A machine for molding a starting crystalline saturated polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate includes a device for first drying and then preheating the starting resin to a temperature above its melting point to lower the viscosity of the resin to such an extent that the resin is not substantially degraded in the compression section of the molding machine. A feed section is provided for quantitatively feeding the molten starting resin to the main body of the molding machine. Accordingly, the starting resin is molded into a desired shape in a molding machine under conditions such that the crystallization temperature of the resulting molded article is within 20.degree. C. of the crystallization temperature of the starting saturated crystalline polyester resin. By avoiding reductions in the crystallization temperature of the molded resin, the resin can be shaped by, for example, blow molding into a bottle or other configuration while satisfying simultaneously the requirements for transparency and dimensional stability. The molded polyester articles obtained using this molding apparatus are substantially free from chalking and variation in internal volume and are excellent in heat resistance.

Heretofore, glass has been widely used as a material for forming containers for seasonings, oils, juices, carbonated drinks, beer, Japanese sake, cosmetics, detergents, etc. Usually, however, because of relatively high production costs of glass containers, empty containers after use are recovered and circulated for re-use. Furthermore, glass containers had such drawbacks that because they are heavy, costs of transport increase and, in addition thereto, they are easy to break and difficult to handle.
In order to solve such drawbacks associated with glass containers, various plastic containers have recently come to be used rapidly in substitution for glass containers. Various plastics are used as materials for plastic containers according to the kind of the contents to be contained and to the purpose for which the contents are used. Of such plastics materials, saturated crystalline polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and the like are excellent in mechanical strength, heat resistance, transparency and gas barrier properties, and are used as materials for containers for juices, cooling beverages, carbonated drinks, seasonings, detergents, cosmetics and the like. Of the plastic containers used for such purposes as mentioned above, blow molded containers for juices, cooling beverages and carbonated drinks are required to be subjected to sterilizing and high-temperature filling. On that account, the blow molded containers must be molded from heat resistant resins capable of withstanding the high-temperature filling operation, and such blow molded containers for filling purposes are required to be excellent in transparency and form stability such as uniformity in internal space.
As stated above, saturated crystalline polyester resins are plastics excellent in physical properties, but no saturated crystalline polyester resins simultaneously having the above-mentioned transparency, heat resistance capable of withstanding the high-temperature filling operation and form stability have been known heretofore.
Especially, there was such a serious problem that when a saturated crystalline polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate is fed to a molding machine such as an injection molding machine to prepare a preform for blow molded article, and this preform is then blow molded into a blow molded container, the resulting blow molded container chalks and deteriorates in transparency. On that account, the blow molded containers that were deteriorated in transparency are unavoidably discarded, resulting in a sharp decrease of the yield of the products.
There have been proposed various processes for molding saturated crystalline polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate into blow molded containers which are heat resistant, for example, a process in which heat resistant resins such as polyallylate are laminated on the polyester blow molded containers (Plastics, Vol. 1, 36 (No. 9), 121 (1985), a process in which the polyester blow molded containers as molded are subjected to heat setting (Japanese Patent Publn. No. 3301/1984, Japanese Patent L-O-P Publns. Nos. 12031/1980, 75833/1981 and 13142/1981) and a process in which the containers as molded are improved in crystallinity by subjecting them to solvent treatment. These processes as cited above are all intended to impart heat resistance to saturated crystalline polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate which are inherently insufficient in heat resistance by means of molding means or treatment after molding. In all the blow molded containers obtained by every one of the above-cited processes, the their transparency and form stability are not sufficiently satisfactory, and hence the advent of blow molded containers consisting essentially of saturated crystalline polyester resins and having excellent transparency and form stability has been earnestly desired.
With the view of obtaining blow molded containers excellent in transparency and form stability from saturated polyester resins, the present inventors prosecuted extensive research. As a result, they have found that the reason why blow molded containers consisting of saturated crystalline polyester resins chalk and decrease in transparency and further decrease in form stability is that in a process of preparing a preform for blow molded article from saturated crystalline polyester resins by injection molding or the like, said saturated crystalline polyester resins are heated, fused and sheared, whereby the crystallizing temperature (Tc) of the saturated crystalline polyester resins decreases, and that blow molded articles obtained from the preform consisting of saturated crystalline polyester resins having a decreased crystallizing temperature (Tc) will come to chalk. On the basis of the technical information obtained above, the present inventors continued a further investigation and have eventually accomplished the present invention based on their finding that if saturated crystalline polyester resins are molded into molded articles using a molding machine under specific conditions, the crystallizing temperature of said unsaturated crystalline polyester resins will not decrease, whereby the molded articles obtained, such as blow molded articles, are found to be excellent in transparence and form stability.

Method for molding saturated crystalline polyesters and molding equipment therefor


A method for the selective determination of sialic acid-carrying glycolipid complexes in blood, in which the serum is diluted with water, then extracted with a water-immiscible organic solvent or solvent mixture to remove neutral lipids, a lipoprotein fraction containing sialic acid-carrying glycolipids is precipitated from the aqueous phase, the precipitated fraction is redissolved, and the sialic acid content of the solution or the amount and quality of the sialic acid-carrying glycolipid are determined by a method known per se. A water-soluble salt of a monovalent, bivalent or trivalent metal other than alkali metal is used as a precipitating agent in an amount corresponding to a final metal ion concentration of 0.005-0.1 mole/l in the mixture, and precipitation is performed at a pH of 1.5 to 8.0.

Sialic acid (N-acetyl neuraminic acid) appears in the living organism in free and bound states (Advances in Cancer Res. 38, 289-350; 1983). Sialic acid can be bound as a terminal group via an oligosaccharide chain to membrane-bound sphingolipids (J. of Supramolecular Structure 9, 157-177; 1978). The terminology of gangliosides, including glycosphingolipids, is not always unambiguous in the literature. According to Svennerholm (Comprehensive Biochemistry 18, 201; Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1970) these compounds can be classified into the groups of monosialogangliosides, disialogangliosides and trisialogangliosides. The hydrophobic part of the ganglioside is ceramide, which is bound to the membrane with a long unsaturated fatty acid chain. Ceramide is bound to oligosaccharides, i.e. to glucose, galactose, N-acetyl galactosamine and sialic acid, through an amino group.
Owing to the presence of sialic acid bound thereto, the glycosphingolipid macromolecule has a negative charge, and this negative charge influences certain intercellular interactions. Due to the disturbances in biochemical equilibrium in tumorous organisms the intercellular interactions change whereupon the amount of glycolipid-bound sialic acid increases in the blood.
Based on this theoretical recognition several methods have been developed to determine the glycolipid-bound sialic acid content of blood. According to the method of Svennerholm (Biochem. Biophys. Acta 24, 604-611 1957) blood plasma is extracted with a 2:1 mixture of chloroform and methanol to separate glycosphingolipids from the other lipid fractions of blood, and the sialic acid content of glycosphingolipids is measured by a colorimetric reaction produced with resorcinol in the presence of a copper(II) salt. According to Katopodis (U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,567) the glycosphingolipid fraction is precipitated first from the methanolic supernatant with phosphotungstic acid, and the redissolved precipitate is utilized in the colorimetric determination. In this way the specifity of the Svennerholm method could be improved. Sialic acid can also be determined, however, by enzymatic reactions. According to the method disclosed in Clin. Chim. Acta 108, 493-498 (1980) the glycoprotein is split with neuraminidase enzyme and the liberated sialic acid is contacted with N-acetyl-neuraminic acid-aldolase enzyme to obtain pyruvate and N-acetyl-D-mannosamine. The resulting pyruvate is oxidized with pyruvate oxidase into a peroxide which is converted into a colored substance with p-chlorophenol and 4-amino-antipyrine in the presence of peroxidase, and the amount of the resulting coloured substance is determined at 505 nm.
All of the above methods have the common disadvantage that the error of determination exceeds 20%. Since according to the authors there is a rather small difference between normal and pathologic sialic acid levels (values below 18 mg % can be regarded as normal, whereas those exceeding 20 mg % are pathologic), the results may refer to the existence of a malignant disease but cannot be applied as an unambiguous proof of the existence of tumorous or tumour-free state. It is a further disadvantage that certain benign diseases, such as arthritis, psoriasis, ulcer, inflammations and gynecological disorders, may also result in an increase of the sialic acid content of blood (J. Clin. Chem. Biochem. 22, 647-651 1984). Consequently, the method developed so far for the determination of sialic acid content of blood may only give rise to a suspicion of cancer but cannot form a basis for setting up a more accurate diagnosis.

