A rotary latch has a housing having first and second posts therein. A catch is mounted for rotation about the first post between latched and unlatched positions. A pawl is mounted for rotation about the second post between a catch-retaining position and a catch-releasing position. When the catch is in the latched position and the pawl is in the catch-retaining position, the pawl engages the catch and prevents it from rotating out of the latched position. When the pawl is in the catch-releasing position the catch is movable to its unlatched position. A motor and gear train mounted in the housing includes an output gear mounted for rotation about the second post. The output gear is in engagement with the pawl such that activation of the motor causes the output gear to rotate the pawl to the catch-releasing position.

The present subject matter generally relates to an actuator for powered actuation of a rotary latch of the type having a catch and a release pawl. Rotary latches are used wherever an enclosed compartment or space is accessible through a movable door or cover. This encompasses a wide variety of situations such as vehicle doors, storage container doors, building access doors and the like. The rotary latch is typically fixed to a stationary frame portion of the compartment where it is releasably engageable with a striker such as bolt, post or pin which is mounted on the movable closure member such as a door or cover.
More particularly the present subject matter relates to improvements in providing electromechanical actuation of rotary latches of the general type that employ at least one catch that is releasably retained in a latched position by a pawl. The catch and the pawl extend principally within a primary plane and pivot about separate parallel-extending axes that are perpendicular to the primary plane. One or more torsion springs extend principally within a secondary plane located adjacent to the primary plane and extending parallel thereto. The torsion spring has a first hook that extends out of the secondary plane into the primary plane where it engages the catch to bias the catch away from its latched position toward its unlatched position. The torsion spring also has a second hook that extends out of the secondary plane into the primary plane where it engages the pawl to bias the pawl away from its catch-releasing position toward its catch-retaining position. The catch and the pawl have engageable formations that cooperate to enable the pawl to retain the catch in, and to release the catch from, the latched position by pivoting the pawl into and out of the catch-retaining position. A rotary latch of this general type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,260, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Various mechanisms can be provided for actuating the pawl by working against the torsion spring to move the pawl to the catch-releasing position. Often these are purely mechanical devices but powered actuators are also known. Many of the powered actuators are needlessly complex and often require modification of the catch and pawl design. There is therefore a need for a rotary latch that is simple in construction and readily adaptable to existing latch constructions.


A tool is provided for polishing, planarizing, cleaning or otherwise processing silicon wafers or other workpieces. It comprises a cylindrical roller mounted on a spindle above a platform or workstation on which a wafer is mounted. The roller is movable into and out of contact with the wafer, and is rotatable to polish the wafer. The wafer may also be rotatable and translatable on the platform. The roller has a linear region of contact with the wafer during processing operations.

Many electronic and computer-related products such as semiconductors, hard disks and CD-ROMS require highly polished or planarized surfaces in order to achieve optimum performance. In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, for example, silicon workpieces are used in the manufacture of integrated circuit components and the like. The workpieces are known in the industry as "wafers" and typically have a flat, circular disk-like shape. The wafers are initially sliced from a silicon ingot and, thereafter, undergo multiple masking, etching, and dielectric and conductor deposition processes to create microelectronic structures and circuitry on the wafers. The surface of a wafer undergoing these processes typically must be polished or planarized between processing steps to ensure proper flatness, permitting use of photolithographic processes for building additional dielectric and metallization layers on the wafer surface.
Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) machines have been developed to polish or planarize silicon wafer surfaces to the flat condition necessary for manufacture of integrated circuit components and the like. CMP processes and machines are known in the art and are described in several U.S. Patents. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,348, issued in February 1989, to Arai, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,522, issued in March 1989 to Gill; U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,614, issued in March, 1992 to Arai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,732, issued in July, 1994 to Karlsrud et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,414, issued in December 1995 to Masayoshi et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,498,196 and 5,498,199, both issued in March, 1996 to Karlsrud et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,568, issued in September 1996 to Talieh et al.
Known CMP machines and processes typically utilize a wafer carrier or transport apparatus which is positioned above a polishing pad and configured to receive and hold one or more wafers. Typically, the carrier apparatus has multiple heads for holding multiple wafers. In operation, the carrier apparatus is lowered such that the wafers held by the carrier apparatus are pressed against the polishing pad while the polishing pad is rotated about its vertical axis. The wafers may also be rotated about their vertical axes and oscillated radically back and forth over the pad surface to improve polishing effectiveness.
Prior art CMP machines of this sort, while adequate in most respects, do have several drawbacks. The machines are characteristically quite bully and have a sizable "footprint". By this, it is meant that the machines occupy a significant amount of plant floorspace, which is usually limited and expensive. In addition, because the machines have a large footprint, they also are massive and of great weight, increasing the loading on the floor. Another shortcoming of known CMP machines is a difficulty in achieving uniform pressure distribution across the surface of the wafer as it is pressed against the polishing pad. Attaining a uniform pressure distribution is important in that it fosters consistent and uniform polishing across the entire wafer surface. The difficulty in achieving uniform pressure distribution arises from the fact that the entire surface of the wafer is in contact with the polishing pad during polishing operations. Another drawback, arising from the conventional "face down" position that a wafer is held in during polishing, is the difficulty of visually or otherwise monitoring the polishing process for consistency and uniformity.

Chemical mechanical planarization tool having a linear polishing roller


A high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet is disclosed that comprises a steel including C: 0.05 to 0.13 mass %, Si: 0.5 to 2.5 mass %, and Mn: 0.5 to 3.5 mass %, as well as Mo: 0.05 to 0.6 mass % and/or Cr: 0.05 to 1.0 mass %. The steel sheet is of composite structure of a ferrite+a second phase wherein the second phase has an area rate of 30 to 70% and is combined approximately in a shape of a network; a circle-equivalent average ferrite grain size is not more than 10 μm; and a circle-equivalent diameter of ferrite grain aggregate that exists continuously in an area surrounded by the second phase is not more than 3 times of the average ferrite grain size. The steel sheet has a high-strength and satisfies a balance of elongation and stretch flange formability (ratio of hole expansion) at a higher level.

The present invention relates to a high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet having a composite structure composed of a ferrite and a second phase (mainly martensite), excellent elongation and stretch flange formability, and superior workability, and also relates to a method for production thereof.
For example, steel sheets used for an automobile demands high-strength and excellent molding workability, taking into account both passenger's safety and body-weight reduction for saving fuel consumption. Various strengthening methods are adopted in manufacture of high-strength steel sheets. Especially as high-strength steel sheets strengthened using hard martensitic structure, much attention has been focused on a composite structure steel sheet having a ferrite-martensite two-phase structure.
The present inventors have investigated steel sheets with a composite structure having high-strength and superior workability. The present inventors has already proposed high-strength cold-rolled steel sheets having superior workability described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 63-241115, 63-293121, 9-67645, 10-237547. All of these Referential Patents secure workability by a soft ferrite phase as a first phase (main phase) by specifying a content of C, Si, and Mn as basic components, and simultaneously, by using steel including proper quantity of Cr, Mo, etc., and by controlling cold rolling conditions and cooling conditions after hot-rolling, conditions of subsequent heat treatment and aging treatment, etc. They also realize coexistence of strength and workability by securing strength by precipitation of a low temperature transformation forming phase of martensite etc. having structure strengthening effect.
In recent years, it has become clear that adjustment of a hardness ratio and a hardness difference between a ferrite phase and a low temperature transformation forming phase in the steel sheet with a composite structure can improve stretch flange formability (λ) regarded as important for forming workability. In more detail, it has also become clear that a smaller hardness ratio and a smaller hardness difference can further improve stretch flange formability.
JP-A No. 11-350038 discloses a technique wherein a combination of suitable steel compositions and manufacturing conditions give suitable composite structure, and enables production of a cold-rolled steel sheet having superior elongation and stretch flange formability with concurrent secure of high-strength. The JP-A No. 11-350038 specifies a content of Nb, Ti or V as important additional trace elements, and it also clarifies that skillful use of refining effect of crystal grains by fine carbide, caused by addition of these elements, produced in steel gives both of excellent ductility and stretch flange formability.
The steel sheet with the composite structure is excellent in compatibility between a high-strength and excellent elongation and stretch flange formability. However, in recent years, there have been increased demands for thin-walled and light-weighted material steel sheets and yet improved processing efficiency. To cope with this, high-strength steel sheet having excellent elongation and stretch flange formability exceeding the conventional technique level would be needed.

