Stabilizing apparatus for inclined legs comprises a thigh engageable portion extending generally transversally along the width of the lap of a subject with which the apparatus is bodily engaged, two spaced appendage portions extending downwardly from the thigh engageable portion, a foot engageable portion positionable on an underlying surface, and a portion, such a connecting element and tensioning device, extending from each of the two appendage portions to a foot engageable portion. The two appendage portions are positionable to be substantially in contact with the lateral side of a thigh of the subject. A loop is defined such that each of the portions extending from an appendage portion to a foot engageable portion is suitably tensioned so as to apply forces to a foot engageable portion for resisting a forward foot sliding motion and to an appendage portion for resisting relative transversal motion of an inclined leg.

A supine position whereby one's back contacts an underlying horizontal surface, e.g. a mattress or a floor surface, or a reclined position whereby one's back is at an angle and is supported by cushions is comfortable and provides a relaxing experience, particularly when the legs are in an inclined position. One prefers to be engaged in various activities such as reading and watching television when in a supine or reclined position as a result of the high level of relaxation that these positions afford. An inclined leg position is sufficiently comfortable for the performance of interactive activities with objects placed on one's lap, such as playing with infants placed on the lap or working with a portable computer.
A subject in a supine or reclined position has to make a conscious effort to retain the legs in the inclined position. If not properly exerted, however, the feet tend to slide forwardly, or alternatively, the legs or knees tend to become transversally spaced from each other after an initial inclined leg position. A change from the initial inclined leg position increases the difficulty of performing the aforementioned interactive activities.
The Belkin CushTop Notebook Stand and the Logitech Comfort Lapdesk are padded stands placeable on one's lap for shielding a subject from the heat that a portable computer emits. These stands are usable when the subject is in a sitting position or when the legs are outstretched; however, they are not suitable for portable computer interaction when the legs are in an inclined position since they will slide downwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,049 discloses an easel assembly that is self supporting on the artist's body. A first adjustable length strap is adjustably secured at both ends to respective opposite transversal sides of the board toward the rear portion of the drawing board and is adapted to pass around the person's neck or back. A second strap is adjustably attached to and can extend downwardly either from the front portion of the board in order to pass around the person's foot, or it can be partially draped over the top surface of the board and downwardly over the rear edge of the board so that both ends of the strap pass under the person's foot for additional stability. This strap arrangement is cumbersome, and can be used only when a drawing board is employed. Also, this strap arrangement is not adapted to stabilize inclined legs when the subject is in a supine or reclined position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,005 discloses a foot support system including an adjustable elongated foot support for aiding persons in maintaining a sitting position while in bed on a mattress surface or other personal support. This device, however, requires a rope or other attachment device to be positioned around the back of the headboard of a bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,000 discloses a support device that includes a base attached to two spaced straps with a plurality of adjustable footholds, allowing users to maintain a seated position with their legs drawn up on a support surface without requiring any effort or exertion on the part of the user to retain their legs in this position. The user's weight anchors the base and supports the user's feet and legs. A user, however, will have difficulty in maintaining the thighs during extended periods of time in contact, or in close proximity, with each other in order to continuously perform interactive activities with objects placed on the lap. Also, the base is generally of limited dimensions, and therefore will not be adequately anchored if the user's position is changed from a sitting position to a supine position.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for stabilizing the legs in an inclined position irregardless of the disposition of the back or the inclination of the legs.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide leg stabilizing apparatus that is light, comfortable, and easy to manipulate.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide leg stabilizing apparatus that does not require attachment to a stationary support element.
It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide leg stabilizing apparatus that resists a forward foot sliding motion and relative transversal motion of a leg.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.


