The present invention is a game that challenges a plurality of participants to win points by verbally describing images, accurately recreating images based on verbal descriptions, and evaluating images based on preexisting criteria. A set of game cards is provided, and each game card includes on its front face a unique image, an image title, and a plurality of unique written criteria. Each criterion is a true statement of a descriptive nature pertaining to the image on the same game card. The criteria are not initially visible to any participant. The game is played in multiple rounds, where in each round, one participant verbally describes the image on a game card while the remaining participants attempt to recreate the image on a writing surface based on the verbal description. After an allotted time, the description is concluded and participants stop recreating the image. Participants exchange their recreated images and evaluate the images they receive based upon whether or not the plurality of criteria associated with the image are satisfied. Points are awarded to the participant who described the image as well as all participants who recreated the image based upon the number of criteria that are satisfied. Bonus points and an element of randomness are provided by the bonus criteria. The winner of the game is the participant that accumulates the most points during all rounds of the game.

Not applicable.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention is directed toward a competitive and/or educational game apparatus that involves the activities of verbally describing images, accurately recreating images based on verbal descriptions, and evaluating images based on preexisting criteria.
In the past, hundreds of games have been created that use dice, cards, and scoring sheets or other writing surfaces. In particular, prior art includes games that test the artistic skills of participants. Previous games such as those marketed under the trademarks xe2x80x9cPictionaryxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cCraniumxe2x80x9d provide the name of an object (or place or action, etc.) on a game card and require a participant to draw the object (or place or action, etc.) on a writing surface while other participants attempt to deduce the combination of terms or expressions literally represented by the illustration. Examples of such games are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,160 to Stevens et al. (1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,909 to Alexander et al. (2001). However, these games do not require that participants describe an image or evaluate images based on preexisting criteria.
The prior art also includes games that test the interpretive skills of participants by requiring them to provide a short verbal answer given an illustration on a card. Examples of such games are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,844 to Weiss (1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,232 to Pollock (1995). Games such as the one marketed under the trademark xe2x80x9cStare!xe2x80x9d, include game cards displaying an image and require that participants answer questions about the image solely from memory. However, these games do not require that participants draw images or evaluate images based on preexisting criteria.
Previous games such as those marketed under the trademarks xe2x80x9cGuess-a-Doodlexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cSkribblexe2x80x9d require participants to verbally describe an image while other participants recreate the image and then attempt to guess what it is they have drawn. These games are limited in that the participant who is describing the image may use only a limited domain of xe2x80x9cabstractxe2x80x9d words (e.g. xe2x80x9ccirclexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csquarexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9clinexe2x80x9d, etc.) in the description they provide (so as to avoid unfairly giving the answer away). The images are extremely unsophisticated objects that are easy for young children to describe and draw. Such games have limited appeal to older participants who find them unchallenging and restrictive. Furthermore, these games do not require that participants evaluate images based on preexisting criteria.
No games have been proposed that call for participants to verbally describe a complex image using an unrestricted vocabulary in a limited time. Furthermore, no games have been proposed which require that the recreated images be evaluated against a series of preexisting criteria in order to win points.
Therefore there is a need for a game that stimulates participants to verbally describe images in a clear and concise manner so that others may recreate the image. By the same token, there is a need for a game that challenges participants to recreate an image based on an unrestricted verbal description. Finally, there is a need for a game that affords participants an opportunity to evaluate recreated images based upon preexisting criteria. Such a game would provide both entertainment as well as educational opportunities for participants to learn to clearly and concisely describe images, recreate images from a verbal description, and evaluate images based on descriptive criteria. Such a game should be presented in a manner that is both entertaining in an interactive atmosphere and intellectually stimulating to a wide variety of participants. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need.
Thus a broad object of the present invention is to provide an intellectually stimulating game for participation by three or more participants.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a game of the character described in which participants are presented an opportunity to improve skills associated with concisely describing an image using an unrestricted vocabulary in a limited time such that other participants may accurately recreate said image.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a game of the character described in which participants are presented an opportunity to improve skills associated with artistically recreating an image based on a verbal description of said image in a limited time.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a game of the character described in which participants are presented an opportunity to improve skills associated with evaluating an image based on a series of preexisting criteria that assert conditions pertaining to the image being evaluated.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a game for both children and adults that is entertaining and amusing in an interactive setting.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a game that is competitive in nature and includes elements of skill as well as elements of randomness.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, along with features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear or become apparent in the course of the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment, which is to be read in connection with the following drawings and the appended claims.
In accordance with the present invention, a game apparatus is provided for stimulating a plurality of participants to improve skills necessary to provide effective descriptions of images, accurately recreate images based on descriptions, and critically evaluate images based on sets of criteria.
The game apparatus includes a plurality of game cards and writing surfaces. Each game card includes on its front face a unique image, an image title, and a plurality of unique written criteria, each criterion being a true statement of a descriptive nature pertaining to the image on the same card. Each writing surface bears designated regions for recreating an image using a writing utensil based on a verbal description. Each writing surface further bears designated regions for recording the number of points received by a participant who recreated an image and a participant who verbally described an image.
A quantity of writing surfaces and a writing utensil is distributed to each participant.
Each participant is in turn designated as a describer with all other participants designated as artists. The describer selects an individual game card from the plurality of game cards. One criterion is selected by said describer, by some means which yields a random choice outside the describer""s control, to be worth additional bonus points. Said describer reads aloud the title on the game card. Said describer then verbally describes the image on said game card in accordance with the time remaining as measured by the timing device. Using their writing utensil, the artists recreate the image on their writing surface based on the verbal description provided. When time has fully elapsed, the describer must immediately end the verbal description, and all artists must immediately stop recreating the image.
After time has elapsed, all artists exchange drawings among themselves such that no artist has the recreated image he or she made. The describer reads aloud each criterion one at a time in the order that they appear on the game card, giving pause between each such that the artists may judge whether or not the criterion has been satisfied by the recreated image they are evaluating.
After all criteria have been read, points are awarded to each of the artists according to the number of criteria satisfied by their recreated image. Additional points are awarded for satisfying the bonus criterion. The describer is awarded points according to the number of criteria that had been satisfied by any of the artists"" recreated images.
Play continues until all participants have had the same number of opportunities to assume the role of describer. Each participant adds the points that they received during all rounds of play, regardless whether the player acted as describer or artist during a round. The participant with the most total points is declared the winner.


