A system and method to efficiently store and convert erratic wind and solar electrical energy production to a source of reliable standard AC electrical power by means of an electric motor operatively engaged to power a pump. The pump in a sealed communication with a reservoir cavity evacuates air from the cavity to store the generated energy as potential energy in the form of a pressure differential with ambient atmosphere. Regulated air inflow into the evacuated cavity is employed to drive a generator or alternator to produce electric power which is synchronized with grid demand and communicated to the grid.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed device relates to energy storage. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a system and method for storing energy generated from natural sources such as wind and sun which have an energy generation output which is inherently variable. Through the employment of such natural energy production to generate and store negative air pressure, renewable energy from peak periods of production which may be mismatched to a minimized requirement of a power grid, may be stored and communicated to the grid as needed or to supplement periods of low generation by a solar array or windmill farm.
2. Prior Art
A longstanding vexation is the fact that the value of two prominent renewable energy sources is compromised by their irregular nature. Wind is inherently variable. Some days are windy, some are not, and even during a single day wind varies throughout the day. Consequently, a mismatch frequently occurs between potential energy available from low winds during periods of peak demand, and high winds during periods when the demands of the electrical grid may be low, such as in the evening. Further, due to the nature of wind farms being located distant to cities requiring energy, at times the power generated in wind farms can exceed the capacity of the transmission lines communicating the power to the grid requiring it. Unable to transmit the power generated during peak winds, frequently windfarms will idle turbines which could be producing electrical energy at a maximum rate.
Solar energy suffers its own constraints. First, solar energy is only produced during the day, which may be advantageous in the summer when consumer air-conditioning demands peak during the day. However, in other months of the year, the periods of peak demand are in the early mornings and evenings when little or no solar power is produced. Thus, energy on such solar farms available at mid day may go unused due to a lack of demand of the power grid. Additionally, solar energy farms also are frequently located a good distance from the power grids they serve and transmission lines can limit the amount of power that may be communicated from the solar generation facility to the distant grid. If transmission lines lack the capacity to transmit the full amount of power a solar generation facility can produce at mid day in bright sunlight, the energy can go to waste.
Means for cost effective power storage have long been sought to mitigate these problems and add value to the naturally generated and captured energy. Benefits of storage are significant, especially in integrating distributed generation. Energy storage provides potential energy which may be tapped to balance production with demand peaks and to deter the need for power transmission and grid upgrades.
Power storage devices in common use today are pumped-hydro, compressed air, flywheels, and batteries. Pumped-hydro storage as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,239,035, 6,023,105, and 4,380,419 has played an important role in enhancing grid system stability for over a century, however wider use of pumped-hydro storage is limited by requiring sites with strong winds for power generation and access to vertically disparate water reservoirs. Compressed air energy storage is offered in many forms as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,254,944, 4,447,738, and 4,237,692 but requires means to compensate for diabatic thermal energy leakage which compromises this type of storage. Flywheels and batteries have specialized uses but neither can offer cost effectiveness for bulk energy storage as would be needed for grid-connected solar and wind farms.
Small renewable energy systems have been promoted to reduce farm, business, and domestic energy bills but complete independence from electric utilities would only be practical if there was a cost effective way to store a significant amount of power from peak generation periods, on site or nearby, to supplement power generated during minimal generation periods.
Further, current grids must maintain "peaker plants" to input energy during periods of high demand when the generation capacity to the grid is maximized. Such peaker plants are located throughout cities and energized during periods of high demand to keep the grid from overloading. However, they are noisy, and generally run by diesel engines which pollute and must have onsite supplies of fuel which must be maintained. A storage device allowing excess produced energy from the grid to simply be stored and injected back to the grid as needed which is small and non polluting would be a boon to such grid systems.
As such, there is an unmet need for an energy storage system that addresses the shortcomings and limitations of conventional energy storage systems. Such a system should allow wind generation systems to maximize energy production at all times of peak wind, no matter the demand for the energy or the transmission line capability. Such a system should also be adapted to store solar generated energy during peak sunlight periods irrespective of grid demand and transmission capability. Further, such a system should be sufficiently compact and low-tech to be deployable on a small farm or business or residential property to allow for energy storage during peak periods to supplement minimal production periods. Such a system should also be able to substitute for the conventional diesel or gas powered peaker plants most grids maintain.
The apparatus and method herein is adapted to overcome these shortcomings and meet these objectives. The system employs a contained negative pressure reservoir or vacuum which is generated in real time from the natural energy production facility, and allows for energy storage for future use. It is an easy to maintain system not requiring a high degree of technical expertise and well adapted for employment by large energy farms, smaller business and residential properties having onsite renewable energy generation.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the herein disclosed energy storage apparatus and method of operation invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.
Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other storage systems for renewable energy and for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
An object of this invention is the provision of such a storage system for wind energy or solar energy which does not require batteries or other electrical means for energy storage, yet will produce electrical energy as needed.
It is a further object of the invention herein, to provide such a renewable energy storage system which will allow windmill farms and solar energy generation facilities to operate more profitably by allowing for storage of energy produced during peak available generation periods for sale and use at times when grid requirements and/or prices are higher.
Yet another object of the invention herein is to provide such a renewable energy storage system and method, that is deployable on a small scale such as on ranches and residential properties having windmills and solar generation to provide a means to even out energy production with usage over a period of time.
A further object of this invention is to provide means to store unreliable intermittent power to increase its usefulness and value.
Another object of the invention herein is the provision of a cost effective in kilowatt-hour storage capacity.
An additional object of the disclosed invention is the provision of such an energy storage facility which may be readily constructed with low cost concrete and can be sited anywhere with access to grid transmission lines.
A further object of the invention herein disclosed is that it may be continually upgraded to be sized as needed and which is effective for both long term and short term energy storage.
Yet a further object of the disclosed device and method for energy storage herein is that it is not subject to thermal energy loss.
Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a means to store excess produced electricity from normal grid generation plants and feed it to the grid when peak demand requires and thereby replace expensive and polluting peaker plants.
Finally, yet another object of the invention herein is a mode of energy storage that may be easily adapted to non manmade structures for negative pressure containment in the form of terrestrial cavities such as mines, wells and caverns.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

Electrical energy storage and retrieval system


A modular utility lamp, commonly known as a trouble light, which includes a handle with a socket on one end and electric prongs for connecting an extension cord to the other end, and a protective cage for surrounding and protecting an electric bulb in the socket. The protective cage preferably includes two identical halves which twist-lock together to facilitate replacement of the bulb. A freely rotatable hook with a twist-lock base is provided for the top end of the protective cage. The utility lamp is also provided with a collapsible base for supporting the lamp in an upright position above a work area. The lamp, including the base, are carefully proportioned and designed to provide a utility lamp with asthetic appeal which may be used in environments where prior art lamps of the same type were considered inappropriate.

Utility lamps, commonly referred to as trouble lights, are widely known and used by persons such as mechanics, electricians, communications, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and other service persons, who require a relatively portable light source. Such lamp generally comprise a handle having a socket on one end and an extension cord permanently affixed to the other end of the handle. The socket end of the lamp usually further includes a cage which surrounds and protects a light bulb in the socket. Although such lamps normally function well for an extended period of time, they suffer from certain drawbacks which detract from their appeal.
First, the extension cord of most utility lamps is molded into the handle and forms an integral part thereof. Because the extension cord is the part of the utility lamp most subject to wear, it usually deteriorates to an unsafe or nonfunctional condition while the handle, the switch and the cage of the lamp are still in working condition. As a result, the entire lamp must be discarded even though the lamp itself is in good working order.
Second, the integral extension cord of known utility lamps is of a fixed length. The cord is therefore frequently much longer than required or too short to satisfactorily accomplish a given task. In the first instance, unused coils of cord clutter a work area which contributes to the wear on the cord and presents a safety hazard. In the second instance, a second extension cord must be used which introduces a connection in the cord that is potentially hazardous in wet conditions.
Third, the integral construction of known utility lamps is uneconomical because an extension cord must be dedicated to the solitary function of servicing the lamp and cannot be used for other purposes, and is awkward to store.
Fourth, known utility lamps commonly include a hook affixed to the top of the cage so that the lamp may be suspended from a support surface. Such lamps do not, however, provide any other means for supporting the lamp in the vicinity of a work area to be illuminated. It is often desirable to support a lamp in an upright orientation in an area where no support is available for attaching the hook of the common utility lamp. In such conditions, the lamp must be supported by hand or laid flat on the work area, neither of which are satisfactory.
Finally, utility lamps are generally not designed with a view toward asthetic appeal. They have therefore been relegated to service in working environments such as garages and the like because they are not of a design standard which can achieve a broad public acceptance.
Utility lamps appear to be such a common and accepted tool that little inventive ingenuity has been directed toward their improvement. U.S. Pat. No. 2,580,359 to Moineau describes a portable electric lamp guard having a pivoted door to provide access to an interior of the guard for servicing an electric bulb in the lamp. U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,195 to Kovacik describes a guard for a utility lamp comprising a reflector section and a cage section which are preferably molded from a nonconducting synthetic resin.
Other art which is not directly related to the invention but considered to be of potential relevance includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,823 to Pinkerton et al. which describes a night light that plugs directly into a socket and includes a protective shield for covering a low power electric bulb. U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,521 to Noguchi describes a lamp stand adapted to support an oriental lantern in a fully expanded state.
In view of the prior art listed above it is apparent that there exists a longstanding need for an improved, versatile, asthetically pleasing utility lamp which is adapted for use to provide hands free illumination of practically any work area.


