1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a Alxe2x80x94Si alloy packaging material for semiconductor device, and in more particular to a method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si alloy packaging material which is capable of increasing Si content by mixing Si powders with Alxe2x80x94Si powders and pressurizing-forming the mixture or by pressurizing-filling Si powders or a preforming body of Si powders with Alxe2x80x94Si alloy melt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A packaging material for semiconductor device means a material fabricated as a box-shaped body in order to protect a semiconductor device disposed therein. In general, a package is largely divided into a homogeneous package and a heterogeneous package.
FIG. 1a illustrates a homogeneous package consisting of a base 1, a side-wall 2 and a lid 3. Herein, a feedthrough 4 is arranged between the base and the side-wall 2, and semiconductor substance 5 is disposed in the package. FIG. 1b illustrates a heterogeneous package fabricated by joining the base 1, the side-walls 2 and the lid 3, herein, feedthrough 4 is formed on the sidewalls 2.
There are required characteristics for a packaging material for semiconductor device.
First, a packaging material has to have a thermal expansive coefficient similar to that of a semiconductor device. In more detail, when the semiconductor device is operated, heat is generated, and accordingly a temperature of the semiconductor and the package rises, herein, if they have different thermal expansive coefficients, the semiconductor device may be dissected from the package.
In addition, it is preferable for the packaging material to have a high heat transfer modulus. When the packaging material has a high heat conductivity, heat generated in the operation of the semiconductor device can be quickly emitted to the outside, and accordingly it is advantageous in maintaining performance of the semiconductor device.
The lighter the packaging material, the more it is advantageous. By using the packaging material having a low density, a weight of electronic appliance can be reduced, and accordingly mobility of electronic appliance can be improved.
The packaging material is required to have a good processability. In more detail, in order to fabricate an intricate package or a package required to have a precise measure tolerance, the packaging material having a good processability has to be used.
In addition, the packaging material is required to have a good plating characteristic. If a surface of the packaging material is plated with nickel, copper, silver and gold, etc. by an electroplating method and the joining between the packaging and the plating layer is strong, a life-span of the packaging can be improved.
Besides the above-mentioned characteristics, it is preferable to use a packaging material having a good bonding characteristic. In joining of the base, the side-walls and the lid, by using a material having a good bonding characteristic, a life-span and bonding characteristics of the packaging can be improved. Herein, the base, the side-walls and the lid are fabricated with the same material or different materials, and welding or soldering or adhesion agent can be used to join the construction parts.
Lastly, it is required for the packaging material to have a simple fabrication process and low production cost.
Various packaging materials having all those characteristics have been developed, among them typical packaging materials will be described with reference to following table 1.
The above-mentioned packaging materials respectively have merits and demerits. For example, kovar has an appropriate thermal expansive coefficient, however, its heat conductivity is low and a density is high. Titanium has a good thermal expansive coefficient and a low density, however, it has low heat conductivity and is expensive. Aluminum has an appropriate heat conductivity and a low density for a packaging material, however, because it has a high thermal expansive coefficient, its usage for a packaging material is restricted. Beryillia and diamond respectively have a low thermal expansive coefficient, a high high heat conductivity and a low density, however, they are excessively expensive.
In the meantime, a metal matrix composite fabricated by adding a stiffening agent such as SiC, B4N3 and Al2O3, etc. to a metal material such as aluminum, etc. shows good characteristics as a packaging material in several aspects such as a thermal expansive coefficient, a heat conductivity, a density and a price, etc.
FIG. 2 illustrates a pressureless infiltration method as one of typical methods for fabricating Alxe2x80x94SiC one of metal matrix composites. In the pressureless infiltration method, in order to make metal melt 8 easily penetrate into a preforming SiC body 7, a certain processes are required. In more detail, in order to improve a wetability of ceramic to the metal melt, a coating layer such as oxide, etc. is formed onto the ceramic surface or a chemical reaction between the melt and the ceramic surface is induced by using a special bonding agent. Afterward, the melt can easily penetrate into the preforming ceramic body. However, the above-described method is intricate. In addition, ceramic has bad processing characteristics.
In the meantime, in consideration of a thermal expansive coefficient, a heat conductivity and a density, etc., Si-30 wt % Al alloy is appropriate for a packaging material. In addition, its material cost, processability and bondingability are good, its application range will be gradually expanded.
Recently, a method for fabricating Alxe2x80x94Si alloy having the content of Si in the range of 50xcx9c70% by total weight of Alxe2x80x94Si alloy with a low cost has been developed in the U.K. FIG. 3 illustrates the conventional method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si alloy packaging material. In the method, by fabricating preforming alloy Alxe2x80x94Si melt 9, spraying it as liquid 10 having a 50 micronxcx9c200 micron size by using high pressure gas such as high pressure nitrogen and argon, etc., the alloy having a billet shape, etc. is formed onto a substrate moving rotatively and horizontally. After cuffing the formed Alxe2x80x94Si alloy body 11 so as to have a certain width, a hydrostatic press process (HIP, process for eliminating internal air holes), a mechanical process, a plating process, a semiconductor device adhesion process, and a packaging sealing process, etc. are sequentially performed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged photograph of the Al-70Si alloy fabricated by a spray forming method of OSPREY company in the U.K. taken with an electronic microscope ZEISS Axioskip (Germany).
However, the conventional method has following demerits. In the conventional method, a temperature of the melt has to be not less than 1000xc2x0 C., in cutting of the formed body and fabricating it as a certain package box, material loss occurs, and accordingly a fabrication cost is increased. In more detail, in fabricating of Alxe2x80x94Si packaging material by the conventional spray forming method, because the more the Si content, the higher a temperature of Alxe2x80x94Si melt has to be risen, there is lots of energy loss. In addition, because the spray-fabricated Alxe2x80x94Si alloy body has to be cut again to have a request size, lots of material and time loss occur.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si packaging material which is capable of simplifying fabrication processes and lowering a production cost in comparison with the conventional Alxe2x80x94Si fabrication method by mixing Si powders with Alxe2x80x94Si alloy powders and filling the mixture as a request size from beginning.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si packaging material which is capable of fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si alloy material having lots of Si content by easily adjusting the Si content in fabrication.
In addition, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si packaging material which is capable of reducing internal air holes and performing full filling without using outer big stress by mixing-filling Alxe2x80x94Si alloy powders having a high temperature flowability with Si powders not having plastic deformation characteristic.
In addition, it is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating an Alxe2x80x94Si packaging material having different Si content in the thickness direction by differentiating a mixing proportion of Si of each or both Si powders and Alxe2x80x94Si alloy powders.