Methods and apparatus for fluid flow velocity and flow rate measurement are provided. Fluid velocity is measured in optical method based on fluorescence photobleaching of a fluorescent dye. The invented method and apparatus requires a calibration relation between flow velocity and fluorescence signal and is easy to use. The invented method and apparatus can measure bulk flow velocity and flow rate inline, two and three components of flow velocity vector. It can also measure flow velocity in near wall region using evanescent wave. Since the invented method and apparatus uses molecular dye and calibration relation between flow velocity and fluorescence signal, it has ultra high spatial and temporal resolution. The invented method can be used not only to apparatuses and devices in conventional size, but also to that in MEMS and NEMS.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to velocity of flow rate measurement of fluid flow. In particular, the invention involves the use of photobleaching of fluorescence dye to measure the fluid flow velocity, including direction, of the fluids in devices. The invention can be employed in a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, the processes, apparatuses, devices and instrument in scales of conventional, millimeter, micro and nanometer. This invention is non-intrusive and capable of measuring flow velocity inline, point measurement, two dimensional and three dimensional flow fields with high temporal and spatial resolution.
2. Description of Related Art
The measurement of fluid velocity by fluorescence photobleaching is known in the art. Reviews of the measurement of fluid velocity with fluorescence photobleaching are presented in the following references:    C. A. Monnig and J. W. Jorgenson, Anal. Chem., 1991, 63, 802-807;    A. W. Moore and J. W. Jorgenson, Anal. Chem., 1993, 65, 3550-3560;    B. P. Mosier, J. I. Molho and J. G. Santiago, Exp. Fluids, 2002, 33, 545-554;    K. F. Schrum, J. M. Lancaster, S. E. Johnston and S. D. Gilman, Anal. Chem., 2000, 72, 4317-4321;    J. L. Pittman, K. F. Schrum and S. D. Gilman, Analyst, 2001, 126, 1240-1247;    J. L. Pittman, C. S. Henry and S. D. Gilman, Anal. Chem., 2003, 75, 361-370.    H. E. Fiedler and G. R. Wang, Deutsches Patent, 19838344.4, 1998, Germany;    J. Ricka, Exp. Fluids, 1987, 5, 381-384;    J. White and E. Stelzer, Trends Cell Biol., 1999, 9, 61-65;    B. Storrie, R. Pepperkok, E. Stelzer and T. E. Kreis, J. Cell Science, 1994, 107, 1309-1319.    G. R. Wang Laser-induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer for microfluidic devices. Lab on a Chip, 2005, 5, 450-456.
For instance, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), which can be used to measure very low flow velocity near the region of Brownian motion, requires two laser beams at the detection point. One is high laser beam intensity to cause the photobleaching and the other one is used to measure the recovered fluorescence intensity due to molecular diffusion for a long time period. The new method can measure the flow velocity instantaneously with only one beam and the velocity range measured is higher than the molecular diffusion. The two points based method in Pittman et al. (2003) also requires two laser beams and the first one bleaches the fluorescence and the second one has to be in the downstream of the first one in a distance to measure the bleached fluorescence signal. This method can only measure the bulk flow velocity and the temporal resolution is limited, since it has to wait for the bleached dye plug to translate from the first laser beam to the second one. Photobleached Fluorescence Visualization in Mosier (2002) requires camera to monitor images of flow field at different downstream positions to calculation flow velocity. Also a diffusion model is required. Rick (1987) published only qualitative method to visualize flow velocity, where the optical setup, detector and flow used for calibration were different from the real detector and flow. This make the quantitative measurement impossible, since the calibration relationship between velocity and fluorescence intensity is different from that in real flow. Also the calibration was linear. All these method cannot measure spatial velocity distribution, neither can they measure velocity vector, i.e. transverse velocity components.
The present invented method is a different way from aforementioned methods to measure flow velocity, although it also use photobleaching. In the invented method, the optical setup, detector and the flow are all the same to be able to carry out precise quantitative measurement. The calibration relationship in current method is not necessarily linear, but can also be a polynomial or exponential relation. Since the invented method is based on a single point measurement, it can measure velocity distribution in the transverse direction with high spatial resolution; the velocity is directly measured with the calibration relationship between flow velocity and fluorescence intensity, and thus the invented method has high temporal resolution and can be used for inline or online flow velocity or flow rate monitoring. Since molecular tracer dye is used for the invented method, the spatial resolution is high and can be used to devices of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) compared with Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and Ultrasound Velocimetry. Using evanescent wave guide, the invented method can also measure flow velocity in near solid wall region.

Method and apparatus for fluid velocity measurement based on photobleaching


A system enables a helicopter to land on and be conveyed on a train track. The system includes the helicopter with extensible legs attached to the helicopter. The legs extend to below the fuselage to a point below the standard landing gear so that they can engage the railroad tracks. There is a rail wheel rotatably attached to the lower end of each leg. The rail wheels are what ride on the railroad tracks and provide the support needed to maintain the helicopter in position on the railroad tracks. A motor is connected to at least one rail wheel so that it can be activated to rotate the rail wheel to propel the helicopter on the railroad tracks. The system may include an adjustment beam to slide two adjacent rail wheels together or apart so as to permit the rail wheels to engage differing railroad tracks.

In mankind's technological development advancement of his transportation technology, the "iron horse" that replaced the covered wagon and horse and buggy of the past was a very significant advancement. The territory of countries was blanketed and cris-crossed with a large network of rails and train tracks that ran to almost every city, town, and village. This helped to create an Industrial Revolution and open many new markets. In the modern day, even though rail trade is a small fraction of what it used to be, the vast network of railroad tracks still exist.
This vast transportation infrastructure is an asset to military planners, but they usually overlook its potential. The real innovator of using railroad tracks for military use in wartime is Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. He used the Manassas Gap Railroad in Virginia to move substantial equipment, troops, and supplies. His example caused many planners for years to come to use the rails for military purposes. Since most equipment is now moved by air and truck, military planners have overlooked the rails as old technology.
By using the innovation of Robert E. Lee and combining the rails with current, state of the art military technology, the rails can once again help in accomplishing military goals. The new invention for this old and new technology is called the train track enabled helicopter.
Train track enabled helicopter enables our troops and special-forces soldiers to fly into enemy territory in a state of the art attack helicopter, but then covertly convert the helicopter to a stealth railroad car that can quietly drive deep into enemy territory along their rails. Our special forces could quietly go hundreds of miles into the enemy country while not in any way showing up on radar. The mindset of the enemy is to look for aircraft in their airspace and they would never think that their old system of little-used railroad tracks would lead to their defeat. Who could even imagine a helicopter that transforms into a railcar?

TTEH Associates, Trustee for Train track enabled helicopter CRT Trust


The present invention provides the adjustment of CT value which is the pixel value of a tomographic image in the conventional scan (axial scan) or cinescan or helical scan by an X-ray CT apparatus incorporating a multi column X-ray detector or a two-dimensional X-ray detector of matrix arrangement represented by a flat panel X-ray detector. The gain and bias of the projection data of each row are adjusted prior to the three-dimensional back projection or prior to the reconstruction function convolution. Alternatively, the gain and bias are adjusted after determining the gain and bias value to adjust the CT value by taking into account the contribution rate of each row to the tomographic image after the three-dimensional back projection. Alternatively, the gain and bias are adjusted after determining the gain and bias value to adjust CT value by taking into account the contribution rate of each row to the tomographic image relying on the position of each row in z direction in case of axial scan after three-dimensional back projection.

The present invention relates to an X-ray CT (computed tomography) apparatus having a multi column X-ray detector or a two-dimensional X-ray detector of matrix arrangement represented by a flat panel X-ray detector and X-ray CT imaging method, as well as to a CT value conversion of pixels in a tomographic image made by a conventional (axial) scan or cinescan or helical scan.
In the conventional technique a multi column X-ray detector type X-ray CT apparatus or an X-ray CT apparatus by a two-dimensional X-ray area detector of matrix arrangement represented by a flat panel, reconstructs a tomographic image Gj (x, y) of row j from the projection data of two-dimensional X-ray area detector of row j, and uses the CT value conversion parameters of the two-dimensional X-ray area detector of row j to perform a CT value conversion after a three-dimensional back-projection process in the three-dimensional image reconstruction as shown in FIG. 15 (c.f., JP-A-2004-073360). However, in the three-dimensional back projection process in the three-dimensional image reconstruction, because the image reconstruction of one single tomographic image uses the projection data derived from a plurality of rows of two-dimensional X-ray area detectors, the difference of characteristics of two-dimensional X-ray area detector in each row may pose a problem if only one row of CT value conversion parameters is used.
In a multi column X-ray detector type X-ray CT apparatus, or an X-ray CT apparatus having two-dimensional X-ray area detectors of matrix arrangement represented by a flat panel, the problem of exposure to unused X-ray tends to aggravate along with the increase of the cone angle of the X-ray cone beam.

X-ray CT imaging method and X-ray CT apparatus

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


A power supply apparatus for electrical and/or electronic user devices, comprising an uninterruptible power supply which can be connected electrically to at least one primary power source, to at least one secondary power source, and to one or more electrical and/or electronic user devices to which the electric power originated from the power sources is to be delivered, the uninterruptible power supply comprising an electric current management unit for connecting electrically the primary power source to the user devices to deliver electric power up to a preset threshold value and to activate/deactivate the electrical connection of the secondary power source to the user devices to deliver remaining electric power absorbed by the user devices.

It is known that uninterruptible power supplies or UPSs are apparatuses capable of supplying electric power to connected user devices (output loads) when the main power supply line fails.
These apparatuses in practice are connected electrically to two separate and distinct power sources: on one side, the ordinary electrical mains and, on the other side, one or more batteries arranged in a series or parallel configuration.
However, known uninterruptible power supplies draw the power required by user devices from only one of these power sources and in particular from the electrical mains in normal operating conditions and from the batteries in emergency conditions.
The occurrence of these emergency conditions is often due to the fact that the ordinary electrical mains has supply limitations dictated by the user contracts, by the sizing of the supply facilities, and by the maximum power that can be delivered to a geographical area by the provider (ENEL).
These limitations, for example, prescribe that the absorbed power for home users is lower than 3.2 kW; exceeding this level entails the payment of higher rates by the user and in some cases entails disconnection due to overload of the mains supply and the beginning of the supply of power on the part of the batteries.
These traditional types of apparatus are not free from drawbacks, including the fact that in emergency conditions they are unable to supply a particularly large amount of energy for a very long and continuous period of time. In such circumstances they must in fact provide on their own the total energy requirements of the user devices and therefore they tend to be drained rapidly; the higher the electric power to be delivered, the faster they are drained.
Further, in order to be able to provide better power and duration performance, these batteries must be sized appropriately, installing a larger and bulkier group, consequently entailing considerably higher installation and maintenance costs.
Another disadvantage of conventional apparatuses is that if the contracted supply limit is exceeded without the electrical mains failing, the user is not aware of the considerable energy consumption and of the particularly high costs linked to this consumption; therefore, he is unlikely to reduce his electric power demand.

