The present invention relates to a method for stabilizing an enzyme by storing the enzyme in the presence of a stable coenzyme. The present invention further relates to an enzyme stabilized with a stable coenzyme, and to the use thereof in test elements for detecting analytes.

Biochemical measurement systems are important constituents of clinically relevant methods of analysis. The priority here is to measure analytes, e.g. metabolites or substrates, which are determined directly or indirectly with the aid of an enzyme. The analytes are in this case converted with the aid of an enzyme-coenzyme complex and then quantified. This entails the analyte to be determined being brought into contact with a suitable enzyme and a coenzyme, with the enzyme usually being employed in catalytic amounts. The coenzyme is changed, e.g. oxidized or reduced, by the enzymatic reaction. This process can be detected directly, or electrochemically or photometrically through a mediator. A calibration provides a direct relationship between the measurement and the concentration of the analyte to be determined.
Coenzymes are organic molecules which are bound covalently or non-covalently to an enzyme and which are changed by the conversion of the analyte. Prominent examples of coenzymes are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), respectively, from which NADH and NADPH, respectively, are produced by reduction.
Measurement systems known in the prior art are notable for being stable for a limited period and for the specific requirements on the environment, such as cooling or dry storage, for achieving this stability. For particular applications, e.g. tests carried out by the final user himself, such as, for example, in the self-monitoring of blood glucose, it is therefore possible for incorrect results to occur through incorrect, unnoticed faulty storage. The exhaustion of desiccants through the primary packaging being opened for too long in particular may lead to faulty measurements which, with some systems, can scarcely be identified by the user.
One known measure employed to increase the stability of biochemical measurement systems is the use of stable enzymes, e.g. the use of enzymes from thermophilic organisms. A further possibility is to stabilize enzymes by chemical modification, e.g. crosslinking, or by mutagenesis. In addition, enzyme stabilizers such as, for example, trehalose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and serum albumin can also be added, or the enzymes can be enclosed e.g. by photopolymerization in polymer networks.
Attempts have also been made to improve the stability of biochemical measurement systems by using stable mediators. Thus, the specificity of tests is increased, and interference during the reaction is eliminated, through the use of mediators with a redox potential which is as low as possible. However, the redox potentials of the enzyme/coenzyme complexes form a lower limit for the redox potential of mediators. Below these potentials, the reaction with the mediators is slowed down or even stopped.
An alternative possibility is also to use biochemical measurement systems without mediators, in which for example there is direct detection of coenzymes, e.g. of the coenzyme NADH. One disadvantage of such measurement systems is, however, that coenzymes such as NAD and NADP are unstable.
NAD and NADP are base-labile molecules whose degradation pathways are described in the literature (N. J. Oppenheimer in The Pyridine Nucleotide Coenzymes, Academic Press New York, London I 982, editors J. Everese, B. Anderson, K. You, Chapter 3, pages 56-65). The degradation of NAD and NADP, respectively, essentially results in ADP-ribose through cleavage of the glycosyl linkages between the ribose and the pyridine unit. The reduced forms NADH and NADPH are on the other hand acid-labile: e.g. epimerization is one known degradation pathway. In both cases, the instability of NAD/NADP and NADH/NADPH derives from the lability of the glycosyl linkage between the ribose unit and the pyridine unit. However, even under conditions which are not drastic, such as, for example, in aqueous solution, the coenzymes NAD and NADP, respectively, are hydrolysed solely through the ambient moisture. This instability may lead to inaccuracies in the measurement of analytes.
A number of NAD/NADP derivatives is described for example in B. M. Anderson in The Pyridine Nucleotide Coenzymes, Academic Press New York, London 1982, editors J. Everese, B. Anderson, K. You, Chapter 4. Most of these derivatives are, however, not well accepted by enzymes. The only derivative which has to date therefore been used for diagnostic tests is 3 acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (acetyl NAD) which was described for the first time in 1956 (N. O. Kaplan, J. Biol. Chem. (1956), 221, 823). Also this coenzyme shows a poor acceptance by enzymes and a change in the redox potential.
WO 01/94370 describes the use of further NAD derivatives with a modified pyridine group. Modifications of the nicotinamide group have, however, in general a direct influence on the catalytic reaction. In most cases, this influence is negative.
In a further idea for stabilization, the ribose unit has been altered in order thereby to influence the stability of the glycosyl linkage. This procedure does not directly interfere with the catalytic reaction of the nicotinamide group. However, there may be an indirect influence as soon as the enzyme exhibits a strong and specific binding to the ribose unit. Kaufmann et al. disclose in this connection in WO 98/33936 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,006, and in WO 01/49247, respectively, a number of thioribose-NAD derivatives. A connection between the modification of the nicotinamide-ribose unit and the activity of the derivatives in enzymatic reactions has, however, not been shown to date.
CarbaNAD, a derivative without a glycosyl linkage, was described for the first time in 1988 (J. T. Slama, Biochemistry 1989, 27, 183 and Biochemistry 1989, 28, 7688). The ribose therein is replaced by a carbocyclic sugar unit. Although carbaNAD was described as a substrate of dehydrogenases, its activity has not to date been demonstrated clinically in biochemical detection methods.
A similar approach was described later by G. M. Blackburn, Chem. Comm., 1996, 2765, in order to prepare carbaNAD with a methylenebisphosphonate compound instead of the natural pyrophosphate. The methylenebisphosphonate shows increased stability towards phosphatases and was used as inhibitor of ADP-ribosyl cyclase. An increase in hydrolysis stability was not the aim (J. T. Slama, G. M. Blackburn).
WO 2007/012494 and U.S. Ser. No. 11/460,366 disclose stable NAD/NADH and NADP/NADPH derivatives, respectively, enzyme complexes of these derivatives and the use thereof in biochemical detection methods and reagent kits.
An object of the present invention is to provide methods for stabilizing enzymes, especially for the long-term stabilization of enzymes.

Stabilization of dehydrogenases with stable coenzymes


A recording material comprising at least one thermodecoloring type dye represented by formula (I) or formula (II) ##STR1## wherein Ar.sup.1 and AR.sup.2 each represents an aryl group or heteroaryl group; R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group, alkenyl group, aralkyl group, aryl group, or heteroaryl group; A represents an atomic group forming a 5 to 6 member ring; and X.crclbar. represents a residue with an electric charge value of -1; or Ar.sup.1 and Ar.sup.2 bond together to form a ring.

A variety of systems are known in color recording technology. For example, systems such as electrophotographic systems, ink jet systems and heat sensitive transfer systems are already in practical use. Of these, the heat sensitive transfer system is in wide use since it is considered more advantageous than the other systems because the maintenance and operation of related equipment are easy and this equipment and the associated consumables are economical. However, a heat sensitive transfer system involves the setting in position of two sheets, an ink sheet and a transferred sheet, and therefore necessitates a variety of adjustments relating to material and equipment if high image quality is to be achieved. In particular, forming multicolor images involves successive transfer of a plurality of ink sheets and in this case therefore it is essential to take especial care to avoid color fringing. Consequently, there have been calls for non-transfer type color heat sensitive recording materials permitting direct thermal recording using just a single sheet of recording paper.
Thermal color development material as typified by heat sensitive paper is known as non-transfer type heat sensitive recording materials. However, although there have been attempts to make such a material into a multicolor recording material, no full-color heat sensitive recording material is known as yet.
To produce full-color heat sensitive recording materials, it is preferable to use materials with the characteristic that compounds per se go irreversibly from being colorless to being colored on heating, or conversely go from being colored to being colorless on heating. The compounds disclosed in the specification of WO No. 86-07,312 are known as the former type of compounds which change from being colorless to being colored on heating, but the disclosed compounds have the drawback that the changes in hue are slow and that quite a high temperature is needed. Compounds which are decolored through the action of alkalis are known as the latter type of compounds which are changed from being colored to being colorless, from, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,118, but no examples of compounds which are changed to colorless simply through heating alone have been reported.
It is the object of the present invention to provide dyes which change rapidly from being colored to being colorless on heating. The invention also has as its object to provide a heat sensitive recording material comprising such dyes.

Recording material using thermodecoloring dye


A vapor deposition device includes a base, a hollow rod, a bracket, four bearing seats, and an ion source. The base defines a through hole and four grooves in one surface thereof. The hollow rod is inserted in the through hole and defines four vents in the circumferential direction thereof. The vents point to the upper space of the grooves correspondingly. The hollow rod includes a closed end and an opposite opened end. The bracket is connected to the closed end. The bearing seats are fixed to the bracket so that the bearing seats face the grooves respectively. The ion source is coupled to the opened end. Ions emitted by the ion source are guided by the hollow rod to the vents and the upper spaces of the grooves respectively.