A bearingless angular measurement device includes an angle scale, a scanning unit, and an evaluation electronics. The scanning unit and the angle scale are located at a scanning distance relative to each other and are rotatable about an axis, so that the scanning unit is capable of generating angle-dependent output signals, which may be further processed in the evaluation electronics. The scanning distance is able to be determined on the basis of the output signals. In addition, the angular measurement device includes a compensation coupling that is attachable to a machine component and is elastically deformable in the direction of the axis.

Angle-measuring devices may be based on an inductive, a magnetic, or a capacitive measuring principle and, for example, are used in rotary encoders for the purpose of determining the angular position of two machine parts that are rotatable relative to each other.
In the case of inductive angle-measuring devices, excitation coils and receiver coils in the form of circuit traces are frequently applied on a shared circuit board as a scanning unit, the circuit board being fixedly connected to a stator of a rotary encoder, for example. Situated across from this circuit board is a further circuit board on which, as an angle scale, electrically conductive surfaces are applied at periodic intervals as a graduation structure, the further circuit board being connected to the rotor of the rotary encoder in a torsionally fixed manner. When an electric excitation field is applied at the excitation coils, output signals are generated in the receiver coils as a function of the angular position during the relative rotation between the rotor and stator. These output signals are then further processed in evaluation electronics.
In principle, it is distinguished between angular measurement devices having integral bearings and angular measurement devices without integral bearings, hereinafter referred to as bearingless angular measurement devices. Angular measurement devices having integral bearings usually have relatively small rolling bearings, so that the component groups that are rotatable relative to one another within the particular angle-measuring device are situated in a defined axial and radial position relative to one another. In the case of bearingless angular measurement devices, on the other hand, attention must be paid during the installation on a machine that the component groups that are rotatable relative to one another are installed in the right position and, in particular, are fixed in place at the correct axial distance from one another.
European Published Patent Application Nos. 1 750 101 and 1 126 248 describe angular measurement devices that are suitable for determining a scanning distance.


A network system enables monitoring the status of peripheral devices from computers without concentrating a load on the network. A specific device driver that runs on a specific computer connected to the network has an initialization command transmission unit that sends a first initialization command to the specific printer when a process command is sent to a specific printer, and an operating status monitoring unit that, after initialization based on the first initialization command is completed, monitors the operating status of the specific printer until the printer power turns off. Because the specific computer does not initialize and does not monitor the operating status of the specific printer until the computer sends a process command, concentrating a load on the network is avoided when the network system starts up.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of monitoring the status of peripheral devices in a network system having multiple peripheral devices and multiple computers connected over a network from the computers without concentrating a load on the network. The invention also relates to a computer and a network system whereby the status of peripheral devices can be monitored from the computer without concentrating a load on the network.
2. Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-H10-49314 describes a network system having a computer connected to a plurality of printers over a LAN. JP-A-H10-49314 describes a status response process that is executed when the network system starts up. In the status response process each computer sends a status request to each of the plural printers. Each printer then determines and sends its own status to each computer.
When the status response process runs during startup, network traffic increases greatly due to the concentration of packets sent over the network. These packets include packets sent from each computer to each printer requesting the startup status of the printer, packets sent from each printer to each computer in response to the request, packets to initialize communication between each printer that responded and each computer, and packets enabling each computer to acquire the status of each initialized printer. As a result, the startup time until the network system can actually be used becomes longer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of monitoring the status of a peripheral device, and a computer and network system


The object of this invention is to provide an atomic absorptiometer and a metal specimen atomic vapor generation apparatus used in the atomic absorptiometer, which enable a light absorption measurement based on the Zeeman effect highly capable of background correction and eliminate the need for the troublesome work of dismounting a magnet. For this purpose, the following configuration is employed. First, the specimen, hydrochloric acid, and sodium borohydride are delivered and mixed by the peristaltic pump 10 to produce a metallic hydride. The generated gas-liquid mixture solution is separated by the separator 12 into a specimen gas and liquids. The separated specimen gas is introduced into the heating section 30. Electricity is supplied from the power source 28 to the specimen heating section 30 where the specimen gas introduced is heated and separated into hydrogen and a specimen metal vapor to be measured. The specimen metal vapor is then introduced into the measuring section 34 arranged between magnetic poles of the magnet 32 where the metal vapor is subjected to the atomic absorptiometric analysis based on the Zeeman effect.

The flame atomic absorptiometry has excellent features of being able to perform measurements easily and with high sensitivity because it has a short analysis time and is little influenced by chemical interference. It can measure as many as 80 kinds of atoms and has a wide range of applications including measurement of impurities in steels and trace metals in food, and measurement of trace metal components in environmental specimens. As a growing number of regulatory limits are being changed in an environmental analysis field these days, the role of the flame atomic absorptiometric analysis apparatus is expanding.
An example analysis method with a particularly wide range of applications is a metallic hydride generation analysis method. This method is capable of determining a trace amount of hazardous metals such as arsenic and selenium, and is a common analysis technique widely used in the management of clean water and waste water and in environmental fields. This method first transforms an objective metal in a specimen solution into a gaseous hydride by chemical reaction. The hydride is then introduced into a cell made of quartz, which is heated by a flame of the flame atomic absorptiometer. The hydride in the cell on heating is dissolved into hydrogen and a vapor of the metal being measured. This specimen metal vapor is measured by the atomic absorptiometry.
Most of the hydrides generated by chemical reactions can be measured and determined with a very high sensitivity (sub ppb) because their evaporation temperatures are low. This analysis method, however, has the drawback that because the quartz cell cannot be placed in the magnetic field, measurements need to be done by a method without a background correction (single beam measurement) or a D2 method with a degraded background correction capability.
The configuration of a conventional flame atomic absorptiometer is shown in FIG. 2. Measurement of hydrides with this absorptiometer is performed as follows.
A solution of a specimen containing metals to be measured, such as arsenic and selenium, hydrochloric acid and sodium borohydride is prepared and then delivered and mixed by a peristaltic pump 10. The mixed metals to be measured react to become a hydride. The hydride thus obtained is introduced into a gas-liquid separation unit 12 called a separator where it is separated into a specimen gas to be measured and others. The specimen gas is fed through a specimen introducing pipe 14 into a quartz cell 16, in which it is heated by a flame 20 of the flame atomic absorptiometer and evaporated into an atomic vapor. A beam emitted from a light source, for example, a hollow cathode lamp 18, is passed through the cell 16. The hollow cathode lamp 18 emits a beam 24 having a line spectrum of an element being measured. As this measuring beam penetrates through the specimen atomic vapor, light absorption takes place. The beam is then scattered by a spectroscope 22 into a spectrum which is detected by a detector 26 for atomic absorption measurement.
The drawback of this measuring method is that because the measurement is made by using a quartz cell about 16 mm in diameter, the distance between magnetic poles must be set to more than 16 mm to perform the light absorption measurement with background correction utilizing the Zeeman effect and it is difficult to realize a magnet of such a large size. Further, because the heating section and the measuring section are the same, locating the cell between the magnetic poles results in the magnet being heated, too, which makes this configuration impracticable.
For the reasons mentioned above, it is conventionally impossible to arrange the cell in the magnetic field and there is no alternative but to use a single beam method or a D2 method with a degraded background correction capability. This has given rise to various problems in measurement, such as variations in absorption intensity, caused by base line variations and wavering of flame on the optical path. It is also necessary to dismount and remount the magnet as heavy as 10 kg in performing measurement.

Atomic absorptiometer and a metal specimen atomic vapor generation apparatus used in the atomic absorotiometer


Systems and method for remote field measurement-based mapping of anatomical structures (e.g., using impedance image of electrical fields) are described. In some embodiments, an image of features within a target region is produced by analysis of a spatial pattern of field measurements made in a measurement region remote from the target region features; for example, but not exclusively, by treating the spatial arrangement of field measurements in some portion of the measurement region as indicating the spatial (e.g., angular and/or distance) arrangement of features (e.g., anatomical structure of topography and/or tissue type) in the target region.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to the field of anatomical mapping, and more particularly, to non-contact anatomical mapping of internal body structures.
In many interventional medical procedures, the operator can benefit by having the ability to image in real-time the anatomy in the relevant vicinity of the action field of the procedure. In cardiac electrophysiology mapping in particular (e.g., for cardiac electrophysiology ablation as well as in other interventional cardiac procedures), multiple technologies exist for providing real-time imaging of the action field.
Intra-procedure imaging technologies include those that can image remotely from a chamber wall, and those that can reconstruct a chamber wall using the knowledge of the location of multiple points on the wall or multiple points within the chamber, or a combination of the last two.
An intra-cardiac ultrasound probe, for example can generate an image of the wall of a chamber from a remote location within the chamber.
Navigable catheters (e.g., electrode catheters) may be used to acquire measurements from multiple locations of the chamber wall. Related prior art includes International Patent Publication No. WO2010129095A2, which relates to "the determination and representation of anatomical information and/or physiological information relating to a heart using, e.g., a non-contact catheter."


