An assembly and method for remotely affixing and removing decorative lighting from a building gutter. The assembly includes a hanger having a body portion with a first body segment joined to a catch portion and a second body segment joined to a hook portion. The catch portion is adjacent a gutter back wall and the hook portion is adjacent a gutter upper lip upon the hanger being affixed to the gutter. The hanger includes a securing member adapted to secure the decorative lighting to the hanger. The assembly further includes a positioning implement having an engagement member and a pole attached to the positioning implement. The engagement member is releasably received by a connector of the hanger. The method for remotely affixing and removing decorative lighting from the gutter comprises releasably engaging the engagement member of a positioning implement to the connector of the hanger apparatus. The decorative lighting and the hanger apparatus are simultaneously positioned via the positioning implement and attached pole. The engagement member is then released from the connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for remotely affixing and removing decorative lighting from gutters of a building, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for affixing and removing strands of electric holiday lights from house gutters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Decorative lighting is often placed on gutters of structures, such as buildings and houses. This is particularly true during various holiday seasons, most notably the Christmas season, when many people enjoy decorating their houses and yards. The decorative lighting used is typically "strings" or "strands" of electric bulbs. The strands come in various lengths with various numbers and sizes of bulbs distributed along the strand length. There are a variety of types of strands marketed for outdoor use, some of which are particularly suited for affixing to a structure such as a house. One such type is commonly referred to as "icicle" lights, which has short segments of lights depending or hanging downwardly along the length of the light strand. Oftentimes, light strands are affixed or "hung" from rain gutters attached to the house. Since the light strands do not include a means for affixing the strands to the house or gutters, various devices are available for attaching light strands to the house and/or gutters.
Gutters are typically at a greater height than a person can reach while standing on the ground below. As a result, the homeowner or person typically uses a ladder to put up and take down strands of lights from the gutter. The required use of a ladder presents several risks and difficulties. For some people, physical limitations do not allow them to get up on a ladder. Additionally, there is always a risk of falling off the ladder, a risk that is somewhat greater when the ground support for the ladder may be constricted, obstructed, unlevel or soft. Quite commonly, there are physical obstructions to placing the ladder in the needed position adjacent to the building because of trees, bushes or other plants or shrubbery. Furthermore, many existing devices for affixing lights to a gutter require both hands to install, leaving no means for safely balancing or grasping a ladder. The difficulty of this process is further compounded due to the fact that in many regions holiday decorating takes place in wet, cold or icy conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,905, issued to Bentivegna, for "Ornament Handling Apparatus," discloses an apparatus for handling ornaments and other objects, including an elongated handle and a hook-shaped applicator. The applicator is attached to one end of the elongated handle and a hook receiving hole extends partially into the applicator to hold the ornament hook therein. The apparatus includes a retriever for removing ornaments and an applicator affixed to a connector for attachment to an elongated handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,058, issued to Protz, Jr., for "Light Clip for Shingles or Gutters," discloses a light clip for holding a light bulb with an attachment portion for removably mounting the light clip to a support surface such as a shingle or gutter without putting holes in the gutters or shingles. The attachment portion has a mechanism with a plurality of discrete stop positions, and cooperates with a bulb holder having connecting prongs. The mechanism with discrete stops cooperates with the prongs to mount the bulb holder to the attachment portion and to provide a plurality of discrete angular positions of a bulb carried by the bulb holder with respect to the attachment portion. The gutter attachment portion is capable of mounting to a variety of gutter shapes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,334, issued to Cedillo, for "Light Hanging Extension Device and Method for Using Same," discloses a device for storing and hanging a continuous string of lights on a tree. The device includes a spool assembly having first and second annular plates spaced apart and connected to a cylinder member. One of the annular plates is adapted to releasably secure an end portion of the string of lights in a fixed position. An axle structure is removably secured within a bore of the cylinder member. The axle structure has a holding mechanism releasably securing the axle structure to the cylinder member. A handle is coaxially mounted to the axle structure. An elongated pole is provided having a first end portion removably coaxially secured to the handle. The elongated pole is sized for extending and elevating the spool assembly upwardly in close adjacency with branches of a tree when a user grasps a second end portion of the elongated pole. The spool assembly can be moved around a perimeter of the tree to enable the string of lights of be progressively strung about the tree.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,975, issued to Casper, for "Decorating System," discloses a decorating system that enables decorative articles to be hung from high places with safety. The decorating system comprises a dual hook and an adapter. The dual hook has a ring, a first hook, and a second hook. The decorative article is held by the second hook. The adapter is attached to the end of a pole and has a finger that is insertable into the dual hook ring, much like a carnival game. A user manipulates the pole to locate the dual hook over a selected support member and then the dual hook is lowered slightly to rest the first hook on the support member. The adapter finger is then removed from the dual hook ring. To take down the decorative article, the adapter finger is reinserted into the dual hook ring, and the pole is manipulated to lift the dual hook off the support member and return the dual hook and decorative article to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,291, issued to Tortajada, for "Implement and System for Remotely Affixing and removing Decorations and Other Objects," discloses an article for affixing and removing a strand of lights or other decorations to and from a particular place such as a roof, gutter or tree, and a method for performing those tasks. An elongated positioning implement has a substantially U-shaped distal end for receiving and holding a wire or light strand. A dividing post is located between the fingers of the U-shape. A downwardly oriented finger can also be attached to a portion of the U-shaped distal end. A temporary hanger may be put in place on a gutter on a building using the positioning implement. Once the temporary hanger is in place, the positioning implement is used to affix the strand of lights by placing it on the temporary hanger. The positioning implement can also be used to remove both the strand of lights and the temporary hook simultaneously.
It would be desirable to provide an apparatus and method for allowing a person to affix and remove decorations such as holiday lights at a height greater than the reach of the person and without using a ladder. It would be further desirable to have an apparatus and method that would permit a user to affix and remove holiday lights on a gutter of a house while standing on the ground. It would be further advantageous to provide an easy to use means for affixing a removable hanger to a gutter without the need for a ladder. Additionally, it would be advantageous to use a positioning implement in conjunction with a hanger for temporarily affixing the hanger on a gutter from which to hang decorations, such as a strand of lights. Another advantage would be for the temporary hanger to cause no permanent damage or other lasting after effects to the gutter. Another advantage of such a system would be for all items put in place with the positioning implement to be easily removable by the user without the need for a ladder. It would also be advantageous to provide means for a removable hanger to become attached to the item being hung, such as a strand of holiday lights, so that, when the hanging item is removed, the removable hanger is prevented from being lost, or falling into the gutter, for example.

Method and apparatus for remotely affixing and removing decorative lighting from building gutters


A multiple-surface antenna, and a method of receiving signals using an antenna, are disclosed. The multi-surface antenna includes a multi-surface dielectric substrate and a conductive trace formed on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate. The conductive trace is formed in a predetermined pattern. The predetermined pattern may be a crossing pattern, or a series of symmetric shapes. The multi-surface dielectric substrate, having the trace formed thereon, may then be integrated entirely within a telephone handset. The method includes providing a multi-surface dielectric substrate, printing on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate a conductive trace formed into a periodic pattern, receiving at least one signal at the conductive trace, passing the received signal through at least a portion of the conductive trace, and feeding the received signal from the conductive trace to a coupled receiver. The coupled receiver may be a cellular or cordless telephone handset.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a method and apparatus for receiving electromagnetic signals and, more particularly, to a multi-surface printed conductive trace antenna and a method of receiving signals using a multi-surface printed conductive trace antenna.
2. Description of the Background
The use of cordless and cellular telephones is increasing exponentially in modern society. However, the antennae of early handsets for use in such telephone systems made portability of the handsets, over short or long distances, cumbersome. Additionally, storage of handsets having exterior antennae is difficult, as such handsets do not fit into pockets, purses, wallets, or similar spaces.
As the size of handset antennae has decreased, those handsets have become more portable and easier to store. However, the antennae still provide an impediment to portability and storability. Additionally, antennae could be easily broken if they extend too far to be easily stored or carried. Prior art attempts to decrease the size of the antenna used with handsets, or eliminate the exterior antenna completely, have typically led to a corresponding decrease in the performance of the antenna, and, thus, of the handset. Antennae printed on printed circuit boards have helped alleviate both problems, providing improved performance and smaller size, but such antennae still have a finite length to which they can be reduced while still retaining adequate performance characteristics.
Therefore, the need exists for an antenna for use with telephone handsets that provides an elimination of the need for the antenna to be mounted externally to the handset, and thus provides ease in portability and storability, without a sacrifice in antenna performance.
The present invention is directed to a multiple-surface antenna. The multi-surface antenna includes a multi-surface dielectric substrate and a conductive trace formed on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate. The multi-surface dielectric substrate may include multiple layers. The conductive trace is positioned across at least two surfaces of the substrate, and is formed in a predetermined pattern. The predetermined pattern may be a crossing pattern, wherein the conductive trace overlaps itself at a plurality of orthogonal crossing points to form the crossing pattern, or a series of symmetric shapes. The multi-surface dielectric substrate, having the trace formed thereon, may then be integrated entirely within a telephone handset.
The present invention also includes a method of receiving signals using an antenna. The method includes providing a multi-surface dielectric substrate, printing on at least two surfaces of the dielectric substrate a conductive trace formed into a periodic pattern, receiving at least one signal at the conductive trace, passing the received signal through at least a portion of the conductive trace, and feeding the received signal from the conductive trace to a coupled receiver. The coupled receiver may be a cellular or cordless telephone handset.
The present invention solves problems experienced with the prior art because the present invention provides an antenna and a method for use with a telephone handset that provides an elimination of the need for an external antenna, and thus provides ease in portability and storability, without a sacrifice in antenna performance. The elimination of the need for an external antenna is provided through a decrease in physical length of the antenna, while maintaining the same physical area of the antenna, through the use of the conductive trace across multiple surfaces of a dielectric substrate. Those and other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention hereinbelow.

