Disclosed is a method for maintaining container contents in a desired ambient temperature and a container assembly for achieving the same. The method incorporates use of a container assembly comprising an outer bowl member, an inner vessel member and a lid member, all of which are constructed with porous materials. Critically-select portions of the outer bowl member, the inner vessel member and the lid member are glazed with a vapor-impervious coating while the remaining portions of the container assembly are left unglazed. The glazed portions thus provide an avenue for vapor or liquid media, emanating from temperature-maintaining matter, to permeate through the interstitial pores of the material by entering and exiting through the unglazed portions of the container assemblage. Container contents, housed in the lidded inner vessel member, are thus more efficiently maintained in a desired ambient temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of refrigerating, heating, and storing incorporating use of a container assembly for refrigerating, heating, and storing substances for subsequent usage. More specifically, the present invention is primarily intended as a method for storing a substance in a temperature controlled environment whereby the target substance is contained within a first container and the first container is nestedly received in a second container. The second container houses a temperature-maintaining substance for maintaining the internal temperature of the first container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The process of lowering a temperature and maintaining it in a given space for the purpose of chilling foods or preserving certain substances is commonly known as refrigeration. By placing a given temperature-controlled substance into a lowered temperature environment and maintaining the same in a desired ambient temperature, the resultant refrigeration checks both bacterial growth and adverse chemical reactions that would otherwise occur in normal atmosphere. The use of natural or manufactured ice for refrigeration purposes was widespread the world over until the early 1900's when mechanical or electric refrigerators became available, but is still commonly used to maintain temperature-controlled substances in a chilled ambient temperature. Ice or frozen water owes its effectiveness as a cooling agent to the fact that it has a constant fusion temperature of 0 Celcius (32 Fahrenheit). Other temperature-maintaining substances such as solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) have also proven to be effective refrigerants. Dry ice, for example, has no liquid phase at normal atmospheric temperature and sublimes directly from a solid state to a vapor phase at a temperature of −78.5 Celcius (−109.3 Fahrenheit). It is during this period of sublimation that solid carbon dioxide is effective for maintaining temperature-controlled products in low ambient temperatures.
The vapor of a substance refers to the gaseous state of a given substance. If confined at any temperature, the vapor emitted from any substance exerts pressure known as vapor pressure, and as the temperature of the substance is raised, the vapor pressure increases as a result of increased evaporation. When the local vapor pressure above a liquid becomes equal to the total pressure because of heat, boiling will occur. For most solids at ordinary temperatures and pressures, the vapor pressure is small or negligible. A finite vapor pressure exists, however, as the presence of water vapor over ice demonstrates.
Modern developments in refrigeration, heating, and storage techniques have provided various devices for maintaining temperature-controlled substances in a chilled or heated state so as to prepare the temperature-controlled substance for subsequent use. In this last regard, edible matter or food is often the target temperature-controlled substance and it is with this backdrop that the present invention is presented. The present invention harnesses the properties inherent in given temperature-maintaining matter, particularly the vapor pressure, for chilling or heating temperature-controlled substances for subsequent usage. Preferably, the present invention is intended as a serving vessel for mealtime.
In this last regard, it is noted that meals comprise not only the act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy an appetite, but often further comprise a social engagement in which situation those dining take pleasure in the visual experience of the meal as well as the edible quality of the meal. As is well known in the culinary arts, the visual presentation of a meal is a paramount consideration to the overall dining experience. Thus, in its basic form and function, the present invention incorporates specific materials and structure to form an aesthetically pleasing appearance, which results in a novel container assembly for storing substances in a preferred ambient temperature.
Among food items requiring refrigeration, heating, and storage are butter, margarine, and other similar spreads. The preservation of butter and the like present unique problems, not applicable to other condiments, such as ketchup, salt, sugar and so forth. For example, when using butter or similar other spreads in cooking, the butter and spreads are often required to be melted or soften prior to their addition to the recipe. However, when served directly at the meal, butter or similar other spreads are usually required to be chilled and maintained in a solid state. In an effort to provide for these requirements, many devices have been developed in an effort to provide an apparatus for maintaining temperature-controlled substances in a refrigerated or heated ambient temperature, some of which are described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,425 ('425 Patent), which issued to Swartout, discloses a Double Bowl and Cover. The Double Bowl and Cover discloses a two-bowl and cover assemblage, in which a first bowl is nestedly received in a second bowl. Support tab members on the second bowl hold receive and support similarly placed suspension tab members on the first bowl such that when nested, a relatively uniform space is provided between the outer surface of the inner bowl and the inner space of the second bowl. It is contemplated that a water jacket fills the relatively uniform space for maintaining the target temperature-controlled substance in a desired ambient temperature. It will thus be seen, however, that the '425 Patent does not teach the use of porous material in the construction of the double bowl assemblage nor does the '425 Patent teach the application of vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically-select portions of the porous material for allowing vapor from the water jacket to permeate through the porous material in a controlled manner for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the Double Bowl and Cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,288 ('288 Patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,706 ('706 Patent), which issued to Monaco et al., disclose Food-Service Devices. The Food Service-Devices each disclose the use of a deep pan for retaining temperature-maintaining matter such as heated or chilled water bath and at least one smaller tray-shaped container for supporting food items above the water bath. The tray-shaped container may be nestedly placed into the deep pan, which smaller tray-shaped containers are enclosed by a translucent, preferably dome-shaped cover or lid, for the visual benefit of passersby. The temperature-maintaining substance thus contributes to the maintenance of a desired temperature in the enclosed tray-shaped containers. Neither the '288 Patent nor the '706 Patent teach the use of porous material in the construction of the deep pan, smaller tray-shaped containers, or translucent dome-shaped lid. Furthermore, neither the '288 Patent nor the '706 Patent teach the application of vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically-select portions of the deep pan, smaller tray-shaped container or cover for allowing vapor from the water bath to permeate through porous material in a controlled manner for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the Food-Service Devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,916 ('916 Patent), which issued to Alpert, discloses a Food Containerization assembly. This invention teaches an insulated food container having an outer vessel formed in part of heat-resistant materials, which outer vessel comprises an upper peripheral ledge. An inner vessel, adapted to hold food, has a peripheral flange, which flange rests on the peripheral ledge and thus disposes the inner vessel in gapped relation to the outer vessel member. The gapped relation structurally results in an insulative layer of air between the inner and outer vessel members. The container is closed by a lid having suitable means to sealably engage the rim portion of the outer vessel member and has a conically-shaped portion, the vertex of which is fracturable under high internal pressure to provide relief of the vapor pressure that may accumulate within the sealed container. It will thus be seen that the '916 Patent does not teach the use of porous material in the construction of the outer vessel member, the inner vessel member, or the lid member. It will be further seen that the '916 Patent does not teach the application of vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically-select portions of the outer vessel member, inner vessel member or lid for allowing vapor in the insulative layer of air between the inner and outer vessel members to permeate through porous material in a controlled manner for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the Food Containerization assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,586 ('586 Patent), which issued to Lyons, discloses a Refrigerated Butter Dish, known in the marketplace as the BUTTER BELL CROCK™ brand butter dish. The Refrigerated Butter Dish comprises a receptacle for containing crushed ice and an invertable cover unit which has on one side thereof a handle for lifting the cover and on the other an outwardly extending tapered skirt defining interiorly thereof a butter receiving chamber. When the dispenser is not being used, the cover is positioned so that the skirt portion depends inwardly of the receptacle, keeping the butter contained therein in close proximity with the crushed ice. When it is desired to remove the butter from the dispenser, the cover is inverted so that the skirt portion extends upwardly, making the butter chamber readily accessible to the user. The '586 Patent thus discloses that the skirt must be inverted 180 degrees for removing the butter and returned to an upside-down position for storing the butter against the ice. The '586 Patent thus further shows that the Refrigerated Butter Dish is susceptible to mixing of the butter with any melted ice and is impractical for refrigerating melted or softened butter, which may fall out of the skirt when turned upside-down. In this last regard, it is further noted that butter may easily become contaminated by coming into contact with the ice water solution in the receptacle for containing crushed ice, which is a notable disadvantage of the Refrigerated Butter Dish.
Furthermore, the '586 Patent does not teach the use of porous material in the construction of the receptacle for containing crushed ice or the invertable cover member. Further, the '586 Patent does not teach the application of vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically-select portions of the receptacle for containing crushed ice or the invertable cover member for allowing vapor from the space between the crushed ice receptacle and the invertable cover member to permeate through the interstitial pores of the structure in a controlled manner for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the Refrigerated Butter Dish.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,274 ('274 Patent), which issued to Freedland, discloses a Container for the Storage and Serving of Food Products comprising an outer bowl, and an inner bowl receivable within the outer bowl such that a space is defined between the outer and inner bowls for containing ice or hot packs for cooling or heating the walls of the inner bowl. The device of the '274 Patent further comprises a drain assembly for selectively draining excess salad dressing or water out of the inner bowl. The drain assembly is formed in part from a bottom wall portion of the inner bowl and a drain cover plate that is slidably mounted over the wall portion. Both the bottom wall portion of the inner bowl and the drain cover plate include mutually registrable patterns of drain ports which may be slidably moved into alignment when drainage of the inner bowl is desired. However, the usage of a drain system in the bottom of the inner bowl can allow for melted or softened food products, like butter and spread, to spill or drain unnecessarily or unwantingly from the device of the '274 Patent. Thus, it will be seen that the '274 Patent does not teach the use of porous material in the construction of the outer or inner bowl members. Further, the '274 Patent does not teach the application of vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically-select portions of the outer and inner bowl member for allowing chilled or heated vapors from the space between the outer and inner bowl members to permeate through porous material in a controlled manner for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the Container for the Storage and Serving of Food Products.
It is noted that none of the prior art teaches a container assembly comprising nested elements and a lid member, wherein the nested elements and lid member are constructed from porous materials and which porous material is coated with a vapor-impervious glazed coating glazing. Further, none of the prior art teaches a container assembly which comprises vapor-impervious glazed coating on critically select portions of the nested elements for controlling the path of permeating vapor. In this regard, vapor from temperature-maintaining matter located in the space between nested elements, although present in the prior art systems, has not been shown to be harnessed for improving the maintenance of temperature in the chamber holding temperature-controlled substances. The prior art thus perceives a need for a container assembly comprising porous materials, which when coated with a vapor-impervious glazed coating glazing on critically select portions of the individual components, directs permeating vapor through the interstitial pores of the structure for improving the temperature-maintaining characteristics of the container assembly.