Power supply apparatus for electrical and/or electronic user devices


A display unit displays supplied image information on or through a front glass of a vehicle. A system controller generates and supplies the image information to the display unit. The image information indicates lane guides of the traveling lane, which correspond to a configuration of a traveling lane that is viewed from a view point position of a driver through the front glass. The system controller sets a display color of the lane guides displayed by the display unit to a color, which is distinguishable from a color of a road surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle drive assist system.
2. Description of Related Art
Lately, a vehicle drive assist system, which uses a head-up display, has been proposed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-78414). The head-up display projects drive assist information over a vehicle front glass (a windshield) as image information in such a manner that the image information is displayed as a virtual image, which is overlapped with the vehicle front view. With such a vehicle drive assist system, an amount of movement of a sight line (also referred to as a line of sight) of the driver is advantageously reduced, and thereby driver's misinterpretation of the drive assist information can be advantageously reduced. Because of the above reason, the above drive assist system is widely accepted.
At the time of driving the vehicle under some unfavorable environmental conditions, such as driving of the vehicle during rain at night or driving of the vehicle along a snow-covered road, it is sometimes difficult or impossible for a vehicle driver to visually recognize lane markers (white lines or yellow lines), which indicate a traveling lane of the driver's own vehicle. This condition is not desirable for safety reason.
To counteract with the above situation, it is conceivable to use the above drive assist system to display lane guides, which indicate the traveling lane of the own vehicle, over the view seen through the vehicle front glass (i.e., the front view of the vehicle driver) in such a manner that the lane guides are displayed in association with the actual traveling lane. However, under the above unfavorable environmental conditions, the color of the lane guides displayed on the front glass by the head-up display could become similar to its background color and thereby difficult to be recognized by the driver.


An apparatus and method generate a three-dimensional image by determining, using a light-field camera, a depth map corresponding to an environment. The depth map represents how light falls in the environment. The method also includes determining a parallax occlusion map of the environment and creating, using the depth map and the parallax occlusion map, a three-dimensional image representing the environment. In some embodiments, the method includes taking a first picture of the environment with a first flash intensity and a second picture of the environment with a greater second flash, determining differences between the first picture of the environment and the second picture of the environment, determining one or more properties of the environment based at least in part on the determined differences and dynamically re-lighting the three-dimensional image using the depth map, the parallax occlusion map, and one or more of the determined properties of the environment.

Various methods may be used for capturing and presenting three-dimensional detail in images. In one example, an accelerometer and/or gyrometer may be used to change camera view and/or light for the image. In this regard, the three-dimensional imagery may be displayed on a two-dimensional screen, for example, using technologies such as sweep panoramas, mobile device three-dimensional applications and real-depth applications.


An embodiment related to a stacked package is disclosed. The stacked package includes a conductive gang with gang legs electrically coupling a second component stacked over a first die to a package substrate. The first die is mounted over a die attach region of the package substrate and electrically coupled to the package substrate.

The recent rapid dissemination of smartphones and other mobile and wearable electronic terminals reflects the demand for products that are more compact and power-efficient. To meet these requirements, multi-chip packages which offer performance improvements, compactness and short time-to-market are often used.
However, multi-chip packages, particularly those with large dies or chips, such as large inductors, pose challenges. For example, mold chase must be sized to accommodate large chips, increasing manufacturing cost. In addition, multi-chip packages tend to have large footprints.
From the foregoing discussion, there is a desire to provide a stacked package with a small footprint.

Stacked dies electrically connected to a package substrate by lead terminals


A display apparatus including a flexible display unit configured to discriminately output a left eye image and a right eye image; a transparent sensor unit disposed on one face of the flexible display unit and configured to be flexed together with the flexible display unit; and a control unit configured to receive a signal from the transparent sensor unit corresponding to an electrical variation generated in accordance with a flex of the flexible display unit, and to adjust a 3D depth value of a flexed region of the flexible display.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and method of adjusting a 3D image therein, and more particularly, a display apparatus and method for adjusting a 3D stereoscopic image. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for if a stereoscopic shape of a flexible display unit is changed by an external physical force, adjusting a 3D stereoscopic image in accordance with the changed stereoscopic shape of the flexible display unit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A 3-dimensional (hereinafter abbreviated 3D) stereoscopic image technology indicates a technology of representing a depth of an object, a spatial shape information and the like in an image as if the object is actually seen via human eyes unlike the conventional 2D planar image.
The 3D stereoscopic image technology is applicable to various fields such as information communications, medical industry, educational training, military technology, animations, virtual reality, CAD, industrial technologies and the like. Further, the 3D stereoscopic image technology is the basic core technology of next generation 3D stereoscopic multimedia information communications required in common for the various fields.
Generally, a 3D effect perceived by a human is generated by a thickness variation of a crystalline lens depending on a position of an object to be observed, an angle difference between both eyes and a target, position and shape differences between a target seen via a left eye and a target seen via a right eye, a disparity generated from a motion of a target, an effect attributed to psychology and memory and the like.
In particular, binocular disparity is generated as both eyes of a user are situated by being spaced apart from each other in a space about 6 cm˜7 cm in-between and may become a major factor of the 3D effect. A target is seen with an angle difference attributed to the binocular disparity. In particular, when a target is seen with an angle difference attributed to the binocular disparity, images entering both eyes are different from each other due to the angle difference. After the two images have been delivered to the brain via retinas, the brain merges the two information precisely to sense an original 3D stereoscopic image.
The 3D stereoscopic image technology is applied to such a device as a mobile phone, a TV, a monitor and the like by being combined with one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible display and the like. However, the stereoscopic image technology is still limited in nature.

Display apparatus and method of adjusting 3D image therein


A device that is releasably attached to an office machine, such as an adding machine or the like, includes a disposable container and a cover as well as several angularly oriented inverting rollers. As the paper is moved from a feed roller, it passes over the inverting rollers to be gradually turned over 180.degree. from its original orientation on the feed roller as it passes to the take-up roller. The device includes slots and guide rollers so the paper tape can be stored and viewed if necessary at a later time.

Recording machines, and, in particular, adding machines are now made to carry a spool on which is wound a strip of paper. The lead end of the strip of paper is passed around a platen of the adding machine whereupon indicia or the like is imprinted on one surface of that paper. It is customary that the strip of paper is torn off after the record has been completed. These torn strips of paper have been a problem, and are often simply thrown away or are clipped to the item associated with the adding process.
Such a process of using one side of a strip of paper, and discarding such strip was found to be wasteful and uneconomical. Accordingly, the art has included mechanisms that are intended to facilitate re-use of the paper by winding the used paper in a manner that inverts the paper so a clean side is in position to be re-run through the machine.
In operation of such machines, paper tape is unwound from source roll, inprinted on one side thereof, and then re-wound onto take-up roll while having tape further drawn from the source roll. During the movement of the tape from the source roll to the take-up roll, the tape is inverted so that the tape has a clean side presented outwardly when it is wound onto the take-up roll. The rolls are then reversed, so that the take-up roll serves as the source roll, and vice versa. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,828,727, 4,168,038 and 4,492,345.
While effective, such devices often require the source roll to engage the take-up roll so properly timed feeding and take up are effected. This can make removing a portion of the printed tape cumbersome.
After the tape is printed on both sides, this tape is often simply placed in a drawer if it is to be saved for some reason. If, at a later time, some figure must be verified, the tape must be unwound manually. The devices such as the aforementioned devices, do not provide any convenient storage feature whereby the used tape can be stored and unwound at a latter time if necessary.
Therefore, there is a need for a device for storing the paper tape used by office machines, such as adding machines, or the like, that includes a mechanism for winding and inverting the tape and for storing the tape in a manner that either said of the tape can be accessed.


The invention relates to a method for printing printed material which is individualized with logistical printed image elements, wherein at least one printed image, particularly a static printed image, which is printed in a printing machine, is individualized by technically adding at least one dynamic logistical printed image element. According to the invention, data of the/each dynamic logistical printed image element is combined in such a way that the/each printed image and the/each logistical printed image element are automatically updated by comparing data between a data bank provided by a print job user and a data bank provided by a logistics provider prior to printing the printed material individualized with the/each logistical printed image element.

