A current-detecting type dry-operative ion-selective electrode having a working electrode and a counter electrode which are mounted on an insulating substrate, a first electrolyte layer containing a hydrophilic polymer and an ion-sensitive layer containing a hydrophobic polymer which are formed on the working electrode, and a second electrolyte layer containing a hydrophilic polymer which is laminated over the whole electrode system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current-detecting type dry-operative ion-selective electrode. More particularly, the present invention relates to make an electrochemical sensor dry-operative, which is used to measure quickly and simply the presence and an amount of a specific material in a sample to be assayed utilizing a polarization in a voltammeteric electrochemical analysis.
2. Description of the Related Art
In these years, a measurement using an electrochemical sensor has been widely used in the medical field.
For example, a potential-detecting type ion-selective electrode (hereinafter referred to as "ISE") is widely used as a safe and handy analytical element which requires no gas cylinder, in place of analysis of sodium or potassium ion by a conventional flame photometric detection or analysis of chloride ion by a coulometric titration. Recently, a disposable dry-operative plate form ISE is proposed to measure a concentration i of an electrolyte in a body fluid, and a portable exclusive system which performs the measurement more quickly and easily is commercialized.
Japanese Patent KOKAI Publication Nos. 287146/1990 and 287155/1990 disclose such disposable plate form ISE and the exclusive measuring equipment therefor.
In such ISE, a functional film is formed by covering a surface of a silver/silver chloride electrode with an electrolyte layer and a sensitive material which is reactive with a specific ion, and the functional film is contacted to the sample to be assayed to detect the presence of the specific ion in the sample from a potential response which is proportional to a logarithm of the ionic activity.
A current-detecting type ISE is a novel ion-selective electrode which can detect an ion (or electron) moving reaction at an interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions, namely an oil-water interface by a method similar to conventional polarography or voltammetry. With this ISE, since the response of current is proportional directly to the ion concentration, very accurate measured values can be obtained in a limited concentration range of the specific material as in the body fluid. If an interfering ion is present, a curve due to the interfering ion appears on a voltamogram (a current-potential curve) in addition to the curve due to the target ion. When half-wave potentials of the both ions are separated by a suitable distance, the influence of the interfering ion can be corrected.
From another point of view, two or more kinds of ions can be quantitatively measured at the same time. Such is reported by J. Koryta, Electrochim. Acta, 33, 189 (1988) and M. Senda, et al, Electrochim. Acta, 36, 253 (1991).
However, since the potential response measured by the conventional potential-detecting type ISE is proportional to the logarithm of the ion activity, the potential-detecting type ISE is suitable for measuring the material in a wide range of concentration. However, an error in the measured value in the very narrow concentration range as in the body fluid cannot be neglected clinically.
Theoretically, .+-.1 mV error in the potential value will produce .+-.4% error in the case of the Nernst response of a monovalent ion. In fact, the error of about .+-.1 mV is unavoidable due to the influence of co-present material in the analysis, and such error will make a trouble when the accurate ion concentration should be known.
In contrast, the current-detecting type ISE is excellent in accuracy. However, many problems should be solved before its practical use. For example, a method for producing a probe type (cylindrical) current-detecting type ISE shown in FIG. 1 is proposed by T. Osakai et al, Anal. Sci., 3,521 (1987). This probe type ISE comprises a dialysis membrane 2 which is fixed to a glass tube 1 by a polytetrafluoroethylene tube 3. At a bottom of the glass tube, an ion-sensitive liquid 4 comprising dissolved nitrobenzene using a micro-syringe gently. Over the ion-sensitive liquid 4, an internal liquid 5 is poured, and a silver/silver chloride electrode 6 is dipped in the liquid 5 to assemble the film coated ISE. At an end of a slightly thick glass tube 7 in which the film coated ISE can be inserted, a polytetrafluoroethylene film 8 and a nylon mesh 10 as a spacer to hold the inner liquid are laminated. Over the end portion of the glass tube 7, a tetrafluoroethylene tube 11 is covered. Then, the film coated ISE is inserted in the glass tube 7 till it reaches the bottom of the glass tube 7. Between the glass tube 1 and the glass tube 7, an internal liquid 9 is poured. In the internal liquid 9, a silver/silver chloride electrode 6 wound around a glass tube is dipped. All the elements are fixed to prevent displacement of the elements. As understood, this electrode has a very complicated structure, and very high skill is required to assemble the polytetrafluoroethylene film, to pour the ion-sensitive liquid and the internal liquids. In addition, stability in time is not good. Therefore, since it is impossible to assemble a number of ISEs and store them, each ISE should be assembled when it is used. Thus, this ISE is not practically attractive.
Japanese Patent KOKAI Nos. 168045/1985, 88134/1986 and 175656/1987 disclose a method for solidifying the ion sensitive liquid, or a method for producing a minute film coated ISE. However, these methods cannot solve the troublesome assembling steps of the electrode or the necessity of skill. The handling property or the long-term stability of the produced ISE is not satisfactory. Further, there are still many problems to be solved relating to the product difference such as deviation of the resistance of the sensitive film or the response speed, the influence of the electrode surface or the electrode shape on the current, and the like.

Current-detecting type dry-operative ion-selective electrode


Methods and systems for presentation of content through an interface to provide personalized video feeds to a user. A video feed is harvested from feed items gathered at various Internet sources. The feed items are filtered to remove those that do not link to video content. A criteria specified by the user is used to filter the feed items.

This application relates in general to creation of, and presentation of, selective digital service feeds and, but not by way of limitation, to creation of, and presentation of, selective digital service feeds comprising primarily or exclusively video and video-related content.
There are many services available to users through the use of the Internet, including websites, other Internet sites, publishing services, media services, data services, information services, electronic commerce services, electronic transaction services, payment services, software and content download services, communications services, other remotely accessed sites and services, and other digital sites, centers, destinations, or systems; whether shared or dedicated, public or private, institutional or personal, fixed or mobile, wired or wireless; and whether accessed through a browser, mini-browser, embedded browser, application, other software program, or other interface. Examples of popular Internet services in widespread use today include, but are not limited to: content websites that may include primarily video or audio content, primarily text and graphics (including photographs) content, or a mixture of several content and media types, including websites such as CNN.com™, Politico.com™, HuffingtonPost.com™, NYTimes.com™, and others; video publishing websites, such as YouTube™, DailyMotion™, Metacafe™, and others; entertainment content services, such as Netflix™, Pandora™, Hulu™, Zynga™; social networking sites, such as Facebook™, Twitter™, and MySpace™; and many others.
Digital content provided by Internet services can include any of, all of, or any combination of proprietary content, exclusively or non-exclusively licensed content, syndicated content, member-provided content, user-provided content, system-generated content, messages or emails from one or more users to one or more other users, social content, comments, ratings, embedded links to other digital content, tags, maps, locations, time and date content, user identifiers, source identifiers, and other related or unrelated content. The hyperlinked structure of the World Wide Web and the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the advanced capabilities of modern web browsers, the ability (built into an increasing range of modern user devices) to execute programs, the flexibility inherent in application software developed and delivered to user devices, the rise of common platforms that support both broadly deployed and more narrowly focused functionality across many discrete Internet services, and the ability to stream data and content from, to, and among users and Internet services in realtime or near realtime, individually and collectively have increasingly allowed Internet services to create content and data feeds that are simple, complex, or compound, and include as many, or as few, diverse components as is desired.
A user may use more than one Internet service, sequentially, concurrently, or simultaneously; may use different Internet services with different degrees of interest, intensity, frequency, sophistication, depth of knowledge of the service, and/or skill; and may vary her selection and mix of services from time to time, or over time, according to tasks and interests, because of the Internet service choices of others, according to her choice of device at the moment or over time, or for other reasons.
Users increasingly use devices other than, or in addition to, browser-equipped personal computers to access Internet services, including SMS-capable and other mobile phones, web-equipped mobile phones, smartphones, Internet-ready television sets, digital set-top boxes, DVD and Blu-Ray players, digital video recorders, videogame consoles, tablets such as the iPad™, and other devices. These devices exhibit a wide array of form factors, memory, storage, displays, output interfaces, user input interfaces and devices, and other peripherals and components. Users may have preferences and habits that influence or determine the choice of device for a given purpose, for a given time and place, or for a given mode of use, because of, or regardless of, such device aspects.
There are numerous standards available for use in browsers, browser-equipped personal computers, and the numerous other devices used by users to access Internet services. These standards are sometimes deployed in mass production products before being finally determined, at different times for different products, in heterogeneous technical implementations, and with varying degrees of completeness; they often evolve over time, at times discontinuously; and they fluctuate in popularity. As a result, devices are not always technically uniform, and not all such standards are supported by all device and component providers. For example, some browsers support HTML5 and some browsers do not; different HTML5-ready browsers support different media standards (e.g., when rendering content identified with the <video> tag some support H.264, whereas others support WebM™ or another video codec); some devices support Adobe™ Flash™, while some devices do not (e.g., Apple™ iPhone™ and iPad™ do not); or, one set-top box may support MPEG2 video but not H.264 video, whereas another may support both and a third may support just H.264. In addition, there are diverse content security schemes deployed across devices, including proprietary encryption schemes, consortia-based encryption schemes, and other encryption schemes; and there are diverse rights management and user authentication schemes, including consortia-based schemes, such as UltraViolet™, and vendor-proprietary schemes, such as Disney™ Keychest™ and Apple™ iTunes™.
As the variety and capability of devices available to users have increased and as user behavior has evolved in response to new devices and capabilities, content company strategies have also evolved. Aspects of evolving content company strategies include: blocking some or all devices from accessing some or all content; modifying or customizing technical versions of content available on some or all devices; modifying or customizing editorial versions of content available on some or all devices; modifying or customizing advertising, sponsorships, or other promotional aspects presented in conjunction with content accessed via some or all devices; making content available on different devices with different access prices, terms, user rights and privileges, and other conditions; and many other strategy variations. Content company strategies and aspects of strategies commonly vary from device to device, from content company to content company on a given device, and from one geography to another. For example, in the United States, ABC™/Disney™ makes most ABC™ network television shows available on broadcast television with commercials, online with commercials, and online for download via Apple™ iTunes™ without commercials but at a charge per episode, but blocks the availability of these shows on GoogleTV™; while at the same time, it makes most Disney™ network television shows available on broadcast television without commercials, online with commercials, and online for download via iTunes™ without commercials but at a charge per episode, and blocks the availability of these shows on GoogleTV™.
Most Internet services operate legitimately. Legitimate Internet services may properly obtain rights to content through licensing, syndication, fair use, government permission, or other legitimate methods, or may produce content of their own, or may pursue a combination of these and other methods. Some Internet services, however, are less concerned about obtaining proper rights to content, and may rely on their users to have obtained rights, may rely on actual or alleged legal safe harbor provisions, or may pay little or no attention to rights questions. The problem of intellectual property piracy has increased as user Internet use has increased.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Integrated advertising in video link aggregation system


