A trip flare with flash bang has a body having a sidewall and a hollow interior, a lid releasably attached to the body, the lid including a fuse, the interior of the body containing an illuminant composition in communication with the fuse, and a flash bang charge composition in communication with the fuse and attached to the lid by an elongated flexible tether. The tether may be a coil when received within the interior of the body. There may be an ignition composition proximate the illuminant composition such that combustion of the ignition composition ignites the illuminant composition. The flash bang charge composition may have a pyrotechnic fuse proximate the ignition composition such that combustion of the ignition composition ignites the pyrotechnic fuse. There may be a first fire composition proximate the ignition composition such that combustion of the first fire composition ignites the ignition composition.

The M49 trip flare resembles a hand grenade in size and shape, except that it is provided with a bracket for attachment to a tree or post and a trigger mechanism for firing. Surface trip flares can be used to provide early warning of infiltration of enemy troops or signaling, illuminate an immediate area, ignite fires, identify firing ports, force the enemy to withdraw, and destroy small, sensitive pieces of equipment in the same manner as an incendiary grenade.
The M49 trip flare is issued with a spool of tripwire and nails. When the tripwire is triggered by someone disturbing it, the flare is activated. The pull on the tripwire causes either the trigger tongue or pull pin to release the lever, which in turn permits the firing pin to strike the primer. The primer sets off the intermediate charge, and the intermediate charge ignites the first fire composition on the ignition increment of the flare.
The light from the flare simultaneously warns the perimeter of the secured area may have been breached and also provides light for investigating. The flare provides a light intensity of about 35,000 candlepower for a minimum of 30 seconds. The area of illumination in which the flare can be seen is approximately 300 m radius. However, although the M49 trip flare functions as intended, illumination alone may not be sufficient to deter an aggressor from attempting to occupy the secured area.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved trip flare with flash bang that discharges a flash bang component after the illumination component is ignited. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the trip flare with flash bang according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a trip flare with flash bang that discharges a flash bang component after the illumination component is ignited.


A mechanism for puncturing gas cartridges comprises a lever comprising a short lever arm and a long lever arm, both arms extending from a pivot. The mechanism also comprises a ramp for pushing laterally a tip of the long lever arm under application of an input force on the ramp. The lever is configured to rotate about the pivot under lateral movement of the tip of the long lever arm, causing a tip of the short lever arm to apply a puncturing force between the gas cartridge and a puncturing member. A main body may receive the gas cartridge, the puncturing member and the lever. An actuator may be slidably mounted on the main body for applying the input force on the ramp by sliding towards the main body. The mechanism may be incorporated in a gas injection device or in a needleless syringe.

Compressed gas contained in a gas cartridge, for example a single-use gas cartridge, is often employed as a reliable and quick source of energy in diverse fields including emergency inflating devices, cooking tools and paintball guns. These disposable cartridges are usually sealed with a clamped membrane from which gas is released by puncturing the membrane. Some applications may require high power density which involves gas pressures that may exceed a hundred times the atmospheric pressure. Thereby, for security and handling reasons, the membrane is made strong enough to prevent any unintended gas release and is therefore hard to puncture manually without a certain level of mechanical advantage.
With each new application of these cartridges may come a new technique to force a puncturing member, for example a punch through the membrane, or to force the membrane onto the puncturing member to release the gas. As a result many solutions currently exist from which designers may pick from to ease the use of these cartridges in their respective devices. Frequently encountered mechanisms use a lever or a screw to produce the required mechanical advantage allowing a user to pierce the cartridge membrane with its lone hand strength. Other designs rely on energy stored, for example, by means of a pre-compressed spring, in which the energy is released by the user with minimal force for pushing the puncturing member against the cartridge membrane or for pushing the membrane onto the puncturing member. A frequent problem resulting from the use of a pre-compressed spring is that components that maintain the spring in a compressed position may gradually suffer from plastic deformation, reducing an amount of energy stored in the spring. For some applications, use of a pre-compressed spring may also be dangerous because of possible unintended release of the energy storing mechanism, due to a shock or to mishandling.
Earlier solutions may not be adequate depending on constraints inherent to some applications. Also, design constrains may be of several kinds including device's final size, cost, fabrication process, storage duration and conditions, final usage and so on.
Some earlier pressurized gas cartridge concepts reduce the necessary force to break the seal and release the gas. A gas cartridge proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,885, issued Apr. 11, 2000, features an elongated stem attached to a closure member of the gas cartridge that, when pushed sideways, allows to easily break the seal with a minimal lateral force. This type of gas cartridge is difficult to manufacture and is prone to gas leaks. Moreover, a minimal amount of force is required to break its seal, which may accidentally be broken, so the gas cartridge must be handled with great care. This solution additionally requires use of a specially designed gas cartridge and is thus not suitable for use with standard gas cartridges.
Another pressurized gas cartridge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,257, issued Jan. 2, 2007. The gas cartridge features a clamped membrane which, instead of being flat, is concave and has a bump toward the inside of the cartridge. The shape of this membrane allows the use of a thinner membrane, compared to a conventional flat membrane design. Use of this thinner membrane to safely and effectively seal the pressurized gas cartridge should make the membrane easier to break. Additionally, this recessed membrane design does not suffer from any transportation or handling issues. However, there remains a problem of reducing the required force for puncturing a curved membrane. The design is also expected to involve increases in manufacturing complexity and in associated cost. Finally, this solution is not suitable for use with standard gas cartridges.
Introducing a new type of gas cartridge would, for some applications, require approval by regulating institutional bodies related to the transportation industry, to healthcare services, to the protection of the environment, and the like. Obtaining regulatory approval for a new type of gas cartridge could lead to development delays and cost increase.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved technique for puncturing pressurized gas cartridges.

Mechanism for puncturing a gas cartridge


A system and method provide integrated carbon-negative, geothermal-based, energy generation and storage. The embodiments produce dispatchable electricity at grid-scale by storing excess energy from the grid and generating its own energy. The excess energy may be taken from solar and wind sources. In one aspect, the subject technology is energy storage, energy generation, carbon utilization and sequestration, all in one. The technology has very high round-trip efficiency of storing energy and is carbon-negative which makes it far more sustainable than any competing energy storage technology.

The embodiments described herein relate generally to energy systems, and more particularly, to an integrated carbon-negative, scalable, modular, energy generation and storage system.
Well known energy generation systems include hydroelectric, solar, and wind powered systems. Energy from these systems is commonly generated dependent on the amount of natural energy source available. The amount of energy available can be intermittent as the availability of the natural source rises and decreases at any given time. There is an absence of economically feasible, working or commercial grid-scale energy storage solutions for when excess energy is available from wind and solar and use it when renewable energy generation from solar and wind is low for short to long durations.
As will be appreciated, aspects of the subject technology address the need for energy storage to address the intermittency of natural energy sources such as solar and wind energy technologies. Embodiments of the subject technology propose to solve a few problems: (a) short duration storage allows grid operators to balance the consumption and generation despite the intermittent energy feed from renewables, thereby relying less on traditional gas or coal-based power plants. (b) The long duration storage (10+ hours) allows grid operators to avoid blackouts without relying on fossil fuels, when solar and/or wind energy generation have not been enough in consecutive days.