High-strength cold-rolled steel sheet having outstanding elongation and superior stretch flange formability and method for production therof


The present invention provides a colored gold-wrapped thread and a method for making a gold-plated embroidery by using the same, thereby solving the technical problem of single color of a gold-plated embroidery. The method for making a gold-plated embroidery includes preparing embroidery threads, preparing colored gold-wrapped threads and colored gold fixing threads in a mode of one-to-one correspondence of the same color, preparing an embroidery backing material, arranging a to-be-embroidered pattern on the embroidery backing material, preparing embroidery tools, arranging the embroidery backing material on a reel, and embroidering a pattern. The colored gold-wrapped thread includes a thread skin and a wrapped core, where the thread skin is made of a colored glittering silk material having metal luster, and the wrapped core is made of rayon having no twisting strength or a soft and smooth cotton thread.

Embroidery is a general term for various decorative patterns embroidered on a fabric by needlework. The embroidery is a decorative fabric that uses needles to puncture the embroidery material with threads or other fibers and yarns according to a certain pattern and color to form a decorative pattern with embroidery tracks. Embroidery is one of the Chinese palace and folk traditional handicrafts, mainly including Su embroidery, Xiang embroidery, Shu embroidery and Yue embroidery. The techniques of the embroidery include: diagonal stitch, random needle embroidery, net embroidery, full embroidery, suosi embroidery, nasi embroidery, najin embroidery, pingjin embroidery, yingjin embroidery, gold-plated embroidery, purong embroidery, guarong embroidery, chuosha embroidery, saxian embroidery and cross-stitch work embroidery
The biggest difference between the gold-plated embroidery and other embroidering methods is the difference in the embroidery thread. The embroidering method uses a gold thread or a silver thread as a main thread for coiling, uses a silk thread or a cotton thread as a fixing thread for transverse fixation, and is therefore also referred to as "couching stitch". During the embroidering, an embroiderer first carefully places and flattens the gold or silver thread along the pattern, then starts to knit stitches, and nails the gold or silver thread on the pattern with similarly colored floss for embroidery. In this way, the gold or silver threads are spiraled in accordance with the ever-changing pattern, and the embroiderer fixes the gold or silver threads in sequence, and "gold-plated embroidery" is named accordingly. The gold thread can be used to outline the edges of the pattern, or to fill the middle of the pattern, and thus the rich style can be imagined. Currently, the gold or silver thread is formed by wrapping the cotton thread with fake gold or fake silver, which is called "gold-wrapped thread" or "silver-wrapped thread". Gold-plated embroidery works are bright, golden and brilliant due to the wrapping gold and silver.
The applicant has found that the prior art has at least the following technical problems:
The current conventional "gold-plated embroidery" process only has two colors of "gold-wrapped main thread" and "silver-wrapped main thread". That is, the gold-plated embroidery is mainly characterized by yellow of the gold thread and white of the silver thread. If a user want to express a color effect, it can only be achieved by a colored fixing thread, and because the function of the fixing thread is only to fix the gold-wrapped or silver-wrapped main thread, the fixing thread only accounts for a very small area in the embroidery, so that the gold-plated embroidery cannot present a colorful effect, and since the fixing thread is not glossy, the color area of the gold-plated embroidery is dull, and the gold-plated embroidery has certain defects.

Colored gold-wrapped thread and method for making gold-plated embroidery by using same


An oil condition sensor includes rod-shaped electrodes and an opposed cup-shaped electrode. The rod-shaped electrodes are connected to a first power supply through first fixed resistors having a predetermined threshold. The voltage from the first power supply is applied through the respective rod-shaped electrodes to first inputs of respective operational amplifiers. The sensor further includes a second power supply which produces a voltage applied to second inputs of the respective operational amplifiers. Each operational amplifier produces a predetermined voltage if the voltage applied to the first input falls below the voltage applied to the second input. The output of each operational amplifier is connected to the second input through a second fixed resistor. There is a hysteresis relation between the input and output of the amplifiers, so that once an operational amplifier produces voltage, even if voltage from the corresponding conductor falls thereafter, the operational amplifier continuously produces voltage.

The present invention relates to an oil condition sensor used to check the degree of contamination of automotive transmission oil or engine oil.
Such an oil condition sensor is mounted in an oil container for automotive transmission oil or engine oil and is used to check the degree of contamination of the oil with iron powder or other metallic powder that are produced when automotive parts are abraded against each other. A typical such sensor is disclosed in JP patent publication 2002-286697A (see especially its FIGS. 1–4). It includes a rod adapted to be immersed in oil. The rod carries magnets at its tip. A pair of electrodes are provided around the magnets, axially spaced from and opposed to each other. The sensor produces a signal corresponding to the resistance in the oil between the electrodes, which in turn corresponds to the amount of metallic powder in the oil. At least one of the pair of electrodes comprises a resistor. By detecting the resistance between the electrodes which changes with the area of the end face of the resistor covered by iron powder that is magnetically attracted toward the outer surface of the magnets and stuck on the end face of the resistor, it is possible to detect the amount of iron powder in the oil.
In this publication, it is necessary to use a resistor as one of the pair of electrodes or on the outer periphery of an insulating cover provided on the inner periphery of the electrodes. Such a resistor tends to be internally stressed when the load and/or temperature changes. Such internal stresses in turn change the carbon sequence, thereby causing fluctuations in the specific resistance of the resistor. Because the specific resistance thus easily fluctuates, it is impossible to stably and reliably detect the resistance between the electrodes, so that no accurate determination of the degree of contamination of oil is possible.
In order to a solve this problem, the inventor of the present invention proposed an oil condition sensor in (JP patent application 2004-91029) which uses no resistors, of which the specific resistance tends to fluctuate according to the load applied and the temperature, and thus can stably check the degree of contamination of oil. This oil condition sensor includes a pair of electrodes with one of the electrodes comprising a plurality of conductors each arranged so as to oppose the other electrode. By counting the number of conductors that are electrically connected to the other electrode through metallic powder in the oil, it is possible to stably detect the amount of metallic powder in the oil. In order to count the number of conductors that are electrically connected to the other electrode, the conductors are connected to a power supply through separate fixed resistors or other members that react to electricity.
The inventor of the present invention also proposed in JP patent application 2004-148984 an oil condition sensor including conductors similar to those disclosed in JP patent application 2004-91029 which are connected to a power supply through separate resistors having different resistances from each other. By counting the number of conductors that are electrically connected to the other opposed electrode, it is possible to detect the amount of metallic powder in the oil. The resistances of the resistors are determined such that the number of conductors that are electrically connected to the other opposed electrode will be in a linear relationship with the sensor output.
In either of the oil condition sensors, since metallic powder stuck on the electrodes is in oil, of which the temperature fluctuates, when the oil temperature rises and its viscosity decreases, metallic powder particles tend to more closely contact each other. The electrical resistance between the electrodes thus decreases. Conversely, when the oil temperature falls and its viscosity increases, metallic powder particles tend to less closely contact each other, thus increasing the electrical resistance between the electrodes.
Thus, even if the amount of metallic powder stuck on the electrodes is unchanged, the number of conductors that are electrically connected to the opposed electrode or the sensor output may change if the oil temperature changes. In particular, if the oil temperature falls, even if the amount of metallic powder stuck on the electrodes is unchanged or increases, the number of conductors electrically connected to the opposed electrode or the sensor output may fall.
An object of the present invention is to provide an oil condition sensor which can stably check the degree of contamination of oil even if the oil temperature changes.


A server device constituting a group management system includes one or more manufacturing apparatuses for performing a preset process on a target substrate, and the server device includes a measurement information storage unit for storing therein one or more measurement information; an instruction receiving unit for receiving an output instruction of the measurement information, which contains information specifying a predetermined start point and valid time information; a measurement information acquisition unit for acquiring, from the measurement information storage unit, measurement information ranging from the predetermined start point to a time point of the valid time; an output information composing unit for composing output information by using the acquired measurement information; and an output unit for outputting the output information composed by the output information composing unit.