An interlock mechanism associated with a shift mechanism for a change-speed gearing in a power transmission, the shift mechanism including a plurality of parallel fork shafts axially slidably supported from a casing of the power transmission to be selectively shiftable toward forward speed-ratio and reverse-ratio positions, wherein the interlock mechanism comprises a single interlock plate assembled with an end wall of the casing in a plane perpendicular to each axis of the fork shafts to be movable in one direction, the interlock plate having a body portion slidable along with the end wall of the easing in the one direction and a plurality of parallel projections to be selectively engaged with respective recesses formed on the fork shafts for permitting axial movement of one of the fork shafts and restricting axial movement of the other fork shafts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interlock mechanism associated with a shift mechanism for a change-speed gearing in a power transmission of an automotive vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-26126 there has been proposed an interlock mechanism associated with a shift mechanism for a change-speed gearing in a power transmission of an automotive vehicle, wherein the shift mechanism includes a plurality of fork shafts arranged in parallel with each other and axially slidably supported from a casing of the power transmission to be selectively shiftable toward forward speed-ratio and reverse ratio positions, and wherein the interlock mechanism includes a single interlock plate movably assembled with an end wall of the casing in such a manner as to be selectively engaged with respective annular grooves formed on the fork shafts for permitting axial movement of one of the fork shafts and restricting axial movement of the other fork shafts.
In the interlock mechanism, the interlock plate is formed with a plurality of lock holes to be engaged with the fork shafts extending therethrough and is movable in a plane perpendicular to each axis of the fork shafts. The lock holes of the interlock plate are, however, formed in surrounding relationship with the fork shafts and arranged eccentrically to one another at their centers to permit axial movement of one of the fork shafts when engaged with the other fork shafts. Thus, the interlock plate is moved in various directions, resulting in unexpected troubles in shifting operation of the fork shafts.

Interlock mechanism in vehicle transmission


This invention relates to a photovoltaic device including an electrode such as a front electrode/contact. In certain example embodiments, the front electrode of the photovoltaic device includes a multi-layered transparent conductive coating which is sputter-deposited on a textured surface of a patterned glass substrate. In certain example embodiments, a maximum transmission area of the substantially transparent conductive front electrode is located under a peak area of a quantum efficiency (QE) curve of the photovoltaic device and a light source spectrum used to power the photovoltaic device.

Photovoltaic devices are known in the art (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,784,361, 6,288,325, 6,613,603, and 6,123,824, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference). Amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices, for example, include a front electrode or contact. Typically, the transparent front electrode is made of a pyrolytic transparent conductive oxide (TCO) such as zinc oxide or tin oxide formed on a substrate such as a glass substrate. In many instances, the transparent front electrode is formed of a single layer using a method of chemical pyrolysis where precursors are sprayed onto the glass substrate at approximately 400 to 600 degrees C. Typical pyrolytic fluorine-doped tin oxide TCOs as front electrodes may be about 400 nm thick, which provides for a sheet resistance (Rs) of about 15 ohms/square.
It is known to increase the light path in thin film photovoltaic devices by etching/patterning a surface of a TCO front electrode after it has been deposited on the front glass substrate. It is also known to deposit a TCO on a flat glass substrate in a high process pressure environment in order to cause texturing of the TCO front electrode via column structure growth in the TCO. Unfortunately, both of these techniques degrade the electrical properties of the TCO front electrode of the photovoltaic device. Thus, conventionally a 300 or 400 nm thickness or more is typically needed to achieve a sheet resistance of less than 15 ohms/square for thin film solar cell applications.
It is also known to increase light input via reduced reflection, by minimizing reflection between the TCO front electrode and adjacent materials. However, this approach only increases light input and does not significantly increase light path because of difficulties in implementing the same with post-etching or column structure growth.
In view of the above, it will be appreciated that there exists a need in the art for an improved front electrode structure, and/or method of making the same, for use in a photovoltaic device or the like.
Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to a front electrode for use in a photovoltaic device or the like. In certain example embodiments of this invention, a transparent conductive coating is sputter-deposited on a textured (e.g., etched and/or patterned) surface of a glass substrate in order to form a front electrode structure. The use of sputter-deposition to form the conductive electrode is advantageous in that it permits the electrode (single or multi-layered) to be deposited in a conformal manner so that both major surfaces of the electrode are shaped in a manner similar to that of the textured surface of the glass substrate on which the electrode has been deposited. Thus, the surface of the front electrode closest to the semiconductor absorber film of the photovoltaic device is also textured.
In certain example embodiments, this is advantageous in that efficiency of the photovoltaic device can be improved by increasing light absorption by the active semiconductor film via both (a) increasing light intensity passing through the front glass substrate and front electrode due to the textured surface(s) of both the front electrode and front glass substrate, and (b) increasing the light path in the semiconductor photovoltaic conversion layer, while at the same time maintaining good electrical properties of the front electrode.
The front electrode may be a single-layer of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in certain example embodiments of this invention. In other example embodiments, the front electrode may be made up of multiple layers; one or more of which may be conductive. Because sputtered thin films may be conformal to the patterned glass substrate, multiple layered thin films with controlled thickness and optical properties may be fabricated one layer after another to enhance the transmission of light into the semiconductor absorber film through optical interference, and the increased light path through the scattering inherited from the patterned glass may be preserved in certain example embodiments.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, the front electrode of a photovoltaic device is comprised of a multilayer coating including at least one transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer (e.g., of or including a material such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, or the like) and at least one conductive substantially metallic IR reflecting layer (e.g., based on silver, gold, or the like). In certain example instances, the multilayer front electrode coating may include a plurality of TCO layers and/or a plurality of conductive substantially metallic IR reflecting layers arranged in an alternating manner in order to provide for reduced visible light reflections, increased conductivity, increased IR reflection capability, and so forth.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising: providing a glass substrate; etching and/or patterning at least one major surface of the glass substrate so as to form a textured surface of the glass substrate; sputter-depositing a substantially conformal front electrode on the textured surface of the glass substrate, the front electrode being substantially conformal so that both major surfaces of the front electrode are textured in a manner similar to the textured surface of the glass substrate; and using the substantially conformal front electrode formed on the textured surface of the glass substrate at a light incident side of a photovoltaic device.
In other example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a photovoltaic device, the method comprising: forming a substantially transparent conductive front electrode on a glass substrate; determining a quantum efficiency (QE) curve for a photovoltaic device, and forming the substantially transparent front electrode in a manner so that a maximum transmission area of the substantially transparent front electrode is located under a peak area of the QE curve for the photovoltaic device; and using the substantially transparent front electrode formed on the glass substrate at a light incident side of a photovoltaic device.
In still further example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a photovoltaic device comprising: a front glass substrate; a semiconductor film; a substantially transparent conductive front electrode provided between at least the front glass substrate and the semiconductor film; and wherein a maximum transmission area of the substantially transparent conductive front electrode is located under a peak area of a quantum efficiency (QE) curve of the photovoltaic device.