Multi-surface printed conductive trace antenna and method of receiving signals using a multi-surface printed conductive trace antenna


A processing apparatus (6) for determining a respiration signal (34) of a subject (100) is presented. The processing apparatus (6) is configured to perform the steps of obtaining a movement signal (22) descriptive of a respiratory movement, determining a first quantity (24) descriptive of a rotation axis and/or rotation angle based on the obtained movement signal (22), and estimating a rotation axis (25) and/or rotation angle (26) based on the first quantity (24) and a rotation model, wherein the rotation model models the respiratory movement as a rotation around a single rotation axis. This model of the rotation can be further used as a feature for an instantaneous classifier descriptive of a movement artifact descriptive of a non-respiratory movement. Furthermore, a processing method, a respiration monitor (1, 91), a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium and a computer program are presented.

The respiratory rate has proven to be a good indicator of the deterioration of the condition of a patient. In combination with other vital signs, the respiratory rate plays a crucial role in early warning systems. Therefore, there is a need for continuous and reliable monitoring of a respiration signal, from which the respiratory rate is extracted, in intensive care units of hospitals. A similar need is present in the general ward setting of hospitals and in home healthcare applications, such as in telemedicine and chronic disease management.
While continuous monitoring of the respiration signal is available on bed side monitors for intensive care patients, various portable sensor systems are being developed to allow unobtrusive and prolonged measurement and monitoring of the respiration signal of mobile patients in general wards and in home healthcare settings with minimal discomfort.
Respiration monitoring can be based on different principles: the measurement of respiratory effort, for example thorax impedance plethysmography, respiratory inductance plethysmography, accelerometers, photoplethysmography or the measurement of respiratory effect, for example sound recording, temperature sensing, carbon dioxide sensing. Some sensors are already well established to monitor respiration. In intensive care units for example, thorax impedance plethysmography is the method of choice, whereas in sleep studies respiratory inductance plethysmography, often referred to as respiration band or respiband, is also commonly used. For ambulatory patients, such as on the general ward or in home healthcare, these sensors have limitations. A respiration band, for example, is considered to be too obtrusive and cumbersome by both medical personnel and patients.
A respiration monitoring system based on a multi-axial accelerometer overcomes these disadvantages. A multi-axial accelerometer is a device that measures an acceleration in multiple sensing axes. By evaluating the acceleration due to gravity with the different sensing axes, an accelerometer can be used as an inclinometer. The accelerometer is applied to an abdomen or a chest of a subject. The measured time-varying inclination reflects the abdomen or chest movement caused by respiration. This technique requires reliable signal processing to enable reliable monitoring under different conditions and postures of the patient.
Motion artifact is a well-known problem in patient monitoring. A motion artifact refers to a contamination of a physiological signal and a degradation of the measurement quality caused by physical activities of a patient, such as posture change, movement and talking Motion artifacts are more pronounced in a general ward setting than in an intensive care unit setting, since patients in the general ward setting generally have a more mobile activity pattern and are monitored most of the time without constant nursing surveillance, thus lacking knowledge on the presence of the physical activities and the measurement context. The problem becomes even more severe when monitoring patients in home healthcare settings.
Thus, if a multi-axial accelerometer is used to measure the respiratory rate in ambulatory conditions, such as home healthcare or a general ward, the accelerometer signals do not only change due to the respiration of a person but the accelerometer signals are also affected by unwanted motions that are not caused by respiratory motions.
Motion artifacts with frequency components that are different from breathing frequencies can be suppressed by straight-forward filtering in the frequency-domain. However, some of these unwanted motions, which may have a frequency component in the same range as the respiration, i.e., 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz or 6 respirations per minute to 120 respirations per minute, cannot be suppressed with a filter with a fixed frequency response.
US 2012/0296221 A1 discloses a method and apparatus for determining a respiration signal using an accelerometer. A vector magnitude of the accelerometer signals is evaluated to identify any unwanted or non-respiratory motion contributions to the acceleration signals. For a static, i.e. non-moving, multi-axial accelerometer the vector magnitude is always the same irrespective of the orientation of the sensor. If the position of the center-point of the tri-axial accelerometer changes due to whole body movements, for example walking, however, this causes an additional inertial acceleration component in addition to the acceleration due to gravity. A non-respiratory, inertial motion contribution is identified and then used to suppress and adaptively filter this unwanted motion contribution from at least one of the accelerometer signals. From the at least one filtered accelerometer signal, a respiration signal is determined that reliably and accurately represents the respiration of the subject.
US 2011/0066041 A1 discloses a respiration monitoring device including an accelerometer for application to the chest, whereby acceleration is possible due to both non-respiratory body motion and respiration, and an electronic circuit responsive to an acceleration signal from the accelerometer and operable to separate from the acceleration signal a heart signal, a respiration signal, and a substantially non-respiration body motion signal.
US 2011/0021928 A1 discloses noninvasive methods and systems of determining and monitoring an individual's respiration pattern, respiration rate, other cardio-respiratory parameters or variations thereof. In an embodiment, a single, miniature and chest-worn accelerometer is utilized to capture respiration-dependent parameters.
WO 2013/106700 A1 discloses systems and methods for determining mental and physical health using multi-scale metrics.

Processing apparatus and processing method for determining a respiratory signal of a subject


A battery-powered portable tool (1) and/or a battery pack (174; 174′) connected thereto contain(s) a high-temperature measurement circuit (61, 62, 64; 64-67), a low-temperature measurement circuit (61, 64; 64-66), and a switching apparatus (63; Q 1, Q 2) for selecting and/or outputting a signal from (i) the low-temperature measurement circuit when an output value of the high-temperature measurement circuit enters an abnormal range or (ii) the high-temperature measurement circuit when an output value of the low-temperature measurement circuit enters an abnormal range, which are powered by at least one all-solid-state battery (12, 14, 16, 18) provided in the battery pack. Such an arrangement makes it possible to efficiently make use of the at least one all-solid-state battery that is usable over a wide temperature range, whereby the battery-powered tool becomes usable over a wider temperature range than known battery-powered tools.

Battery-powered (cordless) portable tools have become prevalent owing to their convenience and capability of being used in a wide variety of work environments. In the past, such battery-powered portable tools have been driven by rechargeable batteries based upon nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride and lithium ion battery chemistries.
With regard to batteries that have been used in the past to power battery-powered portable tools, because it is preferable that the electric energy storage capacity per unit of weight or volume (i.e. energy storage density in terms of mass or volume), and/or the electric output capacity (rated output) per unit of weight or volume, be large, usage of lithium-ion batteries has greatly increased in recent years. In lithium-ion batteries, an electrolytic fluid or gel is filled between a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and, during charging and discharging, lithium ions move between the positive electrode and the negative electrode via the electrolytic fluid or gel.


The object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for performing synchronization among neighboring base stations in the wireless communication network. According to the technical solution of the present invention, a base station turns off a transmitter randomly to receive a synchronization signal from neighboring base stations, and obtains a new local synchronization reference time based on the synchronization reference time of other neighboring base station. With the apparatus and the method provided by the present invention, the strongly robust synchronization among base stations is realized.

