A nebulizer apparatus for delivering medication in the form of an aerosol to a patient. The apparatus includes a medication reservoir for receiving liquid medication, a face mask for delivering aerosol to a patient, an attachment to a nebulizer machine or Bag resuscitator to generate carrier gas flow, a face mask or tubing to deliver the aerosol to the patient, and hosing to inter-connect the nebulizer components. The medication reservoir of the nebulizer apparatus includes rapid injection ports for the addition of medication to the medication reservoir, and is connected to the face mask via a dual sided ball and socket connection.

1. Area of the Art
This invention relates generally to devices used in respiratory therapy, and more particularly, to an improved apparatus for delivering a continuous dosage of aerosol medication to a patient.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nebulizers are well known in the art, and are designed to deliver an aerosol of medication to the respiratory tract of a patient. A nebulizer apparatus is composed of a medication reservoir, a face attachment, and hosing to connect the components of the nebulizer to a carrier gas source, such as an oxygen tank, a respirator, resuscitator bag, or other pump. During operation, the nebulizer creates a flow of oxygen that intermixes with the liquid medication held in the medication reservoir. The intermixing of medication and oxygen forms an aerosol of oxygen and the medication, which is delivered to the lungs of the patient through a face attachment, such as a face mask.
Nebulizers have been utilized for treating various respiratory ailments ranging from common colds to severe asthma and complex infections of the bronchial system. Certain respiratory ailments can be more effectively treated by the delivery of medication to the patient as an aerosol, as opposed to taking the medication orally or through intra-venous administration. The uses of nebulizer apparatus are not limited to respiratory ailments; they may also be used in the treatment of coronary sclerosis, coronary thrombosis and other ailments. An advantage of using a nebulizer apparatus to treat these ailments is that medicated aerosol may be carried deep into the patient's lungs. In addition, the air transmitted to the patient through the nebulizer may be humidified, or heated.
Moreover, the treatment of medical conditions using nebulizers is not limited to hospitals or other treatment centers. In addition to stationary devices, devices to heavy or bulky to be transported, nebulizers may also take the form of portable devices. Paramedic emergency medical technicians ("EMT-P") frequently use nebulizers to administer albuterol and other medications in the field, or in transit, during an emergency medical response.
There are, however, problems that interfere with the efficacy of nebulizer systems currently known in the art. These problems are particularly acute in the context of emergency medical situations in which patients are treated in the field or in transit to a hospital or other treatment center. One such problem with existing nebulizer systems, is the need to disassemble the nebulizer in order to add a medication dose to the nebulizer's medication reservoir. While in the field, or in transit, the disassembly of the nebulizer apparatus requires an EMT-P or other emergency responder to divert their attention from the emergency medical situation. The disassembly of the nebulizer apparatus to add medication may also take time that may be critical for other required emergency treatment of the patient.
Another problem with existing nebulizer systems is that spillage of medication from the medication reservoir frequently occurs during field treatment of a patient or during the transport of a patient to a treatment center. Patients often must be treated in a variety of positions, such as on their backs, sides, stomachs, or sitting upright. Many prior art medication reservoirs are not adapted to be variably positioned, and spillage of medication from the reservoir will occur unless the device (and the patient) are maintained in an upright position. Moreover, treatment often occurs in transit to a treatment center, where the patient is subject to various vibrations and motion associated with automobile travel. This vibration and motion makes it difficult to disassemble the medication reservoir and add medication without causing spillage.
Therefore, it is an object the present invention to provide an improved nebulizer apparatus for the delivery of aerosolized medication to a patient. The apparatus incorporates a medication reservoir that may be variably positioned to prevent medication spillage. The improved apparatus also incorporates a rapid medication injection port for the introduction of medication to the medication reservoir without having to disassemble the nebulizer apparatus.


An operating system registry contains multiple “identities.” One of these identities is designated the current identity. An application executing on a multitasking computer system uses information stored in the current identity to configure the application, for example to provide a user-specific user interface. When an application opens, it registers with an identity manager using objects known as “connection points.” To switch identities, a user supplies the name of an identity to switch to. The identity manager then uses the registered connection points to query each of the applications for permission to switch identities. If all the registered connection points grant permission to switch identities, then the identity manager switches the current identity by changing information in the registry. The identity manager then notifies all applications, via their registered connection points, that a change to the registry has been made so that the applications can take appropriate action.

A computer, such as a personal computer, involves hardware and software. The software typically involves computer programs called "applications" and an "operating system." The applications assist in the performance of specific tasks, such as word-processing, accounting, or inventory management. The operating system allocates the hardware resources of the computer among the various application programs. An example of an application is "OUTLOOK" Express, a contact database and communication tool available from Microsoft Corporation. Versions of "OUTLOOK" Express are available for use with different operating systems. For example, one version of "OUTLOOK" Express operates with the MAC OS 8 operating system available from Apple Computer Corporation, whereas another version of "OUTLOOK" Express operates with the "WINDOWS NT" operating system ("WINDOWS NT") available from Microsoft Corporation.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a simplified diagram of a computer screen 100 of a computer executing the "OUTLOOK" Express application program. Numerous icons, such as icons 110, appear on the screen. Each icon is associated with a different function. Icon 140 may, for example, retrieve the user's mail and cause it to be displayed on the screen as a list of messages 150. A user uses a mouse 130 to select and activate an icon.
Consider a situation where two users want to read their mail using the version of "OUTLOOK" Express that operates with the Apple operating system. An address book application (e.g., the Now Contact application available from Qualcomm, Incorporated) is also running on the computer in another window. First, one user opens the "OUTLOOK" Express application, to read his mail for example. "OUTLOOK" Express prompts him for some personal identifier and then configures itself according to some previously defined user-specific settings. For example, "OUTLOOK" Express offers the user access to his own mail, contact list, and files. Then, after the first user is finished, the second user logs into the same "OUTLOOK" Express application using her personal identifier. "OUTLOOK" Express then reconfigures itself according to her previously defined settings. Mail subsequently retrieved using "OUTLOOK" Express is then mail directed to the second user. This change of user-specific settings does not require either of the two applications ("OUTLOOK" Express and the Qualcomm address book) be closed and restarted, but the change is limited to the "OUTLOOK" Express application. It is desired to be able to make one switch that would simultaneously affect multiple applications running on the computer (for example, the "OUTLOOK" Express application and the Qualcomm address book application).
Consider another situation where the same two users want to read their respective mail using the "WINDOWS NT" version of "OUTLOOK" Express. "WINDOWS NT" allows a computer to support different "profiles," each of which defines a particular user work-environment. Returning to the scenario in which two users share "OUTLOOK" Express, the first user could log into "WINDOWS NT" using a first profile. "OUTLOOK" Express, when opened, would then configure itself according to user-specific data associated with the first user's profile. Thus, mail accessed would be the mail of the first user. Further, unlike the situation with the Apple operating system described above, multiple applications running on the "WINDOWS NT" operating system could receive user-specific settings from the new profile.
The second user could switch to her own profile so that she would be presented with her own mail when using "OUTLOOK" Express. Other profile-dependent programs would also configure themselves according to her previously defined preferences. Unfortunately, changing profiles in "WINDOWS NT" requires that all open applications be closed and reopened. This can be particularly burdensome when applications that maintain a dial-up network connection (such as "OUTLOOK" Express) must be closed. Closing the "OUTLOOK" Express application causes the dial-up network connection used by the program to be lost. Once lost, it may be difficult and time consuming to reestablish this dial-up connection.
In summary, the Apple operating system version of "OUTLOOK" Express allows user-specific settings to be changed within an application without exiting the application, but this change of settings only affects one application. "WINDOWS NT" allows user-specific settings to be changed for multiple applications but all open applications must be closed and then reopened in order to make the change.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Changing user identities without closing applications


To provide an air conditioner capable of reducing an input power and a rotational speed of a fan motor necessary for obtaining a predetermined flow rate from an indoor unit. An air conditioner includes an indoor unit 8 having at least one inlet 6 and one outlet 8; a cross-flow fan 1 connected to a fan motor; a front heat exchanger 2; and a back heat exchanger 3, wherein an installation angle α of the front heat exchanger 2 positioned above the rotational center of the cross-flow fan 1 relative to the horizon is 65°≦α≦90°, a point of the back heat exchanger 3 closest to the front heat exchanger 2 is located adjacent to the front heat exchanger 2 from the rotational center of the cross-flow fan 1, and an outlet angle β2 of a blade of the cross-flow fan 1 is 22°≦β2≦28°.