Front electrode including transparent conductive coating on patterned glass substrate for use in photovoltaic device and method of making same


A device and a method for measuring linear lengths has a tape housing, a flexible measuring tape, and a rigid rule movably fastened to the housing. The rule can by itself accurately and directly measure relatively small structures and the tape and rule are preferably deployed in opposition to each other to obtain inside measurement results by combining the length of the rule and the deployed length of tape. Angles between the housing and the rule can also be determined or transferred.

1. This invention pertains to an apparatus and a method of measuring length using both a flexible tape and a rigid rule fastened to a single housing; the measurement result may include the effective length of both the rule and the tape and is especially effective for measuring recess dimensions.
2. THE PRIOR ART
It has been exceedingly difficult to accurately measure small liner dimensions with tape measures. The L-shape nose piece on a typical tape is fastened to the tape with afore-aft clearance to negate the thickness of the nose stop, and the nose stop gets bent in and/or out. Accurate measurement is not reliable. It has also been difficult to measure inside of slots, grooves, rabbits, T-slots, dove-tails, dados and the like. Measuring a recess is difficult with a tape measure. As a specific example, measuring for sliding covers in bread drawers, measuring for drawer widths, and measuring for the size of glass panes in windows are all exceedingly difficult.
The closest known prior patent art is B. P. Haack U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,989 which has both a flexible tape and a rigid rule on single housing, but which does not provide for using the length of both the tape and the rule to obtain a measurement of length between outer ends of the tape and the rule.

Apparatus and method for measuring length with a tape and a rule


A control sensor for a construction machine serves for generating height control signals for the height control of a tool of the construction machine along a guide cable and contains at least two supersonic sensors, one of which at least serves as a transmitter/receiver element, whereby the supersonic sensors are connected to an evaluation means and arranged in a right angle to the construction machine's direction of movement and in such a distance to the guide cable that the detection angle of the supersonic cones will lead, at this distance, to their overlapping.

A prior art control sensor used for controlling a grader or a similar construction machine mechanically traces the guide cable and thereby generates signals of height and direction control indicating the relative position of the sensor to the guide cable. Thus, the prior art mechanical control sensor has to fulfill two functions, i.e. the generation of a height control signal for the vertical adjustment of a ground-working tool and the generation of a direction control signal with which, for example, a necessary correction of direction of a movement may be indicated to a dirver on a direction indicator unit. Attention has to be drawn to the fact that the height control signal must be generated with the highest precision possible to meet with today's demands of road construction. However, by nature the mechanical sensor proves to be susceptible to damages which may easily occur during rugged activities in the field of road construction. More and more functions are integrated into today's construction machinery to increase their efficiency. Therefore, the driver or operator of the construction machine has to control and supervise a great deal of operational stages. A relief for the driver of these perpetually occurring standard functions can only be achieved to some extent by the prior art control sensor, as it is not suitable to inform the operator of an excessive deviation of the direction. Also, the prior art control sensor may not recognize an abandonment of the guide cable due to an incorrect direction control of the construction machine through which the construction machine could do considerable damage.
It is known from DE-U-87 13 874 of the applicant to make use of a supersonic distance control device for the purpose of measuring the distance with respect to ground in the field of road construction. A supersonic distance gauging device of this kind is unsuitable for the purpose of generating a height control signal for indicating the distance of the distance gauging device to the guide cable with an accuracy adequate to the control of a construction machine as a lateral misalignment of the guide cable towards the distance gauging device would lead to an incorrect--indicating too great a height--height control signal, thus the man skilled in the present field restricts the use of this supersonic distance gauging device, while demanding a high standard of accurate control, to such purposes where the aim is the supersonic distance measurement of the distance of a surface to the sensor where such measuring errors cannot occur. Therefore, the only indicated field of application of this supersonic distance gauging device is the determination of distance to a surface, as mentioned in the DE-U.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,152 discloses an obstacle detecting means for vehicles where severe supersonic sensors are arranged parallel to the vehicle's bumper. These supersonic sensors serve the purpose of detecting obstacles, for example when the vehicle is reversing, which may be arranged in the "blind spot".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,032 discloses a supersonic distance measuring appliance for remote control vehicles which comprises two supersonic sensors to detect the position of an obstacle situated in the space in front of the vehicle.
DE-A-35 18 613 discloses an obstacle registration system to register the position of an obstacle by means of a plurality of supersonic sensors which can be differently controlled with regard to their phases.

Control sensor for a construction machine

Moba-Electronic Gesellscharft fur Mobil-Automation mbH


A memory card includes a memory card main body having a cut-out portion formed therein; a semiconductor memory in which data is at least writable; a terminal provided on the memory card main body for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and an external apparatus; and a writing permitting/prohibiting setting member slidably engaged with the cut-out portion for setting data write to the semiconductor memory to be permitted or prohibited. The writing permitting/prohibiting setting member includes a main body for covering a portion of the cut-out portion. The writing permitting/prohibiting setting member slides along the cut-out portion so as to set data write to the semiconductor memory to be permitted or prohibited.