A real-time communication architecture establishes a continuous connection between an enterprise network and a communication management system. The connection is continuously held open allowing mobile devices real-time access to enterprise email systems. The real-time communication architecture can support an entire enterprise email system or individual email users. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Mobile email messaging systems typically use a store and forward architecture. Electronic Mail (email) redirector software runs either on an enterprise email server or on a desktop computer. The redirector software monitors a user mailbox. When a new email message is received in the mailbox, the redirector makes a copy of the email message and wraps the copy in an encryption envelope and encapsulates the copy for delivery to the mobile device. The redirector may optionally encrypt and/or digitally sign the encapsulated email message.
The encrypted encapsulated email message is sent out over the Internet and routed to a mobile device associated with the user mailbox. If encrypted, the email message is decrypted by the mobile device prior to being stored on the mobile device and then displayed and stored on the mobile device. This same process is repeated for every new email that is received in the user's mailbox.
Thus, with this architecture two versions of the same mailbox exist. The primary mailbox on the email server or desktop PC, and the replicated mailbox on the mobile device. Consistency between the primary and the replicated mailbox may be maintained to some degree using synchronization messages passing back and forth between the redirector and the mobile device. For example, an email message deleted from the mobile device may result in a synchronization message to the desktop redirector, which instructs it to also delete that message from the primary mailbox. In some versions of this architecture, no effort at all is made to ensure consistency of mailbox state between the primary and replicated instances. This store and forward architecture is cumbersome, does not operate in real-time, and requires sending a large number of email messages over the Internet. The present invention addresses this and other problems associated with the prior art.

Connection architecture for a mobile network


In a LVTSCR or snapback NMOS ESD structure, low voltage protection as well as higher voltage protection is provided by introducing a floating gate that capacitively couples with the control gate of the ESD structure and programming the floating gate to have different charges on it as desired.

It is desirable during assembly of semiconductor devices to provide ESD protection by providing a low voltage snapback device that continues to serve a useful purpose after assembly. Snapback devices such as SCRs, LVTSCRs, snapback NMOS are commonly known in the art but typically define a high impedance, low leakage structure with high breakdown voltage that is not suitable for low voltage protection during passive mode while the semiconductor device is being assembled.
The present invention seeks to provide a method and structure that addresses this issue.


A method for gamifying a toll image review process includes receiving an image of a vehicle that has utilized a toll road and identifying a region of interest of the image depicting an identifier of the vehicle. A second image is generated that includes the region of interest and is preprocessed to generate a plurality of images of the region of interest. Each of the images includes unique display settings. The images are displayed within a graphical user interface along with progress information for a first user. The progress information is related to an amount of vehicles to identify. Progress information is displayed for additional users. An input including the identifier is received using the user interface. Images related to an image of a second vehicle's region of interest are displayed. A progress of the additional users is monitored and then the displayed progress information is updated.

Toll image processing requires a user to review a number of images of license plates to identify vehicles that have utilized a stretch of road that requires a toll. Such image review can be a tedious job, which makes it difficult to motivate employees to work quickly, while ensuring that accuracy rates are maintained at acceptable levels. Oftentimes, an image of a license plate is difficult to read, requiring the user to adjust image processing controls in an attempt to make the image more readable. This requires the user to move his hands from a keyboard or other input device and use a mouse or comparable device to manipulate one or more sliders or other image processing settings to adjust the appearance of the image. Not only does this manipulation take time, but it requires the user to remove his hands from the keyboard, which also take valuable time each time he has to reset his hands to the proper position. Considering the extremely high volumes of images to be processed, such delays can severely limit the output of an imaging processing center.


A NAND flash memory chip includes word lines formed by etching through concentric conductive loops and, in the same etch step, etching through a conductive strip to form select lines. A conductive loop forms two word lines which are in different erase blocks and are separately controlled by peripheral circuits.