Method for maintaining container contents in a desired ambient temperature


A method of processing input digital image data representing an image into output digital image data, comprising: providing (100) input image data; providing and initializing (200) a level set function representation for approximating the output digital image data; providing (300) a speed function; determining (400) a propagation direction trend map relating to image points of the level set function, said map comprising one or more trend directions associated with said image points so that each one of said image points has an associated trend direction; updating (500, 520) the level set function using the speed function and the propagation direction trend map, so that the speed function is excluded from contributing in the updating of the level set function in image points for which the speed of the speed function is not in the associated trend direction; and providing (700) the output digital image data based on the level set function. By the exclusion, propagation in a coherent manner is enabled and speed penalty owing to local wiggling as observed in conventional methods can be avoided.

Object segmentation is often needed in medical image analysis, e.g., for surgery planning or for quantitative measurements of vessel stenosis. Although there are many segmentation methods in the literature, many of them fail to give satisfactory result when the image resolution is limited or has relatively high noise content. These difficulties can sometimes be overcome by user intervention, but this often results in complicated workflows and long analysis time. The level-set method, invented in the 1980s, is for example known for use as an image segmentation tool, due to its ability to automatically handle complicated topological changes of the targeted object, keep the contour smooth on a noisy background and generate segmentation results with sub-voxel accuracy. For an introduction see e.g. Osher, S., and Fedkiw, R. P., "Level set methods and dynamic implicit surfaces", Springer (2003). Many studies have shown that the level-set technique improves the segmentation accuracy and reduces the need for user supervision, such as Yushkevich, P. A., Piven, J., Hazlett, H. C., Smith, R. G., Ho, S., Gee, J. C., and Gerig, G., "User-guided 3D active contour segmentation of anatomical structures: significantly improved efficiency and reliability," Neuroimage 31(3), 1116-1128 (2006), and Manniesing, R., Velthuis, B. K., Van Leeuwen, M. S., Van der Schaaf, I. C., Van Laar, P. J., and Niessen, W. J., "Level set based cerebral vasculature segmentation and diameter quantification in CT angiography," Medical Image Analysis 10(2), 200-214 (2006). Despite the success and robustness achieved in various experimental environments, its application in clinical practice is still rather limited, mainly due to the long computation time. Several methods have been proposed to accelerate the level-set method; for example Sethian et al invented the narrow-band method, in which the computation of the level-set function is limited to a band a few pixels wide instead of the whole image, see Adalsteinsson, D., Adalsteinsson, D., Sethian, J. A., and Sethian, J. A., "A Fast Level Set Method for Propagating Interfaces," JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS 118, 269-277 (1994). Whitaker later extended narrow-band level set to the sparse field level set, where the narrow band is only one pixel wide and the level set function is recalculated with a distance transform in each iteration, see Whitaker, R. T., "A level-set approach to 3d reconstruction from range data," INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER VISION 29, 203-231 (1998). However, in many applications these methods do not give satisfactory performance, as segmentation takes too long. Hence it would be desirable with a level set based image segmentation method that allows for faster segmentation. In general it would be desirable with a level set based image processing method that would allow for faster execution, that is, not only in the case of image segmentation but also in other situations where level set methods can be employed in image processing, for example when used for noise reduction.

Level set function based image processing


A method and device for generating message notifications at a mobile device is provided. A current operating context of the mobile device is determined. A first display representation for the received message in accordance with notification display settings associated with the determined current operating context is determined. Gesture information from a touch input component is determined and a second display representation comprising at least a portion of the received message and an action area for performing a direct action in response to the received message in response to the determined gesture information is generated.

Mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, allow users to send and receive messages with others. When messages are received at the mobile device, a notification may be presented to indicate to the user that a message has been received. The notification may present at least a portion of the message to the user. Messages can be presented to the user in graphical representation to notify them of events such as new messages, missed phone calls, status updates, etc., typically in a pop-up or notification center requiring the user to enter the associated application to respond to the notification.
While it can be advantageous to receive notifications of messages on a mobile device it may be desirable to provide additional, alternative and/or improved functionality for presenting notifications on the mobile device.