In conventional air conditioners, aerodynamic characteristics of the cross-flow fan and the heat transfer performance of a heat exchanger have been improved by changing blade shapes of the cross-flow fan without changing the arrangement of the heat exchangers or by changing the arrangement of the heat exchangers without changing the blade shapes of the cross-flow fan.
In the conventional air-conditioner having the re-arranged heat exchangers without changing the blade shapes of the cross-flow fan, a front heat exchanger and a back heat exchanger are arranged above the cross-flow fan by combining them in a λ-shape so as to improve the performance of the indoor unit by bringing out the respective heat-transfer performance of the front and back heat exchangers to the utmost (Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-329364, [0009] to [0015], FIG. 1


A lithography apparatus includes a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning of a substrate holder, a detector configured to detect a foreign substance by observing a substrate held by the substrate holder, and a controller configured to control execution of a pattern forming operation on the substrate and a cleaning operation. The controller operates such that, if a foreign substance is detected out of a predetermined area including a position at which a foreign substance was previously detected after a predetermined number of executions of the cleaning operation, a next pattern forming operation is performed after executing the cleaning operation. Otherwise, a next pattern forming operation is performed without executing the cleaning operation.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lithography apparatus and an article manufacturing method.
Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor exposure apparatuses, the position in the translation direction of an original stage and a wafer (substrate) stage is precisely controlled using a laser length measuring machine in order to achieve a highly precise resolving power. Furthermore, regarding the vertical direction of the original stage and the wafer stage, the distance and the tilt between a wafer face and an optical system image face are measured using a focus sensor, and the wafer stage is driven for scanning. At that time, the drive is sequentially controlled in the Z (focus) direction and the tilt direction in order to cause the wafer face match the image face simultaneously when driving the wafer stage for scanning.
However, if a wafer is placed and exposure is started in a state where a foreign substance has adhered to a wafer chuck, which is a substrate holder, the image is locally defocused, and a resolution failure may occur. Examples of the foreign substance include resist that was removed from a wafer and has adhered to the wafer chuck. If a resolution failure is caused by a foreign substance during exposure, the yield in the chip production may be lowered.
Accordingly, on production site of semiconductors, much attention is paid particularly to such foreign substances on a wafer chuck, and countermeasures are taken, such as regularly cleaning the chuck using a cleaning unit. Furthermore, wafer exposure processing is performed between intervals of regular wafer chuck cleaning.
Highly adhesive foreign substances such as resist residue may not be removed merely by polish cleaning. Also in a case where contact with the wafer chuck is insufficient due to warping of the cleaning plate or manufacturing errors and polishing cannot be sufficiently performed, foreign substances may not be removed. If the production is continued without removing foreign substances, the foreign substances are detected in each lot, and the production is temporality stopped and cleaning operation is executed, so that the productivity is lowered.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-066114 discloses control in which, if a foreign substance on a wafer holder is not removed even by cleaning of the wafer holder, a warning is issued and the procedure does not advance to exposure processing.
According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-066114, if a warning is issued, the procedure does not advance to the exposure processing unless the foreign substance is removed. Thus, the substrate holder has to be detached from the apparatus and cleaned in an external cleaning apparatus such as a washing machine so that the foreign substance is removed, and, thus, the apparatus has to be stopped for several hours to a whole day.
Meanwhile, preventing the productivity from being lowered to the extent possible is also an important demand in the semiconductor manufacture.

Lithography apparatus and article manufacturing method


A solenoid driver circuit adapted for use with a digital magnetic latching olenoid which has first and second solenoid coils. The solenoid driver circuit includes a bridge circuit which receives a logic signal and first and second pulse signals. The solenoid driver circuit also includes a voltage source which provides a direct current and first and second resistors respectively connected to the first and second solenoid coils. The bridge circuit, responsive to the logic signal and the first pulse signal, provides a first current path from the voltage source through the first solenoid coil and the first resistor to ground and a second current path from the direct current voltage source through the second solenoid coil to ground. The bridge circuit, responsive to the logic signal and the second pulse signal, provides a third current path from the direct current voltage source through the first solenoid coil to ground and a fourth current path from the direct current voltage source through the second solenoid coil and the second resistor to ground. The current flow through the current paths which include a solenoid coil and a resistor is approximately one amp, while the current flow through the currents paths which include only a solenoid coil is approximately twenty six amps. This allows for high speed control of the forces acting on the actuator of the solenoid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to solenoid driver circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to a solenoid driver circuit which is adapted for use with digital magnetic latching solenoids which operate the valves of a digital seawater pump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Digital magnetic latching solenoids harness residual magnetism that remains in a magnetic material that has been exposed to a magnetic field using this residual magnetic force to control the solenoid. Magnetic latching solenoids include two opposing coils and an armature. Selectively energizing one coil at a time moves the solenoid armature in a back and forth motion to turn a valve on and off. Each coil of the magnetic latching solenoid also provides the electromagnetic field necessary to establish the residual magnetic force in the armature and solenoid housing. When the armature reaches the end of stroke and the coil turns off residual magnetic force holds the armature against the solenoid housing, locking the solenoid in one position without external power.
Residual magnetism in magnetic latching coils generates high latching forces without the disadvantages associated with permanent magnets, such as susceptibility to demagnetization, cracking, sensitivity to temperature changes and low magnetic efficiency.
Because coils in a magnetic latching solenoid are energized only for an instant, heat dissipation is of no concern. As a result the coils use larger wires with fewer turns than in conventional solenoids and have lower resistance and inductance. This allows the coils to handle high current and generate extremely strong magnetic forces without a requirement to overcome spring force which equates to fast actuation.
Although magnetic latching solenoids do not have to overcome a spring force, the latching force must overcome residual magnetism which holds the solenoid's actuator in the previously latched position. The actuator must also overcome residual magnetism from a distance which is equivalent to the solenoid actuator displacement.
As the solenoid material's magnetic permeability increases the residual magnetism increases toward saturation which makes it harder to de-latch the solenoid using only a latching current pulse. Conventional driver circuits use this latching current pulse to de-latch the solenoid's actuator from its current position.
Further, as displacement of the actuator is increased, the latching force must be decreased to de-latch the solenoid's actuator.
Thus, to design a driver for a magnetic-latching solenoid requires the designer to use sophisticated and expensive EM software and to have a thorough understanding of electromagnetic theory. There is also a need for a driver for a magnetic-latching solenoid which balances latching force requirements and solenoid displacement.

Solenoid driver circuit for use with digital magnetic latching solenoids

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A hip support member for packs, bags and other articles including a pair of spaced-apart rigid arms adapted to engage the hips of the wearer of the pack, bag or article. A sleeve or shoulder associated with either the arms or the article secures the arms to the article. In one embodiment, the arms, shoulders and sleeve combine to define a generally U-shape frame adapted to be mounted to an article and wrap around the hips of the wearer. In another embodiment, the shoulders and/or sleeve are adjustable to adjust the width between the arms and the arms are rotatable about the article between disengaged and engaged positions.

Packs, bags and articles which are mounted to the back of a wearer such as, for example, school back packs, hiking back packs, and golf bags have been in widespread use for many years. Although these articles have proven effective in allowing wearers to carry and support books, hiking supplies and golf clubs, they disadvantageously have placed wearers at an increased risk of shoulder and back injury due to the considerable weight which is often times carried in these articles. This risk has become a particular concern for grade school children who are increasingly being forced to carry excessive numbers of books and supplies in their back packs in order to keep up with the ever escalating homework requirements. This risk is also a concern for caddies who must carry golf bags weighing more than fifty pounds for more than 7,000 yards during a four hour round of play.
In the past, adjustable flexible belts or harnesses have been used in an attempt to relieve the weight of the pack, bag or other article. These belts and harnesses, however, have been ineffective as a weight transferring device and there thus remains a need for a hip support member which will effectively transfer the weight from the shoulders and back of the wearer to the hips and lower back of the wearer.

Rigid hip support member for packs, bags and other articles


A recording apparatus is advantageous in miniaturization even though a mechanism for adjusting a head gap is included. The recording apparatus includes a carriage for detachably holding a cartridge, a platen for supporting one surface of a recording medium, and a conveying roller and an eject roller for conveying the recording medium. The platen is constructed so that it is rockable with an axis of the eject roller as a rotation center and is switchable between at least two positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus adopting, for instance, an ink jet system, and more particularly, to a recording apparatus constructed so that a distance (head gap) between a platen and a recording head can be adjusted.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is known which has a construction including a carriage for holding a recording head, a platen for supporting one surface (rear or back surface) of a recording medium in an area opposing a discharge port surface of the recording head, and several rollers for conveying the recording medium.
In the recording apparatus, a predetermined distance (hereinafter referred to as "head gap") is secured between the recording medium supported on the platen, and the discharge port surface of the recording head and recording is performed by discharging ink from the recording head toward the recording medium in this state. Note that it is known that a smaller head gap is more advantageous in obtaining a clear and high-quality recording result.
Incidentally, the recording medium onto which the recording apparatus can perform recording is not limited to a general recording sheet (plain paper) but includes various other media such as a postal card and an OHP sheet (resin thin plate). In addition, processed paper (such as a sheet with punch holes, a perforated sheet, and a sheet with an arbitrary contour shape) an envelope, and the like are also usable, which means that more and more kinds of recording media have been usable.
In a case of a recording apparatus that performs recording onto such various recording media, a construction in which a head gap can be adjusted in accordance with the thicknesses of the recording media is preferable in order to obtain favorable recording results with this construction. For instances a construction may be used in which a classification into a case where recording is performed onto relatively thin recording media (such as plain paper) and a case where recording is performed onto relatively thick recording media (such as a postal card) is made and the head gap is switched in a two-step manner. With this construction, it is possible to adjust the head gap as appropriate in accordance with the thicknesses of the recording media, which makes it possible to obtain favorable recording results.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,925 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus which includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a head gap. The adjustment mechanism is provided for a carriage, and the head gap is adjusted through a vertical motion of the carriage in response to an operation of the mechanism by a user.
With the construction described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,925, however, the head gap is adjusted through the vertical motion of the carriage, so it is required to secure a space for the vertical motion of the carriage in the casing of the apparatus. There is a case where the construction including such the space is disadvantageous in miniaturization of the recording apparatus, and the conventional recording apparatus has room for improvement in this regard.


