A method, a computer readable medium, and a system are provided for generating control information for controlling computer system operation during execution of the computer system. At least one attribute change of a computer system to occur during execution of the computer system is identified. The attribute change is associated with an event taking place during computer system execution. An index point is created identifying the attribute point as triggering the attribute change, and the index point is associated with the attribute change in the computer system. The index point is stored in a format configured to be used by the computer system to initiate the attribute change upon the index point being reached during the execution of the computer system.

The improved price-performance of digital technology has made possible the advent of digital media broadcasting. The reduced cost of microprocessors, digital memory, and related devices has made it possible to place computers in set-top boxes (STBs) and related devices to receive digital cable or digital satellite television signals and decode those signals into audio-visual programs.
The advent of digital television broadcasting and the proliferation of STBs also makes it possible to enhance viewers' television experiences. In addition to transmitting video and audio data, digital media broadcasting allows additional data to be transmitted to the STBs with which users can interact. By analogy, users can interact through an STB with data transmitted via the digital media broadcast the way a computer user can interact with data available over the Internet. For example, digital television subscribers are already acquainted with an electronic program guide (EPG) function which enables users to select and tune to particular programs and/or read about the programs being shown at present or at later points in time.
The EPG is a rudimentary example of an interactive television application exploiting the capability of the digital broadcast medium to transmit additional content and for the STB to execute this additional content. The computer functionality of STBs also makes other interactive television applications possible. With appropriately configured STBs, users potentially can play along with game shows, take tests in on-line distance learning courses, bid in on-line auctions, and otherwise actively engage the content being broadcast. STBs thus allow users to have highly interactive television experiences.
One type of additional content application which is desirable in such a broadcast environment is one which provides functionality synchronized with video or audio content on a broadcast channel. In the examples of interactive game shows, on-line distance learning testing, and on-line auctions, it would be highly desirable to provide application-specific behaviors in an STB which are correlated to associated video and audio streams being broadcast. Providing application-specific behaviors in the STB and correlating the application-specific behaviors with video and audio streams presents a number of concerns. These concerns and conventional responses to these concerns are described in detail in the co-pending patent applications incorporated by reference. Nonetheless, at least some of these concerns merit repeating.
First, synchronizing behaviors of the application specific programming with a series of events in the video and audio data can be difficult. Applications of this type conventionally use asynchronous trigger signals embedded in the broadcast signal. These asynchronous trigger signals can be difficult to deliver accurately when data blocks carrying such triggers must be multiplexed with so much other video and audio data transmitted in the medium. Further, these time-dependencies present particular concerns when a user engages a program already in progress and may have missed a timing synchronization event at the outset of the program. Correlating the application-specific programming with the video and audio stream may be troublesome, if even possible.
Second, providing application specific behaviors to STBs conventionally involves transmitting application-specific program code to the STBs. The transmission would be carried through the digital broadcast medium, just as video and audio data are transmitted. Downloading such applications involves transmitting potentially many data packets, comprising vast numbers of data blocks, for each application. A concern arises because video and audio data for the numerous channels being transmitted leaves little bandwidth for other data. Thus, it may be difficult to procure the bandwidth necessary to transmit large bodies of application specific programming to support desired behaviors in STBs. Moreover, STBs may have relatively little random access memory (RAM) in which to store significant applications.
Third, and potentially more troubling, is that creating interactive programming conventionally involves programmers having to write application code specific to each program. Writing, testing, and debugging application code for each episode of a program is time- and labor-intensive. It may be difficult to generate application code correlated to underlying video and audio content in time to meet programming schedules. Also, having skilled programmers and software engineers capable of writing the application code is likely to be expensive. Each of these concerns is magnified in light of the concerns with timing synchronization and the need to generate short, efficient code to minimize bandwidth demands as previously described.
Thus, there are unmet needs in the art for methods and systems for efficiently developing interactive content and for generating appropriately synchronized applications which can be communicated to STBs and other user facilities without overwhelming available bandwidth capacities.

Method and system for generating flexible time-based control of application appearance and behavior


An apparatus and method for performing automated defect spatial signature alysis on a data set representing defect coordinates and wafer processing information includes categorizing data from the data set into a plurality of high level categories, classifying the categorized data contained in each high level category into user-labeled signature events, and correlating the categorized, classified signature events to a present or incipient anomalous process condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing processes and inspection, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for classifying semiconductor process signatures for the purpose of allowing semiconductor manufacturers to quickly improve their product yields.
2. Description of the Related Art
The continued trend in semiconductor manufacturing towards higher density devices and larger wafer formats, along with the increased application of optical image-based defect detection and review workstations for process monitoring has generated considerable amounts of data to be evaluated by fab production personnel. This data is necessary to evaluate the state of the manufacturing process to quickly diagnose process problems and to ultimately improve product yield.
The increased flow of information that must be quickly and correctly evaluated is resulting in data reduction schemes which may not make the most efficient or consistent use of the available information. These schemes primarily depend on human evaluation of large numbers of electronic "wafer maps" to characterize and correct the state of the manufacturing process. However, manual viewing and evaluation of these wafermaps results in a necessarily limited throughput of wafer data and is subject to broadly varying data interpretations such as subjective or inconsistent results and misclassifications due to operator fatigue or inexperience.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,789 to Ban et al. describes a method and apparatus for analyzing a wafer surface in which an electron beam is projected onto a desired pattern region. The acceleration voltage of the beam is set at a value at which the distribution of the scattered electrons in a predetermined region is substantially uniform. The exposure time of the electron beam is changed when pattern data is changed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,578 to Corley et al. Describes a method and apparatus for integral semiconductor wafer map recording which comprises a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of individual die thereon. Tests produce data that generate wafer maps.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,252 to Worster et al. describes a laser imaging system used to analyze defects on semiconductor wafers that have been detected by patterned wafer defect detecting systems. The laser imaging system uses confocal laser scanning microscopy techniques.
These and other inspection techniques are generally known. In-line inspection of semiconductor wafer products is usually performed by using optical microscopy or light scattering devices to locate and electronically map defect coordinates on a semiconductor wafer. The electronic wafer map is currently developed for approximately 10-20% of all wafers and subsequently requires a human inspector to evaluate and characterize the state of the manufacturing process based on spatial signatures in the data.
A spatial signature is a unique pattern of defects on the wafer surface which is associated with manufacturing problems. For example, a certain pattern might reveal problems with a wafer handler (e.g., a scratch), or with contamination in a chemical vapor deposition process (e.g., a random or skewed particle distribution). There are many unique signatures associated with semiconductor processing which can be used as a guide to quickly characterize and improve manufacturing.
The problem with the current manual method of wafer map evaluation is due to the limited number of wafers that can be manually evaluated in a given period of time and to the lack of objective and repeatable conclusions which can be reached in the decision making process by human inspectors. In general, while there are numerous data gathering techniques, the tools for analyzing the data need improvement in ways that will increase throughput and efficiently diagnose process limiting yield issues.

Automated defect spatial signature analysis for semiconductor manufacturing process

Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp. Oak Ridge National Laboratory


A significant disadvantage of the use of polylactic acid (PLA), lack of flame retardance, has been overcome by the use of specific combinations of either polycarbonate or polyphosphonate-co-carbonate in combination with non-halogenated flame retardants of polyphosphazene or phosphate ester such as resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) or metal hypophosphite, a drip suppressant, and optionally an inorganic synergist of either zinc borate or talc or both and optionally other ingredients. The compound achieves a UL 94 rating of V-0 or V-1 at 1.6 mm.

Plastic articles have replaced glass, metal, and wood articles because plastic can be engineered to not shatter, rust, or rot. The durability of plastic articles also creates a disposal dilemma. Also, many plastic resins are made from petrochemicals, which have long-term supply and cost issues.
Therefore, there is a considerable effort underway to find biologically-derived and sustainable sources of thermoplastic resins, preferably those which degrade or compost to also resolve the disposal dilemma.
Polylactic acid, also known as polylactide or PLA, has been explored as a thermoplastic resin from biologically sustainable origins which can replace petrochemically originated resins.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Flame retardant polylactic acid compounds


Examples described include composite nanofibers sheets that have been “infiltrated” with a polymer (i.e., the polymer has flowed past a surface of the nanofiber sheet and into at least some of spaces within the sheet defined by the nanofibers). An adhesive nanofiber tape is formed when the infiltrating polymer is an adhesive and the adhesive infiltrates the nanofiber sheet from a one major surface of the nanofiber sheet. In other described examples, some portions of nanofibers in the sheet have been conformally coated with at least one metal layer.

