A print head has a matrix array of charge generating loci defined by crossings of a first set of electrodes which are parallel to each other and extend across the region to be printed and a second set of electrodes that extend obliquely across the first electrodes so that the crossings are closely spaced lattice points. The charge deposited by a lattice point varies with the position of the first electrode defining the point, but the electrodes are arranged so charge carriers are generated or gated for projection onto a latent imaging member with local charge dot uniformity. In one embodiment of the invention, there are an odd number of first electrodes, and the second electrodes are arranged such that when electrodes are actuated, pairs of adjacent dots are deposited by pairs of lattice points having complementary variations in charge. As viewed or measured along the print line, each pair of deposited dots has a substantially uniform level of charge, and doubling and extreme discontinuities do not occur. The second electrodes may overlap in a cross scan direction to interleave their deposited charge dots. Alternatively, using zig-zag but non-overlapping electrodes, each electrode may deposit a continuous uninterrupted sequence of dots while still achieving a uniform regional charge distribution. In another aspect, the second electrodes include first and second subsets of electrodes having a different pitch defining two sets of charge loci at lattice points slightly shifted in the cross-scan direction to interleave strong dots with weak dots without doubling. This embodiment includes print heads with an even number of first electrodes without introducing aliasing patterns of charge density.

The present invention relates to charge disposition print heads of the type wherein selectively controlled electrodes, generally arranged at two or more levels in a laminated construction, are disposed to define a matrix array of charge-generating or gating points from which charge carriers are directed at an imaging or latent imaging member moving along a scan direction past the head. Such print heads allow a thin rectangular strip of charge generators to deposit an image of arbitrary length, with high resolution, on an imaging member as it moves past the head, and they are readily adapted to print computerized graphic image and text data.
Print heads of this type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,160,257; 4,992,807; 5,278,588; 5,159,358; and many others. In the print heads described more particularly in the aforesaid patents, long driver electrodes spanning a page format on an insulting sheet are activated with an RF signal of up to several thousand volts amplitude while lesser bias or control voltages are applied to other electrodes on the other side of the sheet to create localized charge source regions located at or near crossing points with the driver electrodes and allow charge carriers to escape from the glow or discharge regions and be accelerated to an imaging member. These print heads may be configured to deposit either positive or negative charge, and the negative charge may consist partly or entirely of either ions or electrons. These heads are configured so that the charge deposited by each discharge locus forms a small dot-like latent charge image on the imaging member as it moves past. Each raster scan of the head electrodes thus fills a narrow image strip, with the totality of image strips forming an image page.
In printing devices using this type of head, the RF-driven discharge generation line may extend generally along the length of the print head, spanning many of the control electrodes which cross them at an angle. In one commercial embodiment, by way of example, 20 parallel RF lines extend the width of a print page, and these are crossed by 128 oblique control electrodes, known as finger electrodes. During the time when one RF line is activated by a burst of approximately 5 to 25 cycles of a one-half to ten MHz drive signal with a peak-to-peak amplitude of several thousand volts, those finger electrodes which cross the RF line at the desired locations are selectively biased to project charge dots from the head at the pixels where a print image is to be formed. Each finger is effective to project up to twenty charge dots, arranged along its length, corresponding to the twenty adjacent RF drive lines crossing the finger. The last projected dot (e.g., from drive line 20) of one finger may be adjacent to the first dot (the crossing point with drive line 1) of the neighboring drive. The drive electrodes generally extend at a pitch which allows the electrode-crossing points to be relatively widely spaced along the length of the finger, yet have a much smaller spacing in the cross-scan direction of imaging. Thus, by actuating different drive lines having electrode crossing sites on the same finger but at slightly different times as the imaging member is moved in a scan direction past the print head, a finger may deposit dots closely adjacent to each other on a single print line, or to dots of successive lines.
Other forms of charge deposition print head are also known. These may include structures wherein electrodes spaced on opposite sides of an insulating plate or sheet surround apertures through the sheet which define the sites at which charge carriers are gated through to land on an imaging member. Such constructions may be used to define image points and to control the flow of ions from a plasma chamber, or may even be used to directly gate charged toner particles onto an imaging member in a direct printing process. In addition various charge dot generating structures have been proposed utilizing semiconductor solid state electron emitter arrays, as well as electron field emitter arrays which rely primarily on microdimensioning to achieve effective field strengths for emitting electrons.
Returning to the first type of print head discussed above, these are generally operated at a relatively small gap of about one-quarter millimeter from the image receiving sheet, belt or drum, and they are biased with respect to the imaging member to maintain a relatively high electrostatic acceleration field which transports the charged particles across this gap. The amount of charge or charged particles which must be deposited to form an effective imaging dot is generally so great as to result in a considerable build-up of charge at the dot locus on the charge-receiving surface of the imaging member, relative to the magnitude of the acceleration potential. Thus, as a latent dot charge is formed, a local electric field develops which tends to deflect later arriving charge carriers directed at or near that dot. This effect results in "blooming" or enlargement of individual dots, such as described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,588, and various approaches are taught therein for addressing the precision of dot placement and image control to overcome deleterious the effect of dot blooming on image resolution. This surface charging effect also slightly deflects dots which are aimed nearby. This related effect, known as "Venetian blinding". occurs when electrodes are actuated to lay down a latent charge dot on the imaging member at a position closely adjacent to one or more charge dots which have already been laid down along a line or region. In this case, the already deposited charge deflects the incoming charge carriers so that the subsequent dot is shifted laterally and positioned wrong. Since the RF lines are few in number and are actuated in a generally fixed sequence, an effect similar to aliasing also occurs, wherein the print head generates a ripple or line of misplaced dots that appear as a streak or an anomalously light or dark band periodically crossing the face of the print. One approach to correcting Venetian blinding is taught in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,103. That approach involves providing a second array of electrodes which can be actuated to correct the small deflection fields existing at the surface of the imaging member, so that charge trajectories remain on target and deposit dots of uniform size.
Finally, a third effect arises due to variations in spacing of the print head from the image-receiving member. If the image receiving member is a curved drum, or a belt which passes over a drum opposite to the print head, then the RF line or lines closest to "top dead center" of the drum will be closest to the imaging member, while RF lines adjacent thereto and outward from the center will be further away from the imaging surface due to curving-away of the drum surface. The increased gap results in lower extraction or acceleration field strengths, with the result that less charge is emitted by and deposited opposite to these outer electrodes. The periodic actuation of RF drive lines and scanning of the drum past the head therefore results in a pattern of weak and strong charge dots which can also give macroscopically-visible banding or texture to the developed charge image.
Thus, despite the apparently high degree of symmetry of existing charge deposition print heads, a number of macroscopically visible irregularities are produced in the images which they deposit.
These problems were partially solved by introducing an interleaved finger electrode configuration as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,999,653 and No. 5,006,869; however using this arrangement some anomalously lighter or darker streaks persisted.
It would be desirable to achieve uniform dot deposition without requiring coordination of additional electrodes and without losing the basic simplicity of the raster electrode actuation employed to drive charge deposition heads of the prior art.

Charge deposition print head and method of printing


The cosmetic preparation contains: (a) an oil-soluble active ingredient that is suitable for skin cosmetics, (b) a partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan, (c) at least one phospholipid, (d) ethanol, and (e) water as a carrier liquid. The phospholipid is dissolved in ethanol, and then the partial fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan and the active ingredient are added. The oil phase that is obtained is added to water and stirred. The preparation is obtained in the form of a nanodispersion.