Laser photocoagulation of the retina has been practiced for more than 30 years. Its therapeutic success is undisputed, being founded on many studies for different retinal diseases. The uses of the laser are both therapeutic (for example diabetes, thromboses of the eye, age-related macula degeneration (AMD)) and preventive (for example retinopexy). For photocoagulation, according to the type of disease, between a few single expositions in the macula and up to 3000 foci are applied in the case of pan-retinal photocoagulation. According to the spot size, 100-500 mW laser power is applied within 50-300 ms per focus. Mainly lasers in the green spectral range (Ar-ion lasers with 514 nm or frequency-doubled Nd-lasers at 532 nm) are used, but also lasers and laser diodes in the near IR-range.
The only dosage of laser photocoagulation employed so far consists in subsequently checking the ophthalmologic appearance of the coagulation site at the fundus. That the retina turns grey or white in the process, shows an irreversible thermal necrosis of the neuronal retina that can reach, depending on the intensity and extent of the coagulation, the entire retina from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) via the photoreceptors to the nerve fiber layer and can also include necroses of all uvulas. The large spatial extent of the coagulation effects results from the thermal conduction from the melanine-containing absorbing layers into the neighboring tissue layers.
The pan-retinal laser coagulation of the retina is the most common use of the laser in ophthalmology. Here the inner layers of the peripheral retina are to be destroyed thermally in 3-10 sessions with up to 3000 laser foci of different size so as to prevent the unchecked vessel growth and the blindness connected thereto at a later point. With most patients the laser treatment is extremely painful. Only a retrobulbar injection can avoid pain. This however entails that the mobility of the bulbus that is necessary for carrying out the photocoagulation in the periphery is switched off: in the case of over-coagulations and in particular in the case of repeat treatments, additional thermal damage of ganglion cell layers is to be feared that can lead to extensive defects of the field of vision.
Since the absorbing granula vary considerably in terms of their local and spatial density it is not surprising that the histological results after laser coagulation can vary considerably even in the case of identical exposition parameters. The extent of the damage essentially is a function of the extent of the laser-induced rise in temperature. In practice, it cannot be predicted due to different pigmentation and thus absorption of the retina both inter- and also intraindividual.
Automatic, temperature-controlled online dosimetry for laser treatment with minimal invasive damage is a goal to be desired that cannot be achieved through the application method that is conventional at the moment for ophthalmoscopic examination.
Physics offers different methods for measuring temperatures, however almost all of them are practically unsuitable for measuring the ocular fundus.
Invasive measurement methods as for example thermal probes or dyes that fluoresce as a function of the temperature are too annoying—among others on account of side effects—and/or too imprecise. Due to the absorption of the thermal radiation in the eye, thermal imaging cameras cannot be used.
Methods that are based on auto-fluorescence seem to be suitable, as is for example taught by DE 102 40 109 A1, but a uniform distribution of the chromophores that does not exist in practice is a precondition here.
The analysis of temperature-dependent, thermo-mechanical expansion of an absorber and the pressure wave emitted therewith after the application of a short laser pulse has been described in Sigrist M. W., “Laser Generation of Acoustic Waves in Liquids and Gases”, Journal of Applied Physics 60(7):R83-R121, 1986. On this basis the optoacoustic temperature measurement on the retina was developed as it is illustrated in DE 101 35 944 C2. Additional, repetitive irradiation with short laser pulses produces pressure transients whose amplitude can be recorded with an ultrasound sensor (for example piezo element) that is integrated into the contact lens required for laser treatment anyway. The instantaneous increase in temperature can be determined from the amplitude. In the process, the dependency of the temperature on the choroid perfusion and the light absorption and thus the absolute necessity of an online dosimetry based on the temperature could be illustrated.
The method of DE 101 35 944 C2 was previously used for temperature measurements in Transpupillary Thermotherapy (TTT) and the Selective Retina Therapy (SRT). In the case of SRT, the treatment pulses themselves can be used for determining the temperature. WO 2005/007002 A1 further describes strategies that use the optoacoustic signal for controlling the therapeutic laser. WO 2005/007002 A1 however assumes that microscopic bubbles will form sooner or later due to the laser impact. Such bubbles significantly change the behavior of the pressure transients and thus serve to identify the damage threshold in the vicinity of which the laser should operate. This is then realized by a suitable feedback.
In laser photocoagulation, only maximum temperatures of 40-80° C. are realized for treatment of the ocular fundus. Bubble formation cannot set in below 100° C., so that this cannot be any option for laser control.
The aim of photocoagulation is the thermal denaturation of proteins and tissue. It is in particular the dependency of the extent and depth of damage of coagulations of the retina that has been well researched experimentally and theoretically using different laser parameters (e.g. Birngruber R, Hillenkamp F, Gabel V P., “Experimental studies of laser thermal retinal injury”, Health Phys 44(5):519-531, 1983 or Birngruber R, Hillenkamp F, Gabel V P., “Theoretical investigations of laser thermal retinal injury”, Health Phys 48(6):781-796, 1985). The findings are that the damage to the tissue is both a function of the duration of the laser irradiation and also directly—and particularly critically—of the temperature increase caused during this period. Here the damage integral Ω describes a certain change that is a function of damage criteria and tissue and that is influenced by the temperature curve T(t) over the total duration of the temperature increase ts.
      Ω              (              t        s            )        =      A    ·                  ∫        0        ts                                                              ⅆ          t                ·                  T                                (            t            )                          ·                  ⅇ                      -                                          Δ                                                                                E                                            k                ·                                  T                                                        (                    t                    )
The activation energy ΔE and the frequency factor A can be determined experimentally, in that the threshold for thermal damage for different temperature increases and exposition times are determined, k designating the Boltzmann constant. The constants differ for many tissues. Ω is influenced exponentially by the temperature and approximately linearly by the time. This means that the effects of an excessive temperature can be far more serious than that of an irradiation period that is too long. To describe a stronger denaturation, Ω>>1 is selected (e.g. Ω=100), if the value clearly stays below Ω=1, Ω<<1, no thermal changes are to be expected.


Various trailers, such as, by way of non-limiting example, flat-bed trailers, utility trailers, travel trailers, are typically coupled via a trailer tongue to a towing hitch associated with a towing vehicle. The towing hitch may include a ball hitch that is received in a ball receiver associated with the trailer tongue. Additionally, the trailer tongue may include one or more secondary connecting components, such as, by way of non-limiting example, trailer chains and/or an electrical plug.
While the trailer is being towed, the secondary connecting components may couple and/or connect the trailer to a portion of the towing hitch. By way of non-limiting example, an attachment portion of each of the one or more trailer chains may be received by a portion of a towing hitch. The attachment portion may be a hook or a clasp that is configured to be received by an aperture disposed on the portion of the towing hitch. The one or more trailer chains may act as a safety feature of the trailer. The one or more trailer chains may act to secure the trailer to the towing vehicle if the ball hitch is dislodged from the ball receiver.
The towing vehicle may include a wiring harness. The wiring harness may be configured to receive an electrical plug associated with the trailer. The wiring harness and the electrical plug may cooperatively operate to synchronize various lights on the towing vehicle with various lights on the trailer. For example, the wiring harness and electrical plug may cooperate to synchronize turn indicator lights and break lights on the towing vehicle with turn indicator lights and break lights on the trailer.
When the secondary connecting components of the trailer are not in use, the secondary connecting components may drag or lay on the ground. For example, one or more trailer chains may drag on the ground when the trailer is being towed and the one or more trailer chains are not coupled to the towing vehicle. Additionally, the one or more trailer chains may lay on the ground when the trailer is not being towed. Similarly, the electrical plug may drag on the ground when the trailer is being towed and the electrical plug is not connected to the wiring harness and/or lay on the ground when the trailer is not being towed. The secondary connecting components may become damaged as a result of exposure to dirt, moisture, or friction from laying on the ground and/or being dragged on the ground. Additionally, the secondary connecting components may have to be lifted off of the ground in order to couple and/or connect them to the towing vehicle. Accordingly, a system for storing the secondary connecting components while the secondary connecting components are not in use may be desirable.


