A method for using a Focused Ion Beam and/or Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/SEM) for etching one or more alignment markers on a rock sample, the one or more alignment markers being etched on the rock sample using the FIB/SEM. The one or more alignment markers may further be deposited with a platinum alloy or other suitable compositions for increasing alignment marker visibility.

In the oil and gas industry, rock samples are routinely collected and analyzed for determining geophysical properties downhole. Historically, those skilled in the art have only looked at features inherently present on the surface of rock samples for referencing specific sites to be analyzed. The inherent features are used to reference each point/location on the samples. Although this process of locating features on the surface of the rock samples using an optical inspection of the features of the rock sample itself may be repeatable, this process is greatly undesired because of the amount time involved in having to re-align the exact location of the specific site to be analyzed.
As can be imagined, there are other issues that can arise from having to re-align the specific site for analysis by using only optical inspection, especially after a rock sample has been removed from a tester and later reinserted. Further, some rock samples are heated during the testing process. Heating the samples may sometimes change the topography of the samples, making it almost impossible to optically locate and re-align the specific site to be analyzed.
Locating microscopic features on a surface has been needed in other fields, such as semiconductor fabrication. For example, it is known in the art of semiconductor fabrication to induce a top passivation layer of a semiconductor chip with alignment marks for forming induced topographical features that are used for more easily locating selective areas of the chip. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a semiconductor chip 100 having alignment markers 10 according to the prior art. As shown in the illustration, the alignment markers 10 have been formed so that each mark 10 is aligned with a particular edge of the chip 20.
The purpose for inducing these alignment markers 10 on the semiconductor chip 100 is so that the chip 100 may be more readily aligned for analysis and testing. In other words, by using the alignment markers 10, the chip 100 may be quickly and accurately positioned for testing. As shown, the alignment markers 10 also include a rectangular or square portion 15 near each mark 10. These portions 15 serve to indicate which quadrant the chip 100 lies (i.e., the chip's directional orientation). Alignment markers 10 related to semiconductor chips are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,040, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Semiconductor chips normally have a planned mapping of recognizable properties, making it conducive to finding features of interest on the chip. For example, when finding features of semiconductor chips, there are still some distinguishable areas of the chip that can be identified (e.g., known metal areas on the chip, through which bonding pads may provide electrical contact with other conductive surfaces). Furthermore, any markings on semiconductor chips are produced during the fabrication process. These prefabricated marking then allow the chip to be aligned later for analysis based on mapped information in a database for the chip.
On the other hand, rock samples are completely unmapped, having an utterly random surface and a complete natural distribution of topographical features. Thus, rock samples are typically completely indistinguishable. For this reason, existing visual distinctions have always been used in locating regions of interest on rock samples.
Because the current method of locating and re-aligning specific sites on rock samples by optically inspecting inherent features of the rock samples is inefficient and can cause inconsistencies during sample analysis, and because rock samples do not undergo a fabrication process where alignment markers can be introduced, it is desirable to have a process for introducing marks on a rock sample for quickly and repeatedly establishing the exact location of the specific site to be analyzed. The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

Alignment marking for rock sample analysis


A method and system for controlling an encoding rate in a communication system utilizes feedforward rate information (48) and/or rate desirability information (50) sent from each of a plurality of variable rate vocoders (34) to a communication link output controller (24), such as a network arbitor. The communication link output controller (24) then sends a feedback control signal (32) to a selected variable rate vocoder to change the encoding rate of the selected variable rate vocoder to facilitate re-encoding of the speech packet when a bottleneck is detected. In another embodiment, the network arbitor (134) may additionally and independently modify speech packet data when it determines that a bottleneck may occur. The network arbitor (134) also communicates a packet modification control signal (132) for the variable rate vocoder that generated the dropped packet so that the corresponding variable rate vocoder can adjust its filter states to maintain convergence.

One of the main aims of packet networks and frame relay systems is to maximize the data throughput of a system given a limited bandwidth communication link. In the case of speech information, conventional code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular systems take advantage of the statistical nature of speech to increase the number of channels handled by a given data "pipe". This is particularly the case with CDMA systems where speech coding algorithms in voice coders (vocoders) generate variable speech packet sizes that are directly related to the amount of speech activity at a given time.
As the number of channels is increased, there is an increased occurrence of packet blocking where the data rate of the link is exceeded by the short-term requirements of the speech (voice) packets. Therefore, the number of channels is typically set at a level where these collisions occur at a statistically low level. When such collisions do occur, speech packets are typically thrown away or bits within a speech packet have to be thrown away to reduce the packet size. This inevitably results in reduced voice quality due mainly to a loss of relevant speech information and to a subsequent divergence of the voice encoder's filter state to the voice decoder's filter state. For example, where a base site controller (BSC) encodes speech in its transcoder as received from a mobile switching center, a mobile subscriber unit receiving the voice has a decoder filter whose states should be similar to the state of the encoding filter to maintain a proper historical record for use by the filters to properly encode and decode voice signals. Where the filter states differ between an encoder and the corresponding decoder, a loss in voice quality can occur over time.
In a conventional code division multiple access cellular radio telephone system, the conventional limited bandwidth communication link which passes the transcoded information is a T1 Megastream link, which, assuming a data traffic transfer rate of 16 kilobits/sec, yields 96 channels. Also in conventional CDMA cellular radiotelephone systems, a centralized base site controller uses the transcoder to transform data at a higher rate into data at a lower rate (and subsequently smaller bandwidth). The lower rate data is called transcoded, or rate adapted data. The data is typically coded in traffic channel packets and are communicated to and from a network arbitor which arbitrates among the traffic channels to select which packets are communicated at which time sequences and at which frequency. A network arbitor interfaces with a network interface to communicate the information coming from the transcoder to a base station. The base station then transmits and receives radio signals with a mobile subscriber unit. However, the network arbitor does not typically communicate back to the variable rate vocoders to vary encoding rates or inform the variable rate vocoder that speech packets were dropped to avoid bandwidth bottlenecks.
Forms of increasing system capacity by reducing speech encoder rates-are known. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/575,450 filed Dec. 20,1995 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Controlling Encoding Rate in a Communication System" assigned to the instant assignee, proposes a system that identifies specific mobile subscriber units as candidates for encoding rate reduction based on link related characteristics from a group of mobile subscriber units. The link related characteristics, include for example the handoff state of the mobile, the location of the mobile with respect to a serving base station or adjacent base stations, transmission characteristics of the mobile and the amount of noise experienced by the mobile. However, the network arbitor in such a system also does not typically communicate back to the variable rate vocoders to vary encoding rates or inform the variable rate vocoder that speech packets were dropped to avoid bandwidth bottlenecks.
Consequently, a need exists for an apparatus and method which facilitates a maximization of the available bandwidth over a communication link while also maintaining a suitable voice quality level during high capacity link usage. It would be advantageous if such a system could selectively control the variable rate vocoders to change their encoding rate when a required bandwidth exceeded an available bandwidth.

Method and system for controlling an encoding rate in a variable rate communication system


The present invention relates to 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. Compounds disclosed herein can be useful in the treatment of bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, arthritis, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, allograft rejection, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, acne, atherosclerosis, cancer, pruritis, urticaria, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, other inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. Processes for the preparation of disclosed compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing the disclosed compounds and their use as 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors are also provided.

