A frame has a foot support and rear wheel support for two rear wheels spaced apart for stability. A front steering column, pivotally attached to the frame, may have a single wheel or spaced apart double wheels for greater stability for a four wheel vehicle. A seat support pedestal extends upwardly from the frame near the back to support a rotatable seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rider propelled vehicles and particularly to a scooter having a front wheel attached to a steering column, a deck, two rear wheels for stability and a rotatable seat on a seat support extending upwardly from the deck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Scooters have long been a favored mode of transportation for children. Most scooters are made with a front steerable wheel and a rear wheel. Three wheel scooters include a steerable front wheel and two spaced apart rear wheels, together with a support platform located between the front and rear wheels. This platform is mounted at the same level or is depressed below the level of the wheel axles to provide a low center of gravity. The handle bars for steering the front wheel are mounted atop a vertical support located at the front end of the vehicle for access by a child standing on the platform. Due to the forward location of the handle bars, the child tends to maintain his or her weight on the platform near the middle of the scooter. As a consequence, all three vehicle wheels are in continuous contact with the ground, so the vehicle tends to remain upright and is resistant to tipping forces.
While some recreational vehicles provide seats, the prior art patents do not provide a rotatable seat on a scooter to enhance the fin value and potential activities and maneuvers possible with a rotatable seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,439,556, issued Apr. 13, 1948 to Bancroft, discloses a two-wheeled scooter having a folding seat structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,611,307, issued Dec. 21, 1926 to Forse, indicates a combination seat and vehicle stand for a scooter.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,269,107, issued Jun. 11, 1918 to Moomaw, puts forth scooter-type vehicle having four wheels and a fold-down seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,068, issued Feb. 7, 1928 to White, concerns a two-wheeled toy with a collapsible seat and steering column.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,188, issued Oct. 26, 2004 to Fan, illustrates a steerable scooter that includes a single front wheel as well as two rear wheels that provide for leaning and directional control, with the front wheel and rear wheels arranged in a three-point, constant triangular formation that enables exceptional scooter stability and handling. Further, assisting wheels are installed on two sides at the bottom end of a rearwardly inclined front stem that are disposed marginally higher than and simultaneously articulated with the front wheel. Since the assisting wheels and front wheel form a triangular formation that is wide at the interior and narrow at the posterior, when the handlebar is turned for a larger angle, the arrangement is capable of effectively preventing slide out due to loss of lateral traction. Additionally, a freely adjustable and removable saddle is installed on the frame and the two rear wheels are equipped with a synchronized brake mechanism to allow safe riding and, furthermore, the option of enjoying the scooter of the present invention while seated or standing on one foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,516, issued Sep. 17, 2002 to Nall, provides a steerable scooter including a standing platform supported on a rollable rear support wheel, a steerable front support wheel, and adjustable seat assembly. The scooter includes a support platform positioned below the top surface of the support wheels. In addition, the scooter includes an adjustable seat that has a top surface positionable two or more inches below the top surface of the support wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,535,167, issued Apr. 28, 1925 to Lovell, shows a two-wheeled scooter with an adjustable seat.
U.S. Pat. No. D57,894, issued May 17, 1921 to Eklund, provides the ornamental design for a scooter with two rear wheels and a fold-down seat and steering column for compact storage.
What is needed is an addition of a rotatable seat to a scooter which allows the occupant to spin freely in a chosen direction while the vehicle is in motion to improve upon the recreational possibilities and enjoyment of the familiar scooter.

Personal recreational vehicle with rotatable seat


A device and a method for facilitating subcutaneous introduction of a plastic carrier includes an element having a supporting portion arranged to be supported on a skin of a patient, and a guiding portion extending substantially transversely to the supporting portion and having at least one slot formed so that when the supporting portion is placed on the skin of a patient and oriented on a surface projection line of an artery and a catheter is introduced through the slot of the guiding portion the catheter is guided on an edge formed in the guiding portion by the slot so that a tip of the catheter is introduced exactly into the artery.

The present invention relates to a device and a method for facilitating subcutaneous introduction of a plastic catheter into the peripheral artery in a variety of clinical circumstances.
There is often a need to quickly catheterize a peripheral artery. This task is complicated by the fact that such arteries have small diameters and lie deep in the soft tissue. Even small errors in selection of a skin puncture point and in adjustment of an insertion angle can lead to uncertainties of the needle tip position at the artery's step greater than the artery's diameter, as shown in FIG. 1. The tip of the needle can miss the artery as shown in the drawing. This substantially decreases the success rate of catheterization and results in multiple traumatic attempts.

Device for and method of subcutaneous introduction of a catheter into a peripheral artery


This invention discloses a novel system and method for distributing electronic ticketing such that the ticket is verified at the entrance to venues by means of an animation or other human perceptible verifying visual object that is selected by the venue for the specific event. This removes the need to use a bar-code scanner on an LCD display of a cell phone or other device and speeds up the rate at which human ticket takers can verify ticket holders. The system also can permit ticket purchase verification in the absence of a network connection during verfication.

Venues such as theaters, amusement parks and other facilities that use tickets, for example airlines, ferries and other transportation have a need to use electronic ticketing. Existing systems distribute information that can constitute a ticket, but the verification problem is difficult. In one example of prior art, an electronic ticket is displayed as a bar-code on the recipient's telephone display screen. The telephone is then placed on a scanner that reads the bar-code in order to verify the ticket. The problem with these systems is that the scanning process is fraught with error and the time taken to verify the electronic ticket far exceeds that of the old system: looking at the paper ticket and tearing it in half. Barcode scanners were not designed to read a lit LCD screen displaying a bar code. The reflectivity of the screen can defeat the scanning process. Therefore, there is a need for an electronic ticketing system that provides a human-perceivable visual display that the venue can rely on to verify the ticket. This invention provides for the distribution of an electronic ticket that also contains a visual display that ticket takers can rely on as verification, without using a scanning device.

