text:
The present invention relates to an ink jet nozzle to eject ink. The nozzle comprises a body defining a chamber in which the ink to be ejected can be located and an aperture through which the ink is ejected in use. The nozzle further comprises an actuator member having shape memory which extends from the body into the chamber. The actuator member is arcuate in shape when in a quiescent state and straightens in shape when actuated. The actuator member is located in the chamber so as to push ink through the aperture when actuated to thereby eject ink from the body.
1. A printer including an array of ink jet nozzles to eject ink, each of said nozzles comprising:
a body defining a chamber in which the ink to be ejected can be located, the body having an aperture through which the ink can be ejected; and
an actuator member having shape memory and extending from the body into the chamber, the actuator member being arcuate in shape when in a quiescent state and straightening in shape when actuated;
wherein the actuator member is located in the chamber so as to push ink through the aperture when actuated to thereby eject ink from the body.
2. A printer according to
3. A printer according to
the actuator member comprises a heating element;
the actuator comprises driving circuitry which is electrically coupled to the heating element; and
the heating element straightens when heated by the driving circuitry and curls when cooled.
4. A printer according to
5. A printer according to
6. A printer according to
7. A printer according to
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/893,380 filed on Jul. 19, 2004, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,992, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/307,348 filed on Dec. 2, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,166, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/113,122 filed on Jul. 10, 1998, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,977, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The following Australian provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference. For the purposes of location and identification, U.S. patents/patent applications identified by their U.S. patent/patent application serial numbers (USSN) are listed alongside the Australian applications from which the U.S. patents/patent applications claim the right of priority.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to ink jet printing and in particular discloses a shape memory alloy ink jet printer.
The present invention further relates to the field of drop on demand ink jet printing.
Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number of which are presently in use. The known forms of print have a variety of methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers and ink jet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type. Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and operation etc.
In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature.
Many different techniques on ink jet printing have been invented. For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore, "Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective", Output Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207–220 (1988).
Ink Jet printers themselves come m many different types. The utilization of a continuous stream ink in ink jet printing appears to date back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a continuous ink jet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream is modulated by a high frequency electro-static field so as to cause drop separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et al).
Piezoelectric ink jet printers are also one form of commonly utilized ink jet printing device. Piezoelectric systems are disclosed by Kyser et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a squeeze mode of operation of a piezoelectric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezoelectric operation, Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a piezoelectric push mode actuation of the ink jet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 which discloses a shear mode type of piezoelectric transducer element.
Recently, thermal ink jet printing has become an extremely popular form of ink jet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclosed ink jet printing techniques rely upon the activation of an electrothermal actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media. Printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator are manufactured by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard.
As can be seen from the foregoing, many different types of printing technologies are available. Ideally, a printing technology should have a number of desirable attributes. These include inexpensive construction and operation, high speed operation, safe and continuous long term operation etc. Each technology may have its own advantages and disadvantages in the areas of cost, speed, quality, reliability, power usage, simplicity of construction operation, durability and consumables.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a new form of ink jet printing device that utilizes a shape memory alloy in its activation method.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a micro-electromechanical fluid ejection mechanism, the fluid ejection mechanism comprising
a substrate that incorporates drive circuitry;
a nozzle chamber structure arranged on the substrate to define a nozzle chamber and a fluid ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber; and
an actuator that is fast at one end with the substrate and that extends into the nozzle chamber, the actuator comprising
The actuating member may incorporate a heating circuit of the shape memory alloy, the heating circuit being connected to the drive circuitry of the substrate.
The actuating member may be a laminated structure, with the heater circuit defining one layer of the actuating member.
The actuating member may include a pre-stressing layer positioned on, and mechanically fast with, the heating circuit. The shape memory alloy may have a generally planar form when in the austenitic phase and the pre-stressing layer may serve to curl the actuating member away from the ejection port when the shape memory alloy is in the martensitic phase such that, when heated, the shape memory alloy drives the actuating member into a planar form, thereby ejecting a drop of ink from the ejection port.
The shape memory alloy may be a nickel titanium alloy. The pre-stressing layer may be high stress silicon nitride.
The heating circuit may be interposed between the pre-stressing layer and a stress reference layer for the pre-stressing layer.
The nozzle chamber structure may be defined by the substrate as a result of an etching process carried out on the substrate, such that one of the layers of the substrate defines the ejection port on one side of the substrate and the actuator is positioned on an opposite side of the substrate.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of ejecting ink from a chamber comprising the steps of: a) providing a cantilevered beam actuator incorporating a shape memory alloy; and b) transforming said shape memory alloy from its martensitic phase to its austenitic phase or vice versa to cause the ink to eject from said chamber. Further, the actuator comprises a conductive shape memory alloy panel in a quiescent state and which transfers to an ink ejection state upon heating thereby causing said ink ejection from the chamber. Preferably, the heating occurs by means of passing a current through the shape memory alloy. The chamber is formed from a crystallographic etch of a silicon wafer so as to have one surface of the chamber substantially formed by the actuator. Advantageously, the actuator is formed from a conductive shape memory alloy arranged in a serpentine form and is attached to one wall of the chamber opposite a nozzle port from which ink is ejected. Further, the nozzle port is formed by the back etching of a silicon wafer to the epitaxial layer and etching a nozzle port hole in the epitaxial layer. The crystallographic etch includes providing side wall slots of non-etched layers of a processed silicon wafer so as to the extend the dimensions of the chamber as a result of the crystallographic etch process. Preferably, the shape memory alloy comprises nickel titanium alloy.
Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings which:
In the preferred embodiment, shape memory materials are utilized to construct an actuator suitable for injecting ink from the nozzle of an ink chamber.
Turning to
After this, comes various layers which can comprise a two level metal CMOS process layers which provide the metal interconnect for the CMOS transistors formed within the layer 12. The various metal pathways etc. are not shown in
The preferred embodiment relies upon the thermal transition of a shape memory alloy 20 (SMA) from its martensitic phase to its austenitic phase. The basis of a shape memory effect is a martensitic transformation which creates a polydemane phase upon cooling. This polydemane phase accommodates finite reversible mechanical deformations without significant changes in the mechanical self energy of the system. Hence, upon re-transformation to the austenitic state the system returns to its former macroscopic state to displaying the well known mechanical memory. The thermal transition is achieved by passing an electrical current through the SMA. The actuator layer 20 is suspended at the entrance to a nozzle chamber connected via leads 18, 19 to the lower layers.
Obviously, the SMA martensitic phase must be pre-stressed to achieve a different shape from the austenitic phase. For printheads with many thousands of nozzles, it is important to achieve this pre-stressing in a bulk manner. This is achieved by depositing the layer of silicon nitride 22 using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) at around 300� C. over the SMA layer. The deposition occurs while the SMA is in the austenitic shape. After the printhead cools to room temperature the substrate under the SMA bend actuator is removed by chemical etching of a sacrificial substance. The silicon nitride layer 22 is under tensile stress, and causes the actuator to curl upwards. The weak martensitic phase of the SMA provides little resistance to this curl. When the SMA is heated to its austenitic phase, it returns to the flat shape into which it was annealed during the nitride deposition. The transformation being rapid enough to result in the ejection of ink from the nozzle chamber.
