Upon a first process encountering a triggering device, a second process chooses whether to proxy-execute code corresponding to the triggering device of the first process on behalf of such first process based at least in part on whether a license evaluator of the second process has determined that the first process is to be operated in accordance with the terms and conditions of a corresponding digital license. The license evaluator at least in part performs such determination by running a script corresponding to the triggering device in the code of the first process. Thus, the first process is dependent upon the second process and the license for operation thereof.

A computer application distributor wishes to distribute such computer application to each of many users or recipients in exchange for a license fee or some other consideration. However, such distributor typically also wishes to restrict what each user or recipient can do with such distributed computer application. For example, the distributor would like to restrict the user from copying and re-distributing such application to a second user, at least in a manner that denies the distributor a license fee from such second user. Similarly, the distributor may wish to prevent the user from employing the application to perform more than a set number of a certain task.
In addition, the distributor may wish to provide the user with the flexibility to purchase different types of use licenses at different license fees, while at the same time holding the user to the terms of whatever type of license is in fact purchased. For example, the distributor may wish to allow the application to be executed only a limited number of times, only for a certain total time, only on a certain type of machine, only on a certain type of rendering platform, only by a certain type of user, etc. Likewise, the distributor may wish to allow one user to pay a smaller license fee and access a smaller set of application functions and also to allow another user to pay a larger license fee and access a larger set of application functions, and the like.
However, after distribution has occurred, such distributor has very little if any control over the distributed application. This is especially problematic in view of the fact that the application may be copied and re-distributed to most any personal computer, presuming that the application is not otherwise protected in some manner from such copying and re-distribution. As should be appreciated, most any such personal computer includes the software and hardware necessary to make an exact digital copy of such application, and to download such exact digital copy to a write-able magnetic or optical disk, or to send such exact digital copy over a network such as the Internet to any destination.
Of course, as part of a transaction wherein the application is distributed, the distributor may require the user/recipient of the application to promise not to re-distribute such application in an unwelcome manner, and to not perform other prohibited acts. However, such a promise is easily made and easily broken. A distributor may therefore attempt to prevent such prohibited acts through any of several known security measures.
One security measure that is employed to prevent improper re-distribution of an application is product activation. In such product activation, a customer acquiring a software application is provided with a product activation key corresponding thereto, which is a unique serial number and product identifier that acts as a proof of purchase or the like. The provided product key is then entered during installation of the application on a particular computer device to act as a proffer that the application was acquired legally and/or otherwise properly. The product activation key need not be and typically is not cryptographic in nature, although a digital signature (which is cryptographic in nature) may be included to act as a guarantee that the product key is genuine.
The entered product key and an ID representative of the computer device are then sent to a product activation service as part of the installation process. As may be appreciated, the product activation service determines whether the entered product key is valid, whether the product key has been employed before, and if so in connection with what computer device. Typically, each product key enables an installation or re-installation of the application on a single computing device, as is set forth in a corresponding license agreement, although a product key may also enable a set number of installations/re-installations on multiple computer devices also.
Accordingly, if the product activation service determines that the entered product key has already been employed to install the application on another computer device (or has been employed a maximum number of times, for example), such activation service will not allow the installation of the application on the computer device to proceed, will not allow a complete installation of the application on the computer device, will not allow the installed application to be used on the computer device, or the like, as the case maybe. Thus, activation as used herein may entail permission to install the application, permission to perform some level of installation of the application, permission to completely install the application, some level of permission to use the application, complete permission to use the application, or the like.
If the activation service declines to activate the application for the customer based on an entered product key already being used in connection with another computing device, or based on the entered product key not supporting the level of activation desired, the customer must acquire another appropriate product key to install/completely install/use the application on the computing device in the manner desired. Thus, the product key and the product activation service act to ensure that the application is not nefariously or wantonly installed/activated/used on multiple computing devices, such as may be in violation of any software license agreement associated with the software product.
Note that as part of the activation process, the activation service may return a digital version of the license to the computing device on which the application is associated. Such license may be tied to the computing device such that the license is not usable with any other computing device, and may express a level of activation, as well as license terms such as application functions that are to be made available, functions that are to be made non-available, a period of activation or a number of times the application may be executed on the computing device, a maximum number of uses of a particular function of the application, a maximum number of simultaneous uses of a particular function of the application, and the like. In general, such license may express any limitations and/or rights and also may express any policies that should be honored in connection with the execution of the application on the computing device, all as set forth by the distributor of the application or another entity.
With such license, then, a rights client controller with a license evaluator or the like may be employed on the computer along with the distributed application to control operation and use of the application based on an evaluation of whether the license so permits. However, a need exists for an actual method and mechanism by which such rights client with such license evaluator may in fact control operation and use of the application based on the license. In particular, a need exists for such a rights client with such a license evaluator that executes certain portions of code on behalf of and as a proxy for the application, but only if the license evaluator determines that the license allows such execution.
While in one case the portions of code within the application are at least partially randomly chosen, it is to be appreciated that in another case each of at least some of the portions of code represents a function that is to be executed only if the corresponding license so allows. More specifically, the function is to be executed only if the corresponding license so allows based on a logical or mathematical determination. For instance, it may be that the function allows the instantiation of a resource, and the license allows a maximum of X instantiations of the resource. In such an instance, then, a need exists for a method and mechanism by which a secure process can securely maintain a count of the number of instantiations of the resource as state information. More generally, a need exists for a method and mechanism by which the secure process can securely maintain state information regarding data necessary to determine whether a license for an application allows code of the application to be executed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

First computer process and second computer process proxy-executing code on behalf of first process


Methods of screening a test agent for activity to modulate an oxidative demethylation enzyme are provided according to embodiments of the present invention which includes preparing a test reaction comprising an oxidative demethylation enzyme, a substrate for the oxidative demethylation enzyme, a test agent and 4-amino-3-penten-2-one under conditions which allow generation of formaldehyde by oxidative demethylation of the substrate by the enzyme in the absence of the test agent; detecting fluorescence in the test reaction, the fluorescence indicative of reaction of formaldehyde and 4-amino-3-penten-2-one in the test reaction; and comparing fluorescence detected in the test reaction with a control, wherein a difference in detected fluorescence is indicative of a change in activity of the oxidative demethylation enzyme in the presence of the test agent.

Formaldehyde is common byproduct formed in the oxidative demethylation of proteins, nucleic acids, and biological small molecules
Conventional methods for measuring enzyme-mediated oxidative demethylation are limited and cannot be used in high throughput screening for modulators of the enzymes. For example, known assays for formaldehyde formation from a demethylase reaction involve the use of radiolabeled (14C or 3H) methyl-peptide substrates with the subsequent formation, isolation and quantitation of radioactive formaldehyde. Alternative methods have included measurement of the formation of hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct of enzyme activity or Western blotting using methyl lysine specific antibodies. The measurement of hydrogen peroxide product to determine the activity of oxidative demethylases can be problematic in drug screening scenarios since the peroxide formed can react with the test compound or with other components of the demethylase reaction.
Despite their biological importance, oxidative demethylase enzyme activities have proven difficult to quantitatively assay hindering understanding of their kinetic properties, substrate specificities, and reaction mechanisms.
Thus, there is a continuing need for methods and compositions for detection of formaldehyde byproducts of enzyme activity and sensitive assays for enzyme activity.

Method of screening a test agent for activity to modulate an oxidative demethylation enzyme


A golf swing training aid with a target-line guide, a rail, a clubface guide and an upright assembly. The target-line guide provides a straight line for aiming at a target. The rail runs parallel to the target-line guide and has a bottom for placing on a golfing surface. The clubface guide is perpendicular to the target-line guide and provides a straight line for a clubface of a golf club to parallel with when the golfer sets up or when the clubface passes over, under or through the clubface guide when a golfer swings the golf club. The upright assembly is attached to the rail and is constrained along a straight line on the rail, where the straight line is parallel to the target-line guide and where the upright assembly provides the clubface guide. The target-line and clubface guide can be a rod, a string, a series of laser dots, or a laser line.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a golf training aid and, more particularly, to a golf training aid that provides a target-line guide and a clubface guide for a golfer to use while practicing their golf swing to align their swing and clubface to the target line and improve their golf swing and alignment.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A consistent problem for golfers learning to play is poor alignment of the clubface when they set up to hit a golf ball. Aiming the clubface in the right direction is very important for a golfer to control the direction of the golf ball. Studies have shown that the direction of the clubface determines 85% of the starting direction of the golf ball. Current practice tools often provide an artificial surface such as a mat or a hitting board, but what is preferred and most beneficial is to practice on a real grass golfing surface.
A need exists for a golf training aid that helps a golfer learn to align the clubface to be perpendicular to the target-line and allows the golfer to practice on a real grass golf surface.


