A combined apparatus for diagnostic imaging an inner part of a body, the apparatus including at least a device for imaging and displaying images according to at least two types of beams, waves or signals transmitted toward a body or a part of the body to be examined, the device including a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging and displaying device and an ultrasound imaging and displaying device in an integrated configuration within the same apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a combined apparatus for imaging the internal part of a body, particularly for diagnostic imaging thereof, comprising at least means for imaging and displaying images according to at least one type of beams, waves or signals transmitted by a body or a part thereof to be examined.
2. Description of Related Art
Imaging apparatuses are well-known and include ultrasound imaging apparatuses, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatuses, X-Ray apparatuses, etc. In such type of conventional apparatuses, each apparatus always uses a single type of wave or beam for imaging. From the diagnostic point of view, human body tissues and human body fluid flows provide better or worse different responses in relation to the type of imaging method in use. In order to image with sufficient clearness and accuracy tissues or flows which have an unfavorable imaging behavior, with reference to a specific type of imaging method, arrangements or constructions of imaging apparatuses are often needed which increase the cost and hinder the installation thereof. Hence, for instance, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatuses generally require large magnetic structures. Further, there exists a tendency to provide a separate apparatus for each type of imaging method with considerable purchase costs. It shall be also considered that the physical characteristics of the waves or beams used for imaging have intrinsic limits as regards the capability of imaging certain types of tissues or flows.
In the field of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging, there exists a current tendency toward providing dedicated apparatuses. The peculiar characteristic of these apparatuses is a reduced size of the magnetic structure which allows to considerably limit the weight and dimensions, hence both purchase and installation costs thereof. These apparatuses are constructed in such a manner as to have small housings in which the parts of the body to be examined are to be received. Essentially, instead of housing the patient inside the magnetic structure for a relevant part of his/her body, the dedicated apparatuses may accommodate only small regions of the patient body, like parts of a limb or body, e.g., the region of the knee, elbow, shoulder, etc. This type of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatuses operates with low magnetic fields. In these conditions, imaging of tissues which have unfavorable characteristics with respect to the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging technique in use is even more difficult. In order to obviate this, and to obtain images of a certain quality and usefulness, the drawbacks of small magnetic structures and low fields are compensated by using more complex and longer scanning sequences, i.e., protocols.
Combined apparatuses currently exist for imaging and therapeutic applications, which use, for instance, a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance technique for imaging purposes, in combination with ultrasound probes for therapeutic applications. In these applications, the interference between ultrasound imaging means and therapeutic means is not of substantial importance, since the two techniques do not have to provide mutually related images, whereas the image generally has the only purpose to verify, for instance, the position of the therapeutic tool and/or the effect of the therapeutic application on tissues.
Particularly relevant are imaging apparatuses and method which acquire 3D images of the body under examination. The actual 3D imaging methods combine a certain number of images acquired along a certain number of adjacent scanning planes intersecting the body under examination. Each sectional image, also called a slice, is combined with the other slices relating to their spatial relations in order to organize the information as the section planes of the body under examination along which the images have been acquired, thus obtaining a three dimensional image data set describing the object in a three dimensional data array.
WO 96/32056 discloses a system for multi-dimensional imaging in which an ultrasound system and a x-ray system are combined. This document does not deal with the hardware integration of the two system but limit its disclosure to the techniques for combining the data obtained by the two different imaging systems. The system disclosed in WO 96/32056 is a so called 3D (three dimensional) imaging system.

Combined apparatus for imaging the inner part of a body, and method thereof


Systems and methods for aggregated search are provided. A user using a client device may provide a search request concerning a file hosted at a remote host. It is determined that the client device has an open session with each of a plurality of remote hosts. Search commands are generated and sent to the remote hosts. Such search commands may be based on an application programming interface specific to the particular remote hosts. Search results may be received from the remotes hosts. The search results may then displayed on the client device in a consolidated list, which may be sorted according to any parameter selected by the user and/or known in the art.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to remote viewing. More specifically, the present invention relates to aggregated search.
Description of the Related Art
Individuals currently have a variety of options for communicating and carrying out transactions. Such options may include traditional desktop computing devices, as well as various mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, smartphones, tablets). In fact, many individuals may use multiple computing and mobile devices at home, work, and on the move. For example, an individual may use a desktop computer at work, a laptop computer at home, and one or more mobile devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet) elsewhere. As such, people have come to expect to be able to have access to data and computing resources so to perform most computing tasks anywhere.
One difficulty in meeting such an expectation is that the various computing devices may not all have the same capabilities. For example, such devices may run different operating systems/platforms and applications. Such differences may make it difficult to support the same tasks across such devices. One solution has been to provide remote desktops where a first device runs the applications and a second device receives the visual display that appears on the first device over a communication network (e.g., Internet). Such remote desktops can allow users to access and control resources and data on the first device at a remote location using a second (e.g., portable) device.
One drawback to such an approach arises from the fact that such devices are generally used differently, so applications may be optimized for one type of device, but not another. For example, the different devices may have different sizes and input options (e.g., keyboard, keypad, touchscreen). The display of one device may not be optimized for a second device. For example, if a desktop computer display is shrunk to fit on a smartphone screen, the shrunken size may be difficult for the user to read or discern what is being displayed. Alternatively, if the display is not shrunken, the smartphone may only be able to display a portion of the original display at a time, which also adds to the difficulty in reading and discerning what is being displayed. While some devices allow for manual adjustment of the display by the user, changing displays and images may require the user to continually re-adjust the display, which may be unwieldy and inconvenient. Such is the case in many applications where content only uses a portion of the screen and user interface portions (e.g., toolbars, status bars, scroll bars, rulers).
Likewise, use of each particular device may vary based on its other specifications, including processing ability, memory, availability of applications, etc. For example, a desktop computer allows for multi-tasking involving the concurrent use of multiple applications, multiple documents, etc. The ability to multi-task on a mobile device may be more limited in comparison.
There is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for aggregated search.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A car power source apparatus is provided with a driving battery which drives an electric motor, heaters which heat the driving battery, a control circuit which controls power to the heaters, a temperature sensor which detects battery temperature and issues a detected temperature signal to the control circuit, and a surrounding temperature sensor which detects surrounding temperature and also issues a detected temperature signal to the control circuit. When the car is not being driven and the driving battery is heated via the heaters powered by the driving battery, the set temperature is changed corresponding to the detected surrounding temperature in the control circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a car power source apparatus provided with heaters to increase the temperature of the driving battery that powers the electric drive motor of a vehicle, such as an automobile, when temperatures are low.
2. Background Art
When temperatures become extremely low, battery output decreases and sufficient performance cannot be obtained. Consequently, when a hybrid car is used in a frigid location and the temperature of the driving battery becomes low, sufficient battery performance cannot be output when beginning to move or accelerate the car. A hybrid car is designed to normally run on both an engine and an electric motor. If performance of the driving battery decreases and power from the motor is insufficient, the hybrid car cannot operate normally. This drawback can be resolved by warming-up (heating) the battery. To realize this, the present applicant developed a power source apparatus which warms-up rechargeable batteries via heaters (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2003-223938).
The power source apparatus disclosed in this patent publication is provided with a driving battery comprising a plurality of rechargeable batteries, and a heating plate, with heaters mounted on it, to warm-up (heat) the rechargeable batteries of the driving battery. The heating plate is disposed in close proximity to the rechargeable batteries to allow efficient heating of those rechargeable batteries. Electric current is passed through the heating plate heaters of this power source apparatus to heat the heaters via Joule heating. Many heaters are disposed in close proximity to many rechargeable batteries to heat those batteries.


A bi-phase decoder suitable for use in a broadcast router and an associated method for extracting subframes of digital audio data from a stream of digital audio data. Logical circuitry within the bi-phase decoder extracts subframes of the digital audio data by constructing a transition window from an estimated bit time, sampling the stream of digital audio data using a fast clock and applying the sampled stream of digital audio data to the transition window to identify transitions indicative of preambles of the subframes of digital audio data.

Traditionally, serial digital audio decoders have used a PLL to lock to the incoming signal. However, in order to use a PLL in a serial digital audio decoder, various external components are typically required. As a result, serial digital audio decoders which incorporate a PLL tend to be both expensive and unwieldy. Furthermore, PLLs cannot readily be switched between manufacturing technologies. As a result, PLLs are not particularly well suited for use in devices which integrate plural design technologies, for example, different FPGA families and/or different standard cell and gate array families.