The subjects of this invention are cosmetic preparations based on nanodispersions and processes for their production.
Cosmetic preparations for skin care and for skin protection come in many forms of preparation, such as creams, ointments, pastes, gels, lotions, foams, sprays, etc. In addition to their aesthetic uses, such dermal cosmetic preparations also have several advantages that can be justified on therapeutic grounds. Owing to their adhesion to the epidermis and their penetrating power, these preparations are helpful mainly when they compensate for the loss of fat and moisture from the skin because of washing, weather and environmental influences, etc. and protect the epidermis from drying out. As so-called sunblocks, cosmetic preparations are especially important for counteracting the effects of UV rays from sunlight.
For cosmetic preparations, only active ingredients and additives that are soluble in the formulation base or are at least adequately solubilized are suitable. Moreover, they must be compatible with the other adjuvants in the formulation base. The system of active ingredient and formulation base thus must be adequately stable and must not tend toward, e.g., chemical reactions among the components or toward separation effects. Moreover, the following requirements are to be imposed on the formulation base:
adequate homogeneous dispersion of the active ingredient on the surface of the skin PA1 adequate moisture in the upper skin layers PA1 improvement in blood supply to the upper skin layers PA1 penetration of the active ingredient into the upper skin layers PA1 improvement in the elasticity of the skin PA1 release of active ingredient from the formulation base PA1 low oxidation sensitivity PA1 a) at least one oil-soluble active ingredient that is suitable for skin cosmetics, PA1 b) a partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan, PA1 c) at least one basically pure phospholipid of formula ##STR1## in which R. means C.sub.10-20 acyl, R.sub.2 means hydrogen or C.sub.10-20 acyl, R.sub.3 means hydrogen, 2-trimethylamino-1-ethyl, 2-amino-1-ethyl, C.sub.1-4 alkyl C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by carboxy C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by hydroxy, C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by carboxy and hydroxy or C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by carboxy and amino, the inositol group or the glyceryl group, or salts of these compounds. PA1 d) ethanol in the purity that is necessary for dermal applications, PA1 e) water as a carrier liquid in the purity that is necessary for dermal application; and optionally PA1 f) other additives that are suitable for cosmetic preparations. PA1 a) at least one active ingredient that is suitable for skin cosmetics from the group of oil-soluble vitamins that can be applied dermally, cosmetic or therapeutic oils and/or oil-soluble sunblocks, PA1 b) a partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan; PA1 c) at least one basically pure phospholipid of formula (I), PA1 d) ethanol, in the purity that is necessary for dermal applications, PA1 e) water as a carrier liquid in the purity that is necessary for dermal application; and optionally PA1 f) other additives that are suitable for cosmetic preparations. PA1 a) at least one of the active ingredients that are suitable for skin cosmetics from the group of oil-soluble vitamins that can be applied dermally, cosmetic or therapeutic oils and/or oil-soluble sunblocks such as UV-A and UV-B absorbers, PA1 b) polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monooleate; PA1 c) purified lecithin from soybeans; PA1 d) ethanol in the purity that is necessary for dermal applications; PA1 e) water as a carrier liquid in the purity that is necessary for dermal application; and optionally PA1 f) other additives that are suitable for cosmetic preparations.
The base that is used in cosmetic preparations, moveover, has to meet the following subjective criteria: pleasant sensation after the preparation is applied to the skin, good moisturizing action, pleasant odor, subtle or stylish color effects, etc. The many commercially available cosmetic preparations can at most only partially meet the above-mentioned requirements. In particular, the skin penetration of the active ingredients and lipids used is often too low. A large number of preparations are, moreover, not very effective or completely ineffective.
In the broader sense, the object of this invention is therefore to prepare improved cosmetic preparations.
To achieve this general object, the vehicle systems that are known from pharmaceutical technology that are based on liposomes are proposed according to the prior art. The latter are supposed to improve especially the penetration of lipids in the epidermis. Such liposome dispersions with various inclusion compounds and phospholipids as double-layer membrane formers or so-called empty liposomes without inclusion compounds are described in numerous publications and have already been clinically tested. In the literature, numerous processes for the production of liposome dispersions are described, e.g., by treatment of an aqueous phospholipid dispersion with ultrasound, dispersion of phospholipids with surfactants in the aqueous phase, dissolution of phospholipids in organic solvents, removal of the solvent by freeze-drying and dispersion of the residue in the aqueous phase, infusion methods, or reverse phase evaporation. Many production processes are disadvantageous since only a fraction of the amount of phospholipids used forms liposomes and these liposomes also contain only a fraction of the inclusion compounds. For cosmetic purposes, therefore, "empty" liposomes without inclusion compounds are produced almost exclusively. In the known production processes, mixed micelles, gel structures, and double-layer aggregates of undefinable sizes can additionally be formed. Known are also stability problems, greatly varying size distribution of the liposomes, inadequate reproducibility of the processes themselves, high residual amounts of organic solvents, etc.
To achieve the object, therefore, other finely dispersed systems based on lipid mixtures can be used.
Known from document WO 96/37192 are pharmaceutical or cosmetic compositions that, in combination with a sphingolipid or glycolipid (ceramide), contain the following: a partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan, a phospholipid, a triglyceride, and a therapeutic active ingredient, in water (and optionally alcohol) as a carrier liquid.
It has been found, surprisingly enough, that also insoluble in water, liquid to highly-viscous, oily or in any case oil-soluble active ingredients, e.g., fat-soluble vitamins, therapeutic oils or substances for protection from light, can be solubilized in the form of a dispersion of nanoparticles (nanodispersion) with a similar adjuvant mixture such as a partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan phospholipid, and ethanol. In the more narrow sense, the object of the invention is to produce aqueous forms of administration that are suitable for oil-soluble cosmetic active ingredients with low water-solubility.
It has been found, surprisingly enough, that an especially homogeneous finely dispersed system based on nanoparticles (nanodispersion) can be produced by dissolving an oil-soluble active ingredient that is suitable for skin cosmetics in the above-described adjuvant mixture and dispersing in water the solution that is obtained.
The subject of this invention is a cosmetic preparation in the form of a nanodispersion that contains
A cosmetic composition with components a), b), c), d) and e) is distinguished by advantageous phase properties of the solubilized ingredients. Thus, while having opalescence and transparency in back lighting, only an extremely slight milky cloudiness hints that the dispersion has physical differences from the ideal state of a true molecular solution. Electron-microscopic images show that a population of greater than 98% of the solubilized ingredient is present in a Gaussian dispersion as a suspension of particles (nanoparticles) with a particle size of less than about 60 nm (nanodispersion). These differences relative to a true solution can be tolerated, however, owing to the especially good homogeneity properties of the dispersion, which are demonstrated by, for example, a surprisingly long shelf life, e.g., no separation after storage for several months at temperatures up to room temperature (by extrapolation of the expected stability for more than two years).
The cosmetic composition is also very well suited for use in a metering spray as a clean, practical form of application. In the metering spray, preferably a pump metering spray without propellant, the composition remains sterile.
A preferred embodiment of the invention relates to
An especially preferred embodiment of the invention relatesto
The terms and designations used above and below are defined within the framework of the description of this invention as follows:
The term cosmetic preparation comprises preparations that can be applied dermally or topically, such as creams, e.g., grease creams or dry creams, o/w-, w/o-, w/o/w-emulsions, lotions, gels, sprays, ointments, pastes, and foams.
The term nanodispersion refers to a finely dispersed system of a suspended lipophilic phase in an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic phase. Nanodispersions can be detected from, e.g., electron-microscopic images. Thus, populations of suspended particles (nanoparticles) with a particle size of less than about 80 nm (nanodispersion), preferably less than 50 nm, are present.
Component a) An active ingredient that is suitable for skin cosmetics, an active ingredient composition or an active ingredient extract is an ingredient or a mixture of ingredients that is selected from the group of oil-soluble vitamins or placenta extracts that can be applied to the skin and have a vitamin base, enzymes, allantoin, azulene, extracts of plants and plant buds, royal jelly extracts, thickened fruit and vegetable juices, cosmetic and therapeutic oils, as well as oil-soluble sunblocks, and is approved for dermal or topical administration.
Oily or oil-soluble vitamins that can be applied dermally are, e.g., vitamin A (retinol in the form of free acid or its derivatives), panthenol, pantothenic acid, folic acid and combinations thereof), vitamin E (tocopherol), F: essential fatty acids.
Placenta extracts with a vitamin base are active ingredient compositions mainly with vitamins A, C, E, B.sub.2, B.sub.12, folic acid, and biotin, amino acids and enzymes, as well as compounds of the trace elements magnesium, silicon, phosphorus, calcium, manganese, iron, or copper.
Cosmetic or therapeutic oils that can be applied dermally are neutral oils such as Miglyol 812, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, babassu oil, cottonseed oil, borage oil, thistle oil, peanut oil, gamma-oryzanol, rose hip kernel oil, hempseed oil, hazelnut oil, currant seed oil, jojoba oil, cherry pit oil, salmon oil, linseed oil, corn oil, macadamia nut oil, almond oil, evening primrose oil, mink oil, olive oil, pecan nut oil, peach-kernel oil, pistachio kernel oil, rapeseed oil, rice kernel oil, castor oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, grape-seed oil, wheat germ oil.
Suitable sunblocks are filtering substances ("sunscreens") that can absorb UV radiation from sunlight and convert it into heat. Depending on the desired action, the following sunblocks are preferred: sunblocks that selectively absorb high-energy UV-radiation in the range of about 280-315 nm (UV-B absorbers) that produce sunburn and transmit the longer-wave range of about 315-400 nm (UV-A range), as well as sunblocks that absorb only the longer-wave radiation in the UV-A range of 315-400 nm (UV-A absorbers).
Suitable sunblocks are selected preferably from the group of anthranilic acid derivatives, salicylic acid derivatives, cinnamic acid ester derivatives, coumarin derivatives, o-aminobenzoic acid derivatives, benzophenone, and benzylidene camphor.
Specific UV-B absorber, are, e.g., 4-aminobenzoic acid, 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxy-cinnamate, 2-ethylhexylsalicylate, or UV-A absorbers, e.g., benzophenone-4, benzophenone-3, or benzophenone-10. Suitable sunblocks are described in Pflegekosmetik: Ein Leitfaden [Cosmetics: A Manual], W. Raab, U. Kindl, Govi-Verlage [Govi Publishing House], D-Frankfurt 1991 and in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, VCH Publishers, Fifth Complete Revised Edition, Volume A 24, Entry Skin Cosmetics.
Component a) is present in the cosmetic composition that is defined above in a preferred dosage of 0.1 to 20% by weight, relative to the total weight of the formulation.
Component b)--partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan--preferably consists of a basically pure ester or the mixture of various esters of sorbitan, in which the structure of the fatty acid groups and the length of the polyoxyethylene chain vary. Sorbitan is preferably etherified by three hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chains and esterified by a hydrophobic fatty acid group. Sorbitan can, however, also be etherified only by one or two hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chains and esterified accordingly by three or two hydrophobic fatty acid groups. The sorbitan base is generally substituted by at least one to at most three hydrophilic groups and accordingly by at most three and at least one hydrophobic group, whereby the term hydrophilic group comprises the polyoxyethylene chains and the term hydrophobic group comprises fatty acid groups.