A memory device including at least one dummy word line over a substrate; a plurality of word lines over the dummy word line; and a plurality of vertical holes extending through the at least one dummy word line and the plurality of word lines in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and classified into channel holes and dummy holes, each of the channel holes being connected to a bit line. The method including performing an erase operation on dummy cells formed as the dummy word line and the dummy holes; verifying the erase operation; and performing a program operation on at least one of the dummy cells such that the at least one dummy cell has a higher threshold voltage than main cells formed as the dummy word line and the channel holes.

Example embodiments of the inventive concepts relate to a vertical memory device and/or a method of operating the vertical memory device. For example, at least some example embodiments relate to a vertical memory device having improved electrical characteristics and/or a method of operating the vertical memory device.
Recently, as information communication devices become multifunctional, it may be desirable to have memory devices with larger capacity and more highly integrated. However, along with the reduction in sizes of memory cells for higher integration, operation circuits and/or wiring structures included in memory devices for operations and electrical connections of the memory devices may become more complicated. Therefore, there is a demand for a memory device having excellent electrical characteristics and data reliability while exhibiting an improved degree of integration.

Vertical memory device having improved electrical characteristics and method of operating the same


A lithium battery pack (100) comprises a battery cell (102) and a safety circuit (104). The safety circuit prevents overcharge and overdischarge of the battery cell. The safety circuit comprises a battery control IC (106) which senses the battery voltage, and operates a switch circuit (114) to open if an overvoltage or undervoltage condition is sensed. In a conventional battery pack, the safety circuit will trip, opening the switch circuit, upon the application of a 15kV ESD pulse to one of the battery contacts (126 or 128). The invention solves this problem by the use of a first resistor (108) and a second resistor (110) coupled between the battery control IC and the first resistor, in conjunction with a capacitor (112).

Secondary or rechargeable battery packs are in widespread use as the principal power source for mobile equipment such as cellular telephones and portable computers. As such, it is desirable to have a lightweight battery pack that stores an adequate amount energy so that the user of the battery powered device is not inconvenienced with having to carry spare battery packs, or stop using the device while the battery pack is recharged. Recently a number of lithium based battery chemistries, such as the so called lithium ion battery has appeared, and provides a superior energy storage to weight ratio over conventional chemistries such as nickel/cadmium and nickel/metal-hydride.
However, lithium batteries made for consumer electronics require safety circuitry within the battery pack to prevent excessive voltage levels from being applied to the battery cell or cells. Should an excessive voltage be applied to such a cell, the cell could malfunction and pose a safety hazard. Safety circuits must therefore be robust and able to withstand reasonable electrical stress, such as that caused by electrostatic discharge events.
An electrostatic discharge event occurs when a person has become charged with static electricity, and then dissipates the charge into the battery pack upon coming into intimate proximity with the battery pack. Many studies have been done to characterize static charge accumulation on humans, and it is not uncommon for voltage levels to reach as high as 20 Kilovolts (kV) under favorable conditions. However, it is more likely that a typical person, under normal circumstances, will achieve a peak static voltage level of 10 kV to 15 kV. Even at such high levels, conventional circuit design techniques can be used to prevent damage of the safety circuit from occurring at these levels, but it is a much more difficult task to prevent the mis-operation of the safety circuit upon a discharge event at these level, particularly when the battery voltage is near an upper voltage limit.
A mis-operation of a battery circuit can result in the battery pack being temporarily disabled until the safety circuitry can be reset. Obviously a disabled battery pack can be problematic for a user, especially if the user does not have the means to reset the safety circuit at hand. Therefore there exists a need for an electrostatic enhanced lithium battery circuit that can withstand high level electrostatic discharge (ESD) e vents without a mis-operation.

Electrostatic enhanced lithium battery circuit


There is provided a method for preloading the glyphs required to display the content of a system. In accordance with an embodiment of the present technique, only those glyphs which are present in the system upon startup or synchronization of an electronic device are preloaded. The glyphs present upon startup or synchronization of the electronic device may be determined by scanning the system. In an illustrated embodiment, scanning the system may include analyzing models and views to determine the glyphs present in the system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to loading font glyphs for use on an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
An electronic device having a user interface, such as a display, may be able to present information to a user in a number of formats. For example, a portable music player may be able to operate in several user-selectable languages, such as English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, etc. Accordingly, in order to enable a user to select an interface language, the electronic device may include characters for numerous different languages. Depending on the number of languages available on the electronic device, the number of characters required to be stored may be extensive. In addition, a single language may be available in a variety of fonts, typefaces, sizes, and styles.
Each character in a language or font may be represented by a different glyph. Additionally, based on the type of font being used, different sizes and styles of a character in a given font may be represented by different glyphs. For example, bitmap fonts consist of a separate glyph for each typeface character and size, whereas outline fonts consist of a single glyph for each typeface character which can be resized based on the font size. Accordingly, an electronic device may include a very large number of glyphs representing various letters, numbers, and other symbols in different languages and fonts. The glyphs may be stored, for example, on a hard drive or on a type of non-volatile read-only memory (ROM).


A transistor component is suited for controlling large currents, even given high frequencies. The transistor component includes integrated emitter resistors which are arranged between partial-emitter regions and emitter-metal contacts. The integrated emitter resistors cause a stabilized, uniform current distribution both over the various partial-emitter regions, and within the partial-emitter regions, and bring about an improved current carrying capacity, as well as improved high-frequency properties, particularly in view of the finite magnitude of the extrinsic base resistance.

European Patent Application No. 0 397 727 describes a power transistor which has resistors in the emitter leads to stabilize the distribution of the total current to the individual partial transistors. However, in this conventional power transistor, the emitter resistors are laterally offset with respect to the partial-emitter regions, and are neither in direct electrical, nor in direct thermal contact with the partial-emitter regions.
Furthermore, the article "A Monolithic Power Op Amp" by Robert J. Widlar and Mineo Yamataka in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 23, No. 2, April 1988 describes an insertion of an emitter resistor made of polysilicon in a plane provided extra for that purpose. The metal contacting of the emitter resistor, in electrical contact with the individual partial-emitter regions, is carried out at a location in common for all the partial-emitter regions, the metal contacting being laterally offset for contacting the emitter resistor to the partial-emitter regions.

Transistor component having an integrated emitter resistor


A printing apparatus comprises a print head, disposed to a horizontally movable carriage, for printing a recording medium, a print cartridge disposed in a detachably attachable manner to said print head, and a member disposed in a range including an operating range for attaching and detaching said print cartridge, wherein said member has at least a portion positioned in said operating range for attaching and detaching said print cartridge, and wherein the portion is escapable from said operating range for attaching and detaching said print cartridge.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printing apparatus for making printing on paper in using a print head upon mounted with a detachably attachable ink cartridge and, more particularly, to an impact printer or an inkjet printer enabling to guide certainly paper near the print head.
2. Description of Related Art
As a printing apparatus upon installed with a ribbon cartridge, there has conventionally been an apparatus such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JA-H8-318,666, in which the ribbon cartridge as well as the print head are installed to a carriage and printing is operated while moving the carriage. On the apparatus of this type, a feed roller is arranged near the print head to load smoothly a paper to a position to be printed with the print head. Furthermore, a paper guide is also arranged near the print head to convey smoothly curled paper or dog-eared paper as well.
Where the paper guide is arranged near the carriage, when the ribbon cartridge is attached or detached, the ribbon cartridge hits against the paper guide, so that the ribbon cartridge cannot be attached or detached. Therefore, a position at which the ribbon cartridge is attached and detached, i.e., an attaching and detaching position, is conventionally predetermined to attach or to detach the ribbon cartridge thereat. The paper guide is not disposed near the print head at the attaching and detaching position.
Where replacing the ribbon cartridge, the carriage is moved to the predetermined attaching and detaching position, and the ribbon cartridge is detached from the carriage. A new ribbon cartridge is then installed to the carriage. In this bout, the paper guide does not prevent the replacement of the ribbon cartridge since not disposed near the carriage. It is to be noted that the ribbon cartridge's attaching and detaching position is disposed within a range of paper conveyance.
However, with the conventional apparatus as described above, since the ribbon cartridge's attaching and detaching position is disposed in the range of the paper conveyance, the curled paper is held, where guided, at the ribbon cartridge attaching and detaching position, so that there has been such a problem as causing the paper to get damaged, folded, or jammed. Where the attaching and detaching portion for the ribbon cartridge is disposed out of the range of the paper conveyance to avoid such a problem, the apparatus becomes larger in size.
Furthermore, since the paper guide is not disposed at the ribbon cartridge's attaching and detaching position, a sensor for detecting the paper cannot be disposed to the paper guide. Thus, there has been such a problem also, as limiting a paper detection control.