Broadcast router having a serial digital audio data stream decoder


A charger for portable terminal equipment, capable of distinguishing a nickel-hydride battery pack and a nickel-cadmium battery pack and of detecting an on-hook/off-hook condition even when the nickel-hydride battery pack is used. The charger includes a charging circuit, a pair of third charging terminals connected to the charging circuit and adapted to be selectively connected to either a pair of first charging terminals of the nickel-hydride battery pack or a pair of second charging terminals of the nickel-cadmium battery pack, and a third auxiliary terminal adapted to be selectively connected to either a first auxiliary terminal of the nickel-hydride battery pack or a second auxiliary terminal of the nickel-cadmium battery pack. The charger further includes a device for comparing a voltage at the third auxiliary terminal with a first reference voltage and detecting the on-hook condition or the off-hook condition of the portable terminal equipment, and a device for comparing the voltage at the third auxiliary terminal with a second reference voltage lower than the first reference voltage and distinguishing the nickel-hydride battery pack and the nickel-cadmium battery pack.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting an on-hook/off-hook condition of portable terminal equipment with respect to a charger.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ultimate object of communication is, of course, to enable intention or information to be transmitted or exchanged at once anytime, from anywhere, and by anybody. In addition to a conventional intercommunication between fixed points, a mobile communication has been gradually developed. The mobile communication means a communication between a mobile body such as ship, automobile, or airplane and a fixed point such as home or office, and also means an intercommunication between two mobile bodies. In recent years, a portable telephone as a kind of means for carrying out the mobile communication has been extensively developed.
Since the portable telephone is used as a user is moving, it is essential to employ a battery pack as a power source for the portable telephone. Actually, various types of rechargeable battery pack are employed. In particular, a nickel-hydride battery pack (Ni-MH battery pack) has recently been remarked as a hopeful power source for portable terminal equipment including the portable telephone because of a large ratio of electric capacity/battery volume, which can make the equipment compact and extend an operation time. In the nickel-hydride battery pack, however, a circuit for stopping charging at the time of full charge and a safety circuit for detecting a battery temperature are indispensable for ensuring the safety. Accordingly, when the full charge is reached, a charging current is cut off by the charge stopping circuit, and it is therefore necessary to detect an on-hook/off-hook condition of the portable telephone by any method rather than monitoring of the charging current.
Conventionally, a nickel-cadmium battery pack (Ni--Cd battery pack) is used as a power source for the portable telephone. In the nickel-cadmium battery pack, a slight charging current is continued to flow even after the full charge, that is, a so-called trickle charge is allowed. Accordingly, the on-hook/off-hook condition of the portable telephone is detected by monitoring a charging current. Further, since the nickel-cadmium battery pack is primarily used as a rechargeable battery pack, there occur no problems regarding the mixing with other types of battery pack and the safety against a faulty battery pack or the like.
To further reduce the size and the weight of the portable terminal equipment and further extend the operation time, it has recently been considered to adopt the nickel-hydride battery pack. As mentioned above, the nickel-hydride battery pack must include a charge stopping circuit for stopping a charging current at the time of full charge and a safety circuit for detecting a temperature of the battery pack, so as to prevent the shortening of a life cycle due to continuation of charge even after the full charge.
In the nickel-hydride battery pack including the charge stopping circuit, the charging current is cut off at the time of full charge, so that the on-hook/off-hook condition of the portable terminal equipment cannot be detected by monitoring the charging current. Further, although the nickel-cadmium battery pack is a mainly used battery pack, and no consideration for the mixing with other types of battery pack need not be taken in particular, there is a problem regarding the safety because the outputs from charging terminals of a charger continue to be generated even when no battery pack is connected to the charger.

Charger for portable terminal equipment having on-hook/off-hook detecting means and battery identifying means


A portable kitchen, toilet and shower unit includes a sink bowl (6), a sink tap (8) for the sink bowl, a work top (10), at least one cupboard (12,16) positioned beneath the sink bowl and the work top, at least one water container (18,20) in the cupboard, a portable chemical toilet, first conduit device (22) connecting the water container to the sink tap, a shower hose (24), shower head (26) and a stored shower enclosure (40) to attach to a rear door (46) of the vehicle, second conduit device (28) connecting the water container to the shower hose, and an electrically-operated pump (32) for pumping water from the container to the sink tap and the shower hose.

When people are on touring or camping holidays, or at remote locations, kitchen and washing facilities are often non-existent or extremely basic. This in turn means that normally simple things such for example as washing crockery or taking a shower become difficult and may detract from the overall enjoyment of a holiday.

Portable kitchen, toilet and shower unit

337 Rose Garden Off Poh Kwong Park Green Road


A brake shoe includes two rails each having an arcuate body with prong-receiving notches defined therein, as well as anchor-receiving notches defined therein. A strut-forming anchor element extends between the two rails and has threaded ends that extend through holes defined through the rail bodies in the anchor-receiving notches. Two brake pad supporting plates are mounted on the rails and each has two prongs adjacent to each rail body in position to be received in the prong-receiving notches. Anchors are mounted on the brake pad supporting plates to be received in the anchor-receiving notches and have holes defined therethrough. The ends of the strut-forming anchor elements are received through the holes in the rails and the holes defined through the anchors and have nuts threadably attached thereto to attach the strut-forming elements to the rails. One form of the rail has the anchor-receiving notches omitted and the prong-receiving notches defined completely through the rail body.

Changing brakes and brake parts can be a difficult, expensive and time-consuming job. Often, such a job requires special tools which are only available at a service station or at a special repair shop. Still further, some brake replacement jobs require special knowledge and skills and thus cannot be carried out on the road or by the vehicle owner/owner by himself. Still further, such jobs often require removal of the tire, seals or the like and may cause loss of oil. A jack may be necessary as well. All of these requirements make such jobs difficult.
While the art does have brake parts that are intended to be replaceable, there is a need for brake parts that can be easily changed without the need for special tools, conditions, skills or the like.
Furthermore, such replacement parts should be secure, stable and strong once installed so they are reliable.
Therefore, there is a need for a brake shoe which is strong, reliable and stable while still being easy and efficient to remove, replace and install.


A hose hanger assembly includes a tubular support, at least one mount, a flange structure, and a cover structure. The tubular support defines a first end, a second end, and a storage compartment located therebetween, the first end of the tubular support defining an access opening aligned with the storage compartment. The at least one mount is attached to the second end of the tubular support. The flange structure includes (i) an inner ring member attached in fixed relation to the first end of the tubular support, (ii) an outer ring member spaced apart from the inner ring member, and (iii) and a plurality of links interconnecting the outer ring member and the inner ring member so as to define a plurality of windows, the flange structure being configured to resemble a wheel rim flange. The cover structure is movable between (i) a first position in which the cover structure is located to cover the access opening, and (ii) a second position in which the cover structure is located to expose the access opening. The cover structure possesses a facade structure that includes (i) a first portion configured to resemble a hub cap, and (ii) a second portion configured to have a plurality of protrusions each being configured to resemble a drive portion of a lug nut. The plurality of protrusions is positioned to surround the first portion.

The present disclosure relates generally to hose hangers, and more particularly to a hose hanger assembly that possesses a car wheel rim configuration with a removable cover structure.
Devices configured to hang a hose adjacent to a side of a house are well known in the art. It is also well known in the art to provide one or more storage compartments within the hose hanger. It would be advantageous to create an amusing configuration of a hose hanger that includes a storage compartment which takes advantage of the physical attributes of the amusing configuration for utilitarian purposes.

Hose hanger assembly having car wheel rim configuration with removable cover structure


An electronic transaction system, which facilitates secure electronic transactions among multiple parties including cardholders, merchants, and service providers (SP). The system involves electronic cards, commonly known as smart cards, and their equivalent computer software package. The card mimics a real wallet and contains commonly seen financial or non-financial instruments such as a credit card, checkbook, or driver license. A transaction is protected by a hybrid key cryptographic system and is normally carried out on a public network such as the Internet. Digital signatures and challenges-responses are used to ensure integrity and authenticity. The card utilizes secret keys such as session keys assigned by service providers (SPs) to ensure privacy for each transaction. The SP is solely responsible for validating each participant's sensitive information and assigning session keys. The system does not seek to establish a trust relationship between two participants of a transaction. The only trust relationship needed in a transaction is the one that exists between individual participants and the SP. The trust relationship with a participant is established when the SP has received and validated certain established account information from that particular participant. To start a transaction with a selected SP, a participant must have the public key of the intended SP. Since the public key is openly available, its availability can be easily established by the cardholder. The SP also acts as a gateway for the participants when a transaction involves interaction with external systems.