The polyoxyethylene chain is straight-chain and has preferably 4-10, and especially 4-8, ethylene oxide units. The ester groups at the sorbitan base are derived from a saturated or unsaturated, straight-chain carboxylic acid and an even number of 8-20 C atoms. The ester group that is derived from this carboxylic acid is preferably straight-chain with 12, 14, 16 and 18 C atoms, e.g., n-dodecanoyl, n-tetradecanoyl, n-hexadecanoyl or n-octadecanoyl. The ester group that is derived from an unsaturated carboxylic acid with an even number of 8-20 C atoms is preferably straight-chain with 12, 14, 16 and 18 C atoms, e.g., oleoyl. The above-mentioned esters of sorbitan comply with the information given in the British Pharmacopeia (special monograph) or Ph. Helv. VII. Especially the product descriptions that are published by the above-mentioned manufacturers comply with information on specification sheets for the products in question, especially specifications such as shape, color, HLB value, viscosity, climbing melting point, and solubility.
Suitable partial fatty acid esters of polyoxyethylene sorbitan are commercially available under the word mark Tween.sup.(R) from the ICI company and the chemical designations polyoxyethylene-(20 or 4)-sorbitan monolaurate (TWEEN 20 and 21), polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monopalmitate or -monostearate (TWEEN 40 and 60), polyoxyethylene-(4 or 20)-sorbitan monostearate or -tristearate (TWEEN 61 and 65), polyoxyethylene-(20 or 5)-sorbitan monooleate (TWEEN 80 or 81) or polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan trioleate (TWEEN 85) are known.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monooleate (TWEEN 80) is used as component b).
Component b) is present in the cosmetic composition at a proportion (relative to the total weight of the formulation) of about 0.1% to about 5%, preferably 0.5% to 3%.
Component c)--phospholipid of formula I. The nomenclature of phospholipid (I) and the numbering of the C atoms are based on the recommendations (sn-nomenclature, stereospecific numbering) provided in Eur. J. of Biochem. 79, 11-21 (1977) "Nomenclature of Lipids" by the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (CBN).
R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 with the meaning of C.sub.10-20 acyl are preferably straight-chain C.sub.10-20 alkanoyl with an even number of C atoms and straight-chain C.sub.10-20 alkenoyl with a double bond and an even number of C atoms.
Straight-chain C.sub.10-20 alkanoyl R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 with an even number of C atoms are, for example, n-dodecanoyl, n-tetradecanoyl, n-hexadecanoyl or n-octadecanoyl.
Straight-chain C.sub.10-20 alkenoyl R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 with a double bond and an even number of C atoms are, for example, 6-cis- or 6-trans-, 9-cis- or 9-trans-dodecenoyl, -tetradecenoyol, -hexadecenoyl, octadecenoyl or -icosenoyl, especially 9-cis-octadecenoyl (oloeyl), also 9,12-cis-octadecadienoyl or 9,12,1 5-cis-octadecatrienoyl.
A phospholipid (I) in which R.sub.3 means 2-trimethylamino-1-ethyl is commonly referred to as lecithin, and a phospholipid (I) in which R.sub.3 means 2-amino-1-ethyl is commonly referred to as kephalin. For example, naturally occurring kephalin or lecithin, e.g., kephalin or lecithin from soybeans or hens' eggs, with different or identical acyl groups R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 or mixtures thereof, are suitable.
Phospholipid (I) can also be of synthetic origin, however. Phospholipids that have a uniform composition relative to R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are defined by the term synthetic phospholipid. Such synthetic phospholipids are preferably the lecithins and kephalins that are defined above; their acyl groups R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 have a defined structure and are derived from a defined fatty acid with a degree of purity of greater than about 95%. R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 can be the same or different and unsaturated or saturated. Preferably, R.sub.1 is saturated, e.g., n-hexadecanoyl, and R.sub.2 is unsaturated, e.g., .sup.9 -cis-octadecenoyl (oleoyl).
The term "naturally occurring" phospholipid (I) defines phospholipids that do not have a uniform composition in terms of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2. Such natural phospholipids are also lecithins and kephalins, their acyl groups R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 cannot be defined structurally and are derived from naturally occurring fatty acid mixtures.
The requirement "basically pure" phospholipid (I) defines a degree of purity of greater than 90% (by weight), preferably more than 95%, of phospholipid (I), which can be detected by suitable determination methods, e.g., by paper chromatography, with thin-layer chromatography, with HPLC or an enzymatic color test.
In a phospholipid (I), R.sub.3 with the meaning of C.sub.1-4 alkyl is, for example, methyl or ethyl. The meaning of methyl is preferred.
R.sub.3 with the meanings C.sub.1-5 alkyl substituted by carboxy, C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by hydroxy or C.sub.2-5 alkyl substituted by carboxy or hydroxy are, for example, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2,3-dihydroxy-n-propyl, carboxymethyl, 1- or 2-carboxyethyl, dicarboxymethyl, 2-carboxy-2-hydroxyethyl or 3-carboxy-2,3-dihydroxy-n-propyl.
R.sup.3 with the meaning C.sub.2-5 alkyl is substituted by carboxy and amino, e.g., 3-amino-3-carboxy-n-propyl or 2-amino-2-carboxy-n-propyl, preferably 2-amino-2-carboxyethyl. Phospholipids (I) with these groups can be present in the form of a salt, e.g., as a sodium or potassium salt.
Phospholipids (I) in which R.sub.3 means the inositol group or the glyceryl group are known under the designations phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylglycerol.
For acyl radicals in phospholipids (I), the designations that are indicated in parentheses are also commonly used:
9-cis-dodecenoyl (lauroleoyl), 9-cis-tetradecenoyl (myristoleoyl), 9-cis-hexadecenoyl (palmitoleoyl), 6-cis-octadecenoyl (petroseloyl), 6-trans-octadecenoyl (petroselaidoyl), 9-cis -octadecenoyl (oleoyl), 9-trans-octa-decenoyl (elaidoyl), 9,12-cis-octadecadienoyl (linoleoyl), 9,12,15-cis-octadecatrienoyl (linolenoyl), 11-cis-octadecenoyl (vaccenoyl), 9-cis-icosenoyl (gadoloeoyl), 5,8,11,14-cis-eicosatetraenoyl (arachidonoyl), n-dodecanoyl (lauroyl), n-tetradecanoyl (myristoyl), n-hexadecanoyl (palmitoyl), n-octadecanoyl (stearoyl), n-icosanoyl (arachidoyl), n-docosanoyl (behenoyl), n-tetracosanoyl (lignoceroyl).
A salt of phospholipid (I) is preferably pharmaceutically acceptable. Salts are defined by the existence of salt-forming groups in substituent R.sub.3, as well as by the free hydroxy group on phosphorus. The formation of internal salts is also possible. Preferred are alkali metal salts, especially sodium salts.
Component c) is added at a preferred concentration of about 0.1 to 5% by weight, preferably 0.5 to 3% by weight, relative to the total weight of the formulation. In an especially preferred embodiment, purified lecithin from soybeans of grade LIPOID S 100 is used.
Component d) preferably consists of absolute ethanol.
Component e)--water in the purity that is necessary for dermal application--is germ-free and, if necessary, pyrogen-free according to the applicable instructions of the National Pharmacopeia.
Component f)--adjuvants suitable for a dermal form of administration--is contained as a facultative ingredient. Such adjuvants are contained in o/w-, w/o-, w/o/w-emulsions, creams, ointments, gels, lotions, pastes, spray foams, sprays, aerosols, tinctures, or lotions.
Suitable are especially emulsifiers, fatty acid salts, e.g., sodium stearate, emulsifying mixtures made of fatty acids and their salts, e.g., the mixture of stearic acid and sodium stearate, ethoxylated fatty alcohols, e.g., polyoxyethylene(20)-cetyl-stearyl ether, hydrogenated ethoxylated castor oil, e.g., polyoxyethylene(7)-hydroxygenated castor oil, fatlike emulsifiers, e.g., wool wax, wool wax alcohols, higher fatty alcohols, or partial glycerine esters or partial sorbitan esters such as glycerine monostearate or sorbitan monooleate, orthophosphoric acid ester, e.g., cetyl phosphate, or surfactants with a silicon base, e.g., dimethiconpolyol. Lipophilic components, silicon oils or silicon waxes, fatty acid esters such as cetyl palmitate, isostearyl isostearate, isopropyl palmitate or isopropyl myristate, mineral oil, vaseline, natural wax or Guerbet alcohols, also preservatives, e.g., benzalkonium chloride, phenoxy-ethanol, also benzoic acid or its salts, 4-hydroxy-benzoic acid ester (pHB ester), phenols, e.g., tert-butyl-4-methoxy- or di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, benzyl alcohol, 4-chlorobenzyl or 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, chlorohexidine diacetate or chlorohexidine digluconate, thiabendazole, cetyl triammonium bromide, cetyl-pyridininum bromide, phenododecinium bromide or sorbic acid, stabilizers that prevent separation (demulsification), e.g., tragacanth gum, starch, dextrins, pectins, alginates, cellulose esters, egg whites or polyvinyl alcohol, regulators of the moisture of the skin, e.g., amino acids, such as alanine, argininine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, serine or 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid or sodium lactate, collagen-hydrolysates, sugar (pentoses) or reaction products of D-glucose and L-glutamic acid, anitioxidants, e.g., ascorbic acid, cysteine, sulfites, e.g., sodium bisulfite, thioglycol or glutathione, essential oils for improving odor, e.g., menthol, orange, bitter orange, mandarin orange or citric oil, solvents or anti-evaporation agents, e.g., poly alcohols, e.g., propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol or glycerine, also pigments for improving color hue, e.g., talc, zinc oxide, kaolin, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, chromium oxide, manganese violet, ultramarine, or dyes with mica effects, e.g., mica.
The adjuvant content of component f) can vary within wide limits and depends on the type and the aesthetic nature of the desired form of preparation. As a general upper limit, a maximum content of about 20% by weight is considered.
To improve the skin penetration of the ingredients, so-called penetrating agents (flux enhancers) can be added which improve the penetration in upper skin layers. Suitable penetrating agents are, e.g., amides, e.g., N,N-dimethyllauroyl amide, 1-n-dodecylazacyclo-heptan-2-one (Azone.sup.(R), Nelson), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, urea or isopropyl myristate.
An object of the invention is also the process for the production of the cosmetic composition according to claim 1, which is characterized in that component c)--phospholipid --is dissolved in component d)--ethanol--, then component b)--partial fatty acid ester of polyoxyethylene sorbitan--as well as component a)--active ingredient--are added, and the mixture is stirred at room temperature or at an elevated temperature.
According to this process, an especially homogeneous dispersion with nanoparticles of lipophilic ingredient a) that can be applied dermally is produced.
The nanodispersion is obtained by adding the lipophilic phase ("oil phase") that consists of the ingredients of component a), as well as components b), c), d) and optionally lipophilic adjuvants--component f)--to the aqueous phase--component e), which optionally contains other hydrophilic adjuvants--component f). The mixture is mixed for two to three hours with a magnetic stirrer or a static mixer. The mixing process is carried out preferably at room temperature or with slight warming of up to 45.degree. C.
The dispersion that is thus obtained can be defined as a dispersion of colloid nanoparticles or, in simplified terms, as a nanodispersion. Based on laser-light scatter measurements and electron microscope pictures, the colloid particles that are present in the dispersion can be distinguished from other entities such as liquid crystals, micelles, reverse micelles, or liposomes. For the statistical majority of more than 95%, preferably more than 99%, a mean particle size of less than 80 nm is characteristic.
To characterize the available nanodispersions, methods known in the art are suitable, e.g., optical evaluation: weak to strong opalescence of the preparation is readily detectable (indication of a mean particle size of less than 50 nm), laser-light scatter (determination of particle size and homogeneity); electron microscopy (freeze-break- and negative contrast techniques).
The following examples illustrate the invention; percentages are given in percent by weight; relevant physical-chemical parameters, such as nanoparticle sizes and nanoparticle dispersion (laser-light scatter measurements in the nm range), (particle counter according to USP in the .mu.m range), viscosity and active ingredient content of the formulations in connection with the examples are summarized in a table.


