A method of conducting a wagering game includes selecting at least one randomly-selected outcome from a plurality of outcomes in response to receiving a wager from a player. The randomly-selected outcome is displayed in the form of an array of symbols, and a special symbol is presented in a fixed location of the array of symbols. The special symbol is independent of the array of symbols and combinable with the symbols of the plurality of reels to indicate the randomly-selected outcome.

Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines.
Consequently, shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability to the operator. In the competitive gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to produce new types of games, or enhancements to existing games, which will attract frequent play by increasing the entertainment value and excitement associated with the game.
Some games use wild symbols, or wild cards, to enhance a player's excitement because wild symbols increase the likelihood of obtaining a winning combination. In general, a wild symbol is a symbol that can vary according to the selected combination of symbols. For example, if a winning combination in a slot machine is won by selecting three cherry symbols aligned along a payline, then the winning combination can also be won if a wild symbol is selected instead of one or more of the cherry symbols. Thus, the three-cherry winning combination can be won by any combination of three symbols selected from the group of cherry and wild symbols that land along an active payline.
In one type of existing games, one of a plurality of displayed symbols is designated as a wild symbol after the completion of each game. For example, after a player spins a plurality of reels an outcome displays an arrangement of symbols consisting of a first symbol, a second symbol, and a third symbol. Then, in a secondary display, the second symbol is designated as a wild symbol after the outcome has been displayed. A problem with this type of games is that the player does not know the location in which the wild symbol will be located, and, consequently, the player is not encouraged to anticipate a wild symbol in a known location. A related problem with this type of games is that it makes it too difficult for the player to visually anticipate all the winning combinations based on a wild symbol. Because the location of the wild symbol is not clearly distinguishable, the player is forced to mentally search the displayed symbols for the designated wild symbols to determine which combinations are winning combinations. Making a game more difficult results in a less pleasurable gaming experience for the player.
In another type of existing games, a bonus symbol is designated as a wild symbol for a plurality of spins during a bonus game of a reel game. After spinning the reels, the bonus symbol remains fixed in the same location only after the bonus symbol has landed in that location and only for a limited number of spins. One problem with this type of games is that the player is uncertain whether the bonus symbol will ever be selected. Thus, the player does not necessarily anticipate a winning combination based on a wild symbol because it is not guaranteed that any of the selected symbols will be wild symbols. Another problem with this type of games is that the bonus symbol remains fixed only for a limited number of spins. For example, the bonus symbol will remain fixed only for the remainder of a predetermined number of free spins awarded after a bonus game has been awarded.
Thus, there is a need to overcome the problems associated with gaming machines using wild symbols. The present invention is directed to satisfying this and other needs.

Wagering game with predetermined location for wild-card feature


A synchronous memory system configurable in a multiplexed or non-multiplexed mode. In the multiplexed mode, address and data are provided on a shared bus, and accesses to the memory system are qualified by memory access control signals, including an address strobe signal, a counter enable signal and a counter repeat signal. A read/write control signal is maintained for one cycle after the last valid access command to avoid bus turn-around problems. In the multiplexed mode, chip enable and output enable signals may be constantly activated, thereby simplifying associated printed circuit board design. Different ports of the synchronous memory system can be independently configured to operate in either the multiplexed or non-multiplexed mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a synchronous memory system having a mode in which address and data signals can be multiplexed on the same set of signal lines.
2. Related Art
In some applications, such as cellular phones, there is a limited space for a printed circuit board (PCB). If an application uses a static random access memory (SRAM) chip that requires a 16-bit data bus and a 14-bit address bus, the associated PCB will require at least 30 corresponding routing wires to enable the SRAM chip to communicate with other chips.
It would therefore be desirable to share the address bus with the data bus, thereby minimizing the number of routing wires required on the PCB. An operating mode in which address and data signals are multiplexed onto the same set of bus lines is hereinafter referred to as a address/data (A/D) muxed mode.
Intel® provides a flash memory that shares an address bus with a data bus. This flash memory is described in more detail in the Datasheet for the Intel® StrataFlash® Cellular Memory (M18) (Order Number 309823). However, this Intel® flash memory can only perform asynchronous write operations, which require the use of extra control signals (i.e., extra PCB routing wires). Moreover, while the Intel® flash memory is capable of performing synchronous read operations, an acknowledge signal is required to indicate that the synchronous read data is ready. The acknowledge signal undesirably requires an additional PCB routing wire.
It would therefore be desirable to have a memory system that can perform fully synchronous write and read operations, while multiplexing address and data signals on the same set of bus lines, and minimizing the required number of PCB routing wires. It would be desirable for the timing specifications of this memory system to be well defined with respect to a system clock signal, such that an acknowledge signal is not required to perform synchronous read operations. It would further be desirable for write address and write data signals to be processed in response to well defined clock edges, and for read data signals to be provided in response to well defined clock edges. It would further be desirable for the memory system to be capable of performing single address write/read operations, burst write/read operations, and repeat write/read operations in the A/D muxed mode.

Synchronous address and data multiplexed mode for SRAM


A method and apparatus for diagnostic imaging of a body part, by nuclear magnetic resonance, which method includes the steps of positioning the body part in a detection volume of a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, inside a dedicated receiving coil; selecting the section or sections of said body part that has to be imaged and carrying out image detection by nuclear magnetic resonance; identifying and storing the detected images; and carrying out at intervals one or more subsequent image detections with nuclear magnetic resonance of the same body part and of the same section thereof as in the preceding image detections with nuclear magnetic resonance, positioning each time the body part in the same relative position with respect to the imaging volume of the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a diagnostic imaging apparatus and method for limbs, particularly the hand, by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, which method comprises the steps of positioning the hand in a detection volume of a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, inside a dedicated coil, of selecting the section or sections of the hand or wrist of which the image has to be detected and of carrying out the image detection by means of nuclear magnetic resonance.
2. Discussion of Related Art
At present it has been found that in the evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis the images detected by nuclear magnetic resonance allow one to visualize pathological damages caused by rheumatoid arthritis in a better way than radiograph images, particularly the so called erosion. However these damages are at an advanced phase of the pathology. Recent analysis have shown that due to the image detection with nuclear magnetic resonance it is possible to find damages caused by rheumatoid arthritis in the initial phases of the pathology, such as the damage of soft tissues for example synovium, tendons and meniscus.
The synovial membrane is the main inflammation site in the precocious phases of rheumatoid arthritis. During these phases the inflammatory action involves an increase of the vascularization that can be highlighted in the nuclear magnetic resonance images by means of proper contrast agents, such as Gadolinium-di ethylentriamine of pentacetic acid (Gd-DTPA). Recording time sequences of nuclear magnetic resonance images of the synovial membrane with the above contrast agents shows changes of the signal intensity as a function of time that can be considered as indicators of the synovial inflammation and of the pathological activity. This has been shown by analysis regarding the intensity changes of MRI signal in the synovial membrane of the wrist.

Diagnostic imaging apparatus and method for limbs, particularly the hand by means of nuclear magnetic resonance


A flexibly partitioned drawer comprises a drawer body formed with an accommodating cavity and at least one partitioning member that moves left and right and is disposed in the accommodating cavity for use in partitioning the accommodating cavity. Leading and trailing ends of the dividing member respectively protrude in the direction of front and rear walls of the drawer body to form protruding portions. The front and rear walls of the drawer body are respectively formed thereon with sliding grooves that cooperate with corresponding side protruding portions so as to provide the dividing member with movement along the left and right directions. The sliding grooves penetrate side walls of the drawer body such that the accommodating cavity communicates with an outer part of the drawer body.

Usually, a refrigerator is provided therein with a drawer for storing articles. In order to take full advantage of storage spaces in the drawer, in a prior design, the drawer in some of the refrigerators is provided therein additionally with partitioning members for further dividing the drawer into a plurality of areas. However, usually, the partitioning members in the current drawer are connected fixedly with a drawer body. As such, a user may not adjust a proportion of each area according to actual demands. In addition, in the existing drawer with partitioning members, usually, the drawer includes longitudinal and transverse partitioning members. When the refrigerator is in use, due to habits of the user, usually, the divided areas at an inner side of the drawer may not be taken effective advantage; moreover, some articles with great lengths cannot be fitted in the drawer divided longitudinally and transversely at the same time.
In view of this, it is necessary to provide an improved drawer to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Flexibly partitioned drawer and refrigerator having flexibly partitioned drawer


An image display device includes: a light guide plate which includes an front face from which light from a light source exits; a heat sink that holds the light source portion and the light guide plate; a base plate which accommodates the light source portion, the light guide plate, and the heat sink; and a frame which is fixed to a wall portion of the base plate and holds the light guide plate from front of the light guide plate. The frame includes: a main body disposed inwardly of and along the wall portion; and a holder extending from the main body. The holder holds an end portion of the light guide plate from the front of the light guide plate, and the end portion is on a side of the end face from which light emitted from the light source portion enters.

