An electronic projector (beamer) is equipped with a profiling device (100) internally or externally connected thereto through standard interfaces. The profiling device includes all functionalities required for the color management (color measurement, calibration, profile generation, etc.) and corresponds with the projector (200) by way of a simple text based protocol. The latter can be implemented relatively easily by way of software in the projector, so that no changes to the fundamental concept of the projector are required. The profiling device can therefore on the one hand be easily integrated at the factory into existing projectors and on the other hand used as external complement to available projectors. The profiling device can however also be an independent device for the profiling of other electronic display devices (for example monitors) as well as for other, for example metrological tasks.

An electronic projector (beamer) converts electronic image information signals or data into optical images and projects them onto a suitable projection surface, for example a projection screen. The beamer receives as input signal a video signal from the video card of a computer or any other analog or digital signal source, for example a video recorder or a DVD player. If the input signal is not already present in digital form, it is digitalized in the beamer and broken up into the color components R, G and B. An optical modulator is controlled with the color signals R, G and B after various adaptations and corrections. The modulator is read out by way of illumination optics and projected by way of projection optics onto a projection surface. Today's beamer technologies use as optical modulators either TFT-LCD's (thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays), polysilicone-LCD's or a matrix of moveable micro-mirrors, for example the DMD-chip (digital micro-mirror device) from Texas Instruments. Optical modulators are generally also referred to as light valves.
The optical system of beamers is normally optimized for maximum efficiency of the exposure and projection optics. It is thereby the goal to produce on the projection surface an image of the highest possible light intensity in order to achieve the highest possible visible contrast in rooms which are not darkened.
The color reproduction quality of simple beamers is relatively low despite careful calibration (brightness, contrast, color temperature). Compared to a monitor image, clearly visible color tone shifts occur. Furthermore, the colors appear insufficiently saturated because of the construction for maximum light intensity. Modem beamers are therefore equipped with a transformation stage (color space converter) which transforms the supplied digital or digitalized input signal into the color space of the beamer and thus significantly improves the color trueness of the reproduction, whereby the limits are then given essentially only by the color space (gamut) reproducible by the beamer and the reflective properties of the projection surface. The transformation parameters used in the color space converter describe the required corrections.
Color management and color management systems are principally known and are generally used in digital color reproduction processes. A comprehensive and clear analysis of the background, technologies and applications of color management systems is found in the publication "Postscriptum on Color Management, Philosophy and Technology of Color Management" by the authors Stefan Brües, Leanne May and Dietmar Fuchs, published by the company Logo GmbH, a company of the Gretag-Macbeth Group in August of 1999. A further discussion of color management is found, for example in chapter 17 "Device Independent Color Imaging" of the book "Color Appearance Models" of Mark D. Fairchild, first edition, published 1997 by Addison Wesley.
A color management system allows a true to color reproduction of an image original in a digital process which can include an input medium (for example a scanner or digital camera) and several output media (for example monitors and printers). The original is digitized with the input medium and the RGB values of each image pixel are stored in a data file. The RGB image can be reproduced on a monitor or by way of a beamer or recalculated for output on a printer in the print colors CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). The true to color reproduction is achieved by the application of a device calibration and device profiles. The above mentioned color space converter essentially realizes a device profile, as is known from color management, in hardware.
In the device calibration, the base adjustments of the device are selected as optimal as possible for the desired reproduction. For a beamer this includes, for example, adjustment of the contrast, the brightness, the white and black point as well as the color temperature according to the desired type of illumination. The calibration can be optimally carried out in a generally known manner by way of color measurement devices and especially made reproducible.
A device profile describes the color space of an input or output device, in that it assigns to the device specific color vales (for example RGB or CMYK) absolute color values (XYZ or CIE Lab L*a*b*) according to the specifications of the CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) or other not device specific color values (for example sRGB). A device profile typically consists of various color value replacement tables (lookup tables) and coefficients of a color space transformation matrix. The device profile is strongly dependent on the device calibration. In order to successfully carry out color management, it is therefore a prerequisite that the calibration of all input and output devices involved does not change. It must be kept in a constant condition by regular control and readjustment.
For the true to color image reproduction, the color management system combines the profiles of the input and output medium and in that way obtains a transfer characteristic. At the same time, the CMS carries out a mapping of the color space of the input device onto the color space of the output device. This mapping ensures that all colors can be reproduced on the output medium. The mapping, which means the resealing of the color spaces, is carried out according to different reproduction criteria, the so-called rendering intents. One thereby distinguishes between the modes "perceptual" (equal color impression in the image), "relative colorimetric", "absolute colorimetric" and "saturation", which are defined in document ICC-1: 1989-09 of the International Color Consortium.
For the profile assembly, the color space of the input and output devices must be measured with specialized color measurement devices or by way of colorimetrically calibrated samples, so-called test charts. For optimal results, the color measurement technology used should be based on the spectral measurement (spectrolphotometry). This enables the recognition of metamerism and fluorescence, as well as the correct evaluation of different illumination types.
The color management and most of all the color measurement technology for the beamers is more involved compared to monitors, which as output medium are also controlled with RGB signals. The reason therefor lies in the fact that with the beamer the color impression depends not only on the device itself, but also on the reflection and diffusion characteristics of the projection surface (for example screen), the spectral distribution and the brightness of the ambient light in the room, as well as perception and experience determining factors of the human observer, for example, the degree of adaptation of the eye. These factors must be metrologically captured and taken into consideration in the color management system. These factors are also responsible for the fact that a base calibration and profiling carried out during the manufacture of the beamer does not enable optimal color reproduction. Ideally, the calibration and profiling must be carried out at the user in regular intervals and repeated, so that changes and aging processes in the optical system of the beamer can also be compensated.
A beamer with an integrated color management system is described in EP-A-1 150 159. The beamer is equipped with an integrated or externally connected color measurement device, which is constructed as a tri-stimulus color measurement device or preferably as a spectrophotometer. The color measurement device receives the light remitted (reflected and scattered) by the projection surface within a measurement region (measurement spot) and produces the corresponding absolute (standardized) color measurement values X, Y and Z (or values derived therefrom). A profile producing function and a calibration function are further provided in the beamer in addition to the normal components and functional units, which cooperate with the color measurement device and receive its color measurement values as input data. The color measurement values produced by the color measurement device are then analyzed in the beamer for the automatic first and recalibration and for the calculation of the device profile (adjustment of the color space converter). Since the color measurement device measures the light coming back from the projection surface, the profile produced on the basis of the color measurement values describes the whole transfer characteristic of the beamer starting from the analog or digital video data stream supplied to the beamer, through the beamer itself and the projection surface, up to the eye of the observer.
The beamer described in EP-A-1 150 159 requires that the beamer be originally equipped with the required components to cooperate with the color measurement device and to be able to analyze its measurement values in the mentioned manner. However, most of the commercially available beamers are not equipped in this way.

Profiling device, electronic projector equipped therewith and process for the profiling of an electronic display device


