A communication apparatus wherein in a case of reporting a reception quality measured for each of a plurality of subbands, even if the band is widened, the degradation in transmission efficiency can be avoided. In this apparatus, an antenna (101) receives the pilot signals superimposed on a plurality of subbands in a predetermined band. A quality level calculating unit (107) uses the received pilot signals to measure the reception qualities of the respective subbands. A CQI selecting unit (109) selects one of a plurality of CQI values that corresponds to one of the measured reception qualities for each subband. A feedback information generating unit (110) calculates a first average value of the selected CQI values, calculates a second average value of the CQI values indicating better reception qualities than the first average value, and calculates a difference value between the second average value and each of the CQI values indicating better reception qualities than the second average value. A transmitting unit (160) transmits, as feedback information, the first and second average values and the difference values to the other end of communication.

Conventionally, the mobile communication system is known where the result of measurement of reception quality state in a downlink channel is reported as a CQI from a communication terminal apparatus such as a mobile phone to a base station, to perform link adaptation for a downlink channel (for example, transmission power control, adaptive modulation, and adaptive demodulation) or scheduling of packets to transmit to each user (for example, see Patent Literature 1). Here, although a CQI is equivalent to Ec/I0 of the common pilot channel (ratio of received chip energy to interference power), according to the present application, a CQI is not limited to Ec/I0, and also refers to an indicator or feedback information that show the reception quality state of radio channel such as propagation loss, reception power, and the ratio of signal to interference power.
Further, conventionally, because frequency-selective fading occurs following the trend of broadbandization in a mobile communication system, a mobile communication system for efficiently transmitting data is known where each of a plurality of users use a different frequency band having a good condition. According to this mobile communication system, the whole frequency band to use is divided into a plurality of sub-bands, and a CQI is measured and reported per sub-band.
Further, in recent years, in the digital radio communication system, high speed transmission has started gaining popularity. Further, in the future mobile communication system, further broadbandization is expected to realize high transmission rate, short delay, and large capacity.

Communication apparatus and method for reporting reception quality


An automated lighting instrument according to the present invention includes multiple motorized parameters and operates at a low noise level with improved thermal management devices such as a reflector coated with a cold mirror film, a metallic heat sink, a housing with ventilating holes, and thermally isolating motor mounts. The improved thermal management devices provide the basis for an improved method for managing the thermal characteristics of the automated lighting instrument of the present invention.

Conventional fixed-focus lighting instruments typically include a 1000 watt incandescent lamp, such as a Par (Parabolic Aluminum Reflector) 64 lamp with integral reflector, mounted in a cylindrical metal housing suspended within a metal yoke. The lamp produces a high intensity beam which includes a visible portion and a potentially damaging infrared portion. The heat generated by the lamp is partly alleviated by free convection through ventilation holes at the lamp housing. Heat tolerant materials must be used within the housing to avoid damage from the heat or frequent replacement.
The instrument may be hung from pipes or trusses suspended over a stage and adjusted manually for azimuth and elevation (focus). Thereafter the focus of the instrument remains fixed throughout the ensuing performance. Typically, a frame mounted on one end of the lamp housing holds a sheet of colored plastic or "gel" which is used for imparting a particular color to the light beam. The gel is installed manually, and the color of the beam remains fixed throughout the performance. Burning of the sheet or gel due to the heat from the beam requires changing of the sheet or gel, which may not be an easy task when the instrument is hung, especially if changing is required during a performance.
More recently, motorized gel-changer mechanisms have been installed on conventional fixed-focus lighting instruments to vary the color of the light beam during a performance. These gel-changer mechanisms may include a motor to wind and unwind a scroll of gels which are taped together and may further include control electronics responsive to a control signal input to position a selected gel in front of the light beam. A fan is then necessary to provide forced air cooling for the gel scroll, the control electronics and the motor. Without the fan, the high temperature within the lamp housing may cause the gel to burn or cause the electronics to fail.
Automated luminaries include within their housings motorized mechanisms for varying multiple parameters. For example a motorized yoke assembly may be used for adjusting the azimuth and elevation of the lamp housing; motorized mechanisms for moving glass color filters for adjusting the color of the light beam; and lenses and other beam shaping devices coupled to motorized mechanisms for adjusting the size and shape of the light beam. Control electronics responsive to control signal inputs may also be included within the lamp housing and/or the motorized yoke assembly. One or more fans are usually required to cool the motors and electronics, as well as to cool various parts of the motorized mechanisms. Louvers and baffles are included in the luminaire to permit hot air to exit the lamp housing while preventing stray light rays from exiting the housing in random directions.
One disadvantage of forced air cooling in entertainment lighting instruments becomes evident in certain applications in which the sound produced by the entertainers is at relatively low levels, such as in a stage play or opera. The noise generated by the fans incorporated in the lighting instruments, while not noticeable during a high-volume rock concert or country music show, can become distracting during the relatively quiet moments of a stage play, classical music performance or opera. However, reliable operation of an automated luminaire without forced air ventilation from fans or other improved heat management designs may be impractical if not impossible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automated lighting instrument having multiple variable parameters which includes improved heat management designs so that the instrument operates quietly without a fan.

Thermal management techniques for lighting instruments


Embodiments are directed to managing event information. A plurality of events associated with entities may be provided. A plurality of state types may be determined based on the plurality of events such that each state type is associated with a state. State keys associated with each entity may be determined based on events associated with each entity and the state types. A state stream for each entity may be provided based on their state keys such that each state stream may be an ordered sequence of the keys associated with each entity. In response to a query that includes a pattern filter, the pattern filter may be employed to determine a portion of the entities based on the state stream for each entity such that the pattern filter matches the state stream for each of the portion of the entities.

Organizations are generating and collecting an ever increasing amount of data. This data may be associated with disparate parts of the organization, such as, consumer activity, manufacturing activity, customer service, server logs, or the like. Further, in many cases, the data represents a change in state associated with a given activity. In some cases, modern data processing systems may enable organizations to view the current state of a system. However, often information associated with a sequence of actions or events that result in a current state may be difficult to discern using conventional data processing systems. Even if detailed logs or event histories may be maintained or collected, the construction or execution of queries, or the like, that provide actionable insights may be limited because of various factors, including, the amount of data, the intermingling of data, the lack of structure, or the like. Thus, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.


A negative resist composition comprises at least a constituent component which has a vinyl ether structure protected with an acetal in a molecule thereof. In the formation of negative resist patterns, an aqueous basic solution can be used without swelling.