Spring energized seal assemblies each with one or two sealing elements and a canted coil spring located in a spring cavity of the sealing element or of the two sealing elements to bias an inner flange and an outer flange of the respective spring cavity away from one another. The canted coil springs can have un-conventional coil shapes with one or more straight coil segments and/or with curved connecting ends. The coils can have dimples to provide multiple biasing points. The coils can have loops. The canted coil springs with un-conventional coil shapes can be used to improve spring loading on a sealing element.

Conventional spring energized seals for sealing against a dynamic member, such as a shaft in rotary or reciprocating application, comprise a seal lip that may undergo gradual wear due to friction between the seal lip and the dynamic member. Among other things, a typical seal lip protrudes from a seal body and gradually extends towards the surface of the dynamic member, and thus due to this geometry, the sealing surface of the seal lip increases in area with increased lip wear. This is analogous to a typical sharpened pencil, which gradually dulls as the tip wears due to usage. The increased sealing surface area in situ can result in increased friction, which may cause the following undesirable results: increased wear, increased temperature, and/or increased resistance to rotation or reciprocation of the dynamic member. Continuance of increasing friction can be detrimental to the mechanical system and particularly to the seal ultimately leading to the possibility of failure.
Proper orientation of a spring, such as a canted coil spring ring, in a sealing element to ensure accurate load location and consistent load at different points along the sealing element are factors to a good working spring energized seal and may prolong seal life. The proper orientation and loading can increase stability of the canted coil spring within the spring cavity of the sealing element and can prevent the canted coil spring from rolling or tilting, which can cause the loading point to be off of optimal position or reduction of the load on the seal lip. Conventional spring energized seals have limited options for consistently loading the seal lips and can be prone to tilting or rolling.


An extensible remote display infrastructure is described that provides support for a competitive multi-vendor development environment. Application functionality may be partitioned to suit the needs of a given application and client-side functionality may be packaged in dynamic virtual channel plug-ins for remote display clients. Interactive coupling between the remote display clients and the dynamic virtual channel plug-ins may be facilitated by remote display client extensibility repositories. The remote display client extensibility repositories may be located within a communication infrastructure aspect of the extensible remote display infrastructure and, in particular, at a static virtual channel level. Dynamic virtual channel plug-ins may register properties, functionality and/or components with remote display client extensibility repositories at available granularity.

Since soon after the advent of computer networks, it has been common to operate remote computers (e.g., server class computers) from conveniently local computers (e.g., workstation or desktop class computers). As computer user interfaces (UIs) progressed from text-based user interfaces to increasingly sophisticated graphical user interfaces (GUIs), there has naturally been a desire to operate remote computers using a graphical user interface and, if possible, a graphical user interface as close as possible to that which would be presented by the computer if the user were local. However, the increase in complexity associated with graphical user interfaces has brought with it several challenges.
The simplest remote display clients send local user input (e.g., mouse and keyboard input) to the remote computer and receive display bitmap updates from the remote computer. While this can produce adequate results for some applications in higher bandwidth networks, it becomes less satisfactory as application variety increases (particularly to include high-end applications) and as available bandwidth drops to more common levels. Going beyond this simple client commonly requires some partition of application functionality and relocation of some server-side functionality to the client. However, this requires that an entire spectrum of distributed application issues be addressed.
Application functionality partitioning is a challenge in itself, typically done on a case by case basis by the application designers. The usual complications of a multi-vendor environment are exacerbated by the common circumstance that the remote display client is implemented by an independent vendor and that even the remote operating system may be considered an application in this context. With the added problem of differing versions of distributed components in the installed base, it can be a challenge maintaining correct functionality, let alone a cohesive remote graphical user interface experience.
A desirable remote display infrastructure is, then, extensible in the context of a competitive multi-vendor environment, and provides support for solutions to distributed application issues without unduly constraining the solution space. In particular, this includes appropriate encapsulation of inter-vendor functionality and data spaces, with an ability to expose functionality at arbitrary granularity if possible. It is further desirable that established functionality (e.g., communication infrastructure) be reusable to the extent possible, and that distributed component version differences and conflicts be handled gracefully. Previous remote display infrastructures fail to effectively achieve one or more of these desirable characteristics and/or make awkward choices where trade offs are required.

Extensible remote display infrastructure with dynamic virtual channels


An example information processing system includes a stationary display device, and a portable display device on which a predetermined input can be made by a user. A content item is played and displayed on the stationary display device, and while the content item is being played, the playback image of the content item and a user interface image used for specifying a content item to be played are selectively displayed on the portable display device.