There is one SMA bend actuator 30 for each nozzle. One end 31 of the SMA bend actuator is mechanically connected to the substrate. The other end is free to move under the stresses inherent in the layers.
Returning to
1. An SiO2 lower layer 15. This layer acts as a stress 'reference' for the nitride tensile layer. It also protects the SMA from the crystallographic silicon etch that forms the nozzle chamber. This layer can be formed as part of the standard CMOS process for the active electronics of the printhead.
2. A SMA heater layer 20. A SMA such as nickel titanium (NiTi) alloy is deposited and etched into a serpentine form to increase the electrical resistance.
3. A silicon nitride top layer 22. This is a thin layer of high stiffness which is deposited using PECVD. The nitride stoichiometry is adjusted to achieve a layer with significant tensile stress at room temperature relative to the SiO2 lower layer. Its purpose is to bend the actuator at the low temperature martensitic phase.
As noted previously the ink jet nozzle of
A large array of nozzles can be formed on the same wafer which in turn is attached to an ink chamber for filling the nozzle chambers.
One form of detailed manufacturing process which can be used to fabricate monolithic ink jet printheads operating in accordance with the principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed utilizing the following steps:
1. Using a double sided polished wafer deposit 3 microns of epitaxial silicon heavily doped with boron.
2. Deposit 10 microns of epitaxial silicon, either p-type or n-type, depending upon the CMOS process used.
3. Complete drive transistors, data distribution, and timing circuits using a 0.5 micron, one poly, 2 metal CMOS process. This step is shown in
4. Etch the CMOS oxide layers down to silicon or aluminum using Mask 1. This mask defines the nozzle chamber, and the edges of the printheads chips. This step is shown in
5. Crystallographically etch the exposed silicon using, for example, KOH or EDP (ethylenediamine pyrocatechol). This etch stops on <111> crystallographic planes, and on the boron doped silicon buried layer. This step is shown in
6. Deposit 12 microns of sacrificial material. Planarize down to oxide using CMP. The sacrificial material temporarily fills the nozzle cavity. This step is shown in
7. Deposit 0.1 microns of high stress silicon nitride (Si3N4).
8. Etch the nitride layer using Mask 2. This mask defines the contact vias from the shape memory heater to the second-level metal contacts.
9. Deposit a seed layer.
10. Spin on 2 microns of resist, expose with Mask 3, and develop. This mask defines the shape memory wire embedded in the paddle. The resist acts as an electroplating mold. This step is shown in
11. Electroplate 1 micron of Nitinol. Nitinol is a 'shape memory' alloy of nickel and titanium, developed at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in the US (hence Ni—Ti-NOL). A shape memory alloy can be thermally switched between its weak martensitic state and its high stiffness austenic state.
12. Strip the resist and etch the exposed seed layer. This step is shown in
13. Wafer probe. All electrical connections are complete at this point, bond pads are accessible, and the chips are not yet separated.
14. Deposit 0.1 microns of high stress silicon nitride. High stress nitride is used so that once the sacrificial material is etched, and the paddle is released, the stress in the nitride layer will bend the relatively weak martensitic phase of the shape memory alloy. As the shape memory alloy—in its austenic phase—is flat when it is annealed by the relatively high temperature deposition of this silicon nitride layer, it will return to this flat state when electrothermally heated.
15. Mount the wafer on a glass blank and back-etch the wafer using KOH with no mask. This etch thins the wafer and stops at the buried boron doped silicon layer. This step is shown in
16. Plasma back-etch the boron doped silicon layer to a depth of 1 micron using Mask 4. This mask defines the nozzle rim. This step is shown in
17. Plasma back-etch through the boron doped layer using Mask 5. This mask defines the nozzle, and the edge of the chips. At this stage, the chips are still mounted on the glass blank. This step is shown in
18. Strip the adhesive layer to detach the chips from the glass blank. Etch the sacrificial layer. This process completely separates the chips. This step is shown in
19. Mount the printheads in their packaging, which may be a molded plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply different colors of ink to the appropriate regions of the front surface of the wafer.
20. Connect the printheads to their interconnect systems.
21. Hydrophobize the front surface of the printheads.
22. Fill with ink and test the completed printheads. A filled nozzle is shown in
It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.
The presently disclosed ink jet printing technology is potentially suited to a wide range of printing systems including: color and monochrome office printers, short run digital printers, high speed digital printers, offset press supplemental printers, low cost scanning printers, high speed pagewidth printers, notebook computers with inbuilt pagewidth printers, portable color and monochrome printers, color and monochrome copiers, color and monochrome facsimile machines, combined printer, facsimile and copying machines, label printers, large format plotters, photograph copiers, printers for digital photographic 'minilabs', video printers, PHOTO CD (PHOTO CD is a registered trademark of the Eastman Kodak Company) printers, portable printers for PDAs, wallpaper printers, indoor sign printers, billboard printers, fabric printers, camera printers and fault tolerant commercial printer arrays.
Ink Jet Technologies
The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.
The most significant problem with thermal ink jet is power consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal ink jet applications. This leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out.
The most significant problem with piezoelectric ink jet is size and cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per printhead, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewidth printheads with 19,200 nozzles.
Ideally, the ink jet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of digital photography, new ink jet technologies have been created. The target features include:
low power (less than 10 Watts)
high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)
photographic quality output
low manufacturing cost
small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)
high speed (<2 seconds per page).
All of these features can be met or exceeded by the ink jet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. Forty-five different ink jet technologies have been developed by the Assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. These technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present Assignee as set out in the table under the heading Cross References to Related Applications.
The ink jet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems.
For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the printhead is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron CMOS chip with MEMS post processing. For color photographic applications, the printhead is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the ink jet type. The smallest printhead designed is IJ38, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. The printheads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry.
Ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels. The molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. Ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. The printhead is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding.
Tables of Drop-on-Demand Ink Jets
Eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual ink jet nozzles have been identified. These characteristics are largely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. Most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee.
The following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of ink jet types.
Actuator mechanism (18 types)
Basic operation mode (7 types)
Auxiliary mechanism (8 types)
Actuator amplification or modification method (17 types)
Actuator motion (19 types)
Nozzle refill method (4 types)
Method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types)
Nozzle clearing method (9 types)
Nozzle plate construction (9 types)
Drop ejection direction (5 types)
Ink type (7 types)
The complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of ink jet nozzle. While not all of the possible combinations result in a viable ink jet technology, many million configurations are viable. It is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. Instead, certain ink jet types have been investigated in detail. These are designated IJ01 to IJ45 which match the docket numbers in the table under the heading Cross Referenced to Related Application.
Other ink jet configurations can readily be derived from these forty-five examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. Most of the IJ01 to IJ45 examples can be made into ink jet printheads with characteristics superior to any currently available ink jet technology.
Where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. The IJ01 to IJ45 series are also listed in the examples column. In some cases, a print technology may be listed more than once in a table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry.
Suitable applications for the ink jet technologies include: Home printers, Office network printers, Short run digital printers, Commercial print systems, Fabric printers, Pocket printers, Internet WWW printers, Video printers, Medical imaging, Wide format printers, Notebook PC printers, Fax machines, Industrial printing systems, Photocopiers, Photographic minilabs etc.
The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.
Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
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text:
Duke to meet Cincinnati in Belk Bowl on Dec. 27
The journey to Duke's first bowl game in 18 years will be an easy one.
Achieving the program's first bowl win in 51 years will likely be more difficult.
The Blue Devils on Sunday accepted an invitation to Charlotte's Belk Bowl, where they'll play a talented Cincinnati team at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 27 (6:30 p.m., ESPN).
While Duke (6-6) has lost four games in a row since reaching bowl eligibility, Cincinnati (9-3) has played solid football over the final month of the season. The Bearcats enter the postseason with wins in four their final five games.
Duke coach David Cutcliffe said this is the kind of opponent he wanted in his first bowl game with the Blue Devils.
"That was one of the more attractive things with the Belk Bowl was a quality opponent like Cincinnati," Cutcliffe said. "It's something you have got to do. You have got to beat people like that. These are steps we are taking. It's a big challenge."
Playing in the postseason without crossing state lines gives Duke a chance for plenty of its fans to be one hand. It also gives the 16 Duke players from the Charlotte area a chance to play in front of friends and family members.
"That's a big part of it," Cutcliffe said. "They know we are playing in a big pro stadium. They all know it will be easier for their parents, their family and their friends to see them play."
While the bowl game marks the completion of the historic 2012 season, with Duke having won more games than any season since 1994, Cutcliffe will also use it as a spring board to what he hopes are even better things in 2013.
"It's the end of your 2012 season and certainly the beginning of 2013 year," Cutcliffe said.
"You get more time with guys you have redshirted. You give them more attention than you would during a normal game preparation week."
The Blue Devils will practice this weekend before taking the following week off for final exams. Bowl practices begin in earnest on Dec. 16. Duke travels to Charlotte on Dec. 22 for work in advance of the game.
The time off between the end of the regular season and the bowl game is giving many banged-up Blue Devils a chance to heal. Cutcliffe anticipates several players to be available for more play due to that fact.
But players who have been injured all season, such as Charlotte native Braxton Deaver, aren't likely to play. Cutcliffe said Deaver, a redshirt sophomore tight end who suffered a leg injury in July, is one particular player he had hoped might be able to play.
"I've kept on asking our trainer," Cutcliffe said. "It doesn't look great at this time. We'll take that day to day."
Cutcliffe did say Sunday night that he's considering some position changes for players as he looks ahead to next season. The bowl practices and the game with Cincinnati will give him a chance to make the moves this month.
Cutcliffe didn't reveal who the affected players are because he said he hasn't discussed the possible moves with them.
He also said there will be some practices during bowl preparation where he'll send the current senior players off early to let the players who will return next season a chance to work together.
"It will give some of the rising seniors a chance to take charge," Cutcliffe said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
OSHA Training Courses are run on an as needed basis for clients having a minimum of 10 students.
OSHA 30-Hour General Industry Outreach Course
The OSHA 30-hour General Industry safety course, provided in partnership with United Alliance Services Corporation, was developed by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide general industry workers, supervisors, and other personnel responsible for work related activities with an awareness of health and safety concerns in the workplace. All attendees will become familiar with reading and using the OSHA 29CFR 1910 General Industry Standards. Other OSHA related regulations will also be discussed. Students will be presented with more safety related information and OSHA Standards as compared to the 10-Hour OSHA General Industry course. The course will cover all the Subparts of the standard. Students who successfully complete this course will be issued a 30-Hour General Industry card from OSHA.
Who Should Attend:
General Industry employees who require an in-depth understanding of the General Industry Standard.
Regulatory Requirements: Various OSHA regulations
Hours: 30
Category: OSHA General Industry Courses
Program Cost: $399 or $200 if taken in conjunction with 10 Hr course.Registration:
Contact the Center for Maritime Training at (508) 830-5005, or email us for registration assistance.
last updated 1-13-2014 by email@example.com


text:
Marco Rubio, the son of a bartender and the first in his family to go to college, just finished repaying more than $125,000 in student-loan debt from the University of Florida and the University of Miami law school.
Now, Rubio, a Florida senator and a rising star in the Republican Party, is embracing a bipartisan bill that would force colleges to give students information about costs and career prospects.
After a decade of resistance from universities, Congress is poised to take on college prices amid a groundswell of anger about tuition outpacing inflation and family incomes, leaving borrowers with $1 trillion in debt. Politicians from both parties are seeking to compel colleges to tell students how much they could be expected to earn from their degrees, spell out fees and debt in plain English, reward schools that keep tuition affordable -- and punish those that don't.
"We're at the early stages of a transformation -- 10 years from now, higher education won't look the same," said Richard Vedder, an Ohio University economics professor who directs the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. "There are millions of people feeling the pain of student debt. When that number gets big enough, it starts to permeate the public consciousness."


text:
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text:
By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2005 Al Qaeda terrorists hope to drive American influence from the Middle East and install a global Muslim leader in Saudi Arabia, Army Gen. John Abizaid said today.
Speaking during Senate testimony, Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, said al Qaeda's objectives are clear. "They believe in a jihad, a jihad to overthrow the legitimate regimes in the region," he said. "In order to do that, they first must drive America from the region."
Al Qaeda believes the most important prize is Saudi Arabia, which is home to the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina. If al Qaeda terrorists manage to take control of Saudi Arabia, they will try to create and expand their influence in the region and establish a caliphate, Abizaid said.
The term harkens back to the immediate successors of Muhammed and means a land led by a supreme secular and religious ruler. Al Qaeda insists that re-establishing a caliphate would mean that one man, as the successor to Muhammad, would possess clear political, military and legal standing as the global Muslim leader.
Abizaid said al Qaeda would then apply a very narrow, strict interpretation of Sharia, Islamic law, not believed in or practiced anywhere else in the world today. Such conquest in the Middle East "would certainly allow al Qaeda and their proxies to control a vast oil wealth that exists in the region," he said. "They intend to destroy Israel in the process, as well."
The next goal would be to expand into non-Arab Islamic countries. This would include the middle of Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, the general said. The organization would operate from these areas and also from cyberspace. He said al Qaeda uses to Internet to transmit their hatred. "They aim to take advantage of open societies and will strike at those societies when they are ready at their time and place of choosing," he said.
In an allusion that is probably distasteful to American companies, Abizaid said al Qaeda is not a monolith like IBM. Rather, it is a franchise operation like McDonald's. This makes it very difficult to cut off the head of the organization. The group uses any and all means to further its goals: drugs, smuggling, so-called charitable organizations and others.
To beat al Qaeda and affiliate organizations requires military action but also "all elements of international and national power to put pressure throughout the network over time in order to squeeze the ideology, defeat its sources of strength, and ultimately allow the good people of the region to have the courage and the ability to stand against this type of organization," Abizaid said.
The United States and its coalition allies are doing this, he said. The key to success is helping the people of the region develop the will and capabilities to challenge al Qaeda. The "long war against terror" will be won by "self-reliant partners in the region who are willing to face the enemy within their own countries," he said.
U.S. and coalition forces must remain in the region long enough to "stabilize Afghanistan, stabilize Iraq, continue to deter Syria and Iran, and protect the flow of oil vital to all the peoples of the world and the economies of the region," he said.