A ruthenium electrode with a low amount of oxygen contamination and high thermal stability is formed by a chemical vapor deposition method. In the chemical vapor deposition method using an organoruthenium compound as a precursor, the introduction of an oxidation gas is limited to when the precursor is supplying, and the reaction is allowed to occur at a low oxygen partial pressure. Consequently, it is possible to form a ruthenium film with a low amount of oxygen contamination. Further, after formation of the ruthenium film, annealing at not less than the formation temperature is performed, thereby forming a ruthenium film with high thermal stability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fabricating technology of a semiconductor integrated circuit. More particularly, it relates to a technology effectively adaptable for fabricating process a semiconductor integrated circuit with a step of forming a ruthenium electrode of a capacitor with high-k material by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using an organoruthenium (Ru) compound as a precursor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is so configured that each one of its memory cells comprising a selective transistor and an information storage capacitor (below, referred to as a capacitor) are arranged in a matrix on a semiconductor substrate. The capacitance of the memory cell capacitor needs to be increased in density for configuring a large capacity DRAM. A method teaches using a tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) film with a high dielectric constant as a dielectric film of a capacitor in JP-A-244364/1994.
In the foregoing publication, a polysilicon is adapted as a bottom electrode, and a process is adopted in which a silicon nitride film is formed on the surface by a thermal nitriding method using ammonia in order to prevent electrode oxidation. However, since the silicon nitride film has a lower dielectric constant than the tantalum pentoxide film, the total capacitor capacitance is reduced. Further, an oxide dielectric, such as the tantalum pentoxide film, is required to undergo film formation and post annealing in an oxidation atmosphere at a high temperature of at least 300° C. to 700° C. for improving the electrical characteristics thereof. In the step, the silicon nitride film is oxidized to a silicon oxynitride (SiON) film with a relatively lower dielectric constant, which inevitably further decreases the capacitor's capacitance.
As such, a study has been done on a MIN (Metal Insulator Metal) structure using, as a bottom electrode material, platinum (Pt) which is relatively stable at a high temperature and in an oxidation atmosphere, ruthenium (Ru), or iridium (Ir) which holds electrical conductivity even if an oxide thereof is formed. In the MIM structure, an insulator with low dielectric constant is not formed in the interface between an electrode and a dielectric film, and hence it is possible to increase the density of the capacitor capacitance. Further more, out of these metals, ruthenium, which is excellent in micromachinability, is the most preferable material as a bottom electrode of the oxide dielectric.
The present inventors have studied the application of the capacitor made up of a ruthenium electrode and a high-k dielectric material described above to a large capacity semiconductor integrated circuit, such as a 256 M bit DRAM or 1 G bit DRAM. For such a large capacity DRAM, the electrode is required to be formed three dimensionally in order to provide the required capacitor's capacitance. The present inventors have conducted a study on a technology of forming a ruthenium electrode by a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method. Below, the technology of forming a capacitor of the invention is described, and the problems and deficiencies thereof are pointed out.
A method in which a deep hole is processed in a silicon dioxide film during a step of sub-micron patterning from its surface, and then a bottom electrode of ruthenium is deposited to form a three dimensional structure is described by reference to FIGS. 16(a) to 16(e) as follows. All the figures denote cross sectional views. Further, only a capacitor forming area is shown, and other areas are omitted.
First, a silicon dioxide film having a through hole 7 in which a plug 1 made of a polysilicon (Poly-Si) and a barrier layer 19 made of, for example, titanium nitride (TiN) are buried. On an interlayer insulator of a plug region 2 made of the silicon dioxide film, an interlayer insulator of a capacitor region 3 made of, for example, a silicon dioxide film and with a film thickness of 1000 nm, is deposited (FIG. 16(a)).
The laminated plug (the plug 1 and the barrier layer 19) is formed for ensuring the electrical connection between a diffusion layer of a selective transistor (not shown) and the bottom electrode of a capacitor. The barrier layer 19 on top of the plug 1 is necessary for inhibiting the silicidization reaction between the bottom electrode of ruthenium and the Poly-Si plug 1.
Then, by using a known photolithography method and a dry etching method, the interlayer insulator of the capacitor region 3 is processed to the surface of the interlayer insulator of plug region 2 such that the resulted window is in a form of cylinder, elliptical cylinder, or rectangle (as a deep hole 8) (FIG. 16(b)).
Then, a ruthenium film 4a of 30 nm thick is deposited in the deep hole 8. The ruthenium film 4a is deposited by a CVD method using, for example, Ru(C5H4C2H5)2 as a precursor (FIG. 16(c)).
Then, in order to isolate the adjacent capacitors from each other, the ruthenium film 4a deposited on the top face of the interlayer insulator of the capacitor region 3 is removed by sputtering etching, thereby forming a bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 having a three dimensional structure in the deep hole 8 (FIG. 16(d)).
Then, a high-k dielectric film 5 of 10 nm thick made of, for example, tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) is deposited thereon by a CVD method. Subsequently, annealing for the crystallization thereof is performed at 400° C. to 700° C., and then, a top electrode 6 made of, for example, ruthenium is deposited thereon by a CVD method, thereby completing a capacitor (FIG. 16(e)).
The resistance of the laminated plug connecting between the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 and the selective transistor is determined for the capacitor formed in the foregoing manner. As a result, they are not well conducted. Further, the leakage current of the capacitor is determined by applying a voltage of +1 V to the top electrode 6 of the capacitor, which incurs a leakage current of 3×10−3 A/CM2 is flown therethrough, i.e. the capacitor is not well insulated. According to the cross section of the capacitor closely observed by means of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), an oxide layer of TiN, ex. titanium dioxide (TiO2), is formed in the interface between the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 and the barrier layer 19 such that peeling occurs locally. For comparison, after forming the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 (after FIG. 16(d)), one-minute annealing at 500° C. is performed in an inert gas without forming the high-k dielectric film (tantalum pentoxide film) 5. However, even this process similarly causes the capacitor being poorly insulated. Further, as a result of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis, peeling due to shrinkage of the ruthenium film itself happens. An X-ray diffraction diagram of the structure shows a peak corresponding to TiO2 and a slight peak corresponding to RuO2 other than the peak corresponding to ruthenium crystals. Consequently, it is conceivable that the oxygen contained in slight amounts in the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 formed with the CVD method causes oxidation of the barrier layer 9. Further, it is also conceivable that the thermal shrinking of the ruthenium film is caused by oxygen diffusing into the barrier layer 9.
On the other hand, similarly, the TEM observation indicated that the crystal grain size and the surface morphology of the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 change largely after annealing for crystallizing the high-k dielectric film (tantalum pentoxide film) 5. After forming the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4, the crystal grain size is about 10 nm, and a largely uneven surface is observed. However, the tantalum pentoxide film is then formed with the CVD method, and subjected to annealing for crystallization at a temperature of 650° C. As a result, the crystal grain size changes. Consequently, it is conceivable that the capacitor is not well insulated because the bottom electrode of ruthenium 4 is deformed during the annealing for crystallization.

Fabricating method of semiconductor integrated circuits


Methods of operating nonvolatile memory devices may include identifying one or more multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells in a nonvolatile memory device that have undergone unintentional programming from an erased state to an at least partially programmed state. Errors generated during an operation to program a first plurality of multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells may be detected by performing a plurality of reading operations to generate error detection data and then decoding the error detection data to identify specific cells having errors. A programmed first plurality of multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells and a force-bit data vector, which was modified during the program operation, may be read to support error detection. This data, along with data read from a page buffer associated with the first plurality of multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells, may then be decoded to identify which of the first plurality of multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells are unintentionally programmed cells.

Semiconductor memory devices may be volatile or nonvolatile. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device may retain data stored therein even at power-off. The nonvolatile memory device may be permanent or reprogrammable, depending upon the fabrication technology used. The nonvolatile memory device may be used for user data, program, and microcode storage in a wide variety of applications in the computer, avionics, telecommunications, and consumer electronics industries.

Methods of operating nonvolatile memory devices that support efficient error detection


A magnetic flowmeter includes a flowtube arranged to receive a flow of process fluid. A coil is positioned proximate the flowtube and arranged to apply a magnetic field to the process fluid in response to a drive current alternating direction. First and second electrodes are arranged to sense a voltage potential in the process fluid in response to the applied magnetic field. The voltage potential is indicative of flow rate of process fluid through the flowtube. A sensor is coupled to the first and second current paths which has a sensor output related to the drive current. Diagnostic circuitry provides a diagnostic output as a function of a transient change in the sensor output when current flowing through the coil alternates direction.

The present invention relates to magnetic flowmeters of the type used to measure flow of process fluid. More specifically, the present invention relates to diagnostics of such flowmeters.
A magnetic flowmeter measures the volumetric flow rate of a conductive fluid by detecting the velocity of the fluid passing through a magnetic field. Magnetic flowmeter systems typically include a flowtube assembly and a transmitter assembly. The flowtube assembly is installed in a process piping line, either vertically or horizontally, and includes a pipe section, a coil section and electrodes. The coils are located on opposite sides of a cross section of the pipe. The coils, energized by a coil drive current from the transmitter, develop a magnetic field along the cross section of the pipe. Two electrodes are located across the pipe from each other generally along a line which is perpendicular to the magnetic field. Fluid passing through the pipe is electrically conductive. As a result of the conductor movement through the magnetic field, an electric potential or electromotive force (EMF) is induced in the fluid which can be detected across the electrodes. Operation is thus based on Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction.
Various types of failures can occur in a magnetic flowmeter which can lead to a current path which is in parallel with the coils. This parallel current path can cause some of the electric current to be shunted away from the coils, thereby leading to a reduced magnetic field applied to the process fluid. This reduced magnetic field will result in a reduced EMF being detected by the sense electrodes. The flow will be low by the amount of current lost. There are various situations which may cause such parallel current paths to arise. For example, the coils in the magnetic flowmeter flowtube may be compromised by process fluid leaking into the coil compartment. This can cause an electrical path in parallel with the coils. Similarly, if one of the transistors which are used to switch current through the coils fails, it may cause some of the coil current to be shunted past the coil through a parallel path. This leads to a reduction in the applied EMF and a corresponding reduction in the output from the sense electrodes. This will lead to inaccurate flow measurements.
Failures in components used to apply the coil drive signal, as well as failures or degradation in the current path of the coil drive signal, can reduce the magnetic field applied to the process fluid. This can lead to errors in flow measurements. Various diagnostic techniques have been used to detect such problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,733 entitled MAGNETIC FLOWMETER WITH COIL GROUND PATH DETECTION to Foss et al., issued Apr. 12, 2011 and assigned to Rosemount Inc. describes a particular diagnostic technique.