Liquid crystal displays are known as one of image display devices for displaying an image (for example, see Patent Literature (PTL) 1). These liquid crystal displays each include a back light unit which is disposed on the rear-face side of a liquid crystal cell. The back light unit includes, for example, a light guide plate, and a light source portion whose emitted light enters the light guide plate from an end face of the light guide plate. For example, PTL 1 discloses a technique relating to a light guide plate that, is large and excellent in terms of productivity.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A process for esterifying a polymer containing carboxyl(ate) groups, by maintaining the polymer at 0.degree. C. to 200.degree. C., where the counterion for the carboxylate groups is a selected ammonium or sulfoxonium ions. Such processes are useful for preparing improved films and coatings, particularly automotive coatings.

This invention concerns a process for esterifying a carboxylate containing polymer, by reacting selected ammonium or sulfoxonium salts of the carboxylate groups to effect esterification.
Carboxylate containing polymers are often used in products that are in water solution, dispersion, or emulsion, where the carboxylate groups may help solublize or stabilize such mixtures. Such polymers are used for coatings, adhesives, photo and thermal resists. However, once the water is removed from the polymer, it is often desirable to somehow remove or convert the carboxylate groups into less polar moieties to reduce the effect of water on the resulting polymer (e.g., less water swell), or to help coalesce the polymer into a uniform film by removing highly polar regions made up of carboxylate salts. The removal or conversion of carboxylate groups should take place when desired, after most of the water has been removed, and the process should preferably be efficient and proceed under relatively mild conditions.
A. T. Lawson, et al., J. Chem. Soc., vol. 53, p. 624-636 (1888) and R. C. Fuson et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 61, p. 1290 (1939), report that tetramethyl ammonium ions esterify certain carboxylate ions. K. Yamauchi, et al., J. Org. Chem., vol. 44, p. 638-639 (1979) report that trimethylsulfonium hydroxide esterifies carboxylic acids. Polymers are not mentioned in any of these papers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,544,499, 3,804,797 and 3,903,056 describe the use of sulfonium salts of carboxyalate containing polymers for making such polymers less hydrophilic (more hydrophobic). No mention is made of the use of ammonium or sulfoxonium salts.
H. Ohtani, et al., J. High Res. Chromatog., vol. 14, p. 388-391 (1991) report the use of tetramethylammonium hydroxide as an alkylating agent to form methyl esters of the carboxylic acids residues present in liquid crystalline polyesters when such polyesters are analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography. No mention is made of esterifying a polymer which contains carboxyl(ate) groups.

Esterification of carboxylate containing polymers


A medical laser probe to be used as a laser irradiation unit in laser treatment that is performed by irradiating a living body with laser light. The laser probe irradiates laser light uniformly, utilizing laser light effectively by concentration thereof, achieving limited irradiation of laser light and taking countermeasures against stains forming on the probe. The laser probe is provided with (1) a transparent light diffuser for radiating laser light received by a light-guide fiber in the direction along the longitudinal axis of the light diffuser and in radial directions from this axis to the peripheral side surface thereof and (2) a detachable protective diffusion tube for further diffusing laser light radiated from the transparent light diffuser. A reflector may be provided between the light diffuser and the diffusion tube. Further, shielding plates may be provided on the protective diffusion tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a probe for laser irradiation, which is used in a medical laser device for performing laser treatment by irradiating a human being or an animal with laser light or beams.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent advance of science and technology, applications of laser light are being developed rapidly in the field of medical treatment. Especially, internal laser treatment to be performed or provided in combination with the utilization of an endoscope is expected to come into widespread use in the future, because the internal laser treatment permits a patient to be treated without an incision and relieves a burden imposed on the physical strength of a patient. Hereinafter, a photodynamic therapy (hereunder abbreviated as PDT), which utilizes medicine in combination with laser light, will be described.
This PDT is a treatment of a focus or nidus such as a tumor, to be performed by preliminarily accumulating photosensitive materials, which have specific affinity to the tumor and further have photochemical reaction characteristics concerning a cellulicidal action and fluorescence caused by optical excitation, on the focus and by thereafter irradiating the photosensitive materials with light, which can be absorbed by the materials, to thereby pump or excite the photosensitive materials and to consequently generate active oxygen. FIG. 8 illustrates a laser irradiation probe of the side irradiation type that is described in the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 63-318933/1988 Official Gazette. As shown in this figure, a conical light diffuser (namely, a conical pointed light diffuser) B made of a transparent material, to the surface A of which a scraping process or a surface roughening process is applied, is attached to a light diffuser or end portion of a light-guide (optical) fiber. With this structure, laser light emitted from the light-guide fiber passes through the inside of the light diffuser B and then reaches a side surface of the light diffuser B. As shown in FIG. 9, the surface A of the light diffuser has an uneven structure. Thus the laser light is reflected at an irregular angle in dependence on the structure of the surface where the laser light has reached, as indicated by arrows in this figure. Incidentally, reference character M denotes a tissue to be treated.
However, in the case of the aforementioned conventional probe, when a laser treatment is performed by inserting the light diffuser B thereof into an internal nallow affected part or a diseased part which is in a stenosed state, namely, the tissue M to be treated, the roughened part of the surface of the light diffuser B is stained with a humor or an internal accretion. Thus, the transmissivity, at which the laser light is transmitted, of this part of the conventional probe is deteriorated. Further, the diffusibility, by which the laser light is diffused, of this part is degraded. Consequently, the conventional probe has faced problems in that the irradiation of laser light cannot be performed in an established manner and in that a same laser irradiation probe cannot be used repeatedly.
Moreover, the conventional probe has an omnidirectional irradiation structure. Thus, the conventional probe further has encountered another problem in that even a tissue, which does not need to be irradiated with laser light, is also irradiated with laser light.
The present invention is directed to resolving the problems which the conventional probe has faced.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a laser irradiation probe which can realize accurate and efficient treatment and can be used repeatedly.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The disclosed invention provide system and method to ensure resiliency in a network where audio capturing service experiences a failure on one or more active nodes. The network failover system is coupled to a Layer 3 (L3) network and communicates with a network switch through which network packets are transmitted. The failover system performs operations that include receiving network packets that are mirrored via the network switch, monitoring a primary node that captures audio data in the network packets, sending the network packets to a fallback node during an outage of the primary node, examining the network packets to determine which packets are audio-related packets, collecting audio-related packets, and storing the collected audio-related packets in a data storage. The fallback node is in the Layer 3 (L3) network.

When a service outage is experienced while the service is provided, there are disadvantages in terms of hampered customer satisfaction and an impacted bottom line. For that reason, when a call recording service that relies on computers and other devices experiences a service-affecting outage, that loss of service can mean millions of dollars in lost revenue to the service provider and pose significant impacts to productivity for the enterprises relying on such services. A failover service must be considered and reliably compensate for the conditions affecting the original outage. The failover service must provide a solution where there is an abundance of scalable network hardware and resources capable of handling the traffic.
Typically, in the case of failures from one node/server to another, the currently active recordings on the failed server are interrupted. Traditionally most resilient failover systems utilize hardware and software redundancy. Moreover, traditional resilient systems emphasize routing traffic to backup systems that are often not the same data network.

System and method for simultaneous Layer 3 resiliency during audio capturing


Plastic encapsulated ICs (28) are susceptible to moisture due to the permeability of molding compounds. ICs (28) may be baked until dry before being shipped to the customer to reduce the risk of cracking. To retain this dry condition, ICs (28) are packaged and shipped in dry-packs. Compartmentalized humidity sensing indicators (14, 16 and 18) are provided for tape and reel IC shipping medium (20) to monitor moisture levels. The indicators (14, 16 and 18) are provided at multiple locations along the carrier tape (22) as a continuous strip with repeating series of humidity indicators. Distinction can be made between the humidity conditions along the length of the carrier tape, which allows identification of problem areas and affected devices. Thus, only portions of devices shipped in tape and reel need rebaking, which offers cycle time and cost advantages over rebaking the entire contents of the carrier tape. Compartmentalized indicators (14, 16 and 18) can also be applied to other IC shipping media such as rails (32) and trays (42).