This invention relates generally to non-volatile semiconductor memories of the flash EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) type, their formation, structure and use, and specifically to methods of making word lines and select lines in NAND memory cell arrays.
There are many commercially successful non-volatile memory products being used today, particularly in the form of small form factor cards, which use an array of flash EEPROM cells. An example of a flash memory system is shown in FIG. 1, in which a memory cell array 1 is formed on a memory chip 12, along with various peripheral circuits such as column control circuits 2, row control circuits 3, data input/output circuits 6, etc.
One popular flash EEPROM architecture utilizes a NAND array, wherein a large number of strings of memory cells are connected through one or more select transistors between individual bit lines and a reference potential. A portion of such an array is shown in plan view in FIG. 2A. BL0-BL4 represent diffused bit line connections to global vertical metal bit lines (not shown). Although four floating gate memory cells are shown in each string, the individual strings typically include 16, 32 or more memory cell charge storage elements, such as floating gates, in a column. Control gate (word) lines labeled WL0-WL3 and string selection lines, Drain Select Line, "DSL" and Source Select Line "SSL" extend across multiple strings over rows of floating gates. An individual cell within a column is read and verified during programming by causing the remaining cells in the string to be turned on hard by placing a relatively high voltage on their respective word lines and by placing a relatively lower voltage on the one selected word line so that the current flowing through each string is primarily dependent only upon the level of charge stored in the addressed cell below the selected word line. That current typically is sensed for a large number of strings in parallel, thereby to read charge level states along a row of floating gates in parallel. Examples of NAND memory cell array architectures and their operation are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,315, 5,774,397, 6,046,935, and 7,951,669.
The top and bottom of the string connect to the bit line and a common source line respectively through select transistors (source select transistor and drain select transistor). Select transistors do not contain floating gates and are used to connect NAND strings to control circuits when they are to be accessed, and to isolate them when they are not being accessed.
FIG. 2B is a circuit diagram for a portion of a NAND flash memory array such as shown in FIG. 2A. It can be seen that drain select line DSL controls select transistors at one end of NAND strings which connect to bit lines while source select line SSL controls the other end of NAND strings which connect to a common source line. It can be seen that select transistors have different functions and different structures to memory cells (e.g. select transistors have no floating gates). However, it is generally not desirable to use a different set of process steps for formation of select transistors and memory cells.
Thus, there is a need for a memory chip manufacturing process that forms the memory cells and select transistors in an efficient manner and there is a need for structures that can be formed accordingly.

Methods of making word lines and select lines in NAND flash memory


Surgical instruments and devices including drivers, inserters, and reducers. The driver includes a ratcheting mechanism configured to provide uni-directional motion when engaged. The inserter includes a rack, pinion, and cam system designed to secure an implant and release an implant in-situ. The reducer includes a geared system for persuading together surgical components and aligning misaligned vertebrae.

Many types of spinal irregularities can cause pain, limit range of motion, or injure the nervous system within the spinal column. These irregularities can result from, without limitation, trauma, tumor, disc degeneration, and disease. Often, these irregularities are treated by immobilizing a portion of the spine. This treatment typically involves affixing a plurality of fixation devices to one or more vertebrae and connecting the devices to an elongate rod that generally extends in the direction of the axis of the spine.
Treatment for these spinal irregularities often involves using a system of fixation devices to attain stability between spinal segments. Instability in the spine can create stress and strain on neurological elements, such as the spinal cord and nerve roots. In order to correct this, implants of certain stiffness may be implanted to restore the correct alignment and portion of the vertebral bodies. In many cases, a fixation device along with a vertical solid member can help restore spinal elements to a pain free situation, or at least may help reduce pain or prevent further injury to the spine.
Typically, fixation devices may include a bone fastener (e.g., bone screw, hook, etc.) for coupling the fixation device to vertebra. Fixation devices further may include a coupling element (e.g., a tulip element) for coupling the bone fastener to the vertical solid member (e.g., elongate rod). Clamp and/or wedge elements may be used to secure the bone fastener in the coupling element. A locking cap may be used to secure the rod in the coupling element. In order for the elements of the fixation device to be secured, the rod may need to be seated firmly in the coupling element. A variety of methods and instruments may be used to maximize engagement between the rod and the coupling element and attachment of the fixation devices.
Traditionally, these types of spinal devices were installed via open-back surgery. This type of procedure tended to cause extensive trauma to the patient, resulting in long and painful recovery times. In recent years, a shift has been made toward minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques. In minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon makes small incisions and uses special tools to insert devices, observe progress of the operation, and perform other activities in the surgical site. Minimally invasive surgical techniques frequently result in much less injury to the patient and improved healing and recovery times. In a minimally invasive procedure, however, it may be more difficult for the physician to insert and secure the fixation devices, maneuver the rod, or the like. There is a need for improved tools and instrumentation, for example, suitable for use in minimally invasive procedures.