Magnetic flowmeter with drive signal diagnostics


A near-surface defect in a nickel-base superalloy article having a nil-ductility range is weld repaired with a low-power, directional, spatially confined heat source. During the weld repair procedure, the body of the article is maintained at room temperature. Simultaneously, the surface of the article is locally melted in the region of the near-surface defect using the heat source to form a melted region, and thereafter the melted region is allowed to solidify. The heat source produces a shallow weld pool that allows the near-surface defect to be floated to the surface in the case of an inclusion, or welded closed in the case of a surface crack or near-surface void.

The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder (or grant) with the Department of the Navy.
This invention relates to the weld repair of surface defects in alloys, and more particularly to such repairs conducted on cast nickel-base superalloys having a nil-ductility range.
Nickel-base alloys contain more nickel than any other element, plus alloying elements that are added to improve the mechanical and physical properties of the alloy. Nickel-base superalloys are nickel-base alloys that are strengthened by precipitation of gamma prime and/or a related phase. These materials are used in aircraft gas turbine components and other applications which require good strength, creep resistance, fracture toughness, and other mechanical properties at elevated temperatures such as 1500xc2x0 F. and higher for extended periods of time.
The selection of the types and amounts of alloying elements present in the alloy, in combination with the thermal processing, determines to a large degree the properties of the alloy. In some cases, the nickel-base superalloy is moderately strong and moderately ductile, even at high temperatures. In other cases, the combination of alloying elements causes the material to be very strong but of limited ductility even at temperatures approaching the melting point, a temperature at which many alloys become highly ductile.
In one class of nickel-base superalloys, the alloy has very small, substantially no (nil), ductility in the temperature range between the solidus (freezing) temperature of the alloy and a temperature about 600xc2x0 F. below the solidus temperature. This behavior plays a significant role in the properties of the alloy, because as the alloy is cooled through this range, or is processed or operated while in this range, the material is highly susceptible to the formation of cracks and other defects which remain in the structure upon cooling to room temperature and during service. Such cracks can also occur later in the processing, as for example in the formation of hot tears during welding and post-weld heat treatments. Examples of such nickel-base superalloys having a xe2x80x9cnil-ductility rangexe2x80x9d are Rene 108 and Mar-M246.
Articles made of nickel-base superalloys are usually cast from the melt into a mold, with investment casting being the most popular approach, and then further processed. The as-cast articles sometimes have near-surface defects such as hot tears, surface-connected porosity due to shrinkage defects, and near-surface inclusions, which are acute problems for the alloys having a nil-ductility range. These near-surface defects are deleterious to the properties of the article, either directly or by preventing the closure of interior porosity and shrinkage cavities during subsequent processing.
If the surface defects are not too severe, as is often the case, they may be repaired. However, earlier repair techniques involving welding procedures are not fully successful in removing the near-surface defects, particularly for the nickel-base superalloys with a nil-ductility range. It is often the case that the repair procedure itself leads to even further defects, which in turn must be repaired. The repair procedures are accordingly very labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive. They also result in products which may have reduced properties at the location of the repair.
An important advance in welding repair procedures was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,801. In this approach, the weld repair is performed with the article heated to an elevated temperature and in a controlled atmosphere. The approach works quite well for many applications. If the article is large in size, the required controlled-atmosphere heating oven is also quite large and involves a large capital expenditure. The repair cost for each article is relatively high, due to the use of the controlled-atmosphere heating oven, the long cycle time for each article, and the skill required.
There is accordingly a need for an improved technique for repairing near-surface defects in articles made of nickel-base superalloys having a nil-ductility range at elevated temperature, which achieves good results yet is less expensive than the approach of the ""801 patent. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.
The present invention provides a method for weld repairing a nickel-base superalloy article having a nil-ductility range. It is suitable for repairing relatively small near-surface defects, such as small surface cracks, small near-surface pits, and near-surface inclusions such as small ceramic particles. These small near-surface defects are often the cause of the rejection of castings of nil-ductility-range nickel-base superalloys. The present approach allows the repair of these smaller defects at room temperature and without generally heating the body of the article to elevated temperature, so that the repair operation may proceed much more rapidly than does the approach of the ""801 patent. The approach of the ""801 remains the preferred technique for repairing larger defects and for joining articles made of the nil-ductility-range nickel-base superalloys.
A method of weld repairing a nickel-base superalloy article having a nilductility range from a solidus temperature of the superalloy to about 600xc2x0 F. below the solidus temperature comprises the steps of furnishing the article of such a composition and having a body with a near-surface defect near a surface thereof, and providing a heat source having a heat source beam with an amperage of no greater than about 5 amperes. The diameter of the heat source beam is preferably no greater than about 0.025 inches. Examples of suitable nickel-base superalloys having a nil-ductility range include R108, Mar M-246, AF2-1DA, Udimet 500, B1900, and Udimet 700. The article may be in any form, but is typically in an as-cast state. The heat source is preferably a plasma welding torch. Examples of near-surface defects are pits, cracks, and solid inclusions such as embedded ceramic particles.
The method further includes weld repairing the near-surface defect, the step of weld repairing including the steps of locally melting the surface of the article in a region of the near-surface defect using the heat source to form a melted region, while not otherwise heating the body of the article, and thereafter allowing the melted region to solidify. The melted region preferably has a molten pool depth of no greater than about 0.030 inch, more preferably no greater than about 0.020 inch, and most preferably no greater than about 0.010 inch. The melted region is thereafter allowed to solidify.
The repair may be accomplished either by heating and melting the region of the near-surface defect without the addition of a filler metal, or by adding a filler metal into the melted region. The filler metal, where used, typically has a filler metal composition that is substantially the same as that of the nickel-base superalloy of the article.
The present approach utilizes a small, narrowly focused, low-power heat source such as a small plasma welding torch or a laser. The heat source melts only a small depth at and below the surface of the article. The portions of the article that are further from the surface are not substantially affected by the welding process. Accordingly, there is reduced concern that hot tears and strain-age cracking in a heat affected zone (HAZ) will affect the body. The present approach has the important advantage that it is accomplished at ambient temperature without heating the body of the article and does not require the use of a special atmosphere. The processing is therefore much faster and uses less capital equipment than required for the approach of the ""801 patent, although the present approach is more limited in the types of defects that may be repaired than is the approach of the ""801 patent. For example, the present approach is not concerned with blade-tip and other larger-size weld repairs.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The scope of the invention is not, however, limited to this preferred embodiment.

Room-temperature surface weld repair of nickel-base superalloys having a nil-ductility range


A calendar tool displays policies that are scheduled to function in managed networks. The tool allows the network administrator to select and view individual scheduled policies, many individual scheduled policies or scheduled policy suites. The calendar identifies the different scheduled policies as rectilinear colored blocks of time on a calendar. These blocks will open their properties forms when double selected. Overlaps of scheduled policies and gaps between scheduled policies can be identified visually on the calendar because they are displayed in two distinct blocks of color which are different from any other colored block displayed. The administrator/user can see all policies that contribute to an overlap by simply selecting on the particular overlap. The user can see calendar information either in a weekly or daily format.