The present invention relates to a memory card having writing permitting/prohibiting setting means for preventing data stored therein from being inadvertently erased or rewritten.
Conventionally, writing permitting/prohibiting setting means for a memory card uses a reflective sheet or a switch.
FIG. 9 shows an isometric view of a conventional memory card 900 having writing permitting/prohibiting setting means in the form of a reflective sheet 23. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 21 represents a memory card main body, reference numeral 22 represents a terminal integrally provided with the memory card main body 21, and reference numeral 23 represents the reflective sheet.
The memory card main body 21 has a rewritable semiconductor memory (not shown) therein. An apparatus (not shown) electrically connected to the semiconductor memory through the terminal 22 reads and rewrites data stored in the semiconductor memory. In this example, the reflective sheet 23 is used as the writing permitting/prohibiting setting means. Whether writing is permitted or prohibited is set by pasting the reflective sheet 23 at a prescribed position of the memory card main body 21 or peeling off the reflective sheet 23. The apparatus detects whether the writing is set to be permitted or prohibited by detecting a reflecting state of the prescribed position of the memory card main body 21 by a photocoupler or the like.
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a conventional memory card 1000 having writing permitting/prohibiting setting means in the form of a switch 33. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 31 represents a memory card main body, reference numeral 32 represents a terminal integrally provided with the memory card main body 31, and reference numeral 33 represents the switch.
The memory card main body 31 has a rewritable semiconductor memory (not shown) therein. An apparatus (not shown) electrically connected to the semiconductor memory through the terminal 32 reads and rewrites data stored in the semiconductor memory. In this example, the switch 33 is used as the writing permitting/prohibiting setting means. Whether writing is permitted or prohibited is set by switching the switch 33. The apparatus electrically detects the setting of the switch 33 through the terminal 32.
In such memory cards, it is demanded to reduce the size and thickness of the memory card main body while simplifying the writing permitting/prohibiting setting operation.
The conventional memory card 900 having the writing permitting/prohibiting setting means in the form of the reflective sheet 23 does not have a mechanical structure for the writing permitting/prohibiting setting means, and therefore is effective to reduce the size and thickness of the memory card main body 21. However, since writing is set to be permitted or prohibited by pasting or peeling off the reflective sheet 23, the memory card 900 is not convenient in terms of the writing permitting/prohibiting setting operation.
The conventional memory card 1000 having the writing permitting/prohibiting setting means in the form of the switch 33 sets writing to be permitted or prohibited by switching the switch 33, and therefore is simple in terms of the writing permitting/prohibiting setting operation. However, since the switch is built in, the memory card 1000 is limited in reduction in the size and thickness of the memory card main body 31.
The present invention has been made with an objective of providing a memory card having writing permitting/prohibiting setting means which is simple in terms of a setting operation and can be reduced in the size and thickness of a memory card main body.
A memory card according to the present invention includes a memory card main body having a cut-out portion formed therein; a semiconductor memory in which data is at least writable; a terminal provided on the memory card main body for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and an external apparatus; and a writing permitting/prohibiting setting member slidably engaged with the cut-out portion for setting data write to the semiconductor memory to be permitted or prohibited. The writing permitting/prohibiting setting member includes a main body for covering a portion of the cut-out portion. The writing permitting/prohibiting setting member slides along the cut-out portion so as to set data write to the semiconductor memory to be permitted or prohibited. By this, the above-described objective is achieved.
The writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may further include an engaging piece, and a guide engaged with the engaging piece for slidably holding the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may be formed on each of both sides of the cut-out portion.
The engaging pieces may be elastic so as to be deformed by a contact with the memory card main body when the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member is attached to the memory card main body.
The memory card main body may have a surface, the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may have a surface; and the engaging piece may be engaged with the guide so that the surface of the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member does not project from the surface of the memory card main body.
The surface of the memory card main body may include a first surface and a second surface, the guide may have a first guide corresponding to the first surface and a second guide corresponding to the second surface, the engaging piece may include a first engaging piece engageable with the first guide and a second engaging piece engageable with the second guide, and the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may have a substantially U-shaped cross-section so that the first and second engaging pieces are respectively engageable with the first and second guides and therefore the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member holds the memory card main body.
The cut-out portion and the first and second guides may be integrally formed during a molding process for sealing the semiconductor memory.
A first guide taper portion and a second guide taper portion respectively for guiding the first and second engaging pieces to the first and second guides when the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may be attached to the memory card main body are formed respectively on both sides of the cut-out portion.
A recessed portion capable of absorbing a thickness of the engaging piece may be formed on each of both sides of the cut-out portion, the guide may be formed in the recessed portion, and the engaging piece may have a projection engageable with the guide.
The memory card main body may have a surface, the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may have a surface, and the engaging piece may be engaged with the recessed portion so that the surface of the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member does not project from the surface of the memory card main body.
The surface of the memory card main body may include a first surface and a second surface, the guide may have a first guide corresponding to the first surface and a second guide corresponding to the second surface, the projection may include a first projection engageable with the first guide and a second projection engageable with the second guide, and the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may have a substantially U-shaped cross-section so that the first and second projections are respectively engageable with the first and second guides and therefore the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member holds the memory card main body.
The cut-out portion and the first and second guides may be integrally formed during a molding process for sealing the semiconductor memory.
A first guide taper portion and a second guide taper portion respectively for guiding the first and second projections to the first and second guides when the writing permitting/prohibiting setting member may be attached to the memory card main body are formed respectively on both sides of the cut-out portion.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method for forming a slot contact structure for transistor performance enhancement. A contact opening is formed to expose a contact region, and a slot contact is disposed within the contact opening in order to induce a stress on an adjacent channel region. In an embodiment, a stress inducing barrier plug is disposed within a portion of the contact opening and the remainder of the contact opening is filled with a lower resistivity contact metal. By selecting the proper materials and deposition parameters, the slot contact can be tuned to induce a tensile or compressive stress on the adjacent channel region, thus being applicable for both p-type and n-type devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and more specifically to novel contact structures and their method of fabrication.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Well-recognized improvements in performance, functionality and economy of manufacture have led to integrated circuit designs at extreme levels of device density and reduced size of electronic structures and conductive interconnections between them. As integrated circuits become smaller, the integrated circuit speed becomes dependent not only on the transistor but also on the interconnecting pattern.
Historically, continuous performance enhancement of integrated circuit design has been dictated by the advancement of optical photolithography tools and photoresist materials. However, as CMOS device size progresses further into the nano-sized regime, the associated cost of these new tools and materials can be prohibitive. And in addition to economic constraints, scaling is also quickly approaching constraints of device materials and design. Fundamental physical limits such as gate oxide leakage and source/drain extension resistance make continued minimization difficult to maintain.
Accordingly, researchers have actively sought out methods other than scaling to increase device performance. For example, researchers have increased device performance with implementation of silicon-on-insulator substrates, high-k gate dielectrics, and metal gates. Researchers have also investigated mobility enhancement in strained silicon as a method to improve CMOS performance. One proposed method has been to globally strain the silicon channel with a silicon-germanium virtual substrate. However, silicon-germanium virtual substrates are costly to manufacture. Another proposed method has been to locally strain the silicon channel with selectively deposited lattice-mismatched source and drain regions.
At present, most CMOS circuit manufacturers employ a contact via hole plug for connecting one terminal of a CMOS component to a metallic interconnect layer. Two advantages of the tungsten via hole plug over other materials are that tungsten may be deposited by CVD and also tungsten has relatively low electromigration into the surrounding silicon. However, tungsten also has a relatively high resistivity compared to metals typically employed in interconnect layers, such as copper. Accordingly, while tungsten is a favorable material for via hole plugs, its lateral resistance makes tungsten unfavorable as an interconnect metal. Thus, there remains a need for an integrated contact structure that both can increase device speed without adding additional steps and/or cost to manufacture, and also function as an interconnect layer without-unfavorable lateral resistance.

Stressed barrier plug slot contact structure for transistor performance enhancement


A method of treating neurological condition in a subject by administration of a cardiac glycoside is provided. Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or stroke are treated by administering a therapeutically effective amount of cardiac glycoside to a subject. The cardiac glycoside can be present in a dosage form.

Neurological diseases and disorders affect brain function. Many efforts have been made to develop curative or ameliorative therapies for these diseases and disorders; however, no comprehensive or universally curative therapy has been developed, even though there are numerous pharmacotherapeutic approaches that have been proven to be effective against various different diseases and disorders.
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease of the brain that affects the nervous system. It is caused by a defective gene that is passed from parent to child. The HD gene interferes with the manufacture of a particular protein known as 'huntington' which appears to be crucial for proper brain development. The classic signs of HD include emotional, cognitive and motor disturbances. Huntington's is characterized by jerky involuntary movements (chorea), but sometimes causes rigidity without abnormal movements, changes in using the limbs (apraxia), loss of control of bodily functions and dementia, including a progressive deterioration of memory, speed of thought, judgment, and lack of awareness of problems and planning. There is no known cure for Huntington's disease. Although there are a number of medications to help control symptoms associated with HD such as emotional and movement problems, there is no treatment to stop or reverse the course of the disease. Huntington's disease has been recognized as a disease with a general membrane abnormality. A significantly elevated level and activity (10 fold increase) of Na,K-ATPase has been observed in membranes of erythrocytes and basal ganglia of Huntington's patients compared to that of normal (Butterfield D A, Oeswein J Q, Prunty M E, Hisle K C, Markesbery W R). Increased sodium, potassium adenosine triphosphatase activity in erythrocyte membranes in Huntington's disease. Ann Neurology, 4:60-62, 1978) fibroblast membranes obtained from the skin of Huntington's disease patients (Schroeder F, Goetz I E, Roberts E, Membrane anomalies in Huntington's disease fibroblasts. J. Neurochem. 43: 526-539, 1984).
Alzheimer's disease is a form of dementia—a neurodegenerative disease that damages the brain's intellectual functions (memory, orientation, calculation, etc.), but usually preserves its motor functions. In Alzheimer's disease, the mind gradually deteriorates, causing memory loss, confusion, disorientation, impaired judgment and other problems that may affect a person's ability to perform normal daily activities. The type, severity, sequence and progression of mental changes vary greatly. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease and no known way to slow its progression. For some people in the early or middle stages of the disease, medication such as tacrine may alleviate some cognitive symptoms. Aricept (donepezil) and Exelon (rivastigmine) are reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors that are indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer's type. These drugs (called cholinesterase inhibitors) work by increasing the brain's levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, helping to restore communication between brain cells. Some medications may help control behavioral symptoms such as sleeplessness, agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression. These treatments are aimed at making the patient more comfortable. Although no medication is known to cure Alzheimer's disease, cholinesterase inhibitors may improve performance of daily activities, or lessen behavioral problems. Medications for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease currently being tested include oestrogens, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, vitamin E, selegiline (Carbex, Eldepryl) and the botanical product gingko biloba.
Under normal conditions, neurons maintain their testing membrane potential and function regulated by membrane-bound, homeostatic, energy-dependent Na-K-ATPase pumps. Ischemia triggers alterations in ion homeostatsis potentially leading to irreversible tissue injuries. Compromised Na,K-ATPase activity has been suggested to play a role in a neuropathologic and apoptotic process in some models of focal ischemia and traumatic brain injury. The role of Na,K-ATPase in stroke-mediated ischemic brain injury has been reported to be associated with several different molecular mechanisms. Inhibition of Na,K-ATPase catalytic activity can, for example, lead to a reduction of ATP consumption during ischemia-reperfusion. Additionally, the deletion of cytosolic Ca2+ may cause neuronal cell death. Thus, inhibition of Na,K-ATPase, such as by cardiac glycosides, may result in an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels and a decline in extrusion of intracellular Ca2+ via the Na—Ca exchanger. In line with this, the relatively lower levels of intracellular Ca2+ in hippocampal CA1 neurons has been observed three days after transient ischemia and elevation of calcium levels is believed to provide protection against delayed neuronal death across a wide range of post-ischemic treatment times.
One of the pharmacological mechanisms of action of cardiac glycosides involves their ability to bind to the ion exchange pump, Na, K-ATPase and to inhibit the activity of this particular enzyme. Na, K-ATPase, the transmembrane protein that catalyzes the active transport of Na+ and K+ across the plasma membrane, is a well established pharmacologic receptor for cardiac glycosides. This enzyme hydrolyzes ATP and uses the free energy to drive transport of K+ into the cell and Na+ out of cells, against their electrochemical gradients (Hauptman, P. J., Garg, R., and Kelly, R. A. Cardiac glycosides in the next millennium. Prog. Cardiovasc. Dis. 41: 247-254, 1999).
Na, K-ATPase is composed of two heterodimer subunits, the catalytic α-subunit and the glycosylated β-subunit. There is also a γ subunit, but it has not been studied in detail. The α-subunit has binding sites for ATP, Na+, K+, and cardiac glycosides. The β-subunit functions to stabilize the catalytic α-subunit and may play a regulatory role as well. Four different α isoforms (α1, α2, α3, α4) and three different β isoforms (β1, β2, and β3) have been identified in mammalian cells. The relative expression of each subunit type is markedly altered in normal and diseased states. Additionally, the apparent affinity of cardiac glycosides to the different α isoforms is quite different. Binding of cardiac glycosides to the α1 isoform is less than that which occurs with the α2 and α3 isoforms which are 250-fold or higher more sensitive to inhibition by this type of drug (Blanco, G. and Mercer, R. W. Isozymes of the Na, K-ATPase: heterogeneity in structure, diversity in function. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Renal Physiol. 44): F633-F650, 1998). Sakai et al. (FEBS Letters 563: 151-154, 2004) report that expression of the α3 subunit isoform is increased in human colorectal cancer cells as compared to normal colorectal cells.
There is a broad range in relative water as opposed to lipid solubility of cardiac glycosides. While most cardiac glycosides can bind to and inhibit Na,K-ATPase activity, those cardiac glycosides which are relatively more water soluble (hydrophilic) than lipid soluble (lipophilic or hydrophobic) have only a limited ability to cross the lipid barrier to the brain known as the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a separation of circulating blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) maintained by the choroid plexus in the central nervous system (CNS). Endothelial cells restrict the diffusion of microscopic objects (e.g. bacteria) and large or hydrophilic molecules into the CSF, while allowing the diffusion of small hydrophobic molecules (O2, hormones, lipid soluble cardiac glycosides, etc)
Nerium oleander is an ornamental plant widely distributed in subtropical Asia, the southwestern United States, and the Mediterranean. Its medical and toxicological properties have long been recognized. It has been used, for example, in the treatment of hemorrhoids, ulcers, leprosy, snake bites, and even in the induction of abortion. Oleandrin, an important component but not the sole component of oleander extract, is a cardiac glycoside.
Extraction of glycosides from plants of Nerium species has provided pharmacologically/therapeutically active ingredients from Nerium oleander. Among these are oleandrin, neriifolin, and other cardiac glycoside compounds. Oleandrin extracts obtained by hot-water extraction of Nerium oleander, sold under the trademark ANVIRZEL™, contain the concentrated form or powdered form of a hot-water extract of Nerium oleander. A Phase I trial of a hot water oleander extract (i.e. Anvirzel™) has been completed (Mekhail et al., Am. Soc. Clin. Oncol., vol. 20, p. 82b, 2001). It was concluded that oleander extracts, which would provide about 57 ug oleandrin/day, can be safely administered at doses up to 1.2 ml/m2/d. No dose limiting toxicities were found.
Huachansu is an extract obtained from toad skin and it comprises bufadienolides, such as bufalin, a cardiac glycoside. HuaChanSu is an approved medication for the treatment of cancer in China. It has been used to treat various cancers, including hepatic, gastric, lung, skin, and esophageal cancers.