This application is based upon and claims priorities of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-266041, filed Sep. 1, 2000, and No. 2001-168630, filed Jun. 4, 2001, the contents being incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resist composition and, more particularly, to a negative resist composition capable of being developed with an aqueous basic solution, a process for forming a resist pattern using the resist composition, and a process for manufacturing an electron device.
2. Description of the Related Art
LSI and VLSI have come to be used practically in recent years accompanying the process of higher levels of integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, and the minimum line width of the wiring pattern has reached the submicron order. Consequently, it is become essential to establish hyperfine machining technologies. In the field of lithography, as a means of responding to the above requirements, ultraviolet rays as the exposure light source have changed to far-ultraviolet rays having shorter wavelengths, and at the same time, considerable research has been conducted on improvements in the exposure methods using said far-ultraviolet rays as the exposure source. With this research, in the field of resist materials as well, there is a need to develop materials which combine lower absorption of light at the shorter wavelengths described above, have favorable sensitivity and have high tolerance to dry etching.
Described in more detail, research has been actively conducted on photolithography using a krypton fluoride excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm, abbreviated as KrF) as a new type of exposure light source in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, and practical application has already begun. In addition, a resist composition using a concept referred to as chemical amplification has already been proposed by H. Ito, et al. of the IBM Corporation of the USA as a resist having high sensitivity and high resolution and being compatible with such short wavelength light sources (see, for example, J. M. J. Frechet et al., Proc. Microcircuit Eng., 260 (1982), H. Ito et al., Digest of Technical Papers of 1982 Symposium on VLSI Technology, 86 (1983), H. Ito et al., xe2x80x9cPolymers in Electronicsxe2x80x9d, ACS Symposium Series 242, T. Davidson ed., ACS, 11 (1984), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,628 (1985)). As can be easily understood from the above-mentioned references, the basic concept of this type of resist composition is to improve the apparent quantum yield by causing a catalytic reaction within the resist film to thereby increase the sensitivity and resolution of the resist composition.
In looking at the example of a chemically amplified, positive resist in which a photo acid generator (PAG), which has the effect of generating acid by light, is added to poly(t-butoxycarbonyloxystyrene) (t-BOCPVP), on which a broad range of research has been conducted thus far, at the exposed portion of the resist, protective groups in the form of t-BOC groups are deprotected by heating after exposure, namely so-called xe2x80x9cPEB (post-exposure baking)xe2x80x9d, resulting in butene and carbon dioxide. The protonic acid formed during deprotection of t-BOC serves as a catalyst which causes the above-mentioned protective group deprotection reaction to proceed along the chain, thereby resulting in a considerable change in the polarity of the exposed portion. Accordingly, a resist pattern can be formed by selecting an appropriate developer which is able to accommodate the large change in polarity of the exposed portion.
More recently, an argon fluoride excimer laser (wavelength: 193 nm, abbreviated as ArF) having a shorter wavelength was expected to be used as the exposure light source for manufacturing further advanced high-integration semiconductor devices such as 1 GbitDRAM devices. However, a conventionally used phenol resin can not be used as a base resin because it strongly absorbs light at the short wavelength of ArF. It is therefore essential to change the base resin of the resist composition. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop a resist which can be used with short wavelengths.
Heretofore, a positive resist has actively been developed as the chemically amplified resist which can be applied at the wavelength of ArF (see, for example, K. Nozaki et al., Chem. Mater., 6, 1492 (1994), K. Nakano et al., Proc., SPIE, 2195, 194 (1994), R. D. Allen et al., Proc. SPIE, 2438, 474 (1994), Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 9-90637, K. Nozaki et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 35, L528 (1996), K. Nozaki et al., J. Photopolym. Sci. Technol., 10 (4), 545-550 (1997)). Actually, there were few reports on a single-layer chemically amplified negative resist and almost all of them were reports on a crosslinking type resist. In the crosslinking type resists disclosed in A. Katsuyama et al., Abstracted Papers of Third International Symposium on 193 nm Lithography, 51 (1997), Maeda et al., Collected Preliminary Manuscript No. 2,647 (3a-SC-17) (1997) of the 58th Applied Physical Society, T Naito et al., Proc. SPIE, 3333, 503 (1998), Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-122288, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-147769, the molecular weight is enhanced by utilizing the crosslinking reaction of the exposed portion to form a difference in solubility in developer between the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion, and thus patterning is conducted. Therefore, limitations on hyperfine machining technologies, due to swelling of the pattern, could not be avoided.
Also a single-layer chemically amplified negative resist using intramolecular lactonization utilizing a hydroxycarboxylic acid structure (see, for example, Y. Yokoyama et al., J. Photopolym. Sci. Technol., 13 (4), 579 (2000)) and a change in polarity due to pinacol rearrangement) (see, for example, S. Cho et al., Proc. SPIE. 3999, 62 (2000)) has recently been reported. However, the use of intramolecular lactonization causes a problem in which high contrast is not easily obtained because of comparatively small change in polarity, while the use of pinacol rearrangement causes problems such as poor adhesion to the substrate due to fluorine and poor storage stability due to maleic anhydride, and thus single-layer chemically amplified negative resists are still imperfect. Although the present inventors have previously developed a single-layer chemically amplified negative resist using a change in polarity due to the intramolecular protection reaction (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-311860 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-305436), there was a problem that high sensitivity is not easily obtained because of the intramolecular reaction.
A negative resist is required when using a phase-shift mask as a super resolution technology which has recently been researched actively and a mask which projects an optical image and is called a Levenson type mask (expected to be used as a technique to obtain definition at an exposure wavelength or lower), and a negative resist is also strongly required in the case of ArF exposure. It is considered that these masks are applied when a definition of 130 nm or lower is required using ArF as a light source. Thus, there is currently a pressing need to develop a resist which can be used without causing swelling.
In order to solve the technical problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel negative resist composition which allows the use of an aqueous basic solution as the developer and is capable of forming a hyperfine pattern which has a sensitivity suited for practical use and is free from swelling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel resist composition which can be exposed in the deep ultraviolet wavelength region as in the case of a KrF or ArF excimer laser and also has excellent resistance to dry etching.
A still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel resist composition which is capable of forming a hyperfine pattern having both high sensitivity, high contrast and high resolution by enhancing a difference in polarity between the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a useful process using the resist composition of the present invention.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a process for forming a resist pattern using the resist composition of the present invention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing various electronic devices, including semiconductor devices such as LSICs or VLSICs and magnetic recording heads such as MR heads, using the resist composition of the present invention.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.
As a result of earnest research to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that it is important to use, as a base resin, a film-forming polymer which has an alkali-soluble group and is soluble in an aqueous basic solution, and use a vinyl ether structure protected with an acetal in combination with the film-forming polymer in a chemically amplified resist composition.
The present invention provides a negative resist composition comprising at least a constituent component which has a vinyl ether structure protected with an acetal (acetal-protected vinyl ether structure) in its molecule.
In the negative resist composition of the present invention, the constituent component having an acetal-protected vinyl ether structure can take various forms, but is preferably a film-forming polymer which is soluble in an aqueous basic solution and has an alkali-soluble group, and which contains the acetal-protected vinyl ether structure in the side chain thereof. In such a case, the negative resist composition of the present invention preferably comprises a film-forming polymer and a photo acid generator capable of generating an acid which can react with the alkali-soluble group after the acetal-protected vinyl ether structure produces the deacetalization reaction when decomposed as a result of absorption of imaging radiation, and the negative resist composition itself is soluble in an aqueous basic solution and the exposed portion becomes insoluble in an alkali after exposure.
The constituent component having an acetal-protected vinyl ether structure may be a compound containing the acetal-protected vinyl ether structure in its molecule. In such a case, the negative resist composition of the present invention preferably comprises a combination of the compound containing an acetal-protected vinyl ether structure and a photo acid generator capable of generating an acid which can react with the alkali-soluble group after the acetal-protected vinyl ether structure produces the deacetalization reaction when decomposed as a result of absorption of imaging radiation, and the negative resist composition itself is soluble in an aqueous basic solution and the exposed portion becomes insoluble in an alkali after exposure.
The present invention also provides a process, for forming a resist pattern, which comprises the following steps of:
applying the negative resist composition of the present invention on a to-be-treated substrate;
selectively exposing the formed resist film to imaging radiation capable of provoking decomposition of a photo acid generator of the resist composition, and
developing the exposed resist film with an aqueous basic solution.
The present invention also provides a process for manufacturing an electronic device, which comprises the step of selectively removing an underlying to-be-treated substrate using a resist pattern, formed from the negative resist composition of the present invention, as a masking means to form a predetermined functional element layer. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cfunctional element layerxe2x80x9d means those contained in the electronic device as a constituent feature and refers to an arbitrary patterned layer and others capable of contributing to the production of a function of the electron device, as described in detail below.
The process for manufacturing the electron device of the present invention preferably comprises the following steps of:
applying the negative resist composition on a to-be-treated substrate;
selectively exposing the formed resist film to imaging radiation capable of provoking decomposition of a photo acid generator of the resist composition,
developing the exposed resist film with an aqueous basic solution to form a resist pattern; and
selectively removing the underlying to-be-treated substrate by etching using the resist pattern as a masking means to form a predetermined functional element layer.
Furthermore, in the process for forming a resist pattern and the process for manufacturing an electron device according to the present invention, the exposure step in the formation of the resist pattern is preferably carried out through a phase shift mask.

Negative resist composition, process for forming resist patterns, and process for manufacturing electron device


A switch-mode modular power supply is provided with pluggable output connectors for improved safety and simplicity of installation. The power supply has a box-shaped housing with a first end and an opposing second end. A plurality of output modules are positioned proximate the second end of the housing, with each output module having an output connector with a connector housing and a plurality of pluggable contact terminals. The output connectors are arranged in parallel across the second end of the housing and accessible from outside of the housing. The pluggable contact terminals for each of the output connectors are effective to provide an output power from the associated output module.

The present invention relates generally to switch mode power supplies. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular power supply architecture having a pluggable interface and methods of installation with regards to the same.
With reference to a conventional modular power supply such as shown in FIG. 1, terminal blocks or BUS-BAR interconnects have typically been used for input and output power terminals. Such interconnection systems require substantial time and effort for an operator to configure and connect the modular power supply to the end system. In some high density systems it is possible that shorting of the output terminal may occur as a result of, for example, mis-wiring by the operator.
It would be desirable therefore to provide a modular power supply with a simplified interconnect system that would reduce installation time and further reduce potential hazards which may result from operator error.

Modular power supply interconnection system with pluggable interface


A storage system comprises multiple first storage apparatuses, and a controller which provides a first logical volume corresponding to a storage area of the multiple first storage apparatuses to a host computer. The controller partitions a storage area corresponding to the first logical volume into multiple first physical storage areas, manages the partitioned multiple first physical storage areas as physical storage areas of a storage pool, creates a first virtual volume which is provided to the host computer, and associates, from among the multiple first physical storage areas, a physical storage area in which user data is stored, with the first virtual volume.