Method and system for distributing electronic tickets with visual display


An data driver for driving an LCD device includes a modulator that generates modulated data from input data; and a control circuit to selects between converting the modulated data to first analog data of a driving output and converting the input data to second analog data of the driving output, and to supply the driving output to the plurality of data lines. The driving output may provide a gray-to-gray response time of the LCD device substantially the same as one of a black-to-white and a white-to-black response time of the LCD device by reducing actual liquid crystal response time of the LCD device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for driving an LCD device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices have been used in many different types of electronic equipment. The LCD devices display images by adjusting the light transmittance of liquid crystal cells according to a video signal. Active matrix type LCD devices have a switching element formed for every liquid crystal cell and are well suited for displaying moving images. Thin film transistors (TFTs) are the devices primarily used as the switching element in the active matrix type LCD device.
However, LCD devices generally have a relatively slow response speed attributable to the inherent viscosity and elasticity of a liquid crystal, as can be seen from the following Equations 1 and 2:
                              τ          r                ∝                              γ                                                                                d              2                                            Δɛ                                                                                      V                  a                  2                                -                                  V                  F                  2                                                                                                      Equation                                                  1                            where τr is a rise time for response to a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, Va is the applied voltage, VF is a Frederick transition voltage at which liquid crystal molecules start to be inclined, d is a liquid crystal cell gap, and γ is the rotational viscosity of the liquid crystal molecules; and
                              τ          F                ∝                              γ                                                                                d              2                                K                                    Equation                                                  2                            where τF is a falling time for returning the liquid crystal molecules to their original positions by an elastic restoration force after the voltage applied to the liquid crystal is turned off, and K is the inherent elastic modulus of the liquid crystal.
For a twisted nematic (TN) mode LCD device, although the response speed of the liquid crystal may vary with the physical properties and cell gap of the liquid crystal, rise times of 20 to 80 ms and the falling times of 20 to 30 ms are typical. Because these typical liquid crystal response times are longer than a moving image frame period (for example 16.67 ms for moving images according to the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) standard), the voltage charged on the liquid crystal may not reach the desired level before the next frame data is presented, as shown in FIG. 1. The slow response results in motion blurring in which an afterimage is left on the LCD display panel.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a related art LCD device may fail to display a desired color and brightness for a moving image because, when data VD is changed from one level to another level, the corresponding display brightness level BL is unable to reach the desired value due to the slow response of the LCD device. As a result, motion blurring occurs in moving images, causing degradation in contrast ratio and display quality.
As one method for overcoming the low response speed of the LCD device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,265 and PCT International Publication No. WO 99/09967 propose a method for modulating data using a look-up table (referred to hereinafter as an 'over-driving method'). The principle of this over-driving method of the related art is illustrated in FIG. 2.
As may be appreciated with reference to FIG. 2, the related art over-driving method includes modulating input data VD to produce modulated data MVD, and applying the modulated data to a liquid crystal cell to obtain a desired brightness level MBL. By this method, the response speed of a liquid crystal is rapidly accelerated by increasing |Va2−VF2| in the Equation 1 for a variation in the input data from that of a previous frame period in order to obtain the desired brightness level corresponding to the luminance of the input data in one frame period.
Accordingly, a related art LCD device using the over-driving method is able to compensate for a slow response of a liquid crystal by modulation of a data value to reduce or eliminate motion blurring in a moving image to display a picture having the desired color and brightness.
In order to reduce the memory storage used in implementing over-driving, the related art over-driving method performs modulation by comparing only respective most significant bits (MSB) of a previous frame (Fn−1) and current frame (Fn) with each other, as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the related art over-driving method compares respective most significant bit data (MSB) of the previous frame (Fn−1) and current frame (Fn) with each other to determine whether there is a variation between the two most significant bit data (MSB). If there is a variation between the two most significant bit data (MSB), the corresponding modulated data (MRGB) is selected from a look-up table as most significant bit data (MSB) of the current frame (Fn).
FIG. 4 illustrates a related art over-driving apparatus implementing the above-described over-driving method.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the related art over-driving apparatus includes a frame memory 43 connected to a most significant bit bus line 42, and a look-up table 44 connected in common with the output terminals of the most significant bit bus line 42 and frame memory 43.
The frame memory 43 stores most significant bit data (MSB) for one frame period and supplies the stored data to the look-up table 44. In the related art over-driving apparatus of FIG. 4, the most significant bit data (MSB) includes the four most significant bits of 8-bit source data (RGB).
The look-up table 44 compares most significant bit data (MSB) of a current frame (Fn) supplied from the most significant bit bus line 42 with most significant bit data (MSB) of a previous frame (Fn−1) inputted from the frame memory 43, as in Table 1 below, and selects modulated data (MRGB) corresponding to the comparison result. The modulated data (MRGB) is combined with least significant bit data (LSB) from a least significant bit bus line 41 and then supplied to an LCD device.
Where the most significant bit data (MSB) is limited to four bits, the modulated data (MRGB) registered in the look-up table 44 of the over-driving apparatus and method is as follows:
TABLE 1Current Frame0123456789101112131415Previous00134679101112141515151515Frame10124579101112131415151515201235789101213141515151530123568910111214141515154001246791011121314151515500023578911121314151515600013468910111314151515700012457810111214141515800012356891112131415159000123467910121314151510000012457810111314151511000002356791112141515120000013457810121315151300000123468101113141514000000123579111314151500000001246911131415
In the above Table 1, the leftmost column represents the data voltage (VDn−1) of the previous frame (Fn−1) and the uppermost row represents the data voltage (VDn) of the current frame (Fn). The contents of Table 1 are look-up table information obtained by expressing four most significant bits in decimal form.
The related art apparatus and method for driving the LCD device is used to provide a high response speed of liquid crystal during a gray-to-gray change between previous frame and current frames. In comparison to the variation associated with a black-to-white change, the gray-to-gray change involves a relatively small voltage difference between frames, so that the liquid crystal response for each gray-to-gray change without overdriving would be slow or non-linear, resulting in poor color change in a moving image or degradation in picture quality.
In the above-described over-driving apparatus a digital memory, such as the look-up table 44, is used in the generation of modulated data (MRGB) in the comparison of the data of the previous frame (Fn−1) with that of the current frame (Fn). The use of the digital memory increases chip size as well as manufacturing costs for the LCD device.

Apparatus and method for driving liquid crystal display device


A device is disclosed for detection of surface properties or conditions, in particular detection of water, snow and ice and in particular to road surfaces by means of detector means mounted on individual vehicles, and transmitting the data from the vehicle, preferably together with position data of the vehicle, to be used by drivers of other vehicles for warning of slippery road conditions ahead of the vehicle. According to a particular aspect, it has been realised that the fact that polarized light which is mirror reflected by e.g. ice or water on a surface, preserves its polarization, whereas polarized light which is diffuse reflected largely becomes depolarized, may be utilised to separate the two types of reflection and thus provide a much more compact sensor device for surface properties, in which the light may be emitted close to or parallel to the road surface normal.

Detectors for determining the properties of a road surface are well known in the art, including stationary detectors arranged along the roadside and above the surface, detectors arranged beneath the road surface as well as detectors arranged on the vehicles.
A simple principle for contact-less measurement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,091 by Decker, in which a series of light pulses is directed towards the road surface by a light emitter with a chopper wheel, and the intensity of the reflected light is measured with one receiver. The amplitude of the signal measured by the receiver indicates the presence or absence of ice on the road surface.
Another principle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,553 by Fukamizu et al., in which an infrared light emitter directs a ray towards the road surface, and two receivers are arranged to measure the mirror reflected light and the scattered or diffuse reflected light, respectively. The ratio of the output from the two receivers provides information of the road surface properties. Utilisation of the reflection of infrared light to measure the road surface properties is also known from e.g. DE 2,712,199, EP 0,005,696 and DE 3,023,444.
Other principles involves the use of acoustic waves as disclosed in Japanese patent application JP 03-110408 by Hiroshi and Masami, The use of microwaves is disclosed e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,522 by Kates and Butler and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,846 by Overall and deKoning, the use of microwaves in combination with a laser light beam as disclosed in Japanese patent application JP 06-307838 by Takaharu, the use of multiple wavelength regions of infrared light is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,206 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,853.
All the disclosed measurement principles and other similar principles may be utilised for the device and the system of the present invention. The different arrangements of the sensors have each their drawback. Sensors arranged along the roadside and above the road surface have to be about 4.5 meters above to road surface to allow all types of vehicles to pass, and the air between the sensor and the road surface will be contaminated with particles raised from the road surface by the passing vehicles, in particular when the road surface is wet or covered with sled or snow, and the reliability of the sensor is therefore low under the weather conditions at which the warnings of slippery surface conditions are of importance. Sensors embedded in the road surface and measuring the properties thereof from below through a transparent lid, suffer from contamination of the upper surface of the lid and development of scratches, which ruin the operation of the sensor. Sensors mounted on the vehicle measure from above close to the road surface, but provide only information about the road surface properties at the position of the vehicle, which often is too late for the driver of the vehicle to take measures, in particular under changing properties of the road surfaces and during weather conditions where only local areas of the road surfaces have slippery conditions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Device for detection of surface condition data


A mobile wireless device and technology operable to provide a fake calling function is disclosed. A fake communication mode allows a user to simulate communicating with another party in order to deter unwanted interruption by another person. When a real call occurs during the fake communication mode, the real call is handled so that the ring volume is not too loud for the user, while not breaking the illusion of the fake call.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to mobile wireless devices, and e-mail message. To meet demands for smaller mobile phones, these speakers are often arranged close to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
If there is a real incoming call while the user is holding the receiving speaker of the mobile phone to his/her ear for a fake call, a normal alert operation performed by, for example, outputting a loud ringtone from the external output speaker may cause discomfort to the user.
A normal call provided by a phone function is given high priority among other operations of the mobile phone. Therefore, a normal call in progress is allowed to prohibit other applications from interrupting. The normal call is thus allowed to prevent an alert operation, such as outputting a sound from the external output speaker, from being performed during the normal call. However, during a fake call, if there is a high-priority interrupt, such as an incoming call, it is difficult to prevent the corresponding alert operation, such as outputting a sound from the external output speaker. Accordingly, there is a need for mobile wireless devices which are operable to restrict alert operations during a fake call and thereby to reduce user discomfort.

Mobile device with fake communication mode


A recessed detector assembly having the capability to detect and evacuate air laden with airborne substances from within the assembly. The assembly includes a detector frame adapted to be flush mounted into a mounting box mounted in a ceiling or a wall, the frame having exposed vents allowing air containing airborne substances to enter the frame; at least one sensor mounted in the detector frame for sensing one or more of the airborne substances and for exhausting the airborne substances, the at least one sensor generating a signal causing an exhaust fan or a drop down sensor for evacuating the one or more airborne substances to operate when a presence of the one or more of the airborne substances is sensed to exceed predetermined levels. Accordingly, the detector may be promptly reset and an alarm may be promptly turned off when airborne substances in the room drop below the predetermined levels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recessed detector assembly for detecting fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, and other airborne substances, the assembly being equipped to vent or evacuate the substances from the assembly. The invention also relates to a method for detecting smoke and other airborne substances and venting or evacuating the substances from the detector assembly.
2. Description of Background Art
Recessed devices for installing existing smoke detectors are known. See for example, Recessed Smoke Detector, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,418, and Recessed Smoke Detector, U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,455.
However, there is no known recessed detector apparatus equipped to detect multiple abnormal conditions, such as fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, and other airborne substances.
Nor are these conventional recessed detectors capable of venting or evacuating smoke or other airborne substances from the apparatus. This presents a further problem, since when recessed detectors have no venting or evacuation capability, they will not work effectively when recessed into a ceiling or a wall. Venting or evacuation of smoke and other airborne substances is essential for resetting and clearing the detector for reuse.
Further, recessed housings for conventional smoke detectors have clips and other means for installation. This makes them difficult to install in wiring boxes typically used in new construction of homes and commercial buildings.