Nanofibers are known to have unusual mechanical, optical, and electronic properties. However, devising embodiments of nanofibers that are commercially useful (e.g., can be manipulated and/or integrated into an application) has been challenging because of the nanoscale dimensions of the nanofibers. PCT Publication No. WO 2007/015710 is one example of an advance in developing commercially useful embodiments of nanofibers. This publication describes converting a nanofiber "forest" into a nanofiber sheet and/or yarn. The nanofiber sheets and yarns may then be applied in a variety of contexts.


A semiconductor device comprises a first and second circuit element. The first circuit element comprises a first electrode structure including a first high-k dielectric layer, the first high-k dielectric layer having a first thickness and comprising hafnium. The second circuit element comprises a second electrode structure that includes a second high-k dielectric layer having a ferroelectric behavior, wherein the second high-k dielectric layer has a second thickness and comprises hafnium, and wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the field of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to semiconductors including field effect transistors and non-volatile information storage areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuits typically comprise a very large number of circuit elements on a given chip area according to a specified circuit layout, wherein advanced devices may comprise millions of signal nodes that may be formed by using field effect transistors, which may also be referred to herein as MOS transistors. Thus, field effect transistors may represent a dominant component of modern semiconductor products, wherein advances towards increased performance and low integration volume are mainly associated with a reduction of size of the basic transistor structures. Generally, a plurality of process technologies are practiced, wherein, for complex circuitry, such as microprocessors, storage chips, ASICs (application specific ICs) and the like, MOS technology is currently one of the most promising approaches due to the superior characteristics in view of operating speed and/or power consumption and/or cost efficiency. During the fabrication of complex integrated circuits using MOS technology, millions of field effect transistors, i.e., N-channel transistors and/or P-channel transistors, are formed on a substrate including a crystalline semiconductor layer. A MOS transistor, irrespective of whether an N-channel transistor or a P-channel transistor is considered, comprises so-called PN junctions represented by an interface formed of highly doped drain and source regions and an inversely or weakly doped channel region disposed between the drain region and the source region. The conductivity of the channel region, i.e., the drive current capability of the conductive channel, is controlled by a gate electrode formed adjacent to the channel region and separated therefrom by a thin insulating layer.
Due to the reduced dimensions of circuit elements, not only performance of the individual transistor elements may be increased, but also their packing density may be improved, thereby providing the potential for incorporating increased functionality into a given chip area. For this reason, highly complex circuits have been developed, which may include different types of circuits, such as analog circuits, digital circuits and the like, thereby providing entire systems on a single chip (SoC). Furthermore, in sophisticated microcontroller devices and other complex circuits, an increasing amount of storage capacity may be provided on chip, thereby also significantly enhancing the overall performance of complex electronic systems. Similarly, in many types of control circuits, different types of storage devices may be incorporated so as to provide an acceptable compromise between die area consumption and information storage density on the one side versus operating speed on the other side. For instance, fast or temporary buffer memories, so-called cache memories, may be provided in the vicinity of the CPU core, wherein respective cache memories may be designed so as to allow reduced access times compared to external storage devices.
On the other hand, increasingly, non-volatile memories may have to be incorporated in sophisticated semiconductor devices, wherein the flash memory technique represents one promising technology, in which MOS technology may be efficiently applied to forming storage cells. To this end, basically a field effect transistor is provided, in which transistor operation is controlled, on the other hand, by a gate electrode, as discussed above, which additionally includes a "floating" gate that is electrically insulated from the control gate electrode and from the channel region and drain region of the field effect transistor. The floating gate represents a dielectric charge storage region within the control gate electrode of the field effect transistor and may hold "stationary" charge carriers, which in turn influence the current flow behavior of the field effect transistor. The stationary charge carriers in the floating gate may be injected upon establishing a specific operation mode, which is also referred to as programming of the memory cell, in which any type of leakage current generating mechanism may be taken advantage of so as to result in the incorporation of charge carriers in the charge storage region. Consequently, in the normal operation mode, the injected charge carriers in the charge storage region may thus significantly affect the current flow through the channel region of the transistor, which may be detected by an appropriate control circuitry. On the other hand, upon "erasing" the memory cell, the charge carriers in the charge storage region may be removed, for instance by establishing appropriate voltage conditions, thereby establishing a detectable different operational behavior of the field effect transistor during the normal operation mode, i.e., during the operation with the standard supply voltages. Although the concept of flash memory cells, i.e., of field effect transistors comprising a floating gate, provides a non-volatile storage mechanism with moderately high information density and short access times, it turns out that still significant drawbacks, such as relatively long write times and complex erase cycles, in combination with reduced durability of the storage mechanism, may render this approach less attractive, in particular in combination with fast logic circuit elements, such as sophisticated high-k metal gate based transistors.
In addition to flash memory devices, other concepts have been the subject of intensive investigations in order to provide non-volatile memory devices. In this respect, ferroelectric materials have been investigated, since ferroelectricity may generally represent a very attractive concept for implementing a non-volatile memory. For example, highly efficient capacitors may be formed on the basis of a ferroelectric dielectric material, wherein the polarization state of the ferroelectric material may be adjusted on the basis of appropriate electrical fields applied to the ferroelectric material in order to "program" the capacitor. Since the polarization state may be preserved unless a corresponding high electrical field or a high temperature is applied, the information reflected by the polarization state may thus be preserved upon switching off the supply power for the capacitor. Hence, contrary to conventional storage capacitors, a refreshment of the state of the capacitor is not required. Therefore, a capacitor formed on the basis of a ferroelectric dielectric material may not only provide a non-volatile device, but also superior performance compared to conventional capacitors.
Moreover, with respect to further reducing the required chip area, a field effect transistor may be formed on the basis of a ferroelectric gate dielectric material, thereby achieving stable transistor states upon appropriately adjusting the polarization of the ferroelectric gate dielectric material. That is, depending on the polarization state, significantly different drive current/gate voltage characteristics are obtained, which may thus be used for defining different logic state. Also in this case, the polarization state is stable, unless a sufficiently high voltage and/or a high temperature is applied, so that the field effect transistor itself may be used as a non-volatile memory cell.
Although a ferroelectric field effect transistor or a ferroelectric capacitor represents a very promising concept for a non-volatile storage device, it has proven to be a difficult task to identify appropriate ferroelectric materials, in particular when ferroelectric components, such as ferroelectric field effect transistors, are to be combined with sophisticated transistor structures as are typically used in complex logic circuitry. Recent research results, however, indicate that hafnium oxide-based dielectric materials may represent promising candidates for materials providing ferroelectric behavior. For example, in Boescke et al., "Ferroelectricity in Hafnium Oxide: CMOS compatible Ferroelectric Field Effect Transistors," IEDM 2011 (the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference), silicon dioxide doped hafnium oxide has been identified as a material, for which an appropriate crystalline state may be established that provides the ferroelectric behavior. Consequently, circuit elements, such as field effect transistors, capacitors and the like, may be formed on the basis of silicon dioxide doped hafnium oxide in order to provide superior functionality of complex integrated circuits, for instance with respect to exploiting the ferroelectric behavior so as to form a non-volatile storage element. On the other hand, the above-identified document does not relate to process techniques and semiconductor devices, in which sophisticated transistors as are typically used for logic circuitry may be provided in combination with ferroelectric circuit elements.
In view of the situation described above, the present disclosure relates to manufacturing techniques and semiconductor devices including ferroelectric circuit elements, in particular ferroelectric field effect transistors, while avoiding or at least reducing the effect of one or more of the problems identified above.

Semiconductor device comprising ferroelectric elements and fast high-K metal gate transistors


A reproduction information acquiring unit acquires information identifying content streams reproduced by the information processing apparatus. A content information acquiring unit acquires, from a communicating terminal apparatus, information identifying the content streams being reproduced by the communicating terminal apparatus. A display processing unit generates a display screen to be displayed on a display, by using the information acquired respectively by the reproduction information acquiring unit and the content information acquiring unit. A screen display unit displays the display screen generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for reproduction of content streams and, in particular, a technology for reproduction of a received content stream or transmission of a content stream.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the arrival of downsized and lighter information processing devices, it is now a general mode of practice that information processing apparatuses are carried around for their respective use. In recent years, wireless communication environments have made their appearances in which a plurality of users send and receive content files, such as music files, making use of base stations, access points, and such other infrastructure. At the same time, technologies for structuring ad-hoc wireless networks between information processing devices are also seeing their practical applications. In an ad-hoc network, exchange of content files is accomplished with a plurality of users performing wireless communications with each other using their own portable wireless communication terminals. In such a communication environment, it is generally practiced that content files, such as music files, are downloaded and reproduced at the information processing apparatuses. An infrastructure network or an ad-hoc network can be created by the use of the wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology of IEEE 802.11.