A storage system provides a logical volume, which is a logical storage area, to a higher-level apparatus, such as a host computer. In addition to a normal volume to which a storage system physical storage area of the same capacity as the logical volume is allocated beforehand, the logical volume includes a Thin provisioning volume to which a physical storage area of the required capacity is dynamically allocated to the logical volume when a write has been performed. In a Thin provisioning volume, a large capacity virtual volume is provided to the host computer, and when a write request has been received from the host computer, a physical storage area inside the storage system is allocated only to the area corresponding to the write. Therefore, compared to the normal volume, the Thin provisioning volume makes it possible to reduce the physical storage area used by the storage system, and, in turn, to greatly reduce costs.
Patent Literature 1 discloses technology for migrating normal volume data to a Thin provisioning volume. In accordance with this, the storage system exercises control such that a physical storage area inside the storage system is allocated once to the entire area of the migration-destination Thin provisioning volume, and thereafter, a physical storage area inside the storage system is allocated only to the area in which the user data is stored, thereby reducing physical storage area consumption and enabling the effective use of the physical storage area.

Storage system and management method therefor


A “split-substrate” design is described for the metal ground layer in the suspension for a slider for use in a disk drive that reduces crosstalk from signals being transmitted on the conductive traces and allows externally induced interference to be shunted away from sensitive traces along selected portions of the suspension. In embodiments of the invention a slit formed in the metal ground layer to provide two parallel ground paths respectively on the left and right sides of the selected portion of the suspension. By positioning interference signal generating traces like writer traces on one side of the slit, that side becomes the noisy ground path leaving the other side as a “quiet” ground path. The shape, positioning and grounding of the split substrate structure can shunt return/ground currents created by external RFI into the noisy leg and thereby shield the quiet leg.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of selected components of a disk drive 10 according to the prior art. The disk drive includes at least one magnetic recording disk 12 that rotates on spindle 13 in direction 15 driven by a spindle motor (not shown). Housing or baseplate 16 provides support for the components. The upper portion of the outer protective case, which is present for normal operation, is removed for this illustration. The data is recorded in concentric or spiral data tracks 26 that are generally circular. Only a small sample of the many tracks are shown. In practice there are thousands of tracks that extend 360 degrees around the disk. The disk drive includes actuator 14 that pivots on pivot point 17 driven by a rotary voice coil motor (VCM) (not shown). The actuator 14 includes a rigid actuator arm 18. A flexible wiring cable 24, which is usually called the "flex cable," connects the devices on the actuator including read and write heads (not shown) in the slider 22 and the read/write integrated circuit chip (R/W IC) 21 shown) to the drive's electronics (not shown). The R/W IC 21, which is also variously called the arm electronics IC, preamplifier chip or preamp, is typically mounted on the actuator arm or integrated into the flex cable. A suspension 20, which is attached to the end of arm 18, includes a flexure/gimbal element (not shown) on which the air-bearing slider 22 is mounted to allow flexible movement during operation. As the disk 12 rotates, the slider with read/write heads is positioned over a track to read and write the magnetic transitions. Disk drives often have more than one disk mounted on the spindle and the upper and lower surfaces of each disk can have magnetic recording material thereon, and the actuators with components mounted thereon are replicated as needed to access each of the recording surfaces.
The flex cable 24 provides electrical connections between the actuators and the drive electronics on a circuit board (not shown). The flex cable 24 is rigidly attached by stationary bracket 23 at one end, which connects to drive electronics. The other end of the flex cable is attached to the set of actuators 14 which move in unison in response to the VCM.
A plurality of electrical paths (not shown) extend from the flex cable along the actuators to the arm electronics chip 21. The arm electronics chip is in turn connected by a plurality of electrical paths that extend through the suspension 20 and connect to the slider 22 as further illustrated in FIG. 2. These electrical paths are typically called traces 31 and are made of copper. The load beam structure of the suspension is a spring metal layer. The tail end of the suspension has a set of tail termination pads 33 for electrical connection to the corresponding traces 31. The traces carry the signals for the reader (read head), writer (write head) in the slider, as well as any additional signals required for fly height control, heater, etc. The example suspension in FIG. 2 has 8 termination pads that provide connection to 8 slider connection pads 35 that are in turn connected to the slider (not shown) at the slider (or head) end 20H of the suspension. Higher or lower numbers of pads and corresponding traces can be used. The traces can vary in width and additional structures/features can be included in the paths to control electrical parameters such as impedance. Dielectric material separates the traces from the spring metal layer and a covering layer dielectric material is typically deposited over the traces. Subtractive and/or additive photolithography, deposition and etching processes can be used to manufacture suspensions and form the traces.
Typically the spring metal layer in the suspension has been used as a ground plane for the traces. Because of the spatial constraints imposed on the suspension a multi-layer or stacked trace configurations have been used. Klaassen et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,736 disclose stacked read line traces arranged on top of each other and separated from each other by a dielectric layer and separated from the stainless steel base layer by another dielectric layer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,701,674 to Hajime Arai (Apr. 20, 2010) a suspension with an enhanced high conductivity ground layer trace under the write traces is described, which lowers the write trace impedance and lower signal transmission loss. The high conductivity ground layer is formed by plating copper directly onto the stainless steel substrate prior to the formation of the write traces and is, therefore, not electrically separated from the stainless steel. The high conductivity ground layer can be a single or double trace. Arai notes that the high conductivity ground layer may be extended to the area of the heater wires unless the impedance of the read wires is thereby decreased.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,094,413 to Hentges, et al. Jan. 10, 2012 describes a disk drive head/slider suspension flexure with stacked traces having differing configurations on the gimbal and beam regions. A head suspension is described that includes integrated lead suspension flexure having stacked traces that run along one side of the spring metal layer and multi-layer traces that run along the other side. The traces come together in the tail region of the suspension where the set termination pads provide electrical connection to the system. The head suspension component includes stacked traces having first and second traces in the first and second conductor layers, respectively. The stacked traces are used for the writer in an embodiment and the multilayer traces are used for the reader and fly height traces and include a ground layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,233,240 to Contreras, et al. Jul. 31, 2012 describes an integrated lead suspension (ILS) in a magnetic recording disk drive has the transmission line portion of the ILS between the flex cable termination pads at the tail and the gimbal area formed of multiple interconnected segments, each with its own characteristic impedance. At the interface between any two segments there is a change in the widths and in impedance of the electrically conductive traces of the transmission line. The number of segments and their characteristic impedance values are selected to produce the largest frequency bandwidth with a substantially flat phase delay from the write driver to the write head.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,235 issued to Chiao, et al. Jul. 11, 2000 describes a method of magnetic interference (noise) cancellation in a single-ended MR preamplifier front end using a balanced ground return path in a flex circuit connecting an MR head to the front end of the preamplifier. The pattern of conductive traces includes a signal path extending from a trace pad aligned with the preamplifier signal input pin to a distal signal input connection pad for connecting to a head and a plurality of ground return paths leading from a vicinity of the distal signal input connection pad to the at least two ground pins. The plurality of ground return paths are so arranged that a common mode interference induces currents in opposite directions in the ground return paths. The interference currents are therefore combined and canceled at a preamplifier connected to the preamplifier signal input pin within the integrated circuit. The balanced ground return path introduces a interference current in the opposite direction of the original interference current as viewed at the signal input pins of the preamplifier chip. In this manner common mode rejection of the radiated interference component is restored in the single-ended MR preamplifier circuit arrangement.
Although stainless steel has advantages a structural material for suspensions, conductive traces for the read signal from the read head in a slider are highly susceptible to interference signal coupling onto the read signal path and degrading the SNR signals performance. Systems that include sliders with multiple read heads for two dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) are expected to use single-ended preamplifiers and to be more sensitive to extrinsic interference signals. Two main sources of interference onto the stainless steel suspensions are 1) crosstalk from the write signal; and 2) radio frequency interference (RFI) that leaks into a disk drive's enclosure from external sources. In current designs all traces (sensitive reader traces, as well as, interference-signal insensitive traces), share the same signal return path to ground though the stainless steel layer.

Suspension design with split substrate for improved interference signal immunity


A method for detecting remote file inclusion vulnerabilities in a web application includes altering of extracted resource references from a web application, submission of altered references as HTTP requests to the web application, inspection of corresponding HTTP responses, and diagnosis of vulnerability. A computer system or systems can implement the disclosed embodiments.