The generic term, "smart card," generally denotes an integrated circuit (IC) card, that is, a credit-card-size piece of plastic with an embedded microchip. The IC chip on a smart card generally, but not necessarily, consists of a microprocessor (the CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), an input/output unit, and some persistent memory such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The chip can perform arithmetic computations, logic processing, data management, and data communication.
Smart cards are mainly of two types: contact and contact-less. The International Standard Organization (ISO) has established specifications for such electronic cards under the ISO series. In particular, ISO 7816 applies to integrated circuit(s) cards. Because of its computing capability, a smart card can support a multitude of security features such as authentication, secured read/write, symmetric key and asymmetric key encryption/decryption. These smart card security features make it well suited for electronic commerce where data security and authenticity are of primary importance.
Smart card use has found application in many specialized fields such as mass transportation, health insurance, parking, campus, gas, etc. And its potential use in electronic commerce and other financial areas are gaining popularity at a rapid pace. U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,362, issued to Robert S. Power on May 28, 1996, entitled "Electronic purse card having multiple storage memories to prevent fraudulent usage and method therefore," describes an electronic purse application. Power's invention demonstrates a smart card's capability to be used as a secure financial instrument and not just as a storage device.
As advances in technology push smart-card chip computing to higher speeds and larger memory capacity, the concept of a "multi-application" smart card is increasingly becoming economically and physically feasible. U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,232 issued to Douglas C. Taylor on Jun. 25, 1996, entitled "Multi-application data card," describes a multi-application card, which is capable of substituting for a plurality of existing single-application cards and satisfying both financial and non-financial requirements. The multi-application card uses a conventional data link to connect between the smart card and the remote service provider. Taylor's invention, the multi-application card, does not relate to any kind of open network or cryptographic method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,246 issued to Mandelhaum et al. on" on Aug. 5, 1996, entitled "Smart card adapted for a plurality of service providers and for remote installation of same," describes a smart card, which allows different service providers to coexist on the same smart card. Each service provider is considered a user of the smart card and is installed on the card by the issuer/owner of the smart card. Each user is allowed to build a tree-like file structure and protect it with a password file. Mandelbaum's invention depicts a smart card allows for the creation and deletion of multiple applications. Mandelbaum's smart card controls the access to each application by using an appropriate password file.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,279 issued to Taher Elgamal on Sep. 23, 1997, entitled "Electronic commerce using a secure courier system," describes a system for implementing electronic commerce over a public network using public/private key cryptography. The Elgamal patent did not mention the use of a smart card as a tool in conducting the electronic commerce and the participants were authenticated through the use of digital certificates. The secure courier system requires a secured channel such as a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) between the trading parties over an open network such as the Internet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,677, issued to Fox et al. on Aug. 4, 1998, entitled "System and method for secure electronic commerce transactions," describes a system and method having a registration process followed by a transaction process. During the registration phase, each participant of a transaction registers with a trusted credential-binding server by sending to the server a registration packet. The server produces unique credentials based upon the request received and sends them to the request originator. During the transaction phase, the originator of the transaction requests, receives and verifies the credentials of all intended recipients of the commerce document and/or instrument and encrypts the document and/or instrument using the public key of the individual recipient. Thus, each receiving party can decrypt and access the information intended only for him. Fox's patent describes a process which reflects the theme of the so called "Secure Electronic Transaction" (SET) standard which is an ongoing effort supported by several major financial and software companies to establish a digital certificate and certificate authority based electronic commerce system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,840 issued to Derek L. Davis on Aug. 18, 1998, entitled "Apparatus and method for providing secured communication," describes a semiconductor device, which is capable of generating device-specific key pairs to be used in subsequent message authentication and data communication. The semiconductor device uses public/private key cryptography to ensure the authenticity of two communicating parties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,857 issued to Simon G. Laing and Matthew P. Bowcock on Jul. 9, 1996, entitled "Method and System for Secure, Decentralized Personalization of Smart Cards," describes a method and apparatus for securely writing confidential data from an issuer to a customer smart card at a remote location. A mutual session key for enciphering data transfer between a secure terminal and a secure computer is generated by using a common key stored in the secure computer and a retailer smart card.
It is clear from the inventions mentioned above that the architecture of a secure electronic commerce system involves a public key infrastructure and digital certificate authority associated with it.
On an open network, a secret key-based system is less flexible in terms of key distribution and key management, and is more subject to malicious attack. On the other hand, a public/private key-based system, with all its advantages over the secret key system, has its own daunting task of authenticating transaction parties to one another. The current invention presents another system and method, which replaces the need for certificate authorities and digital certificates. The current invention is a hybrid system for electronic transactions. The hybrid system uses public/private keys during the key exchange phase and uses a session key as a secret key during the transaction phase.

Cryptographic system and method for electronic transactions


A drug delivery device (100) includes a base (102) having a first region (104) with a drug delivery assembly (106) associated therewith. The drug delivery device also includes an antenna (112) disposed in the first region to radiate an electromagnetic field, the base defining a plane (114) and the antenna disposed in the plane of the base, and an electromagnetic field generator (116) selectively coupled to the antenna.

Drug delivery can be accomplished through any one or more of a variety of conventional means. For example, many drugs are consumed orally through capsules or pills. Another common technique for drug delivery is through the use of a needle or cannula, such as those used with standard syringes, catheters, auto-injectors, on-body injectors, etc. Needles and catheters are generally introduced through the patient's skin to access the desired delivery site for the particular medication being administered. Still other means for achieving drug delivery include transdermal patches. A transdermal patch is a medicated adhesive patch that is placed on the patient's skin to deliver a specific dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream. Some advanced versions of such patches can even include arrays of micro-needles that very slightly penetrate the patient's skin and/or create a wound to increase skin permeability and facilitate drug delivery.

Drug delivery system with electromagnetic field generator


A system and method for stunning live poultry is presented. In one aspect, the system presented has a poultry stunner defining a partially enclosed passageway and at least one first conduit in fluid communication with the fluid source, configured to direct a first stream of fluid into at least a portion of the at least partially enclosed passageway. In one aspect, the system also can have at least one second conduit in fluid communication with the fluid source, configured to direct a second stream of fluid into at least a portion of the at least partially enclosed passageway. In one aspect, the system comprises an electrical power source coupled to at least one of the first conduit(s) and/or at least one of the second conduit(s). Thus, an electric circuit is formed between the first and second streams of fluid via any of the live poultry that come into contact with the first and second streams of fluid.

Poultry processing plants have become automated to a large extent. Due to Federal regulations, it is necessary to kill the birds while they are in an inverted configuration, so that the blood is pumped from the birds' body via their own heart. Typically, birds are processed in an inverted position with their hocks suspended by shackles pivotally mounted to an overhead conveyor line. This orientation places the tail region roughly midway down the bird body while the pivotal mounting enables the birds to be manipulated along the process line. It is common practice to electrically stun the birds prior to processing them while they are inverted and shackled. In this manner, the birds, while alive, remain relatively motionless for processing.
Conventionally, stunning the birds is achieved by positioning the conveyor system to move shackled birds through an electrolytic solution charged with an electric current. Loading the birds into the shackles is conventionally done by hand and, since the birds are alive, it can be a cumbersome task. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a system or apparatus to facilitate easier loading of the birds.


The present invention discloses a process of manufacturing an STI for avoiding bubble defects, in which, after the shallow trench is formed by etching, substance containing carbon or oxygen on the bottom of the shallow trench is removed, and then the process is continued to accomplish the STI. Alternatively, the removal of substance containing carbon or oxygen may be performed after the oxide liner and the silicon nitride liner are formed on the bottom surface of the shallow trench. The present invention also discloses a process of treating bottom surface of the shallow trench. After the bottom surface of the shallow trench is treated, the bubble defects due to the use of the silicon nitride liner can be avoided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor fabrication method and, more particularly, to an improved shallow trench isolation (STI) process and a process of treating bottom surface of the shallow trench to avoid bubble defects induced by the silicon nitride liner formed on the shallow trench bottom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, isolation structures such as shallow trench isolation (STI) are formed between active areas in which electrical devices such as transistors or memory cells are to be formed. The isolation structures are formed in an early stage of the processing of a semiconductor substrate, typically prior to the formation of the transistors.
To form the STI structure, a pad oxide layer and a pad nitride layer are typically formed over the substrate surface and patterned to expose only the isolation regions, with the prospective active device regions covered. The pad nitride layer acts as a hard mask during subsequent processing steps, and the pad oxide layer functions to relieve stress between the underlying silicon substrate and the pad nitride layer. These two layers can be together called as a hard mask layer.
A dry etch is then performed to form a shallow trench through the nitride, pad oxide layer, and substrate. Dielectric material such as high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD) oxide is then deposited to fill the shallow trench. Thereafter, the excess dielectric material is polished away using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process and the pad nitride layer is removed.
For a good insulating quality, after the shallow trench is formed by etching, a thermal oxidation is performed to form an oxide liner with a thickness of about 150 angstroms (Å) on the walls and bottom of the shallow trench and etching damage is eliminated at the same time. Before the shallow trench is filled with a dielectric layer, a thin silicon nitride liner is typically deposited using a CVD process to form a double layer structure, serving as an effective oxygen barrier to block oxygen diffusion, and to reduce lattice defects generated in the silicon substrate. However, after a dielectric layer is filled in the shallow trench using an HDPCVD process, some bubble defects are often found between the oxide liner and the silicon substrate. Such defects lead to delamination between the oxide liner and the silicon substrate and influence properties of products.
Therefore, there is still a need for an improved process to make an STI to prevent the bubble defects.