Integrated carbon-negative, energy generation and storage system


A prosthesis and a method for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect, such as an inguinal hernia, near a cord-like structure, such as the spermatic cord. The prosthesis comprises a layer of repair fabric having a cord opening therethrough that is adapted to receive the cord-like structure when the prosthesis is implanted at the repair site. The prosthesis also includes a cord protector that is attachable to the repair fabric at the opening to isolate the cord-like structure from the fabric in proximity to the opening. The repair fabric may be formed from a material which is susceptible to the formation of adhesions with sensitive tissue and organs. The cord protector may be formed from material which inhibits the formation of adhesions with sensitive tissue and organs. The cord protector may overlie a portion of at least one of the first and second surfaces of the repair fabric. The cord protector may extend substantially farther away from the opening edge on one of the first and second surfaces than on the other of the first and second surfaces. The cord protector may be configured as an insert that is separate from and attachable to the repair fabric. Alternatively, the cord protector may be integral with the repair fabric to form a composite prosthesis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a prosthesis for hernia repair. In particular, the present invention relates to a prosthesis for hernia repair configured to protect a cord passing through the prosthesis, such as the spermatic cord when the prosthesis is employed in an inguinal hernia repair.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Various prosthetic materials have been proposed to reinforce the abdominal wall and to close abdominal wall defects. In certain procedures, the prosthetic fabric may come into contact with sensitive tissue or organs potentially leading to postoperative adhesions between the mesh and the sensitive tissue or organs. There has been a suggestion that, in an inguinal hernia repair, the prosthetic fabric may come into direct contact with the spermatic cord. Postoperative adhesions between the mesh and the spermatic cord and/or erosion of the mesh into the cord, were they to occur, could potentially affect spermatic cord structure and function. For example, tissue ingrowth could potentially result in infertility, pain or other detrimental effects due to strangulation of the spermatic cord.
Uzzo et al., xe2x80x9cThe Effects of Mesh Bioprosthesis on the Spermatic Cord Structures: A Preliminary Report in a Canine Modelxe2x80x9d, The Journal of Urology, Vol. 161, April 1999, pp. 1344-1349, suggests that the interposition of autologous fat between the mesh and the cord during open inguinal repair may prove beneficial. It had been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,441, assigned to C.R. Bard, Inc., also the assignee of the present application, to repair ventral hernias and/or reconstruct chest walls using a prosthesis that is covered with an adhesion resistant barrier, such as a sheet of expanded PTFE. In the repair of ventral hernias and in chest wall reconstruction, the composite is positioned with the barrier relative to the region of potential adhesion, such as the abdominal viscera. Other configurations of composite prostheses can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,725,577 and 5,743,917, both of which are also assigned to C.R Bard, Inc.
International Publication No. WO 97/35533, by the present Applicant and also assigned to C.R. Bard, Inc., proposed a universal composite prosthesis in which one side of a layer of mesh material is completely covered with a layer of barrier material. The mesh material promotes biological tissue ingrowth while the barrier material retards biological tissue adherence thereto. The prosthesis may be utilized for various surgical procedures, including ventral hernia repair and inguinal hernia repair.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and prosthesis for the repair of hernias.
The present invention is a prosthesis and a method for mending a tissue or muscle wall defect, and has particular application in inguinal canal repairs near the spermatic cord. The prosthesis comprises a layer of repair fabric having a cord opening therethrough that is adapted to receive a cord-like structure, such as the spermatic cord, when the prosthesis is implanted at the repair site. The prosthesis also includes a cord protector that is attachable to the repair fabric at the cord opening to isolate the cord-like structure from at least the fabric in proximity to the cord opening. The repair fabric may be formed from a material which is susceptible to the formation of adhesions with sensitive tissue and organs. The cord protector may be formed from material which inhibits the formation of adhesions with sensitive tissue and organs.
In one embodiment of the invention, the repair fabric includes first and second surfaces and an opening having an edge that is defined by a portion of the layer of repair fabric. The cord protector covers a substantial portion of the edge to isolate the substantial portion of the edge from the cord-like structure.
In another embodiment of the invention, a layer of mesh fabric has a keyhole opening therethrough, and the cord protector extends about the keyhole opening and overlaps a portion of the layer of mesh fabric on opposing first and second surfaces thereof at least proximate the keyhole opening. The cord protector is adapted to receive the cord-like structure therethrough so that the layer of fabric is isolated from the cord-like structure by the cord protector at least proximate the keyhole opening.
The cord protecting material may extend away from the opening edge on the first surface and/or the second surface of the repair fabric. Additionally, the cord protector may extend substantially farther away from the opening edge on one of the first and second surfaces than on the other of the first and second surfaces. Further, the cord protector may substantially cover one of the first and second surfaces.
The prosthesis may be provided as a composite in which the cord protector is preattached to the repair fabric. Alternatively, the cord protector may be configured as an insert that is separate from and attachable to a prosthesis by a surgeon. This allows a surgeon to either retrofit a barrier-less inguinal hernia prosthesis or to employ an implantable repair fabric that may have various tissue or muscle wall defect repair applications.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a cord protector is provided for use with a hernia prosthesis having a cord opening therethrough that is adapted to receive a cord-like structure. The cord protector includes a cord protecting insert that inhibits the formation of adhesions with sensitive tissue and organs. The cord protecting insert is constructed and arranged to be attached to at least a portion of the opening edge of the opening edge to isolate the cord-like structure from at least the opening edge of the hernia prosthesis.
The cord protecting insert may include a backbone member. The cord protecting insert may include a flexible tube having a slot along a length thereof that is adapted to receive a portion of the hernia prosthesis along the cord opening.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.


Methods directed to a producing precast pervious concrete panels. Each pervious concrete panel has a plurality of layers of concrete mixture, wherein the aggregate used in each layer may be a different size and each layer is compacted after being laid. The method may further include providing a slip-former machine or an extruder machine to lay the layers of pervious concrete mixture.

Pervious concrete is a type of concrete that is highly porous to allow water, for example from precipitation, to pass through the concrete. The use of pervious concrete will reduce runoff from a site and route the runoff into the earth or into a collection system. As such, the use of pervious concrete is consistent with ecologically sustainable construction practices. Pervious concrete may be used for parking lots, sidewalks, driveways, and roadways, as a few non-limiting examples.
The porous nature of pervious concrete is achieved by the materials that are put into the concrete. Specifically, pervious concrete is a mix of course aggregate, cement, water, chemicals and little to no sand. This mixture creates an open-cell structure in the concrete, which allows water to filter though the pervious concrete.
Pervious concrete has historically been used in a "ready mix" fashion, delivered to a jobsite and poured into an on-site form. Pervious concrete is unique in many ways including the long cure time to reach maximum strength; the cure time required to reach full strength is typically 28 days or longer. The pervious concrete material must be covered to reduce moisture loss and temperature controlled during the cure time. During this cure time the product does not provide maximum protection and is prone to dilution from water, cracking from stressing or reduced ultimate strength due to temperature.

Methods for producing precast pervious concrete panels


There is disclosed a cleaning apparatus for a radiation source assembly in a fluid treatment system. The clean apparatus comprises a cleaning sleeve moveable to remove fouling materials from an exterior portion of the radiation source assembly, the cleaning sleeve comprising at least one chamber for receiving a cleaning fluid and a cleaning sleeve inlet in fluid communication with the at least one chamber and a first conduit element for conveying the cleaning fluid to the cleaning sleeve inlet, the first conduit element being configured such that a distal portion of the first conduit element is in fluid communication with the cleaning sleeve inlet and a proximal portion of the first conduit element is disposed outside of fluid being treated in the fluid treatment system.