A network service is dependent on the amount of data it can send and receive from a source device to one or more destination devices. As such a network service is dependent on the resources it can utilize to transfer the data and on various parameters of these resources, such as uptime, outages, bandwidth, delay, loss, and jitter. For example, an e-mail service requires far less network resources than a video conferencing service because the e-mail service often has relatively little data to send and it is generally acceptable if an e-mail transmission is slightly delayed in transiting a network. On the other hand, a typical video conference requires enough network resources to send data constantly and seamlessly in two directions. If the network resources are simply shared between these two (and may be other) network services, the e-mail service will deliver e-mail extremely fast, but the video conferencing service would not be able to display a very clear picture.
A set of rules for allocating network resources between the various network services is called a "policy". Policies are used for allocating network resources to services in a fair way, such that in the above example the video conferencing service receives more network resources than the e-mail services. In broad terms, policies distribute the network resources to services based on the type of service (e-mail, video, etc) and other factors, some determined through agreed upon attributes for network connections, often established as SLAs (service level agreements).
Today's network management applications are run and configured through policies that can be scheduled to operate over time. From time to time, it is necessary to change one or more policies. Since many policies can be used at the same time by different subscribers, or over a period of time, it is difficult for a network administrator/user to have an easy way to see what policy is being used at a specific time or a range of times. In addition, since the number of subscribers to a service is very large and continues to grow, network administrators/users have problems identifying policies that operate simultaneously and/or gaps of time where policies are operating. Both these situations will result in network problems if not corrected.
US Patent application 20040039803 (Law) entitled "Unified Policy-based Management System" describes a system for enforcing QoS defined by policy rules at a network node. The network management system employs a Policy Enforcement Agent (PEA) responsible for capturing a policy rule in flight and translating the policy rule to an actual policy enforcement action executable at a network node. The patent application mentions use of a GUI (graphical user interface) to schedule Policy Enforcement Agents (PEAs).
However, this US Patent Application does not provide any details of such how a GUI may be used for policy scheduling.
US Patent application 20030041139 (Beadles et al.) entitled "Event Management for A Remote Network Policy Management System" describes an event manager that provides dynamic response for the purposes of controlling policy updates, generation and deployment. Dynamic events are used to communicate the fact that policy changes/updates/creations have occurred.
However, this US Patent Application does not describe a GUI used for policy management. In fact, this reference describes placing a policy application under the control of an event management system that applies policies in response to the occurrence of events in the system. That is, policies are not applied according to a schedule, but rather they are applied dynamically in response to network events.
US Patent application 20020122422 (Kenney et al.) entitled "Central Policy Manager" describes a classification hierarchy used for characterizing network traffic at a high level both to allow measurements of network traffic and to describe a policy for each network QoS. An XML (extensible mark-up language) API (application programming interface) allows applications to manage a central repository of policies. Policies templates allow network QoS policies to be re-used across multiple links. Policy alarms can be raised by quality-of-service devices when a policy is violated. The policy manager describes associating a policy with a schedule, in tabular format, which sets the time when the policy should be enforced.
However, this US Patent Application does not address the problem of detecting and resolving policy scheduling problems such as policy application overlaps, referred to as "conflicts" and absences in policy application, referred to as "gaps".


Systems and techniques are described for managing virtual machines crashes. A described technique includes determining that a virtual machine is unresponsive, in response to determining that the virtual machine is unresponsive, identifying one or more files in which a guest operating system (OS) of the virtual machine writes data when the guest OS abnormally terminates, the one or more files being stored in virtual storage, determining, based on contents of the one or more files, whether the guest OS has abnormally terminated, in response to determining that the guest OS has abnormally terminated, monitoring requests initiated by the virtual machine to determine whether the guest OS has finished writing to the one or more files, and in response to determining that the guest OS has finished writing to the one or more files, copying the one or more files to a location in hardware storage, and restarting the virtual machine.

This document relates to identifying a guest operating system (OS) that has crashed and collecting data related to the crash.
A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based abstraction of a physical computer system. A VM is executed on a physical computer through the use of virtualization software typically referred to as a "hypervisor." A physical computer system, referred to herein as a host machine, can execute one or more VMs. The hypervisor is software that is logically interposed between and interfaces with a VM and a physical computer system. In general, each VM is configured to execute an operating system, referred to herein as a guest OS, and applications.


A handle-adjusting device for adjusting position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame includes a valve cylinder with a valve rod, and a control rod that is formed with a pressing face and a release face. When the control rod is operated to align the pressing face with an upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod is disposed at a retracted position so as to enable rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame. When the control rod is operated to align the release face with the upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod is disposed at the extended position so as to prevent rotation of the handle relative to the vehicle frame.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a handle-adjusting device, and more particularly to a handle-adjusting device for adjusting the position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional handle-adjusting device 13 is disposed between a vehicle frame 11 and a handle 12 that has an upright support rod 121 and a handlebar 122 connected fixedly to an upper end of the support rod 121. The vehicle frame 11 is formed with a fixed bracket 111. The handle-adjusting device 13 includes a mounting seat 14 connected pivotally to the support rod 121, a pressing lever 15 connected pivotally to the mounting seat 14 at a front end thereof, and a valve cylinder 16 that includes a cylinder body 160 having a lower end connected pivotally to the bracket 111, a movable rod 160′ connected telescopically to the cylinder body 160 and having an upper end connected fixedly to the mounting seat 14, and a valve rod 161 disposed axially and movably within the movable rod 160′ and biased to press against a front end portion of the pressing lever 15. As such, the valve rod 161 is biased to an extended position, where the pressing lever 15 is perpendicular to the valve rod 161 and where relative movement between the cylinder body 160 and the movable rod 160′ is prevented. When the pressing lever 15 is turned downwardly to an inclined position as shown by the phantom lines so as to move the valve rod 161 to a retracted position, relative movement between the cylinder body 160 and the movable rod 160′ is permitted so that the handle 12 can be rotated relative to the bracket 111. Thereafter, the pressing lever 15 is released so that the valve rod 161 is biased to the extended position, thereby positioning the handle 12 relative to the vehicle frame 11. The aforesaid conventional handle-adjusting device 13 suffers from a drawback that it is difficult to adjust the position of the handle 12 in view of the fact that the operator has to hold the pressing lever 15 at the inclined position with one hand while he or she is rotating the handle 12 with the other hand. That is, there is a need for the operator to operate the handle-adjusting device 13 with both hands.

Handle-adjusting device for adjusting the position of a handle relative to a vehicle frame


A photocurable organic polymer composition can be quickly cured into a moisture-penetration-resistant solid body by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, electron beams, or the like, and imparts adhesiveness to a cured body after aging. The photocurable organic polymer composition includes: (D) a photoinitiator and either (I) a composition or (II) a reaction product; where (I) the composition includes                (A) a liquid organic polymer having at least one hydroxy group per molecule;        (B) a radiation curable alkoxysilane; and        (C) a condensation-reaction catalyst; and (II) the reaction product comprises (F) a reaction product of components (A), (B), and (C).

As photocurable organic polymer compositions can be quickly cured under the effect of light radiation such as infrared rays or electron beams, they find wide application as coating agents for parts of electronic devices. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication (hereinafter referred to as "Kokai") S61-127718 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,081) describes a curable moisture-penetration-resistant polyorganosiloxane composition which consists of a silicone oil having a trimethylsilyl terminal group, a photosensitizer, and a reactive polyorganosiloxane which contains a condensation-reaction catalyst. The aforementioned reactive polyorganosiloxane is obtained as a result of a reaction between a silanol-capped polyorganosiloxane and an acryl-trialkoxysilane or an acryl-triallyloxysilane in the presence of said catalyst. The aforementioned reaction results in the formation of acryldialkoxysilyl or acryldiallyloxysilyl terminal groups. Furthermore, Kokai H6-32985 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,116) describes a curable polyorganosiloxane composition which is characterized by photocurable and moisture-resistant properties and consists of a silanol-capped polyorganosiloxane, methacryl-functional alkoxysilane, a tin-type compound, alkoxy-α-silyl ester, a photoinitiator, and a curing catalyst.
However, in a cured state the aforementioned optically-curable polyorganosiloxane composition is not able to provide sufficient resistance to moisture, and therefore when electronic parts having coatings made of such compositions are used in a humid environment, their electroconductive elements are subject to corrosion.
It is also known to make coatings of electronic parts from photocurable organic polymer compositions that contain adhesion promoters of an alkoxysilane type, but such agents have low adhesiveness and cannot provide sufficient protection of electronic parts from corrosion.

Photocurable organic polymer composition


An operation lever lock apparatus includes: operation levers; hydraulic control valves arranged at a portion lower than a floor panel; and link members, each of the link members extending downward from a base part of a corresponding one of the operation levers to be connected to a corresponding one of the hydraulic control valves, wherein the hydraulic control valves are operated by causing the link members to move vertically, the apparatus further including: an engagement member provided under the link member; and a stopper member having an engagement part to be engaged in the engagement member, wherein the stopper member is movable between an engaged position at which the engagement part engages in the engagement member and a released position at which the engagement part is released from the engagement member, and arranged to restrict movement of the link member in a vertical direction when positioned in the engaged position.