Lipoxygenases are non-heme, non-sulfur iron dioxygenases that act on lipid substrates containing one or more 1,4-pentadiene moieties to form hydroperoxides. 5-Lipoxygenase is a key enzyme that catalyses the first two steps in the oxygenation of arachidonic acid, which is converted to biologically active leukotrienes, namely leukotriene B4 (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 196-201(6)) and cysteinyl leukotrienes. Leukotrienes play important role in the pathophysiology of inflammatory/allergic diseases including bronchial asthma (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 264-273(10)), allergic rhinitis (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 235-243(9)), urticaria, atopic dermatitis (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 305-308(4)), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Eur. Respir. J., 2003, 22: 926-930). Incidence of allergic/inflammatory diseases are on the rise world over (Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, Volume 3, Number 2, June 1999, pp. 229-240(12); Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs, Volume 10, Number 7, 1 July 2001, pp. 1361-1379(19)).
A variety of stimuli, namely antigen-antibody reaction, cold or hypeosmotic shock etc, that elevates intracellular calcium level, can cause arachidonic acid release from cell membranes under the influence of cytosolic phospholipase A2. Arachidonic acid is transferred to nuclear membrane by 5-lipoxygenase binding protein (FLAP) and acted upon by 5-lipoxygenase enzyme to generate 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HPETE). HPETE is converted to LTA4 by 5-lipoxygenase. Depending upon cell type, LTA4 is converted to either cysteinyl leukotrienes and/or leukotriene B4 (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 196-201(6); Current Drug Targets—Inflammation & Allergy, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2002, pp. 23-44(22); Drug Safety, Volume 26, Number 7, 2003, pp. 483-518(36)).
Leukotrienes are generated by a variety of inflammatory cell types. Neutrophils and monocytes generate LTB4 whereas mast cells, basophils, eosinophils and bronchial epithelial cells produce cysteinyl leukotrienes. LTB4 acts as a chemo attractant for neutrophils through specific cell surface receptors. Cysteinyl leukotrienes, which include LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4, act on CysLT1 and CysLT2 receptors and increase bronchial smooth muscle contractility, promote mucosal secretion, increase vascular permeability and encourage eosinophils recruitment. (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S210-S213; Thorax 2000, 55S32-S37; Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 196-201(6); Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 220-228(9); Drug Safety, Volume 26, Number 7, 2003, pp. 483-518(36)).
There is evidence suggesting that cysteinyl leukotrienes can increase airway smooth muscle contractility in preclinical studies (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S214-S219) and clinical studies (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 220-228(9)). Inhalation of leukotrienes also increases influx of inflammatory cells in the airway of animals (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 220-228(9)) and humans (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S210-S213). In patients with asthma, urinary excretion of LTE4 correlates with exercise or cold air induced bronchoconstriction (Lancet, 1, 584, 1989) allergen induced early and late phase response (Clinical & Experimental Allergy, Volume 28, Number 11, 1 Nov. 1998, pp. 1332-1339(8); Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S210-S213), as well as with reduction of FEV1 in patients with nocturnal asthma (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S233-S237). Efficacy of leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors and leukotriene receptor antagonists have been tested in numerous trails involving asthma patients (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 254-260(7); Drug Safety, Volume 26, Number 7, 2003, pp. 483-518(36); The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 340:197-206, 1999; Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S233-S237).
Emerging evidence shows that leukotrienes also contribute towards pathophysiology of COPD. Two major cell types, neutrophils and macrophages, generate LTB4 and are modulated by the same; these cell types are believed to participate in the pathogenesis of COPD (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 157, Number 6, June 1998, S210-S213). Patients with COPD exhibit elevated sputum neutrophilia and LTB4 levels (Chest. 2002; 121:197S-200S0. Elevated levels of LTB4 were shown to be present in the exhaled breath condensate of COPD patients (Thorax 2003; 58: 585-588) as well as in patients experiencing exacerbation of COPD (Thorax 2003; 58: 294-298). Inhibitors of leukotriene biosynthesis as well as LTB4 receptor antagonists have shown to reduce airway reactivity, airway inflammation and airway neutrophilia in animals (J. Clin. Exp. Aller. 91, 917, 1992; J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 2001, 297: 458-466) as well as in human subjects (Thorax, 1996, 51: 1178-1184; Chest. 2002; 122: 289S-293S). Cysteinyl leukotriene antagonists, such as Montelukast, has shown protective effect in hypertonic saline induced bronchoconstriction in COPD patients (Eur. Respir. J., 2003, 22: 926-930).
Similarly, evidence is emerging based on animal and human data that leukotriene pathway modulators can play role in arthritis (J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., 1998, 285: 946-954), allergic rhinitis and urticaria (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Reviews, Volume 1, Number 3, November 2001, pp. 235-243(9)), cancer (Current Drug Targets—Inflammation & Allergy, Volume 3, Number 1, March 2004, pp. 19-33(15)), inflammatory bowel disease (Laboratory Investigation, 2005, 85, 808-822; Indian Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 42, July 2004, pp. 667-673), acne (Dermatology 210(1), 36-38, 2005; Arch. Dermatol. 2003;139: 668-670), pruritis (J. Invest. Dermatol. 117, 1621, 2001), as well as atherosclerosis (N. Engl. J. Med. 2004, 350, 29-37; N. Engl. J. Med. 2004, 350, 4-7, Med. Res. Rev. 24, 399, 2004).
WO 96/14307, WO 96/40660, WO 98/03492 and WO 98/03494 disclose substituted benzylamine derivatives, which have been said to be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of feeding disorders such as obesity, bulimia and cardiovascular diseases such as essential hypertension and congestive heart failure due to the binding of these compounds to human Neuropeptide Y1 receptors.
WO 96/31485 discloses 1,3-dihydro-1-(phenylalkyl)-2H-imidazol-2-one derivatives, which have been said to have PDE IV and cytokine activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,106 discloses compounds, which have been described to have the ability to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase enzyme.
Several leukotriene receptor antagonists, Montelukast, Zafirlukast, and Pranlukast, and a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, Zileuton, has been launched in the market. Both categories of molecules have shown efficacy in clinical trials of bronchial asthma. Inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase exhibit greater potential to exhibit efficacy in COPD as well because of their inhibitory effect on LTB4 mediated processes. However, commercially available 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor is associated with poor pharmacokinetic property and adverse events, such as elevation of hepatic transaminases. Thus, there remains a need for novel inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase having improved pharmacokinetic profiles and reduced adverse effects.


A fuel injector system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine includes first and second fuel injectors rendered operative to discharge fuel to the combustor during a high power regime of engine operation and rendered non-operative during a lower power regime of engine operation. The first and second fuel injectors include respective first and second fuel discharge passages in fuel flow communication to one another and to the combustor via associated fuel discharge lips to sustain a flame region. The first and second fuel injectors are operatively associated with respective first and second air discharge means having air discharge lips for discharging air to the combustor for sustaining the flame region therein. When the fuel injectors are rendered non-operative, different pneumatic pressures are established at the fuel discharge lips to purge fuel from the fuel injectors to the combustor.

Efforts to reduce emissions and improve combustor performance in gas turbine engines have brought about the use of staged fuel systems wherein one or more fuel injectors are used for low speed (low power) engine operation and one or more other fuel injectors are used for higher speed (higher power) engine operation. The fuel injectors used for low speed engine operation are commonly referred to as pilot or primary fuel injectors for providing a continuous fuel flow to the engine combustor for all regimes of engine operation from idle to high speed operation. The fuel injectors used for higher speed engine operation are referred to as secondary or main injectors for providing supplemental fuel flow to the engine combustor in an on-demand manner when higher engine speed (power) is required. The secondary fuel injectors thus are rendered non-operative during idle operation of the engine when the supplemental fuel flow is not needed and are rendered operative during higher speed (power) engine operation when supplemental fuel flow is required.
Airblast fuel injectors have been used in non-staged gas turbine engine fuel systems and are described in the Helmrich U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,186 issued Aug. 16, 1972 and the Simmons U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,233 issued Sep. 14, 1976. Airblast fuel injectors are designed to achieve atomization of a film of liquid fuel formed on a fuel discharge orifice surface or lip by directing high velocity airflow supplied to the injector from the engine compressor at the fuel film as it leaves the orifice surface.
Airblast fuel injectors have been proposed for use in a staged gas turbine engine fuel system. However, use of airblast fuel injectors in a staged fuel system may present a so-called coking problem when the airblast fuel injectors comprise the secondary (or main) injectors of the system that are rendered non-operative during some engine operational regimes (e.g., low power regime such as low speed idle operation) and operative during other engine operational regimes (e.g., high speed operation). In particular, when the secondary (or main) fuel injectors are rendered non-operative during low power engine operation, fuel remains in the fuel discharge passages of the injectors and can be heated by the elevated temperature of the combustor environment to the extent that the fuel in the fuel discharge passages is carbonized (coked) over time, building up carbonaceous deposits therein. These deposits can adversely affect the performance of the airblast fuel injector in service from the standpoint that injector fuel flow rate and fuel atomization become unsatisfactory. Similar deposits may build-up in the fuel passages of other air atomizing fuel injectors that employ high velocity compressor airflow to atomize fuel discharged from a fuel discharge passage/lip.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fuel/air injector system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine wherein the fuel residing in the fuel passages of the fuel injectors upon interruption in the supply of fuel thereto is purged to the combustor as a result of a pneumatic pressure differential established on the resident fuel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuel/air injector system for a combustor of a gas turbine engine wherein the fuel residing in the fuel passages of the fuel injectors upon interruption in the supply of fuel thereto is purged to the combustor rapidly enough that the purged fuel is ignited by the existing flame region in the combustor.