In the wireless communication system adopting OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), if not all of the base stations in a cell are equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) or Galileo synchronization system, in order to carry out related combination, a synchronization method with an accuracy of microsecond level is required to realize strict synchronization among base stations. If the synchronization among base stations can not satisfy the above-mentioned requirement, a signal arriving at the user equipment receiver may be outside the CP window, which will lead to the inter-symbol interference and affect pilot estimation and data receipt.
Solutions of realizing the aforementioned synchronization in the prior art comprise:
1. A method proposed in 3GPP UTRAN TDD (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network Time Division Duplex), namely the synchronization among a plurality of base stations is realized by using an input synchronization port and an output synchronization port of a base station (also referred to as Node B). As shown in FIG. 1, with its input synchronization port, a base station A receives a synchronization signal sent from an external reference source (e.g. GPS) via the cable between them, so that it can be synchronized with the external reference source; likewise, with the output synchronization port, the base station A sends a synchronization signal to a base station B via the cable between them, then the base station B is indirectly synchronized to the external reference source by way of being synchronized to the base station A. The synchronization of other base stations shown in FIG. 1 can be deduced by analogy.
By using the synchronization method that base stations are connected via cable directly, the base stations to be synchronized are only required to be connected in the form of a chain. All of the base stations on the chain can be synchronized by using only one external time reference source.
The drawback of the solution lies in its weak robustness. If a problem appears in the synchronization of a base station (e.g. the synchronization port can not work properly), then every base station in the downstream of the synchronization chain can not be synchronized with those synchronized base stations;
The weakness of the solution further lies in that synchronization error will be accumulated with the increase of the number of base stains on the chain, namely error accumulation will occur, which makes the variance of the error larger.
2. A synchronization method adopted in WCDMA TDD and TD-SCDMA systems, synchronization among base stations can be realized by transmitting cell synchronization time reference in predefined Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) or Downstream Pilot Channel (DWPCH) on the air interface.
In this solution, Radio Network Controller (RNC) prearranges transmission time slot. No matter whether the synchronization burst is transmitted in PRACH or DWPCH, at least one base station in a cell cluster is connected with the external time reference source (e.g. GPS), other base stations are then synchronized with the base stations connected with the external time reference source. While controlling the transmission of base station synchronization reference signal and the execution of measurement, RNC is also responsible for sending the time adjustment instruction based on synchronization difference signal reported by base stations. Therefore, RNC is the master controller of the whole synchronization process.
The disadvantage of the solution is that the synchronization process of a base station requires that a base station belonging to an upper layer or a master base station works as a control base station controlling the transmission of time reference signals and the receipt of time slots, so that the transmitter and the receiver coordinate with each other. This is only applicable for TDD mode and can not be realized in FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) mode.
Hence, there is an urgent need to propose a new synchronization solution that can avoid the aforementioned problems at the same time when strict synchronization among base stations is realized.

Method and an apparatus for synchronization among the neighboring base stations in the wireless communication system


A cervical intervertebral prosthesis includes two cover plates which are each configured to be connected to adjacent vertebral bodies. At least one of the two cover plates has a toothed portion which faces toward the vertebral body and whose teeth have a steep, ventrally directed flank and a less steep, dorsally directed flank. When the prosthesis is fitted with sufficient pressing between its adjacent vertebral bodies, the combination of the serrated toothed portion and the abutment surface is sufficient to hold the prosthesis securely in the desired position. In many cases this makes it possible to dispense with additional screw fixation. The flange carrying the abutment surface is in this case expediently shortened so that it can be accommodated in a recess of the bone so that the prosthesis does not protrude ventrally beyond the ventral alignment surface of the adjacent vertebral bodies.

In the cervical region of the vertebral column, there is only a small amount of space available for receiving intervertebral prostheses. Even a slight shifting of prosthesis parts in the dorsal direction can affect the nerves of the spinal cord. Secure fixation of the prostheses is therefore of great importance. In the case of intervertebral prostheses for the lumbar region of the vertebral column, it is known for the cover plates of the prosthesis which face the adjacent vertebral bodies to be provided with ribs or projections which engage in prepared grooves in the vertebral bodies or are designed to be sharp and self-cutting. This is made possible by the fact that the vertebral bodies of the lumbar vertebral column are relatively large and high, so that there is enough space available for fixation devices of this kind. This also applies to fixation flanges which are provided at the ventral edge of the cover plates of the prostheses in order to receive bone screws for securing the cover plates on the associated vertebral bodies. The smallness and low height of the vertebral bodies in the cervical region often rules out the use of these fixation devices or means that said fixation devices appear unsatisfactory. This is all the more so given that ventrally protruding parts of the prostheses have to be avoided, because these can lead to irritation of the esophagus lying immediately in front of them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


It is an object to form a plate for a sliding nozzle apparatus in a shape for decreasing extreme erosion and extend durability of the plate to enable cost reduction, the sliding-nozzle plate having dimensions (unit length is mm) as indicated in following equations: a dimension from the center position X of the nozzle hole to a closest end of the plate for the sliding nozzle in the longitudinal direction is a sum of a dimension “b” from the center position X to an ideal circle with the position X as the center and a dimension “d” from the ideal circle to the closest end in the longitudinal direction, a dimension from the center position X and to a center position Y is a dimension S of the stroke, and a dimension from the center position Y to a closest end of the plate for the sliding nozzle in the longitudinal direction is a dimension “c”, where b: a+30˜40, c: 0.75a+20˜30, d:0.5a, S:2a+m, and m:15˜35.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nozzle plate which is attached to a bottom of a container such as a ladle or tundish that accommodates molten steel and mounted on a sliding nozzle apparatus that controls a pouring rate of molten steel or the like, and more particularly, to a sliding nozzle plate to control a pouring rate of molten steel or the like discharged from the nozzle apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A sliding nozzle apparatus (hereinafter, also referred to simply as a "nozzle apparatus") is attached to a ladle which receives molten steel discharged from a steel furnace such as a converter to carry, and pours the steel into a mold, or attached to a tundish which receives molten steel from a ladle and pours the molten steel into a mold, and is used widely as a pouring rate adjustment apparatus.
FIG. 6 shows a sliding nozzle apparatus generally used. The nozzle apparatus 141 is comprised of two plates, a fixed plate 121 that engages in a metal frame 153 provided on the bottom of a ladle, and a sliding plate 123 which is in pressure-contact with the lower surface of the fixed plate and is engaged in a metal frame 155 slidably. Hereinafter, the fixed plate and sliding plate are collectively referred to as a slide plate.
In order to prevent molten steel from leaking from a pressure-contact surface between the fixed plate 121 and sliding plate 123, the plates 121 and 123 are provided with a surface pressure mechanism (not shown) which applies a surface pressure in the longitudinal direction from the outside of metal frames 153 and 155. The fixed plate is engaged in the metal frame in a position such that a nozzle hole 3 is aligned with a nozzle hole 171 of an upper nozzle 143 disposed on the bottom of the ladle or the like. The sliding plate 123 is provided with a nozzle hole 5 corresponding to the fixed nozzle hole 3, and is slid to adjust an opening degree of the nozzle holes. The metal frame in which the sliding plate is engaged is coupled to the nozzle apparatus, for example, in a pin joint 153 at its end portion, and is slid by a hydraulic cylinder or the like in remote control through an operation rod 159.
The leak of molten steel occurs when respective nozzle holes of the fixed plate and sliding plate are in partly-open positions, while occurring hardly in full-closed positions. Only required are the function that controls a passage flow rate of the molten steel in the half-open positions and the function that simply stops the flow of the molten steel in the full-closed positions. In the partly-open positions, erosion is severe at portions such that the molten steel flow collides with the plate and that the molten steel flow changes its flow direction. Therefore, the fixed plate and sliding plate of the sliding nozzle apparatus have been handled as consumables.
The fixed plate and sliding plates are manufactured using expensive refractory materials, and are improved in shape and structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, Japanese Patent No. 3247941 describes an example of the nozzle plate reached from usage examples at portions where erosion is severe in consideration of a ratio of (g-f)/f based on the experiments on the plate. The document as described above disclose a decagon plate for a sliding nozzle provided with a dimension "g" substantially 1.5 times the diameter "f" of a nozzle hole and a dimension "h" substantially three times the diameter "f" of the nozzle hole in the longitudinal direction from the center position "Z" of the nozzle hole.
In the invention of Patent No. 3247941 as described above, since the dimension "g" is substantially 1.5 times the diameter "f" of the nozzle hole, it is understood that the plate 201 for a sliding nozzle has intense erosion and cracks in the nozzle hole in the longitudinal direction and has problems in durability.
FIG. 13 shows a schematic front view of a fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223 for a sliding nozzle in the longitudinal direction in full open position. Arrows in FIG. 13 indicate pressure-contact directions 229 of the surface pressure mechanism. When the sliding plate is slid from the closed position, a distance "i" is increased between the end surface of the fixed plate 221 and the end surface of the sliding plate 223. At this point, the surface pressure mechanism acts in a portion corresponding to the distance i, but in the portion the sliding plate 223 is not positioned to be in contact. On the other hand, the opposite side (right side as viewed in FIG. 13) of the sliding plate 223 projects from the end of the fixed plate on the upper side, but the surface pressure does not act in this position. This is because the surface pressure mechanism not shown acts on the metal frames 153 and 155, but does not act directly inside of the metal frames.
Therefore, there occurs a deviation of the pressure-contact force of the surface pressure mechanism, and a tilt appears between the fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223 as shown in FIG. 13. Hence, a gap 225 develops. The gap 25 is maximum when the displacement becomes maximum between the fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223, i.e. the nozzle holes are full open.
FIG. 14 shows a schematic view of the fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223 in the transverse direction when the nozzle holes are full open. Arrows in FIG. 14 indicate pressure-contact directions 229 of the surface pressure mechanism. The fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223 are brought into intimate contact with each other by the pressure contact force of the surface pressure mechanism. The surface pressure mechanism applies the pressure outside the fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223, the fixed plate 221 and sliding plate 223 thereby arch corresponding to the dimension of width, and therefore a gap 231 develops.
The gaps 225 and 231 have significant effects during casting. For example, during casting of molten steel, air is entangled to promote oxidization of the periphery of the nozzle hole of the plate, thereby causing fierce damage and resulting extremely reduced life.
Cracks generated on the periphery of the nozzle hole will be described below with reference to FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 15, the nozzle plate is pressed against pressing metal 209 due to thermal expansion of the nozzle plate. For example, when segments of the nozzle plate are formed in the shape of a regular octagon as shown in FIG. 15, a pressing force 207 due to the pressing metal 209 acts toward the center of the nozzle hole 203 as shown by the arrows. Thus, the pressing force 207 gradually causes cracks 205 to occur around the periphery of the nozzle hole 203 having a relatively low strength.
For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the cracks 205 develop in the shape of a cross, and propagate and extend in the plate for a sliding nozzle. When such cracks 205 occur, for example, air is entangled, and oxidization is promoted on the periphery of the nozzle hole of the plate, thereby causing fierce damage and resulting extremely reduced life.

