A method of screening/prognosis/diagnosis for colorectal cancer (CRC) wherein methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) levels are detected in a non-tumor sample such as peripheral blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or lymphocytes. Based on the MetAP2 levels, the individual may be selected for further testing.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada [1]. CRC arises slowly from pre-malignant adenomatous polyps. Since the cancer develops slowly there is a substantial window period during which either it or its precursor lesion (adenomatous polyps) can be detected. This permits treatment at the pre-malignant and early malignant stages. Over 90% of patients diagnosed with localized colorectal cancer survive more than five years. However, the majority of CRC cases are still diagnosed at an advanced stage [2, 3]. While CRC is the third most fatal cancer, there is a 90% chance of survival if treated at an early stage. Despite this, every year over 600,000 people around the world die of CRC [4]. These data indicate that there is an urgent unmet need for a reliable screening procedure for the early detection of CRC that can be easily implemented as a population based screening procedure for CRC.
Screening Strategies Available
Screening is the identification of the individuals who are at risk of developing CRC prior to the development of actual symptoms. The most common screening tests for CRC include Fecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT), fecal immuno test (FIT), sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy [5-7]. The compliance rate of these tests for screening is limited due to low sensitivity or the invasive nature of the test [8, 9]. For instance, although FOBT is cost effective and relatively safe, the rate of false positives are high because factors such as medication and diet might skew the results. For FOBT screening, patients must collect a stool sample at home and bring it to a laboratory for analysis. The reason for low compliance is the unpleasant nature of fecal sample collection. For example, during the first round of CRC screening in Manitoba, Canada, the uptake rate was a mere 15% of the targeted population between 50-75 years of age and in Ontario, Canada, the uptake was 29.3%, whereas 45.6% of the targeted population remained overdue for screening [10]. Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are both expensive and invasive, and the results and risks of the procedure depend on the expertise of the attending endoscopist [11].
A widely available biomarker Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) has limited sensitivity and specificity [12, 13]. A blood test is likely to be more readily acceptable than stool or endoscopic tests in a population-based screening procedure. Cost-effective blood tests may identify patients at high risk for CRC and improve patient compliance for more intensive and invasive diagnostic procedures.
Proteolysis and Metionine Aminopeptidase (MetAP)
Proteolysis is an important protein modification essential for normal functioning of cells and alterations in proteolysis have been implicated in various cancers. The most common processing events of nascent polypeptides are amino-terminal modifications occurring on almost every protein. Aminopeptidases belong to the metalloproteinase family and their function is to remove amino acids from unblocked N-termini of peptides or proteins.
Proteins synthesis is initiated by a start codon, which is methionine in eukaryotes and formylmethionine in prokaryotes. Methionine Aminopeptidases (MetAPs) catalyze the removal of methionine from the N-terminus of newly synthesized proteins [7]. Methionine removal is essential for further N-terminal modifications such as acetylation and myristoylation [14, 15]. In humans, MetAP exists in two isoforms: MetAP1 and MetAP2 coded by MetAP1 and MetAP2 genes, respectively. Both the isoforms differ from each other structurally, in substrate specificity and expression control, therefore, they are not redundant in function. MetAP1 is constitutively expressed, whereas MetAP2 is associated with cell proliferation. MetAP1 has a potential role in cell division, as inhibition of MetAP1 results in induction of apoptosis in HeLa as well as HT-1080 cell lines. A new subtype of MetAP1 namely, MetAP1D has been identified. MetAP1D has been demonstrated to be overexpressed in CRC patients and its inhibition results in decreased cell growth [16, 17]. MetAP2, apart from possessing aminopeptidase catalytic activity has an additional function as demonstrated earlier by Gupta, et. al [18]. Specifically, it regulates translation by protecting the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) from phosphorylation [19]. Phosphorylation of eIF2α results in reduced translation initiation. MetAP2 expression correlates with cell growth and non-dividing cells do not show immunodetection levels of this protein. MetAP2 has been shown to be involved in the growth of different types of tumors [20]. MetAP2 cleaves methionine of the nascent c-Src, thus exposing its N-terminal glycine residue for myristoylation.
MetAP2 has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is of particular importance as it is necessary for the progression of solid tumors and cancers. Several laboratories have demonstrated that the inhibition of MetAP results in regression of tumor growth and angiogenesis [21, 22]. MetAP2 has been identified as a molecular target of angiostatic agents such as fumagallin and ovalicin, which can bind to MetAP2 and inhibit its aminopeptidase activity [21, 23]. MetAP2 is implicated as having a role in cancer (Wang et al., 2008). Previous reports have shown MetAP2 overexpression in colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and hepatocarcinoma [24, 25]. There is some information available on the role of MetAP2 in cancer as reported by Tucker, et. al. who have proposed that MetAP2 ectopic expression causes cell transformation and promotes cell proliferation as MetAP2 inhibitors could reduce the cell transformation [26]. However, the expression of MetAP2 in immune response cells of a tumor bearing host is not known. Recently, we have identified that NMT2 isoform is overexpressed in the PBMCs of CRC patients. As MetAP2 is an upstream event of myristoylation, therefore, our interest was to study the status of MetAP2 in blood of CRC patients. There are no reports on the involvement of MetAP2 in the peripheral blood, PBMC and T cells of CRC patients. Herein it is reported for the first time the presence of MetAP2 in peripheral blood, PBMCs and I-cells. This study indicates that MetAP2 is overexpressed in the peripheral blood and PBMCs of CRC patients compared to healthy controls.
MetAP2 and CRC
Previous studies have investigated MetAP2 expression in tumors from CRC patients using IHC technique. MetAP2 also has been reported to show moderate staining in polyps. This staining is believed to reveal that MetAP2 is up regulated as part of the molecular events that take place during the malignant formation of colonic tissues [15]. Tucker et, al. also used IHC technique to study the expression of MetAP2 in adenocarcinomas of CRC samples [26]. These samples displayed moderate-to-strong staining for MetAP2. A study published by Kanno et al reported higher expression of MetAP2 in germinal centre B cells and their neoplastic counterparts [27]. The germinal centre is the site where B lymphocytes proliferate and undergo terminal differentiation through antigenic stimulation.

Methionine aminopeptidase overexpression in the peripheral blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a marker for colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis and prognosis


A dental appliance including a concave trough conforming to a plurality of teeth when placed over the plurality of teeth. The concave trough is configured to transition from a first shape to a second shape if a deforming force is applied. The concave trough further includes a shape memory material. The shape memory material is configured to restore the concave trough to an approximate first shape upon an application of an external stimulus. The first shape is configured to apply a first force on a tooth when the trough conforms.

An alternative to braces includes the use of aligner-type dental appliances for realigning teeth. Such an appliance may be comprised of a thin concave trough of material that forms a receiving cavity geometry that generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with the initial tooth configuration. Placement of the dental appliances over the teeth applies controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a new predetermined configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances comprising new configurations eventually moves the teeth through a series of predetermined intermediate arrangements along the most effective and efficient treatment path to a final predetermined arrangement.
Some dental appliances are made using polymers, such as thermoplastic polyurethane. Polymers may deform over time and/or use due to external and internal forces. Some deforming external forces may include repeated insertion/removal and biting/wearing. An internal deforming force may include material stress relaxation. The deformation may reduce tooth moving forces, thereby reducing the usefulness of the dental appliance. Once the usefulness of the aligner dental appliance is reduced, the dental appliance is typically disposed of, and either a replacement dental appliance is made or the next dental appliance in the treatment series is used. Hence, the shorter the effective usefulness of the dental appliance, the more frequently the dental appliance needs to be changed. Consequently, an extension of the effective usefulness of the dental appliance is desirable.


A polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film for a liquid crystal display includes a lower film an optical film and a transparent conductive film. A touch panel integrated with the polarizer is formed by attaching an upper sheet to the upper surface of the polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film. A flat panel display with an integral type touch panel includes a touch panel integrated with the flat panel display having a lower polarizer, a liquid crystal display and an upper polarizer.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 1999-12904, filed on Apr. 13, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polarizer, and more particularly, to a polarizer used in a liquid crystal display. Although the polarizer of the present invention is applicable to a wide range of applications, it is especially applicable to a touch panel and a flat panel display integrated with the touch panel.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a xe2x80x9cpolarizerxe2x80x9d is attached to each surface of a liquid crystal display (LCD) of a flat panel display device for linear polarization of a visible light ray. A xe2x80x9ctouch panelxe2x80x9d is an input device used, instead of a keyboard or a mouse. Such applications for the touch panel include a CAD, a production system, a game machine, a KIOSK, a POS and medical applications. The touch panel is mounted to a display screen which is an output device so that a user can make various input operations for controlling the device by manually pressing a desired position in the screen while viewing the display screen.
A touch panel is classified into a resistive film system or a capacitance system depending on its operational principle. The touch panel of a resistive film system operates by sensing a voltage or current change at a contact point of two opposite conductive layers (or resistive films) that is pressed by a user and then converting it into a coordinate value when a voltage has been applied to the two opposite conductive layers.
On the other hand, in the touch panel of a capacitance system, a small amount of electric charges is accumulated in a single transparent conductive film or transparent conductive glass in accordance with a capacitance coupling between a stylus (a pen-type input device) and the transparent conductive film at a contact point pressed by a user when alternating charge and discharge states of the capacitance are being repeated. The capacitance system touch panel operates by reading the amount of electric charges from four input points and then converting it into a coordinate value. In such capacitance system touch panel, an electrical power is applied to the stylus.
The conventional flat panel display employing a touch panel of resistive film system will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional flat panel display of an additive type touch panel. In FIG. 1, touch panel 50 is added to an upper surface of flat panel display 40 including lower polarizer 10, LCD 20 and upper polarizer 30. In such a conventional additive type touch panel flat panel display, since touch panel 50 is located at the uppermost portion of the flat panel display and externally exposed, it is referred to as an xe2x80x9couter touch panelxe2x80x9d.
In the additive type touch panel flat panel display, as shown in FIG. 1, lower polarizer 10 is provided with optical film 12 for polarizing light at the center thereof, upper film 13 and lower film 11. The upper and lower films mechanically support optical film 12 at the upper and lower surfaces, respectively. LCD 20 includes lower glass 21 and upper glass 22 that surround a liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal layer is provided between lower glass 22 and upper glass 22. Upper polarizer 30 includes lower film 31, optical film 32, and upper film 33 in a similar manner to lower polarizer 10.
Touch panel 50 is provided with lower sheet 51 including a transparent film at the lower portion thereof to serve as a resistive film, upper sheet 52 including a transparent film at the upper portion thereof to serve as a resistive film, bus bar 53 serving as an electrode for applying a voltage to two resistive films between the lower sheet and upper sheet 52, tail 54 for connecting bar bus 53 to a controller over flat panel display 40, and a plurality of dot spacers 55 positioned on lower sheet 51 to space upper sheet 52 from the lower sheet 51. Lower sheet 51 includes a base film or glass layer and a conductive layer (or resistive film layer). Upper sheet 52 includes a conductive layer (or resistive film layer), a transparent conductive film layer and an anti-dazzling hard-coating layer. Adhesive 60 may be replaced by a double-face adhesive tape.
The conventional additive type touch panel flat panel display as described above has a problem in that, since touch panel 50 including lower sheet 51 and upper sheet 52 is added to the upper portion of flat panel display 40 which increases the entire bulk and weight, it is difficult to apply the touch panel to an LCD monitor, a notebook or personal computer, etc., which require light weight and thin characteristics. Also, the conventional additive type touch panel flat panel display has a problem in that, there is a large difference of refraction index with five boundary surfaces and a relatively large reflection as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1. Such problem results in poor light transmissivity.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional integral type touch panel flat panel display. Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional integral type touch panel flat panel display includes lower polarizer 10, LCD 20, touch panel 50 and upper polarizer 30 that are sequentially disposed. Touch panel 50 is inserted into flat panel display 40 including lower polarizer 10, LCD 20 and upper polarizer 30 to thereby form an integral type. In such a conventional flat panel display, since touch panel 50 is located at an inner side of the upper polarizer 30, it is referred to as an xe2x80x9cinner touch panelxe2x80x9d.
Such a conventional integral type touch panel flat panel display has a structure almost analogous to the additive type touch panel flat panel display, except that touch panel 50 in the integral type is located between upper polarizer 30 and LCD 20 while touch panel 50 in the additive type is located over upper polarizer 30. The light transmissivity in the integral type is somewhat improved over the additive type.
The conventional integral type as described above also has a problem in that, since touch panel 50 including lower sheet 51 and upper sheet 52 is used similarly to the conventional additive type which increases the entire bulk and weight, it is difficult to apply the touch panel to an LCD monitor, a notebook or a personal computer, etc., which require light weight and thin characteristics. Also, the conventional additive type touch panel flat panel display has a problem in that, there is a large difference in the refraction index with five boundary surfaces and a relatively large reflection as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2. Such problem results in poor light transmissivity.
Furthermore, the conventional integral type touch panel flat panel display is limited in that, a light-isotropic film must be used for transparent conductive films of upper sheet 52 and lower sheet 51 of touch panel 50 because touch panel 50 is inserted between lower polarizer 10 and the upper polarizer. According to a disclosure in the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 9-24571, if a light-isotropic film is not used for the transparent conductive films of upper sheet 52 and lower sheet 51 of touch panel 50 that is inserted between lower polarizer 10 and upper polarizer 30, then an optical axis is not matched causing a coloration or a light interference due to an interference with lower polarizer 10.
Yet another problem with the conventional touch panel integral type flat panel display is that because touch panel 50 is inserted between upper polarizer 30 and LCD 20, mechanical characteristics such as a degree of hardness, heat-proof and scratch-proof, etc. related to upper sheet 52 of touch panel 50 must be provided to upper polarizer 30.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a polarizer integrated with transparent conductive film that substantially obviates one or more of the problems, limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel integrated with the polarizer.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an integral type touch panel flat panel display.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure as particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, a polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film according to one aspect of the present invention includes a lower film; an optical film disposed over the lower film; and a transparent conductive film disposed over the optical film.
A polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film according to another aspect of the present invention includes a polarizer in which a lower film, an optical film and an upper film are sequentially disposed; and a transparent conductive film positioned over the polarizer.
A touch panel integrated with a polarizer according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a first upper polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film, said first upper polarizer including a first lower film, a first optical film and a first transparent conductive film that are sequentially disposed; and a touch panel including the first transparent conductive film and an upper sheet coated with spacers at the lower surface thereof and provided with bus bars and a tail.
A touch panel integrated with a polarizer according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a second upper polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film, said second upper polarizer including a second lower film, a second optical film, a second upper film and a transparent conductive film that are sequentially disposed; and a touch panel including the transparent conductive film and an upper sheet coated with spacers at the lower surface thereof and provided with bus bars and a tail.
A flat panel display according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a lower polarizer including a lower film, an optical film and an upper film that are sequentially disposed; a liquid crystal display including a lower glass, an upper glass and a liquid crystal between the lower glass and the upper glass that are sequentially disposed over the lower polarizer; a first upper polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film, said first upper polarizer including a first lower film, a first optical film and a transparent conductive film that are sequentially disposed over the liquid crystal display; and a touch panel including the transparent conductive film and an upper sheet coated with spacers at the lower surface thereof and provided with bus bars and a tail.
A flat panel display according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a lower polarizer having a lower film, an optical film and an upper film that are sequentially disposed; a liquid crystal display having a lower glass, an upper glass and a liquid crystal between the lower glass and the upper glass that are sequentially disposed over the lower polarizer; a second upper polarizer integrated with a transparent conductive film, said second upper polarizer having a second lower film, a second optical film, a second upper film and a transparent conductive film that are sequentially disposed over the liquid crystal display; and a touch panel having the transparent conductive film and an upper sheet coated with spacers at the lower surface thereof and provided with bus bars and a tail.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Polarizer integrated with transparent conductive film, a touch panel integrated with the polarizer and a flat panel display integrated with the touch panel


A towable mobile fluid carrier includes a hollow container body having an interior cavity for containing fluid and a recessed region in the lower middle portion thereof, a vent mouth and cap on the container body, a fill and pour mouth and closure on the container body spaced from the vent mouth and cap, a telescoping handle mounted to the container body, and a carriage assembly connected to and movably supporting the container body and being disposed within the recessed region of the container body. The telescoping handle includes a hollow main pipe mounted to the container body and extending from the lower recessed region through the interior cavity to above the middle of the container body, a plurality of auxiliary telescoping pipes slidably inserted into the main pipe, and a handgrip mounted on an end of an inner one of the auxiliary pipes. The carriage assembly has an axle mounted in the recessed region to the container body and a pair of wheels mounted to opposite ends of the axle for undergoing rotation and moving the container body when pulled by the handle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to carriers for containing fluids, such as gasoline and other fluid fuels, and, more particularly, is concerned with a towable mobile fluid carrier.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most motorists, due to inattention or various other reasons, from time to time run out of fuel. Usually this happens at remote locations not close to a fuel filling station, leaving the motorist stranded. The stranded motorist must then either flag down another passing vehicle, walk a considerable distance to find a filling station or locate a telephone to call for emergency assistance to obtain a small quantity of fuel sufficient to refuel the vehicle and reach a filling station. It would be highly desirable to have a portable fuel container convenient to use in transporting such small quantity of fuel for this purpose.
There are other occasions when it would also be highly desirable to have a portable fuel container which is easy to handle and transport. An example of one such occasion is a trip to the local fuel filling station to purchase a gallon or so of fuel to use to operate fuel-powered lawnmowers and garden equipment. A portable fuel container that need not be carried is especially desirable for use by persons of inadequate strength to carry heavy objects, such as senior citizens. Thus, a need exists for such a portable fuel container.