A display apparatus is disclosed. The display apparatus includes: a plurality of scan signal lines and a plurality of data signal lines that cross each other; a plurality of pixels formed at each crossing of the scan signal lines and the data signal lines, wherein each of the pixels includes sub-pixels that display red color, green color, blue color and white color in response to a scan signal from the scan signal lines and a data signal from the data signal lines, wherein the sub-pixels are arranged in a 2×2 matrix; a scan signal driving circuit including a plurality of stages that supplies the scan signal to the scan signal lines; and a data signal driving circuit that supplies the data signal to the data signal lines, wherein the scan signal driving circuit, the pixels, the scan signal lines and the data signal lines are formed on a same substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display apparatus capable of reducing data signal lines and integrated circuits that drive the data signal lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cathode ray tube (CRT) is disadvantageous in its weight and size. Recently, various flat panel display devices have been developed. These flat panel display devices have a reduced weight and a reduced size. A flat panel display device includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, etc.
Among these flat panel display devices, the LCD device controls light transmittance of liquid crystal cells according to a video signal to thereby display a picture.
Referring to FIG. 1, an active matrix type LCD includes an LCD panel 13 having (n×m) sub-pixels arranged in a matrix, a gate driving circuit 12, and a data driving circuit 11. Each of the sub-pixels is connected to a thin film transistor (TFT). Each TFT is formed at the crossing parts of n number of gate lines (G1 to Gn) and m number of date lines (D1 to Dm). Herein, n is a positive integer and m is a positive integer. Each TFT is formed to implement any one color of red (R), green (G) and blue (B). The gate driving circuit 12 supplies a scan signal to the gate lines (G1 to Gn) and the data driving circuit 11 supplies a data signal to the data lines (D1 to Dm).
The LCD panel 13 is formed by combining two glass substrates and injecting liquid crystal molecules between the two glass substrates. The gate lines (G1 to Gn) and the data lines (D1 to Dm) are provided at the lower glass substrate of the LCD panel 13 and cross each other perpendicularly. Each TFT provided at a crossing between the pth gate line (Gp) and the qth data line (Dq) applies a data signal supplied via the qth data line (Dq) to the sub-pixel (P[p,q]) located at p row and q column. The supplied data signal is in response to a scan signal from the pth gate line (Gp). Herein, p is a positive integer equal to n or smaller than n and q is a positive integer equal to m or smaller than m. The sub-pixels implement red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors in response to the data signal. The sub-pixels implementing each of red (R), green (G), and blue(B) colors forms one pixel 15 as shown in FIG. 1. The upper glass substrate of the LCD panel 13 is provided with black matrices, color filters and common electrodes (not shown). A first polarizer having a light axis is attached onto the upper glass substrate of the LCD panel 13 and a second polarizer having a light axis perpendicular to the light axis of the first polarizer is attached onto the lower glass substrate of the LCD panel 13. An alignment film for establishing a free-tilt angle of the liquid crystal is provided at the inner side of at least one of the first and second polarizers tangent to the liquid crystal. Each sub-pixel of the LCD panel 13 is provided with a storage capacitor. Each storage capacitor is provided between the pixel electrode of the sub-pixel and the pre-stage gate line, or between the pixel electrode of the sub-pixel and a common electrode line (not shown). Each storage capacitor enables constantly keeping a voltage of the sub-pixel.
The data driving circuit 11 includes a plurality of data driving integrated circuits. The data driving circuit 11 latches a digital video data, and converts the digital video data into an analog gamma compensation voltage to thereby apply it to the data lines (D1 to Dm).
The gate driving circuit 12 sequentially shifts a start signal every one horizontal period to sequentially apply a scan signal selecting a horizontal line to the gate lines (G1 to Gn).
In addition to the LCD device, flat panel display devices, such as OLED devices, PDP devices, FED devices, etc., also include one pixel organized by sub-pixels that implement red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors. Each of these display devices includes: scan signal lines to supply a scan signal selecting a horizontal line to each sub-pixel; data signal lines to supply a data signal to each sub-pixel; a scan signal driving circuit that drives the scan signal lines and a data signal driving circuit that drives the data signal lines. In these flat panel display devices, such as in a QVGA device having 320×240 resolution to supply the data signal to each sub-pixel, data signal lines for supplying 320×3 data signals are required. In a VGA device having 640×480 resolution, data signal lines for supplying 640×3 data signals are required. The data signal driving circuit that supplies the data signal to each data signal line includes a number of data signal driving integrated circuits. Accordingly, there is a need to develop schemes that reduce the number of the data signal lines and the number of data signal driving integrated circuits.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A signal generated by a display controller is divided into a plurality of signal groups comprising a display data signal, a control signal, and a clock signal. The divided signals are transmitted to a panel controller via channels that are different with each signal group, and adjustment of a skew generated between signal groups is executed with respect to the control signal as well.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-291302, filed Sep. 25, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high resolution panel display system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with advancement of a personal computer, a display unit can be displayed with a variety of resolutions. Typical display modes include, for example, a VGA mode (640 dotsxc3x97480 lines), an SVGA mode (800 dotsxc3x97600 lines) and an XGA mode (1024 dotsxc3x97768 lines). In addition, an SXGA mode with high resolution (1280 dotsxc3x971024 lines, an SXGA+ mode (1400 dotsxc3x971050 lines), a UXGA (1600 dotsxc3x971200 lines) and the like is employed.
As the resolution increases, an increased amount of information is transferred to a display controller to a display panel. As a result, there is a tendency that a frequency of a display clock signal becomes high, and the number of interface signal lines between a display controller and a display unit increases. In general, a signal line consisting of a connector and hardness is used for this interface signal line.
In the case where a high resolution display is achieved in such a circumstance, for example, the following two problems may occur. A first problem is that properly transferring display data at a high clock frequency, i.e., proper timing acquisition is difficult from the viewpoint of a setup time, a hold time or the like. A second problem is that data is transferred at a comparatively high voltage (about 5V at TTL), and thus, the periphery may be affected by electric wave irradiation.
In order to solve these problems, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 7-285999, there is disclosed a display interface system in which two LVDSs (Low-voltage Differential Signaling) are provided at a computer main frame and a flat panel, respectively, and irradiation of electromagnetic waves and the number of signal lines are reduced. In the system, any one of control signals by the two LVDSs. In this system, as long as a display with a certain degree of resolution is achieved, there is a low probability that a skew occurs with respect to the control signals of the two LVDSs. Thus, this can be an effective display interface system.
However, in the case of executing a further display with high resolution caused by an SXGA mode (1280 dotsxc3x971024 lines), SXGA+ mode (1400 dotsxc3x971050 lines), a UXGA mode (1600 dotsxc3x971200 lines) or the like, there is a possibility that a skew between the above described two LVDSs becomes a large problem. This is because, in the case of executing a display with high resolution, a clock frequency becomes high, and there is a higher possibility that a skew occurs between these two LVDSs than conventionally.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the foregoing problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel display system with high resolution and an information processing apparatus for reducing a skew with a transmission LVDS for displaying a panel with high resolution in particular.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display system comprises a display device; a generator configured to generate an image data signal that is a parallel signal of plural bits and a control signal concerning horizontal synchronization and vertical synchronization; a first transmission device which converts part of the image data signal into a first serial signal and transmits the first serial signal and a first control signal corresponding to the part of the image data signal from the generator to the display device; and a second transmission device which converts the rest of the image data signal into a second serial signal and transmits the second serial signal and a second control signal corresponding to the rest of the image data signal from the generator to the display device; wherein the display device converts the first serial signal into the part of the image data signal and the second serial signal into the rest of the image data signal, and adjusts a skew between the part of image data signal and the rest of the image data signal based on the first and second control signals.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display system comprises: a display device; a generator configured to generate an image data signal that is a parallel signal of plural bits and a parallel control signal concerning horizontal synchronization and vertical synchronization; a first transmission device which converts part of the image data signal into a first serial image data signal and a first control signal corresponding to the part of the image data signal into a first serial control signal, and transmits the first serial image data signal and first serial control signal from the generator to the display device; and a second transmission device which converts the rest of the image data signal into a second serial image data signal and a second control signal corresponding to the rest of the image data signal into a second serial control signal, and transmits the second serial image data signal and second serial control signal from the generator to the display device; wherein the display device converts the first serial image data signal into the part of the image data signal, the second serial image data signal into the rest of the image data signal, the first serial control signal into the first control signal corresponding to the part of the image data signal and the second serial control signal into the second control signal corresponding to the rest of the image data signal, and adjusts a skew between the part of image data signal and the rest of the image data signal based on the first and second control signals.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a information processing apparatus comprises: a generator configured to generate an image data signal that is a parallel signal of plural bits and a control signal concerning horizontal synchronization and vertical synchronization; a first transmission device which converts part of the image data signal into a first serial signal and transmits the first serial signal and a first control signal corresponding to the part of the image data signal from the generator to a display device; and a second transmission device which converts the rest of the image data signal into a second serial signal and transmits the second serial signal and a second control signal corresponding to the rest of the image data signal from the generator to the display device.
With such configuration, there can be provided a panel display system with high resolution and an information processing apparatus that reduce a skew at a transmission LVDS.
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.

Display system and information processing apparatus


An apparatus and method for preventing the no-load operation of a pump for a liquid supply system which responds to a sensor signal indicating that insufficient liquid in the supply exists for properly supplying liquid from a supply tank to a reservoir tank is described. The device provides a user indication that the supply tank liquid needs replenishment. Further, the device also detects when the pump supplying liquid from the supply tank to the reservoir tank operates for a period of time longer than a predetermined period of time. The device also provides a user with an indication that such a condition exists.

A typical liquid supply system includes a portable liquid supply tank to hold a liquid and a pump to supply the liquid in the supply tank to a reservoir tank in response to a signal from a sensor attached to the reservoir tank. The pump, operating in response to a signal from the sensor, supplies liquid thereby increasing the volume of liquid in the reservoir tank from a first predetermined volume to a second predetermined volume (the second predetermined volume being greater than the first predetermined volume). In other words, when the volume of liquid in the reservoir tank drops to a first predetermined volume, the sensor attached to the reservoir tank outputs a signal which causes the pump to supply liquid from the supply tank to the reservoir tank until the volume of liquid in the reservoir tank rises a second predetermined volume greater. Typically, the volume of liquid in the reservoir tank is detected by detecting the position of a float.
The typical liquid supply system also includes a device for preventing the no-load operation of the pump when the liquid in the supply tank is exhausted. A prior art device for preventing the no-load operation of a pump is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Gazette No. 52-116710. Such a device for preventing the no-load operation of a pump as disclosed by this reference includes a sensor for detecting the amount of liquid remaining in the supply tank. The sensor signals the pump stopping the supply of liquid to the reservoir tank when the liquid volume in the supply tank drops below a predetermined volume.
However, the pump is signaled to stop not only when the device for preventing no-load operation determines the amount of liquid in the supply tank has fallen below a predetermined volume but also when, in normal operation, the amount of liquid supplied to the reservoir tank is sensed to be sufficient. Accordingly, an operator or a user cannot correctly know from stoppage of the pump's operation whether or not it is necessary to replenish the supply of liquid in the supply tank because an insufficient amount of liquid remains for proper operation of the liquid supply system.
Additionally, if a connecting mechanism, for example, a sealing coupler, disposed on the fluid circuit between the supply tank and the pump happens to be incompletely or improperly connected such that the liquid flow from the supply tank is interrupted, the pump will operate, continuously, attempting to supply liquid to the reservoir tank, even though there may be sufficient liquid in the supply tank to adequately supply the reservoir tank. The prior art device for preventing no-load operation of a pump disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Gazette No. 52-116710 does not provide an indication to a user of any abnormal conditions which may be experienced by the liquid supply apparatus such as incomplete connection of the connecting mechanism causing interrupted liquid flow.