Instruments for use during spine surgery


The invention relates to a radiation system for generating electromagnetic radiation. The radiation system includes a pair of electrodes constructed and arranged to generate plasma of a first substance and a pinch in the plasma. The radiation system also includes a plasma recombination surface that is arranged proximate to the pinch, and is configured to neutralize a plurality of plasma particles.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
EUV radiation sources typically use plasma to generate the radiation. Plasma consists of a collection of free-moving electrons and ions (atoms that have lost electrons). The energy needed to strip electrons from the atoms to make plasma can be of various origins: thermal, electrical, or light (ultraviolet light or intense visible light from a laser).
In addition to EUV radiation, radiation sources used in EUV lithography generate contaminant material that may be harmful for the optics and the working environment in which the lithographic process is carried out. Such is especially the case for EUV sources operating via a plasma produced discharge source, such as a plasma tin source. Such a source typically comprises a pair of electrodes to which a voltage difference can be applied. In addition, an energy beam (for example, a laser beam) may be used to trigger the discharge by producing a vapor by impinging on, for example, one of the electrodes. Accordingly, a discharge will occur between the electrodes, generating plasma, and which causes a so-called pinch in which EUV radiation is produced. More details on the pinch, the laser triggering effect and its application in a source with rotating electrodes may be found in US 2004-010508.
In addition to this radiation, the discharge source typically produces debris particles, among which can be all kinds of microparticles varying in size from atomic to complex particles up to 100 micron droplets, which can be both charged and uncharged.
It is desired to limit the contamination of the optical system that is arranged to condition the beams of radiation coming from an EUV source from this debris. Conventional shielding of the optical system primarily includes a system comprising a high number of closely packet foils aligned parallel to the direction of the light generated by the EUV source. A so-called foil trap, for instance, as disclosed in EP1491963, uses a high number of closely packed foils aligned generally parallel to the direction of the light generated by the EUV source. Contaminant debris, such as micro-particles, nano-particles and ions can be trapped in walls provided by the foil plates. Thus, the foil trap functions as a contamination barrier trapping contaminant material from the source. Due to the arrangement of the platelets, the foil trap is transparent for light, but will capture debris either because it is not traveling parallel to the platelets, or because of a randomized motion caused by a buffer gas. It is desirable to improve the shielding of the radiation system, because some (directed, ballistic) particles may still transmit through the foil trap.
It is also desirable to improve the source characteristics for providing a stable source with an increased output and higher repetition frequencies. The throughput of a lithographic apparatus depends upon the output of the radiation source used, both in terms of intensity and repetition rate. However, increasing the radiation output and/or repetition rate of a discharge source typically leads to more debris production due to the higher temperatures reached and subsequent heat load on the components. In some cases, the components of the source system may fail because they cannot be adequately cooled.