There are conventional techniques for viewing a webpage, or the like, obtained from the Internet, using a television. For example, with the conventional technique, it is possible to access the Internet by means of a game apparatus to display a webpage on the Internet on a television. Thus, a user can view a webpage on a television whose screen is larger than an ordinary monitor used with a personal computer. For example, by displaying a webpage including content items such as videos and still images on a television, it is easier even for a plurality of people to view the content items and it is possible to provide strongly-appealing images.
Since the above technique is simply for displaying a webpage on a television, it often fails to provide an easy-to-view and well-controllable content playback.
Thus, the present specification discloses an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, a storage medium having an information processing program stored thereon, and a content playback control method with which it is possible to perform an easy-to-view and well-controllable content playback control.
(1) An information processing system disclosed in the present specification is as follows.
An information processing system including a stationary display device, and a portable display device on which a predetermined input can be made by a user, including:
a content playback unit for playing a content item to thereby generate a playback image, and displaying the playback image at least on the stationary display device;
a UI image generation unit for generating a user interface image used for specifying a content item to be played;
a switching display control unit for alternatively displaying the playback image being played and the user interface image on the portable display device while a content item is being played by the content playback unit; and
a content specifying unit for specifying a content item to be played next based on a predetermined input made by the user on the portable display device using the user interface image,
wherein the content playback unit next plays the content item specified by the content specifying unit.
The "information processing system" may be formed by a stationary display device, a portable display device, and one information processing apparatus, or may be formed by a stationary display device, a portable display device, and a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The portable display device may have the function of an information processing apparatus and perform processes (or some of them). The portable apparatus having the function of an information processing apparatus and the stationary information processing apparatus may share processes therebetween. The stationary display device may have the function of an information processing apparatus and perform processes. The "information processing apparatus" may be a multi-purpose information processing apparatus such as an ordinary personal computer, in addition to a game apparatus of an embodiment to be described below.
The "user interface image used for selecting a content item to be played" may be an image including a list (typically, a list of thumbnails or a list of names) of content items that can be played, or an image used for searching through content items that can be played. A content item to be played is selected using these images.
The "portable display device" is a display device that has such a size that it can be held and moved by the user, and the position thereof can be changed to any position by the user.
The "stationary display device" is a concept including any stationary display device, in addition to a television of an embodiment to be described below.
With configuration (1) above, it is possible to display a content item on the stationary display device in an easy-to-view manner, while it is possible to perform an operation of specifying a content item to be played next using the portable display device without hindering the viewing of the content item being currently watched. The operator of the portable display device can perform the backstage operation of specifying a content item to be played next, and can also enjoy the content item being currently played by having the playback image displayed on the portable display device.
(2) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing apparatus further includes a playback status display control unit for displaying, on the portable display device, a playback status image which represents a playback status of the content item being played by the content playback unit,
wherein the playback status display control unit displays, on the portable display device, the playback status image together with the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays, on the portable display device, the playback status image together with the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (2) above, it is possible to check the playback status of the content item being currently played on the portable display device. On the portable display device, the playback status of the content item being currently played is displayed even when a content item to be played next is being selected. Therefore, it is possible to select a content item to be played next while checking the playback status of the content item being currently played on the portable display device.
(3) The configuration may be as follows:
the playback status display control unit displays the playback status image below the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays the playback status image above the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (3) above, it is the normal state of use where the operator of the portable display device performs operations while holding the portable display device at hand in front of the stationary display device. Then, it is often the case that the screen of the stationary display device is located above the screen of the portable display device. The playback status image is arranged below the playback image on the portable display device when display has been switched to the playback image on the portable display device, and the playback status image is located substantially below the playback image on the stationary display device when display has been switched to the user interface image. In either case, the positional relationship does not change substantially, and it is therefore possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
(4) The configuration may be as follows:
the portable display device includes a coordinate input unit;
the information processing system further includes a playback control display control unit for displaying, on the portable display device, a playback control image which is displayed for controlling the playback of the content item being played by the content playback unit;
the playback control display control unit displays, on the portable display device, the playback control image together with the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays, on the portable display device, the playback control image together with the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image; and
the playback control unit performs a playback control on a content item being currently played when a coordinate input is made on the playback control image by the coordinate input unit.
With configuration (4) above, a playback control of a content item being played can be performed on the portable display device. Since it is possible to perform a playback control of a content item being currently played even when selecting a content item to be played next on the portable display device, it is possible to select a content item to be played next while controlling the playback of the content item being currently played on the portable display device.
(5) The configuration may be as follows:
the playback control display control unit displays the playback control image below the playback image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the playback image being played, and displays the playback control image above the user interface image when display has been switched by the switching display control unit to the user interface image.
With configuration (5) above, the playback control image is arranged below the playback image on the portable display device when the playback image is displayed on the portable display device, and the playback control image is located substantially below the playback image on the stationary display device even when the user interface image is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use.
(6) The configuration may be as follows:
the portable display device includes a coordinate input unit; and
the switching display control unit switches what is displayed on the portable display device from the playback image to the user interface image when a coordinate input representing an upward direction is made on the coordinate input unit.
With configuration (6) above, display of the portable display device is switched from the playback image to the user interface image when a coordinate input representing an upward direction (i.e., the direction where there is the playback image on the stationary display device) is made on the portable display device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, in which it feels as if the content item being played on the portable display device were merging and disappearing into the content item being played on the stationary display device.
(7) The configuration may be as follows:
when switching from the user interface image to the playback image, the switching display control unit displays the playback image of the content item being currently played by the content playback unit so that the playback image gradually slides in from an upward direction on the portable display device.
With configuration (7) above, it is possible to provide a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, in which it feels as if the content item being played on the stationary display device were falling down into the portable display device.
(8) The configuration may be as follows:
when switching from the playback image to the user interface image, the switching display control unit displays the playback image of the content item being currently played by the content playback unit so that the playback image gradually slides out in an upward direction on the portable display device.
(9) The configuration may be as follows:
when playing a content item that has been specified by the content specifying unit to be played next, the content playback unit displays the playback image on the stationary display device, and switches display of the portable display device to the playback image by the switching display control unit to display the playback image on the portable display device.
(10) The configuration may be as follows:
when playback of a content item by the content playback unit is completed, the switching display control unit displays the user interface image both on the portable display device and on the stationary display device.
(11) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing system further includes a communication unit that can be connected to a network for communicating with a predetermined external device storing content items therein via the network;
the UI image generation unit obtains a list of content items stored in the external device via the communication unit to generate an interface image for specifying a content item to be played from among the list of content items; and
the content playback unit obtains the content item specified by the content specifying unit from the external device via the communication unit to play the content item.
(12) The configuration may be as follows:
the information processing system includes an information processing unit capable of generating display data and outputting the display data to the stationary display device and the portable display device;
the information processing unit functions as the UI image generation unit and the content playback unit;
the user interface image generated by the UI image generation unit and the playback image produced by the content playback unit are selectively or simultaneously output to the portable display device;
the playback image produced by the content playback unit is output to the stationary display device; and
the stationary display device and the portable display device receive and display the display data from an information processing apparatus.
The present specification discloses an example information processing apparatus having like components to those of (1) to (12) above. The present specification also discloses an example non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program, which causes a computer of an information processing system or an information processing apparatus to function as like components to those of (1) to (12) above. Moreover, the present specification also discloses an example content playback control method to be carried out by an information processing system or an information processing apparatus of (1) to (12) above.
As described above, with the information processing system, the information processing apparatus, the information processing program and the content playback control method described above, it is possible to realize both ease to view a content item and ease to specify a content item to be played.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Information processing system, information processing apparatus, storage medium having information processing program stored thereon, and content playback control method


A method of surface pasteurizing precooked food products which are contained in packages. The method preferably comprises the steps of continuously heating the packages of the precooked food product such that the outer surfaces of the products contained within the packages are taken to an effective pasteurization temperature and then continuously cooling the packages of product. The heating and cooling steps are preferably conducted in a manner such that no more than a 10° temperature increase and preferably substantially no temperature increase occurs in the internal core of the product as a result of the heating step.

In spite of increasingly stricter government regulations and ongoing efforts in the meat, fish and poultry industries, outbreaks of illnesses caused by food-borne bacteria continue to occur on a regular basis. In 1999 alone, 25 people in the United States died as a result of consuming contaminated meat or poultry products. The presence of any illness-causing bacteria on ready-to-eat (RTE) and other precooked meat, poultry, and fish products (e.g., sliced or sliceable ham, beef, or turkey logs or whole muscle products, Virginia hams, oven-roasted turkey, spiral honey-baked hams, etc.) is of particular concern because these products typically are not recooked or sufficiently reheated prior to consumption.
The threat posed to public health and safety by food-borne pathogens is extremely wide-spread and the economic impact of even a single outbreak can be staggering. Recently, one company issued a voluntary recall of approximately 16.7 million pounds of RTE turkey and chicken products because of possible contamination problems at just one of the company's processing facilities. It is reported that possible contamination problems were traced to the facility following the occurrence of certain illnesses identified by state health departments. The recalled products had been distributed nationwide and to some foreign countries.
Examples of particularly serious bacterial contaminants include Listeria, salmonella, and E-coli. These contaminants are especially problematic when dealing with RTE and other precooked meat, poultry and fish products and are often present in processing environments in spite of diligent efforts to eliminate them. Listeria monocytogenes, for example, is tolerant to salt, can grow at low temperature, has a high heat tolerance, and can form stubborn biofilms on processing surfaces.
When dealing with RTE and other precooked products, the risk of contamination is particularly high after cooking and prior to completing the final packaging process. Such meat, poultry, and fish products are typically cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160° F. so that, at the end of the cooking process, no listeria, salmonella, or E-coli should be present. However, prior to packaging, the cooked product will typically be chilled or otherwise allowed to cool to an internal temperature of about 40° F. or less and can be contaminated by airborne and other pathogens and/or bacteria present in the air, on conveyor surfaces, on processing equipment, in condensate drippage, or on the hands of workers in the processing area.
In response to continuing outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, governmental regulatory agencies continue to impose stricter regulations. USDA and FDA authorities have now established zero tolerance requirements for listeria monocytogenes and salmonella in all RTE food products.
Unfortunately, as evidenced by the continuing occurrence of illnesses and deaths from food-borne bacteria, many current industry practices and procedures are not sufficiently reliable and are inadequate to meet the zero tolerance requirements now imposed by regulatory agencies. Current procedures commonly consist of maintaining the cooked product in a "clean" environment (a "clean room") and conveying the product along a critical control path designed to prevent bacteria from reaching the product surfaces. In an effort to keep the processing environment clean, the air within the clean environment is typically filtered and operators are instructed to wash all contact surfaces between shifts and to wash their hands each time they enter the clean area.
It is thus apparent that a need presently exists for a process which will consistently and effectively kill surface bacteria present on food products, particularly on RTE and other precooked meat, poultry, and fish products, and will meet and exceed all governmental regulatory requirements. A need particularly exists for such a process which will not alter the surface characteristics or internal characteristics of the products in any significant way.

Surface pasteurization of cooked food products


Fabrication method and semiconductor device are provided. The method includes: providing a base substrate including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region, with first fins disposed on the base substrate in the first region and on the base substrate in the second region, and initial openings disposed between adjacent first fins; forming sidewall spacers on sidewalls of the first fins to form openings from the initial openings; and forming the second fins in the openings of the second region.