Recessed detector assembly for detecting and venting airborne substances


In a steering apparatus for a vehicle in which an inner column is supported to be movable in the axial direction by an outer jacket supported by a body-side bracket and a steering shaft is fixed to an adjustment position by clamping the inner column by the use of telescopic clamping means through the outer jacket, the outer jacket is provided with a slit entirely along the axial direction thereof.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-347953, in a steering apparatus of a tilt and/or telescopic scheme for a vehicle, an upper-side inner column is slidably fitted in a lower-side outer jacket fixed to the vehicle body. It is arranged such that the lower-side outer jacket and the upper-side inner column can be tilted together and the upper-side inner column can telescopically slide with respect to the lower-side outer jacket fixed to the vehicle body.
The lower-side outer jacket has a pair of clamp portions which are fixed to a part thereof at the rear side of the vehicle. At the time of tilt and/or telescopic clamping, these paired clamp portions are caused to approach each other so as to embrace the upper-side inner column to be fixed by clamping.
Further, since it is necessary to prevent the upper-side inner column from rotating with respect to the lower-side outer jacket fixed to the vehicle body, and also to provide a stopper for telescopic adjustment, a projection or a bolt formed on the lower-side outer jacket is engaged with an axial groove which is formed on the upper-side inner column in a part on a more frontal side of the vehicle than the clamp portions.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-219283, in a telescopic type steering apparatus for a vehicle, an upper surface having a substantially M shape of a distance bracket which has grooves extended in the axial diction for telescopic adjustment on both sides thereof is attached to a lower side of a steering column by welding. The steering column is arranged to be telescopically slidable, together with the distance bracket, with respect to a body-side bracket. At telescopic clamping, the steering column can be fixed by clamping a clamping bolt which is inserted through the grooves for telescopic adjustment of the distance bracket to thereby press the distance bracket on the body-side bracket with pressure.
Further, the distance bracket and the body-side bracket are in pressure contact with each other at flat surfaces thereof, so as to serve to prevent rotation of the steering column. At the same time, the clamping bolt is passed through the grooves for telescopic adjustment of the distance bracket so as to play the role of a stopper for a telescopic adjustment.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-118415, in a tilt-type steering apparatus for a vehicle, a distance bracket is attached to a steering column. The distance bracket is provided with a pair of flanges which are extended along the sides of the steering column and which are interposed between a pair of vehicle body side-brackets formed with grooves for tilt adjustment. The steering column is arranged to be tiltable with respect to the body-side brackets, together with the distance bracket. At tilt clamping, it is arranged such that the steering column can be fixed by clamping a clamping bolt which is inserted through the grooves for tilt adjustment of the body-side brackets to thereby press the distance bracket on the body-side bracket with pressure.
Generally, in case of a steering column in which a distance between a steering wheel and a steering gear mechanism is short or a steering column in which a collision stroke has to be set at great, it is difficult to securely obtain both a stroke for telescopic adjustment and the collision stroke, in order to establish a telescopic adjustment structure.
To cope with a request for maintaining the steering column with a high rigidity, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-347953, such a structure is effective as that an inner column is clamped by a pair of clamp portions, which requires high precision of the outer periphery of the inner column and of the inner diameter of an outer jacket in order to avoid very small backlash in case with a high rigidity (particularly with high oscillation rigidity), but can be processed comparatively easily because of a circular section thereof.
However, in the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-347953, it is required to separately provide a structure for preventing rotation of the inner column at a position different from that of the clamp portion.
Also, in case of a short steering column, it is difficult to secure a position at which the structure for preventing rotation of the inner column is provided. It can be considered that an axial groove is formed on the inner column side in the clamp portion to cope with this problem. However, the formation of the axial groove of the inner column may result in that the inner column is easily flexed at clamping to thereby deteriorate the retaining rigidity.
Further, when an axial groove is plastically processed on an inner column in the form of a thin pipe as a deformed cross-section thereof, it is difficult to secure a dimensional accuracy, which may results in problems such as a defective telescopic operation or backlash sensed in operation. Further, when a plate for preventing rotation is fixed by welding, the inner column may be deformed by welding to bring about telescopical defective operation.
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-347953, axial slits are provided on the outer jacket at portions at which the pair of clamp portions are formed. However, no other slit is provided on the outer jacket which is therefore formed cylindrical except the above portions. The other part is formed to be cylindrical. Since the outer jacket and the inner column are telescopically slidable, a gap is inevitably required therebetween. Further, since the steering shaft has to slid telescopically, a gap is required also inside the outer jacket. As a result, backlash feeling may be caused in steering, and the retaining force of the outer jacket may be deteriorated.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-219283, in the telescopic structure in which an upper side of the distance bracket is attached to a lower side of the steering column by welding, moments are generated on a body attaching surface, the clamp portions and the center of the inner column (the center of the steering wheel), respectively, which is disadvantageous in terms of the rigidity.
Further, a structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-118415 in which a pair of flanges of the distance bracket extended along the sides of the steering column are interposed between a pair of vehicle body side brackets, is effective in terms of the rigidity. However, in such a structure, if it is arranged to be telescopic type, the number of the constituent parts may be increased.


An intention estimation equipment includes: a first training data group; a second training data group; a model creation unit that creates first and second statistical models that estimates an intention of an input text; an error data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data corresponding to a text, of which an intention estimation result based on the first and the second statistical models is correct and erroneous, respectively, as error data; an opposite data extraction unit that extracts, from the second training data group, training data that is a cause for an intention estimation result of the error data based on the second statistical model becoming erroneous as opposite data; and a data correction unit that performs correction of the second training data group so that an influence of the error data or of the opposite data on creation of the statistical model is changed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intention estimation equipment and an intention estimation system.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, electronic equipment, such as a smartphone or a car navigation device, allows users to perform many operations. It may be difficult for most users to memorize how to perform all the operations of such equipment. To assist users, equipment utilizing an intention estimation equipment that estimates user's intention has been proposed. This intention estimation equipment allows the user to input a word or words in a natural language with which the user comes up when he intends to perform an operation. The word or words are input in the form of voice information or character information. However, the word or words of natural language that is actually input by users have many variations so that it is practically difficult to perform intention estimation that covers all the words of the natural language. One approach to solve this problem may be to increase the accuracy of intention estimation by the intention estimation equipment by using log information of natural language that is recorded when the electronic equipment is actually utilized by the user.

Intention estimation equipment and intention estimation system


A surgical instrument for applying a fastener to tissue. The fastener includes a male component including a base having a hole, a needle receivable in the hole, and a female component including a base and a recess for receiving the needle. The instrument includes a shaft, a first jaw pivotally mounted on the shaft including a receiver for holding the base one component, and a second jaw statically mounted on the shaft including a receiver for releasably holding the base the other component. The first jaw is moveable between an open position and a closed position. The first and/or second jaw includes a channel for slideably receiving a needle. The instrument includes a mechanism for moving the first jaw between the open and closed positions and an ejector for driving the needle through the hole in the male component, through tissue and into the recess of the female component.

This invention generally relates to a surgical instrument, and more particularly to an instrument for applying a fastener to tissue of a patient.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease or persistent heartburn is caused by an improper relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing acidic stomach contents to travel into the esophagus. If left untreated, chronic reflux may cause esophageal stricture, bleeding ulcers, perforation, and scarring. Continued reflux may lead to Barrett's esophagus, involving changes in the esophageal cells and possibly leading to cancer. Antacids and proton pump inhibitors are initially used to treat this condition. If these treatments are unsuccessful, surgical intervention is often recommended.
One interventional surgical method is known as Nissen fundoplication. This procedure involves wrapping a fundus of the stomach around the lower end of the esophagus and fastening it in place to make the lower esophageal sphincter less compliant. Traditionally, this procedure was accomplished by open surgery using sutures to secure the plicated fundus of the stomach around the esophagus without penetrating the stomach. More recently, laparoscopic Nissen procedures have been used. In some laparoscopic procedures, surgical fasteners are used with an endoscopic applicator. Several different fastener designs have been developed. Some of these designs include a two piece fastener. A first of these pieces, a male component, includes a base having two straight elongate needles extending perpendicularly outward from the base generally parallel to each other. A second piece, a female component, includes a receiver element having openings positioned for receiving the needles of the first piece and a lock for holding the needles in place once received in the openings. In use, tissue is gathered, the needles of the first piece are pushed through the gathered tissue and the openings of the second piece to hold the tissue and fastener in place.
Various applicators are used to apply the fastener to the tissue. One applicator includes an elongate shaft having two jaws pivotally attached to its end. The jaws include receptacles for holding the first and second pieces of the fastener. The jaws push the needles of the first piece through the gathered tissue and the openings of the second piece to hold the tissue and fastener in place. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, because both jaws are pivotally attached to the shaft, both pieces of the fastener sweep through arcs as the jaws pivot to pierce the tissue and push the needles into the corresponding openings. As a result of the fastener pieces sweeping through arcs, both fastener pieces move relative to the tissue, making precise placement of the fastener in the tissue difficult. Even when the needles engage the tissue, the folded tissue can move relative to the female fastener component before the fastener components are fastened together. Thus, there is a need for an applicator that reduces the opportunity for the tissue to move as the fastener is applied.