The United States must make it clear that America has no territorial designs. "We must make clear that we fight with them out of mutual respect and mutual benefit," Abizaid said.


text:
When: Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Where: Comcast Center : Pavilion
Event Type(s): Athletics
The 18th ranked Maryland Wrestling team will host Harvard, Stanford, and Brown, this Saturday, January 12, at the Pavilion in the Comcast Center. The first match will begin at 12pm, with matches to follow at 1:30pm and 3pm. The first 25 fans to the match will win a prize.
Website: http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-wrestl/sched/md-m-wrestl-sched.html
For more information, contact:
John Webster
Maryland Sport Marketin


text:
There's a new manifesto in town. Ron and Rand Paul are the proud new supporters of the Campaign for Liberty's "The Technology Revolution," a document designed to help move the Pauls and their agenda more than a few clicks away from the bricks-and-mortar world of the Fed and into a more expansive — and popular — domain.
That's a savvy move, even though the criticism leveled at the manifesto isn't unfair. The critics might be forgiven for expecting ideological purity from Team Paul on all things internet, but the reality of the realm where tech and government meet is daunting enough that even the Pauls's sweeping propositions have a modest flavor. The politics expressed in "The Technology Revolution" is far more prudential than it appears.
In fact, the most misleading thing about the manifesto is its revolutionary language. The internet may continue to be a revolutionary technological development. But even the most powerful sea changes in the mechanics of everyday life may do little more than just refine our perspective on what remain durably fixed ideas and ideals. Internet freedom is not different in kind from meatspace freedom. Like it or not, it's fitting that Ron and Rand Paul's take on the politics and policy of the 'net accepts more than a little of the current, government-created regulatory environment. Taking a vigilant, principled stand against new regulation alone is of such great importance that no one — not even a libertarian crusader and his Senator son — should be expected to dilute this mission by riding off in the other direction, toward a reform of current regulations that were present at the creation of the telecom world we live in.
In short, as I put it not long ago, telecom embarrassingly reveals that, in at least some huge sectors of the economy, we're stuck with crony capitalism:
The fact of the matter is that we're hardwired into a national information system that is just about completely dependent on big government and the military-industrial complex, which are now tightly woven together technologically. For issues that arise under these circumstances, the influence of money on politics is a side note. The big telecom companies 'get away with' overcharging relative to the theoretical alternatives because they're alternatives only in theory. [...] Because government is hardwired into our tech infrastructure, crony-like and cartel-like arrangements with a handful of big corporate players are inevitable. They're just as baked into the cake.
The good news, I've argued, is that markets can move on from these disappointing facts of life. But they won't be able to do so if the foes the Pauls identify in their manifesto have their way. Is it hypocrisy to choose to array a liberty coalition against new regulations while bracketing what's baked in the cake? Not at all. Is it revolutionary? It's better to call it counter-revolutionary!
To be sure, the drafters of "The Technology Revolution" complicate things with their rhetoric. Tech geniuses may have created "new markets in ways never before imagined in human history," but the internet is not "the single greatest catalyst in history for individual liberty and free markets." (That distinction still goes to the Protestant Reformation.)
And, with the end of unlimited data plans nigh — thanks, government spectrum hogs — someone will have to turn their attention to the way regulatory sins present at the creation of the telecom industry are causing problematic new arrangements to be promulgated today. But there's little indication that Ron and Rand's approach to the whole matter of internet freedom is worse than any other available approach. Despite its purple prose, it's a fundamentally conservative document — not in the sense that it supports greed-headed monopolies and cartels, but in the sense that it treats policy innovation as more an enemy of human innovation than a friend. That's not an excuse to stand pat as yesterday's regulatory environment continues to give rise to more complex and more restrictive rules about how Americans and other humans can utilize telecommunications. But it is a legitimate place to start — and, perhaps, the only place to start.


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Surprise defeat does not halt Ellen
Posted: November 28, 2012|
Ellen Falkner is through to the knockout stages in the women's pairs at the World Bowls Championships in Australia, despite yesterday losing for the first time in the event.
The St Neots player and England team-mate Wendy King eased through their first seven pool matches in Adelaide with victories over Ireland, Malaysia, Wales, Cyprus, China, Brunei and Botswana.
They carried on their great run of form by beating Jersey duo Chris Grimes and Karina Bisson 18-9 yesterday, only to then suffer a surprise 13-12 defeat to Spain's Margaret Lawley and Lynn Greenland.
With the top three qualifying for the next stage, Falkner and King are lying third in their group and cannot be caught, with two matches remaining today against Masako Satoh and Nanami Yoshimoto of Japan and unbeaten pool leaders Milagros Witheridge and Ainie Knight of the Philippines.


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Bats bail out Jon Lester as Sox beat Tigers
- Sections:
- Boston Red Sox
DETROIT — For all the sound and fury over their closer crisis, the Red Sox have a bigger problem.
Jon Lester is a mess.
It says a lot about how things have gone lately for Lester that he stood at his locker here last night and took any satisfaction from a start in which he allowed five runs and was unable to complete the sixth inning. But thanks to a 17-hit barrage by the offense and staunch work from the bullpen, Lester got credit for a win in the Red Sox' 10-6 victory over the Tigers.
And when you haven't won since May 15, you'll see the sunny side of just about anything.
"It's been a while," Lester said after giving up nine hits, including two home runs, and throwing 102 pitches in only 52⁄3 innings. "You just have to look at that positive of it. We won the ballgame. The offense did a great job of scoring some runs. That's the way you've got to look at it right now."
Indeed, Shane Victorino went 4-for-5 and tied a career high with five RBI, and Jose Iglesias continued his absurdly freakish season with three more hits, including another infield hit and another triple that bounced around the outfield at Comerica Park. Meanwhile, relievers Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow and Andrew Miller combined to record the final 10 outs, allowing one run on two hits and two walks among them.
And one night after beleaguered closer Andrew Bailey allowed a crushing walkoff homer to Jhonny Peralta in the ninth inning, the Red Sox showed their resilience, rebounding to even the four-game series between division leaders.
But the victory only masked a growing concern about Lester, who has a 7.30 ERA in his last seven starts after beginning the season 6-0 with a 2.72 ERA.
"He's still a work in progress," manager John Farrell said politely. "I thought there were a couple of innings inside the five-plus innings of work that were much more crisp and sharp, and yet, the first-pitch changeup to (Miguel) Cabrera for the three-run homer. But the fact that Jon gets a win out of this hopefully allows him to take a breath a little bit and continue to move forward."
A win was about the only positive Lester could reasonably glean, even if he described the changeup that Cabrera clocked into the left field bleachers as "probably the best changeup I've ever thrown in my life."
Cabrera's homer turned a 6-2 Red Sox lead into a 6-5 advantage. And although the Red Sox stretched the margin with one run in the sixth inning and two more in the eighth, it shouldn't have been so difficult. Not with their purported ace on the mound.
After the Sox KO'd Tigers starter Doug Fister with four runs on six consecutive hits in the fourth inning, Lester allowed a leadoff homer to lefty-hitting Andy Dirks in the fifth. Brayan Pena followed with a bloop single to right field, and Torii Hunter notched a one-out single to left, bringing Cabrera to the plate.