Forklifts serving the loading and unloading operation are provided with a plurality of hydraulic cylinders in order to hoist a fork with respect to a mast, in order to move the fork laterally with respect to the mast, or in order to change a tilt angle of the mast with respect to the vehicle. These hydraulic cylinders allows the operator to make operation at will by operating a plurality of operation levers provided on the dashboard to cause the hydraulic control valve to be switched and control the oil supply.
Typically, this type of forklift is provided with a mechanism for locking the operation levers in order to prevent the fork from moving unintentionally. For example, in Patent Literature 1, a lever lock apparatus is arranged on the upper surface of an upper panel of a dashboard, and a slider of the lever lock apparatus is linked to the operation lever by a link. The slider is provided with a hole, into which a pin of the lever lock apparatus can be inserted. In the lever lock apparatus arranged as mentioned above, the movement of the slider is restricted, so that the movement of the operation lever linked via the link is also restricted. Therefore, the unintended movement of the operation lever can be prevented. When the operation lever is operated, magnetization of the solenoid connected to the pin causes the pin to be pulled out from the hole of the slider, so that the slider is able to move allowing for the operation of the operation lever.


A canister filling system is provided for independently filling multiple canisters from a common set of storage stations prioritized in a cascaded manner. The system includes first and second fill stations configured to receive and independently fill canisters with pressurized gas. First and second storage stations store gas at corresponding first and second charge pressures, respectively. A supply-chain joins each of the first and second fill stations to both of the first and second storage stations. First and second valve assemblies are provided in the supply-chain to monitor, independent of one another, the canister pressures at the corresponding first and second fill stations. The canister pressures represent the pressure within corresponding canisters. The first and second valve assemblies automatically open and close to permit and prevent discharge of gas from the first and second storage stations, independent of one another, to automatically switch between the first and second storage stations based on the canister pressures. In one embodiment, the valve assembly includes a combination of sequence valves and check valves. Alternatively, the valve assembly may be controlled by electronic sensors and electronic solenoids. The electronic sensors detect the canister pressures and the charge pressures at the storage stations. The electronic solenoids open and close the valves based on the sensed canister pressures.

The invention relates generally to methods and systems for, independently and automatically, filling canisters from a common set of pressurized storage stations arranged in a priority cascaded manner.
Numerous types of canisters exist for storing pressurized gas, such as anesthesia, air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, compressed natural gas (CNG) and the like. One example of a canister is a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) which may be used in various applications, such as by firefighters, in medical applications, in recreational underwater diving applications and the like. Various systems exist for filling the canisters with the appropriate type and amount/pressure of gas.
Heretofore, a manual filling system has been utilized in firefighting applications to refill firefighter SCBA canisters on-site at a fire, emergency or other catastrophic event. In firefighter applications, a fire truck or other vehicle carries recharging storage tanks that are arranged in different stages. The stages are prioritized, such that the primary stage is first used to fill canisters, before tapping secondary or tertiary stages. The secondary stage is used to fill canisters before the tertiary stage. The secondary and tertiary stages are only utilized when the primary stage lacks sufficient pressure to entirely fill the canister. The storage stages have separate manual control valves, outputs of which are joined to at least one fill station. Firefighters manually couple and decouple each SCBA canister to the fill station.
Typically, first and second fill stations are provided on opposite sides of the vehicle, while a third fill station is provided at the rear of the vehicle. During a fire, firefighters manually attach each canister to one of the fill stations at the vehicle containing the recharging storage tanks. Once the canister is attached to the refilling system, the firefighter determines the pressure within the canister (by reading a regulator) and based thereon, determines which of the primary, secondary and tertiary fill stages or stations should be utilized to fill a canister.
For example, a used canister may have air pressurized to less than 1000 psi, while it is desirable to fill the canister up to 4500 psi. As an example, it may be assumed that the primary storage station has air pressurized to approximately 3000 psi, while the secondary and tertiary stations have air pressurized to 4000 psi and 6000 psi, respectively. The firefighter would manually open a valve to permit the primary storage station to fill the canister to approximately 2500 psi. The firefighter would then close the valve associated with the primary storage station, and next open the valve associated with the secondary storage station. Once the canister is charged to the pressure of the primary storage station, and primary storage station valve is closed, the firefighter would then open the valve associated with the secondary storage station in order to charge the canister up to approximately 3500 psi. Once the pressure reaches approximately 3500 psi, the firefighter then closes the valve associated with the secondary storage station and opens the valve associated with the tertiary storage station in order to complete charging of the canister to the 4500 psi in the present example.
As the primary, secondary and tertiary storage stations are used, the pressure of the air contained therein falls. The primary storage station will have air pressurized to a lower level than the secondary storage station which will have air pressurized lower than the third storage station due to the practice of beginning a canister filling process from the storage station having an air pressure that is lowest of the storage stations, but greater than the initial pressure in the canister.
To perform the above process, firefighters separately couple one or more canisters to the fill stations at the rear of the vehicle and one or more canisters to each of the fill stations of either side of the vehicle. The firefighters repeat the above priority filling process for each canister. The term "priority filling" refers to the practice of prioritizing the storage stations and filling each canisters initially from a designated first or primary storage station, then from a second or secondary storage station, etc. While all of the storage stations may initially charged to a common pressure, the foregoing priority filling process causes the storage stations to differ from one another by varying degrees throughout use.
The foregoing conventional priority filling process was performed manually, in that a firefighter or a team of firefighters working in cooperation, must monitor the pressure within each canister and each storage station and manually open and close valves to utilize the storage stations in a desired priority filling sequence when filling canisters.
However, the conventional manual process has experienced several limitations. Among others, the canister filling system (such as carried by a firefighting vehicle) was typically operated by personnel who continuously attach and decouple canisters and open and close valves for the storage stations. The conventional on-site SCBA canister filling process is slow as it typically requires each a series of valves to be opened and closed manually in order to complete the fill process, which may result in firefighters waiting for new SCBA canisters to be filled without being able to assist in fighting a fire. In addition, conventional on-site SCBA canister filling stations generally involve at least one firefighter operating each of the fill stations in the priority filling order.
A need remains for an improved canister filling method and system.

Method and system for independently filling multiple canisters from cascaded storage stations


The present invention relates to a direct type backlight module structure, which comprises a light casing having a first height, and the light casing comprises a base plate; a reflection device disposed on the base plate, and the reflection device comprises a plurality of curved structural units, and each of the curved structural units is bent to form a second height and an intermediate base, and each of the curved structural units is configured at a predetermined spacing therebetween to be disposed on the base plate; and a plurality of light sources disposed on the reflection device, and each of the light sources is configured at the predetermined spacing therebetween; in which each of the light sources is disposed on the intermediate base of each of the curved structural units of the reflection device.

A backlight module is used to provide the backlight source of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which is an indispensable and important display component of LCDs. In the prior art, the backlight source of LEDs of a direct type light emitted diode is replaced from conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to white LEDs, and with respect to the conventional CCFLs, the white LEDs is greener and more efficiency. However, corresponding light source is converted to point light source of white LEDs from linear light source of conventional CCFLs, so that the difficulty of achieving uniformly mixing light becomes greater. Furthermore, white LEDs of the direct type light emitted diode generally apply high-power LEDs to reduce the requirement of cost. Therefore, the amount of LEDs applied becomes less, so as to cause the spacing of the arrangement therebetween LEDs larger, further causing the difficulty of the point light source of uniform mixing light getting larger. Moreover, in the direct type backlight, the high-power white LEDs needs larger thickness of the light casing for avoiding generating the mura of LEDs to completely mix light, so that the thickness of the backlight module is too large to contrary the slim trend of LEDs in the prior art. Here, the backlight phenomenon of irregular luminance generally is termed as "mura".
As a result, it is necessary to provide a new type backlight module structure to solve the problems that its can not uniformly mix light and the thickness of the light casing is too large, as the foregoing backlight module.