Conventionally, there has been known a measurement data processing method capable of automatically and correctly processing data transmitted from a measuring device in a group management system of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this measurement data processing method, a measuring device communication unit of a group managing unit of the group management system receives various kinds of measurement data transmitted from the measuring device. This measurement data processing method includes the steps of registering formulas for processing the measurement data in advance; upon receiving the measurement data, storing the received measurement data in a measurement data receiving buffer; selecting, among the registered formulas, one formula suitable for processing the measurement data and having at least one same recipe name as a recipe name of the measurement data and storing the selected formula in a formula storing buffer; applying the measurement data to the selected formula and performing a calculation; and storing a calculation result in a processed data storing buffer.
Further, the conventional group management system of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses has a function of displaying time sequential information (hereinafter, referred to as a chart) measured by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses.
Further, as a manufacturing apparatus composing the group management system, there is a so-called batch type vertical heat treatment apparatus (see, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).
Typically, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a manufacturing process is performed according to information indicating a process condition or a process sequence including a manufacturing parameter, which is called a recipe, or the like. Each step composing a sequence of the recipe is called a recipe step or simply called a step. The fault of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be determined, when the recipe step is changed, by whether or not a control is performed according to a parameter of the chanced recipe step. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the fault of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus by acquiring all measurement data obtained from the measuring device and then monitoring them, within a time period for performing the recipe step.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H11-354395 (for example, Page 1 and FIG. 1)    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 3543996 (for example, Page 1 and FIG. 1)    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-25997 (for example, Page 1 and FIG. 1)


An accessory removably snaps onto the upstanding edge of a roller tray or the bail of a can holding paint and the like. It has a hook to hold a brush by a hole in the brush handle when the brush is not in use. A wide scraping or wiping blade at the lower end causes excess fluid removed from the brush to drain into the can or tray. The accessory is equipped with a carrying handle for lifting the can by its bail.

This invention relates to apparatus for conveniently holding a paint brush and more particularly for a paint brush holder that can be removably attached to a paint can and/or a roller tray.
When painting with a brush from a can that has a bail, one must often move about while carrying both the can and the wet brush. This requires two hands, and the brush may drip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,293 issued May 23, 1989 to Applicant discloses a brush holder that fits on the bail of a paint can and provides a clean can carrying means as well as a wiping edge for removing excess paint from the bristles. The device cannot be used with a roller tray.
When painting with a roller from a tray, one often needs a brush for fine work. If this is simply put into the tray when not in use, the handle may become wet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,866 issued Mar. 8, 1977 to McClane discloses a special roller pan or tray to hold a brush upright. U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,157 issued Dec. 29, 1998 to O""Donnell discloses a one piece molded brush holder that can clip onto an edge of a paint can or a roller tray, but cannot be used to carry the can. U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,746 issued May 12, 1981 to Klaiber discloses a brush holder that fastens to a band that has been clamped around a paint can or to the upstanding edge of a roller tray. The band may not easily fit on all cans and it carries its own bail. It cannot be easily transferred between containers. It would be useful to provide a brush holder that has a wiping edge, a clean carrying handle that allows a paint can to pivot on its bail, and that can be easily transferred between cans and to also snap onto the upstanding edge of a roller tray.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a brush holder that will easily snap onto and off of the bail of a can and the upstanding edge of a roller tray that hold paint or other fluids. The front face of the brush holder of the invention has an upper hook for passing through a hole in the handle of the brush. This conveniently holds the brush with bristles down so fluid drains down into the can or tray and that it is readily removed for use. The brush holder has at the lower end a wide scraping or wiping element that enables excess fluid to be removed from the brush and to drain into the tray or can. The rear face of the holder is provided with two spring biased attachment means for removably attaching to either the bail of a paint can or the upstanding edge of a roller tray.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when the detailed description is studied in conjunction with the drawings in which like elements are designated by like reference characters in the various drawing figures.


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor component that inhibits formation of wormholes in a semiconductor substrate. A contact opening is formed in a dielectric layer disposed on a semiconductor substrate. The contact opening exposes a portion of the semiconductor substrate. A sacrificial layer of oxide is formed on the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate and along the sidewalls of the contact opening. Silane is reacted with tungsten hexafluoride to form a hydrofluoric acid vapor and tungsten. The hydrofluoric acid vapor etches away the sacrificial oxide layer and a thin layer of tungsten is formed on the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate. After forming the thin layer of tungsten, the reactants may be changed to more quickly fill the contact opening with tungsten.

Semiconductor component manufacturers are constantly striving to increase the speeds of their components. Because a semiconductor component, such as a microprocessor, contains up to a billion transistors or devices, the focus for increasing speed has been to decrease gate delays of the semiconductor devices that make up the semiconductor component. As a result, the gate delays have been decreased to the point that speed is now primarily limited by the propagation delay of the metallization system used to interconnect the semiconductor devices with each other and with elements external to the semiconductor component. Metallization systems are typically comprised of a plurality of interconnect layers vertically separated from each other by a dielectric material and electrically coupled to each other by metal-filled vias or conductive plugs. Each layer contains metal lines, metal-filled vias, or combinations thereof separated by an insulating material. Typically, the metallization system is coupled to the semiconductor substrate through a metal contact.
A figure of merit describing the delay of the metallization system is its Resistance-Capacitance (RC) delay. The RC delay can be derived from the resistance of the metal layer and the associated capacitance within and between different layers of metal in the metallization system. Included in the resistance component of the metallization system is the contact resistance between the metal contact and the semiconductor substrate. The metal may directly contact the semiconductor substrate or it may be coupled to the semiconductor substrate through a metal silicide layer. Many types of metal can be used for the contact. Typical metals include titanium, tantalum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, copper, aluminum, or the like. When the metal is tungsten, a titanium liner is formed on the semiconductor substrate or the silicide, a titanium nitride barrier layer is formed over the titanium liner, and tungsten is formed on the titanium nitride layer. The titanium liner lowers the contact resistance between the semiconductor substrate and the tungsten. The titanium nitride barrier layer prevents fluorine that is used in the tungsten deposition process from attacking the semiconductor material and forming pits in it. Pit formation is undesirable because tungsten becomes deposited in these pits, thereby increasing the contact resistance. These tungsten-filled pits are referred to as wormholes. In a conventional tungsten contact process, the tungsten is not conformally deposited. Thus, tungsten seams or gaps are formed in small tungsten contacts which increase the contact resistance. Another drawback with the conventional tungsten contact process is that the titanium liner and titanium nitride barrier layers involve sophisticated processing steps with low throughputs, which increase the cost of manufacturing the semiconductor component.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a method for manufacturing a tungsten contact that inhibits wormhole formation. It would be of further advantage for the method to be cost and time efficient.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor component that inhibits formation of wormholes


The INERTIAL SENSOR TRACKING SYSTEM is an overall system installation consisting of wireless body pack transmitters, broadband telemetry transceivers, computer and monitoring equipment, and emergency power generation for tracking personnel in an underground mine environment. The system is designed to function with normal primary power and on battery operation in the event of an emergency. In the past inertial sensors have been large spinning mass gyroscopes and large mass-based accelerometers. These inertial sensors have required high voltage three phase electrical supplies. The “wearable” body pack must be battery operated and the sensors must be small and lightweight. Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEM) sensors fulfill both the requirements of low weight and low power consumption. The accuracy of the MEM sensor has been developed sufficiently to incorporate, with de-noising algorithms, an accurate position-sensing device. The proliferation of broadband TCP/IP protocol based RF systems provides a standardized medium of transmission, which will work in an underground environment.

There exists the lack of an accurate system for tracking underground mine personnel, particularly in an emergency situation. Accepted methods of above-ground navigation are celestial, visual, satellite, hyperbolic radio, and RADAR navigation are inoperable underground. Due to the most recent, January 2006, underground mine explosion and fires, and the subsequent lack of information as to the location of the underground mine personnel, an accurate method of tracking underground mine personnel is necessary to provide rescue personnel with the location of the trapped personnel. Due to the limitations of existing navigation equipment, based on radio navigation, the Inertial Sensor Tracking System concept was developed. This system utilizes an Inertial Sensor located on a wearable body pack with transmitter. The technology is built around Micro-Electro-Mechanical sensor architecture, operating in "Strap Down" configuration with dedicated firmware and on-board processing capability. Transmission of the sensor velocity data is accomplished by an integrated telemetry transmitter.


A flavouring component (43) for a smoking article (50) comprising a rod (33) of flavouring material (17). The flavouring material (17) comprises a carrier material (15) and flavouring particles (14) adhered to the carrier material (15) by means of a binder (13). The flavouring material (17) is formed by passing the carrier material (15) through a mixture (12) comprising the binder (13) and the flavouring particles (14). Also disclosed is a smoking article (50) including such a flavouring component (43), and an apparatus (10) and method for manufacturing such a flavouring component (43).

It is known to incorporate smoke-modifying agents in the body of smoking articles to provide flavouring or other smoke or aerosol modification to smoking articles. Flavourant granules may be incorporated into the filter rod or the wrapping paper of a cigarette or other type of smoking article in order to enhance the flavour of the inhaled smoke or other aerosol.
It is desirable to provide an alternative flavouring component, and apparatus and process for manufacturing a flavouring component for use in a smoking article.