A humidity detector with a supporting substrate and a ladder polymer coating, which can be utilized in xerographic imaging and printing apparatuses.

This invention is generally directed to humidity detectors comprised of ladder polymers. More specifically, the present invention is directed to ultrasensitive relative humidity detectors, or humidity sensors comprised of a ladder polymer or ladder polymers, and which detectors can be selected for electrostatic imaging and printing apparatuses. Also, the humidity sensors or detectors of the present invention can be incorporated in feedback, such as known feedback control circuit and control systems. In embodiments, the humidity detectors of the present invention have a dc dark conductivity of 5.times.10.sup.-14 (ohm-cm).sup.-1 which increases by more than about three orders of magnitude to 5.times.10-10.sup.-1 (ohm-cm).sup.-1 when the relative humidity in air increases to, for example, 50 percent. The humidity can be measured by a number of known methods, such as by utilizing a humidity detector, like the VAISALA Model HM132, and the dark conductivity can be measured by utilizing, for example, an electrometer, like the electrometer model Keithley 617. With the sensors of the present invention, relative humidities of from, for example, zero to about 95 percent can be measured in embodiments to provide feedback information for adjusting corona charging currents in imaging and printing systems, such as reprographic and electrostatic imaging systems. Also, in embodiments the detectors, or sensors of the present invention can be utilized to adjust and control the developer composition bias voltage in, for example, imaging and printing systems, and to maintain excellent developed image copy quality independent of environmental humidity.
Ladder polymers that can be selected for the invention of the present application are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,580, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. More specifically, there is illustrated in this copending patent application photoconductive imaging members with a photoconductive ladder compound, such as an imidazoquinoline ladder polymer like poly(7-oxo-7,10H-benz[de]-imidazo(4',5':5,6) benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-3,4:10,11-tetrayl)-10-carbonyl), which polymers may be a cis-, trans- or mixture of cis- and trans-isomers referred to as BBL or poly(benzimidazole-benzophenanthroline)-type ladder and closely structurally related benzimidazole-benzophenanthroline-type semi-ladder polymer referred to as BBB which polymers may be a cis-, trans- or mixture of cis- and trans-isomers. Examples of ladder polymers that may be selected as the photogenerating pigments for the imaging members of the copending application include those of formulas illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 7 representing the representative structures of BBL, BBB, BBL-N, BBL-P, BBL-DBF and BBL-AQ, respectively, where the subscript n is an integer representing the number of segments, and the value of which in embodiments is greater than about 10, and is in the range of from about 10 to about 1,000.


A transmitter for use in an inground tool transmits a locating signal for tracking an underground position of the inground tool. The locating signal is characterized by a transmission frequency which changes responsive to detecting a roll orientation pattern in which the transmitter is held stationary for a predetermined period of time.

The present invention is related generally to the field of locating and/or guiding an underground boring tool using a locating signal which is transmitted through the ground and, more particularly, to a method and associated apparatus for locating and/or guiding the boring tool in a way which compensates for skin effect that potentially introduces error in locating and/or guiding the boring tool as a result of conductivity of the earth through which the locating signal passes. A multi-frequency locating system is introduced including highly advantageous transmitter and locator configurations. A highly advantageous tone detection arrangement is also introduced.
Referring to FIG. 1, boring tools are typically guided or located by transmitting a dipole field from a dipole transmitter which is positioned within the drill head of the boring tool. The locating/dipole field is an oscillating signal that is generally emitted from a dipole antenna oriented along the rotational axis of the drill head. FIG. 1 illustrates a coordinate system including x, y and z axes with a dipole transmitter D at its origin. For a point p, at a radius r from the origin, the dipole equations are given as:
                              B          x                =                                            3                                            x                2                                      -                          r              2                                            r            5                                              (        1        )                                          B          y                =                              3                        xy                                r            5                                              (        2        )                                                      B            z                    =                                    3                                                                                xz                                      r              5                                      ,        and                            (        3        )                                          r          2                =                              x            2                    +                      y            2                    +                      z            2                                              (        4        )            Where Bx, By and Bz represent orthogonal components of the dipole field at point p. The dipole equations are recited herein for the benefit of the reader since these equations form a fundamental basis for the use of a dipole field in locating applications. One such locating system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,002 which is commonly assigned with the present application. Traditionally, boring tool systems have not used compensation for conductivity of the soil even though this conductivity introduces a phenomenon commonly referred to as skin effect. While skin effect can result in significant locating errors, applicants submit that prior art systems have not provided such compensation, at least in part, since it is perceived in the art that compensation for skin effect is an extremely complex proposition.
What prior art system designers have generally done is to altogether ignore skin effect. This is tantamount to an assumption of a non-conducting earth. Accordingly, the electromagnetic field emitted by the magnetic dipole of a transmitter into a non-conducting medium (such as air) is described mathematically by the well known cubic law of a magnetic dipole (see FIG. 1). Unfortunately, however, as a direct result of skin depth, drilling in the earth can produce significant deviations from the cubic law when a typical oscillating magnetic dipole field is used. The latter term describes a magnetic dipole having a signal strength that varies sinusoidally with time.
The present invention provides a highly advantageous and heretofore unseen method and associated apparatus which provide compensation for skin effect in underground boring tool applications.

Inground transmitter with roll orientation pattern based frequency change


The fabrication and use of a multifunctional micropipette biological sensor for in-situ detection of temperature changes, ion conductivity, and light is described herein.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with the design and use of a glass micropipette biological sensor for in-situ detection of temperature changes, ion conductivity, pH and light.
United States Patent Application No. 20070059215 (Huang, 2005) teaches a micro pipette sensing device that includes a micro pipette and a sensing device. The micro pipette includes a main portion, an operation portion and at least one tube portion. The tube portion defines an operation space comprising a sensing device that includes a MEMS flow sensor for sensing a gas movement in the operation space.
WIPO Publication No. WO9505000 (Aaron and Klony, 1999) discloses a general purpose force sensor for measuring nanometer scale surface topography and other characteristics. The sensor includes a hollow micropipette having an inner diameter of about 7.5 nanometers at its tip. The probe includes a cantilevered structure obtained by heating it near the tip to bend it. A reflective coating is applied to the outer surface of the micropipette.
United States Patent Application No. 20020021222 (Howitz and Burger, 2002) describes an apparatus for sensing a drop of liquid delivered by a micropipette, that comprises a sensor comprising of electrodes arranged in a selected geometric pattern on a surface of a substrate, wherein the electrodes are insulated from each other at the surface and an electronic analysis unit is coupled to the electrodes for sensing changed electrical characteristics between the electrodes which result from the drop of a liquid deposited on the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,819 issued to Thomas et al. (1992) describes a micro-thermocouple for non-invasive monitoring of changes in blood glucose concentration in a tissue specimen and particularly in an individual. The method uses acoustic velocity measurements for monitoring the effect of glucose concentration upon the density and adiabatic compressibility of the serum.

Multifunctional micropipette biological sensor


An engine speed control device for an industrial vehicle includes an approach detector that detects an approach of the industrial vehicle to an object to be approached; and an engine speed controller that restricts an upper limit of a rotation speed of an engine when the approach detector detects an approach of the industrial vehicle to an object to be approached.

In an industrial vehicle such as a wheel loader, for example, when performing a work of loading sand, gravel, dirt, and the like into a dump truck, the vehicle is decelerated by pressing the brake pedal when approaching the dump truck and at the same time a working machine device (bucket) is lifted up by pressing the accelerator pedal, thereby maintaining the number of rotations of the engine at a high speed. Then, there is known a clutch cut off device that detects brake fluid pressure and a brake operation amount and, if the detected brake fluid pressure and the brake operation amount exceed a predetermined value, releases a forward/reverse clutch so as to cut off transmission of driving force (refer to Patent Literature 1).

Engine speed control device for industrial vehicle

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


The invention concerns a method (500) and system (100) for suppressing receiver audio regeneration. The method (500) includes the steps of receiving a communication signal (502), at a Radio Frequency (RF) unit (102), demodulating the communication signal to an audio signal (504), monitoring a volume level of the audio signal (506), and shifting the pitch of the audio signal when the volume level reaches a predetermined threshold (508), and playing the pitch-shifted audio signal out of a speaker to produce a pitch-shifted acoustic signal (510). The method can shift the pitch of the audio signal to produce a pitch-shifted acoustic signal with signal properties suppressing regeneration of the acoustic signal onto the audio signal at the RF unit. The amount of pitch-shifting can be a function of the volume level.