Radiation system and lithographic apparatus


An organic solvent alone or together with a rubber process oil is added to a powder of .mu.-sulfur, the mixture is granulated, and the granulation product is heated at a temperature lower than 120.degree. C. to evaporate the organic solvent, whereby granular .mu.-sulfur having an improved flowability is obtained. This granular .mu.-sulfur is valuable as a rubber-vulcanizing agent.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of granular .mu.-sulfur having an improved flowability as a vulcanizing agent of rubber composition. According to the present invention, the workability at the rubber compounding operation can be improved and the rubber characteristics of the rubber composition can be improved at the vulcanizing step.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Sulfur has allotropies such as .alpha.-sulfur, .beta.-sulfur and .mu.-sulfur. .mu.-sulfur is a brown liquid sulfur allotropy which is thermodynamically stable at a temperature of at least 119.0.degree. C. physico-chemically. Usually, a commercially available or industrial product is a solid powder prepared by supercooling the liquid .mu.-sulfur by, for example, quenching. Such a commercially available .mu.-sulfur is generally a solid mixture of a supercooled .mu.-sulfur allotropy with a very small amount of .alpha.- to .beta.-sulfur allotropies.
In the present invention, .mu.-sulfur is .mu.-sulfur powder as the above solid powder.
.mu.-sulfur is composed of molecules in which sulfur atoms are bonded like chains extending zigzag. It is a chain-like polymer having a molecular weight of 100,000 to 300,000, which is insoluble in carbon disulfide and rubbers.
In contrast, general sulfur is called .alpha.-sulfur and has an eight-membered molecular structure. It is soluble in carbon disulfide and rubbers, and clearly differs from .mu.-sulfur.
Since .mu.-sulfur has no blooming property at the time of compounding with a rubber, it is widely used in rubber tires.
In general, .mu.-sulfur is composed of fine particles having a particle size of about scores of microns or a smaller particle size, and during the handling, .mu.-sulfur is readily scattered in the form of dusts or in readily statically charged. Therefore, troubles such as fire are readily caused during the handling.
For overcoming this disadvantage, at least one rubber process oil selected from the group consisting of naphthenic oils, aromatic oils and paraffinic oils is incorporated in a powder of .mu.-sulfur and the .mu.-sulfur is used as so-called oil-processed .mu.-sulfur.
This oil-processed .mu.-sulfur is advantageous over unprocessed .mu.-sulfur in that scattering or occurrence of electrostatic troubles is controlled, but the oil-processed .mu.-sulfur is defective in that the flowability is poor and the sulfur adheres to various devices and meters during the handling. For examples, when the oil-processed .mu.-sulfur is measured by a meter and the oil-processed .mu.-sulfur is transferred to the next step, a part of the oil-processed .mu.-sulfur adheres to an inner wall of a vessel to reduce the precision of the measurement, with the result that the composition of rubber is changed and dispersion of the physical properties of the rubber composition is caused.
As the means for improving the flowability of .mu.-sulfur, there is known a method in which oil-processed .mu.-sulfur is granulated by compression molding.
This method, however, is defective in that the .mu.-sulfur agglomerates rigidly and when the .mu.-sulfur is kneaded with rubber, the granular .mu.-sulfur does not collapse to the original powdery state but is left as it is, and therefore, the dispersibility in rubber is reduced and the rubbery characteristics vary widely.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-246810 teaches a method in which a dry powder of insoluble sulfur and a rubber process oil are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio, the mixture is granulated and a dry powder of insoluble sulfur is spread on the granulation product. However, this method is defective in that when the mixing ratio of the rubber process oil is low, the powdery insoluble sulfur spread on the surface is scattered and as the amount added of the rubber process oil is increased, an adhesion trouble is caused.

Process for preparation of granular .mu.-sulfur having improved flowability, as a vulcanizing agent of rubber composition


A magnetoresistive effect device is formed by layering a nonmagnetic Co oxide film, a pinned magnetization layer made of Co, a nonmagnetic layer made of Cu, a free magnetization layer made of NiFe in this order on a substrate made of glass or Si. By arranging the nonmagnetic Co oxide film in contact with the pinned magnetization layer, it is possible to produce a magnetoresistive effect device with a high saturation field and a high sensitivity.