The invention relates to a process for printing printed matter individualized with logistic print-image elements where at least one print-image printed in a printing press is individualized by the use of technical means to add at least one dynamic logistic print element.
According to the prior art, the procedure according to which printed matter individualized with logistic print-image elements is printed, such as the procedure for printing prospectuses or advertising flyers individualized with addresses, is to print the "static" or never-changing print-image elements on the desired run of prospectuses in a printing press with at least one printing couple and then to individualize the prospectuses off-line on the basis of addresses provided by the print-job client. These addresses are the "dynamic" or variable logistic print-image elements.
The process according to the prior art for printing these types of materials individualized with addresses, for example, suffers from various disadvantages. For example, it is both complicated and expensive according to the prior art to individualize printed matter off-line with logistic print-image elements, especially with addresses. In addition, the data provided by the print-job customer for the variable logistic print-image elements may be out of date. In the case of addresses printed as logistic print-image elements, this would mean that printed matter such as prospectuses which have been individualized with addresses could be sent to addresses which are no longer current.

Method for printing printed material, which is individualized with logistic print-image elements


Methods are disclosed for conducting assays. One such method comprises providing in combination a first bibulous member zone ("first zone") and a liquid medium containing a component. The first zone has non-diffusively bound thereto a reagent interreactive with the component. Conditions are selected wherein the liquid medium and at least a portion of the component contained therein traverse all of the first zone and migrate by capillary migration into a second bibulous member zone ("second zone"). The second zone is of a different composition than the first zone and is incapable of specifically binding the component except when an analyte is to be detected and the method further includes causing a reagent to become bound to the first bibulous member zone in relation to the amount of analyte present. The distance the component has migrated into the second zone or the difference in the distances the medium and the component have migrated into the second zone is determined, the distance or the difference being related to the amount of the component in the liquid medium or the amount of the reagent.

1. Field of the Invention
The ability to employ naturally occurring receptors or antibodies directed to specific compounds in assaying for the presence of a compound of interest has created a burgeoning immunoassay business. In each of the assays, a complementary pair of specific binding pair ("sbp") members, usually an immunological pair, involving a ligand and a receptor (antiligand) is involved, wherein one of the sbp members is labeled with a label which provides a detectable signal. The immunoassay methodology results in a distribution of the signal label between signal label bound in a complex of the sbp members and unbound signal label. The differentiation between bound and unbound signal label can be as a result of physical separation of bound from unbound signal label or modulation of the detectible signal between bound and unbound signal label.
For the most part, immunoassays have been directed to quantitative determination of a wide variety of compounds of interest in clinical laboratories requiring relatively sophisticated equipment and careful technique. Immunoassays have found less extensive commercial application where semi-quantitative or qualitative results would be acceptable and the determination would involve non-laboratory personnel, such as in a home or a medical practitioner's office. Even in the clinical laboratory, simple and rapid screening tests employing inexperienced personnel could serve to provide substantial economies.
In developing an immunoassay, there are many considerations. One consideration is to provide substantial differentiation between the observed signal resulting from signal label when bound as compared to unbound. Another consideration is to minimize interference from endogenous materials in the sample suspected of containing the compound of interest. A further consideration is the ease with which the observed signal can be detected and serve to differentiate between concentrations in the concentration range of interest. Another consideration is the concentration of the compound of interest in a sample, Other factors include the ease of preparation of the reagents, the precision with which samples and reagent solutions must be prepared and measured, the storage stability of the reagents, the number of steps required in the protocol, and the proficiency and accuracy with which each of the steps must be performed. Therefore, in developing an assay that can have application with untrained personnel, such as assays to be performed in the home, in forensic medicine, by medical practitioners, or the like, the observed result should be minimally affected by variations in the manner in which the protocol is carried out and the techniques for performing the various steps should be simple.
In general, immunoassays that permit the determination of a dilute analyte in a sample have been difficult to design and those that have been demonstrated require numerous steps and long periods of time.
Frontal analysis (or breakthrough analysis) is a known method for quantitating active groups on a solid support in a chromatography column (C. R. Lowe and P. D. G. Dean, Affinity Chromatography, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., New York, 1974). In frontal analysis, a solution of the reacting species at a known concentration is applied to the column. Measurement of the volume needed to saturate the column so that the reacting species is detected in the column effluent (the breakthrough volume) allows determination of the active group concentration on the column.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,438 describes a method and device for assaying a test substance utilizing a primary absorbent substance for selectively allowing only a quantity of an analytical reagent proportional to the quantity of test substance to pass therethrough when test substance and analytical reagent are contacted with the primary absorbent. An analytical absorbent is disposed in a series of zones for sequentially absorbing the analytical reagent which passes through the primary absorbent so that detection of the last zone of absorbed analytical reagent indicates the quantity of test substance. In the method test substance and analytical reagent are passed through the primary absorbent and then the analytical absorbent followed by detection of the last zone in which analytical reagent is absorbed. The device is a funnel with the primary absorbent therein for directing the test substance and analytical reagent to a narrow tube holding the analytical absorbent.
A test device for determining a characteristic of a sample, particularly for determining substances in fluid samples, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,647. A thin layer chromatography device and method of making a chromatography test is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,958. An immunoassay wherein labeled antibody is displaced from immobilized analyte analog is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,236. A device and method for detecting myoglobin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,304. Test strips for analyzing substances dissolved in liquids are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,067. A multi-layered test device for determining the presence of a liquid sample component and the method of using such a device, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,008. A method for measuring antigen by labeled antigen using insoluble antibody is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5925/73 - Jan. 25, 1973.
A concentrating zone method in heterogeneous immunoassays is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,241. U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,146 describes an immunoassay test strip. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,990,850 and 4,055,394 describe diagnostic test cards. An automated method for quantitative analysis of biological fluids is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,073. A chromogenic support immunoassay is disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US83/01887. A heterogeneous immunoassay for digoxin using ouabain as a separation means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,426.
A wide variety of patents and patent applications provide an extensive literature of different techniques for producing detectible signals in immunoassays. The following list is merely illustrative of some of these techniques which can find application in this invention. The following is a list of United States patents and patent applications and a general statement of the type of label involved:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,646,346, Radioactive Label; 3,654,090, 3,791,932 and 3,817,837, Enzyme Labels; 3,996,345, Fluorescer-Quencher Labels; 4,062,733, Radioactive Label; 4,067,959, Fluorescer or Enzyme Label; 4,104,029, Chemiluminescent Label; and 4,160,645, Non-Enzymatic Catalyst Label. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,966,879 for an electrophoretic technique employing an antibody zone and 4,120,945 for an RIA where labeled analyte is initially bound to a solid support through antibody. U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,402 employs enzyme pair labels; U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,450, chemically induced fluorescent labels; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,300, enzyme anionic charge labels.

Method for immunochromatographic analysis


An entropy decoder is configured to, for horizontal and vertical components of motion vector differences, derive a truncated unary code from the data stream using context-adaptive binary entropy decoding with exactly one context per bin position of the truncated unary code, which is common for horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences, and an Exp-Golomb code using a constant equi-probability bypass mode to obtain the binarizations of the motion vector differences. A desymbolizer is configured to debinarize the binarizations of the motion vector difference syntax elements to obtain integer values of the horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences. A reconstructor is configured to reconstruct a video based on the integer values of the horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences.