In recent years, portable electronic devices, such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants, have become commonplace. Many of these devices include a Radio Frequency (RF) modulator section. The RF modulator can reside within a transmitter unit on a portable device to modulate base-band signals to communication signal frequencies for transmission whereby the communication signals are broadcast to other portable units with a RF modulator at the receiver unit capable of demodulating the signals back down to base-band. The base-band signals can be decoded into an audio signal and broadcast through a speaker to a user of the receiving portable electronic device.
Many of the portable handset devices include a high-audio speaker to play the audio signal at higher volume levels. A power amplifier is generally coupled to the speaker to amplify the signal sufficiently such that the user can adequately hear the output audio. The high audio speaker is generally a transducer which converts electrical signals to mechanical movements through the electro-magnetic coupling of a permanent magnet and voice coil attached to a diaphragm. The movement of the diaphragm moves air and thereby creates pressure differences which produce an acoustic signal.
The speaker needs to move a large amount of air to produce a high volume audio signal where the pressure level is proportional to acceleration of the air. Accordingly, a large amount of force is required to move the air at the diaphragm where the amount of force is a function of the size of the diaphragm and the size of the magnet. The forceful movement of the diaphragm at high audio levels can also push air into and out of the handset creating pressure which accordingly produces vibrations in the handset device. Also, when the handset is not properly enclosed or sealed, the internal acoustic pressure can leak to other compartments within the handset. The problem is exacerbated when the speaker is in close proximity to the electrical board components. All devices and components internal to the handset can be subject to these vibrations. These vibrations can induce bending of component boards such as those that house the RF modulation circuitry.
The electro-mechanical-acoustical stress and strain bending of the boards can change the electrical properties of the integrated circuits which can in turn alter the behavior properties of the device. For an RF component such as a Voltage Control Oscillator (VCO), the mechanical bending can vary the voltage, and, the VCO frequency deviates in relation to the bending. The deviation effectively superimposes properties of the acoustic signal onto the demodulated signal. In effect, the physical bending can modulate the behavior of the demodulator where the result can be regeneration of the output audio on top of the demodulated signal. This behavior is a feedback loop which can oscillate and go unstable when the signals become highly correlated, or in phase. In effect, the regenerative audio feedback acts as a parasitic modulation that gets demodulated and amplified over and over causing oscillatory feedback, commonly called 'microphonics'. The internal pressure is inversely proportional to the internal air volume. And, as handsets become smaller the microphonics problem can continue to increase. Accordingly, a smaller handset can go unstable at high volumes which causes a howling effect as a result of receiver audio regeneration.
Solutions to avoid the bending of the circuit boards include material padding to absorb the sound, mechanical ribs or clips to limit the allowable degree of mechanical bending, and non-piezoelectric capacitors. The current approaches attempt to minimize the acoustic pressure build-up and/or isolate the acoustic coupling. They rely on mechanical solutions that can not fully resolve the howling problem caused by the regenerative audio feedback. In addition, system engineers set a specification margin for certain parameters in shipping radios to account for tolerances in parts and variances in temperature. However, this lowers the overall volume gain of the handset. A final recourse, when the mechanical solutions are insufficiently capable of mitigating the howling behavior, is to lower the level of high audio speaker output by setting a maximum volume level corresponding to a gain specification level below which howling occurs. Accordingly, the handset is shipped with a reduced loudness gain to meet the gain specification margin. However, this reduces the overall loudness level which users expect from a high audio speaker handset. In a public safety environment, or other high ambient noise condition, such restriction may not be acceptable.

Method and system for suppressing receiver audio regeneration


A cup comprising a cup body of synthetic resin and a water absorptive paper integrally attached around the lower portion of the outer surface of the cup body.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cup on which water droplets adhering upon dew condensation do not reach a table or a saucer upon which the cup stands, and a method of fabricating such a cup.
2. Background Art
In general, when cool liquid is poured into a cup, water droplets appear on the outer periphery of the cup since water vapor in the atmosphere near the cup condenses. Upon such condensation, the water droplets start falling down along the outer periphery of the cup. These waterdrops sometimes wet the clothing of the person holding the cup. Heretobefore, a shallow plate or coaster has been placed under the cup to absorb the water drops, or a table napkin has been put around the cup for the same reason.
However, it is troublesome to prepare a table napkin or a coaster each time the drink is served. Also, it is inconvenient to carry the cup together with a table napkin or the like. In addition, it is not practical to provide an automatic vending machine which dispenses liquid and a cup made of paper or synthetic resin with coasters or mats.

Water droplet free cups and method of fabricating same


Methods for forming a metal diffusion barrier on an integrated circuit include at least four operations. The first operation deposits barrier material via PVD, ALD or CVD to provide some minimal coverage. The second operation deposits an additional barrier material and simultaneously etches a portion of the barrier material deposited in the first operation. The third operation deposits barrier material via PVD, ALD or CVD to provide some minimal coverage especially over the bottoms of unlanded vias. The forth operation deposits a metal conductive layer. Controlled etching is used to selectively remove barrier material from the bottom of vias, either completely or partially, thus reducing the resistance of subsequently formed metal interconnects. In addition, techniques to protect the bottoms of the unlanded vias are described.