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention is a press forging method by which porosities in a raw material are removed and mechanical properties such as ductility and toughness of a steel product are at a required level in a case that a steel ingot is treated as a raw material in press forging. A cylindrical steel ingot (a so-called “round billet”) is set onto a die as a raw material, and, a forging process is applied to the steel ingot so that buckling of the steel is not generated during the forging process and that a reduction ratio and a forging ratio are more than predetermined values, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a forging technology, and in particular, relates to a press forging technology wherein a round billet is used as a raw material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a forging process of the prior art, a rolled steel is used as a raw material. In other words, in a forging process of the prior art, it requires a rolling process as a pretreatment process.
This is because, in rolled steel, porosities (blow holes and others) are removed in the rolling process.
Meanwhile, there are various kinds of production lines. For example, there is a production line wherein:
press forging machines suitable for press forging a steel ingot such as a round billet are provided;
a press forging process being directly applied to a steel ingot, which is treated as a raw material, is required; and
a rolled steel is not processed.
However, in the case that a steel ingot is treated as a raw material, it is necessary to remove porosities found in the ingot. The reason is that, if there are porosities in the raw material, ductility and toughness of the steel products are deteriorated.
In the case that a steel ingot is treated as a raw material in the prior art, the conditions for applying force to a steel ingot and a forging ratio thereto are preliminarily determined and it is necessary to satisfy such conditions (the predetermined conditions).
Further, in the prior art, in the case that a steel ingot is treated as a raw material, killed steel has been used and portions, in which there are porosities and segregation, have been cut off.
If the raw material described above is used, the process of cutting off the portions, in which there are porosities and segregation, is required. Moreover, a yield of a steel product is deteriorated because of the cutting off of portions of the steel ingot.
As mentioned above, in the prior art, it is difficult to treat a steel ingot as a raw material, and a yield of a steel product is deteriorated. Therefore, in the case that a low-price steel ingot has been treated as a raw material, it is impossible to take advantage of the cost advantages of using "a low-price steel ingot".
The relationship between porosity or segregation and a reduction ratio or the like has heretofore been studied (for example, refer to 1) "Seitetsu Kenkyu," Vol. 309, "Metallurgical significance of hot-rolling of continuously-cast steel on steel plate quality" Authors: Michihiko Nagumo, Naoki Okumura, and Yasushi Inoue; 2) "Tetsu To Hagane," 1980, Vol. 2, "Influence of rolling conditions on the elimination of porosities in a continuously-cast slab" Authors: Naoki Okumura, Takeshi Kubota, Tadakatsu Maruyama, and Michihiko Nagumo; and 3) Japanese Standards Association, "JIS Handbook 2006, Steel I," pp. 548, "General rule on production, test, and inspection of forged steel product").
However, in the above-mentioned documents, there are no explanations for removing porosities and ameliorating ductility and toughness of a steel product in the case that a steel ingot is used as the raw material.
Further, in the prior art, there is a known technology for producing a thick steel plate having excellent internal properties. In such technology, there are steps for solidifying a steel in a mold, for removing the steel product from the mold as soon as the solidification of the steel, for hot-rolling the steel, and for applying light reduction to the steel in the thickness direction during the hot-rolling process.
However, such the prior art (Japanese Patent Publication No. S62-134101) does not disclose any ways for solving the above-mentioned problems.


A developing device causes toner to be discharged from a foam layer by an intrusion member configured to intrude into the foam layer of a supply roller, and to be supplied to above a contact region between a developing roller and the supply roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a developing device including an developer bearing member configured to bear a developer and a supply roller configured to supply the developer to the developer bearing member. This developing device can be used for an electrophotographic apparatus such as a printer and a copying machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In image forming apparatuses such as printers using the electrophotographic image forming method (the electrophotographic process), an electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a "photosensitive member") as an image bearing member is evenly charged, and the charged photosensitive member is selectively exposed, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member is visualized as a toner image by toner as a developer. Then, the toner image formed on the photosensitive member is transferred to a recording material such as recording paper and a plastic sheet, and further, heat and a pressure are applied to the toner image transferred onto the recording material to fix the toner image to the recording material, thereby performing image recording.
Generally, such image forming apparatuses require a replenish of the developer and maintenance of various kinds of process units. Assembling, for example, the photosensitive member, a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit in a frame member to form a cartridge, and handling them as a process cartridge detachably attachable to a main body of the image forming apparatus are put into practical use to facilitate the developer replenish work and the maintenance of the various kinds of process units. According to the process cartridge method, it is possible to provide image forming apparatuses having excellent usability.
Further, in recent years, color image forming apparatuses, which form a color image using developers of a plurality of colors, have been widely used. As one type of color image forming apparatus, an in-line type image forming apparatus has been known. The in-line type image forming apparatus is configured in such a manner that photosensitive members corresponding to the respective image forming operations using developers of a plurality of colors are arranged in line along a surface movement direction of a member to be transferred to which a toner image is transferred. As the in-line type color image forming apparatus, there is an image forming apparatus including the plurality of photosensitive members arranged in line in a direction (for example, the horizontal direction) intersecting with the vertical direction (the direction of gravity). The in-line method is a desirable image forming method because, for example, it can easily satisfy demands such as speed-up of the image forming speed and development into a multifunction printer.
Further, as the in-line type image forming apparatus including the plurality of photosensitive members arranged in line in the direction intersecting with the vertical direction, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173083 discusses an image forming apparatus including the plurality of photosensitive members arranged below an intermediate transfer member as a member to be transferred or a recording material bearing member that conveys a recording material as a member to be transferred.
In a case where the photosensitive members are arranged below the intermediate transfer member or the recording material bearing member, for example, the fixing device and the developing device (or the exposure device) can be arranged away from each other with the intermediate transfer member or the recording material bearing member sandwiched therebetween within the main body of the image forming apparatus. This can provide such a benefit that the developing device (or the exposure device) becomes less affected by the heat of the fixing device.
On the other hand, in a case where the photosensitive members are arranged below the intermediate transfer member or the recording material bearing member as described above, the developing device may have to supply the developer to the developer bearing member and a supply roller against the gravity.
In this supply of the developer to the supply roller, it is most efficient to convey toner to a position immediately after a contact region (above the nip portion) between the developer bearing member and the supply roller in the rotational direction of the supply roller. This is because the supply roller includes an elastic layer having a plurality of cells on the outer circumference thereof, and the position immediately after the nip portion has such an effect that the cells are released from a pressure of the nip portion and are opened according thereto. The cells suck air at this time, thereby sucking the developer. Therefore, it is desirable to directly transmit the toner to this suction portion to make the supply roller hold the developer efficiently.
However, in the developing device that supplies the developer against the gravity, it is difficult to transmit a large amount of toner to the suction portion with a simple structure. Further, even if the toner can be transmitted to the vicinity of the suction portion, apart thereof can be sucked, but most of the toner is returned to, for example, a toner storage unit according to a rotation of the supply roller.
Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173083 discusses the technique for supplying the developer at the lower portion of the supply roller. In the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173083, the supply roller rotates upwardly at an abutment portion between the developing roller (the developer bearing member) and the supply roller (the developer supply member). Then, a toner receiving member is disposed below the supply roller. One end of a receiving sheet is attached to the toner receiving member, and this receiving sheet is brought into contact with the lower portion of the supply lower at an appropriate linear pressure.
In this way, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173083 discusses the method for bringing the receiving sheet into contact with the lower portion of the supply roller. According to this method, this receiving sheet prevents the developer attached to the supply roller from falling due to the gravity, prevents a reduction in the developer that can be supplied to the developing roller, and thereby prevents a reduction in the density of a solid image.
However, according to the developer supply method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-173083, when images are formed at a low printing ratio in a row, the developer between the supply roller and the receiving sheet may stay for a long time without being consumed. In this case, the developer continues being supplied to between the supply roller and the receiving sheet according to a rotation of the supply roller, and the developer is coagulated there. As a result, the toner supply amount from the supply roller to the developing roller may become uneven, whereby an image may be formed at an uneven density.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus


The present invention provides articles comprising a thermoformable composite comprising: a core comprising a renewable polymer having: (a) a Ts value of up to about 90° C.; and (b) a heat distortion index of up to about 90° C.; and a heat-resistant outer layer substantially surrounding the core and comprising a heat-resistant polymer having: (a) a Ts of greater than about 60° C.; and (b) a heat distortion index of greater than about 50° C.; wherein the renewable polymer comprises at least about 60% by weight of the composite, and wherein the heat-resistant polymer has a Ts value and heat distortion index greater than that of the renewable polymer. The present invention also provides methods for coextruding the heat-resistant polymer outer layer and renewable polymer core to provide a thermoformable composite.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to articles comprising a thermoformable composite comprising a core comprising a renewable polymer and a heat-resistant outer layer substantially surrounding the core and comprising a heat-resistant polymer. The present invention also relates to a method for coextruding the heat-resistant polymer outer layer and renewable polymer core to provide the thermoformable composite.
2. Related Art
Polylactic acid (PLA) is increasing in favor with consumers of plastic thermoformed articles as a renewable plastic which does not derive from fossil fuels and which is degradable in the environment. As with many thermoplastics, PLA has a decreasing mechanical strength with increasing temperature. At higher temperatures approaching about 140° F. (60° C.), an article formed from PLA may lose the ability to resist deformation by forces frequently found in transportation. At temperatures above about 140° F. (60° C.), PLA may lose its ability to resist deformation to forces of the order of magnitude of gravity and residual mold stress. Prolonged exposure of PLA articles to temperatures of about 140° F. (60° C.) or higher may cause these articles to deform substantially from their original shape under forces which may be present in storage conditions. Since temperatures of about 130° F. (54.4° C.) may be exceeded in railcars and trailers used for distribution, PLA articles may suffer from high damage losses during transport through and storage in hot areas such as tractor trailers crossing, for example, the sunny warmer portions of the United States during the summer.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop PLA-containing articles which have greater resistance to deformation at higher temperatures that may occur during, for example, storage and transportation in warmer, summer time periods.

Thermoformed article made from renewable polymer and heat-resistant polymer


A damped driven disc assembly comprises a disc concentrically mounted with respect to a hub, wherein the disc is driven by engagement with a flywheel and the hub drives an output shaft. A plurality of pairs of beam springs have first ends secured to the disc and second ends secured to the hub at points angularly spaced, in one embodiment, about 180.degree. from one another and, in another embodiment, about 0.degree. from one another. In a specific preferred embodiment, the assembly includes three pairs of beam springs.

In drive trains for vehicles which include an engine-driven flywheel coupled to a transmission through a clutch, a disc is disposed between the clutch plate and flywheel. There is a tendency for rattling to occur in drive trains of vehicles during both idle and drive modes. The rattle is caused by excessive torsional vibration in the drive train and may be compensated for by a decrease in the elastic rate of the drive train while in its nominal operating range and an increase of travel and torque capacity of a damper associated with the drive train.
The problem has been recognized and addressed in the prior art by coupling the disc to a hub with a damping spring assembly, which spring assembly may include an array of single, helically disposed springs or an arrangement of spiral springs. While these approaches address the problem, they have not done so in a way which is completely satisfactory by adequately lowering the elastic rate of the damping spring assembly while raising the total travel and torque capacity of the damping spring assembly.


A security strike plate comprising a strike plate portion adapted to receive a locking bolt and a security member. The security member includes a ceiling having an outer surface and an inner surface, an outer side wall extending downwardly from the ceiling, and a floor extending inwardly from the outer side wall. The ceiling is located in the same plane as the strike plate portion and is an extension thereof. The ceiling and the floor are substantially parallel. An inner side wall can extend upwardly from the floor substantially parallel to the outer side wall, the inner side wall having an outer end that abuts against the inner surface of the ceiling. The ceiling and floor having openings therein adapted to receive an elongated anchor member therethrough.

The present invention relates to a security strike plate that secures an entry door against being kicked in by virtue of strike plate failure during an attempted forcible entry.
Typical commercially available strike plates are attached to door jambs by wood screws, and have an opening through which the lock bolt of a keyed lockset or the dead bolt of a dead bolt installation passes into a receptacle carved out of the door jamb. When closed and locked, the outer vertical edge of the entry door rests against a door stop which can be a separate piece of wood attached to the door jamb, or the door stop and jamb milled from a single piece of wood. Typically the only thing securing the strike plate to the door jamb are two wood screws passing through openings in the strike plate located above and below the bolt receiving opening. Since the door stop is located on the exterior side of the door and strike plate, it provides no resistance to a door being forced inwardly from the outside. It is common for someone wishing to break into a dwelling through an entry door to merely kick the door until the screws securing the strike plate, or the door jamb to which the strike plate is attached, give way and the door is forced open.
The prior art has suggested a number of security means for preventing the wood screws of the strike plate from giving way during forced entry. Many employ additional wood screws which provide little added protection.
One device, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,780, describes a security lock-keeper plate which can be used in conjunction with an existing strike plate or alone. A lower face plate forms the strike plate portion and an upper face plate, connected to the lower face plate by a center section adapted to seat against the edge of a door stop rail, rests against the outer face of the door stop. The upper face plate is attached to the wall studs by means of a large screw. However, the screw head can be dislodged from the upper face plate during forcible entry, and since the screw head is located on the outside of the door it can be accessed and removed by someone attempting a forced entry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,400 describes a strike plate formed from a blank having a portion like conventional strike plates, and a tab extending from the conventional strike plate portion that can be folded to form a U-shaped member having aligned apertures for receiving a buck pin. The U-shaped member is inserted into a notch cut into the door stop. However, the head of the buck pin is on the outside of the door and can be accessed and removed by someone attempting a forced entry. In addition, to install this device the code required weatherstripping that fits into a slot at the juncture of the door stop and door jamb would have to be cut away to accommodate the device, thereby compromising the integrity of the weatherstripping.


The present invention provides novel and advantageous materials and methods for preventing and treating viral infection.

Viral infections are responsible for many acute and chronic life-threatening diseases. It is estimated that about 33.4 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide. In addition, an estimated 2 billion people have been infected with hepatitis B virus, and 600,000 people die each year due to the acute or chronic consequences of the infection. Influenza is one of the most widely spread viral infections worldwide. Major influenza A pandemics include the Asian flu pandemic in 1957 (H2N2), the Hong Kong flu pandemic in 1968 (H3N2), the re-emergence of H1N1 (Russian flu) in 1970, the H5N1 bird flu in 1997 and 2003, and the outbreak of the swine flu (H1N1) in April 2009.
Despite extensive efforts, the development of effective anti-viral drugs has largely been empirical. Further, as virus strains change over time, the emergence of resistant mutants further diminishes the efficacy of existing anti-viral agents. Therefore, the development of additional novel anti-viral therapeutics is needed.

Materials and methods for prevention and treatment of viral infections


An optical interferometer is provided for measuring downhole pressures by detecting a distance across a gap of an optical transmission pathway. The optical interferometer includes a pressure responsive member which, in response to downhole wellbore pressures, alters the distance between a light reflector and a lens. A partially reflective coating is deposited upon the pressure responsive member, which provides the light reflector, and the lens. The optical interferometer further includes a plurality of support members for the lens, with at least one of the plurality of support members having a different coefficient of thermal expansion from another support member so that when heated to downhole temperatures, thermal expansion of the support members will result in mutually offsetting displacements so that thermal expansion of the support members will not affect the gap over a range of downhole wellbore temperatures.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to instruments for detecting fluid pressures, and in particular to a Fabry-Perot optical interferometer which includes a metal cup pressure transducer for accurately monitoring downhole wellbore pressures over a range of operating temperatures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art pressure transducers have been proposed for monitoring downhole wellbore pressures in oil and gas wells. These pressures are monitored for determining downhole well conditions. By monitoring downhole wellbore pressures, conditions that are occurring within the wellbore and hydrocarbon bearing formations may be monitored so that production operations can be altered to maximize production of petroleum reservoirs.
Prior art electrically operated pressure transducers have been utilized. However, electrical and electronic pressure transducers present problems that arise when electrical signals are transmitted within wellbores. In general, there are many problems encountered in providing an insulated electrical conductor for transmitting electrical signals within wellbores. Electrical conductors are difficult to seal against exposure to wellbore fluids, which typically short electrical signals once they penetrate insulating materials around electrical conductors. Electrical conductors are also subject to corrosion and deterioration in harsh wellbore environments. Additionally, electrical transmissions are subject to electrical noises in some production operations.
Prior art optical interferometers have been proposed for measuring downhole wellbore pressures and temperatures. However, optical interferometers are typically very sensitive to temperature variations, and the downhole temperature of a specific position within a wellbore will change over time dependent upon different factors such as, for example, production rates, the types of fluids produced over the life of the well, and other downhole wellbore conditions. Additionally, it is difficult to determine what the precise downhole wellbore temperature will be at the position where an optical interferometer pressure transducer will be placed in the wellbore.
Prior art optical interferometer pressure transducers monitor pressures by passing an optical signal, or light, across a distance and measuring very small changes in that distance that occur in response to changes in pressure. Variations in temperatures in prior art optical interferometers can greatly affect and change the distance across which the light is passed for monitoring downhole wellbore pressures. Thus, prior art optical interferometers would be subject to erroneous readings due to changes in downhole wellbore temperatures.
Some prior art optical interferometer pressure transducers proposed for monitoring downhole wellbore pressures have utilized reference legs for comparing a measurement leg of an optical pathway to a reference leg, or reference optical pathway, which is disposed downhole within the wellbore with the measurement leg. However, inaccuracies arise due to differences between the measurement leg and a reference leg, and these differences are accurately compensated only at a specific downhole wellbore temperature.
Some prior art optical interferometer pressure transducers have attempted to utilize special materials to reduce the temperature coefficient of thermal expansion of pressure transducer members. However, since optical signals are used to measure a very small distance, very small variations in optical pathway distances can cause large errors in measured pressures, including those pressure transducers which utilize optical reference legs and those which utilize a Fabry-Perot type of measurement system.