Flavouring component, and apparatus and method for manufacturing a flavouring component

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED


A tool holder for a bucket lift is disclosed. The tool holder includes a backboard having left, right, front and back sides. A left side member and a right side member are attached to the left side and right side, respectively, of the backboard. A scabbard portion is attached to the front side of the backboard; the scabbard portion forms a pocket between the scabbard portion and backboard. A left hook and a right hook extend from the left side member and right side member respectively, the left hook and right hook are configured and arranged to couple to a bucket of an aerial bucket lift.

1. Technical Field
The present patent document relates generally to tool holders, and more specifically to tool holders for use in aerial bucket lifts.
2. Background of the Related Art
Tradesmen that cut and trim tree branches from a bucket of an aerial bucket lift have dangerous jobs that are complicated by the fact that they are often wielding sharp tools such as chainsaws and hand saws. The small confines of the bucket also provides the additional complication of not providing a convenient and safe place to temporarily hold a chainsaw or hand saw if the tradesman needs to use both hands. Although there are prior art holders for chainsaws and handsaws, these prior art devices are often made or lightweight plastic or fiberglass, which is prone to chipping and cracking. Consequently, tradesmen often rip pants and cut their legs on jagged holders or the sharp blades of their tools.
Therefore, there is a perceived need in the industry for a method to hold tools, such as a chainsaw and other sharp implements, that protects the tradesmen from injury and that is durable and rugged.


A system for remotely controlling vehicle accessories is disclosed that allows a user to remotely control vehicle accessories using a conventional telephone. The system is particularly well-suited for use in controlling an in-vehicle voice recorder while recording therein navigational instructions formed of a plurality of navigational steps. Through remote control of the vehicle recorder, a recorded message may be segmented in response to DTMF signals generated by pressing keys on a keypad of a conventional telephone. A driver may then playback the navigational steps one at a time as needed while driving to the identified destination. The system further allows for remote control of other vehicle accessories through the manipulation of keys on a conventional telephone keypad.

The present invention generally relates to a system for remotely controlling a voice recorder and other electrical accessories in a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for controlling of the recording of a voice message from a remote location in an in-vehicle voice recorder. The present invention is particularly well-suited for use as a vehicle navigation system.
Many different forms of systems have been proposed to provide the driver of a vehicle with information that the driver may use to navigate the vehicle. Some of these navigation systems include the combination of a display device, a GPS receiver, and a database to display to the driver a map upon which the vehicle's current location is displayed. Some such systems allow a vehicle occupant to input a desired destination such that a processor in the system may calculate a proposed route that is subsequently displayed to the user by highlighting the route on the displayed map. Navigation systems that include such displays have several drawbacks. One drawback is that the database used to generate the maps and to calculate the proposed route to the destination, includes only static information. Thus, such information does not take into account dynamic information such as which roads are under construction, subject to high levels of traffic, or are new or no longer in existence. Additionally, to provide sufficient details to the driver, the database must necessarily include an enormous amount of information about each location in which a driver of the vehicle may be expected to drive.
Yet another problem associated with vehicle navigation systems that include displays, is that the drivers must divert their eyes from the road to study the displayed map. Further, given the amount of detail that must be shown in a map to identify street names and the like, along with the vehicle's current location and the proposed route, such displays must be made rather large or otherwise the display will be difficult to read. The larger the display, however, the more of a safety hazard the display becomes, not only because it requires the drivers to continuously divert their eyes to the display, but also because such larger displays are likely to cause injury in the case of an accident.
Some navigation systems have been developed that overcome the above-mentioned problems by providing audible navigational information rather than visual information. One such system transmits a vehicle's current location and desired destination to a central processing center via a wireless communication link. The central processing center then calculates a proposed route based upon information contained in a central database. The central processing system then transmits data to the vehicle's system where the data is stored in memory and subsequently audibly played back to the driver through the use of a rather expensive voice synthesizer. The system may further transmit the navigational information in separate maneuver arms that may be played back to the driver one at a time so that the driver does not need to memorize each of the navigational steps that otherwise would be played all at once. An example of one such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,789.
The above-noted system, like the navigational systems that calculate a proposed route and display it on a map, require a driver or other vehicle occupant to input a desired destination into the vehicle's system. Thus, such systems require additional keypads or other forms of input devices to allow the driver to input the destination in a form that the system will be able to recognize as an address. Further, the address must be one that is provided in the database for the system to be able to propose a route for reaching that designation. As a result, such systems become fairly complex and expensive while requiring more and more of the limited space provided within the reach of the driver inside the vehicle.
Another problem with the above-noted navigational systems, is that such systems do not allow the users to subsequently ask questions about the proposed route. For example, a driver may wish to inquire about certain landmarks that may appear at an intersection where the driver must make a turn. Because the above navigational systems do not provide for such inquiries, these systems are generally perceived as not being very user-friendly.
To provide for a more user-friendly navigational aid, General Motors Corporation has offered a system known as OnStar.RTM., that enables a driver to press a single switch within the vehicle to be connected via the cellular telephone communication link, to an operator whose sole duty is to assist drivers who may be lost or otherwise need directions to a particular destination. By enabling the driver to establish communication with a live person, the system allows the driver to verbalize the desired destination. Further, the operator may ask additional questions if this destination is not understood. Additionally, the operator may take into account traffic congestion when determining which route to recommend. Further still, the driver may subsequently ask questions pertaining to the recommended route. By providing a recorder in the vehicle, the driver may activate the recorder to record the directions provided by the operator for subsequent playback. Although this type of system solves much of the above-noted problems associated with those systems that do not provide for communication with a live person, this system does not provide for remote control of the in-vehicle recorder by the operator such that the operator may activate and deactivate the recorder. Further, for the driver to subsequently playback the recorded directions, the driver must listen to all the steps that are recorded just to hear any particular portion of the directions. This could become quite a nuisance to the driver if a description of the directions is quite lengthy.
To allow for remote actuation of other electrical accessories in the vehicle using the same communication link used to communicate navigational directions, such systems have utilized cellular modems for modulating and demodulating data communications received from remote locations. The use of such modems requires data to be delivered from a compatible modem. Because not all car owners have compatible modems and computers to communicate with their vehicle, such systems require the owners to speak with an operator each time they wish to remotely lock or unlock their doors or reprogram their vehicle's accessories.

System and method for remote control of an in-vehicle voice recorder and other electrical accessories


An etched grooved GaN-based permeable-base transistor structure is disclosed, along with a method for fabrication of same.

There is increasing need for new devices that can operate at frequencies greater than 1 GHz. The wide bandgap semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) has received much interest in the last decade as a material for high efficiency, high power microwave devices due to its high breakdown field and electron saturation velocity, and low thermal generation rate. Unfortunately, there is no native substrate on which to grow GaN device epilayers, hence the films are grown heteroepitaxially on sapphire or silicon carbide substrates.
Such growth results in films with considerable vertical threading dislocation densities that limit electron mobility in lateral devices such as metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFETs) or high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Yet the vertical mobility is enhanced. This physical attribute together with the material properties previously mentioned makes GaN a highly suitable material for a permeable base transistor (PBT).
The PBT is device very similar to the MESFET but with vertical transport instead of lateral, and has received much attention in the last quarter of a century due to its potential as a high power, high frequency, and high temperature-operating device. PBTs were suggested as early as 1964, and are typically fabricated using silicon, cobalt disilicide, gallium arsenide, silicon carbide, nickel phthalocyanine, and copper phthalocyanine.
Due to the early stage of development in the GaN growth and understanding of the material properties, PBTs fabricated with GaN have only recently been attempted. Reported modeling simulations of a GaN based PBT with a cut-off frequency (fT) as high as 24.8 GHz and maximum frequency of oscillation (fmax) of 75.2 GHz. Such performance is relatively limited.
What is needed, therefore, techniques for making high power GaN PBTs using GaN.