Method and apparatus for preventing the no-load operation of a pump for a liquid supply system


The combination of a pair of aligned tubular membes joined together in end-to-end relationship, where the tubular members are joined by an internal expansion coupling device. The combination is designed for applications exposed to high operating temperatures and pressures. The combination comprises a tubular member characterized by a flared end portion having a diameter exceeding the diameter of the tubular members. Additionally, there is provided an internal expansion coupling device formed of an elongated open ended tubular joint member consisting of a relatively rigid sheet-like member, where the sheet ends overlap such that the end portions lie essentially contiguous with each other. A compressive seal member is provided between said end portions, and a flexible O-ring type member formed of a high temperature resistant material, is disposed within said flared end portion in contact with the relatively rigid sheet-like member. Finally, means are provided for expanding said sheet-like member whereby said sheet ends may be caused to move circumferentially towards one another to compress said seal member and to urge said O-ring type member against the flared end portion to secure and seal said aligned tubular members.

The present invention is directed to an improved internal expansion coupling and sealing system that is particularly adapted for use in a tubular transmission system where high operating temperatures may be a factor or consideration in such transmission system. Further, such coupling and sealing system is especially suited to join opposing tubular members, where the ends thereof are configured to receive an annular type sealing ring which cooperates with the internal expansion member, as hereinafter defined, to effect a tight seal therebetween, even at high temperatures, such as may be associated with internal combustion type engines.
Unlike external or contraction type coupling devices, which are not effective under heat or internal pressure conditions, the present invention is directed to a unique internal coupling device that appears to thrive under pressure while coupling and sealing effectively under heat. There have been attempts by the prior art to make effective internal joint connections. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,434 to Little, there is taught a system for coupling adjacent ends of flexible tubular members comprising an elongated open ended tube member having an O.D. that is approximately the same as the I.D. of such flexible tubular members. More particularly, such system includes a transverse slit across said open ended tube member, and a pair of aligned strap-like members having opposite ends thereof connected to said tube members on opposite sides of the slit. Threadable means, as part of the strap-like members, join the opposite ends of the tube member whereby said tube may be contracted a limited amount, or expanded.
Other internal expanding coupling means are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,135 to Cooper consisting of a split sleeve having oppositely disposed inclined longitudinal flanges which may be radially moved to expand the sleeve; U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,687 to Broberg et al for a steel band splicing strap with a threaded member to separate the strap ends; U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,951 to Crivello for a polyethylene conduit insert consisting of a pair of spaced, axially extending coupling portions and a radially outwardly extending central portion. Each of the coupling portions has a substantially cylindrical internal surface and a pair of opposed frustoconical exterior surfaces tapered at approximately 2.degree. and separated by an annular groove with the portions of the frustoconical surfaces of greatest diameter being adjacent the groove; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,754 to Bertling et al, a device similar in operation or function to Crivello.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,467 to Odill et al is directed to a flexible sealing member to be used in conjunction with other joining means to prevent water inflow into a manhole. The sealing ring consists of a pair of sealing sections joined together by a pleated section. In operation, only the sealing sections are internally supported by bands, while the pleated section is free to allow for vertical and horizontal movement of the joined components without disturbing the sealing arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,922 to Ohtsuga et al is directed to an internally expandable, joint sealing system, that, among certain limitations, is not fully supported throughout the joint. Further, structural features are absent which allow for high temperature, high pressure applications. A further and final prior art coupling member is taught in European Patent application No. 0069098 to Anderson. Such patent teaches a low pressure, expandable, but not contractable, tubular connector for an air ventilation duct. Such joint connector is characterized by a sheet metal element bent into a circular configuration, where the overlapping ends thereof are joined together by a sealing cloth, such as rubber or other resilient materials. Around the periphery of the connector there are provided a pair of non-elastomeric sealing rings held against the periphery by steel bands. Where the ends of such bands overlap, a "weak" spot weld is provided. As taught by such patent, the steel band has a weakened spot weld at the point where the ends of the steel band overlap so that this spot weld can break when the connector is expanded by rotation of a screw.
Certain of the above prior art devices are open to the objections that they create excessive internal diameter restrictions; that they are difficult to manipulate; that they require the use of special skills and or tools to connect and disconnect; that they require strict inside pipe diameter tolerances in order to form a sealed union; that they are lacking in gasket sealing integrity under conditions of high temperature and high pressure; and that they are lacking in flexibility. The pipe coupling member of this invention overcomes those problems of the prior art, while providing a unique coupling and sealing system for high pressure, high temperature applications. The pipe coupling member when in the contracted condition can be readily inserted into the pipe ends, and when in an expanded condition exhibit a minimum restriction while providing an excellent sealed joint. The coupling can be reused in nearly its entirety. Thus, the present invention teaches an internal expansion coupling device which is more versatile than those of the prior art, and is very effective against leaks thereof by its ability to utilize the internal forces or pressures of the medium being transmitted therethrough.
The unique features hereof, particularly those revealing the use of such coupling member under high temperature and high pressure conditions will become apparent from a reading of the detailed description which follows.


Multi-mode auxiliary wheel system adapted for rolling a folded bike, comprising: an upper frame member, at least one supporting side frame member attached to the upper frame member and adapted for attachment to the foldable bike so that the upper frame member is positioned adjacent an upper portion of the rear wheel during an unfolded, ridable, condition of the bike, but adjacent a lower portion of the rear wheel and the ground during a folded, non-ridable, condition of the bike. Lateral and transverse attachment, detachment, and displacement, of the axle, whether horizontal pivotable displacement or not, are provided for with an axle member with auxiliary wheels thereon such that, together with a swivel caster auxiliary wheel, the system enables a user to wheel the bike when in a folded condition, in either a luggage cart type auxiliary wheeling mode or a shopping cart type wheeling mode.