Analytical method for the selective determination of sialic glycolipid complexes


A self-adhesive label comprising a self-adhesive base carried on a backing of release material, a multilaminar portion disposed on a first portion of the base, a layer of adhesive on a second portion of the base adjacent to the first portion, and a printed cover sheet having a first edge portion which is adhered to the base by the layer of adhesive, a central portion which extends over the multilaminar label, and a second edge portion opposite to the first edge portion which is arranged to be held against the backing of release material thereby to retain the self-adhesive label in a closed configuration.

The present invention relates to self-adhesive labels. In particular, the present invention relates to self-adhesive labels of multi-laminar construction in which the label incorporates a booklet or folded sheet so as to provide a large surface area for carrying printed information which is greater than the surface area of the footprint of the label. The labels of the present invention have particular application in the labelling of pharmaceutical products.
A variety of so-called leaflet labels or booklet labels are known in the art and a typical label construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,403 in the name of David J Instance. In such labels, an individual folded leaflet or booklet is carried on a self-adhesive base or support piece which itself is releasably adhered to a backing of release material The folded leaflet or booklet is often overlaminated with a self-adhesive transparent plastics layer.
Such labels can be relatively expensive to manufacture because of the need to print substantially all of the text, apart from that on the base by multi-colour printing on a single sheet of relatively expensive coated paper to be subsequently folded or formed into a booklet or leaflet. Furthermore, the known labels can suffer from the disadvantage that when several versions of the same label construction corresponding to slight variations in the product to be labelled are required, it is necessary to have a separate sheet printed for each version of the label. This is relatively inefficient to manufacture, particularly for short manufacturing runs for the labels, because this requires the folded leaflet or booklet parts to be manufactured to order or held in stock for each label version Finally, such labels are employed to label pharmaceutical products. In order to protect consumers of pharmaceutical products. It is essential that proper quality control is exercised to ensure that the correct folded leaflet or booklet is married up with the correct underlying base support piece.
The present invention aims to provide improved self-adhesive labels.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide lower cost leaflet labels or booklet labels. particularly for short run multiple brand name versions of the same label.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a multi-component leaflet label having improved quality control features to ensure correct manufacture.


A suspension control system for a suspension supporting a mass body on a support base via a parallel combination of a shock absorber having a variable damping coefficient and a spring. The control system cyclically measures absolute velocity (Z) of the mass body along a moving path of expansion and contraction of the shock absorber, relative velocity (Y) of the mass body in reference to the support base along the moving path, and acceleration (Z) of the mass body along the moving path. A control unit of the control system controls the damping coefficient according to a ratio (Z/Y) of the absolute velocity to the relative velocity with cyclic readjustment thereof so that at least either the damping coefficient is greater relative to the ratio when the acceleration is rich in low frequency components or a frequency of the cyclic readjustment of the damping coefficient is lower when the acceleration is rich in high frequency components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspension for supporting a mass body on a support base via a parallel combination of a spring means and a shock absorber, and more particularly to a control of such a suspension with certain variations of the damping coefficient of the shock absorber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A suspension for supporting a mass body on a support base via a parallel combination of a spring means and a shock absorber is common in the art of automobiles, wherein a mass body comprised of a vehicle body and a passenger or passengers is supported on a plurality of vehicle wheels via a plurality of suspension mechanisms each including a parallel combination of a suspension spring and a shock absorber, so that each parallel combination of the spring and the shock absorber bears a share of the total mass of the vehicle body and the passenger or passengers to support it on a corresponding vehicle wheel.
FIG. 13 illustrates schematically such a dynamic system, wherein a mass body 100 having a mass M is supported on a support base 110 via a suspension comprising a parallel combination of a spring 130 having a spring coefficient K and a shock absorber 120 having a damping coefficient C. As is well known in the art, expressing the absolute displacements of the support base 110 and the mass body 100 in reference to a certain absolute ordinate by X and Z, respectively, thereby also expressing the relative displacement of the mass body 100 in reference to the support base 110 by Y, the dynamic motion of the dynamic system is expressed as follows: ##EQU1##
In the suspension shown in FIG. 13, the spring 130 is indispensable for supporting the mass body 100 against the gravity in the dynamic state as well as in the static state of the system, whereas the shock absorber 120 operates only to dampen a dynamic movement of the mass body 110 and is ineffective in the static state of the system. In view of this, it is considered to mount the shock absorber 120 between the mass body 100 and a stationary member 140 as shown in FIG. 14, in order to more effectively dampen the dynamic movement of the mass body 100 when desired, although no such stationary member is available in the case of the suspension of automobile. A damper such as the shock absorber 120 in FIG. 14 provided above the mass body 100 to dampen the movement of the mass body 100 from the overhead stationary member 140 is called a sky hook damper. It has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publications 3-276806, 3-276807, 3-276808, 3-276811 and 4-15113 assigned to the same assignee as the present application to analyze the system shown in FIG. 14 in the equivalency conversion to the system shown in FIG. 13, so that the damping action of the shock absorber 120 in the system shown in FIG. 13 is approximated to the shock absorber 120 in the system shown in FIG. 14, so as thereby to obtain a more stable damping effect for the mass body 100 without the stationary member in the case of the automobile suspension.
In more detail, according to the conventional dynamics, the dynamic motion of the system shown in FIG. 14 is expressed by ##EQU2## wherein C* and K are the damping coefficient and the spring coefficient of the shock absorber 120 and the spring 130 in FIG. 14, respectively. Therefore, from the comparison of equations (1) and (2), if the damping coefficient C of the system shown in FIG. 13 is controlled to be a product of a constant damping coefficient C* in FIG. 14 and a ratio Z/Y, i.e. the ratio of the absolute velocity of the mass body 100 to the relative velocity of the mass body 100 in reference to the support base 110, the mass body 100 in the system shown in FIG. 13 will be more stably suspended on the support base 110 as if the dynamic movement of the mass body 100 were dampened by the shock absorber 120 supported by the stationary member 140 in FIG. 14.
According to the above-mentioned sky hook damper theory, the damping coefficient of the shock absorber is controlled to make the product C*.Z/Y to be equivalent to the damping coefficient C of the conventional shock absorber.
However, when the damping coefficient of the shock absorber is variably controlled, the shock absorber will be able to operate more effectively not only so as to dampen the oscillation of a mass body such as a vehicle body according to the above-mentioned sky hook damper theory but also so as more properly to meet with the irregularity conditions of the road surface which require a soft damper, i.e. a relatively low damping coefficient at times but require a hard damper, i.e. a relatively high damping coefficient at other times.