Plastic encapsulated semiconductor devices are susceptible to moisture ingress due to the permeable nature of plastic molding compounds. The amount of moisture that a plastic IC absorbs from its environment is dependent on several factors: the length of exposure time to the environment, the diffusivity of the plastic or how quickly moisture can be absorbed into the material, the solubility coefficient of the plastic or its saturation capacity, and the thickness of the plastic body on the IC. Devices containing moisture levels exceeding some critical amount run the risk of cracking or "popcorning" during the rapid heating of the solder reflow operation. Semiconductor devices which are subject to cracking are normally baked in an oven at approximately 125.degree. C., a typical temperature, for a predetermined length of time to drive moisture out of the devices before they are shipped to the customer. Those devices that are deemed to be moisture sensitive are packaged in "dry-packs" after baking to ensure that they are protected from moisture thereafter and will arrive dry at the customer site. Otherwise, devices that have absorbed a certain level of moisture run the risk of cracking during the solder reflow operation. Mechanical failure of the ICs often times lead to subsequent electrical failure of these same devices due to thermal and mechanical stresses induced on the ICs during their operation.
Current dry-packing practices involve baking semiconductor devices until dry, placing them into a dry-pack bag with desiccant packets and a humidity indicator card, sealing the bag immediately thereafter, and shipping the devices to the customer in these dry-packs. The amount of desiccant in each dry-pack bag can be determined by using IPC Standard SM786. A problem with the current method of dry-packing is that desiccant packets may not keep the dry-pack bag uniformly dry. Therefore, a single humidity indicator card is insufficient to give a true history of the conditions inside the dry-pack bag. The humidity indicator card is only accurate for a single site inside the bag. Furthermore, the location of the humidity indicator card relative to the desiccant also affects the amount of moisture that it senses, hence its accuracy. If the card is too close to the desiccant, then it will sense a drier atmosphere than if it were far away from the desiccant. It is impossible to accurately gauge how much moisture each IC has been exposed to.


Methods and systems for effecting cleanup and other policies for queues and similar data stores, which policies account for preferences of consumers of the data so stored. Queuing policies for local storage of one or more documents for transmission from the local storage to one or more end points for said documents are retrieved from a remote registry. Upon such retrieval, the documents are enqueued according to the queuing policies, unless, prior to such enqueuing the queues into which the documents are to be placed require creation or clean-up, for example according to one or more queue quota policies. In some cases, the documents are queued according to associated qualities of service to be accorded to delivery of said documents. Such qualities of service may be specified in the queuing policy.

Many communication systems employ queuing mechanisms as means for sending and/or receiving information. Such mechanisms allow messages, information packets or other data items to be collected or otherwise assembled in a holding area prior to transmission at designated transmission times and/or to be stored prior to further processing by receivers. The use of these queuing mechanisms thus allows for orderly processing of both incoming and outgoing messages.
All queuing mechanisms implement some form of quota management. By this we mean that queuing mechanisms (or the controllers governing same) employ some means to limit the size of the storage area (e.g., memory) used by or accessible to the queues, or to handle exceptions such as a full disks, memory overruns, etc. Such quota managers, as implemented by conventional queuing systems, are typically not aware of the semantics of the queued messages. However, such semantics are often of importance to the end consumers of the queued messages. For example, common information types among different messages are often used in different manners by different consumers of such messages and, therefore, the messages have a different semantics associated with them.
As an example, in most quota management systems queue cleanup policies are only loosely coupled to semantics of the messages stored therein as such queues are used as generic containers. While the cleanup policies may include some refinements on how data is selected for removal, those policies are generally limited to operating across generic semantics shared by all data types, and without regard as to how the data consumer will use or value the data content, origin and date.
Consequently, what is needed is a queuing mechanism that accounts for preferences or other characteristics of the consumers of the data to be stored in the queues.

Dynamic quota policy for queuing mechanism


In the calculation or simulation of technical components for use in a technical system wherein calculation programs are provided for various physical variables which are taken into account on a case-to-case basis, a preprocessing method is provided in order to couple programs for physically and geometrically calculating such a component without the need for the creation of a tailor-made calculation program for a specific component. The procedural setup of the processing steps permits a modular composition of the calculation process for the simulation of any type of component subjected to physical influences.

The invention relates to a method for coupling physical and geometrical calculation programs in a data processing system whereby interrelated physical values as well as geometrical values are calculated upon simulation of a component for technical applications.
For the calculations of complex technical components, it is often necessary to utilize several computational programs. It is for example necessary in the calculation of thermal tensions in a body, to first determine the temperature distribution in the body. The two calculations are performed by different programs. Generally, the Finite Elements Method (FEM) is used.
To establish with the programs needed for the calculation a single computational program, is not reasonable since the data storage requirements and the computation time grow in the second power with the number of the physical values to be calculated. If the calculations are performed individually, there is however the problem of the automatization of calling up the various programs and of the data exchange. Often a value calculation is necessary only for a partial area of a component and requires individual networking, so that different networks are required for a complicated calculation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,731 discloses a method for supporting the execution of several simulation programs for coupled simulations. Each of a plurality of simulation programs is in communication with a data library and is executed as an execution process. With each simulation process a data conversion is performed. By the exchange of data resulting from the simulation by the simulation process of one of the simulation programs with simulation processes of the other simulation programs, the data conversion process, which is provided for a transmission simulation process, determines a receiving simulation process, to which the data must be transmitted and submits the data to the data conversion process which is part of the receiving simulation process. The data conversion process for the receiving simulation process performs a data conversion in order to catch the difference between the basis of the transmission simulation process and the basis of the receiving simulation process. There are no operating elements, which permit a simple operation, a calculation program.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method by which calculating programs for the calculation of physical and geometrical values can be rapidly linked for the simulation of a new technical design element with regard to its geometry and its technical properties. The program coupling should not be a code specifically designed for an individual design element; rather the coupling should, before the specific calculation, be suitable for any simulation task.

Method for coupling physical and geometrical calculation programs to a data processing system


The thermal properties, such as heat distortion temperature of biodegradable polymers, such as polylactic acid, polyglycolides, polybutyric acid and copolymers of butyric and valeric acid, may be increased by blending them with a polymer having Tg from 75.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. and a Hildebrand parameter (.sigma.) of not more than 3 MPA.sup.1/2 different from the biopolymer.

Currently, there is an increasing interest in truly biodegradable polymers. Biodegradable polymers have been used in medical and pharmaceutical applications for a number of years in applications such as absorbable sutures and controlled release of clinical drugs. There have been some attempts to use such polymers in commodity polymer applications such as packaging, film wrap and food applications. Unfortunately, many of these types of polymers have a relatively low glass transition temperature (or Tg) and a relatively low heat distortion temperature. Such a low heat distortion temperature makes the polymers per se unsuitable for use in applications where the polymer will be exposed to moderate to high temperatures such as the boiling temperature of water (e.g. hot drink containers such as coffee and tea cups and microwave containers).
There are several types of biodegradable polymers which may be competing in the same application fields or they may be complementary. The polylactides or homopolymers of lactic acid are one type of degradable polymer. Polyhydroxy alkanoates (PHA) are another type of biodegradable polymer. The polyhydroxy alkanoates may be represented by homopolymers of 3-hydroxy butyrate (sometimes also referred to as PHB) or copolymers with 3- or 4-hydroxy valerate (sometimes called PHBV).
PCT Patent Application WO 90/01521 filed Aug. 4, 1989 in the name of Battelle Memorial Institute contains a good description of the prior art in the field of homopolymers of lactic acid. The patent application discusses a number of applications of polylactic acid. In the disclosure of the third general embodiment beginning at page 65 of the patent application, there is a discussion of various blends of polylactic acid with other polymers. The other polymers include polystyrene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene. In the disclosure of WO 90/01521 at page 74, there is an additional list of monomers which may be polymerized to form polymers which may be blended with polylactic acid. The monomers include styrene, ethylene, propylene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, alkyl methacrylates, alkyl acrylates and physical mixtures thereof.
The patent application does not address the issue of the Tg of polylactic acid. Furthermore, the patent application does not suggest alloys of polylactic acid with polycarbonate, imidized acrylates and polymers containing anhydrides of ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids. Additionally, the patent application does not contemplate all of the copolymeric biodegradable polymers of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,654 issued Oct. 16, 1984, assigned to Imperial Chemical Industries PLC discloses copolymers of various hydroxy alkanoates. The patent, however, does not contemplate the formation of alloys of such polymers with the polymers of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,374 issued Jan. 20, 1981, assigned to Rohm and Hass Company discloses the imidized type of polymers which may be used in the present invention. However, the patent does not disclose or suggest that such polymers could be alloyed or blended with the biodegradable polymers of the present invention.
Polymers of a vinyl aromatic compound such as styrene and anhydrides of ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids which may optionally contain (meth)acrylic esters have been known as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,267 now expired and U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,969 issued Feb. 11, 1986, assigned to Monsanto. Investigations relating to the use of such polymers in blends have continued as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,311 issued Dec. 23, 1986, assigned to BASF. However, none of the art located by the applicants discloses or suggests blending such polymers with biodegradable polymers of the type of the present invention.
There is a need to provide an alloy comprising a biodegradable polymer which has a higher Tg, heat distortion temperature and/or a higher melting temperature. The present invention seeks to provide such a polymer alloy or blend.