The popularity of the Internet has given rise to e-commerce. As illustrated in FIG. 1, many consumers 102 enjoy the convenience of shopping at home via websites 104 such as Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, as well as on-line banking via websites 104 provided by banks such as Citibank. Many other activities that formerly required live interactions either in person or via phone can be conducted on-line, such as applying for car or health insurance, buying and selling stocks, etc. via the Internet 106.
Such on-line activities typically require the exchange and storage of personal information such as credit card numbers and banking information. Accordingly, consumers want to be able to trust that the websites 104 are secure from on-line vulnerabilities, such as the ability for hackers to gain access to their personal information.
The inventions and technologies described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/113,875 and 10/674,878, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, have dramatically advanced the state of the art of vulnerability detection, assessment and management. For example, these co-pending applications describe techniques for performing vulnerability scans of websites, and hosting and controlling the contents of a mark in accordance with the scan results that indicates to visitors of the website how safe the website is. These vulnerability scans aim to duplicate and/or exploit methods known to be used by hackers to attempt to gain unauthorized access to the devices and systems of the website. Nevertheless, areas of potential improvement exist.
Websites such as 104 are accessed by client software programs over the Internet via a protocol known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (or HTTP). Using an HTTP request, a client can ask for specific content from a website and/or send user data to the website. Per the specification of the request, the website generates content and returns the content to the client via a corresponding HTTP response. A web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) is the most common example of an HTTP client. Web browsers make HTTP requests when users type in URLs or click on links or submit forms present in the content of the website. In the specific case of submitting a form, information keyed into the form by the user is included with the HTTP request. When generating content for a response, websites often dynamically construct code based on an HTTP request; and the code is executed by a corresponding interpreter. Dynamically constructed SQL statements executed by a relational database are the most common example, but any other language and interpreter including Ruby, PHP, PERL, Python, etc. can serve.
Accordingly, many web applications employ interpreters capable of executing source code from various programming languages. Many of these languages are suited specifically for web application development and support concise programmatic directives for including source code from remote locations. These directives allow common resources to be reused and composed dynamically across a network into more elaborate constructs, eliminating redundancy in the creation of source code and in the deployment of application resources.
The ability to cause a web application to illicitly include an external resource and attempt to execute the resource as part of the application's operation is known as remote file inclusion. This class of vulnerability is potentially severe as the web application can be instructed to execute arbitrary malicious code, such as code from a hacker who wants to disrupt or surreptitiously access the web application.
For example, a web application using the popular PHP programming language might include a line of code that looks like "include $foo;". A programmer may have errantly allowed the variable "foo" to be assigned with unfiltered data from an HTTP request. A hacker, knowing or suspecting this vulnerability, may send an HTTP request to the web application, and surreptitiously include in the request a directive that re-assigns the variable "foo" to a URL controlled by the hacker and pointing to malicious code. Then, upon the next execution of the given line, the PHP interpreter will attempt to load and execute the resource of the hacker's URL, which could be potentially damaging to the website and/or its users.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a method and apparatus to effectively detect vulnerabilities such as remote file inclusion.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for detection of remote file inclusion vulnerabilities


A diaphragm diagnostic system for use in an industrial field device has a diaphragm and a diagnostic feature. The diaphragm is configured to couple the field device to a process fluid and has a plurality of layers. A first layer of the plurality of layers is exposed to process fluid of an industrial process. A diagnostic feature is coupled to the diaphragm to monitor an electrical parameter of the diaphragm and responsively infer an operative state of the diaphragm based on a change in the monitored electrical parameter.

The present invention relates to diaphragms for use in industrial process instrumentation, and more particularly, to a diagnostic system for detecting rupture or thinning of diaphragms.
Many industrial instruments include a diaphragm element coupled to an industrial process for measuring a parameter of the process. For example, some pressure transmitters include an isolating diaphragm that is coupled to an industrial process. Pressure measurements may be taken directly from the diaphragm based on the diaphragms deflection in response to pressure or may be taken indirectly by a remote pressure sensor that is coupled to the isolating diaphragm by a fluid filled capillary. Rupture or thinning of the diaphragm can alter measurement readings, and/or permit process fluid to escape from the industrial process. Additionally, fill fluid from the fluid filled capillary may escape through a rupture in the isolating diaphragm to contaminate the process.
Conventionally, one technique for detecting rupture of the isolating diaphragm of a remote pressure sensor uses leads extending into the fluid fill. A measurement device coupled to the leads is adapted to detect a change in resistance between the two wires. If conductive process fluid flows through a rupture in the isolating diaphragm, the resistance between the leads changes, thereby indicating a rupture. Another technique is to monitor for an abrupt change in the transmitter measurement, which can indicate a rupture. However, these techniques only identify rupture of the diaphragm after the rupture has occurred, and potentially after fill fluid has leaked into the process.
There is an on-going need in the art for real-time detection of thinned or ruptured diaphragms. Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these problems and provide advantages over conventional diagnostic systems.

Diagnostic system for detecting rupture or thinning of diaphragms


A panel cart includes a base frame and a supporting frame. The base frame includes a positioning seat. The positioning seat includes an outer surface having a sliding portion and an engaging slot contiguous to the sliding portion. A supporting frame is pivotably mounted to the base frame and pivotable between a folding position and an extended position about a pivotal axis. The supporting frame includes a locking seat and a locking member slidably mounted to the locking seat. The locking member remains in contact with the positioning seat. The locking member abuts against the sliding portion when the supporting frame is in the folding position. The locking member engages with the engaging groove when the supporting frame is in the extended position.

The present invention relates to a cart and, more particularly, to a panel cart.
During processing, panels are generally placed flatly on a processing machine or a working table for cutting. In an example, a wooden panel is placed flatly on a working table and is then moved relative to the working table which uses a circular saw to cut the wooden panel. During transportation, panels are placed flatly on a rear portion of a vehicle. However, when the panels are moved from the vehicle onto a working table by manpower, at least two persons are required for the laborsome work. When a cart is used to transport the panels, the panels cannot be placed flatly. Instead, the panels are placed vertically during transportation. A person cannot easily turn the panels having a relatively large area. Furthermore, the vehicle and the cart have a difference in height, which causes difficulties in moving the panels from the vehicle to the cart by a single person. Furthermore, after the cart has reached a side of the working table, a single person cannot easily move the panels onto the working table, and lifting of the panels is inevitable.
Thus, a need exists for a novel panel cart that mitigates and/or obviates the above drawbacks.


Several embodiments of automatic position controls for marine propulsion devices wherein the lift condition of the propulsion device is adjusted in response to a sensed running condition of the watercraft such as changes in acceleration, speed or planing condition. In some embodiments, the trim of the propulsion unit is also adjusted in response to the sensed conditions.

This invention relates to an automatic position controller for marine propulsion units and more particularly to an improved power unit for controlling the position of a marine propulsion unit and an automatic control device therefor.
It is well known to support an outboard drive such as an outboard motor or the outboard drive portion of an inboard/outboard drive on the transom of the associated watercraft for pivotal movement about a horizontally extending trim axis so as to adjust the trim of the propulsion unit. The desirable trim angle of the outboard drive varies with the watercraft running condition and such a mounting permits the outboard drive to be adjusted during operation to the optimum condition. Various types of powering devices have been employed for such trim adjustment. In addition, it is known that the vertical position of the power unit relative to the transom may be varied in order to provide the optimum relationship during different running conditions. For example, when the watercraft is accelerating, it is desirable to have the propulsion unit relatively deeply submerged. However, when the watercraft reaches a planing condition, the power unit should be elevated so that it is not so deeply submerged. Various power devices have been proposed for adjusting the degree of submersion of the outboard drive.
Clearly, the mounting of the power units for achieving trim and height adjustment present considerable problems. This is particularly true en it must be remembered that the power units are normally mounted outboard of the transom of the associated watercraft. Therefore, the power units are positioned in a location where they can easily become damaged.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved power unit mounting arrangement wherein the power units will be protected by their supporting structure from damage.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved and compact power unit arrangement for adjusting the vertical height of an outboard drive.
As has been noted, it is known that the height or vertical location of the power unit of an outboard drive should be varied under the watercraft running conditions. However, all of the power units for accomplishing vertical adjustment heretofore proposed have required manual operation. Therefore, with the prior art type of devices, it is solely within the control of the operator to select the vertical position and the operator may not be capable of sensing when the correct vertical position is reached.
It is, therefore, a further principal object of this invention to provide an improved power unit for automatically adjusting the vertical position of a marine propulsion device so as to achieve optimum running conditions.
It is a yet further objection of this invention to provide an improved control system for vertically positioning the power unit of a marine propulsion device.
It is a yet further object of this invention to provide an improved control arrangement wherein both of the vertical and trim conditions of the marine propulsion unit are controlled automatically so as to achieve optimum running conditions.
In connection with the provision of an arrangement for automatically controlling the vertical position and trim condition of a marine propulsion unit, there are certain running conditions under which it is desirable to achieve the tilt and trim adjustments in a specific sequence. For example, when accelerating from low speed, it is desirable to permit the vertical position of the outboard drive to remain relatively low in the water until the watercraft reaches a planing condition. Up until this time, the vertical position should not be changed but adjustment in the trim condition is desirable first to employ optimum acceleration and subsequently to maintain the cruising speed. Once the boat is in a planing condition, it is then desirable to raise the vertical position of the outboard drive so as to minimize water resistance of the lower unit and to improve stability.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved control arrangement wherein the trim and vertical conditions of a marine propulsion unit are controlled automatically and in the optimum relationship so as to achieve good running.