Nozzle plate for a sliding nozzle apparatus


A ball grid array (BGA) package includes a central cavity for receiving a semiconductor die therein. The die rests on a base laminate, the die side of which includes traces therein extending into the cavity, which is framed at least by an anisotropically-conductive adhesive layer. Bond pads on the die are electrically connected, as by wire bonds or, in the case of a flip-chip configured die, solder balls or conductive adhesive elements, to the traces. The traces are, in turn, electrically connected through conductive vias to conductive element sites on the opposite side of the base laminate through a dielectric layer, the conductive element sites carrying solder balls or other discrete conductive bonding elements for connection to higher-level packaging. A ground or other reference voltage plane, which is also electrically connected to at least one trace through the anisotropically-conductive adhesive layer, may extend over the adhesive layer and frame the cavity, or also extend over the cavity to provide an enclosure for the die. In the former case, an encapsulant is applied over the die and electrical connections to the traces.

This invention relates generally to integrated circuit packages and, more particularly, to the fabrication of integrated circuit packages having multiple layers, and the resulting structure. More particularly still, the present invention relates to a fully populated ball grid array integrated circuit package providing a cavity for mounting of a semiconductor die therein and a ground plane element extending about or optionally over the die.
In recent years, semiconductor miniaturization has resulted in the development of very large scale integrated circuit (xe2x80x9cVLSIxe2x80x9d) devices including perhaps thousands of active components thereon. Such devices may typically be encapsulated in a protective package providing a large number of pin-outs for mounting or interconnection to external circuitry through a carrier substrate such as a printed circuit board or other higher-level packaging. The pin-outs for such packages may include, for example, a pin grid array (xe2x80x9cPGAxe2x80x9d), or a ball grid array (xe2x80x9cBGAxe2x80x9d). Both PGA and BGA packages allow for surface mounting upon a printed circuit board. PGA arrays include a two-dimensional array of metal pins that can be directly connected, as by soldering, to the printed circuit board or inserted in a mating socket arrangement carried by the board. On the other hand, a BGA array includes a two-dimensional array of conductive elements formed as, for example, balls, bumps or pillars instead of metal pins. The conductive elements may, by way of example only, be formed as solder (typically lead/tin, although other alloys are employed) balls, may each comprise a relatively higher melting point ball or bump having a solder or other relatively lower melting point outer covering, or may comprise conductive bumps or pillars formed of a conductive or conductor-filled adhesive such as an epoxy.
The bond pads of the semiconductor die disposed within a package must be connected to the printed circuit board via conductors carried by the package, either by direct contact therewith in a flip-chip orientation through conductive balls, bumps or pillars or, alternatively, by intermediate connector elements comprising wire bonds, or TAB (flexible circuit) connections. Finally, the semiconductor die is usually protected on the package by an encapsulant of a plastic, epoxy or silicone material or by being housed in a rigid-walled chamber. Exemplary BGA structures are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,397,921, 5,409,865, 5,455,456, 5,490,324, 5,563,446, 5,586,010, 5,594,275, 5,596,227, 5,598,033, 5,598,036, 5,598,321 and 5,708,567. BGA packages are offered by various manufacturers and include, among others, the Tessera xcexcBGA, the Advanced Semiconductor Assembly Technology BGA, the Motorola PBGA (OMPAC), the Yamichi YFlex-LCP, the ProLinx VBGA(trademark), and the IBM TBGA.
The use of BGA packages is becoming widely accepted within the industry due to the ability of BGA designs to accommodate a large number of I/Os, the number of which appears to be ever-increasing for all die types, in the relatively compact area defined within the conductive element array. However, a number of conventional BGA packages are not capable of supporting a fully populated array of conductive ball elements, as the manner in which the die is mounted in the package, or electrically connected to the package traces, requires a conductive element-devoid area in the middle of the conductive element array and so limits the number of solder balls or other conductive elements in the array.
In addition, there is a continued trend in the computer industry toward ever-higher speed integrated circuit (IC) assemblies based upon semiconductor die technology. Such high signal speeds, however, lack utility unless accompanied by suppression of system noise to an acceptable level. The trend toward lower operational signal voltages in combination with such high speeds exacerbates noise problems.
At state-of-the art operational speeds, signal propagation delays, switching noise, and crosstalk between signal conductors resulting from mutual inductance and self inductance phenomena of the conductive paths all become significant to signal degradation. Mutual inductance results from an interaction between magnetic fields created by signal currents flowing to and from a packaged IC die through leads or traces, while self inductance results from the interaction of the foregoing fields with magnetic fields created by oppositely directed currents flowing to and from ground.
Therefore, the integrated circuits carried on a semiconductor die would ideally be electrically connected to conductive traces on carrier substrates such as printed circuit boards and thus to other integrated circuits carried on the same or other such substrates by infinitesimally short conductors, eliminating impedance problems such as undesirable inductance and other conductor-induced system noise.
As a practical matter, however, as the capacity and speed of many integrated circuit devices such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) have increased, the number of inputs and outputs (I/Os) to each die has increased, requiring more numerous and complex external connections thereto and, in some instances, requiring undesirably long traces to place the bond pads serving as I/Os for the typical die in communication with the traces of the carrier substrate.
While lead inductance in IC packages has not traditionally been troublesome because slow signal frequencies of past devices render such inductance relatively insignificant, faster and ever-increasing signal frequencies of state-of-the-art electronic systems have substantially increased the practical significance of package lead or trace inductance. For example, at such faster signal frequencies, performance of IC dice using extended leads or traces for external electrical connection is slower than desirable because the inductance associated with the elongated conductive paths required slows changes in signal currents through the leads or traces, prolonging signal propagation therethrough. Further, digital signals propagating along the leads or traces are dispersing or xe2x80x9cspreading outxe2x80x9d because the so-called xe2x80x9cFourierxe2x80x9d components of various frequencies making up the digital signals propagate through the inductance associated with the leads or traces at different speeds, causing the signal components and thus the signals themselves to disperse. While mild dispersion merely widens the digital signals without detrimental effect, severe dispersion can make the digital signals unrecognizable upon receipt. In addition, so-called xe2x80x9creflectionxe2x80x9d signals propagating along the leads or traces as a result of impedance mismatches between the lead fingers and associated IC die or between the leads or traces and external circuitry, caused in part by lead-associated inductance, can distort normal signals propagating concurrently with the reflection signals. Further, magnetic fields created by signal currents propagating through the lead or trace-associated inductance can induce currents in adjacent leads or traces, causing so-called xe2x80x9ccrosstalkxe2x80x9d noise on the latter. While these various effects might be troublesome in any electronic system, the aforementioned trend toward lower voltage systems (currently 3.3 volts) and away from the traditional 5.0 volt systems increases their visibility and significance.
The ever-more-popular BGA die and package configurations described previously serve to exacerbate the noise problems by favoring a large plurality of laterally adjacent traces of substantial and varying lengths extending from adjacent, generally centralized die locations to the horizontally spaced, offset locations of vias extending to solder balls or other conductive elements for securing and electrically connecting the package to a carrier substrate. While a mechanically and electrically desirable packaging concept to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of I/Os for state-of-the-art dice, long, varying-length, closely mutually adjacent trace runs over the package substrate become abusive in terms of unacceptably increasing real impedance as well as lead inductance (both self and mutual) in the circuit. These trace runs also increase 1) signal reflection in the circuit due to transmission line effects and degrade signal integrity due to the aforementioned, 2) propagation delays, 3) switching noise, 4) crosstalk and 5) dispersion. Further, elimination of a die-attach pad, as in many BGA packages, also eliminates the potential for employing a ground plane under the die, and such a ground plane in any case would not alleviate the problems attendant to use of the long package trace runs.
Therefore, it would also be desirable for a BGA package to accommodate and substantially overcome inductance-related deficiencies so that full advantage of the beneficial aspects of the packaging concept might be realized in a relatively simple, cost-effective BGA package.
The present invention provides a BGA package supporting a fully populated array of solder balls or other conductive elements and exhibiting superior inductance characteristics.
The BGA package of the present invention comprises a base laminate or sandwich of a dielectric interposed between two conductive sheets and which, in turn, are respectively partially covered by two outer insulative layers. One conductive sheet is patterned to provide sites for the conductive elements of an array for connecting the semiconductor die of the package to external circuitry. The other conductive sheet is patterned to define a plurality of conductive traces, each trace extending from an interior die-attach location on the laminate to a location above a conductive site, or to a location suitable for connection to a ground plane for the package. A conductive die-attach pad may be provided at the same time as the traces and communicate with a trace for providing a ground or reference voltage for the semiconductor die. Vias formed with conductive material extend from the traces on one side of the laminate through the dielectric to the conductive element sites on the opposing side. An anisotropically or xe2x80x9cZ-axisxe2x80x9d conductive adhesive layer in the form of a film configured as a frame is then applied over the trace side of the laminate to define an interior region cavity including the die-attach location as well as openings in the frame to allow electrical connection between a conductive stiffener for the package formed as a lid extending over the die-attach location and appropriate conductive traces. The cavity is large enough to leave inner trace ends exposed for connection of bond pads of the semiconductor die thereto by wire bonds, although the invention is not limited to this interconnection technology. For example, the inner trace ends may be patterned as a conductive pad array to connect to intermediate conductive elements such as solder balls or epoxy pillars protruding from the active surface of a flip-chip configured die placed face down on the laminate.
A ground or other voltage reference plane element (hereinafter sometimes referenced generally as a xe2x80x9creference plane elementxe2x80x9d) is secured to the adhesive layer. Various embodiments of the structure of the BGA package of the invention include differing reference plane element structures, which in turn also permit different die enclosure techniques. In each embodiment, however, the insulative layer over the traces is provided with at least one through hole for connection of one or more circuit traces to the reference plane element by mutual contact with the anisotropically conductive adhesive layer.
In one embodiment, the reference plane element is also formed as a frame of like size and shape to the adhesive frame, and placed thereover in alignment therewith, providing a deepened cavity. It should be noted that the use of a relatively thick, and thus rigid, reference plane element permits the use of a flexible, tape-type base laminate in the package, and also provides additional mass to facilitate heat transfer from the semiconductor die. After the semiconductor die is back-bonded to the die-attach location on the base laminate, connections are formed between the traces and the bond pads of the die, after which the die, inner trace ends and connections may be encapsulated with a so-called xe2x80x9cglob topxe2x80x9d of dielectric material, providing physical and environment protection for the encapsulated elements. The reference plane element and underlying adhesive provide a four-sided dam to prevent unwanted lateral encapsulant spread.
In another embodiment, the reference plane element comprises an imperforate conductive sheet extending over the cavity defined by the adhesive frame. If the adhesive is particularly thick, the semiconductor die relatively thin, or a recess is provided in an unusually thick dielectric portion of the base laminate, the reference plane element may be planar in nature, providing a flat lid for the cavity containing the die. If, however, the die thickness plus the height of connecting elements such as wire bonds exceeds the thickness of the adhesive frame, the reference plane element may be formed with a central dome or protrusion over the cavity area to provide adequate clearance. Such a feature may also enhance package rigidity, while permitting use of thinner conductive sheet material for the reference plane element. In this embodiment, the die is connected to the conductive traces of the base laminate before the reference plane element is applied. A thick encapsulant may again be used to protect the die and connections, but it may be preferred, in this instance, to employ a low viscosity dielectric material to merely coat the exterior of the die and the connections to prevent shorting of the latter against the inner side of the reference plane element.
As alluded to previously, yet another embodiment of the invention includes a package configured for use with a flip-chip configured semiconductor die, wherein the upper conductive sheet of the base laminate is patterned with traces having ends configured and arranged in an array of pads or terminals for contact with intermediate conductive elements, such as solder balls or conductive epoxy pillars, protruding transversely from the active surface of the die. An encapsulant may be employed to surround and in-fill between the active surface of the die and the pads, or a reference plane element employed as a lid over the cavity area to enclose the die.