The present invention is concerned with an entropy coding concept for coding video data.
Many video codecs are known in the art. Generally, these codecs reduce the amount of data necessitated in order to represent the video content, i.e. they compress the data. In the context of video coding, it is known that the compression of the video data is advantageously achieved by sequentially applying different coding techniques: motion-compensated prediction is used in order to predict the picture content. The motion vectors determined in motion-compensated prediction as well as the prediction residuum are subject to lossless entropy coding. In order to further reduce the amount of data, the motion vectors themselves are subject to prediction so that merely motion vector differences representing the motion vector prediction residuum, have to be entropy encoded. In H.264, for example, the just-outlined procedure is applied in order to transmit the information on motion vector differences. In particular, the motion vector differences are binarized into bin strings corresponding to a combination of a truncated unary code and, from a certain cutoff value on, an exponential Golomb code. While the bins of the exponential Golomb code are easily coded using an equi-probability bypass mode with fixed probability of 0.5, several contexts are provided for the first bins. The cutoff value is chosen to be nine. Accordingly, a high amount of contexts is provided for coding the motion vector differences.
Providing a high number of contexts, however, not only increases coding complexity, but may also negatively affect the coding efficiency: if a context is visited too rarely, the probability adaptation, i.e. the adaptation of the probability estimation associated with the respective context during the cause of entropy coding, fails to perform effectively. Accordingly, the probability estimations applied inappropriately estimate the actual symbol statistics. Moreover, if for a certain bin of the binarization, several contexts are provided, the selection thereamong may necessitate the inspection of neighboring bins/syntax element values whose necessity may hamper the execution of the decoding process. On the other hand, if the number of contexts is provided too low, bins of highly varying actual symbol statistics are grouped together within one context and accordingly, the probability estimation associated with that context fails to effectively encode the bins associated therewith.
There is an ongoing need to further increase the coding efficiency of entropy coding of motion vector differences.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Entropy coding of motion vector differences


The present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for heating a lens for a light source. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a heating unit for use in a vehicle light, methods of installation and control systems for the heating unit. For example, a heating unit according to the present disclosure includes a connector configured to maintain an electronic connection between a heating element and a control circuit by a bias force, such as a spring force. Instead of forming a fixed attachment with the heating element, the connector is pushed against the heating element to maintain connection therebetween. The non-fixed contact to the heater provides reliability, flexibility and simplicity to the heating unit.

Light sources, such as halogen lamps, xenon lamps, light emitting diode (LED) lights, or laser lights, are typically disposed within a housing and behind a lens to achieve the desired lighting effect. Many light sources, such as lights for vehicles, need to operate in all kind of weather conditions, such as cold and icy conditions. When operating in cold conditions, ice may form on the surface of the lens altering the optical property of the lens. This is problematic especially for low heat radiating light sources, such as LED lights.
Therefore, there is a need for apparatus and methods for heating lenses for light sources.

Heating unit for light sources, installation and control system thereof


A rotor assembly apparatus that includes a rotatable component and a ring-shroud. The rotatable component is mounted for rotation about a first axis. The ring-shroud defines an inner surface that surrounds the rotatable component and that defines a second axis. A sensing system is configured to monitor the position of the first axis relative to the second axis. A casing surrounds the ring-shroud and an actuation system is configured to move the ring-shroud relative to the casing, in response to the sensing system.

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines, and more particularly relates to rotors and shrouds in such engines.
A gas turbine engine includes, in serial-flow communication, a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The turbine is mechanically coupled to the compressor, and the three components define a turbomachinery core. The core is operable in a known manner to generate a flow of hot, pressurized combustion gases to operate the engine as well as perform useful work such as providing propulsive thrust or mechanical work.
A gas turbine engine includes several rotors each of which includes a rotating disk carrying an array of airfoils referred to as blades. The blades of each rotor are surrounded by a ring-shroud. The ring-shroud is configured to define a flowpath for gases and is supported by a casing. Ring-shrouds can be made from metallic materials or from single-piece ceramic matrix composites. The dimensions of the ring-shrouds define the clearances between the blades and an inner surface of the ring-shroud.
The clearances are conventionally very small. As a result, thermal expansion and relative movement of the rotor relative to the ring-shroud can cause contact between blades and the inner surface of the ring-shroud. This can lead to undesirable wear or damage.
Therefore there is a need for an apparatus to maintain a minimum clearance between the blades and the inner surface of the ring-shroud.

Active centering control for static annular turbine flowpath structures


A communication method in an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN environment comprises: in the event that traffic from a station targeting another station as a destination is generated in the station, negotiating with another station for directly establishing a link to a secondary wireless channel other than the basic service set (BSS) channel used for communication with an access point (AP); if the negotiation has succeeded, and the link to the secondary channel is to be directly established, switching the operating channel of the station from the BSS channel to the secondary channel; and transmitting data of the generated traffic to said other station through the secondary channel. The method enables communication between the station and the AP, and the direct establishment of links between stations using multiple channels in an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN environment.

With the development of communication technologies, various methods for wireless communication have been used so as to overcome inconvenience of wired communication always requiring lines at the time of communication Among those, an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 based WLAN has been in the limelight recently.
Provided that all the stations belonging to BSS are established with a single channel (BSS channel) for communicating with an access point (AP) in IEEE 802.11 standard [IEEE 802.11 WC, Part 11 Wireless LAN MAC and PHY specification, IEEE Standard, August 1999.], all the traffics generated from a station (STA) are transmitted to destinations via the AP. Herein, the basic service set (BSS) means a set of stations communicating through any one channel and the WLAN may perform the communication in one BSS unit. The station, which is a member of one BSS, means an apparatus that can perform the wireless communication. In the IEEE 802.11 standard, an inter-station distance sufficiently approximates each other, but twice transmission from a transmitting station to the AP and from the AP to a receiving station is performed in the case of the inter-station traffic generated in the BSS, such that the wireless channel resources may be wasted twice.
In order to overcome the inefficiency and directly perform the transmission of the inter-station traffic within the BSS, the IEEE 802.11e standard [IEEE 802.11e WG, Part 11: IEEE Standard for Information technology Telecommunications and information exchange between systems Local and metropolitan area networks Specific requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications Amendment 8: Medium Access Control (MAC) Quality of Service Enhancements.] defines a direct link setup. The DLS defined herein, which is a subject a QAP (QoS-enabled AP), sets an inter-station direct link call setup and then, directly transmit and receive the traffic generated for a predetermined time between two stations, thereby increasing the efficiency the wireless channel resources twice.
However, the DLS defined in the IEEE 802.11e required new functionality for the AP, such that the replacement of the existing distributed APs is was needed. This was not welcomed in the market, and several years after the standard was established, WLAN equipment manufacturers were still not using the DLS. Therefore, methods of allowing the final stations to set the direct link other than the method of setting the inter-station direct link using the QAP according to the related art have been proposed. One of the methods is disclosed in H. Yoon, J W Kim and R Hsieh, "iDLS Inter-BSS direct link setup in IEEE 602.11 WLANs," Communications and Information Technologies, 2007 ISCIT '07 International Symposium on, vol., no., pp. 1015-1020, 17-19 Oct. 2007.

Communication method in an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN environment


Embodiments of the invention provide a method of storing branch prediction information. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a branch instruction and storing local branch prediction information for the branch instruction including a local predictability value for the local branch prediction information. The method further includes storing global branch prediction information for the branch instruction only if the local predictability value is below a threshold value of predictability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to executing instructions in a processor. Specifically, this application is related to increasing the efficiency of a processor executing branch instructions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computer systems typically contain several integrated circuits (ICs), including a processor which may be used to process information in the computer system. The data processed by a processor may include computer instructions which are executed by the processor as well as data which is manipulated by the processor using the computer instructions. The computer instructions and data are typically stored in a main memory in the computer system.
Processors typically process instructions by executing the instruction in a series of small steps. In some cases, to increase the number of instructions being processed by the processor (and therefore increase the speed of the processor), the processor may be pipelined. Pipelining refers to providing separate stages in a processor where each stage performs one or more of the small steps necessary to execute an instruction. In some cases, the pipeline (in addition to other circuitry) may be placed in a portion of the processor referred to as the processor core. Some processors may have multiple processor cores, and in some cases, each processor core may have multiple pipelines. Where a processor core has multiple pipelines, groups of instructions (referred to as issue groups) may be issued to the multiple pipelines in parallel and executed by each of the pipelines in parallel.
As an example of executing instructions in a pipeline, when a first instruction is received, a first pipeline stage may process a small part of the instruction. When the first pipeline stage has finished processing the small part of the instruction, a second pipeline stage may begin processing another small part of the first instruction while the first pipeline stage receives and begins processing a small part of a second instruction. Thus, the processor may process two or more instructions at the same time (in parallel).
Processors typically provide conditional branch instructions which allow a computer program to branch from one instruction to a target instruction (thereby skipping intermediate instructions, if any) if a condition is satisfied. If the condition is not satisfied, the next instruction after the branch instruction may be executed without branching to the target instruction. Typically, the outcome of the condition being tested is not known until the conditional branch instruction is executed and the condition is tested. Thus, the next instruction to be executed after the conditional branch instruction may not be known until the branch condition is tested.
Where a pipeline is utilized to execute instructions, the outcome of the conditional branch instruction may not be known until the conditional branch instruction has passed through several stages of the pipeline. Thus, the next instruction to be executed after the conditional branch instruction may not be known until the conditional branch instruction has passed through the stages necessary to determine the outcome of the branch condition. In some cases, execution of instructions in the pipeline may be stalled (e.g., the stages of the pipeline preceding the branch instruction may not be used to execute instructions) until the branch condition is tested and the next instruction to be executed is known. However, where the pipeline is stalled, the pipeline is not being used to execute as many instructions in parallel (because some stages before the conditional branch are not executing instructions), causing the benefit of the pipeline to be reduced and decreasing overall processor efficiency.
In some cases, to improve processor efficiency, branch prediction may be used to predict the outcome of conditional branch instructions. For example, when a conditional branch instruction is encountered, the processor may predict which instruction will be executed after the outcome of the branch condition is known. Then, instead of stalling the pipeline when the conditional branch instruction is issued, the processor may continue issuing instructions beginning with the predicted next instruction.
However, in some cases, the branch prediction may be incorrect (e.g., the processor may predict one outcome of the conditional branch instruction, but when the conditional branch instruction is executed, the opposite outcome may result). Where the outcome of the conditional branch instruction is mispredicted, the predicted instructions issued subsequently to the pipeline after the conditional branch instruction may be removed from the pipeline and the effects of the instructions may be undone (referred to as flushing the pipeline). Then, after the pipeline is flushed, the correct next instruction for the conditional branch instruction may be issued to the pipeline and execution of the instructions may continue. Where the outcome of a conditional branch instruction is incorrectly predicted and the incorrectly predicted group of instructions is flushed from the pipeline, thereby undoing previous work done by the pipeline, the efficiency of the processor may suffer.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and apparatus for executing conditional branch instructions and performing branch prediction.