Suspension control system with variable damping coefficients dependent on exciting force frequency


A cooking device includes an infrared ray sensor disposed to sense infrared radiation from food obliquely from the above. Infrared ray sensor includes a printed circuit board, a light receiving portion, a photointerrupter, and a chopper. The chopper includes a horizontal vane portion and a vertical vane portion. The chopper is disposed between the light receiving portion of infrared ray sensor and food such that the vertical vane portion passes between the light emitting device and light receiving device of photointerrupter and that horizontal vane portion passes between the light receiving portion of infrared ray sensor and food when chopper rotates. Thus, an improved microwave oven having a reduced occupied area which can be manufactured less costly can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cooking device, and more particularly, to a microwave oven having an infrared ray sensor disposed to sense infrared radiation from food obliquely from the above.
2. Description of the Background Art
Cooking device use an infrared ray sensor as shown in FIG. 15 to sense the temperature of food. The infrared ray sensor converts sensed infrared radiation from the food into electric energy. Referring to FIG. 15, infrared ray sensor 1 includes a base 2, a light receiving portion 3 and an amplifier 4 provided on base 2. Light receiving portion 3 and amplifier 4 are protected in a case 6 having a silicon transparent window 5. Light receiving portion 3 and amplifier 4 are connected to a terminal 7.
Such an infrared sensor used in a microwave oven is a pyroelectric infrared ray sensor formed of monocrystals of lithium tantalate (LiTaO.sub.2). Light receiving portion 3 absorbs infrared rays coming through silicon transparent window 5, and converts the absorbed rays into electric energy. Amplifier 4 is formed of a thick film circuit chip.
The infrared ray sensor responds to those forming intermittent light among incoming infrared rays to provide alternate voltage. Referring to FIG. 16, the microwave oven is provided with a chopper (breaker) 8 having open and closed portions rotating at fixed intervals to have an alternate signal based on the temperature differential between food and chopper 8. The alternate signal is amplified to control the heating temperature using an adder, a comparator and a microcomputer.
Referring to FIG. 16, chopper 8 is rotated by a chopper motor 9 such that the vanes of chopper 8 pass through the light emitting device and light receiving device of a photointerrupter 10 as will be described. A solenoid 11 as will be also described is used to open/close a shutter 12.
FIG. 17 is a view showing the concept of a microwave oven including an infrared ray sensor and the associated portions. The microwave oven has a cavity 17 in which a turn table 18 is provided. Turn table 18 is turned by a pulley 20 through a turn table shaft 19. A cook net 21 is sometimes provided on turn table 18. In FIG. 17, a cup 22a is placed on turn table 18. Microwaves are introduced into cavity 17 from a magnetron 22 through a waveguide 23. Hot air 25 is introduced into cavity 17 through a nozzle 24. Infrared ray sensor 1 is provided at an upper position of cavity 17. Chopper 8 is provided under infrared ray sensor 1. Chopper 8 is rotated by chopper motor 9. In FIG. 17, shutter 12 is provided under chopper 8, and shutter 12 is opened/closed by solenoid 11. Though not shown, such a conventional microwave oven is provided with a dedicated cooling fan for cooling infrared ray sensor 1. Cooling air from the cooling fan is let in in the direction of arrow A, and let out in the direction of arrow B. A beam denoted by reference numeral 25 is infrared radiation from food.
Now, the chopper and the chopper motor will be described further in detail in conjunction with FIG. 18.
In order to convert the temperature of food into an electrical signal using an infrared ray sensor, the dose differential between infrared radiation from food and infrared radiation from a reference object is produced. The chopper is provided for the purpose between the light receiving portion of the infrared ray sensor and incoming infrared rays radiated from food.
Referring to FIG. 18, chopper 18 has three vanes and have vane portions and other portions with no vane provided at equal intervals. Chopper motor 9 is formed of a 24-pole stator having coil windings and a rotor having a permanent magnet, and applies a rotating force to chopper 8. Chopper 8 is fixed to chopper motor 9 by a spring 13, a washer 14, an idle bush 15 and an E ring 16.
Referring to FIG. 19, the solenoid and the shutter will be described in further detail.
Infrared rays from food come into the light receiving portion of the infrared ray sensor through a microwave cutoff pipe 27, and therefore smoke containing oil emitted during the heating operation of the microwave oven comes into the sensor through microwave cutoff pipe 27. Cooling air for the infrared ray sensor coming into the oven through microwave cutoff pipe 27 adversely affects the oven temperature. In order to avoid the effect, referring to FIG. 19, the upper surface of microwave cutoff pipe 27 is closed by shutter 12 operated by solenoid 11 unless the sensor operates. When the sensor operates, solenoid 11 is excited to open shutter 12. In FIG. 19, the portion in dotted line 26 corresponds to the position of shutter 12 during the operation of the sensor. Shutter 12 is opened/closed by solenoid 11 and a shutter spring 28.
Referring to FIG. 20, the photointerrupter will be described further in detail. Referring to FIG. 20, photointerrupter 10 is a photocoupling element formed of a combination of a light emitting device (LED) 29 and a light receiving device (phototransistor) 30. Chopper 8 rotates in the direction of arrow A. When a vane of chopper 8 is between these devices (in the state shown by the oblique lines in FIG. 20), light is cut off and the light receiving device 30 of photointerrupter 10 is turned off. This is serially repeated using the chopper motor to generate a signal having a rectangular waveform at equal intervals. Meanwhile, the waveform generated by the infrared ray sensor is in an alternate form if the food temperature and the chopper temperature are reversed from each other, and therefore the signal of photointerrupter 10 and the signal of the infrared ray sensor are synchronized for comparison. As a result, if the temperature of food is higher than the temperature of the reference object, positive voltage results, and otherwise negative voltage results (which will be further described in Description of the Preferred Embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings).
Referring to FIG. 17, the conventional microwave oven should be provided with infrared ray sensor 1 over cavity 17 and a dedicated cooling fan for cooling infrared ray sensor 1. As a result, a large area is occupied by the microwave oven. In addition, since infrared ray sensor 1 is provided over cavity 17, bits of food placed on turn table 18 bump against infrared ray sensor 1. Furthermore, infrared ray sensor 1 is stained with oil coming up from a food. In addition to the dedicated cooling fan for the infrared ray sensor, the shutter and the solenoid shown in FIG. 19 must be provided, which pushes up the entire cost.

Infrared temperature sensor for a cooking device


According to the present invention, there is provided a fuel reserving device for reserving fuel therein comprising a wall for dividing an interior of the device to a fuel chamber and an air chamber, the wall being deformable according to the amount of the fuel in the fuel chamber, a discharge passage which is open to a space formed above the surface of the fuel in the fuel chamber and a shut off valve for normally shutting the discharge passage off. Gas is discharged from the space via the discharge passage when the shut off valve is open. The shut off valve is opened and the gas is discharged from the space when the amount of the gas is larger than a predetermined amount. On the other hand, the shut off valve is closed and the discharging operation of the gas is stopped when the amount of the gas is smaller than the predetermined amount.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fuel reserving device and, in particular, a fuel tank connected to an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel reserving device or fuel tank should be in communication with the outside air such that the surface of the fuel can rise and fall in the fuel tank. In the fuel tank, fuel vapor may be generated in a space formed above the fuel surface. Therefore, the problem of the discharge of fuel vapor from the fuel tank to the outside air arises.
In a prior art, a fuel tank is in communication with the outside air via a charcoal canister for temporarily adsorbing fuel vapor thereon. The charcoal canister must be large if the amount of the fuel vapor generated in the fuel tank is large. To solve this problem, unexamined Japanese patent publication No. 64-16426 discloses a fuel tank comprising an inflatable airbag therein, the airbag being inflated or deflated according to the change of the level of the fuel surface to prevent a space being formed above the surface of the fuel in the fuel tank.
However, in the fuel tank disclosed in the above publication, the interior of the fuel tank is not in communication with the outside air. Therefore, if a space has been already formed above the fuel surface, the space cannot be eliminated when the airbag is inflated. Thus, fuel vapor may be generated in the space above the fuel surface.
Therefore, the object of the invention is to eliminate the space above the fuel surface, and the fuel vapor therein, from the fuel reserving device.


A system and method for allowing user access to software applications, data storage and retrieval, and electronic mail and messaging services in a networked computing environment are provided. The need for software installation, upgrade, and version control, and the need for certain hardware upgrades are eliminated by providing software and data storage and retrieval to a user or to groups of users from a remote terminal server via a networked computing environment. Software applications, data and electronic mail and messaging services are stored, maintained and operated at a remote terminal server and are provided to the user over the Internet or over an intranet of an organization such as a company or educational institution. Data is stored and secured at a remote file server, and web operations are provided by a remote web server. The backend of the system, including the terminal servers, file servers and web servers is managed and secured by a domain controller.

