting, compressing or repositioning of natural tissue, natural tissue or artificial grafts, or aberrant tissue. For example, surgical procedures such as face lifts, brow lifts, neck lifts, tummy tucks, and the like, have become commonplace. In many cases, these procedures are performed by creating incisions through the skin, dissecting to a plane beneath muscles and fascia, freeing the muscles, fascia and overlying skin from underlying structures (e.g., bone or other muscles), lifting or repositioning the freed muscles, fascia and overlying skin, and then attaching the repositioned tissues to underlying or nearby structures (e.g., bone, periostium, or other muscles) to hold the repositioned tissues in their new (e.g., lifted) position. In some cases, excess skin may also be removed during the procedure.
There have been attempts to develop minimally invasive devices and methods for cosmetic lifting and repositioning of tissues. For example, connector suspension lifts have been developed where one end of a standard or modified connector thread is attached to muscle and the other end is anchored to bone, periostium or another structure to lift and reposition the tissues as desired. Some of these connector suspension techniques have been performed through cannulas or needles inserted though relatively small incisions of puncture wounds.
There remains a need for the development of a suture lock or a suture anchor for use in various contemplated applications. In particular, there is a need for an anchor which can be easily configured to lockingly engage suture once access to an interventional site is achieved. The disclosed embodiments address these and other needs. | {
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Art and photography is used to decorate the walls of homes and public places. Art comes in many styles and colors and tends to be created by painting, drawing, placing, and/or printing colors, shapes, and/or designs on a medium, such as glass, canvas, wood, metal, film and/or paper. Unlike digital displays, once an image is painted, printed, or created on a medium, that image is fixed. Thus, once installed on a wall of a home or public place, the image cannot be changed unless it is repainted, reprinted, physically modified or moved in some way. To display a new piece of art in the same place, the existing piece would need to be taken down with the new piece installed in its place. This is difficult when art is hung in large and possibly heavy frames, making movement, repositioning, or replacement of the same impractical. Thus, there is no means currently to change the pictures, posters, paintings, and photographs on the wall like one can change the songs on their iPod or change the program on their TV.
Additionally, there is no TV, computer, or mobile device, or system for display, which allows a user to easily manipulate and interact with art, photography, decorations, posters, applications, social media, visual lifestyle media, over-the-top content, MSO content, and any other types of content onto an internet cloud ecosystem powered elegant thin framed display, where the user can self-adjust every element of the experience.
Televisions, computer monitors, and other digital display devices are adapted to present digital images, which can include images of artwork, photography, and other images. However, such devices are heavy, cumbersome, thick, difficult to install, hard to use and not flexible with regard to their orientation and interaction with digital content. Additionally, they generally have fixed orientations, include sound functions or capabilities, lack a fine frame, contain controls and buttons, include power supplies, have onboard processors, and contain many additional features that prevent them from serving as thin displays that can present digital art or other visual and/or audio content in an elegant, unobtrusive, and refined manner. Furthermore, the televisions, computer monitors, and other digital display devices require direct connection to high voltage power making them difficult, expensive, and inflexible to use and install. | {
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The invention relates to a storage case for a pluraltiy of record carrier discs, in particular optical discs, comprising a housing with superposed plate-shaped tray bodies. Each tray body has a supporting surface for supporting one of the discs and for moving the discs into or out of the housing is separately pivotable about a pivotal axis which is oriented transversely of the supporting. The housing has side walls and partitions which extend parallel to the supporting surfaces, each partition having a free edge and being adapted to guide and support the tray bodies when the bodies are situated at least partly inside the housing.
Such a storage case is known from European Patent Application No. 0,212,244 (herewith incorporated by reference). The known storage case has a rectangular housing comprising six tray bodies each having a supporting surface for an optical disc. The housing has two open side walls, two adjoining substantially imperforate straight side walls, as a top wall and a bottom wall. One of the side walls carries a pivoting device comprising a pivoting spindle about which the tray bodies can be pivoted parallel to their supporting surfaces to move optical discs into or out of the case. On their inner sides the two imperforate side walls are provided with comparatively narrow thin partitions disposed in five planes which extend parallel to the top wall and the bottom wall and which together with the top wall and the bottom wall form six compartments adapted to receive said six tray bodies. The case has been designed for the storage of optical discs having an outer diameter of 120 mm, referred to as Compact Discs (CDs or CDVs), and is adapted to cooperate with a suitable disc changer, or which an example is shown in said Euorpean Patent Application.
Until recently the above-mentioned Compact Disc was the only type of optical disc carrying audio information. However, recently it has been announced that a smaller version of the Compact Disc will be marketed, which verison has a smaller outer diameter than the normal CD. The new type of Compact Disc, also referred to as CD-single or mini CD, has an outer diameter of 80 mm. As a result of the introduction of the CD-single the problem arises that the smaller optical disc cannot be stored in the known storage case. An obvious solution to this problem would be to scale down the storage case in such a way that it is capable of storing the smaller optical discs. However, a drawback of this is that such a storage case is not compatible with the known commercially available disc changer. An alternative solution, i.e. to maintain the outer dimensions of the known storage case but to widen the partitions, the disadvantage that the partitions become so wide that they lose their rigidity and therefore do not constitute reliable guides for the tray bodies. Moreover, wide partitions are less attractive for production reasons. This is because the partitions are manufactured in an injection moulding apparatus, where it is important that the heat can be discharged rapidly after the partitions have been moulded. In the case of broad partitions, however, problems may arise with respect to the removal of heat, which may lead to long cycle times. Moreover, an irregular heat transfer may give rise to dimensional deviations. | {
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Non-fixed medical tools are used for a variety of critical health procedures and require a highly reliable power management system to prevent power failure. Medical systems traditionally transmit signals to connect with non-fixed medical tools and to receive a constant and reliable power source to the non-fixed tool over a fixed wire or cable. These non-fixed wired systems and tools employed a fixed wire connection to receive a constant reliable source of power. The advancement of short-range radio technology now affords medical tool manufacturers the ability to create non-fixed tools without the need for a fixed physical cable. For example, non-fixed tools meeting or complying with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11g, IrDA (infrared data), and Ericsson Bluetooth™ specifications provide short-range radio technology to enable wireless communications.
Current non-fixed wireless tools, however, do not include a fixed continuous reliable power source. Instead, the tools rely on a portable battery power source, typically with a finite life of about three to four hours, for operation when active. Thus, if the battery is not charged or properly recharged, it could fail (i.e. run out of charge) during a procedure. Due to the critical health support requirements for these medical tools and the potential consequences of a power failure in such equipment, the tools therefore require a highly reliable battery power management system.
These battery-operated wireless tools, when used under normal operation, are exposed to functional issues. One example of a functional issue is that manufacturers of medical tools seek to create tools that are as small and light as possible for use in specific medical procedures, especially in ENT procedures. On the other hand, the battery-operated wireless tool must maintain power as long as possible, which requires the application of a larger-sized battery.
Another example of a functional issue is providing wireless location indication at all times to the user. During a surgical or medical procedure, a physician may use numerous wireless tools, but will not use all of those tools for the entirety of the procedure. Instead, a physician typically uses a battery-operated wireless tool for a specific period of time and then puts it aside and uses other wireless tools for other portions of the procedure, and may use the battery-operated wireless tool again at a later period. Thus, battery-operated wireless tools that are not in use by the physician for a period of time during the procedure are still on and constantly providing an indication of the tool's location and/or status. This poses a particular challenge for power management, since the battery of the battery-operated wireless tool has a finite life and power is constantly decreasing as the tool is on and providing the tool's location, even during non-use. Moreover, physicians are not interested in location indication of wireless tools that are set aside during a procedure; instead, physicians prefer location indication of the tool that they are currently using.
Thus, it would be advantageous to offer a system that extends the battery life of a battery-operated wireless tool by switching on the wireless tool when location frequencies are detected, and subsequently invoking a low-powered hibernation or other power saving mode when location frequencies are not detected to ensure proper and extended wireless tool operation during procedures. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of controlling a printing system that is arranged to process a sequence of media sheets and is operable with a finite number of different settings, the method comprising a step of calculating a time to finish that will be needed for processing the sequence.
2. Background of the Invention
A printing system typically comprises a number of functional components, e.g. one or more print stations and a media management system for timely supplying media sheets, which may be of different types and have different properties, to the print station and for discharging the printed sheets. Some of these components may be capable of operating in different modes which are determined by corresponding setting parameters. For example, the media management system may be set to operate in either a simplex mode or a duplex mode, and/or different colour modes may be available for printing in black only, in a multicolour mode or a full colour mode. When a fuse station is used for fixing an image on the media sheets, different modes of operation may also be distinguished by different operation temperatures to which the fuse station has been set. Depending on settings, different conveying speeds of the media sheets may need to be selected.
US 2002135792 A1 describes a printing system which is capable of calculating and displaying to the user a “time to finish” for a print job that has been entered, so that the user will know in a advance how long she has to wait until her job will be completed. The time to finish is composed of print times which are needed for printing an image on an individual sheet, and of necessary inter-sheet time gaps, i.e. time intervals that separate the end of a print operation for one page from the start of a print operation for the next page. The print times are generally determined by the operating speed of the print station (or stations) and possibly also by the specific contents of the images to be printed. The inter-sheet time gaps must have a certain length in order to prevent the successive sheets from colliding with one another. More extended time gaps may be needed for example when the sheet transport path includes switches for directing the sheets to different destinations. In that case, a time gap of a certain length is necessary for operating the switch after the previous sheet has passed and before the next sheet arrives. Similarly, when the sequence of sheets includes two or more different media types which require specific adjustments of certain functional components, e.g. an adjustment of a print heat or print station, extended time gaps may be needed for making the necessary adjustments. Such extended times may also be referred to as setup times and transition times for transiting between different operational modes.
Naturally, the time to finish will depend upon the mode of operation to which the printing system has been set for processing the job. For example, printing in a duplex mode may take more time than printing in a simplex mode. Conversely, when a higher operating temperature is set for the fuse station, the sheets may pass the fuse station at a higher speed, so that the time to finish will be shortened. On the other hand, if the scheduled sequence of sheets includes a sheet of a media type that does not tolerate the high fuse temperature, a long inter-sheet time gap may be needed in order to adjust the fuse temperature for this sheet. When such events occur relatively frequently in the scheduled sequence, it may be more efficient to leave the fuse station always in a low temperature mode.
US 2010110483 A1 discloses a printing system which can be switched between a simplex mode and an interleaved duplex mode. When the system is in the duplex mode and then a number of simplex copies have to be made, a choice between different possible strategies has to be made. According to one strategy, the duplex loop is emptied first, and then the system is switched to the simplex mode. According to another strategy, the machine is left in the duplex mode and some of the simplex copies are allowed to pass idly through the duplex loop. The cited document proposes an algorithm for minimizing the time to finish for the mixed sequence of simplex and duplex copies.
US 2007/177189 A1 discloses a printing system capable of processing a plurality of job streams and sub-jobs within a stream, wherein a job scheduler determines a schedule for processing queued print sub-jobs of a job stream using a utility function which may aim at optimizing productivity. | {
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Networks and distributed storage allow data and storage space to be shared between devices located anywhere a connection is available. These implementations may range from a single machine offering a shared drive over a home network to an enterprise-class cloud storage array with multiple copies of data distributed throughout the world. Larger implementations may incorporate Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, Storage Area Network (SAN) devices, and other configurations of storage elements and controllers in order to provide data and manage its flow. Improvements in distributed storage have given rise to a cycle where applications demand increasing amounts of data delivered with reduced latency, greater reliability, and greater throughput. Building out a storage architecture to meet these expectations enables the next generation of applications, which is expected to bring even greater demand.
In order to provide storage solutions that meet a customer's needs and budget, it is not sufficient to blindly add hardware. Instead, it is increasingly beneficial to seek out and reduce bottlenecks, limitations in one aspect of a system that prevent other aspects from operating at their full potential. For example, an administrator may desire to know whether adding additional storage devices to a storage system will improve performance or whether moving data sets between devices can deliver the same benefits without adding hardware. An administrator may also want to know how much of a performance impact to expect if another application is hosted on a storage system. As another example, as costs of solid-state devices have come down, administrators are being asked to identify data that should be transitioned from magnetic hard disk drives to solid-state devices in order to maximize performance.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved performance tracking and analysis techniques capable of providing a more accurate assessment of performance under real-world conditions. In particular, systems and methods for comparing storage system performance against realistic performance benchmarks may provide a more comprehensive picture that enables administrators to reduce bottlenecks and to improve data access speeds. Thus, while existing techniques for storage system benchmarking have been generally adequate, the techniques described herein provide improved accuracy and efficiency. | {
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Legacy policy management systems generate network policies based on static network policies. Static network policies are generally defined by network operators to satisfy business and network objectives. With the growth of broadband services, static policies may be insufficient to manage communication networks. | {
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Read only memories (ROMs) typically serve as a nonvolatile source of data storage. Volatile memory devices, such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) and static random access memories (SRAMs) can store data, but once power is removed from such devices, the data is lost. In contrast, nonvolatile memory devices, such as ROMs, electrically programmable ROMs (EPROMs), and electrically erasable and programmable ROMs (EEPROMs) retain data in the absence of power. Many volatile memory devices sense the logic stored within a memory cell by detecting a change in voltage. For example, in the case of DRAMs, a charge is placed on a bit line to create a difference in voltage between the bit line and a reference voltage. In the case of SRAMs, an SRAM cell often includes circuitry for pulling a bit line to a higher or lower potential. In contrast, many nonvolatile memory devices sense memory cell stored logic by detecting current values. In the case of many EPROMs and EEPROMs, a programmed memory cell (typically logic "0") will draw negligible current, while an erased memory cell (typically logic "1") will draw a relatively large amount of current.
Nonvolatile memory devices commonly include an architecture in which memory addresses are applied to access a particular set of data. As in the case of most every other memory device, an important aspect to consider in the selection of such devices is the speed at which data can be read. Data is typically stored within thousands or millions of memory cells packed within a single device. Because of this, the data signal provided by an individual memory cell is typically a very small voltage or current signal. Because of this, a nonvolatile memory device includes sense amplifier circuits, for sensing the logic value of the memory cell signal, and amplifying the signal.
As noted above, in the case of EPROMs and EEPROMs, the memory cell signal is often a current signal. This arises out of the fact that many EPROMs and EEPROMs employ memory cells having floating gates that are used to alter the threshold voltage of an insulated gate field effect transistor structure. If the memory cell is programmed, the floating gate is charged, and when its respective transistor is accessed, the threshold voltage of the cell will be higher than the applied control gate voltage, that the cell will draw no (or negligible) current, establishing a logic "0." If the memory cell is not programmed (or in the case of an EEPROM, erased), the cell will draw current when accessed, thereby establishing a logic "1".
In addition to speed, another important concern in the design and manufacture of nonvolatile memory devices is that of yield and reliability. Yield refers to the number of functional devices that are produced at a given point in a manufacturing process. Because semiconductor memory devices are fabricated on silicon wafers as a number of individual die, yield is often referred to as the number of "good" die per wafer. It is noted however, the yield can also refer to "back-end" portions of the manufacturing process in which individual dies are placed in packages and subjected to other process steps, such as "burn-in." Reliability refers to the ability of the memory device to operate without failing over time. Therefore, although a device may appear fully functional, over time the device may fail.
Yield is important in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, as the process used in manufacturing nonvolatile devices, such as EPROMs and EEPROMs, can include manufacturing steps (for example those steps required to fabricate the memory cell) above and beyond those of conventional logic devices. Thus, there may be a greater chance that defects will be introduced during these process steps.
Reliability of EPROMs and EEPROMs is important, because nonvolatile memory devices are typically used to store important system information. In the event the EPROM or EEPROM is defective, incorrect data will be output by the nonvolatile memory device, resulting in erroneous performance of a system. As one example, EPROMs, and increasingly, EEPROMs are used to store the basic input-output system (BIOS) in personal computer systems. In the event this information is corrupted, the personal computer can malfunction. As another example, EEPROMs are also being employed as elements in mass storage elements devices, such as "solid state" disks. In the event an EEPROM within such a device fails, data errors will occur. There are reliability issues particular to EEPROMs, as well. The performance of EEPROM memory cells may degrade each time the memory cell is cycled through a program and erase operation. The reliability of an EPROM or EEPROM is thus often referred to in terms of "cycles."
Because many EPROMs and EEPROMs include sense amplifiers which sense current signals, defects resulting in the excess drawing of current can be a particularly problematic yield and/or reliability issue. Referring now to FIG. 1a, a schematic diagrams is set forth illustrating the sense operation of a defect free EPROM or EEPROM. FIG. 1b illustrates the sense operation of an EPROM or EEPROM that includes a current drawing defect.
Referring now to FIG. 1a, a portion of an EEPROM memory array 100 is set forth in a schematic diagram. Two memory cells of the array 100 are shown as Q100 and Q102. The memory cells (Q100 and Q102) each include a source, drain, floating gate, and control gate. The sources of the memory cells (Q100 and Q102) are commonly coupled to a low power supply, VSS, and the drains are commonly coupled to a bit line 102. The gates of the memory cells (Q100 and Q102) are coupled to different word lines, 104 and 106. The bit line 102 is coupled as one input to a current sense amplifier 108 by column select transistor N100. Transistor N100 is activated by a COLDEC signal applied to its gate. The other input to the sense amplifier 108 is a reference current, shown as Iref.
In the particular example of FIG. 1a, it is assumed that word line 104 is activated, and the word line 106 is de-activated. In addition, the column decode signal COLDEC is high, turning on transistor N100. As a result, data is read from memory cell Q100, and a current Isense, will be drawn through memory cell Q100. In the event memory cell Q100 is programmed (i.e., its floating gate is charged with negative charge), its threshold voltage will be high, and the Isense current will be negligible. Because word line 106 is de-activated, memory cell Q102 will be off, and also draw only a negligible current. The reference current Iref is designed to be greater than the sum of all such negligible currents, but less than the magnitude of the current drawn by an erase cell. Thus, because the Isense current is less than the Iref current, the output (SAOUT) of the current sense amplifier 108 will be low. In contrast, in the event memory cell Q100 is erased, when word line 104 is activated, Isense will be substantially higher than the Iref current, and SAOUT will be high.
FIG. 1b illustrates the same general EEPROM configuration as FIG. 1a, but differs from the previously described case, in that memory cell Q102 includes a defect. The defect results in current being drawn through the memory cell Q102, despite the fact that the memory cell is turned off. Thus, when word line 104 is activated, and transistor N100 is turned on, in addition to the current Isense being drawn by memory cell Q100, a defect induced leakage current (Ileak) will be drawn through memory cell Q102. Thus, the total current drawn on the bit line 102 will be Isense+Ileak.
In the event memory cell Q100 is programmed, Isense will be negligible, as in the case of FIG. 1a. However, the Ileak current will continue to be drawn. This can result in a slower sensing speed, as the current sense amplifier 108 may take longer to sense the smaller differential current produced by the difference between Iref and Ileak. Further, in the event the Ileak is greater than Iref, the sense amplifier 108 will output an erroneous high SAOUT signal.
Referring now to FIGS. 2a-2d, a series of side cross sectional views of memory cells is set forth to further illustrate current induced defects in an EEPROM. Each of the side cross sectional views of FIGS. 2a-2d sets forth a stacked gate "one-transistor" EEPROM cell, and so includes the same general structures. The memory cells are formed on a substrate 200, which includes a source 202, a drain 204, and a channel 206. A floating gate 208 is disposed above the channel 206, and a control gate 210 is disposed above the floating gate 208. A bit line 212 is shown coupled to the drain 204.
FIG. 2a illustrates a programmed memory cell that is accessed during a read operation. Negative charge is stored within the floating gate 208, resulting in a higher threshold voltage in the memory cell. Thus, when a positive potential is applied to the control gate 210, the potential will not be sufficient to invert the channel 206, and thereby create a conductive channel between the source 202 and drain 204. Consequently, only a negligible source-drain current (Isense) will be drawn through the bit line 212.
FIG. 2b illustrates an erased memory cell that is accessed during a read operation. The charge on the floating gate 208 results in the memory cell having a threshold voltage that is less than the positive potential applied to the control gate 210. The channel 206 inverts, and a conductive channel is formed between the source 202 and drain 204. Consequently, a relatively high source-drain current (Isense) will be drawn through the bit line 212.