A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving a traffic flow at a tamper resistant environment from an application, where the tamper resistant environment is separated from a host operating system. The method also includes applying a security token to the traffic flow and sending the traffic flow to a server. In specific embodiments, a security module may add information about the application to traffic flow. A trapping module may monitor for a memory condition and identify the memory condition. The trapping module may also, responsive to identifying the memory condition, initiate a virtual environment for the application, and check the integrity of the traffic flow.

The field of network security has become increasingly important in today's society. The Internet has enabled interconnection of different computer networks all over the world. However, the Internet has also presented many opportunities for malicious operators to exploit these networks. In some instances, once malicious software (also referred to herein as 'malware') has infected a host computer, a malicious operator may issue commands from a remote computer to control the malicious software. In other scenarios, the software may be inherently configured to perform certain actions without necessarily responding to an operator's commands. Malicious software can be configured to perform any number of malicious actions, such as sending out spam or malicious emails from the host computer, stealing sensitive information from a business or individual associated with the host computer, propagating to other host computers, and/or assisting with distributed denial of service attacks. In other scenarios, malicious software can be configured to target certain regions of a storage disk in order to gain unauthorized control of the host computer and its resources. Thus, the ability to effectively protect and maintain stable computers and systems continues to present significant challenges for component manufacturers, system designers, and network operators.

System and method for an endpoint hardware assisted network firewall in a security environment


An antenna main body comprises an antenna element, female connectors provided at a first connector, a female screw section, and an engagement claw inserted into an antenna mount hole H to make engagement with a lower side face of a roof panel R. A fixing member comprises cables, male connectors provided at a second connector, the male connectors being provided to make mechanical engagement with, and electrical connection to, female connectors, and being connected to the cable, and a male screw section helically fitted to a female screw section, thereby tightening the female connectors, the male connectors, and a roof panel R with one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna device mounted on a vehicle body such as an automobile, and more particularly, to an antenna device capable of simplifying a mounting work and reliably making connection even in the case of a composite antenna capable of receiving a plurality of frequency bandwidths.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, it has been well known that a variety of antenna devices are mounted on a vehicle body of an automobile (for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication Nos. 2001-36315 and 2004-48599). FIGS. 14 and 15 are views each showing an example of such an antenna device. That is, an antenna device 1 is composed of: an antenna main body 2 provided at an upper side of a roof panel R; and a mount nut 10 provided at a lower side of the roof panel R. The antenna main body 2 comprises: an antenna cover 3; an antenna element 4 mounted on the antenna cover 3; a pad section 5 disposed between the antenna cover 3 and the roof panel R; and a base section (not shown) and a substrate 6 provided at the pad section 5. A matching circuit or an amplifier circuit and a duplexer are incorporated in the substrate 6.
A protrusion section 7 is provided on a lower face of the base section as shown in FIG. 15, and is inserted into an antenna mount hole. A through hole is formed at the inside of the protrusion section 7, and an AM/FM coaxial cable 8 for transmitting a signal and a power supply line 9 for supplying power to the substrate 6 are drawn via the through hole.
The mount nut 10 comprises a ground washer 11 and a nut section 12, and the ground washer 11 is assembled to be rotatable with respect to the nut section 12.
In such an antenna device 1, the antenna main body 2 is first mounted on the antenna mount hole of the roof panel R from overhead shown in FIG. 15. At this time, the antenna main body 2 is temporarily locked so as to be immobilized by a temporarily locking claw 7b or the like. Next, the coaxial cable 8 and the power supply line 9 are routed into a through hole of the protrusion section 7 of the pad section 5. Then, the nut section 12 of the mount nut 10 is helically fitted to the screw section 7a formed on an outer periphery face of the protrusion section 7. Further, when the nut section 12 is rotated, a triangle shaped distal end of the ground washer 11 is cut into a lower face side of the roof panel R shown in FIG. 15, and the antenna main body 2 is securely fixed to the roof panel R and is grounded.
The above-described antenna device has suffered from the following problem. That is, in recent year, an antenna device has often been configured as a composite antenna having incorporated therein a high frequency patch antenna such as GPS, mobile broadcast, ETC, or SDARS in addition to an AM/FM broadcast receiving antenna. Further, there may be a need for a power supply cable for use in an amplifier incorporated in the antenna main body. Therefore, the number of cables or the like must be routed into the antenna mount holes, resulting in complicated work.
In addition, there has been a need for a work of connecting their respective cables to vehicle side cables inside of the vehicle body, and there has been an increased worker's burden. Further, in the case of a connector for use in connecting a high frequency bandwidth cable, a range of an error allowable at the time of connection is very narrow, and thus, there has been a problem that skillfulness is required for a connection work.
Further, there has been a problem that work efficiency becomes low since the antenna main body is temporarily stopped in an unstable manner when the main body is positioned on the roof panel. Furthermore, since a worker must do a work with one's face being upwardly oriented, there has been a possibility that the ground washer or nut may be accidentally dropped.