Field of the Invention
In one of its aspects, the present invention relates to a fluid treatment system. In another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus. In yet another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a radiation source module containing the cleaning system. In another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a method of removing fouling materials from an exterior surface of a radiation source assembly. Other aspects of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the present specification.
Description of the Prior Art
Fluid treatment systems are known generally in the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,809, 4,872,980 and 5,006,244 [all in the name of Maarschalkerweerd and hereinafter referred to as the Maarschalkerweerd #1 Patents] all describe gravity fed fluid treatment systems which employ ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Such systems include an array of UV lamp frames which include several UV lamps each of which are mounted within sleeves which extend between and are supported by a pair of legs which are attached to a cross-piece. The so-supported sleeves (containing the UV lamps) are immersed into a fluid to be treated which is then irradiated as required. The amount of radiation to which the fluid is exposed is determined by the proximity of the fluid to the lamps, the output wattage of the lamps and the fluid's flow rate past the lamps. Typically, one or more UV sensors may be employed to monitor the UV output of the lamps and the fluid level is typically controlled, to some extent, downstream of the treatment device by means of level gates or the like.
In recent years, there has been interest in the so-called "transverse-to-flow" fluid treatment systems. In these systems, the radiation source is disposed in the fluid to be treated in a manner such that the longitudinal axis of the radiation source is in a transverse (e.g., orthogonal vertical orientation of the radiation sources) relationship with respect to the direction of fluid flow past the radiation source. See, for example, any one of:
International Publication Number WO 2004/000735 [Traubenberg et al.];
International Publication Number WO 2008/055344 [Ma et al.];
International Publication Number WO 2008/019490 [Traubenberg et al.];
U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,174 [From et al.]; and
U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/193,686 [Penhale et al.], filed Dec. 16, 2008.
Depending on the quality of the fluid which is being treated, the sleeves surrounding the UV lamps periodically become fouled with foreign materials, inhibiting their ability to transmit UV radiation to the fluid. For a given installation, the occurrence of such fouling may be determined from historical operating data or by measurements from the UV sensors. Once fouling has reached a certain point, the sleeves must be cleaned to remove the fouling materials and optimize system performance.
Regardless of whether the UV lamp modules are employed in an open channel system (e.g., such as the one described and illustrated in Maarschalkerweerd #1 Patents) or a tranverse to flow system as described above, one or more of the modules may be removed while the system continues to operate, and the removed frames may be immersed in a bath of suitable cleaning solution (e.g., a mild acid) which may be air-agitated to remove fouling materials. This practice was regarded by many in the field as inefficient, labourious and inconvenient.
In many cases, once installed, one of the largest maintenance costs associated with prior art fluid treatment systems is often the cost of cleaning the sleeves about the radiation sources.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,418,370, 5,539,210 and RE36,896 [all in the name of Maarschalkerweerd and hereinafter referred to as the Maarschalkerweerd #2 Patents] all describe an improved cleaning system, particularly advantageous for use in fluid treatment systems which employ UV radiation. Generally, the cleaning system comprises cleaning sleeves, each cleaning sleeve engaging a portion of the exterior of a radiation source assembly including a radiation source (e.g., a UV lamp). The cleaning sleeve is movable along the surface of the radiation source assembly. The cleaning sleeve includes a chamber in contact with the exterior surface of the radiation source assembly. The chamber is supplied with a cleaning fluid suitable for removing undesired materials from the exterior surface of the radiation source assembly.
The cleaning system described in the Maarschalkerweerd #2 Patents represented a significant advance in the art, particularly in that it facilitated in situ cleaning of the radiation source assembly without the need to remove the module(s) during operation of the fluid treatment system. However, when it becomes necessary to replace or replenish the cleaning fluid in the chamber of the cleaning sleeve, it is necessary to remove the module of radiation sources assemblies to which the cleaning sleeves are engaged and then manually fill the chamber of the cleaning sleeve with cleaning fluid.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a cleaning system in which it is possible to replace or replenish the cleaning fluid without the need to remove the module or radiation sources assemblies to which the cleaning sleeves are engaged.

Cleaning apparatus, radiation source module and fluid treatment system


An output mode switching apparatus including a power unit, a hammering unit, an output shaft, a housing, and a shifting member is provided. The hammering unit includes a gasket cup, a switching ring, a spring member, a hammering seat, and a main shaft. When the power unit is not in operation, the switching ring is restricted so as to be positioned against and secured to the gasket cup. When the mains shaft is driven by the power unit to rotate, the hammering seat is carried to rotate and is applied with a restriction for restricting the hammering seat from axial movement, thus configuring an output mode of electric drill. When the shifting member is turned, the restriction applied to the hammering seat is released. The hammering blocks repetitively hammers the protrusion blocks and axially returns back to the original position, thus configuring an impact output mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an output mode switching apparatus adapted for switching between different output modes of an electric tool. In accordance with at least one of the output modes, the electric tool intermittently provides an impact output while continuously outputting a torque output.
2. The Prior Arts
A conventional structure of the electric tools such as electric drills or electric wrenches is typically featured with a structure for transmitting a driving power from a motor to an output shaft for achieving a speed variation (acceleration or deceleration). Further, in order to more tightly lock screws or more conveniently remove the tightly locked screws, some of the electric tools are also provided with an impact function. Such an electric tool is adapted for providing an impact on the screw at the moment of locking the screw, so as to more tightly lock the screw, or providing an impact on the screw at the moment of unscrew the screw to make it loose, so as to more conveniently remove the screw away.
Generally, a typical electric tool having an impact function includes a power unit, a transmission shaft, an intermediate shaft, a hammering seat and an output shaft. The power unit includes a motor, a first planetary gear set, a second planetary gear set, and a clutch mechanism. The clutch mechanism includes a clutch disk. When the clutch disk is axially moved to a first position, the electric tool is switched to a first output mode, in which the transmission shaft is coupled with the second planetary gear set, and the transmission shaft is engaged with the output shaft. In this case, the motor outputs a driving power via the first planetary gear set, the second planetary gear set, the transmission shaft, and the output shaft for continuously driving a tool bit to rotate with a low rotation speed. Correspondingly, the electric tool can be operated serving as an electric drill. Further, when the clutch disk is axially moved to a second position, the electric tool is switched to a second output mode, in which the transmission shaft is detached from second planetary gear set and the output shaft at the same time. In this case, the motor outputs the driving power via the first planetary gear set, the second planetary gear set, the transmission shaft, the intermediate shaft, the hammering seat, and the output shaft, for driving the tool kit to rotate with a high rotation speed and driving the tool kit to intermittently apply an impact. Correspondingly, the electric tool can be operated serving as an impact screw driver.
However, such an electric tool as discussed above further requires a switching apparatus for switching between the two output modes. Unfortunately such a switching apparatus is often complex and expensive.