Method of treating neurological conditions with oleandrin


In a semiconductor device, a signal delay element is configured by using resistance and capacitance components included in a region except regions where logic elements for a gate array exist, and the signal delay element is inserted between a logic element for outputting signals and logic elements for receiving the signals and connected to these logic elements. A placing and wiring apparatus for producing the semiconductor device is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor device using a gate array, and also to a placing and wiring apparatus for placing and wiring logic elements so that a skew is not generated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a placing and wiring apparatus is employed to determine the placement of logic elements constituting the minimum unit of the placement and wiring, in a gate array having resistance and capacitance components, and then the layout of wirings for connecting the logic elements with each other.
FIG. 1 shows an example of circuits in which the placement and the layout of wirings have been conducted by such a placing and wiring apparatus. In the circuit shown in FIG. 1, 5 designates a logic element which outputs signals generated by the element itself, and logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 receive the signals from the logic element 5. The logic elements 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are interconnected by signal lines 23.
Each of the signal lines 23 constitutes a distributed constant circuit having a resistance component, capacitance component and a signal delay time which is uniquely determined by the resistance and the capacitance. When the resistance and/or the capacitance are increased, the signal delay time is lengthened. The resistance and capacitance of the signal line 23 which connects the logic element 5 with one of the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 change in proportion to the length of the signal line, and therefore the signal delay time changes in accordance with the length of this signal line 23. When the signal lines 23 which respectively connect the logic element 5 with the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 are different in length from each other, there occurs a phenomenon in which-the signals from the logic element 5 are inputted to the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 after the elapse of different signal delay times (hereinafter, such a phenomenon is referred to as "skew"), causing inconvenience to the whole of the circuit incorporating these logic elements. In order to prevent a skew from occurring, therefore, there has been taken measures against a skew in which the lengths of the signal lines 23 respectively connecting the logic element 5 with the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 are made equal to each other.
Hereinafter, the measures will be described in detail. It is assumed that the logic elements 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are positionally fixed. In order to equalize the distance between the logic element 5 and the logic element 6 to that between the logic element 5 and the logic element 7, the middle point 10 of the signal line 23 connecting the logic element 6 with the logic element 7 is determined to be a junction point at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected to the signal line 23 connecting the logic element 6 with the logic element 7. In order to equalize the distance between the logic element 5 and the logic element 8 to that between the logic element 5 and the logic element 9, the middle point 11 of the signal line 23 connecting the logic element 8 with the logic element 9 is determined to be a junction point at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected to the signal line 23 connecting the logic element 8 with the logic element 9.
Then, in order to equalize the distance between the logic element 5 and the logic element 6 (or 7) to that between the logic element 5 and the logic element 8 (or 9), a junction point 12 is determined at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected to the signal line 23 connecting the middle points 10 and 11 with each other. A case where a circuit(s) exists in the gate array in which the placement of the logic elements and the wiring are to be conducted, before the placement of the logic elements will be considered (hereinafter, such a circuit(s) is referred to as "master data"). When the master data and a signal line other than the signal lines 23 are located in the vicinity of the junction point 12 and the junction point 12 is determined to be on the location of the master data or the other signal line, the signal lines connected at the junction point 12 cause the master data or the other signal line to become invalid. Therefore, such a location of the middle point is inadequate for a junction point.
To comply with this, the location of the junction point 12 is determined in a manner other than that described above, namely, in the following manner. While the location of the junction point 12 is fixed, a signal line 21 which has a length equal to the difference between the length from the logic element 5 to the logic element 8 (or 9) and that from logic element 5 to the logic element 6 (or 7) is inserted between the middle point, 10 and the junction point 12, so that the distance between the logic element 5 and the logic element 6 (or 7) becomes equal to that between the logic element 5 and the logic element 8 (or 9). When the signal line 21 is long, it is formed in a meandering form as shown in FIG. 1. The signal line 21 having such a shape is called a meandering wiring.
In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the middle points 10 and 1 can be moved which are determined so that the distances between the logic element 5 and the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 are equal to each other. In some cases, also the middle points 10 and 11 cannot be moved for the same reason as that with respect to the junction point 12. In such cases, the signal lines connected to the middle points 10 and 11 are formed as meandering wirings.
FIG. 2 shows an example of circuits in which the placement and the layout of wirings have been conducted by a prior art placing and wiring apparatus so that a skew does not occur.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 2, the logic element 5 which outputs signals generated by the element itself is connected with a driver cell 13 and the meandering wiring 21 through the signal line 23 constituting the distributed constant circuit, and the driver cell 1.3 is connected with the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 through the other signal lines 23. The meandering wiring 21 is connected with a driver cell 14 through another signal line 23, and the driver cell 14 is connected with logic elements 15, 16 and 17 through other signal lines 23. In the circuit, the logic element 5 must be connected with many logic elements. Accordingly, the driver cells 13 and 14 are disposed in order to drive the signals from the logic element 5 and transmit them to the logic elements 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17 respectively.
Next, the measures for preventing a skew from occurring in the circuit of FIG. 2 will be described.
It is assumed that the placement of the logic elements 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17 and that of the signal lines 23 are previously determined. In order that signals from the logic element 5 should be inputted to the logic elements 6 and 7 after the elapse of the same signal delay time, the middle point 10 of the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 6 and 7 with each other is determined to be a junction point at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 6 and 7 with each other, so as to make the distance between the logic elements 5 and 6 equal to that between the logic elements 5 and 7. Then, in order that signals from the logic element 5 should be inputted to the logic elements 8 and 9 after the elapse of the same signal delay time, the middle point 11 of the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 8 and 9 with each other is determined to be a junction point at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 8 and 9 with each other, so as to make the distance between the logic elements 5 and 8 equal to that between the logic elements 5 and 9.
A junction point 12 at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 6 (or 7) and 8 (or 9) with each other is determined so that signals from the logic element 5 are inputted to the logic elements 6 (or 7) and 8 (or 9) after the elapse of the same signal delay time, thereby making the distance between the logic elements 5 and 6 (or 7) equal to that between the logic elements 5 and 8 (or 9). In order that signals from the logic element 5 are inputted to the logic elements 15 and 16 after the elapse of the same signal delay time, the middle point 18 of the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 15 and 16 is determined to be a junction point at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 15 and 16 with each other, so as to make the distance between the logic elements 5 and 15 equal to that between the logic elements 5 and 16.
A junction point 19 at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 15 (or 16) and 17 with each other is determined so that signals from the logic element 5 are inputted to the logic elements 15 (or 16) and 17 after the elapse of the same signal delay time, thereby making the distance between the logic elements 5 and 15 (or 16) equal to that between the logic elements 5 and 17. Then, a junction point 20 at which the signal line 23 from the logic element 5 is connected with the signal line 23 connecting the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 with the logic elements 15, 16 and 17 is determined so that the signal delay time of the signal transmission from the logic element 5 to the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 is equal to that of the signal transmission from the logic element 5 to the logic elements 15, 16 and 17. When a master data or another signal line is located in the vicinity of the junction point 20 and the junction point 20 cannot be moved the meandering wiring which has a length corresponding to the required difference in wiring length must be inserted between the junction point 20 and the driver cell 14 so as to make the signal delay time of the signal transmission from the logic element 5 to the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9 equal to that of the signal transmission From the logic element 5 to the logic elements 15, 16 and 17.
On the other hand, the signal delay times of the driver cells 13 and 14 are different from each other depending on their respective fan out. In order to determine the length of the meandering wiring 21, accordingly, it is necessary to consider the lengths of the signal lines 23 connecting the logic element 5 with the logic elements 6, 7, 8 and 9, the lengths of the signal lines 23 connecting the logic element 5 with the logic elements 15, 16 and 17, and the difference between the signal delay time of the driver cell 13 and that of the driver cell 14.
Since the difference in signal delay time between the driver cells 13 and 14 is short, the signal delay time cannot be adjusted by using the driver cells 13 and 14.
As described above, the meandering wiring 21 is used in a prior art placing and wiring apparatus. When the meandering wiring 21 is long, a wide region is assigned to the meandering wiring. This prohibits transistors existing in the meandering wiring region from being used as logic elements, thereby producing a problem in that the ratio of the number of available logic elements to the number of all transistors is lowered (hereinafter, the ratio is referred to as "gate available ratio").