To provide a suction recovery method of an ink jet printing apparatus by which ink can be securely filled to an ink flow path and a nozzle while minimizing an amount of ink discharge during a suction recovery to prevent an adverse effect such as invited bubbles. The suction recovery method firstly performs the first suction step for generating a negative pressure for sucking a filter section for separating bubbles from the filter section. Thereafter, a second suction step is performed to generate a negative pressure for sucking an ink in the ink flow path and a large nozzle. Thereafter, a third suction step is performed to suck ink from a small nozzle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suction recovery method for maintaining and recovering an ink ejecting performance of an ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing apparatus in which suction recovery is performed by the suction recovery method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an ink jet printing apparatus in which a minute ejection opening ejects ink droplets for printing, volatile ink components evaporate from the ejection opening of the ink jet head to cause ink to have an increased viscosity, increased ink dye concentration, or fixed ink for example. When an ink flow path of an ink jet head is left for a long time and bubbles are caused in the ink flow path, ink may be prevented from being supplied correctly to cause a significant inconvenience in the printing operation.
In order to avoid the inconvenience as described above, a suction recovery method has been used by which an ejection opening face of an ink jet head is capped and a negative pressure generation means (e.g., tube pump) is used to reduce the pressure in the cap to suck ink from the ejection opening. This method forcedly sucks, from the ejection opening, ink, bubbles, dusts or the like left in the ink flow path that is/are not suitable for a printing operation so that the quality of ink in the ink jet head and a correct printing can be maintained. Then, ink is discharged and new ink is filled in the ink flow path from an ink tank (ink storage section) via a filter.
This suction recovery method may use a tube pump. The suction recovery method using the tube pump is performed by handling a tube by the rotation of a roller. The rotation of a roller causes a negative pressure in the tube. By using such a principle, the tube pump performs the suction recovery operation based on suction conditions (e.g., suction pressure) that can be determined by controlling a motor for rotating the roller during a pump operation (by mainly setting the number of rotations and a rotating speed). However, the suction recovery method by the tube pump has a mechanism to increase the suction pressure while sucking ink, thus failing to set the suction amount and the suction pressure independently.
This suction recovery using the tube pump adjusts the suction amount by setting the number of rotations of the pump driving motor. The time during which the suction is performed is calculated by dividing the number of rotations by the rotating speed. Thus, when the suction recovery is performed by the tube pump, the pump driving motor is set to have an appropriate number of rotations to fill new ink to the ink flow path while sucking ink. When ink is filled to the ink flow path, discharged ink sucked to the cap is discharged from the cap to outside. At the same time, the negative pressure in the cap disappears.
However, when it is desired to secure a predetermined suction amount to set operational conditions, suction by a high-speed rotation as shown by IH of FIG. 9 causes a steep ascending curve IH of the suction pressure. This may cause an excessive increase of the suction pressure to cause an increase of the ink flow rate. Since an ink tank has an ink supply capability per a unit time having an upper limit, the ink flow rate exceeding the upper limit may cause a bubble to enter the ink flow path of the ink jet head when ink is supplied.
This phenomenon may be caused when a head 50 having a plurality of ink flow paths for inks of multiple colors as shown in FIG. 10 has significant differences in the flow path length to the ejection opening among the respective ink flow paths for the colors. Flow resistance is generally in proportion to the flow path length. Thus, when the respective nozzles have an identical diameter of an ejection opening, pressure loss as flow resistance will increase with an increase of the flow path length, thus suppressing ink from being sucked. A short flow path on the other hand allows ink to be sucked easily. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, even after bubbles are sucked by a short flow path (negative pressure curve: ILmin), a negative pressure is required in the cap to continuously suck ink until tLmax bubbles are entirely sucked from a long flow path (negative pressure curve: ILmax). In this status, a short flow path has smaller resistance than that of a long flow path and thus a negative pressure curve steeply rises. Thus, the short flow path causes a suction pressure (PLmin) to increase to a level equal to or higher than a suction pressure PT, thus causing an ink supply failure that causes bubbles to be sucked into the flow path.
A method for coping with the case is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-063102 for example. This method is a method to continuously suck ink to provide a pressure close to a target negative pressure maintained until bubbles are removed, after a pressure reach to negative pressure Pc at which an ink supply failure is not caused. Then the tube pump repeats driving and stopping a plurality of times so that ink suction is continued. FIG. 11 shows then negative pressure curve IPc.
Suction recovery in an ink jet head requires different target negative pressures depending on the size of an ejection opening diameter. A nozzle having a small ejection opening diameter (hereinafter referred to as small nozzle) requires a higher target negative pressure required for the suction recovery than in the case of a nozzle having a large ejection opening diameter (hereinafter referred to as large nozzle). The reason is that a meniscus force in a small nozzle is higher than a meniscus force in a large nozzle and thus ink suction from a nozzle must be performed by such a negative pressure that exceeds the meniscus force of the nozzle.
One of currently-developed ink jet heads has a design in which, in order to realize a printing operation with high-definition and a high speed, a single ink flow path 70 includes large and small nozzles having different ink ejection opening diameters as shown in FIG. 12. In the case of the suction recovery in an ink jet head as described above, the nozzle section 72 having a small ejection opening diameter has a higher meniscus force than that of a nozzle section 71 having a large ejection opening diameter. Thus, the ink suction in this case requires a target negative pressure (PN) that is further higher than a target negative pressure (PF) for sucking ink from the large nozzle. In order to suck ink from these nozzles having different ejection opening diameters by a single capping operation, an approach may be considered in which a suction pressure is steeply increased as shown by a negative pressure curve IH of FIG. 9 to suck ink from the small nozzle. However, this approach causes the large nozzle to have an ink flow rate exceeding an ink supply capability, causing a risk of an ink supply failure in which bubbles may be invited in the ink flow path. In the case of another approach in which ink is sucked without steeply increasing the suction pressure shown in a negative pressure curve IL, ink suction is continued until a target negative pressure required for filling ink in the small nozzle even after ink is filled in the ink flow path leading toward the large nozzle through which ink is easily sucked, thus increasing waste of ink.
With regards to ink suction from nozzles having different ejection opening diameters by a single capping as described above, a method is disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-059554. This method firstly performs the ink suction with a small suction pressure and a negative pressure suitable for an ink flow path and a large nozzle to fill ink in the large nozzle and the ink flow path to subsequently suck ink from the remaining small nozzle with a high suction pressure instantaneously. Specifically, this method uses two different suction pressures. The negative pressure curve by the suction recovery as described above is shown by IFN in FIG. 9.
However, in the case of a head 90 as shown in FIG. 13 designed for providing further higher definition and speed, the respective nozzles have different ink flow path lengths since the number of nozzles is significantly increased. In addition, ink flow paths for the respective colors have nozzle ejection openings having different diameters.
Thus, in the ink jet head as described above having a structure in which ink flow paths have different lengths and ejection openings have different diameters, each ink flow path requires a different negative pressure required for suction recovery. Thus, it is more difficult for such an ink jet head to provide suction recovery of many nozzle groups by a single capping operation as in the conventional structure. An increased difference in the cross sectional area between nozzles shown in FIG. 12 tends to cause a deteriorated balance between the entire suction amount and suction amount required by the respective ink flow paths. Specifically, such ink suction conditions must be set that apply a high suction pressure to a small nozzle section 92 in FIG. 13 to realize ink suction and that also provide, with regards to ink suction from a large nozzle section 91 from which ink is easily sucked, an ink flow rate that does not exceed an ink supply capability per a unit time. However, it has been difficult to provide such ink suction conditions satisfying both of the former and latter factors.
In order to prevent such a deteriorated suction balance, ink suction is desirably performed so as to minimize pressure loss in nozzle sections by reducing the ink flow rate during ink suction. An increased ink flow rate during an ink suction causes a proportional increase of pressure loss in the respective nozzle sections functioning as resistance. This causes an increased pressure loss in the respective ink flow paths and nozzles to cause further deteriorated suction balance among the respective ink flow paths.
Thus, an ink suction operation is desirably performed with a low-speed rotation so that an ink flow rate is prevented from steeply increasing and the cap has therein a low target negative pressure. As shown in the negative pressure curve IL of FIG. 14, the low-speed rotation allows the cap interior to have a saturated pressure Psat. Thus, this is effective for an ink suction operation that fills, without causing an increased suction pressure, ink to an ink flow path having a high capacity and a large nozzle.
When ink flow paths for the respective colors include therein bubbles, a balance in the suction power among the nozzles for the respective colors further deteriorates. Thus, in order to uniformly transmit a high suction pressure to all small nozzles for the respective colors, it is required, from scratch, for all ink flow paths to be securely filled with ink without bubbles or the like.
However, when an ink flow path including therein bubbles is subjected to a normal suction recovery with an excessively-low target negative pressure, there may be a case where an expanded bubble remains in an ink jet head as shown in FIG. 15 without being moved. Such a bubble left in the ink jet head after ink suction prevents the subsequent ink suction from stably filling ink in the ink flow path. Thus, it is required to securely suck ink prior to the ink filling operation. In order to suck a bubble in ink in an ink flow path, the ink flow path must be applied with a negative pressure so as to provide a suction power exceeding a meniscus force caused at the fluid level. An ink tank and an ink flow path in which ink flows have therebetween a filter. A filter is a member that is designed to trap foreign matter (e.g., dust) included in ink flowing to an ejection opening of a head to prevent the foreign matter from flowing into the ejection opening. Thus, a clearance in the filter is as small as a nozzle ejection opening. A smaller area of a fluid surface causes a higher ink meniscus force, thus causing a higher meniscus force in the filter. Thus, in order to suck a bubble from the filter, a suction negative pressure at some high level is required. In the case of a printing operation having a high ejecting duty requiring a large amount of ink supply in particular, a bubble left in an ink flow path or a filter section may cause a printing failure.
When an ink flow path is subjected to suction recovery with a high negative pressure on the other hand, this causes a proportional increase of an ink flow rate to cause an increased ink flow volume. Since an ink tank has an ink supply capability per a unit time having an upper limit, an ink flow volume exceeding the ink supply capability causes bubbles to be sucked into the ink flow path during ink supply.
Another method for bubbles left in a filter section is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-063102. This method continuously sucks ink with a target negative pressure that is sufficient for separating such bubbles from a filter section. However, this method suggested by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-063102, which uses a control by which sudden stop and sudden rotation of a pump are repeated so as to maintain a negative pressure close to the target negative pressure, causes a significant burden to a driving system including the motor. Thus, a suction recovery unit must be designed to endure such a burden. This causes the suction recovery unit to have a large size, resulting in a higher cost for the manufacture.

