Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. A touch panel for a display device having a driver IC, comprising:
upper and lower substrates;
first and second transparent electrodes on opposing surfaces of the upper and lower substrates;
a plurality of metal electrodes in a circumference of the first and second transparent electrodes; and
a flexible printed cable having a plurality of signal applying lines extended from the upper and lower substrates to a rear side of the display device for applying signal voltages to the metal electrodes, wherein the flexible printed cable is bent at a corner of the upper and lower substrates from a top to a bottom of the display device, and has a first part extended from the corner of the display device and a second part extended from the first part and the first and second parts being perpendicular to each other.
2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed cable has a plurality of through-holes before the flexible printed cable overlaps the driver IC.
3. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the signal applying lines of the lower surface of the flexible printed cable are disposed on the upper surface of the flexible printed cable.
4. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the flexible printed cable extends through the driver IC of the display device to be connected to a printed circuit board.
5. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the signal applying lines for applying signals to the metal electrodes on the upper substrate are printed on the upper surface of the flexible printed cable, and the signal applying lines for applying signals to the metal electrodes on the lower substrate are printed on the lower surface of the flexible printed cable.
6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the metal electrodes include:
first and second metal electrodes being electrically connected to the first transparent electrode in the circumference of the first transparent electrode along the X-axis direction, and
third and fourth metal electrodes being electrically connected to the second transparent electrode in the circumference of the upper and lower sides on the second transparent electrode along the Y-axis direction.
7. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth metal electrodes are connected to the first, second, third, and fourth signal applying lines.
8. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device.
9. A method of fabricating a touch panel for a display device having a driver IC, comprising:
forming upper and lower substrates;
forming first and second transparent electrodes on opposing surfaces of the upper and lower substrates;
forming a plurality of metal electrodes in a circumference of the first and second transparent electrodes; and
forming a flexible printed cable having a plurality of signal applying lines extended from the upper and lower substrates to a rear side of the display device for applying signal voltages to the metal electrodes, wherein the flexible printed cable is bent at a corner of the upper and lower substrates from a top to a bottom of the display device, and has a first part extended from the corner of the display device and a second part extended from the first part and the first and second parts being perpendicular to each other.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the flexible printed cable has a plurality of through-holes before the flexible printed cable overlaps the driver IC.
11. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the signal applying lines of the lower surface of the flexible printed cable are disposed on the upper surface of the flexible printed cable.
12. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the flexible printed cable extends through the driver IC of the display device to be connected to a printed circuit board.
13. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the signal applying lines for applying signals to the metal electrodes on the upper substrate are printed on the upper surface of the flexible printed cable, and the signal applying lines for applying signals to the metal electrodes on the lower substrate are printed on the lower surface of the flexible printed cable.
14. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the metal electrodes include:
first and second metal electrodes being electrically connected to the first transparent electrode in the circumference of the first transparent electrode along the X-axis direction, and
third and fourth metal electrodes being electrically connected to the second transparent electrode in the circumference of the upper and lower sides on the second transparent electrode along the Y-axis direction.
15. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth metal electrodes are connected to the first, second, third, and fourth signal applying lines.
16. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. Feeding device for transporting products which are provided to the feeding device in groups, said feeding device comprising:
first and second conveyor belts which are arranged in the direction of transport one behind the other, wherein a first group of products can be transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt; and
a control unit which is functionally connected with the first and second conveyor belts, wherein the control unit is operable to accelerate the first conveyor belt independently of the second conveyor belt and can synchronize an acceleration andor speed of the first conveyor belt with an acceleration andor speed of second conveyor belt;
wherein the control unit accelerates said first conveyor belt when the first group of products has been transferred to the second conveyor belt and a second group of products is disposed on the first conveyor belt to reduce a gap distance between the first and second groups of products;
wherein the feeding device comprises a third conveyor belt disposed behind the second conveyor belt in the direction of transport, the third conveyor belt being configured to receive the products from the second conveyor belt; and
wherein the first, second, and third conveyor belts may be moved synchronously and independently.
2. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt can be functionally coupled to a conveyor belt of a preceding machine.
3. Feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit can synchronize the speed of the first conveyor belt with a speed of the conveyor belt of the preceding machine.
4. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second conveyor belts can be synchronously accelerated together by the control unit when the last product of a respective group, seen in the direction of transport, has been transferred to the third conveyor belt and a further, subsequent group of products has arrived at least on the first conveyor belt.
5. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt is essentially as long as the second and third conveyor belts together.
6. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyor belt is longer than the third conveyor belt.
7. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt is longer than each of the second or third conveyor belt.
8. Feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that a length of the first, second andor third conveyor belt is variable.
9. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding device comprises a picker which is designed to discharge the products onto a picker belt.
10. Feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt can be intermittently moved by the control unit.
11. Method of operating a feeding device comprising the following steps:
providing a feeding device including first and second conveyor belts which are arranged in a direction of transport one behind the other, wherein a first group of products can be transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt;
receiving the first group of products on a first conveyor belt;
transferring the first group of products from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt;
receiving a second group of products on the first conveyor belt; and
accelerating the first conveyor belt after the first group of products has been transferred to the second conveyor belt and the second group of products has been received on the first conveyor belt;
reducing a gap distance between the first and second groups of products by said accelerating step;
transferring the first group of products from the second conveyor belt to a third conveyor belt of the feeding device which is disposed behind the second conveyor belt in the direction of transport; and
synchronously accelerating the first and second conveyor belts-when the last product of a respective group, seen in the direction of transport, has been transferred to the third conveyor belt, and a further, subsequent group of products has arrived at least on the first conveyor belt.
12. Method according to claim 11, further comprising synchronously accelerating the first, the second and third conveyor belts when the last product of a respective group, seen in the direction of transport, has been discharged by the third conveyor belt, and a further, subsequent group of products has arrived at least on the first conveyor belt.
13. Feeding device for transporting products which are provided to the feeding device in groups, said feeding device comprising:
first and second conveyor belts which are arranged in the direction of transport one behind the other, wherein a first group of products can be transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt;
a third conveyor belt disposed behind the second conveyor belt in the direction of transport, the third conveyor belt being configured to receive the products from the second conveyor belt, wherein a length of the first, second andor third conveyor belt is variable; and
a control unit which is functionally connected with the first and second conveyor belts, wherein the control unit is configured such that it can accelerate the first conveyor belt independently of the second conveyor belt and can synchronize an acceleration andor speed of the first conveyor belt with an acceleration andor speed of second conveyor belt;
wherein the first conveyor belt can be accelerated by the control unit when the first group of products has been transferred to the second conveyor belt, and a further, second group of products has arrived on the first conveyor belt to reduce a gap distance between the first and second groups of products.

1. A switching regulator comprising:
a voltage source for providing electrical energy;
an inductive element coupled to the voltage source for accumulating the electrical energy, the inductive element having first and second nodes;
a main switching element connected between the second node of the inductive element and a reference voltage;
a plurality of output switching elements, each coupled between the second node of the inductive element and a respective output terminal;
a freewheel switching element coupled in parallel with the inductive element between the first and second nodes of the inductive element; and
a controller for coordinating the plurality of output switching elements and the main switching element so as to sequentially and periodically switching the inductive element to each of the plurality of output terminals for generating a regulated DC voltage at the respective output terminal from the electrical energy, wherein the controller adjusts a switching frequency of the switching in accordance with at least one characteristic of a load current through the regulator.
2. The switching regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprising:
a frequency detection unit for detecting the switching frequency in accordance with the load currents;
at least one error amplifier for each respective output terminal, each error amplifier having a pair of differential inputs and a single-ended output;
a frequency compensation network connected to each error amplifier;
a pulse-width-modulation generator; and
a logic unit for controlling the main switching element, the freewheeling element, and the plurality of output switching elements.
3. The switching regulator of claim 1, wherein the controller increases or decreases the switching frequency in accordance with the load current;
4. The switching regulator of claim 3, wherein the controller adjusts the switching frequency in accordance with the load current at a steady state.
5. The switching regular of claim 3, wherein the controller adjusts the switching frequency in accordance with the load current during a load change.
6. The switching regulator of claim 2, wherein the output of the error amplifier is used for controlling the electrical energy delivered to each respective output terminal during a load transient so as to maintain a constant voltage level at the respective output terminal.
7. The switching regulator of claim 2, wherein the pulse-width-modulation generator comprises:
a clock generator for generating a clock signal having a constant frequency; and
a ramp generator for generating a ramp signal having an auto-hopping frequency, wherein the auto-hopping frequency is substantially equal to the switching frequency.
8. The switching regulator of claim 7, wherein the auto-hopping frequency is a multiple fraction of the constant frequency generated by the clock generator.
9. The switching regulator of claim 7, wherein the controller controls the switching of the electrical energy to each of the output terminals in accordance with the ramp signal so as to maintain a constant voltage level at the respective output terminal.
10. The switching regulator of claim 7, wherein the switching frequency is substantially equal to the constant frequency.
11. The switching regulator of claim 2, wherein the logic unit generates a switch driver signal having a frequency equal to the switching frequency.
12. The switching regulator of claim 1, wherein, within a switching cycle, the controller is configured to
(a) close the main switching element so as to accumulate the electrical energy in the inductive element;
(b) sequentially close each of the plurality of output switching element so as to transfer the accumulated electrical energy from the inductive element to the respective output terminal; and
(c) close at an end of the switching cycle the freewheel switching element and open all other switching element.
13. The switching regulator of claim 1, wherein each of the main switching element, the freewheel switching element, and the plurality of output switching elements includes a transistor.