Self-sustaining fuel purging fuel injection system


A wide-field-of-view (WFOV) optical system includes a negative optical-power primary mirror configured to receive and reflect light from an image scene; a low optical-power secondary mirror configured to receive and reflect light from the primary mirror; a negative optical-power tertiary mirror configured to receive and reflect light from the secondary mirror; and a positive optical-power quaternary mirror configured to receive and reflect light from the tertiary mirror. The primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary mirrors are configured to maintain an effective focal length (EFL) at edges of the field of view (FOV) of the optical system to be at least equal to a center of the FOV of the optical system so that a spatial resolution of the optical system essentially remains constant across the FOV.

This application generally relates to optical systems, and more particularly to an all-reflective wide-field-of-view telescope with beneficial distortion correction.
Many wide-field-of-view (WFOV) optical systems, whether reflective or refractive, are of the inverse-telephoto family. This generally means that there is considerable negative optical power in the optical elements at the front of the optical system and considerable positive optical power in the optical elements at the rear of the optical system. In contrast to this, the family of telephoto optical forms has considerable positive optical power in front and considerable negative optical power at the rear. Examples of inverse-telephoto optical system are described, for instance, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0266687, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. These optical systems may be characterized, for example, as having a large negative powered first optical element, or the so-called "fish-eye" configuration.
Typically, these systems have noticeable negative (or barrel) distortion, i.e., where the focal length at the edge of the field of view (FOV) is shorter than at the FOV center. This gives rise to image compression at the FOV edge. When used in an airborne or space-borne sensing application, the shorter focal length at the FOV edge combines with the longer range at the FOV edges to greatly increase the ground sample distance (GSD). This is generally detrimental to the spatial resolution of optical systems at the FOV edges.

All-reflective wide-field-of-view telescope with beneficial distortion correction


A supercritical drying method for a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The method may include introducing the semiconductor substrate into a chamber in a state, a surface of the semiconductor substrate being wet with alcohol, substituting the alcohol on the semiconductor substrate with a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide by impregnating the semiconductor substrate to the supercritical fluid in the chamber, and discharging the supercritical fluid and the alcohol from the chamber and reducing a pressure inside the chamber. The method may also include performing a baking treatment by supplying an oxygen gas or an ozone gas to the chamber after the reduction of the pressure inside the chamber.

A process for producing a semiconductor device includes various process steps such as a lithography step, an etching step, and an ion injection step. After the termination of each of the steps and before shifting to the next step, a cleaning step and a drying step for purging a surface of a wafer by removing impurities and residues remaining on the wafer surface are performed.
For example, in the wafer cleaning step after the etching step, a chemical liquid for a cleaning treatment is supplied to the wafer surface, and then pure water is supplied to perform a rinsing treatment. After the rinsing treatment, a drying treatment for drying the wafer by removing the pure water remaining on the wafer surface is performed.
As a method for performing the drying treatment, for example, a method of drying the wafer by substituting the pure water on the wafer with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) has been known. However, there has been a problem that a pattern formed on the wafer is collapsed by surface tension of the liquid, at the time of the drying treatment.
In order to solve the problem, supercritical drying by which the surface tension is nullified has been proposed. For example, IPA on the wafer is dissolved into the supercritical CO2 fluid by bringing a wafer of which a surface is wet with IPA into a state of being impregnated into carbon dioxide (supercritical CO2 fluid) which is in a supercritical state in a chamber. Subsequently, the supercritical CO2 fluid into which the IPA is dissolved is gradually discharged from the chamber. After that, the wafer is dried by causing a phase shift from the supercritical CO2 fluid to a gas (vapor) by reducing a pressure and a temperature inside the chamber and then discharging the gas to the outside of the chamber.
However, in the phase shift of carbon dioxide from the supercritical state to the gas (vapor) by reducing the pressure inside the chamber, there has been a problem of deposition of particles caused by a drying mark or the like which is generated by cohesion and re-absorption on the wafer of IPA remaining in the chamber in the state of being dissolved into the supercritical CO2 fluid.

Supercritical drying method for semiconductor substrate and supercritical drying apparatus


An object of the present invention is to improve in-plane uniformity in polishing in a polishing device.

Conventionally, in a polishing device for polishing a to-be-polished object, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a temperature adjusting device for adjusting temperature of a polishing pad is used. The temperature adjusting device comprises a heat conductor which is constructed to be able to cool or heat the polishing pad, wherein the temperature of the polishing pad is adjusted by supporting the heat conductor by an arm and bringing the heat conductor in contact with the polishing pad (for example, refer to Patent Literatures 1 and 2).

Temperature adjusting device and polishing device

Abstract: A temperature adjusting device for adjusting temperature of a rotating polishing pad comprises: a heat conductor that can contact with a top face of the polishing pad; an arm for holding the heat conductor above the polishing pad; column members formed to stand on a top face of the heat conductor, comprising an upstream-side column member and a downstream-side column member arranged at a position at an upstream/downstream side of rotation of the polishing pad; and overhung members extending, from the upstream-side column member and the downstream-side column member, in directions that are parallel to the top face of the heat conductor; wherein the overhung members can contact with a top face of the arm.