"He's a guy that's just on a whole other playing field," Lester said of the reigning AL MVP and Triple Crown winner. "I wish he'd quit and go to a different league, make a league especially for him. I thought at first it was off the end (of the bat). Apparently not. Really, other than that, I felt like I made some good pitches. That's just the way it's going for me right now."
To put Lester's struggles in perspective, only once during his career-worst 2012 season did he have a seven-start stretch in which he posted a higher ERA than his 7.30 mark since mid-May. Since the start of last season, Lester has a 4.68 ERA, eighth-worst among the 101 pitchers who have logged at least 200 innings.
But Farrell had no interest in dwelling on any of that.
"We're going to focus on the positives right now," he said.
It's just hard to see Lester as being one of them.


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Quib.ly, a service designed to help parents understand technology and the ways it affects their children is launching in the United States today. London-based Quibly has also released the results of a survey into the attitudes of American parents about technology and their children.
Covering 16 topic areas and free to join, Quib.ly is a social platform that encourages parents to ask questions. Answers are provided by Quib.ly staff, experts, and other users.
Topics covered include apps, child development, safety & privacy, and social media, among others.
"Today's children are pioneers of growing up immersed in the fully-connected, always-on world of Facebook, iPhones, and iPads," said Holly Seddon, editor in chief of Quib.ly, in a prepared statement. "Quib.ly offers a community that will help parents openly discuss this constantly evolving world, and understand from other parents and experts how they can help their children get the most out of it."
In a recent survey commissioned by Quib.ly and conducted by OnePoll, 1,000 American parents of children under 16-years-old answered questions about their attitudes toward technology and their children.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents told researchers that they found it difficult to keep up with the opportunities available to their children because of the rapid rate of technological change. Forty-eight percent reported worrying "that their children could lack valuable skills and knowledge essential for a modern US as a result of missing out on the opportunities and new ways of thinking that modern technology provides," according to information released by the company, and just over a third of respondents said they "believe children will be less intellectually curious if they are not exposed to everything today's technologically savvy society has to offer."
For more information, or to sign up for a free account, visit quib.ly.
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Paul VI Catholic School wanted to develop a laptop program that would equip its students and teachers with the right tools to increase classroom learning, prepare their students for college, and to develop the 21st Century skill sets required by today's employers. Download this White Paper to learn about their comprehensive selection process and how they are using their new laptops to revolutionize the learning process.
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Aaron Kachuck
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Position: Graduate Student
Email: email@example.com
Raised in California, I studied Classics and Literature at Yale (2007), with a thesis on indirect discourse in Greek epic, and read Classics as Mellon Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge (BA 2009, MPhil 2010), with a thesis on Virgil's second Eclogue. I am at work on projects on Ben Jonson's classicism and the 'avant-garde' in ancient art and aesthetics, and am preparing a thesis on Virgilian poetics. I also co-coordinate our departmental Classical Literature Workshop, and our Reception and Neo-Latin Reading Groups.


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It's clear that Microsoft plans to make the Xbox One the center of the living room, encompassing other forms of entertainment like TV, movies, music, and others.
The company wants to make it easier to find content on Xbox Video through searches. That's why they entered into a multi-year deal with Jinni, a "taste-and-mood" search engine that helps users find videos based on a number of criteria.
Jinni is powered by the Entertainment Genome, which assigns mood, plot, setting, and more to all shows and movies found in the Xbox Video catalog. This will allow members to find content that matches their tastes more easily through the Xbox recommendations system.
"Creating the most amazing entertainment experience means always putting the customer experience first," said Dave Alles in a statement, Xbox General Manager. "Our goal is to make it effortless to get you to entertainment you'll truly love. Pairing Jinni's Entertainment Genome with other key advances such as Conversational Understanding, makes finding something to watch on Xbox as fun as watching it."
"The inspiration for Jinni has always been putting the user at the center of the entertainment experience, by making finding great content intuitive and fun," Yosi Glick said, CEO of Jinni. "We are happy to be a part of the legendary Xbox entertainment experience."
Xbox One will release on November 22 for $499 and will come bundled with the Kinect, which should allow users to utilize Jinni's discovery tool with the power of your voice.


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Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler Laptop Case - Fits Notebook PCs up to 15.4"Item#: YYD1-CUCT02UA15S | Model#: CUCT02UA15S
Currently Out Of Stock!
Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler Laptop Case Product Details
Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler Laptop Case
Youve been there before: Youre at the airport and security asks you to take out your laptop in order to go through the check point. Its a hassle to get everything out without damaging your notebook or losing something along the way. Thankfully, theres the Targus Zip-Thru 15.4" Corporate Traveler Case. This case is designed to help you clear airport security without removing your laptop from the bag. It is specially designed to split down the middle, thereby isolating the laptop on the one side to allow for clear x-ray scanning.
Designed to fit 15.4" widescreen laptops and weighing just 3.74 pounds, this case features lightweight and durable ballistic 1680 denier nylon fabrication and also includes the patented SafePort® Air Cushion System to help prevent drop damage. This protection system features adjustable cushions inside the case to protect your laptop and provide a snug fit for smaller laptops. The case features a dedicated file section, zip-down workstation with business card holder, pen loops, key clip and multiple accessory compartments to keep items organized. For added comfort, the case includes a padded ergonomic shoulder strap with non-slip coating to keep the pad in place on your shoulder. The Targus Zip-Thru 15.4" Corporate Traveler is designed to expedite your airport security experience and withstand the wear and tear of everyday business travel.
Fits Notebooks Up To 15.4 Inches Wide
- Color: Black
- Exterior Dimensions: 16.93" x 13.98" x 6.5"
- Exterior Material: Ballistic 1680 Denier Nylon
- Weight: 3.74 lbs
A Closer Look
- Checkpoint-Friendly - Split design separates laptop from accessories, to allow clear x-ray scanning
- Screen Size - Designed to fit 15.4 widescreen laptops
- Protection Features the patented SafePort® Air Cushion System for maximum laptop protection
- Organization Includes zip-down workstation with business card holder, three pen loops, key clip, multiple accessory compartments and a dedicated file section to organize documents
- Ergonomics - Includes leather wrapped nylon handles for added comfort and a padded ergonomic shoulder strap with non-slip coating on the pad to keep the strap in place on your shoulder
- Material - Constructed of durable ballistic 1680 denier nylon
Manufactured by: Targus
Warranty provided by: Targus
Mfg Part No: CUCT02UA15S
UPC No: 092636242466
Box Size: ( Length:18, Width:14, Depth:5)
Shipping Weight: 3.5000 pound(s)
Dimensional Weight: 6pounds
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On the path to Brazil
The build-up has started and football fans everywhere wait for the start of the 2014 World Cup™ in Brazil. In anticipation of classic encounters, last minute winners and magical skill from the masters of the beautiful game, our journey to Brazil begins.
Bringing the World Cup to all
In 2002 Hyundai teamed up with FIFA to become an Official Partner of both the FIFA World Cup™ & UEFA European Football Championships™. Which meant that before every must-win game and after every nail biter, Hyundai's been there with fans and transporting the teams and officials to and from the matches.
We've shared some brilliant moments - whether it's in our dealerships, with the millions of people who came to our Fan Parks or with our lucky competition winners. From Cologne to Coimbra, Cape Town to Kiev each trip was an experience of a lifetime.
Join the party
Our love of football isn't just sponsoring major tournaments, football leagues or football teams. It's about bringing people together to watch and talk about the world's biggest sporting event. Come and join the celebration on Facebook and Twitter and you never know, you could find yourself joinig us in Brazil.


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About Sam Patierno
Sam has a degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Fitchburg State College as well as being a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is a recognized and accomplished Strength and Conditioning Coach / Personal Trainer. He has been successfully helping both athletes and health conscious individuals obtain their goals for over ten years. His diverse experience ranges from working with children as young as 8 to adults in their eighties to championship athletes on the collegiate level. Sam's expertise and degree-certified knowledge base enables him to work with team /groups or individuals on sports-specific speed or individual functional training.
Contact Sam
today to find out how he can help you achieve your strength, fitness and conditioning goals.


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Happily Even After: Married w/ Kids Seeks Work-Life-Love Balance
Fairy tales end happily ever after. Real life doesn't. Join writer, mom, and wife, Janna Cawrse Esarey, as she attempts to balance friends, family, work, and self. Tips. Ideas. Unsolicited advice. Lots of don't-do-like-I-do examples.
Posts filtered on Category
Don't forget to vote
Tomorrow we go to the polls. Unless you live in Seattle, like I do, where polling booths don't exist anymore. In which case tomorrow we go to the mailbox. The big blue one. In time for a proper postmark. Doesn't exactly give the same sense of community walking to my local polling place used to. But at least, unlike in some countries, we get to vote. [Read More]
We ALL Need Health Care Reform–Even If We're Insured and Employed
This past spring, my father-in-law was reaching out to shake St. Peter's hand when he said, Aw, to hell with dying, and gave a big, fat middle finger to the doctors' dire prognoses. He's still with us today. No thanks, it turns out, to our current health insurance system. (Follow link for more.) [Read More]
Clinton or Obama?
I am undecided. Truly. (Except for the fact that my vote will go to a democrat.) [Read More]
If Not "Made in China," then Where? Part 2
If you want to have any chance of understanding this post, you really should read yesterday's post first… [Read More]
Let's Get Political: Iran, China, and my Crazy Brother-in-Law
If the title to this post got you humming Olivia Newton John's "Let's Get Physical," well that would be more up the Happily Even After alley, now, wouldn't it? But, hey, everything can't be juicy sex stuff on this blog. (Or can it?) [Read More]


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At Superior we strive to adhere to the highest ethical standards in all of our business activities. It is expected that every director, officer, employee or independent contractor ("Representative") of Superior Plus Corp. and its divisions, subsidiaries and affiliates ("Superior") be a representative of Superior's values, be committed to perpetuating the letter and spirit of this Code of Business Conduct & Ethics ("Code") in conducting Superior's business and avoid any action that might expose Superior to potential embarrassment or liability.
Superior has earned a well-deserved reputation for honesty, integrity and maintaining a high standard of business conduct and accountability in achieving success in its businesses. We aspire to create a 'best in class' business organization by developing the best service to customers, empowering our employees, focusing on continuing improvement opportunities, and achieving long-term value and profitable growth for the benefit of our stakeholders.
This Code does not specifically address every potential form of unacceptable conduct, and it is expected that Representatives will exercise good judgment in compliance with the principles set out in this Code. Each Representative has a duty to
Superior believes in dealing openly and honestly with all of its stakeholders, and a concern for 'what is right' must underlie all business decisions.
It is important that Superior be made aware of circumstances that may indicate possible violations of law or this Code. Superior and applicable law prohibit any form of retaliation for raising concerns or reporting possible misconduct in good faith or for assisting in the investigation of possible misconduct. Any violations of this Code must be promptly reported to the Representative's supervisor or internal legal counsel as set out below under "Questions and Reporting". Any Representative may submit a complaint regarding a suspected violation of the Code without fear of dismissal or retaliation.
1. Policy
A concern for what is right should underlie all business decisions and, regardless of location or business unit, at Superior we require all Representatives to:
Each Representative must deal fairly with Superior's customers, suppliers, partners, service providers, competitors, employees and anyone else with whom he or she has contact in the course of performing his or her job. It is essential that all Representatives follow Superior's established policies, procedures and internal controls. Any exception to established policies, procedures and internal controls is prohibited, unless appropriately authorized in advance (as set out below under "Exceptions and Changes").
With this in mind, Superior has established the following guiding principles which we expect all Representatives to adhere to:
Compliance with the Law
In addition to the laws imposed by statute, the law also imposes a duty upon Superior to honour agreements, whether in writing or not, and to act reasonably and in a manner that will not cause harm to others. Representatives shall diligently ensure that their conduct is not and cannot be interpreted as being a contravention of the letter and spirit of laws governing the affairs of Superior in any jurisdiction where it carries on business.
Ignorance of the law will not excuse a party who contravenes a law. Representatives are responsible to keep informed of laws which may affect those affairs of Superior which are under his or her control, or seek the advice of Superior's General Counsel when uncertain about how to proceed.
Employee Relations
Superior's continued success is dependent on our valued Representatives, the work they perform, the ideas they contribute, and the ability, creativity and initiative they bring to the organization. Superior is committed to maintaining a positive work environment. In working together, Representatives shall treat each other with respect, dignity, honesty and fairness. Superior believes in providing opportunity for employees to be fully challenged, develop their skills and abilities, and reach their career goals.
As set out in Superior's policies on Representative conduct, in all matters, including hiring, supervision, compensation, promotion and termination, no person shall be discriminated against because of race, religious beliefs, gender (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, ancestry or place of origin.
Health, Safety and the Environment
Superior is committed to safe and healthful working conditions for all Representatives and third parties, and to conducting its activities in an environmentally responsible manner. Representatives are expected to read and to understand the environmental and safety policies and procedures related to the Representative's respective business and participate fully in this effort.
Representatives should seek to improve operations to avoid injury or sickness to persons and damage to property and the environment, and give due regard to all applicable safety standards, regulatory requirements, technical and conventional standards and restraints. All conditions, situations or accidents which give rise to health, safety or environmental concerns must be immediately reported to the appropriate internal authority overseeing health, safety or environmental concerns in that respective division of Superior.
Accounting and Financial Reporting
Every Representative is required to follow prescribed accounting standards, accounting controls, audit practices and financial reporting procedures.
Accurate, timely and reliable books of account and records, reflecting and describing, in reasonable detail, all of its corporate transactions, are essential for effective management to ensure Superior meets its business, legal and financial obligations. Data must not be falsified or altered in any way to conceal or distort assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses or the nature of the activity. Representatives should ensure all business transactions are properly authorized and that transactions be completely and accurately accounted for, recorded, and supported by accurate documentation in reasonable detail.
In accordance with Superior's disclosure obligations, all financial communications and reports must contain full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure and be delivered in a manner that facilitates the highest degree of clarity of content and meaning consistent with Superior's Communication and Disclosure Policy, so that readers and users will be able to quickly and accurately determine their significance and consequence.
No information may be concealed from Superior's external auditors, Board of Directors or the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Any suspected violation relating to accounting or financial reporting matters should be reported in accordance with Superior's Whistleblower Policy.
Conflict of Interest
Representatives must avoid interests or relationships where their personal interests may possibly corrupt their judgement or motivation in acting in the best interests of Superior. Representatives shall not use their status with Superior to obtain personal gain from those doing or seeking to do business with Superior. Each Representative shall act in such a manner that his or her conduct will bear the closest scrutiny should circumstances demand that it be examined; if it seems like a conflict of interest, it probably is.
Where a conflict of interest situation may exist or be perceived to exist, the Representative may be put in a compromising position or his or her judgement or objectivity may be questioned; a Representative is expected to remove themself from the conflict/report it to a supervisor or resolve such a conflict in Superior's favour.
Superior wants to ensure that all Representatives are, and are perceived to be, free to act in the best interests of Superior. Immediate and full disclosure to managers or supervisors by Representatives of areas of potential conflict of interest will allow appropriate steps to be taken to protect the individual from these situations.
For example: Representatives who hold outside employment or participate in charitable, educational, cultural, political and not-for-profit organizations should ensure that it does not adversely affect their job performance at Superior or results in the creation of a conflicting interest
It is also Superior's policy to deal fairly and lawfully with all customers, suppliers and independent contractors purchasing or furnishing goods or services. Representatives shall always seek to obtain goods and services on a competitive basis at the best value considering price, quality, reliability, availability and delivery.
Gifts, Benefits and Entertainment
Representatives shall not accept gratuities or favours of any sort having more than a nominal value from any person, organization or group that does, or is seeking to do, business with Superior or any of its affiliates or from a competitor of Superior or any of its affiliates. Likewise, no Representative shall offer or provide, either personally or on behalf of Superior, any excessive gifts, entertainment or payments of any amount of money, either directly or indirectly, to any supplier, customer, sub-contractor, or competitor of Superior's.
Political Contributions and Government Relations
The direct or indirect use of Superior's funds, goods or services as contributions to political parties, campaigns or candidates for election to any level of government requires approval of the President and CEO of Superior. Generally, Superior does not make or reimburse individuals for contributions except when public policy issues have the potential to impact Superior's business.
Superior, as an entity offering services within a regulated industry, must be especially sensitive to the interaction with public officials, foreign and domestic. All interaction and communications between Representatives and public officials are to be conducted in the highest ethical manner, in accordance with Superior's Anti-Corruption Policy and must not compromise the integrity or reputation of any public official, Superior, its affiliates or its Representatives.
Confidential Information
In the course of their service with Superior, Representatives may have access to information that is confidential, privileged, of value to competitors of Superior or might be damaging to Superior if improperly disclosed.
Superior respects privileged customer and employee related information, and therefore all Representatives must protect the confidentiality of such information. If there is any doubt as to what can or cannot be discussed outside of Superior, Representatives should err on the side of discretion and not communicate any information. Representatives should also consult Superior's Communication and Disclosure Policy.
The use or disclosure of confidential information must be for company purposes only and not for personal benefit or the benefit of others. This applies to disclosure of confidential information concerning Superior or its business activities as well as information with respect to companies having business dealings with Superior. To preserve confidentiality, disclosure and discussion of confidential information should be limited to those individuals who need to know the information.
Representatives shall not use material, non-public information, before it is publicly disclosed, for their own financial gain or for that of their associates. All individuals who come into possession of inside information should be mindful of Superior's Insider Trading Policy. Representatives are obligated to preserve the confidentiality of information entrusted to them even after they leave the Corporation, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated.
Community Relations
In its business, Superior and its Representatives come in contact with members of the business and investment community, including community groups and representatives of the media. Superior strives to maintain its good reputation in the community and therefore needs to ensure that individuals speaking on behalf of Superior recognize and deal with sensitive issues in an appropriate manner and consistent with Superior's Communication and Disclosure Policy. Enquiries related to matters of a sensitive nature should be directed to the Vice-President, Investor Relations or senior management. The Vice-President, Investor Relations shall then refer the matter to either the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer where appropriate.
Company Property and Opportunities
All Representatives are responsible for protecting Superior's assets, and managers are responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate internal controls to safeguard Superior's assets against loss from unauthorized use or disposition. Activity outside of incidental personal use of Superior's property, including investment and other business opportunities, is not permitted without specific authorization.
All inventions, discoveries and copyrights made by Representatives during or as a result of their employment or contractual relations with Superior (where company time, equipment, resources or pertinent information has been used for personal gain) are the property of Superior unless a written release is obtained from the Chief Executive Officer.
Superior and its Representatives shall honour the proprietary rights of others as expressed in patents, copyrights, trademarks and industrial design.
2. Responsibility
Each Representative has a duty to avoid circumstances that would violate the letter or spirit of this Code, and it is essential that all Representatives follow established policies, procedures and internal controls. It is the responsibility of every Representative to bring to the attention of Superior's senior management any knowledge of a situation which might adversely affect Superior's reputation. All Representatives are encouraged to report, verbally, or in writing any behaviour of other Representatives which they reasonably believe is illegal or unethical.
Unscrupulous dealings, non-compliance with this Code or the law, or other dishonest or unethical business practices are forbidden and may result in disciplinary action, including termination from employment or termination of contractual relations and, if warranted, legal proceedings. Effective remedial action will be commensurate with the severity of the violation, and, if determined appropriate, a matter may be referred to the appropriate authorities.
3. Questions & Reporting
If an employee or independent contractor has any question of appropriateness in a particular situation, areas of conflict or disagreement with any aspect of this policy, the matter should be discussed with the employee's or contractor's respective supervisor. There may be situations in which it is impractical or inappropriate for an employee to bring the matter to his or her supervisor. In these instances, employees should seek the advice of the Vice President, Human Resources of the employee's business division or Superior's General Counsel.
In view of the ever-increasing complexity of laws affecting business activity, if a director or officer has any question of appropriateness in a particular situation, areas of conflict or disagreement with any aspect of this policy, the matter should be discussed with the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Superior's Board of Directors or Superior's General Counsel.
It is essential that all Representatives understand and be responsible for abiding by this Code. Any suspected violations of this Code must be reported directly to the Representative's supervisor or Superior's General Counsel or in accordance with Superior's Whistleblower Policy. Reporting may be made anonymously. Any complaints submitted will be promptly and thoroughly investigated.
Superior strictly prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful retaliation against any Representative. Representatives shall be protected from retaliation, including any threats or form of discipline, reprisal, intimidation or other form of retaliation for participating in any activity protected by law. No adverse action will be taken against any individual for making a complaint or disclosing information in good faith, and any Representative who retaliates in any way against an individual who in good faith reports any violation or suspected violation of this Code will be subject to disciplinary action.
4. Exceptions and Changes
In very limited circumstances, exceptions may be made under this Code. Any exception proposed to be made under this Code shall be presented by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer to the Board of Directors for its approval.
Any amendment to this Code must be in writing, approved by the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of Superior, and will be disclosed as required by applicable laws and regulations or listing standards.
This code was last amended and restated by the Board of Directors on November 1, 2012.