Suction recovery method of ink jet printing apparatus and ink jet printing apparatus


A class of bridged or unbridged metallocene compounds is disclosed, wherein the cyclopentadienyl ligands have two or four adjacent substituents forming one or two alkylenic cycles of from 4 to 8 carbon atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a class of metallocene compounds, to a catalyst for the polimerization of olefins comprising said metallocenes and to processes for the polimerization of olefins carried out in the presence of said catalyst.
The invention also relates to processes for the preparation of the ligands of said metallocenes, as well as to a class of novel bridged ligands.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Metallocene compounds are known which are active as catalyst components in the olefin polymerization reactions.
European patent application EP-A-35 242, for instance, discloses a process for the polymerization of ethylene and propylene in the presence of a catalyst system comprising (a) a cyclopentadienyl compound of a transition metal and (b) an alumoxane.
European patent application EP-A-129 368 discloses a catalyst system for the polymerization of olefins comprising (a) a mono-, bi- or tri-cyclopentadienyl coordination complex with a transition metal and (b) an alumoxane. With this catalyst it is possible to prepare polyolefins of controlled molecular weight.
European patent application EP-A-351 392 discloses a catalyst, which can be used in the preparation of syndiotactic polyolefins, comprising a metallocene compound with two cyclopentadienyl based rings linked with a bridging group in which one of the two cyclopentadiene rings is substituted differently from the other. The preferred compound indicated is isopropylidene(fluorenyl)(cyclopentadienyl)hafnium dichloride.
EP-A-604 908 discloses a class of bis-fluorenyl compounds bridged with a one-atom-bridge. These metallocenes are useful as catalyst components for the polymerization of olefins and, expecially, for the preparation of high molecular weight atactic polypropylene.

Metallocene compounds and use thereof in catalysts for the polymerization of olefins

Abstract: These metallocenes are useful as catalyst components for the polymerization of olefins, particularly for the (co)polymerization of ethylene and for the polymerization of propylene.


The present invention is directed to an adjustable mounting apparatus comprising: a base, a first and second magnet each pivotally connected to the bottom of the base and rotatable about a predefined axis. The first and second magnets are positioned at opposing ends of the base and parallel to each other. The present invention is also directed to a method of stabilizing an adjustable mounting apparatus comprising: placing the mount onto a surface; rotating a first and second electric magnet at angles along predefined axes; engaging a clamping lever to place each magnet into desired positions on the surface; electrifying the first and second electric magnets to attach them to the surface.

Many industries use laser trackers and other portable coordinate measuring equipment to take precise 3D measurements for a number of applications, including: manufacturing, parts inspection, alignments, reverse engineering and more. In many such applications measurement errors on the order of even one thousandth of an inch can be critical. Thus, it is important that the measuring equipment being used be stably supported.
In the power generation, oil, gas, petrochemical and marine industries, it is often necessary to take measurements with a laser tracker or other type of coordinate measuring equipment on an uneven surface. Often times, the device must be mounted on the inner portion of large pipes with curved surfaces. Taking accurate measurements from this perspective can be challenging, and difficult. Several attempts have been made to provide a stand capable of supporting the measurement devices, including portable metrology stands and tripods. However, these types of devices fall short for several reasons.
While the tripod type of portable device has adjustable legs, the adjustment occurs in a very fixed and restricted type of motion. Attempting to mount a portable tripod stand on an uneven curved surface can be difficult if not impossible. The unit also tends to be unstable, which results in inaccurate readings. The legs themselves are also thin and do not have high contact with the surface area of the pipe, allowing for additional instability. Tripods must be positioned on a flat, stable surface to provide the necessary stability required for such accurate measurements.
The portable stands are also less than ideal for taking measurements on curved surfaces. While some of the portable stands have slightly larger feet, allowing for greater surface area contact, they also are designed for a flat, smooth surface, and do not make complete contact with the internal curved surface of a pipe or other uneven surface, thus preventing accurate measurements.
Finally, there have also been attempts to make stands with rectangular or circular magnetic bases. While the magnets allow the stands to attach to a surface plate, tool bed, object, or other ferrous surface, they fall short in that they are unable to take accurate measurements in locations where the surface is curved or uneven.
All of these devices fall short because they require a perfectly flat and smooth surface for the mounts to properly adhere. Thus there is a need for a device that overcomes the above listed and other disadvantages.

Adjustable magnetic mount for metrology equipment


An outlet port part has a heat insulating portion for preventing heat obtained from a heater disposed in the outlet port part from being transmitted toward a base side, and for transmitting the heat efficiently to the back (the vacuum pump side) of the outlet port. The heat insulating portion of the outlet port part is provided with a flange portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outlet port part, and a heat insulating spacer disposed in close contact with the flange portion. Alternatively, an outlet port part flange portion that is configured by integrating the flange portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outlet port part and the foregoing heat insulating spacer functions as the heat insulating portion. This configuration can efficiently increase the temperature of the entire outlet port of the vacuum pump, thereby reducing the amount of product and deposit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outlet port part and a vacuum pump. More specifically, the present invention relates to an outlet port part for reducing the amount of product and deposit, and a vacuum pump.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device for carrying out film deposition as one of the steps for manufacturing a semiconductor, a solar cell, a liquid crystal and the like uses process gas such as silane gas (SiH4) in a vacuum chamber for producing a Si film.
When the device provided with a vacuum pump uses such process gas, the exhaust gas resulting from the use of the process gas is discharged to the outside from a reactor of the vacuum pump that is connected to a vacuum chamber, which is a semiconductor manufacturing device. Solid matters and particulate matters produced due to such exhaust gas being cooled to a sublimation temperature or lower are prone to accumulate on the outlet side of the vacuum pump.
Regular maintenance (overhaul) is a necessary procedure in order to remove the accumulated products, and typically the maintenance needs to be carried out approximately every three months. From an operation and cost perspective, however, the longer the interval between one maintenance and the other (free maintenance period), the better.
A technique for wrapping a heater around the outside of a vacuum pump is known as a technique for preventing the accumulation of reaction products in the vacuum pump.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-064986 describes a technique for devising a structure for the stator blades of a turbomolecular pump in order to cool the rotor blades when sucking an active gas. Reaction products that are generated at or below the sublimation temperature of the active gas could solidify and adhere to the inside of the pump, closing the gaps between the rotor blades and the stator blades. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-064986 describes that, in order to prevent the rotor blades and the stator blades from coming into contact with each other, a heater is wrapped around the outside of the pump so that the internal temperature of the pump does not fall below a certain temperature.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.