FIG. 2c illustrates a defective memory cell that is not accessed during a read operation, but nevertheless draws current through the bit line 212. In the case of FIG. 2c, the floating gate 208 has accumulated a positive charge that results in the memory device functioning as a depletion mode device (i.e., a "depleted" bit). Despite the fact that the control gate 210 is maintained at a de-select voltage (zero volts as one example), the positive charge in the floating gate induces a conductive channel between the source 202 and drain 204. Consequently, a defect induced leakage current (Ileak) is drawn through bit line 212. Depleted bits can be cycling induced defects. That is, the positive charge may slowly accumulated over repeated cycling of the memory cell. In addition, depleted bits can be created by "over-erase." Over-erase occurs when an erase cycle removes too much negative charge from a floating gate, and the resulting floating gate has a relatively positive charge.
FIG. 2d illustrates a second example of a defective memory cell that is not accessed during a read operation. In the case of FIG. 2d, a process-induced defect has resulted in drain-substrate short condition. Thus, as in the case of FIG. 2c, a defect induced leakage current Ileak is drawn through bit line 212. In addition to drain-substrate shorts, other possible leakage paths include drain to source shorts (pipeline defects) and isolation leakage.
Depleted bits can be restored by a variety of processes that are referred to as "compaction," "healing," or "convergence." Such processes can inject additional electrons into the floating gate to reduce the positive charge thereon. A drawback to such approaches is that they can consume considerable time and/or require additional circuitry. Of course, compaction procedures, and variations thereof, are not effective in addressing bits having short-circuit like conditions, such as that set forth in FIG. 2d.
It would be desirable to provide an EPROM or EEPROM that can address the adverse effects of resulting from memory cells that introduce leakage current when data is being sensed in the memory cells. | {
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Low density parity-check (LDPC) codes were first proposed by Gallager in 1962, and then “rediscovered” by MacKay in 1996. LDPC codes have been shown to achieve an outstanding performance that is very close to the Shannon transmission limit.
LDPC codes are based on a binary parity-check matrix H with n columns and m=n−k rows that has the following properties: 1. Each row consists of ρ number of “ones;” 2. Each column consists of γ number of “ones;” 3. The number of “ones” in common between any two columns, denoted as λ, is no greater than one; and 4. Both ρ and γ are small compared to the length of the code and the number of rows in H.
For every given binary source message u={u0, . . . , uk−1} of length k, the LDPC encoder builds a binary codeword v={v0, . . . , vn−1} of length n where (n>k), such that Hv=0. The codeword consists of two parts. The first k bits of the codeword are equal to the bits of the source message. The other n−k bits of the codeword are the so-called parity-check bits p={p0, . . . , pn−k−1}. The main task of the encoder is to calculate these parity-check bits p for the given input message u.
To simplify matrix operations, the parity check matrix can be composed of ργ cells. The cells are arranged in ρ columns and γ rows, as given below.
H = ( H 0 , 0 … H 0 , ρ - 1 … … … H γ - 1 , 0 … H γ - 1 , ρ - 1 )
Each cell is a t×t permutation matrix (n=ρt, n−k=γt). It contains exactly one value of “one” in every row and every column. Therefore, properties (1), (2), and (4) as listed above are satisfied by the construction of the matrix. An example of a cell-based parity-check matrix with k=32, n=56, γ=3, and ρ=7 is depicted in FIG. 2.
Matrix H can be considered as a concatenation of two sub matrices: A and B. Matrix A contains k columns and (n−k) rows. It includes the first k columns of H. Matrix B is a square matrix that contains (n−k) columns and (n−k) rows. It includes the last (n−k) columns of matrix H. The source equation Hv=0 can then be rewritten as Au+Bp=0, or Bp=x, where x=Au. Therefore, the calculation of the parity-check bits can be performed in two steps: 1. Calculate vector x by performing multiplication of the matrix A and the source message u; and 2. Calculate vector p by solving the linear system Bp=x.
All existing LDPC encoder implementations divide the calculation of the parity-check bits into these two steps as explained above.
Matrix A is a so-called “low-density” matrix, in that it contains just a small number of “ones,” and so can be efficiently stored in a memory. An especially compact representation of matrix A is achieved if the matrix has the cell-based structure as described above. The simple structure of matrix A allows an efficient implementation of the first step.
The most difficult part of the encoding process is the second step. Different solutions have been proposed to accomplish this step, but the existing solutions either require too much computational effort, work with a very limited and inefficient matrix B, or use different structures for the matrices A and B and, therefore, complicate the decoder structure.
Some methods use a two-diagonal matrix B. In this case, step 2 can be performed very fast, but the simulation results show that this code is relatively weak. The reason for this is that many columns have only two “ones.” Another problem with this code is that the decoder must take into account the different structures of A and B. Therefore, the decoder becomes more complicated. In reality, this code does not fully satisfy the four conditions presented above, in that different columns of the parity-check matrix have a different number of “ones.” Such codes are generally called irregular LDPC codes.
In other methods, the matrix B is selected to be a non-singular matrix. According to such methods, B−1 exists and p=B−1x. To find the parity-check bits, the inverse matrix B−1 is multiplied by the vector x. The problem with this method is that the matrix B−1 is not a low-density matrix anymore. Some significant additional resources are needed to store this matrix and to efficiently perform the multiplication. Another problem with this approach is that we cannot compose the matrix B from permutation sub matrices, because matrices based on permutation cells are always singular. This means that the matrices A and B have different structures, and once again the decoder becomes more complicated.
What is needed, therefore, is a method that overcomes problems such as those described above, at least in part. | {
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A typical read operation of a memory cell of a memory device includes connecting a data line pair to a local bit line pair connected to the memory cell. A word line connected to the memory cell is driven with a word line signal, thus transferring bits of data stored in the memory cell to the data lines through the local bit line, whereby the bits of data are read from the memory cell. The memory device may have memory cells connected to single bit lines or complementary bit lines depending on the application. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure-sensitive resistor which has a pressure-sensitive conductor, and which detects pressures based on contact-resistance variations in accordance with the applied pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, pressure-sensitive resistors are widely used in various pressure sensors, keyboard switches, automatic-door switches, and pressure-contact switches.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a conventional pressure-sensitive resistor.
In FIG. 11, the numeral 50 indicates an upper film, 51 indicates an lower film, 52 indicates an Ag electrode pattern formed on the lower film 51, 53 indicates an Ag electrode pattern formed on the upper film 50 so as to oppose the Ag electrode pattern 52, and 54 indicates a pressure-sensitive conductor formed on the Ag electrode pattern 53 by application. Here, the lower film 51 and upper film 50 are disposed such that the Ag electrode pattern 52 can come into contact with the pressure-sensitive conductor 54.
The pressure-sensitive conductor 54 is formed with an elastomer comprising an insulating rubber material, and conductive particles mixed therein. Accordingly, when the pressure-sensitive conductor 54 is pressed, the intervals between the conductive particles in the pressure-sensitive conductor 54 are narrowed, and the resistance of the conductor is lowered. In summary, the pressure-sensitive conductor 54 exhibits the pressure-sensitive characteristics in which the resistance decreases relative to an increase in applied pressure.
In such a conventional pressure-sensitive resistor, when the upper film 50 is pressed, the pressure-sensitive conductor 54 situated between a pair of the Ag contacting patterns 52 and 53 is compressed. At this time, the resistance can be detected by a pair of the Ag contacting patterns 52 and 53, and the applied pressure corresponding to the resistance can be read from a graph showing the pressure sensitivity characteristics.
In the meantime, in conventional pressure-sensitive resistors, their pressure-sensitive characteristics are determined depending on the material of the pressure-sensitive conductor. Accordingly, when pressure-sensitive resistors respectively having different pressure-sensitive characteristics (pressure-resistance characteristics) should be produced, the materials for their pressure-sensitive conductors must be altered. Due to this, obtaining various pressure-sensitive resistors of various pressure-sensitive characteristics has been difficult.
Further, although printing is preferred to form a pressure-sensitive conductor in view of cost-saving, desired pressure-resistance characteristics can rarely be achieved by printing since the pressure-resistance characteristics of the pressure-sensitive conductor vary depending on its thickness. | {
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Electronic program guides which provide television program schedule information are known in the art.
Such electronic program guides are described, for example, in the following U.S. patents assigned to Starsight Telecast Incorporated of Fremont Calif. : U.S. 5,532,754; 5,479,266, 5,479,268, 4,706,121 and 5,353,121. Some program guide systems also allow VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) scheduling such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,977,455 and 5,151,789 which are also assigned to Starsight Telecast Incorporated of Fremont Calif.
U.S. Pat. 5,684,525 to Klosterman et al., which is also assigned to Starsight Telecast Incorporated, describes a scheme for merging television schedule information received from multiple sources. A microprocessor mixes and sorts the television schedule information received from the multiple sources, and the schedule information is then displayed in a television schedule guide. A user can select a program by pointing to that program in the displayed schedule information. The system then carries out an automatic switching/tuning such that the required source device is input to the destination device, and a tuner is then tuned to the selected program's channel.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,450 and 5,592,212 to Handelman describe a pay television gaming system including a pay television network having a multiplicity of subscriber units each including a television, receiving apparatus for receiving gaming inputs from the multiplicity of subscriber units, transmitting apparatus for transmitting to the multiplicity of subscriber units information relating to gaming results and accounting apparatus for settling gaming debts and winnings via the pay television network.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,412 to Handelman et al. describes a CATV system including a CATV network and apparatus for transmitting over the CATV network information to a multiplicity of subscriber units, each including a CATV decoder and an IC card reader and writer coupled to the CATV decoder, the IC card reader and writer includes two separate IC card receptacles, such that IC cards inserted into the two separate IC card receptacles are separately accessed by the IC card reader and writer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,838 to Lawler et al. describes a program time guide for an interactive viewing system which allows a user to control the time and channels for which program information is displayed.
Electronic program guides are also described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,264,924; 4,264925; 4,602,279; 5,051,822; 5,181,107; 5,393,057; 5,459,522; 5,465,113; 5,473,609; 5,515,106; 5,541,738; 5,559,548.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the present specification are hereby incorporated herein by reference. | {
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The present invention relates to computer software used to build and manage an end-user menu system, and in particular, it relates to a refinement of an end-user access method identified as a content menu that records menu paths selected by end-users and generates end-user profiles.
U.S. Patent Documents
Knox, Richard. xe2x80x9cWhat in the World do they mean?xe2x80x94Science Prose mutating into unreadable jargonxe2x80x9d, Boston Globe, May 11, 1992, pp. 25, 28-29.
Zellweger, Paul. Web-based Sales: Defining the Cognitve Buyer. International Journal of Electronic Markets, Volume 7-3. Sep. 1997, pp. 10-14.
A common complaint with the World Wide Web is that content providers often know very little about their users. That is, little is known about end-users on the Web because they are able to view information in complete anonynmity. Yet, users of the Web are not a homogeneous group. Differences can be readily attributed to cognitive factors such as their content mastery or knowledge and understanding of the information found on a web site. Another such factor is word-usage where the preference for one word over another reflects a user""s background or experience.
In an interactive environment like the Web, links to information can easily represent these factors, especially when multiple link paths reach the same sought after object. For example, a novice path could have more detailed steps that help explain and instruct, while an expert path could reach the same information using more direct steps. In addition, specific words or terms in a link could represent different tell-tale characteristics that could signify differences among end-users seeking out the same thing.
Therefore, a network of hypertext links on the Web could represent end-user differences but until the disclosure of content menus_(Zellweger May 16, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,125), there was no comprehensive way to build and maintain it. This prior disclosure teaches the art of a menu system based on an open hierarchical data structure. The approach is distinctive because its underlying structure allows multiple menu paths to reach the same information object. End-users navigate nested list menus derived from the structure to reach information at the end of a path. Prior disclosures by Zellweger also teach how to implement a content menu in a client server that enhances performance using hypertext files (May 16, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 09/080,100), and Java applets (May 16, 1998 Ser. No. 09/080,102). However, none of these prior disclosures teach how to assign tags to menu topics, manage them, and use them to generate end-user profiles.
Prior attempts to identify end-user characteristics on the Web include Graber et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,860 Feb. 10, 1998) that teach how to track end-user navigation from one Web site to another, and Damico et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,285 Oct. 6, 1998) that teach how to assign and manage end-user identification numbers associated with predetermined marketing sources. However, these disclosures rely exclusively on navigating from one Web site to another and not navigating within the same Web site. Other attempts to identify end-user characteristics include Davis and Jain (U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,952 Aug. 18, 1998) that teach how to generate profiles based on how much time endusers spend with a downloaded file and what selections they make. However, none of this prior art teaches how to construct a succession of hypertext files that an end-user call navigate to find information and that a provider can use to generate end-user profiles.
Refinements brought about by the present invention transform the content menu into a powerful marketing research tool. Marketing professionals can analyze a target market according to customers"" knowledge and understanding of product content. Through a process called cognitive segmentation, marketers can now identify groups of customers according to amount of help or detail they need to find a product. With the refinements of the present invention they can assign tags to menu entries to track their menu selections, generate reports, and monitor this behavior over time. The net result is an empirical marketing tool that gives marketers hard numbers on who their customers are.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a refinement of a content menu system that produces a comprehensive marketing research tool. Another object of the present invention is a management system to teach how to assign different types of tags (or coded values) to a menu object and use these tags to record selections in a menu path.
One object of the present invention is to provide a graphical user interface means that enables menu developers to navigate menu topics in an open hierarchical data structure and assign tags to them.
Another object of the present invention is to enable a menu developer to assign multiple tags to a single menu topic.
One object of the present invention is to supply a menu developer with a graphical user interface that summarizes coded values associated with a menu topic.
Another object of the present invention is to retrieve tags associated with menu selections in a direct menu path.
One object of the present invention is to store tap associated with a menu path in a format that facilitates reporting over different periods of time.
Another object of the present invention is to enable marketers to generate multiple reports, including ad-hoc capabilities.
One object of die present invention is to integrate software applications or components that enhance reporting capabilities.
The objects of the present invention are attained by providing the methods and apparatus of a menu management system that serves as a marketing research tool that can generate end-user profiles and report on these profiles over time. The system includes a graphical interface that enables developers to assign and manage tags associated with menu objects stored in the prior art of the open hierarchical data structure. The present invention also teaches how to retrieve these tags when end-users reach information at the end of a menu path and how to store them for reporting. | {
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Technical Field
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to methods and systems and, more particularly, to mechanisms and techniques for controlling internal pressure of a marine vibratory source element for maintaining hydrostatic balance with the ambient pressure.
Discussion of the Background
Reflection seismology is a method of geophysical exploration to determine the properties of a portion of a subsurface layer in the earth, information that is especially helpful in the oil and gas industry. Marine reflection seismology is based on the use of a controlled source that sends energy waves into the earth. By measuring the time it takes for the reflections to come back to plural receivers, it is possible to estimate the depth and/or composition of the features causing such reflections. These features may be associated with subterranean hydrocarbon deposits.
For marine applications, a seismic survey system 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a vessel 102 that tows plural streamers 110 (only one is visible in the figure) and a seismic source 130. Streamer 110 is attached through a lead-in cable (or other cables) 112 to vessel 102, while source 130 is attached through an umbilical 132 to the vessel. A head float 114, which floats at the water surface 104, is connected through a cable 116 to a head end 110A of streamer 110, while a tail buoy 118 is connected, through a similar cable 116, to a tail end 110B of streamer 110. Head float 114 and tail buoy 118 maintain the streamer's depth and are also provided with GPS (Global Positioning System) or other communication equipment 120 for determining the streamer's position.
In this regard, knowing the exact position of each sensor 122 (only a few are illustrated in FIG. 1 for simplicity) is important when processing the seismic data these sensors record. Thus, vessel 102 is also provided with GPS 124 and a controller 126 that collects the position data associated with streamer head and tail ends and also the position of the vessel and calculates, based on the streamer's known geometry, the absolute position of each sensor.
The same happens for source 130. A GPS system 134 is located on float 137 for determining the position of the source elements 136. Source elements 136 are connected to float 137 to travel at desired depths below the water surface 104. During operation, vessel 102 follows a predetermined path T while source elements (usually air guns) 136 emit seismic waves 140. These waves bounce off the ocean bottom 142 and other layer interfaces below the ocean bottom 142 and propagate as reflected/refracted waves 144 that are recorded by sensors 122. The positions of both the source element 136 and recording sensor 122 are estimated based on GPS systems 120 and 134 and recorded together with the seismic data in a storage device 127 onboard the vessel.
A source element may be impulsive (e.g., an air gun) or vibratory. A vibratory source element is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/415,216 (herein the '216 application), filed on Mar. 8, 2012, and entitled, “Source for Marine Seismic Acquisition and Method,” assigned to the same assignee as the present application, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A vibratory source element experiences increased ambient pressure as its depth increases. The increase in ambient pressure is approximately 1 bar for every 10 m of added depth. For vibratory source elements with a large radiating surface (pistons), the resultant force acting on this surface due to the hydrostatic force can become so great that, in fact, the resultant force exceeds the force capability of the actuator used to drive the piston. If this happens, the seismic source element becomes unable to generate seismic waves. Transient effects, for example sea swells, can also produce localized fluctuations in ambient pressure near the source that can also result in significant forces that act on the piston face. FIG. 6 illustrates an estimate of the variation in ambient pressure for a source located at 25 m depth that might be experienced during a seismic survey.
To make best use of the force that can be developed by the source element's actuator, one approach is to counteract (i.e., balance) the static forces acting on the pistons so the actuator only provides a dynamic force for generating the seismic waves.
Thus, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that balance the hydrostatic force/pressure acting on the source element while being towed underwater. | {
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The present invention relates generally to laser ranging devices and methods of calculating target ranging information and, more particularly, to tilt compensated laser ranging devices and methods of calculating target ranging information accounting for the vertical angle to a target.
Portable laser range finders are frequently used to determine the range from the user to a selected target. In this disclosure the term target is defined simply as the object for which ranging information is desired. A target may be simply a reference point on some structure, a topological feature, a building or a survey point. The target may also be the desired impact point of a ballistic projectile such as an arrow, a bullet, or even a golf ball. In determining ranging information regarding this second type of target, sportsmen, marksmen and others frequently use laser range finders. These laser range finders are typically handheld or are mounted on a tripod or other portable device. Current laser range finders measure the time-of-flight distance, otherwise know as the line-of-sight distance, between the range finder and the target. The time-of-flight distance is calculated by such laser range finders by first measuring the elapsed time between the firing of a laser pulse at the target and the detection of the reflected pulse, then multiplying that elapsed time by the appropriate value of the speed of light.
However, when used to provide ranging information for launching a ballistic projectile, all current laser range finders on the market have a common flaw. They do not give the user the correct aiming parameters for making uphill or downhill shots.
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate the ballistic projectile problem which this invention solves. For purposes of illustration, assume that the user is an archer and that an arrow is the projectile and a bow is the launcher. In FIG. 1a, the desired target 3 is on the same horizontal plane as the user 1. Or, as alternately expressed, the user 1 and target 3 are on the same vertical level. The laser range finder 2 provides the time-of-flight range 4 to the target 3, which is also the horizontal range 5 in this example. The user corrects the aim point of the launcher based on the horizontal range 5 and the ballistic equation. The arrow 6 follows the ballistic path 7.
It is a characteristic of the ballistic equation in a gravitational field that the distance a projectile is displaced in the downward vertical direction is dependent solely on the time of flight. Assuming that a projectile maintains a constant horizontal speed, it is the horizontal range to the target that determines how much the projectile drops when arriving at the target's horizontal range. This characteristic can present a problem to the user if the target is not in the same horizontal plane, but is displaced by some vertical distance as well as horizontal distance. Current laser range finders will provide only the time-of-flight distance to the target.
Referring now to the archery illustration in FIG. 1b, target 2a is at a higher vertical level than the user 1, while target 2b is at a lower vertical level. If only a current laser range finder 3 is available, the user 1 can only determine time-of-flight ranges 4a and 4b. If the user 1 corrects the aiming point based on these ranges, the result is an over shoot of the arrow 6 along ballistic paths 7a and 7b. However, the horizontal ranges 5a and 5b can be determined by a measurement of the angle at which of the line-of-sight direction to the target from the user intersects the user's horizontal plane. This is defined as the vertical angle. Since the time-of-flight ranges 4a and 4b are already known, the geometry of right triangles determines the horizontal ranges 5a and 5b. If the user 1 corrects the aiming point based on these horizontal ranges, the result is a target intersecting flight of the arrow 6 along corrected ballistic paths 9a and 9b.
Users employing portable laser range finders must currently make manual, in-field determination of the vertical angle of the target and of the horizontal range. There is currently a need for a portable laser range finder that measures time-of-flight range and vertical angle, and determines the horizontal range. Such a system should be relatively simple, inexpensive, reliable, easy to manufacture, relatively quick, and very stable in a variety of applications. | {
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Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the accumulation of a 39-43 amino acids peptide termed the beta-amyloid protein or Aβ, in a fibrillar form, existing as extracellular amyloid plaques and as amyloid within the walls of cerebral blood vessels. Fibrillar Aβ amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease is believed to be detrimental to the patient and eventually leads to toxicity and neuronal cell death, characteristic hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Accumulating evidence implicates amyloids as a major causative factor of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.
A variety of other human diseases also demonstrates amyloid deposition and usually involve systemic organs (i.e. organs or tissues lying outside the central nervous system), with the amyloid accumulation leading to organ dysfunction or failure. In Alzheimer's disease and “systemic” amyloid diseases, there is currently no cure or effective treatment, and the patient usually dies within 3 to 10 years from disease onset.
Much work in Alzheimer's disease has been accomplished, but little is conventionally known about compounds or agents for therapeutic regimes to arrest amyloid formation, deposition, accumulation and/or persistence that occurs in Alzheimer's disease and other amyloidoses.
New compounds or agents for therapeutic regimes to arrest or reverse amyloid formation, deposition, accumulation and/or persistence that occurs in Alzheimer's disease and other amyloidoses are therefore desperately needed. | {
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Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of powerline communication systems and, more particularly, to a powerline communication power supply and modem interface mechanism.
Electric transmission and distribution lines are typically used for providing electric power from generators to buildings, residences, and other infrastructure. Electric power is transmitted over the transmission lines at a high voltage, and distributed to buildings and other structures at much lower voltages using electric power lines. Besides providing electric power, electric power lines can also be used to implement powerline communications within buildings and other structures. Powerline communications provides a means for networking electronic devices together and for connecting the electronic devices to the Internet. For example, HomePlug® devices can be used for wired broadband networking using IEEE P1901 standards for broadband over powerline communication. | {
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The field of the present disclosure relates generally to optical code reading systems, such as for example barcode scanners. More particularly, this disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatus relating to an integrated scale and optical code reading system.
A checkout lane at a grocery store or other retail point of sale (POS) can be a demanding, high-pressure environment. A store employee manning and/or operating a check stand (i.e., a checker) can be expected to provide exceptional customer service, which may include quickly totaling each customer's purchase and collecting payment. Rapidly processing customer purchases reduces the time other customers must wait to make their purchases. When a store is busy and checkout lines are long, checkers can experience increased pressure to rapidly process customer purchases. A customer using a “self-checkout” check stand (i.e., a customer-checker) can feel similarly pressured to expeditiously process their purchases in a timely manner.
One method for improving the speed and efficiency of a checker is to provide an optical reader to allow the checker to quickly scan items. Although optical reading of data, or encoded optical symbols or optical codes such as barcode labels, is used in a variety of applications, a check stand of a grocery store checkout lane or similar retail POS context is a familiar application. As an optical code is passed through a scan volume (or scanning area), the optical code is read by an optical code reader, such as a scanner, and transformed into electrical signals. The electrical signals can be decoded into alphanumerical characters or other data that can be used as input to a data processing system, such as a POS terminal (e.g., an electronic cash register). The POS terminal can use the decoded data to, for example, look up a price for the article, apply electronic coupons, and award points for a retailer or other rewards program. Scanning an optical code on items enables rapid totaling of the price of such items and thereby increases checker efficiency.
In a typical process, a checker passes the item through the scan volume to allow the scanner to scan a barcode on the item. An item can have multiple sides, not all of which might be presented for scanning, depending on the shape of the item and the type of scanner. For example, a simple six-sided rectangular box-shaped item can have a leading side (or side leading the item through the scan volume), a trailing side (opposite the leading side and last through the scan volume), a bottom side, a top side, a front side positioned nearest to or facing the checker (also known as the checker side), and a back side positioned away from the checker (also known as the customer side). Some horizontal scanners (i.e., scanners with a single upwardly-facing horizontal window) can effectively scan only the bottom side. Accordingly, a checker operating such a scanner would be required to re-orient an item to be scanned such that the side of the item with the barcode is positioned as the bottom side. Re-orienting an item takes time and reduces efficiency. Moreover, the movements required for a checker to re-orient an item can potentially injure the checker when the movements are repeated many times during the course of a shift. A scanner that can scan multiple sides of an item is desirable to reduce or even eliminate the need to re-orient items to be scanned.
Some scanners are capable of scanning multiple sides of an item by utilizing a bioptic configuration. A bioptic configuration includes two scanner windows for reading an optical code. Examples of scanners utilizing a bioptic configuration are the Magellan® 8300, 8400, and 8500 scanners available from Datalogic Scanning, Inc. of Eugene, Oreg. Further description of bioptic scanners may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,195, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In an “L” shaped bioptic scanner, in addition to a horizontal bottom scanner window that is generally positioned at counter level, a vertical scanner window is positioned to scan one or more sides of an item.
By scanning the bottom of an item and one or more other sides of the item, the bioptic configuration can increase the probability of a successful first scan (i.e. improve the first pass read rate) and reduce time consuming product manipulations and repeat scans. However, the present inventors have recognized that the “L” shaped bioptic configuration has its own limitations. For example, the vertical scanner window is positioned in a vertical section of the scanner, which can occupy significant space at the check stand and/or in the checkout lane. Furthermore, if the check stand includes a conveyor belt, the positioning of the vertical section can necessitate a diverter to divert items on the conveyor belt away from the vertical section. Finally, positioning of the vertical section may limit where a POS terminal keyboard, display, and check-writing stand can be located. Accordingly, the present inventors have recognized the desirability of a scanner that can scan multiple sides of an item, without utilizing a vertical scanner window.
In addition to a scanner, a POS system such as a grocery store check stand often includes a scale for conveniently and efficiently weighing items such as produce. The weight information can be used as input to the POS system, similar to the decoded optical code. The POS system can use the weight information to determine a price for the article weighed, for example. The scale can be integrated with the scanner to provide a single unit that can be referred to as a scanner-scale.
Existing scanner-scales are bulky and extend from a depth of four inches to nearly seven inches below the counter. The size, and in particular the depth, of scanner-scales is largely due to the optical elements utilized to provide a bottom scanner component that can effectively read an optical code. Many existing scanner-scales comprise laser diode scanning technology, which typically employs a spinning facet wheel or mirror and one or more pattern mirrors to break the laser beam into various scan lines forming the scan pattern. These components occupy significant space, thereby contributing to the bulkiness of existing scanner-scales. The depth of existing scanner-scales prevents ergonomic placement of a cash drawer directly below the scanner-scale at a check stand.
The present inventors have determined that it would be desirable to provide a scanner-scale having a low vertical profile under which a cash drawer could be placed at a check stand. In addition, the inventors have determined it would be desirable to provide a scanner that, without a vertical scanner window, can scan multiple sides of an item. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for making sheet material and more particularly, to a flotation method for forming a plurality of very thin, flat, pre-formed design pattern elements into a tightly-packed single layer, and the application thereof to a substrate prior to consolidation of the material into a finished product such as a floor or wall covering.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the production of vinyl type floor and wall coverings in which the decorative wear surface includes, or is comprised of, a plurality of small pre-formed pattern elements positioned on a backing in close proximity to one another with the area between adjacent elements filled with a plastic material, the common practice has been to place a thin layer of design elements on a traveling substrate and, by imparting a vibratory motion thereto, orient the pattern elements with respect to one another in an arrangement wherein they form a single layer with the elements touching each other at at least one point on their peripheries. The application of vibratory motion to the substrate and pattern elements thereon is required to move the elements into a uniform arrangement one element thick because it is very difficult, using prior pattern element feeding means to avoid having pattern elements overlap or being disposed upon one another or having relatively large gaps between adjacent pattern elements. U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,224 exemplifies this type of operation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,022 discloses another arrangement for forming a single layer of flat pre-formed design elements prior to their application to a backing. In this arrangement, a randomly spaced arrangement of the elements are fed onto a first moving belt which carries them under a plate extending across the width of the belt. The plate is spaced away from the belt a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of one of the pattern elements to allow only a single thickness layer of the elements to pass thereunder. The pattern elements are then moved onto a second belt moving at a speed below that of the first belt. This causes the elements to bunch up into a tightly packed single thickness layer which is then secured to a backing. Other related variations of this type of operation are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,323,935; 3,012,901; and 3,540,411.
Prior methods of orienting chips on the surface of a substrate have not been entirely satisfactory in that when the vibratory method of orienting the chips was used, there was a lack of positive control of the spacing between the chips and/or control of the overlapping of the chips. Passing of the chips on a moving carrier under a plate spaced away from the carrier a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the pattern elements has proven to be unsuccessful when thin chips such as those of the present invention are used in that the chips tend to clog up under the scraper and tend to ride up over each other when the rate of movement of the carrier is slowed and there is no certainty of control over spacing of the chips with relation to each other.
As disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,784, it is known to form decorative articles suited for incorporation into polymeric flooring materials such as vinyls by placing and spreading quantities of different-colored plastisol on a body of liquid immiscible with the plastisol and having a density in excess of that of the plastisol. The separate bodies of plastisol may be brought together so that the juxtaposed inner edges thereof meet at irregular but clearly defined interfaces. The plastisol may be gelled and fused while it is on the support liquid and may be removed therefrom by bringing the substrate into surface contact with the liquid plastisol and then lifting the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,244 discloses a film laminate producing method wherein a polymer solution is dispersed on a water surface to form a film. The film is then removed continuously from the water surface by a support member which passes upward from below the water through the film-water interface so that the film adheres to the support member. The film may be broken into flakes before removal. The depth and rate of flow of the water may be used to control film formation.
The problem not solved by the prior art is how to form a plurality of small, very thin, pre-formed flat chips of differing colors, shapes and dimensions into a tightly packed layer of randomly arranged design elements and apply this layer to a substrate to obtain a surface having a thickness equal to that of a single chip and having substantially no overlaps or excessive spaces between the chips. This problem is solved by the present invention. | {
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The invention relates to a television receiver incorporating a processing section for processing stereo/dual sound signals having a first sound carrier which is modulated by a first sound signal and a second sound carrier modulated by a second sound signal and also by a pilot signal which is modulated by a stereo-dual sound identifying signal, said processing section comprising a synchronous demodulator in which the pilot signal is demodulated and to which an output signal of a Phase-Locked Loop circuit is applied, the phase-locked loop circuit comprising a frequency-controllable oscillator and a phase discriminator which compares a signal derived from the oscillator with a reference signal which, as regards frequency and phase, is in a fixed relationship to the pilot signal. Such a television receiver is obtained when the known integrated circuit TDA 4940 marketed by Siemens is used.
As is known, two frequency-modulated sound carriers are used, according to the German standard, for the transmission of stereo/dual sound television signals, the second, for instance weaker, sound carrier being frequency-modulated by a pilot carrier which, in the case of stereo or dual sound transmission, is amplitude-modulated by an identifying signal which characterizes the stereo or dual-sound transmission mode and which is required in the receiver to enable the required switching actions to be effected automatically. In a television receiver comprising the prior art circuit, the identifying signal is obtained in that the modulated pilot carrier is multiplied by the output signal of a PLL circuit whose oscillator oscillates at a frequency equal to 28-times the line frequency and whose frequency is controlled by a phase discriminator which compares the frequency-divided oscillator signal with the line frequency.
The fact that, in accordance with the relevant German standard, the line frequency is in a fixed frequency and phase-relationship to the pilot carrier frequency is utilized, and the pilot carrier frequency is precisely 3.5-times the line frequency. As a result thereof, a signal which is phase-locked onto the pilot carrier can be recovered from the ocscillator signal by means of a 1:8-frequency divider. Then only the modulation product of the pilot carrier, that is to say one of the two identifying signals, is then only present at the output of the multiplier circuit.
An advantage of this circuit is that it has a high identifying signal reliability and sensitivity. A disadvantage is that it always requires the presence of a signal of the line frequency which is phase-locked onto the pilot carrier frequency. This signal is, however, not always available. Novel receiving and display concepts provide, for example, the possibility to connect the receiving section of a television receiver to a video recorder and the display section to a video disc player. However, for recording with the video recorder, the identifying signal must already have been demodulated. The line-frequency signal required therefore is however only available in the display section of the television receiver and is derived from the video disc, and consequently has no fixed phase relationship with the pilot carrier. The prior art circuit is not suitable for such a receiver concept.
To recover the pilot signal, from the antenna signal it is necessary for the carriers contained in the antenna signal and on which the sound signals are frequency modulated, to be first converted into a frequency corresponding to the frequency spacing of the two carriers from the picture carrier on which the video signal is modulated. For the German standard, two sound carriers are obtained in this manner at 5.5 and 5.742 MHz, respectively. In a known television receiver published in Funkschau 2, 1982, pages 76 to 79, these two sound carriers are separated from each other by two filters and demodulated by two demodulators, which produce the two sound signals and also the modulated pilot signal.
As in the dual-sound mode, the two sound signals are independent from each other as regards their content, a very high cross-talk attenuation, for instance better than 60 dB is necessary between the two sound channels. For that reason and as the frequency spacing of the upper side band of the sound carriers to the lower frequency of the lower sideband of the sound carriers having the higher frequency--relative to the sound carrier frequencies--is very small, the filter arrangement must be formed from very expensive high-selection filters. For that purpose, the known arrangement utilizes ceramic filters. Also the FM-demodulators require resonant circuits which, in the known receiver, are also ceramic filters. All the filters and resonant circuits must be balanced. Consequently, the processing section for processing the dual-sound stereo signals is very expensive.
A further disadvantage is that with such a receiver, only signals in accordance with the German standard can be received. If signals in accordance with a different standard, that is to say with an other frequency of the sound carrier or a different frequency spacing between the carriers for the picture and the sound information, must be processed, additional filter, resonant circuits, etc. are required. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Integrated circuits (“ICs”) include many types of devices, some of which have programmable logic on board that can be configured to perform specified logic functions. One type of integrated circuit with programmable logic is a programmable logic device (“PLD”). One type of PLD is the field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), which typically includes an array of programmable tiles. These programmable tiles can include, for example, input/output blocks (“IOBs”), configurable logic blocks (“CLBs”), dedicated random access memory blocks (“BRAMs”), multipliers, digital signal processing blocks (“DSPs”), processors, clock managers, delay lock loops (“DLLs”), and so forth. As used herein, “include” and “including” mean including without limitation.
Each programmable tile typically includes both programmable interconnect and programmable logic. The programmable interconnect typically includes a large number of interconnect lines of varying lengths interconnected by programmable interconnect points (“PIPs”). The programmable logic implements the logic of a user design using programmable elements that can include, for example, function generators, registers, arithmetic logic, and so forth.
The programmable interconnect and programmable logic are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data into internal configuration memory cells that define how the programmable elements are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., from an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
Another type of PLD is the Complex Programmable Logic Device, or CPLD. A CPLD includes two or more “function blocks” connected together and to input/output (“I/O”) resources by an interconnect switch matrix. Each function block of the CPLD includes a two-level AND/OR structure similar to those used in Programmable Logic Arrays (“PLAs”) and Programmable Array Logic (“PAL”) devices. In CPLDs, configuration data is typically stored on-chip in nonvolatile memory. In some CPLDs, configuration data is stored on-chip in nonvolatile memory, then downloaded to volatile memory as part of an initial configuration (programming) sequence.
For all of these programmable logic devices (“PLDs”), the functionality of the device is controlled by configuration data bits provided to the device for that purpose. The data bits can be stored in volatile memory (e.g., static memory cells, as in FPGAs and some CPLDs), in nonvolatile memory (e.g., FLASH memory, as in some CPLDs), or in any other type of memory cell.
Semiconductor companies providing ICs such as PLDs have a responsibility of maintaining quality and reliability of their PLDs long after they leave the production test floor. End users may experience field failures or other malfunctions which may render the PLD inoperative. The cost of these failures is high both monetarily and also in terms of damaging the company's reputation for quality and reliability.
One way to mitigate the effects of PLD failures is to record PLD-specific data at various times during operation. However, since PLDs typically only contain static random access memory (“SRAM”), if the data is stored in the SRAM, then this data will be lost once the PLD is powered down. If the data is lost, then data, such as error data, cannot be used to mitigate the effects of the failure; for example, if the error data is lost, then the error data cannot be used to determine the reason for the PLD failure and resolve the bug or defect so that the failure does not reoccur.
For the foregoing reasons, it is desirable to record some types of data on an IC such that the data is not lost when the IC is powered down. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to apparatus and methods in the field of heat exchangers and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for controlling the flow through a heat exchanger to minimize incidence of low cycle fatigue metal damage.
The usable life of a typical high temperature cross- or counter-flow, plate-fin heat exchanger, e.g., an aircraft precooler, is often limited by low cycle fatigue (LCF) induced by large air temperature or air mass flow excursions which occur in the flow through the heat exchanger during repeated vehicle maneuvers, repeated engine start/stop cycles, or repeated ground maintenance cycles.
Analysis, testing and field operations have identified that the vulnerable areas for LCF are in the extreme corner areas of one of the inlet faces, typically the corners of the hot inlet face. Thermal/stress analysis has indicated that stack-wise temperature gradients generated at the corner of the alternating stacked passages are correlated with high strain ranges which accelerate the initiation and propagation of cracks in the metal of the separator plates (tube-sheets) which segregate the alternating hot/cold flows. Leakage between passages initiates and increases until some specified loss of performance ends the useful life of the heat exchanger.
Typical strategies for extending the useful LCF life of a heat exchanger involve increasing the gauge (thickness) of various metal components used to construct the entire heat exchanger. These strategies usually add significant weight to the heat exchanger and often degrade overall performance since metal is added to areas that are not associated with a described localized problem. Because these are “whole” heat exchanger approaches to a localized problem, they quickly become limited in the extent to which they can mitigate the scale of the localized problem. They are also limited in applicability since design changes become more difficult to implement at the point in the timeline when LCF issues become illuminated analytically.
As can be seen, there is a need for a targeted, localized approach to attenuating a localized stack-wise temperature gradient which has greater leverage to abate a large range of gradients while having minimal impact on heat exchanger design, weight and performance. | {
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Microelectronic devices, such as microelectromechanical devices (MEMS), may include a movable member, such as a movable reflective plate, positioned on a substrate. The movable member may be positioned just above a surface of the substrate such that a spacing between the movable member and the substrate may be only a few hundred nanometers and may be varied by movement of the movable member. A bump may be positioned between the movable member and the substrate to maintain the spacing during movement of the movable member. Stiction forces may build up on the movable member and/or the bump which may hinder movement of the movable member. The stiction forces may arise from dielectric charge trapping, capillary forces, and/or van de Waals forces. It may be desirable to coat the bump so as to reduce the stiction forces on the bump and/or the movable member. | {
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a liquid crystal device and a projector using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A projector is an apparatus for displaying computer images, television images, etc. In a projector, light emitted from an illumination device is modulated by an electro-optical device called a light valve, and the modulated light is projected onto a screen to display an image. As the light valve of such a projector, a liquid crystal device is mainly used.
It is desirable for an image displayed by a projector to be of higher luminance.
In view of this, the illuminance of the light applied to the liquid crystal device by the illumination device is enhanced, thereby achieving an increase in luminance.
As the luminance of an image increases, a deterioration in contrast occurs and inconsistency in color is generated. This is conspicuous in the four corners of the image.
One exemplary object of this invention is to at least provide a technique for restraining the deterioration in contrast and inconsistency in color, which occurs as a result of an increase in the luminance of an image.
To solve at least a part of the above problem, there is provided, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal device having a plurality of pixels and adapted to modulate light in accordance with a given image signal. The liquid crystal device may consist of an exit side substrate portion, an entrance side substrate portion opposed to the exit side substrate portion, and a liquid crystal layer placed between the exit side substrate portion and the entrance side substrate portion.
The exit side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate on which a first electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed, and an exit side cover arranged on the exit side with respect to the exit side substrate.
The entrance side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an entrance side substrate on which a second electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed.
In this exemplary embodiment, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the exit side cover is preferably less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
In the above liquid crystal device, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the exit side cover is small, so that it is possible to at least restrain deterioration in contrast and generation of inconsistency in color in an image formed by the liquid crystal device due to birefringence caused by thermal expansion of the exit side cover.
It is also desirable that the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the exit side cover be not more than 10xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
This makes it possible to further restrain the deterioration in contrast and the generation of color inconsistency in the image due to the thermal expansion of the exit side cover.
In the above first liquid crystal device, it is desirable that the entrance side substrate portion consists of an entrance side cover arranged on the entrance side with respect to the entrance side substrate, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover being less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
Due to this arrangement, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover is small, so that it is possible to at least restrain deterioration in contrast and generation of inconsistency in color in an image formed by the liquid crystal device due to birefringence caused by thermal expansion of the entrance side cover.
It is desirable that the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover be not more than 10xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
This makes it possible to further restrain the deterioration in contrast and the generation of color inconsistency in the image due to the thermal expansion of the entrance side cover.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal device having a plurality of pixels and adapted to modulate light in accordance with a given image signal. The liquid crystal device may consist of an exit side substrate portion, an entrance side substrate portion opposed to the exit side substrate portion, and a liquid crystal layer placed between the exit side substrate portion and the entrance side substrate portion.
The exit side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate on which a first electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed.
The entrance side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an entrance side substrate on which a second electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed, and an entrance side cover arranged on the entrance side with respect to the entrance side substrate.
In this exemplary embodiment, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover is preferably less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
In the above liquid crystal device, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover is small, so that it is possible to at least restrain deterioration in contrast and generation of inconsistency in color in an image formed by the liquid crystal device due to birefringence caused by thermal expansion of the entrance side cover.
It is also desirable that the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover is not more than 10xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
This makes it possible to at least further restrain the deterioration in contrast and generation of color inconsistency in the image due to the thermal expansion of the entrance side cover.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a projector which may consist of a liquid crystal device having a plurality of pixels and adapted to emit light after modulating in accordance with a given image signal, an illumination system for irradiating light to the liquid crystal device, and a projection system for projecting light emitted from the liquid crystal device.
The liquid crystal device of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate portion, an entrance side substrate portion opposed to the exit side substrate portion, and a liquid crystal layer placed between the exit side substrate portion and the entrance side substrate portion.
The exit side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate on which a first electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed, and an exit side cover arranged on the exit side with respect to the exit side substrate.
The entrance side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an entrance side substrate on which a second electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed.
In this exemplary embodiment, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the exit side cover is preferably less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
It is also desirable that the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover be less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
The above first projector is equipped with the first liquid crystal device of the present invention, so that it is possible to at least restrain deterioration in contrast and generation of color inconsistency due to thermal expansion of the exit side cover and the entrance side cover.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a projector which may consist of a liquid crystal device having a plurality of pixels and adapted to emit light after modulating in accordance with a given image signal, an illumination system for irradiating light to the liquid crystal device, and a projection system for projecting light emitted from the liquid crystal device.
The liquid crystal device of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate portion, an entrance side substrate portion opposed to the exit side substrate portion, and a liquid crystal layer placed between the exit side substrate portion and the entrance side substrate portion.
The exit side substrate portion being of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an exit side substrate on which a first electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed.
The entrance side substrate portion of this exemplary embodiment may consist of an entrance side substrate on which a second electrode for driving the liquid crystal layer is formed, and an entrance side cover arranged on the entrance side with respect to the entrance side substrate.
In this exemplary embodiment, the absolute value of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the entrance side cover is preferably less than 37xc3x9710xe2x88x927/xc2x0 C.
The above projector is equipped with the liquid crystal device of the present invention, so that it is possible to at least restrain deterioration in contrast and generation of color inconsistency due to thermal expansion of the entrance side cover. | {
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The present invention relates in general to tabs and gloves of the type used to protect the fingers of an archer against pinching and abrasion when used to draw and then release the string of a bow to shoot an arrow from the bow.
It is well known that one of the most critical factors for accuracy in archery is the release, that is the moment when the string is freed so that it can propel the arrow forward. A faulty release can twist and deform the string so that the arrow is cast off target, even if it was correctly aimed. The criticality of the release is increased for compound bows where a let-off in the amount of force needed to retain the drawn string, can be from 50% to 65%. With less force being exerted on the fingers at the point of release, smaller variations and imperfections in the release technique can produce more serious changes in trajectory for the arrow. The release is actually less critical for recurve bows where the pressure at the point of release is greatest.
One technique for reducing the criticality of the release is the use of a mechanical release in the form of a small hand held triggering device which can be used to engage and retract a string. Triggers or push buttons are provided on such mechanical releases which are activated to mechanically release the string. While mechanical releases are generally far more accurate than the use of the fingers, many archers prefer a finger release technique both because it is more traditional and because it is better adapted to so-called "natural shooting" where an archer has become accurate without the use of sights or other mechanical aids.
Because of the great pressure needed to draw the string of a bow however, some protection is needed for the fingers. Such non-mechanical protection is either in the form of a tab or glove which is made of several layers of the same or different material which are sewn together. One example of an archer's tab is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,090 which includes a loop for engagement around the middle finger of the archer's hand for helping retain and position the tab over the fingers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,319 discloses another example which includes a strap for engagement around all three string pulling fingers, namely the index finger, the middle finger and the ring finger.
Such tabs also included partitions which are positioned between the index and middle finger to maintain a space between these fingers where the nock or string engaging end of the arrow is held. This avoids the inadvertent placement of pressure on this critical area of the arrow and also protects the fingers against being pinched between the arrow and the string.
An archer's glove is normally constructed of three finger covering portions which cover approximately one half the length of each of the three string drawing fingers. A resilient or elastic panel is connected to the finger covering portions and extends over the back of the hand to a wrist embracing strap or band for holding the glove to the hand. The use of the glove requires that the archer maintain a correct orientation between the three string drawing fingers since the finger covering portions are free to move with respect to each other.
A variety of materials are generally used for the construction of archers' tabs and gloves. This includes deerskin and other leather, Teflon (a trademark of the Du Pont Company) or other synthetic material, calf hair, or a variety of other tough resilient sheet materials.
One common problem experienced by archers using tabs is that the tabs, and in particular the stitches holding the layers together in the tabs, tend to decompose after even moderate use due to sweat and the large forces being exerted on the tabs. The tabs tend to delaminate which renders them useless. Since some use is required before a tab is broken in, delamination often occurs just as the archer is becoming satisfied with the performance of his or her tab.
Similar problems are experienced with gloves.
Another problem experienced both with tabs and gloves, is the tendency for an archer to "pluck" the string by abruptly opening the hand and extending the fingers. This opening motion reduces accuracy and is actually encouraged by gloves which are held to the fingers by a panel extending over the back of the hand. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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“Energetic” compositions may be used in a wide variety of applications, e.g., propellants, initiating materials, gas generators, and explosives. Formulations of energetic compositions may include one or more of the following: explosives, combustible fuels, plasticizers, binders, oxidizers, desensitizers, etc. Typically, conventional formulations of energetic compositions may then be mixed, cast, pressed, and sometimes dried.
One of the primary goals in developing new energetic compositions is to increase the energy output. After mixing, in the conventional formulation, a particle of an explosive within the resultant mix may be separated from, for example, a particle of combustible fuel, by intervening particles of binder or plasticizer. This separation of explosive from its fuel may decrease the energy output of the energetic composition, when compared to an energetic composition in which an explosive is adjacent to its fuel.
An energetic composition may benefit greatly in increased energy output, if an explosive is always adjacent to its fuel. The enhanced proximity of the explosive to its fuel may result in more complete consumption of the fuel, providing increased energy output. Such an increased energy output may translate into significant weight reductions for an energetic composition used, for example, as a payload or propellant.
The energetic compound may also benefit from the absence of the formulating overhead of mixing, casting, pressing, and drying, if the enhanced proximity of the explosive to its fuel is accomplished by a vapor or physical deposition method, similar to that used in electronic microchip fabrication.
Currently, there is no known report of formulating an energetic composition by a vapor or physical deposition method that places an explosive adjacent to its fuel. | {
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The following relates to the voltage regulation arts, power system arts, and related arts.
Conventional electrical power grids in the United States, Europe, and many other countries is maintained as a constant voltage system, in which electrical outlets in a home or business are expected to have a certain voltage. For example, in the United States the expected voltage is usually 110 Vrms (typical in residential house electricity) or 220 Vrms (typical in commercial and some residential environs). In most of Europe the expected voltage is 220 Vrms. (Hereinafter, when not indicated voltages are root-mean-square, i.e. rms, values). In a per-unit nomenclature, the expected voltage is suitably designated 1.00 pu.
In practice, the voltage may deviate from the expected 1.00 pu value, typically due to a mismatch between power generation and demand. For a given power generation level, when the demand is lower than expected the voltage increases, leading to an overvoltage condition. When the demand is higher than expected the voltage decreases, leading to an undervoltage condition. Some such variation is tolerable, and loads typically have power supplies or power regulation circuitry to compensate for some input voltage deviation. However, if the overvoltage or undervoltage condition becomes too severe it can have adverse effects such as degrading load operational efficiency, causing loads to fail due to the supply voltage falling out of operational range, tripping a safety interlock, or so forth. At the grid level, voltage is typically managed from the generation side by adding or reducing generation capacity to maintain grid voltage, although various demand side load (DSL) management approaches are also known.
Voltage fluctuations can also occur at the distribution level, for example due to additional loads coming online or taken offline so as to significantly change the total load being served by an individual feeder circuit. These distribution-level fluctuations are more difficult to correct. | {
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This invention relates to field programmable processor arrays, that is, arrays of processing units which are selectively connectable by signal paths one to another, and in particular to such arrays which are provided as integrated circuits.
The problems with which the present invention (or at least preferred embodiments of it) is concerned are to provide a dense circuit layout, efficient interconnections between the processing units and flexibility in the manner in which the processing units may be interconnected. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The success of public, private, and hybrid cloud computing environments and other virtualization solutions provoke new security challenges for IT (information technology) organizations: employees belonging to business units may purchase and access IT services “from the cloud”, thereby bypassing the IT organization of the company. Sometimes this bypassing of the IT organization is called “Shadow IT”. Cloud-based solutions are usually easy to acquire, easy and fast to deploy, and ready to be used instantly. Cloud-based solutions are therefore sometimes used in enterprises to bypass existing time-consuming procurement and security processes. | {
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Engine operating time hour meters for outdoor power equipment including riding lawn mowers, lawn and agricultural tractors, snowmobiles, snowblowers, jet skis, boats, all terrain vehicles, bulldozers, generators, etc. are well known. Such engine operating time hour meters are provided, among other things, to let the owner and/or manufacturer know how long the equipment has been operated, when the equipment is due for repair/maintenance service, whether the equipment is still under warranty, etc.
With the widespread use of digital circuitry, digital engine operating time hour meters generally have replaced the old style mechanical hour meters which utilized rotating wheels. Digital hour meters provide improved accuracy and a digital display of accumulated hours. One shortcoming of some digital and mechanical prior art hour meters is that they accumulate hours of use of the equipment as soon as the ignition key or switch is turned on. Such hour meters provide an inaccurate measure of engine use. There may be instances where the ignition switch is on and the engine is not running, for example, an operator may inadvertently leave the ignition key in the on position after use of the equipment is completed and the engine is off. If the hour meter is accumulating time when the ignition switch is on the accumulated hours on the hour meter will overstate the true engine operating hours. Since warranty and service intervals are generally based on hours of engine operation, accumulating hours on the hour meter when the ignition key is on will result in premature indication that maintenance is needed and/or premature expiration of warranty, both to the disadvantage and dissatisfaction of the equipment owner.
As the manufacturer and owner of power equipment generally want to know the hours that the most expensive component of the equipment, namely, the engine has been operated, it is desired to have an hour meter that accumulates hours only when the engine is actually on. Certain prior art hour meters have attempted to address this issue. Generally, such prior art hour meters include two terminals which are coupled to the engine battery (generally 12 volts DC) and further include a third or enable terminal. Such hour meters only accumulate hours when the third terminal is enabled, that is, the third terminal receives a signal indicating that the engine is operating. One prior art hour meter utilizes three terminals, two of which are coupled to an internal DC power source of the hour meter and a third terminal is coupled to a spark plug wire and only accumulates time if the spark plug is firing. A disadvantage of such three terminal hour meters is that they necessarily include three terminals, two for power and a third terminal which must be enabled for accumulation of time. An additional disadvantage of the three terminal hour meter with an internal power source is that the power source eventually runs down necessitating a new power source being installed.
What is needed is a digital hour meter that utilizes only two terminals and accumulates engine operating time only when the engine is operating. What is also needed is a digital hour meter that is powered by a magneto of the engine and only accumulates engine operating time when the magneto is powering the hour meter. What is also needed is a versatile digital hour meter that can be powered by an engine magneto or the engine battery and is polarity insensitive. | {
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Transport packets are used to transmit data over a communication medium. For example, transport packets are used to transmit audio and video data compressed in accordance with the MPEG specification. A decoder receives the transport packets, decompresses the audio and video data, and recovers a video signal.
The decoder receives the transport packets in a presentation buffer. A data transport processor demultiplexes the stream of transport packets and provides the video packets to a transport processor. Conventionally, a transport processor processes the PES headers. Processing the PES headers consumes significant clock cycles resulting in a reduced bit rate. The foregoing is aggravated when packets from different channels containing PES arrive at the same time.
Further limitations and disadvantages of convention and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. | {
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Various types of shower curtain devices are known in the prior art. However, what is needed is a disposable shower curtain liner device that includes a plurality of flexible polymeric sheet members disposed dispensable from a housing, each of said plurality of sheet members including a pair of adhesive strips and a plurality of magnets disposed upon a first surface of said sheet member for releasable attachment of the sheet member to a bathroom surface whereby contact between a user and said bathroom surface is preventable. | {
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Broadcast systems throughout the world create visible artifacts on standard, present day, television receivers and monitors. In broadcast systems such as the 525 line-per-frame, 30 frame-per-second (525/30) NTSC system or the 625/25 PAL system, artifacts are derived from the line-scanning process. These artifacts arise mainly due to the interlaced process as set forth in the standards and as are visible in interlaced display techniques. This process divides the 525-line picture or frame into two successive 2621/2-line fields. The 2621/2 lines of one field are scanned in 1/60th of a second followed by scanning of an additional 2621/2 lines of another field with the second field lines occupying the spaces between the lines of the first field. One subjective effect of this interlaced scan is to create an apparent vertical drift of the lines of the raster as a function of vertical motion. The apparent drift is more easily seen when viewing a wide-screen display at close range. Another visible effect is interline flicker in transitions in the vertical direction that occur within one line time to the next.
Recent interests in the development of high definition television systems (HDTV) has been directed to techniques intended to enhance the subjective performance of present systems within the constraints of existing standards. One approach, a technique referred to as progressive scan, or sequential scan, has been described in patent materials and literature. The incoming signal in a conventional two-to-one vertical interlaced format is stored in an appropriate memory and subsequently displayed in a non-interlaced or progressive line-scan manner. For example, in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 526,700 entitled, "Progressive Scan Television Display System Employing Interpolation in the Luminance Channel" filed concurrently herewith in the name of D. H. Pritchard, progressive scan is accomplished by employing line memories with multiple-point interpolation. According to the Pritchard application, in the case of NTSC, 525 lines of the display are displayed in 1/60th of a second wherein alternate "real" and "interpolated" lines are successively displayed at some multiple (generally, two-times) standard horizontal rate. During the next 1/60th of a second a successive set of 525 lines are displayed to complete a total frame time in 1/30th of a second, however, these 525 lines are related to the first 525 lines such that alternate "interpolated" and "real" lines are displayed. In one preferred embodiment of Pritchard a simple two-point (using a 1/H delay) linear interpolator is used to form the interpolated line. Progressive scan results in the elimination of artifacts of "interline flicker" and "line break-up with motion" that exists in conventional two-to-one interlaced displays. The subjective effect is a flicker-free, "smooth" or "quiet", picture presentation that is more pleasing to the viewer.
Advantageously, in accordance with the Pritchard system a simple two-point linear interpolator may be used to effect progressive scanning. Such a system, however, results in some loss of vertical detail on transitions that occur from one line to the next, i.e., at the vertical sampling Nyquist rate. To restore vertical detail some HDTV systems utilize multiple point (i.e., more than two) interpolation processes which require two or more 1-H delay memory elements with appropriate weighting factors in the summation process to provide improved performance by producing a "better" approximation in the interpolated line. The problem with such a scheme is that the vertical detail restoration requires additional lines of memory. For an illustration of a progressive scan system using multiple point interpolation reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,719 in the name of K. H. Powers. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many products that are manufactured and ultimately sold for and used by an end user--whether it be a company or an individual--must be shipped at least once from where the product is produced to where the product is stored, consumed or used. In actuality, a product may be shipped several times, such as from the manufacturer to the distributor, to the warehouse, then to a retail store and ultimately to an end user. It is of course necessary that the product be protected during this time of shipping and storage so that it ultimately reaches the end user in an unharmed condition.
A very widely used--and indeed almost universally used--packaging system for protecting products that could be easily damaged during shipping and storage--typically items such as electrical or electronic appliances--consists of a cardboard box with packing material interposed between the product and the inner walls of the cardboard box. The packing material displaces the product from the cardboard box around all sides of the product so that almost any impact on the cardboard box will not directly reach the product. Further, the packing material preferably keeps the product in a fixed relation with respect to the cardboard box so that the product does not move around within the cardboard box. In order to keep the product in fixed relation within the cardboard box, it is necessary that the product fit snugly within the packing material and also that the packing material fit snugly within the cardboard box.
Two types of forces may be encountered by a packed product during shipping and storage. Firstly, there is movement of the cardboard box, which may be quite sudden or severe. This sudden or severe movement would cause the cardboard box to experience related accelerative and decelerative forces. Correspondingly, the product inside must move along with the cardboard box, and if there is no cushioning between the product and the cardboard box, the product would experience roughly the same accelerative and decelerative forces experienced by the cardboard box. Secondly, there are impact forces that can occur as a result of a sudden impact with the cardboard box by another object. Again, the accelerative forces are transmitted through the box to the product and must be cushioned in order to protect the product from potential damage.
In order that forces experienced under various shipping and storage conditions are not transmitted to the product, it is necessary to have some sort of packing material that will deform to some degree in order to absorb the impact forces slowly and evenly over a period of time. This will spread out the absorption of the energy of the impact forces such that the full impact forces will not be transmitted to the product. Resultingly, a smaller force will be transmitted over a longer period of time. The product will not experience as great a force, and therefore will be less likely to be damaged. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Field of the Invention
Systems and methods of the present invention relate to plasma cutting, and more specifically to arc plasma cutting using a torch assembly that can be mounted in robotic arm systems.
Description of the Related Art
The use of plasma cutting systems in various industries has grown, including the use of plasma cutting systems with robotic systems. In such applications, the plasma cutting torch is secured to a robotic arm or motion mechanism which moves the torch in many different directions. In fact, in many robotic applications the robot has many different axis of movement. This complex movement often requires the torch to move relative to the robot arm which imparts a rotational movement. Because of the electrical and cooling liquid connections on the torch this rotational movement must be limited so as to not break these connections. Further, after a certain amount of movement the operation must be stopped so as to allow the robotic arm to unwind—which releases any torque from the torch connections. Therefore, the more complex the movement and control of the torch the more often the operation will have to be stopped to unwind the torch. This increases downtime of the cutting operation and can lead to premature failure of the torch connections through constant loading and unloading of torsional stresses. Therefore, torch construction is needed to mitigate these issues.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Large systems and systems of systems may confront analysts with hundreds or thousands of system requirements which may be distributed across multiple heterogeneous databases. This can make finding requirements relevant to a specific task a significant challenge. Individual systems are becoming more complex, and there is increasing focus on what are called “systems of systems.” System of systems are combinations or syntheses of multiple systems, each of which is capable of or designed for independent functioning. To further complicate things, many single systems are not built in anticipation of functioning within a system of systems.
Because requirements may be developed by separate contractors and distributed across multiple databases organized for different component systems, rather than the system of systems as a whole, it can be difficult to search or browse through numerous requirements in a coherent and unified manner. For example, different databases created by different entities for different purposes at different times may describe related requirements in different terminology and with a different organizational scheme. Further, systems engineers are often not granted “write” access to the systems with which they work, and thus they are not able to change and regularize data entries in order to unify unharmonious data. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Cervical cancer remains one of the most common cancer types affecting women worldwide. The biological pathway to cervical carcinoma begins with normal intraepithelial cells, and develops through low and then high grade dysplasia before malignancy obtains. Cytologists mark the passage to malignancy as progression from normal epithelial cells to atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) to Low Grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and then high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) before carcinoma in situ and finally malignancy result. Histologists mark the progression from normal cells to various grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN I, II and III), then to carcinoma in situ and finally malignancy. CIN I is considered low grade dysplasia comparable to LSIL. CIN II and III are considered high grade dysplasia comparable to HSIL.
The current standard of care includes regular cytologic testing with a Papanicolau (Pap) smear to identify abnormalities as indicating dysplasia or carcinoma in patient cells. When high grade dysplasia is detected and confirmed by histological examination, the transformation zone of the patient's cervix is removed immediately by loop excision or cone biopsy. More radical procedures are required when carcinoma is detected. At the same time, however, the progression from normal to malignancy is not strict and the presence of low grade dysplasia does not necessarily indicate that the patient will progress to high grade dysplasia or malignancy. Significantly, the negative predictive value of cytologic methods (e.g., Pap smears) for detecting high grade dysplasia is poor. Thus, low grade dysplasia may be misdiagnosed as high-grade, thereby subjecting the patient to unwarranted treatment and high grade dysplasia may be misdiagnosed as low grade dysplasia, thereby delaying appropriate treatment. Accordingly, there is a need for a diagnostic method that will accurately distinguish between low and high grade dysplasia.
Patient specimens typically comprise many thousands of cells for evaluation. Diagnosis based on evaluation of individual cells can be enormously time consuming and tedious for technicians to perform due to the large number of cells that are required for evaluation. Thus, there is a need for a means to simplify a cell evaluation method.
Others have noted that genetic abnormalities (e.g., changes in chromosome regions or changes in ploidy levels) accompany the progression from normal cells to cervical malignancy. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,624 to Ried, et al. Ried et al. noted that chromosomal abnormalities can be used to classify the progression of dysplastic cervical cells in late stages, e.g., from noninvasive cervical to invasive cervical carcinoma. Still others have demonstrated that cervical cancer is associated with infection by certain human papilloma viruses (HPV) types, particularly HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35 and 42. See, e.g., Lazo, Brit. J. Cancer, (1999) 80(12), 2008-2018. Additionally, many cell cycle proteins such as p16 and Cyclin E and cell proliferation markers such as the proteins Ki67 and PCNA are also known to be highly active in neoplastic cells. Thus, cells containing abnormal amounts of these markers have been suggested as good candidates for cells that may progress to malignancy.
PCT application WO 0024760 describes methods and reagents for detecting HPV DNA in Pap smears using in situ hybridization and brightfield microscopy. The probe consists of full length DNA probes of HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, and -51. The patent claims that this probe mix detects other high-risk BPV types but not low-risk HPV. The ability of the disclosed HPV probe mixture to avoid hybridization to low-risk BPV types is achieved by modulation of the quantities of each HPV DNA probe included on the probe mix. The BPV probes disclosed are different than those described herein. In addition, the assays of the invention modulate probe cross-hybridization by lowering the stringency of the hybridization conditions while keeping the probe concentrations constant for all types. This application also does not combine HPV probe with use of chromosomal probes to detect chromosome abnormalities in the HPV infected cells.
Hopman et al. (J of Pathology 2004; 202:23-33) analyzed HPV status and chromosomal aberrations in cervical biopsies sections by FISH. This work used only probes for HPV-16 and BPV-18 and genomic probes for chromosome 1 (1q12), 17, and X. In contrast to the inventive assay that simultaneously detect HPV and chromosomal gains in the same cells, Hopman et al.'s detection of HPV positive cells and chromosomal aberrations was performed in parallel tissue sections.
To date Applicants are not aware of any publication that has demonstrated that any chromosomal abnormality with or without the presence of another marker can be used to distinguish low from high grade dysplasia or has combined such a diagnostic method with the known association of HPV and cervical cancer. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a method of etching a semiconductor substrate and, more particularly, it relates to a process of anisotropic etching.
In a conventional process for fabricating a single-crystal semiconductor substrate, there has widely been used a so-called anisotropic etching technique. To etch the single-crystal substrate non-isotropically, this technique uses a solution with which individual surface regions of the single-crystal substrate are etched at different rates depending on their respective directions, based on the fact that each surface plane has different activation energy in accordance with its crystallographic direction.
FIGS. 4(a) to 4(g) illustrate an example of the conventional process for anisotropically etching the semiconductor substrate.
As shown in FIG. 4(a), a bare silicon substrate 1 having surface plane (100) is prepared. First, the surface of the silicon substrate 1 composed of bare silicon is thermally oxidized so as to form a SiO.sub.2 film 2 (see FIG. 4(b)). Next, a first photoresist 3 is applied onto the SiO.sub.2 film 2 (see FIG. 4(c)). The resulting first photoresist 3 is then patterned so that a specified opening A is formed in a part of the photoresist 3 (see FIG. 4(d)). After etching away the pare of the SiO.sub.2 film 2 which underlies the opening A (FIG. 4(e)), the first photoresist 3 is removed (FIG. 4(f)).
Subsequently, the entire substrate is subjected to first-time anisotropic etching so that the silicon substrate 1 underlying the opening A of the SiO.sub.2 film 2 is grooved, thereby forming a first etched region 4 which is hollow with a specified difference in level (see FIG. 4(g)).
As the solution for anisotropically etching the silicon substrate 1, ethylene diamine, potassium hydroxide, pyrocatechol, and the like are known. An etching mask which is not dissolved in these solutions is usually composed of a SiO.sub.2 film.
Thus, the conventional process comprises the steps of thermally oxidizing the silicon substrate 1 so as to form the SiO.sub.2 film 2 composed of a thermal oxidation film, patterning the resulting SiO.sub.2 film 2 by using a normal photolithographic technique, and finally etching the substrate with the patterned SiO.sub.2 film serving as an etching mask by immersing it in the anisotropic etchant solution. If the patterned SiO.sub.2 film serving as an etching mask is formed with a window region having as its side the (110) direction of the silicon substrate, the resulting etched region 4 is in the form of a truncated pyramid or a pyramid having the (111) plane (forming a 54.degree. angle with respect to the main face of the substrate) as its slant faces, for the (100)-Si substrate is used.
A first problem of the prior art mentioned above arises when the anisotropic etching step is repeated more than once.
That is, after performing the first anisotropic etching, the surface of the silicon substrate 1 becomes rugged as shown in FIG. 5, so that, if a second photoresist 8 is to be applied by spin coating, a discontinuity is easily generated in the photoresist 8 at the edge portion 6 of the first etched region 4. The discontinuity results from the increasing thinning of the photoresist at the edge portion 6, which is caused while the second photoresist 8 is applied by spin coating, for the second photoresist 8 is spread by utilizing a centrifugal force.
The generation of the discontinuity can be prevented to some extent by adjusting the rotational speed for spin coating. However, if the depth of the groove formed by anisotropic etching reaches several 10 .mu.m, the number of revolutions should be reduced to the order of 1000 rpm. If the number of revolutions is thus reduced, the discontinuity is not generated at the edge portion 6, whereas other problems such as the unsatisfactory spreading of the second photoresist 8, non-uniform thickness of the photoresist, and inability to perform fine photolithography may occur, so that was difficult to eliminate the discontinuity.
On the other hand, second-time anisotropic etching is performed according to the steps illustrated in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(f), which will be described below:
When the first-time anisotropic etching is completed, the SiO.sub.2 film 2, which served as the first etching mask, is removed from the surface of the silicon substrate 1 (see FIG. 6(a)), followed by the thermal oxidation of the entire silicon substrate 1, so as to form a SiO.sub.2 film 15, composed of a thermal oxidation film, which will serve as a second etching mask (see FIG. 6(b)). The second photoresist 8 is applied onto the surface of the SiO.sub.2 film 15 and then formed into a pattern having a second opening B (see FIG. 6(c)). At this stage, however, the discontinuity mentioned above was already generated at the edge portion 6 of the first etched region 4.
If the second-time anisotropic etching is performed with the discontinuity remaining at the edge portion 6, after performing the etching process for patterning the SiO.sub.2 film 15 (see FIG. 6(d)), the second photoresist 8 is removed (see FIG. 6(e)) and then the silicon substrate 1 underlying the opening B is grooved by anisotropic etching, thus forming a second etched region 10 (see FIG. 6(f)).
In this process, however, the silicon substrate 1 at the edge portion 6 of the first etched region 1 is also anisotropically etched, as shown in FIG. 6(f), so that the first etched region 4 is disadvantageously deformed.
Thus, if the SiO.sub.2 film 15 is patterned by etching so as to form a second etching pattern with the discontinuity of the second photoresist 8 remaining at the edge portion 6 of the first etched region 4, the SiO.sub.2 film at the edge portion 6, which should serve as the mask, is etched away, so that the edge portion 6 undergoes anisotropic etching in the subsequent anisotropic etching process, resulting in the deformation of the first etched region 4.
In the case where the second etched region is formed inside the first etched region 4 so as to obtain a silicon substrate of cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 3, the first etched region 4 is also deformed through the same process as mentioned above, resulting in a second problem.
As shown in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(d), to realize the structure shown in FIG. 3, the silicon substrate 1 (see FIG. 7(a)) which has gone through the first-time etching (see FIGS. 4(a) to 4(g)) is thermally oxidized so as to form a SiO.sub.2 film 20 (FIG. 7(b)). Then, the second photoresist (not shown) having the second opening B which extends from the left-hand edge 6a of the first etched region 4 is formed. The resulting second photoresist is used as a photomask in patterning the SiO.sub.2 film 20 by etching, thereby forming the second etching mask (see FIG. 7(c)).
Even when the second photoresist is applied without generating a discontinuity at the edge portion 6, the edge portion 6a does not completely match the end portion of the mask, because, in most cases, there is the displacement of the mask .DELTA.d due to the imperfect precision with which the mask is aligned with respect to the edge portion 6a. If anisotropic etching is performed with such a mask displacement, the vicinity of the edge 6a, which corresponds to the edge portion 6 in above FIG. 4(f), is also etched, so that the first etched region is disadvantageously deformed (see FIG. 6(d)).
In this case, even if the width .DELTA.d of the mask displacement can be reduced to, e.g., 0.5 .mu.m, the mask displacement can not be ignored because a flat plane is required on the level of the wavelength of light in the case of using the slant face of the etched region as, e.g., a reflecting mirror for a near infrared ray. Moreover, a real photoresist film has large waviness, so that it is difficult in practice to reduce the width .DELTA.d of the mask displacement to 0.5 .mu.m or less. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Devices for imaging body cavities or passages in vivo are known in the art and include endoscopes and autonomous encapsulated cameras. Endoscopes are flexible or rigid tubes that pass into the body through an orifice or surgical opening, typically into the esophagus via the mouth or into the colon via the rectum. An image is formed at the distal end using a lens and transmitted to the proximal end, outside the body, either by a lens-relay system or by a coherent fiber-optic bundle. A conceptually similar instrument might record an image electronically at the distal end, for example using a CCD or CMOS array, and transfer the image data as an electrical signal to the proximal end through a cable. Endoscopes allow a physician control over the field of view and are well-accepted diagnostic tools.
Capsule endoscope is an alternative in vivo endoscope developed in recent years. For capsule endoscope, a camera is housed in a swallowable capsule, along with a radio transmitter for transmitting data, primarily comprising images recorded by the digital camera, to a base-station receiver or transceiver and data recorder outside the body. The capsule may also include a radio receiver for receiving instructions or other data from a base-station transmitter. Instead of radio-frequency transmission, lower-frequency electromagnetic signals may be used. Power may be supplied inductively from an external inductor to an internal inductor within the capsule or from a battery within the capsule.
An autonomous capsule camera system with on-board data storage was disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,458, entitled “In Vivo Autonomous Camera with On-Board Data Storage or Digital Wireless Transmission in Regulatory Approved Band,” granted on Jul. 19, 2011. The capsule camera with on-board storage archives the captured images in on-board non-volatile memory. The capsule camera is retrieved upon its exiting from the human body. The images stored in the non-volatile memory of the retrieved capsule camera are then accessed through an output port on in the capsule camera.
When the endoscope is used for imaging the human GI tract, one of the primary purposes is to identify any possible anomaly. If any anomaly is found, it is further of interest to determine characteristics of the anomaly, such as the size of the anomaly. For example, the polyp size is an important clinical factor associated with surveillance interval decision making for the colonoscopy procedure. Usually, a large polyp size is associated with a higher probability of malignancy. Furthermore, for cancerous tumor, the size will affect the probability of lymphovascular invasion and metastasis, and also impact prognosis substantially. For example, in a technical paper by Warren et al., (“Comparison of One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Measurements of Childhood Brain Tumors”, Journal of National Cancer Institute, pp. 141-145, Vol. 93, No. 18, Sep. 19, 2001), it shows that the tumor lymphovascular metastasis is more closely related to tumor area or volume, i.e. multiple dimensional measurement than a dimensional measurement. Similar observation has also be noted by Kikuchi et al., (“A new staging system based on tumor volume in gastric cancer”, Anticancer Research, pp. 2933-2936, Vol. 21, No. 4B, July-August 2001).
However in the colonoscopy standard procedure, the polyp size is always measured by its longest dimension. For example, in a technical article by Chaptini et al, (“Variation in polyp size estimation among endoscopists and impact on surveillance intervals”, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, pp. 652-659, Volume 80, No. 4: 2014), the polyp size is determined by measuring the size of the open forceps from the printed photograph or images displayed on a display device. Similar size measuring technique has also been mentioned by Plumb et al., (“Terminal digit preference biases polyp size measurements at endoscopy, computed tomographic colonography, and histopathology”, Endoscopy, pp. 899-908, Vol. 48, October 2016).
It is desirable to develop techniques that can easily measure or estimate the physical area or physical volume of an object of interest. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Digital communication networks are now appearing in increasingly greater numbers. The digital networks are as complex as a switched network providing national telecommunications or as simple as a private data network having several private branch exchange (PBX) equipments interconnected by a T1.5 line. In the digital network, a master or reference clock provides continuing timing signals to all other clocks in a digital network. This permits all digital equipment on the network to operate from a common time base. Synchronization is made possible by designating one or more master clocks as the common time base and distributing their timing information to all equipment in the network. As a result, all interconnected network equipment are expected to operate at a rate related to the rate of the designated master clock.
Proper synchronization of digital equipment on the network would be nearly impossible without such clock signals and network performance would be seriously degraded at best. A poorly sychronized network would experience severe sychronization slips and error bursts, both of which adversely affect throughput, quality, and delay performance for data and other traffic and services carried by the digital network.
When two digital communication equipments are transmitting information back and forth to each other at different rates, a slower receiving equipment will not be able to keep pace with the faster transmitting equipment. As a result, the receiving equipment must drop or discard some of the information in order to keep up with the current information being received. Depending on equipment characteristics, the speed of one of the equipments will be adjusted or synchronized to the speed of the other so that both equipments appear to be operating from the same clock signal. It should be noted that a speed difference causing a timing loss as small as one second every 300 years is intolerable according to some telecommunication network standards.
Typical problems resulting from timing or synchronization errors can vary from exchange of incorrect or incomplete information to complete blockage and communication failure of the network. Synchronization errors can also propagate downstream through cascaded equipments as a result of a transient timing phase error. For encrypted data systems, loss or slippage of synchronization can adversely affect security of the network by requiring key retransmission. For facsimile transmission on the digital network, synchronization errors can lead to blurred or even illegible images causing the user to generate a need for facsimile retransmission. In digital video services, synchronization errors can cause picture segments to be distored and blanked for periods extending up to several seconds.
When occuring in industry-specific digital networks, the effect of synchronization errors is further magnified. Banking networks may lose monetary transaction information; aviation control networks may be impaired in dealing with the volumes of instantaneous flight information; military and national security can be compromised; hotel, automobile, and airline reservation information may be lost; securities exchange information may include erroneous data; and internal business communications may become flawed, if occurring at all.
To address some of these problem areas, various organizations have attempted to set standards concerning synchronization and clock precision for networks interconnecting digital equipment. See, for example, American National Standard for Telecommunications--Synchronization Interface Standards for Digital Networks, ANSI T1.101-1987. While these standards state the error performance of different clock signals, there is no attempt to teach or suggest the manner in which one should develop and optimize a sychronization plan for an entire network to ensure end-to-end network reliability within the acceptance criteria of the standards. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic composite tape for inhibiting radiation noise and a radiation noise inhibiting component using such a magnetic composite tape.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, when suppressing noise radiated from an interface cable or a head cable (power supply cable), a ferrite ring core or a cylindrical resin member containing a ferrite (cylindrical magnetic member) are inserted into the cable to generate a common-mode impedance and the noise is suppressed due to the generation of such impedance. Moreover, apart from this, by winding a tape-like magnetic rubber onto a predetermined portion of the cable, common-mode impedance is generated as with the above-mentioned ferrite ring core, and the noise is further suppressed.
When the noise is suppressed using the ferrite ring core or the cylindrical resin containing a ferrite, an outer diameter R1 of the ferrite ring core or the like and an inner diameter R2 thereof have a relationship such that the common-mode impedance generated is proportional to (R1-R2)/(R1+R2) and is also proportional to the length of the ferrite ring core or the like. Therefore, in order to obtain a large common-mode impedance, the ferrite ring or the like must have a relatively large size. Moreover, even if a material which has a high initial permeability is used, the so-called "Snoek's limit" phenomenon occurs. With this phenomenon, there is a problem that permeability decreases at the high-frequency area and consequently, the common-mode impedance does not increase to the extent expected. Furthermore, it is known that the ferrite ring core or the like is covered with a conductive member and the conductive member is grounded, then, a radiation noise inhibiting effect can be improved. However, when using the ferrite ring core or the like, it is necessary to provide the conductive member with the ferrite core before connecting the cable with a connector.
When suppressing noise by using a tape-like magnetic rubber, in order to obtain a large noise suppression effect, it is necessary to increase the common-mode impedance by methods such as winding the tape-like magnetic rubber for many turns to achieve the desired thickness of the magnetic rubber or extending the length along which the magnetic rubber is wound on the cable. Moreover, it is known that a large radiation noise inhibiting effect can be obtained by winding the tape-like magnetic rubber onto the cable and accommodating the wound magnetic rubber in a conductive case. However, the provision of the tape-like magnetic rubber and that of the conductive case must be performed separately and requires very complicated assembling processes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to compounds that affect cholinergic receptors, especially muscarinic receptors. The present invention provides compounds that are agonists of cholinergic receptors including muscarinic receptors, especially the m1 and m4 subtype of muscarinic receptors. The invention also provides methods of using the provided compounds for modulating conditions associated with cholinergic receptors, especially for treating or alleviating disease conditions associated with muscarinic receptors, e.g., m1 or m4 subtypes of receptors.
Muscarinic cholinergic receptors mediate the actions of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the central and peripheral nervous systems, gastrointestinal system, heart, endocrine glands, lungs, and other tissues. Muscarinic receptors play a central role in the central nervous system for higher cognitive functions, as well as in the peripheral parasympathetic nervous system. Five distinct muscarinic receptor subtypes have been identified, m1-m5. The m1 subtype is the predominant subtype found in the cerebral cortex and is believed to be involved in the control of cognitive functions; m2 is the predominant subtype found in heart and is believed to be involved in the control of heart rate; m3 is believed to be involved in gastrointestinal and urinary tract stimulation as well as sweating and salivation; m4 is present in brain and may be involved in locomotion; and m5, present in brain, may be involved in certain functions of the central nervous system associated with the dopaminergic system.
Conditions associated with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer""s disease, are accompanied by loss of acetylcholine in the brain. This is believed to be the result of degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain, which innervate areas of the association cortex, and hippocampus, which is involved in higher processes.
Efforts to increase acetylcholine levels have focused on increasing levels of choline, the precursor for acetylcholine synthesis, and on blocking acetylcholine esterase (AChE), the enzyme that metabolizes acetylcholine. Administration of choline or phosphatidylcholine has not been very successful. AChE inhibitors have shown some therapeutic efficacy, but may cause cholinergic side effects due to peripheral acetylcholine stimulation, including abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, weight loss, myopathy and depression. Gastrointestinal side effects have been observed in about a third of the patients treated. In addition, some AChE inhibitors, such as tacrine, have also been found to cause significant hepatotoxicity, with elevated liver transaminases observed in about 30% of patients. The adverse effects of AChE inhibitors have limited their clinical utility.
Known m1 muscarinic agonists such as arecoline have also been found to be weak agonists of m2 as well as m3 subtype and are not very effective in treating cognitive impairment, most likely because of dose-limiting side effects.
There is a need for compounds that increase acetylcholine signaling or effect in the brain. Specifically there is a need for muscarinic agonists that are active at various muscarinic receptor subtypes in the central and peripheral nervous system. Furthermore, there is a need for more highly selective muscarinic agonists, such as m1- or m4-selective agents, both as pharmacological tools and as therapeutic agents.