As semiconductor technologies develop rapidly, semiconductor devices are developed toward a direction with a higher device density and a higher integration level. A transistor is one of the most fundamental devices and is widely used. With development of the semiconductor technologies, the controlling ability to a conventional planar transistor on channel current becomes weaker, causing short channel effects and serious leakage current problems. The semiconductor device has a poor performance.
To better alleviate the short channel effects and suppress the leakage currents, fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs) are widely used. A FinFET is a multi-gate device, and usually includes: fins on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; an isolation layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate covering a portion of sidewalls of the fins and with a top surface lower than top surfaces of the fins; gate structures on the top surface of the isolation layer, on tops of the fins, and on the sidewalls of the fins; and sources and drains in the fins on two sides of each of the gate structures.
However, there is a need to improve the performance of conventionally formed FinFETs. The disclosed methods and semiconductor devices are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems in the art.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method thereof

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corporation


The present invention is a method for collecting, analyzing, and displaying statistics regarding block pin placement prior to routing of an integrated circuit. The statistics are graphically displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI graphically displays indications of where block pin congestion problems lie, which allows an integrated circuit designer to quickly pinpoint and correct pin placement in areas of pin congestion to alleviate congestion in these areas prior to routing.

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit routing, and more particularly to a method and system for gathering and displaying pin congestion statistics using a graphical user interface.
Integrated circuits consist of a large number of electronic components that are fabricated by layering several different materials on a silicon base or wafer. The physical design of an integrated circuit transforms a circuit description into a geometric description which is known as a layout. A layout consists of a set of planar geometric shapes in several layers.
The objective of physical design is to determine an optimal arrangement of devices in a plane or in a three dimensional space, and an efficient interconnection or routing scheme between the devices to obtain the desired functionality. Since space on a wafer is very expensive real estate, algorithms must use the space very efficiently to lower costs and improve yield.
The input to the physical design problem is a circuit diagram, and the output is the layout of the circuit. The physical design is accomplished in several stages including partitioning, floor-planning, placement, and routing.
A chip may contain several million transistors. Layout of the entire circuit cannot typically be handled by currently available floor-planning tools due to the limitation of memory space as well as the computational power available. Therefore, the circuit is normally partitioned by grouping the components into functional blocks such as subcircuits and modules. The actual partitioning process considers many factors such as the size of the blocks, number of blocks and number of interconnections between the blocks.
The output of partitioning is a set of blocks, along with the interconnections required within and between blocks. The set of interconnections required is referred to as a netlist. In large circuits, the partitioning process is often hierarchical, although non-hierarchical (e.g. flat) processes can be used, and at the topmost level a circuit typically has between 5 to 25 blocks. However, greater numbers of blocks are possible and contemplated. Each block is then partitioned recursively into smaller blocks.
The floor-planning step is concerned with selecting good layout alternatives for each block of the entire chip, as well as between blocks and to the edges. Floor-planning is a critical step as it sets up the ground work for a good layout. However it is computationally quite hard. Very often the task of floorplan layout is done by a design engineer using a CAD tool. This is necessary as the major components of an IC are often intended for specific locations on the chip.
During placement, the blocks and locations of the block terminals, referred to hereinafter as block "pins", within the blocks are exactly positioned on the chip. The goal of placement is to find a minimum area arrangement for the blocks that allows completion of interconnections defined by the netlist. Placement is typically done in two phases. In the first phase, an initial placement is created. In the second phase, the initial placement is evaluated and iterative improvements are made until the layout has minimum area and conforms to design specifications.
During the physical design of an integrated circuit, un-foreseen routing congestion issues can arise when the floor-planning process does not address the full details involved in fully implementing the physical realization of the blocks and the interconnects between them. Often times, the design database is somewhat simplified or not yet complete in the floor-planning application. An example of one such simplification is the existence of pins defined on the edges of blocks which do not have associated net connectivity within or outside of the block. When determining and analyzing the placement of such pins, the floor-planning application and the integrated circuit designer have no insight into the additional routing congestion which will be realized when the additional connectivity is added at a later time. This can cause routing congestion problems both inside of the block and at the top-level.
In the past, the quality of block and block pin placement could not be determined until the routing phase had been completed. Due to the complexity of the routing problem, it is well known that a particular block placement may lead to an unroutable design. For example, routing may not be possible in the space provided. However, given an unroutable placement design, it is often the case that the source of the unroutablility problem lies in routing congestion around the block pins. Accordingly, often an otherwise unroutable block placement design may be made routable by changing the placement of the block pins within the blocks.
However, because there does not currently exist any automated solution of collecting, determining, and displaying pin placement congestion statistics, integrated circuit designers must wait for completion of routing to determine the routability/unroutability and quality of a given integrated circuit floorplan. Because the analysis of the congestion is done post-route, needless wasted time is often spent trying to route to pins that are arranged such that routing to them is virtually impossible or at least requires a lot of manual steps to fix.
It would therefore be desirable to have a method for collecting and analyzing pin congestion statistics to allow replacement of block pins prior to performing inter-block routing in integrated circuits.

Methods to gather and display pin congestion statistics using graphical user interface

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A wheeled, manually movable, internal combustion engine powered electric generator mounts in a rigid frame formed of tubular steel elements. A pair of aligned wheels is pivotally mounted to each opposite side of the frame. One pair of aligned wheels is provided with a locking mechanism that enables both the front and rear wheels to be locked against rotation. The electricity generating components mount to the bottom of the frame. The internal combustion engine mounts toward the rear end of the frame. A propane fuel tank is carried above the engine by the upper rear portion of the frame. A battery and a trickle charger are carried above the engine and secured in a compartment with a locked hinged cover. The frame also supports and contains a locked compartment that houses the electric connector that is used to connect the electric output of the generator to the load.

This application pertains to electric generators that have wheels by which they can be moved manually and that are powered by an internal combustion engine that uses propane fuel.
Electric generators having an internal combustion engine that is fueled by propane dispensed from a tank that is housed in the same cabinet that also houses the internal combustion engine are known, and an example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,505, which by this reference is hereby incorporated herein for all purposes. However, this generator is not mobile, and its cabinet is configured to rest on a flat surface and carries the tank containing the propane fuel beneath the internal combustion engine. A power system that has a mobile generator and reciprocating engine that can be fueled by propane supplied from storage tanks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,245,032, which by this reference is hereby incorporated herein for all purposes. However, the storage tanks that supply back-up propane fuel for the engine are not mobile.

Wheeled, manually moveable, propane fueled electric generator


X-ray apparatus 10 includes an X-ray source (22), an X-ray detector (28) facing the X-ray source. Inlet (6) accepts a stream of particles and a guide system (18) guides the stream of particles (16) in free space between the X-ray source (22) and detector (28) so that X-ray analysis can be carried out on the particles in the stream (16) in a sample region (21) between the source (22) and the detector (28).

X-ray diffraction is a well known technique for measuring the physical properties of materials. The diffraction of X-rays gives a measure of the spacing between planes of atoms, and the measured intensities and spacings of the peaks can be used to calculate the proportions of various crystalline phases in a sample.
X-ray fluorescence is another well known technique in which X-rays are used to determine the relative amounts of atoms using their characteristic fluorescence spectra.
Such techniques can be used to measure the chemical and phase composition of samples during or after manufacturing. Increasingly, analysis is carried out during manufacture rather than simply being used to test the finished product. By doing this, it is possible to adjust the manufacturing process to improve the final result rather than simply needing to reject samples that fail quality control standards.
For example, in the cement industry, it can be desirable to test the cement during manufacture for a number of different additives, including sulphates and carbonates. Normally, such testing is carried out after manufacture, that is to say, off-line. However, the inventors are aware of one approach in which a continuous stream of cement is analysed, using equipment developed by the CSIRO of Australia and marketed by FCT- ACTech. Another approach using X-rays is X-ray computer tomography, for example as set out in "X-ray computer tomography—potential and limitation for the measurement of local solids distribution circulating fluidized beds", Grassler and Wirth, Chemical Enginerering Journal 77 (1-2) (2000) pages 65 to 72.
However, there remains a need for improved X-ray apparatus for carrying out X-ray studies of particle or powder material.