Process of manufacturing a shallow trench isolation and process of treating bottom surface of the shallow trench for avoiding bubble defects


Techniques for accommodating chassis tolerances use joiners which enable outer side panels for a front card cage to reference a front side of a midplane, and outer side panels for a rear card cage to reference a rear side of the midplane. The joiners couple the outer side panels together in a rigid but accommodating manner regardless of variations in midplane board thickness. Accordingly, both the front and rear card cages are capable of accurately and consistently referencing from the midplane sides. Not only do these techniques solve registration drawbacks which exist in conventional midplane installation approaches involving the bolting of midplanes to the middles of pre-constructed frames, these techniques further enable accurate direct connection of other components such as a power supply subsystem (e.g., to the midplane front side) and a fan assembly (e.g., to the midplane rear side) thus alleviating the need for burdensome cables.

In general, a midplane is a centrally located circuit board structure which connects to other circuit boards on both sides. That is, the midplane is planar in shape, and defines a front side and a back side. Some circuit boards connect to the front side of the midplane. Other circuit boards connect to the back side of the midplane.
Such a midplane typically includes multiple conductive and non-conductive layers which are sandwiched together in order to provide a dense network of electrical connections between the connecting circuit boards. Accordingly, the circuit boards are capable of enjoying a high degree of electrical connectivity within a relatively small space.
Manufacturers typically pre-construct large frames for carrying such midplanes, and bolt these midplanes in the middles of the large pre-constructed frames. As a result, the midplanes divide the pre-constructed frames into two halves, namely, front card cages and rear card cages. Next, the manufacturers insert circuit boards into the front card cages until the circuit boards connect to front sides of the midplanes, and other circuit boards into the rear card cages until these other circuit boards connect to rear sides of the midplanes. The manufacturers are also capable of electrically connecting other components to the midplanes such as fans or power supplies using cables. In this manner, the manufacturers are capable of forming highly dense networks of electronic circuitry.

Techniques for accommodating variations in chassis tolerances


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a transmission method, apparatus, and system for uplink transmit diversity, which relate to the field of communications. To determine activation or deactivation of uplink transmit diversity in time and effectively to improve uplink transmission quality, the technical solution provided in the present invention is as follows: determining, by a base station, to activate/deactivate uplink transmit diversity of a user equipment and sending an activation/deactivate request indication to a radio network controller, the activation/deactivate request indication is used for the radio network controller to instruct the user equipment to activate/deactivate the uplink transmit diversity. The present invention is applicable to the control of uplink transmit diversity transmission.

Uplink transmit diversity technologies can lower transmit power of a terminal, improve edge coverage, and increase cell capacity, and also has an effect of increasing a service transmission rate for a cell-edge user, thereby enhancing user experience. Therefore, by applying uplink transmit diversity technologies such as MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Out-put, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) to UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) uplink transmission, the requirements for increasing spectrum efficiency, improving uplink transmission coverage, and further increasing a user's peak rate for UMTS uplink transmission can be met.
In the prior art, in a scenario where uplink transmit diversity technologies are applied to UMTS uplink transmission, during service setup, as shown in FIG. 1, an RNC (Radio Network Controller, radio network controller) can determine, according to the uplink transmit diversity capability of a UE (User Equipment, user equipment) carried in an RRC (Radio Resource Control, radio resource control protocol) connection setup request sent by the UE and the uplink transmit diversity capability of a cell in AUDIT sent by a NodeB (base station), that the UE and the NodeB may adopt uplink transmit diversity to transmit data and determine whether to activate uplink transmit diversity of the UE. Furthermore, when the RNC determines to activate the uplink transmit diversity of the UE, the RNC separately instructs the NodeB by using an RL Setup Request (radio link setup request) that the uplink transmit diversity of the UE is activated and instructs the UE by using an RB Setup Request (radio bearer setup request) to activate the uplink transmit diversity of the UE.
However, it is only determined whether to activate the uplink transmit diversity of the UE during service setup. Therefore, after the service setup, the activation/deactivation of the uplink transmit diversity of the UE cannot be dynamically adjusted according to a reference value obtained through measurement such as UE's current power or current channel quality. Hence, the prior art further proposes that after service setup, the RNC dynamically adjusts the activation/deactivation of the uplink transmit diversity of the UE through RB reconfiguration and RL reconfiguration processes. The specific procedures are shown in FIG. 2.
During the implementation of the present invention, the inventor finds that the prior art has at least the following problems: after receiving a reference value obtained through measurement reported by a UE or a NodeB, an RNC determines whether to activate uplink transmit diversity of the UE according to the reported reference value obtained through measurement; however, the real-time quality of the reporting of the UE or the NodeB depends on a measurement report period, where an undesirable delay problem exists, which leads to poor timeliness and effectiveness in determining whether to activate uplink transmit diversity, and affects uplink transmission.

Transmission method, apparatus, and system for uplink transmit diversity


Photoluminescent bicyclic polydisilacyclobutanes are made by reacting a dialkenyldihalocarbosilane with an organolithium reagent in the presence of a solvent at 0.degree.-25.degree. C.

This invention is directed to polycarbosilanes, and to polymers in which silicon atoms are linked through substituted alkylene bridges. The substituted polysilalkylenes are bicyclic polydisilacyclobutanes.
The literature makes reference to processes using halosilanes containing a single unsaturated linkage. See for example, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., Volume 558, Pages 55-86, (1988); Chem. Ber., Volume 126, Pages 575-580, (1993); and J. Prakt. Chem., Volume 337, Pages 79-92, (1995).
By using halosilanes containing two unsaturated linkages, as exemplified in Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, Volume 377, Pages 175-195, (1989), we are enabled to produce higher molecular weight materials, i.e., polymers.
While one co-inventor herein has co-authored a recent article relative to certain silacyclobutanes, the article does not describe polymers which replicate the bicyclic polymer described herein. In particular, reference may be had to Chem. Eur. J., Volume 3, Number 6, Pages 948-957, (June 1997).


The present invention relates to an electron microscope which reduces a difference in measured values that occur due to a difference in resolution that cannot be fully adjusted which exists among electron microscopes, or occurs as time elapses, and a method for measuring dimensions. An operator adapted to compensate for changes of an electron image to be generated due to a difference in probe diameter is obtained in advance from electron images of one reference sample created by electron microscopes having different resolution (probe diameter). Then a compensation-measurement electron image which is equivalent to an electron image created under the same probe diameter by applying the operator for compensation, and the compensation-measurement electron image is used for measuring the dimensions.