Information processing apparatus for reproducing and identifying content streams at plural network devices


All embodiments of the present invention relate to a toothbrush to prevent tooth abrasion and gum damage during use. A first embodiment of the invention includes a handle including an open cavity and a neck interconnected to the handle by a pivot. The neck is movable between an aligned first position and a second angled position relative to the handle. A leaf spring is bonded to the end of the neck at a first end, and the second end of the leaf spring engages the handle to provide biasing resistance. The leaf spring is configured such that if pressure to the neck exceeds a threshold limit, there is movement of the neck portion from the first position to a second position. The threshold limit is the pressure just below the pressure at the brush that may cause damage to the hard and soft tissue of the mouth. A protective sheath envelops the junction between the handle member and the neck member to prevent accumulation of unwanted material within the cavity of the handle. A second embodiment is equivalent in structure and components to the first embodiment except that it also includes a manual adjustment of the biasing force of the leaf spring to provide variable pressure and a motor for providing mechanical movement of the brush head. Third and fourth embodiments are equivalent in structure and components of the first and second embodiments, respectively, except that the leaf spring is bonded to the handle instead of the neck.

The present invention relates generally to a dental hygiene product namely a flexible neck toothbrush. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toothbrush having a handle portion pivotally connected to a neck portion having a dental brush. A leaf spring, interconnected between the handle portion and the neck portion, allows the neck portion to pivot when a threshold pressure is exceeded on the face of the dental brush. The threshold pressure is a pressure upon the dental brush just below that which causes tooth abrasion and gum damage.
Dental disease is one of the most common human medical afflictions. In an attempt to combat dental disease, the brushing of teeth has become a common daily personal hygiene routine. Many people, however, brush their teeth in an improper fashion by applying excessive pressure to the brush which often damages teeth and gums. Excessive brushing force can cause recession and wear of the gums and other soft oral tissues as well as depletion of hard tissues such as tooth enamel, dentin and cementum. Accordingly, it is desirable to brush the teeth with a light pressure and proper bristle orientation to avoid damage to the hard and soft tissues of the mouth.
Improper and overzealous oral hygiene often leads to severe tooth root abrasion and gum recession, resulting in a domino effect of sensitive teeth, avoidance of brushing, root caries, gum problems, pulpal trauma, root canal therapy, weakened teeth, tooth breakage and eventual tooth loss. Even standard home oral hygiene recommendations and equipment can lead and often do contribute to tooth and gum trauma because of a toothbrush user's inability to adapt use of the toothbrush to the arch curvature of the teeth and gums. Most of the focus in the history of tooth brushing has been directed to brush heads, bristles and toothpaste. Recently, the problem with the use of excessive force from the dental brush upon the teeth has been gaining notoriety. While there has been gaining emphasis on improved safety for brushing, prior safety improvements unsatisfactorily added to the cost of the daily dental hygiene, when it is recognized that the average consumer does not typically spend more than a few dollars on a daily use toothbrush. Thus, there is a great need in the art for improved, ergonomic, safer and cost effective brushing devices which allow controlled forces upon the dentition and supporting structures, as well as aiding in the proper orientation of the toothbrush and contacting bristles.
An acceptable range of pressure used during brushing that is not deleterious to the teeth or gums is known. It is difficult, however, without complex pressure sensing equipment to monitor the pressure applied on the brush against the teeth to stay within the acceptable range of pressure. Prior art devices have attempted to address the use of excessive force and pressure at the brush head by providing pressure-sensing devices. In such devices, when a threshold pressure is reached, an electrical signal is produced and an alarm may sound, a light may flash, a vibration may occur, or the toothbrush neck may disengage. Such pressure sensors and biofeedback systems are typically complex and cannot be produced at a price point level that is acceptable to the average consumer. Another force sensing system such as embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,734 provides a non-electronic means of feedback by providing a snapping sound when excessive force is applied. The feedback simply provides notice that the safe pressure has been exceeded; however, such feedback may be simply ignored by the user.
As is known in the art, other devices have attempted to address reduction of pressure upon the teeth by providing spring-like flexion within the toothbrush neck or base immediately adjacent the dental brush. In the known prior art, these devices typically create increasing torque as the neck, brush and head remain virtually the same distance apart from the handle, and there is only a slight flexion which mitigates the forces, but does not alleviate the problem of over-pressurization because the slight flexion exhibits Hookian spring characteristics. Hookian spring characteristics are defined by Hooke's law of springs which states that the spring force increases in direct proportion to the distance of displacement of the spring.
Current flexible neck toothbrush designs contribute to tooth abrasion and gum recession because brush head pressure increases directly with handle pressure. Electric toothbrushes were designed to remove more plaque with less force than manual brushes; however, many people utilize automatic toothbrushes just as incorrectly as manual brushes by over pressurization which may have a more deleterious effect than a standard toothbrush because of the added motion or vibration of the brush head.
Other prior art devices additionally include elastomer or other rubber like substances sandwiched between links in the brush neck. Many such prior art devices that utilize very soft elastomer aid in reducing brushing trauma but such devices deform too quickly, and take a significant amount of time (minutes to hours) to reset back to normal. Such brushes can be frustrating to the user because during the proper two-minute brushing interval, such brushes can quickly become deformed out of the ideal shape for proper usage. Other types of toothbrush components employing stiffer elastomers result in increasing torque and increasing force consistent with Hookian principles.
Other prior art devices employ biofeedback, which users often ignore, and such devices involve very complicated sliders, pivots and springs to aid in maintaining consistent force. Such devices, however, appear to be valid only over a very small range of motion and further appear to be too complex for simple daily use. Other prior art devices snap out of place at a predetermined threshold force. It appears that such prior art devices might be clumsy and frustrating to use and users may encounter problems if the devices snap back into place.
In each of the prior toothbrushes, the mechanical attempts to mitigate the excessive force of the brush on the teeth fail for the following reasons, among others: 1). The Hookian spring action of "flexible" toothbrush necks causes increasing brush head force with increasing handle force; 2). Inadequate range of motion wherein the neck flexibly occurs over so small a range of motion as to be easily overruled by excessive handle force and improper brushing motions; 3). Excessive flexibility and poor resetting characteristics which allow the brushes to quickly and progressively bend out of shape while taking minutes or hours for resetting; and/or 4). Poor ergonomics which leads to instability, poor gripping, improper brushing, and tissue damage. Thus, there is a great need in the art for a toothbrush which will automatically maintain a physiologically healthy constant brush head force despite widely varying brush handle forces, positions and motions. Further, there is a great need in the art for a toothbrush that can automatically accommodate variations in dental arch structure and curve alignment as well as variations in manual dexterity without the need for complex sensors and biofeedback mechanisms. There is also a great need in the art for a toothbrush which can provide a constant light pressure on the teeth for people with sensitive gums, gum surgery, oral wounds or other oral maladies. There is also a great need in the art for a user-adjustable variable pressure setting that allows one brush to be multifunctional from ultra soft, to soft, to medium, over an infinite range, or with discrete digital increments between to endpoint settings such that one brush can be used for multiple purposes with a single brush accommodating all types of users. Also needed is a brush that is ergonomic and easy to manipulate and orient properly against dental structures. Consumers would thus benefit from the simplicity of a single brush for use over a wide range of pressures to avoid confusion in the shopping experience and to further avoid the clutter and expense of multiple brushes.