1. Technical Field
This present disclosure relates to coating technology and, particularly, to a vapor deposition device.
2. Description of Related Art
Current deposition devices typically include a vapor deposition chamber, a supporting umbrella, a crucible, and an ion source. The supporting umbrella, the crucible, and the ion source are disposed within the vapor deposition chamber. The crucible and the ion source are disposed beneath the supporting umbrella. In operation, substrates to be coated are supported by the supporting umbrella, facing the crucible and the ion source. A precursor is added to the crucible and vaporized into a corresponding precursor gas. The ion source emits ions to ionize (oxidize) the precursor gas to form a corresponding coating material gas which is deposited on the substrates. A challenging scenario of utilizing such a deposition device is where more than one crucible for more than one precursor is deployed but some of the crucibles fail to achieve position match with the ion source. Consequently, reduction of the purity of the coating is likely as some of the precursor gas may not be fully oxidized by the ions and directly deposited on the substrate.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a vapor deposition device, which can overcome the above-mentioned limitations.


Disclosed is a vacuum preventing device for a scroll compressor comprising: a housing fixed to an upper surface of a fixed scroll to cover a compression hole and a suction hole and having a discharge hole at an upper surface thereof and a rotation member receiving space therein; and a rotation member fixed to a shaft of the receiving space so as to rotate by a pressure difference of gas introduced through the compression hole and the discharge hole and having a compression gas receiving groove for opening/closing the compression hole at one side thereof and a suction gas receiving groove for opening/closing the suction hole and the discharge hole at the other side thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scroll compressor, and more particularly, to a vacuum preventing device for a scroll compressor in which gas in a discharge region flows backward to a suction region at the time of an abnormal driving such as a pump down or an expansion valve blocking, thereby preventing a vacuum of the compressor.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a compressor is a device for converting mechanical energy into latent energy of a compression fluid, and is largely classified into a reciprocation compressor, a scroll compressor, a centrifugal compressor, and a vane compressor by compression methods.
The scroll compressor has a structure that gas is sucked, compressed, and discharged by using a rotation member like the centrifugal type and the vane type differently from the reciprocating type which uses a linear reciprocation of an piston.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an inner part of the conventional scroll compressor.
As shown, the scroll compressor comprises: a case 1 divided into a gas suction pipe SP and a gas discharge pipe DP; a main frame 2 and a sub frame (not shown) respectively installed at both sides of upper and lower portions of an inner circumference surface of the case 1; a driving motor 3 installed between the main frame 2 and the sub frame; a rotation shaft 4 engaged to a center portion of the driving motor 3 for transmitting a rotation force of the driving motor 3; an orbiting scroll 5 installed to have an eccentric rotation at an upper portion of the rotation shaft 4 and having a wrap 5a of an involute curve shape at the upper portion thereof; and a fixed scroll 6 engaged to the orbiting scroll 5, and having a wrap 6a of an involute curve shape so as to form a plurality of compression spaces P therein.
The case 1 is divided into a suction region S1 and a discharge region S2 by a high and low pressure separation plate 7, and a compression region S3 is formed at a position connected to the compression space P.
A gas inlet 6b and an outlet 6c are respectively formed at a lateral surface and a center portion of the fixed scroll 6, and a non-return valve 8 for preventing discharged gas from flowing backward is installed at an upper surface of the fixed scroll 6.
The main frame 2 and the sub frame are fixed to the inner circumference surface of the case 1 by a fixation means such as welding, and the fixed scroll 6 is also fixed to a bottom surface of the high and low pressure separation plate 7 by a fixation means such as a bolt.
Meantime, in case of a pump down and an expansion valve blocking, the suction region S1 of the compressor becomes a high vacuum state. At this time, components relevant to the compressor may be damaged and destroyed.
To prevent this, a vacuum preventing device 20 is provided in the conventional art.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation at the time of a normal driving in the vacuum preventing device of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an operation at the time of an abnormal driving in the vacuum preventing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line Axe2x80x94A of FIG. 2.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the vacuum preventing device 20 includes a chamber 10 formed at one side of the fixed scroll 6, and a discharge hole 11 connected to the discharge region S2 at an upper surface of the chamber 10.
A compression hole 12 connected to the compression region S3 is formed at a bottom surface of the chamber 10, a plug 14 having a suction hole 13 is fixed to an opening portion of the chamber 10 by a fixation pin 15, and the suction hole 13 is connected to the discharge hole 11.
An open/close member 17 for selectively connecting the discharge hole 11 and the suction hole 13 is movably installed in the chamber 10.
A spring 16 for limiting a movement of the open/close member 17 and providing an elasticity force thereto is installed at the opening portion of the chamber 10.
Hereinafter, operations of the conventional scroll compressor will be explained.
First, when a power source is applied to the driving motor 3, the driving motor 3 rotates the rotation shaft 4, and the orbiting scroll 5 engaged to the rotation shaft 4 is rotated to an extent of its eccentric distance.
At this time, a plurality of compression spaces P formed between the wrap 5a of the orbiting scroll 5 and the wrap 6a of the fixed scroll 6 gradually move towards a center portion of the fixed scroll 6 as the orbiting scroll 5 continuously performs an orbiting movement, thereby having a decreased volume.
By the decreased volume of the compression spaces P, gas of the suction region S1 is sucked into the compression space P through the inlet 6b, and the sucked gas is discharged to the discharge region S2 through the outlet 6c.
When the compressor is normally driven, a pressure of the compression region is larger than an elasticity force of the spring 16, so that the open/close member 17 overcomes the elasticity force of the spring 16 and closes the discharge hole 11.
However, the compressor is abnormally driven, a pressure of the compression region is smaller than the elasticity force of the spring 16, so that the open/close member 17 is shoved by the elasticity force of the spring 16 and opens the discharge hole 11. At this time, the discharge hole 11 is connected to the suction hole 13.
As the discharge hole 11 and the suction hole 13 are connected to each other, gas of the discharge region S2 flows backward into the suction region S1 through the discharge hole 11 and the suction hole 13, thereby releasing a vacuum of the compressor.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the conventional scroll compressor, a minute clearance t is formed between an inner wall of the chamber 10 and an outer circumference surface of the open/close member 17 so as to induce a smooth slide movement of the open/close member 17.
Generally, the clearance is fabricated as the minimum size so that the open/close member 17 can slide the chamber 10, and fabricated as a minute size enough not to leak gas through the discharge hole 11 when the open/close member 17 closes the discharge hole 11.
When the clearance t becomes smaller, gas is closed more efficiently but an operation of the open/close member 17 is not smooth. On the contrary, when the clearance t becomes larger, gas leakage is increased and an operation of the open/close member 17 is smooth. Accordingly, considering the operation of the open/close member 17, the clearance t is designed and fabricated within a tolerance limit range.
However, in the conventional art, when the compressor is normally driven, the open/close member 17 receives a pressure downwardly by a gas pressure of the discharge region S2. At this time, a bottom surface of the open/close member 17 is adhered to an inner bottom surface of the chamber 10 and an upper surface of the open/close member 17 is more separated from an inner upper surface of the chamber 10. That is, the clearance t becomes large more than the tolerance limit range.
When the clearance t becomes large, a part of gas of the discharge region leaks to the suction region through the clearance, thereby degrading a compression efficiency of the compressor.
Also, in the conventional art, since high minuteness is required at the time of designing and fabricating the clearance, a high cost is required and a productivity is degraded.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum preventing device for a scroll compressor, in which a rotation member which selectively connects a discharge hole to a suction hole by being rotated by a pressure difference between the compression region and the discharge region is installed, so that a vacuum of the compressor can be efficiently prevented at the time of an abnormal driving and gas leakage of the discharge region is effectively prevented at the time of a normal driving, thereby enhancing a compression efficiency of the compressor.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a vacuum preventing device for a scroll compressor comprising: a housing fixed to an upper surface of a fixed scroll to cover a compression hole connected to a compression region of a compression space and a suction hole connected to a suction region, and having a discharge hole connected to the suction hole at an upper surface thereof and a rotation member receiving space therein; and a rotation member fixed to a shaft of the receiving space so as to rotate with a predetermined angle by a pressure difference of gas introduced through the compression hole and the discharge hole and having a compression gas receiving groove for opening/closing the compression hole at one side thereof and a suction gas receiving groove for opening/closing the suction hole and the discharge hole at the other side thereof.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Vacuum preventing device for scroll compressor


An apparatus comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be conf igured to generate an address signal in response to (i) a first ramp signal, (ii) a second ramp signal, and (iii) a format signal. The second circuit may be configured to generate the first and second ramp signals in response to a one or more control signals. The address signal may support a raster format when the format signal is in a first state and may support a macroblock format when the format signal is in a second state.

