An improved solar panel attachment system for a roof and method for its use include a pedestal that has a plurality of protrusions and keyways located along its bottom wall surface and extending along the length of the pedestal. The pedestal is placed into a paddy of foam adhesive laid along a roof underlayment and the keyways receive and engage with the expanding adhesive for bonding the pedestal directly to the roof without the need for mechanical fastening. The protrusions provide spacing between the bottom wall surface and the roof so that an adequate amount of foam adhesive resides between these wall surfaces and those structures. Attaching means are secured to the top wall surface so that the pedestal may be used to securely mount (or secure) a solar panel or other object to a roof.

This invention relates generally to hip and ridge attachment systems for roofing materials and, more particularly, to attachment systems for cap or trim roof tiles, field tiles, and other roof products such as solar components in high wind environments.
In August 1992, one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history, category 5 Hurricane Andrew, made landfall. The aftermath was devastating. Andrew caused more than $40 billion in property damage and 90% of Dade County, Florida homes suffered major roof damage. At that time, the common and approved building practice for tiled roofs was to set a trim, cap or ridge tile with cement mortar and secure it to a field tile, thereby making the field tile the primary point of contact to the roof for the ridge tile.
To ensure that this extensive amount of wind damage would never happen again, Dade County created new building codes. In regards to attachment systems for ridge roof tiles, the solution was to anchor wood or galvanized steel to the roof and then use an adhesive to better secure the ridge tiles to the wood or steel. Unlike the prior system, the primary point of contact for the ridge tile became the wood or steel that was secured to the roof rather than the field tile. In regards to solar panels, wood or galvanized steel is attached to the roof and then used to support and anchor the panels to the roof.
However, the problem with both wood and galvanized steel systems is that in order to properly anchor the system to the roof it must be nailed to the roof, using two nails every six inches. This amount of nailing causes a lot of penetration through the roof underlayment and decking, thereby providing a leak pathway through the underlayment and decking. Furthermore, wood is heavy, it warps, and it rots over time. Galvanized steel is easily dented, has sharp edges, and is known to rust. Therefore, a need exists for an attachment system for ridge roof tiles or solar panels in high wind environments that provides a better primary contact to the roof, is lightweight, eliminates penetration and is easy to install, resists rot and corrosion, and provides superior performance in comparison to existing wood and galvanized steel systems.

Ridge tile or solar panel attachment system for a roof


An image forming device having a sheet conveying path extending from a feeder unit to an image forming unit. A convey roller positioned downstream of the sheet supply roller is rotated at a peripheral speed V3. Additional convey roller positioned downstream of the first convey roller is rotated at a peripheral speed V2 lower than V3. A register roller positioned downstream of the second convey roller is rotated at a peripheral speed V1 lower than V2. A transfer roller of the image forming unit is rotated at a peripheral speed V0 lower than V1. Each convey roller, the register roller, the sheet supply roller is connected to each clutch. Sheet sensors are provided between neighboring rollers for detecting a leading edge of the sheet. Upon detection of the leading edge, the roller positioned immediately upstream of the one of the sensors is shifted to its non-driving state.

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic type image forming device used in laser printers, photocopiers, facsimile machines, and the like.
A conventional electrophotographic type image forming device, such as a laser printer, has been disclosed, for example, in laid open Japanese patent application publication No. HEI-10-35941. In this type of image forming device, a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum is transferred to a sheet or another recording medium as the medium passes between a transfer roller and the photosensitive drum. Subsequently, the recording medium passes between a single heat roller and a single pressure roller, causing the toner to melt by heat and fixing the toner image to the surface of the recording medium. A sheet supply unit is provided for supplying the recording medium stacked in a sheet supply tray, one sheet at a time. The sheet of the recording medium is conveyed from the sheet supply unit to an image forming section at which the photosensitive drum opposes the transfer roller through a conveying path by a sheet supply roller, a plurality of intermediate conveying rollers, and a register roller provided along the conveying path. The register roller is intermittently driven while the plurality of intermediate conveying rollers are rotated. A leading edge of the image recording medium abuts against the stopped register roller while the medium is fed by the conveying rollers, so that an intermediate area of the recording medium can be flexed. As a result, the leading edge can be aligned with a proper orientation, while the supply timing of the medium to the image forming section can be adjusted.
When forming images on a plurality of recording mediums in succession, the start timing for supplying the second and subsequent sheets from the sheet supply unit is set as follows. If the trailing edge of the preceding sheet is too close to the leading edge of the following sheet, a leading edge of a subsequent sheet may reach a sheet sensor disposed along the conveying path from the sheet supply unit to a discharging unit prior to the detection of completion of passing of the precedent sheet through the sheet sensor due to unevenness of leading edge positions of the sheets in the sheet supply tray. In the latter case, judgment is made such that the precedent sheet is not subject to feeding but staying at the sheet sensor position, and accordingly, an error processing attendant to sheet jamming is improperly executed.
If the subsequent sheet is fed prior to the separation of the trailing edge of the precedent sheet from the sheet supply roller, unwanted force is applied to the precedent sheet, which degrades sheet conveying performance. To avoid this problem, normally, the start timing for supplying sheets is set such that an interval of a prescribed amount, for example approximately 60 mm, is provided between the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the following sheet taking also image data developing period into consideration.
For supplying each one sheet from the sheet supply unit, a frictional separating mechanism is used for separating the one sheet from the remaining sheet stack. One such frictional separating mechanism employs a separation pad pressing against the sheet supply roller to generate friction for separating the sheets. However, sometimes the leading edges of the sheets in the sheet supply unit become uneven, when using such frictional separating mechanism, a following sheet can oppose the frictional force between the sheet supply roller and frictional separating pad and move in the conveying direction as the preceding sheet is conveyed due to attractive force between the preceding uppermost sheet and the subsequent lower sheet stacked in the sheet supply tray. In this case, the subsequent sheet stops with its leading edge shifted downstream in the conveying direction from a reference position at the nip area between the sheet supply roller and frictional separating pad when the sheet supply roller has stopped.
If the following sheet stops with its leading edge shifted too far downstream from the reference point at the nip area when the sheet supply roller stops, the required condition of maintaining a prescribed interval between neighboring sheets cannot be met. Hence, when the sheet supply roller is driven to rotate at a prescribed timing designed to maintain a prescribed interval between sheets, it is possible that the sheet sensors will detect a sheet jam or that sufficient time is not allocated for developing the image data to be printed.
The present invention provides an image forming device for forming an image on a cut image recording medium including a drive source, a sheet feeder unit, an image forming unit, a conveying path, and at least two sheet conveying units. The sheet feeder unit stores therein a stack of image recording mediums. At the image forming unit a visible image is formed on the image recording medium. The conveying path extends between the sheet feeder unit and the image forming unit. Each image recording medium is conveyed through the conveying path in a conveying direction from the sheet feeder unit to the image forming unit. The at least two sheet conveying units are connected to the drive source and include a downstream side conveying unit and an upstream side conveying unit. The downstream side conveying unit is disposed along the conveying path for conveying the image recording medium at a first conveying speed. The upstream side conveying unit is disposed along the conveying path and an upstream of the downstream side conveying unit in the conveying direction for conveying the image recording medium at a second conveying speed higher than the first conveying speed.
In one embodiment, the image forming device further includes at least two clutches including a first clutch and a second clutch, and a controller. The first clutch is connected between the drive source and the downstream side sheet conveying unit and provides a power connection state for driving the downstream side conveying unit and a power disconnection state for shutting off power transmission to the downstream side conveying unit. The second clutch is connected between the drive source and the upstream side sheet conveying unit and provides a power connection state for driving the upstream side conveying unit and a power disconnection state for shutting off power transmission to the upstream side conveying unit. The controller controls the at least two clutches so as to provide the disconnection state in the upstream side conveying unit when the downstream side sheet conveying unit holds a leading edge portion of the image recording medium.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an image forming device for forming an image on a cut image recording medium including a drive source providing a driving force, a sheet feeder, an image forming unit, a conveying path, a first sheet conveying roller, a first clutch, second clutch, and a controller. The sheet feeder unit includes a sheet storing portion in which a plurality of image recording mediums are stacked in a sheet stack. The sheet supply roller is adapted for separating one image recording medium from a remaining sheet stack and for feeding the separated image recording medium in a sheet feeding direction. At the image forming unit a visible image is formed on the image recording medium. The image forming unit includes a photosensitive member carrying an electrostatic latent image where developing agents are carried as a developing agent image, and a transfer roller for transferring the developing agent image onto the image recording medium. The conveying path extends between the sheet feeder unit and the image forming unit. Each image recording medium is conveyed through the conveying path in the sheet feeding direction from the sheet feeder unit to the image forming unit. The first sheet conveying roller is disposed along the conveying path and between the sheet supply roller and the transfer roller. The first sheet conveying roller provides a peripheral speed lower than that of the sheet supply roller and higher than that of the transfer roller. The first clutch is connected to the first sheet conveying roller for selectively transmitting the driving force of the power source to the first sheet conveying roller. The first clutch provides power connection phase for driving the first sheet conveying roller and provides a power disconnection phase for stopping the first sheet conveying roller. The second clutch is connected to the sheet supply roller for selectively transmitting the driving force of the power source to the sheet supply roller. The controller includes shut-off means, and drive start means. The shut-off means provides the power disconnection phase after a trailing edge of a precedent image recording medium is moved past the first sheet conveying roller, so that a leading edge of a subsequent image recording medium abuts the stopped first sheet conveying roller for regulating an interval between the trailing edge of the precedent sheet and the leading edge of the subsequent sheet. The drive start means provides the power connection phase of the first clutch for starting driving rotation of the first sheet conveying roller after the regulation of the interval.
In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided an image forming device for forming an image on a cut image recording medium including a sheet feeder unit, an image forming unit, a conveying path and a sheet leading edge position regulating unit. The sheet feeder unit stores therein a stack of image recording mediums, and includes a separation unit that intermittently separates one sheet of the stack from a remaining stack at a separating position and feeds the one sheet in a sheet feeding direction. At the image forming unit a visible image is formed on the image recording medium fed from the sheet feeder. The conveying path extends between the sheet feeder unit and the image forming unit. Each image recording medium is conveyed through the conveying path in the sheet feeding direction from the sheet feeder unit to the image forming unit. The sheet leading edge position regulating unit has a part selectively protrudable, near the separating position, into the sheet conveying path to provide a protruding position and selectively retractable away from the sheet conveying path to provide a retracting position. A leading edge position of the image recording medium is regulated upon protrusion of the part into the sheet conveying path.

Image forming device regulating sheet conveying timings


A clamp for securing a tubular or hose-shaped object on a support. The clamp includes a clamp jacket having first and second ends, wherein a first leg protrudes from the first end of the clamp jacket and a second leg projects from the second end of the clamp jacket. The first leg has a lug which in the open state protrudes in the direction of the second leg. The second leg includes a fastening section which can be inserted into a gap between the lug and a neighboring portion of the first leg located opposite the lug, wherein, in the closed state of the clamp, the lug is plastically deformed toward the outer side of the fastening section facing away from the first leg.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamp for securing a tubular or hose-shaped object on a support. The clamp includes a clamp jacket having first and second ends, wherein a first leg protrudes from the first end of the clamp jacket and a second leg projects from the second end of the clamp jacket.
2. Description of the Related Art
A clamp of the above-described type is disclosed, for example, in DE 38 08 334 C1. The clamp jacket is curved in a C-shaped manner and encloses a receiving chamber in which can be placed a pipe, a hose or the like object. The two legs are then placed one on top of the other, so that the clamp including the pipe, hose or the like placed therein can be fastened to a support, for example, a girder, a ceiling, a wall, a housing or the like. The two legs have coinciding throughholes through which a fastening element, for example, a screw, can be guided.
In order to be able to secure the clamp on the tubular or hose-shaped object already before the assembly on the support, this known clamp can be preliminarily secured. For this purpose, the clamp has a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism includes a resilient lug which is bent into a S-shape and is mounted on one leg, wherein the other leg can engage with its free end face behind the resilient lug. After the lugs are locked together, the clamp jacket rests under a certain tension against the tubular or hose-shaped object, so that the clamp not be either turned or axially displaced on this object.
The above-described clamp has been found useful for many fields of application. However, in some cases there is the problem that the locked engagement is separated if the preassembled clamp is caught anywhere during the transportation of the tubular or hose-shaped object. In that case, the preassembled clamp may change its position or alignment on the tubular or hose-shaped object.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Clamp for securing a tubular or hose-shaped object


The invention features compounds of formula I and methods of their use as antiplatelet and antithrombotic compounds: H/N=Qχ2OOOOΛQ2-N, HR6/NIf)(^XMO-MγτOM°τX1MQ′)r(^rfHOOHHOOQHiNχiR2 Formula (I).

Platelets play critical roles in hemostasis and its pathophysiology. Undesired platelet activation is a result of many common pathologies, e.g., hypertension and arteriosclerosis, and leads to excessive platelet aggregation and the generation of occlusive thrombi (thrombosis). The ischemic events that follow, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, are leading causes of death in the developed world
Antithrombotics are used in patients who are at increased risk of clotting, typically because of surgery, major trauma, vascular diseases, or blood clotting abnormalities. There are two major classes of antithrombotics: classical anticoagulants (e.g., heparin and warfarin), which interfere with the plasma clotting system, and antiplatelet drugs, which act by reducing the ability of platelets to aggregate. The anticoagulants are the preferred treatment of venous thrombosis, and antiplatelet drugs are preferred for arterial thrombosis. The two groups are less commonly used in combination, because of increased risk of major blood homeostasis compromise. The antiplatelet drugs have proven to be the safer group, especially for prophylactic and long term use.
The most popular group of antiplatelet agents is the group of thienopyridines, which irreversibly inhibits the platelet P2Y12 receptor. The most successful of this group, clopidogrel (Plavix®), alone or in addition to aspirin, has proven to be safe and moderately effective in reducing the composite endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke in patients with coronary syndromes (Yusuf et al. N. Engl. J. Med. 2001, 345:494-502; Savi and Herbert Semin. Thromb. Hemost. 2005, 31:174-83). Notwithstanding its widespread use, clopidogrel has important drawbacks. It is a prodrug, which has to be metabolized by two separate cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver to produce the active substance. This causes a delay of action and necessitates "preloading" patients before a procedure and also results in significant inter-patient activity variability due to variations in the P450 system and liver function. Limited response to clopidogrel, often referred to as "clopidogrel resistance," occurs in up to 20% of patients. The requirement for liver metabolism also increases the potential for drug-drug interactions. The active metabolite of clopidogrel irreversibly inhibits P2Y12 platelet receptors, and its antithrombotic activity persists long after administration of the drug. The prolonged effect can be problematic, for example when urgent surgery is required, because of an increased risk for bleeding.
In the search for fast acting and reversible antiplatelet agents the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) scaffold has been extensively modified, which led to the development of the drug candidate Cangrelor, which is presently in advanced clinical development. An orally available adenosine analog related to Cangrelor, AZD 6140, is also in late stage clinical trials.
Bis-adenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A), like ATP, possesses weak antiplatelet activity. Yet, very few Ap4A analogs have been prepared and studied as possible antiplatelet agents. Bis-adenosine P2,P3-methylene-, and halomethylenetetraphosphates, and bis-adenosine P1,P4-dithio-P2,P3-monochloromethylenetetraphosphate have been disclosed as antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents in U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,550, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,823, respectively, albeit with activity insufficient for clinical development. Thus, there is a need for new diadenosine tetraphosphates and related analogs.

Antithrombotic diadenosine tetraphosphates and related analogs


A lightweight tender comprising a hull constructed from substantially a single piece of composite material and a retractable pillar attached to the hull, wherein the retractable pillar defines a longitudinally extending channel. A retractable carbon fiber bimini cover is pivotingly attached to the retractable pillar, and defines a top deck when the pillar is retracted, and defines a bimini top extended. A first end of a brace is hingedly attached to the bimini cover and a second end of the brace travels within the longitudinally extending channel of the retractable pillar such that the angle between the bimini cover and the retractable pillar increases as the brace travels distally within the longitudinally extending channel.

Tenders or dinghies are a class of boat typically used to service larger sea vessels. Large sea vessels, such as yachts, often can not dock due to physical restrictions or time constraints. It is therefore advantageous for a yacht to carry an on-board tender for trips from the yacht to the shore.
Tenders are relatively small craft, so the number of passengers that can safely occupy a typical tender is limited. Tenders are ideally small and lightweight so to not be unduly burdensome to the vessel on which the tender resides. Due to size and weight limitations, a yacht's tender is typically either an inflatable boat or a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB).
Inflatable boats are made of soft materials, such as rubber, and are susceptible to punctures which render the boat not seaworthy. Additionally, ultraviolet rays from the sun can cause degradation that compromises the boats integrity. RIBs also have inflatable tubes at the gunwale that are equally susceptible to punctures and degradation. The shape of inflatable boats and RIBs also typically renders them relatively slow vessels as compared to rigid hulled speedboats of the same size and power class.
Additionally, inflatable boats often lack protection from the sun or rain due to their small size and the limited ability to install a bimini top as a result of soft-material construction. This limitation in size combined with the fact that these craft typically have outboard motors also precludes the installation of a large stern diving deck projecting from the transom.
Lastly, the configuration of inflatable boats and RIBs limits the number of passengers that can safely and comfortably occupy the vessel. Much improved vessels are needed in the field.

Composite tender with retractable bimini hard-top


A condensate trap for use in a Vapor Extraction System (VES), which uses negative pressure to extract contaminated vapors from soil, is disclosed. The trap includes a vapor tight vessel, part of which acts as a condensate reservoir. One or more mist eliminators, such as an impingement type condensate collector, are contained within the vessel. The vessel includes a vapor inlet and a vapor outlet as well as a condensate outlet. The condensate outlet is controlled by a swing check valve. The valve remains closed until there is sufficient condensate in the reservoir to push it open. After a predetermined amount of condensate drains out, the check valve closes.

The need to clean up our environment has led to the development of new methods and apparatus designed to solve the problems encountered in the cleanup effort. A major environmental problem is the contamination of surface and subsurface soils. This type of contamination can occur by either dumping contaminants on the surface or by leaking underground storage tanks. Perhaps the most widespread form of contamination is caused by leakage from underground tanks in the gasoline distribution industry. One method of cleaning up this type of pollution involves the use of a vapor extraction system (VES). A typical VES uses slotted and screened piping buried within contaminated soil and in turn connected to a manifold and blower. The blower produces a vacuum (a pressure lower than atmospheric, measured in inches of water column) in the piping system, thereby withdrawing volatile contaminant vapors from within contaminated soils. The soil being treated can be either subsurface soil or soil that has been excavated into a stockpile.
A significant amount of moisture is withdrawn along with the volatile vapors being extracted from the soil. In order to insure that there is no moisture or condensate build up within the system that could damage the VES blower, a condensate trap or collector is used to safeguard the system. Generally speaking, the blower is driven by an electric motor that can be severely damaged by condensate. The blowers are also susceptible to corrosive damage caused by condensate. In order to increase reliability and reduce costs of a VES, it is important to protect the blower from condensate.
A typical condensate collector consists of one or more 35 or 55 gallon drums. Each drum normally has an air/vapor inlet on the side of the drum which is connected to the VES manifold: an air outlet at the top of the drum that is connected to the vacuum pressure side of the VES blower; and a manual condensate drain valve at the base of the tank which is used to drain any condensate that collects within the tank. In the majority of applications the drums fill with condensate at a rate that requires service intervals to be based on draining the drums rather than on other factors. Since the length of the service interval directly effects the cost of running the VES, the longer the interval, the lower the cost. If the drums are not emptied on a short enough time interval, the system may shut down between site visits. A VES system shuts down due to the loss of suction created when a high condensate level in the tank activates an automatic shutoff on some of the condensate tanks. Other systems fail due to condensate passing through condensate tanks not equipped with an automatic shutoff, thereby damaging the blower.
A condensate collector automatic shutoff valve is an internal valve connected to the air outlet connection through a bulkhead fitting. The automatic shutoff includes a two inch inside diameter cylinder suspended from the tank's lid and a floatation ball within the cylinder that rises as the condensate level rises in the collector unit. At a predetermined level of condensate, the floatation ball will engage the suspended pipe and automatically block the transfer of condensate to the blower, thereby removing the effect of condensate induced blower damage. The vacuum level at which the automatic shutoff would activate is typically 15 inches of water column.
The collectors currently used also corrode on the inside, producing rust flakes which foul the manual or check valve over time. Iron bacteria in the tanks can also foul the valves, causing them to malfunction. When a check valve malfunctions, preventing the tanks from draining properly, the service interval must be shortened in order to ensure that the system continues to operate.

Condensate trap for vapor extraction system


An optical sensor system includes an optical sensor head having a light-emitting device and a detector which detects light emitted from the light-emitting device, and a calculator circuit. The light-emitting device includes a resonator which includes a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface facing the first reflective surface, and a waveguide provided between the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface. At least one metal microparticle capable of exciting surface plasmon is formed on the first reflective surface. The calculator circuit calculates an environment parameter at the first reflective surface on the basis of a detected value from the detector.

A surface plasmon sensor which detects the refractive index of a metal film surface through surface plasmon resonance (resonance of incident light with vibration of an electron in a metal microparticle) is used mainly for research purposes in the field of biotechnology because of high sensitivity and lack of the need for a marker.
A general sensing method using such a sensor condenses light via a prism to cause the light to come incident on a metal film provided on one surface of the prism and detects light reflected from the metal film, thereby analyzing the refractive index of the surface of the metal film from an angle of incidence at which the light is absorbed. Generally, an adsorption layer which adsorbs a particular molecule is provided in advance at the metal film, and the refractive index is converted into the concentration of the molecule.
However, a complicated apparatus composed of a light source, a lens, a prism, and the like is needed to perform the sensing method. The need for accuracy at the time of assembly of the apparatus, strict temperature control that prevents the apparatus from changing over time, correction of a deviation in a sensing result, and the like entails high cost and increased apparatus size. Additionally, high-accuracy detection at the molecular level is difficult for the above-described apparatus.
Aside from this, a method using a resonator is proposed for small-sized and high-sensitivity detection.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-537439 discloses a sensor which incorporates a micro-resonator in a part of a planar waveguide and detects a change in spectral response due to a change in the refractive index of a surface of the micro-resonator. The micro-resonator is a resonator for surface plasmon waves. The micro-resonator includes a thin metal layer, and a reflecting section uses a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) with a periodic structure.
Japanese Patent No. 04224641 discloses a localized surface plasmon sensor in which a metal microparticle layer sized to excite localized surface plasmon resonance is formed on an end face of an optical fiber, and a molecular layer of a molecule complementary to a detection target molecule is formed on a surface of the metal microparticle layer. The localized surface plasmon sensor detects the detection target molecule adsorbed or bonded to the complementary molecule using a change in light reflected or scattered from the end face of the optical fiber.
However, the sensor disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-537439 detects a detection target by converting light from a light source into surface plasmon, causing the surface plasmon to react with the detection target with the micro-resonator resonating, and reconverting the surface plasmon into light, and loss of light intensity occurs in the conversion from light into surface plasmon. Additionally, since a resonator with a length of 2 to 10 microns is utilized, a surface plasmon wave as a damped wave is lost inside the resonator, and improvement in sensitivity cannot be expected. Moreover, there is a limit to a size reduction due to the need for a separate light source.
The sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 04224641 does not use a resonator and include low sensitivity. When light from a light source is coupled to the optical fiber in the sensor, loss of light intensity occurs.


A substrate is made of resin or a composite material. Pins with Au plating on their surface are soldered, with a soldering material made of Sn and Sb, to a substrate body having a first main surface, and formed into substantially a rectangular shape to project over the first main surface of the substrate body. Wettability of the soldering material for securing the pins and the substrate body is relatively low as compared with that of a Pb—Sn soldering material. Therefore, the height of upward movement of the soldering material along the pin can be reduced. Thus, the pins can be deeply inserted into socket so that the gap between the first main surface of the substrate body and the upper surface of the socket is reduced. As a result, the overall height realized the substrate made of resin has been joined to the socket can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resin substrate, which has a substrate body and a pin serving as an input/output terminal, and more particularly to a resin substrate having a pin which can reliably be connected to a socket or another substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a structure has been known in which a pin serving as an input/output terminal is secured and stood erect on a substrate body made of an insulating material, such as resin, for example, epoxy resin, or composite material of the resin and glass fibers, the pin being secured and stood erect by using a Pb—Sn soldering material, such as Pb—Sn eutectic solder.
As the foregoing resin substrate, a resin substrate 101 structured, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 is exemplified. A substrate body 102 of the resin substrate 101 has a resin insulating layer 103 and a circuit layer (not shown). A first main surface 102A of the resin substrate 101 has a connection pad 104 formed thereon. A solder resist layer 105 is formed to reach the edge of the connection pad 104.
The pin 111 has a large-diameter portion 111A and a shaft portion 111b and having a structure that the overall surface is applied with Ni plating or Au plating (not shown). The large-diameter portion 111A of the pin 111 is secured with a soldering material 115 to be opposite to the connection pad 104 allowed to expose over the solder resist layer 105. The soldering material 115 for establishing the connection between the pin 111 and the substrate body 102 is welded to substantially the overall surface of the exposed connection pad 104 and portions of the large-diameter portion 111A and the shaft portion 111b such that the soldering material 115 forms substantially a truncated-cone fillet shape.
When the resin substrate 101 has been joined to the socket, a large gap DSA is formed between the first main surface 102A of the substrate body 102 and the upper surface SKA of the socket SK, for example, as shown in FIG. 7. When the resin substrate 101 is mounted on another substrate or the like, also a large gap is formed. The reason for this lies in that the soldering material 115 upwards moved and welded to the shaft portion 111b of the pin 111 when the pin 111 is soldered to the substrate body 102 substantially enlarges the diameter of the shaft portion 111b of the pin 111. Thus, the shaft portion 111B cannot sufficiently deeply be inserted into the socket SK or a through hole of the other substrate.
If the large gap is formed, the overall height realized after the resin substrate 101 has been joined to the socket SK or the like is enlarged excessively. Thus, a requirement for reducing the height cannot be met. The pin 111 of a type which projects over the first main surface 102A by a short length sometimes suffers from unsatisfactory reliability of the connection with the socket SK or the like. Moreover, a requirement for connecting the substrate made of the resin 101 and the socket SK or the other substrate to each other for a shortest distance cannot be met.
As the wettability between the soldering material 115 and the Au-plated layer on the surface of the pin 111 is improved, the height HSA of the soldering material 115 which upwards moves when the pin 111 is secured is enlarged. When the wettability is adjusted to reduce the height HSA of the soldering material 115 which upwards moves, it can be considered that the overall height realized after the resin substrate 101 has been joined to the socket SK or the like can be reduced.