A camera for creating a manipulated image. The camera has an image capture device, an input device, an image manipulator, an output device and a display device. The image capture device is designed to capture a captured image. The input device is designed to receive an input image. The image manipulator is designed to receive the input image from the input device and to manipulate the input image to form a manipulated image. The output device is designed to receive the manipulated image from the image manipulator and to output the manipulated image. The display device is designed to receive the manipulated image from the image manipulator and to display the manipulated image. The image manipulator is designed to manipulate the input image by combining at least part of the input image with at least part of the captured image to form the manipulated image.

Recently, in Australia Provisional Patent Specification entitled "Image Processing Method and Apparatus (Art01)" filed concurrently by the present applicant, a system has been proposed known colloquially as "Artcam" which is a digital camera having an integral printer for printing out sensed images in addition to manipulations of the sensed image which are manipulated as a result of the insertion of a "Artcard" having manipulation instructions thereon into the camera.

Forming a manipulated image using a printed medium having an image manipulation instruction


A wire cutter includes two jaws pivotably connected with each other and each jaw has a curve cutting edge which includes a cutting portion which includes a first section, a second section and a third section which is located between the first and second sections. Each of the first section and the second section has a first side surface and a second side surface, and a first angle of 60 degrees is defined between the first side surface and the second side surface. The third section has a third side surface and a fourth side surface, a second angle of 35 degrees is defined between the third side surface and the fourth side surface. The wires are pushed toward the second sections and cut by the second sections.

A conventional wire cutter includes two jaws connected to two handles which are pivotably connected with each other such that the two jaws can be separated by pivoting the two handles apart, and be moved toward each other to cut the wires between the two jaws by closing the two handles together. Generally, the cutting edge for cutting the wires of each jaw is designed to be a curve cutting edge so as to cut a bundle of wires which includes plastic sheath and metal core wire. Nevertheless, during cutting, the wires are pushed toward two ends of the cutting edges because of the movement of the two jaws and the two handles are maintained to be opened wide. Therefore, the user has to open his hand to push the two handles toward each other to cut the wires. Besides, the cutting edge has a fixed curvature and tilt angle which cannot reinforce the efficiency of cutting and requires a lot of efforts to cut the wires.
The present invention intends to provide cutting edges for wire cutters wherein the cutting edge includes three sections and the middle section has a sharp tilt angle and wires are pushed toward the middle sections which can efficiently cut the wires.


A process for the formation of an interconnect in a semiconductor structure including the steps of forming a dielectric layer on a substrate, forming a first barrier layer on the dielectric layer, forming a second barrier layer on the first barrier layer, wherein the second barrier layer is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium and wherein the formation of the second barrier layer is manipulated so that the bulk concentration of oxygen in the second barrier layer is 20 atomic percent or less, and forming a conductive layer on the second barrier layer. The process may additionally include a step of treating the second barrier to reduce the amount of oxide on the surface of the second barrier layer.

The present invention is directed to the electroplating of copper onto a semiconductor structure and, more particularly, to the direct electroplating of copper onto a non-copper plateable layer without an intervening copper seed layer.
In damascene processing, the interconnect structure or wiring pattern is formed within a dielectric layer. Using known techniques a photoresist material is used to define the wiring pattern. The patterned photoresist acts as a mask through which a pattern of the dielectric material is removed by a subtractive etch process such as plasma etching or reactive ion etching. The etched openings are used to define wiring patterns in the dielectric layer. The wiring patterns are then filled with a metal using a filling technique such as electroplating, electroless plating, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition or a combination thereof. Excess metal can then be removed by chemical mechanical polishing through a process known as planarization.
In a single damascene process, via openings are provided in the dielectric layer and filled with a conducting metal, which is often referred to as metallization, to provide electrical contact between layers of wiring levels. In a dual damascene process, the via openings and the wiring pattern are both provided in the dielectric layer before filling with the conducting metal. Damascene processing followed by metallization is continued for each layer until the integrated circuit device is completed.
Barrier layer films are needed between the dielectric material and the conductive material in order to prevent atoms of the conductive material from migrating into and at times through the dielectric material and into other active circuit device structures. For example, barrier layers are used in conjunction with conductive materials, such as those used in interconnect wiring layers, to isolate the conductive materials from the dielectric material. Migration of conductive material in the device can cause inter-level or intra-level shorts through the dielectric material. In some cases, device functionality can be destroyed.
Migration is a particular concern when copper is used as the conductive interconnect material because copper exhibits relatively high mobility in dielectric materials used in semiconductor structures. Yet, in spite of this problem, copper is a favored material for interconnects because of its superior conductivity and good electromigration resistance. As a result, if copper is used in an interconnect structure, the copper needs to be confined with a barrier layer such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,562, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
A barrier layer conventionally used in conjunction with copper interconnect structures is tantalum and tantalum nitride. However, because these barrier materials are more reactive than copper, the formation of interfacial oxides can result in poor adhesion properties between the deposited copper and the barrier material. Due to the presence of the contaminating oxides, these conventional barrier materials usually require the deposition of a copper seed layer prior to standard copper electrodeposition in a copper acid bath. Electrodeposition of copper is generally only suitable for applying copper to an electrically conductive layer. As such, the copper seed layer provides the additional purpose of being electrically conductive to facilitate the electrodeposition of copper.
The copper seed layer is typically deposited by a nonconformal vapor deposition process which heretofore has worked well. However, as critical dimensions get smaller, for example less than about 45 nm, the seed layer may pinch off the damascene openings, thereby leading to voids, or may not completely cover the walls of the damascene openings.
Accordingly, a new wiring scheme is being proposed in which ruthenium, platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium are utilized in conjunction with a barrier layer such as tantalum nitride as a liner in place of the typical metal stack of tantalum nitride and tantalum which requires a copper seed layer.
Others have proposed the use of ruthenium (and like metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium) in semiconductor structures. Lane et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,787,912, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a dual barrier structure in which a first layer, for example tantalum nitride or tungsten nitride, is in contact with the dielectric layer while a second layer, for example, ruthenium, rhodium or palladium is in contact with the copper layer. The second layer is touted as being directly electroplateable by copper without the need of a copper seed layer.
However, while ruthenium (and like metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium) per se is directly electroplateable by copper, the quality of the copper can suffer if the ruthenium (and like metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium) is improperly deposited or if it has not been pretreated to remove deleterious oxides.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to have a process for the electrodeposition of copper directly on a ruthenium, platinum, palladium, rhodium or iridium layer (hereafter "plateable layer").
It is another purpose of the present invention to have a process for the electrodeposition of copper directly on the plateable layer in which the electrodeposited copper is of good quality and tightly adhered to the metallic layer.
It is yet another purpose of the present invention to have a process for the electrodeposition of copper directly on the plateable layer in which a copper seed layer is not required.
These and other purposes of the invention will become more apparent after referring to the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method for direct electroplating of copper onto a non-copper plateable layer

International Business Machines Corporation


A device for protecting goods and/or persons including a security element; and a gas generating system connected to the security element and including an explosive charge formed at least of: a primary pyrotechnic compound, in a first chamber, initiated by at least one initiator having a reinforcing charge and including at least one propellant having an optionally adjusted oxygen balance, and a secondary compound, in a secondary chamber, including an oxidant constituent capable of delivering only gas by decomposition and at least one reducing additive having a function of contributing nitrogen, the additive being present in a proportion by weight less than about 70% of the weight of the primary-secondary compound.

WO 01/89885 discloses a device for implementing an element, particularly a security element, for the protection of goods and/or persons and especially for the protection of at least one occupant of a vehicle, of the type comprising a gas generating system connected to the security element, for example, an inflatable safety cushion, and comprising an explosive charge formed at least by a primary pyrotechnic compound and a secondary compound. In that system, the primary pyrotechnic compound is intended to steer decomposition of the secondary compound and permits at least one interaction of the combustion products of the primary and secondary compound(s) in at least one unconfined or weakly confined interaction volume of the gas generating system, where the interaction may at least partially be, in particular, an oxidation-reduction reaction.
The gas generation system according to WO 01/89885 is different from other systems as for instance a simple effect generator such as the one described in U.S. 2003/0051630 or a double effect generator such a the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,193, particularly due to the fact that the decomposition of the secondary compound is driven by the primary compound.
The composition envisaged in that disclosure is satisfactory, but the device has the principal disadvantage of giving off a considerable amount of nitrogen oxides. Furthermore, that composition, or a composition of that type, brings about the formation of much water, which after condensing is detrimental to the gas yield. Moreover, that composition requires the consumption of all the oxygen present in the ammonium nitrate, so that at least 40% of propellant has to be included in the composition.