The present invention relates to a roller valve lifter having a roller at one end thereof that cooperates with a lobe of a camshaft in an internal combustion engine. More specifically, the invention relates to improving the lubrication of the valve lifter and preventing rotation of the lifter.
Conventional camshaft or xe2x80x9ccamxe2x80x9d, internal combustion engines typically utilize valve lifters, push rods, and valve springs along with rocker arms to open and close the valves of the engine to allow air and fuel to enter and exhaust to exit the cylinders of the engine during combustion. These components are collectively referred to as the xe2x80x9cvalve train.xe2x80x9d
In conventional cam engines as opposed to those of over-head design, a valve lifter with a pushrod rides on the lobes of the camshaft which is rotated by the crankshaft. As the lifter reciprocates up and down, the push rod seated in the lifter also reciprocates and communicates this up and down motion via a rocker arm to either an intake or exhaust valve. A high tension spring ranging from approximately 200 to 1000 ftxc2x7lbs, surrounds the stem of the valve and when the spring is compressed, the valve is pushed into the cylinder.
During the up stroke of the piston in the cylinder, the intake valve opens to allow fuel and air to enter the combustion chamber. Somewhere near the very top of the up stroke, both the intake and the exhaust valves close and the spark plug creates a spark to ignite the air-fuel mixture which is under compression by the piston. This results in a high temperature explosion which forces the piston downward, called the xe2x80x9cpower stroke,xe2x80x9d thereby translating this movement via a connection rod to rotate the crankshaft which, in turn, translates this angular motion to the wheels of the vehicle via a set of gears. Near the bottom of the compression stroke, the exhaust valve opens to expel the burnt fuel mixture out of the cylinder. After the piston changes directions and begins the up stroke, the exhaust valve continues to remain open thereby forcing any remaining the spent gases out of the cylinder. However, during this same time, the intake valve begins to open to recharge the cylinder with fuel. It is not until the piston has started to travel upward that the exhaust valve closes. Thus, at various times during the compression cycle, both the intake and exhaust valves will be open and closed at the same time. The timing of the opening and closing of the valves is controlled by the physical design of the oval shaped lobes on the camshaft. As the valve lifter is pushed upward by the lobe of the camshaft, the valve lifter pushes the pushrod up which drives the rocker arm downward, causing the valve to open. Likewise, as the lifter and pushrod travel downward, the rocker arm raises and the valve closes due to the biasing action of the valve spring.
In high speed engines, measured as revolutions per minute (RPM), the valve train components are under extreme stress and high temperatures. To increase engine performance and decrease component wear which may eventually lead to failure, various valve lifter configurations have been designed. Solid and hydraulic valve lifters are the most common designs used in conventional cam engines. Hydraulic lifters are typically used in relatively low RPM engines, up to 6,500, whereas solid valve lifter designs are preferred in high RPM applications such as racing and high performance applications. Conventional hydraulic and solid lifters have a flat surface that is fixed or integral with the body of the lifter and is adapted to engage and ride on the lobes of the camshaft. The engagement between the fixed surface of the lifter body and the camshaft lobe creates high frictional forces causing the surfaces of the lobes to wear. Therefore, the higher the RPM of the engine, the greater the wear and the likelihood of material being removed. As material is removed from the surface of the lobe, the timing of the opening and closing of the valve also changes. This change in timing may hamper engine performance such as by allowing excess air-fuel mixture to enter the cylinder causing a rich condition. Conversely, improper timing may permit the air-fuel mixture to escape through the exhaust valve which results in a lean condition. Either of these conditions will affect cylinder pressure and decrease performance and may cause misfiring of the cylinder and engine damage. Furthermore, if this improper timing allows a valve to remain open when the piston is near the top of the compression stroke, the piston will strike the valve resulting in bent pushrods and valves, broken valve springs and lifters and will eventually lead to catastrophic engine failure.
To decrease lobe wear in high performance engines, a roller has been added to the body of the valve lifter for riding on the cam. The roller allows the use of a camshaft with lobes of steeper ramp angles to provide faster valve opening and closing for accommodating high RPM engines. The roller engagement between the roller and rotating cam lobe reduces the frictional forces generated therebetween. Not only does the presence of the roller decrease cam lobe and valve lifter wear, it also provides smoother transitions as the roller travels over the peak of the lobe thereby decreasing valve train noise. Likewise, various bearing and sleeve configurations have been utilized to decrease friction and wear of the shaft rotatably mounting the roller to the valve lifter. For high performance engines, needle bearings have replaced solid rollers, bushing and conventional ball bearings to decrease wear and more evening spread the load over the surface of the shaft. However, these bearings and bushings also rely upon oil to function properly.
Although the addition of the roller increases camshaft and valve train life, overall roller wear is a function of engine speed (RPM). High performance engines such as those used in drag racing applications produce extremely high engine speeds (6,000 to 13,000 RPM) over a short duration of time (i.e. less than 5 to 12 seconds). Conversely, stockcar racing engines produce relatively high engine speeds of typically 5,000 to 8,000 RPM and under racing conditions, maintain those speeds for long periods of time (2 to 3 hours). At these high engine speeds, it becomes difficult to provide oil to the valve lifter, roller and bearing assembly as well as adequate lubrication of the camshaft.
From the ground up, a typical engine is configured with an oil pan for holding oil and an oil pump which feeds the oil to various locations in the engine. Above the oil pan sits the engine block and the crankshaft, such that a portion of the crank rotates in the oil. In a typical xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-style engine, that is, one having cylinders at an angle to the left and right sides of the block in a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d pattern with the crankshaft positioned at the apex of the xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d, the camshaft is typically located directly above and in parallel with the crank. In straight cylinder configuration engines wherein all cylinders are aligned in a row, the crankshaft and cylinders are located in the same plane and camshaft is positioned to one side so not to interfere with the travel of the connecting rods.
The valve lifters, in an xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d style engine, are located in a lifter galley. The lifters are lubricated by oil in the engine block and receive direct lubrication from a transverse oil passageway in the engine block that intersect the bores in which the valve lifters are positioned and indirectly from oil that is sprayed into the lifter galley from the rotation of the crankshaft and connecting rods. Various methods have been employed to increase the lubrication of the valve lifters and camshaft.
One method used to increase the movement of oil to the valve lifters and camshaft is the addition of small holes to the crankshaft and the dynamic balance weights of the crank. These holes, or oil squirters, pickup oil from the pan and any oil on the surface of the crank and throw the oil to the camshaft and valve lifter as the crankshaft and rotates. This method is also employed in engines having steel connecting rods to lubricate the cylinder wall by placing a through-hole on the end that connects to the piston and to the lifters by adding a squirter to the xe2x80x9cbig endxe2x80x9d or end that connects to the crankshaft. However, the machining of the squirter reduces the strength of the connecting and have been found to severely weaken aluminum connecting rods used in high performance, high RPM engines.
Another method of directing oil to the lifters and camshaft involves adding separate oil feed lines to the lifter galley. This is accomplished by drilling a feed hole into an oil passageway of the engine block to tap the oil pressurized by the oil pump and adding metal tubing to direct the oil to the desired location such as above the camshaft. However, adding components to the internals of engine is not always practical due to the limited amount of space. Furthermore, these added components may also fail and create shrapnel that will be run through the engine which can damage precision surfaces such as on the camshaft, crankshaft, pistons, etc.
To increase the movement of oil in the common transverse oil passageway and lifter bores, the valve lifter body has been modified. One modification includes adding a channel through the body of the lifter to increase the amount of flow of oil from one passageway to the next lifter bore. Another method of facilitating the flow of oil in the common passageway while increasing lubrication to the lifter is by adding an annular groove to the body of valve lifter. As the valve lifter reciprocates in the bore, the oil trapped between the space created by the annular groove and the bore is deposited on the walls of the bore.
With all of these methods, the higher the RPM, the greater the oiling of the valve lifter; however, at low engine speeds such as during idling, start-up, stop-and-go driving conditions, and gear shifting create inadequate lubrication conditions. Not only are these types of driving conditions prevalent on race day, but also seen during every day driving. Therefore, a method is needed to provide adequate lubrication to the roller and the bearing assembly thereof to reduce wear, maximize engine performance and avoid valve train component failure.
Another problem associated with the use of solid valve lifters with rollers in high RPM engines, is the rotation of the lifter as it reciprocates in the lifter bore of the engine. At high RPM the valve lifter has a tendency to rotate so that its axis of rotation becomes skewed or out of parallel alignment with that of the camshaft and lobes thereof. Also, the use of steep angled camshaft lobes require extremely high valve spring pressures. Any misalignment of the roller with the engaging surface of the camshaft lobe may lead to catastrophic failure of the roller causing significant damage to the camshaft and bent pushrods and valves and broken rocker arms and valve springs. Also, rotation of the lifter in the bore may prevent the oil pressure feed receiving area or groove of the valve lifter from intersecting and the common transverse oil passageway of the engine block that feeds oil to the valve lifters.
To prevent rotation in the bore, link bars are commonly used to tie the bodies of two lifters together, typically the exhaust and intake of one cylinder. These link bars may be permanently attached to the lifters or removable such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,651. Although these prior link bars prevent rotation, they also add components and weight to the lifter assembly. Furthermore, the attachment point of the link bar to the body also wears due to the repetitive motion and may eventually fail. Furthermore, in high revolutions engines, these link bars on the valve lifters are constantly fighting rotation and under repetitive forces. Thus, in applications requiring high engine speeds over long durations of time, the link bar and the attachment devices may fatigue creating unnatural movement of the lifter which will damage the valve train.
Another method used to prevent rotation of the lifter is by adding a xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped member in which the legs of the xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d are inserted into two adjacent lifter bores as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,356. The legs of this anti-rotation member are smaller than the diameter of the lifter bore and longer than the bore length. Once inserted in the lifter bore, the member is push to the front or rear of the bore and, thus, the member makes contact with the entire length of lifter bore on each end side of the member leg. The member is prevented from falling through the bores by a cross-member that connects the two legs. Also, a foot is added at the end of the member to prevent the member from exiting the lifter as the lifter travels upward. The valve lifter must also be modified to be used in conjunction with this member. The portion of the valve lifter which engages the member must be machined flat. Although this member and lifter assembly prevents rotation without adding components to the valve lifter body, the member presents other problems. The member edges are in contact with the full length of the lifter bore and the long flat of the valve lifter engages the member. Thus, as the lifter reciprocates, the large area of contact between the member and the lifter creates friction thereby requiring additional lubrication to prevent excessive wear and heat. Furthermore, the edges of the member may eventually wear into the lifter bore thereby removing material which is run through the engine. Also, the feet of the member extend through the lifter bore positioning themselves near the camshaft and the roller of the lifter. The height of the feet are, therefore, critical to prevent the lobes of the cam from making contact with them. In high performance engines, a specific cam design is used to create precise opening and closing of the valves for that particular engine configuration. Thus, if an engine is retrofitted with a different camshaft, the feet of the member may also have to be ground to allow clearance by the cam lobes. Therefore, an anti-rotation device which prevents rotation of the lifter but does not add weight and/or components to the valve lifter or those that may interfere with the cam lobes and does not create excess friction and heat is needed for these high performance engines.
In accordance with the presence invention, a valve lifter apparatus is provided including a body with a roller member at one end thereof for riding on one of the camshaft lobes. The body is provided with a predetermined flow path which direct lubrication in a well-defined manner directly to be end of the body at which the roller member is located. In this manner, lubrication is directed in a predetermined manner to the place it is needed most, i.e. the roller, rather than simply relying on the general undirected travel of the oil fed to the lifter bore.
In another aspect of the invention, a valve lifter assembly is provided including a lifter body which reciprocates in a bore in the engine block. A portion of body of the valve lifter has a flat exterior surface and the assembly includes an anti-rotation member including at least one short portion thereof that extends into the lifter bore adjacent the flat of the valve lifter body to prevent rotation thereof in the bore. As the length of the flat is much greater than the length of the member portion, the flat surface will only have a short section thereof that is in contact with the short member portion at any time during the reciprocation of the valve lifter body. This small area of engagement minimizes the amount of friction and wear caused by the up and down movement of the flat. In this regard, the small engagement area also advantageously requires less oil to keep the surfaces properly lubricated.
As mentioned, the invention contemplates a predetermined flow path for directing lubrication to the roller member, and specifically, the bearing assembly thereof. The predetermined flow path, which in the preferred and illustrated form includes internal oiling channels formed in the valve lifter body that extend between the oil receiving area on the lifter body and the roller member, avoids the need to add oil squirters or add direct feed oil lines. This is desirable because oil squirters are not practical for use in aluminum and high performance steel connecting rods due to the loss of strength and stress riser resulting from the addition of the hole. Furthermore, the amount of the oil thrown from the squirters decrease as engine speeds decrease and are thereby inefficient if not unreliable.
Alternatively, an external oiling channel can be provided on the surface of the lifter body. This external oiling channel is used to direct oil received by the oil receiving area, which is more preferably, an annular, circumferential groove about the lifter body that intersects the common oil passageway as the lifter reciprocates in the bore. As oil is received in the groove, the external oiling channel directs oil towards the housing portion of the lifter body where it may lubricate the roller and bearing assembly situated therein. Another advantage of using an annular groove and external oiling channel is that any oil thrown on the body of lifter may also be contained by the groove and channel and directed to the roller and bearing assembly.
The oil receiving area is in one form a transverse, through passageway that can be modified by adding of at least two round or oval shaped receiving areas on each side of the lifter body. The oil receiving areas are oriented perpendicular to the rolling direction of the roller, are ramped into the body and intersect the common transverse oil passageway in the engine block which feeds oil to the lifter galley. In the lifter body these oil receiving areas or inlets are connected by a passageway which travels through the body and parallel with the shaft of the roller. Also, additional inlets may be added to the front and back surfaces of the lifter body and connected to the internal passageway to feed additional oil into the passageway. Internal oiling channels have been added in the lifter body to direct the oil feed into the inlets and passageway. The oiling channels originate at the passageway and axially direct the oil through the body to the housing mounting the roller. To increase bearing and shaft life, at least two oiling channels are positioned to deposit oil between the housing and the outward sides of the roller to facilitate lubrication the shaft and bearing and to indirectly the surface of the roller. Additional oiling channels may be added to directly feed oil to the surface of the roller to directly lubricate the roller and camshaft lobes.
To prevent rotation of the valve lifter as it rapidly reciprocates up and down, a small guide or anti-rotation member has been added and fixed to the engine block in the lifter galley. The anti-rotation guide can span across two adjacent lifters and has a substantially flat main portion that sits on top of the engine block outside the bores. A tab extends perpendicular from the middle of the guide and in one form has a slot where a fastener may be inserted and threaded into the block of the engine to hold the guide stationary. Other methods of securing the anti-rotation guide to the block may also be employed. Each end of the guide that spans a lifter bore contains a small, crescent-shaped portion which depends from the main portion to form a shoulder therewith. The small crescent portion extends into the lifter bore with the curved portion of the crescent-shaped portion matching the curvature of the lifter bore to provide secured and flush engagement between the bore walls and the top of the block and the crescent-shaped portion of the anti-rotation member. The portion also has a planar bearing surface that mates with the front surface of the lifter for preventing rotation of the body of the lifter in the bore. To increase stability and decrease friction and wear on the valve lifter as it reciprocates, the lifter body has been modified by machining a short, planar surface on the front of the lifter. Due to the small contact surface created by the crescent-shaped portion of the anti-rotation guide and only a small portion of the lifter body need be planar. Now, as the lifter reciprocates in the bore, the front planar surface slides across the small planar surface of the anti-rotation guide containing its movement.
Thus, this guide provides an alternative to link bars which not only add excess material to the lifter assembly, but also present the potential for damage to the engine as the bars and attachment members wear due to the constant motion of the assembly. Furthermore, the small contact area created by the crescent-shaped portion minimizes friction and heat created thereof. Also, the guide also allows the mechanic to remove a single valve lifter from the engine by loosening the fastener and lifting and sliding the guide to allow the lifter to clear the guide; conventional link bars require the removal of the lifters as a pair. The capability to remove one lifter at a time is advantageous in engines where the pushrods may be of different lengths for the exhaust and intake valves. The mechanic needs to remove only one valve lifter and pushrod and thereby prevents the inadvertent switching of the pushrods during reassembly.