Automatic position controller for marine propulsions


The present invention provides a weight exercise device for use with dumbbells. The weight exercise device is an elongated J-shaped device having a support member with an elongated belt passage at the top thereof. An elongated channel being the lower section of the J-shaped device is attached to the bottom of the support member for holding the dumbbell. The dumbbell retention means is either an integral part of the J-shaped device or is an separate device for removable placed thereon. The J-shaped device includes the means for attaching said support member to the user; a support member; the means for supporting a dumbbell, said dumbbell supporting means being attached to said support member; and the means for insuring the retention of said dumbbell in said dumbbell supporting means while being used by the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and, further relates to exercise equipment wore by a user, and, in particular, relates to exercise equipment using a weight that is wore by a user.
2. Description of Related Art
The importance and benefits of exercising is a well known health related fact. By exercising, whether at a health facility, gym, or at home, numerous benefits are achieved. Excess calories are burned to help reduce weight or maintain a proper weight. The overall body fitness is increased by toning and exercising muscles and body organs such as the heart and back muscles. Further, physical exercising contributes directly to a positive state of mind that will further influence other activities such as eating proper and healthful foods, reducing or eliminating the use of drugs used to reduce weight, reducing stress by directing activities away from stress related events or people, and developing other healthful habits such as providing better sleep periods. The need for exercising is well publicized by numerous organizations, both government and private, newspapers, magazines, television commercials, radio commercials, etc.
The use of stationary exercise equipment is not always available for personal use for many reasons such as a lack of space at home, cost of this equipment, the lack of time needed to go to a health facility where such equipment is located, personal hygiene issues related to the use of equipment used by others, and the repetitive nature of using this equipment such as climbing stairs, bikes, etc., which discourages many people from using this stationary equipment.
The need for personal exercise equipment is thus well known. For example, several patents disclosing such equipment are discussed herein:
U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2004/0018921 by Smith discloses a weightlifting belt hook. The hook is removably attached to a belt of the user and the user places disk weights having holes therethrough over an upwardly extending rod. The user is thus able to move around freely and exercise with a variety of weights. The disk weights are typically designed for use on a bar of a barbell set. Although this invention may provided beneficial features, it does not provide a belt for use with the hook and further the user must have an adequately designed belt for holding the weights such as ones used by weightlifters. Therefore, the user must have purchased a belt like that or have one available for use at a gym, for example, which is an additional cost or a complicating factor. Further only disk weights can be used on the belt hook and therefore the user must have these disk weights available and thus the user must have already purchased a barbell set or have weights available that another person is not using. Another complicating factor is the upwardly extending rod which may act as an impaling device if the user falls on the device. Another disadvantage of this device is that the weights are offset from the point of attachment of the hook onto the belt and thus there is a constantly present force, depending on the weights attached, pressing the wire frame against the user's leg or other body part.
Another device is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,031 by Yamauchi entitled, "Weighted Belt Type Exercising Device." This device is uniquely designed as a single unit. The belt must be of sufficient strength to support the weights without significant sagging. A fabric belt loop is permanently attached to the belt as shown and thus the weights must be positioned normally on the outside portion of the user's legs or the belt rotated to place the weights in a desired position. This design does not take into account the fact that the users are handed, either right or left, and thus the loop may be on the wrong side for ease of use. A chain of links is attached to the belt loop. The user is able to attach the weights to the chain links at a desired link by moving a connecting portion 28 being a typical hook. Because of the flexibility of the chain links, the weights on the tool 27 will have a tendency to swing as the user moves about. Thus the weights will be hitting the user in the legs or other body parts which would certainly happen since the weights are perpendicular to the vertical direction. Another complicating factor is the use of a special tool 27 having a hook at the top and a threaded portion at the bottom for attachment to a special plate for supporting the weights placed thereon. This may present problems in that the threads may become damaged or the special plate may unscrew itself since there is a constantly downward pressing force or get lost.
Another weight exercising device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,728 to Nielsen and entitled, "Dumbbell Support Device and System for Using the Same." Some of the same disadvantages as noted above are present in this device. A pair of S-shaped members, rods, are connected by a horizontal rod. The lower hooks of the S-shaped members support the dumbbell's handle. As seen in FIG. 5, the lower hooks only partially surround the dumbbell handle and as a result a sufficiently forceful movement may cause the dumbbell to fall from the support device. Although the patent notes the use of an assistant, a home user may not have one available or an assistance may not be available. As seen in FIG. 9, the support device is hung by means of a band 34 from a weight belt 38 or a special member 52 which is fixedly attached to the weight belt. The bar member 12 is placed inside the band 34 or on the J-shaped member 52. Since the weight of the dumbbell is offset horizontally from the pivot point being the bar member 12, there will be a constantly present force pushing, i.e., rotating, the dumbbell into the user's legs, for example, or other body parts. Another feature is that this device is made of metal rods which may be bent, twisted, or flex in use causing the dumbbell to become unstable. Further, the use of a fabric member such as the strap 18 may become wet from sweat further causing the dumbbell to become unstable on the lower hooks. The use of the weightlifter's belt is an additional expense in using this support device.
Thus, there exists a need for a weight exercise device that presents positive features in its design and in its use that allows a home user, for example, to benefit from weight lifting.