An electrochemical cell is recharged in series with a constant voltage source and a resistor, wherein the charging current declines as a function of increasing cell voltage. When the change in voltage of the battery with respect to time decreases to near zero, the changing cycle is ended or converted to a maintenance charge.

The use of rechargeable cells and batteries has been steadily and rapidly increasing in recent years. With developments in rechargeable cell technology, rechargeable cells are used for power not only in traditional areas such as flashlights and small electronic devices but also in heavy duty power tools, temporary power sources, small vehicles such as forklifts, and even larger vehicles such as small automobiles. Of course, rechargeable cells are also widely used in the starting systems of gasoline powered vehicles and tools. Strictly speaking, a "battery" is a set of cells in series or parallel. For purposes of the present invention, however, the terms may be used interchangeably.
A characteristic of rechargeable cells is that the internal resistance of the cells and the electrochemical reaction in the cells during recharging tends to produce heat. This heat, in turn, further increases the internal resistance, which leads to still more heat. There is thus a cycle of heat production during recharging which if left uncontrolled will damage or even explode the cell.
In some nickel-cadmium cell rechargers, excessive heat build-up is prevented by use of a heat sensitive switch such as a bimetallic switch. If the temperature of the switch exceeds a predetermined switch activation temperature, the switch is opened to reduce the recharging current from full current to a trickle charge current or to cut-off the recharging current altogether. The thermocouple switch approach is relatively imprecise, since the temperature of the switch will be affected somewhat by the proximity of the switch to the cells being recharged and even by the ambient air temperature. In the case of nickel-cadmium cells, however, these variables are not very important since nickel-cadmium cells will withstand fairly high temperatures without being damaged.
There have recently been dramatic advances in lead-acid cells, as demonstrated by the thin-plate lead-acid batteries disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,300 by Juergens and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Lead-acid cells are less resistant to damage from high temperatures than are nickel-cadmium cells. For example, placing a typical rechargeable lead-acid cell into the type of nickel-cadmium recharger that has a heat sensitive cutoff-switch would cause high-temperature damage to the cell even before the temperature reached a sufficient level to open the switch to convert from full current to a maintenance charge current or no current. One approach to avoid this is to use a heat sensitive switch with a lower switch-off threshold, so that the switch will open at a lower temperature before the cell is heat damaged. Such an approach is not very feasible, however, because the lower temperature would need to be so low that the switch would be affected by the temperature variables mentioned above such as the precise placement of the switch in relation to the cell and ambient air temperature. A practical cutoff circuit is described in U.S. patent application No. 08/079,056 by Keating and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, where charging is reduced from full current to a maintenance charge current after a predetermined voltage of the charging cell is exceeded.
Another approach to cell charging is to use a timer to limit the duration of recharging. The timer may be used to either abruptly terminate the charging after a certain time has elapsed, or to continuously reduce the charging current as time elapses. However, batteries may develop different charging characteristics as they are successively discharged and recharged. Therefore, a cell charger using a constant charging time will not provide optimal charging. Other rechargers look for an upper voltage threshold to terminate charging. This still does not provide optimal charging because cells will obtain different maximum voltages at different states in their life-cycles. In the field of nickel-cadmium batteries, U.S. Pat. No.5,196,780 teaches a recharger in which the charging is discontinued when the cell voltage begins to decline on overcharging as is common for these types of cells.


A method for transmitting a message containing both common content to be transmitted to a plurality of receiving mobile communication terminals and specific content to be transmitted to a specific receiving mobile communication terminal includes displaying, when in a message writing mode, a message writing window including a first writing area and a second writing area, writing messages in the first writing area and the second writing area, inputting a telephone number of the receiving mobile communication terminal to which the message written in the second writing area is to be transmitted, combining the messages written in the first writing area and in the second writing area, and transmitting the messages to the receiving mobile communication terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for transmitting a message to a plurality of receiving mobile communication terminals, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for transmitting a message containing both common content to be transmitted to all of the plurality of receiving mobile communication terminals and specific content to be transmitted to a specific receiving mobile communication terminal.
2. Discussion of the Background
Short message service (SMS) and multimedia message service (MMS) are well-known data communication services provided for mobile communication terminals, and many mobile communication terminal users exchange information using these message services.
In conventional message transmission methods, a message prepared at a transmitting mobile communication terminal is sent to a receiving mobile communication terminal. With developments in the technology of wireless communication and mobile communication terminals, it has become possible to transmit a message from a mobile communication terminal to a plurality of receiving mobile communication terminals, wherein each receiving mobile communication terminal receives an identical message having the same content.
When transmitting a message to a plurality of mobile communication terminals, the message may require slightly different content for each receiving mobile communication terminal. In conventional methods, a message is prepared at the transmitting mobile communication terminal, which transmits the message to a first receiving mobile communication terminal and then stores the message. Subsequently, the transmitting mobile communication terminal retrieves the stored message, amends the content of the message, and then transmits the amended message to a second receiving mobile communication terminal. The transmitting mobile communication terminal may individually transmit messages containing slightly different content to a plurality of receiving mobile communication terminals by repeating the above steps.
However, in the above method, the message transmitted to the first mobile communication terminal must be stored and retrieved to amend the message for transmission to the second mobile communication terminal.

Apparatus and method for transmission of messages to multiple recipients


Database systems handle queries represented in different character sets. A database system allows data stored in the same database column to be represented in different character sets. In response to a query, the database system returns query results in the same character set as the received query even though the data stored in the database column is in a different character set. The database system creates and maintains a metadata table that stores attributes of database columns. The attributes of database columns include, among others, a data type, and a collation attribute. By tracking the collation attributes for data stored in database columns, the database system determines whether to convert data stored in a database column when processing database queries.

This disclosure relates generally to database systems and more specifically to supporting of character sets by database systems.
Databases store large amount of data for users across the globe. These users may speak and use different languages. It is therefore imperative to for databases to support different languages such that they can meet the users' demands. However, some legacy databases are configured to support character sets that do not support all languages used by different users. The process of converting data stored in these legacy databases from existing character sets to other character sets that support different languages is often time consuming. As a result, a database created with a particular character set may have to be shut down for long periods of time to perform an upgrade to be able to support a different character set. Several systems, for example, online systems often use databases continuously and are unable to afford long database shutdowns.

Maintaining character set compatibility in database systems


A hair comb may include a succession of teeth having at least one tooth that bears a hook, and at least two teeth without hooks. The hook may extend at least in part beyond a plane that is defined by at least two teeth in the succession.

The present invention relates to combs that can be used for isolating one or more locks of hair, so that a dyeing or highlighting product, for example, can be applied to the one or more isolated locks of hair.
French patent No. 1 600 472 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,993,438, 4,996,996 and 5,152,306 describe such combs.
There is a need for making it even easier to dye or add highlights to locks of hair, in particular for a single individual.
There is also a need for dyeing or adding highlights to locks in a manner that can be repeated over the whole head of hair.

Comb and method for isolating at least one lock of hair


A method includes loading the semiconductor structure on a stage; providing a detector disposed above the semiconductor structure and the stage; applying a voltage to the semiconductor structure; identifying a portion of the semiconductor structure at a temperature substantially greater than a predetermined threshold by the detector; rotating the stage and recording a rotation of the stage after identifying the portion of the semiconductor structure; and deriving a position of the portion of the semiconductor structure based upon the rotation of the stage.

With the advancement of electronic technology, the semiconductor device is becoming increasingly smaller in size while having greater functionality and greater amounts of integrated circuitry. Due to the miniaturized scale of the semiconductor device, a number of semiconductor components are assembled on the semiconductor device. Furthermore, numerous manufacturing operations are implemented within such a small semiconductor device.
After the manufacturing of the semiconductor device, inspections of the semiconductor device are performed before delivery. The semiconductor device has to undergo failure analysis to find out defects and causes, so as to improve manufacturing and reliability of the semiconductor device. However, the semiconductor device in a miniaturized scale becomes more complicated. As such, the failure analysis of the semiconductor device may encounter challenges. For example, it may be difficult to determine a failure position accurately.
As such, there is a continuous need to modify and improve testing and analysis of the semiconductor device.

Method of analyzing semiconductor structure

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.


A plant produced vaccine for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is provided where the Spike protein of the virus is expressed in a plant by introducing into a plant a construct comprising a promoter preferentially directing expression to seed of said plant, a nucleoic acid encoding the Spike protein and a nucleic acid targeting expression to the endoplasmic reticulum of the plant. The plant expresses the S1 polypeptide at levels of at least 10 mg/kg of seed of said plant. When orally administered to an animal, a protective response is observed including a serum antibody response.