A pallet tray for supporting a CCA chassis during assembly and transportation has a generally flat base with opposite first and second ends, and first and second end rails secured adjacent the first and second ends, respectively, so as to project upwardly from the base. Each end rail has an upper, generally flat support surface spaced a predetermined distance above the base, the support surface having an outer edge adjacent the respective end of the base, and a lip projecting upwardly from the outer edge of the support surface.

The present invention relates to a support device or tray for supporting a product such as a CCA (circuit card assembly) shelf or chassis both during assembly and during transportation to a card cage or rack in which a plurality of CCA shelves are stacked.
When electronic devices such as CCA shelves are assembled, the individual components are light, but the assembled CCA chassis or shelf, carrying various electronic components and cables, is relatively heavy. The assembled chassis or shelf must be moved from an assembly station to a conveyor for transportation to another station, where it is removed from the conveyor and placed into a cage or rack. This is normally done manually. If the chassis or shelf is placed on a flat pallet or tray, it is difficult to lift off for placement onto a rack.

Method of using support tray for product assembly


The invention relates to a composite material (1), to containers made therefrom and to a method for producing the composite material (1), which comprises a substrate (2) and a coating (3) on the substrate (2), wherein the coating (3) provides at least a first region (31) facing the substrate (2) and at least a second region (32) facing away the substrate (2), and wherein the first region (31) comprises a barrier layer (4) and the second region (32) a passivation layer (5).

Hollow plastic container, such as plastic bottles, do not show gas barrier properties which are sufficient for the intended use in bottles. Gases such as carbon dioxide may diffuse into or out of the container. Mostly, this effect is unwanted such, inter alia, it causes a shortening of the shelf life of beverages stored in those containers.
In order to eliminate these disadvantages of plastic containers with their otherwise manifold advantages, techniques for depositing barrier layers and diffusion blocking layers respectively have been developed. In order to arrange for reducing the permeation of gases and liquids as well as to protect the plastic material against chemical corrosion or UV radiation, is it advantageous to provide substrate materials such as three-dimensional hollow bodies, with a barrier layer. By adding coatings to low-cost mass synthetics, the same barrier properties can be achieved in container walls as with expensive special synthetics, and also glass can be replaced for example in the field of pharmaceutical packagings by using this method.
The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a particular effective and cost-saving technology for depositing such coatings or layers. In the CVD method, a reactive chemical gas composition, which surrounds the surface to be coated is used to deposit a layer onto the surface. Inter alia, oxide layers such as SiOx layers, have proven their value as diffusion barriers.
A chemical reactive gas composition for the CVD coating can be formed by means of energyzing thermally or by ionisation of the process gases. Since synthetics normally are thermally not sufficiently stable or have a low softening temperature, the CVD coating, under high temperatures, is not suitable for coating of plastic surfaces. But here, the option of plasma enhanced CVD coating (PECVD) lends itself. Since a heating of the surface to be coated takes place here too, particularly the plasma impulse CVD coating (PICVD) is appropriate to deposit coatings on temperature-sensitive materials such as synthetics.
But current SiOx barrier layers deposited on synthetics by means of PECVD normally have a low resistance to leaches. As shown by measurements, the barrier layer is etched off almost laminarly already starting from pH-values greater than or equal to 5 in conjunction with certain ion concentrations or electric conductances of a liquid. At this, still mineral water with low CO2 content and tap water prove to be more critical concerning the stability of the layer than water pressed through osmotic filters or VE-water.
The process of etching off takes place the faster the higher the pH-value and/or the filling and storing temperature of the filled product is. Therefore, such layers have the disadvantage of having a highly reduced barrier effect, which depends on the pH-value and the storing and filling conditions, respectively, of the coating after storing a corresponding liquid in a plastic container with such a barrier layer between the plastic and the liquid. It may even happen that there is not any barrier effect at all.
The pH-value of some beverages, such as green tea, coffee produces and milk produces, as well as particularly still or only lightly carbonized mineral water, is in the range between 6.5 and 7.5. Here, a pH resistant barrier coating with a durability from 6 to 12 months at room temperature (23° C.) is requested for achieving a long shelf-life in plastic packagings.
In some countries, certain products such as green tea or coffee, are filled hotly, i.e. at temperatures of up to 95° C., subsequently stored at room temperature for up to six months, and then stored at 60° C. for up to 14 days to be sold. It also develops to heat these products by microwaves shortly before consumption. This is applied in drink dispensers for example. Also with these conditions, there is the requirement of providing a pH-resistant barrier coating.
For pharmaceutical packagings, a pH resistance of up to 10 for corresponding barrier layers is requested in case of a period of storage of typically three to five years at room temperature. Accelerated tests simulate this with a period of storage of six months at 60° C. The requirements concerning technical packagings for the packaging of, for example fine chemicals, brake fluid, cleaning agents etc. approximate the requirements concerning pharmaceutical packagings.


An observing apparatus includes: a photographic unit that takes a region where cells are present as an observation object region based upon a macro image captured at low magnification of an interior of a cell culture vessel, and photographs the cells in the observation object region; an illuminating unit that irradiates light upon the cells only during photography by the photographic unit; and an output unit that outputs a fluorescent image photographed by the photographic unit while irradiating light only during photography by the illuminating unit. A recognition section recognizes at least one observation object region, within the macro image, in which cells are present. A selection unit selects a tiling mode or a random mode. A controller points an objective lens at an observation object region in which the recognition unit has recognized that cells are present.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an observing apparatus for observing an observation subject, and to an observing method.
2. Description of Related Art
The following type of method of observing cells by a fluorescence technique using a fluorescence microscope is known from Non-Patent Document #1. According to this method, excitation light is irradiated upon the cells, and the fluorescence emitted from the cells is observed. And, although setting of the observation position is performed before the observation, at this time, the excitation light is irradiated upon the cells, and setting of the observation position is performed from the fluorescent image.    Non-Patent Document #1: "Understanding Bio-Imaging", September 2005, pp. 22-24 (published by Yodosha).


An extendable deck device is disclosed that creates additional room for homes with limited outdoor space. The extendable deck device comprises a plurality of squares, with each square comprising a frame and a plurality of support beams secured thereto, and a floor component positioned on top of the plurality of squares to substantially cover the plurality of squares. The extendable deck device further comprises at least one rail component secured to a perimeter edge of the floor component, which protrudes vertically upwards from the floor component. The rail components can be extended or retracted either manually or via an electric motor and reel. Further, the deck device can comprise at least one set of stairs secured underneath a corner of the floor component. The stairs can be secured to the corner, such that a user manually extends out the stairs from underneath the floor component for use.

Individuals living in townhouses and other planned communities generally have to abide by homeowner agreements that include building restrictions. Further, building an enclosed deck within the set area may create a tight, confined space that cannot comfortably hold many people, while keeping the space open does not provide sufficient privacy. An effective solution is necessary.
The present invention enables users to expand their deck space easily and temporarily as needed, and adheres to homeowner agreements that prohibit building a certain distance beyond a cement deck platform. The extendable deck device offers additional features such as handrails and benches, and provides sufficient space underneath for an A/C unit. Additionally, the deck device utilizes a level design so a step is not needed to access the deck from the door of the home.


A tarpaulin covering system for protecting a pile of material having an array of folded tubular vents connected to a tarpaulin to assist a weighting system on the tarpaulin in the prevention of aerodynamic lift. The vents remain in a folded state when the air pressure between the tarpaulin and the pile of material is minimal. During a period of increased air pressure, the vents in the area of increased air pressure open allowing for the escape of the entrapped air. The venting system prevents a protective tarpaulin from being lifted off the surface of the material pile which may cause damage to the tarpaulin resulting in an decrease in the overall integrity of the protective tarpaulin system.