Cavity ball grid array apparatus having improved inductance characteristics


The present invention relates to improved processes for production of closed linear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), in particular cell-free enzymatic production of closed linear DNA molecules, preferably using a closed linear DNA as a template for DNA synthesis. The invention further relates to a novel closed linear DNA species, suitable for use as a template in the improved processes for production of closed linear DNA. Further, the invention pertains to the intermediate products of the processes, since this enables the production of larger quantities of closed linear DNA from the template than with methods known in the art.

The cell-free production of closed linear DNA has previously been described by the applicant in WO2010/086626 and WO2012/017210; which are hereby incorporated by reference. The method described in these applications relates to the production of linear double stranded DNA covalently closed at each end (closed linear DNA) using a DNA template, wherein the DNA template comprises at least one protelomerase recognition sequence, and where the template is amplified using at least one DNA polymerase and processed using a protelomerase enzyme to yield closed linear DNA. The closed ends of the closed linear DNA each include a portion of a protelomerase recognition sequence. The use of a closed linear DNA as a template is envisioned in the listed applications, and the use of such a template is advantageous, since it means that the minimum amount of reagents are wasted during production. Small-scale experimental production of closed linear DNA works well with a closed linear DNA template using these methods. However, the yield is lower than expected, and not sufficient for preparation of commercially viable amounts of closed linear DNA.
When a closed linear DNA template is used in the methods described above, the closed linear DNA molecule may be viewed as a single stranded circular molecule as depicted in FIG. 5. Usually, closed linear DNA as described herein is essentially fully complementary in sequence, although some minor variations or "wobbles" may be tolerated by the structure. Thus, the closed linear DNA may be at least 95% complementary, or at least 96, 97, 98, 99 or 100% complementary in sequence. When denatured, it is effectively a circular molecule comprising both forward (sense or plus) and reverse (antisense or minus) strands adjacent to each other. This is in contrast to plasmid DNA where the complementary sequences (minus and plus) lie on separate circular strands (FIG. 5, A compared to B).
The unique structure of closed linear DNA means that it can renature more readily than a plasmid and therefore oligonucleotide priming for DNA amplification by DNA polymerase can present more of a challenge. This is particularly the case where single primers are used that bind to the palindromic sequences comprising the protelomerase recognition sequence within the hairpin. The closed linear DNA template may be amplified using a strand-displacing polymerase which initially produces concatamers comprising single strands of DNA, each concatamer comprising multiple repeat units of the DNA template, each repeat unit being complementary in sequence to the original sequence of the closed linear DNA template. However, since each template includes both the plus and minus strands, the concatameric single strand DNA produced includes alternate minus and plus strand sequences as a "repeat unit". This can be compared with amplification from a plasmid, where the single strand that is produced from the circular template (either strand) comprises multiple repeats of the same sequence in the opposite orientation (i.e. a sense strand is replicated as a concatamer comprising multiple repeat units of the antisense strand). Thus, there are distinct structural differences in the concatameric product produced as a result of strand displacement replications of a plasmid DNA template and a closed linear DNA template. It is these structural differences in the product of amplification from a closed linear DNA that may result in inefficient generation of closed linear DNA.
Since the concatamers that are initially produced from the amplification of a closed linear DNA are a single strand of DNA, they are theoretically available as a template for further primer binding and thus further replication. This step generates a concatamer with two distinct complementary strands, and then either stand may be displaced to replicate a further new strand. The "double stranded" concatamer thus comprises two distinct complementary strands of DNA. Notionally, large amounts of amplification can take place from a small amount of initial template, due to the nature of the strand-displacement polymerase used. The double stranded DNA concatamer is important, since this is ultimately the substrate for the protelomerase enzyme used in the process of manufacture of closed linear DNA, as described in previous applications, such as WO2010/086626 and WO2012/017210.
However, the inventors have established that when closed linear DNA is used as a template, some or most of the "product" is formed as DNA nanoflowers, despite the addition of a protelomerase enzyme to cleave the complete protelomerase recognition sequences in the double stranded concatamers and form closed linear DNA. This is shown on FIG. 6. The single strand of DNA comprising alternate "plus" and "minus" strands is effectively self-complementary and therefore readily folds internally to compact structures known as DNA nanoflowers. These are essentially long single strands of concatameric DNA which have self-hybridised and are no longer available for priming or processing with protelomerase, since the strands are packed tightly together. This is far from the ideal scenario. Required for standard methods of closed linear DNA production is the production of linear double stranded concatamers using the initial single strand concatameric DNA as a template, and this double stranded intermediate is processable by a protelomerase to form closed linear DNA molecules (step K of FIG. 5). The complete protelomerase recognition sequence is formed from two complementary strands of DNA, in a duplex formation.
The adjacent plus—minus nature of the initial single strand of DNA produced by a strand-displacing polymerase acting on a closed linear DNA template results in extensive internal hybridisation of the concatamers to produce DNA nanoflowers (FIG. 6, step F). This compact, folded DNA structure prevents efficient oligonucleotide primer binding (FIG. 6, step G) necessary to convert the DNA nanoflowers into protelomerase-processable linear double stranded concatamers as used in the methods current in the art.
There is therefore a need for an improved in vitro process to efficiently amplify a closed linear DNA template at high DNA yields or alternatively put, to decrease the production of impenetrable DNA nanoflowers during production of closed linear DNA, and/or to increase the conversion of already formed DNA nanoflowers into closed linear DNA