A semiconductor device includes a die pad of a conductive material, a quadrilateral semiconductor element mounted on the die pad, a plurality of suspension members of the conductive material extending outward from the die pad, a plurality of leads of the conductive material provided between adjacent two of the suspension members and each having a lead end opposed to the semiconductor element, a plurality of thin conductive wires through which the semiconductor element is connected to the leads, respectively, an encapsulant for encapsulating the die pad, the semiconductor element, the suspension members, parts of the leads and the thin conductive wires, and a grounding lead of the conductive material extending from at least one of the suspension members and provided, in part, between one and another of the leads.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same, and particularly to a semiconductor device adapted to incorporate a semiconductor element having a high heat release value thereinto and a method for fabricating the same.
(2) Description of Related Art
With expansion in functionality and reduction in size and thickness of electronic equipment in recent years, there has been a demand for thinner semiconductor devices. Thus, thin semiconductor devices with excellent heat dissipation ability and moisture-barrier properties have been developed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-196006 discloses a semiconductor device having the structure that will be described below.
FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a semiconductor device 500 disclosed in the above publication. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing the semiconductor device 500 in FIG. 22.
As shown in FIG. 22, the known semiconductor device 500 comprises a die pad 51, a square semiconductor element 52 mounted on the die pad 51, four suspension leads (suspension members) 53, 53, . . . formed continuously with the die pad 51 and extending from the die pad 51 to the outside, a plurality of inner leads 54b, 54b, . . . provided between adjacent two of the suspension leads 53 and each having one end opposed to the corresponding edge of the semiconductor element 52, outer leads 54c, 54c, . . . formed integrally with the respective inner leads 54b and protruding toward the outside, a plurality of thin metal wires (thin conductive wires) 55, 55, . . . through which the semiconductor element 52 is connected to the inner leads 54b, and an encapsulation resin 56 for encapsulating therein the die pad 51, the semiconductor element 52, the suspension leads 53, the inner leads 54b, and the thin metal wires 55. In this relation, the die pad 51, the suspension leads 53, the inner leads 54b, and the outer leads 54c are formed of a conductive material, and the semiconductor element 52 is fixed on the surface 51a of the die pad 51 on which the semiconductor element is mounted (hereinafter, referred to as "semiconductor element mounting surface 51a") by using a conductive adhesive 57. A desired voltage can be applied to the semiconductor element 52 by applying an external voltage to each outer lead 54c, leading to an available semiconductor device.
The die pad 51 has, outside its region on which the semiconductor element 52 is mounted, four wings 51b bent from the four edges of this region, respectively, toward the ends of the inner leads 54b. Therefore, the semiconductor device 500 has excellent moisture-barrier properties. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 23, the surface 51d of the die pad 51 opposite to the semiconductor element mounting surface 51a (hereinafter, referred to as "exposed surface 51d") is exposed from the encapsulation resin 56. Hence, heat generated in the semiconductor device 500 is dissipated through the exposed surface 51d to the outside. Thus, the semiconductor device 500 has excellent heat dissipation ability. In short, the semiconductor device 500 has excellent heat dissipation ability and moisture-barrier properties.
In order to fabricate such a semiconductor device 500, a conductive plate material is first processed to integrally form the above-described die pad 51, four suspension leads 53, 53, . . . , plurality of inner leads 54b, 54b, . . . , plurality of outer leads 54c, 54c, . . . , and plurality of thin metal wires 55, 55, . . . . The semiconductor element 52 is mounted on the die pad 51 and fixed thereon using the conductive adhesive 57. Then, the semiconductor element 52 is connected through the thin metal wires 55, 55, . . . to the leads 54, respectively. The die pad 51, the semiconductor element 52, the suspension leads 53, the inner leads 54b, and the thin metal wires 55 are encapsulated in the encapsulation resin 56. Thereafter, the outer leads 54c are shaped, thereby fabricating the semiconductor device 500 shown in FIG. 22.
When a semiconductor device is used for a pressure-resistant Plasma Display Panel (PDP) driver, motor driver or the like, the surface of a semiconductor element opposed to a semiconductor element mounting surface (hereinafter, referred to as "to-be-mounted surface of the semiconductor element") must be grounded. The reason for this is that, in some diffusion processes for a semiconductor device, device characteristics vary depending on the potential of a substrate (the to-be-mounted surface of the semiconductor element) and in this case the grounding of the supporting substrate is essential for diffusion processes employed for the above-described drivers. However, the structure of the semiconductor device 500 does not allow the to-be-mounted surface of the semiconductor element to be grounded. This makes it difficult to use the semiconductor device 500 for PDP drivers, motor drivers or the like.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-168169 discloses the structure of a semiconductor device in which the to-be-mounted surface of a semiconductor element can be grounded. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a semiconductor device 600 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-168169 comprises a tub (die pad) 61, a quadrilateral semiconductor chip (semiconductor element) 62 mounted on the tub 61, a plurality of tub suspending leads (suspension members) 63, 63, . . . formed continuously with the tub 61 and extending from the tub 61 to the outside, a plurality of inner leads 64b, 64b, . . . provided between adjacent two of the tub suspending leads 63 and each having one end opposed to the corresponding edge of the semiconductor chip 62, unshown outer leads formed integrally with the inner leads 64b, respectively, and protruding toward the outside, a ground connecting part 68 through which adjacent two of the tub suspending leads 63 are connected to each other and which is located between the semiconductor chip 62 and the end of each inner lead 64b opposed to the corresponding edge of the semiconductor chip 62, a plurality of bonding wires (thin conductive wires) 65, 65, . . . through which surface electrodes 65a located on the semiconductor chip 62 are connected to the inner leads 64b, respectively, and an encapsulant 66 for encapsulating therein the tub 61, the semiconductor chip 62, the tub suspending leads 63, the inner leads 64b, and the bonding wires 65.
The ground connecting part 68 is connected through another bonding wires 65, 65, . . . to the respective surface electrodes 65b, 65b, . . . located on the semiconductor chip 62 and through still another bonding wires 65, 65, . . . to respective inner leads 64b′, 64b′, . . . for grounding. Thus, the semiconductor chip 62 is electrically connected through the surface electrodes 65b, the bonding wires 65 and the ground connecting part 68 to the inner leads 64b′, 64b′, . . . for grounding. Therefore, the semiconductor chip 62 can be grounded by grounding the inner leads 64b′ for grounding.
However, a very small thickness of each bonding wire 65 might cause each bonding wire 65 to be cut during the fabrication of a semiconductor device 600. The semiconductor chip 62 and the ground connecting part 68 are connected through some of the bonding wires 65 to each other, and the ground connecting part 68 and each inner lead 64b′ for grounding are connected through one of the bonding wires 65 to each other. The cutting of the bonding wires 65 causes that the semiconductor chip 62 and the inner leads 64b′ for grounding are electrically disconnected from each other. As a result, the semiconductor chip 62 cannot be grounded. Therefore, utmost caution must be exercised in fabricating a semiconductor device 600, resulting in the extremely reduced production yield of semiconductor devices 600. Furthermore, new problems are caused. More particularly, since as shown in FIG. 25 the tub 61 is not exposed from the encapsulant 66, the semiconductor device 600 lacks heat dissipation ability. Since as shown in FIG. 25 the tub 61 does not have wings, the semiconductor device 600 lacks moisture-barrier properties.

High heat release semiconductor and method for manufacturing the same


There is disclosed a method for printing an article by additive manufacturing comprising providing an additive manufacturing system and a support plate having a block engagement location; engaging a support block having an article-printing surface with the support plate at the block engagement location; engaging the support plate with the additive manufacturing system; additive manufacturing an article on the article printing surface of the support block engaged with the support plate; and disengaging, from the support plate, the support block having the article printed thereon. There is also disclosed corresponding additive manufacturing support assembly, additive manufacturing kit and additive manufacturing assembly.

Typically, a plurality of articles are 3D-printed simultaneously on a single support plate via article supports printed simultaneously at same apart locations. Once the articles are printed, the article supports, integral with a respective one or respective ones of the articles, are cut from the support plate and the printed articles with their corresponding article supports are sent to an additional machining step, such as a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tool. Once the printed articles with their corresponding article supports are removed from the support plate, the support plate is resurfaced and then can be used for another 3D printing process.
However, the removal of the assemblies including the article supports and the articles from the support plate can be difficult, and so can be the resurfacing of the support plate. Furthermore, the resurfacing of the surface plate is time consuming and expensive.
In view of the above, there is a need for a method and an assembly for printing one or more articles by additive manufacturing which would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.


A knee pad with locking clips adjustable straps clip onto the pants of the wearer at the sides of the knees, with no uncomfortable strap encircling the leg. Clip lock rings slide over spring clips to lock them, thereby retaining the knee pad attached to the pant leg under all conditions of use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to knee pads and in particular to knee pads with clips on adjustable straps which clip onto the pants of the wearer at the sides of the knees with no uncomfortable strap encircling the leg and which employ locking clips which retain the knee pads attached to the pants under all conditions of use.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Knee pads are essential equipment for users engaged in activities requiring contact of the knees with the ground or other surfaces. Under extreme conditions involving strenuous activity, especially in hot climates, knee pads with straps encircling the leg of the user can become very uncomfortable, cut off circulation, cut off air flow, and cause perspiration and irritation and rubbing which may cause rashes to a back of the leg of the user, especially in the sensitive area behind the knee where such encircling straps often rub. The around the knee straps on prior art kneepads often loosen and slip down the leg to expose the knee to injury because they cannot be extremely tight or the user won't have full mobility.
Knee pads must be very durable with combined hard outer shell and soft inner padding to protect the knee of the wearer in adverse use conditions, especially in combat. The knee pads must stay in place without falling off and without moving from the shielding position covering the knee cap of the user to protect the knee of the user adequately. Prior art knee pads do not provide knee pads which adequately address all of the requirements of knee pads used in adverse conditions.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,938, issued Mar. 16, 2004 to Crockett, provides a method and apparatus for attachment of protective pads. A plurality of fasteners is attached spaced around the periphery of a pad, such as a knee or elbow pad, with the fasteners being capable of gripping the ordinary clothing of a worker to secure the pad at the joint to be protected. The fasteners do not damage to material of the clothing, secure the pad in place at all times, and are readily attached to and detached from any ordinary street and/or work clothing. No modification of the clothing is required.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,877, issued Oct. 17, 1967 to Zirves, is for a typical clip-on knee pad having a plurality of alligator clips which secure the pad to the user's pants leg.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,403, issued Feb. 19, 2002 to Wilcox, shows a protective knee system for attaching a pair of knee pads to pair of pants to protect the wearer's knees. The protective knee system includes a pair of pants. The pair of pants is comprised of a pair of leg portions that includes a first panel, a second panel, an inseam and a side seam. There is a plate that includes a first surface and a second surface. There is also a panel that includes a front side, a back side, a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. The plate is integrally attached to the front side of the panel. There is a fastening means for securing the panel to the pair of pants such that the pair of side edges of the panel are removably coupled to the inseam and the side seam of the pair of pants.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,123, issued Dec. 31, 1985 to Hull, describes a knee-pad device characterized by a flexible, arcuate pad member attached both above and below the knee. When the person using the knee pad device is standing, the pad member bows away from the knee to allow air to flow around the knee. When the person is kneeling, the pad member conforms to the shape of the knee. The pad member can be attached either to the legs of a pair of pants, or to a pair of straps which encircle a user's legs.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,689, issued Jan. 14, 1997 to Matthews, discloses a sound-emitting knee pad apparatus that includes a pad assembly which emits a sound when located between a knee of an infant person and a floor surface when the person is crawling on the floor surface. A pad connector assembly connects the pad assembly to a knee of the person or to an outside surface of a knee-juxtaposed region of a garment worn by the person. The pad connector assembly includes a first connector assembly attached to an outside surface of a knee-juxtaposed region of a garment. A second connector assembly is attached to an outside surface of the pad assembly. The first connector assembly is a quantity of hook-or-loop connector material. The second connector assembly is a quantity of complementary loop-or-hook connector material. The pad assembly may be comprised of a rubber material. Alternatively, the pad assembly may include an air chamber assembly which includes a plurality of resilient exterior walls which define an interior air chamber. A whistle assembly is supported by one of the resilient exterior walls. The whistle assembly provides an air communication path between the interior air chamber and air outside the interior air chamber. The pad connector assembly may include a strap assembly which includes a first end connected to a first side of the pad assembly and includes a second end connected to a second side of the pad assembly. The strap assembly is comprised of elastic resilient material.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,081, issued Mar. 18, 1997 to Torres, puts forth work pants in which padding is provided to protect both the knees and shins of the worker. In one form of the invention, the knee protective padding and the shin protective padding comprise separate components which are independently receivable within specially configured pockets provided in the work pants.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,355, issued Jan. 16, 1990 to Ritter, concerns a knee protector that covers the front of the knee and extends rearwardly on both sides to protect against mechanical damage to the knee. The protector has foamed padding towards the leg for both comfort and mechanical protection, and a somewhat rigid outer shell to provide strength. For comfort as the leg is flexed, the front of the knee protector has a line about which the rigid shell can move, so that two sections of the shell are articulated, allowing movement in all directions. One side of the knee protector can be shortened to allow the use of a knee splint in conjunction with the knee protector.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,839, issued Jul. 23, 2002 to Vo, indicates work pants which include at least one pant leg and a pocket in the area of the knee. Within each pocket is to be located a cushioning pad. The cushioning pad is to be inserted through an access opening which has a length smaller than the width of the knee pocket which tends to prevent accidental dislodgment of the pad from the knee pocket. A securement device is to be connectable between the pad and the pant leg of the work pant. The knee pocket may be covered by a covering sheet to hopefully prevent the forming of wear holes within the knee area of the work pant.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,888, issued Nov. 20, 2001 to McFarlane, illustrates a knee pad including a multiple layer elongate member conformed to fit over a knee. The middle layer comprises a rigid polymeric material with projecting arms that encircle the leg and clasp the knee pad thereon. An inner cushion layer and an outer semi rigid layer enhance the comfort of the knee pad. The flexible arms include a supplemental reinforcing rib and the arms are positioned so as to support the knee pad by engaging the leg of a wearer below the knee.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,872, issued Jul. 24, 1951 to Krinick, provides a snap-on knee protector pad for overalls and other garments. An alternate embodiment is shown wherein the knee pad is attached to the trouser leg by clips.
What is needed is a knee pad with inner padding and a hard outer shell having clips each attached to an adjustable tightening strap which clip to the sides of the pants and clip lock rings to lock the clips in place.