Channels are formed that pass through an active surface of a semiconductor substrate to provide isolation between adjacent active surface regions defining individual die locations. Bond pads on the substrate are bumped with intermediate conductive elements, after which a material used to encapsulate the active surface is applied, filling the channels and covering exposed peripheral edges of the active surface integrated circuitry. The encapsulant is then planarized to expose the ends of the bumps. External conductive elements such as solder balls are then formed on the exposed bump ends. The semiconductor wafer is diced in alignment with the channels to singulate the semiconductor devices, the encapsulant in the channels keeping the edges of the integrated circuitry substantially hermetically sealed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices and methods for fabricating semiconductor devices. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for packaging a semiconductor die having conductive elements that protrude at least to the surface of a covering or encapsulation of the die active surface.
2. State of the Art
In semiconductor manufacture, a single semiconductor die or chip including a plurality of integrated circuits on an active surface thereof is typically mounted within a sealed package of a silicon-filled epoxy formed thereabout by a process known as transfer-molding. The package generally protects the die from physical damage and from contaminants, such as moisture or chemicals, found in the surrounding environment. The package also provides a lead system for connecting the electrical devices (integrated circuits) formed on the die to a printed circuit board or other higher-level packaging.
Packaged semiconductor dice containing integrated circuits for a broad range of purposes are currently mass produced. Even slight savings in the cost of packaging one such semiconductor die circuit can generate significant overall cost savings to the manufacturer, due to large production volumes, if the reduced-cost packaging affords required package integrity. Further, reduction in package size can eliminate size-based restrictions for use of a die on ever more crowded carrier substrates such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), where available "real estate" is at a premium. Therefore, continual cost reductions and quality improvements in the manufacture of these semiconductor packages, while maintaining the overall lateral dimensions of such packages at a reduced size, are of great value in the semiconductor manufacturing field.
In many semiconductor applications, formation of conductive bumps or other external conductive elements on the bond pads of a die is desirable, if not necessary, to connect the die to external conductors. The most common applications where conductive bumps or other elements are used include tape automated bonding (TAB), flip-chip attachment of a die to a carrier substrate, and direct chip attachment (DCA) of a die to a carrier substrate. Conductive bumps may comprise metals or alloys including, without limitation, conventional tin/lead solders, or may comprise conductive or conductor-filled epoxies, all as known in the art. Formation of the conductive bumps used in these applications can be accomplished using a variety of commonly known methods, such as deposition onto bond pads by screening or printing, preform ball or bump placement, or ball bumping using wire bonding equipment to form each individual bump in situ.
A widely practiced way to increase the number of available input/output (I/O) connections for a die is to use flip-chip methodology for packaging, where an array of conductive elements (e.g., conductive bumps, ball bonds, conductive pillars or other conductive structures) is positioned on the active surface or circuit face of the die, which is then mounted active surface down upon a single chip or multi-chip module carrier substrate.
Because of relatively high manufacturing costs associated with state-of-the-art metal deposition equipment dedicated specifically to bumping a die for flip-chip attachment, some semiconductor manufacturers have resorted to the aforementioned ball bumping using conventional wire bonding tools (capillaries) to form conductive bumps over the bond pads. In the ball bumping process, a capillary of the wire bonding tool carries a conductive wire toward a bond pad on which a bump is to be formed. A ball is formed at an end of the wire by heating and melting the metal wire. The wire bonding tool capillary then presses the ball against the planar bond pad and the portion of the wire extending past the ball is cut, leaving a ball bump on the bond pad.
A flip-chip or bumped (raised) die is a semiconductor chip (die) having bumps formed on bond pads on the active surface or front side of the die, the bumps being used as electrical and mechanical connectors to conductors of higher level packaging, such as a PCB or other carrier substrate. The bumped die is inverted (flipped) and bonded to trace ends or other terminals on a carrier substrate by means of the bumps. As noted above, diverse materials are conventionally used to form the bumps on the die, such as solder, conductive polymers, and conductor-filled polymers. Typically, if the bumps are solder bumps, solder segments are deposited on the die and then reflowed to form a substantially spherical shape, and subsequently reheated to form a solder joint between the bond pads on the so-called flip-chip and terminal pads on the carrier substrate, the solder joint providing both electrical and mechanical connections between the flip-chip and substrate.
Conventional flip-chip IC devices formed according to the aforementioned fabrication processes exhibit a number of shortcomings. For example, since the active surface of the chip is relatively unprotected, being covered only with a thin passivation layer, damage to the chip can occur during attachment of the chip to the carrier substrate. Likewise, such damage to the chip can occur during handling of the chip or while conducting reliability testing of the same. Moreover, directly bumping the relatively delicate bond pads, even with one or more layers of under-bump metallization thereover to facilitate metallurgical compatibility between the bond pad and the metal bump, may itself cause damage.
As disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,496,775 to Brooks, encapsulated IC dice having contact bumps have been developed in an attempt to solve some of these problems. In the fabrication process of Brooks, gold balls, which function as leads or contacts, are welded in a stacked or tower fashion onto each bond pad of the IC die. The gold ball tower-bonded die is then placed into a mold and onto a first layer of encapsulation material contained therein. A second layer of encapsulation material is then applied over the tower side of the die, which completely covers the die surface, partially submerging the towers in the encapsulant. The encapsulated IC die is removed from the mold and mounted to TAB tape or a PCB, with the nonsubmerged portions of the towers providing an electrical connection thereto. Although these semiconductor packages have solved a number of problems, the fabrication process to form such packages requires numerous fabrication steps and specialized equipment and materials, especially for the creation of the ball towers and the related steps providing encapsulation around the towers. Also, the required formation of stacks of multiple gold balls in the package inevitably increases the vertical size or height of the package.
In view of the foregoing limitations, there is a need in the semiconductor art for an improved method for forming semiconductor packages of compact size ("chip scale packages" or "CSPs") approximating the length and width of the die itself and having a minimal number of component parts. Specifically, there is a need for an improved method for forming chip scale packages that have a uniform encapsulant extending from edge to edge of the active surface to provide a substantially hermetic seal across the entire active surface and over exposed edges of the layer or layers of integrated circuitry formed thereon. There is a further need for an improved method for forming a chip scale package that does not significantly complicate the manufacturing or handling of the integrated circuitry and that is repeatable and reliable when using conventional mass production manufacturing techniques. Preferably, the chip scale package could be substantially formed during and simultaneously with the fabrication of the die itself in wafer form.

Method for fabricating a chip scale package using wafer level processing


A system and method for displaying MPEG-2 packets as a hierarchy of tables within a window of a graphical display. This hierarchial display is updated continuously as new packets are received, thus providing a real time display. When a packet is received, and the location of that packet has not been identified, the packet is placed at the top of the hierarchy. Once a subsequent packet is received wherein the subsequent packet identifies the location of the earlier received packet, the earlier received packet is moved to its correct location within the hierarchy. When a user of the system clicks one of the tables within the hierarchy, the system saves the next data packet or packets containing data for the table into a display table buffer. The system then displays a second window and formats the data from the display table buffer into the second window.

Video data may be compressed using the MPEG-2 standard before being sent from one location to another. During this compression, the elementary stream data is compressed and formatted into a hierarchy of sub-records and record types, called packets. That is, the lowest level of stream data is first formatted into a PES or PSI packet, which is further formatted into a TS packet, which is further combined into an AAL-5 PDU packet, which is part of an ATM cell packet. Thus, display of this type of data requires a hierarchial display of each of these packets in order to interpret the display of the data.
Because of the complexity of the MPEG-2 data, prior art systems capture data in real time and store the data, however, they only format and display the data after it has been captured and stored. Thus, the offline formatting and display of the data can reduce the complexity of the data. This creates a problem, however, because of the data display occurring later than the data being transmitted. The main reason for the offline display is that the complexity and speed of the data prevents the formatting and real time display of such complex data. Typically, the offline data display contains all the data in the record, and a user scrolls through this display much like scrolling through a word processing document.
Another reason MPEG-2 data has not been displayed in real time is that some packets of the data may be sent before other packets, wherein the later sent packets identify the type of data sent in the earlier packets, and thus identify the location within the hierarchy of the earlier packets. This presents a problem in that a real time display cannot place the packets in their correct location within a display hierarchy until their location is identified by a later packet. Thus the packets must be stored, or processed in some other manner, until a packet identifying their location is received. This is difficult to do in real time.
There is need in the art then for a system and method of displaying the hierarchial MPEG-2 data in real time. There is further need in the art for such a system and method that formats only selected data for display without formatting an entire packet, thus simplifying the display. A still further need is for such a system and method that displays packets even if the location of the packet in the hierarchy is unknown until a later packet is received. The present invention meets these and other needs in the art.

Method and system for real-time displaying of MPEG-2 compressed video data within an electronic test equipment


An assembly for securing a panel to a wall surface, including an elongated rail adapted to being secured in extending fashion along the wall surface and a clip adapted to being secured to a rear surface of the panel. The rail and clip each exhibit a similar cross sectional profile, with each including at least one mating and inclined support surface for redirecting a weight of the panel inwards toward the wall surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention discloses a system, kit assembly, and installation process for securing and aligning panels in spaced fashion relative to a wall surface. A profile attachment scheme is established between elongated rails, which are secured to the wall surface, with additional (typically sectioned lengths of rails) clips having identical profiles screwed or otherwise attached to the rear surfaces of a plurality of panels prior to engaging the rails. In this fashion, the clips inter-engage the rails in an opposing and horizontally lengthwise extending and supporting manner so that panels can be either fixedly or individually removable relative to the wall surface.
The present inventions additionally provide an array of features, including unique attachment mechanisms for transferring and distributing both stresses and panel weight across a wider surface area of each panel. Further, the system provides several unique means for securing panels in a variety of ways depending on the installation requirements, such including the panels being supported in such a manner that their thermal coefficient of expansion/contraction (such being endemic to given installation environments) will not otherwise result in warping or buckling of the panels at their mounting interfaces or causing any undesired movement or stress accumulation within the completed installation.
The various configurations depicted herein also provide a maximum of air circulation behind the panels and which assist in avoiding mold or other environmental degradation. The system, kit and assembly additionally offers unique advantages over the prior art including faster installation time, drastically reduced parts count and inventory requirement, the option of individually demounting installed panels, faster and simpler alignment of panels over uneven walls, sound absorption of both high and low frequency noise, interchangeability of decorative moldings, reduced materials cost, reduced installation cost, and drastically superior ability to absorb building movement including a unique provision for individual panel demounting.
The inventive panel bracket and system also allows for the option of accommodation for building movement while providing for simultaneous stable panel bearing support without disturbing other elements of the installed array of panels. Movement of architectural components occurs either during normal seasonal movement of the building, or in the natural expansion and contraction of the panels themselves by varying conditions of temperature, vibration, moisture, or humidity. Additionally, the present system avoids the requirement for machining the edges of the panels and provides several different mounting methods within the same system, while maintaining a unique mix of features and benefits not previously known in the art.
2. Background of the Relevant Art
Architectural panels are well-known in the art. Such panels differ from most wall coverings in that they typically feature mechanical attachment of some sort, or at the very least offer a thickness exceeding typical wallpaper-type coverings and are therefore generally ¼″ thick or greater, and are most commonly 5/16″, ⅜″, ½″ and up to 1″ in thickness.
Such panel systems are typically employed to conceal building wall irregularities and to protect and decorate wall surfaces in offices, hospitals, retail spaces, and building interiors. The panels are most commonly offered in wood grain, metallic, simulated grass, and other faux finishes. Substrate materials are most commonly plywood, wood flour, solid phenolic composite, gypsum or other mineral (e.g. magnesium oxide, Portland cement) board, plastic, or combinations thereof.
Additional examples from the prior art include the panel attachment systems depicted in each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,427,408, 8,151,533 and 6,202,377, all to Krieger. In the Krieger, '533 reference, a modular wall system includes a number of decorative panels that are received in an extruded panel frame. Each of the frames are positioned by connecting them to a wall rail that is attached to the building. The wall rail and panel frame each have a groove that accepts a fastener or clip by interference or snap fit to attach the panel frame to the wall rail. The grooves have a dove-tail shape that permits a snap fit to secure the panels, while permitting the panels to be easily removed or reconfigured.
In each of the Krieger '408 and '377 references, the wall system includes a plurality of rectangular rigid prefinished panels mounted on a wall support structure with main runners and cross runners. The main runners serve to lock the panels onto the support structure and with the cross runners serving to prevent the wood-based panels from warping due to adverse moisture conditions. The main runners are configured to space the panels from the wall support structure to encourage uniform humidity conditions at the front and rear of the panels. Clips that secure the panels to the main runners are fixed adjacent the top and bottom panel edges at different setoffs to obtain an advantageous nesting of panels for reduced packaging volume.