Local and global branch prediction information storage

International Business Machines Corporation


A system and method for delivering phase change ink to a plurality of printheads is provided. The system includes an ink source having a housing for holding solid phase change ink, an ink melter assembly having a heated ink contact portion for melting the solid phase change ink and a drip point. The system also includes a first conduit for transferring the melted ink to a first printhead, and a second conduit for transferring the melted ink to a second printhead. The method includes melting a solid phase change into the liquid phase, transferring the liquid phase change ink to the first printhead in a first conduit, transferring liquid phase change ink to the second printhead in a second conduit. The solid phase change ink can be stored in a single ink source.

Image producing machines, such as printers and/or copiers and the like, often use printheads for ejecting ink onto an ink receiving surface, such as print media also referred to as the substrate, or an image drum which is then transferred to the print media, to form an image thereon. Some image producing machines use as phase change ink, also referred to solid ink. The solid ink is in the solid phase at ambient temperature and is melted to a liquid phase at an elevated, operating temperature. At the operating temperature, droplets or jets of the molten liquid ink are ejected from one or more printhead front faces to form the image. When the ink droplets contact the surface of the substrate, they quickly solidify to create an image in the form of a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
An example of such a phase change ink image producing machine or printer, and the process for producing images therewith onto image receiving sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852 issued Dec. 13, 1994 to Titterington et al. As disclosed therein, the phase change ink printing process includes raising the temperature of a solid form of the solid ink so as to melt it and form a liquid ink. It also includes applying droplets of the solid ink in a liquid form onto an imaging surface in a pattern using a device such as an ink jet printhead. The process then includes transferring the image to the receiving substrate, solidifying, and fixing the solid ink to the substrate.
Typically, phase change ink image producing machines use a single print engine with a printhead that is fed by a single ink source/melter unit. The ink melter is typically positioned in close proximity to the printhead, so as the ink melts, it is deposited directly into the printhead ink reservoir.
However, some image forming machines use a plurality of printheads to form images. For example, each printhead in these machines may only be used to produce a portion of the image thereby increasing the image print speed of the machine. Furthermore, some image forming machines also print in color, using several different base color inks to print a color image.
It is desirable to provide a system and method of distributing phase change ink to a plurality of printheads.

System and method for delivering phase change ink to multiple printheads


Methods (102) are presented for protecting copper structures (26) from corrosion in the fabrication of semiconductor devices (2), wherein a thin semiconductor or copper-semiconductor alloy corrosion protection layer (30) is formed on an exposed surface (26a) of a copper structure (26) prior to performance of metrology operations (206), so as to inhibit corrosion of the copper structure (26). All or a portion of the corrosion protection layer (30) is then removed (214) in forming an opening in an overlying dielectric (44) in a subsequent interconnect layer.

In the manufacture of semiconductor products such as integrated circuits, individual electrical components are formed on or in a semiconductor substrate, and are thereafter interconnected to form electrical circuits. Interconnection of these components within a semiconductor device is typically accomplished by forming a multi-level interconnect network structure in layers formed over the electrical components, sometimes referred to as metalization, by which the device active elements are connected to other devices to create the desired circuits. Individual wiring layers within the multi-level network are formed by depositing an insulating or dielectric layer over the discrete devices or over a previous interconnect layer, and patterning and etching openings for vias and/or trenches. Conductive material, such as copper or tungsten is then formed in the openings to form inter-layer contacts and interconnect routing structures.
In forming a single metalization level or layer, a dielectric material is typically deposited over a previous metalization level, and the dielectric is selectively etched to form openings at predefined locations that extend through the dielectric to the underlying metalization level. Copper is then deposited, which fills the openings and covers the entire dielectric of the current level. After copper deposition, the wafer is planarized using chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to expose portions of the dielectric between the copper-filled openings. At this point in the process, it is desirable to inspect the wafer to ascertain the quality and integrity of the interconnect structures, using measurement equipment and techniques referred to as metrology operations. For instance, it is desirable to measure trench widths and copper feature resistivity, and to perform other defect analysis and electrical parameter tests, in order to separate out defective wafers and avoid the cost of further processing those wafers that will not meet final product quality standards. Often, such metrology takes 8-12 hours, wherein reducing the amount of metrology after CMP risks missing an early detection of defects in the metalization structures.
However, the planarization exposes the upper surfaces of the copper-filled trenches and vias to moisture and other corrosive ambient conditions, particularly where the planarized wafers are transferred from instrument to instrument to perform the desired metrology operations. Such corrosive ambient conditions cause oxidation and other degradation of the copper, leading to increased contact resistance and adhesion problems in subsequent fabrication processing. Corrosion of copper interconnect structures is detrimental to interconnect isolation integrity, and can lead to interconnect leakage between copper structures in a single metalization level, as well as premature dielectric breakdown (e.g., reduced breakdown voltage withstanding capacity). In this regard, conductive metal diffusion barriers are typically formed in the dielectric trench or via openings to prevent out-diffusion of the subsequently deposited copper. After planarization, oxidation occurs rapidly at the junction of the dissimilar metals (the copper and the barrier metal) along the edges of the exposed conductive interconnect structure. The corrosion tends to migrate outward from the edges of the structure, thereby reducing the isolation distance between adjacent conductive features, by which the likelihood of detrimental intra-level dielectric breakdown is increased.
Efforts have been made to alleviate the copper corrosion by coating the polished wafer with an organic benzotriazole (BTA) layer prior to performing metrology operations. However, BTA coatings tend to evaporate and the corrosion protection typically only lasts for 3-6 hours. This process time window for making measurements of the planarized wafer is insufficient to allow the full range of metrology operations desired to effectively sort out defective wafers, where a longer process window of up to 12 hours or more is desirable. Also, the use of BTA requires a separate cleaning step after the metrology to remove any remaining BTA. Another approach involves depositing an etch-stop layer material over the planarized wafer prior to metrology. However, many metrology operations employ non-contacting measurement instruments, such as laser based physical defect detection tools, secondary electron microscopes, resistivity measuring laser tools and the like which do not cause physical harm to the wafer, but whose measurement capabilities are best utilized when the measured features and structures are conductive. While the exposed copper surfaces on the wafer are conductive, the etch-stop materials are typically non-conductive (e.g., silicon nitride or silicon carbide). Thus, while forming the etch-stop layer prior to metrology may inhibit unwanted copper corrosion, this approach inhibits the ability to obtain proper metrology measurements. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved techniques for protecting copper structures from corrosion while facilitating in-line metrology measurements in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Post-polish treatment for inhibiting copper corrosion


A probe is mounted on a water submersible pump or other fluid handling device housed within a vault for a transformer, elevator or the like. The probe will extend into any water which accumulates in the bottom of the vault enabling a conductive path to be established through an appropriate electric circuit to the pump motor to permit operation of the pump for pumping water from the vault. Oily fluids, which are immiscible in the water and will normally rise to a level above the water level in the vault, will come in contact with the probe to render the probe nonconductive, thereby inactivating the pump circuit. An alarm is provided to indicate the presence of oil in the vault. In order to prevent false alarms when the probe is nonconductive due to immersion in air, a controller is provided to inhibit operation of the alarm unless a float is raised and the probe is nonconductive.