There have been provided of late various styles of foldable bikes which have facilitated travel by cyclist users, while also providing a relatively compact folded bike package able to be carried by the user while, for example, traveling on public transportation, while walking through a building, while shopping in a grocery store, or while walking up a flight of stairs, etc. And while these foldable bikes have greatly facilitated transportability of bikes generally, such folded bikes have nevertheless presented challenges to folded bike carrying transport by users, since the folded bikes of this type have still been heavy enough, on the order of 24 pounds or heavier, that they have not been easily carried longer distances, for example between terminals at an airport, or for longer periods of time, for example while grocery shopping, without a set of auxiliary wheels to facilitate transport during such distances and periods of travel. Such auxiliary wheels may have comprised smaller wheels rotating in, and about, one axis of rotation, as well as swivel caster, or omnidirectional, auxiliary wheels. In the present context, an omnidirectional wheel is considered in its generic meaning, namely a wheel, such as a swivel caster wheel, that is capable of wheeling in any direction in the plane of the surface on which the wheel is rolling. Thus, in this disclosure omnidirectional and swivel caster wheels are interchangeable.
In order to have assisted with the moving of a foldable bike, after it has been folded, there have been provided for facilitating transport of the folded bike, various different prior art auxiliary wheel, or auxiliary wheels, systems. Such auxiliary wheel, or wheels, systems have sometimes been comprised of a frame member having one or more auxiliary wheels, that is wheels which are substantially smaller than the bike's primary wheels and which have been mounted on the frame member for supporting a folded bike during auxiliary transport. Or alternatively, sometimes such auxiliary wheels have been mounted directly on the frame or a fender of the foldable bike. Such auxiliary wheel systems have been designed either for use alone, or in conjunction with the bike's primary wheels, for facilitating transport of the folded bike.
There are two primary modes of auxiliary transportation facilitated by auxiliary wheel systems of foldable bikes, a rolling luggage cart type mode, and a rolling shopping cart type mode. In the rolling luggage cart type mode of auxiliary transport, or wheeling of a folded bike, a user typically has grabbed a highermost, or extended, portion of the folded bike, such as the bike seat, a handle bar, or even a portion of the frame depending on the manner of folding of the bike, and has tipped the folded bike onto typically non-swiveling (i.e., fixed in one axis of rotation, but nevertheless rotatable) wheels so that the user has been enabled in auxiliary wheeling of the folded bike much like a user of a large suitcase might do on wheels mounted on the bottom of the suitcase.
In the rolling shopping cart type mode of auxiliary transport, or wheeling, of a folded bike, though the user has often still grabbed the higher most, or extended, portion of the bike (as with the aforementioned type of transport), the user in this case has not tipped the bike onto non-swiveling wheels, but rather the folded bike has been free to rest upright on the auxiliary wheel system of the prior art, which in turn has allowed the user to move the bike around on a flat surface, such as the surface of a grocery store or other shopping mall. In the case of the shopping cart type of transport, there also have been provided attachments by bike manufacturers, for example near the handle bar portions of the folded bike, for holding an open bag adapted for the placement of grocery or other purchased items in the bag, to be wheeled about in the shopping cart mode on the auxiliary wheel framework of these prior art systems. However, such designs have been to varying degrees compromised in terms of aesthetics, and more importantly stability, so as to not have been as useful as they might have otherwise been as a shopping cart type mode device.
In both of the aforementioned types, or modes, of auxiliary transportation, stability against unintended tipping and falling of the folded bike and easier steering are needed, especially when there is provided a shopping bag or container attached to the bike frame for carrying groceries. It is also a commonly understood experience the waddling, or side-to-side tipping, of attempting to quickly maneuver an object during a luggage cart type mode of transport on too narrow of an axle, or wheelbase. Further, one can appreciate the need for improvement of stability against tipping caused by an insufficiently stable auxiliary wheel transport system. Therefore, there have been provided auxiliary wheel transport systems having longer axles to improve stability, but in the past some of these longer-axle auxiliary wheel transport systems have impeded easy turning of the crank of the bike with a user's foot. And so responsive to this problem there has been provided in the prior art an extendable-axle to increase the stability of the auxiliary wheel transport system during folded bike auxiliary transport (i.e., with an extended position of an extendable axle), while also providing maximum mobility for the user during turning the bike's crank with one's legs and feet during unfolded bike riding (i.e., with a retracted auxiliary transport mode axle).
Among the foregoing types of auxiliary wheel systems, generally there have been provided systems of the following different class types (together with some of their shortcomings), where the folded bike has been:                1) rolled about in a folded condition of the bike exclusively on the bike's own primary wheels. Such a system has had several disadvantages as compared to an auxiliary wheel system;        2) rolled about on a combination of a primary wheel (or wheels) of the bike together with a set of fixed (i.e., not swiveling caster wheels)—See U.S. Pat. No. 9,776,682 to Gerencser;        3) rolled about on a combination of the primary wheels of the bike together with a swiveling caster wheel, that is, to allow both shopping cart and luggage cart type modes of transport—See U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,85 to Hon, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,192 to Lu—Bicycles that have been of a type 1), 2), and 3) above have shared the disadvantages that they have only been able to be wheeled in a forward direction (or else the primary wheel would turn the pedals causing them to hit the bicycle frame during auxiliary rolling.) Furthermore, steering of the folded bicycle during auxiliary rolling has been less than ideal with these types of systems because they have lacked a swivel caster wheel in some designs, or if there has been a swivel caster, it has been positioned off the center line of the travel lane because the swivel caster wheel has been mounted on or near the bicycle center line which has been off the centerline of the travel lane when the bicycle's front half has been folded to the left or to the right of the bicycle's rear half;        4) rolled about on non-swiveling rollers mounted on racks for sideways, more stable, luggage cart type mode rolling only—See U.S. Pat. No. 7,341,270 to Scholz, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,902 to Uimonen et al. Disadvantages of this type of system is that it presents a more cumbersome structure, and it is harder to maneuver in a tight space during auxiliary rolling; and        5) rolled about on a rolling platform with more than two non-swiveling rollers (e.g., often four rollers—See U.S. Pat. No. 7,591,473 to Tak-Wei Hon et al.; see also, Brompton Bicycle Limited, Mezzo Folding Bikes Limited, and Birdy Folding Bikes. This design has had the disadvantages that it has not been as stable during auxiliary rolling because of a narrower wheelbase on the order of only about five inches, and there has been no steering during auxiliary rolling. Thus, the user has had to raise the wheels off the ground or has had to drag the wheels to set a new direction. In one such commercially-available prior art embodiment by Birdy Rear Racks the front two such non-swiveling rollers have been minimally able to be turned with a steering linkage in an effort to address these limitations. To help overcome these limitations, there have been provided commercially available X-rollers which have aided stability some when rolling the folded bike, but this has not helped a lack of steering associated with this design.
As described further below, the shortcomings of each of these types of auxiliary wheel systems may be improved upon as taught by the present disclosure and invention.
Prior art auxiliary wheel systems for foldable bikes have been mounted on a rear rack of the foldable bike, or on the frame or a fender of the bike itself. The latter types of designs have been generally somewhat difficult to maneuver and have been subject to failure since the fender of a bike has not otherwise required such hefty construction as has an auxiliary wheeling system. Thus, such prior art systems have naturally been somewhat cumbersome, have been difficult to steer or having possessed no steering capability, have been unstable (especially at higher rolling speeds), have been subject to mechanical failure, have unduly increased the package size of the folded bike, and in some cases have been complicated to operate and implement. Thus, to varying degrees, such prior art systems have been less than ideally effective for repeated use, for being pushed or drawn over longer distances, or for having supported greater weight shopping contents in a bag mounted on the bike. And while some prior art designs have allowed for a luggage cart type transport, and others have allowed for a shopping cart type transport, there has not been known a single prior art device that has provided both types of transport in one design that is both more stable and easy to use in multiple different auxiliary transport modes.
Again, certain folding bike designs (namely sideways rolling designs) have successfully allowed a user to transport a folded bike from one point to the next in a tipped position of the folded bike, the bike having been held in a tipped position on preferably an axle with two directionally-fixed wheels by the user who has transported the same on fixed-axis wheels, just as a traveler has done with a large suitcase. This is because a longer wheel base has been permitted longitudinally along the line or axis of the travel of the bike without impairing pedaling motion. Alternatively, other systems have (less successfully in terms of stability) allowed a user to transport folded bikes while using the folded bike as a shopping cart in an upright, non-tipped, position of the bike. Thus, these two modes of transporting folded bikes have allowed the user to ride the bike to a destination, such as a commuter train, to have folded the bike into an auxiliary transport mode as has been known, to have wheeled it about with the bike optionally tipped on two wheels of an auxiliary wheel frame work for transport in a luggage cart type mode, or alternatively in another type of design to a destination such as a grocery store, to have folded the bike into an auxiliary transport mode as has been known, and to have somewhat successfully have wheeled it around with the bike resting on a rolling auxiliary wheel framework in a shopping cart type mode.
And while some bikes have allowed both modes of transport, shopping cart mode and luggage cart mode in a single design, their axle systems have been too short (or narrow), on the order of five inches wide, or less, causing them to have been prone to tipping when a heavier, or top-heavy, shopping cart type load has been applied. And this has been in part because with such designs there have been generally competing objectives at play, one of a compact folded transverse design, and another of a transversely-oriented-axle (where the axle has been fixed, that is mounted, oriented transversely, or perpendicular, relative to the direction of travel of the wheels of the bike). Further, too long of an axle in this type of design has unduly impeded pedaling of the bike, whereas too short of an axle in such a design (as has been common in the past) has led to undue instability, or wobbling upon maneuvering, whether in shopping cart mode or luggage cart mode. For this reason, there have been developed extendable axles for such designs. Further, as described above, these two modes of transport have been enabled in the prior art, both with auxiliary wheeling taking place either independently of the primary wheels of the bike, or together with the primary wheels of the bike, whether for a shopping cart type of transport, and/or for a luggage suitcase type of transport.
Some types of auxiliary transport described above have been more prone to a tipping over type of instability than others. Of course, when the primary wheels of the folded bike have been used to transport the bike in a luggage cart type auxiliary transport mode, or in a shopping cart type auxiliary transport mode, the competing objective of a trim, narrow, folded bike design has conflicted with another objective of providing an axle that would have had a sufficiently wide wheelbase for stability. In the past these competing objectives have led to too narrow of an axle for a fixed wheelbase to have provided a more stable auxiliary transport requiring a broader wheelbase. Or, since an auxiliary transport system that has employed a longer axle wheelbase for luggage cart type auxiliary transport mode has impeded pedaling by users, there have been developed extendable axle wheelbases—but such extendable wheelbase systems may have been more prone to malfunction over time.
Thus, while some improvements to stability have been provided for auxiliary transport of prior art foldable bikes, during auxiliary transport of the bikes in their folded condition, for example by utilizing the larger primary wheels of the bike to facilitate auxiliary transport of the bike, both in luggage cart transport mode or shopping cart transport mode, some stability problems have still persisted. And while some improvements to stability have also been provided by extending an axle, or by making extendable an axle, for luggage cart transport and shopping cart transport types of auxiliary wheeling systems, there have nevertheless persisted instability and inherent structural weakness in both types of transport modes, whether luggage cart type mode or shopping cart mode, since simple designs for such have not been heretofore developed which have not unduly impeded the rideability of the bike. Thus, and perhaps more importantly, prior art systems have not facilitated both a more stable luggage cart mode of auxiliary transport, and a more stable shopping cart mode of auxiliary transport, all in a single, easy-to-use, and stable, system which has not unduly impeded the rider in riding the bike.
One particular style of bike, for which one or more of the foregoing types of prior art auxiliary wheel systems has been developed, comprises that type of foldable bike having a foldable frame which has folded to a storage, or folded, position where a rear primary bike wheel and the rear wheel's supporting frame has been pivoted, about a more forward pivot point for the front part of the bike, and also about a lower rear pivot point so as to bring the rear primary bike wheel and its supporting frame, together with a fender, if any, to an upside-down orientation relative to the ridable, normal, orientation of the unfolded bike. Examples of this type of folding bike frame include popular brands such as those provided by Brompton, Birdy, Bike Friday (BF), and Mezzo, foldable bikes.
In such a folded position, auxiliary transport wheel systems for this type of bike (inverted wheel upon folding) have been located in one of a plurality of possible positions between the folded bike, including its primary wheels, and the ground. Thus stored, the bike has been, to varying degrees of stability as further described herein, able to have been wheeled about by a user on the auxiliary wheels alone, or together with the bike's primary wheels as described above. Also, as described above, this type of foldable bike has also provided two basic transport modes, in a luggage cart mode where the folded bike frame has been tipped by the user for wheeling onto two fixed-direction type (not swiveling) auxiliary wheels. Or, auxiliary transport of the bike may have been accomplished in a shopping cart mode, where the folded bike frame has sat upright on a plurality of auxiliary wheels alone, wherein one or more of the wheels have been provided as caster-type dolly, or otherwise ominidirectional, wheels.
Unfortunately, auxiliary transport with such designs has been less maneuverable in tight space in case of wheeling in luggage cart mode or less stable than desired in shopping cart mode.
Thus, while there have been devised independent solutions to a need for both modes of transport for foldable bikes of the inverted rear wheel type of design (for example by employing an extendable transverse axle otherwise prone to weakness and failure because of the extendable axle design), there has been lacking in the prior art, until the present invention, a multi-modal, more stable, more effective and easier-to-implement auxiliary wheel system for transporting foldable bikes comprising a single, reliable, and sturdy device.