Bracket, kit and assembly for decorative mounted panels


A tripod joint provides unlimited rolling plunge capabilities by using a chain-linked plurality of roller bearings. The roller bearings travel in an endless path around the inner member continuously providing plunging movement of the outer member with respect to the inner member. The angular travel of the joint is accommodated by angular movement of the inner member with respect to an inner roller. This insures that the plurality of roller bearings will maintain a rolling movement with respect to the outer member even when the joint is operated at an angle.

This invention relates to universal joints. More particularly, this invention relates to a tripod constant velocity joint having chain-linked rollers to provide continuous rolling plunge travel.
Front wheel drive automobiles have a pair of halfshaft assemblies to transmit the power from the vehicle's transaxle to its front wheels. These halfshaft assemblies are normally comprised of two constant velocity joints with an interconnecting shaft connecting the two joints.
One of the constant velocity joints is a fixed joint. This joint has a fixed center of rotation and is capable of articulating to angles of 45.degree. to 50.degree.. This joint is placed at the wheel side of the vehicle. The large angular capacity of the joint allows the front wheels to accommodate steering angles as well as suspension movements.
The other constant velocity joint comprising the halfshaft assembly is a plunge joint. This joint has a movable center of rotation and is capable of angles of 20.degree. to 25.degree.. This joint is placed at the transaxle side of the vehicle. The movable center or plunging capability of this joint compensates for vehicle build tolerances as well as suspension movements and engine vibrations.
The tripod version of the plunging joint is widely used throughout the automotive industry as the joint positioned at the transaxle. While the joint performs acceptably for a majority of vehicles, it is not without its problems. In vehicles which are highly sensitive to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues, the tripod joint can create noticeable and objectionable vibrations.
Tripod joints are comprised of a tulip shaped outer member having an internal cavity, a spider member, three annular rollers and a plurality of needle bearings. The spider member has three radially extending cylindrical trunnions. An annular roller is positioned around each trunnion. A plurality of needle bearings are journaled between the annular roller and the cylindrical trunnion. This arrangement allows free rolling of the annular roller relative to the trunnion. This assembly of the spider member, annular rollers and plurality of needles is disposed within the internal cavity of the outer member.
When the joint is operating at a zero degree angle, any plunging of the joint is accommodated by the rollers rolling against a longitudinal surface of the internal cavity of the outer member. The axial forces generated in the outer member are low due to the free rolling of the annular roller against the longitudinal surface of the outer member.
When the joint is operating at an angle, the plane of the annular rollers becomes skewed relative to the plane of the internal cavity. This skewed relationship inhibits true rolling action of the annular roller and a sliding action is introduced between the annular roller and the wall of the internal cavity of the outer member. As the angle of the joint increases, the amount of sliding also increases. This sliding action of the annular roller against the sidewall of the outer member produces a three per revolution pulsating load. The level of the load increases with the sliding action of the annular roller which increases with an increasing angle. Eventually, this pulsating load will become noticeable and objectionable to individuals riding in the vehicle. This objectionable vibration has been termed "shudder".
Numerous designs of tripods have been developed which attempt to reduce or eliminate this shudder phenomena. Some designs utilize a multi-piece roller system in an attempt to limit the amount of skewing of the roller which is in rolling contact with the outer member. These designs usually consist of an inner roller which rides on the trunnion and an outer roller which rides over the inner roller. A plurality of needle bearings is sometimes present between the inner roller and the trunnion or between the inner roller and the outer roller. These joints have enjoyed a limited amount of success in reducing shudder. Unfortunately due to their complex roller assemblies, internal friction generation and limited ability to reduce shudder, these joints do not always reduce the shudder sufficiently to increase the NVH level of the vehicle to an acceptable level.
Other types of joints have addressed the shudder problem by separating the components within the tripod joint which are responsible for the angular and translational movement. These joints have been termed "triplan" joints. There are two styles of triplan joints, a needle triplan and a ball triplan. The needle triplan utilizes a plurality of needle bearings rolling between two planar surfaces for translational movement. The angular movement is accommodated by matching partial spherical surfaces between two components. The ball triplan utilizes a plurality of ball bearings rolling between two partial cylindrical surfaces for translational movement. The angular movement is also accommodated by mating partial spherical surfaces of two components. While these joints are extremely successful in eliminating shudder they still have their problems. The internal components of the joint are expensive and the amount of rolling plunge available to these joints is only enough to accommodate engine vibrations and minor suspension movements. When larger suspension movements are encountered, the joint accommodates these large movements by reverting to a sliding not rolling action.
Positioning devices have been designed for both the needle and ball triplan joints in order to eliminate or reduce the amount of sliding travel encountered by these joints. While these are successful at expanding the use of these joints, they add to the already high cost and are not capable of eliminating the need for sliding travel in the joint.
Additional joints have been designed which utilize a recirculating plurality of needle bearings. The needle bearings roll between a planar surface on an inner member and a planar surface on the outer member. The inner member is designed to continuously guide the needle rollers in a continuous path around the inner member. This continuous supply of needle bearings between the inner member and the outer member eliminates the limited plunge problems associated with the needle triplan joints. While these joints provide excellent performance in reducing the shudder phenomena, they are complicated and difficult to assemble as well as expensive.
Accordingly, what is needed is a tripod constant velocity joint which provides unlimited rolling plunge while simplifying assembly and reducing costs.

Tripod constant velocity joint with chain linked rollers


An apparatus for deagglomerating powder in a mixture of liquid and powder which contains a mixing tank, an agitator disposed within the mixing tank, and a baffle. The agitator disk is circular, has an diameter of from about 6 to about 40 inches, and contains a multiplicity of compound teeth radially and removably attached to its perimeter. Each of the compound teeth is comprised of a substrate to which is attached a front plate, a top plate, and a bottom plate; each of these plates preferably consists of a ceramic material, such as tungsten carbide.