GaN-based permeable base transistor and method of fabrication

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


An apparatus and method for removing a molded ophthalmic lens from between the mold portions in which it is produced. A source of intense electromagnetic radiation, preferably a carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) laser of about 80 Watts at a wavelength of 10.6 .mu.m, is applied to at least one of the mold portions. The exposure of the mold portion to the laser is between one half and one second. Differential expansion of the heated mold polymer relative to the cooler polymer shifts one surface with respect to the other, and the shear force breaks the polymerized lens polymer mold adhesion and assists in the separation of mold portions. The greater the temperature gradient between the surfaces of the mold portions, the greater the shearing force and the easier the mold portions separate. The heated back mold portion is promptly removed so that very little energy is transferred to the polymer lens, avoiding the possibility of thermal decomposition of the lens.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the improved removal of molded ophthalmic lenses from the mold in which they are produced. In particular, this invention is suited to molded ophthalmic lenses such as hydrogel contact lenses, although the method is also suitable for other small, high-precision ophthalmic lenses such as intraocular lenses.
As the ophthalmic lens industry has grown, and in particular the industry related to supplying contact lenses that are provided for periodic frequent replacement, the number of lenses that need to be produced has increased dramatically. This has required manufacturers to strive for methods and apparatus that can be adapted to automated practices and perform with consistency.
It is known in the art to make ophthalmic lenses such as soft contact lenses, by forming a monomer or monomer mixture in a mold such as one made from polystyrene or polypropylene.
Examples of this art can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,039,459, 4,889,664 and 4,565,348. Discussed therein is the requirement for a polystyrene mold that the materials, chemistry and processes be controlled so that the mold portions do not require undue force to separate by sticking to the lens or to each other.
In contrast to the above polystyrene molds, another example is the use of polypropylene or polyethylene molds such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,896.
A particular problem is that the mold portions usually are surrounded by a flange, and the monomer or monomer mixture is supplied in excess to the concave mold portion prior to the mating of the molds. After the mold portions are placed together, defining the lens and forming an edge, the excess monomer or monomer mixture is expelled from the mold cavity and rests on or between the flange of one or both mold portions.
Upon polymerization this excess material forms an annular flange or ring around the formed lens.
The prior art process for separating the mold portions and removing the lens consists of preheating, heating, prying and removal. Hot air provides the heating, mechanical leverage the prying, and the removal is manual. Heating the mold by convection is not an efficient heat transfer technique. From the time a mold enters the heating apparatus until the back mold portion is completely removed requires on the order of one minute.
The present method for removing the lens is to apply heat to the back mold portion by means of a heated air stream. The heating of the back mold portion is done in two steps: a preheat stage and a heat/pry stage. In the heat/pry stage the mold is clamped in place and pry fingers are inserted under the back mold portion. A force is applied to each back mold portion during a heating cycle.
When the required temperature has been reached, the back mold portion breaks free and one end is lifted by the pry fingers. After the back mold portion has been detached from the front mold portion on at least one side, the mold then exits the heater. The back mold portion and the annular flashing is then totally removed.
It is also possible to impinge hot or cold air on the outer surface of the front mold portion, to achieve other thermal gradients. The heated air is blown on the exterior of the back mold portion where it transfers heat to the upper surface of the lens. Heat is transported through the back mold, the molded lens, and front mold by thermal diffusion.
While the aforementioned method has some efficacy in assisting the removal of the lens between the mold portions, the temperature gradient achieved from the heated back mold portion, across the lens to the front mold portion is relatively small. The shortcomings in this approach result from the way heat is delivered to the mold portion. The constant temperature air stream heats the exterior surface of the back mold portion more rapidly, while thermal conduction transfers heat to the lens surface. The only way to increase the thermal gradient is to transfer heat faster, but this would cause the back mold portion to become too soft for the lift fingers to engage.
As stated above, this method has not been entirely satisfactory because the thermal gradient induced is not sufficient to fully and repeatedly separate the mold portions.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that can easily and repeatably separate the mold portions without damaging the lens.
It is another object of the invention to perform such separation without excessive environmental heating or waste of energy.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus whereby a high temperature gradient can be applied across at least one of the mold portions.
These and other objects are attained by the present invention described as follows.

Laser assisted demolding of ophthalmic lenses


A method and apparatus for removing the sulfation from the plates of the battery and driving the sulfate crystals back into the electrolyte solution without overheating the battery is presented. The present invention includes a rotary magnetic hub and coil assembly to produces a unique output not found in other charging systems on the market. The battery desulfation method and apparatus of the present invention is self-adjusting to the battery, regardless of voltage and works by removing the sulfate crystals from the plates of lead acid batteries. As a result, the normal life of the average battery may be greatly extended. Heavily sulfated batteries may be brought back to working condition. When used for short durations for healthy batteries, the present invention keeps the sulfate crystals off the plates and in solution to extend the working life of the battery.

Lead acid batteries are a fundamental staple of our modern electrical society, these batteries are found in almost every aspect of our daily lives whether we realize it or not. Lead acid batteries are used in transportation, heavy equipment, telecommunications, computer networking, backup power supplies, alternative energy solutions (a.k.a. solar, wind, and small hydro turbine solutions).
As the need to store and have electrical energy ready as demand increases, so does the importance of the battery. Lead acid batteries have been the workhorse of this need for more than a century. One of the problems that arises from the use of these batteries is the sulfation of the lead plates within the battery that limit and ultimately render useless the energy obtainable from them.
During use of the battery the sulfuric acid chemical solution electrolyte deposits sulfide crystals on the plates of the battery. As the crystals grow the battery's output declines sharply, as less and less surface area of the lead plate has the ability to interact with the electrolyte solution.
The conventional solution to this build up is to do what is called an equalization charge. This charge is really a controlled over charge of the battery. High amperage and a voltage capable of putting the battery into reverse or charge mode is applied to the battery. This high amperage charging leads to internal heating, which leads to less conduction, which in turn leads to more heating. If not carefully controlled, the battery can enter a thermal runaway effect that overheats the battery and causes excessive off gassing of the electrolyte solution. This situation usually irreversibly damages the battery.
Current charging systems basically fall into one of two categories: 1. Standard high amperage regulated voltage charger with trickle charge capacity; 2. Low amperage pulse charge systems with timed charging.
Standard high amperage and trickle chargers apply a regulated voltage of sufficient value to put the battery into charge mode and a moderate to high current level to charge the battery. This charge may remove a small amount of the sulfate crystal growth, but it still has the disadvantage of heating the battery, and cannot remove the crystal growth effectively enough to keep the battery from sulfating.
Pulse charging attempts to apply a low current voltage with a resonate frequency square wave to the battery in order to induce desulfation without overheating the battery. These charging systems tout the ability to keep a battery from heavy sulfation through the use of a low amperage continuous pulse charge. This system has the distinct disadvantage of having to constantly keep the battery on the charger in order to keep the sulfation process at bay.

Method and apparatus for battery desulfation


A first sin phase voltage representing the rotational angle of a resolver is derived from the sum of a rotational angle voltage involving a temperature component and a bias voltage. The rotational angle voltage and the bias voltage are calculated by calculating the values of the maximum peak point (θ=90 degrees) and the maximum bottom point (θ=270 degrees) of the rotor and then by subtracting them or adding them, respectively. Subsequently, a transformer efficiency K(T) and a phase difference α(T) which involve temperature components therein are calculated from the rotational angle voltage, while an impedance R(T) of a common earth wire and another phase difference β(T) which involve temperature components are calculated from the bias voltage. The rotational angle can be calculated by putting these parameters into equations for calculating the first sin phase voltage. As a consequence, it becomes possible to detect the rotational angle of the rotor accurately without suffering the influence of temperature.

For example, as a rotational angle detection device for detecting the rotational angle by means of a conventional resolver, there is a rotational angle detection device, which is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-127173 (hereafter referred to as "prior art"). As shown in FIG. 5, prior art describes that in case that an exciting coil 122, a cos phase coil 128, and a sin phase coil 130 are grounded through a common earth wire 146, the voltage which is made as a result that an alternating current bias voltage which is caused by an impedance 144 of the earth wire 146 and an exciting current, is superimposed on an alternating-current rotational angle voltage whose amplitude fluctuates in dependence on a sin value of a rotor rotational angle θ is output to a terminal 136 of the sin phase coil 130. As a result, a problem arises in that the detection accuracy of a rotor 122 rotational angle, which is gained from a voltage output from the terminal 136 of the sin phase coil 130, is lowered. To solve this problem, the prior art discloses the following rotational angle detection device. First, a steering wheel is slowly rotated through one revolution, during which the sin phase voltages are sampled to be stored in a RAM. Then, from the stored data in the RAM, four points of the one-cycle sin phase voltages are selected for data around the maximum peak value (at a 90-degree steering wheel angle) and around the maximum bottom value (at a 270-degree steering wheel angle), and then, those data are added in order. By dividing each value of these added data by numeral 2, only the bias voltage can be derived. By subtracting this bias voltage from the sin phase voltage, a rotational angle voltage is calculated. And then, a rotational angle is derived from this rotational angle voltage.
However, in the prior art, sufficient consideration is not given regarding a temperature variation which varies every moment. For example, a problem remains unsolved in that the rotational angle cannot be detected accurately for the following reason. That is, a resistance value of the impedance 144 has a temperature drift due to a variation in the ambient temperature, and as a result, the output voltage from the terminal 136 of the sin phase coil 130 also has a temperature drift.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made aiming at the above unsolved problem in the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a rotational angle detection device which is highly accurate not to involve the rotational angle error due to a temperature variation which varies every moment.