Since expanded resin beads are excellent in lightness in weight, cushioning properties, and heat resistance and high in a degree of freedom of shape design with which three-dimensional molded articles are obtained by means of in-mold molding, they are utilized as a cushioning material, a container, a heat insulating material, a vibration-damping material, or the like in multipurpose fields inclusive of packaging fields, commodities for living, building and civil engineering materials, vehicle members, and the like. The expanded resin beads are roughly classified into those made of a styrene-based resin as a base material resin and those made of an olefin-based resin as a base material resin. Among them, the expanded resin beads made of a styrene-based resin as a base material resin are used more frequently than the expanded resin beads made of an olefin-based resin as a base material resin for the reasons that the former is excellent in a balance between lightness in weight and compression strength, is easy for in-mold molding, and is inexpensive. But, though the expanded beads made of a styrene-based resin have an excellent aspect as described above, they are insufficient in heat resistance, chemical resistance, durability, toughness, and creep resistance characteristic depending upon uses.
For that reason, among the olefin-based resins, the expanded beads made of a propylene-based resin, which are excellent in heat resistance, chemical resistance, durability, toughness, creep resistance characteristic, and so on, are watched. But, with respect to in-mold molding using expanded propylene resin beads, there is involved difficulty in the aspect of molding processing, for example, a molding pressure of a heating medium, such as steam, etc., is high due to crystallinity or heat resistance of the propylene-based resin, and hence, an improvement is required. In addition, from the standpoint of performances of an expanded beads molded article, the requirements for lightness in weight and high impact energy absorbing performance are increasing, and a response to a more enhancement of rigidity of molded article may be considered.
As the conventional art, for example, PTL 1 describes that in order to utilize fusion characteristics by a propylene-based resin having a low melting point, thereby decreasing a molding pressure of steam at the time of in-mold molding, while appearance, heat resistance, and mechanical physical properties of a propylene-based resin having a high melting point, the propylene-based resin having a high melting point and the propylene-based resin having a low melting point are mixed under specified conditions. In addition, for example, PTLs 2 and 3 disclose that in order to decrease a molding pressure of steam at the time of in-mold molding of expanded propylene resin beads, expanded propylene resin beads in which a core layer thereof is covered with a resin having a low melting point are used.


In a 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, a progressive scan television system is described. 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"0 and "interpolated" lines are successively displayed at some multiple (i.e., two-times) standard horizontal rate. During the next 1/60th of a second another 525 lines are displayed to complete a total frame time in 1/30th of a second, however, these second 525 lines are related to the first 525 lines such that in successive fields "interpolated" and "real" lines are displayed on top of each other. This progressive scan format results in the elimination of artifacts of "interline flicker" and "line break-up with motion" that exists in conventional two-to-one interlaced displays such as the NTSC system. The subjective effect of progressive scan is a flicker free, " smooth" or "quiet", picture presentation that is more pleasing to the viewer. The Pritchard application applies as well to other interlaced systems such as the 525/25 PAL system.
To perform progressive scanning as described in the aforementioned Pritchard application a speed-up processor is used for providing two horizontal lines of video during the time period of one horizontal line of incoming broadcast video signal. This speed-up processing requires that a line of video be written into memory in real time at a rate sufficient to sample the incoming video, i.e., at more than the Nyquist rate, and be readout of memory at some multiple of the input sample rate (generally, two-times). Such processing requires extremely high speed memories which are capable of operating at high sampling speeds, for example, 28 MHz for NTSC signals sampled at four-times color subcarrier. It is desirable to provide inexpensive speed-up processors which are capable of operating at these speeds without the use of memory elements which operate at extremely high speeds.