A lightweight face shield which protects the face of the wearer from debris and/or hazardous materials, such as biological materials, and is particularly well suited for medical and dental applications. The face shield utilizes a two-piece tiered structure with a preferably canted retention frame joined through an inclined structure member to a shield frame member below which is retained a transparent shield, and above which a minishield. The shield frame member is retained forward of the retention frame member so as to retain the peripheral portions of the shield separated from the face of the user, providing improved ventilation and reduced fogging of the transparent shield. A trampoline style support arm is described that provides solid retention, compliant comfort, and reduced material requirements. Optional locking hinge assemblies for the support arms and a nose bridge are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to head-mounted face shield frames and more particularly to a light weight, ventilated, frame having an open tiered structure that provides rigidity while reducing frame weight.
2. Description of Related Art
In a number of industries, the use of a face shield provides protection for the eyes and face of the wearer from debris or biological materials. Increasingly, face shields are being utilized for preventing infections that can occur as a result of bodily fluid splattering that can arise within a number of occupations. A number of factors affect the acceptance of a face shield design, including comfort, ventilation, weight, ability to be securely retained in position, cost, and aesthetic considerations. The need for secure positioning and ventilation, which increases comfort while reducing the possibility of fogging, can be critical performance factors, especially in situations in which the face shield needs to be worn for extended periods of time.
The type of face shields being described herein attach to the head of a user with support arms that extend rearwardly from a frame upon which is retained a transparent face shield that affords debris and splatter protection to the wearer. To provide a secure and comfortable fit, the support arms are preferably configured to have sufficient horizontal stiffness to support a transparent shield which is separated sufficiently far from the face, without causing discomfort to the user.
A number of examples of practical face shields exist. Examples of face shields which are being increasingly utilized in a number of industries may be found in the following United States Patents by Timothy J. Landis, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,186 of Aug. 1, 1989 entitled "Combined Visor and Protective Shield", U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,653 of Sep. 12, 1989 entitled "Protective Shield and Visor Supporting Same", U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,171 of Oct. 23, 1990 entitled "Protective Shield and Visor", Design Pat. No. 375,583 of Nov. 12, 1996 entitled "Disposable Face Shield", U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,522 of Dec. 2, 1997 entitled "Face Shield Apparatus", and U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,808 of Jan. 25, 2000 entitled "Face Shield Frame Apparatus". The above face shields provide numerous benefits and are included herein by reference. It will be appreciated, however, that the growing market for face shields is always in search of improved face shield designs that provide increasing utility, comfort, and style while reducing material requirements and manufacturing costs.
Therefore, a need exists for a lightweight face shield frame that can be maintained securely in position while providing ample ventilation, and which can be manufactured at low cost and stored compactly. The present invention satisfies those needs, as well as others, and overcomes the deficiencies of previously developed face shield designs.

Lightweight ventilated face shield frame


The object of the present invention is to provide resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist comprising (A) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000 and having two or more functional groups, which polymerize or condense at the presence of a acid, in the molecule, and (B) a compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat, and resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist, comprising (C) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having in the molecule a hydroxyl group and having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000, as resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist which, when ketone compounds, aromatic compounds and the like are used as a resist solvent, does not cause dissolution of an intermediate layer in applying an upper layer resist and does not cause formation of a mixing layer at the interface with the upper layer resist, and which shows little change by time, excellent in storage stability, and can form a hardened film without cracking.