The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus is an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration in pigs. It was first identified in Europe but has become increasingly problematic in many Asian countries, including Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. In April of 2013, PEDV emerged in U.S. swine in the Midwest, swiftly spreading across the country. By October 2013, PEDV was detected in swine herds in 18 States. The economic impact of PEDV infection has already been substantial. North American isolates of PEDV have been identified (Huang, et al. 2013; Stevenson et al. 2013), however no fully licensed vaccine is commercially available in the United States. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to develop vaccines capable of protecting pigs against disease associated with PEDV.

Expression of PEDV sequences in plants and plant produced vaccine for same


A system for capturing a thermal video stream includes a thermal image capture component, such as an IR camera, configured to capture and digitize the thermal video stream having n-bits of data per pixel, a memory configured to store the captured thermal images, and a processor. The processor is configured to select captured thermal images as frames for a video stream and subdivide each captured thermal image into separate m-bit and k-bit image streams. The processor is further configured to compress the m-bit thermal image stream in a video compression format that includes frame and metadata, compress the k-bit image stream using a lossless or substantially lossless compression format, and incorporate the compressed k-bit image stream into the coded m-bit video stream as metadata.

Thermal infrared cameras are well known and used in a wide variety of applications. A typical thermal infrared camera, often referred to simply as an infrared camera or IR camera, uses an infrared detector to detect infrared energy that is provided to the infrared detector through an infrared camera lens—a lens capable of transmitting infrared energy. The infrared camera generates an image based on the infrared energy and the image may be processed and stored locally or transmitted (e.g., via a wireless or wired network) for remote viewing and/or storage.
A conventional IR camera includes focal plane arrays (FPAs) that detect infrared (IR) radiation to generate thermal images. Thermal radiation passing through an optical path of an IR camera is received by IR detectors of the FPA, which provide image data for pixels of thermal images. High resolution and high bit depth is often desirable for viewing and image processing, but large image and file sizes are not always feasible for many systems and applications which may be limited by hardware, software, network and processing capabilities. As a result, the resolution and/or bit depth of acquired thermal images may be down-converted and compressed as a video stream using a video compression format (e.g., H.264 or MPEG4) for further image processing, storage and playback by the system or network. For example, the FPA of an IR camera may be capable of acquiring 14-bit thermal images, but if the hardware or software of the IR camera, network or image processing systems, or real-time processing requirements cannot be met with 14-bit file sizes, then the stream may need to be down-converted (such as to 8-bit thermal images) resulting in a loss of image information.
This problem is often encountered when adding or replacing an IR camera in an existing network or image processing system. For example, an IR camera may be integrated within a system for monitoring and controlling vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The system may include detection technology to identify the presence or absence of objects within a field of view of the IR camera. By detecting the heat signatures of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, an IR camera can be used in a traffic system to monitor traffic patterns and control signal timing in a variety of lighting and weather conditions. However, object detection is more accurate at higher resolutions and bit-depth and the loss of information due to down sampling or compression at one part of the system or network may degrade performance of the object detection and image processing elsewhere in the system. There is therefore a need for improved systems and methods for processing thermal video images.

Thermal-image based video compression systems and methods


A hot beverage brewing apparatus including a pressurized hot water delivery system to provide liquid under pressure within a range of acceptable infusion temperatures without a water pump. A fresh water tank is situated above a water heater in liquid communication to maintain the water heater filled. Water in the water heater is kept at a pre-infusion temperature. When infusion process is to commence the user selects volume of water to be dispensed into infusion material, water is rapidly heated to infusion temperature and displaced from water heater by pressurised air from air pump. At the end of the brew cycle the air pump is stopped and a valve connects the water heater to atmospheric pressure to facilitate water flow from the fresh water tank into the water heater. After the infusion process an air valve may direct air from the air pump to the infusible material to dry it for ease of disposal.

Coffee brewers where the user is able to select the volume of water used for brewing have become very popular in the past ten years. Many of these coffee brewers utilize a pre-packaged coffee pod, cartridge or capsule. Pre-packaged coffee pods, cartridges or capsules include a measured portion of ground coffee packaged in a structure that constrains the coffee while permitting hot water to flow through for extraction of flavor and aroma from the ground coffee.
It has become a prerequisite in brewing a cup at a time that the brew cycle remains short, preferably between 30 and 60 seconds and, during which time up to 300 milliliters of hot water must be channeled through the coffee pods, cartridges or capsules, and pass through a dense bed of coffee grounds. This results in a high flow rate that creates a high hydraulic resistance to the flow of water through the coffee pods, cartridges or capsules and the grounds therein. Therefore, the water has to be delivered to the coffee pod or capsule under an elevated pressure to be able to flow through the coffee pods, cartridges or capsules in a short amount of time. It has also become a prerequisite in brewing a cup at a time to use varying amounts of water according to the drinking habits of the user (some like to use small amounts of water resulting in an extra strong cup of coffee, others like their coffee diluted, thereby using larger volume of water). It is also a prerequisite that the volume of water delivered remains within a close tolerance of what is selected by the user. Another prerequisite in brewing a cup at a time is the desire to minimize the wait between each brewing cycle,
Brewing under pressure requires that the coffee brewing appliance contain a pump for elevating the water pressure to permit it to flow during the short brewing cycle through the dense coffee pod or capsule, as mentioned above. Typically electromagnetic pumps are being used in most such coffee brewing appliances. These pumps generate the water pressure needed by incorporating a reciprocating steel core that is activated by an electromagnetic field generated through an electric coil surrounding the core. There are many such pump designs, one typical such pump is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,169. The typical electromagnetic pump for use in such coffee brewing appliances delivers about 600 ml per minute (Approximately 20 fl. oz. per minute), while developing a head of approximately 1 atmosphere (Approximately 14-15 PSI). This type of pump requires very tight manufacturing tolerances and high quality materials and is therefore expensive in relationship to the rest of the coffee brewer parts. Typically such pumps cost $4.00 to $6.00, even when purchased in very large quantities. Electromagnetic pumps are also known to generate a loud vibration sound.
Because of the cost and noise issues designers of single serve coffee brewers have attempted to come up with alternative designs to eliminate the use of such a pump in coffee brewers, in a number of ways, for example:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/123,038 discloses a brewer incorporating a water heater, which can be hermetically sealed after filling it with water. In such a water heater water is heated to a temperature which corresponds with the pressure of 1 atmosphere above room pressure in order to use that pressure to drive the heated water through the dense pod for extracting the coffee flavor and aroma. Unfortunately, to elevate the water pressure by one atmosphere the water has to be heated to a temperature of about 120° Centigrade, which is too high a temperature for brewing coffee. The coffee brewed at that temperature is bitter and lacks aroma. Ideally, coffee should be brewed at about 92 Centigrade.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,180,204 discloses a design that uses a sealed water heater divided into two compartments one containing hot water the other containing water at room temperature and means for mixing water as it exits the water heater to maintain a resultant temperature of about 92 C.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,371,592, 6,082,247, 6,142,063, 6,666,130, 7,398,726, 7,640,845, and U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 11/393,615, 11/055,411, and 11/548,676 disclose coffee brewers that utilize an air pump that pressurizes the water container and causes the water to be delivered under pressure into the brew chamber containing the pod, cartridge or capsule. The coffee brewers described in these patents tend to be very complicated and subsequently would be expensive to produce, because of the large number of components used in the apparatus described in the patents listed here. These coffee brewers would also tend to be large to contain all the components, and will require a lot kitchen counter space. Also, owing to their large size these coffee brewers would be expensive to ship from their manufacturing venue (primarily China) to the market (primarily North America).
U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 11/899,952, 11/899,966, and 11/899,956 disclose a relatively compact single serve coffee brewer employing an air pump to pressurize the water heater for delivering water to the brew chamber. However the brewers disclosed do not include a cold water tank, requiring that the user refills the brewer with water before the brewer is to be used. Resulting in a long wait for the water to heat up, and the inconvenience associated with the need to refill water before each brewing cycle.
Most coffee brewers for brewing a cup at a time include flow meters through which the water flows to determine at all times the volume of water being delivered for infusion. Typically such flow meters are known as "turbine flow meters" as they incorporate a free spinning bladed wheel upon which water is injected to cause such wheel to turn in response to the velocity of water. A magnet is embedded in the hub of the wheel and a magnetic pick up exterior to the flow meter housing relays the number of turns to the control circuit. U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,845 as well as publications 20050160918, 20110281000, and 20120121769 make reference to such flow meters being used in hot beverage brewers. A flow meter that is frequently used in hot beverage brewers is Model No PVDF flow meter distributed by Daitron (www.daitron.com)
Reference is also made to pending, co-invented, and co-owned U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/297,625, the teachings of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

Apparatus and method for infusing hot beverages


The inventive composition comprises compatible combinations of methyl esters of fatty acids or triglycerides and polar non-chlorine extreme pressure additives, the composition being either (a) a working strength straight oil, (b) a soluble oil concentrate dilutable to a working strength soluble oil, the composition when at working strength effectively lubricating metal parts during high performance metalworking, and providing environmental and safety advantages.