In the field of magnetic recording and reproducing apparatuses like magnetic disk apparatuses and magnetic tape apparatuses, an increase in the recording density has created a demand for an improvement of the performance of magnetic heads such as recording heads and reproduction heads, particularly in reading information recorded on a magnetic recording medium.
More specifically, with an increase in the coercive force of the magnetic recording medium, a material with a high saturation magnetic flux density is required for the recording head. With regard to the reproduction head, an attempt for increasing the reproduction output has been made by the use of a so-called MR (magnetoresistive effect) head utilizing the magnetoresistive effect instead of a conventional induction type head. The reason for this is to deal with the problem of a lowering of the relative velocity of the magnetic head to the magnetic recording medium, which arises with a decrease in the size of the magnetic recording medium. The magnetoresistive effect is an effect of changing the electrical resistance of a material according to a change in the external magnetic field.
As a material exhibiting such a magnetoresistive effect, magnetic thin films made of NiFe or NiCo, for example, Permalloy, are known. The MR ratio of these thin films is around 2 to 3% for NiFe, and has a maximum value of around 6% for NiCo.
The magnetoresistive effect of such a magnetic thin film is produced by the spin-orbit interaction, and depends on the angle between the direction of a measuring current and the magnetization direction of the magnetic thin film. Such a magnetoresistive effect is usually called an anisotropic magnetoresistive effect (AMR). In order to further improve the recording density of the medium, it is necessary to develop a new material having a higher MR ratio than the material showing the AMR.
In recent years, a phenomenon called a giant magnetoresistive effect (GMR), which exhibits the magnetoresistive effect based on a principle that differs from the principle of the AMR, was observed and has become the focus of attention. One example of a film having a structure showing the GMR (hereinafter referred to as the "GMR film") is a multilayer film formed by layering some ten magnetic layers and nonmagnetic layers by turns.
As illustrated in FIG. 20, the multilayer film has a multilayer structure produced by alternately depositing, for example, a thin magnetic film 32 like Co and a nonmagnetic layer 32 like Cu. In the multilayer film, adjacent magnetic layers 31 are coupled by a strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Therefore, when an external magnetic field is not present, the magnetization directions of the magnetic layers 31 are antiparallel (differ from each other by 180.degree. ). On the other hand, when an external magnetic field is applied, the directions of magnetization of the magnetic layers 31 are all aligned with the direction of the magnetic field, and thus become parallel.
The electrical resistance of the multilayer film shows a resistance change in proportion to the cosine of the angle between the magnetization directions of the magnetic layers 31 which are placed one upon another with a single nonmagnetic layer 32 therebetween. The reason for this is that the scattering of the conduction electrons varies according to the angle between these magnetic layers 31. Namely, when the magnetizations of adjacent magnetic layers 31 are antiparallel, the scattering of the conduction electrons increases, and the resistance of the film becomes a maximum. On the other hand, when the magnetizations of these magnetic layers 31 are parallel, the scattering of the conduction electrons decreases, and the resistance of the film becomes a minimum.
The MR ratio of the multilayer film is greater than that of the AMR by at least a one-digit scale. In a Co/Cu multilayer film produced by materials showing a maximum resistance change at present, an MR ratio of not lower than 60% is achieved even at ordinary temperature.
As described above, the GMR film of a multilayer structure like the multilayer film shown in FIG. 20 has an extremely high MR ratio. However, in this film, the coupling between the magnetic layers 31 is too strong. Therefore, in order to achieve a high MR ratio with this film, an extremely large magnetic field ranging from several hundreds Oe to several kOe (1 Oe=79.6 A/m) needs to be applied.
The reason for this is that the antiparallel state of the magnetizations without an external magnetic field can be achieved by the use of the exchange interaction between the magnetic layers 31. The coupling between the interacting magnetic layers 31 is extremely strong. Therefore, in order to bring the magnetizations of the magnetic layers 31 into a parallel state by cutting off the exchange interaction, an extremely high external magnetic field is required.
Thus, the use of this film in the magnetic head and the like is not practical because this film has a low sensitivity to a weak external magnetic field (the ratio of change in the magnetoresistance to a change in the external magnetic field). As a result, the MR ratio within an operative magnetic field range of the magnetic head becomes smaller.
Then, in place of the multilayer film, a spin-valve magnetoresistive effect film (hereinafter referred to as the "spin-valve film") was invented so as to achieve an improvement of the sensitivity. The spin-valve film has an antiferromagnetic layer/magnetic layer/nonmagnetic layer/magnetic layer structure. In this structure, the magnetization of one of the magnetic layers is fixed in one direction by using the exchange coupling between this magnetic layer and the antiferromagnetic layer. On the other hand, the magnetization of the other magnetic layer freely rotates according to the external magnetic field. By using a thin film made of a magnetic material having high softness like NiFe as the latter magnetic layer, the sensitivity can be improved. In the following description, the magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction is called the "pinned magnetization layer", and the magnetic layer whose magnetization direction freely rotates is called the "free magnetization layer".