Semiconductor devices using potential wells or resistive elements as delay elements and apparatus for forming such devices


A bracket which is transversely positionable along a cross-rail is disclosed. The bracket surrounds the cross-rail in a slidable manner and has an opening integral therewith to threadingly receive a tie-down strap. The positionable bracket is releasably lockable to the cross-rail for securing articles such as luggage straps to the cross-rail.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a transversely positionable cross-rail mounted bracket for article carriers. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a transversely positionable bracket which is slidable along a cross-rail for vehicle related article carriers. Even more particularly the present invention concerns a transversely positionable bracket movable along a transverse cross-rail for vehicle associated article carriers for supporting articles such as luggage, skis and other articles and having a locking means that is used to secure the transversely positionable bracket to the cross-rail.
II. Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,335, issued Jan. 2, 1979, the disclosure of which is included by reference, there is disclosed a vehicle associated article carrier, such as a luggage rack, ski rack, or the like which incorporates certain slidably adjustable brackets therewithin. According to the application the brackets are variably positionable along the length of a slotted track formed in an associated slat of the article carrier.
The brackets of the copending application, generally, comprise an upper section which is disposed above the slat, a lower section which is engageable with the track and slidable therewithin and means for urging a member into locking engagement with a wall of the track. A loop or other opening is provided on the upper section of the bracket to provide a mode of attachment thereto of a tie-down strap for securing articles to the article carrier. The transverse position of the attachment for the tie-down strap is fixed in the aforesaid application rendering it sometimes difficult to secure articles such as skis and bicycles to the top of the vehicle. The present invention as will be subsequently detailed, seeks to overcome this problem.

Article carrier having variably positionable cross-rail bracket


An automatic self-leveling ladder having a leveling leg axially slidably mounted within the bottom of each member of a pair of spaced vertical rung supporting members for automatically compensating for unevenness in the support surface. A rack is fixed to each of the legs and is engaged by a gear located within each of the legs that is mounted on an end of a stub shaft. A locking device is fixed on each of the rung supporting members and engages the gears upon application of the weight of the ladder on the legs to lock the legs in a selected leveling position. The stub shafts extend inwardly from the rung supporting members and are located within a complementary sized tubular telescoping member which serves as the bottom rung of the ladder. One of the stub shafts is fixed to the tubular member so the member rotates with the shaft. The shafts are joined by a spring steel strip to rotate the shaft in unison and to compensate for torsional forces exerted on the two stub shafts when in locked positions. A coil spring biases each of the stub shaft gears out of locked position with the locking devices. Upon placing the legs on a supporting surface, the weight of the ladder is sufficient to overcome the spring biasing force whereupon the legs automatically level themselves and the locking devices engage with the gears to lock the legs in a level position. Upon removal of the ladder weight from the legs the springs move the gears out of engagement with the locking devices.

The problem arising from supporting ladders upon nonlevel support surfaces wherein the supports for the legs are not in the same horizontal plane are well known and numerous types of devices have been proposed to compensate for this condition. Such devices include adjustable extensions affixed to each ladder leg, arcuate adjustable supports and self-leveling extensions wherein frictional locking engagement of the extension with the ladder is produced by the weight of the operator upon the ladder. Such devices have not provided the answer to the problem since manually adjustable leg extensions and arcuate supports require time consuming adjustment at each location of the ladder and existing self-locking leveling devices do not lock with the desired positive action so as to prevent malfunctions and consequently do not provide the insurance of safety necessary when using a ladder. Actual experience also has shown that the attention of painters, workmen, etc. may be directed to other matters causing them to forget to lock and unlock a manually operated leveling device causing a safety hazard.
Many of these problems have been overcome by a self-leveling ladder attachment shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,670 of which I am a coinventor thereof. However, it has been found that such attachment devices are relatively bulky and difficult for the average home owner to install with sufficient confidence that the leveling attachment will work in the manner intended and with the required safety. Furthermore, the self-leveling attachment of my earlier invention required a considerable number of specially designed component parts which increased the weight and cost of the attachment making it less attractive for purchase by the average home user desiring a self-leveling ladder. It is believed that the home user desires such a self-leveling ladder if it does not increase the weight of the ladder appreciably and if the leveling device is formed as a part of the ladder eliminating any attachment or addition to of the ladder after purchase. Furthermore, the reduction in the number of parts required to achieve the automatic self-leveling effect reduces both the cost and weight of the ladder which is very attractive to the home user.
Examples of known prior art self-leveling devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,941; 2,598,875; 3,027,969; 3,037,581; 3,173,512; 3,215,383; 3,233,702; 4,095,671; 4,128,139 and 4,497,390. Although the devices of some of these patents do provide a ladder having a self-leveling mechanism incorporated as a part of the ladder in contrast to a separate leveling attachment therefor, these devices require an excessive number of parts thereby increasing the complexity of the ladder, the cost and the possibility of maintenance problems. Furthermore, many of these self-leveling devices and ladders are not automatic and require manual manipulation of a locking device to secure the ladder in the adjusted level position.
Therefore, the need has existed for an improved automatic self-leveling ladder in which the self-leveling mechanism is formed as a part of the ladder and requires a minimum number of components thereby providing an inexpensive, lightweight yet highly efficient and safe ladder construction.


An image sensor as a photoelectric conversion device includes: a lower electrode containing a high-melting-point metal; an upper electrode disposed in a layer higher than the lower electrode; a p-type semiconductor layer and an n-type semiconductor layer disposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode; and a relay electrode containing the high-melting-point metal. The lower electrode and the relay electrode are formed in the same layer. An intermediate layer as a selenized film of the high-melting-point metal is formed on the lower electrode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device, a method for manufacturing a photoelectric conversion device, and an electronic apparatus.
2. Related Art
Photoelectric conversion devices including a semiconductor layer composed of a CIS-based film or CGIS-based film with chalcopyrite structure are known (e.g., see JP-A-2012-169517). A photoelectric conversion device disclosed in JP-A-2012-169517 includes a lower electrode (first electrode), an upper electrode (second electrode), and a semiconductor layer (photoelectric conversion portion) provided between the electrodes. The lower electrode is formed of a high-melting-point metal such as molybdenum (Mo), and the semiconductor layer with chalcopyrite structure composed of a CIS-based film is formed on the lower electrode by a sputtering method.
Here, when the lower electrode made of a high-melting-point metal and the semiconductor layer with chalcopyrite structure are disposed in contact with each other as in the photoelectric conversion device disclosed in JP-A-2012-169517, the contact resistance between the lower electrode and the semiconductor layer is increased to deteriorate electrical characteristics, and thus there is a problem that the sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion device is reduced. Hence, if a surface layer portion of the lower electrode is selenized to forma selenized film, an ohmic contact is obtained at each of boundaries between the lower electrode and the selenized film and between the selenized film and the semiconductor layer, and thus the contact resistance between the lower electrode and the semiconductor layer is minimized. However, when the photoelectric conversion device includes a wiring portion, relay electrode, or the like that is formed of the same high-melting-point metal in the same layer as the lower electrode, a surface layer portion of the wiring portion or relay electrode is also selenized in the selenization of the surface layer portion of the lower electrode. Therefore, the wiring resistance is increased, and at the same time, the contact resistance between the wiring portion or relay electrode and an electrode in a higher layer is also increased, and thus there is a problem that the operation of the photoelectric conversion device may become unstable.