The present invention relates generally to a tarpaulin covering system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a unique tarpaulin cover system having novel air venting capabilities, the entire system being ideally suited for the protection of large piles of material.
Many tarpaulin systems have been developed for covering large piles of particulate material such as salt, grain, sand and the like. These systems are intended to protect the covered material from the elements and must be designed to withstand many environmental fluctuations. Examples of such prior art tarpaulin covering systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,949,527; 4,413,029 and 4,455,790.
The earliest forms of pile covering systems simply used large sheet of canvas to protect the contents of the piles from the elements. In recent years, a trend away from canvas to synthetic fabrics has occurred. Materials such as polyethylene and nylon have proven more suitable for pile coverings due to reduced weight, greater maneuverability on the pile during installation, and lower cost. These synthetic materials are also more waterproof (impermeable to water). On the other hand, these same synthetic materials are also gas impermeable, with the result that air can be trapped between the pile material and the cover causing undesirable floatation and misalignment of the cover. In addition, wind gusts which penetrate the cover's perimeter seal can actually lift, move or tear portions of the cover. Accordingly, a need exists for a synthetic, gas and water impermeable pile covering system which is not subject to these aforementioned problems. It is therefore desirable to have a tarpaulin covering system that provides a simple and inexpensive venting mechanism as a release for air trapped between the pile and the tarpaulin while maintaining its liquid impermeable characteristics.


An in-line connector for coaxial connectors, which enables two flush cut cables to be spliced together without further cutting of the cable's insulator or outer conductor jacket. A longitudinal connector has an internal concentrically mounted wire connector which contacts the inner wire conductor of each cable to be spliced. A pair of metallic sleeves extend from the conductor and are inserted into each cable to make contact with the woven metallic sheath of each cable. A collapsible sleeve is concentrically mounted to each end of the connector and engages the connector to inhibit relative rotation. A lock nut threadably engages each of the collapsible sleeves to cover the connection and secure each cable to the connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coaxial cable connector and more particularly to an in-line coaxial cable connector capable of connecting together two flush cut cables suitable for use in radio and video signal transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently there are numerous connectors which enable two coaxial connectors to be spliced together. However, these connectors require the cable to be cut such that the insulating cover is cut back to expose the woven metallic sheath. Additionally, the cable must be cut such that the internal wire conductor extends beyond the remaining portion of the cable to contact a female receptive portion of the cable. This cutting requires the skill of an experienced cable layer and often a cut is made too deep or all the way through the cable. Such an improper cut will require an additional cut thus shortening the length of the cable and wasting the portion which was improperly severed. This type of cutting takes an additional amount of time when attempting to splice together two coaxial cables.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,392 discloses a coaxial cable splice connector comprising outer conductor shells to make contact with the woven metallic sheath of each cable and an inner conductor bore to make contact with the central wire conductor of each cable. However, the cables to be spliced in U.S. '392 must first be cut to peel back the outer insulator member and expose the woven metallic sheath. Additionally, the cable must be cut such that the inner wire conductors extends past the remaining portion of the cable to engage the inner conductor bore.
There is a need to enable two coaxial cables to be spliced together in-line which requires ease of assembly and simple cut of the cables to be spliced without any reduction in the quality of radio or video reception. The present invention attempts to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art and provide a simpler, less expensive device which is easier to assemble and maintains the quality of radio and video reception.


In some embodiments, a method stores domain name system (DNS) resolution mappings from a domain name to an address in a first table. The DNS resolution mappings are intercepted from DNS responses being sent by a DNS server. The first table is sent to a manager for validation of the DNS resolution mappings. Then, a second table is received from the manager that contains validated DNS resolution mappings. The method intercepts a DNS response that includes a domain name to address resolution mapping from the DNS server and validates the domain name to address resolution mapping using a validated DNS resolution mapping in the second table.

Domain Name System (DNS) maps domain names that are assigned to entities to another address, such as Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. A typical domain name may identify a website for an entity. The domain names provide names for domains that are more easily remembered than IP addresses, such as "company name.com" maps to the IP address of "204.120. 0.15". However, a client does not use the domain name to contact a server that is hosting the website associated with the domain name; rather, the client uses the IP address for the server. When a client receives a domain name, such as the client receives a request from a browser to navigate to a domain name, the client contacts a DNS server to resolve the domain name to an IP address. The DNS server may respond with a mapping of the domain name to an IP address. To determine the IP address for a domain name, the DNS server may use a DNS cache table that stores DNS resolution mappings, such as domain name to IP address resolution mappings. The DNS server may look up the domain name in the DNS cache table to determine the corresponding IP address. However, if the DNS server does not have a mapping in its DNS cache table, the DNS server may contact other DNS servers to resolve the domain name. For example, the domain name system architecture is a distributed database that may require multiple queries to multiple DNS servers to determine the corresponding IP address. Upon receiving a response with the resolution mapping, the DNS server returns the IP address and caches the resolution mapping in its DNS cache table for later use. Using the DNS cache table, the DNS server may not need to contact another DNS server to respond to subsequent requests for the resolution mapping of the domain name.
DNS cache poisoning or DNS spoofing is a type of attack that exploits vulnerabilities in the domain name system method of resolving domain names to IP addresses. For example, an attack on a DNS cache table may attempt to divert traffic away from legitimate servers towards compromised servers associated with attackers. The attack may exploit the lack of authentication in the DNS protocol by sending spoofed DNS messages in response to DNS resolution requests. For example, the attack attempts to associate an IP address for a machine associated with the attacker instead of the correct IP address of the machine that is legitimately hosting the website for the domain name. To poison the DNS cache, an attacker may send the DNS server resolution requests for a domain name. When the DNS server does not have the domain name in its DNS cache, the DNS server send a resolution request to another DNS server. The attacker may send a response with the incorrect IP address to the DNS server. The DNS server then stores the incorrect DNS resolution mapping in its DNS cache. The attack may flood the DNS server with incorrect DNS resolution requests until the DNS cache is overwhelmed and contains only the domain name to IP address resolution mappings that the attacker has injected. For example, the attacker-injected resolution mappings overwrite the legitimate DNS cache entries because the cache table may only store a certain number of entries and the newer entries overwrite the older entries. This poisons the DNS cache table with bad entries. The DNS server does not authenticate the resolution mappings that the attacker has injected and thus does not detect compromised domain name to IP address resolution mapping into the DNS cache. Accordingly, if the attack is successful, any traffic meant for a target machine of a compromised domain name is sent to the IP address of the machine associated with the attacker.
When a client receives a compromised DNS resolution mapping, the client then directs traffic to the IP address of the machine for the attacker. Then, the attacker may choose to perform malicious activities, such as inspecting the packets (e.g., spying). The attacker may forward the traffic to the actual default destination to avoid discovery, modify the data before forwarding it (e.g., a man-in-the-middle attack), or launch a denial of service attack causing some or all the packets in the network to be dropped.

Domain name service (DNS) server cache table validation


Systems and methods are disclosed for positioning or storing an electro-optical instrument (e.g., spectrophotometer) within a printing device to facilitate calibration or maintenance of the instrument. In various embodiments, the electro-optical instrument may be pivoted or moved to an inclined position to facilitate calibration of the instrument relative to one or more calibration references. The electro-optical instrument may also be moved or inclined along a travel path in the printing device to a position or positions adjacent to various calibration references.