A digital document processing apparatus stores a digital document, an application program used for editing the digital document, where the application program runs on an application platform, and a filter program used for restricting a function executed by the application program. The digital document processing apparatus includes a function determination unit configured to determine whether a function executed by the application program is restricted by the filter program, and a function restricting unit configured to restrict the function executed by the application program using the filter program if the function determination unit determines that the function executed by the application program is restricted by the filter program.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for processing a digital document and a computer program and, in particular, to an apparatus and a method for processing a digital document and a computer program that are suitable for processing a digital document stored in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, multi-function printers (MFPs) have been able to store documents therein in a digital form in addition to copying documents and printing data written in page description language (PDL). Examples of such stored digital documents include documents scanned by a scanner and documents transmitted from a host computer in a PDL format. In addition, some MFPs can analyze the page description language so as to separate page data into image components. By storing the digital document on an image-component basis, MFPs can allow users to edit the digital document on an image-component basis and reuse the document (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-208020).
Furthermore, some MFPs allow users to download a functional program in order to replace an old one with the new one. A software development kit (SDK) for developing a program that uses a function of an MFP is provided to users. Manufacturers, sales companies, and third parties can develop their own application programs using the SDK. Users can purchase these application programs to download the application programs into MFPs. In this way, the users can use functions that are not offered originally or that have improved operability (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-256216).
By using such a technology, users can develop an application program for editing and manipulating digital documents stored in MFPs. The users who use MFPs having such a function purchase a preferred edit application program and download the purchased edit application program into the MFPs so as to use the application program.
On the other hand, documents and images fall into two categories: those that can be freely edited and used and those that cannot be freely used due to copyright restrictions. Accordingly, documents that do not allow free use need to have a security setting in order not to be edited. For this purpose, a technology has been developed in which a function relating to an edit operation is automatically restricted so that users do not need to examine a security setting on an image basis when the users try to edit the document. Thus, the users are prevented from unintentionally editing the document and the images. In addition, a technology has been developed in which more precise control is performed by attaching edit-function level information that indicates an edit security level to each of the images (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-117687).

Apparatus and method for processing digital document and computer program


A method of forming a conductive structure is disclosed. The method includes forming an interconnect in a substrate, and forming a layer of iridium on the interconnect. The layer of iridium has a thickness of less than six hundred angstroms. The method further includes annealing the layer of iridium, forming a dielectric layer on the layer of iridium, and forming a conductive layer on the dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a structure having thin films that does not exhibit spotting and non-wetting characteristics and, more particularly, to a structure having thin films that may include an adhesion layer.
2. Description of the Background
Films used in integrated circuits are becoming thinner as minimum feature sizes decrease and as the competitive nature of integrated circuit fabrication forces manufactures to produce smaller parts (i.e. die) in order to produce smaller and less expensive integrated circuits.
A result of decreasing film thickness is that some materials will not form a conformal film below certain thicknesses. Instead, those materials exhibit "spotting" or "non-wetting" characteristics whereby the material forms "islands" separated by gaps where the material will not form. One example of such a material is platinum, which exhibits spotting when formed on silicon at a thickness less than about six hundred (600) Angstroms and then annealed to 700° C.
Platinum, as well as other materials, is important when forming integrated circuits because it exhibits desirable characteristics during fabrication steps. For example, platinum does not readily form an oxide during annealing in oxygen.
Therefore, the need exists for a structure having thin films that does not exhibit spotting or non-wetting characteristics.

Method of forming a conductive structure


An electronic scale comprising a display screen for digitally displaying the weight of an object, a processing device for controlling the scale and the display screen, wherein the display screen displays an indication of weight relative to overload.

There are a number of patents for digital scales. Current scales generally employ sensing devices such as transducer load cell assemblies or piezoelectric sensors for measuring the weight, an analog to digital converter for converting the sensed signal into digital format, and a microcomputer for receiving the A/D converted data and displaying the digital representation onto a digital display, such as an LCD display. Scales of this type are generally known both as regards their construction and their operation, so that a detailed description can be eliminated.
Typically, with an electronic scale, an object is positioned on a weighing platform, where the weight of the object causes the weighing platform to move downward. The downward force causes the weighing platform to exert a force or pressure on a transducer. The transducer converts the downward force into an analog signal in terms of a voltage or a current having a magnitude, which varies according to the weight of the object.
This analog signal is easily converted for digital display purposes with the use of an analog to digital converter (A/D converter). Essentially, the prior art shows many techniques for performing analog to digital conversion. Primarily, the object of such devices is to respond to an analog signal to provide therefrom a digital code or a digital signal, which can be processed by conventional digital circuitry to eventually activate a digital display, such that, the weight of the object is displayed on the display screen.
When a scale reaches or exceeds its maximum capacity, an overload condition occurs which can produce inaccurate results and, more importantly, damage the scale. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a means to warn of a potential overload condition for a scale.

Electronic scale with overload indication on display screen


A swing drive system for a surface mining shovel comprising an alternating current motor having a plurality of distributed rotor coils mounted on the lower body and a plurality of distributed stator coils connected to a power supply and mounted on the upper frame. Operation of the motor causes the upper body to rotate or swing relative to the stationary lower body. The rotatable upper frame and thereby the stator coils are movably supported on a circular track forming part of the lower stationary body by means of rollers positioned between the upper frame and the lower body. The upper frame may have a circular track facing the lower track and the rollers then roll on the lower circular track in engagement with both the upper and lower circular tracks to rotatably support the upper frame on the lower body. The rotor coils are preferably positioned between the rollers and the stator coils. The motor is supplied with three phase A.C. power from an inverter such that the frequency of the power to the motor can be adjusted to control the speed of the motor. The motor and thereby the swing of the rotatable upper frame can be stopped by controlling the inverter to change the sequence of two of the three phases of the power supplied by the inverter.

Modern surface mining shovels are very large and complicated equipment for digging, lifting, moving and depositing the material being mined. The various major assemblies of the shovels such as the crawler propel system, the swinging upper frame and body assembly, and the handle and dipper which are mounted for pivotal and crowd movement on the boom, are commonly driven by electric motor and gear transmission systems. Due to the need for variable speed and relatively accurate positioning of these various assemblies, the electric motors used are typically D.C. motors. The transmission systems for each of these assemblies include a variety of shafts, gears and pinion gears.
The swing drive systems for shovels are typically mounted on the upper frame and consist of several D.C. motors each driving, through a transmission for each of the motors, pinion gears extending downward from the upper frame. Each of the pinion gears engage a large swing gear mounted on a lower frame or car body which is moved along the ground by a propel system driving a continuous crawler track. The swing drives rotate or swing the upper frame on the car body which is stationary relative to the upper frame. The entire swing drive system is complex and its cost and weight contribute significantly to the overall cost and weight of the machine. There has been a long standing effort by shovel manufacturers to somehow simplify and reduce the cost and weight of swing systems.
A more recent problem relates to the high level of lubrication required by the swing system. The lubricants used in the swing system fall or drip from the various gears and shafts and this spillage of lubricant has become an environmental issue at many mines where shovels are in use.
The improved swing system of the invention disclosed herein is intended to decrease the weight and cost of the swing system and minimize the need for lubricants such as now used in swing drives.

Swing system for a surface mining shovel


A process and structure for improving the conductive capacity of a polycrystalline silicon (poly) structure, such as a bit line. The inventive process allows for the formation of a refractory metal silicide layer on the top and sidewalls of a poly structure, thereby increasing the conductive capacity. To form the titanium silicide layer over the poly feature, the refractory metal is sputtered on the poly, which reacts to form the refractory metal silicide. A second embodiment is described whereby an isotropic etch of the poly feature slopes the sidewalls; then, the refractory metal is sputtered onto the polycrystalline silicon. This allows for the formation of a thicker layer of refractory metal silicide on the sidewalls, thereby further increasing the conductive capacitance of the poly structure. Suggested refractory metals include titanium, cobalt, tungsten, and tantalum.