This invention relates to a high performance metalworking fluid that has lubricating and extreme pressure/anti-wear properties and is environmentally safe, biodegradable, and non-hazardous, comprising a methyl ester of fatty acids or triglycerides component combined with a polar non-chlorine extreme pressure additive.
Soybean oil and vegetable oil triglycerides are heterogeneous products and may be converted to esters by a variety of processes, e.g. Demmering et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,636 and Stidham et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,560. Chlorinated methyl esters of soybean oils are known from Kusch, U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,038. A methyl soyate cleaning agent is described in Opre et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,699. Oil lubricating additives are also known, e.g. O'Brien, J. A., Lubricating Oil Additives, Handbook of Lubrication, p. 301-315, Vol. II, Edited by E. Richard Booser, CRC Press, Inc., 1984; Gergel, W. C., Lubricant Additive Chemistry, The International Symposium Technical Organic Additives and Environment, Interlaken, Switzerland, May 24-25, 1984, The Lubrizol Corporation. Biodegradable triglyceride-based lubricants are described in e.g. Stewart et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,521 and Naegely, U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,734. Soluble oil metalworking fluids based on soybean oil are described in Lightcap, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,225. Also known are metalworking compositions with chlorine-free extreme pressure agents, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,816.
Most traditional metalworking fluids are based on mineral oils that present potential environmental hazards. These formulations have been widely used for about thirty years. The most difficult metalworking applications (such as fine-blanking heavy gauge carbon steels, broaching, and drawing of stainless steel tubes and wires) require high performance metalworking fluids containing chlorinated paraffins. Recently however, the use of chlorinated paraffins has been questioned due to hazards to workers and the environment. The corrosiveness of chlorinated paraffins' decomposition products, primarily hydrogen chloride, is a concern. A more serious problem is presented at incineration facilities where incineration temperatures are not high enough, producing highly toxic and cancer-causing waste products. Previous attempts to use non-chlorinated replacements have failed in metalworking requiring high performance lubricating and extreme pressure/anti-wear properties.
There is a need for a high performance, economical, environmentally safe metalworking fluid. There is a growing need for effective, biodegradable soy-based straight oil and soluble oil metalworking fluids. For example, Section 9002 of the 2002 Farm Bill mandates federal procurement of biobased products. However, no existing preparations have been able to effectively replace chlorine-containing mineral oil-based metalworking fluids.

Soy-based methyl ester high performance metal working fluids


A call setup method and associated apparatus discloses sending a first message to a network device, wherein the first message is used by the electronic device to request to set up an outgoing call; receiving a second message sent by the network device, wherein the second message is used by the electronic device to set up an incoming call; caching the second message when the electronic device is in a call initiation state; releasing the outgoing call based on an indication message received from the network device and setting up the incoming call.

As one of the most critical functions of a terminal, a call can be used to implement real-time communication between people, and is undoubtedly of great importance. However, if the terminal initiates an outgoing call, and receives an incoming call before the outgoing call is connected, neither the outgoing call nor the incoming call can be connected. Such a conflict between an outgoing call and an incoming call frequently occurs at present.
Generally, there are several methods for resolving the conflict between the outgoing call and the incoming call. One method for resolving the conflict between the outgoing call and the incoming call includes the following steps: After initiating an outgoing call request, a terminal receives incoming call signaling delivered by a network device. If determining that a status conflict occurs between the outgoing call request and the incoming call signaling, the terminal discards the incoming call signaling, retains an outgoing call connection, and sends a status conflict message to the network device. After receiving the status conflict message sent by the terminal, the network device retains an incoming call link, rejects the outgoing call request of the terminal, and sends a rejection message to the terminal. In this case, the network device does not release an incoming call connection. After receiving the rejection message sent by the network device, the terminal releases the outgoing call. The terminal re-initiates the outgoing call. Because the network device does not release the incoming call connection, the network device does not match the terminal in status. Therefore, the network device considers by default that the current state is a conflict state. Consequently, the network device rejects an outgoing call re-initiation request initiated by the terminal.
However, in this method, because the terminal discards the incoming call signaling, and the network device rejects the outgoing call re-initiation request initiated by the terminal, the terminal does not match the network device in status. Consequently, neither the outgoing call nor the incoming call is connected, thereby affecting user experience.
Another method for resolving the conflict between the outgoing call and the incoming call includes the following steps: After initiating an outgoing call request, a terminal receives incoming call signaling delivered by a network device. The terminal determines that a status conflict occurs between the outgoing call request and the incoming call signaling, and sends a conflict message to the network device, to instruct the network device to release an incoming call connection. A cause value carried in the conflict message is that a user is busy. After receiving the conflict message sent by the terminal, the network device rejects the outgoing call request of the terminal, and releases the outgoing call and the incoming call.
However, because this method is applied to a scenario in which the outgoing call conflicts with the incoming call, when the terminal sends the conflict message to the network device, the network device releases the incoming call and rejects the outgoing call based on the conflict message. Consequently, neither the outgoing call nor the incoming call is connected, thereby affecting user experience.


A DRAM cell (10) having a capacitor-over-bit line (COB) structure self-aligned to the word lines and bit lines is disclosed. Word lines (24) and bit lines (28) are formed with insulating structures that include insulating sidewalls. The word line insulating structure includes an etch barrier layer (46) that extends over a source region (18). A first interlayer dielectric (ILD) (48) insulates the word lines (24) from the bit lines (28) and a second ILD (60) insulates the bit lines from a cell capacitor. A capacitor contact hole (34), self-aligned with the bit lines and the word lines, is formed by etching through the first and second ILDs (48 and 60) to expose the etch barrier layer (46) over the source region (18). Portions of the bit line and word line exposed by the etch are protected by their respective insulating structures. The exposed etch barrier layer (46) over the source region (18) is cleared and a storage capacitor is formed having a contact that extends into the contact hole to make contact with the source region (18).

The drive for increasing DRAM densities has given rise to a number of different DRAM cell configurations. One way in which to classify DRAM cells having capacitors formed above the substrate, is to designate the vertical position (layer) of the storage capacitor relative to the vertical position (layer) of the bit line. This gives rise to two, general, self-descriptive groups; bit line-over-capacitor (BOC) cells, and capacitor-over-bit line (COB) cells. For BOC cells, the bit line contact is formed by etching a contact hole after the storage capacitor has been formed. As a result, the location of the bit line can limit the lateral extent of the storage capacitor. An example of a BOC cell is set forth in "3-DIMENSIONAL STACKED CAPACITOR CELL FOR 16M AND 64M DRAMS" by Ema et al. appearing in IEDM 1988, pp. 592-595. The BOC cell appears in FIG. 1 of Ema et al. Other examples of BOC cells are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,704 entitled SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE and issued to Sato et al. on Apr. 2, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,975 entitled METHOD OF PRODUCING A CONNECTION HOLE FOR A DRAM HAVING AT LEAST THREE CONDUCTOR LAYERS IN A SELF ALIGNMENT MANNER issued to Kojima et al. on February, and in "Fully Self-Aligned 6F2 Cell Technology for Low Cost 1Gb DRAM" by Aoki et al. appearing in 1996 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 22-23.
Unlike most BOC cells, COB cells provide more lateral room for the location of the storage capacitor. An illustration contrasting a COB cell with a BOC cell is set forth in FIG. 11 of Ema et al. The capacitor of the COB cell extends over both the access transistor gate and the bit line, and is limited in the lateral direction only by the adjacent storage capacitor.
Examples of other COB cells are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,235 entitled SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY DEVICE INCLUDING IMPROVED CONNECTION STRUCTURE TO FET ELEMENTS and issued to Shimizu et al. on Jun. 27, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,043 entitled CONTACT ALIGNMENT FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS issued to Chan et al. on Jul. 27, 1996, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,351 entitled METHOD OF MAKING STACKED E-CELL CAPACITOR DRAM CELL issued to Fazan et al. on Oct. 1, 1991.
As DRAM densities continue to shrink, more complex manufacturing processes utilizing multiple conductive layers are needed to achieve acceptable cell capacitance while reducing DRAM cell size. This requires minimum tolerances in the placement of contacts and/or vias with respect to underlying conductive layers. Despite minimum tolerances, the possibility of unwanted shorts between the contact/vias and underlying layers is eliminated by ensuring that sufficient interlayer dielectric thickness exists therebetween. In order to reduce such tolerances, it is known in the prior art to use self-alignment techniques for both BOC and COB cells. Self-alignment techniques typically ensure that lower conductive layers are sufficiently insulated so as to allow for the overlap of a subsequently etched contact hole or via. For example, in the Kojima et al. patent and the Aoki et al. article, both the capacitor contacts and the bit line are self-aligned with the word lines. In both of these cases the word lines are isolated by a top dielectric and sidewall dielectrics. In the Chan et al. patent, differential dielectric deposition techniques followed by a blanket anisotropic etch, are used to form a self-aligned capacitor contact.
Commonly owned, copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/456,090 discloses a BOC DRAM cell having a capacitor contact that is self-aligned with a word line, and provides increased capacitance.
Increasing the number of self-aligned steps used in the fabrication of an integrated circuit reduces the constraints on the placement of underlying layers, allowing for more compact designs and thus higher densities.