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited


A valve assembly is provided and includes a pitot tube having an angled tip to extract from a duct formed by a housing a sample of a fluid to be communicated to an actuator configured to operate the duct, the pitot tube being disposed within the housing whereby the pitot tube is fixed longitudinally between the actuator and the housing and laterally within the housing and an anti-rotation mechanism coupled with the pitot tube to rotationally secure the pitot tube such that the angled tip is fixed to face rearwardly.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a valve assembly and, more particularly, to a valve assembly having an anti-rotation mechanism for a pitot tube.
A pneumatically actuated butterfly valve opens and closes a duct through which fluid passes from an upstream end to a downstream end. Some valves operate in accordance with a measurement of the pressure of the fluid at the upstream end. That is, when they detect that the upstream pressure is too high or beyond a predefined threshold, they close at least partially to lower the downstream pressure. By contrast, when the upstream pressure is low, they open to allow more fluid through the duct.
The upstream pressure is detected by way of a pitot tube positioned such that its tip is placed in the fluid. The pitot tube is used to communicate a sample of the fluid to a valve actuator where the fluid pressure can be extracted and a determination can be made to open or close the valve. To this end, the pitot tube has an angled tip that is designed to discourage debris from entering the tube. In order for the pitot tube to be effective, however, the angled tip must face in the reward direction and the pitot tube must be prevented from rotating. Typically, this is accomplished by the use of a high temperature adhesive, such as Stycast 2762, but it has been seen that the actual operating temperature of the fluid often exceeds this and other adhesive's capability. As such, pitot tubes often rotate to an undesired orientation.

Method of forming a pitot tube valve assembly with an anti-rotation mechanism


Reagents, methods and kits for denaturation of protein are provided.

Nucleic acids such as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are used extensively in the field of molecular biology for research and clinical analyses. RNA may be found in nature in various forms, including messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and viral RNA. Each of these types of RNA has distinct properties related to their specific functions. Analysis of RNA expression levels and patterns provides important information in fields such as developmental genetics, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics. For example, RNA analysis provides important diagnostic information about both normal and aberrant functioning of genes. Furthermore, gross DNA rearrangements associated with common leukemias are detected by isolation and identification of abnormal, hybrid RNAs.
Common methods for analyzing RNA include northern blotting, ribonuclease protection assays (RPAs), reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cDNA preparation for cloning, in vitro translation and microarray analyses. To obtain valid and consistent results from these analyses, it is important that the RNA be purified from other components common to biological materials such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and DNA.

Formulations and methods for denaturing proteins


A method and apparatus for determining thickness of a metallic layer being deposited on a collector. The method includes applying an electromagnetic field to a conductive layer on the collector. Then the temperature or the change in temperature of the collector is determined. The metal thickness is determined as a function of the temperature or change in temperature. The apparatus includes a collector, a thermocouple associated with the collector, and a source of an electromagnetic field.

During fabrication of microelectronic devices, thin films and metal alloys are deposited on substrates and used as electrical conductors, adhesion layers and diffusion barriers. For instance, the ionized physical vapor deposition (iPVD or ionized PVD) process has been utilized in semiconductor processing for metallization and forming interconnects. Other techniques are used for metallization, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. These techniques are utilizing metallic precursors to deposit a metallic layer over the structure. In many cases these methods use plasma source techniques to ionize and excite gas and precursors, since it has been found to be an effective and simple tool to generate high-density plasma (for instance, plasma enhanced CVD, referred to as PECVD, and plasma enhanced ALD, referred to as PEALD).
Typically, the metallization PVD process is performed in a vacuum chamber by creating the metal vapor flux from the metal source (usually a magnetron sputtering source, evaporation source, precursors, etc.). The metal atoms may be transported directly to the substrate or undergo thermalization within a processing zone, depending on the background argon pressure. Eventually, the metal is ionized by a secondary plasma source to provide metallic ions for required process performance. Metal ions and atoms are diffusing towards the wafer surface and ions are accelerated by sheath voltage (potential difference between plasma and wafer potential). Concurrently with this process the metal (either neutral or in ionic state) is transported to other hardware surfaces in the chamber as well, since the processing zone is always surrounded and enclosed by the chamber walls, shields, secondary plasma source interfacing surface, etc. Thus the metal is also ultimately deposited onto the chamber wall and hardware surfaces. This might have an effect on tool performance and mean time before maintenance (MTBM).

Method and apparatus for monitoring the thickness of a conductive coating


A method of controlling vehicles parked in a parking system. A user sends a user-specific code to a parking system computer via a mobile telephone system when beginning and terminating a parking period. The identity of the parking zone concerned is sent to the computer, in which a vehicle-specific code is stored and is tied to the user-specific code. A parking attendant uses a control unit for wirelessly fetching information concerning vehicles that have commenced but not terminated a parking period in the zone concerned. The control unit sends to a telephone coupled to the computer a voice message from the parking attendant that includes a vehicle registration number. The computer compares that registration number with the registration numbers of logged-in vehicles and sends to the control unit a voice message repeating the registration number and including information as to whether the vehicle is logged-in.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling parked vehicles, primarily cars. More specifically, the invention relates to a parking system in which a mobile telephone can be used to commence and terminate parking of a vehicle
2. Description of the Related Art
In cities and towns there will be one or more vehicle parking companies who have parking meters, or so-called pay meters, distributed throughout the city or town in a number of different places. Streets and large parking areas are the most common places in this regard.
In recent times, it has become more and more usual to pay parking fees with different types of bank card or cash card, as a supplement to coin payment. When a cash card is used, the person parking a vehicle will draw the card through a card reader on the parking meter.
The parking meter then issues a parking ticket, which is placed inwardly of the windscreen where it can be seen. When collecting the vehicle, the person concerned must return to the pay meter and again draw the cash card through the meter card reader. The pay meter then calculates the parking fee and stores the fee together with the number of the card to be charged.
A system in which parking of a vehicle at such parking facilities can be initiated and also terminated with the aid of a mobile telephone is known to the art.
Swedish Patent Specification 9800888-1 teaches a simple system for parking vehicles by means of a mobile telephone. According to that patent, data on a cash card or credit card owned by the user and accepted as payment means by the parking system, and at least a user-specific reference, are stored in and tied to a database belonging to the parking company concerned.
A user-specific reference is the number of the telephone that is used when parking the vehicle concerned. The telephone number is detected by the computer of the parking system as the telephone is connected to a telephone number belonging to the parking system.
A vehicle-specific reference is the registration number of the vehicle This registration number is coupled with the telephone number in the computer of the parking system and possibly also with the number of the cash card.
Whether or not commencement of a vehicle parking period has been reported to the parking can be ascertained by a parking attendant reading the registration number of the vehicle.
According to said patent, the parking attendants are equipped with a portable communications unit which is in wireless connection with a computer of the parking company in which data relating to those vehicles where parking has been commenced but not yet terminated is stored. This communications unit may be constructed for example, in accordance with the control unit described in Swedish Patent Specification 9700054-1. The parking attendant enters the parking zone concerned into the control unit and the control unit fetches from the computer a so-called parked vehicle list relating to the parking zone concerned, i.e., a list of the registration numbers of those vehicles with which the commencement of a parking period has been reported. The control unit then compares the registration numbers read-off with the list of parked vehicles and indicates when a commenced parking period has not been reported.
The system described in Swedish Patent Specification 9700054-1 is encumbered with a number of drawbacks. For instance it is desirable to enable the number of entries required by the attendants through the unit keypad to be reduced. It is also desirable to simplify handling of the control unit, which necessitates both reading and entering data. Handling of the unit is particularly difficult in winter when the attendants often need to wear so-called three-finger gloves.
The present invention solves these problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The disclosure relates to a mechanical hand of a dual-driven special-shaped super-flexible elastic framework. The mechanical hand includes a top plate and a base plate. The top plate and the base plate are fixed into a whole through two groups of guide connection rods. Two lead screw shaft servo motors are disposed on the top plate at an interval. Lead screws of the two lead screw shaft servo motors are respectively connected to a hollow finger front section driving plate and a finger root portion driving plate. Tail ends of the two lead screws are respectively supported on the base plate through two mounted bearings. The mechanical hand further includes flexible fingers. A tip portion of each of the flexible fingers is fixed on the hollow finger front section driving plate. A special-shaped super-flexible leaf spring of the flexible finger is connected to the base plate through a finger root hinge seat. A curved rod of the flexible finger is connected to the finger root portion driving plate through a curved rod hinge seat. The two lead screw shaft servo motors convert rotation movements into linear movements through lead screw nut mechanisms, and different portions of the flexible finger are respectively driven to move. Objects of different sizes and states are reliably grasped. A grasping range is wide. A flexible self-adaption effect is achieved.