In recent years, the use of computers in all aspects of business, education, entertainment, and the like, has increased dramatically. A high demand has followed for more advanced and efficient computer hardware and software. It is often the case that home or small business computer users must update their computer operating systems to handle new software, only to find that the computer lacks sufficient memory capacity for the new operating system and software. Equally problematic, the computer user often finds that their computer lacks sufficient memory to store the very data generated or manipulated by the desired operating system or software.
For example, say the user is an individual home computer user. The user has a variety of software applications loaded on her home computer. The user stores and retrieves data on her computer, and the user uses electronic mail and messaging services through software stored on her computer. If a new version of the user's software is developed, or if an upgrade is developed by the manufacturer of the software to enhance performance or functionality or to solve a problem with a previous version, the user must obtain the new version and load it on to her computer. If the user's computer lacks sufficient memory, or if the user's operating system is incompatible or insufficient, the user may have difficulty. The user may be required to upgrade the memory and the operating system on her computer. Even if the user's computer has sufficient memory capacity and hardware to enable the user to upgrade the user's computer operating system or software applications, often the user's computer lacks sufficient memory to store and retrieve the very data the user desires to enter, store and manipulate with the user's computer. For on-line services, computer users are required to select an on-line service provider and insure that their computer hardware and software will handle the demands of the on-line computing.
Organizations of varying size, such as companies and educational institutions have similar technical concerns, but on a broader scale. Some organizations operate hundreds or even thousands of individual computers networked to each other via an intranet operated and administered by the organization. Such organizations typically require the expenditure of significant resources for information technology personnel and for maintaining data storage, back-up of data storage, software installation and upgrade, and hardware upgrade to enable software upgrade and data storage. System failures often occur in numerous locations throughout the organization requiring the dispersal of limited resources and time.
A major problem for such organizations attempting to implement application services has been the tremendous cost of the learning curve for operations personnel. Computing operations personnel typically must become familiar with all the intricacies of software application products before the products may be deployed on the organization's computer system. Answers to technical problems often are spread among several sources with no central location or source to draw from. All users, including individuals and organizations and organizations must maintain security over data and valuable software.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.

Provisioning computing services via an on-line networked computing environment


A node apparatus for providing versatility in routing of IP packets in communication between mobile terminals, comprising a first memory containing entries each defining routing information corresponding to a destination address, a second memory containing entries each defining a header processing rule corresponding to a combination of source and destination addresses, and a routing controller for converting a header processing rule defined in the second memory and for delivering the outgoing packet to an output port according to routing information defined in the first memory.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a node apparatus and packet communication method in a packet communication network. More particularly, the invention pertains to a node apparatus and packet communication method in a packet communication network through which communication with a mobile terminal is carried out.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Recent years have seen a significant increase in traffic in a packet communication network based on the Internet Protocol (IP) because of the widespread proliferation of World Wide Web (WWW) applications. In the Internet, a node apparatus for interconnecting networks is provided with a routing table which is updated according to the IP routing protocol, and the routing table is referred to based on a destination IP address contained in a header of a received packet in order to determine an outgoing path for the received packet.
Conventionally, functionality for supporting mobile terminals in the Internet is unsatisfactory, and therefore the Internet is primarily used for communication between stationary terminals. In order for a mobile terminal to carry out IP packet communication with another stationary or mobile terminal, a connection must be pre-established between the mobile terminal and a network stationary server (e.g., PPP server) according to the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or any other data link layer protocol so that the network stationary server can work as a router.
Since the above-mentioned conventional method is based on the premise that the mobile terminal is connected to the stationary server prior to IP packet communication, no problem occurs in a situation where the mobile terminal starts originating communication with another stationary terminal. However, in a situation where it is attempted to start communication with the mobile terminal used as a destination, IP packets cannot be sent to the mobile terminal since the mobile terminal is not yet connected to the stationary server at the start of communication. That is to say, unlike conventional telephone communication, the prior art method mentioned above does not provide support functionality for allowing the start of communication by calling (paging) a mobile terminal to be accessed as a destination.
A variety of schemes based on the ITU IMT-2000 have been proposed for realizing a network architecture in which it is allowed to call a destination mobile terminal for IP packet transmission thereto as in the conventional telephone communication. As a representative scheme thereamong, ETSI "GSM03.60 Stage-2 Service Description of the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)" is found.
A packet switched network based on the GPRS scheme comprises subscriber exchanges and gateway exchanges as in a conventional telephone switching system network. In the packet switched network, an origination terminal (stationary or mobile terminal) calls a destination mobile terminal through a signaling procedure similar to a conventional telephone call control procedure, and then the origination terminal sends IP packets to the destination mobile terminal.
Where mobile terminals are used at both the origination and destination points, IP packets are transmitted to an origination home gateway exchange (origination home agent node) located in a home area of an originator (origination mobile terminal) through a visitor subscriber exchange (origination node) located in a visitor area of the originator. At this step of operation, the origination visitor subscriber exchange (origination node) adds a new header (encapsulation header) to each IP packet received from the origination mobile terminal, and then the received packet is sent to the origination home gateway exchange (origination home agent node) in a tunneling method.
The origination home gateway exchange removes the encapsulation header from the received packet (decapsulation), and the origination home gateway exchange identifies a destination home gateway exchange (destination home agent node) of a recipient (destination mobile terminal) according to a destination IP address contained in a header field of each original IP packet. The origination home gateway exchange also adds a new header (encapsulation header) to each received IP packet, which is then sent to the destination home gateway exchange in the tunneling method.
The destination home gateway exchange decapsulates the received packet, and based on a home IP address of the destination mobile terminal indicated by the IP address contained in the header field of each original IP packet, the destination home gateway exchange makes reference to a home location register in which information on the current location of the destination mobile terminal is stored. Thus, a destination visitor subscriber exchange (destination node) corresponding to the current location of the destination mobile terminal can be identified. When the destination visitor subscriber exchange which allows communication with the destination mobile terminal is identified as mentioned above, the destination home gateway exchange encapsulates the IP packet, which is then sent to the destination visitor subscriber exchange for the recipient in the tunneling method. The destination visitor subscriber exchange for the recipient decapsulates the received packet to obtain the original IP packet. Then, the original IP packet is transferred to a connection port connected with a wireless base station which covers the current location of the destination mobile terminal.
A section of communication between a sending node which encapsulates IP packets and a receiving node which decapsulates the encapsulated packets to obtain the original IP packets is commonly referred to as a tunnel. In the above example of packet communication between mobile terminals based on the GPRS scheme, a total of three tunnels are formed between the origination visitor subscriber exchange and the origination home gateway exchange, between the origination home gateway exchange and the destination home gateway exchange, and between the destination home gateway exchange and the destination visitor subscriber exchange.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Node apparatus and packet communication method for communicating with a mobile terminal


A method for fabricating and checking at least two structures of an electronic circuit in a semiconductor substrate. By using two different masks, in two method steps, identical configurations of first and second structures are produced in useful areas of the semiconductor substrate. In the scribe lines, bordering the useful area, only first structures are produced using the first mask and only second structures are produced using the second mask.