In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, the formation of conductive lines, for example, digit lines (bit lines) and word lines, is critical to produce a reliably functioning device. The structures, usually manufactured from a layer of polycrystalline silicon (poly), form an X-Y coordinate to select a single storage capacitor from an array.
As devices continue to increase in density, the features which form the various structures on the surface of the die decrease in size. Polycrystalline silicon is a material which is widely used to form the digit lines due to its conductive properties. As the devices increase in density, however, the decreasing width of the poly lines leaves a smaller volume of material to conduct a current, thereby making a read or a write to the capacitor which forms the storage node less reliable. As a result, data errors can occur.
One method which has been used to increase the conductive properties of the digit lines, transistor gates, and active areas on a random access memory, for example, is to use a material more conductive than the poly, such as titanium silicide, to increase the overall conductivity of the line. A typical structure comprising titanium silicide to increase conductance is shown in FIG. 1. To form a typical structure, the source 10 and drain 12 regions are formed in a substrate 14 of single crystal silicon, and the transistor gate 16 is formed over a layer of gate oxide 18. Oxide spacers 20 are then formed. Sputtered titanium reacts with the silicon, both polycrystalline 16 and doped monocrystalline 10, 12, to form a layer of titanium silicide 22A, 22B on the silicon gate 16 and active areas 10, 12. The oxide spacers 20 prevent titanium silicide 22B from forming on the poly gate sidewalls and shorting the poly gate 16 with the active areas 10, 12. Methods of semiconductor manufacture are described in "SILICON PROCESSING FOR THE VLSI ERA", by S. Wolf and R. N. Tauber, 1986, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The titanium silicide greatly increases the conductance of the active areas and the transistor gate. Titanium silicide is known to conduct electricity up to 50 times better than an equal amount of doped polycrystalline silicon.
A conductive line which is even more conductive than the titanium capped line described above would be desirable. This is especially true as devices continue to decrease in size and the conductivity of a polycrystalline silicon line becomes more difficult to maintain past a critical level because of a decreasing volume of material available through which to conduct a charge.

Sidewall silicidation for improved reliability and conductivity


A device, method, and computer program product for a self-calibrating input device are provided. The input device includes a designated value change unit operable to change a designated value using a variation amount associated with the designated value, the designated value being changed using a predetermined first variation amount when a first designated value change directive is received from an operator, and a variation amount change unit operable to alter the variation amount associated with the designated value from the predetermined first variation amount to a smaller second variation amount when a second designated value change directive that is opposite the first designated value change directive is received from the operator within a predetermined variation amount change period.

The present invention relates to an input device, input method, and program product. In particular, it relates to an input device, input method and program product which performs self-calibration or fine tuning of input values.
According to Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 7-274589, a device has been proposed that, when an operator increases or decreases a set value for use in controlling the device using operation keys, reduces the increasing or decreasing rate if a key indicating the reverse operation is pressed with a up/down key pressed. The device adjusts a variation rate in the same variation direction with a key that indicates an operation reverse of the direction.
The device, however, could not adjust the variation rate of a value when the set value is changed in the reverse direction.
The purpose of invention is therefore to provide an input device and a program product that can solve the above disadvantage. The purpose is attained by combination of features described in the independent claims following the Specification. Dependent claims define further advantageous examples of the invention.

System and method for a self-calibrating input device


A disposable plunger for use in a pressing furnace for the fabrication of dental restorations. The plunger is fabricated of a partially sintered ceramic material. The plunger is fabricated by known casting methods. The mold used for making the plunger can be supplied by a manufacturer of molds or can be easily made by using an alumina or similar plunger as a model. Laborious cleaning and grinding are not required with plungers herein described. Cracking problems that occur with prior art plungers are decreased, if not completely eliminated.

The present invention relates generally to a process of heat pressing of dental restorations and more specifically to a plunger for use in a pressing furnace for transferring pressure from a furnace piston into an investment ring.
Dental materials include porcelain facings, veneers, bridges, inlays, crowns, and a multitude of other products. The first step of the casting of, for example, an inlay or a crown, is the preparation of a wax pattern. The cavity is prepared in the tooth and the pattern is carved, either directly in the tooth or on a die that is a reproduction of the tooth and the prepared cavity. If the pattern is made in the tooth itself, it is said to be prepared by the direct technique. If it is prepared on a die, the procedure is called the indirect technique. However the pattern is prepared, it should be an accurate reproduction of the missing tooth structure. The wax pattern forms the outline of the mold into which the alloy or ceramic is cast. Consequently, the casting can be no more accurate than the wax pattern, regardless of the care observed in subsequent procedures. Therefore, the pattern should be well adapted to the prepared cavity, properly carved, and the distortion minimized. After the pattern is removed from the cavity, it is surrounded by a material which forms an investment. This process is called investing the pattern.
Commonly used investment materials include gypsum, phosphate and silica-based materials. Preferably, silica-based investments fabricated from all or a high percentage of quartz or cristobalite are used as dental investment materials. After the investment material has hardened, the wax is eliminated, typically by heat to provide a mold cavity for forming the dental restoration. The investment includes a pouring channel which is formed by a sprue on the wax model. This provides a channel through which the dental materials are supplied to the mold cavity. Dental materials, such as dental ceramics, may be inserted into a premolding space in the form of an unfinished piece or blank. The blank is softened by heat so that it can be introduced into the molding cavity in a viscous state using fairly low pressure to assume the shape of the mold cavity to form the desired dental prosthesis. This process is called heat pressing and is described in xe2x80x9cHot-Compressed Porcelain Process For Ceramo-Metal Restorationsxe2x80x9d by E. R. McPhee in Dental Porcelain: The State of the Art-1977, edited by Henry Yamada, USC School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, Calif. More recently, the process was described in an article by M. J. Cattel et al., entitled xe2x80x9cThe Biaxial Flexural Strength of Two Pressable Ceramic Systemsxe2x80x9d in Journal of Dentistry 27 (1999) 183-196.
A pressing furnace is used to press the ceramic material into the mold cavity and conform the material to the shape of the cavity. The pressing furnace includes a driving plunger (herein referred to as the xe2x80x9cinternal plungerxe2x80x9d) that contacts a second or external plunger inserted into a cylindrical mold which is made from refractory investment. This cylindrical mold is known as an investment ring in the dental field. The external plunger is in contact with the ceramic material. The external plunger transmits the pressing force from the driving plunger to the ceramic material and forces the material through the channel to the cavity. After the pressing operation, the internal plunger is raised, the investment ring and the external plunger are removed from the pressing furnace, and the resultant dental material is removed from the mold. The external plunger must be cleaned after the pressing operation.
In current practice, external plungers are fabricated of a high density alumina. The alumina plungers are intended to be reused for numerous pressings and are relatively expensive. One example of alumina used to manufacture plungers is AD-998 available from Coors Ceramics Company, Golden, Colo. AD-998 comprises 99.8% alumina and has a density of 3.92% gms/cc. It exhibits a flexural strength (MOR) of about 375 MPa (54,000 psi) and a Knoop hardness of 14.1 and a Rockwell hardness of 83 GPa. The coefficient of thermal expansion is 8.2xc3x9710xe2x88x926/xc2x0C. which is generally lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the materials to be pressed. Current pressable dental materials have coefficients of thermal expansion in the range of about 17 to about 18xc3x9710xe2x88x926/xc2x0C. for leucite-reinforced materials such as Empress(trademark) material available from Ivoclar, Amherst, N.Y. and OPC(copyright) material available from Jeneric/Pentron Inc., Wallingford, Conn. and in the range of about 10 to about 11 for lithium disilicate materials. The plunger must be sufficiently strong and durable to withstand repeated pressings.
Since the external plunger is in direct contact with the ceramic material, it may react or adhere to the ceramic material. Consequently, cracks may form, originating at the interface between the plunger and the ceramic or porcelain button, and propagating through the pressed shape. One reason for this is the difference in shrinkage and cooling rates between the plunger and the ceramic materials used to form the dental restoration. Moreover, if the ceramic materials stick to the plunger, cleaning becomes difficult, rendering reuse inconvenient and problematic. Removal of the glass-ceramic from the plunger requires grinding, sandblasting, and/or soaking the plunger in acid resulting in usage of time and labor which could otherwise be spent on other more constructive tasks. Furthermore, this cleaning process can weaken and distort the plunger reducing the useful life of the plunger. Other techniques have been attempted to solve plunger-related problems, such as modification of the pressing cycle or usage of a massive metal block as a heat sink to promote fast cooling of the ring in an effort to avoid cracking. Nevertheless, these solutions have not been proven to be fully effective and cracking may still occur from time to time.
There is a need to reduce or eliminate time involved in cleaning the external plunger after completion of the pressing operation. It is desirable that cracking problems occurring during the pressing operation be reduced or eliminated.
These and other objects and advantages are accomplished by the invention comprising a disposable external plunger for a pressing furnace. The plunger is fabricated of a partially sintered ceramic material. The partially sintered material is not sintered to full density. The strength of the partially sintered material may be at least about 3 MPa and not exceed 20 MPa.
Examples of partially sintered refractory materials include refractory materials which can be further delineated to castable refractory materials. Refractory investment materials is a further subclass which can be used in the manufacture of the plungers herein described.
Refractory investment materials useful herein include gypsum and phosphate-bonded investment materials which comprise a filler material such as silica materials, for example, quartz or cristobalite or a combination thereof. The plunger is fabricated by known casting methods. The mold used for making the plunger can be supplied by a manufacturer of molds or can be easily made by using an alumina or similar plunger as a model.
As an alternate embodiment herein, the plunger may be fabricated of an unfired ceramic material in the form of a green body. The green body has a sufficient green strength to withstand handling. The xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d plunger is partially sintered in the premolding phase of the pressing operation providing strength sufficient for pressing the pellet material in the fabrication of dental restorations.
The plunger herein provides an efficient and effective way to alleviate problems associated with prior art plungers. It is inexpensive and simple to manufacture and therefore can be disposed of after use. Laborious cleaning and grinding are not required with plungers herein described. Cracking problems that occur with prior art plungers are decreased, if not completely eliminated.