In an active matrix display device using an SRAM, the number of transistors configuring the SRAM circuit is large. Therefore, the transistors cannot be embedded in a pixel when a pixel area is small, otherwise an aperture ratio is reduced. In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display device without a refreshing operation and thus with small power consumption. According to the invention, a display device including a pixel which comprises a switching element and a nonvolatile memory element is provided. When a still image is displayed by utilizing a ferroelectric element as a nonvolatile memory element and storing a signal, writing is not required per frame. Further, as the ferroelectric element occupies a small area, a memory circuit can be incorporated without decreasing an aperture ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly to a display device using a thin film transistor (TFT) formed on a transparent substrate such as glass or plastics, and a driving method of the same. In addition, the invention relates to electronic apparatuses using the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the advance of the communication technology, mobile phones have been widely used. In future, transmission of moving images and a larger volume of information are expected. On the other hand, through reduction in weight of personal computers, those adapted for mobile communication have been produced. Information terminals called PDA originated in electronic notebooks have also been produced in large quantities and widely used. In addition, with the development of display devices, the majority of portable information devices are equipped with a flat panel display.
Moreover, according to recent techniques, an active matrix display device tends to be used as a display device for the above portable information device and the like. In the active matrix display device, a TFT is arranged in each pixel and a display screen is controlled by the TFT. Compared to a passive matrix display device, such an active matrix display device has advantages in that it achieves high performance and high image quality, and can handle moving images. Therefore, it is expected that the mainstream of liquid crystal display devices will also shift from passive matrix types to active matrix types.
An active matrix display device has been manufactured using a polycrystalline semiconductor such as polysilicon formed at a temperature of 500° C. or less at highest, which is rather low as compared to the conventional condition of 1000° C. or more. Such an active matrix display device has advantages in that, in addition to a pixel, a driver circuit can be integrally formed around a pixel portion, which makes it possible to realize downsizing and high definition of a display device. Thus, such a display device is expected to be more widely used in future.
A description is given below on the operation of a pixel portion in an active matrix liquid crystal display device. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of an active matrix liquid crystal display device. One pixel 220 comprises a source signal line 203, a gate signal line 205, a capacitor line 219, a pixel TFT 207, a storage capacitor 211, and a liquid crystal 215. However, the capacitor line may not necessarily be provided if other wiring and the like can concurrently serve as the capacitor line. A gate electrode of the pixel TFT 207 is connected to the gate signal line 205. Further, either of a drain region or a source region of the pixel TFT 207 is connected to the source signal line 203 whereas the other is connected to the storage capacitor 211 and the liquid crystal 215.
The gate signal line 205 and a gate signal line 206 are selected sequentially in accordance with a line cycle. Provided that the pixel TFT 207 and a pixel TFT 209 are N-channel types, the gate signal line 205 becomes active when it is Hi, thus the pixel TFTs 207 and 209 are turned ON. As the pixel TFTs 207 and 209 are turned ON, potentials of the source signal line 203 and a source signal line 204 are respectively written into the storage capacitor 211 and a storage capacitor 213 and into the liquid crystal 215 and a liquid crystal 217. In the next line period, the adjacent gate signal line 206 becomes active and potentials of pixel TFTs 208 and 210 become Hi. Then, the potentials of the source signal lines 203 and 204 are respectively written into storage capacitors 212 and 214 and into liquid crystals 216 and 218 in a similar fashion. The liquid crystals 215 to 218 are aligned in accordance with the written potentials and change light transmissivity. In this manner, the active matrix liquid crystal display performs a display operation using a liquid crystal as a light shutter.
Also, as shown in FIG. 14, an active matrix display device which performs a display operation with a static RAM (SRAM) inside its pixel portion and is also developed. (See Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei8-286170
In FIG. 14, one pixel 1407 comprises an SRAM 1403, switches 1405 and 1406, and a liquid crystal 1404. A source signal line driver circuit 1401 outputs an video signal to source signal lines 1408 and 1409. When a gate signal line 1410 is selected by a gate signal line driver circuit 1402, the video signal is written into the SRAM 1403 via the source signal lines 1408 and 1409. Either of the switches 1405 and 1406 operates based on the stored signal in the SRAM 1403 and either a potential Va or Vb is applied to the liquid crystal 1404. This signal is maintained until the next video signal is written into the SRAM 1403. In this manner, a display operation is performed.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


This invention relates to personal computers, and more particularly to the provision of a shielding structure for attenuating the possible effects of electromagnetic interference on input/output circuits of the computer while structurally reinforcing a side edge portion of a multilayer planar board. The shielding structure has two cooperating constituent parts, one being particularly formed ground plane areas in exterior layers of the planar board and the other being a particularly formed thin sheet metal member which extends about and substantially encloses connectors by which input/output signals are passed to circuits within the planar board.

This invention relates to personal computers, and more particularly to the provision of shielding for attenuating the possible effects of electromagnetic interference on input/output circuits of the computer.
Personal computer systems in general and IBM personal computers in particular have attained widespread use for providing computing capability to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computer systems can usually be defined as a desk top, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that consists of a system unit having a single system processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk storage, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are designed primarily to give independent computing capability to a single user and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses. Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PERSONAL COMPUTER XT and AT and IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 25, 30, 50, 60, 70 and 80.
These systems can be classified into two general families. The first family, usually referred to as Family I Models, use a bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and other "IBM compatible" machines. The second family, referred to as Family II Models, use IBM's MICRO CHANNEL bus architecture exemplified by IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 50 through 80. Many Family I models used the popular INTEL 8088 or 8086 microprocessor as the system processor. These processors have the ability to address one megabyte of memory. Certain Family I and most Family II models typically use the high speed INTEL 80286, 80386, and 80486 microprocessors which can operate in a real mode to emulate the slower speed INTEL 8086 microprocessor or a protected mode which extends the addressing range from 1 megabyte to 4 Gigabytes for some models. In essence, the real mode feature of the 80286, 80386, and 80486 processors provide hardware compatibility with software written for the 8086 and 8088 microprocessors.
It is well known that the components of a personal computer housed within an enclosure and supported from the chassis or connected with the planar board are capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation at various frequencies and that standards have been established for limiting the emission of such energy to various limits depending on the environment of use of the computer. Further, it is known that higher speed processors and circuits associated with such processors, such as those specifically mentioned above, typically emit radiation of differing frequencies and amounts than the earlier designed, slower processors. Heretofore, shielding has been accomplished in various ways, including providing metal enclosures and/or coating or lining the enclosures and covers provided. In achieving shielding in these ways, and attenuating radiation, it has been noted that openings provided in such enclosures and covers can present particularly difficult problems in shielding. Further, it has been noted that the possible effects of electromagnetic interference, such as that briefly described, can be interruption of or interference with input/output signals necessarily exchanged with the operating components of the microcomputer.
As the development of personal computer technology has advanced, personal computers have been enabled to incorporate increasingly higher data handling speeds in processors, data storage devices, and memory. Such higher speeds bring with them greater emission of electromagnetic radiation, increasing the demands placed on enclosures for the attenuation of such emissions and the risks of possible interference with input/output signals. Other terms used to refer to such requirements have been electromagnetic compatibility and the suppression of electromagnetic interference. In efforts to bring emissions within the required standards while attaining the sought for high speeds, designs have moved toward a completely grounded enclosure with minimal gaps and openings.

Personal computer with shielding of input/output signals


A cylinder head gasket includes a metal plate having at least one cylinder bore and a plurality of bolt holes arranged around the at least one cylinder bore. A bead is formed on the metal plate to surround the at least one cylinder bore. The bead has at least one pointed shape portion pointed outwardly between two of the bolt holes.

The present invention relates to a cylinder head gasket to be installed between two members, such as a cylinder head and a cylinder block of an internal combustion, to seal therebetween.
When the joint surfaces of the cylinder head and cylinder block (cylinder body) of an automobile engine is sealed, a metal cylinder head gasket is installed between the cylinder head and cylinder block and seals combustion gas, coolant water, lubricating oil, and so on.
The above-mentioned cylinder head gasket has been changed from a lamination-type metal cylinder head gasket wherein multiple sheets of metal substrates are laminated, to a cylinder head gasket with a simple structure formed by one or two metal substrates for the needs of a lightweight engine, manufacturing cost reduction, and so on. Since the cylinder head gasket is formed by one or two metal plates, and usable materials are also limited in terms of the lightweight engine, the type and number of sealing means are also limited. As a result, a relatively simplified sealing means has to be used.
Also, in recent lightweight and small-sized engines, engine rigidity has been decreased, so that in the sealing of the cylinder head gasket, providing a uniform sealing surface pressure around a cylinder bore has become difficult. More specifically, due to a structural problem around the cylinder bore of an engine member, when the gasket is tightened, there is a shortage of sealing surface pressure at the portion where the rigidity is weak. As a result, there has been a number of gas leaks in the portion where the rigidity is weak.
When even a small amount of the leaked gas penetrates a water hole or oil hole, the circulation of water or oil is blocked due to the invasion of the gas in a liquid such as water, oil, and so on. This blockage interferes with the cooling of the engine, and causes engine trouble, so that adequate measures are required.
On the one hand, when a large sealing surface pressure is provided in the nearest peripheral part of the cylinder bore in order to assure the sealing performance of the bore, the deformation of the cylinder bore with low rigidity is accelerated, and the sealing means of the gasket does not function well. As a result, it is difficult to achieve adequate sealing performance.
Most of the gas leakages of the cylinder head gasket occur between the bores which are the portions where the load by a tightening bolt becomes weak; and on the exhaust side. More specifically, while the area of a tightening bolt hole has a large tightening load and generates excessive sealing surface pressure, the sealing surface pressure in other parts is reduced more for that, and the overall surface pressure distribution becomes unequal. The occurrence of the portion where the surface pressure is weak in the unequal surface pressure distribution causes the leakage of the combustion gas.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a metal laminate gasket is proposed, wherein the width of a metal ring being inserted into a folded portion (grommet) of the cylinder bore is formed widely in such a way as to project near the tightening bolt hole from the folded portion rather than between the tightening bolt holes. The metal laminate gasket generates a well-balanced surface pressure distribution by dispersing a tightening load due to the tightening of the tightening bolt (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Publication 1).
However, although this structure has the effect of adjusting the surface pressure distribution in the folded portion, the surface pressure distribution in the bead portion cannot be adjusted.
Also, a meandering-shape portion such as a wave shape and so on in a plan view may be provided between the tightening bolt holes in the circumferential direction of the bead around the cylinder bore. However, in this case, there are problems that relatively high construction accuracy is required for a metal mold for forming the meandering portion; and the folded portion cannot be provided around the cylinder bore due to the obstacle of the meandering portion.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-252894
The present invention is made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the invention is to provide a cylinder head gasket being able to improve the sealing surface pressure between the cylinder bores or in the intermediate portion between the tightening bolt holes on the exhaust side wherein the sealing performance of the cylinder head gasket is easily lowered, in a relatively simple structure.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.


According to one embodiment, a storage device includes a nonvolatile memory, a controller configured to copy data stored in a first page in a first block to a second page in a second block, and an ECC circuit. The controller reads data from a part of the first page by using an upper limit voltage and lower limit voltage, performs a direct copy operation in the nonvolatile memory without via the ECC circuit if the number of error cells having threshold voltages higher than the lower limit voltage and lower than or equal to the upper limit voltage is less than or equal to a specified value, and performs error correction by using the ECC circuit if the number of error cells exceeds the specified value.

As one type of nonvolatile semiconductor storage device, a NAND flash memory is known. A NAND flash memory erases data for each block. Each block is constituted by a plurality of pages. Date write and read operations are executed for each page.
A NAND flash memory cannot overwrite data, and hence it is necessary to write data in a newly prepared block to perform data overwriting. More specifically, when data of a page of a first block to which data has been written is overwritten, it is necessary to perform the copy processing of writing data, of the data of the first block, which is obtained by changing data to be overwritten to a second block in which data has been erased.
In copy processing, for example, the controller reads data from the NAND flash memory once, and then performs error detection of the read data by using an ECC circuit. If no error is detected, the controller writes the data to the NAND flash memory. If an error is detected, the controller corrects the error by using the ECC circuit, and writes the error-corrected data to the NAND flash memory. This takes much time for the copy processing. As data overwriting occurs frequently, the amount of copy processing increases. This increases the load of copy processing on the controller.

Storage device and control method of nonvolatile memory


An ergonometric golf putter having a zigzag shaft with an intermediate handle, shaft arms and a handgrip. The configuration better enables the golfer to sight the ball and effect a putt. The same putter is usually adaptable for a right or left handed user.

The golf putter performs a function different from the other clubs in a set. The other clubs are designed for moving the ball across assorted terrains, distances and hazards and are generally designed for the free flowing swing of the club head selected for the particular situation for each hole. There is a tee off, usually with a driver, and the clubs, with selected heads, to move the ball onto the green. The green presents a different golfing pattern, a substantially uniform, usually flat pattern, with short, clipped grass.
The putter, with its particular head, does not have to move the golf ball great distances, nor is the putter used for heavy swinging. The putter head is usually without an angle, because the ball does not usually have to be lifted over uneven terrain, such as along the fairway or the rough. There are many different types of putters with special shafts and putting heads and second hand grips for the control of the careful swing necessary to putt.
The prior art has included offset shafts, elongagted shafts, shafts with intermediate handles along their length, shafts with end handles and multiple shafts.
The present invention is an improved putter which provides an egonometric gripping system. The wrist of the hand on the central handle is substantially unbent for the gripping of the second handle of the present invention. The putter is substantially the same length as prior art putters and facilitates an improved stroke.


An apparatus that can secure an electronic device and be inserted into a conventional cup holder is described. The cup holder, for example, is inside of an automobile. The electronic device being held can be a variety of devices that include a digital music player. One embodiment of the invention includes a spool about which connecting cable can be wound. Adapting sleeves that fit around the base of the apparatus can be used to adapt electronic device holder to cup holders of different sizes and shapes.

Digital music players are becoming more popular as personal entertainment devices. The attractiveness of digital music players is in their capability of storing and playing large amounts of music and their ability to play music without skipping. These attributes make digital music players ideal for use in different environments including automobile environments. However for automobile use, it is desirable to use a mounting device to secure the digital music player within the car. Otherwise, the jostling caused by the car's movement can damage the digital music player. Also beneficial is a mounting device capable of managing the length of the cable used to connect the player to the car's audio system. This is especially beneficial when lengthy cables can be messy and cause a hazard in which passengers can get their feet entangled. Specialized mounting devices are required to secure the digital music players since most automobiles do not come with digital device holders.
However, specialized mounting devices are difficult to install because special parts are typically required to attach the devices to car interiors. Also, specialized mounting devices usually cannot manage the length of cables. Therefore, in view of the foregoing, an electronic device holder that easily adapts to automobile interiors and which can manage the length of interconnecting cables would be desirable.


A method for isolating a tank of oil from a downstream portion of an oil supply system for a turbine engine is provided. The oil supply system includes the oil tank and a cutoff valve located between the oil tank and the downstream portion. The cutoff valve is configured to limit a flow of oil towards the downstream portion. The cutoff valve is fluidically linked to a fire extinguishing system by a fluid communication device. The method includes closing the cutoff valve in response to an increase in extinguishant pressure in the fluid communication device.

Some regulations require that an aircraft turbomachine should be capable of resisting fire for a minimum duration, while preventing the supply of combustible fluid, typically lubricant, to the fire.
Various turbomachine equipment is supplied with lubricant by, a lubrication system that generally allows a sufficient lubricant flow to pass to cool the turbomachine in case of fire.
However, when the lubricant flow drops to become too low during a fire, the oil flow to this equipment has to be limited and/or a specific fire protection has to be provided for this equipment. These specific fire protection systems have the disadvantage of being large and heavy.
It is also known that the flow of lubricant in the case of a fire can be limited by isolating the lubricant tank by a cutoff valve controlled by a regulation system, at least until the fire is definitively extinguished.
Nevertheless, the regulation system of some turbomachines or some aircraft may not be available during the fire to control closure of this cutoff valve, for example as confirmed in application EP 1 936 122, which can generate unwanted cutoffs even when there is no fire.
Therefore there is a need to isolate a turbomachine combustible fluid tank only in the case of a fire, while limiting availability requirements of a regulation system, and the mass and dimensions of the turbomachine.

Isolation of an aircraft turbo engine tank in case of a fire by closing a valve sensitive to the release of an extinguishing agent


A monitoring system for a conveyor of articles includes a reference element located on a transport chain and sensors. Each sensor senses passage of the reference element during the operation of the conveyor. Counting means measures time elapsed between passage of the reference element close to the sensors. Computing means determines transport chain movement speed with respect to the static portion based on the first measured time and the first distance, and determines the length of the chain based on the determined movement speed and based on the second measured time.

Conveyors of articles, and in particular belt, carpet, or chain conveyors, are used in many industrial or civilian fields, from food industry to airports. In very general terms, a conveyor comprises one or more transport elements, adapted to provide a support surface for the products to be transported, which are made to advance along a conveying path by suitable moving means such as electric motors, pinions and driving gears. In particular, carpet or belt conveyors use as transport means a chain consisting of several segments formed by a plurality of links, hinged together by means of respective pins to form a support surface substantially flat, smooth, destined to the support of the articles to by carried.
Like all mechanical systems, also transporters and their components are subject to wear during their operation. For example, the pins that hinge the links of the chain segments may wear off when subjected to prolonged efforts. In plastic chains with steel pin, the seat of the pin wears more than the pin itself, while in chains entirely made of steel or entirely made of plastic, wear is present in similar proportions both on the pin and on the hinge seat of the pin. In any case, due to wear, the links that make up the chain segments may tend to open up and move away one from the other, with the result that the surface of the transport element no longer provides the necessary carrying capacity. The separation of the links caused by wear causes a consequent progressive elongation of the chain, which, if excessive, may adversely affect the correct coupling of the chain with the pinions. Indeed, when the elongation becomes excessive, the chain links, at the time of coupling with the teeth of the pinion, tend to move to the tip of the teeth rather than near the bottom of the space between two successive teeth.
The progressive separation of the chain links from the bottom of the space between successive teeth of the pinion is such as to cause a gradual variation of the chain movement speed. If the elongation of the chain due to the opening of the links exceed a certain critical threshold, such as for example 3% of the initial length, the chain may skip a tooth of the pinion, causing the chain to be subjected to very high dynamic stresses, and therefore determining more or less frequent halts in the flow of transported articles, and consequent falls of the same from the transport chain.
For this reason, the conveyors require periodic inspections by qualified operators in order to control the actual amount of elongation of the chain and, where necessary, proceed to plan the plant stoppage and the repair or replacement of the chain. However, given the considerable costs associated with the traditional monitoring, it is preferable to implement a system capable of automatically monitoring the elongation of the chains of the conveyor. For example, each chain may be provided with a proper smart measuring device capable of measuring the elongation of the chain and to report in real time when such elongation has exceeded a predetermined critical threshold. However, implementing an automatic monitoring system of this type proves to be very complex, for the following reasons.
First, since the effective size to be detected is a relatively small quantity (the critical threshold is of the order of 3%), the measuring device should be sufficiently precise. Moreover, the majority of the measuring devices of this type currently widespread in the market are very complex, as adapted to detect the magnitude (elongation) by means of a local measurement. Then, taking into account the fact that in a single site (for example, a factory) there may be a large number of conveyors, each comprising a plurality of chains, and that each chain may be subject to elongation independently from the others, the number of measuring devices of the automatic monitoring system may easily rise until reaching a high value. Finally, the measuring devices must necessarily be robust in order to correctly operate even in the adverse conditions that may occur in a hostile work environment like an industrial plant, such as for example the presence of electrical machinery in the vicinity of the conveyors that may generate not negligible electromagnetic interference, high temperatures, excessive humidity, presence of dust, vibrations, and aggressive cleaning chemicals.

Monitoring system for measuring speed and elongation of transport chains


A ladder rack for motor vehicles including at least two support mechanisms for supporting an item such as a ladder, a pivot for concurrently pivoting each of the support mechanisms between a first position and a second position, and a motion stabilizer mechanism mounted on each of the support mechanisms. In the first position, each of the support mechanisms is disposed above the vehicle. When in the first position, the item is secured on the support mechanisms against movement. In the second position, each of the support mechanisms is securely disposed adjacent to a side of the vehicle thereby enabling easy loading and unloading of the ladder from the rack. The motion stabilizer mechanism stabilizes and guides the motion of the ladder as the rack is moved between the first and second positions. In the preferred embodiment, the support mechanism width is adjustable to accommodate various sized ladders.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to motor vehicle racks used to carry large, burdensome items such as ladders, pipes, and cable. More specifically, this invention relates to such racks which can be moved between two positions, [1] a first secured position generally utilized when the vehicle is in motion wherein the rack is securely disposed above the motor vehicle and the item is secured on the rack and [2] a second accessible position generally utilized when the item is being loaded and unloaded from the rack wherein the rack is adjacent to one side of the motor vehicle.
2. Related Art
A number of different racks exist in the prior art. Illustrative of such movable racks are U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,791 issued to Henriquez et al. on Oct. 22, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,912 issued to Levi on Mar. 29, 1994; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,778 issued to Sexton on Mar. 21, 1995.
Each invention described in the listed patents includes a number of pivot points and/or rotating elements. Rotating elements and pivot points are inherently weak points in a design. Thus, it would be beneficial to the art to provide a rack having a minimal number of pivot points and rotating elements thereby increasing the overall strength of the rack.
In addition, none of the racks described in the listed patents are adjustable to securely carry items, specially ladders, having different widths. Thus, it would be beneficial to the art to provide a rack which is adjustable enabling it to securely carry ladders and other items having different widths.
Furthermore, the great majority of prior art racks that are movable between a secured position and an accessible position experience an instability problem as the rack is moved between the two positions. The instability problem is caused by the sudden extra weight contributed by the ladder once the center of gravity of the ladder moves "overcenter". This sudden extra weight provides an abrupt "jerk" on the operator's hold which may cause the operator's hold on the pivoting arm of the rack to slip, potentially resulting in property damage to the ladder, rack, and/or vehicle. Thus, it would be beneficial to the art to provide a rack which does not experience the instability problem experienced by prior art racks.
Finally, a number of different types of work vehicles exist, including vans and pick-up trucks, most of which have the need for a rack. Each vehicle type has different overall dimensions. In addition, obvious structural differences exist between pick-up trucks and vans which affect the placement and attachment of a rack to the vehicle. Thus, it would be beneficial to the art to provide a rack that is adjustable to fit a large number of vehicle types.


A pressure-relief valve is provided. The pressure-relief valve having a valve body with a passage that can be closed by a moving closure element. An electromagnet is mounted detachably on the valve body and interacts with an armature in driving connection with the closure element. A spring interacts with the closure element the bias tension of which can be changed by an adjustment element that can be moved manually relative to the valve body. The adjustment element and the valve body are constructed such that a manual change of the bias tension of the spring by means of the adjustment element is then possible only when the electromagnet is detached from the valve body. Also provided is a round baler employing such a pressure-relief valve.

In round balers of variable bale chamber design, the tension of the bale forming elements (e.g. belts) is typically defined by a hydraulic cylinder that interacts with a moving tension arm that carries a deflection roller abut which, in turn, the bale forming elements revolve (normally one or more belts or bar-chain conveyors). The pressure in the hydraulic cylinder is normally controlled by way of a pressure-relief valve whose opening pressure can be controlled electromagnetically. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,535 a driving of the pressure-relief valve is provided in the sense of a reduction in the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder and thus the tension of the bale forming elements, when an excess torque is detected on the main drive shaft. In German Patent document DE 197 18 229 A1 it is proposed to drive the pressure-relief valve as a function of a desired bale density and bale size, while, in the non-energized state, the pressure-relief valve in European Patent Application EP 1 059 476 A2 is held in the closed state by a biased spring.
In the baler according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,635, the opening pressure of the pressure-relief valve can be adjusted by hand by means of plain washers that can be inserted between a spring and the armature of the electromagnet. In EP 1 059 476 A2, the opening pressure of the pressure-relief valve can be adjusted by hand by means of an adjustment screw changing the bias tension of a compression spring. This manual adjustability of the opening pressure of the pressure-relief valve is useful especially when the electronic controller of the pressure-relief valve is interfered with or has failed.
In both of the above-mentioned balers, a failure or interference in the electronic controller of the pressure-relief valve results in a relatively high opening pressure. Now, if the operator inadvertently sets the opening pressure of the pressure-relief valve even higher, then it is possible that a structurally specified maximum pressure in the hydraulic cylinder is exceeded, which could result in damage to the baler. This problem occurs to an elevated degree if the electromagnet (like in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,535) in the energized state increases the opening, and the error in the electronics leads to a permanent excitation of the electromagnet.


An anchor assembly (1) that has two hooks (2, 3) pivotably connected by a rotary shaft (4). A distal end of each hook has a tooth (21, 31) and the other end, a slot (22, 32). The assembly has an insertion configuration (P1) where hooks (2, 3) are superposed, and a securing configuration (P2) where teeth (21, 31) are separated whereby hooks (2, 3) project to remain retained in an inner support surface (51).

In the construction field, anchor points for hooking safety elements, personal protection or fastening loads are commonly installed on either a temporary or permanent basis.
The most common anchors are formed by rings joined to a support base or plate, which is fixed to an existing construction by means of different kinds of screws and plugs, such as expansion plugs, chemical plugs, etc.
In addition to requiring holes to be made in the support surface, the installation of these kinds of anchors is long and laborious and requires additional elements to be used, such as the above-mentioned fastening plugs and screws.
When the anchor is going to be used for a limited period of time, for example for carrying out repair or maintenance works, it is common to subsequently dismount it in order to reuse it in later works. However, when one wishes to install an anchor permanently, for example to carry out periodic tasks, it is essential that the entire anchor remains fixed to the support surface, which may incur significant costs and lead to an aesthetic modification of the construction when a high number of anchoring points exist.
To overcome these drawbacks, there is already known a scissor-type securing element, comprising two hooks pivotably connected together by a rotary shaft, a distal part being defined in each hook on one side of the shaft and a proximal part being defined on the other side of the shaft, the distal parts being intended to be introduced in a case embedded in a structure, each distal part being provided with a tooth and each proximal part being provided with a penetrating slot, in which an insertion configuration is defined, in which the hooks are superposed and a securing configuration in which the teeth are in a more separated position and the hooks project so as to remain retained in an inner support surface of the case, the slots being arranged so that in the insertion configuration the ends of the slots closest to the shaft overlap and in the securing configuration the ends of the slots furthest from the shaft overlap, in which the securing element comprises a shackle, the shackle being provided with a ring for supporting the load, two ring ends and a key supported by the two ends and inserted into the slots.
The inventor himself developed such an anchor described in the international application PCT/ES2012/070342.
Some characteristics of these anchors are described in GB 1 435 689 A, GB 2 307 942 A, DE 203 17 251 U1, GB 395 835 A, JP S51 60700 U, and JP S51 51700 U.
The present invention aims to provide new functions to this type of anchors.
In particular, it has, among others, the following aims:                Facilitating the handling of the securing element prior to its securing in the case arranged in the wall;        Providing an securing element, already provided with a ring for securing the loads; and        Improving the procedure of placing the case associated with the securing assembly.


There is disclosed an adhesive composition containing: (A) 100 parts by mass of a phenoxy resin; (B) 5 to 200 parts by mass of an epoxy resin; (C) 1 to 20 parts by mass of an alkoxysilane-partial hydrolytic condensate which is a partial hydrolytic condensate of alkoxysilane including one kind or two or more kinds of alkoxysilane represented by the following general formulae (1) and (2)Si(OR3)4  (1)R1Si(OR3)3  (2),wherein the weight average molecular weight is 300 or more and 30,000 or less and an amount of residual alkoxy is 2 wt % or more and 50 wt % or less; (D) a curing catalyst for an epoxy resin; (E) an inorganic filler; and (F) a polar solvent having a boiling point of 80° C. to 180° C. and a surface tension of 20 to 30 dyne/cm at 25° C. There can be a sheet for forming a semiconductor wafer-protective film and an adhesive composition capable of forming a protective film excellent in evenness, cutting characteristics and adhesiveness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adhesive composition and a sheet for forming a semiconductor wafer-protective film for forming a film to protect the back surface of a semiconductor wafer when dicing the semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flip-chip bonding method has been used so as to make a mounting area of a semiconductor chip small. Usually in this connection method, the following procedure is employed: (1) forming circuits and bonding bumps on the front surface of a semiconductor wafer, (2) polishing the back surface of the semiconductor wafer to a prescribed thickness, (3) dicing the semiconductor wafer to obtain a semiconductor chip, (4) connecting the chip to a substrate with arranging the circuit-formed surface of the chip to face the substrate and then (5) performing resin-molding or the like to protect the semiconductor chip.
However, fine streaky scratches are occasionally formed on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer in the polishing process (2) to cause crack generation after the dicing process and the packaging process. Accordingly, it has been proposed to form a protective film (a protective film for chips) on the back surface after the polishing process (2) so as not to adversely affect the subsequent processes even in the case that such damages are formed in the polishing process. Furthermore, a sheet for forming such a protective film, which is composed of a release sheet and a protective film-forming layer formed on the release-side surface of the release sheet, has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-280329 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2004-260190).
Meanwhile, in the dicing process, it has been known that a wafer is occasionally damaged due to vibration of a rotary blade (dicing blade) or the like (hereinafter referred to as "chipping").
It is also expected that the protective film for chips prevents chipping in the dicing process. However, when the protective film is not even, a gap is caused between a dicing film and the protective film, that is, a region where the dicing film does not contact the protective film is caused. Due to this unevenness of the protective film, there has been a problem that the nonuniform air layer between the protective film and the dicing film makes the rotary blade vibrate during cutting the wafer to further damage the wafer.

Adhesive composition and sheet for forming semiconductor wafer-protective film


A manually operated switch lever moves arm 105 along resistor 113 to generate a "raw" motor speed demand signal which is amplified and inverted by amplifiers 115 and 119 to form a "base line" demand signal.. The "raw" demand signal and a motor load signal at the output of amplifier 154 are compared in amplifier 125 to generate an "error" signal. The "error" signal and the "base line" demand signal are summed in amplifier 129 to form a variable reference voltage which is applied to the non-inverting input of comparator 132. The second input to comparator 132 is a triangular shaped wave which is centered about V/2. When the amplitude of the oscillator output wave exceeds the reference voltage, the output of the comparator 132 is low and switch 160 is off. Thus, variations in the D.C. reference voltage at the output of amplifier 129 control the ON-off duty cycle of MOSFET switch 160 to adjust the power applied to motor 106.

With the advent of relatively small rechargeable dry batteries, and generally longer life dry batteries, battery operated portable hand held appliances which include both operator control of motor speed and substantial variation in motor load e.g., drills, routers, screwdrivers, etc., have been developed and widely used. User satisfaction demands that portable appliances be responsive to operator and provide consistent, reproducible results so long as the battery source has a usable level of charge at the time of use. Additionally, motor control circuitry for portable applications must have a reasonably long service life; must not be wasteful of power; and must be cost effective.
Early battery operated appliances rely heavily on mechanical switches and variable resistances to achieve motor control. While such devices are generally reliable, they tend to be unresponsive to changes in motor load, and they tend to dissipate excessive amounts of power in the control circuitry.
Some power tools have used tachometers to monitor speed and provide feedback control signals; such arrangements are both costly and bulky.


There is provided a single unit oral dose pharmaceutical composition comprising a) levodopa or salts thereof from about 50 mg to about 300 mg in extended release form, b) carbidopa or salts thereof from about 10 mg to about 100 mg in extended release and c) entacapone or salts thereof from about 100 mg to about 1000 mg in immediate release form, optionally with other pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. The invention also relates to process of preparation of such compositions.

Entacapone, an inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as an adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa therapy.
The chemical name of entacapone is (E)-2-cyano-3-(3,4-dihydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)-N,N-diethyl-2-propenamide. Its empirical formula is C14H15N3O5, and its, structural formula is:

Carbidopa, an inhibitor of aromatic amino acid decarboxylation, is a white, crystalline compound, slightly soluble in water. It is designated chemically as (−)-L-(α-hydrazino-(α-methyl-β-(3,4-dihydroxybenzene) propanoic acid. Its empirical formula is C10H14N2O4 and its structural formula is:

Levodopa, an aromatic amino acid, is a white, crystalline compound, slightly soluble in water. It is designated chemically as (−)-L-α-amino-β-(3,4-dihydroxybenzene)propanoic acid. Its empirical formula is C9H11NO4, and its structural formula is:

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,500,867 and 6,797,732 disclose oral solid tablet compositions comprising entacapone, levodopa and carbidopa, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or hydrates thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,427 and US 20040166159 disclose a composition comprising immediate release and extended release component.
US 20080051459 discloses a method of treating Parkinson's disease comprising administering pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition comprising levodopa.
US 20070275060 disclose an extended release tablet comprising an extended release composition comprising levodopa; and an immediate or rapid release composition comprising carbidopa.
WO 07/073702 discloses a multi-layered tablet providing three different release profiles.
US 20060173074 disclose a method for the treatment of restless legs syndrome in a mammal.
Entacapone is available as immediate release composition under the trade name Comtan®. The marketed strength is 200 mg.
The triple combination of levodopa, carbidopa and entacapone is available as immediate release composition in different strengths. For example Stalevo® 50 (containing 12.5 mg of carbidopa, 50 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone), Stalevo® 75 (containing 18.75 mg of carbidopa, 75 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone), Stalevo®100 (containing 25 mg of carbidopa, 100 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone), Stalevo®125 (31.2575 mg of carbidopa, 125 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone), Stalevo®150 (containing 37.5 mg of carbidopa, 150 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone) and Stalevo®200 (containing 50 mg of carbidopa, 200 mg of levodopa and 200 mg of entacapone).
Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive disease, in which the symptoms get worse over time. Therefore, the symptoms will change and evolve. The pattern of symptoms can vary for each person. Over a number of years, however, some people may see changes in the way their medication controls their symptoms. These changes are commonly known as motor fluctuations. Over time, symptoms begin to come back before it is time to take next dose of levodopa medication. This change in symptoms is called "wearing-off." As "wearing-off" becomes more noticeable, the amount of time for a good response to levodopa (known as "on" time) shortens and the time for poor response to levodopa (known as "off" time) may lengthen.
In the early stages of the disease, the brain is able to store enough dopamine. This permits smoother release of dopamine in the brain. It also provides a more constant control of symptoms. However, as Parkinson's disease gets worse, the brain has fewer cells that can take up levodopa and store it as dopamine for release when levels are low. Because of this reduced ability to store dopamine in the brain, symptoms may return after shorter periods of time (e.g. "wearing-off"). If someone with a reduced ability to store dopamine is given too much levodopa, it may lead to side effects (e.g. dyskinesia).
It may be possible to better control these symptoms by changing or adjusting the treatment. As these motor fluctuations emerge, other unwanted side effects may occur. These include involuntary movements, known as dyskinesia (e.g. twisting/turning movements) or dystonia (e.g. prolonged muscle cramping). The patients treated for Parkinson's disease may frequently develop motor fluctuations characterized by end-of-dose failure, peak dose dyskinesia and akinesia, with levodopa therapy ("wearing off") in which the patient suffers from unpredictable swings from mobility to immobility. More than 50% of patients with Parkinson's disease develop motor response fluctuations (the "wearing off" phenomenon) after treatment with levodopa therapy. Symptoms of wearing off include bradykinesia, dystonia, tremors, decreased manual dexterity, paresthesia, muscle pain, voice softness.
It is believed that the 'wearing off' effect can be minimized in patients with a treatment regimen, which provides less rapid dissolution properties and providing a more even plasma level profile of levodopa. When administered in conjunction with levodopa, entacapone increases the bioavailability of levodopa by facilitating its passage across the blood-brain barrier. Hence, entacapone is approved as an adjunct to levodopa therapy in Parkinson's disease. However, the dosage of currently available formulation of carbidopa, levodopa and entacapone i.e. Stalevo® is given eight times a day. The frequent dosing of these formulations is associated with more fluctuating plasma entacapone concentrations. Further, this regimen is not patient compliant.
Further, it has been observed that it is very inconvenient for the patient to take a tablet of Sinemet CR and Comtan simultaneously number of times a day, which leads to patient non-compliance especially in Parkinson's patient. Further, literature also suggests when the three ingredients are present together vis a vis entacapone, carbidopa and levodopa, it leads to decrease in bioavailability of entacapone and levodopa. Therefore, the marketed formulation Stalevo contains substantial portion of carbidopa separate from levodopa and carbidopa. Additionally, literature also reports destabilization of triple combination formulation in presence of microcrystalline cellulose.
Hence, there is a need for patient compliant entacapone composition and/or triple combination comprising levodopa, carbidopa and entacapone that will dissolve slowly and provide a more even plasma level profile in patients with entacapone or levodopa/entacapone/carbidopa treatment regimen.