The present invention relates to submersible pumps, and more particularly to a controller for submersible pumps that can distinguish between fluids such as oil, air and water. By differentiating between different fluids, the pump can be controlled to only pump certain fluids (such as water), and not others (such as oil). Alarms can be generated for fluids that are not to be pumped. False alarms are prevented by distinguishing, for example, between oil and air.
Various industrial applications require submersible pumps. For example, electric utilities commonly use water submersible pumps in transformer vaults for dewatering the vaults. If water accumulates in a transformer vault, it may short a power line causing substantial problems delivering electricity to a consumer. Accordingly, water submersible pumps are commonly placed in the transformer vault to pump out accumulated rainwater and the like which may seep into the vault.
Electrical transformers are normally filled with an oily fluid for lubricating and cooling the various components of the transformer. This oily fluid has a tendency to leak from the transformer housing into the vault. There is a danger to the environment if the oily fluid is pumped with the water into a waste disposal tank or sewer, as such oily fluids usually contain compounds which are harmful to the environment. Further, if the oil admixes with the water and both are pumped to a treatment disposal facility, suitable separation equipment must be provided to separate the oil from the water so that water can readily be disposed of and the oil recycled, or at least stored in a toxic safe facility. Such separation equipment is an item of considerable expense to a utility.
Hydraulic elevators are another application with similar concerns. In particular, the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic shaft tends to leak into the underground vault which houses the elevator piston. This vault may also fill with water during heavy rains due to underground seepage. It is necessary to pump the water out of the vault without pumping the hydraulic oil.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,715,785 and 4,752,188 disclose oil detection apparatus for use in controlling submersible pumps. In the systems described in these patents, a probe is mounted on a water submersible pump. The probe extends into any water that accumulates in the bottom of a transformer vault, enabling a conductive path to be established that is used to activate the pump. As the water level falls during pumping, oily fluids, which are immiscible in the water and rise to a level above the water, will come into contact with the probe. Since the oil is not electrically conductive, it breaks the conductive path, thereby stopping the pump.
It is desirable to generate an alarm in the event that a harmful fluid, such as oil, is detected in an underground vault or the like. Such an alarm can be used to identify a potential problem to a central facility, which can dispatch a technician to investigate further. However, false alarms should be prevented. Such false alarms can occur, for example, if the detection of oil relies on the electrical non-conductivity of the oil, since air (which is also non-conductive) may also set of the alarm.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus to insure that only water is pumped from an industrial vault, without pumping potentially harmful substances such as oil. It would be further advantageous to provide such a method and apparatus in which oil and air are differentiated in order to prevent the occurrence of false alarms.
The present invention provides the aforementioned and other advantages.

Submersible pump controller for differentiating fluids


A gel ointment base having stable viscosity and resistant to a light which comprises an aqueous carboxyvinyl polymer solution and an amino acid in an amount effective for increasing the viscosity of the aqueous carboxyvinyl polymer solution, and a gel ointment comprises an active medical substance and the gel ointment base as set forth above, which has stable viscosity and resistant to a light at a pH range which does not give any irritation to viscous membranes and skins.

A gel base prepared by increasing the viscosity of an aqueous carboxyvinyl polymer solution with a basic viscosity-increasing agent such as sodium hydroxide, triethanolamine, diisopropanolamine, etc. has such excellent characteristics that (i) since the stock polymer has a high purity and uniform quality, it can give a topical preparation with a high reproducibility, (ii) it shows almost a constant viscosity in the range of a temperature of from 10.degree. to 70.degree. C., (iii) it is hardly decomposed with microorganisms such as bacteria, (iv) the gel is stable in a wide range of pH, and the like, and hence, it has been used for preparing various topical preparations such as medicines, cosmetics, etc. However, the gel base has such defects that the viscosity thereof is decreased by irradiation with a light (ultraviolet light), and it shows low storage stability, and further that it is restricted in the utility. When the above-mentioned conventional basic viscosity-increasing agents are used, it must be adjusted to pH 10 or higher in order to eliminate the above defects. An ointment having pH 10 or higher shows high irritation to mucous membranes and skin which is not tolerable.

Method for inhibiting the decrease in viscosity of gel ointment base and ointment


A toilet (10) having an automatic flush assembly (50) includes a toilet bowl (14), a water holding tank (12) for supplying water to the toilet bowl (14), and a flush valve (22). The holding tank (12) supplies water to the toilet bowl (14) and defines a handle opening (34) for an actuating handle (36) of the toilet (10). The flush valve (22) provides fluid communication between the toilet bowl (14) and the holding tank (12). The automatic flush assembly (50) is mounted in the handle opening (34) and includes a sensor section (54), a control section (56), and an actuating mechanism (58). The sensor section (56) detects the presence of a person in front of the toilet bowl (14). The control section (56) receives a detection signal from the sensor section (54) and initiates a flush signal to the actuating mechanism (58), which actuates the flush valve (22).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toilets and, more particularly, to automatic flush toilets adapted for use in private residences. Further, the present invention relates to automatic flushing systems and assemblies for retrofitting bowl-type toilets typically found in private residences.
2. Description of Related Art
Automatic flushing systems are now well-known and widely used in commercial and industrial settings. Typically, an automated flushing system will cause the automatic flushing of a toilet or urinal after a user leaves the immediate proximity of the toilet or urinal. These types of devices are now commonly found in hotels, airports, sport stadiums, and other similar public facilities.
Most commercially available automatic flushing systems are designed for use with diaphragm-type flush valves that incorporate a diaphragm made of molded rubber, which effectuates water flow from a water inlet, through the flush valve, and to a water outlet. Often, the commercially available automatic flushing systems known in the art are adapted to retrofit into the orifice that accepts the actuation handle of the flush valve. The automatic flushing systems known in the art use a beam of radiation, such as infrared radiation, directed to an area in front of the toilet or urinal. The radiation beam is interrupted and reflected by the user of the toilet or urinal. The interruption and/or reflection of the radiation beam is transmitted as an input signal to a control device of some type. The control device then initiates a flush signal to a flush mechanism or device, such as a solenoid, which actuates the flush valve and flushes the toilet or urinal.
Typically, such automatic flushing systems used in commercial and industrial settings are complex and costly. Additionally, automatic flushing systems intended for use in commercial and industrial settings are designed for use only with flush valves having a diaphragm within the valve body. Such diaphragm-type flush valves are not typically found in private residences. Typically, private residences have bowl-type toilets that incorporate a ball cock, flapper valve, or other similar type of flush valve that is opened manually by a lever attached to a chain. Accordingly, automatic flushing systems intended for use in commercial or industrial settings are not typically amenable to use in private residences. Examples of automatic flushing systems intended for use in commercial and industrial settings are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,161,814; 5,169,118; and 4,309,781, all assigned to the Sloan Valve Company.
An automatic flushing system adapted specifically for use with bowl-type toilets typically found in private residences would be advantageous for several reasons. For example, individuals suffering from temporary or permanent disabilities would be relieved of reaching for the toilet handle, which is usually located a significant depth rearward of the toilet seat. Additionally, forgetfulness or lack of attentiveness on the part of impaired individuals, young children, or older persons would be corrected by the installation of an automatic flushing system. Further, an automatic flushing system for a bowl-type toilet would increase the cleanliness of in-home toilets by ensuring that the toilets were flushed after each use.
Moreover, conventional bowl-type toilets are still found in many commercial settings, such as restaurants. Many government regulations now require such facilities to meet certain health standards. A quick and convenient way of adapting an automatic flushing system to bowl-type toilets located in such settings would be particularly useful to, for example, restaurant owners. In particular, a retrofit automatic flushing system for use in such commercial settings would be a substantial cost savings for owners of facilities having older style bowl-type toilets compared with the cost of installing a completely new toilet fixture.
Automatic flushing systems for bowl-type toilets are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,864 to Veal discloses an automatic flush and seat raising arrangement for a bowl-type toilet that includes an automatic flush device mounted to an overflow pipe within a water holding tank of the toilet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,227 to Gurowitz discloses an automatic toilet flushing system comprised of a replaceable water holding tank lid that carries the components of the automatic toilet flushing system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,384 to Sim discloses an automatic flushing system for bowl-type toilets that includes a motion sensor that attaches directly to the water holding tank of the toilet. The motion sensor is attached to the lip of the water holding tank and is operatively connected to a lifting member that opens a flapper valve located within the water holding tank of the toilet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,127 to Veal (hereinafter "the Veal '127 patent") discloses a similar automatic toilet flushing system to that disclosed by Sim, but uses infrared beams that are reflected by a user of the toilet. The automatic toilet flushing system disclosed in the Veal '127 patent is also mounted on the lip of the water holding tank of the toilet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,643 to Chung discloses a flush controller for a bowl-type toilet that is mounted on top of the water holding tank lid. The flush controller disclosed by Chung includes an infrared device that sends an infrared beam to the area in front of the toilet bowl and receives a reflected infrared beam when a user enters the area in front of the toilet bowl. U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,215 to Liu discloses an automatic toilet flushing system for a bowl-type toilet, wherein activation of the flush valve is accomplished by a solenoid that effects vertical movement of a plunger rod. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,091 to Pulvari discloses an automatic toilet flushing system actuated by ultrasonic radiation rather than infrared radiation.
As may be seen from the foregoing, attempts have been made in the art to apply automatic flushing technology to bowl-type toilets, which are commonly found in private residences. The attempts made so far in the art have not truly reduced the costs associated with applying an automatic flushing system to a bowl-type toilet. Typically, the approaches taken in the art have included replacing the entire water holding tank lid with a new lid incorporating the components of the automatic flushing system. Additionally, some of the references discussed previously require the person performing the retrofit to locate the components of the automatic flushing system within the confines of the water holding tank, which is an unpleasant task for some homeowners. Further, the skills necessary to retrofit such bowl-type toilets are often beyond those of typical homeowners, and could require the homeowner to contract with a plumber to perform the necessary retrofit.