Photoelectric conversion device, method for manufacturing photoelectric conversion device, and electronic apparatus


A binding system for snowboards that minimizes leg pain while snowboard users are approaching or are riding on a chairlift. The rotatable binding system enables one of two boot bindings attached to a snowboard to rotate up to 90 degrees placing a user's boot in parallel with the long sides, and sliding direction, of the snowboard. The binding system includes a base plate, which is fixed to the snowboard, and a top plate that is rotatably attached to the base plate by a center screw, and a boot binding harness mounted to the top plate. A hinge plate can connect the base plate to a mid static disk, which can in turn rotatably attach to the top plate. The binding system can include a latch lever that acts as a hands-free locking system that is mounted through an outer ridge of the base plate and connected to a retractable plunger.

Snowboarding has been one of the fastest growing sport since 1997 and has become a competitive winter sport in the United States and other countries. It is usually done on commercially operated slopes, which are designed to accommodate many skiers and snowboarders. Snowboarding is only similar to skiing in that it requires a person to slide downhill on top of snow, but it is more like surfing and skateboarding in style and form, and because only a single board is used to traverse the snow by a snowboarder. Market research statistics during the period 1990-2004 have shown that the overall snowboarding population increased by 294 percent during this period (i.e., an average increase of 20% per year). Another statistics for this period (2004-2005) shows that 6.6 million tickets were sold to snowboarders. These statistics reveal vast growth and popularity of the snowboarding sport on the younger generations.
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a snow-covered slope with both feet strapped to a single board, a "snowboard". Snowboard bindings attach both of a user's feet about shoulder width apart to a single board using special boots held within a snowboard-mounted binding system, and the snowboarder is standing on a snowboard perpendicular to the snowboard's direction of travel.
A snowboarder uses boots designed especially for the requirements of snowboarding. As with skiing, snowboarding requires that boots be secured to a snowboard by boot binding straps; however, what is very different between skiing and snowboarding is that both feet are secured to a single snowboard, compared to skiing where each foot is attached to its own ski by a damping system. Movements of participant of the two downhill winter sports are also vastly and noticeably different.
As with skiing, snowboarding generally involves the use of chair lifts to carry snowboarders from a base to a summit. At each lift there will be a line of skiers and snowboarders waiting to board the chairlift. Snowboarders experience a burden not experienced by skiers while shuffling over to the chairlift on foot because one foot (the leading foot) remains tied to the snowboard, while the other foot (rear trailing foot) is used to push the user via the snowboard over to the chairlift (similar to how a skateboarder moves himself on a skateboard). Moving while one foot is tied to a snowboard at almost a ninety-degree angle with respect to the direction of travel can be fatiguing, painful, and unattractive given the user's odd attachment by a single foot to their snowboards. By comparison, a skier never removes a boot from a ski binding while moving through a chair lift line.
It is important to reiterate that other than sliding downhill on snow, snowboarding differs significantly from skiing, both in form and in technology. In snowboarding, rather than having separate skis for each foot and poles for each hand, both feet of a snowboarder are held, one in front of the other (or side by side with shoulder width separation), on a single, relatively wide board using a binding system including two boot bindings fixed to the top surface of the snowboard. The primary purpose of the binding system for snowboards is to hold both of the user's boots onto a snowboard during a snowboarder's use of the snowboard on ski slopes. Besides that, the binding system must provide adaptability to various shoe sizes and adjustability of the angle of the boots to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard.
The general construction of a snowboard involves some basic components. Components and features of a snowboard include its core, a top surface, the base or bottom surface, first and second ends (typically upturned and often referred to as a "nose" and a "tail"), and sharp edges along each of the long edges of the snowboard. A core is typically the interior construction of the snowboard. The base is typically the bottom of a board that makes contact with the snow. The long edges of the snowboard can include a strip of metal, tuned normally to just less than 90° that runs the length of either side of the board. The top surface is where the binding system is mounted and is the area that directly supports and secures both feet of a snowboarder (a person) onto the top of a snowboard.
The snowboard can be a thin, slightly hourglass-shaped board that can be ridden down ski runs. Snowboards generally have a length between 140-165 cm and a width from about 24 up to 27 cm or more (dimension that are much shorter, yet much wider than snow skies). The size variants are meant to accommodate many varieties of people, skill levels, snow types, and riding styles. The snowboards are usually constructed with a laminated wood core sandwiched between multiple layers of fiberglass. The bottom or 'base' of the snowboard can generally be made of various materials including plastic or coated wood, and can be surrounded by a thin strip of steel as the 'edge'. The top surface layer can include printed graphics and can be coated with an acrylic. Bindings are separate components from the snowboard that are mounted to the top surface (e.g., or "deck"), though they are a very important part of the total snowboard interface. The main function of bindings is to hold the riders boots (and both feet) in place tightly onto the snowboard so the rider can manipulate and transfer their energy to the snowboard while traveling downhill over snow.
A chairlift is a type of aerial lift, which comprises of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. A chair-lift is a transports system generally used to travel across a mountain side along various posts.
Passengers moving towards for boarding or traveling on a chair lift need to take necessary precautions to avoid injuries. When the passengers are in a stance position and shuffling towards a chair lift for a ride, they need to adjust the bindings accordingly to alleviate pain in ankles and knees. Snowboards can generally provide up to 45° rotation between the toe areas of each of the bindings that are mounted on a snowboard. The binding positions, however, remain fixed once set. The binding position associated in such snowboards can be painful and uncomfortable while a snowboarder is moving along in lift lines and while riding on a chair lift. The stance of the user may look awkward and unnatural. Ideally, bindings would be adjustable in order to alleviate pain in the snowboarder's knee, ankles, and legs because a snowboard remains tethered to a snowboarder's foot while the snowboarder is dealing with chairlift line maneuvering and chairlift usage.
The present inventor has created a snowboard binding that can be rotated temporarily in order to alleviate pain experienced in a user's foot and leg as the user's foot remains tethered to the snowboard during chairlift approach or while standing in chairlift lines, and that can also be hinged from dangling snowboards from a user's leg while the user is riding a chairlift. The majority of prior art binding systems do not focus on managing the impact of chairlift wind over a dangling snowboard and the load it causes on a user's foot. The lack of a hands-free locking and release system limits the capability of prior art snowboards. There is currently no rotatable binding system for the snowboards. Nonexistent is a system that can ease the load on a user's foot and ankle area while shuffling along in chairlift lines. Also, nonexistent is a system that can ease the load on a user's foot while a user is riding on a chairlift. Consequently, a snowboard's weight causes stress on knee and ankle and causes an awkward stance by snowboarders while they move along through chair lift lines. Similarly, the binding position while in lift lines and on the chair lift associated with such systems is painful and is a pulling force while tethered by a binding to the user which is unnatural for the lead ankle. The cascading effect typically results in a binding position that is painful and cumbersome for users while in lift lines as well as when riding on the chair lift.
If two users are sitting next to each other on a chairlift and they use opposite boots as their front boot, the twisting of theft legs due to their respective bindings can cause their snowboards to collide with each other. This is not only painful, but may also be dangerous. Similarly, getting off a chair lift can also be troublesome because the angle at which the user's leading foot (boot) on the snowboard and because the user is bound to the snowboard making it difficult for the user to position the snowboard in line with forward movement of the chair lift to the point of dismount from the chairlift by the snowboarder. If the snowboard is not positioned in a forward direction with movement of the chair lift as the snowboard touches the ground, the user can veer off to one side and run into the person next to the disembarking snowboarder who had been sharing the chair lift. Hence, an improved snowboard binding system is needed in order to provide greater safety and comfort for snowboarders while in lift lines and on the chair lift.
Based on the foregoing, it is believed that a need therefore exists for an improved snowboard binding system that eliminates rotation at the knee and flexion at the ankle, and which can be incorporated with a locking system that can be hands-free. It is also believed a need exists for the snowboard binding system to reduce discomfort and injury when approaching and mounting/dismounting from a chairlift,


A finned plate 20 comprises a base 22 and a plurality of heat exchange fins 30 extending from said base, said fins 30 being arranged in mutually parallel strips 34 of fins. According to the invention, two adjacent strips 34 of fins are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the direction of said strips of fins by at least one flat strip not having any fins 32. Two finned plates 20 of this type can be assembled together to form a frame, in particular a frame that is suitable for being incorporated in a heat exchanger.