Rotation angle detector and its temperature correcting method


A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel is provided, the method includes: forming a gate line on an insulating substrate; forming a gate insulating layer; forming a semiconductor layer; forming a data conductive layer including a data line and a drain electrode; depositing a passivation layer; forming a photoresist including a first portion located on an end portion of the gate line, a second portion thicker than the first portion and located on the drain electrode, and a third portion thicker than the second portion; exposing a portion of the passivation layer under the second portion of the photoresist and a portion of the gate insulating layer under the first portion of the photoresist by etching using the photoresist as an etch mask; forming first and second contact holes exposing the drain electrode and the end portions of the gate line, respectively; and forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode through the first contact hole.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel and a manufacturing method thereof.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are one of the most widely used flat panel displays. An LCD includes two panels provided with field-generating electrodes and a liquid crystal (LC) layer interposed therebetween. The LCD displays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes to generate an electric field in the LC layer, which determines orientations of LC molecules in the LC layer to adjust polarization of incident light.
Among LCDs including field-generating electrodes on respective panels, a type of LCD provides a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix on one panel and a common electrode covering an entire surface of the other panel. The image display of the LCD is accomplished by applying individual voltages to the respective pixel electrodes. For the application of the individual voltages, a plurality of three-terminal thin film transistors (TFTs) are connected to the respective pixel electrodes, and a plurality of gate lines transmitting signals for controlling the TFTs and a plurality of data lines transmitting voltages to be applied to the pixel electrodes are provided on the panel.
The panel for an LCD has a layered structure including several conductive layers and several insulating layers. The gate lines, the data lines, and the pixel electrodes are made from different conductive layers (referred to as "gate conductor," "data conductor," and "pixel conductor" hereinafter) preferably deposited in sequence and separated by insulating layers. A TFT includes three electrodes: a gate electrode made from the gate conductor and source and drain electrodes made from the data conductor. The source electrode and the drain electrode are connected by a semiconductor usually located thereunder, and the drain electrode is connected to the pixel electrode through a hole in an insulating layer.
The gate conductor and the data conductor are preferably made of an Al containing metal such as Al and Al alloy having low resistivity for reducing the signal delay in the gate lines and the data lines. The pixel electrodes are usually made of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO) for both the field generation upon voltage application and the light transmission.
In the meantime, the contact between Al containing metal and ITO or IZO causes several problems such as corrosion of the Al containing metal and large contact resistance.
As described above, a drain electrode and a pixel electrode are connected through a contact hole in an insulator. This connection is obtained by forming the hole in the insulator to expose a portion of an upper Al-containing metal layer of the drain electrode, removing the exposed portions of the upper metal layer by blanket-etching to expose a lower layer having good contact characteristic, and finally, forming the pixel electrode thereon. However, the blanket etch frequently generates undercut formed by over-etching the Al containing metal under a sidewall of the contact hole. The undercut yields disconnection or poor profile of the subsequently-formed pixel electrode near the undercut to increase the contact resistance between the pixel electrode and the drain electrode.

Thin film transistor array panel and manufacturing method thereof


A straw adapter 2 is removably disposed in the opening of a beverage container 1, and a straw 22 is attached to the straw adapter 2. A straw cap 12 is mounted on the straw adapter 2, for covering the straw attached to the straw adapter 2. Operations of the straw cap 12 opens and closes an air hole opening/closing valve 6.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beverage container with a straw, which has the straw kept inserted in the container so as to be always ready for drinking, as required, a beverage held in the container with the straw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Beverage containers with straws having the straws kept inserted in the containers so as to facilitate infants, etc. drinking any time beverages held in the containers were proposed and have been generally and practically used. In such containers with straws, especially when hot liquids are held in the containers, the heat of the hot liquids often causes the hot liquids to jet through the straws upon opening the straw caps covering the straws. Air hole opening/closing valves are provided in the container bodies or the straw caps so that the air hole opening/closing vales are opened before use to thereby release the pressures for the prevention of the unexpected jets of the hot liquids, etc.
In the containers with straws, marks, e.g., "open" and "close" respectively indicating the opened air holes and the closed air holes are provided. However, in use, the confusion as to which state of the "open" and "close" the valve is in takes place, or the operation of the valve is missed. Resultantly, steam often jets out. This is a disadvantage.
For mounting the straws, straw adapters are thread-engaged with the openings of the container bodies, and the straws are inserted in the straw adapters. When the adapters are fastened, it is not easily seen to which position the adapters are fastened for the prevention of the leakage. As anti-slip means in fastening the adapters, small projections are merely provided on the side surfaces, which makes it hard to fasten the adapters to a position where the adapters do not have the leakage. This is also a disadvantage.
Handles with which the container bodies are held by the hands are attached to the container bodies. However, the handles are vertically oriented, which makes it difficult for infants, who are not yet good at turning the wrists and other motions, to hold the containers by themselves to drink beverages held in the containers.
Furthermore, the straws are required to have a suitable length and not to disengaged.


An image forming apparatus, including an image forming section which conducts image formation on a sheet based on an image data, a tray which accommodates the sheets to be supplied to the image forming section, a humidity detecting unit which detects humidity inside the tray, a dehumidifying device which conducts dehumidification inside the tray; and a control section which controls the image forming section to prohibit image formation when the humidity inside the tray is higher than a predetermined value, the control section further controls the dehumidifying device to conduct the dehumidification inside the tray when the humidity inside the tray is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, and the control section still further controls the image forming section to conduct the image formation on the when the humidity inside the tray has been equal to or lower than the predetermined value.

In an image forming apparatus, such as a copy machine, a printer, and a compound machine, based on image data which is read by a document reading device, a toner image is formed on an image carrier provided in the image forming apparatus, and after the toner image is transferred onto a recording sheet supplied from a tray, the toner image is fixed, whereby permanent image formation (or printing) is performed.
Since various types of sheets are used for printing, a coated sheet is characterized in that its air permeability is relatively low due to its coated surface, further, under a high humidity environment, moisture tends to be trapped between adjacent stacked coated sheets. Accordingly, adhesion force tends to be high between the stacked sheets, and a top coated sheet is not easily separated from a second stacked coated sheet on the tray, whereby the coated sheets are not easily supplied to the apparatus, resulting in erratic sheet feeding. Still further, when the recording sheet is conveyed under said high humidity, and printing is conducted on the sheet, paper sheet debris generated from the recording sheets accumulates in the conveyance path, interfering with proper operation of optical sensors mounted in the conveyance path to detect the recording sheets. To overcome these problems, an image forming apparatus is proposed in which a dehumidifying heater is mounted within each tray to decrease the humidity of the coated sheets. Further, in an image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-276,883, the humidity in the apparatus is detected by a humidity sensor, and if the humidity is relatively high in the apparatus, a tray featuring a long conveyance path is automatically selected, and sheet debris is controlled to not be generated in the high humidity environment, so that the optical sensors, mounted in the conveyance path which is commonly used with other trays, are prevented from being covered with said debris.
However, such dehumidification is not sufficient in some cases. For example, just after power is switched on, or during environmental variation, if coated sheets are being conveyed in the path, they tend to cause a jam, or sheet debris may accumulate on the conveyance path, which are major problems. Further, if printing is conducted on the recording sheet under high humidity, heat is absorbed by moisture in the recording sheet, and fixing temperature in the recording sheet does not reach a desired temperature, which may cause an insufficiently fixed image due to low fixing temperature.
Still further, in the image forming apparatus proposed in the above patent document, sheet debris tends to accumulate on the optical sensor mounted near the tray which supplied the sheets, tending to cause the coated sheets to jam, due to the high humidity environment.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A biaxially stretched, blow molded synthetic resin bottle with a bottom includes a sunken bottom portion that is capable of drawing upward in a reversible manner, when internal pressure goes down. This sunken bottom portion includes an inner peripheral wall portion standing from near an inner edge of a ground contact portion disposed along a peripheral foot, a central concave portion disposed at a center of the bottom, a reversible wall portion in a flat ring shape, which is reversibly deformable into an upward drawing state and which connects an upper end of the inner peripheral wall to the base of the central concave portion, and a circular rib wall portion disposed at a connection between the reversible wall portion and the upper end of the inner peripheral wall portion so as to perform the function as a peripheral rib.