In view of large-scale production conditions of light industry and food industry, tail end grasping devices for logistics grasping are needed for satisfying the logistics and packaging demands of raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products with complicated shapes and diverse physical properties and solving the problems of high labor cost, poor labor conditions and the like of simple work. The types of complicated objects to be grasped include: (1) objects (melons, fruits and vegetables) with irregular shapes and great size differences; (2) fragile brittle objects (eggs and glass-ceramic products); (3) easy-to-deform soft objects (bread and soft packaging objects); and (4) special-shaped objects (wine bottles and cosmetic bottles) which are disordered in position states and are difficult to tidy. From the above, it can be seen that the complicated objects have great differences in material properties, shape sizes and positional states. A traditional industrial mechanical hand (a tail end grasping device is of a clamp type or parallel moving type structure) can only grasp rigid workpieces which have the same shape and size and consistent position states and cannot be damaged. A humanoid dexterous hand needs to sense the spatial position and the shape of the complicated object, and needs to accurately control the movements and the grasping force, otherwise the complicated object will be damaged or cannot be reliably grasped. However, at present, the humanoid dexterous hand is still at a laboratory research stage.
At present, a finger portion of an under-actuated mechanical hand is of a rigid variable constraint structure, and each finger has three freedom degrees. Under the drive of a single motor, when the finger is not in contact with the object to be grasped, movement tracks of any one point of the finger are constant and will interfere with a small support surface of the object to be grasped (such as a conveying belt). When the finger is in contact with the object to be grasped, the elasticity of a special-shaped super-flexible leaf spring 4a needs to be overcome, and the acting point and the magnitude and the direction of its acting force cannot be changed. The adaption to the inconstant shapes and sizes of the above complicated objects to be grasped cannot be realized, the special requirements that no damage is caused by the contact force, and the complicated objects are reliably grasped cannot be met, and at the same time, great impact can be caused to the grasped complicated objects. Therefore, the under-actuated mechanical hand of a rigid structure has poor adaptability, and cannot effectively grasp the above-mentioned complicated objects.

Mechanical hand of dual-driven special-shaped super-flexible elastic framework


A blade assembly is disclosed. The blade assembly comprises a printed circuit (PC) board, and a disk drive drawer. The disk drive drawer is configured to move from a closed position into an open position, wherein the disk drive drawer is adjacent to the PC board when in the closed position and is positioned away from the PC board when in the open position. The blade assembly also comprises at least one stack of internal drives attached to the disk drive drawer. Each stack of internal drives comprise: a base bracket attached to the disk drive drawer, at least one drive cage pivotally mounted to the base bracket and configured to rotate between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position the drive cage is parallel with the disk drive drawer and in the open position the drive cage makes an angle a with the disk drive drawer. The drive cage is configured to hold a disk drive. Each stack of internal drives are located inside a blade enclosure when the blade assembly is mounted in the blade enclosure and the disk drive drawer is in the closed position. Each stack of internal drives are located outside the blade enclosure when the blade assembly is mounted in the blade enclosure and the disk drive drawer is in the open position.

Many computer blade systems have blades that are physically thick enough to fit multiple disk drives in a stacked configuration within the blade envelope. Some of these blade systems stack drives that are front side accessible in multiple layers but only stack the non-accessible or internal drives in a single layer. Other blade systems may stack the internal drives on top of each other in multiple layers. Unfortunately, when the internal drives are stacked in layers, the lower drives can only be accesses sequentially. The upper drives must be removed before the lower drives may be accessed. Because the internal drives are not front side accessible and can only be accessed sequentially, they are not hot swappable.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A tiller arm is provided with a lock mechanism that retains the tiller arm in an upwardly extending position relative to an outboard motor when the tiller arm is rotated about a first axis and the lock mechanism is placed in a first of two positions. Contact between an extension portion of the lock mechanism and the discontinuity of the arm prevents the arm from rotating downwardly out of its upward position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tiller handle and, more particularly, to a tiller handler that is lockable in an upward position relative to a steering component of the outboard motor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of tiller handles are well known to those skilled in the art. Typically, the tiller handle is movable about a generally horizontal axis to several positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,996, which issued to Meyer on Dec. 2, 1975, discloses a steering apparatus for an outboard motor. A steering handle assembly includes a tiller handle having an outer throttle grip with a "kill" switch mounted within the end of the grip. A tubular housing is secured at the inner end of a rotatable elbow support to place the tiller in a raised transport position. A throttle shaft is rotatably mounted within the housing and fixed to the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,777, which issued to Tsunekawa et al. on Aug. 25, 1998, describes an outboard motor control. A control handle for the tiller of an outboard motor is described which embodies a twist-grip throttle control, a pivotally supported transmission control and a trim switch. These features are juxtaposed to each other but oriented in such a way so that actuation of one will not affect accidental actuation of any other control.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,066, which issued to Isogawa et al. on Jul. 25, 2000, describes a control for an outboard motor. The throttle and transmission control of an outboard motor employs a bowden wire mechanism for transmitting control signals from the tiller handle to the engine throttle and transmission control. The control handle is pivotally mounted on the front end of a tiller arm and the wire actuators exit the control handle and enter the protective cowling on opposite sides of a longitudinal center plane or on opposite sides of the protective cowling so as to increase the length of the wire actuators in this area so as to facilitate their bending without kinking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,343, which issued to Kawai et al. on Jun. 18, 2002, describes a tiller control for an outboard motor. It features a compact throttle control and transmission shifting control on a handle connected to a tiller. An interlock is designed to limit the maximum engine speed at which the engine can be operated when the transmission is in neutral and to lock the transmission in neutral or out of neutral when the engine is operated at a speed greater than a second speed that is less than the maximum speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,342, which issued to Walczak et al. on Jun. 18, 2002, discloses a control handle for a marine tiller. The control handle is provided with a rotatable handle grip portion that includes an end surface which supports a plurality of push buttons that the operator of a marine vessel can depress to actuate certain control mechanisms and devices associated with the outboard motor. These push buttons include trim up and trim down along with gear selector push buttons in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
The tiller handle of an outboard motor is typically provided with an axis about which it can pivot to various positions. For example, from a generally horizontal position that is typically used when an operator of a marine vessel is operating the outboard motor, the handle can be tilted upwardly so that it is moved out of the way to prevent it from obstructing the space immediately in front of the outboard motor. Another reason for rotating the tiller handle upwardly relative to a steering component of the outboard motor is to more easily allow the outboard motor to be trimmed or tilted about its trim access without causing the tiller handle to move into contact with various components within the marine vessel. In other words, as the outboard motor is rotated about its trim axis, the tiller handle typically rotates about the same trim axis and can move into obstructing relation with portions of the marine vessel or components contained within the marine vessel. When tilting an outboard motor upwardly in this manner, the tiller handle is typically raised to its upward position to avoid these potential disadvantages.
Some outboard motors are used as secondary propulsion devices in combination with a primary propulsion device which is typically a larger outboard motor. This type of secondary outboard motor is referred to by those skilled in the art as a "kicker motor" and is normally used for the purpose of trolling. When not in use, the secondary outboard motor is typically tilted upwardly out of the water with its tiller handle raised to its uppermost position relative to a steering component of the outboard motor. In outboard motors known to those skilled in the art, the tiller handle can easily move out of its upward position under the circumstances and into obstructing contact with the space or components in front of the outboard motor.
It would therefore be beneficial if a system could be provided in which the tiller handle of an outboard motor could be locked in an upward position to remain in that position when the secondary outboard motor, or "kicker motor" is trimmed upwardly relative to the transom of the marine vessel. It would be further beneficial if this locking mechanism could be easily released by the operator of the marine vessel when the secondary motor is intended for use as a propulsion device for the marine vessel.

Outboard motor tiller handle with upward position locking device


A wound treatment appliance is provided for treating a wound, which appliance comprises a semi-rigid or rigid wound covering device and a vacuum system to provide a supply of reduced pressure to the wound covering device. The wound covering device may be comprised of an impermeable overlay, a stopper, and a suction drain. Alternatively, the wound covering device may be comprised of an impermeable overlay and a suction drain. The wound covering device may also be comprised of an impermeable overlay that has at least one channel that is a part thereof, wherein the at least one channel is used to provide reduced pressure to the wound and may remove fluid aspirated from the wound. The vacuum system may be comprised of at least a vacuum pump or a suction bulb, or a combination of the same. Finally, methods for using the wound treatment appliance are provided.