The present invention relates to resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist.
In pattern formation of a semiconductor substrate in production of LSI and bubble memory element and the like, a lithography method combining an organic resist and X-ray exposure is used. Recently, with progress of finer pattern dimension, improvement in pattern precision is required, consequently, a three-layer resist method has been developed.
The three-layer resist method is a method in which a resist for I-line made of a novolak resin or the like is applied on a substrate, this is thermally hardened to form a flattened layer insoluble in an organic solvent, an intermediate layer is applied on this, and thermally hardened, finally, an upper layer resist is applied, and the upper layer resist is exposed and developed to form a pattern which is sequentially transferred to lower layers by dry etching, to process the substrate.
As the intermediate layer of a three-layer resist, spin on glass (SOG), silicone resin and the like are conventionally used.
However, a film of SOG tends to be cracked in hardening, and application liquid thereof tends to change in properties with time, such as hardening and gelling.
When ketone compounds, aromatic compounds and the like are used as a resist solvent, an intermediate layer of silicone resin is dissolved in applying an upper layer resist, and a mixing layer is formed at the interface with the upper layer resist.
An object of the present invention is to provide resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist which, when ketone compounds, aromatic compounds and the like are used as a resist solvent, does not cause dissolution of an intermediate layer in applying an upper layer resist and does not cause formation of a mixing layer at the interface with the upper layer resist, and which shows little change in properties with time, excellent in storage stability, and can form a hardened film without cracking.
The present inventors have intensively studied to find resin composition causing no problems as describe above, and resultantly found that a resin composition comprising a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having two or more functional groups, which polymerize or condense at the presence of an acid, in the molecule and having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000, and a compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat; when ketone compounds, aromatic compounds and the like are used as a resist solvent; does not cause dissolution of an intermediate layer in applying an upper layer resist and does not cause formation of a mixing layer at the interface with the upper layer resist, and shows little change in properties with time, excellent in storage stability, can form a hardened film without cracking, and suitable for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist.
Namely, the present invention provides resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist comprising (A) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000 and having two or more functional groups, which polymerize or condense at the presence of a acid, in the molecule, and (B) a compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) used in the present invention is required to have a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000, and it is preferably from 1000 to 20000.
When the weight-average molecular weight of the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin of the present invention is less than 1000, or when over 50000, film formation property is deteriorated.
Additionally, the polyorganosilsesquioxane has two or more functional groups, which polymerize or condense at the presence of an acid.
The functional groups may include oxetan or an alkoxysily groups of the general formulae (12) to (15) as shown later.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) having oxetan group may be obtained by reacting two or more molecules of an organosilicon compound of the general formula (1).
In the formula (1), R represents a methyl group or ethyl group.
Rxe2x80x2 represent a methoxy group, ethoxy group, or a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and when a plurality of R1 are present, they may be the same or different.
R1 to R7 represent a hydrogen atom or a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and they may be the same or different.
k, l, m represent an integer of 0 or more, and n represents an integer of 1 to 3.
The mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms may be any of linear, branched and cyclic, and for example, linear aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, branched aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon groups having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, aromatic hydrocarbon groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms optionally substituted by an alkyl group, and the like are listed, and preferable are linear hydrocarbon groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, branched hydrocarbon groups having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, cyclic hydrocarbon groups having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, aromatic hydrocarbon groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms optionally substituted by an alkyl group.
The alkyl group, for example, may include methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group, hexyl group, isopropyl group, isobutyl group, tertiary butyl group, cyclopropyl group, cyclobutyl group, cyclopentyl group, cyclohexyl group and the like.
The aliphatic hydrocarbon group, for example, may include a methyl group, ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group, hexyl group, isopropyl group, isobutyl group, tertiary butyl group, cyclopropyl group, cyclobutyl group, cyclopentyl group, cyclohexyl group, chloromethyl group, dichloromethyl group, 2-chloroethyl group, 2,2-dichloroethyl group, 1,2-dichloroethyl group, 1,1-dichloroethyl group and the like.
The aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms optionally substituted by an alkyl group, for example, may include a phenyl group, naphthyl group, anthryl group, tolyl group, xylyl group, dimethylphenyl group, trimethylphenyl group, ethylphenyl group, diethylphenyl group, triethylphenyl group, propylphenyl group, butylphenyl group, methylnaphthyl group, dimethylnaphthyl group, trimethylnaphthyl group, vinylnaphthyl group, ethenylnaphthyl group, methylanthryl group, ethylanthryl group and the like.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) having oxetane group may be obtained by reacting two or more molecules of an organosilicon compound of the general formula (1), and this reaction is preferably a hydrolysis reaction carried out in the presence of an acid catalyst or alkali catalyst.
As the acid catalyst, for example, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid and the like are listed, and as the alkali catalyst, for example, ammonia, triethylamine and the like are listed.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) having oxetane group may also be obtained by reacting two or more molecules of an oxetanylalkoxysilane of the general formula (1) and at least one molecule of organoalkoxysilene of the general formulae (2) to (5).
(RO)4Sixe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
(RO)3SiR8xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3)
(RO)2SiR9R10xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
(RO)SiR11R12R13xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
In the formulae, R represents a methyl group or ethyl group.
R8 to R13 represent a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same organic groups as described above are listed.
The reaction of two or more molecules of an oxetanylalkoxysilane of the general formula (1) and at least one molecule of organoalkoxysilanes of the general formulae (2) to (5) is also preferably a hydrolysis reaction carried out in the presence of an acid catalyst or alkali catalyst.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) having oxetane group may also be obtained by reacting at least one molecule of polyorganosilsesquioxane resins obtained by hydrolyzing at least one of organoalkoxysilanes of the general formulae (6) to (9) and two or more molecules of an oxetanylhalogenosilane of the general formula (10).
(RO)4Sixe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6)
(RO)3SiR14xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(7)
(RO)2SiR15R16xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(8)
(RO)SiR17R18R19xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(9)
In the formula, X represents a halogen atom such as a fluorine atom, chlorine atom, bromine atom, iodine atom.
R represents a methyl group or ethyl group.
Rxe2x80x3 and R14 to R19 represent a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different.
p, q, r represent an integer of 0 to 20, and may be the same or different. s represents an integer of 1 to 3.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same groups as described above are listed.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) may be encapsulated at a terminal group by an organosilicon compound of the general formula (11).
In the formula, X represents a halogen atom such as a fluorine atom, chlorine atom, bromine atom, iodine atom.
R27 to R29 represent a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same groups as described above are listed.
Examples of the organosilicon compound of the general formula (11), for example, may include trimethylchlorosilane, chloromethyldimethylchlorosilane, triethylchlorosilane, dichloromethyldimethylchlorosilane, dimethylphenylchlorosilane and the like.
Further, the functional groups may include at least one of the alkoxysilyl gourps of the general formulae (12) to (15) and the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) may have at least one of the alkoxysily groups of the general formulae (12) to (15) as a functional group in which may polymerize or condense at the presence of an acid.
In the formula, Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x3 represents a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different.
R30 to R63 represent a hydrogen atom or a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and maybe the same or different.
a, b, d, g represent an integer of 1 to 3, and may be the same or different. c represents an integer of 0 to 6. e, f represent an integer of 1 to 6, and may be the same or different.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same groups as described above are listed.
The above alkoxysily group, for example, may include
dimethyl-tert-butoxysilyl group,
ethylmethyl-tert-butoxysilyl group,
diethyl-tert-butyoxysilyl group,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclopropyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(1-ethyl-cyclopropyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclobutyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(1-ethyl-cyclobutyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclopentyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclohexyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(bicyclo[2,2,0]hexyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(bicyclo[3,3,0]octyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(bicyclo[4,4,0]decyl-1-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(2-methyl-adamantyl-2-oxy)silyl group,
dimethyl(2-ethyl-adamantyl-2-oxy)silyl and the like.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A), for example, may include
3-[(3xe2x80x2-ethyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(3xe2x80x2-methyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(3xe2x80x2-propyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(3xe2x80x2-butyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(2xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)ethyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[(2xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)ethyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
3-[3xe2x80x2-ethyl-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)propyloxy]propylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-ethyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-methyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-propyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-butyl-3xe2x80x2-oxetanyl)methyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(2xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)ethyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(1xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)ethyloxy]ethylsilsesquioxane,
2-[(3xe2x80x2-(3xe2x80x3-ethyl-3xe2x80x3-oxetanyl)propyloxy)ethylsilsesquioxane,
dimethyl-tert-butoxysilyl silsesquioxane,
ethylmethyl-tert-butoxysilyl silsesquioxane,
diethyl-tert-butyoxysilyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclopropyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-ethyl-cyclopropyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclobutyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-ethyl-cyclobutyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclopentyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(1-methyl-cyclohexyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(bicyclo[2,2,0]hexyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(bicyclo[3,3,0]octyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(bicyclo[4,4,0]decyl-1-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(2-methyl-adamantyl-2-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane,
dimethyl(2-ethyl-adamantyl-2-oxy)silyl silsesquioxane, and the like.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) having at least one of the alkoxysily groups of the general formulae (12) to (15) as a functional group may obtained by reacting at least one molecule of polyorganosilsesquinoxane resin obtained by hydrolyzing at least one of organoalkoxysilanes of the above general formula (6) to (9) and two or more molecules of at least one of organohalogensilane of the general formula (12xe2x80x2) to (15xe2x80x2).
In the above formulae, X represents a halogen atom such as a fluorine atom, chlorine atom, bromine atom, and iodine atom. Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x3, R30 to R60, a, b, d and g are the same as described above.
As the compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat (B), for example, photo acid generators, photo cationic polymerization initiators, heat cationic polymerization initiators and the like are listed.
The photo acid generator, for example, may include [cyclohexyl-(2-cyclohexanonyl)-methyl]sulfonium trifluoromethanesulfonate, bis(p-tolylsulfonyl)diazomethane, bis(cyclohexylsulfonyl)diazomethane, tertiary butyl carbonylmethyl-tetrahydrothiophenium trifluoromethanesulfonate and the like. As the photo acid generator, compounds described in JP-A No. 11-202495 and the like may also be used, in addition to the above-mentioned compounds.
The photo cationic polymerization initiator, heat cationic polymerization initiator, for example, may include iodonium salts, sulfonium salts, phosphate salts, antimonate salts and the like are listed. Rhodorsil photoinitiator 2074, Adeka optomer-SP-150, Adeka optomer-SP-152, Adeka optomer-SP-170, Adeka optomer-SP-172, Adeka opton CP series and the like are listed. Further, compounds described in JP-A No. 9-118663 may also be used, in addition to the above-mentioned compounds.
The addition amount of the compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat (B) such as the photo acid generator, photo cationic polymerization initiator and heat cationic polymerization initiator is not particularly restricted, and preferably from 0.1% by weight to 20% by weight, more preferably from 0.5% by weight to 10% by weight, based on the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin. When less than 0.1% by weight, a tendency of no hardening may be observed, and when over 20% by weight, there may be a tendency of no recognition of an effect corresponding to the addition amount.
The resin composition of the present invention may contain (C) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule and having a weight-average molecular weight of from 1000 to 50000, in addition to the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (A) and the compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat (B).
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule (C) may be obtained by condensing an organoalkoxysilane by an acid catalyst or alkali catalyst in the presence of water, then, encapsulating a terminal silanol group with a chlorosilane compound having a protected hydroxyl group, and then de-protecting the hydroxyl group.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule (C) may also be obtained by condensing an organoalkoxysilane having a protected hydroxyl group by an acid catalyst or alkali catalyst in the presence of water, then, de-protecting the hydroxyl group.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (C) has a weight-average molecular weight of preferably from 1000 to 50000, more preferably from 1000 to 20000. When the weight-average molecular weight of the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (C) is less than 1000, or over 50000, film forming property may be deteriorated.
The organoalkoxysilane, for example, organoethoxysilane, organomethoxysilane and the like are listed. Specific examples thereof include tetraethoxysilane, tetramethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, trimethylethoxysilane, trimethylmethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, diethyldiethoxysilane, diethyldimethoxysilane, triethylethoxysilane, triethylmethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, diphenyldiethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, tripheylethoxysilane, triphenylmethoxysilane, methylphenyldiethoxysilane, methylphenyldimethoxysilane, dimethylphenylethoxysilane, dimethylphenylmethoxysilane and the like.
As the acid catalyst, alkali catalyst, the same compounds as described above are listed.
A chlorosilane having a protected hydroxyl group may be easily produced by hydrosilylating a compound having a protected hydroxyl group and an unsaturated bond such as a vinyl group, allyl group and the like, and a dialkylchlorohydrosilane compound, in the presence of a transition metal catalyst.
A chlorosilane having a protected hydroxyl group may also be easily produced by a condensation reaction of an organometal compound having a protected hydroxyl group and a dialkyldichlorosilane compound.
As the protective group for a hydroxyl group, for example, alkyl groups, silyl group, ester groups and the like are listed. Specific examples thereof, in the case of the alkyl group, include a methoxymethyl group, benzyloxymethyl group, t-butoxymethyl group, 2-methoxyethoxymethyl group, 2,2,2-trichloroethoxymethyl group, 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl group, tetrahydropyranyl group, 3-bromotetrahydropyranyl group, tetrahydrothiopyranyl group, 4-methoxytetrahydropyranyl group, tetrahydrofuranyl group, 1-ethoxyethyl group, 1-methyl-1-methoxyethyl group, 1-(isopropoxy)ethyl group, 2,2,2-trichloroethyl group, 2-(phenylselenyl)ethyl group, t-butyl group, benzyl group, 3-methyl-2-picolyl N-oxide group, diphenylmethyl group, 5-dibenzosuberyl group, triphenylmethyl group, 9-anthryl group, trimethylsilyl group, triethylsilyl group, isopropyldimethylsilyl group, t-butyldimethylsilyl group, (triphenylmethyl)dimethylsilyl group, t-butyldiphenylsilyl group, methyldiisopropylsilyl group, methyldi-t-butylsilyl group, tribenzylsilyl group, triisopropylsilyl group, triphenylsilyl group, formyl group, acetyl group, 3-phenylpropionate group, 3-benzoylpropionate group, isobutyrate group, 4-oxopentanoate group, pivaloate group, adamantoate group, benzoate group, methoxycarbonyl group, ethoxycarbonyl group, 2,2,2-trichloroethoxycarbonyl group, iso-butyloxycarbonyl group, carbonate, benzyl carbonate and the like.
The hydroxyl group in the polyorganosilsesquioxane resin (C) is preferably a phenolic hydroxyl group or alcoholic hydroxyl group.
As the phenolic hydroxyl group, a phenolic hydroxyl group of the general formula (16) is preferable.
Wherein, R64, R65 represent a hydrogen atom or a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. R66 to R69 represent a hydrogen atom, a hydroxy group or a mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. t represents an integer of 0 or more.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same compounds as described above are listed.
As the alcoholic hydroxyl group, an alcoholic hydroxyl group of the general formula (17) is preferable.
Wherein, R70 to R75 represent a hydrogen atom or amono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. u, v represent an integer of 0 or more, and w represents an integer of 1 or more.
As the mono-valent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, the same compounds as described above are listed.
The polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule (C), for example, may include
2-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyldimethylsilylsilsesquioxane,
1-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyldimethylsilylsilsesquioxane,
4-hydroxyphenylsilsesquioxane,
3-hydroxyphenylsilsesquioxane,
2-hydroxyphenylsilsesquioxane,
(4-hydroxyphenyl)methylsilsesquioxane,
2-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylsilsesquioxane,
1-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylsilsesquioxane,
3-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)propylsilsesquioxane,
(4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)silsesquioxane,
(4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)silsesquioxane,
(2,3-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)silsesquioxane,
2-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyldiethylsilylsilsesquioxane,
1-(4xe2x80x2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyldiethylsilylsilsesquioxane,
hydroxymethylsilsesquioxane, hydroxyethylsilsesquioxane, hydroxypropylsilsesquioxane,
hydroxymethyloxyethylsilsesquioxane.
The resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist of one of another present inventions may also comprising (B) a compound generating an acid by electromagnetic wave or heat, and (C) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule and having a weight-average molecular weight of 1000 to 50000, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds of the following formulae (18) and (19).
The resin composition for intermediate layer of a three-layer resist of one of another present inventions may also comprising (C) a polyorganosilsesquioxane resin having a hydroxyl group in the molecule and having a weight-average molecular weight of 1000 to 50000.
The intermediate layer of a three-layer resist may be produced by, for example, dissolving the resin composition of the present invention in an organic solvent such as 2-heptanone, propylene glycol monomethyl acetate and the like to prepare a solution in predetermined concentration, spin-coating the solution on a lower layer resist, and hardening the layer obtained by spin-coating.
The hardening temperature is preferably from 150 to 350xc2x0 C., further preferably from 180 to 300xc2x0 C.
The resin composition of the present invention can be used suitably in a three-layer resist intermediate layer since the composition is excellent in stability by time.