The present invention relates, in general, to scanning apparatuses using a vibration light modulator and, more particularly, to a scanning apparatus using a vibration light modulator, which performs high speed scanning using a plurality of diffracted beams, formed from a single beam by the reflection and diffraction thereof, and allows each of diffracted beams to form a plurality of pixels by vibrating actuating cells of the light modulator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to scanning apparatuses using a vibration light modulator and, more particularly, to a scanning apparatus using a vibration light modulator, which performs high speed scanning using a plurality of diffracted beams formed through the light modulator, and allows each of the diffracted beams to form a plurality of pixels by vibrating the light modulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printer technology has been developed toward high speed, miniaturization, high quality and low cost. Typical printers employ a laser scanning scheme of scanning laser beams using a Laser Diode (LD) and an f-θ lens.
In order to realize a high speed printer, an image head scheme using a multibeam type beam generation device is used. In such a scheme, high speed and high quality characteristics can be realized, but the cost increases due to the use of a plurality of light sources.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which a conventional laser scanning scheme using a single light source and an f-θ lens is used. As shown in FIG. 1, an example of the operation of the laser scanning scheme is described below.
If a light beam is generated by a Laser Diode (LD) 10 in response to a video signal and passes through a collimator lens 20, the light beam is converted into collimated light. The collimated light is converted into linear light parallel to a scanning direction by a cylindrical lens 30, and the linear light is incident on a polygon mirror 40.
As described above, if the linear light parallel to the scanning direction is incident by the cylindrical lens 30, the polygon mirror 40, rotated by a motor, scans the incident linear light in the direction of an f-θ lens 50.
Thereafter, the linear light scanned at a constant angular velocity by the polygon mirror 40 is deflected by the f-θ lens 50 in a scanning direction, the aberration of the deflected linear light is corrected, and the corrected light is scanned onto the scanning surface of a photosensitive drum 60 at a uniform velocity.
In the laser scanning scheme, it is difficult to attain a high printing speed due to problems related to the low switching speed of the laser diode 10 and the scanning speed of the polygon mirror 40.
That is, in order to increase the scanning speed of light beams, the polygon mirror 40 must be rotated using a higher speed motor. However, the higher speed motor is expensive, and the motor rotating at high speed causes heat, vibration and noise to incur problems such as the deterioration of operating reliability, so that a great improvement in scanning speed cannot be expected.
In another method of increasing the speed of an optical scanning apparatus, there is an image head printing scheme using a multibeam type beam generation device.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, an array 80 of many Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), the number of which is sufficient to fill printing paper, is constructed in an image head 70 to form a plurality of beams, so that one line can be simultaneously printed without using a polygon mirror and an f-θ lens, unlike the laser scanning scheme, thus markedly increasing printing speed.
However, if a plurality of LEDs is used so as to construct the LED array 80, the cost increases, and light uniformity between LEDs in the array is decreased, so that it is difficult to obtain uniform images.

Scanning apparatus using vibration light modulator


A moving turbine blade includes a blade profile with inner cooling which extends out from a blade platform adjoined by a blade foot, the blade foot engaging with a turbine disk and having a radial cross-section with an area whose width increases towards the blade platform. A moving turbine blade of this type is configured in such a way as to enable the moving blade profile to be lengthened. To this end, the blade foot has a hollowed-out section which opens out in the direction facing away from the platform side and which has a widened cross section in the area of the blade foot whose width increases.

The invention generally relates to a turbine rotor blade. Preferably, it relates to one having an internally uncooled blade profile, which extends starting from the blade platform on which a blade root abuts. The blade root preferably engages in a turbine disk and has a radial cross section with a region of increasing width toward the blade platform.
In order to increase the efficiency and/or the effective cross section of gas turbines, the blade profiles of the turbine rotor blades are lengthened as much as possible in order, by this, to achieve a better utilization of the hot gases flowing past. This lengthening of the blade profile is, however, limited by a plurality of parameters.
Due to the lengthened blade profile and the increased mass moved because of it, a hub region of the turbine disk, for example, is severely loaded by the centrifugal force applied to it. An attempt is made to counter this by increasing the load-supporting area in the hub region by axially lengthening the disk. This lengthening possibility is, however, limited.
Due to the increased blade profile, it is not only the hub which is more severely loaded but also the region in which the turbine blades are inserted, via their roots, into retention recesses of the outer periphery of the turbine disk. A lengthening of the blade profile can also take place radially relative, to the disk hub. But, due to this, the retention recesses of the outer periphery would be brought closer together. Further, their distance apart would become smaller and, therefore, the disk region between them would be more severely loaded. This loading, however, can only be increased to a limited extent without risking damage to the turbine disk.
An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to create a turbine rotor blade which permits a lengthening of the rotor blade profile without an increase, or with only a slight increase, in local loadings on the turbine disk and/or rotor blade roots.
An object may be achieved by an embodiment of the present invention by a blade root having an open cavity, which faces away from the platform, having a blind ending at the platform end and having a cross section which widens in the region of increasing width of the blade root.
In order to secure strength, the blade root usually has a solid configuration and, in comparison to the other dimensions of the turbine blade, has a larger cross section. In consequence, its mass is high and represents a large proportion of the centrifugal force loading, which occurs during rotation of the turbine blades, on the turbine disk and on the retention fixtures for the blades. The cavity considerably decreases the mass of the root and therefore the centrifugal force load. The particular shape of the cavity, namely a widening of the cross section at the longitudinal walls in the region of increasing width of the blade root, ensures an optimum utilization of the shape of the blade root with respect to reducing the mass. Because the cavity has a blind ending at the platform end, the strength requirementsxe2x80x94which are very high particularly in the region between platform and blade profile due to numerous severe force and temperature effectsxe2x80x94are satisfied.
At the same time, therefore, an embodiment of the invention permits the mass of the blade to be kept small and its strength to be maintained or even improved. Due to the reduction in weight, the average stress level in the root region is lowered and stress peaks in the retention teeth of the root and the adjacent turbine disk are moderated, which leads to a lengthening of the life of the turbine blades and, in particular, to an improvement in the durability of the root. Without endangering the strength of the turbine blade and while retaining the shape of the root, it is therefore possible to lengthen the rotor blade profile outward and, by this means, to increase the efficiency of the turbine.
A satisfactory strength of the platform-end blade profile region is provided because the cavity ends in a transition region between the blade root and below the upper surface of the platform. The force effect on the blade is particularly high above the platform upper surface and the blade has a narrower configuration than it has in the platform region. If, however, the cavity ends below the upper surface of the platform, the force effect is, to a sufficient extent, accepted by the stable platform and the adjacent regions.
In order to avoid stress peaks and, therefore, locally excessively high loads, it is proposed that the cavity should be bounded by mainly rounded walls and should end in a vaulted shape below the platform upper surface.
A very large reduction in mass is provided by the fact that longitudinal walls of the cavity extend over practically the complete length of the blade root and transverse walls extend over almost the complete width of the blade root, the walls of the cavity ensuring sufficient strength when centrifugal force is applied.
The forces, the major part of which are applied centrally, are transmitted well in solid regions of the blade without loading the walls of the cavity too severely, if the cavity has its maximum height in the central region and falls away toward the transverse walls and longitudinal walls.
If regions of the longitudinal walls of the cavity widen continually on approaching the platform end while maintaining a minimum wall thickness at the transverse walls of the cavity, the weight reduction is improved and, at the same time, an abrupt change in the curvature, which leads to local stress maxima, is avoided on transition to a rounded end region.
The hot working gases particularly affect those edge regions of the blade which are the first to be directly subjected to the incident flow. Account is taken of the higher strength requirements of the hot gas incident flow end by the minimum wall thickness being greater in the vicinity of the hot gas incident flow end than it is at the hot gas outlet flow end.
An increase in the strength of the root, while economizing in material and mass, is provided by the blade root being reinforced by transverse struts configured between its longitudinal walls. The forces applied to a longitudinal wall of the cavity are transferred through the transverse struts to the other longitudinal wall of the cavity and through both walls to the turbine disk, without endangering the strength of the cavity. Due to the further reduction in the mass, furthermore, there is a further removal of load from the root because of the reduced centrifugal force load.
If the transverse struts are at a distance from the walls of the cavity at the platform end of the blade root and/or from the end facing away from the platform of the blade root, this provides an additional economy in weight while retaining the strength.
Optimum transmission of the forces takes place because positions and shapes of the transverse struts are matched to a force line path which occurs due to the application of centrifugal forces to the blade profile. By a matched number and shape of the transverse struts, it is therefore possible, on the one hand, greatly to reduce the mass of the blade root (because the walls of the cavity can have a thinner configuration due to the supporting effect of the transverse struts) and, at the same time, it is possible to maintain a homogeneous stress variation along the longitudinal sides of the cavity because of the support by the transverse struts.
The particularly high forces applied in the central region are accepted because the transverse struts of the cavity have their maximum height in the central region and decrease in height to match a fall-away in the shape of the cavity.