Digital printing presses and other digital printing devices (hereinafter "printing devices") may incorporate an electro-optical instrument, typically a reflection spectrophotometer, for automatically controlling print attributes. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional arrangement of a reflection spectrophotometer 15 within a printing device 10. As shown, the spectrophotometer 15 may be oriented above a media guide 20 and include an illumination source 25 (e.g., an LED or lamp) for illuminating print media 30 (e.g., paper) via a first guide aperture 35 as the media 30 is passed through the guide 20. Although depicted as a slotted guide, the guide 20 may alternatively be a roller or other device for suitably directing the media 30. Light reflected from the media 30 is received by a sensor module 40 within the spectrophotometer 15 via an aperture 45. Although not shown for the sake of clarity, the sensor module 40 may include optics (e.g., lens, mirrors, etc.), light detectors (e.g., CCD sensors), and various electronics configured for processing the reflected light and generating spectral data therefrom. The spectral data may be communicated to a print engine (not shown) within the printing device 10 and used, for example, to control colors printed by the printing device 10 in accordance with a color desired standard. In order to ensure that the spectral data accurately represents the color characteristics of the media 30, the orientation of the spectrophotometer 15 is required to be such that its "read plane" (i.e., a plane parallel to the illuminating/detecting face of the spectrophotometer 15 corresponding to optimal illumination and light detection) precisely coincides with the upper surfaces of the media 30. Typically, the surfaces of the media 30 must be within several thousandths of an inch of a known read plane or at a known offset in order to obtain suitably accurate spectral data. Repeatability of such tolerances may be maintained, for example, by providing a reference surface (not shown) that contacts a portion of the illuminating/detecting face of the spectrophotometer 15 or reference features.
It is necessary to periodically calibrate the spectrophotometer 15 using a calibration reference. Typically, the calibration reference is matched to the spectrophotometer 15 and comprises a white source (e.g., a white ceramic disc) having a color characteristic traceable to a suitable color standard, such as that established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Non-white (e.g., red, green, and/or blue) calibration references may also be used. During calibration, spectral data generated by the spectrophotometer 15 using the calibration reference is compared to spectral data corresponding to the calibration reference that has been previously stored within the spectrophotometer 15. Based upon this comparison, a color transform curve for suitably compensating spectral data of subsequent measurements may be generated using known methods.
For the printing device 10 of FIG. 1, automatic calibration of the spectrophotometer 15 may be problematic due to the orientation of the spectrophotometer 15 relative to the guide 20. In particular, the structure of the guide 20 generally precludes physical placement of the calibration reference at the read plane, particularly in cases where the guide 20 is a roller.
FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative placement of a calibration reference 50 as is known in the art. As shown, the calibration reference 50 is placed below a second guide aperture 55 aligned with first guide aperture 35 such that that calibration reference 50 is illuminated through the guide 20. This arrangement may not be satisfactory, however, as placement of the calibration reference 50 outside of the read plane may degrade the accuracy of the resulting spectral data, thus degrading the calibration accuracy.
FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate sequential operation of an alternative arrangement known in the art for automatically calibrating the spectrophotometer 15. In FIG. 3a, a top view of the spectrophotometer 15 and guide 20 in the normal operating position is shown. The calibration reference 50 is positioned adjacent to a side of the guide 20. During calibration, the spectrophotometer 15 is taken offline and mechanically translated such that its read plane coincides with the upper surface of the calibration reference 50, as shown in FIG. 3b. The spectrophotometer 15 is re-translated to its normal online position subsequent to calibration, as shown in FIG. 3c. Translation of the spectrophotometer 15 between the measurement and calibration positions requires the use of a full-length translation system (not shown). The internal space required for accommodating such a system may result in an unacceptable enlargement of the printing device 10.
As an alternative to the automatic calibration arrangements described above, media for which spectral data has been obtained a priori (e.g., by performing offline measurements) may be manually fed through the printing device 10. The resulting spectral data generated by the spectrophotometer 15 may then be compared to the previously-obtained spectral data in order to determine the appropriate transform curve. This calibration technique, however, is time-consuming and requires a substantial amount of manual intervention.
Because use of the spectrophotometer 15 in the measurement and calibration modes is typically intermittent, it is generally desirable to automatically store the spectrophotometer 15 within the printing device 10 during periods of nonuse such that contamination of its optical surfaces is minimized. Storage of the spectrophotometer 15 in this manner within the limited internal space of a conventional printing device is problematic and may be exceedingly difficult in cases where a large portion of the available space is allocated to spectrophotometer 15 calibration features.
In view of the problems described above, there is a need for more efficient and effective systems and methods for calibrating and maintaining electro-optical instruments within printing devices.

Calibration of electro-optical instrumentation within printing devices


An opto-electronic device comprising opto-electronic circuitry on a lead-frame and an optical guide receptacle for receiving an optical guide coupler, the opto-electronic circuitry comprises signal conversion means whereby an optical signal can be converted into an electrical signal or vice versa, the optical guide receptacle comprises means for guiding reception of an optical guide coupler whereby an optical guide coupler is optically aligned with the signal conversion means when received by said optical guide receptacle.

Optical fibres are widely used in many applications, for example, optical communication, remote sensing and monitoring. The core of an optical fibre is typically very small and fragile. Therefore, optical fibres are commonly provided with termination connectors for convenient coupling with an opto-electronic device. For example, an optical fibre is terminated with a glass-ferrule for enhanced mechanical stability. The ferrule also provides additional convenience so that an optical fibre core can be more easily aligned with a signal conversion means such as a photo-detector or an optical transmitter. To take advantage of the characteristic optical fibre termination, it will be beneficial to provide opto-electronic devices which are compatible with the optical fibre terminations for more efficient coupling and uncoupling.

Opto-electronic device for optical fibre applications

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to both a method and a computer system that are designed to provide a bid positioning system using a computerized bid proxy. The bid proxy takes instructions from the bidder and then bids based upon these instructions. Using a bid positioning system allows this bidder to place its bids in relation to a lead bid placed by another bidder in an auction based upon either a nominal or percentage distance from the lead bid. In a preferred embodiment, this computerized bid proxy is used in a shipment management system. This system allows a shipper to present at least one shipping requirement for a particular shipment to a centralized server. These shipping requirements could include the origin and destination of a shipment, the time or delivery date of a shipment, the number of articles being shipped, and the weight or volume of the shipment. The server next sends the at least one shipping requirement to a plurality of carriers some of whom are chosen by the shipper and some of whom are chosen by the system. These carriers next bid based upon the at least one shipping requirement. This system and method also allows these carriers to re-quote their bids based upon the bids presented by the other carriers. Once all of the bid deadline has been reached, the shipper picks the quote that best suits the shipper.

The invention relates to a method and a system for providing a bid proxy that places bids for a bidder in an auction based upon bid parameters such as an initial bid, a bid ceiling, a bid floor and a bid position. While the bid ceiling and the bid floor establish the range of bids, the bid position sets how close each bidder wants to remain to a leading bid.


The present invention provides a semiconductor device wherein a semiconductor chip is fixed on a mount body without a short circuit. A positive electrode (42) is provided above a conductive substrate through an insulating layer (38). The electrode (42) have a concavity (43). A bonding connector consists a first bonding connector (70) on the electrode (42) and a second bonding connector (71) around the first bonding connector (70), the first bonding connector being more fluid than the second bonding connector at a certain temperature. A LASER chip (30) is fixed on the second bonding connector (71).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and, more particularly, its element on bonding a semiconductor chip on a mount body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 3 shows in perspective a semiconductor chip 30 for a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (LASER) obtained by using a substrate 4 of N type gallium arsenide (GaAs). Referring to FIG. 3 , on top of the upper face of the substrate 4 are applied an N type cladding layer 6, an N type activation layer 8, a P type first cladding layer 10, an N type current-blocking layer 12, a P type second cladding layer 14 and a P type cap layer 16 in this order. On the cap layer 16 is applied a chip positive electrode 32 and on the lower face of the substrate 4 is applied a chip negative electrode 34. In this type of LASER chip 30, the N type activation layer 8 can emit light.
This LASER chip 30 is fixed on a sub-mount body 62 as shown in FIG. 1 . A heat sink (not shown) is necessary to work the LASER chip 30. The sub-mount body 62 consists of a conductive substrate 36 with silicon, an insulating layer 38 of silicon oxide on the substrate 36, a connecting electrode 40 on the lower face of the substrate 36, and a negative electrode (not shown) and a positive electrode on the upper face of the substrate 36. A connecting electrode 40 of the sub-mount body 62 is attached to the heat sink. A chip positive electrode 32 of the LASER chip 30 connects with the positive electrode 42 of the sub-mount body 62. The chip negative electrode 34 of the LASER chip 30 connects with the substrate 36 of the sub-mount body 62 via a golden wire 46.
Therefore, when an electric current travels through the positive electrode 42, a bonding connector 70, the chip positive electrode 32, the chip negative electrode 34, the golden wire 46, the substrate 36 and the connecting electrode 40, the LASER chip 30 can emits light.
A process of fixing the LASER chip 30 on the positive electrode 42 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . First of all, the LASER chip 30 connects with the positive electrode 42 via the bonding connector 70. After the bonding connector 70 is melted by heating the bonding connector 70 becomes stiff again. At that time, the LASER chip 30 is fixed to the positive electrode 42 by the bonding connector 70.
However, the above-mentioned semiconductor device have the following problem.
When the volume of the bonding connector 70 is not enough to fix the LASER chip 30, the bonding connector 70 is not strong to hold the LASER chip 30. Specifically, A vibration or the like makes the LASER chip 30 apart from the sub-mount body 62.
Conversary when the volume of the bonding connector 70 is too much the bonding connector 70 melts and transform into a shape shown in dotted lines .alpha. and .beta. of FIG. 1 at the heating, and may become stiff with the shape. When the bonding connector 70 transforms into such as shown in the dotted line .alpha. of FIG. 1, the LASER chip 30 can not generate light of a desired intensity because the transformed bonding connector covers a place where light is to emit. When that is worse the LASER chip 30 can generate no light because a short circuit is generated in P-N junction of the LASER chip 30. When the bonding connector 70 transforms into such as shown in the dotted line .beta. of FIG. 1 the LASER chip 30 can generate no light because a short circuit is generated between the positive electrode 42 of the sub-mount body 62 and the silicon substrate 36.