Presently-known heat exchangers are constituted by a stack of heat exchange modules, each module 910 comprising a flow cell 912 for a fluid F1 that is to be cooled, in particular a liquid, and a flow cell 914 for a cooling fluid F2, e.g. a gas and in particular air, the two cells being thermally coupled together. One such heat exchange module is shown in FIG. 1.
In order to increase its heat exchange area so as to increase the efficiency of heat exchange with the cooling fluid, the flow cell for the fluid that is to be cooled comprises a plate 916 having a plurality of fins 918 of substantially rectangular profile arranged in parallel strips that are side-by-side to one another in a direction perpendicular to the direction of said strips.
Such a finned plate is far from providing satisfactory efficiency. In the context of present environmental concerns, it is necessary, amongst other things, to improve the energy efficiency of equipment, and in particular of heat exchangers, while not increasing their cost, nor the quantity of materials used for fabricating them.

Fin plate, frame comprising at least one such plate and heat exchanger comprising said frame


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to provide an internal voltage generator of a semiconductor memory device for generating a predetermined stable level of an internal voltage. The semiconductor memory device includes a control signal generator, an internal voltage generator and an internal voltage compensator. The control signal generator generates a reference signal and a compensating signal which are corresponding to voltage level of the reference signal. The internal voltage generator generates an internal voltage in response to the reference signal. The internal voltage compensator compensates the internal voltage in response to the compensating signal.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device; more particularly, it relates to an internal voltage generator of the semiconductor device.
A semiconductor memory device is an apparatus for storing a plurality of data and reading the stored data. For efficient data storage and reading, the semiconductor memory device generates a variety of internal voltages for internal operations, using supply and ground voltages provided from an external device. Examples of internal voltages include a core voltage for a data storage area and a driving voltage for a peripheral area. The core voltage is used in the data storage area where a plurality of input data are stored. The driving voltage for the peripheral area is used for outputting data stored in the data storage area to an external device and providing the input data into the data storage area. There are additional internal voltages which are higher than the supply voltage or lower than the ground voltage by predetermined amounts. Those internal voltages are used to efficiently control MOS transistors in the data storage area. An internal voltage higher than the supply voltage is usually provided to gates of MOS transistors in the data storage area. An internal voltage lower than the ground voltage is usually provided as a bulk voltage of MOS transistors in the data storage area. The semiconductor memory device is provided with internal voltage generators to provide the variety of internal voltages.
To perform storage and read operations, the semiconductor memory device receives row and column addresses and other corresponding commands. The semiconductor memory device reads data located in the cell corresponding to the input address or stores input data in the cell corresponding to the address. While accessing data is performed after the row and column addresses are input, the semiconductor memory device is in an active state. While waiting for commands and corresponding addresses for the data access, the semiconductor memory device is in a standby state. In a standby state, circuits awaiting external commands and addresses operate minimally. The semiconductor memory device includes internal voltage generators respectively operating in the active mode and the standby mode to minimize power consumption for generating the internal voltages.
Initially, when the supply voltage is provided to the semiconductor memory device, it takes some time for the level of the supply voltage to reach a predetermined level. If the semiconductor memory device starts operating with a supply voltage which is lower than the predetermined level, malfunctions can be caused. Accordingly, the semiconductor memory device requires a circuit for sensing a level of ascent of the supply voltage until the supply voltage becomes higher than the predetermined level. Such a circuit is generally called a power up circuit. A sensing signal generated by the power up circuit is called a power up signal. An internal voltage generator in the semiconductor memory device generates the internal voltage for the internal operation in response to the power up signal.
For a normal operation of the semiconductor memory device, it is important that the level of an internal voltage is maintained stably. As described above, an internal voltage generator in the semiconductor memory device generates an internal voltage for the internal operation in response to the power up signal. An internal voltage generator doesn't sense and maintain the level of its respective internal voltage after generating the internal voltage. Unless the level of the internal voltage is maintained to a predetermined level, malfunctions can be caused. Particularly, if the level of the internal voltage generated right after the power up signal is generated is changed, the semiconductor memory device may make an error in an initial operation.

Semiconductor memory device having internal voltage generator and method for driving the same


A storage control apparatus including a memory that stores information that indicates an amount of data that have been written to a storage device, the storage device being coupled to a backup storage device for the storage device, and a processor coupled to the memory and the processor configured to determine an execution period of a verification process to verify a performance of the backup storage device based on the information stored in the memory and a total data capacity written to the storage device in a guarantee period of the storage device.

In a related art technique, a backup storage device for a storage device is configured to be on standby in an operative state, and if the storage device malfunctions, the backup storage device is used instead of the storage device. In another related art technique, a verification process is periodically performed to verify whether the backup storage device is in a normal function state and thus to guarantee the reliability of the backup storage device.
In yet another related art technique, a central processing unit (CPU) counts the number of accesses to a memory block. If the number of accesses exceeds a predetermined value, the CPU reduces the number of memory patrols, each of which is periodically performed to detect an error of the memory block and to correct the error. In another related art technique, if a condition, based on at least one of an access count to a cell of a flash memory device, and an amount of time that has elapsed since storage of information on the flash memory device is satisfied, a scan operation is performed to detect an error in the information stored on the flash memory device. In another related art technique, depending on the frequency of occurrence of an input and output operation related to a command through a channel during a past fixed period of time determined by a diagnosis control timer and a diagnosis control counter, a determination as to whether a read diagnosis of a disk device is enabled is performed, and the number of read target tracks is determined. The read diagnosis is thus performed during an idle time period in the input and output operation.
The related art techniques are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2014-059821, 5-74059, and Japanese National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2010-537314.

Storage control apparatus, control method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium


There are provided a shift register unit, a gate driving circuit and a display device, which enable gate lines in non-output rows to remain in the state of no signal outputting. The shift register unit comprises an input module (10), a pull-up module (20), a pull-down control module (30), a first pull-down module (31), a second pull-down module (40) and a reset module (50). In the non-output time, the first pull-down module and the second pull-down module pull down the output voltages of the pull-up modules connected thereto to a low level alternately, thereby enabling gate lines in non-output rows to remain in the state of no signal outputting.

The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) has been widely used in electronic products such as notebook computers, flat TV sets or mobile phones due to its advantages such as low radiation, small volume, low energy consumption and so on.
The LCD is formed by staggering pixel matrices located in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. When the LCD displays, a data driving circuit can latch the input display signals and the clock signal timing sequentially, and convert the input display data into an analog signal and then input it into data lines of a liquid crystal panel; a gate driving circuit can convert the input clock signals into a voltage for controlling pixels to turn on/turn off through shift registers, and apply it to gate lines of the liquid crystal panel row by row.
In order to further reduce the production cost of liquid crystal display products, the gate driving circuit known in the art typically uses the GOA (Gate Driver On Array) design to integrate the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) gate switch circuit on the array substrate of the display panel to form scan driving for the display panel. Therefore, the gate driving integrated circuit part can be omitted, which can reduce the product cost in terms of both material cost and manufacturing process. In addition, the display panel can be made in a beautiful design with symmetric sides and a narrow frame. The gate switch circuit integrated on the array substrate by the GOA technology is also referred to as a GOA circuit or a shift register circuit.
In the GOA circuit known in the art, the turning on or turning off of a TFT is needed to realize the turning on or turning off of a gate line in a corresponding row. In particular, it is possible to input a control signal to a TFT of the GOA circuit through a signal input terminal to turn off the TFT, thereby controlling the gate line in a row corresponding to the TFT not to output a signal. However, when the control signal is an AC (Alternate Current) square wave, the OFF state of the TFT will have interruption intervals; therefore, it cannot be guaranteed that the gate line in the row corresponding to the TFT always keeps in the state of no signal outputting during the non-output period. If a DC (Direct Current) signal is used to control the turning off of the TFT, although the occurrence of the above interruption intervals can be avoided, the threshold voltage of the TFT which is at the DC high level for a long time will shift, and finally the TFT cannot be normally turned on. Thereby, the stability of the TFT and the GOA circuit is reduced.

Shift register unit, gate driving circuit and display device


Octyl methoxy cinnamate of the formula ##STR1## is prepared by reacting p-bromoanisole with octyl-acrylate in an inert solvent, in the presence of a base and of a coupling catalyst.

Octyl p-methoxy cinnamate, is referred to hereinafter as OMC for the sake of brevity, and has the formula: ##STR2## OMC is a well known sunscreening agent and along with other sunscreening products, is used to protect the skin from skin diseases due to the sun, particularly skin cancer. OMC is one of the most widely used ultra violet (UV) sunscreeners, and its importance in this field is increasing steadily.

Process for the preparation of octyl methoxy cinnamate

IMI (TAMI) Institute for Research and Development Ltd.