The present invention relates to a method and/or architecture for graphics and video generally and, more particularly, to a block move engine with macroblock addressing modes.
Conventional video display approaches require data in raster scan order format (i.e., sequential scan lines). In conventional systems, both video and graphics images are usually stored in memory in raster scan order (i.e., complete scan lines of data are stored at sequential locations in memory). Raster scan order is convenient for normal data ordering required to drive a device, such as a display.
Referring to FIG. 1, a system 50 illustrates a BME incorporated within a combined graphics and video system. The system 50 comprises a video capture circuit 52, a graphics CPU 54, a BME 56, a display driver circuit 58, a memory 60 and a system bus 62. The system bus 62 allows the various components of the system 50 to communicate. The video capture block 52 is able to write moving video or individual stills to the system memory 60, while the graphics CPU 54 is responsible for drawing graphics objects from data stored within the system memory 60. The VIDEO INPUT to the video capture block 52 can be a compressed data format. The compressed data is written as decompressed video to the memory 60 in sequential scan lines.
Modern communications (i.e., digital TV, Internet, etc.) often use data compression techniques in order to transfer more data (i.e., images) quickly over a given link. Data compression formats such as JPEG and MPEG use a basic image unit known as a macroblock, which,is typically a square block of 8xc3x978 pixels. It is often convenient when decompressing such data compression formats to store the pixels for each macroblock grouped together in memory rather than storing the image as a whole in raster format. It is therefore conceivable that a system may contain video and data files which are stored in raster format and others in macroblock format.
It would be desirable to implement a BME to allow reading and writing of video or graphics images that are stored in either macroblock format or raster format.
The present invention concerns an apparatus comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate an address signal in response to (i) a first ramp signal, (ii) a second ramp signal, and (iii) a format signal. The second circuit may be configured to generate the first and second ramp signals in response to one or more control signals. The address signal may support a raster format when the format signal is in a first state and may support a macroblock format when the format signal is in a second state.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention include providing a method and/or architecture for implementing a block move engine that may (i) implement a number of macroblock addressing modes; (ii) store video data in various macroblock or raster formats that may be read and written in raster scan order; (iii) be suitable for both raster and macroblock format data and/or (iv) implement a base that is an address of (a) a top left pixel in a region being scanned for raster format data or (b) a first data point for a macroblock in a top left of a region being scanned for macroblock format data.

Block move engine with macroblock addressing modes


In a printing apparatus which performs printing by using a printhead having a printing element unit for performing printing and a memory block, the control circuit of the printing apparatus main body outputs a command for acquiring specific information from information held by the memory block. Upon reception of this command, the command control unit of a carriage control unit generates an access signal containing an address for reading out information designated by the command from the memory block. The command control unit accesses the memory block by the access signal, and acquires specific information corresponding to the command from the memory block.

Printing apparatuses which print information such as a desired character or image on a sheet-like printing medium such as a paper sheet or film are widely used as an information output apparatus in a word processor, personal computer, facsimile apparatus, and the like. These printing apparatuses are used as printers in current business offices, in other business affairs departments, and for personal use. On the other hand, the printing apparatuses have been developed and improved for achieving further cost reduction, higher resolution, and the like while strongly requiring high density and high-speed printing.
Of these printing apparatuses, an ink-jet printing apparatus which discharges ink from the orifices of printing elements to perform printing as quiet nonimpact printing can realize high density and high-speed printing because of its structural feature, and is widely spread as a low-cost color printer or the like. The ink-jet printing apparatus performs printing by discharging ink in accordance with desired printing information by using a printhead having a printing element (nozzle) with an orifice and an electrothermal transducer which generates discharge energy for discharging ink from the orifice.
As the printhead structure, various printheads in which a plurality of printing elements are aligned in one or a plurality of lines have conventionally been known. In a printhead of this type, N printing elements are designed as one block, and several or several tens of driving integrated circuits which can be simultaneously driven are mounted on a single board. Image data are aligned in correspondence with printing elements, and arbitrary printing is done on a printing medium such as a paper sheet by driving the recording elements.
With recent increases in resolution and image quality, the printhead performance has greatly been improved. The number of printing elements to be simultaneously driven increases because the number of printing elements has been increased for higher resolution and higher image quality or in order to increase the printing speed. Various types of printheads are proposed in accordance with the performance of the printer main body, and a printhead having, information for identifying the type of printhead is also available. An ink-jet printhead has various pieces of printhead information necessary for the printer main body, such as the ink use amount of an expendable ink cartridge.
In the printhead, as the number of printing elements to be simultaneously driven becomes larger, energy necessary for driving also becomes larger. A printing element driving method corresponding to the capacitance of a power supply circuit is required. For a printing element which performs printing by using heat, continuous driving of one printing element accumulates heat, changing the printing concentration or destructing the printing element itself. In the presence of a factor such as manufacturing variations, proper printing element energy cannot be obtained for application energy, which degrades the printhead durability or the like.
A printing element is also influenced by an adjacent printing element. For example, in an ink-jet printing apparatus, when adjacent printing elements are simultaneously driven, nozzles receive pressure interference owing to a pressure generated in ink discharge. The pressure interference (crosstalk) may change the printing concentration. It is, therefore, desirable to set an idle time for dissipating heat or avoiding crosstalk.
In addition, many demands have arisen for driving control corresponding to the printing agent use amount of a cartridge which stores a printing agent, particularly, the ink cartridge use amount of an ink-jet printhead. These demands vary for the difference in ink color information or manufacturing date, the difference in ink viscosity, the difference in use purpose, or the like.
To cope with these problems and demands, there is proposed an arrangement in which the printhead incorporates a means for detecting a printhead temperature, a means capable of arbitrarily changing a driving method by an external input signal, and a means for detecting the difference between printheads due to manufacturing variations, and if necessary, pieces of information are extracted and controlled (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-241992). A circuit arrangement in which printing elements are grouped into a plurality of blocks every predetermined number of printing elements and the blocks are driven in time division is put into practical use.
In a printing apparatus using such printhead, the number of printing elements in the printhead tends to increase for the purpose of high printing speed and high printing density. Accordingly, the number of blocks in the above-mentioned time division driving increases, and the number of control signal lines also increases even in the use of a decoder circuit or the like. As the image quality and function are improved, the printhead structure becomes complicated, and its control becomes cumbersome, overloading the control unit of the main body apparatus on which the printhead is mounted.
For example, the control unit must manage/execute a control sequence of, e.g., changing a driving pattern in accordance with the operation mode of the printhead, manage and calibrate the influence of the difference in printing state on an image owing to printhead manufacturing variations or the difference between lots, determine the type of head, or sequentially monitor the driving status.
To cope with the above problems, a recent printhead has a data holding function such as a nonvolatile memory (to be simply referred to as a memory hereinafter). The memory stores, as printhead feature information, data such as manufacturing variation information of a printing element or temperature sensor, manufacturing time information containing a printhead manufacturing date, printhead structure information, and a printhead printing dot count value. The printhead memory holds data such as the feature information in a non-rewritable or rewritable state. When, for example, the printhead is mounted on the main body apparatus, all data stored in the memory are read out. Necessary information is reflected in the internal register of the main body apparatus or the like, realizing control corresponding to each printhead. The recording apparatus refers to mapping information which makes the type of information and a storage position correspond to each other, extracts information necessary for control from all data read out from the printhead memory, and utilizes the information for various control operations.
In real-time driving control of performing driving coping with, e.g., temperature detection during printing, processing in correspondence with mapping during read of all data (feature information or the like) from the memory decreases the throughput, failing to achieve high-speed, high-image-quality printing. Especially for a thermal head and ink-jet printhead that ejects ink by utilizing heat, the printing temperature greatly influences a printed image. Hence, driving energy control corresponding to the printhead temperature is important, and is an indispensable function for a printing apparatus requiring high-image-quality. The printing apparatus must send a large amount of printing data to the printhead at a high speed, and it is difficult to execute control during detection of printhead information in terms of the processing time.
More specifically, the printing apparatus is used in various ways with different ink colors at different viscosities. In real-time driving control of performing driving coping with the difference in the ink storage amount of the ink tank (change in negative pressure in the ink tank or the like), processing in correspondence with mapping during read of all data (feature information or the like) from the memory decreases the throughput, failing to achieve high-speed, high-image-quality printing. In a general low-cost nonvolatile memory, the access time to the memory is several 150 μs to 10 ms (write) even for one address. It becomes difficult to leave and refer to the log by frequent accesses.
One problem of the prior art is that read of data from the printhead takes a long time because all data in the printhead are read out to the printing apparatus and necessary data are selected and used in the printing apparatus. This can be ignored when data is read out from the printhead at a timing when a sufficient time can be used for read (e.g., a timing when the printing apparatus is powered on). However, when data must be extracted from the printhead within a short time for the above-mentioned real-time driving control or the like, no long time can be ensured, and many pieces of information cannot be processed.
Every time the number of types of printheads increases, mapping information of the memory for each printhead must also be set, and read processing in the printing apparatus must be changed for each type of printhead. To allow the printing apparatus to extract common specific information from various types of printheads by the same read processing, the memory storage method and storage address must be common between different types of printheads. In this case, the degree of freedom of using a memory for each printhead is greatly limited.
Considering the above conventional drawbacks, it is desired to provide a printing apparatus control method which can efficiently extract information held by a printhead at a high speed, and does not limit the degree of freedom of using a memory regardless of the type of memory and the access method in the printhead.


A driving device includes an inverter to output a voltage to coils, a connection switching unit to switch a connection state of the coils between a Y connection and a delta connection, and a controller. The controller causes the inverter to stop outputting, when the connection state of the coils is the Y connection and a current value of the inverter reaches a first threshold A, or when the connection state of the coils is the delta connection and the current value of the inverter reaches a second threshold B. The first threshold A and the second threshold B satisfy B<√3×A.