14. A switching regulator comprising:
a plurality of sources for providing electrical energy;
an inductive element for accumulating the electrical energy from at least one of the plurality of sources, the inductive element having first and second nodes;
a plurality of input switching element, each coupled between the first node of the inductive element and respective one of the plurality of sources;
a main switching element connected between the second node of the inductive element and a reference voltage;
a plurality of output switching elements, each coupled between the second node of the inductive element and a respective output terminal;
a freewheel switching elements coupled in parallel with the inductive element between the first and second nodes of the inductive element; and
a controller for coordinating the plurality of input switching element, the plurality of output switching element, and the main switching element so as to sequentially and periodically switching the inductive element to each of the plurality of output terminals so as to generate a regulated DC voltage at each respective output terminal from the accumulated electrical energy, wherein the controller adjusts a switching frequency of the switching in accordance with at least a characteristic of a load current of the regulator.
15. The switching regulator of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of sources includes one of an external electrical source and an output voltage from one of the plurality of output terminals.
16. The switching regulator of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to select one of the plurality of sources at a beginning of each switching period by closing the corresponding input switching element so as to transfer the electrical energy from the selected first source to the inductive element.
17. The switching regulator of claim 16, where in the controller is further configured to sequentially closing each of the output switching elements so as to transfer the accumulated electrical energy from the inductive element to the respective output terminals.
18. A method for generating a plurality of regulated DC voltages from at least one electrical source, including:
(i) periodically accumulating electrical energy in an inductive element;
(ii) sequentially transferring at least a portion of the accumulated electrical energy to a plurality of output terminal so as to generate the plurality of regulated DC voltages from the accumulated electrical energy; and
adjusting a frequency of (i) and (ii) in accordance with at least one characteristic of a load current of the inductive element.
19. The method of claim 18, further including:
detecting a decrease in a change rate of the load current; and
decreasing the frequency to a multiple fraction of a fundamental frequency in response to the decrease in the change rate.
20. The method of claim 18, further including:
during a switching period, sequentially increasing the load current of the inductive element to a respective peak value for each of the plurality of output terminals; and
transferring the accumulated energy from the inductive element to the respective output terminal until the load current become substantially equal to zero.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one characteristic of the load current includes at least one of a change rate and a transient duration of the load current.
22. The method of claim 21, further including:
detecting an increase in the transient duration of the load current for at least one output terminal; and
decreasing the frequency to a multiple fraction of a fundamental frequency in response to the increase in the transient duration.
23. The method of claim 22, further including:
automatically increasing the transient duration of the load current for other output terminals.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method for managing user preference profiles of a plurality of devices of a user in a network, the method comprising:
creating a plurality of user preference profiles, wherein each user preference profile comprises at least one of:
a profile format without active user preference profile indication;
a profile format comprising an active user preference profile indication; and
a profile format specific to each device of the user;
storing the plurality of user preference profiles in a shared server;
activating at least two user preference profiles corresponding to the plurality of devices of the user, wherein the at least two user preference profiles are selected from the plurality of user preference profiles and each user preference profile corresponds to a device from the plurality of devices of the user; and
providing the at least two user preference profiles to an application server, wherein the application server implements preferences comprised in the at least two user preference profiles.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
updating the plurality of user preference profiles.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the updating is based on Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating is performed based on Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared server is an Extensible Markup Language Document Management server.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating comprises:
sending a profile identification for the each user preference profile corresponding to the device and a device identification for the device to the application server.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sending is based on Session Initiation Protocol.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating comprises:
adding a device identification for the device in the each user preference profile corresponding to the device.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activating further comprises:
performing Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol based operation to indicate the adding.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the activating further comprises:
subscribing to the each user preference profile by the application server, wherein the subscribing is based on Session Initiation Protocol based subscription.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the activating comprises:
sending a device-profile identification for the device to the application server.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises:
fetching the each user preference profile by the application server.
13. The method of claim 13, wherein the fetching is based on Extensible Markup Language Configuration Access Protocol.
14. A method for managing user preference profiles of a plurality of devices of a user in a network, the method comprising:
creating a plurality of user preference profiles, wherein each user preference profile comprises at least one of:
a profile format without active user preference profile indication;
a profile format comprising an active user preference profile indication; and
a profile format specific to each device of the user;
storing the plurality of user preference profiles in a shared server;
activating one or more user preference profiles corresponding to the plurality of devices of the user, wherein the one or more user preference profiles are selected from the plurality of user preference profiles; and
providing the one or more user preference profiles to an application server, wherein the application server implements preferences comprised in the one or more user preference profiles.
15. A system for managing user preference profiles for a user, the system comprising:
a plurality of devices of the user;
a plurality of clients corresponding to the plurality of devices;
an application server corresponding to the plurality of clients; and
a shared server for storing a plurality of user preference profiles, wherein each user preference profile comprises at least one of:
a profile format without active user preference profile indication;
a profile format comprising an active user preference profile indication; and
a profile format specific to each device of the user;
wherein each client activates a user preference profile stored in the shared server for a corresponding device and the application server implements preferences comprised in the user preference profile for the corresponding device.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the shared server is an Extensible Markup Language Document Management server.