Metal cup pressure transducer with a support having a plurality of thermal expansion coefficients


A memristor has a first electrode, a second electrode parallel to the first electrode, and a switching layer disposing between the first and second electrodes. The switching layer contains a conduction channel and a reservoir zone. The conduction channel has a Fermi glass material with a variable concentration of mobile ions. The reservoir zone is laterally disposed relative to the conduction channel, and functions as a source/sink of mobile ions for the conduction channel. In the switching operation, under the cooperative driving force of both electric field and thermal effects, the mobile ions are moved into or out of the laterally disposed reservoir zone to vary the concentration of the mobile ions in the conduction channel to change the conductivity of the Fermi glass material.

Current memory technologies, including DRAM (dynamic random access memory), SRAM (static RAM) and NAND Flash, are quickly approaching their scalability limits. Accordingly, there is a strong need for new memory technologies that can meet the performance requirements of future memory applications. Resistive RAM, which is a type of memristor, is a promising technology and has been shown to exhibit great scalability, non-volatility, multiple-state operation, 3D stackability, and CMOS compatibility. There have been, however, challenges in improving the performance of such devices, such as device endurance, thermal stability, and switching speed.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for playing a casino card game which utilize a standard deck of playing cards containing numbered cards 2–10 and face cards; jack, queen, king and ace, ace being high. A playing surface is used for multiple players and a dealer. Each player position has three card receiving dock areas and corresponding wager playing areas thereon and a bonus wagering area. Three wagers are placed and a first card is dealt face down to each player. A second card is dealt to each player face up and wherein one of the equal wagers can be withdrawn by the player. Each player has their face down card turned over by the dealer and is dealt a last card face up. If the last card ranks or falls between the displayed cards in the player's hand is then a winner and a pay-off is made depending on card spread sequence. A double down doubling of wager option is also available during card play in which all wagers still remaining on the playing surface are doubled and the player receives a replacement card for the first card dealt.

1. Technical Field
This method relates to casino card games that define an element of chance depending on the odds in sets of numerical symbols. Such card games rely on the player's understanding of the game, the cards being dealt and developed strategies which are based on predetermined odds of wagering to place bets associated therewith.
2. Description of Prior Art
Prior art card games utilizing the rank or value of the cards are well established within the gambling world. Various methods of playing numerically selection sequences have been developed in which card values and relative position determines a winning or loosing hand. Such games can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,651,997, 5,294,128, 6,135,453, 6,189,888 and 6,446,972.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,997 is directed to a method card game in which a minimum of four standard card decks are used with a defined playing surface related to the card position and risk evaluation tables. A wager is placed and two cards are dealt face up. A second wager can then be placed and a third card is dealt face up. If the third card rank falls between the first two cards dealt then the player wins on the wagers placed determined by posted odds. Identical rank of the first two cards is an automatic winner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,128 is a card game based on the traditional game of High/Low in which each player is dealt six cards divided into multiple card ranking hands of 1, 2 and 3 cards. The cards are then arranged dependent on values placed on each card based on a pre-established criteria.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,453 is a method of playing high/low poker card game in which players place one or more wages in pre-determined high/low areas on the gaming surface. Players are then dealt a poker hand then designating at least two cards from the hand as high and two cards as low. Winners are determined by comparing the relative rank of the player's high and low hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,888 defines a casino game in which a standard card deck is used. A better wager is made by the player divided in two and placed on the designated playing surface. Two cards are then dealt face down to each of the players of and dealer. The player inspects the cards and either keeps or trades in one or both for replacement cards and one wager is lost to the house. A third card is dealt to each player face down, but not the dealer whose third card is a count limit specialized card. The total face values of the dealt cards are determined and compared with the player's cards for determination of a winner.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,972 a card game is claimed in which it is played with a standard deck of cards and a count limit card. Bets are made and two cards dealt to the players and the dealers. Players inspect the cards and can trade in one card. The dealer reveals his first two cards and a count limit card are combined for a total and compared against the player's representative cards to determine a winner with play bonus hands available.


A downhole sensor sub is provided in the lower end of a drillstring, such sub having three orthogonally positioned accelerometers for measuring vibration of a drilling component such as the drill bit and/or the bottom hole assembly (BHA) along the X, Y and Z axes. The lateral acceleration is measured along either the X or Y axis and then analyzed in the frequency domain as to peak frequency and magnitude at such peak frequency. Backward whirling of the drilling component is indicated when the magnitude at the peak frequency exceeds a predetermined value. A low whirling frequency accompanied by a high acceleration magnitude based on empirically established values is associated with destructive vibration of the drilling component. One or more drilling parameters (weight on bit, rotary speed, etc.) is then altered to reduce or eliminate such destructive vibration.

The present invention relates, generally, to a new and improved method for detecting the whirl of a drill bit, and/or the whirl of the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) in a drillstring used to drill oil and gas wells, and for reducing such whirl or whirls. As is well known in this art, "whirl" is used to describe the rotational motion of a bit, BHA or the drillstring itself, in which the bit, for example, is rotating at a different rotational velocity with respect to the borehole wall than it would be rotating if the bit axis were stationary. This precessional movement may be faster, or slower than the case where the bit axis is stationary. If faster, it is considered forward whirl; if slower, it is considered backward whirl.
Roller cone bits have been associated with axial vibrations since the first downhole measurements of forces and accelerations were first published. Measurements made while drilling with 3-cone bits have consistently and historically displayed axial vibrations at a frequency of 3 times the rotary speed, and when vibrations were severe the bit was observed to bounce. Cores have suggested that the vibrations are generated by a cammed bottom hole pattern, but it has not been determined whether this is the cause of the vibrations, or merely an effect.
The vibrations associated with polychrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits are somewhat different than those of roller cone bits. Stick-slip torsional vibration of the drill string may be generated by dull PDC bits. PDC bits also vibrate laterally due to backward whirl. When this happens, the bit instantaneously rotates about some point other than the center of the borehole, and the point itself travels in a counter-clockwise direction around the borehole. Backward whirl has been identified as a primary contributor to the damage of PDC cutters, and simulation results suggest that its effects are amplified by torsional oscillations. Ways to mitigate this behavior have been investigated, and the most effective technique has become the basis for a popular commercial product line of PDC bits (anti-whirl bits), for example, as discussed in the SPE Paper No. 24614 entitled "Directional and Stability Characteristics of Anti-Whirl Bits With Non-Axisymmetric Loading", presented at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Washington, D.C., Oct. 4-7, 1992, by Pastusek, P. E., Cooley, C. H., Sinor, L. A. and Anderson, M.
Vibrations generated by the bit combine with those due to other sources, such as mass imbalance and wellbore friction, during drilling and reaming operations. The results are axial, lateral, and torsional vibrations of the drill string, which are believed to be a fundamental cause of drill string failures. Mathematical models have been developed by those in the art to identify and avoid operating parameters which lead to damaging downhole behaviors, but the complexity of the downhole environment limits the accuracy of model predictions.
In recent years modelling efforts have given way to monitoring efforts, as surface and downhole measurements have been used to identify harmful operating conditions. When sensors indicate that vibration levels have exceeded some safe level, the weight on bit and /or rotary speed are adjusted. If adjustments are not effective, and component failures are imminent, then the drill string must be pulled and its design modified.