Automatic toilet flushing system and method


A method and apparatus are described for very low pressure high powered magnetron sputtering of a coating onto a substrate. By the method of this invention, both substrate and coating target material are placed into an evacuable chamber, and the chamber pumped to vacuum. Thereafter a series of high impulse voltage pulses are applied to the target. Nearly simultaneously with each pulse, in one embodiment, a small cathodic arc source of the same material as the target is pulsed, triggering a plasma plume proximate to the surface of the target to thereby initiate the magnetron sputtering process. In another embodiment the plasma plume is generated using a pulsed laser aimed to strike an ablation target material positioned near the magnetron target surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to magnetron sputtering, more particularly to high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS), and most specifically to a method and apparatus for triggered HIPIMS at very low pressures.
2. Background of the Related Art
Physical vapor deposition, or PVD as it is more commonly known, has become a well known technique for the deposition of thin films. In general, with PVD processes, thin films can be deposited on various substrates by the condensation of a vaporized form of the material. The coating method can involve a purely physical process such as high temperature vacuum evaporation or plasma sputter bombardment of a target, or it may also include, in the case of reactive sputtering, a chemical reaction on the surface of the substrate with the sputtered material. Particular application of this technology is found in the fabrication of semiconductor chips, such as computer microprocessors and RAM chips where PVD is used to deposit thin films of such metals as aluminum and copper. Another application is the deposition of ultrathin films of noble metals such as gold, silver, copper, and platinum, on samples prepared for electron microscope imaging.
In one variation, magnetron sputtering techniques are employed in which a target material made from the metal or other substance to be sputtered is placed into a chamber, along with the substrate to be coated, and the chamber brought to near vacuum. To generate the plasma, a small amount of an inert process gas such as argon is introduced and a negative voltage applied to the target. The voltage can be applied in a continuous (direct current, dc) fashion. In some applications, especially with semiconducting or insulating targets, radio-frequency (RF) power is applied to the target, leading to negative self-bias of the target. Typically, negative voltages such as −300 V to −600 V are applied to the target. While applying the negative voltage, another member proximate the target is maintained at a positive potential relative to the target, thus serving as the anode of the discharge. In most cases the anode is a discrete part of the magnetron, with the process chamber in some cases serving as the anode. When power is applied, the argon gas ionizes and the argon ions attracted to the target, striking the target surface at high speed to dislodge ("sputter") atoms of the target material.
In this sputtering process, secondary electrons are emitted from the target as well, these electrons captured by the magnetic field superimposed upon the target via magnets positioned behind the target. The magnets are commonly incorporated into the target support directly beneath the target to provide an arched magnetic field structure. The electrons, confined to an area adjacent the target, cause ionizing collisions with inert process gases near the target, enhancing the ionization of the plasma and thus further facilitating the sputtering process. In conventional sputtering, the electrons ionize the gas atoms and to a much smaller degree the sputtered atoms. The probability of ionization of those sputtered atoms is low because they leave the target surface typically with several electron-volts of kinetic energy, which corresponds to a high velocity of 1000 m/s or more. Therefore, any bias voltage applied to a substrate is of little effect because the sputtered atoms are electrically neutral.
As features on semiconductors have become smaller and smaller, it has become more important to deposit even thinner films onto the semiconductor substrate, and to obtain films of greater and greater purity, with a density approaching the theoretical limit of bulk density. In one known approach, the magnetron sputtering process is operated at a high power density such that some ions, mostly argon and to a much smaller degree ions of the sputtered material, are available for ion bombardment of a biased substrate. However, increasing the sputtering process power becomes limiting in that the power needed to create the higher density plasmas tends to cause overheating of the target, or even the entire magnetron unit, including its permanent magnets.
To address this problem, resort to the technique known as high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) has been developed. In this approach, power densities of roughly two orders of magnitude greater than those used for magnetron sputtering are employed. Here, a dc voltage is applied to the target for a short period of time, generally in the order of 10 μ and 50 μ seconds, though the pulsed dc voltage could be applied for longer times, such as up to 150 μ seconds, or more. The maximum pulse duty cycle is mainly limited by cooling considerations of the magnetron device. Typically in HIPIMS, the voltage is applied as a square wave with a duty cycle of about 1%. That is, the power is on for only about 1% of the time. With greatly enhanced power densities during the pulse on-time, ionization of sputtered atoms occurs to a much larger extent. By resort to impulse powering of the target, high voltages and high currents can be applied without causing the overheating and the generation of macroparticles typical of arcs.
With HIPIMS, the driving voltages need to be of sufficient amplitude so as to create a condition supportive of self-sputtering of the target material once discharge has been initiated. Thus, according to this technique, peak power densities (at voltages of between 500V and 1500 V) of over 100 W cm−2 to 5,000 W cm−2 are employed. Studies have also shown that densification of the growing film can be achieved by high ion-to-neutral ratios and high ion energy flux arriving at the substrate surface. Combined with deposition of atoms by magnetron sputtering, high flux plasmas are obtainable, leading to superior film properties such as a film density close to bulk material density, a smooth surface topology, and low resistivity.
With the high power densities employed with HIPIMS processing, the likelihood of ionization of sputtered atoms becomes significant. While the degree of ionization of sputtered atoms in conventional magnetron sputtering is only about one percent (1%), it can reach 50% and more with HIPIMS. For copper and silver, for example, ionization of the sputtered atoms approaches 100%. The greatest contribution to ionizing the sputtered material comes from electrons. The magnetized, energetic electrons are trapped by the arched magnetic field and therefore have a long path near the target with a high likelihood of colliding with the sputtered atoms to ionize them. Additionally, a smaller fraction may become ionized via collisions with excited argon. The latter mechanism works because the excited levels of argon have more energy than is needed to ionize sputtered metal atoms (in other words, it works because metals have a lower ionization energy than the energy stored in excited (but neutral) argon atoms.)
Notwithstanding the improvements afforded by HIPIMS, purity of the plasma remains an issue, due in part to the need for the introduction of an inert gas such as argon to both initiate and sustain the plasma. To date, argon has been the gas of choice since it is relatively inexpensive and does not react with the to-be-deposited material. For some applications, however, even with a pure noble gas, traces of the noble gas may find their way into the film coating. The presence of the argon, for example, can act as in impurity, as well as reduce the conductivity of sub-micron copper wires on chips due to argon-induced nano-voids and other defects.
Attempts have been made to address this problem, and in one approach, specific to copper and silver, argon was used to initiate the plasma; the discharge started with argon, but the gas supply turned off after the sputter process has begun, going into a sustained self-sputter mode. See for example, N. Hosokawa, T. Tsukada, and H. Kitahara, Effect of Discharge Current and Sustained Self Sputtering, Proc. 8th Int. Vacuum Congress, le Vide, Cannes, Frances, 1980, pp. 11-14, and W. M. Posadowski, Vacuum 46, 1017 (1995). While this approach can reduce the amount of gas captured by the deposited film, it does not eliminate it.

Very low pressure high power impulse triggered magnetron sputtering

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