Biaxially stretched and blow-molded bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as "PET"), the so-called PET bottles, have high transparency, mechanical strength, heat resistance, and gas barrier property, and up to now, have been in wide use as the containers for various beverages. Conventionally, what is called hot filling is utilized as a method of filling the PET bottles with contents, e.g., juices, teas, and the like, which require pasteurization. This involves filling the bottle with the contents at a temperature of about 90 degrees C., sealing the bottle with a cap, and cooling the bottle. This process causes the pressure inside the bottle to decrease considerably.
As regards the application of use involving hot filling described above, Patent Document D1, for example, teaches that the body is provided with the so-called vacuum absorbing panels, which are, by design, easily deformed into a dented state under a reduced pressure condition. At the time of a decrease in pressure, these vacuum absorbing panels perform a vacuum absorbing function by deforming into the dented state, thus allowing the bottle to retain good appearance while ensuring that the portions of the bottle other than the vacuum absorbing panels have rigidity enough to avoid troubles on the bottle conveyor lines, during storage in piles, and inside the automatic vending machines.
On the other hand, in some cases it is necessary to avoid forming the vacuum absorbing panels on the body out of regard for the design of bottle appearance, or it is necessary for body walls to have high surface rigidity to give the body high retainability of shape enough to be able to stack the bottles on their sides inside the vending machines. For example, Patent Document D2 shows a synthetic resin bottle which has no vacuum absorbing panel in the body wall, but in which the vacuum absorbing function is performed by the upward drawing deformation of a bottom plate. Especially in the cases of small-size bottles with a capacity of 350 ml or 280 ml, the vacuum absorbing panels disposed in the body wall would have a limited panel area. In that case, it would be difficult to fully satisfy both of the vacuum-absorbing function and the rigidity or buckling strength of the body. Therefore, the vacuum-absorbing function need be performed by the deformation of bottom plate as described above.
As an example, FIG. 18 shows a bottle 101 in which the vacuum absorbing function is performed by a bottom plate of a bottom 105, which plate deforms so as to draw upward. FIG. 18(a) is a front view; and FIG. 18(b) is a bottom view. The bottle 101 comprises a body 104 having a thick wall and peripheral groove ribs 107 to give the body 104 high surface rigidity and high buckling strength. When there is a pressure drop inside the bottle, the body 104 retains its shape, but a sunken bottom portion 117 of the bottom 105 performs the vacuum absorbing function when this sunken bottom portion 117 deforms so as to draw further upward (i.e., deformation in an arrowed direction in FIG. 18(a)).


A self leveling camera support apparatus and method for helping isolate a camera from rolling motion of a support structure. The apparatus includes a frame having a first end adapted to attach to the support structure and a second end with a pivotal connection. Also included, is a roll member adapted to attach the camera, the roll member is pivotally attached to the pivotal connection at an extension arm proximal end portion, the roll member also includes an extension arm distal end portion adjacent to support fingers for a camera mount. The roll member is operational to help the camera level from roll movement of the frame, resulting from a center of mass of the roll member, camera, and extension arm combined, the center of mass positioned between the pivotal connection and the frame first end, wherein the frame and the extension arm form a parallel to angular relationship.

There exists a need to minimize unwanted camera motion, which tends to occur when the structure that the camera is mounted to has motion that is inherent in the particular location or application that the desired camera shot is wanted, such as in the case of mounting a camera to a marine vessel that at the very least has rolling motion from waves, wind, and the like. This problem is well recognized in the prior art with a number of complex to simple solutions in existence. The solutions exist either within the camera itself and/or are in the camera support or mounting apparatus. The typical complex solution to the aforementioned problem is with the use of either a gyroscopic mount or the use of a gimbal bearing(s) that allows multi axis movement that is typically termed; roll, pitch, and yaw of a portion of the camera mount that is affixed to for instance, the marine vessel while helping to stabilize the other portion of the camera mount so that the camera keeps a true orientation to the horizon or a selected position with minimal unwanted movement. There are additional enhancements to either the gyroscopic mount or to the gimbal bearing for computer control to help maintain a desired orientation of the camera. Simpler prior art solutions would involve a pendulum mount type of arrangement having single axis or multiple axis capabilities with a counterweight to help maintain the camera orientation to the horizon with movement of the non pendulum portion of the camera mount.
An example of a complex prior art solution would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,223 to Tritchew et al. that is a stabilizing platform system for a camera that helps isolate the camera from multiple axis motion being about the roll, pitch, and yaw axes including a passive vibration isolator, this is accomplished by the use of multiple gimbal bearings and dampened coil springs, or optionally multiple magnetic torque motors for controlling positioning force against the gimbal bearing(s). Tritchew et al. would be considered a high end type of camera stabilizing apparatus by having control over multiple axes of undesired camera movement, a vibration isolator, and the ability to control camera movement. A further example of a complex part solution would be in U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2003/0007795 A1 to Grober that is a stabilizing camera mount specifically designed to mount upon a buoy that is acted upon by a wave motion when the camera mount attempts to stabilize the camera's view in multiple axes and having remote control for relative camera positioning. Grober utilizes either an electronically stabilized device or a gimbal bearing.
An example of a simple prior art solution would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,370 to Slater that is a camera stabilizer using counterweights on an extension beam that utilizes the inertia of the weights to stabilize the camera's position, with each weight covering one single axis of motion that is typically undampened and would have no relative position control of the camera on the part of the camera operator. Slater, while appealing for its simplicity unfortunately has drawbacks in that the counterweights add weight to the stabilizer while the extension arms add bulk to the stabilizer, making the stabilizer unwieldy to handle. A further example of a simple prior art solution would be in U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,859 to Acker that discloses a camera support and stabilizing device by again using counterweights on extension arms to allow for a stable positioning of the camera relative to movement of the base support. Acker has some further refinements in being able to adjust the extension arm and counterweight location relative to the camera.
An example of an intermediate complexity prior art solution would be in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,320 to Muelling et al. that is a camera mount for a motor vehicle that utilizes a pendulum on a stand with a gimbal bearing between the pendulum and the stand with the camera mounted on the pendulum and the interaction between the pendulum and the stand controlled by springs and dampening elements, with the springs controlling the relative position of the camera to the motor vehicle position.
There exists a need for a camera support apparatus by providing at least an automatically leveling assistance on a camera roll axis with a degree of dampening control on the cameras corrective movement that is not especially complex, large, heavy, or expensive for a camera operator to use.


A latch for use in a window comprising a bottom sash mounted in a window frame, the latch comprising a housing comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of opposed sidewalls and a rear wall. A top edge of the rear wall and a rear edge of each sidewall define a rear aperture. A front edge of the top wall, the bottom wall and each of the sidewalls defines a front aperture, the front aperture and the rear aperture opening into a bolt cavity defined by the housing. A bolt is slidably received by the housing, the bolt comprising a body with a front portion and a rear portion. The body is slidably received in the bolt cavity between a first position in which the front portion of the bolt is extended outwardly through the front aperture and the rear portion of the body engages an outer surface of the housing, and a second position in which the rear portion is disengaged from the housing. The rear portion of the bolt extends outwardly through the rear aperture in both the first and second positions.

Double-hung windows are commonly used in residential and other structures. Double-hung window assemblies typically include a window frame and a pair of window sashes. The bottom sash may be positioned inwardly of the top sash so that the sashes overlap and can be slid vertically relative to one another along the guide rails of the window frame. Window sashes can be made of wood, extruded plastic frame members or metal frame members joined at the corners, for example, to form a generally rectangular frame in which the glazing is installed.
Double-hung windows often include a locking mechanism located at or near the point where the sashes meet when the window assembly is in a closed position. A locking mechanism may be fixed on the top rail of the bottom sash and the corresponding latch-receiving mechanism is fixed on the bottom rail of the top sash. When the window sashes are in the closed position, the lock may be secured to prevent movement of the sashes.
Many double-hung windows also include latches (including, for example, tilt or vent latches) that are typically mounted on the opposing ends of the top rail of the bottom sash. The tilt latches generally are manually activated to selectively engage portions of the window frame, for example, grooves formed therein. When in an extended position, the tilt latches engage the window frame, thereby preventing the bottom sash from pivoting relative to the window frame, yet allowing the bottom sash to be slid relative to the frame in a vertical direction. In a retracted position, the tilt latches allow the bottom sash to be pivoted outwardly from the frame, thus allowing easy access to the outer surface of the panel housed within the bottom sash. Tilt latches can also be incorporated into the top sash to allow similar pivoting motion relative to the window frame.