Blending devices are well known to those skilled in the art. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,787 of Conn discloses a blending apparatus containing a rotating disc, or discs, comprising two features: (a) holes in the disc with louvers of various size and shape to transport material axially through the disc for improved blending, and (b) tangentially arranged teeth at the perimeter of the disc, bent up and down at various angles to the plane of the disc to serve as "masticaters."
U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,636 of Hill discloses a mixing apparatus comprised of two rotating discs, each of which include oppositely disposed slot deflectors arranged in two concentric circular arrays to transport material through the holes in opposing directions. These discs have no teeth on their perimeters.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,038 of Ashcraft discloses a mixing machine comprised of three discs, the top and bottom rotating counterclockwise and the middle disc rotating clockwise. Vanes above the top disc and below the bottom disc feed the material from above and below the stack of three discs, through concentrically located holes in each disc, into the middle disc, thus maximizing mixing, dispersion, or comminution.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,083 of Stiffler discloses an agitator wheel comprised of two rotating discs, both of which have radial slots and concentric rows of holes. The purpose of the slots is to allow the leading edge of the slot to be bent upward and the trailing edge of the slot to be bent downward, or the reverse, to impart an axial flow of the viscous material. Each disc has its slot edges bent in the opposite direction relative to the other one in order to force the viscous material against itself between the two discs thus maximizing shear forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,871,000 of Dowling discloses a glass stirring device which contains a plurality of discs on a single shaft each containing holes which are not in registry with those in an adjoining disc. The discs are joined together with radially mounted webs between them. These webs also have non registering holes in them to force a molten glass to the perimeter of the vessel and into intimate contact with the glass at the perimeter. The non registry of the holes in both discs and webs is designed to maximize the tortuosity of the flow path the glass must traverse thereby maximizing mixing efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,598,469 of Korshenewsky discloses a rotor for homogenizers with various shaped grooves on its surface only.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,268,038 of Knittel discloses a mixing machine which contains a depressed center disc rotor mounted at the bottom of a tank. The disc has agitator louvers extending radially and upwardly from the upper surface of the rim. Beneath these louvers are holes connecting the top and bottom of the disc. Beneath the outer rim are angled impeller vanes. Within the depressed center are agitator vanes.
The disclosure of each of the aforementioned patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specifications. The discs used in the devices of these patents comprise unprotected protrusions above and/or below the disc(s) and holes through the discs. None of these patents have addressed the problem of severe wear due to abrasion by large particles, or the energy necessary to effectively deagglomerate fine powders; and none of these patents has provided a solution to this problem.
The Shar Mixer Company of Fort Wayne, Tex., for example, produces a mixer which uses an agitator disc with flame-sprayed tungsten carbide coatings on its steel teeth. Although this agitator is somewhat more durable than a similar agitator which uses uncoated steel teeth, it still has a relatively short life when used with crowded hard particulate suspension systems.
It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for the high shear mixing and deagglomeration of fine powders in crowded suspensions which is substantially more durable and effective than prior art devices.

Apparatus for the high intensity dispersion of agglomerated powders in crowded suspensions having an agitator disk


A simplified brake control system comprises a source of pressurized fluid, a spring-set brake with a hydraulic release mechanism and a control valve connected between the brake and the source. The control valve has a valve body and a flow control mechanism in the body and mounted for movement between a first (solenoid-energized) position and a second (solenoid-de-energized) position. A one-way check valve is built into the valve body. How the system operates depends upon two factors, namely, (a) whether the valve flow control mechanism is in its first or its second position, and (b) the relationship of the pressure of the source, i.e., the first pressure, and the second pressure in the release mechanism. When the flow control mechanism is in the first position, the release mechanism may be pressurized for brake release. And when such mechanism is in the second position, the release mechanism is vented to the reservoir through the brake port, the second passage and the drain port. A new method for controlling a brake is also disclosed.

As generally discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,284 (Lamela et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,303 (Engelbert et al.) and as otherwise commonly known, spring-set, pressure-released brakes are often used on over-the-highway or off-road vehicles as parking and/or emergency brakes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,616 (Johnson) describes an electro-hydraulic parking brake control system (involving a seemingly-complex circuit) in which the spring-applied parking brake is set if the transmission shift lever is in "Park" or if the vehicle is shut down and motionless, either event de-energizing the parking brake control valve solenoid. A check valve is said to insure that the brake release chamber is not sumped in the event a particular pump fails.
Brakes of the spring-set, pressure-released type are particularly well suited for parking or emergency purposes since braking is caused by spring force rather than by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure as with the vehicle service brakes. The rationale is that while pressure-operated service brakes are highly reliable, a spring-applied brake is even more so.
But spring-applied, pressure-released brakes are not without difficulty. Brake-releasing fluid under pressure is required to be continuously applied to the brake in order to keep the brake released. Such fluid is often obtained from a hydraulic or pneumatic control line, the pressure in which is regulated at a rather low level, e.g., 300 psi. Other vehicle systems, e.g., shifting transmissions, may also rely for control pressure upon the same line.
When, for example, a transmission is shifted by applying fluid pressure to one or more of the transmission shift mechanisms, the resulting demand on the control line may cause the control line pressure and, notably, the brake pressure to momentarily dip well below the regulated pressure. It is not unusual for a spring-applied brake to momentarily set during such a dip in pressure or to at least start to set. The resulting brake "grab," however brief, is quite noticeable to the operator.
A new, simpler brake control system and a new method which improve system reliability and which are suitable for use with spring-set, pressure-released brakes would be a notable advance in the art.


Anode material for a fuel cell which is to be operated at a high temperature above 700° C., which anode material is a porous composite material with a heterogeneous phase of solid materials which is formed by two reticular systems which penetrate each other in interlaced manner of particles connected by sintering, namely a first reticular system of ceramic material, and also a second reticular system of metallic material for the purpose of bringing about redox processes and an electrical conductivity, characterized in that the first reticular system is composed of large and small ceramic particles (10, 11) with average diameters d50 greater than 5 μm or smaller than 1 μm respectively, in that 50% to 80% of the first reticular system is formed from the large ceramic particles (10), and in that a composition of the anode material to be used is given by values which are selected by means of samples of this material and a test method, wherein the test method includes at least one redox cycle, an irreversible change in length of the selected sample adopting in this a value smaller than 0.002, preferably smaller than 0.0005, and the following measurements and evaluations being carried out per redox cycle at a temperature which is at least the same as the operating temperature of the fuel cell:                A linear elongation of the sample is measured in the oxidized state of the second reticular system and a value L1 is determined.        The second reticular system is reduced, is oxidized again after at least one hour, and a value L2 of the linear elongation is determined for the newly oxidized state.                    One obtains the specific value of the irreversible change in length as the ratio (L1−L2):L1.

The invention relates to an anode material for a fuel cell which is to be operated at a high temperature above 700° C., namely to an anode material. The invention also relates to fuel cells with such an anode material. In such fuel cells the anode layer can be applied onto a carrier structure, with an electrolyte layer in particular being formed as a carrier. Or a carrier structure for a thin electrolyte layer is manufactured from the anode material. In the first case, a cathode layer or a foam-like metal layer can be used as a carrier structure instead of the electrolyte layer.
An SOFC fuel cell with a fuel-side carrier structure is known from EP-A-1 343 215 which forms an anode substrate and which serves as a carrier for a thin film electrolyte and also a cathode. In the contact region between the anode, which is a thin part layer of the carrier structure, and the electrolyte, electrochemical reactions take place, at so-called three phase points (nickel/solid electrolyte/gas), in which the nickel atoms are oxidized by oxygen ions (O2−) of the electrolytes and these are then reduced again by a gaseous fuel (H2, CO), with H2O and CO2 being formed and electrons freed during oxidation being conducted further by the anode substrate. EP-A-1 343 215 describes a carrier structure which has a "redox stability" and which with reference to this redox stability is sufficiently well designed with regard to gas permeability and also economics for a use in high temperature fuel cells.
The carrier structure of these known fuel cells is made up of an electrode material and contains macro-pores, which are produced by means of pore formers and form the communicating cavities. The electrode material includes skeleton-like or net-like continuous structure of particles joined by sintering, so-called "reticular systems" (can also be termed percolating phases) which form two interlaced systems: a first reticular system made of ceramic material and a second reticular system which contains metals or one metal—Ni in particular—and which produces an electrically conductive connection through the carrier structure. The electrode material has the characteristics that during the carrying out of redox cycles by means of the change between oxidizing and reducing conditions firstly no substantial changes of characteristic occur in the ceramic reticular system and secondly an oxidation or rather reduction of the metal results in the other reticular system. Moreover, the two reticular systems together form a dense structure which contains micro-pores in the oxidized condition, the proportion of which in relation to the volume of the electrode material is, or can be, smaller than 5% related to the volume of the electrode material.
The two reticular systems arise in a natural way from the constituent particles in the form of a statistical distribution of the particles, if these are prepared in such a way that the two kinds of particles respectively exhibit a narrow size spectrum, when the proportion for each reticular system amounts to 30% per unit volume and when the particles are mixed with each other homogeneously. The system of communicating cavities formed by the macro-pores is likewise a reticular system. This hollow cavity system results in the necessary gas permeability.
The carrier structure described may show the desired redox stability, however in other respects it shows deficiencies. During a redox cycle the structure contracts during the transition from the oxidized state to the reduced state (constriction); the electrolyte layer is correspondingly placed under a compressive pressure. The compression is followed by an expansion during the reversed redox transition. This expansion is greater than the compression by more than 0.01% due to irreversible processes in the carrier structure in many of the anode substrates. Cracks develop in the electrolyte layer, which represents a gas separating membrane, due to the expansion through which the necessary gas tightness is lost.