The present invention is concerned with an indicator material which is obtained by impregnating a non-woven fabric, of which one surface is provided with a resin layer having a partly or wholly colored surface, with a volatile oily substance used as an active ingredient in a deodorant, an aromatic agent, an anti-fungal agent or a mothproofing agent, and which is used for showing the degree of dissipation of the oily substance which occurs with the passage of time, based on the shifting of the resin layer observable from the non-woven fabric side from a visible state to a state masked by the non-woven fabric, the indicator material overcoming a failure of conventional indicator materials containing non-woven fabrics in relatively clearly showing the degree of the oily substance with the passage of time, by using a non-woven fabric containing a fine-denier fiber having a size of 2 denier or less or by using a non-woven fabric having a partly altered density.

The deodorant, aromatic agent, anti-fungal agent, insecticide, mothproofing agent, and the like, which are prepared by providing oily substances having volatility at room temperature or an increased temperature as active ingredients and impregnating predetermined carriers with the active ingredients, have been and are used as substitutes for conventional articles containing volatile gels or solids as active ingredients. Most of the above oily substances are odorless, and when they are used by impregnating carriers with the above odorless oily substances, it is difficult to ascertain even the time of expiration thereof, not to mention the remaining content thereof, by the human sense of smell. For this reason, there have been developed a variety of indicator materials which can visually show users the remaining time and the expiration time of the oily substances.
Among the above indicator materials are the following two indicator materials each of which is prepared by impregnating a non-woven fabric with the above oily substance and can visually show users the degree of the dissipation thereof which occurs with the passage of time.
One is a mothproofing material which also works as a mothproofing capability indicator, in which one surface of an oil-permeable paper-like material (including a non-woven fabric), which is altered into transparency when an oil (oily substance) is contained, is used as an indicating surface, an oil-impermeable pattern layer is formed on the entirety or part of the other surface of the paper-like material to obtain a substrate and the substrate is impregnated with an oil mothproofing agent volatile at room temperature (JP-B-4-36122).
In the above mothproofing material which also works as a mothproofing capability indicator, since the paper-like material is altered into transparency when an oil mothproofing agent is contained, the pattern layer provided on the other side can be visually observed. On the other hand, since the paper-like material is gradually brought into an original non-transparent state with the dissipation of the liquid oil, the pattern layer formed on the other side gradually becomes visually non-observable. Depending upon the pattern layer visually observable from the paper-like material side, therefore, users can visually know the degree of dissipation of the liquid oil (mothproofing chemical) which occurs with the passage of time.
The other one is a time length indicator prepared by consecutively applying a colorant, which is altered into transparency when a liquid volatile at room temperature penetrates it, to portions where the above contained liquid is dissipated earlier and later on the surface of a substrate sheet (including a non-woven fabric) into which a liquid containing the liquid volatile at room temperature is penetrable, such that the colorant form layers as time length indicating layers (Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 5-14983). The above time length indicator uses the fact that when the substrate sheet containing the liquid volatile at room temperature is held horizontally, the liquid volatile at room temperature is easily successively dissipated from an edge portion of the substrate sheet surface and that when the substrate sheet containing the liquid volatile at room temperature is held vertically, the liquid volatile at room temperature is easily successively dissipated from the top of the substrate sheet. The time length indicator having a predetermined form is provided depending upon a pre-determined method of setting the time length indicator.
When the liquid is contained in the substrate sheet of the above time length indicator, the time length indicating layers show a transparent state, since the liquid penetrate the time length indicating layers. With the dissipation of the liquid contained in the substrate sheet, the amount of the liquid which has penetrated the time length indicating layers decreases, and the time length indicating layers accordingly become visually observable. Users can therefore know the degree of the dissipation of the liquid which occurs with the passage of time depending upon which time length indicating layer can be visually observed.
When a conventional non-woven fabric is impregnated with an oily substance volatile at room temperature or an increased temperature, the dissipation of the oily substance from the non-woven fabric does not take place uniformly. Therefore, when a conventional non-woven fabric is used as a paper-like material to prepare an indicator material having the same constitution as that of the above mothproofing material which also works as a mothproofing capability indicator, the pattern layer formed on the other side of the paper-like material becomes visually non-observable with the dissipation of the oily substance, while the visual sight thereof differs from one place to another on the paper-like material (non-woven fabric) and a spots-like pattern is observed. It is therefore difficult to clearly show the degree of dissipation of the oily substance which occurs with the passage of time with the above indicator material.
Further, a conventional non-woven fabric has the relatively low capacity to support the oily substance. That is, when the non-woven fabric is impregnated with the oily substance in an amount equivalent to, or smaller than, the volume of pores of the non-woven fabric, the capacity of the non-woven fabric to support the oily substance such that the oily substance does not seep is relatively low. Therefore, when a conventional non-woven fabric is used to prepare an indicator material having the same constitution as that of the above mothproofing material which also works as a mothproofing capability indicator, the indicator material can contain only a relatively small amount of the oily substance.
On the other hand, a conventional non-woven fabric is used as a substrate sheet to prepare an indicator material having the same constitution as that of the above time length indicator, the time length indicator layers do not relatively clearly show the degree of dissipation of the oily substance which occurs with the passage of time. Further, this indicator material can contain only a small amount of the oily substance. Moreover, when the indicator material is set by a method which is not predetermined when it is prepared, for example, when it is set slantly or upside down, the time length indicating layer showing a time length different from the time length which has actually passed is visually observed, and the setting site and the setting method are therefore limited.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an indicator material which can clearly indicate not only the time of expiration of the oily substance but also the degree of dissipation of the oily substance which occurs with the passage of time, regardless of a setting site and a setting method.


A dog waste catcher and holder is a very simple, light-weight and economical portable device designed to catch and hold a dog's droppings before they fall on the ground or grass. It is carried by a dog's owner or caretaker while he or she walks the dog. This is a device comprised of a loop shaped device to hold a plastic bag, a carrying rod of which one end is attached to the loop shaped device, a securing device such as a bracket to attach the loop shaped device to one end of the carrying rod, and a plastic bag, preferably a plastic bag such as a grocery bag, etc. placed inside the loop shaped device with its upper portion folded over the loop and its ends tied to the rod where the loop shaped device is attached. As soon as the dog shows the motion to excrete, this device can be placed under the dog's bottom and catches the waste in the plastic bag as it excretes. Once the dog has finished excreting, the plastic bag is removed and discarded. This is a very simple and sanitary way of catching and discarding the dog waste.

The present invention relates to a portable device which is very simple, economical, and easy to make and operate to catch and hold a dog's droppings excreted while walking the dog. It is carried by the dog's owner or caretaker while he or she takes the dog for a walk and is capable of collecting the dog's waste before it falls on the ground or grass. There is never any need to bend down to pick up the waste from the ground. Since it is the dog's owner or caretaker's responsibility to pick up the dog's waste in public places, this method of catching the dog waste is a very convenient and sanitary way of collecting the waste while walking the dog.
Dogs tend to excrete while they are walked. Once the droppings fall on the ground or grass, it is difficult to collect them completely, especially when they are loose. Even though "Dog waste receptacle and disposal device" in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,710 addresses the concern, the invention does not address the simplicity, easiness and economical aspects of making and using the device. My invention is comprised of only a rod, a loop shaped device, a securing device to attach the loop shaped device to the rod, and a plastic bag, preferably a plastic bag such as a grocery bag, etc. It is very light in weight and easy to make and use. With my invention, you simply place a plastic bag inside the loop with its upper portion folded over the loop and its ends tied to the end of the rod, where the loop shaped device is attached. It is very economical, as my invention is designed with fewer parts without any complexity.
U.S. Pat. Application No. 20030005891 requires the dog's owner to place a collecting plastic sheet on the ground with the string attached to each corner before the dog excretes. Even though this method will catch the dog waste before it comes in contact with the ground, it requires the dog's owner to bend over and place the plastic sheet underneath the dog's bottom. If the dog moves from the original position, the dog's owner or caretaker must bend over again to reposition the sheet. Another disadvantage is that if it's windy, the plastic sheet can be easily blown away. However, with my invention, there is no need to bend over or worry that the plastic sheet will be blown away by the wind.
What is needed is a device that is simple, light-weight, economical, easy to make and use to catch the dog waste before it comes in contact with the ground or grass without having to bend over and repositioning a collecting device.