Resin composition for intermediate layer of three-layer resist


In one embodiment, during participation in an online collaborative computing session, a computer process associated with the session may monitor an audio stream of the session for a predefined action-inducing phrase. In response to the phrase, a subsequent segment of the session is recorded, such that a report may be generated containing any recorded segments of the session (e.g., and dynamically sent to participants of the session).

Online collaborative computing sessions, such as interactive conferences (e.g., web conferences/meetings), may be supported by a computer network having servers distributing content between participating client computers. In particular, the content may be distributed based on one or more sub-sessions, such as a desktop sharing session, chat session, video session, etc. For example, a presenter may share the images on his or her computer screen with one or more attendees to the session, such as by sharing the entire desktop (screen) or certain applications on the screen, along with audio (e.g., speech). Control of the session (who is presenting) may be exchanged among the attendees, to either present their own information, or to control the information on the original presenter's (e.g., host's) computer.
During the course of an online collaborative computing session, just as in conventional in-person meetings, it is often helpful to take notes or "action items" (e.g., "to-do" lists, etc.). Generally, an attendee of the meeting is tasked with manually taking the notes during the meeting, and distributing the notes to the other attendees at the conclusion of the meeting. This manual technique is inconvenient for the note-taker, and may create incomplete or inaccurate notes.

Automated and enhanced note taking for online collaborative computing sessions


The present invention has an object of providing a pneumatic tire having a tread pattern capable of providing both excellent drivability and a high partial wear resistance. The pneumatic tire of the present invention includes, in a tread surface, a compound groove partitioned into a first groove portion and a second groove portion by a first groove side and a second groove side, the first groove side having an oblique side portion diagonally disposed relative to a tire circumferential line in plan view, the second groove side intersecting with the oblique side portion of the first groove side at an acute angle in plan view, in which: the first groove portion and the second groove portion both have a groove depth that gradually reduces in an extending direction of the groove toward an intersection between the oblique side portion and the second groove side; and a groove wall extending from the first groove side is formed as a tapered surface mildly-sloped toward a groove bottom on the intersection side when viewed in the groove transverse direction. Further, the pneumatic tire of the present invention includes, in a tread surface, a groove partitioned by at least three groove sides in plan view, in which: one or more of groove walls extending from one of the at least three groove sides that extends in the longitudinal direction of the groove is formed as a tapered surface at least in part thereof; and the tapered surface forms an angle with a plane perpendicular to the tread surface, which varies in the extending direction of the groove side.

In general, a pneumatic tire, in particular, a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle is known to be largely affected, in terms of drivability, by the shape of grooves (tread pattern) formed in a tread surface of a tread portion.
As an example of a conventional pneumatic tire for a motorcycle, there has been proposed a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle having a circumferential groove extending substantially in the tire circumferential direction and a plurality of lateral grooves extending substantially in the tire width direction, the grooves being formed in a tread surface of the tire (see, for example, Patent Literatures 1, 2). In the aforementioned pneumatic tire for a motorcycle, the circumferential groove functions to improve drivability and to prevent skidding while the lateral grooves exert drive force and braking force.
However, the grooves formed in a tread surface of the tread portion, which may improve the drivability or the like, also reduces the rigidity of the tread portion to generate a difference in rigidity. As a result, a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle having a circumferential groove and a lateral groove formed in a tread surface of a tread portion for the purpose of ensuring drivability can be subjected to significant partial wear, and thus it has been difficult to ensure both drivability and partial wear resistance at the same time.