The present invention relates to an electron microscope that is used to measure microscopic dimensions of semiconductor devices, etc., a system thereof, and a method for measuring dimensions using the electron microscope and the system.
In processes of manufacturing semiconductors, a general method employed is to measure dimensions of microscopic patterns by using electron images acquired with an SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Further, in general, secondary electron images, not reflected electron images, are used for measurement of the above-stated dimensions. When the term "electron image" is referred to simply as it is, it shall imply a "secondary electron image."
Now, FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C show the relationship among a cross-section photo of an object (FIG. 9A), a secondary electron image (FIG. 9B) and a line profile of the secondary electron image (FIG. 9C). Since the secondary electron intensity becomes larger as the slope of an object becomes larger, an image where the portions that correspond to edge areas of the object pattern become brighter and the portions corresponding to flat areas become darker as shown in FIG. 9B. For measurement of dimensions, in some cases, an image is displayed on a GUI window, and the dimension w1 (corresponding to the bottom dimension) and w2 (corresponding to the top dimension) are measured by manually moving the cursor, or alternatively, measurement of dimension is automatically conducted with various edge detection methods as shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C. FIG. 10A shows a method for detecting the each point (the each position) of the steepest gradient (the maximum inclination at each slope) as the each edge (the steepest gradient method). FIG. 10B shows a method for detecting the each edge by using a given threshold value (th=max×a+min×(1-a), where, a: a given ratio (0.1 to 1.0)) (the threshold method). FIG. 10C shows a method wherein each straight slope line is fitted to the each edge portion and each straight base line is fitted to the each base material portion, and each intersection of these straight lines is detected as the each edge (the collinear approximation method).
Now, to convert a dimension measured on an image into an actual dimension, the scale of magnification of an SEM should be known in advance. To calibrate the scale of magnification of an SEM, a standard sample whose dimensions are known is used. As stated on page 48 of the "Scanning Electron Microscope". edited by Kanto Branch of The Japanese Society of Microscopy, the silicon microscale which is created by using anisotropic etching of silicon based on interference patterns generated by using laser beam, for example, is known as the standard sample. Since the silicon microscale carries lines and space patterns arranged in a constant pitch, and the repeated pitch thereof is determined by the wavelength of laser used, it guarantees precise values. The scale of magnification of an SEM can be determined by dividing the pitch distance on an electron image by the pitch distance of the silicon microscale.
Along with miniaturization of semiconductor device patterns, demands on measurement accuracy are becoming stricter year after year. The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) demands 0.6 nm of dimension measurement accuracy for 90 nm nodes, and 0.41 nm for 65 nm nodes. Further, the demand includes not only measurement reproducibility of a single SEM measurement apparatus, but also measurement reproducibility among electron microscope apparatuses, or more specifically, matching of measured values when an object is measured with a plurality of electron microscopes. Conventionally, to ensure consistency of measurement values among a plurality of electron microscopes, matching of scales of magnification among electron microscopes have been made by using the above-described standard sample that has known pitches.
In addition, the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-40096 states an electron beam apparatus. In this apparatus, the characteristic best frequency that corresponds to the out-of-focus amount based on the Fourier spectrum of a sample image by using an out-of-focus computing unit. An out-of-focus beam distribution function corresponding to the characteristic best frequency is generated by using a beam distribution generator. The above-stated out-of-focus beam distribution function is removed from the sample image stored in a memory of one-dimensional images by using a deconvolution-computing unit. Measurement of dimensions of the sample image thus obtained is conducted with a length measurement-computing unit.
However, even if the matching of scales of magnification are made among a plurality of electron microscope apparatuses as stated above, the measurement values obtained when an object is measured may not always become matched if the resolution of the electron microscope apparatuses is different. The resolution of an SEM is dependent on the spot diameter (hereinafter referred to as the probe diameter) of the scanning primary electron beam. FIG. 11A shows a line profile of a secondary electron image having a line and space pattern (line pitch: p0, line width: w0) which has a rectangular cross section. FIG. 11B shows the line profile of the secondary electron image in the case where a probe diameter=d1=0. FIG. 11C shows the case where a probe diameter=d1. FIG. 11D shows the case where a probe diameter=d2 (>d1). The line profile based on a finite probe diameter is equivalent to the profile wherein a beam intensity distribution is convoluted on the line profile for the probe diameter 0. Therefore, the profile width which is corresponding to the pattern edge will be expanded as shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D. For example, when edge detection is conducted with the threshold method as shown in FIG. 10B, the dotted line positions on the figure are detected as edge positions.
In the above-described prior art, the matching of scales of magnification is made so that the measurement results p1, p2 and p3 of pattern pitches will conform to actual dimensions. However, as shown in FIG. 10B, the measurement result of the line width becomes larger as the probe diameter becomes larger (w1<w2<w3). As described above, even if the matching of scales of magnification are made, the measurement results of the line width will not agree in general if the probe diameters are different from each other.
The resolution of an SEM is determined by various factors such as, aberrations (spherical aberration and chromatic aberration) of an objective lens, the size of an electron source, and the aperture shape of an objective lens. It is ideal that a plurality of electron microscope apparatuses have the same resolution. However, there are individual differences among electron sources or objective lens apertures, and skills of workers who carry out optical axis alignments vary between individuals. In addition, as time elapses, deterioration of electron sources, or effects of contamination on the objective lens aperture will occur. As a result, it is practically difficult to maintain the status of matched resolution among the electron microscope apparatuses. If a difference in resolution is found, adjustment of an alignment coil (208), adjustment of an astigmatism compensation coil (209), replacement of an objective lens aperture (210), etc., which are shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, will be conducted. However, such adjustments do not always guarantee matched resolution among the electron microscopes.

Electron microscope, measuring method using the same, electron microscope system, and method for controlling the system


In a forming mold equipped with a cooling channel for circulation of a refrigerant composed of a cooling gas and a atomized cooling liquid, any increase of back pressure attributed to evaporation of the refrigerant fed to the cooling channel is inhibited to thereby attain cooling acceleration, and further any occurrence of rust or scale by the refrigerant circulated through the cooling channel is prevented. Accordingly, a channel for supply of the refrigerant to the cooling channel of the forming mold is provided with air pressure source for trapping of air in the supply channel and pressure feeding of the same; oxygen separation means for separation removal of oxygen from the pressure fed air to thereby lower the oxygen concentration of the air; and atomizing means for spraying of the cooling liquid into the air with oxygen concentration lowered. The oxygen separated from the air by the oxygen separation means is returned to the refrigerant forcedly emitted from the cooling channel by means of forced exhaust means.

It is known that the conventional art for cooling of a forming mold, in which the forming mold includes a cooling channel and an atomized coolant liquid as a refrigerant is flowed with compressed air in the cooling channel (see JP-63-299848A). In this conventional cooling art, the refrigerant consisting of the coolant liquid and the compressed air is flowed into the cooling channel, and the air blow and heat of evaporation of the coolant liquid make the forming mold cool, in which the refrigerant passes through the cooling channel taking heat from surroundings.
It is also known that the conventional cooling for the forming mold, in which a flux of the atomized coolant liquid is controlled for adjustment of cooling (see JP-H11-170257A).
In the both conventional cooling art, the exhaust gas from the cooling channel contains a lot of water vapor. The vapor is emitted around the mold, which causes the heightening of humidity in the factory, so that the working atmosphere lowers. Particularly, with respect to a casting mold, the heightened humidity lowers the quality of molten metal.
The atomized coolant liquid flowed into the cooling channel of the forming mold is rapidly evaporated in the cooling channel and the volume of the coolant liquid is expanded, thereby the back pressure of the cooling channel increases. Due to the increase of back pressure, the boiling point of the coolant liquid is heightened and a part of the refrigerant is liquefied. Further, the turbulence of the coolant occurs and unfortunately the equal cooling is blocked.
Moreover, the cooling channel, into which the refrigerant including atomized coolant liquid and air is flowed, becomes high temperature, thereby the air and iron of the wall of the cooling channel react with water. Thus, there occurs rust that degrades the mold or scale that lowers the cooling efficiency. To avoid the occurrence of the rust at the wall of the cooling channel, it is conventionally known to eliminate dissolved oxygen of the coolant liquid circulated in the cooling channel (see JP-H10-109092 A). However, when the atomized coolant liquid is flowed with the compressed air, the iron of the wall of the cooling channel does not react with the dissolved oxygen in the coolant liquid but with oxygen in the air. Therefore, the elimination of the dissolved oxygen may fail to prevent the rust.

Cooling system for forming mold and method of cooling forming mold


In an NLDMOS, DMOS or NMOS active device the ability to withstand snapback under stress conditions is provided by moving the hot spot away from the drain contact region. This is achieved by moving the drain contact region further away from the gate and including an additional n-region next to the drain or an additional floating p-region next to the drain.

Numerous devices have been developed for handling electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. These ESD protection devices may be categorized as falling into two groups: the active devices that work in normal operating mode, and the snapback devices which are designed to be triggered and operate in snapback mode during an ESD event and then turn off again as voltage drops below the holding voltage of the device.
The present invention deals with active devices. These are typically larger than snapback devices but have the advantage of being usable as self-protecting devices, where they are functional even during non-ESD situations. While these devices typically are meant not to go into snapback, local overstresses due to current crowding can cause these devices to go into snapback, thereby damaging the device. Typically the margin is rather small before the devices go into snapback. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the snapback voltage is dependent on gate bias and in practice high-voltage devices used for voltage regulation to provide a low voltage to internal circuits are often not directly connected to the power pad and ground. Thus they fail to provide local clamping of the high voltage pad and ground. Hence the importance for a self-protecting DMOS device.
One such prior art device is the drain extended MOS (DeMOS), sometimes also called an NLDMOS shown in cross-section in FIG. 1, which includes an n-epitaxial layer 100 in which an n-well 102 is formed. In the case of a BiCMOS process an n-buried layer (NBL) 103 may also be formed in the n-epi 100. An n+ drain 104 is formed in the n-well 102, and an n+ source 106 is formed in a p-well 108 in the n-epi 100. A polysilicon gate 110 is formed on top of the n- and p-wells 102, 108, the extended portion of the gate 110 being isolated from the n-well 102 by an isolation oxide 112. As shown in FIG. 1, the drain 104 includes a drain contact 114, the source 106 includes a source contact 116, and the gate 110 includes a gate contact 120. TCAD simulation results indicate that during a stress event such as an ESD event, the hot spot is located near the drain contact, as shown by the region 130 in FIG. 1. While the contact can supply unlimited current, the device has a rather low critical temperature at which irreversible melting-like changes occur. Thus, a single snapback turn-on is fatal for the device.
FIG. 2 shows another prior art device in cross-section, namely an NLDMOS-SCR. This device includes an n-epitaxial layer 200 grown on a p− substrate 201. An n-well 202 is formed in the n-epi 200. In the case of a BiCMOS process an n-buried layer (NBL) 203 may also be formed in the n-epi 200. In the n-epitaxial layer 200, an n+ drain 204 is formed, and an n+ source 206 is formed in a p-well 208 in the n-epi 200. A polysilicon gate 210 is formed on top of the n− and p− wells 202, 208, the extended portion of the gate 210 being isolated from the n− well 202 by an isolation oxide 212. As shown in FIG. 2, the drain 204 includes a drain contact 214, the source includes a source contact 216, and the gate 210 includes a gate contact 220. Unlike the NLDMOS of FIG. 1, this NLDMOS-SCR further includes a p-emitter region 222 formed under the drain contact. This device functions well insofar as it moves the hot spot (shown by region 130) away from the drain contact 214. However, the inclusion of the p-emitter region 222 introduces additional process steps that are typically not required for the devices it supports. Also, the inclusion of the p− emitter region 222 results in a significant saturation NWELL resistor. Thus, the device on-state current is rather low since only the bottom portion of the NWELL under the p-emitter 222 can conduct the current.
The present invention seeks to provide an alternative solution for devices that do not only operate well during normal mode but are also capable of surviving a snapback scenario.

Self protecting NLDMOS, DMOS and extended voltage NMOS devices


A method for producing a crystalline material in a crucible in a crystal growth apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises, in part, the step of determining the amount of solidified material present in a partially solidified melt produced during the growth phase using at least one laser positioned at a height above the crucible. A crystal growth apparatus comprising the laser is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the extent of growth during the preparation of a crystalline material, such as sapphire or silicon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crystal growth apparatuses or furnaces, such as directional solidification systems (DSS) and heat exchanger method (HEM) furnaces, involve the melting and controlled resolidification of a feedstock material, such as alumina or silicon, in a crucible to produce an ingot. Production of a solidified ingot from molten feedstock occurs in several identifiable steps over many hours. For example, to produce an ingot, such as a sapphire ingot, by the HEM method, solid feedstock, such as alumina, is provided in a crucible containing a monocrystalline seed (which comprises the same material as the feedstock but with a single crystal orientation throughout) placed into the hot zone of a solidification furnace. A heat exchanger, such as a helium-cooled heat exchanger, is positioned in thermal communication with the crucible bottom and with the monocrystalline seed. The feedstock is then heated to form a liquid feedstock melt, without substantially melting the monocrystalline seed, and heat is then removed from the melted feedstock by applying a temperature gradient in the hot zone in order to directionally solidify the melt from the unmelted seed. By controlling how the melt solidifies, a crystalline material having a crystal orientation corresponding to that of the monocrystalline seed, and having greater purity than the starting feedstock material, can be achieved.
In such crystallization methods, it is important to monitor the extent of solidification in order to produce a high quality final product. Variations in the rate of growth can result in significant variations throughout the growing crystalline material, and such variability can reduce the amount of useful material in the final ingot. However, it is often a challenge to efficiently and accurately identify how much of the melted feedstock has solidified throughout the growth phase. Typically, the extent of crystal growth is determined manually by inserting a dip rod into the melt at various time intervals and measuring the penetration depth. However, the dip rod method has significant disadvantages. For example, dip rods can be easily broken in the partially solidified material or, at the very least, can introduce impurities into the final product. Also, this manual method is time and labor intensive, requiring the presence of skilled operators, thereby increasing the overall cost of ingot production. Finally, dip rod data cannot efficiently be used for process control. Thus, if a difference is found between the measured growth rate and the expected or targeted growth rate, changes to the process cannot be made instantaneously.
Thus, there is a need in the industry for methods and devices that can be used to efficiently and effectively monitor the directional solidification of a feedstock melt in a crystal growth apparatus, in order to ensure a consist growth process.

Growth determination in the solidification of a crystalline material


A fire detection device includes a vented detector housing, with an opening defined in a mounting base. A substance exhaust channel in air flow communication with the opening extends upward from the mounting base. A pressure release turbine includes an impeller operatively disposed in the channel. A rotation sensor senses rotation of the impeller and generates an alert upon detection of a heat level indicated by rotation of the turbine rotor at a predetermined speed. A high pressure and/or heat louver disposed over the opening opens in response to a predetermined heat level. An actuator detects opening of the louver and generates an alert. A thermostatic device disposed in the housing senses, and generates an alert at, a predetermined heat level. A thermal imaging device disposed in the housing senses, and generates an alert at, a predetermined heat level.

Fire has long been a destructive force that can be hazardous to humans. The evolution of legacy home construction and materials in modern homes presents an increased danger to human life. In the United States alone, between 2014 and 2018, on an annual basis, roughly 353,100 residential fires have caused over 2,620 deaths and nearly 11,030 injuries, and 7.2 billion dollars in property damage. Modern structures, including residences, are filled with synthetic and petroleum-based materials that undergo pyrolysis and gasification effects of fire at an accelerated rate compared to legacy materials. When subjected to fire and heat these synthetic materials produce toxic and highly combustible fuel-rich smoke. This fuel rich smoke exacerbates the heat release rate, growth, spread, noxious nature, and mortal danger of fire.
The nature of fire's danger is that in the modern home, an entire room can be engulfed in flame and combust due to an event called flashover. A burning cigarette, for example, dropped onto a couch, may cause flames and ultimately result in a flashover event within 150 seconds of being dropped. Even before flashover occurs, within 60 seconds, a room may be sufficiently filled with smoke, heat, and toxic gases such that a human, previously laying in bed, may rise, inhale, and immediately become asphyxiated by the "smoke layer" consisting of heat, fuel rich smoke, gas, and particulate. Within 90 seconds the average lay person will die even if trying to escape due to the mortal atmosphere within three feet of the floor.
Fire is an exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel, heat, and oxygen resulting in combustion. The initiation and continuance of combustion require four components as depicted in the fire tetrahedron. The mechanics of fire, and consequently its detection and suppression, can be better understood through the tetrahedron. According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and UL, LLC, the tetrahedron is a geometric representation of the required elements for fire to exist, a common model used to describe the inputs necessary for fire, is comprised of four elements, heat, fuel, and oxygen, resulting in a continuous exothermic chemical chain reaction. According to NIST, removal or reduction of any of the facets of the fire tetrahedron and fire cannot exist and will extinguish a fire completely or, at a minimum, slow its growth.
To protect human life from the dangers of fire, smoke detection devices are frequently used. Among others, these devices may include photoelectric sensors that detect particulate matter and ionization detectors which detect the presence of elements in sampled air that bind to an ion contained within a chamber. These methods were developed over 30 years ago when legacy homes were constructed of, and contained primarily wood materials. Burning wood produces a fine particulate smoke that is not fuel rich. Modern homes are constructed and filled with primarily petroleum and synthetic materials. When ignited, these petroleum and synthetic materials produce a thick particulate black smoke that does not bind to ions, thus limiting the effectiveness of ionization detection-based technology. An additional shortcoming of legacy detection systems is that they may detect fires and alert human occupants in a dwelling at a time that is too late for the occupant to safely evacuate. For example, if a fire has been present long enough, the smoke layer, containing fuel rich smoke, toxic gas, mortal heat, and particulate may be as little or even less than four feet from the floor. With a single inhalation this smoke may cause instant death, disorientation, unconscious or inability to navigate to an exit from the dwelling. The presence of modern synthetic and petroleum-based materials within a dwelling (now prevalent) exacerbates this problem by releasing fuel rich smoke that quickly consumes breathable oxygen.
Further, typical smoke-detection devices, such as ionization and photoelectric systems, tend to give a false alarm on events that are not actual fires, such as an overheating frying pan or oven. These false alarms result in extreme cost to local first responders and desensitize occupants to the alarm methods, even to the point of disabling the detector altogether. These existing systems rely on the detection of smoke or gas as a byproduct of ignition.

Fire detection devices and systems and methods for their use


A fixing device has a fixing roller including an inside roller, an outside roller and a regulation member. The regulation member is disposed outside of both ends of the outside roller in the axial direction to regulate axial movement of the outside roller. An axial length of the contact face, where the pressure roller contacts with the outside roller, is smaller than an axial length of the outside roller. Thereby, both ends of the outside roller hardly receive bending deformation caused by pressure of the pressure roller. This makes it possible to reduce stress exerted to both ends of the outside roller, and therefore, the ends of the fixing roller are prevented from being damaged to enhance durability of the fixing roller.

The present invention relates to a fixing device for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copier, a laser printer and a facsimile.
In the fixing device, it has been considered to adopt an induction heating type of heat source which offers high thermal conversion efficiency in order to achieve energy saving. Particularly, from view-point of their compact design and high efficiency, attention is focus on the fixing device in which magnetic flux generated by coils is guided to a fixing roller by a core member such as ferrite cores.
This conventional electromagnetic induction heating type of fixing device includes a fixing roller, a pressure roller which comes in contact with the fixing roller to form a nip, and a magnetic flux generation means which is disposed inside of the fixing roller to generate magnetic flux.
The fixing roller generates heat by the magnetic flux from the magnetic flux generation means. The nip holds and transports a recording material carrying an unfixed image so that the unfixed image is melted by the heat and fixed to the recording material (see JP 10-74008A)
The fixing roller includes an outside roller for generating heat by virtue of magnetic flux, an inside roller inserted into the inside of the outside roller, and a regulation member disposed on both ends of the outside roller in order to suppress movement of the outside roller in relation to the inside roller in the axial direction.
In the conventional fixing device, however, an axial length of a contact face of the pressure roller that comes in contact with the outside roller is almost equal to an axial length of the outside roller. Therefore, when the fixing roller and the pressure roller rotate while the pressure roller is in contact (pressurized contact) with the fixing roller, the outside roller of the fixing roller suffers elastic deformation caused by the pressure roller and develops bending deformation during rotation.
Thus, since both ends of the outside roller rotate while developing the bending deformation, stress is generated between both ends of the outside roller and the regulation member, which may cause damage on the ends of the fixing roller.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


The invention relates to a process for producing pulp from a fibre-based raw material using, as the cooking reagent, a solvent mixture which is based on organic acids and also contains furfural. The method is applicable to herbaceous plants, in particular.

The invention relates to pulp production processes which are based on organic chemicals and where herbaceous plants, particularly grain straw, are used as raw material.
Using existing processes for producing chemical cellulose, cellulose pulp can be produced in an economical and environmental friendly manner when wooden raw materials are employed. However, one has not, either technically or economically, succeeded in producing cellulose that would satisfy the environmental requirements from herbaceous plants, i.e. non-wood materials.
To eliminate the environmental effects of chemical pulp production, 'organosolv' processes based on organic cooking solvents have been devised. The organosolv processes are based on the utilization of organic solvents, typically organic acids, in delignification. Several of these processes are based on sulphur-free and chlorine-free chemicals, which can be regarded as the requirement for the industrial implementation of closed circulation of chemicals. Such processes are described e.g. in WO 96/26403 (Chempolis Oy) and WO 00/60160 (Chempolis Oy).
Non-wood material is most preferably delignified in acid conditions. In that case the silicon included in the non-wood material is in a very poorly soluble form and does not thus cause problems in the recovery of chemicals. In alkaline cooking processes, instead, silicon dissolves into the cooking liquor and causes problems. For this reason, the most environmental friendly and economical way of implementing delignification is to carry it out by organic solvents in acid conditions. It is particularly preferable to utilize a process where chemicals to be used in the cooking are formed in the process itself.
Several organosolv processes have been reported to produce furfural during the production of cellulose. In general, it has been argued that production of furfural in acid conditions impedes delignification because furfural may react with lignin and other compounds of the plant material, forming caramel-like polymers. This was noticed e.g. in an organosolv process based on acetic acid (Zil'bergleit, M. A. & Glushko, T. V., Products from the Polymerization of Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural in Acetic Acid, Khimia Drevesiny (Riga), 1991, no 1, 66–68) and in acid preliminary hydrolysis of the M. A., New Process of Preliminary Hydrolysis, Bumaznaja promyslennost, 1982, no 9, 12–13). It has been found that furfural also reacts in the sulphite cooking, causing pulp blackening (Oblak-Ramer, M., Budin, D. & Lipic, B., Concerning the basics of condensation of lignins in magnesium bisulphite digestion. Part 1. Influence of processing time, temperature and thiosulphate, Zellstoff und Papier 40 (1991), no. 1, 10–13). Utilization of furfural in the actual delignification process has not been described in the literature related to the art; instead, furfural has usually been separated from the process. For example, it has been suggested that the furfural separated from the Alcell process (WO 93/15261, Lora et al.) and the Formacell process (Lehnen, R., Saake, B. & Nimz, H. H., Furfural and Hydroxymethylfurfural as Byproducts of FORMACELL Pulping, Holzforschung 55 (2001), no. 2, 199–204) be utilized as a commercial product.
It has been found earlier that high-quality cellulose pulp can be produced advantageously using a mixture of formic acid, acetic acid and water in delignification (WO 99/57364, Chempolis Oy). Surprisingly, it has now been found that pulp can be produced from a delignification mixture based on organic acids using also furfural.


There is provided an imprint material forming a film having high abrasion resistance even after a pattern has been transferred thereto, specifically an imprint material forming a film having a small number of pieces of scratch when the film after a pattern has been transferred thereto is subjected to a steel wool abrasion test. An imprint material comprising: a component (A): a compound having at least one ethylene oxide unit and having at least one polymerizable group; a component (B): a polycaprolactone-modified urethane compound having a C13-25 long chain alkyl group and at least one polymerizable group; and a component (C): a photopolymerization initiator.

In 1995, a professor Chou who is currently a professor at Princeton University et al. have advocated a new technology called nano-imprint lithography (Patent Document 1). The nano-imprint lithography is a technology by which: a mold having any pattern is brought to contact with a base material on which a resin film is formed; and while the resin film is pressurized, heat or light is applied as an external stimulation to the resin film to form an objective pattern in the cured resin film. The nano-imprint lithography has such advantages of capable of processing in nano scale simply and inexpensively in comparison with photolithography and the like in conventional semiconductor device production.
Accordingly, the nano-imprint lithography is a technology expected to be applied to the production of semiconductor devices, optodevices, displays, storage mediums, biochips, and the like instead of the photolithography technology. Various reports have been made on a curable composition for photo nano-imprint lithography used for the nano-imprint lithography (Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3).
However, although hitherto various materials have been disclosed as a material used for the nano-imprint lithography (hereinafter in the present specification, called an "imprint material"), there is no report on a material that is subjected to an abrasion test after a structure such as a concavo-convex pattern has been produced in the material and that exhibits, as the result thereof, that the material maintains high abrasion resistance. On the other hand, in products such as solid-state image sensors, solar batteries, LED devices, and displays, abrasion resistance may be required for a structure produced in the inside of or on the surface of the products.

Highly abrasion-resistant imprint material containing urethane compound


A support post for a guardrail which resists impact by a motor vehicle from one direction (strong direction) and yields to impact by a motor vehicle from another direction (weak direction). The support post is adapted to receive the guardrail such that the rail face of the guardrail runs generally perpendicular to the strong direction such that the support post resists an impact on the rail face of the guardrail and yields to an impact force on the end of the guardrail.

The present invention relates to highway guardrail systems having a guardrail mounted on posts, and more particularly, to guardrail end treatments designed to meet applicable federal and state safety standards including but not limited to crash worthiness requirements.
Along most highways there are hazards which present substantial danger to drivers and passengers of vehicles if the vehicles leave the highway. To prevent accidents from a vehicle leaving a highway, guardrail systems are often provided along the side of the highway. Experience has shown that guardrails should be installed such that the end of a guardrail facing oncoming traffic does not present another hazard more dangerous than the original hazard requiring installation of the associated guardrail systems. Early guardrail systems often had no protection at the end facing oncoming traffic. Sometimes impacting vehicles became impaled on the end of the guardrail causing extensive damage to the vehicle and severe injury to the driver and/or passengers. In some reported cases, the guardrail penetrated directly into the passenger""s compartment of the vehicle fatally injuring the driver and passengers.
Various highway guardrail systems and guardrail end treatments have been developed to minimize the consequences resulting from a head-on impact between a vehicle and the extreme end of the associated guardrail. One example of such end treatments includes tapering the ends of the associated guardrail into the ground to eliminate potential impact with the extreme end of the guardrail. Other types of end treatments include breakaway cable terminals (BCT), vehicle attenuating terminals (VAT), the SENTRE end treatment, and breakaway end terminals (BET).
It is desirable for an end terminal assembly installed at one end of a guardrail facing oncoming traffic to attenuate any head-on impact with the end of the guardrail and to provide an effective anchor to redirect a vehicle back onto the associated roadway after a rail face impact with the guardrail downstream from the end terminal assembly. Examples of such end treatments are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,928 entitled Guardrail Extruder Terminal, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,366 entitled Guardrail Extruder Terminal.
A SENTRE end treatment often includes a series of breakaway steel guardrail support posts and frangible plastic containers filled with sandbags. An impacting vehicle is decelerated as the guardrail support posts release or shear and the plastic containers and sandbags are compacted. A cable is often included to guide an impacting vehicle away from the associated guardrail.
A head-on collision with a guardrail support post located at the end of a guardrail system may result in vaulting the impacting vehicle. Therefore, guardrail end treatments often include one or more breakaway support posts which will yield or shear upon impact by a vehicle. Examples of previously available breakaway posts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,515 entitled Collapsible Highway Barrier and U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,824 entitled Guardrail End Terminal. Posts such as shown in the ""515 and the ""824 Patents include a slip base with a top plate and a bottom plate which are designed to not yield upon lateral impact. When sufficient axial impact force is applied to the upper portion of the associated post, the top plate and the bottom plate will slide relative to each other. If a vehicle contacts the upper part of the post, the associated impact forces tend to produce a bending moment which may reduce or eliminate any slipping of the top plate relative to the bottom plate. Also, improper installation of the top plate relative to the bottom plate, such as over tightening of the associated mechanical fasteners, may prevent proper functioning of the slip base. A breakaway support post is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,495 entitled Thrie-Beam Terminal with Breakaway Post Cable Release.
Wooden breakaway support posts are frequently used to releasably anchor guardrail end treatments and portions of the associated guardrail. Such wooden breakaway support posts, when properly installed, generally perform satisfactorily to minimize damage to an impacting vehicle during either a rail face impact or a head-on impact. However, impact of a vehicle with a wooden breakaway support post may often result in substantial damage to the adjacent soil. Removing portions of a broken wooden post from the soil is often both time consuming and further damages the soil. Therefore, wooden breakaway support posts are often installed in hollow metal tubes, sometimes referred to as foundation sleeves, and/or concrete foundations. For some applications, one or more soil plates may be attached to each metal sleeve to further improve the breakaway characteristics of the associated wooden post. Such metal sleeves and/or concrete foundations are relatively expensive and time consuming to install.
Light poles, sign posts or similar items are often installed next to a roadway with a breakable or releasable connection. For some applications, a cement foundation may be provided adjacent to the roadway with three or more bolts projecting from the foundation around the circumference of the pole. Various types of frangible or breakable connections may be formed between the bolts and portions of the light pole or sign post.
In accordance with teachings of the present invention, various shortcomings of previous guardrail support posts associated with highway guardrail end treatments have been addressed. The present invention provides a breakaway support post which will buckle or yield during head-on impact by a vehicle at or near the extreme end of an associated guardrail to minimize damage to the vehicle and provide sufficient strength to direct a vehicle back onto an associated roadway during a rail face impact with the guardrail downstream from the guardrail end treatment. The use of breakaway support posts incorporating teachings of the present invention substantially reduces the time and cost associated with initial installation of a guardrail end treatment and repair of the guardrail end treatment following impact by a motor vehicle.
One aspect of the present invention includes providing a breakaway support post having one or more slots formed in the support post to allow the support post to buckle or yield in response to forces applied to the support post in a first direction by an impacting vehicle without causing excessive damage to the vehicle. The orientation and location of the slots are selected to allow the support post to effectively anchor the guardrail to direct an impacting vehicle back onto an adjacent roadway in response to forces applied to the support post in a second direction during a downstream rail face impact. For some applications, one or more plates may be attached to the breakaway support post and inserted into the soil to provide additional support during a rail face impact with the associated guardrail and to provide more reliable buckling or yielding of the breakaway support post during a head-on impact with one end of the associated guardrail. Alternatively, the length of the portion of the breakaway support post inserted into the soil may be increased to enhance these same characteristics. For. some applications, the breakaway support post may have a typical I-beam cross section with slots formed in one or more flange portions of the I-beam. Alternatively, the breakaway support post may have a hollow, rectangular or square cross section with slots formed in one or more sides of the post in accordance with teachings of the present invention.
Another aspect of the present invention includes providing a breakaway support post having a first portion or an upper section and a second portion or a lower section with the first portion rotatably coupled with the second portion. A pivot pin or other suitable type of rotatable coupling preferably connects adjacent ends of the first portion and the second portion to allow rotation of the first portion relative to the second portion. The pivot pin is preferably oriented during installation of the associate breakaway support post to allow rotation of the first portion when force is applied thereto in one direction and to block rotation of the first portion when force is applied thereto in a second direction. A shear pin or other suitable releasing mechanism may be provided to releasably couple the first portion and the second portion aligned longitudinally with each other. The shear pin and pivot pin are preferably oriented such that during a head-on impact with the end of the associated guardrail facing oncoming traffic, the shear pin will fail and allow the upper section to rotate relative to the lower section and thus minimize damage to the impacting vehicle. For some applications, a release bar or push bar may be attached to the lower section to assist with disengagement of the upper section from the lower section during such rotation of the upper section. During a rail face impact with the associated guardrail, the same orientation of the shear pin and the pivot pin prevents the upper section from rotating relative to the lower section. Thus, the breakaway support post will buckle or yield during a head-on impact to minimize damage to an impacting vehicle and will remain intact to redirect an impacting vehicle back onto the associated roadway after a rail face impact.
Technical advantages of the present invention include providing breakaway support posts which are easier to initially install and to repair as compared to wooden breakaway support posts. Major portions of each breakaway support post may be fabricated from standard, commercially available steel I-beams using conventional metal bending and stamping techniques in accordance with teachings of the present invention. One or more metal soil plates may be attached to each breakaway support post to further enhance desired characteristics of yielding or buckling during head-on impact with one end of an associated guardrail to minimize damage to an impacting vehicle and to securely anchor the associated guardrail to redirect an impacting vehicle back onto the adjacent roadway after a rail face impact. Breakaway support posts incorporating teachings of the present invention may be used with a wide variety of guardrail end treatments having various types of energy absorbing assemblies located at or near the end of the associated guardrail facing oncoming traffic. For many applications, breakaway support posts may be satisfactorily installed adjacent to the edge of a roadway without the use of steel foundation tubes and/or concrete foundations typically associated with installing wooden breakaway support posts and other types of breakaway support posts.
A further aspect of the present invention includes providing guardrail support posts having a first portion or upper section attached or coupled, at least in part, by a frangible connection, to a second portion or lower section. The support post and frangible connection may be oriented in accordance with teachings of the present invention to resist impact by a motor vehicle from one direction (strong direction), and to yield to impact by a motor vehicle from another direction (weak direction). Preferably, the frangible connection allows the upper portion of the post to deflect slightly and then break off of the lower portion, thus minimizing lifting of the impacting vehicle into the air.

Breakaway support post for highway guardrail end treatments


A tumble dryer includes a drum receiving laundry to be dried and a container accommodating an extinguishing agent, with the drum and the container being connected by a first line. A first temperature-activated valve is arranged in the first line in thermal contact with the interior of the drum and provided to close the container and to open automatically at a temperature produced by a fire. Further connected to the container is a second line which has a mouth feeding into a region of a base plate of the tumble dryer. A second temperature-activated valve is configured to close the second line in a region of the mouth and to open automatically at the temperature produced by the fire. The first and second valves are hereby positioned in such a way that either the first valve or the second valve opens automatically at the temperature produced by the fire.

The present invention relates to a tumble dryer and here in particular to a domestic tumble dryer as claimed in the preamble of the independent claim.
It repeatedly occurs with tumble dryers that certain small items, such as lint or fluff or other impurities, such as wear material from drive belts, can collect and form deposits in the drum or in the floor region of the housing. On reaching a certain temperature it may occur that these items catch fire. This is to be avoided. In a number of countries, there are already appropriate test procedures in force, or are intended to be brought into effect shortly, such as to prove that fire cannot break out in the tumble dryer. To this end, for example, in the USA as from 2013 tests will be conducted to ensure that a cloth laid over the tumble dryer cannot ignite during the test.
Manufacturers of tumble dryers are therefore concerned with being able to offer tumble dryers whereby a fire in the interior of the tumble dryer can be actively extinguished, or whereby at least the spreading of the fire to the outside can be prevented. In this situation the principle is known from DE 10 2007 061 521 A1 of undertaking active fighting of a fire by extinguishing it with water or other chemicals from a container arranged above the drum, after the extinguishing process has been activated by a temperature sensor. Such a solution, however, is as a rule dependent on a functioning power supply for the operation of the temperature sensor, the control technology and evaluation circuitry relating to it, as well as other devices if appropriate.
As an alternative, passive fighting of a fire is also possible, inasmuch as no easily combustible components made of plastics materials are used any longer, but only fire-resistant plastics, metals, or other materials. This is only possible, however, if increased manufacturing costs are taken into account.
From DE 38 09 754 A1 a fire extinguishing device for tumble dryers is known, as claimed in the preamble of claim 1. A container is provided beneath the worktop, with several cells in which an extinguishing agent is stored. Holes are provided on the underside of the cells, which are closed with the aid of a protective sheath or destructible membrane and are destroyed in the presence of flames or at a temperature above a predetermined limit temperature. Upon the limit temperature being reached, the extinguishing agent is therefore released and falls downwards in order to extinguish the fire which has broken out. According to an alternative embodiment, a container subjected to pressure is provided with an extinguishing agent, from which lines lead to points which are regarded as subject to the risk of fire. In the event of the onset of a fire or the occurrence of a high temperature, the lines can melt and are therefore interrupted and opened respectively. The extinguishing agent is thereby released.
From US 2010/0175898 A1 a fire protection device for a tumble dryer is known, comprising a device for the detection of a temperature inside the tumble dryer. The device is connected to an extinguishing agent releasing device, to which a pulse can be issued by the temperature detection device if a specific temperature is reached. As a result, extinguishing agent can be released by the extinguishing agent releasing device.
The tumble dryers known from the aforecited publications are disadvantageous however in that a relatively large amount of water or extinguishing agent must be retained in order for an outbreak of fire to be reliably extinguished.
It is an object of the present invention to propose a tumble dryer, such as, in particular, a domestic tumble dryer, with which a fire which may break out in the drum or outside cannot spread from the drum and will be extinguished, as far as possible automatically, without a connection to the power supply being necessary. This should be possible with the smallest possible store of extinguishing agent.

Tumble dryer with passive extinguishing system