Apparatus and methods are described for killing cancer cells (44) of a subject, the subject having cancer cells and healthy cells. The apparatus includes a plurality of first molecules (40) configured to be coupled to the cancer cells to a greater extent than to the healthy cells, in response to being administered to the subject. A plurality of clusters (42) of phase-change molecules are provided, each of the clusters coupled to a respective one of the first molecules. An energy transmission unit (50) kills cancer cells coupled to the first molecules by heating the cancer cells, by transmitting energy toward the clusters that selectively heats the clusters. Other embodiments are also described.

Stents are commonly placed inside blood vessels in order to widen narrowed or occluded blood vessels and, subsequently, to ensure that the blood vessel remains widened. Heating a stent subsequent to its implantation has been shown to prevent restenosis of the blood vessel (i.e., the re-narrowing of a blood vessel after it has been widened).
When a solid material is heated until its melting point, the material undergoes a phase-change to its liquid state. During the phase-change, the material accumulates a certain amount of heat, which is called the latent heat of fusion, or the enthalpy change of fusion. The temperature of the material stays relatively constant when the phase change occurs. When the process is reversed, i.e., when the material undergoes a phase-change from liquid to solid, the accumulated latent heat is released.
In oncology, the Warburg effect describes the observation that most cancer cells predominantly produce energy by glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation, rather than by oxidation of pyruvate like most healthy cells. The Warburg effect results in cancer cells consuming more than 20 times the quantity of glucose to produce energy than do healthy cells, ceteris paribus.
An article on Wikipedia (18 Jan. 2009) entitled "Fluorodeoxyglucose" states "FDG [Fluorodeoxyglucose] is most commonly used in the medical imaging modality positron emission tomography (PET): the fluorine in the FDG molecule is chosen to be the positron-emitting radioactive isotope fluorine-18, to produce 18F-FDG. After FDG is injected into a patient, a PET scanner can form images of the distribution of FDG around the body. The images can be assessed by a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist to provide diagnoses of various medical conditions . . . FDG, as a glucose analog, is taken up by high-glucose-using cells such as brain, kidney, and cancer cells, where phosphorylation prevents the glucose from being released intact. The 2-oxygen in glucose is needed for further glycolysis, so that (in common with 2-deoxy-D-glucose) FDG cannot be further metabolized in cells, and therefore the FDG-6-phosphate formed does not undergo glycolysis before radioactive decay. As a result, the distribution of 18F-FDG is a good reflection of the distribution of glucose uptake and phosphorylation by cells in the body."
A shape-memory alloy is an alloy, such as nitinol or copper-aluminum-nickel, that has a first shape when it is below a given temperature (the "transformation temperature"), and that changes to assume a second shape when it is heated to the transformation temperature.
PCT Publication WO 94/001165 to Gross describes a medication administering device includes a housing introducible into a body cavity and of a material insoluble in the body cavity fluids, but formed with an opening covered by a material which is soluble in body cavity fluids. A diaphragm divides the interior of the housing into a medication chamber including the opening, and a control chamber. An electrolytic cell in the control chamber generates a gas when electrical current is passed therethrough to deliver medication from the medication chamber through the opening into the body cavity at a rate controlled by the electrical current. The device can be in the form of a pill or capsule to be taken orally.
US Patent Application Publication 2006/0241747 to Shaoulian describes tissue shaping methods and devices. The devices are described as being adjusted within the body of a patient in a less invasive or non-invasive manner, such as by applying energy percutaneously or external to the patient's body. In one example, the device is positioned within the coronary sinus of the patient so as to effect changes in at least one dimension of the mitral valve annulus. The device is described as including a shape memory material that is responsive to changes in temperature and/or exposure to a magnetic field. In one example, the shape memory material is responsive to energy, such as electromagnetic or acoustic energy, applied from an energy source located outside the coronary sinus. A material having enhanced absorption characteristics with respect to the desired heating energy is also described as being used to facilitate heating and adjustment of the tissue shaping device.
U.S. patent application Publication 5,545,210 to Hess describes a permanent tissue supporting device, and a method for supporting tissue, wherein a stent-like member comprising a shape-memory alloy is permanently positioned to support the tissue of a tubular organ of a living body. The shape-memory alloy of the positioned stent-like member is in the martensitic state and exhibits a strain on a horizontal plateau of a stress-strain curve of the shape-memory alloy when permanently positioned in the tubular organ.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,810 to Brown describes a stent for reinforcing a vessel wall, the stent being expandable and comprised of a shape memory alloy which in the normal implanted condition is in the martensitic phase at body temperature, the stent further having a larger parent or austenitic shape and diameter when heated above its transition temperature.
Galil Medical (Yokneam, Israel) manufactures cryotherapy systems.
The following references may be of interest:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,711 to Quijano
U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,044 to Naghavi et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,459 to Maynard
U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,534 to Ruiz
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,744 to Balbierz
U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,179 to Mikus
U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,410 to Wang
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,522 to Flomenblit
US Patent Application Publication 2002/0183829 to Doscher et al.
US Patent Application Publication 2004/0253304 to Gross
US Patent Application Publication 2004/0180086 to Ramtoola
United States Patent Application Publication 2005/0055082 to Ben Muvhar
US Patent Application Publication 2005/0288777 to Rhee
US Patent Application Publication 2006/0074479 to Bailey
US Patent Application Publication 2006/0241747 to Shaoulian et al.
US Patent Application Publication 2008/021537 to Ben Muvhar
PCT Publication WO 02/000145 to Diamantopoulos
PCT Publication WO 03/028522 to Ben Muvhar
"Pathologic analysis of photothermal and photomechanical effects of laser-tissue interactions," by Thomsen, Photochem Photobiol. 1991 Jun.; 53(6): 825-35
"The next generation of cancer treatments may be delivered by nanoparticles," The Economist, Nov. 6, 2008
"Lipase-catalysed synthesis of glucose fatty acid esters in tert-butanol," by Degn et al., Biotechnology Letters 21: 275-280, 1999
"Optimization of Carbohydrate Fatty Acid Ester Synthesis in Organic Media by a Lipase from Candida Antarctica," by Degn et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol. 74, No. 6, Sep. 20, 2001
"Cancer's Molecular Sweet Tooth and the Warburg Effect," by Kim et al., Cancer Res 2006; 66: (18). Sep. 15, 2006
Applied Thermal Engineering, Zalba et al., 23(3), February 2003, pp. 251-283


An apparatus for providing a clean working environment includes an isolation booth, a worker booth, and an access device arranged to enable a worker in the worker booth to handle material in an isolation chamber formed in the isolation booth. A pressure generator is positioned to communicate with the isolation chamber to generate an air pressure therein that is less than the air pressure of an air curtain passing through the worker booth so that air is drawn from the air curtain in the worker booth into the isolation chamber through any air leak opening that develops in and around the access device so as to block outflow of air in the isolation chamber to the worker booth through the air leak opening.