The invention relates to a method for fabricating and checking at least two structures of an electronic circuit in a semiconductor substrate.
Electronic circuits of this type are typically formed as integrated circuits on a wafer, preferably a silicon wafer. The integrated circuits may be formed as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cells, for example. A wafer contains an areal configuration of a multiplicity of DRAM cells of this type, which are formed as chips. The chip areas of the individual chip form the useful areas of the wafer. The individual useful areas are bordered by scribe lines, so-called kerfs. Electronic circuits that are used to check the functionality and reliability of the electronic circuits on the individual chip areas are situated in the scribe lines.
Chips with standard DRAM cells usually have a configuration of transistors having a specific gate oxide thickness. In order to check these transistors, structurally identical transistors are disposed in the scribe lines. These transistors in the scribe line form monitoring and reliability structures that are used for carrying out predetermined measurement and test steps. Statements about the functionality and reliability of the transistors on the chip areas of the individual chips can be derived from the measurement and test steps.
In order to obtain statistical statements that are as reliable as possible during the measurement and test steps, it is desirable to place the largest possible number of transistors in the scribe lines. However, the maximum number of transistors in the scribe lines is limited by the fact that the chip yield per wafer should be as high as possible. This limits the available area of the scribe lines and hence the number of transistors placed there.
In the case of novel DRAM cells required for RAMBUS chips, for example, transistors having a plurality (preferably two) of different gate oxide thicknesses are required on account of the performance and reliability to be achieved for such elements.
Accordingly, in order to check these structures, transistors having both small and large gate oxide thicknesses have to be provided in the scribe lines in order that the functionality and reliability of both structures can be checked.
In order that, in comparison with standard DRAM cells, for each kind of transistors the same number is available in the scribe lines, the areas of the scribe lines would have to be enlarged, which would lead to an undesirable reduction of the chip areas.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for fabricating and checking structures of electronic circuits in a semiconductor substrate that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art methods of this general type, which ensures that different structures of an electronic circuit in a semiconductor substrate are checked as reliably as possible, without the useful area of the substrate being restricted.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for fabricating and checking at least two structures of an electronic circuit in a semiconductor substrate. The method includes using a first mask having a plurality of first parts for defining first useful areas and first scribe lines bordering the first useful areas. The first mask extends over first regions of the semiconductor substrate. First and second structures are produced in the first useful areas according to a predetermined pattern. Further ones of the first structures are produced in the first scribe lines. A second mask having a plurality of second parts is used for defining second useful areas and second scribe lines bordering the second useful area, the second mask extends over second regions of the semiconductor substrate. The first and second structures are produced in the second useful areas according to the predetermined pattern and further ones of the second structures are produced in the second scribe lines. The first structures in the first scribe lines and the second structures in the second scribe lines are used for checking the first and second structures in the first useful areas and the second useful areas.
The method for fabricating and checking at least two structures of an electronic circuit in a semiconductor substrate, teaches the use of a first mask. The first mask defines a configuration of useful areas and scribe lines bordering the latter and extends over first regions of the semiconductor substrate. According to a predetermined pattern, the first and second structures are produced in the useful areas and the first structures are produced in the scribe lines.
The second mask defines a configuration of useful areas and scribe lines bordering the latter and extends over second regions of the semiconductor substrate. According to the predetermined pattern, the first and second structures are produced in the useful areas and the second structures are produced in the scribe lines.
The first structures in the scribe lines of the first regions and the second structures in the scribe lines of the second regions are in each case used for checking the first and second structures in the useful areas.
The basic concept of the invention is that, using the two masks in the respective first or second regions, identically formed first and second structures are produced in the useful areas, but either only first or only second structures are produced in the scribe lines.
In this case, the first and second regions are distributed alternately and preferably in a chessboard-like manner over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate. In the first regions, only the first structures are disposed in the scribe lines, so that only first structures are checked in these regions, although both first and second structures are situated in the assigned useful areas. Correspondingly, only the second structures are disposed in the second regions, so that only the functionality of the second structures can be checked there, although both first and second structures are situated in the assigned useful areas of the second regions.
By virtue of this configuration, the first and second structures are tested separately in separate regions. One essential advantage is that in each case only one structure of electronic circuits is present in all scribe lines of both regions, with the result that the number of structures in a scribe line can be kept small. Therefore, the area of the scribe lines can be given correspondingly small dimensions and the useful areas can be given correspondingly large dimensions, thereby obtaining a correspondingly high yield in the fabrication of electronic circuits on the semiconductor substrate.
At the same time, the complementary configuration of the first and second structures in the scribe lines of the first and second regions ensures that the reliability and functionality of both structures can be checked with a sufficiently high process dependability. The chessboard-like configuration of the first and second regions is particularly advantageous in this case. In this way, the first and second structures in the respective scribe line are distributed uniformly over the surface of the semiconductor substrate, with the result that the surface of the semiconductor substrate is in each case covered uniformly during the checking of the first and second structures.
In a particularly advantageous manner, the two masks are used for forming the first and second structures only during a technology starting phase. During a technology starting phase for products produced with the semiconductor substrates, there is an increased requirement for measurement and test steps for the products in order to test the reliability of the products to a sufficient extent.
In a product phase following the technology starting phase, there is a comparatively reduced requirement for measurement and test steps.
In this case, instead of using two masks for fabricating the first and second structures, it is possible to use a single modified first mask.
The modified first mask is not divided into first and second parts. Rather, the mask is formed in such a way that the first and second structures are produced in all useful areas. In each case a predetermined number of first and second structures are produced in the scribe lines, with the result that both structures are then tested simultaneously in a scribe line.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first and second structures are formed by different gate oxide thicknesses of transistors that are preferably used in DRAM memory cells.
In accordance with an added mode of the invention, there is the step of using the first mask for fabricating first transistors having a first gate oxide thickness. The first mask is formed such that a nitrogen implantation is carried out in gate oxide regions of the first transistors prior to an application of a gate oxide layer, which implantation inhibits a growth of the gate oxide layer subsequently applied.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, there is the step of using the second mask for fabricating second transistors having a second gate oxide thickness being greater than the first gate oxide thickness. The second mask is formed in such a way that no nitrogen implantation is carried out in gate oxide regions of the second transistors prior to an application of the gate oxide layer.
In accordance with a further mode of the invention, there is the step of forming the electronic circuits in the semiconductor substrate to be dynamic random access memory (DRAM) structures in a silicon wafer.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method for fabricating and checking structures of electronic circuits in a semiconductor substrate, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Method for fabricating and checking structures of electronic circuits in a semiconductor substrate


An improved radiant heater and combustion chamber for use with radiant heating are described. The combustion chamber is made up of two different materials in different regions, an insulating portion and a conductive portion. Heat transfer is maximized through the conductive portion, whose shape can be altered to modify the radiant energy being emitted. The improved radiant heater radiates substantial amounts of heat in useful directions over large distances without the use of reflectors.

The present disclosure pertains generally to radiant heaters wherein the primary source of heat transferred from the heater to the object being heated is by radiant heat transfer. More particularly, this disclosure pertains to radiant heaters that are designed to heat large areas of buildings with high ceilings. Such areas are typically found in large manufacturing operations, warehouses or logistic areas, hangers for aircraft where maintenance crews may be working, and so forth.
In these types of applications, it is desirable for the heaters to be located at or near the ceiling. Radiant heat, wherein energy is transferred by the emission of light having wavelengths in the infrared to visible regime, transfers energy from the heater unit to surroundings (floors, people, or other objects) by the absorption of these light particles, also called photons, by said surroundings. Unlike the other common modes of heat transfer, convection and conduction, photons travel through air for long distances without substantially heating the air. Convection is a means of transferring energy by heating a fluid, in this case air, followed by the motion of the fluid, and finally the transfer of energy from the heated fluid to a remote object. Conduction is a means of energy transfer whereby the energy flows through a material by electronic vibrations and motions, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature. Both convection and conduction are inefficient means of transferring energy over large distances, as they require heating the intervening materials.
A primary advantage of radiant heaters is that energy is transferred from the heater to the objects and in close proximity of objects where heat is desired, without having to heat all of the air between the heater and the objects requiring heat. Inevitably, air is heated when it comes in contact with any object that is at a higher temperature than the air. Air that is hotter than the surrounding air will rise towards the top of the air mass. Therefore, the heat transferred from any hot object or heater to the surrounding air will be substantially wasted in a configuration where the heater is near the ceiling of the building to be heated. In fact, only by heating the entire air mass within a building will objects near the floor of the building be heated by contact with the hotter air. Energy that is expended in heating the air near the ceiling of a high-ceilinged structure is substantially wasted with regards to the task of heating people and objects near the floor of the structure.


A device for storing and displaying a model airplane. A vertical member adapted for easy attachment to a wall has an outwardly extending tongue at its lower end for retaining and supporting the model on its nose. A pair of wing retaining brackets are rotatably and pivotably mounted to a horizontal cross member adjustably mounted to the upright member. The wing retaining brackets are free to orient themselves to conform with the sweep of the leading edges of the model's wings and with the wings' dihedral and serve to immobilize the model and maintain its fuselage upright. Means for positioning the wing retaining brackets allow the device to accommodate models of varying size and configuration, and can be adjusted to allow the weight of the model to be supported by the fuselage alone, or by both the wings and the fuselage. In an alternative embodiment, the wing retaining brackets are mounted resiliently to the cross member, thereby allowing the weight of the model to be distributed equally, or in any other desired ratio, between the wings and the fuselage.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for storing and displaying model airplanes, and more particularly to devices for mounting such airplanes to wails. Still more specifically, it concerns an adjustable wall-mounted bracket assembly for safely and conveniently supporting model airplanes of various sizes, weights, and configurations.
2. Prior Art
Storing small model airplanes, that is, those with a wingspan of up to, say, 2 feet and weighing 12 to 14 ounces poses few problems. Because of their small size and light weight, bench or shelf space can generally be found for them, and long periods of rest on their landing gear or supported horizontally on a table-top stand impose little if any structural stress. If space is at a premium, models of this class frequently are stored vertically by hanging them from wire or cord tethers secured to a wall and looped over or attached to their nose or empennage. For larger, heavier models, these storage and display methods are not satisfactory.
Shelf or tabletop space is generally not available for models with wingspans greater than 2 feet. Suspending larger, heavier models for long periods by means of hooks, rings, or straps attached to or around their nose or tail section is almost certain to result in the attachment hardware damaging the fuselage or tail component. In addition, since the typical single-point suspension device does not provide means for preventing the model from swinging and rotating, there is a likelihood that over time air currents and careless passers-by will cause surface or structural damage.
The availability of more powerful engines and the development of improved construction techniques and materials over the past 20 years have led to growing interest among enthusiasts in ever bigger, heavier models. "Jumbo" scale planes having wingspreads reaching over 7 feet and weights exceeding 30 pounds are not uncommon. Even when space for the horizontal display of such models is available, storing them for long periods on their landing gear creates flat spots on their tires and warped wings.
With the proliferation of models with spans in excess of three feet and weights exceeding 12 pounds, the need for a reliable storage system has become acute. The conventional response to this need is to hang it, nose upward or downward, on a pair of horizontally spaced wall-mounted supports, such as wire hooks bent to conform roughly to the contour of the trailing or leading edge of the model's wings. The model's weight is borne by the wings and rests on their trailing or leading edges at their points of contact with the hooks. Because of the great and ever growing disparity in the sizes and configurations of this category of models, most prior art mounting devices are either designed specifically for a particular model, with wing- or fuselage-supporting hardware attached to a wall-mounted backing, or offered as individual pieces of mounting hardware, such as common metal L-, or U-shaped brackets adapted to be attached to a wall at spaced intervals conforming to the configuration and size of the particular model. Both of these classes of devices suffer from a number of deficiencies. For one, neither of them is suitable for long-term storage. Most model aircraft wings are not designed to withstand substantial forces applied cordwise of the wing. Supporting a large, heavy model by its wings alone in either a nose-down or nose-up attitude over time can result in bending and warping of wing spars, ribs, and other structural components, twisting of fittings and fairings, and stressing of the aircraft skin.
Another deficiency concerns the limited utility of the prior art wall-support systems. The devices in which the brackets are joined or mounted to a backing are designed for use with a specific airplane model. Generally they either cannot be modified, or lend themselves only with difficulty to reconfiguration for use with another model. From a manufacturing standpoint, these devices create a requirement for diversity in product sizes and shapes which translates into unacceptably high production and inventory costs and stocking nightmares. Similarly for distributors and retailers, maintaining an adequate inventory to match even the most popular models poses a difficult and expensive challenge.
From the user's standpoint, another shortcoming resides in the fact that both types of devices are inconvenient and time-consuming to mount to the wall and equally troublesome to move or remove. The problem is exacerbated by the recurrent need to move or replace the device to accommodate a different model or models.
In most instances, the existing wall-mounting devices for larger models provide only vertical support for the model. With the leading edge of each wing resting on an open bracket, the model is free to move from side to side, and to a lesser but significant degree, to rotate in pitch and move from front to rear within the bracket. The potential for structural damage is magnified by the size and weight of the model. In most instances, to modify the existing wall-mounts to limit or prevent such movement would require most of them to be custom-fit to each model. Given the problems mentioned in connection with the production and marketing of the basic devices themselves, the diversity of such improvements would make the manufacture, stocking, distribution, and inventorying prohibitively difficult and expensive.
Viewed against this background, an object of the subject invention is to provide a novel, unitary wall-mounted bracket for storing and displaying model airplanes vertically and flush with a wall, which minimizes both the wall area and the room space required for any given model, reduces the model's exposure to damage from external sources, and virtually eliminates the possibility of wing warp or internal damage to the fuselage due to gravity.
Another object is to provide a novel construction for a wall-mounted support that is sturdy, lightweight, and durable, yet can be installed and removed with a minimum of effort.
Yet another object is to provide a storage device for model airplanes which can be readily adjusted to conform to models with a variety of sizes and shapes.
An additional object is to provide an adjustable model airplane support that incorporates means for restricting the movement of the mounted model and thereby minimizing the likelihood of its accidental damage.
Still another object is to provide a wall-mounted support device of the type described which can be fabricated from a minimum number of parts and modular components.
A further object is to provide a wall-mounted model airplane storage device construction satisfying all of the foregoing objects that is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and requires a minimum of maintenance and repair.
Yet a further object is to provide a wall-mounted support construction of this type that permits the standardization and use of interchangeable parts and modular components.
A particular object of the invention is to provide a wall-mounted storage device for model airplanes, which incorporates in a single integrated structure adjustable means for supporting the weight of the model on the nose of the model.
Another particular object is to provide in such a device wing-retaining means for aiding in maintaining the model balanced upright on its nose.
A further particular object is to provide in an alternative embodiment of the invention wing-retaining means which in addition to aiding in maintaining the model balanced upright support a portion of the weight of the model as well.
Still another object is to provide a wall-mounted storage device for model airplanes, which incorporates in a single integrated structure adjustable means for supporting the weight of the model on both the wings and the nose of the model.
Yet a further object is to provide a wall-mounted support device of the type described in which the weight of the model is distributed fairly evenly between the wings and the nose of the model.
A still further object is to provide a wall-mounted airplane model support device of this type having means for adjusting the horizontal and vertical positioning, the orientation, and the angular alignment of the wing-supporting means with respect to the nose-supporting means.
Other objects will become apparent from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of its preferred embodiments.

Wall-mounted bracket for storing and displaying model airplanes


An inventive thin-film radiative structure is provided that includes a thin nanocomposite radiative film deposited on a substrate, the thin-film including a mix of finely dispersed phases formed by elements Mo, Si, C, O in the following atomic percentage terms: Mo from 10 to 20%, Si from 15 to 30%, C from 15 to 60%, O from 0 to 20%, and one or a combination of elements Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Si, Al, and B in percentage terms of 0-30%. The thin-film radiative structure has an emissivity of more than 0.7 for wavelengths 2-20 μm at temperatures above 500° C., and a sheet resistance of between 10 and 150 Ohm/sq. The radiative film may be used as a thermoresistive element in thin-film infra-red thermal emitters and infra-red heaters, and in nondispersive infrared sensors (NDIR) and photo-acoustic gas sensors, and as the radiative element in IR signaling devices.

Micromachined thin film thermal infrared emitters (IRE) play an important role in the development of highly accurate chemical sensors, and serve as the principal infrared emitting elements in optical gas sensor systems. The application of the infrared (IR) emitting membrane as a pulsed light source in IR absorption gas sensors typically requires thin-film resistors with a sheet (surface) resistance in the range of RS=10-150 Ohm/□ (Ohm/square) with an accuracy of not less than ±5%. Other applications include as the IR radiating element in IR signaling devices, typically referred to as IR beacons.
Industrial production of IRE involves the formation of microstructures on a silicon (Si) wafer, and typically several hundred devices are processed simultaneously. The nanocomposite emitting film is deposited with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods. The specific features of the thin film IRE structure and the method of fabrication impose additional restrictions on materials and method for fabricating the thin film resistor.
The basic criterion of material selection for usage as a thermoresistive medium in IRE is the emission of IR light energy radiated by the material when heated, which is determined as emission power. The radiation emitted per unit surface area is:E=ε·σ·T4  (1)where ε is the emissivity of the surface; σ=5.67·10−8[W·m−2·K−4] is the Stephan-Boltzmann constant; and T is the temperature of the surface in ° K. In practice, when producing high efficiency thin film infrared emitters the most attractive materials are those that have high-temperature stability to T=700-800° C. or higher and with emissivity close to 1.
Among inorganic compounds with the parameters of the equation (1), some compounds of refractory and group VIII metals Mo, W, Ti, etc. may be defined, e.g., silicides of molybdenum and tungsten (MoSi2 and WSi2) and silicon carbide (SiC). These materials show very high thermal stability when heating to temperatures in the range of 1700-2000° C. The data quoted by Pears in: Progress in International Research on Thermodynamic and Transport Properties (Ed. F. F. Masi and D. H. Tsai. N.Y., Academic Press, 1962, p. 588), demonstrate high values of emissivity ε for several of these materials. For example, for sintered powder of MoSi2 the integrated value in the infra-red wavelength region is approximately 0.8. According to data provided by Olson O. H. and Morris J. in Handbook of Thermophysical Properties of Solid Materials (Ed. A. Goldsmith et al. N. Y., Pergamon Press, 1961 v. 3, p. 931) the emissivity for powdered SiC is approximately 0.85.
Refractory compounds such as boride metals possess emissivity ε, close to 1.0. In particular, borides ZrB2, HfB2 have matter emissivity that is equal to 0.89. The aforementioned emissivity data is provided by the Handbook of Refractory Compounds (Authors G. V. Samsonov, I. M. Vinitskii, Plenum, N.Y., 1980). Also according to this handbook, refractory metals such as boride have a high fusion temperature and accordingly, high durability at high temperatures, compared to silicon based compounds such as MoSi2, SiC. Temperature fusion for ZrB2 is 3000° C., and for HfB2 is 3200° C. However, these borides are very fragile, and therefore limits the use of borides in a pure state. However, borides possess value as an additive to other refractory compounds and alloys.
The aforementioned data characteristics serve as a basis for several patents on high-temperature devices where silicides of molybdenum and tungsten or mixtures of both are used. These devices are: thermal resistors (G.B. Pat. No. 828123), resistive infrared heaters (U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,737), infrared emitters (U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,227). The resistive heaters made of silicon carbide SiC (G.B. Pat. No. 1,423,136) are also known. Furthermore, in Japanese patent JP10208854, a composite material MoSi2—SiC as a material for a resistive heater is described. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,589,898 and 6,770,856 for manufacturing of infrared heaters, complex composite materials are used which contain a mixture of refractory and group VIII metals [(Mo, W) 5Si2 and/or (Mo, W) 5SiC] (15/85) %+SiC (2/85) %+(Mo, W) Si2 (0.8/55) %. In patent GB943054 for manufacturing of a resistive tubular heater composite, MoSi2 and SiC with additives borides of metals Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo are used.
All thermal devices listed in the aforementioned patents have been produced from a hot-pressed powdered mixture of initial materials. The products produced are bulk samples. Because of the large dimensions and weight these thermal devices cannot be used for manufacturing of resistive thin film infrared emitters, as the resistor must rest on a thin (approximately 1 micron thickness) freely suspended fragile membrane.
Methods of production for these coatings from the aforementioned materials have been further advanced in other industrial sectors which are distinct from thermal infrared emitters. These branches of industrial sectors include a) space and aviation science of materials, b) protective coatings on samples of group VIII and refractory metals, and c) integrated circuits. U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,427 describes thermal protection systems for aerospace and hypersonic aircrafts that is provided with a coating applied to a porous substrate, for example fibrous ceramic material. The coating includes MoSi2, SiC, Al2O3, SiO2, and an organic solvent mixture. The coating is applied in the form of liquid paste. The dried coating can resist heating to 1500° C., and has emissivity of not less than 0.8. However, this method of production cannot be used for emitter production, since the thickness of the layer is from 50 to 100 micron compared with the required membrane thickness of approximately 1 micron. In addition, the membrane cannot withstand the pressure of the paste. In the process of paste drying, the coating suffers from a compressive stress that may cause the shrinkage and distortion of the membrane. Furthermore, the surface of the dried coating becomes rough and results in breakage of the protective layers.
There are many patents in which high-temperature coatings are applied with a jet plasma method in vacuum or in an atmosphere, such as vacuum plasma spray (VPS). The VPS method provides flat metal and volume surfaces with considerable strengthening and corrosion protection. In patent EP1428900 A1, a deposited layer of SiC together with a metal boride, such as ZrB2, TiB2 and/or HfB2 is used to provide the protective coating. The use of metal boride prevents the decomposition of silicon carbide during superheating of plasma sputtering, thereby preserving the useful qualities of silicon carbide.
Recently, the development of methods for fabricating films from refractory and group VIII metal silicides, for example MoSi2, in integrated circuit technology has advanced rapidly. S. P. Murarka in "Silicides for VLSI Applications" (Academic Press, New York, 1993. p. 200) describes methods for producing such films including vacuum evaporation, magnetron sputtering, and CVD techniques. These methods are either co-depositing a metal (e.g., Mo) and silicon mixture in the desired composition from two separate sources followed by annealing at higher temperatures and synthesis of MoSi2 film, or by magnetron sputtering from a cold-pressed vacuum-sintered composite MoSi2 target.
As Murarka describes in his book, the methods mentioned above have been used for deposition of films of thickness 0.1-1 microns which are applied for integrated circuit (IC) production to operate at temperatures below 500° C. However, thin MoSi2 films are not applicable for use in high-temperature emitting devices of the structure shown in FIG. 1. The factor constraining such application of these films is the so-called "MoSi2 pest reaction", a phenomenon peculiar to this inorganic composition, resulting in disintegration of MoSi2 into powdery products. The phenomenon of the "MoSi2 pest reaction" is described, for example, by Chou T. C. and Nieh T. G. in the article "Pest disintegration of thin MoSi2 films by oxidation at 500° C.", Journal of Materials Science 29 (1994), 2963-2967. Low-temperature heating of MoSi2 films in air (up to 450-500° C.) starts the process of oxidation. As a result, powdery products are formed and they contain MoO3 whiskers which destroy the film. The "MoSi2 pest reaction" effect is less pronounced in bulk materials. If a bulk material is rapidly heated up to 1500° C., the MoSi2 surface becomes passivated with a hard SiO2 layer and the effect of the "MoSi2 pest reaction" slows down. A SiO2 layer formed on the surface of the thin MoSi2 film during the surface heating in air is not stable because this layer is rather thick and porous. After prolonged heating, the MoSi2 film is completely transformed into powdered MoO3. Therefore, pure (impurities-free) thin MoSi2 films are not applicable in high-temperature emitting devices.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,691 in order to reduce the "MoSi2 pest" effect in a sputtering target of MoSi2, the impurity of silicon carbide, SiC, is added. Films are formed by vacuum magnetron plasma sputtering of the target MoSi2+X SiC in an argon atmosphere. The films are deposited on metal products (Ta, Nb, etc.) to protect the metals from oxidation at high-temperature heating of these products. It is reported that a layer deposited in pure Argon is structurally (thermally) stable and chemically resistant at temperatures up to 1000° C., and with sputtering in the atmosphere of (Ar+N2) gas mixture the layers are stable at 1260° C.
Furthermore, it is also known that some compositions of transitive and refractory metals, in particular silicides of molybdenum and silicon carbide, possess a high value of emissivity and thermal resistance for a bulk material. However, application of these materials in the form of pure (without additional impurity) thin films in infrared emitters presents difficulties. Films of MoSi2 under high-temperature heating lose their resistance because of oxidation of the top layer. SiC resistivity is of great importance, but does not provide the possibility of the creation of thin-film IRE with a low value of sheet resistance for a heating element based on this material.
While the method of production of thin films of MoSi2, SiC and their mixtures which can be applied to fabrication of thin-film IRE is known, where the method consists of magnetron ionic-plasma sputtering in a high vacuum in the proximity of an inert gas Ar of an initial bulk material. However, there is currently no data as to the technological parameters of this method, and in particular, the composition of a source substance, conditions of formation, and the composition of films with optimal emissivity and thermal stability properties. There is also no information about the parameters of this method, that are required for depositing thin resistive films in the range of resistance which is required for application to IRE in optical gas sensors. Thus, there exists a need for a method for depositing thin resistive films with high thermal stability in the range of resistance which is required for application of IRE in sensors, such as optical gas sensors, and as infrared emitters in IR signaling devices.

High-temperature nanocomposite emitting film, method for fabricating the same and its application


A wireless power supply and method of wirelessly supplying power use light to directly supply power wirelessly to an electrical apparatus without a power cable. The wireless power supply includes: a plurality of pressure switches adapted to switch ON/OFF in response to an applied pressure; and a plurality of light emitting devices respectively connected to the plurality of pressure switches, the plurality of light emitting devices adapted to emit light to supply the power to a load in response to at least one of the pressure switches being switched ON.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless power supply and a method of wirelessly supplying power, and more particularly, to a wireless power supply and a method of wirelessly supplying power using light to directly supply power wirelessly to an electrical apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with a ubiquitous-oriented current technology trend, wireless technology has become available in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a wireless mouse, a wireless keyboard and a remote control, in terms of network connection and various controls. However, a power cable must be attached to each apparatus and connected to a power source to supply power to each apparatus. Accordingly, power cables become entangled on a desk used for various business machines, such as notebooks, PDAs, cellular phones, printers, and facsimile machines, so that it looks unsightly as well as being inconvenient due to positional limitations of the business machines. Furthermore, it is difficult to arrange the desk and other office areas due to a large number of cables. In addition, a short circuit of a power cable or a plug malfunction can lead to reduced machine availability, and an overall reduced office efficiency and inefficient usage of the office space.

Wireless power supply and method of supplying power


A multiprocessor computer system includes a system clock, a main memory connected through a memory bus to a microinstruction memory and a microinstruction decoder. Circuitry detects whether the microinstruction being decoded is the wrong microinstruction or has a parity error. On detection of such an erroneous microinstruction, the microinstruction is reloaded from the main memory into the microinstruction memory and then passed to the microinstruction decoder without interrupting the system clock or operation of the other processors.

The invention relates generally to multiprocessor computer systems and deals more particularly with detection of errors in microinstructions fetched from main memory and in the case of error, reloading the proper microinstruction without interrupting operation of the other processors.
The problem of ensuring that a microinstruction word to be executed by a processing unit is valid is one of the most important considerations when designing a processing system. If the microinstruction to be executed is invalid, then the processing unit will not be able to execute it and may stop functioning. The problem is particularly acute in systems with multiple processing units such as the IBM/390 systems since if one of the processing units stops working because it is trying to execute an invalid instruction, then data may be lost and the integrity of the data required by the other processing units cannot be guaranteed.
The problem is becoming particularly acute as the on-chip memories in which the microinstructions are stored become smaller. Even though shielding is incorporated into such memories, the loss of data due to alpha particles changing the value of some bits in the memory (so-called "soft errors") has to be considered by the designers of processing systems.
One well known method in the prior art for ensuring the validity of a microinstruction is to add a parity bit to the microinstruction. Before the microinstruction is executed, its parity is checked and, if it is found to be incorrect, remedial action is carried out.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,089 describes one type of remedial action that may be carried out. In this document a method and apparatus is disclosed which enables an erroneous microinstruction to be rewritten before it is executed. In the described system, the microinstruction is first written from memory into a control register. A parity network coupled to the control register determines whether a valid microinstruction is being executed. If this is not the case, then the clock pulses to the data paths coupled to the control register are inhibited and a clock stop recovery is carried out. The original microinstruction is fetched from secondary storage, such as tape or disc, and rewritten into the microinstruction memory. After rewriting the microinstruction memory, the signal inhibiting the clock pulses is removed, thereby allowing the rewritten microinstruction to be executed.
The processing system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,089 comprises a single processor and thus stopping the clock in order to reload the microinstruction will not affect the operation of any further processors. In a multi-processor system, however, in which every processor has its own cache (or even several caches in a hierarchical system), the effect of stopping the clock of one processor could be catastrophic. The system could no longer be certain of the integrity of the data in the main memory, since data from the cache memories associated with the stopped processor will not be transferred back to the main memory and the validity bits associated with the lines of data in the cache memories will not be set or reset. There is a risk therefore that customer data will be lost which could cause severe problems for the user of the processing system. One example in which the loss of data would have serious consequences is the use of such a processor in a bank cash dispensing system.
In addition to the loss of integrity of the data, the time required to restart the processor may be significant. When the clock in one of the processing units is stopped, then the processing unit would have to be restarted using a service processor. This may take several seconds, a time period which is unacceptable for many applications. Furthermore, peripheral units such as input/output subsystems and channels connected to the processor may be timed out if the clock in one of the processing units is stopped. The peripheral units may also need to be restarted, further delaying the restart of the system.
One means of overcoming these problems would be to add error correcting and checking bits to the microinstruction. This would allow an error checking and recovery mechanism to be built into the processing system to check the microinstruction before it was executed and, if an error was detected, to correct it. Such a system, however, would require larger memories to be constructed to store both the microinstruction and its associated check bits. In addition the execution of an invalid microinstruction would be delayed whilst it was corrected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,228 teaches a pipelined cache system which uses back up address registers for providing error recovery while continuing pipeline processing. The cache memory includes an address back-up register which stores the physical address of the data in which an error is detected and backs-up the address register. The cache memory further includes a data array address back-up register which stores the data address of the data in which errors are generated and backs up the data array address register. The cache memory also includes a request code back-up register which stores a preceding request code at the time that the errors are generated. When an error is detected by the system controller, data is read from the main memory according to the back-up registers and other registers of the system controller.
The pipelined cache system taught in this patent has the disadvantage that it requires a large number of back-up registers plus accompanying circuitry for ensuring that the registers are backed-up correctly. This adds to the complexity of the system and the space required on the chip.
The pipelined cache system also has the disadvantage that it requires two cycles in order to generate the signal indicating that an error has been detected. In memory systems such as those used in the low end IBM/390 machines only one cycle is required for obtaining data from a cache memory and thus a signal indicating an error in the data must be generated in the same cycle. Using the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,228 this is not possible.
From EP-A-0 178 670 is known a system for providing microinstruction read error detection and recovery by permitting the unchecked microinstruction to be executed in parallel with microinstruction read error detection. The microinstruction execution is aborted upon detection of an error prior to making any change in the state of the system which would prevent the retrying of the microinstruction after it is read again from memory. Because the reading of the next microinstruction is initiated during the execution of the current microinstruction whose validity is checked in parallel with its execution, the system provides for the discarding of the next microinstruction prior to retrying the current microinstruction by rereading the current microinstruction followed by re-execution of the current microinstruction. While the current microinstruction is being re-executed, the rereading of the next microinstruction is initiated so that it will be available for execution following the re-execution of the current microinstruction. The disclosed system does not, however, teach a method for recovery should the microinstruction in the control store be in error.
The object of the invention is to design a system and method for correcting microinstructions which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art systems.

Hierarchical memory system for microcode and means for correcting errors in the microcode

International Business Machines Corporation