Kneepads attachable to pants fabric with locking clips


A desired curved path is approximated by spline segments, which in their entirety define the path of motion for a machine-tool or for a robot. The deviation in position of this path of motion from the desired curved path is maintained within a specified tolerance band. Through an iterative process, the path of motion is formed with the fewest possible spline segments. If two many spline segments were used, they could overtax the processing speed of a numerical control system. But, on the other hand, the interpolation of spline segments is technically a relatively simple process.

The invention relates to a control process in general and more particularly to a control process for a numerically controlled machine-tool or for a robot.
A control process of this nature is used to determine points along a path which are connected by interpolated motion segments. Taken in their entirety, these motion segments approximate an ideal path of motion for the machine-tool or the robot within a specified tolerance with respect to the position. This ideal path of motion is divided into fine path segments using its point of origin as a first position and its target position as the last position. The characteristic parameters of all the positions on the ideal path of motion are stored and the point of origin is selected as the starting point of the first motion segment.
A process that accomplishes this task is disclosed in the German Published Patent Application 36 23 070. Using this method an ideal path of motion is converted into linear motion segments which can be easily processed by a control system. The end points of these linear motion segments, which meet to form discontinuities, are automatically determined. However, in many applications, these discontinuities that occur along the path of motion are undesirable. In order to protect the mechanisms of either the machine-tool or the robot and in order to obtain an improved surface quality, as well as to obtain a greater feed rate at the workpiece, it would be advantageous if the resulting path exhibited the smoothest possible curve.
A smooth curve can be produced by using a so-called spline method. With the help of a few interpolation points on the ideal path of motion, spline segments can thereby be formed, which, when connected together, yield an extremely smooth curve that approximates the resulting path of motion. For example, such a curve will result if the individual spline segments having the same slope and the same curvature are connected (Werkstatt and Bertribe "Workshop and Factory" 121 (1988) 9, page 737). The individual spline functions are calculated from defined interpolation points or linear sets using standard mathematical methods, such as the method of the natural spline, for example. Examples of this method are found in: "M. Keppeler: Generating Reference Input Variables for Numerically Path-Controlled Industrial Robots, Chapter 2.4.3".
The more complex the paths of motion that are to be travelled and the higher the quality of the results demanded, the shorter the individual spline segments must become. As a result, very large quantities of data are created which need to be processed on-line in the numerical control system. However, large quantities of data necessitate reducing the processing rate of data during execution of the program. This is in conflict with economic and technological requirements, unless hardware is used which is more efficient and is thus also more expensive.
In view of the prior art, there is a need to develop a control process of the type mentioned in the beginning, so that, with the least possible number of spline segments, the ideal path of motion can be approximated while at the same time ensuring that the resulting path of motion only deviates from the ideal path of motion by some maximum limiting value.

Control process for a numerically controlled machine-tool or for a robot


The container includes a floor and a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from the floor. The floor includes a first panel spaced away from a second panel by a plurality of ribs connecting the first panel to the second panel. The ribs each circumscribe an opening through the second panel.

The present invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to a container with a reinforced base.
Molded plastic containers are often used for storing and transporting a variety of goods. Many containers include a floor with integrally molded upstanding side walls defining an interior of the container. In order to reinforce the floor, a plurality of ribs are sometimes integrally molded on the under side of the floor. In some applications, it is undesirable to have exposed ribs on the under side of the floor.


An apparatus for sterilizing an article of mail includes a chamber defining an airtight space and having an entrance for receiving the article of mail. A vacuum pump is coupled to the chamber for withdrawing air therefrom and, specifically, from the article of mail, this air withdrawal reducing the chamber air pressure. An ozone generator is coupled to the chamber for introducing ozone at atmospheric pressure therein following air withdrawal. This causes efficient diffusing of the ozone into the article of mail for sterilizing it against anthrax. The ozone is then withdrawn into an ozone filter that includes a non-consumable manganese dioxide catalyst for converting the ozone back into oxygen. The article of mail may be initially perforated to enhance air withdrawal and ozone diffusion. The article of mail may be embossed following ozone withdrawal to indicate completion of sterilization. The apparatus may be implemented using multiple chambers.

This invention relates to decontamination and sterilization devices and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sterilizing articles of mail that may be tainted with anthrax or other pathogens.
A single letter contaminated with anthrax or similar pathogens can cause serious health issues or even death to humans. In fact, a single letter may include thousands of times more than the lethal dose of anthrax. The threat of safety relative to the delivery of mail was accented by the anthrax infections following the historic terrorist attacks against the United States on Sep. 11, 2001. Several people were infected with anthrax as a result of letters containing the deadly pathogens. Postal offices and other businesses had to be shut down and fully sterilized. Anthrax in a single letter can cross-contaminate other articles of mail, postal sorting equipment, and the like. This is a significant problem in view of the 680 million pieces of mail handled by the U.S. Postal Service every day.
Various devices have been proposed for sterilizing medical equipment and other articles. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices are not suitable for sterilizing mail at the initial point of mail deposit or without damaging the mail. More particularly, the use of steam heat or intense dry heat would irreversibly damage mail. Further, chemical sterilization with ethylene oxide gas avoids the damages associated with heat sterilization but requires long cycle times and the handling of harsh chemicals. These disadvantages would be unacceptable for use in mass mail processing. Sterilization with gamma radiation, while effective, would be prohibitively expensive for use in the decentralized mail processing and delivery industry.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for sterilizing mail quickly and without damaging the mail. Further, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for sterilizing mail without generating excessive heat or pollution. In addition, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for sterilizing mail that may be used in the mail sorting process.
A method and apparatus for sterilizing mail according to the present invention includes a chamber defining an airtight enclosed space and having an entrance and exit through which mail may be conveyed. A vacuum pump is coupled to the chamber for withdrawing air from the chamber and an article of mail therein. This withdrawal of air reduces the air pressure in the chamber. An ozone gas generator is also coupled to the chamber and is capable of introducing ozone therein after all gases have been removed by the vacuum pump. Introducing ozone into the low pressure environment causes the ozone to permeate the article of mail very quickly as the ozone seeks to diffuse in even concentration throughout the chamber. Ozone is an unstable molecule that reacts with organic matter such as bacteria and viruses. This reaction destroys critical components of organisms, thereby being an effective sterilizing agent against anthrax within an article of mail. The highly reactive property of ozone makes sterilization very quick compared to other disinfectant methodologies. Following sterilization, the ozone is withdrawn from the chamber by another operation of the vacuum pump or with another fan such that the ozone is collected in an ozone filter. The filter includes a non-consumable catalyst such as manganese dioxide which converts the ozone into oxygen. The apparatus may be implemented using a single chamber or using multiple chambers connected by airlocks (multi-stage implementation).
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for sterilizing mail from anthrax or other pathogenic poisoning.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes articles of mail quickly and without exposure of persons to harsh or harmful chemicals.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes articles of mail without damaging the articles of mail.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which sterilizes mail without generating excessive heat or pollution.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus, as aforesaid, which may be integrated into a conventional mail sorting process.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

Method and apparatus for sterilizing mail


The invention is a trim positioning tool (10) including a trim guide portion (12), a door frame guide (20) and a trim headpiece length marking piece (22). The trim guide portion (12) includes a trim width spacer (14), trim with spacer standoffs (16) and a wall guide (18). The primary usage of the tool (10) is in the position of trim strips and stop strips during the installation of wooden door frames in residential and commerical construction. As so used, the tool (10) performs three separate functions. The tool (10) is used as a measuring device to mark the position for an initial piece of trim. The tool (10) is used to position trim at a proper setback distance and to help hold the trim in place while it is fastened. The tool (10) is also used to position door stop strips.