An optical-device switching apparatus of a microscope includes a driving motor, and a rotation unit that is rotatably attached to a body and to which optical devices are attached, and a gear apparatus that is located between the driving motor and the rotation unit and transmits power from the driving motor to the rotation unit. The gear apparatus includes a backlash reduction system that reduces backlash.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical-device switching apparatus of a microscope such as a revolver apparatus for switching objective lenses and a turret apparatus for switching mirror cubes.
2. Description of the Related Art
A revolver apparatus using a driving motor for switching objective lenses is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-138354. The above revolver apparatus of a microscope includes a revolver body, a revolver rotator that is attached to the revolver body in a rotatable manner and includes a driving gear arranged near the periphery around a rotation axis, and a driving motor that rotates the revolver rotator using a power-transmission system. The driving motor is a step motor and controlled by a motor controller. A magnetic sensor probe, as a noncontact position detector, is fixed to the revolver body, and a position detection magnet is fixed to the revolver rotator. The number of the position-detection magnets corresponds to the number of lens-applied units. The position-detection magnet is fixed, keeping a fixed positional relation to the lens-applied unit that is formed on the revolver rotator.
In a rotor-plate switching apparatus of a microscope described in the above document, when a signal for positive rotation or negative rotation on of the revolver rotator is input to the motor controller, the motor controller outputs a driving pulse with a fixed frequency to rotate the driving motor at high speed so that the revolver rotator is rapidly rotated. Later, the frequency of the pulse is made low so that the driving motor is slowly rotated. During the low-speed rotation, the magnetic sensor probe detects the position-detection magnet, and then the revolver rotator stops rotating.

Optical-device switching apparatus for microscope


The present disclosure provides a reactor cell assembly that utilizes a novel design and that is wholly or partially manufactured from Aluminum, such that reactions involving Hydrogen, for example, including solid-gas reactions and thermal decomposition reactions, are not affected by any degree of Hydrogen outgassing. This reactor cell assembly can be utilized in a wide range of optical and laser spectroscopy applications, as well as optical microscopy applications, including high-temperature and high-pressure applications. The result is that the elucidation of the role of Hydrogen in the reactions studied can be achieved. Various window assemblies can be utilized, such that high temperatures and high pressures can be accommodated and the signals obtained can be optimized.

Reactions involving Hydrogen, including solid-gas reactions and thermal decomposition reactions, are especially challenging in spectroscopy and microscopy applications, as small amounts of Hydrogen outgassing from a stainless steel reactor cell assembly, for example, can affect the reactions and skew results. Such reactions are typically studied in a reactor cell assembly that includes a sample holder of some sort disposed within a well including a window of some sort. The body of the reactor cell assembly includes ports and conduits suitable for creating a vacuum within the well, as well as providing both a purge (i.e. inert) gas and a reactive gas to the sample.
What is still needed in the art is an improved reactor cell assembly that, while being functional in all other respects, does not exhibit any degree of Hydrogen outgassing, such that reactions involving Hydrogen, for example, including solid-gas reactions and thermal decomposition reactions, are not affected thereby.

Reactor cell assembly for use in spectroscopy and microscopy applications


Amorphous hydrogenated silicon-carbon alloys having particular usefulness in the preparation of photovoltaic devices, such as solar cells, with improved properties, such as high open circuit voltage with high fill factor and improved blue response, and stability, are provided by the process of depositing the alloy on a substrate maintained at a relatively low temperature below about 260.degree. C. in a vapor deposition chamber, and introducing a gaseous mixture comprising at least one compound having the formula (SiX.sub.3).sub.3 CX.sup.1 wherein each X and X.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and halogen, and a high proportion of hydrogen, in a ratio by volume of from about 50 parts to about 2000 parts hydrogen to 1 part of (SiX.sub.3).sub.3 CX.sup.1 compound, under deposition conditions of low excitation power density of less than about 50 mw/cm.sup.2, and high pressure of more than about 0.1 torr.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys, and, more particularly, to a process for producing improved hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys having carbon-silicon bonds, which are useful in the production of semiconductor devices and particularly photovoltaic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,830 teaches hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys which are improved as compared to previously known hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys, particularly those prepared by incorporating such gases as methane, germane, germanium tetrafluoride, diborane and phosphine in the deposition gas mixture. While the improvements provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,830 have been beneficial in the production of useful alloys for semiconductor devices, such as photovoltaic cells, it is desirable to provide further improvements in undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon-carbon alloys in order to attain such semiconductor devices as solar cells with even greater improved properties, such as higher open circuit voltages at desirable, active layer (i.e. the i-layer) bandgaps of 1.8 eV or more, high fill factors, and improved solar cell stability.

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon-carbon alloys and solar cells and other semiconductor devices produced therefrom


A locking system and a method for locking a container having an actuator for actuating a locking bolt, a container locking controller for controlling the actuator, a container communications device associated with the container locking controller for receiving a locking code, and a container code acquisition device for acquiring a locking code, wherein the container locking controller performs a comparison of received and acquired locking codes and in the event of a correct, matching locking code actuates the actuator, and wherein a central controller generates the locking code and transmits it to the container communications device through a dial-up communications network and a communications code is provided and delivered to the container locking controller by way of the container code acquisition device in such a manner that the container communications device can be activated thereby.

Such a locking system for a container has an actuator for actuating a locking bolt, wherein the actuator preferably can be operated electrically or magnetically, which is to say electromechanically, and thus acts on the locking bolt, wherein the locking bolt interacts with a corresponding mating part, usually an aperture, for engagement and corresponding locking. A container locking controller is provided for controlling the actuator. In the prior art, corresponding locking systems for containers are already in use, for example for truck semi-trailers.
When such locking systems are used in freight containers, in particular in air freight containers that are intended for vehicles, it is a fundamental problem to design corresponding locking systems that are sufficiently secure. Especially when shipping vehicles in such containers, it is necessary to ensure that prototypes or special racing vehicles, in particular, are reliably protected from access by unauthorized parties. The inclusion of keys or open pin codes in the shipping documents sent together with such a container results in a possible security risk in that it is not readily ensured that unauthorized persons cannot gain possession of the codes or keys and open a corresponding container without authorization.
In the area of containers that are permanently attached to truck trailers, an approach already exists to the effect that security codes for opening and closing such containers are sent via telecommunications devices so that opening can only occur with transmitted and correct security codes. However, this cannot be used in the area of air freight containers, in particular, since it is necessary to ensure that all communications devices are deactivated, at least during flight operations.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a locking system for a container, a freight container, in particular an air freight container specifically for shipping vehicles, that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide a locking system for a container that is secure, easy to handle, and can be used flexibly including for flight operations. This also applies to a method according to the invention for locking (and opening) a corresponding container.

Locking system and method for locking a container


Block copolymers are prepared by living-type or semi-living type free radical polymerization, with said copolymers having at least one random block comprised of at least one hydrophobic monomer and at least one hydrophilic monomer. The selection of hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers in the random block is determined by the relative hydrophobicity of the monomers to impart selected solubility or dispersability in water and/or alcohols of the overall block copolymer.