A device and method for extracting data stored in a volatile memory are provided. In particular, a memory-data extracting device and method for ensuring integrity of data extracted from a volatile memory installed in a computer are provided. A memory-data extracting module extracts data stored in a memory. A module loader loads the memory-data extracting module in a kernel region of the memory and sets a priority of the loaded memory-data extracting module to be higher than priorities of kernel processors loaded in the memory. Task switching can be prevented in the course of extracting memory data by loading a process for extracting memory data in a kernel region and setting a priority of the loaded process to be higher than priorities of other kernel processes, thereby ensuring the integrity of data extracted from a non-volatile memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for extracting data stored in a volatile memory and, more particularly, to a memory-data extracting device and method for ensuring integrity of data extracted from a volatile memory installed in a computer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In order to effectively take action against crimes using electronic equipment, digital forensic targets for evidence acquisition and analysis are gradually extending to computers, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In particular, when the digital forensic target is a computer, useful evidence may be collected from a memory of a volatile storage medium as well as a hard disk of a non-volatile storage medium.
Methods for collecting data stored in a volatile memory include a first method for forcibly generating an error in order to use a crash dump file in which memory data is automatically stored by an operating system (OS) when a serious system error occurs, a second method for directly extracting memory data using an external hardware device capable of directly accessing a memory, and a third method using a memory dump program for extracting data stored in a memory using a memory interface provided by the OS.
In the method for forcibly generating an error, there is a trouble of the format of the crash dump file having to be converted for a specific purpose of a digital forensic process since the memory data is stored in the crash dump file on the basis of a unique OS format. In the method for extracting memory data using an external hardware device, there are drawbacks of high cost since memory imaging dedicated hardware is required and inapplicability to a computer that is incapable of supporting corresponding hardware. On the other hand, the method using a memory dump program is most widely used since it has the merits of enabling the format of an image file to be arbitrarily changed, if needed, and it does not require additional hardware.
In general, such a memory dump program operates as a user process executed in a user region of a memory. If the memory dump program runs simultaneously with other user processes, data stored in the memory may be changed in the course of data extraction when task switching occurs in operation of the memory dump program.
For example, if task switching occurs when the memory dump program extracts part of the memory data, another user process may alter data of a memory region that has not yet been extracted by the memory dump program. In this case, even though the memory dump program stores the remaining memory data after task switching, a temporal mismatch may occur on the stored memory data.
Accordingly, a conventional memory-data extracting device such as the memory dump program has a drawback in that the integrity of collected evidence, which is the most basic requirement of the digital forensic system, may not be ensured. In particular, when a user process newly runs or ends in the course of extracting the memory data, and content of a material structure of the OS is changed, evidence analysis is impossible since ranges of a process region, a thread region, and a memory region may not be identified.

Device and method for extracting memory data

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A system and method for the purchase of products, where some products may eligible for special forms of payment, such as payment from a medical savings account (MSA). A POS terminal is used to obtain a product ID (from a product bar code) and an MSA account ID from an MSA account card. The product and account IDs are provided to a database where MSA eligibility and MSA account status information is accessed and retrieved. A display at the POS terminal separates and displays information on both the eligible and non-eligible products. The POS terminal may used to pay for eligible products by electronically debiting the MSA account, and to pay for non-eligible products by traditional methods, such as cash, check or credit card. Eligible products may be given price discounts, and discount information is also retrieved from the database.

Healthcare costs have become a significant issue for consumers. One approach to addressing the issue had been the creation of Medical Savings Accounts or MSAs (sometimes also referred to as Flexible Spending Accounts or Healthcare Spending Accounts) for members of a group (such as employees under an employer healthcare plan). Such accounts permit a member to contribute money (usually on a pre-tax basis) and thereafter obtain reimbursement from the account for various medical or other eligible expenses.
The administrative burden in managing an MSA plan can be high. As an example, a reimbursement form is typically completed by the member and submitted to the plan administrator. The administrator determines the eligibility of the member, the current balance in the member's account, and the eligibility of products or services purchased. If the purchase is eligible, a reimbursement is made to the member. Given the multiple steps involved, significant time and cost are required for each transaction.
The Internal Revenue Code and regulations issued thereunder govern most aspects of MSAs, including products and services eligible for reimbursement. Systems have been developed to permit the use of debit cards, so that a member can obtain reimbursement (and pay a medical services provider directly) from the account at the time of purchase. The debit card is used at a POS or medical provider terminal to access the member's account, and if there is a sufficient balance in the account, to pay for the product or service at the time of purchase by debiting the account.
However, many products eligible for reimbursement, such as over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, are available at drugstores, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other retail establishments, and neither the member purchasing the product nor the retail clerk handling the transaction are familiar with rules that govern eligibility. As a results, members often do not obtain reimbursement for products that would otherwise be eligible when purchased.

System and method for conducting transactions with different forms of payment


The present invention relates to a structural component 1; 21; 31; 41, in particular for a motor vehicle body, comprising a cold-formed first formed part 2; 32; 42 and a warm-formed and hardened second formed part 3; 23; 33 with a variable thickness along a longitudinal extension L2 of the second formed part 3; 23; 33, wherein the second formed part 3; 23; 33 has a connection portion 7; 27; 37 for being connected to the first formed part 2; 32; 42, wherein the connection portion 7; 27; 37 is distanced from an outer edge 13 of the first formed part 2; 32; 42 such, that the structural component 1; 21; 31; 41 has a one-layered flange portion 12 of the first formed part 2; 32; 42 between the connection portion 7; 27; 37 and the outer edge 13, and wherein the first formed part 2; 32; 42 and the second formed part 3; 23; 33 are connected to each other by means of a high energy beam welding seam 19 along a connection edge 18 of the connection portion 7; 17; 27. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a structural component 1; 21; 31; 41.

From DE 10 2011 120 519 A1 a vehicle pillar for a motor vehicle is known, which has an inner skin made from a cold-formed sheet steel element and an outer skin made from a further formed sheet steel element. The inner skin has welding flanges extending in longitudinal direction of the vehicle pillar and which overlap with welding flanges of the outer skin. Between the two sheet steel elements further reinforcing and stiffening elements are provided. The on top of one another arranged welding flanges and projecting material portions of the reinforcing structure are connected to one another by spot welding connections or a laser welding connection.


The encoder includes a scale provided with a periodic pattern, a sensor relatively movable with respect to the scale and reading the periodic pattern to output analog signals each having a changing period corresponding to the periodic pattern and having mutually different phases, an A/D converter performing time-division analog-to-digital conversion on the analog signals output from the sensor to produce digital signals, and a phase detector detecting a phase from the digital signals. The encoder further includes a corrector calculating a correction value by using a relative movement speed of the scale and the sensor and the detected phase detected by the phase detector, and calculating a corrected phase from the correction value and the detected phase, and a position detector calculating a position in a direction in which the scale and the sensor are relativity moved by using the corrected phase.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an encoder that is usable for various apparatuses such as optical apparatuses and outputs, with relative movement of a scale and a sensor, a signal showing position of a movable member provided in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Encoders that are used to detect position and speed of a movable member are constituted by a scale and a sensor; the scale is provided with a periodic pattern and attached to, for example, a movable member, and the sensor is attached to a fixed member and reading the periodic pattern to output a signal corresponding to the position of the movable member. Such encoders perform an interpolation process by calculating a phase from plural phase periodic signals (two or three or more phase periodic signals) output from the sensor with relative movement of the scale and the sensor.
When taking in (reading) the plural phase periodic signals not simultaneously, but sequentially, reading times of the respective phase periodic signals have a difference. In a case where the scale and the sensor are relatively moved, relative positions of the scale and the sensor at the respective reading times are mutually different. In this case, the phases of the read phase periodic signals are mutually different, and therefore the interpolation process cannot provide a correct phase that should be obtained.
International publication No. WO2000/28283 discloses an encoder that performs an interpolation process after correcting a phase of one of two periodic signals read at mutually different relative positions of the scale and the sensor to a phase corresponding to the position at which the other thereof is read.
However, the encoder disclosed in International publication No. WO2000/28283 requires multiple trigonometric calculations for the correction, which increases load for signal processing and thereby may require a high-cost signal processor. Moreover, the encoder requires insertion of a process for the correction into a process for detecting the phase, which makes it difficult to use an existing signal processor without change.