Single unit oral dose pharmaceutical composition comprising levodopa, carbidopa and entacapone or salts thereof


A transmission X-ray analyzer for detecting a transmission X-ray image of a sample that moves relatively in a predetermined scanning direction includes; a time delay and integration (TDI) sensor including a plurality of stages of line sensors including the plurality of two-dimensionally arranged image pickup devices arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined scanning direction, being configured to transfer charge accumulated in one line sensor to an adjacent subsequent line sensor; a shield unit for shielding a part of the image of light entering the TDI sensor by moving back and forth in the predetermined scanning direction, the shield unit being disposed between the TDI sensor and the sample; and a shield unit position control unit for controlling a position of the shield unit so as to shield a predetermined number of stages of line sensors among the plurality of stages of line sensors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission X-ray analyzer and a transmission X-ray analysis method, which are capable of measuring a transmission X-ray output from a sample through use of a time delay and integration (TDI) sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a foreign matter in a sample and density unevenness of elements have been detected by X-ray transmission imaging. As a method of the X-ray transmission imaging, there is known a method of converting a transmission X-ray output from a sample into fluorescent light through a fluorescent screen or the like, and detecting the fluorescent light through use of image pickup devices (charge coupled devices (CCDs)). As a detection method using CCDs, there is a method of scanning a sample to obtain linear images successively through use of a line sensor having a plurality of image pickup devices arranged in one direction, thereby obtaining a two-dimensionally image of the sample.
By the way, when the movement speed of a sample in a scanning direction increases, the time period of accumulation of charge in the line sensor becomes shorter, and in the case where the sensitivity of the line sensor is low, an S/N ratio decreases. For this reason, a time delay and integration (TDI) sensor has been used, in which a plurality of (stages of) line sensors are arranged in parallel in the scanning direction and charge accumulated in one line sensor is transferred to an adjacent subsequent line sensor. In the TDI sensor, the charge accumulated in a line sensor of the first stage is transferred to a line sensor of the second stage. In a line sensor of the second stage, the charge transferred from the line sensor of the first stage is added to the charge accumulated when the line sensor of the second stage receives light, and the resultant charge is transferred to a line sensor of the third stage. Thus, charge transferred from a line sensor of the previous stage is added sequentially to each line sensor, and accumulated charge transferred to a line sensor of the last stage is output.
Accordingly, in the TDI sensor, in the case where the number of stages is T, charge which is T times as large as that of a single line sensor is accumulated, and a contrast becomes T times as high as that of a single line sensor. Further, noise is reduced, measurement can be performed at high speed, and an S/N ratio increases.
On the other hand, due to high sensitivity, the TDI sensor has problems in that a defect (artifact) appears in a detected image due to a change in a received light amount, and that noise is superimposed at a time of rising or falling of a vertical transfer clock for charge transfer. Therefore, a technology of controlling the number of integration stages of the TDI sensor through use of an electric circuit has been developed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-50063 and 2010-4105).
Further, according to the study conducted by the inventors of the present invention, in the case of using the TDI sensor for a transmission X-ray analysis, as the number of integration stages of the TDI sensor increases, a depth of field decreases. In the case of a thick sample, only a part of the sample in a depth direction is focused to be formed as an image, and the remaining part is not formed as an image. Therefore, there is a problem in that the entire sample cannot be grasped.
According to the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-50063 and 2010-4105, however, the number of integration stages of the TDI sensor is controlled through use of an electric circuit, and it is necessary to manufacture a TDI sensor having a dedicated integrated circuit (IC) such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and to change arithmetic software of a TDI sensor. Thus, a general-purpose TDI sensor cannot be used, leading to an increase in cost. Further, in the case where the number of integration stages is set on an electric circuit and arithmetic software as in the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2000-50063 and 2010-4105, it is difficult for a measurer to freely adjust the number of integration stages T depending upon the thickness of a sample and the kind thereof.

Transmission X-ray analyzer and transmission X-ray analysis method


A method of modeling electromagnetic heating for oil recovery for a wide range of frequencies includes arranging a plurality of electrodes and/or antennas in an array in a multi-layer earth model of a reservoir formation, wherein the arranging includes selecting a number of electrodes/antennas and an array topology; selecting a frequency of the array; determining a temperature profile of the reservoir using the frequency and reservoir formation characteristics; providing the a heat rate to a reservoir simulator; inputting reservoir characteristics into the reservoir simulator; calculating, by processor, an oil recovery production rate of the reservoir based on the heat rate and reservoir characteristics; and graphically displaying the oil recovery production rate.

During a recovery process for hydrocarbons, particularly heavy oil, the inherent high viscosity of heavy oil (HO) is an obstacle to reservoir production and subsequent handling on the surface. Thus, heating techniques, for example electromagnetic (EM) heating, may be used to reduce the viscosity of the oil. The oil may then be extracted through the borehole for onsite or offsite refinement.
EM heating is particularly useful as conventional steam injection techniques for heavy oil recovery are sometimes limited to relatively shallow, thick, and permeable reservoirs. EM heating refers to heating produced by the absorption of electromagnetic energy by the molecules in formation. EM heating does not require a heat transporting fluid such as steam, which can be beneficial for deep reservoirs and thin pay-zones. In fact, EM thermal processes are mostly free of issues such as poor heat transfer, shale layers between rich oil layers, cap rock requirement, and the difficulty of controlling the movement of injected fluid and gases, all of which have impacted other thermally stimulated recovery processes.
EM heating can be divided based on the frequency of the electrical current used by the source, direct (DC)/low frequency currents and high frequency (radio frequency, microwave) currents, which may be employed depending on reservoir fluid properties (e.g., resistivity, dielectric permittivity) and other formation characteristics.
Applications of EM heating for heavy oil recovery may benefit from detailed analysis. Previous analytical models use relatively strong assumptions and focus on a single range of frequencies (i.e., high frequency or low frequency). They consider only a single electrode (low frequency) or antenna (high frequency), and calculate the heating rate for a homogenous single layered formation where in the case of low frequency heating, approximation of infinitely long electrode and for the high frequency heating, Lambert's law of absorption as a simplified radial model of EM wave propagation have been adopted.

Wide frequency range modeling of electromagnetic heating for heavy oil recovery


Methods are disclosed for determining a geometrical configuration of an interconnect structure of a test structure without cross-sectioning or optical measurements. In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining simulation data correlating capacitance data, resistance data and geometrical configuration data for a plurality of interconnect structures having different geometrical configurations; measuring a capacitance value and a resistance value from the interconnect structure of the test structure; and determining the geometrical configuration of the interconnect structure by comparing the capacitance value and the resistance value to the simulation data.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly, to methods for determining a geometrical configuration of an interconnect structure of a test structure.
2. Background Art
It is difficult to obtain geometrical configurations or dimensions of typical high-performance digital interconnect structures. Currently, there is no way to determine the geometrical configuration of an interconnect structure of a test structure other than by cross-sectioning a wafer containing the test structure, which destroys the wafer, and performing some sort of measurement analysis, e.g., using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). This process is time consuming and is never comprehensive because it cannot be applied to all interconnect structures on a wafer.

Determining geometrical configuration of interconnect structure

International Business Machines Corporation