The methods described in this section could be practiced, but have not necessarily been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the methods described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Computer networks that use routers, switches and other network elements are commonly managed using network management software systems. Examples of network management systems include Resource Management Essentials from Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, Calif., HP OpenView from Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif., and others. Such network management systems are commonly used to support detection of network scenarios, including device faults, and to apply corrective instructions or configuration commands to network elements to address the scenarios.
One of the shortcomings of these network management software systems is the lack of guidance and automation for users of the systems. As a result, the network operator is required to know how to identify events that may represent symptoms of problems, how to determine whether symptoms actually represent the problems, how to diagnose the problems, how to select corrective action, and how to apply or perform the corrective action. In addition, the operator is also required to know the syntax of the commands and the usage of the commands in precise sequences to perform the aforementioned steps. All this knowledge that the operator mentally retains is neither easily transferable to another nor easily updateable to reflect platform or software changes.
Another shortcoming of these network management software systems is the primitive and proprietary interfaces of the systems. Specifically, many such systems support command line interfaces that accept character-based commands that conform to a complex grammar. In some cases, diagnosing faults requires the network operator to manually enter one command at a time. Numerous commands may be needed to determine a particular fault.
Also, each of these software systems is designed to handle a specific problem or scenario and has a distinct interface and feature set. As a result, the network operator is forced to learn multiple interfaces, feature sets, and subsequent updates or modifications to effectively manage multiple network scenarios.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for improved network management methods or systems that overcome the stated drawbacks of the current systems. There is a need to flexibly and effectively manage multiple types of devices and respond to various network scenarios. There is also a need to aggregate and interpret relevant information from different network devices.


RF (radio frequency) power architectures within the telecommunications field focus on achieving high DC-to-RF efficiency at significant power back off from Psat (the average output power when the amplifier is driven deep into saturation). This is due to the high peak to average ratio (PAR) of the transmitted digital signals such as W-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access), LTE (long term evolution) and WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access). The most popular power amplifier architecture currently employed is the Doherty amplifier. The Doherty amplifier employs a class AB main amplifier and a class C peaking amplifier, and efficiency is enhanced through load modulation of the main amplifier from the peaking amplifier. However, if high efficiency at a high output backoff (OBO) is required, a highly asymmetric ratio between the main and peaking amplifiers is required.
The Doherty architecture has an inherent degradation in the efficiency between the peak OBO point and the peak power point. To overcome this, a three way Doherty architecture can be used, in which the main class AB amplifier is replaced with a Doherty amplifier and load modulation is provided to the first peaking amplifier between the peak OBO point and the peak power point. However, the main amplifier is connected to the external load impedance (typically 50 Ohms) through a series of three ¼λ (quarter wavelength) transmission lines prior to any device impedance matching. This can lead to the amplifier being narrow band in nature due to the band-limiting characteristics of the ¼λ transmission lines. As such, three way Doherty amplifiers are typically designed for a specific band of operation used for wireless communication applications like WCDMA, LTE, WiMAX, etc. Such bands of operation are 1805-1880 MHz, 1930-1990 MHz, etc.


Chemically fexofenadine hydrochloride is 4-[4-[4-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)-1-piperidinyl]-1-hydroxybutyl]-α,α-dimethylbenzene acetic acid hydrochloride. It is also known as terfenadine carboxylic acid metabolite. It is represented by Formula 1.

Fexofenadine hydrochloride is useful as an antihistamine, and does not cause the adverse effects associated with the administration of terfenadine including abnormal heart rhythms in some patients with liver disease or patients who also take the antifungal drug ketoconazole or the antibiotic erythromycin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,129 (“the '129 patent”) entitled Piperidine Derivatives issued on Mar. 3, 1981. The '129 patent relates to substituted piperidine derivatives and methods of making and using them. The disclosed compounds, including fexofenadine and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts and individual optical isomers, are purported to be useful as antihistamines, antiallergy agents and bronchodilators.
The '129 patent discloses a process for the preparation of fexofenadine having a melting point of 195-197° C. The recrystallization process exemplified therein in Example 3, column 13, involves use of a mixture of solvents for preparation of fexofenadine.
WO 95/31437 discloses processes for preparing hydrated and anhydrous forms of piperidine derivatives, polymorphs and pseudomorphs thereof, which are useful as antihistamines, antiallergic agents and bronchodilators.
WO 95/31437 discloses the preparation of anhydrous forms of fexofenadine hydrochloride by subjecting the hydrated fexofenadine hydrochloride to an azeotropic distillation or to water minimizing recrystallization. In the invention described in this application, unlike the process described in WO 95/31437, hydrated Fexofenadine Hydrochloride is not converted to anhydrous Fexofenadine Hydrochloride, but instead Fexofenadine is converted to Form A of Fexofenadine and then to anhydrous Form X of Fexofenadine Hydrochloride. The novel anhydrous crystalline form of Fexofenadine Hydrochloride is obtained according to the present invention directly from the novel precursor i.e. Fexofenadine without generating a hydrated form. The starting material used Fexofenadine (Base) is different than described in WO 95/31437.
WO 00/71124A1 discloses amorphous fexofenadine hydrochloride process, its preparation and a composition containing it.
Fexofenadine obtained in the prior art processes, is a mixture of regioisomers of fexofenadine containing 33% of para isomer and 67% of meta isomer. These components are referred to as inseparable and it is also stated that it is not possible to obtain either of the regioisomers in substantially pure form. On the other hand, Fexofenadine prepared according to the process of this invention has a purity of >99.5%. In the novel crystalline Fexofenadine of this invention, the meta isomer of Fexofenadine is at a level of below 0.1%. Purity of fexofenadine is critical when it is used for the conversion to its hydrochloride salt since it is very difficult to remove any undesired impurities, including regioisomers, from the desired compound in last late processing stage. Removing the impurities increases the cost of production. Hence it is generally preferred that the HPLC purity of fexofenadine is greater than 99.5%.
Another beneficial aspect of the present invention is that, the fexofenadine hydrochloride is obtained in almost quantitative yield from the precursor i.e. fexofenadine. Almost quantitative yield means that the pure fexofenadine is converted to fexofenadine hydrochloride quantitatively (>92% yield of theory), with almost no yield loss, as the fexofenadine base itself is >99.5% pure as compared to fexofenadine prepared by the prior art processes.


The present invention relates to an image outputting system, which includes an image outputting apparatus and a controlling apparatus, which is coupled to the image outputting apparatus so as to develop first-type image data into second-type image data serving as an output possible format in the image outputting apparatus and sends the second-format image data to the image outputting apparatus.
In recent years, the image outputting apparatus, such as, for instance, a color laser printer employing an electro-photographic method, a compound apparatus having functions of a color laser printer, a scanner, a copier, a facsimile, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as a color laser printer as a whole), has been improved in its capability of producing a high quality image, and further, in its capability of speedily outputting a high quality color image without increasing its cost. Further, various kinds of finishers to be coupled to the color laser printer have been devised, and as a result, it becomes possible for the color laser printer to create and output printed products in such a output manner that various kinds of processing, such as a stapling, etc., are applied to the printed products. Reflecting such the recent trends, the color laser printer has been employed for the outputting use of final printed products, for instance, in a small-lot printing field, etc.
On the other hand, according to the proliferation of the DTP (Desk Top Publishing), etc., the image data are created on a client terminal, serving as an external terminal device including a personal computer, etc., by conducting an editing operation to be executed on the imaging software. Such the image data are to be elements of the image forming operation (hereinafter, referred to as elementary data) and includes vector data (the first-type image data) and raster data (the second-type image data). The vector data are called vector graphics, which represent each of objects as the image shown in FIG. 11 by using an aggregation of depicting information including coordinates of points and parameters for equations of lines and surfaces coupling objects to each other, painting colors (in FIG. 2, represented by the gradation values of dot percent for each of YMCK colors), special effects, font information representing a shape of character and its size, etc. While, the raster data are called bitmap graphics, in which one raster line is constituted by a plurality of pixels arrayed at predetermined intervals (resolution) in a horizontal direction, and further, a plurality of raster lines are also arranged at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction, and each of pixels is represented by using depicting information represented by gradation values. Further, the setting information including the first predetermined conditions, such as, for instance, image forming conditions with respect to the color adjustment, the layout such as allotment of the images, etc., the second predetermined conditions, such as, for instance, outputting conditions with respect to the output mode, such as a proofing, a stapling, a folding, etc., and the number of output copies, and a name, a name of terminal device, date-and-time information as an attribute information, are attached to the elementary data.
Then, the outputting operation of the printing products is conducted on the basis of the elementary data. Concretely speaking, at first, the controlling apparatus coupled to the color laser printer receives the elementary data and the setting information from the terminal device through the network, and then, applies the color adjustment processing and the allotment processing to the elementary data so as to develop (convert) them into the printing data serving as image data having an output possible format for the color laser printer (the second-type image data), namely, for instance, halftone dot image data in which dots are formed within a predetermined area as shown in FIG. 13 (pixels in 5×5 area in the drawing) so as to express light and shade. according to the area of the dots. In other words, the elementary data are converted to the halftone dot image data, based on the first predetermined conditions indicated in the setting information. Then, the color laser printer conducts the image forming operation of the halftone dot image data based on the second predetermined conditions to output the printing products.
Incidentally, when conducting the abovementioned image outputting operation, to illuminate the waste of printing products due to a certain defect generated in the printed contents, such as, for instance, a color defect, etc., which is found after print outputting operations of plural copies are completed, there has been a function of “proofing” in which only one copy to be used for confirmation of the printed contents is printed. According to the proofing, it becomes possible to reduce the waste of printing products, since only one copy is outputted from the color laser printer in order to confirm the contents of the printed copy and then a plurality of copies are outputted from the color laser printer.
As a result of the proofing, however, sometimes, it becomes necessary to change the image forming conditions with respect to the color adjustment, the layout such as allotment of the images, etc., serving as the first predetermined conditions in regard to the developing operation. It is impossible, however, for the operator to directly modify the halftone dot image data in order to cope with the abovementioned changing operation. Accordingly, to cope with such the changing operation, the operator had to stop the outputting operation based on the halftone dot image data concerned, and had to move from the place where the color laser printer is installed to the place where the terminal device is installed, in order to conduct the operation for changing the image forming conditions, the operation for adding the changed image forming conditions to the elementary data, and the operation for sending the elementary data added with the changed image forming conditions to the controlling apparatus, at the terminal device, and then, had to again conduct the developing operation mentioned in the above at the controlling apparatus. As described in the above, according to the conventional method, it had taken much time and labor to change the image forming conditions.
Further, as a function of the proofing, for instance, Patent Document 1 sets forth the feature for conducting proofing operations with respect to all of the printing modes so as to make it possible to select a preferable printed result from them. However, this feature requires the developing operations and outputting operations in regard to all of the printing modes, resulting in a large amount of waste of time and expendable supplies.
[Patent Document 1]    Tokkaihei 11-134147 (Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication)


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lamp holder, a backlight device using the same, and a display using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a liquid crystal panel used for a liquid crystal display such as a liquid crystal television additionally requires a backlight device as an external lamp because it does not spontaneously emit light. The backlight device is placed on a backside of the liquid crystal panel, and broadly includes a base made of a metal with an open surface at the side of the liquid crystal panel, a number of cold cathode tubes housed in the base as lamps, and a number of optical members (diffusion sheets and the like) which are arranged in an open portion of the base to efficiently irradiate light, which is emitted by the cold cathode tubes, to the liquid crystal panel side, and includes lamp clips for holding the cold cathode tubes, each having a slim tubular shape with respect to the base.
An example of the lamp clips as described above can be found in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2001-210126. The lamp clips of this invention are made of a synthetic resin, and the invention includes a mounting plate which is applied to an inner surface of the base, a locking part which is protruded to the base side from the mounting plate, is inserted into a mounting hole of the base to be capable of being locked to its peripheral edge, and a lamp holding part which is protruded to the side opposite from the locking part from the mounting plate to be capable of holding the cold cathode tube so as to surround the peripheral surface of the cold cathode tube. The lamp holding part has a C-shaped sectional configuration which is opened upward, and is elastically deformable so as to open outward during attachment and detachment of the cold cathode tube.
Incidentally, typically there is a variation in the thickness of the cold cathode tube that cannot be prevented due to a manufacturing error. Thus, setting the size of the lamp holding part which holds such a cold cathode tube can be problematic.
If the size of the lamp holding part is set with the thickest cold cathode tube in tolerance as a reference, the clearance which occurs between the lamp holding part and the cold cathode tube becomes too large when a relatively thin cold cathode tube is mounted, and large backlash occurs to the cold cathode tube.
If the size of the lamp holding part is set with the thinnest cold cathode tube in tolerance as the reference in contrast with the above-described situation, the force which is required for opening and deforming the lamp holding part becomes too large when a relatively thick cold cathode tube is mounted. Even if it is mounted, the elastic rebound force of the lamp holding part becomes too large, and therefore, there arises the problem that the cold cathode tube is urged in the detaching direction by the elastic rebound force and the cold cathode tube is easily detached, and in short, this setting method is not favorable with respect to attaching and detaching operability and holding performance. Nevertheless, there are limitations in the molding technique and strength in molding the lamp holding part to be thin in order to reduce the elastic rebound force of the lamp holding part, thus bringing about difficulties in coping with this situation.


With the increased popularity of mobile computing devices, there is an ever growing need for high capacity data throughput to wireless computing devices, such as hand held “smart” cellular telephones, wireless network adapters, and other types of wireless data devices. To meet this need, macrocell and picocell base stations are being widely installed. A picocell base station is typically a relatively low cost, small, reasonably simple unit that connects to a base station controller. A macrocell base station serves a larger geographic area than a picocell base station, but is much more expensive to install.
Because fiber optic cable IS not always available, or may be cost prohibitive, telecommunications carriers are beginning to rely more greatly on wireless infrastructure to deploy backhaul data capacity to macrocell and picocell base stations. One challenge when deploying wireless backhaul is not having a clear line of sight from a macrocell or picocell base station to a backhaul end-location. Structures such as buildings, roads, vegetation and residential homes may prevent point-to-point wireless connections. Moreover, weather and other factors might greatly impact current wireless backhaul solutions.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of ceramics and particularly to ZrO.sub.2 ceramics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During cooling, ZrO.sub.2 undergoes a martensitic-type transformation from a tetragonal crystal structure to a monoclinic crystal structure with a concurrent increase in volume and an anisotropic shape change. For pure ZrO.sub.2 the transformation begins at about 1200.degree. C. and proceeds until complete at about 600.degree. C.
Attempts have been made to utilize this transformation in order to improve the fracture toughness of ceramic composites. In one approach, ZrO.sub.2 particles have been added to an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 matrix to form a second phase dispersion (N. Claussen, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 59, pg. 49, 1976). Expansion and shape change of the ZrO.sub.2 as it transformed from the high temperature tetragonal structure to the room temperature monoclinic structure created microcracks. The resulting increase in fracture toughness was attributed to energy absorption by these microcracks.
More recently, attempts have been made to increase the toughness of ZrO.sub.2 ceramics by taking advantage of metastable grains of tetragonal ZrO.sub.2 within a surrounding matrix. These are grains of ZrO.sub.2 which are tetragonal rather than monoclinic despite the fact that their temperature is below the unconstrained equilibrium transformation temperature range.
The metastable condition can be obtained by surrounding fine grains of ZrO.sub.2 in a constraining matrix such as Al.sub.2 O.sub.3. The matrix constrains the volume and shape change associated with the transformation of the grains of ZrO.sub.2 and holds the ZrO.sub.2 in its tegragonal state.
The tetragonal grains of ZrO.sub.2 increase the fracture toughness of the ceramic composite by increasing the energy required for a crack to propogate. If a crack starts in the ceramic composite, the metastable grains of tetragonal ZrO.sub.2 in the stress field adjacent the crack transform to the stable monoclinic structure. The work done by the applied stresses to reduce this transformation is loss and thus the stress-induced transformation increases the material's fracture toughness.
Metastable tetragonal grains of ZrO.sub.2 have been observed in an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ZrO.sub.2 ceramic composite containing 17 volume % ZrO.sub.2 (N. Claussen, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 59, pg. 85, 1978). However, to maintain the metastable tetragonal structure, the ZrO.sub.2 grains had to be less than about 0.5 .mu.m in diameter. Larger grains transformed to the stable monoclinic structure. Additional work has shown that the amount of metastable tetragonal ZrO.sub.2 that can be retained in the matrix decreases as the volume % of ZrO.sub.2 in the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ZrO.sub.2 ceramic composite increases. Very little of the ZrO.sub.2 can be retained in the metastable tetragonal structure in Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ZrO.sub.2 composites having more than 20 volume % ZrO.sub.2. Such limitations of grain size and volume % of ZrO.sub.2 reduces the practicality and the toughness of prior art Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ZrO.sub.2 ceramic composites.


The present disclosure relates to a backlight assembly for a liquid crystal display, and specifically, to a backlight assembly with high efficiency and brightness.


In computer systems in general and in small systems in particular, it is desirable to reduce the total amount of hardware required for the system consistent with some specified level of machine performance. Data lines connecting various external devices such as keyboard terminals, CRT displays, credit card readers, etc., to a central processor would normally require separate I/O pin connections for each data line. In modern computers, large scale integrated circuitry (LSI) is widely used and, as is well known, these circuit modules are limited in the number of external circuit connections or pins which can be placed on an LSI module. Hence, by utilizing the same data lines for both input and output, the number of pins required is cut in half. In large, high speed computing systems, it generally has not been feasible to utilize the same data lines for both reading data into and out of the system, as many operations are held up pending the termination of an existing operation. While such waiting is necessary with a central memory or other shared functional unit, it is not so critical within the CPU as modern computers have extremely high speed memory circuits, etc., capable of performing required operations in extremely short periods of time. However, with smaller lower speed computers where both cost and manufacturing feasibility are primary factors, and time is somewhat secondary, it becomes possible to consider bidirectional data lines or half-duplex type of operations.
With the advent of modern integrated circuits and micro electronic technology, it has been possible to construct relatively small inexpensive computers utilizing separate source and destination buses within the computers which allows for considerably higher speed operations without greatly increasing the cost of construction. However, in the past, such two bus computers required large numbers of terminal pins for connecting the computer to both the input and output data lines. As stated previously, this causes severe pin connection problems when LSI is used in the host computer. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a solution to the terminal or pin connection problem.
It has been found that satisfactory overall system performance is possible with a bidirectional data bus connected to a small two separate internal bus computer system by providing internal gating and control means for selectively connecting the I/O bus to the source and destination bus of said computer utilizing internal control circuitry together with a special adaptor connecting I/O devices to the I/O bus and for effecting requisite I/O control.
It has been further found that the requisite control functions can be efficiently and inexpensively performed by the use of micro programs stored in a read only memory having special decoding and control circuitry for effecting the desired gating operations.


In systems for controlling electrical processes, such as for controlling generation and transmission of electrical power, i.e. high-voltage power transmission and generation systems, it is necessary to measure the voltage at various points in the system, such as for instance in a power line in order to provide control and protection of the system.
In order to provide a reliable system there may be redundancy in relation to the control and protection devices provided. Such a redundancy means that several different parallel protection and control devices may need to receive measurements from the same element in the process.
WO2006/128397 discloses an HVDC system where two separate connections to a power line are provided in order to provide redundancy in relation to measurement results.
However, when the system is a high-voltage system it is often necessary to limit the number of contacts to the system element to as few as possible. There may otherwise be a risk for flashover. This is especially the case in Ultra high HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) power transmission systems.
One way to solve this problem may be to provide duplicated amplifiers connected to a voltage dividing element. Voltage measurements of a system element, such as a power line may be performed through duplicated amplifiers directly connected to such a primary voltage dividing element. However, with this solution it may not be possible to ensure a high enough reliability. The amplifiers may furthermore not be possible to be replaced during operation.
There is therefore a need for an improvement when measuring voltages of electrically conducting elements in a system for controlling an electrical process.


With the advent of GPS technology, it has become possible to determine the precise location of any GPS receiver on the globe. GPS technology is often combined with mapping software in order to visually indicate the location of a GPS receiver on a map. Some of the portable devices that are currently available on the market include a screen for displaying a map along with a visual indicator that represents the GPS location of the device, however, there are several drawbacks associated with these devices.
Downloading geographic maps onto the portable devices from a network is very time consuming and there are often licensing fees associated with map use. In addition, the size of the screen is typically minimized in order to reduce the overall size and weight of the portable device. This may result in a user spending valuable time attempting to understand the map if insufficient information is provided on a single screen.
As with any map, time is also spent becoming oriented with one's surroundings and correlating them to the map on the screen. If the user is not particularly map literate, it may take a very long time for the user to determine his or her location. Further, in a region that is poorly mapped or a region that includes few roads or landmarks, mapping one's GPS location on a portable device may not be very useful.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a skin-cleansing composition in the form of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, which may be used for cleansing the skin of the human face, neck and/or body. In particular, this composition, which enables dead cells to be removed gently from the skin, constitutes a "3 in 1" product which is particularly suitable for sensitive skins.
The invention also relates to a process for cleansing the skin of the body and/or face.
2. Discussion of the Background
Exfoliant or scrubbing products, also referred to as "scrubs", contain exfoliant particles which consist of abrasive materials such as polyethylene powder, walnut shell powder or apricot or almond powder. Unfortunately, these scrubbing products are irritating due to the very presence of these particles which rub the skin without melting and which remain on its surface. On account of their irritant nature, it is not possible to use these scrubbing products daily; depending on the sensitivity, there must be longer or shorter time intervals between uses thereof, in particular of several days, or even of several weeks for very sensitive skin. Moreover, in order to overcome skin irritation, it is necessary, after use, to apply a care cream which provides protection and moisturization to the skin.
There thus is a need for a scrubbing-product which is comfortable to use, which does not contain abrasive exfoliant particles and which does not require the subsequent application of a care cream.
The composition according to the present invention overcomes the drawbacks described above. Applicant has found, surprisingly, that it is possible to have a "3 in 1" scrubbing product, that is to say a product which simultaneously cleanses, scrubs and cares for the skin, containing no abrasive particles, by providing an oil-in-water emulsion comprising lipid grains filled with a cleansing agent.


The invention relates generally to electronic capacitors, and more specifically to foil stacked capacitors using aluminum and polymer.
Electrical circuits often include capacitors for various purposes such as filtering, bypassing, power decoupling, and to perform other functions. High-speed digital integrated circuits such as processors and computer chipsets in particular typically perform best when the power supplied to the integrated circuit is filtered with a capacitor placed physically close to the integrated circuit.
Such power decoupling capacitors function to smooth out irregularities in the voltage supplied to the integrated circuits, and so serve to provide the integrated circuits with a more ideal voltage supply.
By placing the decoupling capacitors near the integrated circuit, parasitic impedances such as printed circuit board path resistance or inductance are minimized, allowing easy and efficient transfer of energy from the.decoupling capacitor to the integrated circuit. Minimization of series resistance and inductance in the capacitor itself is also desirable for the same purposes, and results in a more efficient and desirable decoupling or bypass capacitor.
The internal series resistance of the capacitor is typically known as the Equivalent Series Resistance, or ESR. Similarly, internal series inductance is known as Equivalent Series Inductance, or ESL. Both of these parameters can be measured for a given capacitor, and are among the basic criteria used to select capacitors for applications such as integrated circuit power supply decoupling.
Past efforts to minimize ESL and ESR have included solutions such as using multiple types of capacitors in parallel or combination series-parallel configurations, configured to product the desired capacitance at the very low ESR and ESL levels required. For example, tantalum capacitors in the order of 4.7 uF in parallel with 0.01 uF ceramic chip capacitors were often sufficient for lower-speed digital logic circuits of previous decades. But, new high speed digital logic circuits such as high-performance computer processors require both greater capacitance because of the amount of power dissipated, and lower ESR and ESL because of the very high speeds at which the processors operate.
It is also desirable for capacitors to have a physically small size, so that they do not take an unduly large amount of printed circuit board space. This is why space efficient capacitor technologies such as tantalum and electrolytic capacitors are often implemented in circuits despite typically having relatively high inductance, resistance, dielectric absorption, and other unfavorable characteristics. Mitigation of unfavorable capacitor characteristics of electrolytic or tantalum capacitors often also requires use of parallel capacitors with more favorable characteristics as secondary or supplemental decoupling capacitors.
What is desired is a single capacitor design that provides low ESR and ESL with large capacitance, and that is physically compact.


Wireless networks are based on transmission and reception of Radio Frequency (RF) electro-magnetic waves between at least two devices. During operation, the RF connection will experience a wide range of attenuations due to e.g., atmospheric effects, intervening obstacles, etc. Generally, it is assumed that the radio link between two devices is substantially symmetric; i.e., transmit and receive RF links for a given device are substantially similar in performance and attenuation. In symmetric link operation, each device assumes that their perceived performance is representative of a peer device's perceived performance at the other end of an RF link.
However, empirical evidence suggests that certain device usage scenarios can create asymmetric attenuation in each direction of an RF link, e.g. in transmit and receive RF links for a given device. For example, a user operating a wireless communication device (such as e.g., the iPad™ developed and manufactured by the Assignee hereof) in communication with a nearby Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular network can experience a wide range of radio link performance based on e.g., the positioning of the wireless communication device with respect to the user's body. Specifically, the wireless communication device's RF transceiver may be configured to limit transmit power when the transmitter is next to the user's body (or adjacent to another object). The degree of transmit power reduction or attenuation at the wireless communication device can be based on, in one case, regulatory concerns, which can dictate Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) requirements permitted for emitted RF energy by the wireless communication device.
In the foregoing scenario, only the transmit link may be affected by the regulatory provisions, which can limit operating conditions and therefore influence performance; the receive link can remain fully operational. In some situations, the wireless communication device may not be able to successfully interact with a wireless network because its transmit power may be limited, and transmissions may be necessary to establish and/or to maintain an RF link with the wireless network, (i.e., the wireless communication device can be unable to set up the link by only receiving commands or data from a wireless network.) To make matters worse, since reception quality at the wireless communication device can be acceptable in this scenario, the wireless communication device may be unable to attempt to invoke remedial or corrective action; e.g., execute a handover to another LTE evolved NodeB (eNB), perform a cell selection/reselection, etc. Existing wireless communication devices may therefore be caught in a marginal and/or unusable operational state, thereby degrading performance and user experience.
Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus are needed for handling radio link imbalances such as for example those described in the foregoing scenario.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the prescription medical treatment for sinusitis, more specifically, to a medicinal package that improves compliance with the treatment regimen prescribed for sinusitis.
2. The Prior Art
Sinusitis is a common disorder affecting an estimated 10% of the United States population and affecting all age groups, including children and the elderly. The problem is increasing in prevalence and in 1994, sinusitis accounted for 25 million office visits to physicians in the United States. Sinusitis can be defined as an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses which manifests as a purulent (infected) nasal discharge, nasal congestion, pain in the sinus areas (cheeks, forehead, around eyes, sides of nose), which may be associated with fever, headache, dental pain, earache, post-nasal discharge, cough, sore throat, conjunctival inflammation, foul breath, and olfactory loss. Its temporal manifestations vary from an acute illness of less than three weeks, to recurring episodes, to an unremitting chronic condition. Complications of inadequately treated sinusitis, in addition to chronicity, can be grave because of the proximity of the sinuses to the bony walls enclosing the eyes (orbits) and brain, and include orbital celulitis, optic neuritis, cavernous sinus thrombosis, epidural and subdural infection, meningitis, cerebritis, brain abscess, blindness, and even death.
The management of sinusitis is predicated upon what is known of the pathophysiology of this disorder. The paranasal sinuses consist of a series of bony pouches adjacent to the nasal cavity in the frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid regions, which are lined by pseudostratified, ciliated epithelium. Mucous is produced by epithelial goblet cells and submucosal seromucous glands. The blanket of mucous covering the epithelial surface of the sinuses is moved in an orderly fashion by cilia towards natural ostea which lead into the nasal cavity, thereby allowing constant drainage of the sinuses. When the flow of mucous from the sinuses is interrupted, the retained secretions become thickened, the adjacent mucous membranes become inflamed and both mucous and sinus membranes are subject to infection.
Pharmacotherapy for sinusitis is therefore directed at:
(1) reestablishing patency of the sinus ostea (openings),
(2) reestablishing the orderly flow of mucous, and (3) treating the infection. These three objectives conventionally require multiple prescriptions of individual medications, with a typical regimen including: (1) an oral decongestant to shrink the swelling of the sinus membranes thereby opening the sinus exit pathway, (2) an expectorant to increase respiratory tract fluid secretions, reduce their viscosity, and increase the efficacy of the mucociliary mechanism and facilitate mucous flow, and (3) an antibiotic to treat the infection.
The choice of medications and their use together are dependent on numerous considerations besides the mechanism of action and risks of the individual medications. These considerations include absorption, time of onset after dosing, rate of elimination, duration of action after dosing, therapeutic effect by virtue of combination, and side effects by virtue of combination. Medication error and misuse due to a multiplicity of medications and modalities pose an additional risk. Medical and pharmaceutical expertise is clearly required to formulate a treatment regime utilizing a combination of medications and appropriate instructions for use by a lay individuals affected by sinusitis.
Success of such a treatment regimen is contingent upon compliance for a 10-14 day period for acute sinusitis and a 3-8 week period in children and individuals with chronic sinusitis. Previous compliance studies have demonstrated three important considerations which adversely affect compliance: (1) increased complexity of the treatment regimen, (2) poor patient understanding of the treatment rationale, and (3) difficulty of use. Indeed, the multiplicity of medications necessary for sinusitis treatment increases the complexity of the regimen, patients may not fully understand the benefit of each component, and the convention of multiple containers and separate instructions for each component make complying with the regimen more difficult.
United States health care experts conservatively estimate that half of the 1.8 billion prescription medications dispensed yearly are not taken as prescribed. Because of its potentially negative consequences, many consider lack of compliance with treatment regimens to be one of the most serious problems facing health care today. The multiplicity of medications necessary for effective sinusitis treatment makes it especially susceptible to non-compliance.
Solutions to the compliance problem have been put forth by others. Typical of such solutions is the compartmented pillbox, where the medications are stored in compartments representing times of the day and different days. The major shortcoming of the compartmented pillbox is that the patient still receives the medications in separate containers and then must sort the various medications and store them in the proper compartments in the pillbox. This can be a complex and difficult task, especially when the medications are similar in appearance. And there is no guarantee that the medications will be sorted and stored correctly.
An object of the present invention is to provide a means for increasing compliance with medication regimens for treating sinusitis.
Another objective is to provide a sinusitis patient with a unified, understandable, and organized treatment regimen for sinusitis.
A further object is to minimize complexity and facilitate ease of use of a sinusitis treatment regimen.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise a multiplicity of medications for sinusitis physically arranged so as to simplify their use, functional indicia and instructions for coordinating the medications together as a regimen, and unification of these elements within a pharmaceutical dispensing assemblage.
With the present invention, all of the medications for the treatment regimen are prepackaged into a single prescription package for the patient. The patient only deals with a single package, rather than the multiplicity of packages of the prior treatment regimens. The medication is organized into event modules associated with daily events at which the medication is taken. The event may be a time of day or an activity that is performed during the day. Indicia representing the events associated with the event modules lead the patient clearly through the treatment regimen over its full time period, leading to a greater degree of compliance with the regimen and a greater probability that the treatment will be successfully completed.
The medication dosages are stored in either blister packs or pouches. The blister pack includes a clear plastic sheet with pockets for the dosages and a rupturable or pealable cover for retaining the dosages in their pockets until manually removed. The pouch is a bag composed of thin sheets of plastic or foil and is typically opened by tearing. The present invention can be used with many physical forms of medication, but the preferred forms are those that are most easily taken, such as tablets, capsules, and liquid-gels.
There are two basic preferred embodiments of the present invention, the box embodiment and the card embodiment. The box embodiment includes a box and a plurality of event modules. Each event module is either a blister pack or a pouch and is identified by an event indicia. A set of one day""s worth of event modules may be physically combined into a day group. The event modules are organized within the box to present the treatment regimen in a logical progression. In one form, the box has dividers that define compartments, where all of the event modules for one event reside within one associated compartment. In another form, the box is tall, with a slot on one side at the bottom through which one event module fits. The event modules are stacked within the container in chronological order or are all connected together and rolled into a loop. Each event module is removed from the box when needed by sliding it out of the slot.
The card embodiment includes a number of medication dosages in a blister pack container organized into day modules and event modules. Each day module represents a single day of the treatment regimen and includes one of each type of event module. The day modules are arranged in single or multiple rows or columns. All of the event modules of a single row or column that are defined by the same event are arranged in a continuous line. Each day module includes a day indicia indicating the day of the treatment regimen that the dosages of that day module are to be taken and each event module line is associated with an event indicia. Optionally, the day modules are delimited by perforations that allow the manual separation of a day module from the card.
In all embodiments, the assemblage includes an instruction area which contains any information deemed necessary to the safe use of the medications. Such information includes, but is not limited to, a graphical depiction of each event module, a graphical medication legend, and instructions for use.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.


This invention relates in general to sample inspection systems and, in particular, to an improved inspection system with good sensitivity for particles as well as crystal-originated-particles (COPs). COPs are surface breaking defects in semiconductor wafers which have been classified as particles due to inability of conventional inspection systems to distinguish them from real particles.
Systems for inspecting unpatterned wafers or bare wafers have been proposed. See for example, PCT patent application Ser. No. PCT/US96/15354, filed on Sep. 25, 1996, entitled “Improved System for Surface Inspection.” Systems such as those described in the above-referenced application are useful for many applications, including the inspection of bare or unpatterned semiconductor wafers. Nevertheless, it may be desirable to provide improved sample inspection tools which may be used for inspecting not only bare or unpatterned wafers but also rough films. Another issue which has great significance in wafer inspection is that of COPs. These are surface-breaking defects in the wafer. According to some opinions in the wafer inspection community, such defects can cause potential detriments to the performance of semiconductor chips made from wafers with such defects. It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved sample inspection system capable of detecting COPs and distinguishing COPs from particles.