A kinetic pump has a tangential axially inner inlet means and a tangential discharge and with a rotor having vanes forming fluid channels to move fluid from inlet to discharge. The volute is eliminated or restricted only to the discharge port sector, and the vanes, hence fluid channels, are oriented so as to be tangent to the inlet port axial cylindrical fluid entry zone. The removal of the volute makes the pump to be positive displacement, since the fluid is contained within the chambers enclosed by vanes, except for when passing the discharge port. The tangential orientation of the vanes allows the fluid, driven by atmospheric pressure to enter the chambers and fill the chambers both by the NPSH and by centrifugal force. The boundaries to the chambers are the fluid passages, and at the axial inner chamber surface by a cylindrical isobar formed by the divergent centrifugal force field, and at the axially outer surface, by an isobar corresponding to the outer distance from the axis at the tangential discharge port. This allows the pump to be filled by NPSH and gain rotational energy from the rotor, resulting in a focused tangential discharge of high velocity.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to kinetic liquid pumps as an improvement means in order to obtain greater performance, including higher head pressures at high flow rates, as well as allowing performance and efficiency in varying flow and pressure requirements with a single pump.
Traditionally, centrifugal pumps have dominated the kinetic liquid pumping field; however, the geometry of centrifugal pumps presents some problem areas, which I have endeavored to correct with this invention. The areas I am referring to are typical to centrifugal pump geometry.
2. Description of Prior Art
A typical centrifugal pump has an axial intake and a volute surrounding the rotor as a discharge. The intake always communicates with the discharge. Pumping is provided by force from vanes, which spiral outward in increasing angle with a radius from the axis of rotation. Diverging fluid channels are formed between adjacent vanes with a narrow opening at the intake side and a wide opening at the axially outer extremity. This geometry causes some problems in pumping fluids. A first problem exists at the entrance to the fluid channels due to the proximity of adjacent vanes constituting a flow restriction. By Bernoulli's Law, as the fluid is restricted, the velocity is increased, and the pressure drops. Since the pressure at this point is the lowest in the system, any further pressure drop may go below the fluid vapor pressure, causing the liquid to vaporize and cause cavitation in the pump, an undesirable state, which can cause pump damage and failure. This problem is referred to by the industry as "suction specific speed," meaning that the rotational speed of the pump is restricted by this problem. A second problem in geometry is that the vanes at this point are at an angle, which is beginning more radial and as the rotor diameter is increased becomes more tangential. This is probably because the vanes are expected to act in a similar manner to a propeller with changing pitch to continuously accelerate the fluid, in this case radially outward into the discharge volute. Having the vanes act as a radial propeller creates some problems such as contributing to the formation of vacuum on the side of the vane not acting on the fluid and further being a cause of cavitation, and on the leading face of the vane, the force of the vane on the fluid causes shear and causes the fluid to assume a rolling motion as it traverses the divergent fluid passage between vanes. This causes a rolling vortex of increasing diameter as the fluid approaches the end of the fluid passage and enters the volute. The main problem to this is that as the vortex enters the volute, the direction of motion of the outer velocity vector of the vortex is in the opposite direction to the flow in the volute toward discharge. This was verified by a computer simulation, which showed a total reversal of direction due to this effect, when micro particles simulate the liquid. This particular failure is called "re-circulation" within the industry. Another paradox is the divergent nature of the fluid passage between vanes. Because the passage is divergent, the fluid is slowing down, again due to Bernoulli's Law. But the rotor vanes are trying to speed it up. This accounts for most of the development of vortices in the passages apparently.
The apparent objective of the centrifugal geometry is to force the fluid axially outward into the volute by action of the vane fan blades. One has to then ask if this is a good objective. Pushing the fluid outward in a 360 degree manner into a volute, which then converts the radial direction of flow to a single direction, seems illogical, at least to this inventor, as it doesn't directly move the fluid flowing in the same direction, which is out the discharge duct. This geometry is similar to a light bulb, which requires various reflectors to try to collimate the light beam rather than have it already focused. It is like the difference between a light bulb and a laser.
Finally, the centrifugal pump does not appear to take advantage of the other engine, which works to drive the pump, the atmospheric pressure engine. It attempts to overcome the atmospheric engine by force, rather than by taking advantage of naturally occurring forces. I have attempted to rectify these problems seen with the prior art in as simple and as logical ways as possible, primarily by changing the vane geometry, and by making the pump positive displacement by eliminating the volute which allows the pressure to build within the fluid chamber, becoming stratified in an axial pressure gradient. And forming cylindrical isobars, which can replace solid surfaces. These isobars, which replace solid surfaces, can be used to locate extra discharge ports, which, if equipped with valves, allow the pump to change performance characteristics, simply by opening and closing of two valves. Thus, the chosen isobar determines the actual pumping chamber size, as well as pressure and flow, irrespective of the solid axial boundaries. It is interesting to note that the axially inner ports may be changed from discharge to suction, also simply opening and closing valves.
FIG. 1 shows some solutions to the previous problems. Just as in the centrifugal pump, the fluid may enter axially, where it gains rotational velocity driven by atmospheric pressure by the net positive suction head. As vanes rotate, they encounter the fluid in an intake plenum 10 tangentially, rather than at an angle to the fluid velocity, as the fluid tends to follow the rotating vacuum, created by the discharge of the rotating fluid chambers, and the fluid is moving by inertia outwardly, mostly by the NPSH, rather than by force from the leading edge of vane 7. The radial fluid speed is slowing but the rotational speed is increasing as the fluid becomes trapped inside chamber 15, which is then becomes zero velocity with respect to the rotor passages 15, and which then becomes chamber 15 which is bounded by vanes 7 and housing 1, or rather by an isobar 16 which is coincident with the cylindrical surface of housing 1, since the volute is eliminated. The cross-sectional area at 16 is larger than other cross-sectional areas in 15, so that the fluid does not increase in velocity at 16, as it does in centrifugal pumps, but is actually decreasing in radial velocity but, since the fluid is contained as positive displacement, it gains rotational velocity. Since the fluid is positively contained within chamber 15, it eliminates any relative motion between the trapped fluid within 15 and the vanes 7, such that the re-circulation problem has been dealt with. The removal of the volute, or at least the reduction in angular sector to equal only the discharge port 18, allows discharge only at 18, such that only the fluid with rotational velocity and inertial momentum is caused to exit tangentially through discharge port 18. Since the fluid velocity is the same as the rotor velocity, there is no chance for vortices to develop and to damage vane tips at 19. And while avoiding the problems described previously, the discharge velocity=vane tip velocity is at a maximum and is considerably greater than that of a centrifugal pump. This means the head pressure can be higher by the square of the difference, which is substantially higher. As previously noted, the pump rotational velocity was limited by the "suction specific speed" at 16, and with FIG. 1, there is no longer that speed restriction, and the main concern then becomes simply that the intake hose is large enough to accommodate the flow. The shape of vanes 7 and the shape of chamber 15 determines how close to a true positive displacement this pump becomes. The number of vanes 7 and chambers 15 can be significantly reduced, in fact can be reduced to one of each if desired. The mathematical analysis of the pump of FIG. 1 is simpler than that of centrifugal pumps and the results are consistent with theory. The tests show that this design is considerably more powerful than a single stage centrifugal, has much higher head pressure as well as having high flow rates.
I have included the following prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,224, which shows a kinetic positive displacement pump. U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,106 Sahlstrom 1971 which is a centrifugal pump for slurries.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,287,920 Duda which is a centrifugal pump having a tangential intake means. U.S. Pat. No. 1,215,881 Siemen 1917 which is a kinetic pump with self priming means.


A polyester film having uniform surface and excellent running property and transparency is disclosed. Said polyester film is characterized by containing 0.01-5 wt. % of porous precipitated silica particles which are coagulates of primary particles having an average particle diameter of 0.01-0.1 .mu.m and have a pore volume of 0.05-0.5 ml/g, a specific surface area of 30-150 m.sup.2 /g and an average particle diameter of 0.1-0.5 .mu.m.

Polyester films typified by polyethylene terephthalate have excellent physical and chemical properties and thus are used in various fields such as graphic art, display, wrapping, base film for magnetic recording media, dielectric materials for condenser, etc.
In order to manufacture polyester films having excellent properties, it is essential to impart good running property to the film in the aspects of passing through the manufacturing steps, finishing steps after the film is coated by application or vapor deposition or handling of the product per se. Polyester films, however, are not entirely satisfactory in this respect. The deficiency is, in most cases, manifested by friction and abrasion caused when the film slides in contact with apparatus parts at high speed.
It is well known to properly roughen the surface of films in order to improve their running property and abrasion resistance. In order to achieve this object, fine particles are incorporated in the polyester. Although this is practically employed in industry to some degree, it is not always successful in providing the desired properties.
For instance, when the so-called precipitated particles, which are formed from the catalyst residue during the preparation of polyester, are employed, control of the amount of the particles, particle diameter, prevention of formation of coarse particles, etc. are difficult. Such particles are easily broken when the film is drawn (stretched) and do not bring about good running property and abrasion resistance. Also recycled use of such films is difficult.
Another means is to add inorganic particles of calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, calcium phosphate, etc., which are inert to polyester. These particles are not subject to breakdown or deformation during the drawing and form rather steep protrusions and, therefore, bring about good running property. However, these particles have poor affinity with polyester and void spaces are formed around the particles when the film is drawn, which markedly degrades the transparency of the film. Also, these particles easily come off from the film surface and become white dust.
It is known to use silica particles which have relatively good affinity with polyester (Japanese Laying-Open Patent Publication No.37-12150 and 53-453696, for instance). As described in Japanese Laying Open Patent Publication No. Sho 43-23960, however, the dispersibility of silica particles in polyester is very poor and, therefore, they coagulate during the synthesis of polyester causing formation of coarse protrusions on the surface of the resulting film and degrading the transparency of the film. Further there is some difficulty that silica reduces the polymerization rate and degrades the thermal stability of the resulting film. The reason for this is not entirely clear but it is surmised that silanol groups existing on the surface of silica particles might react with the metal compound as the polymerization catalyst and the metal compound might be partially trapped by the silica.
We conducted intensive research in order to obtain a film provided with excellent surface properties, running property and other characteristics required for a base film and found that such a film can be obtained by incorporating silica particles which have specific physical properties and completed this invention.

Polyester film comprising specific porous silica particles


A process for opening a combination lock having a known opening sequence with a tool having a driven portion operable only upon receipt of an authorization, the process including associating the tool's driven portion with the lock such that the driven portion automatically calibrates with the lock irrespective of the initial position of the lock and authorizing the driven portion to proceed through the known lock opening sequence of a predetermined series of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations to unlock the lock. A method of opening a combination lock with a tool, the combination lock having an opening sequence consisting of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of a non finger manipulable lock opening component, the method including mating the tool with the lock opening component and operating the tool to rotate the lock opening component through a series of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations corresponding to the opening sequence to unlock the lock.

The present invention relates in general to rotatable shaft combination lock mechanisms suitable for use in, for example, doors, safes, or portable padlocks. Typically, such rotatable shaft combination lock mechanisms include a plurality of gated tumbler wheels, but may also include other mechanisms which are actuated by rotation.
Conventional locks utilizing lock mechanisms of the general class known as combination locks typically include three or more tumbler wheels which are loosely journaled in coaxial longitudinally spaced relation for rotation on a spindle or drive shaft within the lock housing, where the drive shaft is accessed through the wall of the housing. Most typically, an indexed and finger manipulable wheel mechanism, or dial, is positioned on the outer surface of the housing. The wheel mechanism may be utilized to provide the required rotations of the drive shaft and tumbler wheels to unlatch the lock.
The external dial typically provides the operator with means to manually manipulate the internal drive shaft and tumbler wheels in accordance with a known code, or combination. The proper manipulation of the dial results in the unlatching and unlocking of the lock. In the three-tumbler-wheel system commonly used in the art, the operator generally rotates the external dial in a clockwise direction through angular positions to a first desired point, commonly referenced by a numeral, then rotates the external dial in a counterclockwise direction to a second desired point, commonly referenced by a numeral, and finally rotates the external dial again in a clockwise direction to a third desired point, again commonly referenced by a numeral. Following this typical procedure, the lock mechanism is unlatched and the lock may be opened.
Existing combination lock mechanisms are designed to be human friendly by including the discussed externally readable and finger manipulable dial. Notwithstanding the external indexing, the tolerances required for unlatching conventional locks are left quite loose, to further ease use by average persons. In a typical combination lock operable by a finger manipulable dial, the locking mechanism clearances are such that a slight over or under rotation of the dial will not be fatal to operation of the lock. Rather, clearances are designed to account for slight errors in precision.
For example, if a conventional combination lock has the combination 10-22-17, the lock is typically designed to be opened when a user rotates the dial clockwise three turns to the indexed numeral 10, counterclockwise two turns to the indexed numeral 22, and again clockwise one turn to the indexed numeral 17. However, it is conventional that tolerances are built in the lock mechanism such that rotations may be permitted to be off several digits, and the lock will still open. As an example, using the combination lock with the combination of 10-22-17, rotational input of 10-21-17 will likely open the lock. In fact, each of the rotations may be ceased or stopped at a digit which is "off" by more than only one digit, for example an input of 8-20-19 will likely still open the lock, even though each of the stopping points is "off" by two indexed positions.
There are several reasons for this built in sloppiness. These reasons most often have to do with human limitations regarding to dexterity, memory, and patience, which are all interrelated in some ways.
Regarding dexterity, even the most dexterous of humans are only capable of a certain level of positioning accuracy. In a typical peripherally gated combination lock, the lock manufacturers place a single gate at a location on the periphery of each wheel. This gate is sized to accept a side bar when the correct combination is entered. However, to account for the relative lack of dexterity exhibited by human manipulation, the gate is often much larger than the width of the side bar. If the gates were sized to include only a slight tolerance with the side bar, the rotational accuracy for opening a lock would be too tight for typical human manipulation. Of course, some humans may still be able to manipulate the lock for at least one indexed number accurately, but it would likely take a tremendous amount of time, effort, and concentration. That time, effort, and concentration weighs against the patience of the person. Thus, locks have heretofore been manufactured with gates which allow for a large tolerance with the side bar.
Also, the person's memory may fade over the time required to enter the rotational inputs required to unlatch the lock. For example, again using the combination above, if a person had to enter exactly 10-22-17, and no inaccuracies were tolerated, the person would have to spin the dial clockwise three times and stop precisely on the 10 position. The person would then have to rotate the dial counterclockwise two times and stop precisely on the 22 position. The concentration required to stop precisely on the second position may cause the person to forget the third digit of the combination, or forget the number or direction of rotations required for the final number of the combination. Other memory based complications may also interfere, such as external distinctions. Lock manufacturers thus build in a level of sloppiness that permits quick manipulation of the combination lock, for example by permitting the lock to unlatch even if a user is "off" by several digits.
Regarding memory, most conventional combination locks include three wheels, requiring the user to memorize a three-number combination. An example is the 10-22-17 combination discussed. If, however, the number of tumbler wheels were increased, the number of digits in the combination would be increased proportionally. Although this would permit more secure locks, the limits of human memory have contributed in discouraging the use of large numbers of disks.
Presently, among the most complicated of conventional locks are those used on bank vaults. Such locks may include four tumbler wheels, requiring a user to remember a four-number combination. Manipulation of such a lock taxes the abilities of users. The additional tumbler wheel not only requires the user to remember an additional number, but also increases the number of rotations required to open the lock. In the four-disk example, a user would have to first rotate the external dial four times in a clockwise direction, three times in a counter clockwise direction, two times in a clockwise direction, and finally one time in a counterclockwise direction, for a total of ten rotations. This is a lot of turns for a person to count while still remembering the combination and blocking outside interferences. Only in the most secure locations, bank vaults, is this tolerated. Most conventional locks are of the three-disk variety.
It is estimated that present commercial locks of the three-disk variety comprise 85% of the market while four-disk locks make up the remaining 15%. The greatest number of disks known to have been attempted in a commercial product is five, by Joseph L. Hall of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the mid-1800s. It is believed that this lock was only used for a short period of time due to the problems associated with manipulating five disks. No locks are presently known to embody five or more disks. Heretofore, the beneficial increase in security offered by a lock with greater than four disks has been severely outweighed by the difficulties associated with manipulating such a lock.
In addition to the added security provided by heretofore unheard of disk numbers, combination locks of the present invention also feature numerous other improvements, as will be discussed. One such improvement is the provision of much tighter tolerances within each tumbler wheel. Whereas conventional locks allow for a loose fit between the peripheral gate and the side bar, locks constructed in accordance with the present invention permit much tighter tolerances. Other of these improvements include the provision of a propriety (or non-propriety) female interface within the body of the cylinder lock which may only be engaged by a tool and is not finger manipulable. Accordingly, there may be no external dial. There may also be no visible demarcations on the lock housing associated with the combination.
The tool operated lock of the present invention therefore solves the inherent problems associated with limited human dexterity, memory, and patience by providing for a combination lock mechanism which may be manipulated and opened by a tool, or by a human in conjunction with particular tools. The functional arrangement of, and interrelationship between, the lock and the tool provides for security features, flexibility, and control not previously available from conventional locks. The tool operated combination lock of the present invention generally operates under the principles known in the combination lock art, with the additions of tighter clearances, greater numbers of disks (or tumbler wheels), and other improvements that could not have been realized in a practical sense until the novel mating of the combination lock with the speed and precision of the motorized tool. Tools for use with such locks are also disclosed herein.


The present invention relates to beverage preparation machine (1) with a virtual shopping functionality. The machine comprises a touch screen (10) and a control unit (21). The touch screen (10) is adapted to display an image (80) of the interior of a shop offering goods (81) related to the machine (1) on the touch screen (10), to display an image of a container (82) on said touch screen (10), and to submit information on a touch operation to the control unit (21). The displayed interior corresponds to the interior of a physical shop offering said goods (81), in particular to the interior of a shop of a chain of physical shops having a standardized presentation of said goods (81). The control unit (21) is adapted to accept selection of a good (81) for purchase upon detecting a touch operation on a good (81) on the touch screen (10) and on the container (82) on the touch screen (10).

Certain beverage preparation machines use capsules containing ingredients to be extracted or to be dissolved; for other machines, the ingredients are stored and dosed automatically in the machine or else are added at the time of preparation of the drink.
Most coffee or other beverage preparation machines possess filling means that include a pump for liquid, usually water, which pumps the liquid from a source of water that is cold or indeed heated through heating means, such as a heating resistor, a thermoblock or the like. Such filling means are usually controlled via a control unit of the machine, typically including a printed circuit board with a controller.
For allowing the user to interact with such machines, for providing operation instructions to the machine or obtaining feed-back therefrom, various systems have been disclosed in the art, for instance as mentioned in the following references: AT 410 377, CH 682 798, DE 44 29 353, DE 202 00 419, DE 20 2006 019 039, DE 2007 008 590, EP 1 302 138, EP 1 448 084, EP 1 676 509, EP 08155851.2, FR 2 624 844, GB 2 397 510, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,049, 4,458,735, 4,554,419, 4,767,632, 4,954,697, 5,312,020, 5,335,705, 5,372,061, 5,375,508, 5,731,981, 5,645,230, 5,836,236, 5,959,869, 6,182,555,. 6,354,341, 6,759,072, US 2007/0157820, WO 97/25634, WO99/50172, WO 2004/030435, WO 2004/030438, WO 2006/063645, WO 2006/090183, WO 2007/003062, WO 2007/003990, WO 2008/104751, WO 2008/138710, WO 2008/138820 and WO 2009/016490.
Today's beverage preparation machines provide an increasing number of different functions going even beyond the pure preparation of the beverage. Consequently, a large scale of different products and/or accessories related to the beverage preparation machine is provided. The known beverage preparation machines suffer from the disadvantage, that purchase and order of machine related products for the user is time consuming and laborious. When noticing the need for a machine related product, the user has to personally visit a corresponding store or has to access an internet shop via any other device. Moreover, internet shops are conceptually and visually organized in a way requiring the user to adapt its behavior to the ordering workflows of these specific environments.
Consequently, there is still a need to improve the user's experience, and in particular to provide a solution to purchase and order beverage preparation machine related products in a more familiar, seamless and time efficient way for the user.

Method, medium, and system for a beverage preparation machine with virtual shopping functionality


A photo development apparatus made up of a development tank and a heater tank having an immersion heater in the heater tank. A flow means connects the development tank to the heater tank and a manifold connecting the heater tank to the development tank by means of a direction control means including a fitting directed at about 5 to 15 degrees to a radial line from opposite sides of the development tank so that an interference laminar flow is created in the development tank thereby providing agitation.

Apparatuses for continuously processing photographic film usually involves large quantities of liquid that has considerable thermal inertia and required relatively large and cumbersome apparatus. These apparatus are inconvenient and require an expensive amount of liquid to operate.
Most equipment available for lower volume processing requirements consists of one of the three following types:
1. Hand processing tank which will process film, mounted on a stainless steel reel, as long as there is latitude in the processing temperature requirements. Otherwise, the tank must be placed in a water jacket or bath, to assure proper temperature control.
2. A water jacket type tank consists of a large tank in which a series of small tanks is suspended. The large tank is filled with water either flowing at a constant temperature or tempered by an immersion heater. The film is mounted on reels suspended in the small tanks to be processed. This device allows for great accuracy in temperature control and very consistent results. The drawbacks are considerable because this unit needs constant running water, a large work area, and a heavy duty support.
3. Single drum (or rotating tank) type processing is possible for small quantities of film. However contamination and wet equipment become a problem when single drum type equipment is used for continuous processing.
4. The continuous processor is a large unit which transports the film through by the use of rollers or a web. This unit consists of an immersion heater mounted in each tank, a pump on the bottom of each tank (for circulating the processing solution), and a series of rollers used to transport the film through the tanks.
Many small professional photographers process film by hand due to the lack of fast and reliable processing equipment to meet their needs.


An OCT system for imaging multiple depth positions includes a light source, a sample arm and two or more reference arms. The sample arm propagates light to the object and directs object return light having a first return light beam from a first position and a second return light beam from a second position, the second return light having a dispersion level higher than the first return light beam by a dispersion difference amount. The first and second reference arms produce light beams having substantially the same dispersion as the first and second return light beams, respectively. The optical pathway combines all of the object return light and the reference light beams. An OCT detector measures the resulting interferogram. Imaging information is obtained for both the first position and the second position based on the dispersion difference amount.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive optical imaging technique which provides cross-sectional or three-dimensional images samples with an axial resolution of 1-15 μm. One of the main applications of OCT is in ophthalmology. Amongst the various known OCT systems, Fourier domain OCT (FD-OCT) is significantly faster than time domain OCT (TD-OCT) and has an improved signal to noise ratio (SNR).
But, FD-OCT suffers from an inherent sample-independent limited depth range, typically between 1 and 5 mm. One limitation flows from the fact that FD-OCT extracts depth information from the inverse Fourier transform of a spectral interferogram. Since the spectral interferogram can only be recorded as a real signal, its Fourier transform is necessarily Hermitian symmetric about the zero path length difference (ZPD) position. As a result, the positive and negative displacements about the ZPD cannot be unambiguously resolved, giving rise to mirror image artifacts and generally halving the useable range. This is referred to as the complex conjugate ambiguity. Another limitation is a sensitivity fall-off, which results in reduced sensitivity with increasing depth. Moreover, since the OCT's signal is derived only from backscattered photons, optical attenuation from absorption and scattering generally result in a useable imaging depth of less than 2 mm.
Several "full range" OCT techniques have been developed that eliminate the complex conjugate artifacts to effectively double the measurement range around the ZPD position. Recently, a Dispersion Encoded Full Range (DEFR) OCT procedure has been developed, which takes advantage of dispersion mismatch between a sample arm and a reference arm caused by a dispersive material in one arm that results in a broadening of signal peaks in z-space and makes it possible to eliminate complex terms. See B. Hofer, et al., Opt. Express 18, 4898-4919 (2010).
These so-called full range OCT techniques, however, result in useable imaging depths of about 4 mm. The average axial length of the adult human eye is about 24 mm. Thus, ophthalmic clinics must use three or more separate OCT measurements for: 1) imaging the retina, 2) imaging the anterior eye, and 3) measuring the axial eye length.
As a result of these shortcomings, there is a need for improved OCT systems and methods.

Multiple depth optical coherence tomography system and method and laser eye surgery system incorporating the same


An interior rearview mirror assembly includes a display screen that is extendable and retractable relative to a casing. The display screen is movably mounted at the casing and movable or slidable in a direction generally parallel to a length axis of the reflective element between a non-use position, where the video display screen is positioned substantially within the casing, and a use position, where the video display screen is substantially extended from a side of the casing for viewing. The display screen may be automatically extended in response to an activating event.

It is known to provide a video display screen at an interior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle, such as, for example, a video display screen of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172 for REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY WITH UTILITY FUNCTIONS, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,300 for BLIND SPOT VIEWING SYSTEM, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. It has also been suggested to provide a mirror or a display which may be indexed in and out of a mirror case, such as from the bottom of the mirror case, such as also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,172, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Drivers of vehicles, particularly larger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and the like, may be faced with a reduced or obstructed field of vision toward the rear and rearward of the vehicle as more objects, such as headrests and entertainment video screens, may block or obstruct a driver's rearward view, whether the driver uses the rearview mirror or even if the driver turns around to generally face the rear window of the vehicle. Larger SUVs may have even less visibility to the immediate rear of the vehicle. Various backup aids have been proposed to provide a display of an image of the exterior scene rearward of the vehicle for viewing by the driver.


The present invention is a tray assembly comprising a holder, at least one tray, at least one securement device, and at least one support element. The holder is designed to fit into the cup holder in an automotive car console and accommodates one beverage container. The trays are joined to and extend outwardly from the holder and accommodate at least one food item. At least one tray is downwardly recessed to better accommodate the food items. The tray assembly is designed so that a plurality of the tray assemblies can be stacked together vertically. The arrangement of the trays is asymmetrical in such a way that a plurality of trays can be placed in closer proximity to a person or object, but do not upset the overall balance of the tray. The tray assembly contains at least one aperture in at least one tray, wherein the aperture acts as a receptacle for at least one container and maintains the containers in the vertical position. The securement devices are joined to the holder and allow the tray assembly to conform to the shape of the automotive cup holder. The support elements provide structural integrity to the tray assembly. The support elements may extend either upwardly or downwardly from the tray assembly.

The present invention is directed, in general, to a tray and cup holder combination adapted for insertion into the cup holding recess of an automotive console.
Food purchased at a drive-through restaurant may be eaten while driving. Cup holders are frequently placed in the consoles of automobiles. However, there is still no place to put food such as may be purchased at the drive-through. Disposable food and drink containers are used by drive-through restaurants. A need exists for a disposable cup and tray combination that can hold food items like hamburgers, french fries, and a drink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,523 (the ""523 patent) discloses an xe2x80x9cArticle Support System Having Multiple Utilitiesxe2x80x9d having two-piece construction, one tray, and a number of concentric cylinders of varying diameter. The weight of the tray and its contents causes the part of the tray designed to fit into the cup holder to bind against the automotive cup holder. (See the ""523 patent, FIG. 4) A need exists beyond the ""523 patent for a combination cup holder and tray with a simple and inexpensive means of attachment to an automotive cup holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,580 (the ""063 patent) discloses a xe2x80x9cFood And Beverage Tray Supportable By A Cupholder,xe2x80x9d which provides a combination of three cup holders and a single tray. The ""580 patent is limited to fit one size of cup holder. A need exists beyond the ""580 patent for a combination cup holder and tray that can fit different sizes of cup holders and that can support more than one tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,063 (the ""063 patent) discloses a xe2x80x9cConcession Trayxe2x80x9d having a single tray with one-piece construction. A need exists beyond the ""063 patent for a tray and cup holder combination that can support a plurality of trays.
Therefore, a need exists beyond the prior art for a tray and cup holder combination that is inexpensive to manufacture, adaptable to a variety of vehicle console cup holders, and that can support at least one tray. An invention is needed that can accommodate all of these requirements in an effective manner.
The invention that meets the needs identified above is a tray and cup holder assembly having a main tray, a holder, a plurality of trays, and at least one structural support. The holder consists of an inverted truncated cone joined to the main tray and closed at the bottom and is adapted for insertion into the cup holder of an automotive console. At least one tray has a recess adapted to hold the food items and the trays are arranged asymmetrically. Each tray is generally rectangular in shape and preferably has rounded corners. At least one tray has at least one aperture having a size and orientation designed to hold a container such as a french fry container. A crushable extension is joined to the holder and allows the holder to conform to the shape of the automotive cup holder. Alternatively, the crushable extension may be a pad affixed to the holder by an adhesive to the outside wall of the cup holder section along the longitudinal axis. A circumferential support, a supplemental support, two inner supports, and a disc support provide structural integrity to the tray assembly. The novel configuration of the tray and cup holder combination makes it inexpensive to manufacture, adaptable to a variety of vehicle console cup holders, and that can support at least one tray.


A filter circuit is provided wherein one end of an inductor is connected to one end of a capacitor to form a signal input end. The other end of the inductor is connected to a first switch circuit, and the other end of the capacitor is connected to a second switch circuit. When a lower-frequency signal in a 2.4 GHz band is to be inputted, a low-pass filter circuit is formed by connecting the other end of the inductor to a signal output end and the other end of the capacitor to ground, and when a higher-frequency signal in a 5 GHz band is to be inputted, a high-pass filter circuit is formed by connecting the other end of the inductor to ground and the other end of the capacitor to the signal output end, by manipulating the first and second switch circuits.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a filter circuit used in a wireless communications device or the like and an impedance circuit, such as a matching circuit, and more particularly to an impedance circuit capable of operating in response to more than one frequency band, and a filter circuit, an amplifier circuit, a semiconductor integrated circuit, an electronic component, and a wireless communications device using such an impedance circuit.
2. Background Art
A system that uses switching over more than one frequency band has recently become known in a communications system. For example, in the wireless LAN method, the system switches from a 2.4 GHz band to a 5 GHz band and vice versa, or in the GSM method, the system switches from a 900 MHz band to a 1.8 GHz/1.9 GHz band and vice versa.
In a communications system configured to switch over more than one frequency band as described above, for the switching to be enabled, it is common to establish multiple signal paths for radio frequency bands in an RF portion, so that the signal paths are switched depending on the radio frequency band to be used.
For example, in the case of a filter circuit, as is shown in FIG. 21, a filter circuit 600 comprises filters 51 and 52 suitable for radio frequencies f1 and f2 in respective radio frequency bands, and switch circuits SW51 and SW52 provided respectively to the input end and the output end of these filters 51 and 52. The signal paths are switched by enabling either the filter 51 or 52 with the use of the switch circuits SW51 and SW52.
Also, for example, as is shown in FIG. 22, an amplifying element portion forming the RF portion is provided with amplifying elements 1101a and 1101b suitable for radio frequencies in respective radio frequency bands, and input matching circuits 1102a and 1102b and output matching circuits 1103a and 1103b are disposed before and after the amplifying elements 1101a and 1101b, respectively. By switching over a path for a first frequency signal f1 formed from the input matching circuit 1102a, the amplifying element 1101a, and t-he output matching circuit 1103a, and a path for a second frequency signal f2, formed from the input matching circuit 1102b, the amplifying element 1101b, and the output matching circuit 1103b, with the use of an input end change-over switch 1104 and an output-end change-over switch 1105 provided at an input end and an output end of the paths, respectively, a processing path is switched to either path suitable for the signal f1 or f2.
This is because it is practically difficult to achieve a circuit capable of attaining a satisfactory characteristic across all the usable bands, as respective circuits forming the RF portion. Even when a circuit is configured to attain a homogeneous characteristic across all the bands, the performance of such a circuit markedly deteriorates compared with a case where a circuit is formed separately for each usable frequency band. For this reason, it is common to form a circuit separately for each, frequency band.
However, in a case where a signal path forming the RF portion is provided separately for each frequency band to be used as described above, the number of components and an occupied area are increased, which makes it difficult to reduce the cost and the size of the circuits.
As a method of avoiding such problems, there have been proposed various methods by which a signal path forming the RF portion is shared by all the frequency bands.
For example, as a method of sharing a filter circuit forming the RF portion by more than one band, there has been proposed a method, by which a varactor diode is used in a resonant circuit to make a capacity variable with a control voltage supplied from the outside, so that a frequency band allowed to pass is changed by adjusting the resonance frequency (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei-7-321586).
Also, as a method of sharing a matching circuit used for an amplifier forming the RF portion by more than one band, there has been proposed a method, by which an independent amplifying element is used, and matching circuits, as those at the input end and output end of the amplifier, are provided for each frequency, so that the system is able to respond to more than one frequency band by switching to the matching circuits corresponding to a frequency to be used, with the use of switches (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei-5-37255).
In the case of a filter circuit, however, when a frequency band allowed to pass is changed by adjusting the resonance frequency as described above, there arises a need to use a low-Q element, such as a varactor diode, in the resonant circuit, which poses a problem in that the filter characteristic is deteriorated.
Also, when the matching circuits are switched to correspond to the frequency to be used as described above, the number of matching circuits increases with the number of usable frequencies. In particular, in terms of the area occupied by the circuits, the input and output matching circuits occupy a larger area than the active element portion, which poses a problem in that this configuration is less effective in achieving a fundamental reduction of the circuit size.
In addition, when the matching circuit is a matching circuit covering a broad band including usable frequencies and the circuit to be matched is an amplifier, a signal in a frequency band other than the desired frequency band is also amplified, which makes this configuration disadvantageous in terms of efficiency of the amplifier.
The invention was devised in view of the conventional problems that remain unsolved, and therefore relates to an impedance circuit capable of operating in response to more than one frequency band without deteriorating the characteristic or increasing the circuit size, and to a filter circuit, an amplifier circuit, a semiconductor integrated circuit, an electronic component, and a wireless communications device using such an impedance circuit.

Impedance circuit, and filter circuit, amplifier circuit, semiconductor integrated circuit, electronic component, and wireless communications device using the same


Photoacid generators have formula (1) wherein R1 and R2 are alkyl, or R1 and R2, taken together, may form a C4–C6 ring structure with sulfur, R is hydrogen or alkyl, R′ is hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyl or nitro, n is 1 to 6, and Y− is alkylsulfonate, arylsulfonate, bisalkylsulfonylimide or trisalkylsulfonylmethide. Chemically amplified resist compositions comprising the same have improved resolution, thermal stability, storage stability and minimized line edge roughness

While a number of recent efforts are being made to achieve a finer pattern rule in the drive for higher integration and operating speeds in LSI devices, DUV and VUV lithography is thought to hold particular promise as the next generation in microfabrication technology. At present, the manufacture of advanced semiconductor devices having a feature size of 0.15 μm is conducted by photolithography using a KrF excimer laser, and even 0.13-μm rule devices are on the verge of commercial manufacture. It is strongly desired that photolithography using an ArF excimer laser as the light source reach the practical level as the micropatterning technique capable of achieving a feature size of 0.13 μm or less.
In the photolithography using an ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm) as the light source, a high sensitivity resist material capable of achieving a high resolution at a small dose of exposure is needed to prevent the degradation of precise and expensive optical system materials. Among several measures for providing a high sensitivity resist material, the most common is to select each component which is highly transparent at the wavelength of 193 nm. For example, poly(meth)acrylic acid and derivatives thereof, norbornene-maleic anhydride alternating copolymers, polynorbornene and metathesis ring-opening polymers have been proposed as the base resin. This choice is effective in that the transparency of a resin alone is increased. However, the photoacid generator has the problem that increasing its transparency leads to a drop of acid generation efficiency, resulting in a low sensitivity or the lack of thermal stability and storage stability. There is available no photoacid generator which is practically acceptable.
For example, JP-A 7-25846, JP-A 7-28237, JP-A 8-27102, JP-A 2001-354669, and JP-A 2002-40636 disclose alkylsulfonium salts which are highly transparent, but unsatisfactory in acid generation efficiency and thermal stability. The following salts are illustrated in JP-A 7-25846, JP-A 2001-354669, and JP-A 2002-40636.

JP-A 10-319581 discloses alkylarylsulfonium salts which have a high sensitivity and a good balance of transparency and acid generation efficiency, but lack thermal stability and storage stability.

Further, JP-A 8-146607, JP-A 9-118663, JP-A 10-48814, JP-A 10-232490 and JP-A 2002-229192 disclose sulfonium salts having naphthyl groups, and describe that resist compositions comprising the same exhibit a high sensitivity, high resolution and improved pattern configuration. These naphthyl group-containing sulfonium salts have a high transmittance near 193 nm, but an inferior sensitivity to the conventional triarylsulfonium salts. The sensitivity can be enhanced by increasing the amount of the salt added to resist compositions, but noticeable demerits are introduced. That is, adding large amounts of low-molecular weight components to resist compositions can cause degradation of dissolution properties, precipitation of substantially insoluble sulfonium salts, and conversion thereof into foreign matter.
Additional drawbacks are that for example, trinaphthylsulfonium salts and 2-dialkylnaphthylsulfonium salts are difficult to produce, and that 1-naphthyldialkylsulfonium salts which are unsubstituted (hydrogen atom) at 2-position lack storage stability in resist solution.
The following salts are disclosed in JP-A 8-146607, JP-A 9-118663, JP-A 10-48814, JP-A 10-232490 and JP-A 2002-229192.

Arylsulfonium salts, which are regarded effective in photolithography using a KrF excimer laser, are good in acid generation efficiency, thermal stability and storage stability, but very low transparent to light so that the pattern resulting from exposure and development is noticeably tapered. The lack of transparency can be compensated for by thinning the resist film, but such a thin resist film has extremely low etch resistance. This is inadequate as the pattern forming process. Most of the foregoing salts are onium salts whose cation side structure is modified. It was reported that with respect to resolution and pattern configuration, there is a close relationship between the type of acid generated and the type of acid labile group.
With the advance toward a finer feature size, line edge roughness and a size difference between an isolated pattern and a densely packed pattern, known as I/G bias are regarded problematic. It is well known that even when feature sizes are the same on the mask, a size difference appears between an isolated pattern and a densely packed pattern after development. This problem becomes serious with sizes in excess of the wavelength. This is because a difference in light interference upon image formation between an isolated pattern and a densely packed pattern brings about a difference in optical intensity. The resist size decreases with an increase of pitch (pitch=the sum of line size and space size, in this case, the line size remains unchanged and the space size is increased) and becomes increasingly thinner with the enhancement of acid diffusion. The problem of size dependency on line density that the size of an isolated pattern is thinner than that of a densely packed pattern becomes serious. One proposed approach for reducing the line density dependency is to reduce the distance of acid diffusion. However, if acid diffusion is extremely restrained, the side walls of resist patterns after development are serrated or roughened by standing waves, and line edge roughness is enhanced. It has been reported that the serration of side walls by standing waves becomes sharper as the distance of acid diffusion is reduced. For the line edge roughness as observed under top-down SEM, the same tendency is ascertained, that is, line edge roughness increases as acid diffusion decreases. A common approach for reducing the roughness of lines is by increasing the distance of acid diffusion, but this approach fails to improve the line density dependency over a certain limit. For improving line edge roughness, it may be effective to increase the optical contrast. For example, at the same exposure wavelength, the line edge roughness decreases as the line width increases. Even at the same exposure wavelength and line width, the line edge roughness decreases with an increasing NA of a stepper and in the case of repetitive patterns, is smaller with modified illumination (e.g., annular illumination, quadrupole illumination) than with normal illumination and with phase shift masks than with conventional Cr masks. The contrast at pattern line edges is correlated to the line edge roughness so that the line edge roughness becomes smaller as the line edge contrast becomes sharper. With respect to exposure wavelength, it is expected that the line edge roughness becomes smaller upon exposure at shorter wavelengths. However, when line edge roughness is compared between KrF exposure and ArF exposure, the ArF exposure is deemed to provide a higher optical contrast owing to its shortness of wavelength and a smaller line edge roughness, but actually, the KrF exposure is advantageous, as reported in SPIE 3999, 264 (2000). This is attributable to the performance difference between KrF and ArF resist materials, indicating that the line edge roughness originating from material factors upon ArF exposure is serious. It would be desirable to have a photoacid generator which improves line edge roughness and at the same time, does not exacerbate line density dependency.

Photoacid generators, chemically amplified resist compositions, and patterning process


The invention relates to brartemicin analogues of Formula (IV) and their uses. These compounds are potent Mincle agonists and Th1-stimulating vaccine adjuvants.

Adjuvants have traditionally been used to enhance the adaptive immune response to a vaccine, with most current vaccines providing protection primarily through humoral immunity. However, humoral immunity is insufficient to confer protection against some pathogens, thus necessitating the need for adjuvants that enhance acquired cellular (Th1) immunity. Th1 cells secrete cytokines which activate macrophages, inducing production of opsonizing antibodies by B cells. The Th1 response protects against invasive pathogens such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi and viruses. The Th1 response also activates cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL), a sub-group of T cells that induce death of pathogen-infected cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are also activated by the Th1 response and play a major role in apoptosis in tumours and virus-infected cells.
Effective Th1-stimulating adjuvants often engage the innate immune system by activating pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on professional antigen presenting cells (APCs). Previously, there has been much interest in the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as targets for vaccine adjuvants. However more recently, Macrophage inducible C-type lectin (Mincle) has been identified as a PRR on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) and so is a promising new target for vaccine development.
Pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are molecules associated with groups of pathogens that are recognised by cells of the innate immune system. A large number of molecules can act as PAMPs, including glycans and glycoconjugates. PAMPs bind to PRRs, with the specificity of the ensuing immune response being directed by the type of PRR activated and the structure of each specific PAMP.
Mincle is activated by a number of PAMPs including the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall glycolipid trehalose dimycolate (TDM) with Mincle activation leading to the induction of the FcRγ-Syk-Card9-Bcl10-Malt1 signalling axis and a Th1-polarised immune response. A number of synthetically derived ligands also bind and activate Mincle, for example, trehalose dibehenate (TDB).

However, TDM is highly toxic so cannot be used as a therapeutic agent. It also comprises a complex mixture of compounds and is difficult to synthesise.
Accordingly, alternative Mincle agonists are needed, preferably compounds with high activity and low toxicity that are simple to prepare. It is an object of the invention to go at least some way towards providing an alternative Mincle agonist and/or a method of enhancing an immune response in a subject using such an alternative Mincle agonist and/or to provide at least one Th1-stimulating vaccine adjuvant and/or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.