A fixture is provided for holding sheets having complex shapes during heat treating. The fixture includes a base having a central opening and defining a peripheral foundation. A support structure extends inwardly and upwardly from the base and across the central opening. The support structure includes first axial and traverse openings extending there through. A sheet engagement structure is secured to the support structure and includes second axial openings extending there through. The sheet engagement structure has a peripheral section and at least one connecting leg extending between portions of the peripheral section. A sheet securing ring is removably secured to the sheet engagement structure for slidingly securing a sheet between the sheet securing ring and the sheet engagement structure. The central opening, first axial and traverse openings and second axial openings cooperating to create a uniform and accelerated flow of fluid through the fixture.

Sheets having a complex shape have numerous uses in many fields. For example, turbines (such as those of, e.g., a jet engine) generally employ one or more such sheets for various purposes, e.g., to generate thrust. It is required of sheets having a complex shape that the sheets be manufactured precisely, accurately, and with uniformity, at least in order to ensure predictability in the sheet's application. However, due to practical aspects intrinsic in manufacturing processes of the prior art, it is difficult to manufacture sheets having complex shapes with the requisite precision, accuracy, and uniformity.
In addition, such sheets are typically heat treated and quenched to impart predetermined properties. However, sheets having the complex shapes tend to warp and distort during heating and quenching. Some fixtures used to hold the sheets during heat treatment and quenching do not eliminate the warping and distortion and can worsen it.
There is an unfulfilled need for fixtures for holding sheets having complex shapes during heat treating.

Support fixture for heat treating sheets having complex shapes


A wet, calcium-based, flue gas desulfurization process for reliably and cost effectively removing sulfur dioxide from the flue gas generated by the combustion of fossil flues containing sulfur includes the step of contacting the combustion flue gas preferably as a part of the scrubbing liquor, with an aqueous solution containing formate ions and a dissolved calcium concentration reduction agent. The latter reduces the dissolved calcium concentration present in the flue gas which, in turn reduces the coprecipitation and loss of formate within and from the system. Also, by contacting the flue gas with an aqueous solution comprising formate and thiosulfate ions, the formate coprecipitation within the system is reduced independent of the calcium concentration level within the system.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved process for reducing the sulfur content in flue gas generated by the combustion of a sulfur-containing fuel. More particularly, the present invention relates to the combined addition of formate and thiosulfate, magnesium, sodium or other calcium concentration reduction agent to improve the performance of and reduce costs in wet, calcium based flue gas desulfurization processes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the past two decades, the consumption of electrical power generated by power generation sources which use sulfur-containing fuels, particularly coal for the generation of steam for producing such electrical power, has increased tremendously while the restrictions placed on the flue gases which emanate from the burning of such sulfur-containing fuels have been tightened nationwide and particularly in areas where a heavy concentration of such gases develop. Therefore, there have been a variety of systems developed for treating the flue gases which emanate from the power generation plant such that the stringent standards promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency can be met.
These various systems include processes which attempt to reduce or eliminate the sulfur content in the fuel prior to its combustion. Other systems include processes which require the addition of chemical compounds into the combustion zone which change the nature of the sulfur compounds produced, thereby aiding in their removal from the combustion products. Still other systems include scrubbers which require the addition of compounds into the flue gas generated by the combustion of the sulfur-containing fuels to remove the sulfur compounds from the flue gas by way of a chemical reaction.
The after treatment of flue gas may be accomplished by a variety of known processes; namely, wet scrubbing, spray drying or dry treatment of the flue gas in a contact zone of a flue gas flow passage. Illustrative of the wet scrubber approach is U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,537, issued Dec. 23, 1975 to Saitoh et al., which discloses contacting the exhaust gas with an aqueous solution of an organic acid to form a soluble sulfite or sulfate. The sulfite or sulfate is removed, and the organic acid regenerated, by a second step comprising reaction with a calcium compound such as an inorganic or an organic acid salt, for example calcium hydroxide or calcium formate.
The spray dryer approach is illustrated for example by U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,873, issued July 21, 1981 to Felsvang et al., which discloses spraying a suspension of fresh slaked lime and recycled fly ash plus spent calcium compound into the hot flue gas in such a manner as to evaporate the slurry droplets to dryness; the resulting powdered solids are removed from the flue gas by a downstream electrostatic precipitator or bag filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,349, issued Dec. 11, 1979 to Wienert illustrates the dry treatment; it discloses mixing a dry, powdered lime-bearing material in a reactor, and subsequently separating the solids from the treated flue gas.
Another example of a dry process is the flue gas desulfurization process set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,871 issued to Yoon which utilizes calcium formate to remove sulfur compounds from combustion exhaust gas in a dry treatment system. In doing so, a finely divided dry solid is formed and subsequently separated from the flue gas. However, systems employing dry injection FGD processes differ from that of wet calcium-based FGD processes in that it is necessary to control the humidity of the flue gas and consequently requires that the environment within the contact zone of the flue gas passage be maintained at a particular optimum level which is both costly and difficult to accomplish. Many additives have been proposed for improving the performance of various aspects of wet calcium based gas desulfurization (FGD) processes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,236 issued to Thomas et al. introduces a 50:50 diisobutylene-maleic anhydride copolymer having an average molecular weight of 11,000, However, the introduction of diisobutylenemaleic anhydride does nothing to enhance the desulfurization of the flue gasses and only reduces the formation of calcium scale on the surfaces of the system to reduce maintenance costs.
In U.S Pat. No. 4,454,101 issued to Garrison et al., relatively small amounts of a sodium thiosulfate additive or additives derived from or related to sodium thiosulfate are added into the scrubber liquid slurry. As a result, the thiosulfate ion alters the conglomerative characteristics of the spent slurry crystals making them settle from suspension faster and dewater more readily when filtered. However, the Garrison et al. process is not intended to improve the desulfurization process. Rather, it operates only to improve the dewatering capabilities of sulfite sludges from flue gas desulfurization facilities.
Clearly, there is a pressing need for a flue gas desulfurization process which will improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of wet, calcium-based FGD systems by reducing the sulfur dioxide content of flue gases being discharged into the atmosphere while minimizing the downtime and replacement costs necessitated by the formation of calcium scale within the system. Also, with the cost of chemical additives increasing, there is a need for a system which will effectively reduce the sulfur dioxide level of the flue gas while consuming a minimal amount of reactive chemical. Further, with the more stringent environmental restrictions which have been implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency, there is a need for a cost-effective and reliable wet, calcium-based flue gas desulfurization process which is capable of meeting current environmental standards.


A process for preparing an insulating powder. In the first step of this process, a solution comprising a first compound (which preferably is an yttrium compound), a barium compound, and a copper compound subjected to ultrasonic sound waves at a frequency in excess of 20,000 hertz, and to a substantially atmospheric pressure of at least about 600 millimeters of mercury to cause such solution to form into an aerosol. Thereafter, a plasma is generated within a radio-frequency plasma reactor, and the aerosol is contacted with the plasma gas within the reactor while subjecting said aerosol to a substantially atmospheric pressure of at least about 600 millimeters of mercury and to a radio frequency alternating current at a frequency of from about 100 kilohertz to about to about 30 megahertz to form a vapor, which is thereafter flowed downwardly onto and collected on a collector.