The present invention provides compounds that affect cholinergic, especially muscarinic, receptors that have agonist activity at the m1 or m4 subtype of muscarinic receptors, or both. The compounds of the invention are of the general formula (I):
wherein:
Z1 is CR1 or N, Z2 is CR2 or N, Z3 is CR3 or N, and Z4 is CR4 or N, where no more than two of Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 are N;
W1 is O, S, or NR5, one of W2 and W3 is N or CR6, and the other of W2 and W3 is CG; W1 is NG, W2 is CR5 or N, and W3 is CR6 or N; or W1 and W3 are N, and W2 is NG;
G is of formula (II):
Y is O, S, CHOH, xe2x80x94NHC(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)NHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94OC(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(O)COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NR7xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94, or absent;
p is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;
Z is CR8R9 or absent;
each t is 1, 2, or 3;
each R1, R2, R3, and R4, independently, is H, amino, hydroxyl, halo, or straight- or branched-chain C1-6 alkyl, C2-6 alkenyl, C2-6 alkynyl, C1-6 heteroalkyl, C1-6 haloalkyl, xe2x80x94CN, xe2x80x94CF3, xe2x80x94OR11, xe2x80x94COR11, xe2x80x94NO2, xe2x80x94SR11, xe2x80x94NHC(O)R11, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR11C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94SO2NR12R13, xe2x80x94OC(O)R11, xe2x80x94O(CH2)qNR12R13, or xe2x80x94(CH2)qNR12R13, where q is an integer from 2 to 6, or R1 and R2 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 or R3 and R4 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94;
each R5, R6, and R7, independently, is H, C1-6 alkyl; formyl; C3-6 cycloalkyl; C5-6 aryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or C5-6 heteroaryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl;
each R8 and R9, independently, is H or straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl;
R10 is straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C1-8 alkylidene, C1-8 alkoxy, C1-8 heteroalkyl, C1-8 aminoalkyl, C1-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-8 hydroxyalkoxy, C1-8 hydroxyalkyl, xe2x80x94SH, C1-8 alkylthio, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl substituted with C1-3 alkyl or halo, C5-6 aryl, C5-6 cycloalkyl, C5-6 heteroaryl, C5-6 heterocycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NR12R13, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR11C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94CR11R12R13,xe2x80x94OC(O)R11, xe2x80x94(O)(CH2)SNR12R13 or xe2x80x94(CH2)SNR12R13, s being an integer from 2 to 8;
R10xe2x80x2 is H, straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C1-8 alkylidene, C1-8 alkoxy, C1-8 heteroalkyl, C1-8 aminoalkyl, C1-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-8 hydroxyalkoxy, C1-8 hydroxyalkyl, or C1-8 alkylthio;
each R11, independently, is H, straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C2-8 heteroalkyl, C2-8 aminoalkyl, C2-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C2-8 hydroxyalkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl substituted with C1-3 alkyl or halo, C5-6 aryl, C5-6 heteroaryl, C5-6 cycloalkyl, C5-6 heterocycloalkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94CR5R12R13, xe2x80x94(CH2)tNR12R13, t is an integer from 2 to 8; and
each R12 and R13, independently, is H, C1-6 alkyl; C3-6 cycloalkyl; C5-6 aryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or C5-6 heteroaryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or R12 and R13 together form a cyclic structure;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester or prodrug thereof.
The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions including an effective amount of a compound of formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, or prodrugs thereof.
Also provided are methods of increasing an activity of a cholinergic receptor comprising contacting the cholinergic receptor or a system containing the cholinergic receptor with an effective amount of a compound of formula (I), as well as kits for performing the same. Preferably, the receptor is a muscarinic receptor of the m1 or m4 subtype. The receptor may be located in the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart, endocrine glands, or lungs; and the receptor may be a truncated, mutated, or modified cholinergic receptor.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of activating a cholinergic receptor comprising contacting the cholinergic receptor or a system containing the cholinergic receptor with an effective amount of at least one compound of formula (I), as well as kits for performing the method. In a preferred embodiment, the compound is selective for the m1 or m4 muscarinic receptor subtype, or both. In another preferred embodiment, the compound has little or substantially no effect on m2 or m3 activity.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method of treating a disease condition associated with a cholinergic receptor comprising administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of at least one of the compounds of the invention. Kits for performing the method are also provided. The disease conditions that are treated include, but are not limited to conditions of cognitive dysfunction, forgetfulness, confusion, memory loss, attention deficits, deficits in visual perception, depression, pain, sleep disorders, and psychosis. The disease conditions also include, but are not limited to diseases of Alzheimer""s disease, Parkinson""s disease, Huntington""s chorea, Friederich""s ataxia, Gilles de la Tourette""s Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Pick disease, dementia pugilistica, clinical depression, age-related cognitive decline, attention-deficit disorder, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Further provided are methods of treating the symptoms of a disease or condition associated with reduced levels of acetylcholine comprising administering an effective amount of at least one compound of the invention.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of treating Alzheimer""s disease. The method comprises administering to a subject in need of such treatment an effective amount of at least one compound of the invention.
In still another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of treating glaucoma. The method comprises administering an effective amount of at least one compound of the invention.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for identifying a genetic polymorphism predisposing a subject to being responsive to a compound of the invention. The method comprises administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of the compound; measuring the response of said subject to the compound, thereby identifying a responsive subject having an ameliorated disease condition associated with a cholinergic receptor; and identifying a genetic polymorphism in the responsive subject, wherein the genetic polymorphism predisposes a subject to being responsive to the compound.
The present invention also features a method for identifying a subject suitable for treatment with a compound of the invention, and kits for identifying the same. The method comprises detecting the presence of a polymorphism in a subject wherein the polymorphism predisposes the subject to being responsive to the compound, and wherein the presence of the polymorphism indicates that the subject is suitable for treatment with the compound.
Definitions
For the purpose of the current disclosure, the following definitions shall in their entireties be used to define technical terms and to define the scope of the composition of matter for which protection is sought in the claims.
A xe2x80x9creceptorxe2x80x9d is intended to include any molecule present inside or on the surface of a cell that may affect cellular physiology when it is inhibited or stimulated by a ligand. Typically, a receptor comprises an extracellular domain with ligand-binding properties, a transmembrane domain that anchors the receptor in the cell membrane, and a cytoplasmic domain that generates a cellular signal in response to ligand binding (xe2x80x9csignal transductionxe2x80x9d). A receptor also includes any molecule having the characteristic structure of a receptor, but with no identifiable ligand. In addition, a receptor includes a truncated, modified, mutated receptor, or any molecule comprising partial or all of the sequences of a receptor.
xe2x80x9cLigandxe2x80x9d is intended to include any substance that interacts with a receptor.
xe2x80x9cAgonistxe2x80x9d is defined as a compound that increases the activity of a receptor when it interacts with the receptor.
The xe2x80x9cm1 receptorxe2x80x9d is defined as a receptor having an activity corresponding to the activity of the m1 muscarinic receptor subtype characterized through molecular cloning and pharmacology.
xe2x80x9cSelectivexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cselectivityxe2x80x9d is defined as a compound""s ability to generate a desired response from a particular receptor type, subtype, class or subclass while generating less or little response from other receptor types. xe2x80x9cSelectivexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cselectivityxe2x80x9d of an m1 or m4 muscarinic agonist compound means a compound""s ability to increase the activity of the m1 or m4 muscarinic receptor, respectively, while causing little or no increase in the activity of other subtypes including m3 and m5 subtypes, and preferably the m2 subtype. Compounds of the presents invention may also show selectivity toward both m1 and m4 receptors, i.e. increase the activity of both the m1 and m4 muscarinic receptors, while causing little or no increase in the activity of other subtypes including the m3 and m5 subtypes, and preferably the m2 subtype.
The term xe2x80x9csubjectxe2x80x9d refers to an animal, preferably a mammal or a human, who is the object of treatment, observation or experiment.
As used herein, xe2x80x9ccoadministrationxe2x80x9d of pharmacologically active compounds refers to the delivery of two or more separate chemical entities, whether in vitro or in vivo. Coadministration means the simultaneous delivery of separate agents; the simultaneous delivery of a mixture of agents; as well as the delivery of one agent followed by delivery of a second agent or additional agents. Agents that are coadministered are typically intended to work in conjunction with each other.
The term xe2x80x9can effective amountxe2x80x9d as used herein means an amount of active compound or pharmaceutical agent that elicits the biological or medicinal response in a tissue, system, animal or human that is being sought by a researcher, veterinarian, medical doctor or other clinician, which includes alleviation or palliation of the symptoms of the disease being treated.
xe2x80x9cAlkylxe2x80x9d means a straight or branched-chain alkane group with 1-6 carbon atoms in the chain, for instance methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, etc. The term xe2x80x9cheteroalkylxe2x80x9d is intended to indicate an alkane group containing 1 or 2 heteroatoms selected from O, S or N.
xe2x80x9cAlkenylxe2x80x9d means a straight or branched-chain alkene group with 2-6 carbon atoms in the chain; the term xe2x80x9calkynylxe2x80x9d is intended to indicate a straight or branched-chain alkyne group with 2-6 carbon atoms in the chain.
The terms xe2x80x9carylxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccycloalkylxe2x80x9d preferably refer to mono- and bicyclic ring structures comprising 5 to 12 carbon atoms, more preferably monocyclic rings comprising 5 to 6 carbon atoms. Where such rings comprise one or more heteroatoms, selected from N, S and O, (i.e., heterocyclic, or heteroaryl rings) such rings comprise a total of 5 to 12 atoms, more preferably 5 to 6 atoms. Heterocyclic rings include, but are not limited to, furyl, pyrrolyl, pyrazolyl, thienyl, imidazolyl, indolyl, benzofuranyl, benzothiophenyl, indazolyl, benzoimidazolyl, benzothiazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxazolyl, thiazolyl, isothiazolyl, pyridyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl, morpholinyl, oxadiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, imidazolinyl, imidazolidinyl and the like. The ring may be substituted by one or more of the groups included in the definition of R2 above. It is understood that the substituents C1-6 alkyl, C2-6 alkenyl, C2-6 alkynyl, C1-6 alkoxy, C1-6 heteroalkyl, C1-6 aminoalkyl, C1-6 haloalkyl or C1-6 alkoxycarbonyl may, if present, be substituted by one or more of hydroxyl, C1-4 alkoxy, halogen, cyano, amino or nitro.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9chalogenxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chaloxe2x80x9d includes chlorine, fluorine, which are preferred, and iodine and bromine.
The present invention provides compounds that are agonists of cholinergic receptors including muscarinic receptors. Especially, the present invention provides compounds that are selective for the m1 or m4 muscarinic receptor subtype, or both. The compounds provided by the present invention have therapeutic effect and can be used to treat disease conditions associated with cholinergic receptors, e.g. cognitive impairment in Alzheimer""s disease, glaucoma, pain, or schizophrenia.
According to one embodiment, the present invention provides compounds of formula (I)
wherein:
Z1, is CR1 or N, Z2 is CR2 or N, Z3 is CR3 or N, and Z4 is CR4 or N, no more than two of Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 being N;
W1 is O, S, or NR5, one of W2 and W3 is N or CR6 and the other of W2 and W3 is CG; W1 is NG, W2 is CR5 or N, and W3 is CR6 or N; or W1 is N, W2 is NG and W3 is N;
G is of formula (II):
Y is O, S, CHOH, xe2x80x94NHC(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)NHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94OC(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(O)COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NR7xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94, or absent;
p is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;
Z is CR8R9 or absent;
each t is 1, 2, or 3;
each R1, R2, R3, and R4, independently, is H, amino, hydroxyl, halo, or straight- or branched-chain C1-6 alkyl, C2-6 alkenyl, C2-6 alkynyl, C1-6 heteroalkyl, C1-6 haloalkyl, xe2x80x94CN, xe2x80x94CF3, xe2x80x94OR11, xe2x80x94COR11, xe2x80x94NO2, xe2x80x94SR11, xe2x80x94NHC(O)R11, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR11C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94SO2NR12R13,xe2x80x94OC(O)R11, xe2x80x94O(CH2)qNR12R13, or xe2x80x94(CH2)qNR12R13, where q is an integer from 2 to 6, or R1 and R2 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 or R3 and R4 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94;
each R5, R6, and R7, independently, is H, C1-6 alkyl; formyl; C3-6 cycloalkyl; C5-6 aryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or C5-6 heteroaryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl;
each R8 and R9, independently, is H or straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl;
R10 is straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C1-8 alkylidene, C1-8 alkoxy, C1-8 heteroalkyl, C1-8 aminoalkyl, C1-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-8 hydroxyalkoxy, C1-8 hydroxyalkyl, xe2x80x94SH, C1-8 alkylthio, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl substituted with C1-3 alkyl or halo, C5-6 aryl, C5-6 cycloalkyl, C5-6 heteroaryl, C5-6 heterocycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NR12R13, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94NR11C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94CR11R12R13, xe2x80x94OC(O)R11, xe2x80x94(O)(CH2)SNR12R13 or xe2x80x94(CH2)SNR12R13, s being an inter from 2 to 8;
R10xe2x80x2 is H, straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C1-8 alkylidene, C1-8 alkoxy, C1-8 heteroalkyl, C1-8 aminoalkyl, C1-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C1-8 hydroxyalkoxy, C1-8 hydroxyalkyl, or C1-8 alkylthio;
each R11, independently, is H, straight- or branched-chain C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C2-8 heteroalkyl, C2-8 aminoalkyl, C2-8 haloalkyl, C1-8 alkoxycarbonyl, C2-8 hydroxyalkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94C5-6 aryl substituted with C1-3 alkyl or halo, C5-6 aryl, C5-6 heteroaryl, C5-6 cycloalkyl, C5-6 heterocycloalkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)NR12R13, xe2x80x94CR5R12R13, xe2x80x94(CH2)tNR12R13, t is an integer from 2 to 8; and
each R12 and R13, independently, is H, C1-6 alkyl; C3-6 cycloalkyl; C5-6 aryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or C5-6 heteroaryl, optionally substituted with halo or C1-6 alkyl; or R12 and R13 together form a cyclic structure;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester or prodrug thereof.
According to a preferred series of embodiments, t is 2 and R10xe2x80x2 is H.
According to one preferred series of embodiments Y is xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHC(O)xe2x80x94, S, O, xe2x80x94OC(O)xe2x80x94 or absent. In another, R10 is alkyl, and where Z1 is CR1 or N, Z2 is CR2, Z3 is CR3 or N, and Z4 is CR4. In one embodiment, p is 2. In another, R5 is H or C1-6 alkyl.
In one embodiment each R1, R2, R3, and R4, independently, is H, halo, xe2x80x94NO2, or straight- or branched-chain C1-6 alkyl, or R1 and R2 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 or R3 and R4 together form xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94.
Particular embodiments of the invention include:
3-[3-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
3-[2-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[2-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[3-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[3-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[4-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[4-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzo[d]isoxazole;
1-[3-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-indole;
1-[3-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-methoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-ethoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-propoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-butoxypiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-methoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-ethoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-propoxymethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[4-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
2-[4-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
2-[4-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
2-[4-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
2-[4-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
2-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-4-(4-methylpiperidine)-butanone;
1-(H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-4-(4-ethylpiperidine)-butanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-4-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-butanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-4-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-butanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-3-(4-methylpiperidine)-propanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-propanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-propanone;
1-(1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-propanone;
3-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
1-(3-benzofuran-3-yl-propyl)-4-methyl-piperidine;
1-(3-benzofuran-3-yl-propyl)-4-ethyl-piperidine;
1-(3-benzofuran-3-yl-propyl)-4-n-propyl-piperidine;
1-(3-benzofuran-3-yl-propyl)-4-n-butyl-piperidine;
3-(3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-benzo[d]isothiazole;
3-(3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-benzo[d]isothiazole;
3-(3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-benzo[d]isothiazole;
3-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-benzo[d]isothiazole;
1-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
1-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
1-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
1-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-indazole;
2-[4-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[4-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[4-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[4-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-1H-benzothiazole;
2-[3-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[3-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[2-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[2-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[2-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[2-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-ethyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[4-(4-methylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[4-(4-ethylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[4-(4-n-propylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzooxazole;
2-[4-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-butyl]-benzooxazole;
4,5-difluoro-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine-1-yl)-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
6-fluoro-5-nitro-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine-1-yl)-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
5-tert-butyl-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine-1-yl)-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
5-chloro-6-methyl-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine-1-yl)-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
4,6-difluoro-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine-1-yl)-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine;
8-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-9H-purine;
7-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-3,8-dihydro-imidazo[4xe2x80x2,5xe2x80x2:3,4]benzo[1,2-d][1,2,3]triazole;
2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-1H-benzoimidazole;
3-methyl-1-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indole;
5-bromo-1-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indole;
3-formyl-1-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indole;
7-bromo-1-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)1H-indole;
3-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-benzo[d]isoxazole;
4-nitro-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
5-nitro-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole
4-hydroxy-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
4-methyl-2-(3-(4-n-butylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-benzoimidazole;
3-(2-(4-n-Butylpiperidine)-ethoxy)-7-methyl-benzo[d]isoxazole;
1-(3-(4-Methylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indazole;
1-(3-(4-Pentylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indazole;
1-(3-(4-Propylpiperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1Hxe2x80x94;
1-(3-(4-(3-Methyl-butyl)-piperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indazole
1-(3-(4-Pentylidene-piperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indazole;
1-(3-(4-Propylidene-piperidine)-1-yl-propyl)-1H-indazole
1-Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl-4-(4-butylpiperidin-1-yl)-butan-1-one
4-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-1-(3-methyl-benzofuran-2-yl)-butan-1-one;
4-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-1-(5-fluoro-3-methyl-benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-butan-1-one;
1-Benzofuran-2-yl-4-(4-butylpiperidin-1-yl)-butan-1-one;
1-(3-Bromo-benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-4-(4-butylpiperidin-1-yl)-butan-1-one
1-(3-Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl-propyl)-4-butylpiperidine;
1-(3-Benzofuran-2-yl-propyl)-4-butylpiperidine;
4-Butyl-1-[3-(3-methyl-benzofuran-2-yl)-propyl]-piperidine;
4-Butyl-1-[3-(5-fluoro-3-methyl-benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-propyl]-piperidine;
2-(3-Iodo-propyl)-benzo[b]thiophene;
1-(3-Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl-propyl)-4-methylpiperidine
1-(3-Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl-propyl)-4-benzylpiperidine;
1-(3-Benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl-propyl)-4-(2-methoxy-phenyl)-piperidine;
2-(3-Bromopropyl)-2H-benzotriazole;
2-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-2H-benzotriazole;
1-(3-Bromopropyl)-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-benzotriazole;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde;
{1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indol-3-yl}-methanol;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-2-phenyl-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-3-chloro-1H-indazole;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-6-nitro-1H-indazole;
Benzo[d]isoxazol-3-ol;
3-(2-Chloroethoxy)-benzo[d]isoxazole;
3-[2-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-ethoxy]-benzo[d]isoxazol;
3-(1H-Indol-3-yl)-propan-1-ol;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indole hydrochloride;
4-(4-Butylpiperidine-1-yl)-butyric acid methyl ester;
2-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1-methyl-1H-benzimidazole;
1H-Indazole-3-carboxylic acid (2-(4-butylpiperidin)-1-yl-ethyl)-amide;
1-[3-(4-Butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5-nitro-1H-indazole;
2-[3-(4-butylpiperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5-nitro-2H-indazole;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-2-methyl-1H-indole;
1-{1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indol-3-yl}-ethanone;
{1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indol-3-yl}-acetonitrile;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indole-3-carbonitrile;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5 (6)-dimethyl-1H-benzoimidazole;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5-methoxy-1H-benzoimidazole;
{1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl}-methanol;
1-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-2-trifuoromethyl-1H-benzoimidazole;
(2-Trimethylstannanyl-phenyl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester;
[2-(4-Chloro-butyryl)-phenyl]-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester;
{2-[4-(4-Butyl-piperidine-1-yl)-butyryl]-phenyl}-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidine-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indazole, HCl;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidine-1-yl)-propyl]-5-nitro-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidine-1-yl)-propyl]-5,7-dinitro-1H-indazole;
4-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-1-(2-metylsulfanyl-phenyl)-butan-1-one;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-benzo[d]isothiazole;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-5-methoxy-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-4-methoxy-1H-indazole
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-6-methoxy-1H-indazole;
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indazole-4-ol(53MF51);
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indazole-6-ol(53MF52); and
3-[3-(4-Butyl-piperidin-1-yl)-propyl]-1H-indazole-5-ol
The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising an effective amount of at least one compound of the invention, inclusive of all compounds within the scope of formula (I).