The present invention generally relates to treatment of wounds, and more specifically to an improved apparatus and methods for treating all or a portion of a wound by applying reduced pressure to the portion of the wound for which treatment is desired. In this context, the term "wound" is to be interpreted broadly, to include any body part of a patient that may be treated using reduced pressure.
The treatment of open or chronic wounds that are too large to spontaneously close or otherwise fail to heal by means of applying reduced pressure to the site of the wound is well known in the art. One such system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/652,100), which was filed by the present inventor with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 28, 2003. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is incorporated herein by reference. Another system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/064,813, entitled "Improved Flexible Reduced Pressure Treatment Appliance," which was filed by the present inventor on Feb. 24, 2005. The disclosure of this U.S. patent application is also incorporated herein by reference.
Reduced pressure wound treatment systems currently known in the art commonly involve placing a cover that is impermeable to liquids over the wound, using various means to seal the cover to the tissue of the patient surrounding the wound, and connecting a source of reduced pressure (such as a vacuum pump) to the cover in a manner so that an area of reduced pressure is created under the cover in the area of the wound. However, rigid and semi-rigid covers currently known and used in the relevant art for this purpose have a number of disadvantages. For example, such covers typically do not include a means to cleanse and provide other treatment to the wound without removing the cover from the tissue surrounding the wound. Thus, cleansing and other treatment of the wound may necessitate more frequent cover changes. This additional step of removing the cover, cleansing or otherwise treating the wound, and then replacing the cover, also generally increases the time medical staff must expend in treating the wound. This additional time generally means additional expense incurred in cleansing or other treatment of the wound. Further, the additional required changes of the cover for this purpose may also cause pain or discomfort or both for the patient. Further, the additional changes of the cover for this purpose may present an increased risk of infection or contamination of the wound.
Therefore, there is a need for a rigid or semi-rigid reduced pressure wound treatment system that has an enclosing means to enclose a wound and yet provide for cleansing and other treatment of the wound without the need to replace the enclosing means. Such enclosing means would simplify cleansing and other treatment of the wound. It would also generally save the valuable time of medical staff. As a result, it would also generally reduce the expense involved in wound treatment. It would also tend to reduce patient pain and discomfort and reduce the risk of wound infection and contamination. There is also a need for an enclosing means that is relatively inexpensive, while meeting the needs described above.
Finally, there is a need for a semi-rigid or rigid enclosing means that has within it a means to provide reduced pressure to the area of the wound under the enclosing means so that fluid aspirated from the wound is drawn through channels in the enclosing means. This type of enclosing means would potentially be easier to construct. Thus, it may also be less expensive to manufacture. In addition, this enclosing means may be made from materials that would allow it to be reusable. It would also provide for therapy that may occur as a patient sleeps, as described in more detail below.

Reduced pressure wound treatment appliance


Methods of forming a pattern for a semiconductor device are disclosed, wherein a critical dimension (CD) of a pattern can be accurately controlled and, thus, finer critical dimension can be realized. An illustrated example method comprises: forming an etching target layer on a semiconductor substrate; forming a photoresist pattern on the etching target layer; forming polymer spacers on side surfaces of the photoresist pattern to improve side-surface roughness of the photoresist pattern; and etching the etching target layer using the photoresist pattern and the polymer spacers as a mask to form a pattern.

As the size of semiconductor devices decreases, the formation of patterns becomes more and more important. Above all, it is very important to control the critical dimensions (CD) defining gaps between lines and between spaces.
In manufacturing semiconductor devices, patterns are generally formed through a photolithography process requiring masks. That is, portions not masked with photoresist patterns are selectively etched, thereby forming patterns having desired sizes and shapes. Accordingly, the critical dimensions CD are controlled using only the photoresist patterns.
As the size of the semiconductor devices decreases, such a conventional pattern forming method more and more approaches a limit. In particular, the photolithography process has required increased exposure resolution to form finer patterns. However, it is very difficult to form such finer patterns.


A system and method for request verification in an Application Level Gateway (ALG) located between a client and a server in a data transmission network. The ALG receives from a server a message that requires some responsive actions from a client. The ALG adds to this message Verification Data (VD) that includes information about expected actions required from the client. The ALG then sends the message with the above-mentioned additions to the client. The client receives this message and sends a response, with the actual actions and with the VD, to the server. The ALG obtains this response with the VD, and compares the description of the expected actions with actual actions of the client. If the actions of the client are legitimate, the ALG sends the client response to the server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to network communications, and in particular, to a system and method for server protection against network attacks from malicious clients.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the major obstacles to Internet usage for business purposes is the targeting of web servers by malicious clients. Such clients are able to compromise the server by making unauthorized requests to servers via a network such as the Internet. Such requests may compromise site security and site operation efficiency.
In the case of unauthorized client requests or responses to a server, the server should preferably be enabled to identify and reject these requests. However, many security holes and weaknesses in typical server architectures, protocols and applications prevent the effective processing of these malicious requests.
One of the popular safeguards for preventing network attacks is a firewall. Firewalls are an important part of typical modern communication networks, in that they protect the resources of inner networks during communications with systems located in external networks. Firewalls can defend the inner network from many types of attacks.
An Application Level Gateway (ALG) represents a specific kind of firewall. An ALG operates at the application layer to process traffic through the firewall and can review not only the message traffic, but also message content.
One typical server attack occurs as follows: the server sends to a client, by HTTP protocol, an HTML page with fields for input, such as checkboxes, radio buttons etc. A malicious client will respond to the server with alternative information (e.g. sending an option that was not listed as one of the acceptable choices in the radio button, or by modifying a hidden field value). This information can disrupt normal server operation.
Few defense methods are known to deal with the above type of attack. One such method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,278, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. According to the '278 patent, the gateway (filter module) is positioned between the server and client. The gateway parses the server messages to identify commands, fields etc. The resulting data represents the set of allowable or authorized user actions and is stored in a protocol database.
When the gateway receives a request from the client, it queries the protocol database to determine whether the client request is permitted. The gateway eliminates any prohibited actions requested by the client to the server (i.e., actions not stored in the protocol database), and allows the remaining, allowable request to the server.
However, information in such a protocol database is not linked to definite HTML pages that are sent from a server to a client. Moreover, a client response allowed for one HTML page may be prohibited for another HTML page. For example, in the case where there are 10 allowable choices for radio button on a first HTML page, there may only 5 choices on a second, similar HTML page. In addition, the 5 choices for radio button on the second HTML page may be the same as 5 of the 10 allowable choices on a first page. Since these pages are similar in content, such a protocol database may not detect the difference in allowable choices, leading to incorrect verification of client responses to such pages. It is clear that this method poses limitations.
Furthermore, querying a large database can consume much time and many resources of a computer system, causing increased delays in communication between the server and client. Accordingly, the solution proposed in the '278 patent is not totally satisfactory.
Patent Application No. 01/31415 of WIPO (incorporated herein by reference) describes a method and system for verifying a client request. The method includes receiving a message including a set of actions or a program from a server, and simulating the execution of this client-side logic. As a result of this simulation, a list of allowable actions and allowable user input is defined. This list is then compared with the list of actual client actions and inputs. Only those actual client actions and inputs that are found on the list are considered to be authorized client requests, and are passed to the server.
The solution proposed by this method and system requires simulating the execution of client-side logic. This simulation produces processing delays and consumes considerable computer resources. Accordingly, the solution proposed in Patent Application 01/31415 is also not totally satisfactory.
There is thus a recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, an Application Level Gateway (ALG) that can accurately validate client responses to a server on a per message basis, and that does not require a costly simulation procedure.