DRAM cell having storage capacitor contact self-aligned to bit lines and word lines


The present application relates to a semiconductor laser, in particular such a laser which operates with substantially single longitudinal mode emission. The laser comprising a laser cavity, the laser further comprising a slot having an interface, characterized in that the slot is substantially filled with a reflective material having a large imaginary index relative to the laser cavity material. The interfaces of the slot may be inclined or may have a step for introducing a quarter wave phase shift.

Achieving single mode emission by introducing perturbations at prescribed positions along the length of a device is known, see EP 1 214 763 (Trinity College Dublin) the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. So called "slotted lasers", which achieve single longitudinal mode emission by means of optical feedback resulting from the etching of slot features along the laser cavity, are also disclosed in Irish Patent No S82521 (National University of Ireland, Cork) and S83622 (Eblana Photonics Ltd.) the contents of which are also incorporated herein by reference.
In general terms, the perturbations may be caused by any index altering means which modifies the refractive index profile of the waveguide to an appropriate degree to manipulate optical feedback and hence the spectral content of the device.
The term 'slot length' (designated Lslot in the prior art drawing FIG. 1) as used herein refers to the distance between the longitudinal slot faces in the device material, ie 'slot length' is measured along the direction of light propagation, d. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a typical prior art slotted laser 1 having a single rectangular slot 6. Typically such a device comprises waveguiding layers 2 (containing for example a multiple quantum well structure) covered by an upper cladding layer 4. Primary optical feedback means are provided in the form of a cleaved facet 8 at either end of the device. The distance between the facets and the effective index along the cavity determines the wavelength's of the Fabry Perot modes. The upper cladding layer 4 forms a ridge 3 having a cap layer 5. The slot features in such known devices are formed by etching a rectangular slot 6 in the ridge waveguide 3, resulting in two longitudinal interfaces 7 that are perpendicular to the direction of light propagation, d, within the device.
The mechanism whereby slotted lasers achieve their single mode performance has previously been described (e.g. Irish Patent Number S83622, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).
While the description of the present application which follows refers primarily to the case where the perturbations are defined by slots etched along the device it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the teaching of the application is equally applicable to other forms of suitable perturbations.
The present application considers the scattering and reflection processes which occur in these devices. As discussed in greater detail below, the Applicants have realized that in prior art lasing devices scattering and reflection processes interfere destructively.

Semiconductor laser and method of manufacture


A computer is programmed to receive from an administrator, a rule specifying one or more values of a parameter, identification of software wherein the rule is to be applied, and identification of a user on whom the rule is to be applied. The computer stores an association between the rule, the identified user and the identified software. On receipt of input from the identified user, to access the identified software, the computer uses the association to retrieve the rule, apply the rule to select information based on the value(s) specified in the rule, and execute the identified software to display the selected information to the identified user. Use of a rule that is specific to the user and also specific to the software enables the computer to support security for each user differently for different pieces of software in a software product line.

iProcurement, which is available from Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, Calif. is a self-service requisitioning software product that when executed in a computer enables an organization (such as an automobile manufacturer) to use computers to monitor and control spending by its employees. A computer which executes iProcurement enables employees to create, manage, and track their own orders for goods and services ("items") needed by the organization over a communications network (e.g. Internet), while the organization's purchasing department retains central control. In iProcurement, securing attributes, called realms can be set up to restrict a user's access to items identified in a catalog—either by item categories, or by punchout supplier sites. For details on securing attributes of iProcurement see pages 2-43, 3-64 to 3-73 of Oracle® iProcurement Implementation Guide, Release 11i, Part No. A85361-04, published August 2003, incorporated by reference herein as background.
Another example of prior art technology is row level security as implemented in a software product of the type shown in FIGS. 1A-1E and discussed next. Specifically, certain prior art computers known to the current inventors execute instructions to display a user interface (FIG. 1 A) that enables a human administrator to specify a type of security to be applied when any product in a product line, such as Peoplesoft Financials, available from Oracle Corporation, is used by other humans who are non-administrators, i.e. users. As shown in FIG. 1A, an administrator may specify that there are to be no security restrictions at all, resulting in every user of the product being allowed access to every screen in the product.
Alternatively, security may be enforced in the just-described Peoplesoft product based on an identifier of each individual user (shown as "User ID Level Security" in FIG. 1A) or based on a permission list (shown in FIG. 1A as "Permission List Level Security"). When either User ID Level Security or Permission List Level Security is selected by an administrator, a set of fields that can be secured during normal use of the product is presented to the administrator as shown in the bottom half of the screen in FIG. 1A (labeled "Secured Fields"). Prior art fields that can be secured are (a) Business Unit which represents an organization unit (comparable to a Set of Books in the E-Business Suite product line available from Oracle Corporation), (b) Setid which is a mechanism that controls groups of values for accounting codes called Chartfields, (c) Ledger which identifies specific accounting ledgers that may be accessed, (d) Book which represents a slice of accounting activity within a ledger, (e) Pay Cycle which refers to groups of vouchers or invoices scheduled for payment, and (f) Project which is typically identified by a unique project number, with a secondary option to define the project names/numbers by use of a list or a tree, already existing in the computer, as shown in the drop-down box.
FIG. 1B demonstrates an example of how a user's access to information related to various Business Units (FIG. 1A) is initially defined by the administrator, for all products in the Peoplesoft Financials product line. FIG. 1C shows an example setup, to allow a user named "VP1" access to a ledger named CC_FS_EXP. FIG. 1D is an example of how security for projects is set up when the option selected in the Security Options page is "Use tree". The selected projects displayed by the prior art computer to a user are the ones that are authorized for that user (e.g. VP1) when that user is assigned the role of Project Manager by an administrator. Once values have been defined and assigned to a user, a process needs to be executed by the computer, to build an appropriate dynamic view (FIG. 1E).
The just-described views (FIG. 1E) are used by multiple products in Peoplesoft Financials to restrict access to certain sets of data, based on security options defined by the administrator, e.g. on a Business Unit, Ledger or Project. Use of these views in the prior art (FIG. 1E) is by all products to internally secure data in such a way that when a user is logged in and using a product, search views used for prompting the user display only authorized values based on security options that were specified in common (FIG. 1B) for all products in the product line. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, a list of values that will be presented to user VP1 for selection in any product in Peoplesoft Financials only contains prompt values BUY01, BUY02, BUY03, BUY04, BUY05, BUY06, BUY07, BUY08 and US001 which the administrator has selected. Accordingly, in all products in Peoplesoft Financials, user VP1 is not able to view the prompt value of any other business unit (e.g. US002), and hence unable to select to view data for such other business unit. Similar behavior can be implemented using common security options, e.g. a Ledger defined for the user, as well as for Projects.
The current inventors note that certain prior art of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1E does not permit securing a user's access to a parameter value differently in different components. For example, an accounts payable (AP) clerk may need access to all accounts and to all departments of an organization in one component, to enter an organization's vendor invoices. The current inventors note that if options are set up for the AP clerk to be granted access to all accounts and all departments, the only way to do so in the prior art known to the inventors automatically grants access in all components. On doing so in prior art software, the current inventors note that the AP clerk is automatically given the ability to place an order for any item in any account, and to charge it to any department, which is a breach in security. Hence, the current inventors believe there is need for improvement, of the type discussed below.

Securing user access to a parameter value across a software product line differently for different products


Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can be prevented in persons susceptible to the diseases and PAH patients can be treated by administering an effective dose of a leukotriene inhibitor. Suitable inhibitors include leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) inhibitors, leukotriene B4 receptor (BLT1/BLT2) antagonists, 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitors, and 5-lipoxygenase activating protein (FLAP) inhibitors.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disorder characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. PAH is one of the five classes of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The other four types of PH are venous, hypoxic, thromboembolic and miscellaneous PH.
PAH is a condition in which the progressive obliteration of the pulmonary vasculature leads to increased resistance to blood flow through the lungs. In turn, this obstruction leads to right heart failure and, ultimately, death. PAH mainly affects young and middle-aged women.
Current methods of treating PAH focus on prolonging patient lifespan and enhancing patient quality of life. Such methods include administration of: vasodilators such as prostacyclin, epoprostenol, and sildenafil; endothelin receptor antagonists such as bosentan; calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine, diltiazem, and nifedipine; anticoagulants such as warfarin; supplemental oxygen therapy and diuretics. When medical treatment fails, the final therapeutic option is lung and/or heart-lung transplantation. Each of these methods, however, suffers from one or multiple drawbacks such as lack of effectiveness, serious side effects, low patient compliance, and high cost.
Accordingly, new compounds, compositions of those compounds in the form of pharmaceutical formulations, medicaments containing those formulations and unit dose forms of them, and methods for treating PAH are needed. The present invention addresses these needs.