An exercise device with a base on a support surface and a user platform. One end of a support post is axially mounted to the base and the other end is pivotally mounted to the platform. The platform pivots with the post in a horizontal plane parallel to the support surface and pivots in a vertical plane perpendicular to the support surface. A resistance element having one end mounted to the support post and the other end to the base is provided to control the velocity and angle of pivot of the platform in the horizontal plane. A resistance element having one end mounted to the base and the other end to platform to control the velocity and angle of pivot of the platform in the vertical plane. The user stands on the platform and performs exercise motions to propel the platform in the horizontal plane and the vertical plane.

The following references may be relevant to this invention:    U.S. Pat. No. 1,565,484 to McWhirter    U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,007 to Jordan    U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,645 to Stelma    U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,532 to Hunstad    U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,986 to Kucharik    U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,364 to Eggenberger    U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,272 to Honneister    U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,629 to Vaughan    U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,257 to Loane    U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,871 to Giovanni    U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,197 to McKechnie    U.S. Pat. No. 7,344,483 to Tacconi    U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,987 to Guadano    U.S. Pat. No. 7,959,544 to Palmer    US 2009/0176631 to Blessing    US 2014/0155236 to Curry.    JP 2015-167849 to Shigeo
The following non-patent references may or may not be effective prior art.                Technical ski conditioner (NPL1)        Skiers Edge Technical ski conditioner You Tube video (NPL2)        Step Carve website (NPL3)

Multipurpose exercise device for replicating exercise motions for sports and physical therapy


Whipstock/packer assembly equipment and procedures to retrieve and reuse a whipstock assembly during drilling operations for horizontal drainhole application. The anchor is seated in a retrievable packer and has a bore communication with the fluid path in the whipstock and ports through the anchor body to the bore. Fluid pumped through the ports after a drilling operation flush cuttings from the annulus between the anchor and the associated packer and carry them to the surface, thereby preventing the cuttings from hampering removal of the anchor. The same fluid path can be used to introduce a gel to the annulus prior to drilling to prevent cuttings from collecting on the packer. Introduction of fluid after the drilling operation may be employed to remove the gel and collected cuttings or the whipstock/packer assembly may be withdrawn without flushing.

One of the operations which is required when drilling a horizontal drainhole is the sidetracking process wherein drilling from an existing cased wellbore into the adjacent formation is initiated. Currently, there are several different ways that this can be done, none of which is entirely satisfactory.
One method to initiate sidetracking is to fill the casing with cement to the desired depth, which will force the drilling equipment into the formation. This is possible if the cement has a higher compressive strength than that of the formation. This method is unsatisfactory, however, since the cement plug does not always have a compressive strength greater than the formation and accurate control of the hole direction is difficult.
Another method is to run a whipstock into the cased wellbore on an inflatable packer to the desired depth, after which an orientation survey is run, the whipstock face is turned in the desired direction and the packer is inflated. While this method can properly orient the whipstock initially, it is difficult to maintain the desired direction because the packer tends to turn as it is inflated, causing the whipstock face to turn with it. In addition, the packer is subjected to torque forces caused by the drilling operation. If the torque is severe enough the friction between the inflated element and the casing is overcome, causing the assembly to turn or drop down the casing. There is also the possibility that the packing element could deflate and drop down the casing.
A third method is to set a permanent seal bore packer with a keyed sub at the desired depth in the casing, run an orientation survey to determine the orientation of the key and set the angle between the key slot of the whipstock anchor and the whipstock face. The whipstock anchor is then run into the packer and latched in place, which ensures that the whipstock face is set in the desired direction. Although the equipment used in this method is designed to enable the whipstock and anchor to be withdrawn while leaving the packer in place, it has been found that as the formation is being drilled, cuttings tend to settle out on top of the packer and in the annulus between the whipstock and casing, which interferes with the removal of the whipstock assembly and makes the entire system permanent. Since a whipstock/packer assembly is costly, the ability to retrieve and reuse not only the whipstock assembly but the packer as well would greatly reduce expenses for the drilling of a horizontal drainhole.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a whipstock/packer assembly which is capable of being precisely positioned in the intended direction of the drainhole to be drilled and which can readily be retrieved from a well after the hole is drilled.

Retrievable whipstock/packer assembly and method of use


An electronic device comprises a housing, a circuit board, a cover and a switch. The housing comprises an opening receiving a card. The circuit board is disposed in the housing. The cover is disposed on the housing corresponding to the opening. The switch is disposed on the circuit board, wherein when the cover is moved, the cover actuates the switch to control the circuit board.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular relates to an electronic device providing SIM card switch assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dual mode phones utilize two SIM cards to transmit data via different transmission standards. FIG. 1 shows a conventional dual mode phone 10 comprising a housing 11, a display 12, an interface 13, a recess 14, a first SIM card (not shown) and a second SIM card (not shown). The first SIM card is disposed below a battery (not shown) of the dual mode phone 10. The second SIM card is disposed in the recess 14. However, when the second SIM card is removed from the recess 14, the dual mode phone 10 may not shut down because the battery is not removed before drawing the second SIM card. Thus, the second SIM card and the dual mode phone 10 can be damaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,096 discloses a mechanism for removing a SIM card, which controls power of a circuit board in SIM card removal. However, data cannot be pre-stored into the SIM card or circuit board before SIM card removal. Additionally, power of circuit board in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,096 is shut down during SIM card removal. Thus, SIM card and circuit board may still suffer damage.

Electronic device and card swapping method thereof


A gas burner for a gas fired heating appliance, such as a water heater. The gas burner is located within a combustion chamber and includes an inlet conduit through which combustible gas and primary air are received. An air scoop shrouds the inlet conduit and at least partially defines a flow path of primary air, substantially isolated from the combustion chamber and which extends from the inlet end of the inlet conduit to a primary air port that communicates with a source of primary air located outside the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber also includes at least one port through which secondary combustion air is admitted into the combustion chamber. A flow path transition member is located within the combustion chamber and is in fluid communication with the primary air port. The transition member also forms part of the isolated primary air flow path and sealingly engages the air scoop when the burner is installed into the combustion chamber. The transition member is provided with at least one flange that is engaged by a complementally shaped lip defined by the air scoop, as the burner is moved into its operative position through an access opening. A door or bulkhead closes off the opening through which the burner is installed and the door is adapted to mount a gas orifice through which combustible gas is discharged into the air scoop. The transition member is mounted to a base plate of the water heater and overlies a port communicating with a region below the water heater which serves as the source of primary air. The air scoop is mounted to the bulkhead/access door in a region having a predetermined profile that is unrelated to the radius of the access opening.

Many types of burners are available for use in gas fired appliances, such as water heaters, room heaters, etc. Recently, the demand for fuel efficient burners and burners that can be configured to produce low emissions has increased especially in view of federal and/or state mandates that have been recently enacted.


Disclosed is a method for measuring the molecular rotation speed (the number of rotations or the rotation frequency) of a fullerene or a fullerene derivative in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner, for the evaluation of the fullerenes. The method comprises having a thin film of the fullerene or the fullerene derivative absorb an electromagnetic wave varied in frequency, and measuring the change in electromagnetic wave intensity against temperature, thereby determining the molecular rotation speed of the fullerene or the fullerene derivative from the frequency of the electromagnetic wave at the temperature where there is an abrupt change in the electromagnetic wave intensity from the absorption region to the non-absorption region. In a preferred embodiment, electromagnetic waves produced from the surface of a surface acoustic wave device are used.