Stripping compositions based on a polar aprotic solvent, an ether and water. The composition is characterized in that it comprises at least the following: 1) a polar aprotic solvent, especially dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP); 2) an ether chosen from anisole and tetrahydrofuran (THF); 3) water.

The present invention relates to a stripping composition for paints, varnishes or lacquers covering a substrate.
Strippers for paints and varnishes or lacquers are employed in two ways: by deposition or by immersion. The strippers applied by deposition are generally applied by brushing or spraying. They almost always contain a thickener and are employed at ambient temperature (20.degree. C.). They are employed for small tasks or for objects to be stripped which cannot be immersed. This category includes stripping by the general public, professional stripping in the building trade and aeronautical stripping. The strippers using immersion employ either cold baths (often based on methylene chloride) or hot baths (often based on caustic soda). They are employed above all for the stripping of a large number of small articles (industrial stripping).
A stripping composition including, by volume, from 1 to 20% of a polar aprotic solvent such as dimethyl sulphoxide, (DMSO) or N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP), and from 99 to 80% of an ether such as tetrahydrofuran is already known from EP 0 490 726.
A stripping composition including, by volume, from 1 to 20% of a polar aprotic solvent like DMSO and NMP and from 99 to 80% of an ether exhibiting a flash point higher than 0.degree. C., a molecular volume smaller than 160 and a molecule provided with one or more methoxy groups is already known from EP 0573 339; this ether may be especially anisole.
Although very efficient in their stripping action, these two stripping compositions above have, nevertheless, the disadvantage of being costly.
Furthermore, WO 93/07227 discloses the addition of water to solvents or to solvent mixtures considered to be efficacious in paint stripping. This document describes compositions containing 1) at least one organic solvent chosen from ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone and toluene, 2) water, 3) at least one thickener and 4) at least one surfactant.
The effectiveness of these compositions is simply proportional to the quantity of organic solvent employed and, in any way, is lower than the effectiveness of the pure solvent.
There is thus a need in the stripper industry to find other compositions whose cost is lower, but which are at least as effective as the compositions of the prior art.

Stripping composition based on polar aprotic solvent, an ether and water


A single fiber passive optical network (PON) wavelength division multiplex (WDM) overlay includes a central office, a fiber optic network, and a plurality of optical network termination (ONT) units. The central office has a baseline optical link that receives a baseline communication signal and converts the baseline communication signal into a downstream baseline optical signal within a first optical bandwidth, and has an additional optical link that receives a second type of communication signal and converts the second type of communication signal into a second downstream optical signal within a second optical bandwidth. The downstream baseline optical signal generated by the baseline optical link is combined with the second optical signal generated by the additional optical link to generate a broadband optical signal. The fiber optic network is coupled to the central office and receives the broadband optical signal on at least one optic fiber. The fiber optic network splits the broadband optical signal to a plurality of fiber drops. The optical network termination (ONT) units are each coupled to a fiber drop. At least one of the ONT units is a baseline ONT unit that receives the broadband optical signal from the fiber drop and splits the downstream baseline optical signal from the broadband optical signal, and at least one other of the ONT units is an upgraded ONT unit that receives the broadband optical signal from the fiber drop and splits the downstream baseline optical signal and the second downstream optical signals from the broadband optical signal. In addition, the installation of the upgraded ONT unit to the PON does not effect baseline optical service to any other ONT unit.

Prior to the explosive growth in the public's demand for data services, such as dial-up Internet access, the local loop access network transported mostly voice information. This present access network typically includes numerous twisted-pair wire connections between the plurality of user locations and a central office switch (or terminal). These connections can be multiplexed in order to more efficiently transport voice calls to and from the central office. The present access network for the local loop is designed primarily to carry these voice signals, i.e., it is a voice-centric network.
Today, data traffic carried across telephone networks is growing exponentially, and by many measures may have already surpassed traditional voice traffic, due in large measure to the explosive growth of dial-up data connections. The basic problem with transporting data traffic over this voice-centric network, and in particular the local loop access part of the network, is that it is optimized for voice traffic, not data. The voice-centric structure of the access network limits the ability to receive and transmit high-speed data signals along with traditional quality voice signals. Simply put, the access part of the network is not well matched to the type of information it is now primarily transporting. As users demand higher and higher data transmission capabilities, the inefficiencies of the present access network will cause user demand to shift to other mediums of transport for fulfillment, such as satellite transmission, cable distribution, wireless services, etc.
An alternative present local access network that is available in some areas is a digital loop carrier ("DLC") system. DLC systems utilize fiber-optic distribution links and remote multiplexing devices to deliver voice and data signals to and from the local users. An early DLC system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,067 titled "Digital Transmission System" ("the '067 patent"). The '067 patent describes a Digital Loop Carrier (DLC) system. In a typical DLC system, a fiber optic cable is routed from the central office terminal (COT) to a host digital terminal (HDT) located within a particular neighborhood. Telephone lines from subscriber homes are then routed to circuitry within the HDT, where the telephone voice signals are converted into digital pulse-code modulated (PCM) signals, multiplexed together using a time-slot interchanger (TSI), converted into an equivalent optical signal, and then routed over the fiber optic cable to the central office. Likewise, telephony signals from the central office are multiplexed together, converted into an optical signal for transport over the fiber to the HDT, converted into corresponding electrical signals at the HDT, demultiplexed and routed to the appropriate subscriber telephone line twisted-pair connection.
Some DLC systems have been expanded to provide so-called Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) systems. In these systems, the fiber optic cable is pushed deeper into the access network by routing fiber from the HDT to a plurality of Optical Network Units (ONUs) that are typically located within 500 feet of a subscriber's location. Multi-media voice, data, and even video from the central office location is transmitted to the HDT. From the HDT, these signals are transported over the fibers to the ONUs, where complex circuitry inside the ONUs demultiplexes the data streams and routes the voice, data and video information to the appropriate subscriber.

Single fiber passive optical network wavelength division multiplex overlay


The differences in length of conductor portions which arise due to differing levels in a two level type electric connector, that is, errors in the impedance characteristics, are improved. The multiple level type electric connector of the present invention is characterized by being provided with a plurality of levels of rows of electric contacts aligned on a same surface, stacked in a direction perpendicular to the aforementioned surfaces, each electric contact row containing electric contacts for signals and electric contacts for grounding, each of the electric contacts for signals contained in each of the electric contact rows having a free end located on a first plane differing for each level, and a leg portion extending downwards from said first plane and leading to a same second plane, and each of the electric contacts for grounding contained in each of the electric contact rows having a free end located on a first plane, and a leg portion extending downwards from said first plane and leading to a same second plane connected to a grounding line, and being provided with a shield portion connected to a grounding line, and at least partially covering the leg portions of the aforementioned electric contacts.

In recent years, technical development in electronic device-related fields has been remarkable, and in particular, the improvement of speed in personal computers has been making extraordinary technical advancements. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-143798 describes, concerning a connector standard (device bay) used for connecting electrically to personal computer peripheral devices, a connector wherein the portions connecting to a board of the leg portions of two levels of electrical contact rows are capable of being grounded along a straight line on a flat plane, and wherein a plurality of electric connector rows are housed while minimizing the size of the connector.
In the two level type electric contact array disclosed in the aforementioned patent publication, the electric contacts of the lower level of the array are signal lines, and each of the electric contacts of the upper level are bus type electric connectors connected by a conductor.
However, as the speed of signal transfer increases, connector standards are also changing. Currently, ATA interfaces are utilized, focused on internal hard disks, for which high speed signal transfer is required, and in the future, it is expected that a serial ATA standard having the objective of replacing the conventional parallel interface with a high-speed serial interface in order to handle the speed increase of interfaces, as well as an increase in hard disk capacity due to a rapid improvement in the recording density of hard disks.
Further, as the interfaces in personal computers increase, many signal lines and grounding lines will be needed. As one method of solving this problem, it is possible to achieve this by stacking rows of the aforementioned signal lines or grounding lines in multiple levels, but for the required signal transfer speeds of several hundred megabytes per second, due to differences in the length of the conductor portion that arises due to the differing levels of the aforementioned rows, a large error arises in the impedance characteristic of the upper level in comparison to the lower level near the board, so the transfer characteristic of the signal becomes non-uniform. As a result, a misalignment of the phase of the transferred signal arises, and the reliability of signal transfer is reduced.
In order to overcome the aforementioned problems, it was hoped for that a connector would be provided that matches the impedance difference arising from the difference in conductor lengths due to the differing levels of the electric contact rows. The desired connector must house a plurality of levels of electric contact rows.