Device for implementing a security element for the protection of goods and/or persons


A heat treatment apparatus for semiconductor wafers includes a reaction chamber, a heater, a heat-insulating member, a first cooling gas path, a second cooling gas path, a blower and a controller. The reaction chamber houses semiconductor wafers. The heater is provided outside the reaction chamber to heat it. The heat-insulating member is provided outside the heater to keep the temperature of the reaction chamber. The first cooling gas path is interposed between the reaction chamber and heater, while the second cooling gas path is disposed between the heater and heat-insulating member. The blower allows gas to flow through the first and second gas paths to cool the reaction chamber. The controller controls the heater to increase the temperature of the reaction chamber and does the blower to decrease the temperature thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for semiconductor wafers, used in various heat treatment steps of, e.g., thermally diffusing impurities and forming a thermal oxide film, in a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device and, more specifically, to control of cooling characteristics and cooling speed of semiconductor wafers placed in a heat treatment apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a constitution of a prior art heat treatment apparatus for semiconductor wafers.
As shown in FIG. 1, a wafer mounting jig 3 in which a number of semiconductor wafers 2 are placed, is incorporated in a reaction tube 1, and a heater 4 is provided outside the tube 1. Between the tube 1 and heater 4, a cooling gas path 6 for allowing cooling gas to flow in the direction of arrows 5 is interposed, and one end 6a thereof is connected to a radiator 9 by a tube 7 through a blower 8. The radiator 9 is connected to the other end 6b of the gas path 6 by a second tube 10.
According to the above-described constitution of the heat treatment apparatus, the semiconductor wafers 2 are placed in the wafer mounting jig 3, and the jig 3 is housed in the reaction tube 1. The heater 4 is then turned on to heat the tube 1, and the wafers 2 are thermally treated through various steps of manufacturing semiconductor devices from the wafers.
After the heat treatment, the heater 4 is turned off and the blower 8 is operated to drop the temperature of the wafers 2. The cooling gas is forced to circulate through the gas path 6, tube 7, blower 8, radiator 9 and tube 10 in the direction of arrows 5. The gas passing through the path 6 is cooled by the radiator 9, and the cooled gas is guided again to the path 6 via the tube 10. Thus, the inner side of heater 4 and the outer side of tube 1 are cooled, as are the semiconductor wafers 2 in the tube 1.
In the prior art heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1, when the wafers are cooled quickly by air blow to improve the operating efficiency of the apparatus or control the junction of elements, the capacity of blower 8, that is, the driving capacity of cooling gas is increased to improve in cooling efficiency. In this situation, however, the cooling speed can be increased within a high-temperature zone between, e.g., 800.degree. C. and 1200.degree. C., whereas it cannot be increased within a low-temperature zone below, e.g., 800.degree. C.
The rate of occurrence of crystal defects, such as a slip of silicon crystal due to variations in temperature on the surface of each semiconductor wafer, is opposite to the above relationship between the cooling speed and temperature zone. Specifically, when the wafers are cooled at the same cooling speed, the composition of silicon crystal is easy to be changed because of a slip within the high-temperature zone between 800.degree. C. and 1200.degree. C., while a slip is difficult to occur within the low-temperature zone below 800.degree. C. Since, in the prior art heat treatment apparatus, the cooling speed cannot be controlled appropriately within the high-temperature zone, if the cooling speed is increased, there occurs a crystal defect, such as a change in composition due to a slip on a semiconductor wafer.
Since, furthermore, the prior art apparatus is so constructed that the cooling gas flows from the bottom of the gas path 6 toward the top thereof, the cooling speed of a semiconductor wafer 2 placed on the lower portion of the reaction tube 1, is higher than that of a semiconductor wafer 2 placed on the upper portion thereof. The variations in cooling speeds of semiconductor wafers 2 in the reaction tube 1 vary characteristics of semiconductor devices obtained from the wafers, even when the semiconductor wafers 2 are thermally treated in the same lot.

Heat treatment apparatus for semiconductor wafers


An example system has a pulse generator configured to deliver a first series of electrical signals to a right atrium of a heart. The first series of electrical signals can increase a first heart rate toward a target heart rate. The system can have a monitoring device configured to retrieve physiological data from a user of the system while the heart is receiving the first series of electrical signals. The system can have a controller configured to determine whether a physiological parameter has met a physiological threshold based on the physiological data. If the physiological threshold has been met, the controller can modify the first series of electrical signals to a second series of electrical signals that restores the physiological parameter to an acceptable level.

Heart failure is a public health problem affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite considerable progress in the treatment of heart failure, heart failure is still associated with high morbidity. As such, identifying new preventions and treatments for heart failure is one of the greatest challenges in medicine. Biventricular (coordinated left and right ventricle) pacing to improve ventricular contractile synchrony is among the most successful recent advances in heart failure therapy. This technique leads to improved quality of life, clinical indicators of heart failure severity, and survival thereby illustrating the power of pacing to beneficially remodel dysfunctional myocardium. However, biventricular pacing requires technically challenging implantation of specialized hardware and is thus burdened by higher costs and complication rates when compared to standard right heart only pacing systems. Further, it is only appropriate for a small subset of heart failure patients who have severe ventricular dysfunction and dyssynchrony. Other currently utilized pacing systems serve to treat or prevent inadequate heart rates or terminate abnormal rhythms but are not intended to improve the condition or function of diseased myocardium. Approaches have been proposed that purposely stress the heart through pacing at increased heart rates combined with intentional induction of ventricular dyssynchrony, such as by right ventricular pacing, in order to initiate beneficial myocardial conditioning/remodeling. However, the energetically and hemodynamically unfavorable atrio-ventricular and/or interventricular dyssynchrony with such an approach limits its tolerability and counteracts beneficial effects thereby ultimately restricting its therapeutic utility. As such, these pacing approaches lack proper controls and feedback to efficiently condition or "reverse remodel" the myocardium to improve myocardial function, heart failure symptoms and other related heart disease outcomes.
The present disclosure describes a pacing intervention that overcomes these and other shortcomings of the prior art. The described invention is based on the principle of "exercise-inspired" pacing. Specifically, the powerful benefits of exercise for steering outcomes in cardiovascular disease, particularly heart failure, are increasingly appreciated. However, patients with cardiovascular disease face many impediments to adequate exercise. The magnitude and duration of heart rate acceleration with exercise is commonly viewed as a predictive indicator for cardiovascular benefit. However, based on the data provided herein, intermittent acceleration of heart rate, when isolated from other aspects of exercise by pacing, can act as an independent effector of beneficial myocardial conditioning when it is delivered in an optimally physiologic fashion through use of feedback controls that support myocardial efficiency and cardiac output.

Systems and methods for cardiovascular conditioning


A magnetic recording medium providing excellent electromagnetic conversion characteristics and durability in a still playback mode. The magnetic recording medium comprises a non-magnetic substrate and a multi-layer film formed on said non-magnetic substrate, the multi-layer film comprising an upper magnetic layer containing a magnetic powder and a binder resin as main components, wherein the binder resin in the upper magnetic layer has a glass transition temperature Tg(u) of about 60.degree. C. and comprises 1:1 mixture of a vinyl chloride copolymer and a polyurethane; and a lower non-magnetic layer containing a binder resin, wherein the binder resin in the lower non-magnetic layer has a glass transition temperature Tg(l) of about 35.degree. C. and comprises 1:1 mixture of a vinyl chloride copolymer and a polyurethane. The upper magnetic layer also contains about 1 to about 20% by weight, based on the weight of magnetic powder, of an abrasive having an average particle size greater than the thickness of the upper magnetic layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic recording medium of a so-called overlapped coating type, and more particularly to improvement in an electromagnetic conversion characteristic and a durability of such a magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A magnetic recording media conventionally used, for example, in a video tape recorders (VTRs), include a so-called coating type magnetic recording medium whose magnetic layer is formed by applying a magnetic coating material prepared by mixing a magnetic powder, a binder resin, an organic solvent and other additives together, onto a non-magnetic substrate such as a polyester film, a so-called thin metal film type magnetic recording medium whose magnetic layer is formed by depositing a ferromagnetic material on a non-magnetic substrate using a thin film vacuum-deposition techniques, or the like. At present, the former coating type magnetic recording medium is predominately utilized due to its high productivity and wide applicability.
In such a magnetic recording medium, studies have been made to reduce a thickness of the magnetic layer in order to limit an output loss due to a recording demagnetization to a low level. However, in the case of the magnetic recording medium having only a single layer on a substrate, when a thickness of the magnetic layer is reduced, a non-uniformity on a surface of the substrate remarkably gives an adverse influence on a surface of the magnetic layer, so that the magnetic layer cannot have a sufficiently smooth surface.
Under this circumstance, there has been proposed a overlapped coating type magnetic recording medium having a plurality of coated layers. In such a overlapped coating type magnetic recording medium having a plurality of coated layers, an upper layer is formed as a magnetic layer and lower layers other than the upper layer can be a magnetic or non-magnetic layer. In such a magnetic recording medium, since the non-magnetic substrate is not in direct contact with the upper magnetic layer, a shape of the surface of the upper magnetic layer is not adversely affected by that of the surface of the non-magnetic substrate, so that a thin magnetic layer having a smooth surface can be formed on the magnetic recording medium.
Further, in the overlapped coating type magnetic recording medium, it is important to assure a traveling ability and a durability thereof. For instance, there is a suggestion that, if a glass transition point Tg(u) of the binder resin used in the upper magnetic layer and a glass transition point Tg(l) of the binder resin used in the lower layer satisfies the relationship of Tg(u) .gtoreq.Tg(l), the magnetic recording medium having excellent traveling ability and durability can be obtained.
However, in the event that the glass transition points Tg of the binder resins used are limited to such a particular range, the traveling ability and durability of the magnetic recording medium under high-speed frictional contact conditions, for example, in a still play-back condition, cannot be sufficiently improved though excellent traveling ability and durability are obtained under a low-speed frictional contact condition.


An apparatus and process for separating propane and benzene from alkylation reaction products in cumene production. An integrated fractionation tower combines the functions of propane separation, recycle benzene recovery as well as system dewatering to eliminate the need for separate depropanizer and dehydration columns and thus save capital and operating expenses.

Isopropylbenzene (cumene) is widely used for making phenol, acetone and a-methylstyrene. Phenol is a feedstock in phenolic polymer manufacture and acetone is a by-product of the phenol production process. .alpha.-Methylstyrene is a feedstock for elastomeric polymers. Cumene is made by a direct alkylation reaction of propylene and benzene in the presence of an acidic catalyst. Cumene is then separated from reactants, by-products, contaminants and inert components in the reaction effluent by fractionation.
Heretofore, cumene manufacturing processes have generally employed an acidic catalyst such as solid phosphoric acid (SPA), aluminum chloride, and the like. Catalysts such as SPA can require the presence of water for activation and produce an extremely corrosive sludge by-product. The use of such sludge-forming catalysts involves special design considerations regarding corrosion, safety and disposal which are expensive to accommodate. Similarly, aluminum chloride catalyst requires anhydrous hydrochloric acid for activation. This corrosive catalyst system requires expensive corrosion-resistant materials in the construction of the reactor, and the spent catalyst also presents disposal problems. More recently, the introduction of new non-corrosive catalysts have reduced the need for the corrosion resistant alloys previously required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,222 to Bakas et al. describes a process for the production of a monoalkylated aromatic compound which minimizes the production of undesirable alkylating agent oligomers, and produces monoalkylaromatics in high yields. The process entails the combination of an alkylation reaction zone, a separation zone and a transalkylation reaction zone wherein the alkylation catalyst and transalkylation catalyst are dissimilar and the catalysts comprise a silica-alumina material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,595 to Lee et al. describes an acidic mordenite zeolite catalyst useful for producing a monoalkylated benzene product. The zeolite catalyst has a silica/alumina molar ratio of at least 40:1.
Other references in interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,243,115, 5,055,627 and 5,176,883 to Smith, Jr. et al., 5,262,576 to Smith, Jr., 5,080,871 to Adams et al., 5,149,894 to Holtermann et al., 5,081,323 to Innes et al., 5,043,506 to Crossland, 4,950,834 to Arganbright et al., 4,347,393 to Miki, 3,855,077 to Bleser et al.; WO 91-18849; and WO 93-02027.

Apparatus and process for separating reaction effluent in the manufacture of cumene


Electrical contacting surfaces are disclosed having numerous electrically conductive substantially spherical protrusions. These contacting surfaces may be used repeatedly in low voltage applications. The numerous electrically conductive substantially spherical protrusions provide points of high pressure thereby forming multiple parallel electrically conductive pathways across the contacting surfaces to establish good electrical continuity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical contacting surfaces for low voltage and/or high current applications that may be connected and disconnected multiple times. The electrical contacting surfaces of the present invention employ numerous electrically conductive substantially spherical protrusions and may be used to establish multiple parallel electrically conductive pathways to other electrically conductive contacting surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical conductivity is a property common to many materials including metals. An electrically conductive material is a substance that allows the flow of electrical charge throughout its mass. Electrical charges come in many forms and may result from the separation of electrons from atoms. The separation of charge from atoms can render a substance electrically conductive if the charges are free to move. Although charged atoms can conduct electricity, in many cases it is the flow of electrons rather than charged atoms throughout a substance that is responsible for electrical conductivity.
Many of the elements in the periodic table are metals. Metallic elements such as copper are good conductors of electricity because they support the flow of electrons throughout their mass. This may result from loose electrons that are free to travel between atoms. Generally speaking all of the true metallic elements in the periodic table are capable of conducting electricity in this manner. Some elements such as silver and copper are good conductors of electricity while others such as lead tend to be significantly less conductive. It should be noted that the morphology of the metal itself may play a role in conductivity.
Generally speaking metals conduct electricity throughout their entire mass. When two or more pieces of metal are placed together good electrical contact between them may or may not occur. This depends on several factors including contact surface area, number of contacting points, surface contamination, contact pressure, and applied voltage.
Sliding electrical contactors are electrical contactors that have electrically conductive sliding surfaces that slide together. In many instances pressure is provided between the two contacting surfaces in order to improve conductivity. Examples of this include the following:                1. Wall outlets and matching plugs for providing power to household appliances.        2. Sliding connectors for connecting one set of wires to another.        3. Sliding contacts used to provide electrical connections to printed circuit boards.        4. Electric switches including knife switches and the like.
Wall outlets are sliding electrical contactors that are used to provide electric power to household electrical devices such as appliances. The outlets themselves are usually mounted flush to the surfaces of walls comprising the interior spaces of buildings. The flush mounting characteristics provide good aesthetic properties as well as significantly reducing the likelihood of damage resulting from inadvertently bumping into them. Many electrical outlets have two complete sets of electrical contactors. Each set of contactors having two relatively narrow slots with inner metal contacting surfaces along with a third and somewhat more circular hole having inner metal contacting surfaces as well. The inner metal contacting surfaces of the two relatively narrow slots are used to provide electric power to matching metal prongs found on the plugs of household electrical devices such as appliances. The inner metal contacting surfaces of the third somewhat more circular hole are used to provide an electric ground connection to the matching prong found on certain plugs that may be used to provide ground connections to household electrical devices such as appliances.
The two basic types of electric power are AC power and DC power. AC power (alternating current) continuously changes voltage with the voltage reversing itself at regular intervals over time. DC power (direct current) is steady with the voltage remaining constant over time.
The electric power provided to most standard household wall outlets is about 115 volts AC. This voltage represents the root mean squared voltage of a sixty cycle per second AC waveform. The peak voltage is usually about 170 volts (considerably higher than the root mean squared voltage). Because of this, household electrical outlets and any electrical devices that use this power require suitable electrical insulation properties that can safely withstand voltages in excess of 170.
Electrical grounding is provided because contact with 115 volts AC may result in serious bodily injury or even death. Electric shock occurs when a potential voltage exists across the body that is sufficient to carry a current disruptive to normal bodily functions. The nervous system of the human body is controlled by electrical impulses that may be considerably less than one milliampere (0.001 amperes). A potential of 115 volts AC is sufficient to carry several milliamperes across body parts under most conditions and may carry significantly greater currents through wet contacting surfaces. Once a disruptive current is established across the body, the individual may not be able to let go. In this case the current resulting from electric shock may be sufficient to completely overwhelm the nervous system.
Although an electric voltage potential must exist across the body in order to carry electric current, contact with only one electrically charged surface may result in electric shock. One reason for this has to do with electrical ground. An electrical ground such as the surface of the earth and conductive materials in contact with the surface of the earth represents an electrical connection that a voltage potential may be established across. If a metal electric appliance has an internal connection to its voltage source (from a bad wire or component) the entire outer conductive metal surface may acquire sufficient voltage with respect to ground to deliver an electric shock. This electric shock hazard may be reduced by connecting the metal conductive outer surface of the electric appliance to ground. A proper ground connection can prevent this hazardous condition thereby reducing the likelihood of electric shock.
Certain situations may arise in which a grounded electrical device may not be properly grounded. This condition can occur if the connection between the ground and the device is faulty. The sources of possible bad connections that lead up to this condition are numerous including a bad earth ground connection, faulty wiring, a bad connection between the outlet and plug, a faulty electrical cord, and a bad connection between the internal grounding wire of the electrical device and the device housing. Good electrical contact between the inner grounding wire and the housings of an electrical device may be achieved by placing a washer having numerous sharp edged cutting surfaces between the housing and internal grounding wire and tightening with a nut and bolt. The grounding washer is designed to cut into metal surfaces to establish good continuity. It is interesting to note that significant effort has been placed on providing a good ground connection between internal grounding wires and metal housings but not much effort has been placed on the grounding connection between the grounding prongs of plugs and the sliding electric contacting surfaces on the interior surfaces of outlets. One reason for this may have to do with the fact that the internal ground connection of metal housings is meant to be permanent and the plug connection is designed to be removable.
The 115 volts AC in use today results from several needs including the following:                1. The ability to change voltage by employing transformers.        2. The need to carry considerable power through relatively small diameter wires.        3. The need to provide electric lighting that does not flicker.        4. The need to keep voltages down to a "reasonable level"        5. The need to reduce arcing in switch contacts.        6. Sufficient voltage to overcome surface contamination between electrical contacting surfaces.
Transformers are devices that change AC voltages. A transformer consists of insulated copper wire wrapped around an iron core. When a voltage is applied across the wire, a magnetic field is established in accordance with the right hand rule of electrically induced magnetism. This magnetic field will rise and fall and reverse direction with each cycle of the AC waveform. This changing magnetic field may be conducted to a second copper insulated wire wrapped around the same iron core. A changing AC voltage is established in the second copper wire wrapping (coil) as a result of the changing magnetic field present in the iron core. The voltage ratio of the transformer is based on the ratio of turns between the two separate coils. In order to induce a current in an electrical conductor (such as a coil of wire) the magnetic field must be constantly changing. Because of this, transformers may be used to change the voltage of alternating current (AC). Direct current voltages are constant voltages that do not change. The application of direct current to a transformer results in resistive heating of the coil without any voltage output. Because of this, transformers may be used to change AC voltage but will not work with DC voltage.
The current carrying capacity of wires depends on the cross sectional diameter of their conductive metal center. Power in watts is represented by current in amperes times the applied voltage. The higher the voltage the more power a wire of any given conductive metal cross section can carry. Certain household appliances require over one thousand watts of power. Such appliances include hair dryers, air conditioners, electric ovens and stoves, and large microwave ovens. In order to provide this level of power without placing excessive current demands on electrical wiring, about 115 volts is required. If more than two thousand watts of power is required higher voltages may be employed.
AC electric power may be carried across long distances using high voltage utility lines and may pass through numerous transformers before being used to do useful work. With AC power, the higher the frequency, the greater the losses in transformers and transmission lines. Because of this, 60 cycles (a relatively low frequency) was chosen. It should be noted that below about 60 cycles, the flicker may be detectable in some electric light bulbs.
As mentioned above, contact with 115 volts AC may result in disruptive levels of current across body parts. Although somewhat hazardous, 115 volts AC may represent a reasonable compromise between safety and the need to carry useful quantities of power through relatively small wires. Below about 42 volts, difficulties arise in pushing enough current through intact skin to disrupt bodily functions. This arbitrary voltage has been chosen as being relatively "safe" in that contact with voltages below 42 rarely results in serious electric shock. It should be noted that exposure to sources of electric power below 42 volts under certain circumstances may still be harmful. For example, broken skin, wet conditions, and puncture wounds by electrically energized electrical components at or below 42 volts can still cause harmful electric currents to flow within the body.
Electric arcing represents one more reason why AC power is used instead of DC power. When a voltage is applied across a coil of wire, a magnetic field is established in accordance with the right hand rule of electrically induced magnetism. This electrically induced magnetic field represents stored energy. With DC electric power this field may build up to a high level and remain at that level until the power is disconnected. On disconnection of electric power (such as turning off a switch) the magnetic field will rapidly collapse. This often results in a large reverse voltage spike that may be sufficient to strike an arc across switch contacts. This arcing tends to damage electric switches and may even result in a hazardous condition if it becomes self sustaining. AC electric power has less tendency toward arcing in switch contacts when turning off inductive loads. This reduced tendency is due at least in part to the fact that the voltage is constantly rising and falling and reversing itself.
The tendency of surface contamination to inhibit the flow of current across two electrically conductive contacting surfaces is usually overcome by the 115 volt AC household power. While being sufficient in most cases with copper connections, it is not always sufficient to overcome electrically resistive contamination that may be found on aluminum wire.
Aluminum wire was previously used in some houses as a lower cost option to more expensive copper. Aluminum is low in cost, lightweight, and is a good conductor of electricity. Unfortunately, it tends to form non-conductive surface oxides on exposure to air. Once these oxides form, a point of high resistance may develop where the wire makes contact with its connection. In some instances this oxide layer may be sufficient to impede the flow of 115 volt AC current. A large voltage drop may occur across the contact surface resulting in local heating effects. Aluminum has a relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion. Numerous expansion and contraction cycles may loosen connections. Significant currents across loose connections coupled with oxide layers of high electrical resistance may produce sufficient heat to ignite the interior surfaces of buildings resulting in fire.
While aluminum and its associated oxide forming surface layers may provide difficulties in carrying 115 volt AC power across contacting surfaces, copper and various other metals often employed in conducting electric current across electrically conductive contacting surfaces tend to be more forgiving.
Numerous metals including copper may be used to conduct 115 volt AC electric current across contacting surfaces with little difficulty. Of further interest is the ability of copper and several other metals to efficiently carry electric current between contacting surfaces at or below 42 volts.
Many electrical contactors rely on significant applied voltages to overcome barriers to the flow of electrons across both contacting metal surfaces. Many electrical contactors provide good electrical conduction when operated at a value equal to or greater than about one hundred volts. Contactors may perform well at significantly lower voltages as well. Below about 20 volts difficulties may be encountered in copper and other metal contactors conducting electricity across contaminated surfaces. As in the case with aluminum, this may present special problems associated with the unwanted formation of heat at the point of contact while carrying high currents.
The more contact surface area, points of contact, pressure, and applied voltage, the better the electrical conductivity between the two surfaces. In many instances surface contamination involves non-conductive materials. Because of this, contamination between contacting metal surfaces may reduce conductivity between them. Keeping the area clean may help to improve contact conductivity but may prove difficult. Increasing the pressure between contacting pieces of metal may help to push contamination out of the way thereby improving conductivity between them. In addition, contact surface area and or the number of actual contact points may improve. It should be noted that for electrical contact to occur between two pieces of metal loose electrons from one piece of metal need to travel over to the atoms of the other and vice versa.
A specific example of this type of electric connection is the contact area between a car battery post and battery clamp. A poorly conducting metal (lead) is in an adverse environment (sulfuric acid, vibration, changing temperatures, and galvanic effects) to carry significant amounts of current (100 to 1,000 amperes) at a relatively low voltage 12 volts DC. Battery clamps used in vehicles employ significant pressure to improve conductivity between the clamp and battery post. Unfortunately despite this fact, poor electric continuity may exist between vehicle battery posts and their associated clamps.
Despite the need for high power during starting, automotive batteries are rated at 12 volts. This voltage may represent a compromise for the need to use higher voltages to reduce the current carrying demands of electrical wiring with the need to keep battery costs down. Higher voltage batteries require more series wired cells and therefore are more expensive to produce. In addition, the more cells connected in series the greater the chances of one of the series connected cells failing. It should be noted that a 42 volt system may be used without creating an unreasonable electric shock hazard.
In addition to the main battery connection, there are numerous electrical connectors located under the hood and throughout the entire vehicle. These connectors are used to connect numerous wires to other wires, fuse boxes, sensors, circuit boards and other components requiring electric power. The majority of electrical contacting surfaces employed in vehicles are of the spring loaded sliding type designed for only a few cycles of connection and disconnection. Twelve volt automotive electrical systems employing numerous spring loaded sliding electrical connectors exposed to heat cycling, vibration, and contaminants presents certain challenges to the automotive industry. Increasing this voltage to 42 may help to improve the overall reliability of automotive electrical systems.
There are numerous inductors (coils of wire wrapped around iron cores) that are employed in automotive electrical systems. Included in this group are starter motors, alternators, electric motors for fans, windows, and windshield wipers, horns, relays, speakers, induction coils, and solenoid door locks. All of these inductors are capable of creating back voltage spikes having values several times the initial applied voltage. While being somewhat damaging to switches and relay contacts, these voltage spikes may be especially problematic to semi-conductor components found in computer chips, power regulating circuitry, and control circuitry. Of particular concern is the generation of stray unclamped voltage spikes in the electrical systems of newer vehicles. When a conductor carries an electric current, a magnetic field is established with that current in accordance of the right hand rule of electrically induced magnetism. This magnetic field builds up to a fixed level and then remains at that level as long as the conductor carries the current. This magnetic field represents stored energy. If the current is discontinued in such a conductor, the resultant magnetic field rapidly collapses. The rate of field collapse is usually much faster than the rate of build up. This rapidly collapsing magnetic field creates a voltage spike in the opposite direction that is often several times the original input voltage. When current is interrupted to a conductor having significant inductance (such as an ignition coil or alternator electromagnet) large spikes can be generated that are more than capable of permanently destroying delicate semi-conductor components such as MOSFETs (metal oxide semi-conductor field effect transistors).
In order to reduce the likelihood of damage to semi-conductor automotive components, protecting circuitry is often added to absorb voltage spikes. Voltage clamping devices such as reverse wired diodes, Zener diodes, surge protectors, RC snubbers, and the like are often employed to protect sensitive semi-conductor components from harmful voltage spikes. Many of these voltage clamping devices are used to absorb voltage spikes from common sources.
Suppression of transient voltage spikes is well known art. The following references are relevant to electrical systems used in the automotive industry and are incorporated herein by reference.                1. Betten, John. "Clamping circuit tames automotive voltage transients." Automotive Design Line. 30 Aug. 2006. www.automotivedesignline.com.        2. Tyco Electronics. "Automotive Electronics Protection using a PolyZen Device." 2006. Page 1. www.circuitprotection.com        3. Littlefuse, Inc. "Voltage Suppression-Solutions Tech Brief." www.littlefuse.com        4. Dallas Semiconductors. "Integrated Voltage Limiters for Automotive Applications." Application Note 3895. 2005. www.maxim-ic.com.        5. Berger, Ivan. "Can You Trust Your Car?." Spectrum. www.spectrum.ieee.org/print/1419.        6. Kobe, Gerry. "The 42-Volt Revolution-Automotive Battery Increase." Gale Group 2002.
More detailed descriptions may be found in numerous books covering the fields of electronics and electrical engineering.
Voltage spikes generated from sources unanticipated by the designers may bypass voltage clamping devices and damage semi-conductor components. The resulting problem may be difficult to diagnose if the trouble causing voltage spikes are intermittent. Poor connections to inductive sources may produce intermittent stray voltage spikes not anticipated by designers that can damage semi-conductor components.
Today's trucks, automobiles, and SUV's rely more and more on solid state components for their efficient operation. As a result, it is important to establish good conductivity between the battery post and connector. Poor connections may result in stray voltages that can cause intermittent problems that can be difficult to troubleshoot and in some cases may damage circuit components.
With older vehicles it was standard procedure to disconnect the alternator from the battery while the engine was running as a means of testing the alternator. If the engine kept running, it was a sign that the alternator was working. If the engine stopped running it was a sign that the alternator was not working properly. Although in theory most vehicle alternators require excitation energy from the rotor coil to function, residual magnetism was often sufficient to maintain enough voltage output to keep the engine idling.
The above mentioned test procedure is generally not carried out with newer vehicles due to the possibility of stray voltage spikes damaging delicate semi-conductor circuit components.
It should be noted that an automotive battery is capable of absorbing and clamping voltage transients. An intermittent battery connection may therefore produce voltage spikes by breaking electrical connections to inductors (coils of wire on iron cores) but may also present issues with not being able to absorb spikes once they are generated from other sources. Of course much of this depends on the particular wiring configuration of the automobile.
With respect to battery connections in automobiles, the charging circuit is designed to keep the battery voltage during use at 13.8 volts. This is the value that has been generally accepted for maintaining proper charge on 12 volt lead acid batteries. Poor battery connections may interfere with feedback voltage detection and charging efficiency. This condition may result in an over charge condition or an under charge condition that can significantly reduce battery life.
One fortunate aspect of lead acid batteries is that they tend to be somewhat tolerant to having a slight overcharge or undercharge. Other rechargeable batteries commonly employed in consumer electronic devices are more sensitive. For example, Nickel metal hydride batteries do not tolerate overcharge. Overcharging these batteries may result in rapid loss of capacity and significantly shorten their useful life. Lithium ion rechargeable batteries are commonly used in portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones and lap top computers. These batteries are used because of their high energy density. One unfortunate aspect of lithium ion batteries involves overcharging. Lithium ion batteries employ lithium ions to transfer charge back and forth between a material that holds and releases them in their ionic state. Lithium ions are relatively inert and therefore pose little hazard. Lithium metal on the other hand is reactive and may explode or burst into flame on exposure to water and other substances. Once a lithium ion battery is fully charged, a slight increase in charging voltage may cause the lithium ions to gain electrons forming lithium metal. Once this happens, further charging may plate enough of this metal out on the negative electrode to puncture the separator causing an internal short circuit. Local heating from the internal short circuit may be sufficient to cause fire and expose lithium metal to ambient air. Once this occurs, the fire that results may be particularly troublesome owing to the fact that lithium metal reacts with water forming explosive hydrogen.
Because of the hazardous overcharge condition of lithium ion batteries, each individual cell within a battery pack may be provided with voltage limiting circuitry. The industry standard is to limit the charging voltage to below 4.2 volts per cell.
A bad battery connection that gives a false voltage reading or bad connections within charging circuitry for lithium ion batteries can therefore be particularly troubling owing to the hazards associated with their overcharge condition.
Below about 5 volts, small amounts of surface contamination may interfere with electric conductivity between two contacting pieces of metal. The application of significant pressure to the contacting area may help to remedy the situation.
The amount of surface contamination may be quite variable and is dependent on numerous parameters. For example, many common metals such as aluminum rapidly form thin oxide layers on exposure to air. These oxide layers tend to be rather thin at first and often self passivating. Self passivation of freshly exposed metal surfaces is the result of the newly formed oxide layer being somewhat impervious to oxygen thereby limiting the overall thickness. It should be noted that surface exposed metal atoms have less other atoms surrounding them and therefore may be in a more reactive state. Thin film self passivating oxide layers may be from a few atoms thick to a few hundred atoms thick. Such layers may present continuity issues at low voltages. In addition, it should be noted that connection and disconnection of electrically contacting surfaces under the conditions of load may further increase the formation of oxide films.
The consumer electronics industry includes numerous devices that operate at low voltages. For example, the logic circuitry used in computers and other electronic devices often operates at 5 volts. This may be due at least in part to the properties of semi-conductor junctions. Because of the low voltages employed, a significant portion of their electrical connections are soldered into place. Removable connections often employ high pressure sliding inert gold plated metal contact surfaces. Satisfactory results are obtained with these connectors because they only need to stand up to a few cycles of connection and removal.
Electrical contactors designed for numerous repeated cycles of connection and disconnection often employ two conductive surfaces that are pressed together. Spring force is often employed in switches and magnetic force is often employed in relays. Electrical contactors designed for a few repeated cycles of use often take the form of conductive pieces of metal that are designed to slide against each other employing the compression force of a spring. The spring providing this compression force is often one of the sliding contacting surfaces. An example of this type of contactor is the household outlet and pronged plug. Electrical contactors designed for single use or a very limited number of cycles often employ the squeezing together of conductive electrical contacting surfaces using screws, nuts, and bolts. The use of screws, nuts, and bolts provides an easy way of exerting very high compression forces between two electrically conductive contacting surfaces.
Low voltage electrical contacting surfaces employed in numerous switches, batteries, and applications may develop poor electric continuity over time. This may become especially problematic with repeated use. Particularly troublesome are the electrical contacting surfaces of individual cell batteries. When several cells are connected in series, numerous bad connections may result. It should be noted that single cell consumer batteries may employ a dimple on one or more contact surfaces. This dimple may be used to provide a single point of high pressure that may help to establish a good single point connection between the battery terminal and another electrically conductive contacting surface.
Despite numerous improvements there remains a need to provide electrical contacting surfaces for repeated use having good conductivity at low operating voltages.
It is an object of this invention to provide electrical contacting surfaces having good conductivity with other conductive surfaces at low voltages.
It is a further object of this invention to provide electrical contacting surfaces resistant to the effects of surface contamination.
It is a further object of this invention to provide electrical contacting surfaces suitable for use in adverse environments.
It is a further object of this invention to provide electrical contacting surfaces suitable for repeated use.
Finally it is an object of this invention to provide redundancy in electrical contact by employing conducting surfaces having numerous protrusions.

Electrical contact surface having numerous protrusions


Personal dispensers include a refill unit and a refill casing. The refill unit is a collapsible container that is associated with pump mechanisms for dispensing fluid from within the collapsible container. The refill casing retains and protects the refill unit, and includes a pump lock that is manipulated to selectively cover a pump opening in the refill casing. When the pump lock covers the pump opening, the pump mechanisms cannot be manipulated, and when the pump lock does not cover the pump opening, the pump mechanisms can be manipulated to dispense product.

Portable containers for dispensing cleaning or sanitizing solutions are generally known, and most commonly are semi-rigid containers that can be selectively opened or closed so that the solution retained in the container may be dispensed. These containers are herein termed "semi-rigid" because, although being formed of rigid materials, they give to pressure such that their interior volume can be temporarily decreased in order to dispense some of the solution retained therein. These types of portable personal dispensers are very popular for dispensing hand sanitizer, hand cleaner, and hand lotion. The amount of fluid they dispense is typically dependent upon the degree to which they are squeezed, and is thus variable between uses.
Hand sanitizers, hand cleaners, and hand lotions are also dispensed through the use of positive displacement pumps and wall-mounted dispensers, as generally known. These devices typically include a reciprocating piston member or pivoting lever member that causes pump mechanisms to dispense product upon being reciprocated or pivoted. These dispensers provide the beneficial feature of providing a user with a unit dose of the hand treatment solution upon activation of their dispensing mechanics, though they are typically not employed as portable personal dispensers because the piston or lever member can be unintentionally actuated to cause an accidental dispensing of product. For instance, though a piston-type pump dispenser might be of a size suitable for carrying in a large pocket or purse, the piston can be reciprocated by contact with the body of the person carrying the dispenser or by contact with items in the purse.
Some less common personal dispensers that have to date not achieved widespread use are both readily portable and provide for dispensing a unit dose of product. Exemplary embodiments of these portable personal dispensers can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,706 and U.S. Published Patent Application Nos. 2006/0186140 and 2005/0199651. These types of dispensers are characterized by the employment of a dome pump mechanism positioned between an outlet of the dispenser and fluid held within a portable container. Because these types of dispensers are of particular interest as refill units, they are first generally disclosed, as background, and the present invention is then disclosed in the description of the invention.
The "refill units" of this invention are basically personal dispensers, and can be characterized by a minimal number of elements. These elements are numbered and identified in exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, and discussed here, with elements of FIG. 1 being distinguished by employing the letter A, elements of FIG. 2 being distinguished by employing the letter B, and elements of FIG. 3 being distinguished by employing the letter C after the numeral identifying an element. Thus, these prior art personal dispensers 10A, 10B and 10C include a collapsible container 12A, 12B, 12C that defines an interior volume that holds fluid F and is sealed at its perimeter so as to collapse as fluid F is dispensed therefrom. The collapsible container 12A, 12B, 12C is typically formed of film material, which, notably, might be punctured by a sharp object. A pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C communicates with the fluid F in the container 12A, 12B, 12C. The pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C includes a collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C that normally rests in an uncompressed state, providing an expanded volume, as shown. A fluid outlet path 18A, 18B, 18C fluidly communicates with interior volume of the pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C and provides an exit 20A, 20B, 20C communicating externally of the interior volume of the container 12A, 12B, 12C. In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid outlet paths 18A and 18B extend through rigid nozzle portions 19A, 19B, but in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the outlet path 18C extends through a non-rigid outlet extension 19C. The outlet path 18C can be formed of two films secured together to create a path that is effectively sealed to fluid flow until fluid pressure causes the films to be forced apart to open the outlet path 18C and permit the dispensing of fluid.
Operating the pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C forces a portion of the fluid through the fluid outlet path 18A, 18B, 18C and out the exit 20A, 20B, 20C thereof. More particularly, the pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C includes inlet and outlet valves that function to regulate the flow of fluid F into and out of collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C, and these valves open and close upon operation of the pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C. The inlet and outlet valves can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the valves for FIG. 1 are shown in the pump mechanism 14A of FIG. 4. Additionally, in the refill unit 16C of FIG. 3, the extension 19C, being normally closed, acts as a valve, permitting dispensing of fluid when the pressure behind the exit 20C. Pressing on the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C moves it to a collapsed state, having a compressed volume, and fluid F held within the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C is thus forced out through the fluid outlet path 18A, 18B, 18C and exit 20A, 20B, 20C. An outlet valve 22A, 22B, 22C of pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C may be provided to permit flow of the fluid F from within collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C toward and through exit 20A, 20B, 20C, but not in the opposite direction. Similarly an inlet valve 24A, 24B, 24C in pump mechanism 14A, 14B, 14C permits flow of the fluid F from the interior of collapsible container 12A, 12B, 12C into the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C, but not in the opposite direction. As mentioned, the outlet valve 22C can be provided as two films joined together to create a path that is effectively sealed to fluid flow until fluid pressure causes the films to be forced apart to open the outlet path 18C and permit the dispensing of fluid. In this way, pressing on collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C to assume a collapsed state forces fluid F out of exit 20A, 20B, 20C, while releasing the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C from the collapsed state draws fluid into the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C as it expands to an expanded state. Normally, the collapsible dosing chamber 16A, 16B, 16C is formed of a resilient material that naturally returns to its expanded state, but a spring or other biasing element might be employed in the interior of the collapsible dosing chamber to urge it to the expanded state.
The foregoing prior art personal dispensers are offered as examples of refill units that can be employed in accordance with the present invention, but it should be appreciated that other personal dispensers having different structures could be employed as refill units.
Though these types of personal dispensers offer desired functions, they present some undesired problems in that they can be unintentionally actuated to cause an undesired dispensing of product. They also typically have flexible, thin film walls that might be compromised by any sharp object carried in close proximity to the dispenser. Thus a need exists in the art for a portable personal dispenser assembly that can be actuated to provide a unit dose of fluid and can also be manipulated to prevent unwanted dispensing. This invention provides such a dispenser through the provision of a casing that is to carry a portable dispenser of the type generally disclosed above.


Described herein are compositions comprising particles of poorly soluble drugs encapsulated by stabilizers. Further described are pharmaceutical compositions comprising such encapsulated compositions. Also described are methods of making such encapsulated particle compositions, and methods of making the corresponding pharmaceutical compositions. The encapsulated particle compositions described herein allow poorly soluble drugs to be administered with good bioavailability by routes that are non-invasive to patients, such as by oral administration.

Oral administration of drugs is generally preferred for reasons of patient comfort and compliance. However, many drugs, including many opioids, are poorly soluble at neutral pH, and are thus are poorly or variably absorbed when delivered orally. Consequently, many such drugs are administered through more invasive routes, such as by sublingual, buccal, subcutaneous, or intravenous routes.
Several approaches for improving the oral delivery of poorly soluble drugs have demonstrated some promise. For example, poorly soluble drugs have been administered as dispersions in large amounts of fatty acids, and have been wet-milled to yield nanoparticles. However, each of those approaches suffers from certain drawbacks, such as, e.g., inadequate stability, difficulty of manufacture, adverse interactions with the drug to be delivered, or the use of toxic amounts of adjuvants or inhibitors. Thus, there remains a need for compositions and methods for the non-invasive delivery of poorly soluble drugs.

Compositions and methods for delivery of poorly soluble drugs


A control system for controlling one or more actuators in a machine in response to installation of a tool to the machine detects the installation of a tool to the machine and prompts a user of the machine to configure the operation of the controller with respect to at least one of the one or more actuators.

Large industrial machines such as wheel loaders, excavators, bucket loaders, etc., can be expensive to acquire and operate, and it is thus desirable to utilize the machine in question for as many tasks as possible. However, a given machine configuration may not be suitable for all desired tasks. Thus, many such machines support interchangeable attachments or "tools," so that a wider variety of tasks may be accomplished using the same base machine. There are numerous attachments known in the art, including buckets, scoops, forks, booms, brushes, diggers, backhoes, jack hammers, etc. Many times, the machine's response to its user control interface must be changed when the tool is changed so that the new tool will operate properly. For example, the range, direction, and coordination of hydraulic actuators associated with the tool may differ significantly from tool to tool.
As a specific nonlimiting example, when a fork loader is attached to a machine, the movements of the associated hydraulic actuators are generally coordinated so that as the forks are raised and lowered, the forks remain essentially parallel to the ground. In contrast, a bucket may be required to tilt forward when raised. Typically, such associations between actuators need to be programmed for each tool so that the tool responds appropriately when the user operates the user controls.
Although it is possible for a user to manually reprogram the machine controller at the time that the tool is changed, this requires the user to have substantial familiarity with the tool and the machine to understand the manner in which the controller should be reconfigured. On the other hand, certain systems have evolved to avoid the user-interaction altogether by recognizing a new tool and automatically reconfiguring the controller accordingly. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,617 to Berger at al. entitled "Adaptable Controller For Work Vehicle Attachments" describes a system that employs data storage devices corresponding with the specific tools. Each data storage device contains instruction relating to a specific tool, and the machine controller operates the actuator in accordance to the data read from the data storage device. In another embodiment the machine controller reads identification data directly from the new tool and selects corresponding instruction data from a memory device. However, it is appreciated by the applicants that systems that entirely remove the element of user control are in some ways as deficient as systems that require complete user control.
The disclosed machine configuration system is directed to overcoming one or more of the deficiencies in known systems in certain embodiments, although it will be appreciated that the foregoing background discussion is intended solely to aid the reader. It is not intended to limit the disclosure or claims, and thus should not be taken to indicate that any particular element of a prior system is unsuitable for use, nor is it intended to indicate any element, including solving the motivating problem, to be essential in implementing the examples described herein or similar examples.

Work tool notification and user-selectable machine control configuration