In an air conditioner, a connection state of coils of a motor for driving a compressor is switched between a Y connection (also referred to as a star connection) and a delta connection (also referred to as a Δconnection) in order to increase an operation efficiency during low-speed rotation and during high-speed rotation of the motor.
In order to suppress demagnetization of a permanent magnet of a motor, the motor is stopped when an output current of an inverter reaches a threshold (overcurrent protection level). Further, the overcurrent protection level is switched depending on a connection state, since a current flowing in coils in a delta connection is √3 times as large as that in a Y connection (see, for example, Patent Reference 1).

Driving device, compressor, air conditioner, and driving method


A battery controller of an embodiment includes an auxiliary battery, a connection control unit, a calculating unit, and a balancing control unit. The auxiliary battery is a lithium ion secondary battery that is connectable to or disconnectable from an auxiliary power line of a vehicle. The connection control unit disconnects the battery from the auxiliary power line under a certain condition of the vehicle. The calculating unit calculates the state of charge of the battery when the battery is disconnected by the connection control unit. The balancing control unit executes balancing control to equalize the amount of charge between cells of the battery when the battery is disconnected by the connection control unit.

Conventional electric power supply systems mounted on hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) use electric power of a high-voltage battery as power for operating auxiliary equipment by stepping down the voltage of the electric power using a DC-DC converter and accumulating the power in a lead battery (for example, see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2014-231324).
The European Union (EU) adopted the directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, or, the restriction of hazardous substances directive (RoHS). The directive designates several kinds of substances including lead as hazardous substances and restricts their use.
Furthermore, it is likely that the End-of Life Vehicles Directive (the ELV directive), which is an environmental policy addressing end-of-life vehicles, restricts use of lead batteries for new model vehicles, after January, 2022.
A lithium-ion rechargeable battery (LiB) as replacement of a lead battery has therefore been studied for use as an auxiliary battery in the above electric power supply system.
Replacing a lead battery with an LiB for an auxiliary battery, however, has issues of the accuracy and the quality of electric power supply.
For example, use of an LiB needs processes such as calculating the state of charge (SOC) of the LiB based on the open circuit voltage (OCV) and equalizing the energy capacity between cells connected in series in a battery pack of the LiB, with the LiB disconnected from the electric power supply system.
The LiB used as an auxiliary battery has to be continuously connected to the supply system from the DC-DC converter because of the necessity of dark current. In this circumstance, neither calculation of the SOC nor equalization in the amount of charge between cells can be conducted, which problematically causes, for example, accumulation of errors of the SOC and variation of the energy capacity between cells.

Battery controller and method of battery control


An air conditioner intakes indoor air and outdoor air, blows it through a heat exchanger, then supplies the conditioned air to an indoor space. In the heat exchanger, water cools the air. A remote refrigeration circuit, also known as a chiller, cools the water. A controller controls the chilled water to stay within a temperature range. When the chilled water exceeds the temperature range, the air conditioning fan is decelerated, thus reducing the amount of heat that the water absorbs from the air. When the desired indoor temperature is less than the actual indoor temperature, then the fan is returned to its maximum velocity.

Generally, an air conditioner is an appliance which cools or heats an indoor space by using a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerant comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator so as to offer a pleasant indoor environment to users.
The air conditioner comprises an evaporator which performs heat exchange between water and a refrigerant, and a heat exchanger such as a chilled water coil in which the water cooled by the heat exchange cools an air, so that the chilled air cooled by the heat exchanger blows to the indoor space and can cool the indoor space.
In the conventional air conditioner, if the air conditioner operates, a compressor is operated, and if the air conditioner stops, the compressor is stopped. When the compressor is operated, the chilled water can cool an air and the air can cool the indoor space. If the temperature of the chilled water is not appropriately changed according to the cooling load of the indoor space, the air conditioner is difficult to operate by optimum efficiency and to respond to the partial load effectively.

Method of conditioning air with a refrigeration loop connected to a water circuit


For every acquisition of a set of mass spectrum data, a mass calibrator (determines the amount of mass discrepancy using the appearance position of a peak originating from an internal standard substance having a known m/z value, and performs a process for correcting the mass discrepancy. A mass calibration information collector (collects the amount of mass discrepancy or mass correction quantity for each set of mass spectrum data. After the completion of the measurement, a three-dimensional display information creator creates a three-dimensional graph showing the large number of collected mass correction quantities plotted in a three-dimensional space in which the retention time in a primary column and the retention time in a secondary column in a comprehensive two-dimensional LC unit are represented by two mutually orthogonal axes while the mass correction quantity is represented by the axis orthogonal to those two axes.

In a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS) or liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) in which a mass spectrometer is used as the detector for a gas chromatograph (GC) or liquid chromatograph (LC), a measurement on a sample temporally separated into components by a column in the chromatograph is repeatedly performed in the mass spectrometer. For example, when a scan measurement over a predetermined range of mass-to-charge ratios m/z is performed in the mass spectrometer, a set of data showing a mass spectrum within the predetermined range of mass-to-charge ratios is obtained in each scan measurement. In a mass spectrum which is obtained when a sample containing a specific component has been introduced into the mass spectrometer, one or more peaks originating from that component appear. Accordingly, it is possible to identify an unknown component by analyzing the pattern of the peaks appearing on the mass spectrum, in addition to the elution time (i.e. retention time) of that component in the chromatograph.
There are various types of mass spectrometers, such as the quadrupole, time of flight, ion trap, or Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance type. In any of those types, a mass discrepancy (the difference between measured and true mass-to-charge ratios) occurs due to various factors, such as a change in the ambient temperature. Normally, such a mass discrepancy is calculated based on the result of a measurement on a specific substance whose exact mass-to-charge ratio is previously known (e.g. a standard substance), and a correction is performed in the data processing so as to eliminate the calculated mass discrepancy. In a chromatograph mass spectrometer, it is often the case that the amount of mass discrepancy changes with the passage of time from the introduction of the sample into the chromatograph. When a high level of analysis accuracy is needed, such a mass discrepancy whose amount changes with the passage of time needs to be corrected in almost real time. A method for correcting such a mass discrepancy is described in Patent Literature 1, in which a mass spectrometric analysis is performed with an internal standard substance continuously added to the sample separated into components by the chromatograph, and the mass-to-charge ratio at which the internal standard substance is detected is used to correct the mass discrepancy.
Even when such a correction of the mass discrepancy is possible, a situation in which the mass discrepancy becomes extremely large in the middle of the measurement should not be considered as normal; in such a situation, it is likely that some problem has occurred. Accordingly, in some cases, it is desirable to observe the temporal change in the amount of mass discrepancy or in a mass correction quantity for correcting the mass discrepancy, so as to confirm or verify whether or not the measurement has been properly performed. For this purpose, a conventional device has been known which can display the relationship between the retention time and the mass correction quantity in a graphical form, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 (see FIG. 4 in Non Patent Literature 1, page 9 of Non Patent Literature 2, or other documents). Such a graph allows analysis operators to instantly comprehend whether or not the mass correction quantity has reached or even exceeded a specific value in the middle of the measurement. This is convenient for checking the reliability of the measurement.
As one technique of the GC analysis, a technique called the "comprehensive two-dimensional GC" or "GC×GC" has been commonly known (see Patent Literature 2 or other documents). In the comprehensive two-dimensional GC, various components contained in a target sample are initially separated by a column which is the first dimension (which is hereinafter called the "primary column"), and the thereby eluted components are introduced into a modulator. The modulator repeats an operation including the steps of capturing the introduced components at regular intervals of modulation time (which is normally within a range from a few seconds to approximately one dozen seconds), detaching those components with an extremely narrow time bandwidth, and introducing them into a column which is the second dimension (which is hereinafter called the "secondary column"). The component separation in the primary column is normally performed under such a separation condition that the elution occurs at a rate approximately equal to or slightly lower than the rate in a commonly used GC. On the other hand, as compared to the primary column, the column used as the secondary column has a different polarity, shorter length and smaller inner diameter, with the component separation performed under such a condition that each elution will be completed within the specified modulation time. In this manner, in the comprehensive two-dimensional GC, a plurality of components which have not been separated by the primary column and whose peaks overlap each other can be separated in the secondary column, whereby the separation performance is dramatically improved as compared to normal GCs.
A similar technique to the comprehensive two-dimensional GC is also known in the field of LC analysis, which uses two columns having different separation characteristics and is called the "comprehensive two-dimensional LC" or "LC×LC". In the present description, both the comprehensive two-dimensional GC and the comprehensive two-dimensional LC are collectively called the "comprehensive two-dimensional chromatograph".
In those comprehensive two-dimensional chromatographs, the retention time in the secondary column ("second retention time RT2") is an enlargement of a narrow range of time in the retention time in the primary column ("primary retention time RT1"). Therefore, the measured result may be represented by a chromatogram similar to the normal one. However, in many cases, using a one-dimensional chromatogram makes it difficult to comprehend the state of separation in each individual column, since the two columns have different separation characteristics. Therefore, in order to present the state of separation in each column in an easily comprehensible form, a two-dimensional chromatogram having two orthogonal axes which respectively represent the primary retention time RT1 and the secondary retention time RT2 is created, with the signal intensity represented by contour lines, color scale, or gray scale. A commonly known data processing software product for creating two-dimensional chromatograms is "GC Image", offered by GC Image LLC (see Non Patent Literature 3).
In recent years, mass spectrometers have been popularly used as detectors for comprehensive two-dimensional GCs or LCs. In such a comprehensive two-dimensional chromatograph mass spectrometer, if the correction of the mass discrepancy is performed in substantially real time, it is certainly possible to draw the relationship between the retention tine and the amount of mass discrepancy or mass correction quantity as shown in FIG. 4. However, if the mass discrepancy information is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, users cannot easily comprehend the relationship between the retention time and the mass discrepancy for each of the two independent columns, since, in many cases, the two columns used in a comprehensive two-dimensional chromatograph have different separation characteristics, as noted earlier. Such a problem is not unique to the mass discrepancy information; for example, a similar problem occurs with a retention-time discrepancy (i.e. the discrepancy between measured and true retention times) in a chromatograph.
Besides, in an imaging mass spectrometer frequently used for a measurement of biological samples, as disclosed in Patent Literature 3, a mass spectrum or MSn spectrum can be obtained for each of a large number of micro areas within a two-dimensional area on a sample. Based on the measured results, a mapping image which shows the distribution of the signal intensity at a specific mass-to-charge ratio corresponding to the two-dimensional area to be analyzed can be created. For example, such a device sequentially performs a mass spectrometric analysis for each of the large number of micro areas while gradually changing the position of the sample. Therefore, a considerable amount of time is needed from the beginning to the end of the measurement for one sample. During this period of time, a change in the amount of mass discrepancy may possibly occur. However, none of the conventional imaging mass spectrometers have been provided with the function of displaying, in an easily comprehensible form, the amount of mass discrepancy or mass correction quantity in a mass spectrometric analysis at each micro area.
Furthermore, no conventional comprehensive two-dimensional chromatograph or imaging mass spectrometer has the function of displaying, in an intuitively comprehensible form for analysis operators, such kinds of information as a difference between analysis results obtained for a plurality of samples, difference between analysis results obtained for different components in one sample, difference in various physical or statistical quantities respectively calculated from the analysis results obtained for a plurality of samples, or difference in various physical or statistical quantities respectively calculated from the analysis results obtained for different components in one sample.


A method including receiving a geographic area value limit that segments a geographic region associated with a network into geographic areas; receiving a geographic area-level evolved Node B (eNB) value limit that indicates a maximum number of eNBs to reside in each geographic area; calculating eNB identifiers based on the geographic area value limit and the geographic area-level eNB value limit; assigning the eNB identifiers to eNBs associated with the network; receiving a tracking region value limit that segments the geographic region associated with the network into the geographic areas; receiving a tracking area value limit that indicates a maximum number of tracking areas within each geographic area; calculating tracking area codes based on the tracking region value limit and the tracking area value limit; and assigning the tracking area codes to the tracking areas within each geographic area.

Various communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc., require assignment of identifiers (IDs) to network devices. For example, in a GSM network, a base station identity code (BSIC) corresponding to a base station ID is assigned to each base station, and in an LTE network, an evolved Node B (eNB) ID is assigned to each eNB. According to the LTE standard, the eNB ID must be unique. In addition to IDs, various communication standards require other types of codes to be assigned. For example, in the GSM network, location area codes (LACs) are assigned, and in the LTE network tracking areas code (TACs) are assigned. According to the LTE standard, the TACs must also be unique.

Assignment scheme for wireless node identifiers and location codes


A graphics drawing apparatus drawing a graphic, including: a generation unit, where a sequence of two-dimensional coordinates of vertices is input, generating the coordinates of each of the vertices and virtual vertex coordinates for the coordinates of each of the vertices on a memory, the virtual vertex coordinates being generated by converting the X-coordinate value of the coordinates of each of the vertices to the X-coordinate value of the coordinates of the leading vertex of the sequence; and a setting unit that sets the coordinates of two vertices of a partial graphic that is to be created as the coordinates of two adjacent vertices, in sequence starting from the leading vertex, and, after setting the coordinates of the trailing vertex of the sequence, setting the coordinates of two vertices of the partial graphic that is to be created as the coordinates of the leading and trailing vertices.

1. Field
The embodiments discussed herein are directed to a graphics drawing apparatus, a graphics drawing method, and a graphics drawing program which draw graphics by using a memory corresponding to a two-dimensional coordinate system consisting of an X-axis representing a direction in which consecutive memory addresses are arranged and a Y-axis representing the direction intersecting the X-axis in applications such as computer graphics, and to a recording medium on which the program is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stencil buffers, which store the shapes of graphics to be drawn, are used in applications such as computer graphics. There are the following techniques for drawing a desired graphic in a stencil buffer area. For example, there is a technique in which, for a sequence of vertex coordinates input from a vertex coordinate stream, triangles that share vertex coordinates input as the coordinates of the leading vertex are drawn by using exclusive-OR operation one by one each time vertex coordinates are input, thereby forming a final graphic to be drawn (hereinafter referred to as a "subject graphic").
In another technique, each time vertex coordinates are input from a vertex coordinate stream, sides of the contour of a subject graphic, each being formed by the coordinates of two adjacent vertices, are drawn one by one and a rectangle is drawn from each of the sides drawn to one! end of a stencil buffer area by using exclusive-OR operation, thereby constructing a subject graphic (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-209812 and No. 10-188010).
However, the existing technique described earlier has a problem that, because all the triangles that make up subject graphic share the coordinates of the leading vertex as described above, the coordinates of the other vertices of some triangles are positioned far away from the leading vertex coordinates and therefore many scan lines are involved in the drawing.
When many scan lines are involved, the difference between memory addresses associated with the pixels on the scan lines is large and therefore data cannot efficiently be transferred from a VRAM (Video RAM) to a stencil buffer with burst access and the rendering speed decreases. Furthermore, when many triangles in which many scan lines are involved are drawn, the scan lines are swept back and forth many times to draw the triangles. Random access to the VRAM takes place at each sweep, which reduces the rendering speed.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-209812 or No. 10-188010 draws pixels in the direction in which consecutive memory addresses are arranged and therefore can alleviate the problem described above. However, scan lines involved in drawing are processed to their ends. Thus, the technique suffers from low rendering speeds because rendering is applied to a wider range than necessary. Additionally, the technique requires implementation of an extra dedicated mechanism called a scan line algorithm, adding to the cost of the products (a detailed description of which is omitted here since it is well known in the art).

Graphics drawing apparatus, method, and program and recording medium on which the program is recorded


A resin-clad metal foil which enables a reduction in fluidity of a resin during molding and a reduction in extrusion of the resin while maintaining good adhesiveness, bendability, thermal resistance, and circuit filling property. A first insulating layer includes a polyimide resin layer, a polyamideimide resin layer, a liquid crystal polymer resin layer, a fluororesin layer, or a polyphenylene ether resin layer and a second insulating layer includes a polyolefin resin layer in a semi-cured state are disposed in this order on a metal foil. The polyolefin resin layer contains a component representing a polyolefin-based elastomer and a component representing a thermosetting resin. The percentage by mass of the component in the polyolefin resin layer ranges from 50 wt. % to 95 wt. %.

Compact and thin electronic apparatuses include a large number of flexible printed wiring boards. To achieve higher-density and thinner electronic apparatuses, the flexible printed wiring boards having a multilayer structure have been more required. In addition, the flexible printed wiring boards are required to be of a higher quality. As materials for realizing multilayer structures of flexible printed wiring boards, bonding sheets or coverlays are adopted as insulating layers, and metal foils such as copper foils are adopted as conductive layers. To satisfy the demand for a reduction in thickness, a resin-clad metal foil has been proposed (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).
Moreover, in a known method for fabricating a multilayer printed board (e.g., see Patent Literature 2), a perforated substrate having holes, a film-shaped adhesive having holes corresponding to the holes in the substrate, and a printed board having a copper pattern are hot pressed with the film-shaped adhesive being sandwiched between the perforated substrate and the printed board to mold a stack. In this method, in order to prevent the film-shaped adhesive from being extruded into the holes in the perforated substrate, the hot pressing is performed with a thermoplastic resin sheet being disposed on the perforated substrate to mold the stack.
In order to reduce the thickness of the multilayer printed board, a perforated resin-clad metal foil may be used instead of the perforated substrate and the adhesive film. Specifically, the printed board, the perforated resin-clad metal foil, and a thermoplastic resin sheet are hot pressed with a resin part of the perforated resin-clad metal foil being disposed on the printed board and the thermoplastic resin sheet being disposed on a metal foil part of the perforated resin-clad metal foil to mold a stack. During the molding, the thermoplastic resin sheet is thermally deformed to fill the holes in the perforated resin-clad metal foil, which enables extrusion of a resin of the perforated resin-clad metal foil into the holes to be reduced.
The printed board has, however, a surface which is provided with the copper pattern and is thus uneven. Thus, when the hot pressing is performed with the thermoplastic resin sheet being provided, the unevenness of the surface of the printed board may result in an uneven surface of the metal foil of the perforated resin-clad metal foil. When the surface of the metal foil is uneven and is no longer smooth, mounting components on the surface with a high density becomes difficult.
Thus, adopting a resin having a high degree of fluidity as a resin of the perforated resin-clad metal foil without providing the thermoplastic resin sheet is considered. In this case, the resin is more likely to flow during the molding and the unevenness of the surface of the printed board is smoothed to secure the smoothness of the surface of the metal foil on the printed board. Moreover, the adhesive property, bending property, thermal resistance, and circuit filling property of the printed board are good. However, since the resin of the perforated resin-clad metal foil has a high degree of fluidity, the resin is extruded into the holes.

Resin-clad metal foil and flexible printed wiring board

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A new cultivar of Paeonia plant named ‘HR 01’, characterized by its large fully double flowers that are pure white in color and highly fragrant.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Paeonia lactiflora that will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'HR 01'. 'HR 01' is an herbaceous perennial suitable for landscape plantings.
The new variety of Paeonia, 'HR 01', arose from a controlled cross made by the Inventor in Roelofarendsveen, The Netherlands in May 1980. The cross was made between 'Duchess De Nemour' (not patented) as the female parent and 'Sarah Bernhardt' (not patented) as the male parent. 'HR 01' was selected as a single unique plant in May 1986.
The new cultivar has been asexually propagated by division by the Inventor in Roelofarendsveen, The Netherlands in 1987. Asexual propagation determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A data processing apparatus includes a data engine 6 having an instruction decoder 18 for generating one or more control signals 24 for controlling processing circuitry 20 to perform data processing operations specified by the program instructions decoded. The instruction decoder 18 responsive to a marker instruction to read a programmable flow control value from a flow control register 38. The programmable flow control value specifies the action to be taken upon completion of execution of a current sequence of program instructions. The action taken may be jumping to a target program instruction at the start of a target sequence of program instructions or entry into an idle state awaiting a new processing task to be initiated.

This application claims priority to GB Application No. 0918297.3 filed Oct. 19, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to the control of program flow within data processing systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide data processing systems with instruction decoder circuitry responsive to program instructions to generate one or more control signals for controlling processing circuitry to perform data processing operations specified by the program instructions. A convenient way of organising programs is to divide them into routines or functions which can be called as required. As an example, code may be written and compiled to perform a function, such as the calculation of a Fourier transform upon a set of data values. This function may be called from a number of different points within the program flow. It is also possible that in a system including more than one set of hardware for executing program instructions, one set of hardware may execute one set of instructions while another set of hardware executes another set of instructions. Within this environment, one set of hardware may invoke a function, such as a Fourier transform, to be executed by another set of hardware. Within such an environment, it is possible to form specialised hardware for executing particular functions.
An example of special purpose hardware for executing particular functions is a data engine. Data engines may be provided to perform computationally intensive tasks, such as, for example, media processing. Data engines typically include special purpose hardware designed to efficiently execute the tasks associated with the data engine. Such a data engine may operate in conjunction with a general purpose processor which schedules tasks to be executed by the data engine. In some instances, it is possible for the data engine itself to schedule its own tasks for execution by the data engine using a scheduling program executing upon the data engine.
The development and testing of programs to execute particular functions is expensive and time consuming. It is desirable that programs should require a low amount of memory storage.


Illustrative embodiments provide automated methods and systems for generating customer communications through analysis of known data of the customer, and data derived from third-party systems such as social media platforms and government data sources. Some embodiments provide automated methods and systems that produce, based on past interactions with a customer, a set of future interactions for execution by a sender. The set of future interactions is preferably configured, relative to a previous set of interactions, to increase the likelihood of a favorable response from the customer.

Traditional e-mail and other communication platforms allow individuals to communicate with recipients for personal or professional reasons. For instance, customer relationship management (CRM) systems enable entities and/or their members to track actual or potential customers or donors, and communications therewith, with the goal of maintaining and improving relationships with those customers or donors, thereby aiding customer retention and growth. However, these traditional e-mail service providers and communications platforms provided by CRM systems typically require that interactions (e.g., messages, e-mails, and updates) be manually generated and/or personalized, which can be extremely time consuming particularly when faced with a very large number and diverse set of customers or donors. Such manual generation and/or personalization of e-mails thus hinders the message drafter's ability to account for the multitude of factors (e.g., timing, history of interactions, events, data, and so forth) that can impact the success of the interaction.
Moreover, these traditional e-mail and communication platforms can provide auto-generation of messages to customers and donors. Many of these automatic reply techniques however are generic and not personalized. Indeed, some e-mail and communication platforms provide for automatic reply e-mails to be generated that include high-level personalization, such as selecting among reply options based on the sender (e.g., sender's name, e-mail domain) of the received e-mail message. However, these types of personalized e-mail replies, aside from not accounting for the vast amount and diversity of data that can impact the potential success of the message, are reactive rather than proactive. That is, the e-mail account for which an e-mail reply is auto-generated and sent must have first received an e-mail or have otherwise been triggered to prepare the response. To the extent e-mail systems include any sort of "suggestive sentences," they typically require a user to begin typing before the suggestive words and/or rest of the sentence is provided to the user.
There is a need therefore for systems and methods that proactively (rather than reactively) generate and manage communications and interactions (e.g., e-mails) between individuals to optimally achieve the sender's intended goal. Moreover, such systems and methods should be intelligent, meaning that they employ artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and tools that can analyze and understand relevant data obtained from various private and public data sources, derive information and/or knowledge therefrom, predict (e.g., using predictive models and analyses) optimal communications parameters (e.g., time, substance), and continuously improve their effectiveness via machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning, as provided for herein. In other words, there is a need for communications management systems and methods that provide proactive AI. Indeed, the proactive AI employed by such systems and methods should be verticalized AI, meaning that it can be tailored for particular needs or goals, such as an entity's specific mission or purpose (e.g., profit growth, fundraising), as opposed to horizontal AI, which garners insights across departments, datasets, and use cases within an organization, or standalone AI, which generates its own data and insights independent of other data sources (e.g., third-party sources). Lastly, these systems and methods should be as seamless as possible and reduce the need for multitasking among multiple interfaces, applications and the like, for instance, by providing user interface-less (UI-less) CRM via existing e-mail platforms.

Systems and methods for providing and managing proactive and intelligent communications


The cross-sectional area of polysilicon lines is increased by selectively epitaxially growing an upper portion of the polysilicon line in the presence of a dielectric layer exposing the upper portion. Thus, a substantially T-shaped line is obtained, allowing a minimum bottom-CD while insuring a sufficient high conductivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fabrication of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device such as a field effect transistor having a gate electrode structure with a metal silicide layer formed thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a silicon-based field effect transistor comprises highly doped silicon regions, also referred to as drain and source regions, that are embedded in a lightly and inversely doped silicon region, a so-called N-well or P-well, depending on the type of transistor. The drain and the source regions are spaced apart by a channel region interposed therebetween, wherein a conductive channel forms between the drain and source regions in the channel region upon application of an appropriate voltage to a gate electrode that is usually formed over the channel region and is separated therefrom by a gate insulation layer, often provided as a gate oxide layer.
Thus, in the most common field effect transistors, the gate electrode structure essentially comprises the gate electrode formed above the gate insulation layer, with polysilicon often being selected as the material for forming the gate electrode for several reasons.
For instance, polysilicon exhibits high compatibility with the subsequent high temperature processes that will be performed in completing the manufacture of the integrated circuit device. Moreover, the polysilicon interface with thermal silicon dioxide is well understood and electrically stable. Furthermore, polysilicon is more reliable than, for example, aluminum gate materials, and can be deposited conformally over a step-like topography. However, problems arise when polysilicon is used as a gate electrode material due to its higher electric resistance compared to metals, such as aluminum. Even when doped at the highest practical concentration, a 0.5 xcexcm thick polysilicon film has a sheet resistance of about 20 xcexa9sq. compared to 0.05 xcexa9sq. for a 0.5 xcexcm thick aluminum film. The resulting high values of interconnect line resistance can therefore lead to relatively long RC time constants (i.e., long propagation delays) and DC voltage variations within VLSI (very large scale integration) circuits.
To overcome this drawback, several solutions have been proposed and developed in the art. Among these solutions, the formation of metal silicides on the top of the polysilicon gate structure has proven to be the most reliable one for obtaining the lowest resistance values.
A typical prior art method of forming metal silicides on silicon-containing regions, such as the gate electrode of a MOS transistor, will be described in the following with reference to FIGS. 1a-1d.
FIG. 1a schematically shows a MOS transistor 100 to be formed on a substrate 1, such as a silicon wafer. Isolation structures 2 define an active region of the transistor 100. Moreover, reference 3 relates to a polysilicon gate electrode of the MOS transistor 100. Reference 4 relates to oxide side spacers formed on the sidewalls of the polysilicon gate electrode 3. Reference 6 denotes a gate insulation layer and reference 5 relates to the source and drain regions of the MOS transistor 100. FIG. 1b shows the MOS transistor 100 with a refractory metal layer 7 deposited thereon. In FIG. 1c, reference 8 relates to metal silicide layers formed on top of the polysilicon gate electrode 3 and on the source and drain regions 5.
Starting with the MOS transistor as depicted in FIG. 1a, in a first step, the refractory metal layer 7 is deposited on the MOS transistor 100, as depicted in FIG. 1b. Usually, either titanium or cobalt is used as a metal for forming the metal layer 7, and typically a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, e.g., a sputtering process, is carried out for depositing the refractory metal layer 7.
Once the refractory metal layer 7 has been deposited, a low temperature thermal step (approximately 450xc2x0 for copper or 650xc2x0 for titanium, respectively) is carried out to react the metal in contact with silicon on the source/drain regions 5 and the polysilicon gate electrode 3. During the thermal step, inter-diffusion of the polysilicon and metal occurs at the polysilicon/metal interface on top of the polysilicon gate electrode 3 as well as on the source/drain regions 5. As a result, the metal silicide layers 8 are formed as depicted in FIG. 1c, whereby the refractory metal layer 7 is at least partially consumed.
In a subsequent step, as depicted in FIG. 1d, the non-reacted metal is selectively removed with a selective wet-etching step, leaving behind the metal suicide layers 8 on top of the silicon gate electrode 3 and on the source/drain regions 5.
Commonly, a further heat treatment (not depicted in the figures) is carried out at a higher temperature than the previous heat treatment to transform the metal silicide layers 8 into a more stable phase that exhibits a lower resistance than the metal silicide layers formed during the previous lower temperature heat treatment. For example, if cobalt is used, a cobalt mono-silicide is formed during the first heat treatment, which is then converted into a cobalt disilicide.
Since the finally-obtained metal silicide layers 8 exhibit a sheet resistance that is much lower compared to the sheet resistance of polysilicon, the total resistance of the gate electrode 3 including the metal silicide layers 8 is decreased.
The prior art method described above has accomplished satisfactory results for devices having minimum feature sizes of 0.5 xcexcm and more. The above method, however, is not completely adequate to compensate for the increase of the polysilicon sheet resistance which arises in the case of deep-sub-micron devices, i.e., with feature sizes equal to or smaller than 0.25 xcexcm.
The reasons for this can be explained as follows. As a general rule, decreasing the transistor size, i.e., the channel length, that is, in FIGS. 1a-1d, the horizontal distance between the source/drain regions 5, requires reducing the thickness of the gate insulation layer 6 and necessitates shallower source/drain regions which, in turn, restrict the achievable thickness of the metal silicides 8. As the metal silicide layer 8 for the gate electrode 3 is simultaneously formed with the metal silicide layers 8 of the drain and source regions 5, the thickness and, thus, the reduction in resistance, of the gate silicides is also restricted.
As the cross-sectional dimensions of the polysilicon gate electrode 3 decrease as a result of the continuous miniaturization of the devices, the resistance of the polysilicon portions of the gate structures increases and represents the dominant contribution of the resistance of the polysilicon gate electrode 3. The final, total resistance of the gate electrodes is, therefore, only scarcely influenced by the silicide layer but practically corresponds to the resistance of the polysilicon portion of the gate structure.
Since the trend toward an increasing miniaturization of the devices manufacturable on a substrate will continue in years to come, it clearly results that the formation of metal silicide layers on the top of gate polysilicon lines according to the prior art methods will render it very difficult to realize gate structures featuring resistances in conformity with the electrical performance required.
Accordingly, in view of the problems explained above, it would be desirable to provide a technique that may solve or reduce one or more of the problems identified above.
In general, the present invention is based on the consideration that gate structures featuring a low sheet resistance can be realized by xe2x80x9cdecouplingxe2x80x9d the effective gate length from the gate resistance in that the cross-sectional area of polysilicon lines is increased in an upper portion that is at least partially silicided, while the desired bottom-CD (bottom critical dimension) of the lines is maintained.
According to one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming at least one feature of a semiconductive material. The method comprises forming at least one initial feature of a semiconductive material having sidewalls and an upper surface. Moreover, the method comprises forming a dielectric layer adjacent to a portion of the sidewalls, wherein the dielectric layer covers less than all of the sidewalls and defines an exposed portion of the sidewalls of the initial feature. The method further comprises forming a layer of a semiconductive material on at least the upper surface and the exposed portion of the sidewalls of the initial feature so as to form at least one final feature of a semiconductive material having an upper portion extending beyond the sidewalls of the initial feature. Finally, the method comprises removing the dielectric layer so as to substantially expose all sidewalls of the initial feature.
According to another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming at least one conductive silicon-containing feature, the method comprising forming at least one initial silicon-containing feature having sidewalls and an upper surface. Moreover, the method comprises forming a dielectric layer adjacent to a portion of the sidewalls, wherein the dielectric layer covers less than all of the sidewalls and defines an exposed portion of the sidewalls of the initial feature. The method further comprises forming a silicon-containing layer on at least the upper surface and the exposed portion of the sidewalls of the initial feature so as to form at least one intermediate silicon-containing feature having an upper portion extending beyond the sidewalls of the initial feature. Additionally, the method comprises removing the dielectric layer so as to substantially expose all sidewalls of the initial feature and forming a metal silicide on the upper portion of the intermediate feature.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming the gate electrode of at least one field effect transistor to be formed on a substrate, the method comprising forming at least one initial polysilicon line above an active region of the transistor. The method further comprises forming a dielectric layer on a lower portion of the sidewalls of the initial polysilicon line by depositing a layer of a dielectric material on the upper surface and the sidewalls of the initial polysilicon line and partially removing the dielectric material to expose the upper surface and the upper portion of the sidewalls of the initial polysilicon line. The method also comprises forming a polysilicon layer on at least the upper surface and the exposed portion of the sidewalls of the initial polysilicon line so as to define at least one intermediate polysilicon line having an upper portion extending laterally beyond the initial polysilicon line and removing the dielectric layer so as to substantially expose all sidewalls of the initial polysilicon line. Finally, the method comprises forming a metal silicide on at least the upper portion of the intermediate polysilicon line.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a field effect transistor comprising at least one silicon-containing electrode having an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the upper portion has a width that is greater than a width of the lower portion. The transistor further comprises a metal silicide layer covering at least the upper surface of said upper portion.

Method of forming a semiconductor device having T-shaped gate structure


A set of strips of electrical terminals connected together by carrier strips (122 and 120) each comprises electrical terminals (95) each having a receptacle portion (96), a barbed retention part (98) for retaining the terminal in a terminal receiving cavity (62) in an insulating housing (14), a terminal leg and a cranked arm (102) connecting the retention part (98) to the terminal leg (100). The leg (100) has intermediate its ends a retention member (108), the leg (100) terminating in an insertion lance (112) for insertion in a hole (H) in a substrate (S). The set of terminal strips, comprises pairs of terminal strips, the arms (102) of the terminals of each pair of said strips being cranked in opposite senses. The portion (114) of the leg (100), between the arm (102) and retaining member (108) varies in length from pair of terminal strips to pair of terminal strips. The angle of crank of the arm (102) similarly varies. The invention enables the terminals (95) when they have been severed from the strips, to be selectively inserted into terminal receiving cavities (62) arranged in superposed rows in such a way that the insertion lances (112) are level with each other in two parallel rows, the spacing between the insertion lances (112) of the rows being determined by the angles of crank of the arms (102).

There is disclosed in US-A-4,637,669, an electrical connector comprising a plurality of terminal receiving cavities arranged at different levels, each terminal comprising a mating portion in a respective one of the cavities, and a terminal leg projecting below the connector housing, in which the cavities are formed. The terminal legs extend at right angles to the mating portions of the terminals, being connected to the rear ends thereof by rectilinear arms. Each terminal is thus substantially uniplanar. The end of portions of the terminal legs are intended for insertion in holes in a substrate and these holes must accordingly be spaced according to the spacing of the mating portions of the terminals, that is to say in accordance with the spacing of the cavities.

Set of strips of electrical terminals and a method of loading an electrical connector with said terminals


An arrow having an axially elongated shaft including a mandrel at the forward end of the shaft, a blade unit, comprising a generally axially extending tubular body, and blades on and projecting outwardly from the body, the body being telescopically slidable on the shaft; and structure on the body to releasably axially retain the body to the mandrel during airborne flight of the arrow, and to release the body for axial rearward sliding on the shaft in response to penetration of the mandrel into a target.

This invention relates generally to the construction of arrows, and more particularly concerns the facilitation of arrow penetration into targets, and removal from targets.
Many arrows are typically constructed to have guidance blades or vanes at the rearward end, and cutting blades at the forward end of the arrow shafts. A problem then develops as regards arrow penetration into and removal from targets, namely, that the forward blades resist such penetration and withdrawal. One method of approaching this problem was to form the forward vanes of metal, with razor sharp edges; however, such arrows were then difficult to handle, and the problem of blade withdrawal from penetrated targets remained. Therefore, arrows were constructed to be disassembled at the target location, to enable their withdrawal; however this is a time-consuming activity.


When a beam is formed in a direction at a switching point of microstrip array panels, two microstrip array panels associated with the switching point are used and a phase shift due to arrangement of the panels is compensated by a pre-set phase shifter so that sufficient gains can be secured for omni directions including boundary directions of the array panels in which very small gains have been obtained previously.

As a communication system which is mounted on an airplane or a land mobile vehicle, a communication system in which an artificial satellite is used as a relaying station has been studied, and a microstrip antenna is supposed to be a prospective antenna which will be used therein because of having advantages such as small size and light weight.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a microstrip antenna which is used in the communication system.
The microstrip antenna shown in FIG. 9 is mounted and used, for example on a body of an airplane, and includes a fairing 102 and two microstrip array panels 104 and 105. The fairing (radome) 102 in which a frame 103 is disposed is fitted on to a base 101. The two microstrip array panels 104 and 105 are mounted on this frame 103.
Each of the microstrip array panels 104 and 105 is provided with a base plate 106 made of low dielectric, a gland surface 107 formed on the reverse side of the base plate 106, and a plurality of driver elements 108 formed on the surface of the base plate 106.
And, a phase in a signal supplied to each of the driver elements 108 or in a signal received by each of the driver element 108 is shifted to a given degree by a phase shifter which is not shown in the drawing. Therefore, each area to which each microstrip array panel faces at an angle of 180.degree. is scanned in directivity, and an omni directional communication is made possible by the two microstrip array panels which are in both of the right and left sides.
However, in the microstrip antenna in which the two array panels are placed back to back, as shown in FIG. 10, in a range of a small scanning angle from an imaginable plane perpendicular to the microstrip array panel 104 or 105, a sufficient gain is obtained whereas in a range of a large scanning angle from the imaginable plane perpendicular to the microstrip array panel 104 or 105, a sufficient gain is not secured. Therefore, there is a disadvantage such that a communication in that direction becomes difficult.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a microstrip antenna capable of solving the disadvantage as described above as well as of securing sufficient gains in omni directions.


An electrochemical cell and method for producing the same having superior recharge and discharge characteristics through the use of thin non-perforated lead films.

There have been dramatic improvements in the design and performance characteristics of compact hermetically sealed rechargeable electrochemical cells. These cells are typically configured either as a series of plates or in a spirally wound electrode assembly. The two commonly used chemical systems are the lead acid system and the nickel cadmium system.
Although the lead acid battery system has been known and utilized for many decades, solutions to many of the practical difficulties associated with using such cells were not proposed until the mid-1970s. One of the difficulties seen with early lead acid cells was related to the problem of keeping the electrolyte acid contained within the cell. It was necessary to maintain an excess amount of acid (sulfuric acid) in the cell in order to allow for overcharging of the electrodes during the recharge process. Overcharging leads to the production of hydrogen and oxygen within the cell which traditionally was vented from the cell. Electrochemical cells having vent means and free acid generally had to be held upright in order to prevent the acid from leaking from the cell.
An additional problem with traditional lead acid cells was in maintaining the physical characteristics of the lead plates within the cell. In order to put some "back bone" in the lead plates, lead containing up to one percent of calcium was often used in cells to give the plates some rigidity.
The breakthrough invention in lead acid cells is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,861 of McClelland et al. The McClelland patent discloses the incorporation of several elements that combine to alleviate each of these problems associated with the traditional lead acid cell. The McClelland invention recognized the potential of utilizing the electrochemical recombination reaction. By capitalizing on the "oxygen cycle", a lead acid cell could be produced such that the electrolyte could be maintained in a "starved" condition. Rather than having an excess of electrolyte, the cell could be operated with a minimal amount of electrolyte present in the system. In order to maintain a starved condition, it is necessary to have sufficient absorbent material or pores within the cell to contain the electrolyte while still having space filled with gas.
By using relatively absorptive separator material, McClelland was able to accomplish two distinct functions. The absorptive separator allowed the flow of gases and electrolyte between the positive and negative plates, thereby allowing the oxygen cycle to function. The absorptive separator also acts as a wick to hold the electrolyte within the cell without the necessity of having free electrolyte in the system.
McClelland also discloses a configuration of the plates and separator so that the elements are held tightly together. It was then possible to use considerably purer lead grids that are more corrosion resistant than the calcium-containing lead plates previously used. Venting means are included in the McClelland device as a safety release device to release excess pressure. However, since there is little or no non-absorbed electrolyte in the cell, there is almost no danger of acid leaking from the cell.
Prior to the development of the McClelland device, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,395,043 and 3,494,800 of Shoeld disclosed the use of relatively thin lead plates in an electrochemical cell. The cells described in the Shoeld patents, being prior in time to the McClelland patent, did not use absorptive, gas permeable separators. The cells disclosed did not, therefore, utilize the oxygen cycle, were not maintained in a starved or semi-starved condition, and probably contained free electrolyte in order to function properly. The Shoeld patents do not indicate that the batteries produced would have superior discharge or recharge characteristics. Based on the techniques and materials available at the time of the Shoeld disclosures, it is quite unlikely that the cell disclosed therein would have had any significant advantages over existing cells.
Since the McClelland patent, there have been several patents disclosing improvements to the fundamental cell disclosed therein. In the field of using blind rivets to assemble an electrochemical cell and to act as an electrical conductor, there is U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,173 by McClelland, et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,465,748 of Harris, 4,414,259 of Uba, 4,233,379 of Gross, 4,137,377 of McClelland and 4,216,280 of Kono each describe separators to be used in starved lead acid cells. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,516 of Okada and 4,648,177 of Uba both identify cell parameters that lead to superior recharge/discharge characteristics in lead acid cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,299 of Nelson to a certain extent incorporates the inventions of Shoeld and McClelland. The Nelson patent describes the use of grid-like plates and absorptive gas permeable separators as described in McClelland with the extremely thin plates disclosed by Shoeld. The result is a lead acid cell with enhanced recharge/discharge properties.
The theoretical advantage of utilizing thin plates in electrochemical cells has been known for decades. The thinner the plates the less distance electrons have to travel within the plate during discharge, and, during recharge, the shorter distance of non-conductive material to be regenerated. To a certain extent, the thickness of plates utilized has been dictated by the available technology for the production and handling of thin lead films.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,415 by Witehira describes a lead-acid battery with extremely thin plates on the order of 5 to 20 micrometers thick (less than 0.001 inches). However, the plates are not interleafed negative and positive plates, but instead are sandwiched together to form thicker plates which, in turn, are interleafed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173, 066 by Kinsman is for a laminar battery having a zinc coated cellophane substrate. Of course, the function of a cellophane substrate and the manufacturing concerns associated with it are much different from those of a metal foil substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,201 by Wagner is for a liquid electrolyte battery such as a lead-acid cell. One embodiment of the invention is a silver-zinc cell having a positive plate 0.010 inches thick but the negative plate is 0.025 inches thick. U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,260 by Coler is for a liquid electrolyte battery having an electrode with a thickness of 0.025 inches. U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,128 by Aldecoa is for a lead-acid battery having a foil thickness of "less than 0.010 inches". The porous paste thickness is not specified, but presumably is greater than the thickness of the foil, to make the total plate thickness in excess of 0.010 inches. Other references to so-called thin plate designs are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,001,022 by Wheadon (referring to plates in excess of 0.010 thick) and 4,863,728 by Witehira (which describes the use of both thin plates and thick plates in a single battery to provide a variety of discharge characteristics).
The use of thin plates has been seen for some time in alkaline batteries such as nickel-cadmium batteries. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,963,161 by Chi, 4,937,154 by Moses and 4,539,272 by Goebel, describe alkaline batteries having thin plates. However, alkaline batteries normally are formed with plates of materials with higher tensile strengths than lead which are much easier than lead to manufacture and handle in thin layers.
For much the same reasons that thin plates produce superior results, thin layers of reactive paste also lead to superior discharge/recharge characteristics. The Nelson patent discloses the use of both thin lead grids and thin layers of reactive paste. A basic shortcoming in the Nelson device, is that the paste residing within the grid openings can have a greatly increased distance to the lead plate material. For example, in the Nelson patent the openings in the lead plate grid are constructed so that the distance from the center of the opening to the grid strands is significantly greater than the thickness of the paste layer on the face of the plate. Since the performance characteristics of electrochemical cells is proportional to the thickness of the lead plates and the thickness of the paste layer, the use of grids or other perforated sheets, greatly decreases the efficiency of the cells.
The Nelson patent teaches away from a thin plate design using non-perforated plates, on the grounds that thin plates are prone to corrosion:
"To achieve optimum high rate discharge capability, in theory one would prefer to use thinner plates to reduce the current density on discharge. However, corrosion, particularly at the positive grid as aforementioned, has placed limitations on how thin plates can be made in practice."
Other patents on thin perforated plates include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,999,263 by Kabata (which refers to films as thin as 3 micrometers coated with a polymeric material having a thickness of "1,000 micrometers or less"; 3,973,991 by Cestaro (referring to perforated lead foil 0.019 inches thick before the application of a coating); and 4,874,681 by Rippel (which refers to a woven perforated plate of strands with a 0.008 inch outside diameter or 0.005 inch outside diameter before application of any coating). Other art in the field includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,064,725 by Hug; 4,099,401 by Hug; 4,112,202 by Hug; 4,158,300 by Hug; 4,212,179 by Juergens; 4,295,029 by Uba; 4,606,982 by Nelson; 4,709,472 by Machida; 4,780,379 by Puester; Japanese Patent Nos. 58-119154 and 59-103282 and U.S.S.R. Patent No. 674124.
Of course, the prior art includes many references to thin plate capacitors. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,772 by Yamano. These patents are of marginal relevance, because they are not directed toward battery technology and the plate material is normally aluminum or nickel rather than lead.