The present invention relates to novel block copolymers that include a random block comprised of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers. Polymers of this type are useful for many different applications, including pressure sensitive adhesives as well as personal care products. The polymers are prepared by radical polymerization techniques, which can control the architecture of the polymer.
Block copolymers are known as polymers comprising molecules in which there is a linear arrangement of blocks, a block being defined as a portion of a polymer molecule in which the monomeric units have at least one constitutional or configurational feature absent from the adjacent portions. In a block copolymer, the distinguishing feature is constitutional, i.e., each of the blocks comprises units derived from a characteristic species of monomer.
A common type of block copolymer is a thermoplastic elastomer. The thermoplastic elastomers in general use contain (i) polymeric blocks (usually referred to as xe2x80x9chardxe2x80x9d blocks or A blocks) which (a) are typically amorphous and have a glass transition temperature, Tg,A, which is well above room temperature, or (b) have a crystalline polymer backbone and have a crystalline melting point, Tm,A, which is well above room temperature, and (ii) amorphous polymeric blocks (usually referred to as xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d blocks or B blocks) which have a glass transition point, Tg,B, which is well below room temperature. Each soft block is linked to at least two hard blocks, so that at temperatures between Tg,B and Tm,A, or Tg,B and Tg,A, the amorphous B blocks are associated with each other, resulting in elastomeric behavior. Above Tm,A or Tg,A, melting or softening of the hard blocks permits viscous flow of the polymeric chains, resulting in thermoplastic behavior. Known thermoplastic elastomers are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,659 (Gobran), U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,526 (Allen), U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,978 (Manser), U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,388 (Schlademan), U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,324 (Husman), U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,213 (Schladman), U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,586 (Manser), U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,852 (Futamura), U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,613 (Wardle), U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,737 (Biddle et al), U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,644 (Wardle et al), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,794 (Biddle et al). The disclosure of each of those patents and articles is incorporated herein by reference.
However, none of these references has prepared ABA-type block copolymers that are water or alcohol soluble. Water and/or alcohol solubility is an important property for use in commercial applications, particularly consumer applications where water and/or alcohols are considered the safest solvents. In addition, a need exists in the art of thermoplastic elastomers to make these types of polymers more accessible to different types of applications, meaning that the solubility of the polymers needs to be carefully adjusted for particular uses. For example, the water or alcohol solubility of a thermoplastic elastomer for use as a pressure sensitive adhesive will be less that the solubility of a thermoplastic elastomer for use in cosmetic or hair care applications.
In addition, graft type copolymers are generally known. Graft copolymers however, generally differ from ABA block copolymers in that the grafts are not typically attached to a terminal end portion of the middle B block. Also, the control of the architecture and chemical composition of both the backbone and grafts are usually more difficult to achieve in a graft system as compared to a multiblock copolymer.
Thus, a need exists for a water or alcohol soluble or dispersible ABA block copolymer.
This invention solves the needs by providing ABA-type block copolymer thermoplastic elastomers that have a tunable solubility in water and/or alcohols: In particular, the polymers of this invention have a block of monomers in the structure that is a random polymerized block comprised of at least two monomers, where at least one of the at least two monomers is a hydrophobic monomer and another of the at least two monomers is hydrophilic. This random block should comprise a sufficient percentage of the overall molecular weight of the block copolymer so that the solubility is adjusted in the desired manner. The hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers are chosen, preferably, with sufficient difference in their absolute hydrophobicity (or hydrophilicity) so that copolymerization provides the tunability of the invention. In preferred methods, the absolute hydrophobicity is quantified by the absolute difference in the log P of the monomers. In other embodiments, the random block is either the A or B block.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a method of preparing ABA-type block copolymers that comprises at least one random block by using a living-type free radical polymerization method. The living-type free radical method can be chosen from a variety of known methods, with a nitroxide radical mediated process or a radical additional fragmentation transfer (RAFT) process being particularly preferred. The living-type free radical polymerization method can be applied to formation of one or more of the blocks in the block copolymers of this invention and preferably are applied to formation of all blocks in the copolymer.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a thermoplastic elastomeric polymer having an ABA-type structure with a random block to provide a desired water and/or alcohol solubility.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method of preparing thermoplastic elastomers using a free radical polymerization process, which employs living-type kinetics.
Further aspects and objects of this invention will be evident to those of skill in the art upon review of this specification.

ABA-type block copolymers having a random block of hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers and methods of making same


A conferencing server is provided for a data network telephony system for facilitating multi-party call conferencing. The conferencing server generally includes a session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling interface and a media conferencing module. The media conferencing module includes a number of selectable media decoders compliant with known media CODEC protocols, such as G.711. A number of media stream queues s are selectively coupled to the media decoders for storing the decoded incoming media streams. A jitter correction processor is provided to compensate for arrival time jitter in the data stored in the media stream queues. A mixer, which receives the jitter corrected data from each of the queues, generates an aggregate conferencing stream of all active participants and generates individual participant conference streams for each active participant in the conference. A number of selectable media encoders are then used to encode the individual participant conference streams in accordance with a media CODEC protocol supported by the respective participant. The encoded participant conference streams are then distributed to the various conference participants via the data network, such as the Internet.

The Internet has evolved into an essential communication tool for millions of users in the business, technical and educational fields. In this regard, a growing use of the Internet relates to Internet telephony which provides a number of advantages over conventional circuit-switched network telephony systems that are controlled by a separate signaling network.
An important feature in most modem telephony systems is multi-party conferencing. Multi-party conferencing can range from simple three party calls to multi-casts involving thousands of participants. Internet telephony systems generally use either the H.323 signaling protocol or the session initiation protocol (SIP) for signaling and call control functions. In the case of H.323, this protocol includes a defined multipoint control unit (MCU) for handling multi-party conferences. Although SIP supports various multi-party conferencing models, there is no rigid definition for a conferencing entity in SIP. In addition, as the H.323 protocol and SIP continue to compete in the market place, it will be increasingly important to provide systems which can effectively establish conferences among users whose equipment is compliant with only one of these two signaling protocols.
The session initiation protocol (SIP) is gaining in popularity as a standard signaling protocol for use in Internet telephony. As this popularity grows, it will be increasingly desirable to provide a system architecture and method for providing improved conferencing services in SIP based systems.

System and method for conferencing in inter/intranet telephony

The Trustees of Columbia University in City of New York


A holographic replicator configured to mass-manufacture volumetric transmission holograms and including an imaging tank having a holographic master plate opposing a pneumatic absorber. When a segment of a recording film, moveable with respect to the master plate, is placed between the master plate and the pneumatic absorber, the pneumatic absorber is repositioned in space to locks the segment of the recording film between the master plate and the pneumatic absorber.

Solar energy will satisfy an important part of future energy needs. While the need in solar energy output has grown dramatically in recent years, the total output from all solar installations worldwide still remains around 7 gigawatts, which is only a tiny fraction of the world's energy requirement. High material and manufacturing costs, low solar module efficiency, and shortage of refined silicon limit the scale of solar power development required to effectively compete with the use of coal and liquid fossil fuels.
The key issue currently faced by the solar industry is how to reduce system cost. The main-stream technologies that are being explored to improve the cost-per-kilowatt of solar power are directed to (i) improving the efficiency of solar cells that comprise solar modules, and (ii) delivering greater amounts of solar radiation onto the solar cell. In particular, these technologies include developing thin-film, polymer, and dye-sensitized photovoltaic (PV) cells to replace expensive semiconductor material based solar cells, the use of high-efficiency smaller-area photovoltaic devices, and implementation of low-cost collectors and concentrators of solar energy.
While the reduction of use of semiconductor-based solar cells is showing great promise, for example, in central power station applications, it remains disadvantageous for residential applications due to the form factor and significantly higher initial costs. Indeed, today's residential solar arrays are typically fabricated with silicon photovoltaic cells, and the silicon material constitutes the major cost of the module. Therefore techniques that can reduce the amount of silicon used in the module without reducing output power will lower the cost of the modules.
The use of devices adapted to concentrate solar radiation on a solar cell is one such technique. Various light concentrators have been disclosed in related art, for example a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC); a planar concentrator such as, for example, a holographic planar concentrator (HPC) including a planar highly transparent plate and a holographically-recorded optical element mounted on its surface; and a spectrum-splitting concentrator (SSC) that includes multiple, single junction PV cells that are separately optimized for high efficiency operation in respectively-corresponding distinct spectral bands. A conventionally-used HPC is deficient in that the collection angle, within which the incident solar light is diffracted to illuminate the solar cell, is limited to about 45 degrees. Production of a typical SSC, on the other hand, requires the use of complex fabrication techniques.
Volume holographic diffraction gratings have shown to be viable products for solar concentration. The gratings take the incoming light and bend the light to specific angles, based on the specific wavelength of light. With the appropriate grating and module configuration, the light that hits the grating is bent towards the PV material, increasing the amount of light it would see otherwise.
However, the production of volume holograms, especially those in the transmission configuration, is a time consuming process with low repeatability. Specifically, holograms are typically copied by positioning holographic recording film adjacent to a master holographic plate. The master hologram is then illuminated with a coherent reference beam, resulting in a replication of the curvature, direction, and wavelength of the original reference beam used to create the master hologram, which in turn creates a replica of the master hologram on the recording film. During this process, it is critical that the film and master holographic plate are fixed in place as any relative movement will corrupt the reproduction. Due to this limitation, current techniques require that significant time be expended stabilizing the system, which limits the rate at which the holograms can be replicated. Because the laser used to illuminate the master hologram is running the entire time and because it has a limited number of hours of continuous operation before it needs to be replaced or reworked, the stabilization time limits the amount of holographic film a laser can produce in its lifetime. Therefore a method and system is needed which allows for volume holograms, which are suitable for solar applications, to be mass produced in a cost-effective manner and which maximizes the productivity of the laser.