Nanotechnology is viewed as a promising technology with the potential to produce a technology revolution in the twenty-first century. Among leading nanomaterials shouldering the advance of nanotechnology are fullerenes.
Fullerenes are carbonaceous materials in the form of hollow spherical cages typified by C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) and have attracted the interest of many scientists as a new research subject since their discovery by Smalley and Kroto in 1985. Attempts have been made to take advantage of the unique structure of fullerenes to develop novel functional materials with various practical applications.
For example, the superconductivity transition temperature of C60 crystal is 18K, whereas it was found that C60 HBr3, a derivative compound of C60, achieves a superconductivity transition temperature as high as 117K. As this temperature is much higher than the temperature of liquid nitrogen, it represents a major step forward in the elucidation of the mechanism by which superconductivity is introduced and the practical application of superconductive materials. In the field of alternative energy resources, the ability of fullerenes to absorb hydrogen is expected to lead to their use as hydrogen-storage materials in fuel cells and for other purposes. In the field of medicine and life science, fullerenes can be used as carriers for new pharmaceutical or efficacious components, because the fullerene molecule, called the Bucky ball, is characterized in being inactive and nontoxic, being so small as to easily interact with cells, proteins, viruses and the like, and being variously modifiable. Thus, fullerenes are being used to develop medicines for combating the AIDS virus, amytrophic lateral sclerosis, osteoporosis and other disorders. A wide range of applications are also being studied in the fields of electronic materials and composite materials. Not only are fullerenes finding applications such as those mentioned above but it has also been pointed out in the environmental field that fullerenes may be contained in exhaust gases. Thus, elucidation of the activity of these nanomolecules is also required from the viewpoint of learning how they influence the environment and the human body.
In contrast to conventionally known general molecules, fullerenes, typified by C60, and their derivatives are distinctive from the viewpoint of physical properties in that each molecule rotates as a whole, and it has already been demonstrated that the state or condition of such molecular motion strongly influences the functions exerted by the molecules (R. D. Johnson et al., "C60 Rotation in the Solid State-Dynamics of a Faceted Spherical Top" Science, 255, (6), 1235–1238 (1992)). For example, as the interactions among the molecules of fullerenes or their derivatives intensify, the molecular rotation speed (the number of rotations) thereof decreases.
Thus, in developing applications or uses of fullerenes or their derivatives in various fields as mentioned above, it is important to know the molecular rotation speed thereof since it serves as important information for evaluating the fullerenes or their derivatives. A method hitherto reported for measuring the molecular rotation speed of fullerenes or their derivatives utilizes a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) apparatus for the measurement (R. Tycko et al., "Molecular Dynamics and the Phase Transition in Solid C60" Phys. Rev. Letters, 67, (14), 1886–1889 (1991); R. Tycko et al., "Molecular Orientational Dynamics in Solid C70: Investigation by One and Two dimensional Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance" J. Chem. Phys., 99, (19), 7554–7564 (1993)). This method requires an expensive apparatus and since the measurement is destructive, an "in situ" measurement is not possible. In addition, the method is not suitable for evaluating fullerenes in life science and the like since the measurement is carried out in vacuo.
The object of the present invention is to provide a novel method by which the molecular rotation speed of fullerenes or fullerene derivatives can be measured in a relatively simple and inexpensive manner.

Method for measuring rotational speed of molecule of fullerenes


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon layer as an etching mask includes: (a) forming an interlayer dielectric over a semiconductor substrate; (b) forming a polysilicon layer pattern over the interlayer dielectric; (c) forming a contact hole in the interlayer dielectric by etching the interlayer dielectric using the polysilicon layer pattern as an etching mask; (d) removing the polysilicon layer pattern by an etching process that has a large etching selectivity of the polisilicon layer with respect to the interlayer dielectric and about 3% or less etching uniformity; and (e) forming a contact by filling the contact hole with a conductive material.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon layer pattern as an etching mask.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A photoresist pattern is widely used as an etching mask in a pattern forming process because it simplifies the process and produces a pattern of desired shape and size. However, as design rules decrease to 100 nm or less, many problems emerge in semiconductor device manufacturing processes in which a photoresist pattern is used as an etching mask. For example, striation may occur in a material layer that remains after etching. Moreover, the etched material layer may be formed to an undesired pattern because there is a small margin for error in etching processes.
FIG. 1 illustrates a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photograph of a semiconductor device on which a contact is formed by a self-aligned contact (SAC) method using a photoresist layer pattern as an etching mask with a 96 nm design rule. Referring to FIG. 1, many of the contacts have shapes that are different from the desired pattern shape, and furthermore, the pattern shape varies according to location on the semiconductor substrate.
To solve the above problems, a method of using a silicon nitride layer pattern or a polysilicon layer pattern as the etching mask has been developed. The occurrence of striation is prevented when a silicon nitride layer pattern or a polysilicon layer pattern is used as an etching mask (among the two layer patterns, the polysilicon layer is more preferable since it is deposited more easily than the silicon nitride layer). In addition, if an interlayer dielectric is etched with a dry etching method using a polysilicon layer pattern as the etching mask, the margin of error of the manufacturing process is greater than when the photoresist layer pattern is used as the etching mask.
FIGS. 2A through 2E are cross-sections illustrating a conventional method of forming a contact by a self-aligned contact (SAC) process using a polysilicon layer pattern as an etching mask.
Referring to FIG. 2A, a gate structure 110 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 100 using conventional manufacturing technology. The gate structure 110 includes a gate oxide layer 112, a gate conductive layer 114, a hard mask layer 116, and a sidewall spacer 118. Also, an etch stop layer 120 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 100 and the gate structure 110. Preferably, the etch stop layer 120 is formed of a material having a large etching selectivity with respect to an interlayer dielectric that will be formed on the etch stop layer 120. For instance, if the interlayer dielectric is a silicon oxide layer, the etch stop layer 120 may be formed of a silicon nitride layer.
Referring to FIG. 2B, the interlayer dielectric 130 is formed on the etch stop layer 120. Preferably, the interlayer dielectric 130 is formed of a silicon oxide material. A polysilicon layer pattern 140, which will be used as a hardmask, is formed on the interlayer dielectric 130.
Referring to FIG. 2C, the interlayer dielectric 130 is etched using the polysilicon layer pattern 140 as the etching mask to leave behind an interlayer dielectric pattern 130a. A material having a large etching selectivity with respect to the hard mask layer 116 and the sidewall spacer 118 is used as an etching gas or liquid when etching the interlayer dielectric 130. The section of the etch stop layer 120 exposed by the polysilicon layer pattern 140 and not in contact with the gate structure 110 is also etched. As a consequence, an etch stop layer pattern 120a remains on the gate structure 110 and a contact hole H that exposes the semiconductor substrate 100, is formed.
Next, a cleaning process to remove impurities including etching residues is performed. However, the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a is etched more than the polysilicon layer pattern 140 in the cleaning process such that the distance d1 between adjacent sections of the polysilicon layer 140 is less than the distance d2 between adjacent sections of the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a. This etching rate difference is inevitable when removing a native oxide layer or by-products that occur when etching. Consequently, as displayed in a dotted circle in FIG. 2C, the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a is etched more deeply than the polysilicon layer pattern 140a.
The contact hole H is then filled with a conductive material such as doped polysilicon 150, resulting in the structure illustrated in FIG. 2D. Referring to FIG. 2D, a void or seam S may form in the doped polysilicon 150 filling the contact hole H. The void or seam S forms because the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a has a high etch selectivity with respect to the polysilicon layer pattern 140, causing the width of the interlayer dielectric pattern d2 to be larger than the width of the polysilicon layer pattern d1.
Referring to FIG. 2E, the polysilicon layer pattern 140 is removed until the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a is exposed, and the doped polysilicon 150 is etched at the same time. In this case, a dry etchback or a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is utilized. As a result, a contact 150a including the void or seam S is formed in the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a.
If the seam S exists in the contact 150a, contact resistance increases since the area of contact 150a is reduced. If by-products of etching or other impurities remain, the resistance further increases and the reliability of the semiconductor device may decrease.
An oxide buffing CMP process may be conducted to solve these problems. However, the oxide buffing CMP process cannot completely remove the seam S in the contact 150a and is expensive to implement.
Furthermore, when using the polysilicon layer pattern 140 as the etching mask, a process of removing the polysilicon layer pattern 140 is conducted only after filling the contact hole H. Accordingly, if the contact hole H is formed as shown in FIG. 2C, it cannot be determined whether the contact hole H is fully open when a substrate is in an in-line state using, for example, an SEM imaging process, because the polysilicon layer pattern 140 remains on the interlayer dielectric pattern 130a. Thus, destructive testing must be used.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon etching mask in which in-line testing can be used to determine whether a contact hole is fully open or not, and which prevents occurrence of seams inside a contact and reduces manufacturing costs.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon etching mask