In general, compounds of the present invention are active at cholinergic, specifically muscarinic receptors. Preferred compounds share the common property of acting as agonists at the m1 or m4 muscarinic receptor subtypes, or both. In a preferred embodiment, the compounds of the present invention are selective towards the m1, m4, or both the m1 and m4 subtypes of muscarinic receptors, i.e., the compounds have less or substantially no effect on other subtypes of the muscarinic receptors. Typically, the m1 and/or m4 selective compounds of the invention have no effect on other related receptors, including G-protein coupled receptors, e.g., serotonin, histamine, dopamine or adrenergic receptors. The invention provides compounds that are selective as agonists at either the m1 or the m4 subtype as well as compounds that are agonists at both the m1 and m4 receptor subtypes. In one embodiment, the compounds of the present invention have less or substantially no effect on m2 and m3 subtypes of muscarinic receptors. In another embodiment, the compounds of the present invention have less or substantially no effect on m2, m3, m4, and m5 subtypes of muscarinic receptors.
The compounds of present invention typically have therapeutic effects and can be used to treat or alleviate symptoms of disease conditions associated with cholinergic receptors such as cognitive impairment, forgetfulness, confusion, memory loss, attentional deficits, deficits in visual perception, depression, pain, sleep disorders, psychosis, hallucinations, aggressiveness, paranoia, and increased intraocular pressure. The disease condition may result from dysfunction, decreased activity, modification, mutation, truncation, or loss of cholinergic receptors, especially muscarinic receptors, as well as from reduced levels of acetylcholine.
The compounds of present invention can also be used to treat diseases, e.g., age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer""s disease, Parkinson""s disease, Huntington""s chorea, Friederich""s ataxia, Gilles de la Tourette""s Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Pick disease, dementia, clinical depression, age-related cognitive decline, attention-deficit disorder, sudden infant death syndrome, and glaucoma.
The compounds of the present invention have the ability to increase cholinergic receptor activity or activate cholinergic receptors. Cholinergic receptor activity includes signaling activity or any other activity that is directly or indirectly related to cholinergic signaling or activation. The cholinergic receptors include muscarinic receptors, especially the m1 or m4 subtype of muscarinic receptors. The muscarinic receptor can be, for example, in the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, gastrointestinal system, heart, endocrine glands, or lungs. The muscarinic receptor can be a wild-type, truncated, mutated, or modified cholinergic receptor. Kits comprising the compounds of the present invention for increasing cholinergic receptor activity or activating cholinergic receptors are also contemplated by the present invention.
The system containing the cholinergic receptor may, for example, be a subject such as a mammal, non-human primate or a human. The system may also be an in vivo or in vitro experimental model, such as a cell culture model system that expresses a cholinergic receptor, a cell-free extract thereof that contains a cholinergic receptor, or a purified receptor. Non-limiting examples of such systems are tissue culture cells expressing the receptor, or extracts or lysates thereof. Cells that may be used in the present method include any cells capable of mediating signal transduction via cholinergic receptors, expecially the m1 muscarinic receptor, either via endogenous expression of this receptor (certain types of neuronal cells lines, for example, natively express the m1 receptor), or such as following introduction of the an exogenous gene into the cell, for example, by transfection of cells with plasmids containing the receptor gene. Such cells are typically mammalian cells (or other eukaryotic cells, such as insect cells or Xenopus oocytes), because cells of lower life forms generally lack the appropriate signal transduction pathways for the present purpose. Examples of suitable cells include: the mouse fibroblast cell line NIH 3T3 (ATCC CRL 1658), which responds to transfected m1 receptors by increased growth; RAT 1 cells (Pace et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:7031-35 (1991)); and pituitary cells (Vallar et al., Nature 330:556-58 (1987)). Other useful mammalian cells for the present method include but are not limited to HEK 293 cells, CHO cells and COS cells.
The compounds of the present invention also have the ability to reduce intraocular pressure and therefore can be used in the treatment of such diseases as glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease in which an abnormality is observed in the circulation-control mechanism of the aqueous humor filling up the anterior chamber, i.e., the space formed between the cornea and the lens. This leads to an increase in the volume of the aqueous humor and an increase in intraocular pressure, consequently leading to visual field defects and even to loss of eyesight due to the compulsion and contraction of the papillae of the optic nerve.
The present invention also pertains to the field of predictive medicine in which pharmacogenomics is used for prognostic (predictive) purposes. Pharmacogenomics deals with clinically significant hereditary variations in the response to drugs due to altered drug disposition and abnormal action in affected persons (see e.g., Eichelbaum, Clin Exp Pharmacol. Physiol., 23:983-985 (1996) and Linder, Clin. Chem. 43:254-66 (1997)). In general, two types of pharmacogenetic conditions can be differentiated: genetic conditions transmitted as a single factor altering the way drugs act on the body (altered drug action) or genetic conditions transmitted as single factors altering the way the body acts on drugs (altered drug metabolism). These pharmacogenetic conditions can occur as naturally-occurring polymorphisms.
One pharmacogenomics approach to identifying genes that predict drug response, known as xe2x80x9ca genome-wide associationxe2x80x9d, relies primarily on a high-resolution map of the human genome consisting of known gene-related markers (e.g., a xe2x80x9cbi-allelicxe2x80x9d gene marker map that consists of 60,000-100,000 polymorphic or variable sites on the human genome, each of which has two variants). Such a high-resolution genetic map can be compared to a map of the genome of each of a statistically significant number of patients taking part in a Phase II/III drug trial to identify markers associated with a particular observed drug response or side effect. Alternatively, such a high resolution map can be generated from a combination of some ten-million known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome. As used herein, a xe2x80x9cSNPxe2x80x9d is a common alteration that occurs in a single nucleotide base in a stretch of DNA. For example, a SNP may occur once per every 1,000 bases of DNA. A SNP may be involved in a disease process although the vast majority may not be disease-associated. Given a genetic map based on the occurrence of such SNPs, individuals can be grouped into genetic categories depending on a particular pattern of SNPs in their individual genome. In such a manner, treatment regimens can be tailored to groups of genetically similar individuals, taking into account traits that may be common among such genetically similar individuals.
Alternatively, a method termed the xe2x80x9ccandidate gene approachxe2x80x9d can be utilized to identify genes that predict drug response. According to this method, if a gene that encodes a drug""s target is known (e.g., a protein or a receptor of the present invention), all common variants of that gene can be identified in the population. It can be readily determined by standard techniques a particular version of the gene is associated with a particular drug response.
Alternatively, a method termed xe2x80x9cgene expression profilingxe2x80x9d can be utilized to identify genes that predict drug response. For example, the gene expression of an animal dosed with a drug (e.g., a compound or composition of the present invention) can give an indication whether gene pathways related to toxicity have been turned on.
Information generated from more than one of the above pharmacogenomics approaches can be used to determine appropriate dosage and treatment regimens for prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of an individual. This knowledge, when applied to dosing or drug selection, can avoid adverse reactions or therapeutic failure and thus enhance therapeutic or prophylactic efficiency when treating a subject with a compound or composition of the invention, such as a modulator identified by one of the exemplary screening assays described herein. These approaches can also be used to identify novel candidate receptor or other genes suitable for further pharmacological characterization in vitro and in vivo.
Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention features methods and kits for identifying a genetic polymorphism predisposing a subject to being responsive to a compound described herein. The method comprises administering to a subject an effective amount of a compound; identifying a responsive subject having an ameliorated disease condition associated with a cholinergic receptor; and identifying a genetic polymorphism in the responsive subject, wherein the genetic polymorphism predisposes a subject to being responsive to the compound. Identifying a genetic polymorphism in the responsive subject can be performed by any means known in the art including the methods discussed above. In addition, a kit to be used for identifying a genetic polymorphism predisposing a subject to being responsive to a compound provided in the present invention comprises the compound of the present invention, and preferably reagents and instructions for performing a genetic polymorphism test.
In one embodiment, a subject can be tested for a known polymorphism that predisposes the subject to being responsive to the compound of the present invention. The presence of the polymorphism indicates that the subject is suitable for treatment.
In preferred embodiments, the compounds of the present invention can be represented as shown in formulae (IIIa-e):
where W1 is O, S, or NR5, W2 is CR5 or N, and W3 is CR5 or N, or
wherein W3 is NR5, S or O,
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester or prodrug thereof.
Compounds of the present invention may be prepared by methods analogous to the methods disclosed in G.B. Patent No. 1,142,143 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,433, each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Ways of modifying those methods to include other reagents etc. will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, for instance, compounds of formula (III, e.g., IIIb where W1 is NR5) may be prepared as shown in the following reaction scheme.
The starting compound having formula (X) may be prepared by general methods of organic synthesis. For general methods of preparing compounds of formula (X), reference is made to Fuller, et al., J. Med. Chem. 14:322-325 (1971); Foye, et al., J. Pharm. Sci. 68:591-595 (1979); Bossier, et al., Chem. Abstr. 66:46195h and 67:21527a (1967); Aldous, J. Med. Chem. 17:1100-1111 (1974); Fuller, et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 25:828-829 (1973); Fuller, et al., Neuropharmacology 14:739-746 (1975); Conde, et al., J. Med. Chem. 21:978-981 (1978); Lukovits, et al., Int. J. Quantum Chem. 20:429-438 (1981); and Law, Cromatog. 407:1-18 (1987), the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Compounds of formula XI are prepared, for example, as described in Darbre, et al., Helv. Chim. Acta, 67:1040-1052 (1984) or Ihara, et al., Heterocycles, 20:421-424 (1983), also incorporated herein by reference. The radiolabelled derivatives having formula (XX) may be prepared by, for example, using a tritiated reducing agent to form the reductive amination or by utilizing a 14C-labelled starting material.
Compounds of formula (XXII) can be used to prepare the compounds of formula (I). Compounds of formula (XXII) are prepared, for example, as described in Ishii, et al., J. Org. Chem. 61:3088-3092 (1996) or Britton, et al. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 9:475-480 (1999), also incorporated herein by reference. Where the starting compound includes a carbonyl group, the compound having the formula (XXII) may be reduced with, for example, AlH3, diborane:methyl sulfide or other standard carbonyl reducing reagents to produce the ligand having the formula (XXX).
The receptor ligands having formula (XXXII) may be prepared by nucleophilic displacement of a suitable nucleophuge (E) by the amino derivative (XXXI). Examples of nucleophuges, which may be used for this purpose, include halides such as I, Cl, Br, or tosylate or mesylate.
When Y in formula (XXX) is xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, this compound may be prepared from oxidation of a secondary alcohol with, for example, pyridinium chlorochromate, N-chlorosuccinimide, CrO3xe2x80x94H2SO4, or via the Swern or Dess-Martin proceduresxe2x80x94nickel.
When Y in formula (XXX) is xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, this compound may be prepared by arylation of an alcohol with arylhalides under, for example, Cu catalysis.
When Y in formula (XXX) is xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, this compound may be prepared by arylation of a thiol with arylhalides under, for example, Cu catalysis.
When Y in formula (XXX) is xe2x80x94CHOHxe2x80x94, this compound may be prepared by reduction of the corresponding ketone by catalytic hydrogenation or by the use of NaBH4 or by the use of LiAlH4.
Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention include acid addition salts which may, for example, be formed by mixing a solution of the compound according to the invention with a solution of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, acetic acid, benzoic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, carbonic acid or phosphoric acid. Furthermore, where the compounds of the invention carry an acidic moiety, suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof may include alkali metal salts, e.g., sodium or potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts, e.g., calcium or magnesium salts; and salts formed with suitable organic ligands, e.g., quaternary ammonium salts. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include the acetate, benzenesulfonate, benzoate, bicarbonate, bisulfate, bitartrate, borate, bromide, calcium, carbonate, chloride, clavulanate, citrate, dihydrochloride, fumarate, gluconate, glutamate, hydrobromide, hydrochloride, hydroxynaphthoate, iodide, isothionate, lactate, lactobionate, laurate, maleate, mandelate, mesylate, methylbromide, methylnitrate, methylsulfate, nitrate, N-methylglucamine ammonium sal, oleate, oxalate, phosphate/diphosphate, salicylate, stearate, sulfate, succinate, tannate, tartrate, tosylate, triethiodide and valerate salt.
The present invention includes within its scope prodrugs of the compounds of this invention. In general, such prodrugs are derivatives of the compounds of this invention, which are readily convertible in vivo into the required compound. Conventional procedures for the selection and preparation of suitable prodrug derivatives are described, for example, in Design of Prodrugs, (Bundgaard, ed. Elsevier, 1985). Metabolites of these compounds include active species produced upon introduction of compounds of this invention into the biological milieu.
Where the compounds according to the invention have at least one chiral center, they may exist as a racemate or as enantiomers. It should be noted that all such isomers and mixtures thereof are included in the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, some of the crystalline forms for compounds of the present invention may exist as polymorphs and as such are intended to be included in the present invention. In addition, some of the compounds of the present invention may form solvates with water (i.e., hydrates) or common organic solvents. Such solvates are also included in the scope of this invention.
Where the processes for the preparation of the compounds according to the invention give rise to mixtures of stereoisomers, such isomers may be separated by conventional techniques such as preparative chiral chromatography. The compounds may be prepared in racemic form, or individual enantiomers may be prepared either by stereoselective synthesis or by resolution. The compounds may, for example, be resolved into their component enantiomers by standard techniques, such as the formation of diastereomeric pairs by salt formation with an optically active acid, such as (xe2x88x92)-di-p-toluoyl-d-tartaric acid and/or (+)-di-p-toluoyl-1-tartaric acid followed by fractional crystallization and regeneration of the free base. The compounds may also be resolved by formation of diastereomeric esters or amides, followed by chromatographic separation and removal of the chiral auxiliary.
During any of the processes for preparation of the compounds of the present invention, it may be necessary and/or desirable to protect sensitive or reactive groups on any of the molecules concerned. This may be achieved by means of conventional protecting groups, such as those described in Protective Groups in Organic Chemistry (McOmie ed., Plenum Press, 1973); and Greene and Wuts, Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis (John Wiley and Sons, 1991) The protecting groups may be removed at a convenient subsequent stage using methods known from the art.
Compounds of the present invention may be administered in any of the foregoing compositions and according to dosage regimens established in the art whenever specific pharmacological modification of the activity of muscarinic receptors is required.
The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more compounds of the invention together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or excipient. Preferably such compositions are in unit dosage forms such as tablets, pills, capsules (including sustained-release or delayed-release formulations), powders, granules, elixirs, tinctures, syrups and emulsions, sterile parenteral solutions or suspensions, aerosol or liquid sprays, drops, ampoules, auto-injector devices or suppositories; for oral, parenteral (e.g., intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous), intranasal, sublingual or rectal administration, or for administration by inhalation or insufflation, and may be formulated in an appropriate manner and in accordance with accepted practices such as those disclosed in Remington ""s Pharmaceutical Sciences (Gennaro, ed., Mack Publishing Co., Easton Pa., 1990). Alternatively, the compositions may be in sustained-release form suitable for once-weekly or once-monthly administration; for example, an insoluble salt of the active compound, such as the decanoate salt, may be adapted to provide a depot preparation for intramuscular injection. The present invention also contemplates providing suitable topical formulations for administration to, e.g., eye, skin or mucosa.
For instance, for oral administration in the form of a tablet or capsule, the active drug component can be combined with an oral, non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier such as ethanol, glycerol, water and the like. Moreover, when desired or necessary, suitable binders, lubricants, disintegrating agents, flavoring agents and coloring agents can also be incorporated into the mixture. Suitable binders include, without limitation, starch, gelatin, natural sugars such as glucose or beta-lactose, natural and synthetic gums such as acacia, tragacanth or sodium alginate, carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, waxes and the like. Lubricants used in these dosage forms include, without limitation, sodium oleate, sodium stearate, magnesium stearate, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, sodium chloride and the like. Disintegrators include, without limitation, starch, methyl cellulose, agar, bentonite, xanthan gum and the like.
For preparing solid compositions such as tablets, the active ingredient is mixed with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, e.g., such as the ones described above, and other pharmaceutical diluents, e.g., water, to form a solid preformulation composition containing a homogeneous mixture of a compound of the present invention, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. By the term xe2x80x9chomogeneousxe2x80x9d is meant that the active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readily subdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets, pills and capsules. The solid preformulation composition may then be subdivided into unit dosage forms of the type described above containing from about 0.01 to about 50 mg of the active ingredient of the present invention. The tablets or pills of the present composition may be coated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged action. For example, the tablet or pill can comprise an inner core containing the active compound and an outer layer as a coating surrounding the core. The outer coating may be an enteric layer, which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permits the inner core to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release. A variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings, such materials including a number of polymeric acids and mixtures of polymeric acids with conventional materials such as shellac, cetyl alcohol and cellulose acetate.
The liquid forms in which the present compositions may be incorporated for administration orally or by injection include aqueous solutions, suitably flavored syrups, aqueous or oil suspensions, and flavored emulsions with edible oils such as cottonseed oil, sesame oil, coconut oil or peanut oil, as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical carriers. Suitable dispersing or suspending agents for aqueous suspensions include synthetic and natural gums such as tragacanth, acacia, alginate, dextran, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, methylcellulose or polyvinyl-pyrrolidone. Other dispersing agents, which may be employed, include glycerin and the like. For parenteral administration, sterile suspensions and solutions are desired. Isotonic preparations, which generally contain suitable preservatives, are employed when intravenous administration is desired. The compositions can also be formulated as an ophthalmic solution or suspension formation, i.e., eye drops, for ocular administration.
Compounds of the present invention may be administered in a single daily dose, or the total daily dosage may be administered in divided doses two, three or four times daily. Furthermore, compounds of the present invention may be administered in intranasal form via topical use of suitable intranasal vehicles or via transdermal routes, using e.g., forms of transdermal skin patches that are well known to persons skilled in the art. To be administered in the form of a transdermal delivery system, the dosage administration will be continuous rather than intermittent throughout the dosage regimen.
The dosage regimen utilizing the compounds of the present invention is selected in accordance with a variety of factors including type, species, age, weight, sex and medical condition of the patient; the severity of the condition to be treated; the route of administration; the renal and hepatic function of the patient; and the particular compound employed. A physician or veterinarian of ordinary skill can readily determine and prescribe the effective amount of the drug required to prevent, counter or arrest the progress of the disease or disorder, which is being treated.
The daily dosage of the products may be varied over a wide range from 0.01 to 100 mg per adult human per day. For oral administration, the compositions are preferably provided in the form of tablets containing 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, 25.0 or 50.0 mg of the active ingredient for the symptomatic adjustment of the dosage to the patient to be treated. A unit dose typically contains from about 0.001 mg to about 50 mg of the active ingredient, preferably from about 1 mg to about 10 mg of active ingredient. An effective amount of the drug is ordinarily supplied at a dosage level of from about 0.0001 mg/kg to about 25 mg/kg of body weight per day. Preferably, the range is from about 0.001 to 10 mg/kg of body weight per day, and especially from about 0.001 mg/kg to 1 mg/kg of body weight per day. The compounds may be administered, for example, on a regimen of 1 to 4 times per day.
Compounds according to the present invention may be used alone at appropriate dosages defined by routine testing in order to obtain optimal pharmacological effect on a muscarinic receptor, in particular the muscarinic m1 or m4 receptor subtype, while minimizing any potential toxic or otherwise unwanted effects. In addition, co-administration or sequential administration of other agents that improve the effect of the compound may, in some cases, be desirable.
The pharmacological properties and the selectivity of the compounds of this invention for specific muscarinic receptor subtypes may be demonstrated by a number of different assay methods using, for example, recombinant receptor subtypes, preferably of the human receptors as available, e.g., conventional second messenger or binding assays. A particularly convenient functional assay system is the receptor selection and amplification assay disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,798, which describes a method of screening for bioactive compounds by utilizing the ability of cells transfected with receptor DNA, e.g., coding for the different muscarinic subtypes, to amplify in the presence of a ligand of the receptor. Cell amplification is detected as increased levels of a marker also expressed by the cells.