Application level gateway for request verification


In complex metallization systems of sophisticated semiconductor devices, appropriate stress compensation mechanisms may be implemented in order to reduce undue substrate deformation during the overall manufacturing process. For example, additional dielectric material and/or functional layers of one or more metallization layers may be provided with appropriate internal stress levels so as to maintain substrate warpage at a non-critical level, thereby substantially reducing yield losses in the manufacturing process caused by non-reliable attachment of substrates to substrate holders in process and transport tools.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the field of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to integrated circuits requiring a complex metallization system including a high number of metallization layers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices are typically formed on substantially disc-shaped substrates made of any appropriate material. The majority of semiconductor devices including highly complex electronic circuits are currently, and in the foreseeable future will be, manufactured on the basis of silicon, thereby rendering silicon substrates and silicon-containing substrates, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, viable carriers for forming semiconductor devices, such as microprocessors, SRAMs, ASICs (application specific ICs) and the like. The individual integrated circuits are arranged in an array form, wherein most of the manufacturing steps, which may involve up to several hundred individual process steps in sophisticated integrated circuits, are performed simultaneously for all chip areas on the substrate, except for photolithography processes, metrology processes and packaging of the individual devices after dicing the substrate. Thus, economic constraints drive semiconductor manufacturers to steadily increase the substrate dimensions, thereby also increasing the area available for producing actual semiconductor devices and thus increasing production yield. At the same time, device dimensions are also being reduced in view of performance criteria, as typically lower transistor dimensions provide increased operating speed.
In modern integrated circuits, the circuit elements are formed in and on a semiconductor layer, while most of the electrical connections are established, due to the high packing density of the circuit elements in the device level, in a plurality of "wiring" layers, also referred to as metallization layers, wherein the electrical characteristics, such as resistivity, electromigration, etc., of the metallization layers significantly affect the overall performance of the integrated circuit. Electromigration is a phenomenon of electric field induced material transport in a metal line, which is observable at higher current densities in a metal line, thereby resulting in device degradation or even device failure.
Due to the ongoing demand for shrinking the feature sizes of highly sophisticated semiconductor devices, metals of superior conductivity, such as copper and the like, in combination with sophisticated dielectric materials, have become a frequently used alternative in the formation of metallization systems comprising metallization layers having metal line layers and intermediate via layers. Metal lines act as intra-layer connections and vias act as inter-layer connections, thereby connecting the individual circuit elements in the device layer to provide the required functionality of the integrated circuit. Typically, a plurality of metal line layers and via layers stacked on top of each other are necessary to realize the connections between all internal circuit elements and I/O (input/output), power and ground pads of the circuit design under consideration.
For extremely scaled integrated circuits, the signal propagation delay is no longer limited by the circuit elements in the device levels, such as transistors, but is limited—owing to the increased density of circuit elements, which requires an even more increased number of electrical connections between these circuit elements—by the close proximity of the metal lines, since the line-to-line capacitance is increased. This fact, in combination with a reduced conductivity of the lines due to a reduced cross-sectional area, results in increased RC time constants. For this reason, traditional dielectrics such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride are increasingly replaced in metallization layers by dielectric materials having a lower permittivity, which are, therefore, also referred to as low-k dielectrics having a relative permittivity of approximately 3 or less.
Furthermore, due to the ongoing shrinkage of feature sizes of the circuit elements in the device layer, the available floor space for forming the metallization system of the semiconductor device may also have to be adapted to the increased packing density. Since, typically, many of the circuit elements formed in the device level may require two or more electrical connections, the number of mutual electrical connections may over-proportionally increase with increasing packing density in the device level, thereby typically requiring an increased number of stacked metallization layers in order to comply with the complexity of the circuit layout under consideration. For this reason, in sophisticated semiconductor devices, such as microprocessors, complex storage devices and the like, the number of stacked metallization layers may increase although sophisticated materials in the form of highly conductive metal components, such as copper and the like, in combination with dielectric materials of reduced permittivity, may increasingly be used. Consequently, as the number of stacked metallization layers may increase, and additionally in each of the metallization layers a complex composition of materials in the form of etch stop layers, interlayer dielectric materials, conductive barrier layers, cap layers and the like may be required, the entire metallization system of the semiconductor device may have a significant influence on the overall performance of the device but also may increasingly influence the overall manufacturing flow. For example, the density and mechanical stability or strength of the low-k dielectric materials may be significantly less compared to well-approved dielectrics such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Moreover, due to copper's characteristics of being readily diffused in a plurality of dielectric materials, an efficient confinement of the copper material may also be guaranteed, thereby requiring conductive barrier materials, dielectric or conductive cap layers and the like, each of which may require respective material compositions and deposition techniques. For example, the substrate handling for the various process steps required for completing the complex metallization system may be significantly affected by the composition and the number of stacked metallization layers, as will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1a-1b.
FIG. 1a schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional semiconductor device 100, in which a metallization system 180 is formed above a substrate 101. Typically, the substrate 101 may represent a silicon substrate or an SOI substrate, which may be divided into a plurality of die regions (not shown), each of which may represent a semiconductor device in an intermediate manufacturing stage, i.e., semiconductor device prior to separating the substrate 101 into individual chips. The substrate 101 typically has formed thereon a device layer 110, which is to be understood as any appropriate semiconductor layer or layers required for forming respective circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors, resistors and the like. For convenience, a plurality of elements 111 is illustrated, wherein it should be appreciated that a very large number of corresponding circuit elements may be provided within each die, depending on the overall complexity of the circuit configuration under consideration. For instance, in sophisticated microprocessors, several hundred million transistors may be provided. Furthermore, a contact structure 120 is typically provided to act as an electric interface between the device level 110 and the metallization system 180. For instance, the contact structure 120 may be comprised of any appropriate dielectric material for enclosing and passivating the circuit elements 111 and also accommodating corresponding contact elements, which may connect to metal lines of the contact structure layer 120 of the metallization system 180. Moreover, as previously indicated, a plurality of additional metallization layers 130, 140, 150, 160 and 170 may be provided depending on the circuit layout of the device 100. In principle, each of the metallization layers 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 may have a similar composition, i.e., metal lines and vias may be formed in accordance with the overall circuit layout in an appropriate dielectric material, wherein respective additional materials, such as etch stop materials, conductive and dielectric barrier materials and the like, are typically provided as required. Moreover, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1a, a last metallization layer 170 may typically be provided if an appropriate structure is provided to connect the metallization system 180 to the periphery, for instance in the form of a printed wiring board, a device package, or any other carrier substrate in accordance with the further handling of the device 100. For example, a bump structure 171 may be provided to enable direct contact with corresponding bumps or contact pads of a carrier substrate. In other cases, appropriate bond pads may be provided in order to enable contact with a bond wire, which may be used for establishing the electrical connection to the periphery.
FIG. 1b schematically illustrates an enlarged view of a portion of the metallization system 180. As illustrated, the portion of the metallization layer 140 comprises a dielectric material 141, which may be provided in the form of a material composition including different materials while, in sophisticated applications, the dielectric material 141 may comprise a significant amount of a low-k dielectric material or even an ultra low-k (ULK) material, which may have a dielectric constant of 2.7 and less. Furthermore, an etch stop layer 145 is typically provided as a first layer of the metallization layer 140 or may be considered as a final layer of a lower lying metallization layer and has typical etch stop capabilities with respect to the interlayer dielectric material 141 with respect to a patterning sequence for forming openings for a via 143. Moreover, a metal line 142 is illustrated wherein, in the example shown, the via 143 and the metal line 142 may both comprise a common conductive barrier material 144, such as tantalum, tantalum nitride and the like, which are well-established barrier materials for enhancing adhesion of the highly conductive metal, such as copper, provided in the metal line 142 and the via 143, while also providing the required copper integrity and performance with respect to electromigration. Similarly, the metallization layer 150 may comprise an etch stop layer 155 comprised of an appropriate dielectric material 151, in which are embedded a metal line 152 and a via 153. It should be appreciated that other materials may be used for the dielectric material 151 compared to the material 141 depending on the overall configuration of the semiconductor device 100.
As previously discussed, a plurality of complex manufacturing steps are typically required for forming the metallization system 180, wherein, for convenience, a corresponding manufacturing sequence for the layers 140 and 150 may be described. Hence, after forming the metallization layer 130 (FIG. 1a), the etch stop layer 145 is deposited, for instance in the form of a silicon nitride material, a nitrogen-containing silicon carbide material and the like. For this purpose, well-established plasma enhanced deposition techniques are available. Subsequently, the dielectric material 141 may be provided by one or more deposition steps, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), spin-on techniques and the like. Thereafter, a complex patterning sequence has to be performed on the basis of sophisticated lithography processes to form the corresponding openings for the via 143 and the metal line 142. It should be appreciated that a plurality of process strategies are currently practiced in order to form the metal line 142 and the via 143. Irrespective of the corresponding manufacturing flow, a plurality of critical deposition and patterning steps are to be performed, wherein the process results may increasingly be determined by the overall configuration of the metallization system 180. That is, due to the very different materials and treatments to be performed on the previously deposited material layers, a certain degree of deformation or warpage of the substrate 101 may be caused, which in turn may have a significant influence on the substrate handling during the entire processing of the device 100. For example, critical lithography processes may be severely influenced by the position of the corresponding substrate portions on a corresponding substrate holder so that the finally obtained lithography result may depend on the characteristics of the substrate 101. Moreover, an even further increased degree of deformation or warpage may result in a non-reliable attachment of the substrate 101 to the various substrate holders of process tools and transport equipment, thereby resulting in a significant risk of damage of the substrate or other related substrates.
Consequently, upon filling the corresponding openings in the dielectric material 141 by depositing the conductive barrier material 144 followed by the electrochemical deposition of the copper material and the corresponding removal of any excess material, the further processing may have to be performed on the basis of an even further increased substrate warpage, depending on the materials and the processes involved in forming the metallization layer 140. Similarly, the etch stop layer 155 may be deposited, followed by the deposition of the dielectric material 151 and the patterning thereof, wherein the previous metallization layers as well as the additional material layers 155 and 151 influence the mechanical characteristics of the substrate 101 so that a high risk of loss of substrates may be encountered during the manufacturing of the metallization system 180, which may even increase for higher metallization layers. Consequently, due to mechanical influence of the metallization system 180 on the substrate 101, a significantly reduced reliability during substrate handling activities may occur, in particular at a very late stage of the overall manufacturing flow, thereby contributing to increased yield losses at a manufacturing stage in which most of the process flows have already been completed.
The present disclosure is directed to various methods and devices that may avoid, or at least reduce, the effects of one or more of the problems identified above.

Reduced wafer warpage in semiconductors by stress engineering in the metallization system


A system and method are disclosed for estimating the amount of ink required for a specific print job. For example, the amount of ink for a particular color for a specific print job may be estimated. This estimation can be used for various applications such as predicting the cost of a particular print job.

Today, the price of printing a document typically varies only a limited amount, often having only two pricing tiers: black and white or color. Occasionally, the pricing scheme varies depending on the number of colors required to print the document. For example, a document requiring three different colors would cost more than a document requiring only two. These pricing schemes are typically not an accurate reflection of the true cost of printing a specific document. For example, a document designed mostly in black and white with a single small splash of color in the logo may cost the customer the same price as a document designed with a large full color picture, even though the second document requires substantially more ink than the first document. As a result, the customer may end up paying more than he should for the printing of his document, or alternatively, a merchant may end up charging less than he should to cover the cost of printing a document. This creates two problems for the printing business. There is a cost barrier for their customers, limiting the market to customers willing to pay the premium price or customers doing full color jobs. Another problem is the inability of the print provider to control their profit margins.
What is needed is a system and method for pricing a print job so as to more accurately reflect the true cost of the print job. The present invention addresses such needs.

System and method for pricing print jobs