The present invention relates to an isolation chamber, and particularly to an isolation chamber in which sterile and/or toxic materials are handled. More particularly, the present invention relates to an isolation chamber air curtain apparatus that functions to maintain a sterile environment in the isolation chamber when a leak develops in the isolation chamber.
During the manufacture of pharmaceutical products or other products, sterile and/or toxic materials are often placed in a decontaminated isolation chamber so that such materials can be handled by a worker properly. An unwanted leak in a material-handling system might lead to contamination of the isolation chamber and/or escape of material in the isolation chamber to the surroundings.
According to the present invention, an apparatus is provided for providing a clean working environment. The apparatus includes an isolation chamber sized to establish a working environment and bounded by a wall formed to include an access port communicating with the isolation chamber. The apparatus also includes an access device, such as a glove, mounted in the access port to enable a worker standing alongside an exterior surface of the wall to handle material in the isolation chamber through the access port without communicating air into the isolation chamber. A pressure generator, such as a motorized blower fan, is positioned to generate a pressure in the isolation chamber that is lower than the pressure of air along the exterior surface of the wall formed to include the access port. Air will be drawn from the surroundings into the isolation chamber through any air leak openings that develop in and around the access device so as to block outflow of air and materials in the isolation chamber through the air leak opening.
In preferred embodiments, an air curtain generator is arranged to discharge a filtered curtain of air pressurized to a level higher than the pressure of air in the isolation chamber so that the filtered curtain of air sweeps along and across the exterior surface of the wall formed to include the access port. If any air leak opening develops in the wall, access port, access device, etc., air from this pressurized curtain of air will flow into the isolation chamber through the air leak opening(s). A system is also provided for changing the "angle of attack" of the air flowing in the curtain of air relative to the exterior surface of the wall and for increasing the mass flow rate of air flowing in the curtain of air upon exposure of an air pressure sensor in the isolation chamber to an air pressure that is above a predetermined pressure level for a certain period of time.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.


A connector attachment structure to prevent a damage on electric wires caused by bending thereof. A connector with electric wires is rotatably supported by a connector support. The support has support holes with or without a notch for receiving a pivotal pin. The connector support is provided either in an instrument panel or on an electrical junction box. The electric wires may extend by way of the electrical junction box to the connector. The electric wires from the connector are arranged in a direction of connector rotational axis. Another structure has a cover, being rotatably supported by a cover support, at a terminal portion of electric wires. The cover has a connector engagement portion and a tubular portion, which extends orthogonally from the engagement portion for leading the electric wires and is rotatably supported by the cover support and further extends in a direction of connector rotational axis. The cover support includes of a pair of flexible bent members formed annularly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector attachment structure free from excessive bending or tension applied to electric wires, by rendering a connector rotatable upon a connector engagement between a wiring harness on a vehicle door side and a wiring harness on a vehicle body side or upon a connector engagement between an electrical junction box and an external wire harness.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 11 and 12 show a conventional connector attachment structure with wiring harnesses for vehicle door (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 61-32730).
Referring to FIG. 11, a wiring harness (electric wires) 115 is fixedly arranged on a back surface of a door trim 116, and protruding from the front end of the door trim 116 is a connector 119 with a wiring harness (electric wires) 118 (FIG. 12) on a vehicle body 117 side. The connector 119 is incorporated in a recess 121 at a front end of a door panel 120.
The connector 119 is fixed to the front end of the door, with the door trim 116 being mounted on the door panel 120 as shown in FIG. 12. The wiring harness 118 on the vehicle body 117 side is firmly fixed to the vehicle body 117 by way of a waterproof rubber grommet 122, and a connector 123 at the extremity is engaged with the door side connector 119.
In the above conventional structure, however, the vehicle body side wiring harness 118 was apt to be damaged due to reiterative bending actions in a limited range within the grommet 122, attendant on opening and closing of the door.
On the other hand, a connector attachment structure of a conventional electrical junction box 125 is shown in FIG. 13 (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. 5-39124).
A junction box body 126 made of a synthetic resin accommodates a busbar circuit (not shown) to which a flexible flat cable (electric wires) 128 extending to the exterior of the junction box body 126 is connected. The extremity of the flat cable 128 is provided with a connector 129 which is engaged with a connector (not shown) of an external wire harness. The flat cable 128 may be substituted by a plurality of covered electric wires. The electrical junction box 125 is fixed to an interior of a vehicle.
In the above conventional structure, however, the flat cable 128 connected to the electrical junction box 125 was apt to be bent and damaged at root thereof in case the connector 129 suffered reiterative forces such as tensile force from the external wire harness after a coupling of the external wiring harness to the connector 129, or in case a connector engagement work was forcibly made in spite of a wiring harness being too short.


Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for scheduling services and other types of appointments in conjunction with purchasing and/or redeeming deal offers. Merchants may customize a scheduling system to provide scheduling capabilities and deal redemption capabilities to consumers interested in scheduling appointments. A consumer may use the scheduling system to select dates and times, merchant locations, and/or staff members, among other things, when scheduling appointments, and provide deal and/or other payment related information to the merchant. Merchants may use the scheduling system and consumer date received therefrom to track resources across numerous locations, keep apprised of their staffs' availability, receive/generate analytics data related to the affect deals have on their business, and gain a better understanding of their customers. The scheduling system may be integrated into the merchant's website and/or linked to deals offered by a third party promotional system.

Merchants selling goods and services to consumers may offer discounts for those goods or services, which are sometimes referred to herein as "products." Merchants may offer discounts with the goal of building a long term relationship with a consumer, increasing sales, promoting different services, or expanding their product line or consumer base. In this regard, areas for improving current discounting systems have been identified. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, solutions to improve such systems have been realized and are described in connection with embodiments of the present invention.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for scheduling appointments with deal offers


A phase-locked delay device, including: an input port configured to receive an input electromagnetic radiation pulse; said input pulse being to be propagated along a propagation direction and having a first linear polarization different from both a first direction, which is orthogonal to the propagation direction, and a second direction, which is orthogonal to the first direction and the propagation direction; an adjustable Babinet-Soleil module optically coupled to said input port, having a first polarization direction parallel to said first direction. The adjustable Babinet-Soleil module is structured to: provide from the input pulse a first pulse polarized along the first direction and a second pulse collinear to said first pulse and polarized along the second direction, and introduce an adjustable group delay between the first pulse and the second pulse ranging from a minim value ΔTm and a maximum value ΔTM; the maximum value ΔTM being a value greater than 10 fs.

1. Technical Field
Apparatus consistent with exemplary embodiments broadly relates to techniques for generating collinear and phase-locked replicas of an electromagnetic radiation pulse.
2. Description of Related Art
An important application that calls for a pair of phase-locked pulses is the so called Two-dimensional (2D) optical spectroscopy. This technique is used by a growing community of physicists, chemists and biologists both in the infrared (IR) range, targeting vibrational transitions (2DIR spectroscopy), and in the visible range, targeting electronic transitions (2D electronic spectroscopy). In its most simple implementation, 2D spectroscopy uses a pump-probe geometry with two phase-locked collinear pulses exciting the sample, which is then probed by a third non-collinear pulse.
A second application concerns the FTIR (Fourier Transform infrared) spectrometry. In this technique two delayed broadband beams impinge on a sample in order to measure its absorption spectrum.
The generation of phase-locked delayed pulse replicas is currently performed by means of two main techniques. The first technique is based on the Michelson interferometer according to which an interference pattern is produced by splitting a beam of light into two paths, bouncing the beams back and recombining them. This technique requires complex feedback circuits to keep the interferometer in stability conditions. Moreover, higher feedback accuracy is required for shorter wavelengths; therefore, it is observed that the Michelson interferometer method does not appear satisfying for generating pulse replicas of radiation with sub-wavelength accuracy.
The generation of delayed pulse replicas by means of a Michelson interferometer is described as an example in M. U. Wehner et al., Opt. Lett. 22, pages 1455-1457 (1997).
The second known technique is based on a "pulse shaper" which generates the pulse replicas by suitably applying spectral amplitude modulation and spectral phase modulation to a pulse. This technique appears particularly complex and expensive.
Document US-2009-0161092 describes an optical device employed to generate delayed pulse replicas to be employed in a multidimensional spectrometer.
In optics, the Babinet-Soleil compensator is known. The Babinet-Soleil compensator is a continuously variable, zero-order retarder employing a birefringent wedge which is movable and another birefringent wedge which is fixed to a compensator plate. The orientation of the long axis of the wedges is perpendicular to the long axis of the compensator plate. The known Babinet-Soleil compensators are employed in optics to introduce phase delays between two orthogonal polarizations of an electromagnetic field; such phase delays are limited to one optical cycle (e.g. a maximum phase delay of 5.5 fs at 1650 nm) and their effect is to rotate the polarization or act as phase equalizers. Movement of the birefringent wedge is required in order to tune the device to the given electromagnetic field frequency.

Phase-locked delay device including an optical wedge pair