Anode material for a high temperature fuel cell


The leading end of the first member (21) of a cover assembly (20) is provided with rolls (30) in order to smoothly guide the cover assembly along sloped guide surfaces (13L and 13R), so that frictional damages are prevented as well as noises.

The present invention concerns a clothes washing machine having a foldable cover assembly.
Generally, a washing machine is automatically controlled by a microcomputer programmed to wash and rinse clothes, to discharge water, and to extract water from the soaked clothes. Referring to FIG. 6, such a washing machine comprises a water reservoir (not shown) fixedly mounted in a housing 10 for storing a given amount of washing water, a washing basket 12 mounted in the water reservoir with a pulsator 11, and a drive means (not shown) for supplying a drive power required for washing operation.
The housing 10 has at the top a cover frame 13 with an opening 14 for loading and unloading clothes, a control panel 15 for controlling the washing machine, and a water supply hose 16. The cover frame 13 is provided with a hinged cover assembly 20 for closing or opening the top opening 14.
The cover assembly 20 comprises a first plate member 21 and a second plate member 22 to facilitate the opening and closing. The second member 22 is hinged to the rear side of the cover frame 13 while the first and the second member 21 and 22 are connected foldably with each other by means of a hinge 23. In addition, a depressed grip 24 is provided at the central outside part of the first member 21.
When loading or unloading clothes into or from the washing basket 12, the first member 21 is raised upwardly by means of the grip 24 so that the first and second members 21 and 22 are folded toward each other about the hinge 23 for opening the cover assembly 20. On the contrary, for closing the cover assembly 20, the first member 21 is pulled downward by means of the grip 24 so that the first and second members 21 and 22 are unfolded and extended about the hinge 23.
Such a conventional washing machine suffers a drawback that the leading end 21A of the first member 21 is forcibly dragged making a great friction with the surfaces of the cover frame 13 so that the frictional parts are greatly damaged together with generating great frictional noises.

Cover structure of a clothes washing machine


Process for preparing 2-(4-thiazolyl)-1H-benzimidazole (generic name: thiabendazole) by the acid-catalyzed condensation of o-phenyldiamine and 4-cyanothiazole in solution in water or mixtures of water with miscible co-solvents (solvents which upon mixing with water in all proportions form a homogeneous mixture, as well as, other partially miscible solvents which upon mixing with water in some proportions form a homogeneous mixture under the reaction conditions of the process of this invention).

Thiabendazole gained commercial importance when Brown et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 83, 1764 (1961)) reported that the compound prepared by reacting 4-thiazolecarboxamide with o-phenylenediamine using a polyphosphoric acid catalyst exhibited broad spectrum anthelmintic activity without adverse toxic effects. The reaction described by Brown et al. was conducted at a temperature of 250.degree. C. and resulted in a 64% yield of thiabendazole. Thiabendazole continues to be extensively used for the treatment and/or prevention of helminthiasis in livestock. Thiabendazole is, also, a systemic fungicide widely used for pre-and post-harvest spoilage control of raw agricultural commodities. Because of the commercial importance of thiabendazole, the chemical literature is replete with various other synthetic routes aimed at producing this pharmacologically and fungicidally active compound in high yield and high purity. Prior art processes for preparing thiabendazole suffer from inherent drawbacks and inconveniences, such as low yields, additional purification steps, long reaction times, environmentally undesirable organic solvents and high pressure reaction conditions. Hence, it would be a significant improvement in the art, if thiabendazole could be efficiently prepared under mild conditions in high yield and in the purest possible form for agricultural and pharmaceutical use. It would also be an advantage, if it could be prepared using a simple, one-step, environmentally friendly process which is easily adapted to commercial scale production.


An actuation circuit which actuates force electrodes using an open loop transconductance stage. The actuation circuit includes at least a first output and a second output, and a first input. The circuit includes a current sink coupled to the first output which is enabled when a current is applied to said first input. The circuit also includes a decision switch which is coupled to the current sink and which enables a current path from the first input to the second output when a voltage present at said first output reaches a predetermined minimum level.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed towards a method and apparatus for controlling the output current of a multiple output transconductance system, and in particular to a method and apparatus for controlling a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device such as a steerable mirror.
2. Description of the Related Art
MEMs devices and systems have proven useful in numerous sensing and actuating applications. Illustrative applications for MEMS devices include optical switches, inertial or pressure sensors, and biomedical devices. MEMS devices can also be used in a switching capacity in the telecommunication industry, particularly in optical telecommunication systems.
In optical telecommunication systems, MEMS devices are called on to switch the path of the transmitted light, sometimes referred to as beam steering. In beam steering, the light from the fiber is selectively deflected or steered by one or more movable optical element from an input fiber to an output fiber. Suitable optical elements for performing this task include (MEMS) mirrors.
MEMS may be fabricated on semiconductor substrates, typically silicon substrates. These microelectromechanical systems typically have sizes on the order of microns and may be integrated with other electrical circuits on a common substrate. Present MEMS-based optical switches can operate in the plane of the substrate or normal to the substrate. Because each fiber in an optical telecommunication system has a small "acceptance window", some degree of accuracy is required in positioning the mirror to direct the transmitted light to the output fiber.
The actuation force used to move MEMS mirrors in an optical cross-connect system is typically electrostatic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric or thermal. As part of the mirror control system, a feedback circuit is generally used to monitor the position of the mirror. In electrostatically actuated mirror applications, generally high voltages (on the order of 80–200 volts) may be required to position the mirror. Typically, however, dealing with such high voltages in the design of multiple mirror systems (having, for example, hundreds or thousands of mirrors on a single application) presents a number of difficulties. Although the high voltages are required to position the mirror, designers generally desire to use lower voltages to control the mirrors and other aspects of the circuits in the mirror array to save heat and power.
FIG. 1 illustrates a generalized block level diagram of a prior art configuration for positioning a MEMS mirror 100 using capacitive electrostatic coupling. Two control pads 102, 104 are positioned relative to a mirror surface 100. The mirror 100 may be fabricated in accordance with any of a number of well known MEMS fabrication techniques out of a semiconductor material which is polished and positioned in accordance with well known techniques as reflected in: "Embedded interconnect and electrical isolation for high-aspect-ratio, SOI inertial instruments", Brosnihan, T. J.; Bustillo, J. M.; Pisano, A. P.; Howe, R. T., Solid State Sensors and Actuators, 1997. TRANSDUCERS '97 Chicago, 1997 International Conference, Volume: 1, 1997; "Single-chip surface-micromachined integrated gyroscope with 50/spl deg//hour root allan variance", Geen, J. A.; Sherman, S. J.; Chang, J. F.; Lewis, S. R., Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2002. Digest of Technical Papers. 2002 IEEE International, Volume: 2, 2002, Page(s): 346–539. A voltage between the force pad 102, 104 and the mirror 100 generates an electrostatic force to move the mirror relative to the pad. While only two pads 102, 104 are illustrated, many systems use four or more pads for true three dimensional movement.
The mirror is positioned relative to the substrate and pads 102, 104 using voltage generated by an amplifier 110 coupled to control pads adjacent to the mirror to be controlled. In FIG. 1, a high voltage amplifier 110 (generally on the order of 80–200 v) such as that described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/944,930 entitled "High Voltage Integrated Current Amplifier", by inventor Mark Lemkin, commonly assigned, is used to generate voltages sufficient to provide electrostatic actuation between the control pads 102, 104 and the mirror 100. A low voltage transconductance circuit may be optionally provided in place of the amplifier to convert the voltage to a current to drive the control pads.
As noted above, in optical switching applications, one needs to understand the position of the mirror. In order to determine the position of the mirror, a common technique is to provide a position sense channel 120 coupled to the mirror. Generally, the sense channel 120 detects the voltage present at the interface between the mirror and the control pad, and through a series of measurements, position of the mirror is determined.
Normally the sense channel 120 will be designed using low voltage components which results in a number of integration issues with the high voltage devices used to position the mirror. Any position sense channel design must deal with the fundamental issues of providing feedback from the output of the system (a high voltage amplifier output) without using a DC current or a high voltage switch. Use of a DC current feedback system is impractical in high density switch applications as too much power would be required on the circuit. High voltage switches are generally costly in terms of the amount of size required to implement them.