Carpentry is one of oldest fields of technology. Over the centuries, a number of devices have been developed to mark materials for cutting or positioning. Perhaps the simplest and most versatile of these is the simple square. Indeed, with no other tools except a square, a measuring device such as a ruler or tape measure, and a marking utensil such as a pencil, almost all measuring necessary to the field of carpentry could be accomplished. But, for many applications, a considerable sacrifice of accuracy and time would result from the use of only those tools. Therefore, more specialized tools have been developed. These have ranged from adjustable squares to special square adapters for marking stair risers for cutting.
Also, devices for temporarily holding pie of materials in place while they are permanently fastened have been developed. The most common of these is the clamp.
However, while carpentry is an ancient art, the field has not remained entirely static. Modern trends have encouraged artisans to try to find ways to work more quickly and more precisely. An example of a device which has helped to advance the field is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,086,295 issued to Raymond S. Dalpe wherein a device for scribing doors so that they may be accurately cut to fit a door opening is taught.
A device for protecting surfaces from damage while fasteners are attached is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,615 issued to Dale M. Tom. The Tom device includes, as an incidental feature, a mark correctly positioned to allow the tool to be used as a measuring device, for the single purpose of indicating the correct set back length for door trim. The Tom device is used simply as a measuring device such as a ruler when it is applied to the application of door trim.
One area of modern carpentry that poses a particular problem has been the sizing and placing of door trim strips. Modern construction techniques require that trim strips be placed around practically every wood framed door to conceal the junction between the door frame itself and the support framework to which it is attached. The three pieces of trim required must all be equally set back from the door edge to be attractive to the eye. Further, the pieces of trim must meet at the top two corners of the door, where they are cut with 45 degree angle ends, with no overlap or space between the parts. Meeting these two requirements simultaneously can be quite difficult. An error of only a small fraction of an inch in the length of the headpiece or the set back of any of the trim pieces can produce very unattractive results. It is especially difficult to accurately measure for the length of the headpiece, because this must be done before any of the , pieces are in place. There are, therefore, no clear points between which a length measurement can be taken at that point of the construction.
After the trim headpiece is successfully cut to the proper length, the trim strips must be positioned properly and held in place until they are fastened permanently.
Finally, for door frames that are not furnished with pre-installed door stop strips, these must be installed. Precise positioning of the stop strip is necessary for both aesthetic and functional reasons, In the past this has involved numerous operations and considerable inaccuracy using prior art methods.
All of these processes have been accomplished by using a simple measuring device to measure for positioning, and then by marking the correct locations, and then by attempting to hold the pieces on the marks while they are fastened down.
No prior art method is presently known which can quickly and accurately provide a guidemark for measuring door trim headpiece trim length. Nor is a prior art method known which can position trim strips quickly and accurately in place. Nor is a prior art method known which can quickly and accurately position door stop strips.


A stable racing catamaran with hydrofoil qualities is disclosed. The stable racing catamaran with hydrofoil qualities includes a deck, a pair of forward pylons affixed to the deck, a pair of aft pylons affixed to the deck, a pair of forward hulls affixed to the pair of forward pylons, respectively, a pair of aft hulls affixed to the pair of aft pylons, respectively, a pair of forward skags affixed to the pair of forward hulls, respectively, a pair of aft skags affixed to the pair of aft hulls, respectively, a pair of forward rudders disposed in close proximity to the pair of forward hulls, respectively, a pair of aft rudders disposed in close proximity to the pair of aft hulls, respectively, a pair of forward rudder shafts for rotatably mounting the pair of forward rudders, respectively, and a pair of aft rudder shafts for rotatably mounting the pair of aft rudders, respectively. Furthermore, the present invention reduces resistance and minimizes drag by streamlining, the hulls of the present invention are removably mounted so that hulls with different designs and/or displacements can be quickly and easily interchanged, unwanted lateral motion and drift that affects stability are minimized by the present invention, and unwanted yaw motion that affects stability is also minimized by the present invention.

1. FIeld of the Invention
The present invention relates to a racing catamaran.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a stable racing catamaran with hydrofoil qualities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case of a body moving through a fluid for which the measured pressure distribution nearly agrees with the perfect-fluid theory, the influence of viscosity at high Reynolds numbers is confined to a very thin layer in the immediate neighborhood of the body.
If the condition of no slip were no to be satisfied in the case of a real fluid there would be not appreciable difference between the field of flow of the real fluid, as compared with that of a perfect fluid.
The fact that at the body the fluid adheres to it means, however, that frictional forces are retarding the motion of the body in a thin layer near the body. In that thin layer, the velocity of the fluid increases from zero at the body (no slip) to its full value which corresponds to the external frictionless flow. This layer is called the boundary layer.
The decelerated fluid particles in the boundary layer do not, in all cases, remain in the thin layer which adheres to the body along the whole wetted length of the body. In some cases, the boundary layer increases its thickness considerably in the downstream direction and causes the flow in the boundary layer become reversed. This causes the decelerated fluid particles to be forced outward, which means that the boundary layer becomes separated from the body. We then speak of boundary-layer separation.
This phenomenon is always associated with the formation of vortices and with large energy losses in the wake of the body. Behind the body there exists a region of strongly decelerated flow (wake), in which the pressure distribution deviates considerably from that in a frictionless fluid. The large drag on such a body can be explained by the existence of this large deviation in pressure distribution, which is in turn, a consequence of boundary-layer separation.
Boundary layer separation reduces the lifting properties of a body moving through a fluid. At small angles of incidence (up to about 10.sup.0), the flow does not separate on either side of the body and closely approximates frictionless conditions. With increasing incidence there is danger of separation on the suction side of the body, because the pressure increase becomes steeper. For a given angle of incidence, of about 15.sup.0, separation will occur.
The separation point is located fairly closely behind the leading edge of the body moving through the fluid and its wake contains a large "dead-water" area. The frictionless, lift-creating flow pattern has now become disturbed, and the drag on the body has become very large. The beginning of separation nearly coincides with the occurrence of maximum lift of the body.
Separation is mostly an undesirable phenomenon because it entails large energy losses. For this reason methods have been devised for the artificial prevention of separation. The simplest method, from the physical point of view, is to move the body through the fluid with the stream in order to reduce the velocity difference between them, and hence to remove the cause of boundary layer formation to begin with.
In later years, suction was successfully used to increase the lift on bodies. Owing to suction on the upper surface near the trailing edge of the moving body the flow adheres to the body at considerably larger angles of incidence than would otherwise be the case. Stalling is delayed, and much larger maximum-lift values can be achieved.
Numerous innovations for racing catamarans have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.

Stable racing catamaran with hydrofoil qualities


Technologies for dynamically implementing an image protection policy include a camera device with a camera to capture an image of at least one person. The camera device determines a location in the image of at least one person in the image, determines a location of at least one personal computing device, and maps the personal computing devices to the persons captured in the image based on the determined device and image locations. The camera device may broadcast an announcement of the creation of the image to the personal computing devices, negotiate an image protection policy with each of the personal computing devices, and implement the negotiated image protection policy.

In today's society of smartphones, small form factor personal computing devices, and social media, pictures are constantly being taken and electronically distributed among various computing devices. Oftentimes, pictures are taken of someone and posted, for example, to a social media website without the consent of that person. Digital rights management systems and policies have been developed in an effort to prevent misuse of such images and other digital files. Digital rights management systems may be applied to an existing digital file to dictate whether it may be, for example, distributed, copied, saved, or printed.
Additionally, smartphones, digital cameras, and other handheld electronic devices are becoming computationally robust. For example, cameras with multiple lenses (e.g., 3D cameras) are equipped with additional features and able to determine depth when capturing an image. Additionally, such small form factor personal computing devices may include hardware to implement a variety of communication protocols, technologies, and techniques. For example, such devices may be able to triangulate another device to determine its location.

Dynamically implementing an image protection policy