Volume hologram replicator for transmission type gratings


Methods and systems that facilitate automatic generation of Application Programming Interface (API) specification from web traffic. Methods include obtaining a plurality of API requests and responses to the plurality of API requests. Methods include processing these API requests and responses to API requests to identify one or more attributes, such as, for example, variables, query parameters, response status codes, and response schemas. Methods include identifying variables using a tree data structure to represent resource paths. Methods include identifying query parameters based on resource items in resource paths. Methods include determining that the API call does not conform to the API specification by comparing one or more attributes of the API call with the attributes of the API specification.

A server may provide various services that can be consumed via application programming interface (API) requests from applications running on client devices. However, the full set of services provided by the server may either not be documented or may only be partially documented in an API specification. Moreover, the services may change over time, with new services being added. Discovery of these services and how to instantiate them may be difficult in the absence of an accurate API specification.


Apparatus and methods for storing data in a block to provide improved accessibility of the stored data in two or more dimensions. The data is loaded into memory macros constituting a row of the block such that sequential values in the data are loaded into sequential memory macros. The data loaded in the row is circularly shifted a predetermined number of columns relative to the preceding row. The circularly shifted row of data is stored, and the process is repeated until a predetermined number of rows of data are stored. A two dimensional (2D) data block is thereby formed. Each memory macro is a predetermined number of bits wide and each column is one memory macro wide.

A fast Fourier transform (FFT) is an efficient algorithm to compute the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and its inverse. There are many distinct FFT algorithms involving a wide range of mathematics, from simple complex-number arithmetic to group theory and number theory.
A DFT decomposes a sequence of values into components of different frequencies. It is defined by the formula:
                                          X            k                    =                                                    ∑                                  n                  =                  0                                                  N                  -                  1                                                                                x                  n                                                                  ⅇ                                                            -                      ⅈ                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                                k                                                              n                      N                                                                                k                                      =            0                          ,        1        ,        …                                          ,                  N          -          1                                    Equation                                                  1
This operation is useful in many fields, but computing it directly from the definition is often too slow to be practical. An FFT is a way to compute the same result more quickly. The difference in speed can be substantial, especially for long data sets where N may be in the thousands or millions—in practice, the computation time can be reduced by several orders of magnitude in such cases, and the improvement is roughly proportional to N/log(N). This huge improvement made many DFT-based algorithms practical; FFTs are of great importance to a wide variety of applications, from digital signal processing and solving partial differential equations to algorithms for quick multiplication of large integers.
However, the calculation of multi-dimensional FFTs may still pose a number of difficulties. One such difficulty is the efficient access of the data in various dimensions. An efficient means of storing and accessing data representing multiple dimensional arrays of values, for example two dimensional (2D) data from digital images, or three dimensional (3D) data from a series of digital images making up a video stream is desirable to quickly calculate FFTs within such data along multiple dimensions and/or axes.
Further, in many cases, such as phase plane correlation (PPC) of video images, it may be desirable to perform compound functions on the data, possibly over multiple dimensions. For example, in PPC it is desirable to be able to rapidly perform complex multiplication of data from sequential images, followed by FFTs over all of the rows and columns of the images.
SIMD processors are well suited to performing the same operation on multiple elements of data simultaneously. Typically, parallel processing portions of a single arithmetic logic unit (often viewed as individual parallel ALUs) may operate on portions of operands simultaneously.
SIMD architecture is generally well known, and described in John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson, David Goldberg, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach (Morgan Kaufmann, 2003)—ISBN: 1558605967, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Specialized SIMD processors are particularly well suited for operating on data representing video. Processing of video, in turn, requires numerous specialized calculations.
Known media processors and digital signal processors typically require multiple processor clock cycles to perform separate instructions such as complex multiplication and FFTs. Further, the access of data in multiple dimensions stored in standard random access memory schemes may take additional clock cycles.
A memory storage method capable of more efficiently accessing multi-dimensional data across various axes and a processor capable of efficiently determining complex multiplication and FFT functions within such multi-dimensional data sets would be desirable.

Method and apparatus for improved calculation of multiple dimension fast fourier transforms


A rechargeable filter assembly for removal of contaminants from liquids of all types, particularly dry cleaning solvents comprising three nested and spaced apart concentric perforated metal cylinders defining an inner cavity and an outer cavity held in spatial relationship by a base plate and removable lid. With the lid and outer perforated cylinder (exterior shell) removed, a removable and disposable filter unit may be placed within the outer cavity and similar, or different, filter medium may be placed within the inner cavity. The gaskets of the filter unit in conjunction with the lid, the base, the conduit, exterior shell and the inner perforated cylinder provide seals which prevent liquids from bypassing the filter unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reusable filter assembly containing removable and disposable filter elements, usually comprising a pleated paper element and an inner cavity filled with granular activated carbon and/or other materials. The filter assembly may be used to remove contaminants from liquids of all types, but it particularly addresses the filtration of dry cleaning solvent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until recently, most filters, including those used within the dry cleaning industry, were manufactured in a sealed housing made of metallic or other rigid materials that enclose the various filter elements such as paper, activated charcoal and clay pellets. The filter materials are designed to absorb various contaminants from liquids used for various purposes, e.g. cleaning and lubricating. Eventually, the filters become saturated and are unable to absorb any further contaminants and must be replaced. Since the filter assemblies are sealed, the complete assembly must be removed and a new one put in its place.
Disposal of this entire assembly creates several problems. Often the contaminants contained within a saturated filter unit are hazardous in nature and must be extracted from the sealed filter assembly prior to their proper disposal in a land fill. Disposal of the housing within a land fill adds non-degradable bulk to the land fill. The disposal of these rigid housings is expensive, and a waste of natural resources.
The following inventions are examples of sealed filters used in the dry cleaning industry:
______________________________________ Brucken, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,178,025 McMichael U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,179 Suchy U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,191 Hartley U.S. Pat. No. 3,263,812 Tuffnell U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,117 Giampalmi, Jr., et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,347 Bauer U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,005. ______________________________________
An extensive field for utilization of filters is related to the filtration of the lubricating oil used within internal combustion engines. In this field, devices incorporating reusable filter elements have been known for a number of years; however, these filters are of a very different structure than those used within the dry cleaning industry as dictated by their different use. Examples of this type filter follow:
______________________________________ Eberle U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,688 Hultgren U.S. Pat. No. 3,260,367 Wood, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,429 Scavuzzo, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,703 Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,018 Russo U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,374 Cote, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,011 Medley, III U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,979. ______________________________________
The development and widespread use of reusable filter assemblies within the dry cleaning industry have met with problems which limit complete acceptance of their use. One such problem relates to contamination of the filtered fluid during removal and replacement of the filter elements. Two examples of inventions intended to resolve this type problem are as follows:
______________________________________ Cooper U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,763 Tafara U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,959. ______________________________________
Another problem relates to ease of access for removal of the filters:
Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,337, discloses a system for separating the filter assembly into two parts for ease of removal from the process housing;
Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,398, utilizes a hinged side opening;
Tokar, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,373, utilizes a "peel away" paper filter medium; and
Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,202, utilizes a quick release mounting system which attaches the cartridge to the housing.
Another major problem relates to proper sealing between the elements and the filter assembly to prevent unfiltered liquid from bypassing the filter elements and re-entering the treated fluid stream. Close, U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,626, addresses this problem by providing a complex clamping and sealing means. Barrington, U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,379, seeks to solve this problem by providing two sealing means at either end of the paper filter element with one of the sealing means being removable from the core in order to permit replacement of the element. This invention however does not provide protection for the paper filter assemblies during insertion in the housing. Brucken, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,334 discloses a removable filter to be used in a home washer/dry cleaning apparatus in which the sealing system is incomplete as fluid is permitted to bypass the filter system.


An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes a main body including two first frames facing each other and a second frame bridging a gap between the first frames, an image forming unit disposed between the first frames, a feed roller unit including a first roller and a second roller supported by the second frame so as to contact the first roller in a position away from the first frame, an urging member providing an urging force to bring the first roller into contact with the second roller in a direction parallel to the first frames, and a spacer detachably attached between the main body and one of the first and second rollers near at least one of the first frames, so as to separate the first roller from the second roller or weaken a contact force between the first roller and the second roller against the urging force.

1. Technical Field
The following description relates to one or more techniques concerning an image forming apparatus, in particular, to one or more techniques concerning a configuration of the image forming apparatus during transport and a transport tool employed for transporting the image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
So far, an image forming apparatus has been known, which includes a pair of frames disposed to face each other and an intermediate frame disposed to bridge a gap between the frames. The known image forming apparatus further includes a pair of feed rollers, such as registration rollers, which are pressed by each other so as to nip and feed a sheet. Especially, the registration rollers are pressed with a relatively high pressing force, so as to once regulate the leading end of the sheet to be conveyed in a state where the registration rollers are stopped (not driven). Further, in the known image forming apparatus, one of the registration rollers is supported by the intermediate frame and pressed by the other one toward the intermediate frame.

Image forming apparatus with transport tool for separating a first roller and a second roller of a feed roller unit during transport of the image forming apparatus