Material of the formula Y.sub.2 BaCuO.sub.5, also referred to as the 2-1-1 phase, is known to furnish flux pinning centers in the well known 1-2-3 yttrium--barium--copper superconductor material. See, e.g., an article by A. K. Gangopadhyay et al. entitled "Flux pinning and irreversibility temperature in . . . superconductors" Physica C, Vol. 201, P6-P12 (1992). Thus, a 1-2-3 superconductor comprised of a 2-1-1 material dispersed therein will have a higher critical current than a comparable 1-2-3 superconductor without such 2-1-1 material therein.
Not every 2-1-1 material has the desired effect upon the 1-2-3 superconductor, however. Unless the particle size of the 2-1-1 material is less than about 100 nanometers (and preferably from about 10 to about 100 nanometers), the critical current of the 1-2-3 superconductor will not be substantially affected.
Applicant is not aware of any prior art process which enables one to make the 2-1-1 material with a particle size of less than 100 nanometers and which is suitable for large scale production, which produces the 2-1-1 material in relatively high yields, which is relatively inexpensive, and which produces substantially uniform particles sizes.
It is an object of this invention to provide a process for making a 2-1-1 material with a particle size of less than 100 nanometers which is suitable for large scale production, which produces the 2-1-1 material in relatively high yields, which is relatively inexpensive, and which produces substantially uniform particle sizes.

Aerosol-plasma deposition of insulating oxide powder


An electrical connector includes an insulating body accommodating multiple first terminals. The first terminals include first and second differential signal pairs. No ground terminal is provided at one side of the first differential signal pair. Both sides of the second differential signal pair have ground terminals. The impedance of the first differential signal pair is adjusted by having a distance between the first differential signal pair and the first ground terminal less than a distance between the second differential signal pair and the first ground terminal, or by having a width of a portion of the first differential signal pair exposed out of the insulating body greater than a width of a portion of the second differential signal pair exposed out of the insulating body, or by having a distance between terminals of the first differential signal pair less than a distance between terminals of the second differential signal pair.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
HDMI is the abbreviated term of high definition multimedia interface, which is a digital audio/video interface technology suited to a dedicated digital interface for video transmission, and may transmit audio and video signals simultaneously with a highest digital transmission speed of 48 Gbps (version 2.1). The HDMI connector before HDMI 2.1 only provides signal transmission channels of three differential signal pairs, with a highest digital transmission speed of 36 Gbps. The HDMI 2.1 provides signal transmission channels of four differential signal pairs, with the highest digital transmission speed of 48 Gbps. However, one side of the newly opened differential signal pair is not provided with any ground terminal, and each of two sides of each of the other three differential signal pairs is provided with a ground terminal, resulting in the impedance not matching and not meeting the standard, and further affecting the transmission speed of HDMI 2.1.
Currently, to adjust the deficiency of impedance not matching in the HDMI 2.1, the four differential signal pairs are all adjusted. The structures of the four differential signal pairs are provided to be identical to ensure the signal transmission of the connector is consistent, improving the high frequency transmission effect, reducing crosstalk, and adjusting impedance. However, adjusting the four differential signal pairs together does not make the impedance matching reach the ideal state.
Alternatively, the impedance of the differential signal pair may be adjusted by providing an additional grounding member at the side of the differential signal pair not provided with the ground terminal, thus matching the impedance of the other three differential signal pairs, such that the structures of the differential signal pair and the other three differential signal pairs are provided to be identical. However, the grounding member is a component additionally provided, and in design, there is a need to consider the connection relationships between all components, the spatial arrangement between all components, and the high frequency effects, such that the structure of the connector becomes more complicated, processing and mounting are more complicated, and the cost is increased.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need to design a new electrical connector exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.


A bridge balancing circuit includes a bridge having a resistance change type sensor, a differential amplifier for extracting a voltage difference across two central nodes of the bridge, a comparator connected to the output terminal of the differential amplifier, a D/A converter an output terminal of which is connected to one of the two central nodes, and a controller for controlling the D/A converter. The differential amplifier and the comparator automatically detect a balanced point of the bridge, and the controller maintains a balanced state of the bridge.

The present invention relates to a circuit for balancing a bridge.
A circuit which employs a resistance change type sensor as a constituting element of a bridge, applies a voltage or current across two ends of the bridge, extracts signals from two central nodes, and determines a voltage difference between the two signals as a sensor output signal is widely used. In general, in order to compensate for an unbalanced state caused by a variation or a change in resistors constituting the bridge, a variable resistor is connected to the bridge.
FIG. 4 shows an example of such a circuit. In FIG. 4, resistance change type sensors RS1 and RS2 are constituting elements of a bridge, voltages V.sub.+ and V.sub.- are applied across two ends of the bridge, signals are extracted from two central nodes, and a voltage difference between the two extracted signals is determined as a sensor output signal a. In order to compensate for an unbalanced state of the bridge, a variable resistor VR1 is connected to the bridge. Reference symbols R1 and R2 denote fixed resistors constituting the bridge.
However, it takes much time to adjust the variable resistor VR1, and the bridge balancing circuit employing the variable resistor is not suitable for mass-production. In addition, if the resistance is changed over time after adjustment, the bridge is unbalanced again.


Headgear and head suspension system adapted to support an object with a head of a wearer. A flexible circumferential band has an anterior portion and a posterior portion, at least a portion of the anterior portion of the flexible circumferential band having a replaceable headband bridge having a particular configuration. A configuration of the head suspension system may be modified by replacing the replaceable headband bridge with another headband bridge of a different configuration.

Protective helmets, particularly welding helmets, tend to be heavy and cumbersome. The weight of a protective helmet can be burdensome on a wearer who may often already be working in extreme conditions of heat and other adverse elements. The weight of the protective helmet adds further to that burden.
A head suspension system for a protective helmet must be adjusted to the particular requirements of the wearer for the helmet to be comfortable. An ill fitting helmet, especially one that is heavy, may be extremely uncomfortable for a wearer, which could lead to operating mistakes and, possibly, injury.
Adjustment mechanisms on conventional protective helmets, such as welding helmets, are typically either bulky, difficult to adjust, or both. Adjustment mechanisms that require a bulky adjustment knob can add a considerable weight to the protective helmet. Common adjustment mechanisms may also involve removable and replaceable bolts or set screws that can be very difficult to adjust. Bolts that must be undone often lead to a multiplicity of loose bolts, nuts and washers that may be difficult to reassemble. This can be especially true when the wearer is wearing protective hand gear such as gloves.
Some head suspension systems may be adjusted by repositioning straps. One example of a head suspension adjustment mechanism adjusted by repositioning a headband strap is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,917, Landis et al, Ergonomic Head Band Apparatus. An ergonomic head band includes a strap having first and second upwardly curved side arcuate segments, a front arcuate region and tails which couple together at the back of a wearer's head. The tails are repositionable on each other providing a common sizing adjustment. Face shields or other apparatus may be coupled to the head band.
Other headgear supports provide adjustability with headbands with ends that slide relatively to each other. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,474, Austin, Adjustable Headband; U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,831, Oleson, Adjustable Head Band Suspension System For Use With Hard Hat Shell, providing a slidably disposed adjusting device; U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,586, Freund, Adjustable Headband Having a Resiliently Bowable Fastener Surface, having a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots and a resilient fastener with a channel to slidably receive the end with the spaced slots; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,382, Ryvin et al, One-Piece Adjustable Headgear Support, having an integrally formed slidable adjustment mechanism. However, such adjustment mechanisms are not always easy for a wearer in the field to adjust and may add unnecessary weight to the protective helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,836, Idoff et al, Headgear, discloses a headgear for mounting protective equipment such as a visor. The head band includes a brow band section, side band section and a neck band section. The neck band portion includes an adjustment mechanism including slidable portions secured with a knob. In addition, the brow section includes an adjustable buckle. Again, the adjustment mechanism can be unduly difficult for a user to adjust and may add unnecessary weight to the headgear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,628, Freund, Helmet Suspension Having Ratchet Adjustment, discloses a head protection or helmet suspension having a ratchet adjustment for the adjustment of the head suspension in size. An adjustment knob engages pins in the ratchet case to lock the head suspension size in position. The adjustment knob and ratcheting mechanism may add unnecessary weight to the helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,217, Del Bon et al, Protective Assembly For The Protection Of The Human Head, discloses a protective assembly which has a circular support structure adapted to be connected to the head of the person wearing the protective assembly. A protective visor is pivotally connected to the support structure to be swiveled for a lower operating position and to an upper resting position. A rear ratcheting adjustment mechanism provides size adjustment for the headband. The ratcheting mechanism may add unnecessary weight to the helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,306, Howard et al, Face Shield Assembly, discloses a face shield assembly including a frame and a removable protective element supported by the frame. The frame is pivotally supported on a support structure such that the frame can be moved between an upper (out of use) and a lower (in use) position. A rear adjustment knob allows a rear head band portion to be selectively secured in a slidable position providing rear size adjustment. Again, the rear adjustment knob and slide mechanism may add unnecessary weight to the helmet.