Treatment of pulmonary hypertension with leukotriene inhibitors

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


A bending brake for sheet material includes frames; an upper jaw and a lower jaw that cooperate to hold the sheet material a bending surface pivotally connected to the lower jaw to bend the sheet material against an anvil of the upper jaw; an interlocking unit connected to the frame and having a cam surface which has having a locking position; and an elongated pipe assembly for rotation by a user. The elongated body bears against the cam surface and rests in the locking position to clamp the sheet material with reduced freedom of play.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to portable construction equipment, and more particularly, to sheet bending brakes.
2. Background
The use of some machines calls for supporting a workpiece while presenting it with a particular orientation to the machine. For example, a common bending machine, known as a sheet bending brake ("brake"), is operative to bend a substantially flat workpiece of sheet material. Such sheet material typically are made of aluminum, one or more compositions of vinyl, or the like and are used in siding structures, houses, railings or the like.
In order to bend such a workpiece using a typical sheet bending brake, ordinarily, the workpiece is first positioned upon the brake's clamping surface so that the edges of the workpiece have a desired orientation with respect to the brake. Commonly, a rectangular workpiece is positioned so that its front and rear edges are generally parallel to the front side of the brake.
Such a position allows the typical brake to bend the workpiece along a line that is generally parallel to the workpiece's front and rear edges. It is common for the craftsman of a brake to position the workpiece manually, perhaps with the assistance of a helper, controlling the workpiece's orientation as it is presented to the brake. As the craftsman positions the workpiece upon the brake's clamping surface, he visually estimates, or perhaps determines with the assistance of temporary markings placed upon the workpiece, whether the workpiece is properly oriented or aligned relative to the brake.
Considering that each workpiece is typically a several feet long, proper orientation and alignment operations take an inappropriately long time. Often, as the craftsman approaches one end of the workpiece, the opposite end of the latter may be accidentally moved out of alignment. Accordingly, it would be desirable to simplify these operations by providing, for example, stoppers operative to prevent the workpiece portion from accidental displacement.
Typically, the workpiece must be cut from a coil of continuous sheet of material. This presents a problem as the coil is tightly wound for efficient shipping and storage. Once the retaining tape is removed the coil springs to unwind and is easily damaged or becomes soiled. To obviate this problem, craftsmen may work together—one craftsman unwinds the coil to the desired length of the individual workpiece and the other holds the still wound coil segment. However, this is highly inefficient use of manpower. Thus, it has been suggested that the coil be retained in some fashion while still being able to be unrolled.
One suggestion is to use a cradling device that is positioned on its own legs adjacent to the bending brake. The material is then unrolled, cut and fed one at a time into the bending brake for bending. Problems are inherent with such an arrangement; for example while unwinding the coil, the cradling device may be knocked over; the coil may slip off the coil support and fall on the ground. Since the craftsman usually prepares numerous individual workpieces, recurrent resetting of the cradling device or mounting of the fallen coil considerably slows the craftsman and makes the entire process inefficient. Having the bending brake provided with a means for securing the coil can improve the efficiency of this machine.
Furthermore after unwinding the coil at the desired length and using a cutter to sever the individual workpiece from the rest of the coil, the craftsman has a need to place the workpiece somewhere so as to proceed to cut the next workpiece or perform some other task. Typically, the workpieces end being aggregated on the ground where they are damaged or soiled. Thus, it would be desirable to have a table at the worksite so that the workpieces are stacked upon one another on that table. To accommodate this need, conscientious craftsmen attempt to fashion their own table. By necessity such a table must be long enough and wide enough for the cut workpieces. As a rule, such a table has a relatively cumbersome structure. Since equipment must be moved to new job sites, cumbersome tables are not desired. Therefore, it would be desirable to have the table that can be folded and/or easily transported and that would work efficiently to receive workpieces cut from the coil.
Furthermore, at least some of the components of the known bending machines may not be ergonomically designed and tend to make the craftsman's job rather difficult. For example, some of the known brakes have rulers used by the craftsman to mark a portion of the individual workpieces that has to be bent. As mentioned before, each workpiece is typically a few feet long. Accordingly, while the craftsman marks different regions of the single workpiece for further uniform cutting or bending, he/she moves along the workpiece. The rulers, which typically extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the machine, tend to interfere with the craftsman's movement. It would be desirable to mount the rulers to the machine in a manner allowing the craftsman to swing them to a position, in which the rulers would not hinder the craftsman's work.
After the portion of the workpiece to be bent is uniformly marked, the craftsman clamps the workpiece between holding jaws and pivots them to an operative position, thereby bending the workpiece. Some of the known bending machines do not have a mechanism providing a positive lock between the holding jaws and workpiece. Others may be equipped with such a lock, but the structure of the lock may not be safe for the craftsman, who may have his/her fingers trapped in the lock, which can lead to devastating injuries. As a consequence, it is desirable to improve the known lock structures.
Many of the known bending machines also have a slitter operative to cut the workpiece parallel to its longitudinal axis so as to provide the workpiece with the desirable width. Upon cutting, a cutoff portion simply falls on the ground. The craftsman and his assistants, typically, pick up the fallen piece from the floor and put it back on the table for further bending operations, if the width of the cutoff portion allows for such an operation. Clearly, the efficiency of the process is reduced, since picking the cutoff portion from the floor and putting it on the table take a relatively long time. It would be advantageous to provide the bending machine with a support, which is attached to the machine and configured to catch the cutoff piece before it falls on the floor.
A need, therefore, exists for sheet bending brakes that operate in an efficient manner.
Another need exists for sheet bending brakes that have an ergonomically configured structure.
Another need exists for sheet bending brakes provided with a support that prevents falling cutoff pieces on the ground.
Still a further need exists for sheet bending brakes that have an easily foldable and transportable structure.


An infrared detecting element includes a recessed portion, a supporting section, and an infrared detecting section. A supporting section is located above the recessed portion such that a hollow space stands between the supporting section and the recessed portion. The infrared detecting section is provided on the supporting section and detects infrared rays. The recessed portion is covered with a water repellent film, and the supporting section is made of a material that has high rigidity compared to silicon and silicon oxide.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an infrared detecting element, and particularly relates to an element that detects an irradiation amount of infrared rays.
2. Background Technology
Research has been made on an infrared detecting element using a micromachining technology to a silicon base plate. One of the infrared detecting elements is a bolometer-type infrared detecting element that detects change in the temperature due to infrared rays. The infrared detecting element can detect infrared rays with good sensitivity by using an insulation structure that will not release heat after the infrared detecting element is heated by infrared rays.
Patent Document 1 has disclosed a bolometer-type infrared detecting element in which a detecting section is provided in an area spaced apart from a silicon base plate. According to this document, a sacrifice layer is formed of diamond-like carbon, and a supporting section and a detecting section are formed on the sacrifice layer. Then, etching is conducted to the sacrifice layer by plasma processing including oxygen so as to form a hollow space. In this manner, the detecting section has an insulation structure. However, the detecting section is exposed to a condition of being heated for a long period of time, and exposed to a circumstance of plasma discharge for a long period of time. Consequently, the detecting section is more likely to be damaged.
If a wet process is used at the time of etching the sacrifice layer, it is possible to prevent the detecting section from being exposed to heat or plasma for a long period of time. As such a method, the following can be possible. First, a recessed portion is formed, and a protective film for protection against an etching solution is formed on the surface of the recessed portion. Next, a sacrifice layer is formed on the recessed portion, and a supporting section and a detecting section are provided on the sacrifice layer. Subsequently, the sacrifice layer is removed by being immersed in an etching solution. The etching solution is also referred to as an etchant.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2009-192350 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art.

Infrared detecting element, method for manufacturing infrared detecting element, and electronic device


The present invention provides a process for producing an optical waveguide which comprises: disposing on an undercladding layer at least one member for forming an optical-path deflection plane; forming a photosensitive resin layer over the undercladding layer so as to at least partly cover the member for forming an optical-path deflection plane; subjecting the photosensitive resin layer to exposure and then development to thereby form at least one core layer; and forming an overcladding layer over the undercladding layer so as to cover the at least one core layer.

Among optical waveguides which optically connect optical devices to one another, the optical waveguides for optical-path deflection are used as optical-path deflection elements in electro-optic hybrid circuit boards, etc.
Processes for producing such an optical-path deflection element which have been proposed include, for example, a method in which a blade having a tip with an inclined plane is used to conduct cutting while applying the blade perpendicularly to the optical waveguide to thereby form in the optical waveguide an inclined end face serving as a micromirror (see, for example, patent document 1).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-10-300961
However, in the method described in patent document 1, the inclined end face serving as a micromirror for each of optical paths disposed parallel to one another is linearly formed along the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the optical paths, because cutting with the blade having a tip with an inclined plane is conducted while applying the blade perpendicularly to the optical waveguide. Namely, a micromirror for optical-path deflection is formed in each of the optical paths in the same position in the lengthwise direction for the optical paths. The conventional method hence has a drawback that it cannot be used to form micromirrors, in accordance with respective optical paths, at different positions in the lengthwise direction of the optical paths.