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A medical telemetry system includes a procedure alarm silence feature that enables a clinician to remotely disable a monitoring station alarm in order to perform a patient procedure that might cause inadvertent false alarms. To disable the alarm for a preprogrammed time interval, the clinician presses keys on the telemetry unit according to a predefined key sequence that is selected so as to reduce a likelihood of accidental alarm disablement. The monitoring system responds to the predefined sequence by disabling an audible alarm for all alarm conditions except class 1 arrhythmias. A corresponding visual alarm at the monitoring station is maintained active. While the alarm is disabled, the monitoring station displays an indication of the amount of time until expiration of the preprogrammed time interval.
1. In a system in which physiologic data of a patient is sensed and transmitted to a monitoring station by an ambulatory telemeter unit worn by the patient, and in which the monitoring station analyzes the physiologic data in real time to check for alarm conditions, a method of remotely disabling an alarm of the monitoring station, comprising:
detecting a predefined user action performed on the ambulatory telemeter unit worn by the patient; and
responding to detection of the predefined user action by transmitting a message from the ambulatory telemeter unit to the monitoring station to cause the monitoring station to preemptively disable an alarm at the monitoring station for a preprogrammed time period, to thereby inhibit false alarms as a procedure is performed on the patient.
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13. A medical telemetry system, comprising:
an ambulatory telemeter unit that senses and transmits physiologic data of a patient in real time, the ambulatory telemeter unit configured to be worn by the patient; and
a monitoring system that receives and displays the physiologic data transmitted by the ambulatory telemeter unit, and analyses the physiologic data to check for at least one type of alarm condition;
wherein the monitoring system is responsive to a predefined user action performed on the ambulatory telemeter unit by preemptively disabling an alarm associated with the ambulatory telemeter unit for a preprogrammed time interval, so that a clinician can remotely disable the alarm while performing a procedure on the patient.
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24. A telemeter unit, comprising:
a housing having a plurality of keys;
a lead set that attaches to a patient to sense physiologic data of the patient, wherein the telemeter unit is configured to transmit the physiologic data to a remote monitoring station; and
a processing module which is responsive to a predefined sequence of depressions of the keys by transmitting an alarm silencing message to the remote monitoring station to cause the remote monitoring station to preemptively disable an alarm associated with an automated analysis of the physiologic data, the predefined sequence of depressions selected to reduce a likelihood that the alarm will be disabled by accident.
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33. A medical telemetry system, comprising;
an ambulatory telemeter unit that senses and transmits physiologic data of a patient in real time, the ambulatory telemeter unit configured to be worn by the patient; and
a monitoring system that receives and displays the physiologic data transmitted by the ambulatory telemeter unit, and analyses the physiologic data to check for at least one type of alarm condition;
wherein the telemetry system is responsive to a predefined user action performed on the ambulatory telemeter unit by disabling an alarm associated with the ambulatory telemeter unit prior to an expected alarm condition for a preprogrammed time interval, so that a clinician can remotely disable the alarm while performing a procedure on the patient.
A variety of medical telemetry systems exist which allow the ECG waveforms of hospital patients to be monitored in real time. The ECG signals of the patient are sensed by a telemeter unit and a set of ECG leads, and are transmitted by the telemeter unit to a monitoring station (typically located in a central location). In ambulatory systems, the telemeter units are battery-powered wireless units that are worn by the patients. The telemeter units may also be designed to sense and transmit other types of physiologic data such as pulse oximetry, non-invasive and invasive blood pressure, end tidal carbon dioxide, respiration, and temperature.
The monitoring station, which typically includes a PC or other computer system coupled to a receiver, displays the ECG waveforms of multiple patients for viewing by a human operator. The monitoring station also applies software-implemented analysis algorithms to check for abnormalities, such as arrhythmia conditions, high and low alarm limits, and lost signals caused by loose leads. When such an abnormality is detected, an alarm indicator is displayed on the screen, and/or an audible alarm is sounded.
One problem with existing medical telemetry systems is that false alarms frequently occur as the result of short-term procedures performed on the patients by nurses and other clinicians. For example, a false alarm may occur when a clinician replaces or repositions the ECG leads for patient. As a result, clinicians are unnecessarily dispatched to patients' rooms or otherwise distracted.
The present invention overcomes this problem by providing a "procedure alarm silence" feature through which a clinician can remotely disable the alarm from the bedside or other patient location for a predetermined time. The feature is preferably invoked by the clinician through a predefined sequence of key depressions or other actions on the telemeter unit. Once invoked, the monitoring station temporarily inhibits some or all types of alarms. In a preferred embodiment, for example, the monitoring station disables the audible alarm for a two minute interval for all monitored abnormalities except class 1 arrhythmia conditions. A corresponding visual alarm is preferably kept active. The predefined key sequence is preferably selected such that patients and clinicians are unlikely to invoke the feature (disable audible alarms) by accident.
FIG. 1 illustrates the operation of an example telemeter unit and monitoring station according to the present invention.
An example implementation of the invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 1, which is intended to illustrate but not limit the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
As depicted in FIG. 1, the ambulatory telemeter units 30 (one shown) of the system include four types of buttons or keys: a Remote Record key 34, a Nurse Call key 36, a Procedure Alarm Silence (PAS) key 38, and a pair of Attendant Present/Procedure Alarm Silence Unlock keys 40 (preferably positioned on opposite sides of the telemeter unit). The functions performed by these keys are summarized in Table 1. The telemeter unit 30 also includes a "PAS Unlocked" LED 42 which flashes indicating that the PAS key is unlocked and can be actuated by pressing the PAS key. The keys illustrated in FIG. 1 are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to imply actual key sizes or locations.
The default state of the PAS key 38 is "locked" (non-functional). To unlock the PAS key, the clinician holds down both Attendant Present/Procedure Alarm Silence Unlock keys 40 until the "PAS unlocked" LED 42 begins flashing. As depicted by the telemeter flow diagram in FIG. 1, if the PAS key is not thereafter pressed within a preprogrammed "unlocked" period, the LED stops flashing and the PAS key is returned to the locked state. If, on the other hand, the PAS key is pressed while unlocked, a PAS message is sent to the central station 32 (monitoring system), causing the central station to enter into the PAS mode (audible alarms disabled, etc.) for the particular telemeter unit 30 and patient. The central station remains in the PAS mode with respect to that patient until expiration of a preprogrammed PAS interval, such as two minutes, or until the PAS key is re-pressed, whichever occurs first.
As illustrated by the central station flow diagram, upon receiving the PAS message and entering into the PAS mode, the central station 32 disables the audible alarm for all but class 1 arrhythmia alarm conditions. The visual alarms preferably remain active. While in the PAS mode, a message such as "Temporary Procedure Alarm Silence Activated," and a visual indication of the amount of time remaining in the PAS interval, are displayed on a central station display screen 32A in association with the particular patient's data. Once either a "PAS Reset" message is received from the telemeter unit 30 (indicating a "PAS re-press" event) or the PAS interval expires, the PAS message and "time remaining" indicator are cleared from the display and the audible alarms are re-enabled.
As will be apparent from the foregoing, any of a variety of alternative key types and key depression sequences could be used to remotely disable the alarms. In addition, other types of clinician actions could be used to initiate the PAS mode, such as applying a magnetic or electronic key to the telemeter unit. Further, although the feature is illustrated in connection with a wireless, ambulatory telemeter unit, the feature may be incorporated into hardwired and other non-ambulatory telemeter units.
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