The technique of the present invention ensures efficient management of printers in a large-scaled network even under a condition that some printer shifts its position on the network. A positioning unit included in each printer connected to the network recognizes positional information, which represents its own geographical position where the printer is located and includes, for example, a latitude and a longitude. Each of computers connected to the network obtains the positional information from each of the printers and specifies a printer, to which print data are output to carry out printing, based on the positional information thus obtained. This arrangement extremely facilitates the management of the printers on the network and enables the user to carry out printing with a selected printer that is located at a desired position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer that receives print data from a printing control apparatus, such as a computer, and executes printing, as well as a printing control apparatus that is suitably applied for the printer. More specifically the present invention pertains to a technique that selects an optimum printer to execute printing in a system where at least one printer and at least one printing control apparatus are connected via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a system where a plurality of printers are linked on a network, a technique called remote printer is applied to select an arbitrary printer on the network and cause the selected printer to execute printing without directly connecting respective printing control apparatuses, such as computers, with the plurality of printers. The remote printer technique is actualized by a diversity of applications. One possible application connects a computer called a printer server to the network and causes the printer server to collectively manage all the printers on the network. In response to a requirement from each computer, the printer server functions to inform the computer of the identified printers on the network and the working conditions of the respective printers and to cause print data, which represent information to be printed, to be transmitted from the computer to a selected computer.
The conventional remote printer technique generally treats a relatively small-scaled network, for example, on one floor in a building, but does not ensure the sufficient facility in larger-scaled networks. The prior art remote printer technique functionally enables a computer to select an appropriate printer for printing out of a large number of printers connected to the large-scaled network. It is, however, rather inconvenient to use printers on other floors which the user is unfamiliar with, since the user does not know the actual installation positions of the available printers on the network.
One technique proposed to solve such problems, which is disclosed in JAPANESE PATENT LAID-OPEN GAZETTE No. 9-8821, shows a map of an area in which a network is laid, displays printers connected to the network on the map, and enables the user to select an arbitrary printer on the map through an operation of a mouse. The selection of the arbitrary printer with the mouse results in obtaining an identification code, which is used to identify the printer on the network. The print data are output in the form of a packet onto the network, based on this identification code. The printer specified on the map then receives the print data via the network and carries out printing. The technique disclosed in JAPANESE PATENT LAID-OPEN GAZETTE No. 9-8821 to select the desired printer on the map utilizes a printer server as well as a file server, in which the positional information representing the positions where the respective printers are located are stored in the form of a database. The technique retrieves the database in the file server to detect the geographical positions of the available printers and causes the results of the detection to be displayed on the map in the computer.
This technique enables the desired printer for printing to be selected using the map, which is visually and intuitively excellent way for positional detection. The arrangement facilitates the selection of the desired printer for printing and the receipt of the resulting prints. Another proposed technique disclosed in JAPANESE PATENT LAID-OPEN GAZETTE No. 9-6559 stores the location of the printer, that is, the section, the division, and the floor where the printer is located, in the printer itself and causes the printer to respond to a positioning inquiry from the printing control apparatus. The printing control apparatus makes an inquiry prior to printing and selects a desired printer out of available printers displayed on the screen.
The conventional remote printer technique, however, collectively manages the database and thereby has difficulties in management and service of the system. The network manager needs to register the positions of all the printers individually in the database. This requires much labor of the network manager when a large number of printers are connected to the network. In the actual state, the user sometimes changes the physical position of the printer that is connectable with the network. The position of the printer may not be significantly changed if the printer is moved under the connection to the network. The printer connectable with the network, however, can be connected at any place with a connection node, for example, a hub in the Ethernet. It is thus highly possible that the printer may be moved to another floor, another building, or another office in a large-scaled network.
Moving the printer changes the physical position of the printer, so that the network manager should carry out the registration in the database over again every time the physical position of the printer is changed. This requires much labor and time for the management. Similar problems arise in the arrangement where the user of each printer carries out the registration. The insufficient management of the positions of the respective printers may cause the user who has selected a desired printer for printing on the map not to find the desired printer at the registered position, and may require much time and labor for the user to receive the resulting prints. The centralized management of the positions of the respective printers by a management section, on the other hand, does not allow the flexible change of the layout on each floor. Specification of the position of the printer by the name of the building or by the name of the section or the division is rather inconvenient in the event of reorganization or restructuring.
In the case of the centralized management of the positions of the printers by the management section, the network manager collectively and systematically manages the layout of the printers as well as the printer server and the file server. Each user of the printing control apparatus or the printer is accordingly required to make an application for connection of the printing control apparatus or the printer to the network and receive a permission or an approval. This series of procedure is rather complicated. In order to relieve the complicatedness of the procedure, some improvement has introduced in the printer, and the technique has been developed to automatically transmit the printable description languages and the conditions of the printer to the printer server via the network. Such improvement and development are, however, not sufficient for the efficient use of the plurality of printers connected to the large-scaled network as discussed previously. Since the prior art remote printer technique collectively manages the installation positions of the respective printers, the user of each printer connected to the network should cancel the previous positional information and make an application for a new installation position every time when the position of the printer is changed. Such information should be added to the database stored in the file server. This applies the excess loading to the network manager.
There is a directory service on the network, which obtains information with regard to a plurality of printers and printing control apparatuses and supplies the information in response to a requirement. When the computer connected to the network asks for the available resources, for example, available printers, on the network, the directory service retrieves the database and provides information with regard to the available printers. The directory service is based on the technique that allocates an intrinsic name or an identification code, for example, an IP address in the case of the network according to a TCP/IP protocol, to each printer connected to the network and specifies each printer with the unique identification code, that is, the IP address. The directory service, however, does not inform the user of the position of the printer, for example, which is closest to the computer that requires printing.
With a development of mobile computing, there is a fair possibility that the user connects a portable computer to the network in an unfamiliar place to carry out printing with a printer closer to the connection site. It is, however, extremely troublesome to obtain the information regarding which printer is the closest. In the case where a certain model of printer is specified as the standard printer of the computer and is recognizable via the network, printing may be carried out with the certain model of printer that is far away from the connection site. For example, it is assumed that remote offices in a company keep connection via a private line according to the TCP/IP protocol and a sales representative who goes from a home office to a remote office for a meeting connects a portable computer to the network and gives a printing instruction. In this case, the portable computer recognizes the same printer model as the one that is generally used in the home office, via the network and causes printing to be carried out with the recognized printer, even if the recognized printer is far away from the connection site.
Such troubles are observed more frequently with a development of the environment allowing a variety of resources, such as printers and scanners, to be utilized via the network. In one possible application, a high-performance printer, such as a color laser printer or a PostScript laser printer, is installed in a convenience store. The user gives a printing instruction from a computer at home to the high-performance printer and picks up the resulting prints in the middle of commuting. This possible application is, however, not practical so far since it is difficult to specify printers that are present in the route of commuting.


A sensor includes a detection element that outputs a detection signal corresponding to a physical quantity, a detection circuit that outputs a physical quantity signal corresponding to the physical quantity, first to third diagnosis circuits. The first diagnosis circuit is configured to receive a signal input to the detection circuit and a signal output from the detection circuit, to output an error signal in a case where the detection circuit is abnormal. The second diagnosis circuit is configured to input a diagnosis signal to the first diagnosis circuit. The second diagnosis circuit is configured to input, to the first diagnosis circuit, another of the signal input to the detection circuit and the signal output from the detection circuit. The third diagnosis circuit monitors whether or not the diagnosis signal is input from the second diagnosis circuit to the first diagnosis circuit.

A conventional sensor which causes an electrostatic force generating to displace a movable electrode so as to diagnose whether or not the sensor normally operates based on a change in a capacitor caused by the displacement is known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-223844 and International Publication. No. 2015/128922 are known as related art documents related to such a sensor.
A sensor which diagnoses whether or not the sensor normally operates based on a signal after synchronous detection is known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-79972 is known as a related art document related to such a sensor.
A sensor which diagnoses whether or not the sensor normally operates by outputting an alarm signal when a result of comparison between a signal obtained by frequency-dividing a clock and a signal obtained by frequency-dividing an output clock of a voltage controlled oscillator is out of a range is known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-264460 is known as a related art document related to such a sensor.
Being required to have higher reliability, the conventional sensors may be insufficient to ensure reliability.

Electronic reliability enhancement of a physical quantity sensor

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An apparatus and method for growing semiconductor quality oxide thermal layers on semiconductor wafers fast enough to be economically feasible as a single wafer process system. Process speed is insured by high pressure and high temperature. For example, if the pressure is about 100 atmospheres (1,500 psi) and at a temperature of 900.degree. C., approximately 2.66 minutes are required to grow a 5,000.ANG. oxide layer in a steam environment. The system can reach these operating conditions from ambient in approximately 30 seconds and depressurization and cool down require approximately 60 to 90 seconds. The apparatus includes a processing chamber to be pressurized with an oxidant, such as high pressure steam. The process chamber is contained in a pressure vessel adapted to be pressurized with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, to a high pressure. A pressure equalizing scheme is used to keep the fluid pressure of the process chamber and the pressure of the fluid pressure vessel substantially the same. The pressure equalization permits the use of thin walls for defining the process chamber.