The invention is disclosed in further detail in the following examples, which are not in any way intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for retaining flanged dental appliances in position. More particularly, the present invention relates to dentures having flexibly mounted flange extensions which aids in their retention and stabilization.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently, conventional dentures or the like, especially mandibular and distal extension partial dentures are predominantly designed to be placed over the gums, and generally rely on gravity, tooth clasps, and/or adhesives to retain and secure them in place. Various denture retaining devices are available in the prior art, but have up to now met with limited success. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,924,265 and 1,947,026 to Wharton disclose three piece lower dentures wherein two side pieces extend lower than a middle piece. Upon placement in the mouth, the pieces are attached together through interlocking tongue and groove or other construction which allow movement in a vertical direction. Besides the relative difficulty in maneuvering the three pieces in the user's mouth, any sufficient force on the central piece of these dentures from incisor load may not be effectively transferred to the side pieces. This may lead to shear separation of the connections between the central piece and side pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,771 to Ostermann discloses a device for retaining a lower denture having an externally attached fixed element, a retaining tongue which slides within the fixed element, and a cover piece which covers the fixed element and a portion of the retaining tongue. To use this device, the fixed element is secured to a lower denture such that the retaining tongue slides downward. After placement in the mouth, the user must slide the tongue below the mylohyoid ridge, then place the cover piece to secure the retaining tongue in position. Besides the necessity for complex user manipulation, this device applies pressure to the cavity below the mylohyoid ridge on a relatively small surface area. Further, the protruding structure of this device may lead to irritation and abrasion, thereby reducing the comfort with which the attached denture may be worn.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,376,629 to Ebeling and 4,923,795 to Franklin disclose flexible dentures which grip the gums of users. However, these dentures do not extend below the mylohyoid ridge or any other like bone ridges to provide support.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a memory card adapter, and particularly to an adapter for coupling a mini-sized memory card to a regular-sized memory card.
2. Description of Related Art
Flash memory cards developed in the recent years are light, thin and small, and with the features of high storage capacity, vibration durability, repeated memorizing for many times etc. they are widely applied in the field of information application and many portable digital products. For example, nearly all the popular products including personal digital assistants (PDA), digital cameras (DSC), digital walkmans (MP3 Players), mobile phone etc. in the markets use the flash memory cards as storage media. There is no uniform standard or specification presently in the art of flash memory cards in the whole world presently. Related products that are well known include at least: CF cards (Compact Flash cards), SM cards (Smart Media cards), MMC cards (MultiMedia cards), MS cards (Memory Stick cards) and SD cards (Secure Digital cards) etc. And more, following progressing of the science and technology, memory cards tend to be developed continuously in pursuance of the requirement of the markets. For example, the mini SD cards and micro SD cards (also called Transflash cards, T-flash cards) provided by some manufacturers recently have the same specifications as those of the SD cards, except that the size thereof is largely reduced as compared with the SD cards (the size of an SD card is: 32×24×2.1 mm, while the size of a mini SD card is 21.5×20×1.6 mm and the size of a micro SD card is 11×15×1.0 mm). This results that, although there are many support products for the SD card or mini SD card specification, the products can not support the newly developed “micro SD cards” due to inconsistence of specification of size. To resolve this problem, an adapter for accommodating a micro SD card therein and electrically and mechanically connecting with an electronic device through a regular sized receiving slot, such as a mini SD card receiving slot, is needed.
An simulated mini SD memory card converter disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,223 B1 (hereinafter the '223 patent) is a kind of adapter to convert a micro SD card as a simulated mini SD card. This adapter is configured as a mini SD card in size, including a lower over, an upper cover, a plurality of conductive terminal and a conductive member received between the upper cover and the lower cover. Front terminals of the conductive terminals electrically connect with a front end of the conductive member, while rear terminals of the conductive terminal electrically connect with a micro SD card received in the adapter. When this adapter inserted into a mini SD card receiving slot of an electronic device, terminal plates of the conductive member electrically connects with the electronic device so that the micro SD card can be compatible by the electronic device with a mini SD card receiving slot through the adapter.
A connecting strip and a base strip bridge the conductive terminals to retain the conductive terminals in a fixed arrangement. And the conductive terminals are combined with the lower cover via a pre-confined injection molding process. After the process of combining the conductive terminals with the lower cover, the connecting strip and the base strip must be punched away. To let the waste the connecting strips drop away the lower cover, the lower cover should provide some through holes corresponding to the connecting strips. Besides, the main strip is disposed outside the lower cover to make it drop from the conductive terminal and the lower cover conveniently. The rear terminals of the conductive terminal module are disposed near a rear opening of lower cover. The front end of the conductive member is disposed near the front opening of the adapter and provided a plurality of holes electrically connecting with the front terminals. Obviously, the process to assembly the conductive terminal module and the conductive member with the lower cover and to punch away the base strip and the connecting strip are considerable complex, largely inducing the production efficiency.
Furthermore, in the '223 patent disclosure, the upper cover of the adapter is integrally molded from an insulating material, such as a resin material. When the micro SD card inserted into the receiving slot between the upper cover and the lower cover, the upper surface of the micro SD card interfere with an inner surface of the upper cover. It is inconvenient for a customer to insert/detach the micro card into/from the adapter. And with frequently inserting and drawing out of the micro SD card, warpage or deformation of the insulating upper cover easily occurs because of a lower intensity thereof.
Hence, how to improve the problems in prior art is the major discussion of the present invention. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a method of producing organic fertilizer with the use of nitrogen fixing bacillus. Further, it relates also to an apparatus for practicing the aforesaid method.
As is well known by any expert in the art, there have been hitherto made a number of proposals as to a method of producing organic fertilizer. To practice the conventional methods various kinds of raw materials and processes were employed but each of them has drawbacks in terms of procurement of raw material and cost. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to electrically powered outboard motors, particularly to such motors that include electronic control for varying the speed of the motor. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved arrangement for cooling a power switching semiconductor of an electronic control for such motors, and a mounting structure therefor which is readily adaptable and usable with a variety of electric outboard motors.
Electronic control systems for controlling the speed of an electric motor are well known. Such systems generally incorporate a manually controlled potentiometer for varying the control signal to a semiconductor switch. In one form of control the emitter and collector of a power switching transistor are connected in series with the motor and the potentiometer is connected to the base of the transistor to regulate current flow through the transistor to the motor. In another form of control, a thyristor switching device such as a silicon controlled rectifier has its anode and cathode connected in series circuit with the motor and the potentiometer is connected in a resistor-capacitor (RC) timing circuit to vary the conduction period of the silicon controlled rectifier thereby to control the voltage applied to the motor windings. In either circuit embodiment, the power switching device generates significant heat which must be dissipated to protect the control components.
Control schemes of the aforementioned type utilized in electric outboard motors commonly locate the power switching semiconductor switch within the watertight housing of the lower drive unit of the outboard motor wherein heat given off by the semiconductor switch is transferred to the housing. When the motor is operating in a submersed condition, heat is conducted away from the housing by the water. When the motor is operated out of the water, the housing serves as a heat sink which distributes the heat over a larger surface and dissipates it to the air.
While the aforementioned embodiments are suitable for their intended purpose, there are disadvantages associated therewith. One disadvantage is that the interior of the motor housing must be structured to provide space for mounting the semiconductor switch therein. Another disadvantage is that heat generated by the semiconductor switch within the sealed housing of the lower unit is additive to heat generated by the motor. If the motor is operated for a substantial period of time in a non-submersed condition, the motor housing may not be an adequate heat sink to dissipate the combined heat to air, thereby entrapping potentially damaging heat within the housing. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A protocol stack in a wireless communication system, such as a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) frequency division duplex (FDD) system, is a collection of inter-related system components. The protocol stack takes data, (application data or network data), re-formats and packetizes it for transmission over an air interface, and re-builds the data on the receive side of the air interface. The protocol stack is also responsible for control, configuration and maintenance of air interface parameters. For example, the protocol stack controls the parameters related to data rate, physical channel configuration, timing, in-sequence delivery of data, and the like.
As an example, the access stratum (AS) portion 100 of the UMTS FDD protocol stack is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the UMTS AS 100 includes radio resource control (RRC) 102, radio access bearer management (RABM)/packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) 104, broadcast/multicast control (BMC) 106, radio link control (RLC) 108 and medium access control (MAC) 110.
The RRC 102 performs initial cell selection and reselection (mobility), establishment, maintenance and release of RRC (signaling) connections with the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), establishment, maintenance and release of radio bearers, transport channels (TrCH) and physical channels, (i.e. configuration of the WTRU Layer 2 and Layer 1 based on UTRAN commands), including a control of high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and high speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) channels, and measurement reporting.
The RABM/PDCP 104 performs IP header compression in accordance with Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) request for comments (RFC) 2507 and RFC 3095, lossless serving radio network controller (SRNC) relocation, management of NSAPI/packet data protocol (PDP) context mappings to radio access bearer (RAB) channels, including quality of service (QoS) management and RAB re-establishment, (i.e., RABM functions).
The BMC 106 performs delivery of cell broadcast messages to the non-access stratum (NAS) (i.e., upper layers), cell broadcast schedule evaluation, and configuration of cell broadcasting services (CBS) for discontinuous reception.
The RLC 108 performs translation of application data units, (i.e., service data units (SDUs)), between air interface efficient transport blocks, (i.e., protocol data units (PDUs)), in both the control and data planes, (i.e. segmentation and concatenation), network configurable retransmission, and ordered delivery of data units based on a specific mode, (i.e., an acknowledged mode (AM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and transparent mode (TM)).
The MAC 110 performs mapping of logical channels to transport channels, selecting the appropriate uplink transport format combinations based on instantaneous data rates within the WTRU, prioritization of transport channels within the WTRU, implementation of MAC-e/es protocols (HSUPA), and implementation of the MAC-hs protocols (HSPDA) including MAC-hs reordering queues, MAC-hs PDU multiplexing, or the like. Implementation of the MAC-e/es protocols includes processing of scheduling grants, buffer occupancy calculation, rate request mechanisms, transport formation combination (TFC) recovery and elimination, and MAC-e/es PDU construction.
A physical layer (PHY) 112 abstracts the specific implementation of the UMTS Layer 1 from the UMTS AS stack, allowing the stack to be easily ported to alternative UMTS Layer 1 implementations.
Conventional implementations of the protocol stack are all-software implementations running on standard processors and standard real-time operating systems. As wireless communication standards evolve to support ever higher data rates, the requirements placed on the protocol stack software increase. With the emergence of high data rate services, (such as HSDPA, HSUPA, mobile broadcast multicast services (MBMS)), implementation of the protocol stack in software on standard processors will require a significant amount of computing power. The power requirements of such standard processors become a prohibitive drain on the power consumption of the battery-powered devices and are not viable. Accordingly, it would be desirable to seek alternatives to implementation of the protocol stack. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to temporary roadways, and more particularly to reusable wooden mat units which can be easily transported and interlocked with other like units edge to edge, edge to end, or end to end to form a strong wooden surface suitable for use around oil field drilling sites and for supporting heavy equipment and vehicles. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device comprising a transistor, and more particularly, it relates to a semiconductor device comprising a transistor capable of suppressing dispersion of the current amplification factor of the transistor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An exemplary conventional semiconductor device comprising transistors employed for diving/controlling a motor or an air bag for a car, for example, is described. In this type of semiconductor device, a bipolar transistor and MOS transistors are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. The structure of a portion forming the bipolar transistor is now described.
Referring to FIG. 12, an nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 is formed on a p-type silicon substrate 1. An n+ diffusion layer 2a and a p+ diffusion layer 3 are formed between the p-type silicon substrate 1 and the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4. A p+ diffusion layer 5a and LOCOS oxide films 6 for electrically isolating this portion from another element region (not shown) are formed on the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4.
A p diffusion layer 6 is formed on the surface of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 and in the vicinity thereof. An nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 8b and an n+ diffusion layer 9b are formed on the surface of the p diffusion layer 7 and in the vicinity thereof. A p+ diffusion layer 100 for attaining contact with the p diffusion layer 7 is formed on the p diffusion layer 7.
Further, an nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 8a and an n+ diffusion layer 9a for attaining contact with the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 are formed on the surface of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 and in the vicinity thereof.
The nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 defines a collector region in the bipolar transistor, the p diffusion layer 7 and the p+ diffusion layer 100 define a base region, and the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 8b and the n+ diffusion layer 9b define an emitter region.
An interlayer insulation film 11 is formed to cover the p diffusion layer 7 and the LOCOS oxide films 6. A contact hole 12a exposing the surface of the n+ diffusion layer 9a is formed in the interlayer insulation film 11. Further, a contact hole 12b is formed to expose the surface of the p+ diffusion layer 100. In addition, a contact hole 12c is formed to expose the surface of the n+ diffusion layer 9b.
A collector electrode 13a electrically connected with the n+ diffusion layer 9a is formed in the contact hole 12a. A base electrode 13b electrically connected with the p+ diffusion layer 100 is formed in the contact hole 12b. An emitter electrode 13c electrically connected with the n+ diffusion layer 9b is formed in the contact hole 12c.
Other semiconductor elements such as MOS transistors are formed on another element forming region (not shown) electrically isolated from this region formed with the bipolar transistor by the LOCOS oxide films 6 and the like.
A method of fabricating the semiconductor device having the aforementioned bipolar transistor is described along with a method of fabricating MOS transistors. Referring to FIG. 13, prescribed n+ diffusion layers 2a and 2b, the p+ diffusion layer 3 and the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 are formed on the p-type silicon substrate 1. Phosphorus is injected into a prescribed region of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming an nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 14 for forming a p-channel MOS transistor.
Further, boron is injected into other prescribed regions of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming a p+ diffusion layer 5b for forming an n- channel MOS transistor and a p+ diffusion layer 5a for element isolation.
Then, the LOCOS oxide films 6 are formed on prescribed regions of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4. A gate electrode 19a formed by a polysilicon film 16a and a tungsten silicide film 17a is formed on the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 14 through a gate insulator film 151a. At the same time, a gate electrode 19b formed by a polysilicon film 16b and a tungsten silicide film 17b is formed on the p+ diffusion layer 5b through a gate insulator film 151b.
Then, boron is injected into a prescribed region of the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4, thereby forming the p diffusion layer 7 partially forming the base region of the bipolar transistor.
The gate electrode 19b and a prescribed photoresist pattern (not shown) are employed as masks for injecting a prescribed impurity, thereby forming the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layers 8a and 8b and nxe2x88x92 diffusion layers 8c and 8d respectively. Side wall insulator films 18a are formed on both side surfaces of the gate electrode 19a, and side wall insulator films 18b are formed on both side surfaces of the gate electrode 19b.
The gate electrode 19b, the side wall insulator films 18b and a prescribed photoresist pattern 200 are employed as masks for injecting a prescribed impurity, thereby forming the n+ diffusion layers 9a and 9b and n+ diffusion layers 9c and 9d respectively.
Referring to FIG. 14, the photoresist pattern 200 is removed and heat treatment is performed in a nitrogen atmosphere. Referring to FIG. 15, a photoresist pattern 202 exposing part of the surface of the p diffusion layer 7 and the surface of the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 14 is formed on the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4.
The photoresist pattern 202 is employed as a mask for injecting a prescribed impurity, thereby forming the p+ diffusion layer. 100 on the surface of the p diffusion layer 7 and in the vicinity thereof. P+ diffusion layers 10b and 10c are formed on the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 14. Thereafter the photoresist pattern 200 is removed.
Thus formed is a bipolar transistor T1 having the collector region defined by the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4, the base region defined by the p diffusion layer 7 and the p+ diffusion layer 100 and the emitter region defined by the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layer 8b and the n+ diffusion layer 9b. Further, a p-channel MOS transistor T2 is formed with source/drain regions defined by the p+ diffusion layers 10b and 10c. In addition, an n-channel MOS transistor T3 is formed with source/drain regions defined by the nxe2x88x92 diffusion layers 8c and 8d and the n+ diffusion layers 9c and 9d.
Referring to FIG. 16, the interlayer insulating film 11 formed by a silicon oxide film, for example, is formed on the nxe2x88x92 epitaxial layer 4 by CVD or the like. A prescribed photoresist pattern (not shown) is formed on the interlayer insulating film 11.
The photoresist pattern is employed as a mask for anisotropically etching the interlayer insulating film 11, thereby forming the contact holes 12a, 12b and 12c and contact holes 12d, 12e, 12f and 12g respectively. Thereafter the electrodes 13a to 13c and prescribed electrodes 13d to 13g are formed in the contact holes 12a to 12g respectively.
A principal part of the semiconductor device comprising the bipolar transistor T1 and the MOS transistors T2 and T3 is completed through the aforementioned steps.
However, the semiconductor device obtained in the aforementioned method has the following problem: When evaluating collector current dependency of a current amplification factor hFE particularly in the bipolar transistor T1 in the aforementioned semiconductor device, the current amplification factor hFE proved to remarkably disperse in the wafer plane. This problem is now described.
FIGS. 17B to 17F are graphs showing values of the current amplification factor hFE of the bipolar transistor T1 evaluated on five points of the wafer plane shown in FIG. 17A respectively. It is understood from these graphs that the values of the current amplification factor hFE for a specific collector current vary and disperse in the wafer plane.
The current amplification factor hFE is defined as the ratio (IC/IB) of the collector current to a base current. In order to investigate the cause for such dispersion of the current amplification factor hFE, base-to-emitter voltage dependency of the collector current and base-to-emitter voltage dependency of the base current were evaluated respectively.
Referring to FIG. 18 showing partial results of the evaluation, results on the points 5 and 3 exhibiting the largest changes among the five points in the wafer plane are plotted on the same graph. As shown in FIG. 18, the curves are substantially consistent with each other as to the base-to-emitter voltage dependency of the collector current, and it is conceivable that dispersion of the collector current in the wafer plane is extremely small.
Noting the curves showing the base-to-emitter voltage dependency of the base current, it is understood that the curves at the points 5 and 3 are inconsistent with each other. In other words, it is understood that the base current disperses in the wafer plane. Thus, it is conceivable that dispersion of the current amplification factor hFE results from such dispersion of the base current.
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the aforementioned problem, and an object thereof is to provide a semiconductor device comprising a transistor, in which dispersion of a current amplification factor is reduced by suppressing dispersion of a base current.
The semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a transistor. The transistor includes a first conductivity type collector region, a second conductivity type base region, a first conductivity type emitter region and a second conductivity type base contact region. The collector region is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The base region is formed on the surface of the collector region and in the vicinity thereof, and has a first impurity concentration. The emitter region is formed on the surface of the base region and in the vicinity thereof. The base contact region is formed on the surface of the base region and in the vicinity thereof, and has a second impurity concentration, higher than the first impurity concentration, for attaining contact with the base region. The base contact region and the emitter region are arranged at a prescribed interval while the base contact region extends toward the emitter region so that dispersion of values of a current amplification factor of the transistor is within a prescribed range.
According to this structure, the base contact region having a relatively high impurity concentration formed on the surface of the base region reduced in impurity concentration due to out diffusion of the impurity during the fabrication steps extends toward the emitter region for supplying a sufficient amount of the impurity to the base region as compared with the conventional semiconductor device. The base contact region and the emitter region are arranged at a prescribed interval for reducing dispersion of the base current, thereby reducing dispersion of the values of the current amplification factor of the transistor within the prescribed range.
As to the range of dispersion of the values of the current amplification factor, the value of average absolute deviation of the current amplification factor on five points in the wafer plane is preferably not more than 5 as a representative value.
If the value of average absolute deviation of the current amplification factor is not more than 5, it is conceivable that dispersion of the current amplification factor of the transistor is very small.
The prescribed interval between the base contact region and the emitter region is preferably at least 0.2 xcexcm and not more than 0.5 xcexcm.
If the interval is shorter than 0.2 xcexcm and not more than 0.5 xcexcm, the value of average absolute deviation of the current amplification factor disadvantageously exceeds 5. Therefore, the interval is preferably at least 0.2 xcexcm and not more than 0.5 xcexcm.
The base contact region is preferably formed to enclose the emitter region on the surface of the base region while keeping the prescribed interval between the same and the emitter region.
In this case, flows of electrons or holes in the base region and the emitter region are uniformalized for stabilizing operations of the transistor.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In order to measure directly a biodegradation rate of an organic compound, a radioactive carbon isotope 14C must be organochemically enriched in a sample first. Next, the sample enriched with the radioactive carbon isotope 14C is subjected to biodegradation, and a radiation dose of carbon dioxide generated in biodegradation is measured with a scintillation counter to determine an absolute amount of the radioactive carbon isotope 14C in carbon dioxide generated in biodegradation of the organic compound. A ratio of the absolute amount of the radioactive carbon isotope 14C in carbon dioxide to an absolute amount of the radioactive carbon isotope 14C in the 14C-enriched sample used is calculated, to thereby determine the biodegradation rate of the organic compound.
However, in the measurement method, a series of measuring operations must be performed in a space provided with measures against radiation because radioactive 14C is used. Thus, the measurement method has problems in that measurement of a radiation dose of carbon dioxide generated in biodegradation requires a long period of time, and that measurement errors are observed by disturbance of background radioactivity or the like in measurement of the radiation dose.
Therefore, development of a method of measuring a biodegradation rate of a non-natural organic compound rapidly and accurately without enriching a measurement sample with an expensive radioactive carbon isotope 14C and without providing any special measures against radiation has been desired. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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