Head suspension system and headgear with replaceable headband bridge and method of adjusting same


Disclosed is a leak detecting device for a fuel vapor treatment unit that purges a vapor gas generated through evaporation of fuel in a fuel tank (2) into an intake system (22) of an engine (21). The leak detecting device includes a valve (5) that can selectively seal the fuel vapor treatment unit; a pressure detecting sensor (8) that detects a pressure in the fuel vapor treatment unit; and a controller (10). The controller (10) is programmed to: issue a command to close the valve (5) with a view to sealing the fuel vapor treatment unit during stoppage of the engine (21); calculate deviation amounts (P−P0) of the detected pressures during stoppage of the engine (21) after the fuel vapor treatment unit has been sealed; integrate absolute values (|P−P0|) of the deviation amounts, and determine, based on an integrated value (s), whether or not there is a leak occurring in the fuel vapor treatment unit.

JP 2003-56416 A published by Japan Patent Office in 2003 discloses a conventional leak diagnosis device (or leak detecting device) for a fuel vapor treatment unit. This leak diagnosis device periodically integrates detected internal pressures of an evaporation system and makes a determination on a leak from the evaporation system on the basis of an integrated value. A leak diagnosis is carried out herein for a period in which a "positive pressure" is maintained when the evaporation system is sealed immediately after stoppage of an engine, or for a period shorter than that period.
By the same token, JP 2003-74422 A published by Japan Patent Office in 2003 discloses a conventional leak diagnosis device. This leak diagnosis device carries out a leak diagnosis by comparing an integrated value, which is obtained by periodically integrating internal pressures of a fuel vapor treatment unit, with a leak criterion value during a leak diagnosis period. It should be noted herein the leak diagnosis period means a period in which a "positive pressure" is maintained when an evaporation system is sealed immediately after stoppage of an engine, or for a period shorter than that period. Moreover, when the internal pressure of the system becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure during the leak diagnosis period, the leak diagnosis device temporarily opens the system. Thus, a large amount of a vapor gas is prevented from being discharged to outside air when the fuel vapor treatment unit is opened to outside air after termination of the leak diagnosis.
The aforementioned conventional arts are based on the premise that the pressure in the evaporation system rises and becomes positive when the evaporation system is sealed immediately after the engine has been stopped. This is because an exhaust system is at a high temperature and a large amount of the vapor gas is generated immediately after the engine has been stopped. However, when the engine is operated for a long period, highly evaporable light components in fuel have already evaporated, and the generation amount of the vapor gas after stoppage of the engine is small. In this case, the pressure in the evaporation system may become negative as the evaporation system is cooled after the engine has been stopped. Thus, since the pressure in the evaporation system is not always positive, the aforementioned conventional arts sometimes make it difficult to carry out the leak diagnosis appropriately.

Leak detecting device for fuel vapor treatment unit


The present invention provides a process apparatus including an airtight process vessel, an exhaust system for exhausting gas from the process vessel, and a baffle plate for partitioning the process vessel into a process chamber for processing an object and an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust system, the baffle plate has a plurality of slits through which the process chamber and the exhaust passage communicate with each other, and each of the slits has a tapered surface on an inner surface toward the process chamber, the tapered surface corresponding to not less than xc2xc of a depth of the slit.

The present invention relates to a process apparatus for performing a process, such as etching, on an object such as a semiconductor wafer.
A magnetron-type plasma process apparatus that is generally known comprises a gas-tight process vessel, an upper electrode provided in the vessel, a lower electrode provided in the vessel and opposing the upper electrode, and a magnet surrounding a plasma region provided between the upper and lower electrodes.
To perform a plasma process on an object by the use of such a magnetron-type plasma process apparatus, the object is mounted on the lower electrode. Then, the process gas is introduced into the process vessel. The process vessel is evacuated, whereby a low-pressure atmosphere is maintained in the vessel. Thereafter, high-frequency power is supplied to the lower electrode, thereby generating plasma in the process vessel.
Generally, a plasma process apparatus of this type has a baffle plate, which partitions the process vessel into a process chamber and an exhaust passage. An object to be processed is placed in the process chamber. The exhaust passage communicates with an evacuation mechanism. The baffle plate is provided between the side of the lower electrode and the inner surface of the process vessel and surrounds the lower electrode. The baffle plate has a plurality of slits that extend in the radial direction, connecting the process chamber and the exhaust passage. (The chamber and the passage communicate with each other through these slits.) Thus, the baffle plate partitions the plasma region while the process is undergoing. This increases the density of plasma in the process chamber. Further, the conductance between the process chamber and the exhaust passage is maintained in a prescribed condition since the gas is guided from the chamber into the passage through the slits. Thus, the gas can be exhausted from the process chamber in a stable condition.
The baffle plate has the function of holding the reaction product made by the process, thus reducing the amount in which the reaction product flows into the exhaust passage. The reaction product deposits on that surface of the baffle plate which is exposed to the process chamber (i.e., the surface of the plate facing the chamber). The amount of deposition is proportional to the time of process. If the product deposits on the rims of the slits through which the gas flows from the process chamber, the slits will become narrower. Consequently, the pressure in the process chamber will rise. This impairs the uniformity of etching in the plane of the object (i.e., in-plane uniformity) or decrease the etching rate. To prevent such undesirable events, the maintenance of the baffle plate is effected at regular intervals, by either washing the plate or by replacing it with a new one. If the process generates deposit in large quantities, however, the maintenance must be carried out more frequently. In this case, the throughput of the process will decrease.
The object of the invention is to provide a novel, improved process apparatus in which the slits of the baffle plate are hardly narrowed with deposit on the chamber side, an atmosphere of a prescribed pressure can therefore be maintained in the process chamber for a long time (that is, the process time can be lengthened without changing the process conditions), and the maintenance cycle of the baffle plate can be thereby extended to enhance the throughput of the process.
To attain the object, a process apparatus according to the present invention includes an airtight process vessel, an exhaust system for exhausting gas from the process vessel, and a baffle plate for partitioning the process vessel into a process chamber for processing an object and an exhaust passage communicating with the exhaust system. The baffle plate has a plurality of slits through which the process chamber and the exhaust passage communicate with each other, and each of the slits has a tapered surface on an inner surface toward the process chamber, the tapered surface being formed to not less than xc2xc of a depth of the slit.
In particular, when the tapered surface is not less than xc2xd of the depth of the slit, it is preferable that angle xcex8 between the tapered surface and a perpendicular crossing an open end of the slit at right angles fall within a range from 5xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 (5xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa630xc2x0).
When each slit has an enlarged opening facing the exhaust passage, extending from an opening rim of the slit, which faces the exhaust passage, toward the process chamber, and having an inside diameter which is larger than the minimum inside diameter of a process-chamber-side portion of the slit on which the tapered surface is formed, it is preferable that the tapered surface and the enlarged opening be each formed to xc2xc to xc2xd of the depth of the slit and angle xcex8 between the tapered surface and a perpendicular crossing an open end of the slit at right angles fall within a range from 30xc2x0 to 60xc2x0 (30xc2x0xe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa660xc2x0). In this case, preferably, width W1 of an opening of the slit, which faces the process chamber, and width W2 of an opening of the slit, which faces the exhaust passage, are set so as to satisfy a condition of 1xe2x89xa6W2/W1xe2x89xa61.4.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.