The present invention pertains to methods for forming a metal diffusion barrier on a partially fabricated integrated circuit. The methods employ at least one operation that selectively etches barrier material from the bottom of vias while simultaneously depositing barrier material on most regions of the integrated circuit. The methods are frequently performed on unlanded vias.
Integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers have traditionally used aluminum and aluminum alloys, among other metals, as the conductive metal for integrated circuits. While copper has a greater conductivity than aluminum, it has not been used because of certain challenges it presents, including the fact that it readily diffuses into silicon oxide and degrades insulating electrical properties even at very low concentrations. Recently, however, IC manufacturers have been turning to copper because of its high conductivity and electromigration resistance, among other desirable properties. Most notable among the IC metalization processes that use copper is Damascene processing. Damascene processing is often a preferred method because it requires fewer processing steps than other methods and offers a higher yield. It is also particularly well suited to metals such as Cu that cannot readily be patterned by plasma etching.
Damascene processing is a method for forming interconnections on integrated circuits. It involves formation of inlaid metal lines in trenches and vias formed in a dielectric layer (inter-metal dielectric). In order to frame the context of this invention, a brief description of a copper dual Damascene process for forming a partially fabricated integrated circuit is described below. Note that the invention applies to other fabrication processes including single Damascene processes.
Presented in FIGS. 1A-1F, is a cross sectional depiction device structures created at various stages of a dual Damascene fabrication process. A cross sectional depiction of a completed structure created by the dual Damascene process is shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 1A, an example of a typical substrate, 100, used for dual Damascene fabrication is illustrated. Substrate 100 includes a pre-formed dielectric layer 103 (such as fluorine or carbon doped silicon dioxide or organic-containing low-k materials) with etched line paths (trenches and vias) in which a diffusion barrier 105 has been deposited followed by inlaying with copper conductive routes 107. Because copper or other mobile conductive material provides the conductive paths of the semiconductor wafer, the underlying silicon devices must be protected from metal ions (e.g., Cu2+) that might otherwise diffuse or drift into the silicon. Suitable materials for diffusion barrier 105 include tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, titanium tungsten, titanium nitride, tungsten nitride, and the like. In a typical process, barrier 105 is formed by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process such as sputtering, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, or an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Typical metals for the conductive routes are aluminum and copper. More frequently, copper serves as the metal in Damascene processes, as depicted in these figures. The resultant partially fabricated integrated circuit 100 is a representative substrate for subsequent Damascene processing, as depicted in FIGS. 1B-1F.
As depicted in FIG. 1B, a silicon nitride or silicon carbide diffusion barrier 109 is deposited to encapsulate conductive routes 107. Next, a first dielectric layer, 111, of a dual Damascene dielectric structure is deposited on diffusion barrier 109. This is followed by deposition of an etch-stop layer 113 (typically composed of silicon nitride or silicon carbide) on the first dielectric layer 111.
The process follows, as depicted in FIG. 1C, where a second dielectric layer 115 of the dual Damascene dielectric structure is deposited in a similar manner to the first dielectric layer 111, onto etch-stop layer 113. Deposition of an antireflective layer 117, typically a silicon oxynitride, follows.
The dual Damascene process continues, as depicted in FIGS. 1D-1E, with etching of vias and trenches in the first and second dielectric layers. First, vias 119 are etched through antireflective layer 117 and the second dielectric layer 115. Standard lithography techniques are used to etch a pattern of these vias. The etching of vias 119 is controlled such that etch-stop layer 113 is not penetrated. As depicted in FIG. 1E, in a subsequent lithography process, antireflective layer 117 is removed and trenches 121 are etched in the second dielectric layer 115; vias 119 are propagated through etch-stop layer 113, first dielectric layer 111, and diffusion barrier 109.
Next, as depicted in FIG. 1F, these newly formed vias and trenches are, as described above, coated with a diffusion barrier 123. As mentioned above, barrier 123 is made of tantalum, or other materials that effectively block diffusion of copper atoms into the dielectric layers.
After diffusion barrier 123 is deposited, a seed layer of copper is applied (typically a PVD process) to enable subsequent electrofilling of the features with copper inlay. FIG. 2 shows the completed dual Damascene process, in which copper conductive routes 125 are inlayed (seed layer not depicted) into the via and trench surfaces over barrier 123.
Copper routes 125 and 107 are now in electrical contact and form conductive pathways, as they are separated only by diffusion barrier 123, which is also somewhat conductive. Traditionally these diffusion barriers are deposited using PVD methods because of the high quality resultant films. However, when depositing in features with higher aspect ratios such as the narrow vias within modern technologies, PVD methods tend to produce films with poor sidewall coverage and thick bottom coverage. To produce films with improved step coverage in vias and trenches, CVD and ALD methods are being considered. However, the bulk resistivity of film using CVD and ALD methods tend to be high, resulting in a high via resistance or poor resistance distribution. Therefore, the common issue to using each of these methods is a high via resistance. In the case of CVD or ALD, it is due to the high bulk resistivity of the film (i.e.  greater than 1000 xcexcxcexa9 cm). In the case of PVD, it is due to high bottom coverage.
Thus, to reduce resistance between the copper routes, a portion of the diffusion barrier may be etched away, specifically at the via bottom, in order to expose the lower copper plug. This approach is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,977 to Hashim et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,762 to Geffken et al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/965,472 filed Sep. 26, 2001, incorporated by reference above. By completely etching away the barrier in the via bottom, the subsequent copper inlay can be deposited directly onto the lower copper line. Conventional methods for etching away diffusion barriers at the bottom of vias (for example, the region of barrier 127 contacting copper inlay 107 in FIG. 1F) are problematic in that they are not selective enough. That is, conventional etch methods remove barrier material from undesired areas as well, such as the corners (edges) of the via, trench, and field regions. This can destroy critical dimensions of the via and trench surfaces (faceting of the corners) and unnecessarily exposes the dielectric to plasma. This may lead to dielectric damage, such as critical dimension loss, increase in dielectric constant (with concomitant negative impact on device speed), and poor adhesion to the barrier layer. These problems will be encountered with the method described in the Geffken et al. patent.
Further, when etching through barrier layers and into the underlying copper metal, some copper oxide and etch residues (including polymeric etch residues) are sputtered onto the barrier sidewall. In the unlanded via case, dielectric material is sputtered along with the underlying copper metal onto the barrier side wall. Subsequently, when a copper seed layer is deposited, it forms directly on these contaminants. As a consequence, the copper seed layer may exhibit a myriad of problems, including poor adhesion, seed discontinuity, fill voiding, etc. Each of these problems negatively impact device performance, yield, and reliability. Such issues are expected with the method described in the Hashim et al. patent.
In addition, conventional etching methods do not address xe2x80x9cunlandedxe2x80x9d via regions typical of modem devices. In some cases these unlanded vias do not fully overlap with the underlying copper inlay 107. Such unlanded via is illustrated in FIG. 1F wherein a portion of diffusion barrier 123 is located at via bottom 127. In the unlanded via case, a portion of the barrier rests on copper inlay 107 and a portion rests on dielectric 103. A conventional barrier etch, meant to expose copper inlay 107, would expose both copper inlay 107 and dielectric 103 in region 127. If copper were to be deposited on such structure, it could diffuse directly into dielectric 103 through region 127. The Hashim et al. patent mentioned above does not also address this problem.
What are therefore needed are improved methods of forming diffusion barriers on integrated circuit structures, selective methods in which the diffusion barrier thickness is minimized at the bottoms of vias without sacrificing the integrity of the diffusion barrier in other regions. Preferably, this is accomplished in a manner that accounts for the special considerations of unlanded vias.
The present invention pertains to methods for forming a metal diffusion barrier on an integrated circuit. It provides a continuous, relatively thin barrier coverage at via bottoms for good reliability (even when unlanded vias are used) and low via resistance. The invention also provides a sufficiently thick barrier coverage on via sidewalls to address reliability issues such as stress migration and electromigration resistance. By selectively etching at the via bottoms, and not necessarily elsewhere, the invention also minimizes corner xe2x80x9cblow-outxe2x80x9d and faceting of vias without changing in feature critical dimensions. Still further, the invention minimizes copper contamination during wafer manufacturing processes and preserves properties of inter-level dielectrics by eliminating or minimizing direct plasma exposure. In general, methods of this invention lower wafer manufacturing costs by increasing yield.
The present invention pertains to various methods for forming a diffusion barrier. When integrated with a seed layer deposition operation, the method typically includes at least four operations. The first operation deposits barrier material via PVD, CVD or ALD to provide some minimal coverage. The second operation deposits an additional barrier material and simultaneously etches a portion of the barrier material deposited in the first operation. In cases in which unlanded vias may exist (and in some instances in which unlanded vias do not exist), a third operation is performed wherein at least a small amount of a barrier material is deposited over at least the bottoms of the vias to protect the dielectric material of the previous interconnect layer. The third operation uses at least one of PVD, CVD or ALD techniques. Typically, the barrier material deposited in the third operation covers at least the lower sidewalls of the vias (in addition to the via bottoms) and provides a high quality template on which to deposit a subsequent metal conductive layer. In some embodiments, at least part of the second operation is performed in the same processing chamber as the third operation. The forth operation deposits a metal conductive layer over the substrate to form a conductive route to the next metalization layer. In preferred embodiments of the invention, all four operations are done in a single process tool without breaking vacuum. In some embodiments, an additional operation is performed between the third and forth operation. This operation deposits another portion of barrier material and simultaneously etches a portion of the barrier material deposited in the third operation.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, a degas operation is performed prior to the first operation. The purpose of the degas operation is to remove unwanted moisture and hydrocarbon etch residue that may exist on the wafer. The degas operation can be performed by heating the wafer to between about 200 to 400 degrees Celsius, for example, depending on the type of dielectric and other materials in the device.
The result of the operations is a metal diffusion barrier formed in part by net etching in certain areas, in particular the bottom of vias, and a net deposition in other areas, in particular the sidewalls of vias. Controlled etching is used to selectively remove barrier material from the bottom of vias, either completely or partially, thus reducing the resistance of subsequently formed metal interconnects. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, selective etching is also used to remove contaminants under the barrier material, thus obviating a separate preclean operation before the first operation. In alternative embodiments, the preclean operation is performed before the first operation.
The invention accomplishes simultaneous etch and deposition by creation of defined plasma producing process conditions such that barrier material is etched away in some regions while in other regions diffusion barrier material is deposited. This is the second of the four operations described previously. The descriptive term xe2x80x9cetch to deposition ratioxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cE/Dxe2x80x9d is used herein to characterize process conditions at any position on substrate. More specifically, in the context of a partially fabricated integrated circuit having via and trench surface features, methods described herein provide that E/D varies as a function of the elevation profile of the surface features to which the plasma is applied. Generally, E/D is greatest at the bottommost regions of the wafer surface features and decreases in magnitude as elevation increases. At a position where there is no net gain or loss of material, the etch and deposition processes equal each other and the E/D is 1. So preferably, the E/D is greater than 1 at the via bottom, but may be less than 1 on the trench step and on the field region.
A preferred diffusion barrier material for this etch/deposition sputter is tantalum, although the invention is not limited to tantalum. Other materials for which the invention is applicable include but are not limited to tungsten, cobalt, solid solutions (interstitial forms) of tantalum and nitrogen and binary nitrides (e.g. TaNx, TiN, WNx). After diffusion barriers of the invention arc formed, a metal conductive layer is deposited thereon.
Preferably methods of the invention are used in Damascene processing in which the metal conductive layer and interconnects are made of copper. In some preferred methods of the invention, the metal conductive layer is a copper seed layer. Preferably seed layers of the invention are formed using PVD, but the invention is not limited in this way. As mentioned, in some methods of the invention, all aspects of a process flow for forming a diffusion barrier and depositing a metal conductive route thereon are done in the same processing tool. While a preferred conductive metal material for this deposition is copper, the invention is not limited to copper. Other materials for which the invention is applicable include aluminum and conductive alloys of aluminum or copper.
Methods of the invention create diffusion barriers having stack structures. Distinct portions of each stack may be deposited (layered) using PVD, CVD, ALD or other methods. Thus diffusion barriers of the invention may have monolayered, bilayered, trilayered or multilayered structures. Preferably, the portions include at least one of tantalum, nitrogen-doped tantalum, tantalum nitride, and titanium silicon nitride. More detail of preferred arrangements for the layering of these materials, methods of depositing, and structure of the diffusion barriers formed therefrom, will be described in the detailed description below.
Methods of the invention create diffusion barriers within integrated circuitry using at least the materials described above. Therefore, another aspect of the invention pertains to an integrated circuit or a partially fabricated integrated circuit. Preferably integrated circuits or partially fabricated integrated circuits of the invention include a diffusion barrier which covers all surfaces of a plurality of vias and a plurality of trenches with minimal diffusion barrier material at the bottom of the plurality of vias, and a metal conductive layer provided thereon, such that the diffusion barrier provides relatively little resistance to electrical conduction between the metal conductive layer and the plurality of metal conductive routes at the bottom of the plurality of vias.
A diffusion barrier which covers all surfaces of a plurality of vias and a plurality of trenches, said diffusion barrier having a thickness of between about 50 and 400 xc3x85 on said surfaces except at the bottom of the plurality of vias where there is less than about 50 xc3x85 of diffusion barrier material; and a metal conductive layer provided thereon.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the associated drawings.