The use of steam to grow oxides on semiconductor wafers is well known and has been used extensively in the past. Typical temperatures of the steam are about 900.degree. to 1,000.degree. C. and pressures are about 10 to 25 atmospheres. At these operating conditions, a single wafer in a batch of wafers can be processed but at a relatively slow rate, such as 2 hours or more. It is often desirable to have a high throughput while providing for acceptable process conditions.
Due to industry trends, processing of wafers is being done in smaller batches and ultimately, processing will be done with single wafers. The reasons for this single wafer trend include greater control of the wafer, the high cost of the wafers, and the size of the wafers. It is much easier to control a single wafer during processing than it is to control a batch of wafers. Moreover, the cost of a wafer is relatively high and with greater wafer control, the possibility of wafer damage or breakage is minimized. Furthermore, the size of wafers is increasing. Typically, 6" wafers are now being used and it foreseeable that 8" and 10" wafers will be used in the future. Because of the foregoing problems, a need exists for improvements in the processing of semiconductor wafers as described above so that the processing can be economically feasible as a single wafer process system. The present invention satisfies this need.
Disclosures relating to the field of the present invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,167,915, 4,268,538, 4,315,479 and 4,599,247.

Method for processing a semiconductor wafer


A showy Sedum cultivated variety (cultivar) named ‘Pink Chablis’, characterized by white and blue-green variegated leaves, compact habit, and pink fall borne flowers.

'Pink Chablis' originated in Nunica, Mich. as a naturally occurring branch sport (mutation) of the unpatented cultivar Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant' (not patented). The parent plant of S. spectabile 'Brilliant' was growing in a nursery setting (Hortech) in a 1 gallon size container. Christopher Howe noticed the branch sport mutation (containing variegated leaves and later named 'Pink Chablis') during the course of his duties as an employee of Hortech. The cultivar 'Brilliant' typically displays blue-green leaves, green flower buds, and deep purplish pink flower petals on rounded inflorescences. 'Pink Chablis' differs in having its blue green leaves edged in creamy white. Furthermore, its flower buds are white, and its flower petals are light pink. It is similar to the parent cultivar only in habit (shape) of the plant.
The first successful asexual reproduction of 'Pink Chablis' was carried out by its discoverer, Christopher Howe. This propagation took place under controlled conditions in Nunica, Mich., on Jun. 15, 1995. The mutated branch was excised and consisted of four sets of leaves and a stem. It was cut (with a knife) and prepared into two cuttings each containing two sets of leaves. These were treated with 3000 ppm IBA, and rooted under intermittent mist over a period of two weeks. Two cuttings rooted and were transplanted to separate one-gallon size pots for further growing.


A substrate for use in a vacuum chamber has a workpiece supporting surface that has two or more mutually electrically insulated bifilar conductors configured as interleaved spirals disposed on it. Each of these bifilar conductors has a respective electrode at each of its two ends. This provides an electrostatic chuck for clamping a workpiece to the supporting surface when an electric voltage is applied between the two bifilar conductors or between one of the two bifilar conductors and an insulating workpiece. This arrangement also provides for electric heating of the workpiece when an electric voltage is applied between the two electrodes associated with one of the bifilar conductors. Moreover, when the electrical resistance of at least one of the bifilar conductors is known as a function of temperature, this arrangement allows one to sense the temperature of a workpiece supported on the substrate.

Electrostatic clamping arrangements are often used to hold a workpiece being processed at pressures below ambient pressure—i.e., in a vacuum environment. Such processes may include, but are not limited to, chemical and physical material deposition, etching and ion implantation. In many cases, the processes are carried out as part of an overall process of fabricating an electronic product such as an integrated circuit or a display element. A variety of workpieces may thus be involved and include electrically conducting workpieces (e.g., thin sheets of metal, carbon, or other electrically conductive material) and electrically semiconducting workpieces (e.g., silicon wafers on which integrated circuit elements are being formed) or insulating workpieces (e.g., glass substrate portions of an optical display).
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,781,812 Fuwa et al. describe an electrostatic chuck in which the electrodes comprise interleaved spiral conductors electrically insulated from each other and from a substrate. When an electric field having a high rate of spatial change is established between the two conductors, a gradient force acts on an adjacent workpiece and clamps it to the substrate regardless of whether it is electrically insulating or conducting. Fuwa et al. do not teach the use of a bifilar conductor to avoid generating extraneous magnetic fields at the working surface of the workpiece, nor do they teach the use of their spiral structures as resistance heaters.
In many of the processes for which electrostatic clamping is used, one needs to consider heat transfer between the workpiece and a platen or other supporting surface to which the workpiece is clamped. Resistance heating elements are often disposed in or on a substrate in order to heat the workpiece to a desired initial temperature for the process. In addition, because many of the processes (such as sputtering or ion implantation) involve depositing significant energy on the workpiece, provision is often made to prevent overheating by transferring heat to the substrate. In some embodiments, this transfer process involves providing grooves in an otherwise flat substrate and flowing a gas, such as hydrogen or helium, through the grooves.


Sheets used to indicate when tampering has occurred are described. Such sheets are composed of envelopes with generally thin cross sections containing compressed resilient cores which expand upon envelope breach. Expansion of the resilient core results in an obvious visual change to all or some of the envelope surfaces. Such envelopes may also contain a translucent liquid which greatly aids in amplifying the visual changes such envelopes may exhibit. Embodiments may take the form of applied labels, adhesive tape, wrapping paper, mail envelopes, bottle caps, document enclosures, blister packs, etc. Applications include not only signaling tampering but decorative and other applications as well. Processes for fabrication of embodiments are also described.

Many types of tamper indicating devices have been developed in the prior art. Among the most common are those using adhesive tapes which deteriorate in some manner when the tapes are detached from a surface. As an example, tapes with lacerations have been used where the tapes break apart into sections when an attempt is made to lift the tape from a surface. Also, adhesive tapes with very strong adhesives have been used where the tape shreds during detachment. As another example, adhesive tapes comprised of a substrate backed by adhesive with a fragile intermediate printed layer between the substrate and the adhesive have also been used where the printed layer detaches from the substrate and remains attached to a surface when an attempt is made to lift the substrate away from the surface. A variant on this uses selective portions of the printing which detach from the substrate to further communicate attempted tampering.
These adhesive tape devices are generally: messy, easy to defeat, do not necessarily make it obvious when tampering has occurred, and only indicate the grossest of tampering.
Tapes, packaging and containers using chemicals which change color or appearance in response to tampering attempts have also been tried. Depending on the embodiment, these have exhibited drawbacks including: having toxic chemicals which are incompatible with foods and medicine, releasing unpleasant odors, not reacting instantly, and not making it obvious when tampering has occurred.
Tampering indication devices of the present invention improve over these and heretofore known devices in the general field in ways apparent from reading the appended specification and claims.


The invention concerns a ligand comprising wherein n is an integer from 1 to 5, X represents —NO2, —NH2, —NCS, —NHCOCH2-Z. NHCO—W—COCNHS, —NH-Q, —NHCS-Q, —NHCOCH2-Q, or —NHCO(CH2)m ?-Q where Q is an hapten chosen from the group consisting of steroids, enzymes, proteins, monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antibodies, or fragments thereof or any activated linker ready for coupling reaction, Y is CO2H or PO3H2 W is —(CH2)m— m is an integer from 1 to 10. Z is chloride, bromide or iodine

Alpha-emitting radionuclides are good potential candidates for radioimmunotherapy. 225Ac decays through a chain of 3 alpha emissions to 213Bi.
As described by Davis, I. A. et al in the article "Comparison of Actinium 225 Chelates: Tissue Distribution and Radiotoxicity" published in Nucl. Med. Biol., Vol. 26, pp 581–589, 1999; by Deal, K. A. et al. in the article "Improved in Vivo stability of Actinium-225 Macrocyclic Complexes" published in J. Med. Chem., Vol. 42, pp. 2988–2992, 1999 and by Grote Gansey, M. H. B. et al. in the article "Conjugation, Immunoreactivity, and Immunogenicity of Calix (4) arenes; Model Study to Potential Calix (4) arenes—Based Ac3+Chelators" published in Bioconj. Chem., Vol.10, pp 610–623, 1999, the stability of bifunctional chelating agent of actinides, lanthanides and bismuth is not satisfactory.
An object of the invention is to provide more effective bifunctional chelating agents for metals especially actinides and lanthanides and bismuth.

INSERM Insitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale