Provided are a method and system for providing a social music service using a location based service (LBS), and a recording medium in which a program for executing the method is recorded. The method includes: an uploading step of receiving data on a location at which music is to be posted and corresponding music data from a user terminal and then storing the data in a server; a tracking step of tracking the location of the user terminal using the LBS in the server and detecting whether or not the user terminal has come within a predetermined distance from the posting location; and a playing step of transmitting, from the server to the user terminal, music data matched with the corresponding location when the user terminal has come within the predetermined distance from the posting location.

The people could ordinarily and naturally listen to a popular song, a new song, or a song suitable for a place which is played from loudspeakers placed in front of record shops or stores, or the like on the streets while walking around the streets. However, as mobile devices, such as smart phones, MP3 players, and the like have been rapidly popularized, such record shops have become obsolete and have gradually disappeared. In particular, these days in any busy city area it's typical to see people privately listening to music from their portable devices using headphones.
Accordingly, in the past various shops used to play music from loudspeakers placed in front of their stores & shops in specific street such as places around the Gangnam Station, Myeongdong or Apgujeong, this broadcasted music set the musical atmosphere for a street/neighborhood, but this musical atmosphere has been greatly reduced.
Meanwhile, as the use of mobile devices has expanded, various services through such mobile devices have been revitalized. A representative example of the services is applications relating to the provision of a music service. These music applications provide users with various songs in a web casting method through technologies which are not in violation of Copyright laws based on expanded wireless communication technologies of mobile devices. However, these technologies provide only music limited by genre or a category, or the like, and thus it would be impossible to induce new feelings to a user by introducing a specific concept. That is, the service provides only music as it is, but is not a social networking approach.
Meanwhile, a mobile device may provide various services using a location based service (LBS). Even with regard to a music application, a technology for downloading and regenerating music using the LBS has been developed.
The representative technology is Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-0001745 entitled "System and method for providing music information using the Internet," and a service through the system and method is carried out in such a manner that a location of a mobile terminal is identified, information on music suitable for the corresponding location is transmitted from a server and the music is then played from a mobile device. To do so, a music list appropriate to a landscape of a mountain, sea or the like should be prepared in advance, attributes of a place where a user's mobile terminal is positioned should be also provided in advance, and thus the music list and the provided attributes are needed to match with the corresponding music.
In light of the fact that the LBS is used, although this service may be considered to be a major step forward in the technology, it enables the user to listen to music by just passively downloading music suitable for his or her location, but does not enable the user not to directly select music which may be played with regard to a corresponding place. Moreover, in light of the fact that the service is used by only one person rather than that the service is exchanged by various persons, the service is not an approach in view of a social network.
Another conventional art is Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-0070213 entitled "MP3 player using a GPS." A service through this invention is also intended to enable a user to conveniently enjoy music even in a subway or a public place by downloading music appropriate for an adjacent location using the LBS, playing it, and controlling volumes automatically to be suitable for a peripheral atmosphere. However, even though this service corresponds to a music service based on places, it enables a user to download a recommended song unilaterally and to play it, and thus in light of the fact that providing of the music service is performed in terms of only a simple one-way relationship, rather than that of a variety of people sharing the service while influencing each other, the service is not a social networking approach.
Accordingly, a music service which enables a variety of people to share music information while influencing each other using mobile devices and an LBS service, namely, a music service with the described new concept through connection of a location, music and a person is needed.
The matters described as the background arts are only intended to increase the understanding of the background of the present invention, but should not be recognized as being prior arts which have already been known to those skilled in the art.

Method and system for providing a social music service using an LBS, and recording medium for recording a program for executing the method


A method for deburring especially a steel strip (1) cut into slabs (1a) with the aid of an oxygen cutting torch (18) whose blast is perpendicular to one (2) of the principal faces of the strip (1). The method consists in directing, onto the principal face (3) of the strip (1) opposite the principal face (2) receiving the blast from the oxygen cutting torch (18) and in the zone for cutting up the strip (1), a blast of fluid which is inert with respect to the blast from the torch (18).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for deburring especially a continuously cast steel strip cut into slabs.
2. Description of the Related Art
In continuous casting of steel, a product is obtained which has the shape of a thick steel strip which has to be cut into specified lengths so as to obtain slabs which are then processed in rolling operations.
The steel strip coming from the continuous casting is cut into slabs by oxygen cutting with the aid of a torch which projects its blast perpendicularly to one of the principal faces of the strip.
The action of the cutting blast of the torch leads to a kerf in the metal, a kerf which forms a cut when the torch is moved over the strip.
The drawback of oxygen cutting resides in the fact that it causes burrs from molten steel on the principal face opposite that receiving the cutting blast from the torch.
These burrs constituted by oxygen cutting residues are formed on either side of the cut because of the disturbance from the removal of the cutting residues generated by the expansion of the residual gases at the exit of the said cut.
This phenomenon causes a bonding of the nonremoved residues on each edge of the cut on the lower face of the slab.
In order to get rid of these burrs, up until now several solutions have been used.
One solution consists in manually grinding away the burrs.
Another known solution consists in using a machine comprising a set of cutting blades.
These blades are carried by a carriage which moves along the longitudinal axis of the slab below the lower face of the latter. These blades come into contact with the said lower face and cut off the oxygen cutting residues.
These solutions have drawbacks.
The reason for this is that they require an additional operation on the slab, distinct from the oxygen cutting operation, involving thereby the installation of a deburring unit with the extra cost and maintenance which stem therefrom.

Method and device for deburring especially a steel strip cut into slabs


The present invention relates to a depilling composition comprising an enzyme mixture that comprises a Family 45 cellulase and one or more additional cellulases selected from a Family 5 cellulase, a Family 6 cellulase or a combination thereof. The enzyme mixture may be characterized in that the Family 45 and Family 5 cellulases or the Family 45 and Family 6 cellulases are present at a weight ratio that exhibits synergy in an assay that measures specific depilling activity. The enzyme mixture may be secreted by a genetically modified microbe overexpressing the foregoing cellulases. Also provided is a process for depilling that comprises a step of contacting cellulose-containing goods with the depilling composition.

Cellulase enzymes are widely used to improve the appearance and softness of cellulose-containing fabrics. A widespread application of cellulase enzymes is to remove cotton fuzz and loose surface fibers in or on the fabric. This process is referred to as "depilling", "biopolishing" and "biofinishing" and smoothes the surface of the fabric, which in turn improves its softness and appearance. Cellulase treatment also aids in the prevention of subsequent formation of fiber pills that make the garments appear worn. During depilling it is desirable to minimize strength loss of the fabric due to the hydrolytic action of the cellulases.
Another industrial application of cellulase enzymes is for treating denim fabrics so as to impart to them a "stone-washed" appearance. Such a process is known in the industry as "bio-stoning". The term bio-stoning was adopted as pumice stones were traditionally used to treat the fabric. However, cellulases have largely replaced pumice stones in recent years. Bio-stoning is quite different from depilling: biostoning aims to remove colour from denim and control its re-deposition on the fabric while depilling aims to solely improve softness and appearance as in depilling.
Cellulase enzymes are a group of glycoside hydrolase enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of beta-1,4-glycosidic linkages in the cellulose polymer and often comprise a cellulose binding domain (CBD) and a catalytic domain. A region between these two domains known as a "linker" or "linker peptide" serves as a flexible spacer between the CBD and the catalytic domain. The catalytic domains of individual cellulase components are classified by both the Enzyme Commission (EC) and the Glycoside Hydrolase (GH) family systems. The Enzyme Commission distinguishes two classes of cellulases based on their preference for cleavage of internal beta-1, 4 linkages (endoglucanase or "EG", EC 18.104.22.168) or the release of cellobiose from the reducing or non-reducing end of the cellulose polymer (cellobiohydrolases or "CBH", EC 3.2.1. 91, sometimes also referred to as exoglucanases). In contrast, the GH family system distinguishes the catalytic domains of cellulase components based on the conservation of primary and secondary structure, as well as the stereochemistry of the catalytic reaction. The GH family designations for all known cellulase catalytic and binding domains is provided and continually updated through the Carbohydrate-Active EnZymes (CAZy) database (Cantarel et al., 2009, Nucleic Acids Res 37:D233-238) available at the URL: cazy.org. Cellulase enzymes may be found in a number of GH Families including, but not limited to, Families 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 16, 18, 19, 26, 44, 45, 48, 51, 61 and 74. Further, cellulase in some of the larger GH Families may be grouped into subfamilies.
Under the GH system, all cellulase catalytic domains, whether CBH or EG enzymes, are designated by "Cel" followed by the GH Family number. For example, cellulase comprising catalytic domains belonging to GH Families, 5, 6 and 7 may be referred to as Cel5, Cel6 and Cel7 cellulases, cellobiohydrolases or endoglucanases or as Family 5, Family 6, and Family 7 cellulases, cellobiohydrolases or endoglucanases. Designations such as Cel5, Cel6 and Cel7 may be followed by the capital letters A, B, C and so forth, which indicate the order in which the enzymes of the same family were identified from the source organisms. Further, the Cel designations may be preceded by a genus, species identifier such as "Tr" for Trichoderma reesei.
Fungi such as Trichoderma secrete a number of different cellulase enzymes (also referred to herein as an "enzyme mixture", "cellulase mixture" or "cellulase enzyme mixture") that are individually known as components. The more prevalent of these enzyme components include cellobiohydrolase (CBH), also called exo-1,4-beta-D-glucanases, endoglucanase (EG), or endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanases, and beta-glucosidase enzymes. This classification is based on the enzymes' substrate specificities, i.e. affinity towards the chain ends (exo), the interior of the glucose chain (endo), or glycosidic bonds of soluble cellooligosaccharides and cellobiose (beta-glucosidase).
Trichoderma reesei is a widely studied and industrially important fungus for the production of cellulases. It produces at least six genetically different cellulases: two cellobiohydrolases, referred to as Cel6A (SEQ ID NO:3) and Cel7A (SEQ ID NO:5), also known as CBHII and CBHI, and at least four endoglucanases Cel5A (SEQ ID NO:2), Cel7B (SEQ ID NO:6), Cel12A and Cel45A (SEQ ID NO:4), also known as EGII, EGI, EGIII and EGV, respectively. Some of these cellulase components have been identified as contributing to improvements in depilling, while others are seen as detrimental as they can cause fabric strength loss, as discussed below.
Efforts have been made to improve the properties of cellulase mixtures for textile depilling by increasing the proportion of endoglucanase components in the secreted enzyme mixture relative to the natural mixture. For instance, WO 92/17574 discloses an approach that involves adjusting the amounts of EG type components relative to CBH I type components (Cel7A) so that the protein weight ratio of the EG to CBH I type components is greater than 5:1. Cotton-containing fabrics treated with such compositions exhibited decreased strength loss during depilling treatment compared to fabrics containing greater amounts of CBH I type (Cel7A) components. In addition, EP 866 165 discloses enzyme compositions enriched in EG II (Cel5A), which exhibit improvements in depilling efficiency and reduced strength loss. In embodiments, the enzyme compositions contain a cellulase protein content of at least 95% EG II.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,782 discloses that reduced strength loss of cotton fabrics can be achieved with cellulase detergent compositions that contain one or more endoglucanase components and reduced levels (less than 5 wt %) of CBH I (Cel7A). In these studies, it was found that CBH I, and to a certain extent CBH II, played a role in strength loss. The EG-enriched detergent compositions were reportedto impart improvements in softening, washing and color restoration. Similarly, Miettinen-Oinonen et al. (Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2002, 68(8):3956-3964) reported improvements in visual appearance and reductions in pilling tendency with EG II-enriched cellulase preparations devoid of CBH I and CBH II. Miettinen-Oinonen et al. (VTT Publications 550, 2004, Trichoderma reesei strains for production of cellulases for the textile industry) also report good depilling results with EG II-enriched cellulase preparations. The use of endoglucanases in textile applications is also discussed in WO 2004/053039, EP 495 258 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,001,639, 5,958,082 and 5,948,672.
Moreover, a number of groups have contemplated the use of Cel45 cellulases in depilling. WO 97/14804 discloses a neutral Cel45A cellulase (20 K cellulase) from Melanocarpus origin for use in the textile and detergent industry . . . . WO2010/076388 discloses the production and use of Geomyces or Fusarium Cel45 endoglucanases in denim washing and depilling. U.S. Publication No. 2007/0111278 discloses the use of STCE1. a Cel45 endoglucanase, derived from Staphylotrichum, in washing or depilling of cellulose-containing fabrics. U.S. Pat. No. 7,741,093 discloses fusion of the Melanocarpus Cel45 endoglucanase to a linker peptide of Trichoderma reesei CBH I and a cellulose binding domain for bio-stoning and biofinishing. The purpose of constructing such fusion proteins was to increase the size of the Melanocarpus Cel45A enzyme, thereby decreasing the ability of the enzyme to penetrate the fabric, which in turn reduces strength loss. Similar approaches with Cel45 endoglucansaes and other cellulase enzymes are disclosed in WO 2007/118935 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,256,032.
Other groups have focused on elucidating whether or not cellulase enzyme components synergize with one another. The identification of synergistic combinations of enzyme components that provide for enhanced depilling could be a step forward with respect to improving process economics. Such improvements may be achieved since less enzyme protein, which is costly, would be necessary to impart the desired depilling effect.
Heikinheimo and Buchert (Textile Research Journal, 2001, 71(8):672-677) investigated the depilling properties of Trichoderma reesei EG I and II and CBH I and II cellulase components alone and in combination. Treatment of cotton interlock fabric with EG II-based combinations with CBH I or CBH II resulted in favourable depilling properties. However, the investigators also reported decreased depilling activity for combinations of the two endoglucanases, EG I and EG II. That is, no endo-endo synergy between the cellulase components was observed.
Cavaco-Paulo and Almeida (Textile Chemist and Colorist, 1996, 28(6):28-32) observed a high activity of EGI and II-deleted Trichoderma reesei cellulase mixtures on cotton cellulose. The authors state therein that the effect may possibly be due to synergy between the two CBH components or the CBH components and residual EG III or EG V. In Cavaco-Paulo, Carbohydrate Polymers, 1998, 37:273-277, it was stated that minor EG components seem to cooperate with the CBHs, in a synergistic fashion, to fully hydrolyse cotton. However, no testing was carried out to examine which particular components exhibited synergism with one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,083 discloses binary cellulase enzyme mixtures for use in bio-stoning. The first component is a Family 5 endoglucanase derived from Bacillus or Clostridium, or Family 7 endoglucanase derived from Humicolainsolens. The second component is a mechanical abrading agent, and/or an abrading cellulase (to form localized variation in color density), which may be a Family 12 or a Family 45 cellulase with a cellulose binding domain. Although improved bio-stoning with low backstaining was obtained, the properties of these compositions in depilling assays were not investigated.
Miettinen-Oinonen et al. (Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 2004, 34:332-341) examined the effect of Family 45 enzymes in biostoning, alone or in combination with other cellulase components, including endoglucanases. However, the depilling properties of these enzyme compositions were not tested in these studies.
Synergy between cellulase components has been reported in the literature in the hydrolysis of cellulosic substrates, or complete degradation and conversion of cellulose into ultimately glucose (Gusakov et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2007, 97(5):1028-1038; Andersen et al, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 2008, 42(4):362-370; Boisset al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2001, 72(3):339-345; Igarashi et al., Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2008, 74:5628-5634; and Zhang et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2004, 7(88):797-824). However, extended hydrolysis is generally not a desired effect in depilling, as it may result in destruction of the fabric or severe strength loss. Furthermore, as reported by Ramos et al. (Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, 2007, 25(1):35-42) hydrolysis may not correlate with biopolishing effects.
Despite these efforts, there is still a need for improved combinations of cellulase enzymes and compositions thereof that are more effective in depilling of cellulose-containing goods. In particular, there is a continuous need for more efficient cellulase enzyme mixtures to improve the process economics. The present invention aims to meet these needs.

Cellulase enzyme mixtures for depilling and uses thereof


An insulated trench isolation structure is formed in a semiconductor substrate omitting a barrier nitride polish stop layer, thereby simplifying the formation of the trench isolating structure, and enabling the substrate to be polished substantially flush with the trench fill. The planar trench fill-substrate interface avoids additional topography, thereby facilitating application of, and enhancing the accuracy of, photolithographic techniques in forming features with minimal dimensions.

Current demands for high density and performance associated with ultra large scale integration require submicron features of about 0.25 microns and under, increased transistor and circuit speeds and improved reliability. Such demands for increased density, performance and reliability require formation of device features with high precision and uniformity.
Conventional semiconductor devices comprise a substrate and various electrically isolated regions, called active regions. in which individual circuit components are formed. The electrical isolation of these active regions is typically accomplished by thermal oxidation of the semiconductor substrate, typically monocrystalline silicon or an epitaxial layer formed thereon, bounding the active regions.
One type of isolation structure is known as trench isolation, wherein shallow trenches are etched in the substrate and an oxide liner is thermally grown on the trench walls. The trench is then refilled with an insulating material. The resulting structure is referred to as a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure. The active region typically comprises source/drain regions formed in the semiconductor substrate by implantation of impurities, spaced apart by a channel region on which a gate electrode is formed with a gate oxide laver therebetween. The gate electrode controls the turn-on and turn-off of each transistor.
A typical method of trench formation comprises initially growing a pad oxide layer on the substrate, and depositing a barrier nitride layer thereon. A photoresist mask is then applied to define the trench areas. The exposed portions of the nitride layer are then etched away, followed by the pad oxide layer. The etching continues into the substrate to form the shallow trench. When etching of the trench is completed, the photoresist is stripped off the nitride layer.
Next, the substrate is oxidized to form an oxide liner on the walls and base of the trench to control the silicon-silicon dioxide interface quality. The trench is then refilled with an insulating material (or "trench fill"), such as silicon dioxide derived from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The surface is then planarized, as by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) using the barrier nitride layer as a polish stop, and the nitride and pad oxide are stripped off the active areas to complete the trench isolation structure.
When creating the STI structure, it is considered desirable for the uppermost surface of the substrate to be flush (i.e., coplanar) with the uppermost surface of the trench fill, in order to maximize the performance of the finished device, and to provide a flat topography for subsequent processing steps, particularly photolithographic processing, thereby facilitating the formation of small features with accuracy and increased manufacturing throughput. However, planarity is adversely affected by conventional techniques, primarily due to the application of the barrier nitride laver as a polish stop.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, which illustrate the substrate 1, pad oxide layer 2, barrier nitride layer 3, oxide liner 4 and insulating material 5, after the insulating material 5 has been applied (FIG. 1A), and planarized using the barrier nitride layer 3 as a polish stop (FIG. 1B), the barrier nitride layer 3 and pad oxide layer 2 are stripped off (FIG. 1C), creating a step having a height S between the main surface 1a of the substrate 1 and the uppermost surface 5a of the insulating material 5. Thus, the use of a conventional barrier nitride layer 3 as a polish stop creates a topographical step preventing planarity at the interface of the surface 1a and the surface 5a. Such a topographical step renders it difficult to photolithographically process subsequent layers of the device, particularly in forming features with fine dimensions, thereby adversely affecting process yield and production cost. This problem becomes more acute as circuit geometry is continuously reduced.
There exists a need for a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device wherein the uppermost surface of the substrate or epitaxial layer is substantially flush (i.e., coplanar) with the uppermost surface of the trench. thereby facilitating the formation of subsequent layers of the semiconductor device and enabling photolithographic processing of fine features. There also exists a continuing need for simplified shallow trench isolation methodology with fewer processing steps, thereby increasing manufacturing throughput.

Simplified shallow trench isolation formation with no polish stop


A software development system develops a product from core library of source code elements, the core library being categorized into components having one or more features. A configurator develops configuration state data based on a designated platform type and the source code elements. A graphical user interface displays a visual and logical representation of the product according to the configuration state data, includine visual indications of any unresolved dependencies. A product make routine then generates the product from the source code elements according to the configuration state data.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention/Overview
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for developing and integrating a software product by customizing and combining core components and integrating them to form the software product. More particularly and illustratively, the present invention relates to a software system for maintaining and re-using the core components of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) for a personal computer (PC) that simplifies BIOS deployment and that provides the architecture for an extensible yet maintainable core which enables rapid product development, enhancement, and modification.
2. Background and State of the Art
A BIOS product is a piece of software code that executes when a PC is started up or xe2x80x9cbootedxe2x80x9d and that is later called upon to provide various services while the PC is running. A development system for BIOS products must support all the peripherals that may be installed on any type of PC from a low-end basic PC up to a state-of-the-art, highly customized, high-end server or portable product. The various aspects of building a BIOS are described below to illustrate the capabilities that a software system for maintaining and using a library of core BIOS software components should provide.
A customer wishing to build a BIOS for a particular machine selects core BIOS software components to support the peripherals installed on that machine from a library of such components. Each software component may include one or more features and may be configured by adding or removing code for features from the set of available features and by specifying the values of optional parameters (xe2x80x9coptionsxe2x80x9d) for this code. The customer may wish to add special BIOS code for peripherals custom manufactured by the customer and not available from the BIOS vendor.
Configurable features are implemented as separate code in the core BIOS component library that have external references and definitions in the code addressing other code components by name and by directory/subdirectory or by library name so the code for each feature can be linked into the final product only when it is properly configured and addressed. The present state of the art is to replace the code for a called, named, and addressed optional feature that is not selected with a stub routine that merely returns to its caller. Another possibility is to reference the optional feature indirectly through a pointer that can be set to null if the feature is removed; however, this requires each caller to verify that the pointer is valid. Ideally, the code to call an optional feature should be removed from the code when the component is built to realize a savings in both execution time and memory size occupied by the program.
The present state of the art defines the optional parameters of a software component (hereinafter called xe2x80x9coptionsxe2x80x9d) as manifest constants, e.g., xe2x80x9cBUFFER_SIZE EQU 256.xe2x80x9d The name of a manifest constant (BUFFER_SIZE) and the value it represents (256) are associated when the manifest constant is defined. Each reference to the name of a manifest constant, such as the length of an array or the value of a variable, for example, is replaced with the associated constant value when the source code is compiled. This allows each option to be given a descriptive name and makes it possible to change the option value in all the places it is referenced by changing the one definition. Options such as these are typically set or adjusted by defining or modifying an xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d file by hand. The xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d file is then incorporated by reference into the other source code files. It is easy to miss a file containing a reference to an option name, or to confuse options having the same names in different system components.
The producers and marketers of the core BIOS component library need to respond rapidly to new devices that become available in the marketplace. One tried and true method is to make a copy of the code for a similar existing device and to modify it only where necessary to support the new device. The original code may have supported several configurable features that are now also available for the new device. Copying the code from another core component gives rise to two components in the same library with not only the same features, but also identical external names to reference them. This ambiguity can cause further confusion at compile and link time.
The customer may sell machines that incorporate either an old device or a new device. The customer may therefore create a BIOS that incorporates both an old software component supporting the old device and a new component, generated by modifying the old component and having identical external names, supporting the new device. The BIOS would contain additional code to intercept the calls to each procedure in the old and new components. The customer then would add decision code for each intercepted procedure that decides whether the procedure in the new component or the old component should be called. This gives rise to a BIOS containing two components having identical external names and decision code for each intercepted call that must call one of the two procedures with identical names without being intercepted. Both software components would have to be compiled and linked separately so that the identical external names in each component would not conflict. They would also have to be linked together with the decision code that calls them.
Suppose that both the old component and the new component, generated by modifying the old component and having identical external names, had an initialization feature named INIT. The additional decision code mentioned above must be called in place of the INIT procedure so it can determine whether the INIT procedure in the old or new component should be called. Present art would require that each call to INIT go indirectly through a pointer table so that the pointer could be changed to intercept, or hook, each such call. All calls to INIT throughout the BIOS would be intercepted, or hooked, in this manner. The ability to intercept such calls is also important for debugging purposes.
The producers of the core BIOS component library respond to new devices that become available in the marketplace by rapidly releasing new versions of the library. In the process of maintaining and enhancing the library, they may modify some interfaces to add functionality or to fix bugs. The customer with an existing BIOS will wish to incorporate the new functionality and bug fixes as well as the newly supported devices. The customer must verify that calls to existing interfaces which have changed are still compatible and quickly identify those interfaces that are now incompatible and that must be changed. Present art validates interfaces by matching the number of parameters, the type of each parameter, and the range of values.
The BIOS code for a particular device typically consists of initialization code that executes when the PC is started up and support code that provides services when called upon. There may be no references in the support code to the initialization code, or vice versa, that would cause both pieces of code to be included in the BIOS build; yet the support code clearly depends upon the initialization code. Present art requires manual intervention to insure that both pieces of code are included in the build.
The conventional way of finally testing source code modules for consistency is to compile and/or assemble the separate source code files, identifying and correcting all errors and repeating this process; link the object code files, identifying and correcting all errors and repeating both of these processes; and finally, combine the separately linked system elements into an inter-linked image, identifying and correcting all errors and repeating all three of these processes repeatedly and recursively until no more errors are found. Even then, improper linkages may result from identical names being used to mean different things in different sets of source files, from selection of the wrong set of two very similar sets of source files, or from version incompatibilities that compilers and assemblers cannot detect. All of these problems, in combination, make software system development and integration more time consuming than ideally it should be.
Accordingly, primary objects of the present invention are the achievement of a software development system that can identify, and assist one to correct, the above types of errors prior to any assembly, compilation, or linking; that permits one to view and select components, features, and variations simply and without regard to where the corresponding source code is stored; that permits one to specify globally that the product is to be a xe2x80x9cserverxe2x80x9d or a xe2x80x9cportablexe2x80x9d and to achieve thereby entirely different system configurations; and that addresses the problems mentioned above of selecting the proper one of several component variations, of adjusting and controlling the values and scope of options, and of automating the selection of needed system components in accordance with source code dependencies.
Briefly described, and in accordance with these and other objects and advantages, the present invention is embodied in a software development system that manages a source code library that is stored as source code files placed into a directory hierarchy. Different subdirectories may correspond to different software xe2x80x9cComponents.xe2x80x9d Each xe2x80x9ccomponentxe2x80x9d in the directory hierarchy, whether it be a true software component or a xe2x80x9chardware component,xe2x80x9d meaning software supporting the needs of a particular hardware device, may be defined further by one or more xe2x80x9cfeaturesxe2x80x9d stored in lower level subdirectories so that one or more features may comprise each component and there may also be xe2x80x9csub-featuresxe2x80x9d stored in yet lower level subdirectories. One or more source code files may reside in each feature subdirectory. Each component and each feature is further described by an information file that is placed into its corresponding subdirectory defining what type of platform (server, notebook, etc.) a feature is intended for, what class it is assigned to, etc.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the source code files call upon special macro routines to define each external procedure and to classify it. as public (callable between components) or private (callable by parents or siblings within one component only). Each call to such an external procedure is also made with a special macro routine, and each source file that contains such a call declares the procedure is being referenced publicly or privately with a call to another special macro routine. These special macro routines may pass, among other things, program revision numberd and program class designations. Special macros are also used to define public and private xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d files and to declare references to them. In addition, special macros may be used to create a list, to define the entries that are to form such a list and that are drawn from separate source code components, and to specify sort criteria for the list entries.
The component information files and feature information files are scanned, and their contents are stored within a special database. These files may relate a component or feature to a particular class and may specify which types of platforms (desktop, portable, server, etc.) for which a component is appropriate or essential. The source code files assigned to each feature are also scanned, and the parameters associated with the special macros such as classes and version numbers are also entered into the database along with each feature""s directory address. This database then holds a complete description of the source code library, including the available components, the features each component provides, the way in which features are classed together so that they later may be linked together, and the rules for selecting components and features for inclusion into a particular platform type (portable, server, etc.). The information for each feature includes the source files that must be compiled to provide each feature, the external interfaces to each feature, the dependencies of each feature upon externally-defined subroutines and options, and the class assignments that prevent identical names within different classes from being confused, and cross-linked.
Once a system designer using the present invention has specified a type of platform, the minimum information necessary to specify a configuration for such a platform is extracted from the database, including all components and all features that the specified type of platform requires. This platform specification identifies a preliminary set of source code files that must be compiled and linked to provide the desired system configuration. There is more than enough information from the parameters of the macros of the present invention to associate each procedure call and option with its proper definition.
The present invention acts in the manner of a linker in that it associates each procedure call with its definition and identifies all missing procedures; however, this test xe2x80x9clinkingxe2x80x9d process takes place long before compilation or assembly and linking and makes use of all the information available from the parameters of all the special macros found within the library. This allows the present invention to associate a procedure call with its definition using criteria other than and in addition to just the matching of procedure names and argument counts, and to identify and signal any procedure calls that are using an incompatible interface, such as incompatible versions of programs, as well as differentiating between procedure calls by class designation.
The present invention quickly identifies problems and errors within the current configuration before compilation or assembly and provides a visual interface through which the designer can quickly locate and fix problems by selecting and editing source code files. The same visual interface also allows the designer to add or remove components and features with the click of a mouse button and to add or override source file selections to adjust the configuration as needed.
Once the designer has selected a valid configuration, he or she may direct the present invention to build the configured product. The present invention then compiles or assembles only those source files specified by the configuration data, and links each feature separately to resolve the private external references within the component, converting class designations into specific addresses to resolve ambiguities in public external references, and thereby produces a linked executable file for each component. Finally, a special product component linker is called upon as a second stage linker that can link the separate component executable files together into the final integrated product. Each public procedure call is fixed up with the address of the public procedure that it references. Lists defined by the list macros of the present invention are gathered, sorted and are stored in the code segment where they were defined.
The product component linker is controlled and directed by data associated with the macros and, in the preferred embodiment, passed to the component linker in special code segments which are read and then discarded by the component linker. The resolution of the various options and the linkages between procedure calls and procedure entry points are also controlled in the preferred embodiment by automatically generated, special xe2x80x9cincludexe2x80x9d files which pass information into each source code file to enable each macro to redefine, redirect, or even omit entirely any given procedure call statement, to control the scope of each option, and to permit the designer, through the visual interface, to adjust option values. Program calls made in a RAM-less environment may also be achieved through macros that automatically use a register for return address storage and that automatically provide, in ROM code, dummy stacks and register controlled return jumps to intercept procedure xe2x80x9creturnxe2x80x9d instructions.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the drawings and in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows. The features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Software development system that presents a logical view of project components, facilitates their selection, and signals missing links prior to compilation


A window or door limiting device is described having a striker assembly mounted on a window sash or door panel and a corresponding limiting assembly mounted on an adjacent window sash or door panel. The limiting assembly selectively engages the striker assembly with a rotary element to restrict movement of at least one of the first or second window sash or door panel relative to the other of the first or second window sash or door panel. The rotary element is rotatable to selectively engage or disengage the striker assembly to correspondingly restrict movement of one or more of the window sashes or door panels.

Vertically and horizontally sliding windows and doors include two or more window sashes or panels that slide within a frame to open or close. The sashes or panels are staggered or positioned to move in parallel travel paths allowing them to move independently of each other. In this arrangement, the sashes or panels can be slid in front and/or behind one another to open the window or door. Conversely, the sashes or panels are arrangeable in one or more of an overlapping edge configuration or an end-to-end configuration to fill the opening of the frame.
Recently, existing and newly manufactured windows have been regulated to require limiting features that limit the extent to which the window is initially opened. The mandated limit, four inches or less, is directed at reducing the likelihood that children will fall through the opening. The limiting features are mandated to automatically engage whenever the window is opened and to require at least two consecutive unlocking actions to discourage children from disengaging the limiting features.
An example of a presently available limiting device includes a pivoting arm inset into the window frame or positioned on a positioning arm or bracket mounted to the window frame. The pivoting arm is initially angled such that the end of the pivoting arm can engage the front edge of the corresponding window sash to arrest the movement of the window sash at a predetermined point, preventing the window from being opened further. The window can be opened further by manually pivoting the pivoting arm until the arm is generally parallel to the edge of the window sash, allowing the window sash to pass the limiting device without engaging the end of the pivoting arm.
The pivoting arm is automatically reengaged by a biasing spring that pivots the pivoting arm into the initial angle once the manual pivoting force is removed. As the pivoting arm is adapted to engage the front edge of the window sash, the biasing spring pushes the pivoting arm against a non-engaging edge of the window sash as the remainder of the window sash is moved past the limiting device. The contact can create friction between the pivoting arm and the sash or cause the pivoting arm to catch on fasteners or other features on the window sash, slowing or restricting further movement of the window sash past the limiting device. In some examples, the problem is made more difficult as the limiting device is partially or entirely covered by the window sash when the pivoting arm is prematurely reengaged. The positioning of the window sash prevents manual pivoting of the pivoting arm to disengage the limiting device. In some cases, in order to free the window sash, the window sash is reversed or the entire window frame disassembled.
As the pivoting arm engages the front edge of the window sash, the proper alignment of the pivoting arm with the front edge increases the likelihood that the pivoting arm will reliably engage the window sash and prevent further movement of the window sash. If the pivoting arm is misaligned with the window sash (e.g. an improperly mounted pivoting arm, an improperly sized pivoting arm for the intended window frame and sash), the pivoting arm may fail to stop the window sash at the proper position or fully disengage from the window sash when manually rotated thereby preventing the window from fully opening. As a result, frame mounted pivoting arm limiting devices are often not cross-compatible with different windows as the spacing between the interior window sash and the window frame or between window sashes can vary preventing accurate alignment of the pivoting arm to reset the device.
Moreover, in other examples, the limiting device often requires a positioning arm or bracket to align the pivoting arm with the front edge of the window sash to engage the window sash and arrest further movement of the window sash. In order to properly align the pivoting arm, the length and angle of the positioning arm are unique to the particular dimensions of the intended window. The unique dimensions of the positioning arm inhibit universal application of the limiting device.

Integrity Windows and Doors / Infinity Replacement Windows


A coil frame of an armature coil unit constituting a linear motor comprises a pair of holding portions and a connection portion that connects these holding portions to each other, and grooves that holds ends of the respective flat coils are formed at an interval corresponding to an array interval of permanent magnets.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a linear motor suitably used for a driving power source for a stage holding a substrate in a projection exposure apparatus used in, for example, semiconductor manufacturing steps; a linear motor; a stage apparatus equipped with the linear motor; and an exposure apparatus.
In a photolithography step which occupies an important place in manufacturing steps for manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices and liquid crystal devices, a projection exposure apparatus has been heretofore employed, which projects and exposes via a projection optical system a circuit pattern of a photomask or a reticle (hereinafter simply referred to as a reticle) onto a substrate such as a wafer and a glass plate on which photosensitive agent is coated. Recently, as the integration density of the semiconductor integrated circuits continues to increase, a reduction projection type exposure apparatus, called a stepper, adopting a step and repeat system has been the primary projection exposure apparatus. The reduction projection type exposure apparatus sequentially projects and transfers a pattern onto a plurality of exposure areas on a substrate while sequentially moving the substrate.
In such a stepper, every time a projection and a transfer are performed while sequentially moving a substrate, the substrate needs to be positioned precisely. Accordingly, a stage for holding, moving, and positioning the substrate is provided. The stage, in which a movable stage making it possible to move the held substrate at least in two directions is provided, and a translatory driving mechanism is in heavy usage as a driving power source for the movable stage.
The translatory driving mechanism includes one which converts a rotary motion to a translatory motion by use of a rotary motor, and another using a translatory type linear motor. Particularly, because the linear motor has a simple structure, a small number of parts, and offers low frictional resistance, the linear motor has come to be a principle driving power source for a mechanism which must perform precise positioning.
The linear motor is composed of a permanent magnet unit and an armature coil unit, which allows the permanent magnet unit and the armature coil unit to move relative to each other, thus generating a propulsive force.
As shown in FIG. 13, there has been heretofore an armature coil unit 2 of a linear motor 1, which has a structure in which a plurality of coil bodies 3 are arrayed.
Each of the coil bodies 3 is constructed by winding up a wire into an almost rectangular shape when viewed sideways, and has an opening portion 3a in its central portion. The plurality of coil bodies 3 are positioned relative to a fitting plate 4 by inserting each opening portion 3a into corresponding one of the protrusions 4a formed so as to correspond to each opening portion 3a.
Also a technology to achieve high performance of the linear motor by increasing the occupation rate (density) of the armature coil unit for a magnetic gap of the permanent magnet unit has been recently proposed. For example, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 8-168229, a linear motor using a flat coil is proposed.
As shown in FIG. 14A, a linear motor 5 proposed in the above publication is schematically constituted by permanent magnets 7 and 7 held by a magnet frame 6 so as to face each other with a predetermined interval therebetween, and an armature coil unit 8 disposed between the permanent magnets 7 and 7. The armature coil unit 8 has a constitution in which flat-shaped coils 9 adheres to both planes of a fitting plate 8a. As shown in FIG. 14B, each coil 9 is formed to be flat-shaped by bending spirally a band-shaped coil which is wound into a rectangle or a parallelogram having a long side. Each coil 9 is positioned by a pin 8b provided on a fitting plate 8a.
However, in the foregoing conventional linear motor 1 shown in FIG. 13, the following problems exist.
First, in the linear motor 1 shown in FIG. 13, the positioning precision of each coil body 3 in the array direction of the plurality of coil bodies 3 is important. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, when there are external shape dimension errors among the coil bodies 3, an array interval of the plurality of coil bodies 3 arrayed deviates relatively from an array interval of the permanent magnets 7 with an accumulation of the errors. When there is an error between the array interval of the permanent magnets 7 and the array interval of the coil bodies 3, unevenness occurs in a propulsive force generated in the linear motor 1, thus influencing performance of the linear motor 1. As a countermeasure for this, though the external dimension precision of each coil body 3 must be increased, the increase in the external dimension precision results in an increase in the coil manufacturing cost.
In addition, in the linear motor 1 shown in FIG. 13, since the opening portion 3a is formed in each coil body 3, the occupation rate (density) of the coil body 3 for a magnetic gap of the permanent magnet unit is lowered in the opening portion 3a. As a result, there is the problem that an efficiency of the linear motor 1 is lowered.
On the other hand, in the linear motor 5 shown in FIG. 14, since the coil 9 equivalent to one phase is wound all in one, the problem owing to the deviation of the array interval created in the linear motor 1 shown in FIG. 13 can be avoided. However, in the linear motor 5 shown in FIG. 14, the fitting plate 8a as well as the coil 9 are interposed between the permanent magnets 7 and 7, and the occupation rate of the coil 9 for the magnetic gap of the permanent magnets 7 and 7 is lowered by the fitting plate 8a, so that efficiency of the linear motor 1 is still influenced. In addition, there is also the problem that such a coil 9 requires a large scale winding apparatus for manufacturing it.
The present invention was made considering the above described circumstances, and the subject of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a linear motor capable of exerting high and stable performance, a linear motor, a stage apparatus equipped with the linear motor, and an exposure apparatus.
The invention according to a first aspect is a linear motor (R1) for allowing a movable body to move by its electromagnetic force, the linear motor (R1) comprising an armature coil (23), wherein the armature coil (23) comprises a plurality of coil bodies (25) and a frame (24) for holding these coil bodies (25) so as to array the coil bodies in one direction, and a positioning portion (28) for holding an end of each coil body (25) at a determined interval along the one direction formed in the frame (24).
With such a structure, the end of each coil body (25) is held by a groove (28) formed in the frame (24), whereby the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned at a determined interval.
In the linear motor (R1) described in the first aspect, the invention of a second aspect is characterized in that a notch (31) for passing a wire (C) of each coil body (25) therethrough is formed in the frame (24), and each coil body (25) is connected to one another in the outside of the frame (24).
As described above, the wire (C) of the coil body (25) is drawn out from the notch (31) to the outside of the frame (24), whereby connections of the coil bodies (25) of the same phase can be made outside the frame (24).
In the linear motor (R1) of the second aspect, the present invention of a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the notch (31) is formed so as to correspond to the positioning portion (28) formed in the frame (24), and a wire (C) from the end of the coil body (25) held by the positioning portion (28) is passed therethrough.
With such a structure, the notch (31) is formed for each coil body (25).
In the linear motor (R2) of the first to third aspects, the invention of a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a step portion (38) for holding the plurality of coil bodies (25, 25xe2x80x2) so as to superimpose them thereon is formed in the positioning portion (28, 28xe2x80x2).
With such a structure, the coil bodies (25, 25xe2x80x2) plurally layered can be held by one frame (34).
In the linear motor (R3) of the first to fourth aspects, the invention of a fifth aspect is characterized in that the armature coil (43) is formed by gluing the plurality of frames (24) to each other.
Thus, with regard to the armature coil (43), the plurality of coil bodies (25) held by each frame (24) are constituted by superimposing them.
In the linear motor (R1) of the first to fifth aspects, the invention of a sixth aspect is characterized in that the coil body (25) has a flat polygon shape.
By forming the coil body (25) to the flat shape as described above, it is possible to increase an occupation rate of the armature coil (23) in a gap of a permanent magnet (22).
In the linear motor (R4) of the first to sixth aspects, the invention according of a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the coil body (55) has a shape obtained by performing winding that is almost cylindrical.
As described above, by holding the coil body (55) having the shape obtained by performing the winding that is almost cylindrical to the groove (58) formed in the frame (54), the same effect as those described above can be obtained also in the coil body (55) having the shape obtained by performing the winding so as to be almost cylindrical, that is, in the conventional type coil body (55).
In the linear motor (R1) of the first to seventh aspects, the invention of the eighth aspect is characterized in that the frame (24) has a pair of holding portions (26) extending along the one direction so as to be apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and the connection portion (27) for connecting these holding portions (26) to each other in both ends thereof, and the plurality of grooves (28) are formed in each of the holding portions (26) at an interval corresponding to the array interval of the permanent magnets (22).
With such a structure, the coil body (25) is held between the pair of holding portions (26). Moreover, by disposing the holding portion (26) at the position which does not interfere with the magnetic force line of the permanent magnets (22), only for the coil body (25) exists between the permanent magnets (22).
In the linear motor of the first to eighth aspects, the invention of a ninth aspect is characterized in that among constituent components constituting the coil fixing frame (70) for holding the armature coil (23), the can (71) for forming a coolant path to cool the coil body (25), and the armature coil (23), all of the constituent components except for the coil body (25) are formed of ceramics, engineering plastic or austenite stainless steel.
The invention of a tenth aspect is a linear motor (R1) which allows a movable body to move by an electromagnetic force, the linear motor comprising: an armature coil unit (23) having a plurality of coil bodies (25) and a frame-shaped holding member (24) for holding these coil bodies (25) so as to array the coil bodies (25).
With such a structure, the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) with a high precision.
In the linear motor (R1) of the tenth aspect, the invention of a eleventh aspect is characterized in that the holding member (24) holds the plurality of coil bodies (25) along a predetermined direction.
Thus, the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) along the predetermined direction with a high precision.
In the linear motor (R1) of the tenth aspect, the invention of a twelfth aspect is characterized in that the holding member (24) has positioning portions (28) formed at a predetermined interval to position the plurality of coil bodies (25).
With such a structure, the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) at a predetermined interval with a high precision.
In the linear motor (R1) of the twelfth aspect, the invention of a thirteenth aspect is characterized in that the positioning portions (28) of the holding member (24) are formed so as to conform to a shape of an end of each of the plurality of coil bodies (25).
Thus, the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) at a predetermined interval with a high precision, only by allowing an end of the coil body (25) to be held to the positioning portions (28) formed in the holding member (24).
In the linear motor (R1) of the twelfth aspect, the invention of a fourteenth aspect is characterized in that the positioning portions (28) of the holding member are formed by providing the convex portions (29) at a predetermined interval.
With such a structure, the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) at a predetermined interval with a high precision, only by allowing an end of the coil body (25) to be held to the positioning portion (28) formed between the convex portions (29).
In the linear motor of the tenth aspect, the invention of a fifteenth aspect is characterized in that in the holding member (24), a notch portion (31) for allowing electric lines to pass therethrough from the plurality of coil bodies (25) is formed.
As described above, by drawing out a wire of the coil body (25) outside the holding member (24) from the notch (31), the coil bodies (25) of the same phase can be connected to each other outside the holding member (24), and wiring can be performed in an orderly manner.
In the linear motor of the tenth aspect, the invention of a sixteenth aspect is characterized in that parts constituting the armature coil unit (23) are partially formed of nonmagnetic and nonconductive materials.
Since these materials have high strengths and small coefficients of linear thermal expansion, deformations that accompany temperature change can be prevented. As a result, the invention can contribute to the stabilization of the performance of the linear motor (R1).
In the linear motor of the sixteenth aspect, the invention of a seventh aspect is characterized in that parts constituting a cooling mechanism for cooling the armature coil unit (23) are partially formed of nonmagnetic and nonconductive materials.
Since these materials have high strengths and small coefficients of linear thermal expansion, the deformations that accompany with a temperature change can be prevented. As a result, the invention can contribute to the stabilization of the performance of the linear motor (R1).
The invention of a eighteenth aspect is a stage mechanism (10) which comprises the linear motor (R1) of the tenth aspect.
With such a structure, in the stage mechanism (10), the linear motor (R1) in which the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) with a high precision can be provided.
The invention of a nineteenth aspect is an exposure apparatus which comprises the linear motor (R1) of the tenth aspect.
Thus, in the exposure apparatus, the linear motor (R1) in which the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) with a high precision can be provided.
The invention of a twentieth aspect is a method of manufacturing a linear motor, wherein the armature coil unit (26) is formed by holding the plurality of coil bodies (25) by the frame-shaped holding member (24).
Thus, the linear motor (R1) in which the plurality of coil bodies (25) are positioned with respect to the holding member (24) with a high precision can be provided.

Method of manufacturing linear motor, linear motor, stage apparatus equipped with linear motor and exposure apparatus


A new and distinct cultvar of Sarracenia called xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 is described that is a vigorously growing, compact plant having pubescent dark Chrysanthemum Crimson (H.C.C. #824) pitchers, suffused with veins of a deeper cast of Chrysanthemum Crimson. The pitcher is distinguished from other Sarracenia by having a higher width-to-length ratio, a wider hood, and a prominent horizontal filament. Furthermore, in the winter the leaves retain color and texture when grown outdoors in United States Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 8 or warmer (minimum winter temperature to 10xc2x0 F.).

The Latin name of the novel hybrid plant variety disclosed herein is Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryixc3x97Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra.
The inventive cultivar of Sarracenia disclosed herein has been given the variety denomination xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99.
Sarracenia species are long-lived, herbaceous, perennial, insectivorous plants found growing in open, sunny, moist meadows or long-leaf pine savannas predominantly found throughout the southeastern United States. The plants produce pitchers which are hollow, modified leaves. Each pitcher has a hood, which typically covers the mouth of the pitcher to keep rainwater out and insect prey trapped inside. Insects are attracted by the color of the pitchers, the nectar produced around the mouth of the pitcher, and the smell of decaying insects within the pitcher. The ability to absorb nutrients from digested insect prey has been shown to supply necessary nourishment to the roots, stems, and leaves of Sarracenia spp.; and may account for the ability of these plants to thrive predominantly in nutrient-poor acidic soils characteristic of the southeastern United States.
Sarracenia pitcher plants have been of horticultural interest for well over one-hundred years. One problem in the production of commerically-available Sarracenia pitcher plants is the lack of identified horticulturally superior plants. To meet the current demand, wild species are being harvested, resulting in a depletion of native populations. There are approximately eight species found in the wild, and these species can cross-pollinate to produce fertile hybrids that grow well in cultivation. Therefore, it would be desirable to produce new, more robust cultivars of pitcher plants with enhanced characteristics such as compact growth, colorful leaves, and winter foliage to meet the current horticultural demand.
The present Sarracenia xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 hybrid plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. wherryixc3x97Sarracenia rubra ssp. rubra) is a dwarf cultivar with pitcher leaves that are distinctly widened gradually above the middle, then narrowed somewhat at the mouth of the pitcher. The plant has dark Chrysanthemum Crimson (Horticultural Color Chart (H.C.C.). #824) tubular leaves, suffused with veins of a deeper cast of Chrysanthemum Crimson (H.C.C. #824). The pitcher leaves are thick, have very fine but distinct fuzz covering the entire surface, have a width-length ratio of 0.1, and prolonged retention of foliage with attractive leaf color during the dormant season. The hood of Sarracenia xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 completely covers and extends beyond the leaf orifice and often has a slightly scalloped or wavy margin, and a prominent horizontal filament at its tip up to 2 mm long. Furthermore, this plant is a vigorous, compact grower (short in stature with many pitchers), forming a clump from a single crown in one growing season with flushes of new pitchers being produced all summer.
Lineage: The xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 cultivar originated as a single hybrid seedling at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the late 1980s. xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 is a hybrid derived from a cross of Sarracenia rubra subspecies rubra (a native dwarf pitcher plant from coastal North Carolina) and Sarracenia rubra subspecies wherryi, a native species from southeastern Alabama. In 1990, the single individual plant now known as xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 was selected because of its multitude of exceptional features, and has been propagated asexually since that time. While each parental species had only a subset of horticulturally desirable features, xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 attained the full composite of features including vibrant color, compact growth, and winter foliage retention. It showed exceptional hybrid vigor and grew well under a variety of conditions.
Asexual reproduction: Sarracenia xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 was first asexually reproduced at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, N.C. by division of the rhizome, i.e., clump divison, in 1990. The combination of characteristics disclosed herein for Sarracenia xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99 is stable through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Sarracenia pitcher plant named xe2x80x98Redbugxe2x80x99

University of North Carolina at Charlotte


A reflection surface (1a) of a mirror (1) has a rotationally-symmetrical shape about an optical axis (110). The mirror (1) is rotatably supported by a pivot supporting portion (41) on the position of the optical axis (110) of the reflection surface (1a) or in the vicinity of the optical axis (110). Furthermore, the mirror (1) is slidably supported by slide supporting portions (42) at two positions on the upper part thereof. With such a configuration, the mirror (1) is supported at three points. Further, even when the mirror (1) expands and contracts due to the change in temperature or the like, the deformation of the reflection surface (1a) of the mirror (1) is prevented by the action of the slide supporting portions (42). As a result, it is possible to prevent the generation of distortion of an image projected on a screen (300).

In a projection apparatus used in a projector, a mirror having a reflection surface needs to be disposed in the projection apparatus with a high positioning accuracy. Therefore, conventionally, the mirror is fixed onto a fixing member provided in the projection apparatus by means of a number of screws or the like. For this reason, if the mirror expands and contracts due to the change in temperature, humidity or the like, a stress may be originated from a portion fixed by the screw may be accumulated inside the mirror, and the shape of the reflection surface of the mirror may be deformed by the stress. As a result, if there is a change in temperature, humidity or the like, there is a problem that the distortion may occur in an optical image emitted by the projection apparatus, and therefore a large distortion may occur in an output image of the projector.
In order to solve this problem, the following mirror supporting mechanism has been proposed. This mirror supporting mechanism includes a supporting frame formed to locally contact the front surface side of the mirror, a backside member fixed to the supporting frame so that the backside member faces the backside of the mirror with a gap formed therebetween, and a pushing member that pushes the mirror frontward against the backside member. The mirror is slidably sandwiched between the supporting frame and the pushing member, so as to relax the accumulation of stress inside the mirror due to the expansion and contraction of the mirror, and to reduce the deformation of the shape of the reflection surface of the mirror (see for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-215713 (paragraph 0018, FIG. 4)

Supporting mechanism of reflector and projection apparatus


The present invention overcomes the deficiencies with respect to the prior art devices by providing a plurality of straps joined together with frangible members which can be separated to form a gang of one or more straps which are coupled together for mounting wiring modules to wall boxes. The number of straps in a gang of straps used to couple the wiring modules to the wall boxes is determined by the number of wall boxes that are being used. Each strap of the present invention has a single opening defined by two side members where each side member has projections interposed with recesses for capturing and holding a wiring module. The modular strap accurately positions, aligns and locates all of the wiring modules relative to each other and positions them to a flat plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wiring devices installed in a box mounted in a building wall and more particularly to a gang of straps which are selectively separated for mounting electrical wiring modules to one or more wall boxes in a building wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the present time when it is desired to modify the wiring in an existing building, whether public, commercial or residential by adding a wiring module such as a switch, a receptacle, a telephone jack, etc., it is necessary to cut a hole in a wall of the building, install a box within the hole, attach the box to a stud and install the wiring module or modules into the box. In new construction, the box is attached to a stud of an open wall and, thereafter, the wall, which may be sheet rock having an opening for access to the box, is placed over the studs. The box is empty for receiving such wiring modules and provides pairs of mounting ears for mounting each strap of the wiring modules to the box.
The wall box selected is sized to accept all the wiring modules required at that location and the number of pairs of mounting ears on the box is equal to the number of straps needed for holding the wiring modules which the box can receive. Once a wiring module is connected, the strap for the wiring module is screwed to at least one pair of ears to mount the wiring module in and to the box. The process of connecting a wiring module to various conductors and then attaching the strap of the wiring module to the box is done for each wiring module located within the box. Thereafter, a wall plate is positioned over the wiring modules in the box. In many instances, a single box will contain two wiring modules positioned one above the other and, when wall boxes are ganged together, the wiring modules will also be positioned side by side. In installations where there are multiple wiring modules in multiple boxes positioned side by side, the wiring modules must be aligned with each other, must be positioned parallel to each other and must be spaced from each other by a distance dictated by the spacing between the openings in the cover plate before the wall plate can be installed. In addition, misalignment and positioning problems are caused by boxes that are skewed relative to the wall, by walls that are not flat, or by wiring modules that are not flat against the wall. A wall plate having suitable openings, normally a separate opening for the wiring modules of a single strap, is installed over the wiring modules after all of the wiring devices are finally positioned relative to each other.

Modular strap assembly for mounting wiring modules


The irregularities of characteristics of a pair of transistors, which are prepared by a pseudo single crystallizing technique, are reduced. To achieve this, semiconductor layers are formed on a substrate and have pseudo single crystal regions therein, and a plurality of thin film transistors are arranged inside of the pseudo single crystal regions. Two or more of the plurality of thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics thereof, have the direction of the length of the gates of the respective thin film transistors arranged at an inclination of within ±20 degree with respect to the longitudinal direction of the strip-like grown crystals, and they are arranged such that, when channel regions of respective thin film transistors are imaginarily extended in parallel to the growth direction of the strip-like grown crystals, at least portions of the channel regions are superposed on each other.

The present invention relates to a display device, and, more particularly, to a method of arranging a plurality of transistors, which are prepared by a pseudo single crystallization technique (SELAX: Selectively Enlarging LAser X'tallization or a method similar to SELAX), for example, a pair of transistors, in a display device.
A TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal display module has been popularly used as a display device in a notebook type personal computer and the like. As an example of such a liquid crystal display module, there is a known display module which employs thin film transistors (TFT) formed on polysilicon.
On the other hand, there is a technique which recystallizes polysilicon or amorphous silicon in the lateral direction (direction parallel to a substrate) using laser beams, so as to increase the particle size thereof (see brochure of International Publication 97/45827 (hereinafter referred to as a patent literature 1) and Society for Information Display 2002 (SID 02) DIGEST pp. 158-161 (hereinafter referred to as a non-patent literature 1)). For example, it has been reported that, by forming thin film transistors on a semiconductor (silicon) layer, which is formed by a method described in the above-mentioned non-patent literature 1, the mobility (μ) can be enhanced about three times compared to thin film transistors formed on a usual polysilicon film.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a pseudo single crystallization method of forming polycrystalline silicon using laser beams, as described in the above-mentioned non-patent literature 1.
In this method, laser beams 4 are irradiated to a polycrystalline silicon film 2, that has been formed on a glass substrate 1, while scanning the glass substrate 1 in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 11. As the laser beams 4, continuous (CW: Continuous Wave) laser beams are used.
Due to this laser beam irradiation, the temperature of the polycrystalline silicon film 2 is elevated, and, hence, the polycrystalline silicon film 2 is melted. Then, when the irradiation advances to the next position, the temperature of the polycrystalline silicon film 2 is again lowered so that the polycrystalline silicon film 2 is recrystallized, whereby a polycrystalline film is formed, in which the particles thereof are of large size, in a thin strip shape in the lateral direction.
Hereinafter, in this specification, this polycrystalline film is defined as a pseudo single crystal region 3. However, the method of forming the pseudo single crystal region 3 is not limited to the method described in the non-patent literature 1, and a polycrystalline film which has been formed by another method, which is similar to the method described in the non-patent literature 1, is also to be included in the definition of the pseudo single crystal region 3.
Since such melting and recrystallization tends to advance in a direction opposite to the scanning direction (the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 11) on the glass substrate 1, the crystal growth direction (the direction of an arrow B shown in FIG. 11) of the pseudo single crystal region 3 assumes a direction parallel to and opposite to the scanning direction on the glass substrate 1.
In this recrystallization, the laser beams are converted into linear beams that are elongated in the Y direction using a beam expander. The laser irradiation intensities in the X direction and the Y direction during such an operation are shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. In FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the axis of abscissas indicates the position and the axis of ordinates indicates the laser beam intensity.
The laser beam intensity distribution in the X direction exhibits a substantially Gaussian distribution, while the laser beam intensity distribution in the Y direction generates a slight difference in intensity within a crystallization range between Y1-Y2 (a range indicated by C shown in FIG. 13), and the state of crystallization is changed in response to the difference in intensity. Further, even when the distribution of the intensity of the laser beam at the position in the Y direction is fixed, there arises the following drawback.
That is, in view of the fact that it is difficult to continue the growth of crystals in the lateral direction over an extremely long region, the following case exists. That is, in the course of the formation of the pseudo single crystal region 3, the irradiation of the laser beams 4 to the polycrystalline silicon film 2 is prevented, or the intensity of the laser beams 4 is decreased, so as to stop the growth of the crystals in the lateral direction temporarily. Then, at the position spaced away from one pseudo single crystal region 3, which is already formed, the laser beams having a given intensity are again irradiated to form another pseudo single crystal region 3 at another position separate from the previous position.
Further, although the laser beams 4 have a shape which is elongated in the direction (Y direction) which crosses the scanning direction (X direction), rather than being elongated in the scanning direction, the length in the Y direction is extremely small compared to the size of the substrate, such as the glass substrate 1. Accordingly, there may be a case in which, by performing reciprocating scanning, while shifting the position in the Y direction each time the scanning reaches an end of the glass substrate 1, another pseudo single crystal region 3 is formed at a position different from the previous position.
In this manner, when the pseudo single crystal regions 3 are formed at a plurality of positions two or more times separately, there may be a case in which the state of the crystallization differs delicately for every formed pseudo single crystal region 3, or a case in which the characteristics of the thin film transistor formed on the pseudo single crystal region 3 differs for every pseudo single crystal region 3.
By forming the thin film transistor on the semiconductor layer formed by the method described in the abovementioned non-patent literature 1, it is possible to prepare a liquid crystal display module which incorporates peripheral circuits, such as drive circuits therein. In such a liquid crystal display module which incorporates the peripheral circuits therein, a reference voltage generating circuit for a digital/analogue converting circuit (DAC) incorporated in the liquid crystal display module is necessary, or a differential amplifying circuit is necessary for buffer amplifiers, which are provided to respective drain signal lines.
The differential amplifying circuit requires a pair of transistors which agree in the transistor characteristics thereof (or exhibit a small relative error in transistor characteristics, thus having a favorable matching).
However, as mentioned previously, in the above-mentioned non-patent literature 1, depending on the intensity distribution of the laser beams used for recrystallization, the pair of transistors delicately differ in the crystallized state thereof, and, hence, there arises a drawback in that the relative error in the characteristics of the pair of transistors which are formed on the recystallized silicon layer is increased.
Accordingly, there has been a case in which a thin film transistor which is formed on a semiconductor layer by the method described in the previously-mentioned non-patent literature 1 gives rise to a problem when the transistor is applied to an analogue circuit which is required to have high accuracy, such as a buffer amplifier for a drain driver, which is required to exhibit an offset voltage of several mV or the like.
Further, the occurrence of the drawbacks explained heretofore is not limited to the pseudo single crystallization technique described in the non-patent literature 1, and the drawbacks may arise in a case in which the pseudo single crystal region 3 in which the elongated strip-like crystals grow in the lateral direction is formed using other similar pseudo single crystallization techniques. This is because these cases are common with respect to irregularities of the intensity distribution of the laser beams 4 in the direction (Y direction) which intersects the scanning direction (X direction), or with respect to the irregularities of the crystallized state when the separated pseudo single crystal regions 3 are formed at the plurality of positions.
The drawbacks attributed to such causes are hardly apparent when the particle size of the polycrystal is small, since the irregularities of th characteristics are made uniform due to the presence of a large number of polycrystals in respective thin film transistors. However, when the elongated strip-like crystals are grown in the lateral direction, the number of the crystals present in respective thin film transistors becomes small, and, hence, the irregularities become apparent.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a display device in which the irregularities of characteristics of a pair of transistors, which are formed by a pseudo single crystallizing technique and are used in a differential amplifying circuit or the like, have been reduced.
The abovementioned and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description provided in this specification and from the attached drawings.
A summary of representative aspects of the invention disclosed in this specification will be set forth as follows.
The present invention is directed to a display device which includes a semiconductor layer formed on a substrate and a plurality of thin film transistors having semiconductor layers, wherein a semiconductor layer includes a first pseudo single crystal region and a second pseudo single crystal region which is formed at a position separated from the first pseudo single crystal region; and, of the plurality of thin film transistors, two or more thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics of the transistors, are arranged in the same pseudo single crystal region.
Further, the present invention is also directed to a display device which includes semiconductor layers formed on a substrate and having pseudo single crystal regions and a plurality of thin film transistors arranged inside of the pseudo single crystal regions, wherein in a pseudo single crystal region, the semiconductor includes crystals which are grown in an elongate strip-like shape in the direction parallel to the substrate; and, of the plurality of thin film transistors, two or more thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics of the transistors, have the direction of the length of the gates of the respective thin film transistors arranged with an inclination of within ±20 degree with respect to the longitudinal direction of the strip-like grown crystals, and they are arranged such that, when channel regions of the respective thin film transistors are imaginarily extended in parallel in the growth direction of the strip-like grown crystals, at least portions of the channel regions are superposed on each other.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, the rate of the superposition of the regions is 50% or more, and preferably 80% or more.
Further, the present invention is directed to a display device which includes semiconductor layers formed on a substrate and having pseudo single crystal regions and a plurality of thin film transistors arranged inside of the pseudo single crystal regions, wherein in the pseudo single crystal region, the semiconductor includes crystals which are grown in an elongate strip-like shape in the direction parallel to the substrate; and, of the plurality of thin film transistors, two or more thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics of the transistors, have the direction of the length of the gates of the respective thin film transistors arranged with an inclination of within ±20 degree with respect to the longitudinal direction of the strip-like grown crystals, and they are arranged such that th directions of currents which flow in the respective thin film transistors are aligned with each other.
Here, two or more thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics of the transistors, are formed of a differential pair of transistors which constitute a differential amplifying circuit, a pair of transistors of an active load circuit which constitute a differential amplifying circuit, or a pair of transistors of an active load circuit which constitutes a differential amplifying circuit and a transistor having a gate thereof, to which an output voltage of the active load circuit is applied.
Further, two or more thin film transistors, which are required to exhibit small irregularities relative to each other as characteristics of the transistors, are formed of a pair of transistors which constitute a current mirror circuit, or a plurality of transistors which are connected in parallel to each other and equivalently constitute one transistor.


A mechanical switch is arranged to electrically connect a power source to an electrical component. The switch includes a resilient structure, a first electrically conductive element connected to the power source and a second conductive element connected to the electrical component. At least one of the conductive elements is attached to the resilient structure. The switch is arranged such that the conductive elements are positioned out of contact with one another in the absence of a force being applied to the switch, and the resilient structure is moveable in response to a force applied thereto, the force being applied upon rotation of a tire to which the switch is connected. Upon the application of a force above a predetermined threshold, the resilient structure moves to bring the conductive elements into contact with one another, the contact electrically connecting the power source to the electrical component.

Tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in vehicle tires typically have a separate power source, such as a battery, to which the remaining TPMS circuitry is coupled in order to power the system. Currently microelectronic structures, such as transistors and MOSFET devices, have been proposed as power switches to ensure that adequate power is provided to the system. In addition, both MEMS accelerometers and traditional mechanical structures have been used in order to detect the motion of a wheel or vehicle, which in turn provides a "wake-up" signal to power up the TPMS.
However, these systems have a disadvantage in that the microelectronic device (ASIC and MEMS) itself exhibits a stand-by current; a known TPMS ASIC has a stand-by current in the order of 500 nA at a temperature of 25° C., which increases as the temperature of the device increases. Typically, at least 50% of the power consumption over the lifetime of the TPMS battery, which is approximately ten years, is due to this stand-by current. This is the case even where the above-described motion detection arrangement is employed, as although such an arrangement helps in saving battery power, the saving is not significant in comparison to that lost.
The invention seeks to overcome the above problems associated with known devices.


A dual-mode autoclave for sterilizing a battery is disclosed including a controller and an environmental system in operative communication with the controller and configured sterilize a battery contained within the dual-mode autoclave in response to a command from the controller. The environmental system configured to reduce a temperature of the battery to a first, pre-cooled temperature during a first operational phase and configured to increase the temperature of the battery to a second, autoclaving temperature during a second operational phase.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for autoclaving a battery pack, and more particularly, to maintaining the inner battery cell (or cells) of the battery pack at a lower, safer temperature while still sterilizing the remainder of the device.
2. Background of Related Art
Portable surgical instruments are known in the medical arts. Portable surgical instruments overcome some of the drawbacks that are typically associated with surgical instruments that draw power from electrical outlets. That is, outlet driven surgical instruments utilize power cords that may create tripping and/or entanglement hazards in an operating room environment.
Typically, the portable surgical instrument includes a battery or battery assembly that is configured to removably couple or "latch" to the portable surgical instrument. In an ideal scenario, the battery or battery assembly remains coupled or "latched" to the portable surgical instrument during the entirety of the surgical procedure. However, in certain instances, the battery or battery assembly has to be uncoupled or "unlatched" from the portable surgical instrument during the surgical procedure. As can be appreciated, removable batteries or battery assemblies that are configured to quickly and easily couple or latch to a handpiece of the portable surgical instrument may prove advantageous in the surgical environment. For example, the battery or battery assembly may have to be unlatched from the surgical instrument for sterilization (or re-sterilization), charging (or recharging), replacement, etc.
It is desirable to re-sterilize a rechargeable battery pack using the most prevalent sterilization means available in a hospital, namely, by using an autoclave. Yet this high temperature method is above the temperature limits of currently available rechargeable battery cells. At such high temperatures batteries may become damaged during the autoclaving procedure.

Process of cooling surgical device battery before or during high temperature sterilization


An improved apparatus is disclosed and preferably includes a bifurcated truck assembly that is interlockingly and removably attached to a sole plate, as well as a quick-change wheel and axle apparatus. At least in a two-wheeled version of the roller skate apparatus, the wheels preferably include a generally flat horizontal central portion on the ground-engaging wheel periphery in order to provide greater ease and stability in two-wheeled skating.

The invention relates generally to roller skates, or roller skate-type devices, and more particularly to support structure assemblies and axle wheel assemblies therefor.
In light of the recent emphasis on, and greatly increased participation in, physical activities and competitive sports, both recreational and competitive roller skating has emerged as a more significant and sophisticated pastime than it was in the past. As a result, the emphasis upon the production of sophisticated and high quality roller skating equipment has rapidly increased. Furthermore, both two and four-wheeled roller skating has been used to train and condition participants even in non-roller skating athletic programs.
Because of the increased significance and sophistication of roller skating, in both competitive and training activities, the materials and designs for wheels and other skate equipment have become quite specialized for various applications and purposes. As a result, some wheels and other equipment have specialized configurations or compositions that are not well-suited for a wide variety of skating applications. Furthermore, especially in the area of two-wheeled roller skating, such specialization and sophistication of wheels and other skate equipment has been found to require a relatively high amount of instruction and training in order to allow participants, especially beginners, to use them. Accordingly, the need has arisen for roller skate equipment that has a high degree of adaptability for various specialized activities, while still maintaining a high degree of sophistication and suitability for such divergent activities. Furthermore, the need has arisen, especially in two-wheeled roller skating, for equipment that allows earlier participation by the beginner, without sacrificing the unique effects and benefits of two-wheeled skating.
A roller skate wheel member has a generally toroidal configuration with a ground-engaging peripheral surface extending circumferentially therearound. In this embodiment of the invention, which is particularly adapted for two-wheeled roller skates, the ground-engaging peripheral surface of each wheel member includes an axially central portion that is generally flat in its diametric cross-sectional configuration and that preferably extends axially in a direction generally parallel to the wheel member's axis of rotation. Preferably, the ground-engaging peripheral surface of each wheel member further includes an arcuate portion disposed axially adjacent one or both sides of the central portion and which curves generally radially inwardly therefrom.
A truck assembly of the roller skate is attachable to a sole plate by interlocking means, preferably without the necessity of threaded or other types of fasteners extending between and interconnecting the truck assembly and the sole plate.
Additional objects, advantages, features and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.