Method for depositing a diffusion barrier for copper interconnect applications


The invention provides methods for producing Lactate by anaerobic Fermentation. According to particular methods of the invention, Lactate is produced by anaerobic fermentation of a substrate comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Lactic acid is an important platform chemical with many applications. Over the last decade, lactic acid has gained importance in the detergence industry. Lactic acid has descaling as well as anti-bacterial properties, so has been used as an environmentally beneficial cleaning product. Furthermore, lactic acid is a precursor for several biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid. These types of plastics provide a good option for substituting conventional plastics produced from petroleum oil because of low CO2 emissions. Other applications include precursors for lactate esters, which can replace petrochemical derived solvents.
Lactic acid is typically produced by fermentation of carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. The most commercially important genus of lactic acid fermenting bacteria is Lactobacillus, though other bacteria and even yeast are also used. In such fermentations, lactic acid is formed through the reduction of pyruvate, which is in turn produced by glycolysis. The cost of these carbohydrate feed stocks is influenced by their value as human food or animal feed. For example, cultivation of starch or sucrose-producing crops for lactic acid production is not economically sustainable in all geographies. Therefore, it is of interest to develop technologies to convert lower cost and/or more abundant carbon resources into lactic acid.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a major by-product of the incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal or oil and oil derived products. Although the complete combustion of carbon containing precursors yields CO2 and water as the only end products, some industrial processes need elevated temperatures favouring the build up of carbon monoxide over CO2. One example is the steel industry, where high temperatures are needed to generate desired steel qualities. For example, the steel industry in Australia is reported to produce and release into the atmosphere over 500,000 tonnes of CO annually.
Furthermore, CO is also a major component of syngas, where varying amounts of CO and H2 are generated by gasification of a carbon-containing fuel. For example, syngas may be produced by cracking the organic biomass of waste woods and timber to generate precursors for the production of fuels and more complex chemicals.
The release of CO into the atmosphere may have significant environmental impact. In addition, emissions taxes may be required to be paid, increasing costs to industrial plants. Since CO is a reactive energy rich molecule, it can be used as a precursor compound for the production of a variety of chemicals. However, this valuable feedstock has not been utilised to produce lactic acid.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process that goes at least some way towards overcoming the above disadvantages or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.


A cutter-coiler device that economically cuts and coils cylindrical piles, casings and conductor pipes to a depth below the surface of the sea floor. Although the device will cut and coil cylindrical piles, casings and conductor pipes above the sea floor, it is most effective for use where casings, conductors and piles must be cut, and pushed or coiled below the sea floor. Further, although the device is effective in cutting and coiling casings, conductors and piles that are cut below the sea floor, it is also effective on cutting and coiling cylindrical piles casings and conductor pipes that must be cut above the sea floor. The device includes a conventional pile driver or hammer, an anvil, a helmet, a spreader coiler, a coiler, cutter blades and a guide. The guide directs the cutter blades into the casing where the cutter blades cut the casing into sections and the spreader coiler pushes out on the sections causing the cut sections to flatten out and the coiler forces the section to roll up into a coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the demolition of offshore production platforms and more particularly to the removal of the remaining casings, conductors, and piles that may protrude above the sea floor.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the offshore industry, there are many marine structures that support casings and conductors for the production of gas and petroleum. These casings and conductors are tubes of various diameters that extend from deep into the sea floor up to the production deck of the offshore marine structure; they are used as conduits to carry petroleum and gas from a reservoir deep within the earth to a gathering and process location on the offshore marine structure above the sea floor and also above the surface of the sea.
The offshore marine structure is also supported and held in place of the sea floor by round piles. When the offshore marine structure is removed, often the piles are left protruding above the sea floor. To remove the piles, a diver must enter into the pile and cut it below the sea floor. After the pile has been cut below the sea floor, the pile section that protruded above the sea floor and the section that is below the sea floor is removed by a crane located on a surface vessel. This is both expensive and time consuming.
To cut a casing and conductor below the mudline, a cutting tool is placed inside of the casing and conductor and they are cut; care must be taken to keep the casing and conductor in tension at all times to prevent the vertical casing and conductor from collapsing downward onto the cutter blades thereby jamming the blades and further preventing their removal.
When the first inside casing is removed, another cutter with a greater diameter is placed inside of the conductor and it is cut in the same manner as the casing. This procedure is both time consuming and expensive. If there is concrete or grout between the casing and conductor or in the annuals formed by the two tubes, the cutter will not work properly.
If the casing cannot be cut from the inside, it must therefore be cut from the outside and it still must be cut as least fifteen feet (15') below the sea floor. To cut the casing or conductor of pile below the sea floor, a hole must be excavated around the casing and conductor or pile. The excavation must be more that fifteen feet (15') deep to allow a diver to enter into the excavation with sufficient room to cut the casing and conductor of pile. The digging of the excavation is very expensive and time consuming. The cutting of the casing and conductor or pile by a diver from within the excavation is dangerous, time consuming and expensive.
While the diver is cutting the casing and conductor or pile from within the excavation, the casing and conductor or pile could fall over onto the diver. There is also a great danger of the walls of the excavation collapsing on the diver as he cuts the casing, conductor or pile.
There are several other methods of severing and crushing piles, etc. One method is found in a patent issued in the Soviet Union, Patent number PRCS Q42 A6931 E/03 SU-821-653. This is a method of severing concrete piles above a surface such as a sea floor or above the ground on land. This system does not however sever piles below the surface; the piles still remain extending above the surface after they are severed. There is another device that destroys cast iron pipes. This device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,211 issued to STREATFIELD et al on Jan. 19, 1988. This method does break up cast iron pipe below the surface of the ground but it does not coil the pipe that is on or above the surface to be buried below the surface of the ground.

Device and method to cut and coil piles, casings and conductors


The present invention relates to processes for making macromolecular networks, macromolecular networks made by such processes, and methods of using such macromolecular networks. Such process employs a low amount of amine compound as a reaction accelerant. The rates of chemical reaction are thereby easily controlled over several orders of magnitude, permitting efficient catalysis and control of reaction conditions needed to produce thermochemically stable macromolecular networks.

Macromolecular networks, for example elastomers, are produced by a number of processes including click reactions. In general, click reactions, one of which is the thiol-ene (also known as alkene hydrothiolation) reaction, display several attractive characteristics. They are relatively fast reactions, they produce reaction products in high yields with high purity, they are insensitive to residual oxygen and moisture from ambient conditions, they proceed via a single reaction pathway, and they are typically orthogonal. However, in the case of the thiol-ene reaction, when the reactive functional groups are relatively dilute, the yields and specificity of the reaction is hindered. When one of the reactive moieties of a thiol-ene reaction system is a telechelic oligomer, the reaction is inherently dilute even when performed neat in the absence of solvent and low yields, and in some cases side reactions, are obtained. As a result, the finished macromolecular networks are not as thermochemically stable as desired.
Applicants recognized that the source of the aforementioned problems was the speed at which the curing reaction occurred. Applicants discovered that the reaction speed could be accelerated by introducing a low amount of a material that comprise an amine moiety into the reaction mixture. In addition, rates of chemical reaction are easily controlled over several orders of magnitude, permitting efficient catalysis and control of reaction conditions needed to produce macromolecular networks. Thus, Applicants disclose a process of producing a macromolecular network that employs a low amount of amine compound as a reaction accelerant. These materials are important for potential replacements of state of the art solid rocket propellant binders due to their greater hydrolytic and long term oxidative stability. The cure times of these systems are tunable and therefore adaptable to a wide range of processing parameters and are therefore amenable to current SOTA processing techniques

Process for making macromolecular networks

United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


A ground fault interrupter, including a current difference sensor and a current generator electrically coupled to the current difference sensor. The current generator provides a predetermined difference current to the current difference sensor. At least one contactor is electrically coupled to the current difference sensor. A controller is electrically coupled to the current difference sensor, the current generator and at least one contactor. The controller operates at least one contactor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ground fault equipment protection, and, more particularly, to ground fault circuit interrupters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI, also known as a ground fault interrupter or GFI) are designed to protect from electrical shock by interrupting a circuit when there is a difference in the currents in the hot and neutral wires. Such a difference indicates that an faulty diversion of current from the wires is occurring, for example, a leakage current to ground from the hot wire. Such a current might be flowing in the ground wire, such as a leakage current from a motor or from capacitors. More importantly, the current diversion may occur because a person has come into contact with the hot wire and is being shocked. When a circuit is functioning normally, all the return current from an electrical load flows through the neutral wire, so the presence of a difference between hot and neutral currents represents a malfunction which in some circumstances can produce a damaging, dangerous or even lethal shock hazard.
Ground fault circuit interrupters are generally required by the electrical code for receptacles in bathrooms, some kitchen receptacles, some outside receptacles, and receptacles near swimming pools. Scenarios which led to these code requirements include dropping a hair dryer or a portable radio into a bathtub with a person, while the appliance is still connected to a source of electrical power, causing electrocution of the person. A typical circuit breaker interrupts the circuit at 20 amperes (A), but it takes only about 100 milliamperes (mA) or less to electrocute a person in such a scenario. A household ground fault circuit interrupter is designed to detect currents of a few milliamperes and trip a circuit breaker at the receptacle or at the circuit breaker panel to remove the shock hazard. Industrial applications can include greater voltages and/or currents which can be an even greater shock or fire hazard.
A ground fault circuit interrupter can have a "Test" button which causes a small difference between hot and neutral currents to test the ground fault circuit interrupter. For example, the test button can apply the 120 volt AC (alternating current) supply across a 14.75 kilo-ohm (kΩ) resistor, producing a current of 8 mA where, for example, a requirement for a ground fault circuit interrupter can be that it trip when there is 6 mA of leakage current, and more specifically, the ground fault circuit interrupter de-energizes a circuit within an established period of time (25 milliseconds) when a current to ground (ground-fault leakage) exceeds some predetermined value (6 mA, for Class A GFCI) which is far less than that required to operate the overcurrent (overload) protection device (breaker or fuse) of the supply circuit. The ground fault circuit interrupter can also include a reset button to use after it has been tripped.
An example of a ground fault circuit interrupter circuit construction is hot and neutral wires are passed through a sensing coil so that the currents in the two wires at any instant are traveling in opposite directions, giving a net zero current in the coil if the two currents are equal. Since a current carrying wire produces an AC magnetic field external to the wire, a non-zero current induces a voltage in the sensing coil. The sensing coil can be wound longitudinally to capture more of the wire's magnetic field and therefore can be a more sensitive net current detector. The current difference that is detected is relatively small. The ground fault circuit interrupter circuit can be designed to trip when there is more than 6 mA of leakage current out of the normal pathway. For example, the neutral return has 6 mA less current than the hot wire, out of up to a 20 A load. The voltage in the sensor coil is rectified and applied to the input of a sensitive comparator. The comparator activates a trip coil which opens both the hot and neutral wires thereby interrupting the circuit. If all circuits were wired with correct polarity, opening the hot wire is sufficient, but since it is not uncommon for the circuits to be accidentally wired backward, it is prudent to interrupt both hot and neutral wires.
Because of the sensitivity of the detection of current differences, GFCIs are prone to nuisance tripping in certain applications. Further, a single GFCI can be used to protect several circuits. Unfortunately, GFCIs can be disconnected to eliminate the nuisance tripping, and thereby eliminate ground fault protection for one or more circuits.
Additionally, a ground fault circuit interrupter can fail in a way that permits the device to be reset and pass current without providing ground fault protection. Many people do not understand how a GFCI works and hence may believe that protection is being provided when, in fact, the device has failed. An article in IAEI News (International Association of Electrical Inspectors) has reported a high failure rate of GFCIs. The protective circuitry in a GFCI is vulnerable to voltage spikes such as those caused by lightning and high-voltage switching. It is possible for the GFCI to eventually fail to provide ground fault protection while still providing power for equipment, tools and appliances. A proper test sequence can help assure that the GFCI is still providing ground fault protection; however, such a test sequence is operator dependent.
In general, GFCI protection equipment is subject to undetected failures that inhibit their function. Random component failures caused by lightning and other electrical surges, abuse, along with normal wear and tear, all can cause component failures that can render a GFCI inoperable and thus incapable of performing its safety function. This is particularly true in freeze protection application where equipment may be unused other than during the winter months. For example, in pipe heater trace freeze protection and similar applications, the pipe heater trace equipment is typically unused in the warm months. During these warm months, maintenance of piping and accessories such as valve seals can damage the heating cable. Additionally, a lightning strike can damage a GFCI for the heater trace equipment. When the heater trace equipment is operated for the first time in the cold months, due to the inadvertent damage to the equipment caused by maintenance and/or the lack of ground fault protection due to the lightning strike, a shock and/or fire hazard can exist.
What is needed in the art is an apparatus and method for automatically monitoring ground fault apparatus.

Apparatus for improved ground fault equipment protection


A multi-stop route selection system may include a telematics device associated with a vehicle having one or more sensors arranged therein, a mobile device, and a server computer. The server computer may receive driving data of a driver of the vehicle and a vehicle location from the telematics device, determine one or more driving behaviors of the driver based on the driving data, receive data regarding a calendar of the driver from the mobile device, identify a plurality of appointments in the calendar, determine a route comprising multiple destinations for the driver based on the vehicle location, the one or more driving behaviors, and the plurality of appointments, transmit the route to the mobile device, receive a request to add a new destination to the route from the mobile device, generate a modified route comprising the new destination, and transmit the modified route for the driver to the mobile device.

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and other types of mobile computing devices, are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of purposes. In some cases, mobile devices, such as smartphones, make people's lives easier by allowing them to connect with various applications and complete different tasks quickly. For example, users may employ mobile devices in personal and business settings to manage their work, connect with others, manage finances, participate in social media, play games, navigate to various destinations, and the like.
Users may utilize their mobile devices while at home, at work, at the grocery store, or even while commuting. That is, it may become more prevalent for users to employ their mobile devices while driving in their vehicles. Users may operate their mobile devices while driving to and from several destinations. For example, a driver may have a busy schedule at work and may use his or her phone to prepare for his or her work day and/or navigate to one or more locations for various meetings. In another example, a driver may have various errands to do and may use his or her mobile device to navigate to locations for each errand using his or her mobile phone.
Ultimately, users may depend on a variety of mobile applications (e.g., applications designed specifically for use with specially designed mobile device operating systems) while driving in order to navigate directions, listen to music, communicate with others, access their calendars before a busy work day, or for other varying services provided by the mobile applications. Unfortunately, many of the mobile applications require users to enter a relatively large amount of user information, and the mobile applications might not be able to learn patterns from the user's behaviors or environment in order to provide accurate and intuitive services that are customized to each user.
In some cases, it may be beneficial for users to have access to a customized service that provides navigation for users while driving and enhances each user's driving experience with their mobile devices. As such, new systems, methods, and devices may be desired to leverage the capabilities of mobile devices in providing navigation to users in an improved and efficient manner.


A needle is received in a nozzle body and is adapted to reciprocate relative to an injection hole to open and close the injection hole. A pressure chamber receives the fuel and exerts a pressure against the needle in an opening direction away from the injection hole upon increasing of the pressure of the fuel in the pressure chamber. A damper arrangement is actuated upon increasing of the pressure in the pressure chamber to alleviate a change in the pressure in the pressure chamber. A pressurizing piston reciprocates to increase and decrease the pressure of the fuel in the pressure chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel injection apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A fuel injection apparatus, which injects fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, is known.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-214317A teaches a fuel injection apparatus, which has a pressure control arrangement. The pressure control arrangement includes a pressure chamber, which applies a pressure against a needle to lift the needle away from injection holes to open the same for injecting fuel when a piston is driven to pressurize the fuel in the pressure chamber. This type of fuel injection apparatus is developed to meet a demand for promoting atomization of fuel by increasing a fuel injection pressure to a higher pressure in a direct fuel injection internal combustion engine, in which the fuel is directly injected in each cylinder.
In the fuel injection apparatus of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-214317A, an actuator (e.g., a piezoelectric driver), which exerts a large drive force, is used to displace the piston to increase the pressure of the pressure chamber relative to the pressure of the fuel passage, which corresponds to the injection pressure of fuel, so that the injection quantity of fuel is controlled under the high injection pressure condition. However, the above technique of lifting the needle by the pressurized fuel poses the following disadvantage. That is, when the needle is lifted, a volume of the pressure chamber is increased to cause a reduction in the pressure of the pressure chamber. When the pressure of the pressure chamber is reduced, the lifting speed of the needle is immediately, disadvantageously reduced.
In such a case, the lifting speed of the needle right after the opening of the injection holes cannot be maintained. Therefore, the pressure of the pressure chamber cannot be maintained at a required minimum pressure (hereinafter, referred to as a required valve opening pressure), which is required to open the injection holes by lifting the needle against an urging force (e.g., the pressure in the fuel passage) applied toward the injection holes. As a result, the needle is gradually moved downward toward the injection holes to close the injection holes. When this state is encountered, the injection holes are soon closed by the needle to terminate the fuel injection although an injection signal for executing the fuel injection is kept supplied to the actuator. Thus, it is difficult to control the injection quantity of fuel according to the injection signal. Thereby in the previously proposed fuel injection apparatus described above, the stable valve opening operational response may not be obtained.