Embodiments are directed towards employing a traffic management system (TMS) that is enabled to deploy component virtual machines (CVM) to the cloud to perform tasks of the TMS. In some embodiments, a TMS may be employed with one or more CVMs. In at least one embodiment, the TMS may maintain an image of each CVM. Each CVM may be configured to perform one or more tasks, to operate in specific cloud infrastructures, or the like. The TMS may deploy one or more CVMs locally and/or to one or more public and/or private clouds. In some embodiments, deployment of the CVMs may be based on a type of task to be performed, anticipated resource utilization, customer policies, or the like. The deployment of the CVMs may be dynamically updated based on monitored usage patterns, task completions, customer policies, or the like.

Today, many entities utilize computing products provided by others. These entities/customers may purchase hardware and/or software systems from a vendor depending on the needs of the customer. Sometimes a vendor may tailor make a system for a customer based on the customer's needs. However, tailor making different systems for different customers may be time consuming and/or burdensome to the vendor. Other times the system may be created to utilize and/or leverage existing hardware and/or components of the customer, such as a structured query language database. However, a customer's existing hardware and/or components may not be compatible with the system, may not provide appropriate functionality, and/or may not provide an overall optimized system. Thus, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the invention has been made.

Elastic offload of prebuilt traffic management system component virtual machines


A vapor deposition device includes a vapor deposition source (60) having a plurality of vapor deposition source openings (61) that discharge vapor deposition particles (91), a limiting unit (80) having a plurality of limiting openings (82), and a vapor deposition mask (70) in which a plurality of mask openings (71) are formed only in a plurality of vapor deposition regions (72) where the vapor deposition particles that have passed through a plurality of limiting openings reach. The plurality of vapor deposition regions are arranged along a second direction that is orthogonal to the normal line direction of the substrate (10) and the movement direction of the substrate, with non-vapor deposition regions (73) where the vapor deposition particles do not reach being sandwiched therebetween. Mask openings through which the vapor deposition particles pass are formed at different positions in the movement direction of the substrate from the positions of the non-vapor deposition regions located on a straight line parallel to the second direction, as viewed along the normal line direction of the substrate. Accordingly, it is possible to stably form a vapor deposition coating film in which edge blurring is suppressed at a desired position on a substrate.

In recent years, flat panel displays are used in various commodity products and fields, and thus flat panel displays are required to have a large size, high image quality and low power consumption.
Under the circumstances, organic EL display devices, which include an organic EL element that utilizes electro luminescence of an organic material, are attracting great attention as all-solid state flat panel displays that are excellent as having capability of low voltage operation, quick responsivity and light emission.
Active matrix type organic EL display devices, for example, are provided with a thin film-like organic EL element on a substrate having a TFT (thin film transistor). In the organic EL element, organic EL layers including a light emitting layer are laminated between a pair of electrodes. The TFT is connected to one of the pair of electrodes. Then, voltage is applied across the pair of electrodes so as to cause the light emitting layer to emit light, whereby an image is displayed.
In a full-color organic EL display device, generally, organic EL elements including light emitting layers of respective colors of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) are formed and arranged on a substrate as sub-pixels. By causing these organic EL elements to selectively emit light at the desired brightness by using the TFT, a color image is displayed.
In order to manufacture an organic EL display device, it is necessary to form a light emitting layer made of organic light emitting materials that emit respective colors in a predetermined pattern for each organic EL element.
Known methods for forming light emitting layers in a predetermined pattern are vacuum vapor deposition method, inkjet method and laser transfer method. For example, the vacuum vapor deposition method is often used for low molecular organic EL display devices (OLEDs).
In the vacuum vapor deposition method, a mask (also called a "shadow mask") having a predetermined pattern of openings is used. The deposition surface of a substrate having the mask closely fixed thereto is disposed so as to oppose a vapor deposition source. Then, vapor deposition particles (film forming material) from the vapor deposition source are deposited onto the deposition surface through the openings of the mask, whereby a predetermined pattern of a coating film is formed. Vapor deposition is performed for each color of the light emitting layer, which is referred to as "vapor deposition by color".
For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a method for performing vapor deposition by color in which light emitting layers for respective colors are formed by sequentially moving a mask with respect to a substrate. With such a method, a mask having a size equal to that of a substrate is used, and the mask is fixed so as to cover the deposition surface of the substrate at the time of vapor deposition.
With conventional methods for performing vapor deposition by color as described above, as the substrate becomes larger, the mask needs to be large accordingly. However, when the mask is made large, a gap is likely to appear between the substrate and the mask by the mask being bent or being extended by its own weight. In addition, the size of the gap varies depending on the position of the deposition surface of the substrate. For this reason, it is difficult to perform highly accurate patterning, and it is therefore difficult to achieve high definition due to the occurrence of vapor deposition positions being positionally offset and the occurrence of color mixing.
Also, when the mask is made large, the mask as well as a frame or the like for holding the mask need to be gigantic, which increases the weight and makes handling thereof difficult. As a result, there is a possibility that productivity and safety might be compromised. Also, the vapor deposition device and devices that are used together therewith need to be made gigantic and complex as well, which makes device designing difficult and increases the installation cost.
For the reasons described above, the conventional methods for vapor deposition by color that are described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are difficult to adapt to large-sized substrates, and it is difficult to perform vapor deposition by color on large-sized substrates such as those having a size exceeding 60 inches on a mass manufacturing level.
Patent Document 3 describes a vapor deposition method for causing vapor deposition particles discharged from a vapor deposition source to adhere to a substrate after causing the vapor deposition particles to pass through a mask opening of a vapor deposition mask while relatively moving the vapor deposition source and the vapor deposition mask with respect to the substrate. With this vapor deposition method, even in the case of large-sized substrates, it is not necessary to increase the size of the vapor deposition mask in accordance with the size of the substrates.
However, because it is necessary to relatively move the vapor deposition mask with respect to the substrate, the substrate and the vapor deposition mask need to be spaced apart from each other. With Patent Document 3, vapor deposition particles that fly from various directions may enter the mask openings of the vapor deposition mask, and therefore the width of the coating film formed on the substrate is wider than the width of the mask opening, resulting in blurring at the edge of the coating film.
Patent Document 4 describes a vapor deposition device including a plurality of nozzles arranged along a first direction, a plurality of slits arranged along the first direction, and a plurality of shielding walls arranged along the first direction between the plurality of nozzles and the plurality of slits. Vapor deposition particles respectively discharged from the plurality of nozzles pass through spaces between the shielding walls and the plurality of slits, and adhere to the substrate traveling in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction so as to form a thin film. According to this vapor deposition device, the shielding walls limit the incidence angles of the vapor deposition particles in the first direction entering the slits, and therefore blurring at the edges of a coating film in the first direction formed on the substrate can be reduced.

Vapor deposition device, vapor deposition method, and organic EL display device


A containment pant includes a chassis having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region joined between the front waist region and the back waist region. The containment pant includes a sling positioned within the chassis and being joined to the front waist region and the back waist region. The sling includes a fluid-impervious base sheet and a containment flap joined with the base sheet to define a fluid-impervious pouch. The fluid-impervious pouch defines a first end containment flap having a first positioning key.

While disposable absorbent garments offer a convenient way to manage bedwetting, many enuretic families are not satisfied with these products because they are viewed as "diaper-like" by the user who wants to wear conventional underwear. As such, many improvements have been made to disposable absorbent garments to make them more underwear-like. For example, gender specific graphics have been added and softer nonwoven materials have been utilized. However, many potential users still seek a product that looks and feels more like conventional underwear but is still able to help manage bedwetting. Thus, there remains a need for a pant that is underwear-like yet helps to contain urine insults.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.