Provisioning an Internet Protocol address is disclosed. A request to provision an Internet Protocol address to a virtual resource is received. An Internet Protocol address is automatically determined to allocate to the virtual resource. The determined Internet Protocol address was selected from a group of Internet Protocol addresses potentially available to be assigned to the virtual resource of the received request.

With advances in cloud computing and virtualization, a system administrator is able to easily add or remove a virtual resource, such as a virtual machine, device or network, as needed to dynamically match computing needs. Because virtualization allows a single physical machine to host a large number of virtual resources, it is not uncommon for a single organization to utilize hundreds of virtual machines. The management of these virtual resources has been traditionally difficult. Traditionally, allocation of network parameters such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a Domain Name System (DNS) registration required a network engineer to manually look up available network parameters and assign an available parameter to a requestor. This manual process could potentially take days. Especially in a virtual cloud environment where a large number of virtual resources needs to be dynamically created and destroyed on a relatively short time frame, manually assigning IP addresses or manually performing DNS registration updates would be extremely inefficient and prone to errors. Therefore, there exists a need for a better way to manage network parameters of a virtual resource.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

IP address and domain name automation of virtual infrastructure


Methods of forming two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide sheets are provided. The methods include adding a cross-linking agent to an activating agent to form a solution and mixing a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide with the solution to form a mixture. The methods also include adding a cleaving agent to the mixture to form one or more contiguous sheets of transition metal dichalcogenide.

Two-dimensional materials such as metal chalcogenides (for example, transition metal dichalcogenides) and metal oxides (for example, transition metal oxides) are used in the form of large area sheets in a variety of electronic devices owing to their electrical and optical properties. Some conventional techniques to form such large sheets include chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and/or mechanical cleaving to separate metal chalcogenide sheets from the crystals. The CVD techniques require processing at high temperatures (greater than about 600° C.) and substrates such as graphite oxide and silicon to obtain large area sheets. Many of these techniques are tedious, time consuming and are substantially expensive.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide sheets and methods of preparation and use


A pressure sensor die assembly comprises a base substrate having a first surface, a stop structure on the first surface, and a diaphragm structure coupled to the first surface. The diaphragm structure comprises a first side with a cavity section including a first cavity and a second cavity surrounding the first cavity; a pressure sensing diaphragm portion having a first thickness and defined by the first cavity; and an over pressure diaphragm portion having a second thickness and defined by the second cavity, the second thickness greater than the first thickness. When an over pressure is applied, at least some area of the pressure sensing diaphragm portion is deflected and supported by the stop structure. As over pressure is increased, the over pressure diaphragm portion deflects and engages with the first surface such that additional area of the pressure sensing diaphragm portion is deflected and supported by the stop structure.

Silicon pressure sensors used to measure pressure in various systems and devices are often subjected to over pressures that exceed the full scale pressure rating of the sensor. Typical silicon sensors employing a deflectable on chip diaphragm to measure pressure are capable withstanding an over pressure of three to four times full scale pressure. If this level of over pressure rating is exceeded, the diaphragm will rupture, causing the pressure sensor to fail. Many applications require over pressure capability that can handle over pressures of ten times full scale or higher.
Conventional silicon pressure sensors are often protected from over pressure failure by external over pressure protection mechanisms. Such mechanisms add significant cost, complexity, and size to the pressure sensor function.
In other approaches for sensor protection, a deflection stop under the silicon pressure sensing diaphragm is employed such that the deflection is stopped after two times to three times full scale over pressure. While this is effective for over pressures less than about five times full scale, above that level, the over pressure loads the outer edges of the diaphragm even though the center is supported so that a shear failure occurs along the outer edge of the diaphragm, resulting in diaphragm failure.

Pressure sensor die over pressure protection for high over pressure to operating span ratios


An electronic gaming device and method for operating the same is disclosed. According to one aspect of the invention, the device is a video poker machine that displays an initial hand of cards to a player. The player considers the initial hand and executes a game strategy by selecting certain of the cards to hold and others to discard, if any. A player's selection of cards causes a signal to be received by the device. The signal indicates which of the of the cards in the initial hand are to be held and which are to be dicarded. Based on the signal, the device determines a number of cards to be drawn. For each discard card, the device displays an additional draw card in place thereof and determines a payout based on a ranking of the final hand and the number of cards drawn.

The present invention relates to an electronic gaming device, such as a video poker machine, and a method for operating the same.
Slot machines generate over ten billion dollars per year in revenue for United States casinos, with individual machines typically earning between fifty and one hundred fifty dollars per day. One of the fastest growing segments of slot machine play is video poker, a game in which various elements of draw poker are played using a computer with a video display.
The basic game of video poker is played on an electronic video poker machine. A player is dealt an initial hand of five cards from a standard deck of fifty-two cards. The five cards are randomly chosen by the processor of the video poker machine and displayed to the player on a video screen. With a goal of maximizing the value of his hand, the player decides which cards, if any, to hold, and which cards, if any, to discard. Given the initial hand, the player may decide to hold all five of his cards. To do this, he presses a button labeled "hold" under each displayed card.
Alternatively, the player may decide to hold a subset of the five cards dealt to him in his initial hand. In this case, the player presses the "hold" button under each card he decides to hold. After the player has decided which cards to hold, he presses a button labeled "deal." This causes the computer to discard the cards that the player has decided not to hold and replace them with draw cards that have been randomly selected from the remaining forty-seven cards of the deck.
After the deal button has been pressed, the ranking of the final hand of the player is evaluated by the computer. If the player's final hand matches a predetermined combination, such as a Full House or Three of a Kind, then the player is awarded a payout in the form of either coins or play credits in accordance with a payout table.
The payout table is stored in a memory of the computer and is also displayed on a schedule printed on the machine or on a video screen for the player to view. The payout for a particular final hand increases with the ranking of the hand. Thus, hands with higher poker rankings are awarded more play credits or coins. For example, very rare poker hands such as a Royal Flush are awarded payouts of 800-to-1 in some game variations.
FIG. 1 depicts a prior art payout database 10 for a "Jacks or Better" video poker game. Such a database is typically stored in a memory of a conventional video poker machine. The payout database 10 includes records A-J, each of which include fields 15 and 20. For ease of reference, a particular location (intersection of a row and column) within this and other tables herein will be referred to by the concatenated field number and record letter. Such locations will be referred to herein as "cells." For example, cell 15A, containing "ROYAL FLUSH," refers to the location defined by field 15 of record A (the intersection of column 15 and row A).
Cells 15A-15J each indicate a final hand that is possible for a player to receive, given an initial hand of five cards. Cells 20A-20J each indicate a payout (for each $1 wagered) that the associated final hand will pay if it is received. For example, if a player receives a "FULL HOUSE" as a final hand (cell 15D), then the associated payout would be $9 (cell 20D).
A modified video poker machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,023 to Wood. According to that patent, a video poker machine is programmed to calculate the expected value of each of the thirty-two possible discard strategies that a player may execute. After a player has selected a discard strategy, the machine adjusts the payouts until the expected value of the executed strategy is nearly equivalent to that of the optimum strategy. In this way, the video poker game is able to provide payouts to players that are not effected by their skill or experience level.
In addition to the games of video poker described above, other variations which include wild cards and jokers are also played, such as "Joker Poker," "Deuces Wild," and "Bonus Poker." Further information on these and other video poker games, payout tables and calculations, and game strategies may be found in Paymar, D., "Video Poker Precision Play," (published by Enhanceware of Las Vegas, Nev.).
Conventional electronic gaming devices configured to play video poker have a number of disadvantages. Specifically, the number of players who can execute perfect or near-perfect game strategies has increased dramatically. This can be attributed to an increase in the number of tutorial materials that teach such game strategies, which materials have become readily available to players via the Internet, commercial software, and books. Further, competition among casinos to attract video poker players has resulted in video poker machines being programmed to pay out in excess of 100% (assuming perfect playing strategy), which has provided additional incentive for players to learn game strategies from the tutorial materials. The foregoing has increased the aggregate amount of payouts to players and thus decreased profits for the casinos.
Additionally, players initially were attracted to conventional video poker games because of the requirement for the players to use analytical thought and decision making during game play. However, game strategies have not changed much since the introduction of video poker. Indeed, conventional video poker machines do not offer players a chance to execute more complex and non-conventional strategies in order to obtain higher payouts. Consequently, some players have become bored with, and thus lost interest in, conventional video poker games.
In view of the above, there is a substantial need for an electronic gaming device such as a video poker machine, and method for operating the same, that enables casinos to increase revenue and, at the same time, is more interesting for players to play.

Electronic poker device and method for operating same