For example, such a spin-valve film is disclosed in Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application No. 358310/1992 (Tokukaihei 4-358310). FIG. 21 shows a schematic cross sectional structure of the spin-valve film. As illustrated in FIG. 21, a pinned magnetization layer 43 and a free magnetization film 41 are layered with a nonmagnetic layer 42 therebetween. Moreover, an antiferromagnetic layer 44 of, for example, manganese iron (FeMn), is deposited next to the pinned magnetization layer 43. Thus, an exchange bias produced by the exchange interaction between the pinned magnetization layer 43 and the antiferromagnetic layer 44 is applied to the pinned magnetization layer 43. As a result, the magnetization of the pinned magnetization layer 43 is fixed in one direction.
On the other hand, the free magnetization layer 41 is deposited so that the angle between the magnetization direction of the free magnetization layer 41 and that of the pinned magnetization layer 43 is 90.degree. when the external magnetic field is zero. By changing the direction of the external magnetic field, the magnetization direction of the free magnetization layer 41 can be freely changed.
Therefore, when an external magnetic field is applied to the above-mentioned film in the direction of the magnetization of the pinned magnetization layer 43, the magnetization directions of the two magnetic layers 41 and 43 become parallel. On the other hand, when the external magnetic field is applied to the film in a direction opposite to the magnetization direction of the pinned magnetization layer 43, the magnetization directions of the two magnetic layers 41 and 43 become antiparallel. Consequently, similarly to the multilayer type magnetoresistive effect film, it is possible to obtain a magnetoresistive effect which depends on the cosine of the angle between the magnetization directions of the two layers with the spin-valve film.
The spin-valve film is a so-called non-coupled type magnetoresistive effect film having no antiferromagnetic coupling between the two magnetic layers 41 and 43. In this structure, the thicknesses of the magnetic layers 41 and 43 can be increased. It is therefore possible to increase the sensitivity of resistance change with respect to the external magnetic field. Considering the above-mentioned advantages, it would be said that the spin-valve film is one of the most practical GMR films.
It has also been known that the GMR is obtained by a sandwich type magnetoresistive effect film using no antiferromagnetic film (hereinafter referred to as the "sandwich film") typified by a Co/Cu/Co film. The structure of the sandwich film is substantially the same as the spin-valve film in theory. FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view showing a schematic structure of the sandwich film. As illustrated in FIG. 22, the sandwich film is constructed by layering a pinned magnetization layer 54 and a free magnetization film 52 on a substrate 51 with a nonmagnetic layer 53 therebetween. Both of the pinned magnetization layer 54 and the free magnetization film 52 are formed by Co.
A Co oxide layer (not shown) is formed by natural oxidation on the surface of the pinned magnetization layer 54. The coercive force of the pinned magnetization layer 54 is increased by the Co oxide layer, and the magnetization direction of the pinned magnetization layer 54 is fixed in the initial magnetized direction within the operating magnetic field range. On the other hand, the magnetization of the free magnetization layer 52 which is not oxidized can freely rotate. Therefore, similarly to the above-mentioned spin-valve film, the angle between the magnetization directions of the two magnetic layers 52 and 54 of the sandwich film is varied by the external magnetic field, thereby producing the magnetoresistive effect. In this case, an antiferromagnetic coupling is not present between the two magnetic layers 52 and 54. It is thus possible to increase the thicknesses of the magnetic layers 52 and 54, and enhance the sensitivity of resistance change with respect to the external magnetic field.
As described above, it has been reported that the GMR is exhibited by a so-called non-coupled structure which uses a thin film of Co or NiFe for magnetic layers, and the difference in coercive force between two magnetic layers, instead of using the antiferromagnetic coupling between the magnetic layers.
The following description will explain the prior arts relating to the non-coupled spin-valve film and sandwich film.
1 Document (1), "Magnetization and Magnetoresistance of Co/Cu Layered Films", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 28, No. 5, 1992, discloses a structure of a so-called sandwich film having a very simple Co/Cu/Co layered structure. A Co oxide film is formed by natural oxidation on one of the Co surfaces of this film.
2 Document (2), "Effectiveness of Antiferromagnetic Oxide Exchange for Sandwich Layers", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 29, No. 6, 1993, discloses a structure in which a Co oxide film is formed on a Co/Cu/Co sandwich film by reactive sputtering using a 10% oxygen gas. It is considered that the Co oxide film is CoO which is an antiferromagnetic material whose Neel point is in the vicinity of room temperature (290 K).
It is reported that the magnetoresistive effect is produced at extremely low temperatures in the sandwich films of Documents (1) and (2). In such a sandwich film, it is considered that the exchange coupling between CoO and Co occurs when the surface of the top Co layer is oxidized or when CoO is formed by reactive sputtering. The coercive force of the Co layer adjacent to CoO is increased by the antiferromagnetic alignment, thereby producing a difference between the coercive forces of the magnetic layers sandwiching the nonmagnetic layer therebetween. Thus, the GMR is produced by these films.
3 Document (3), "Magnetoresistive Effect of Co/Cu/Co Sandwich Film", Transactions of the Japanese Applied Magnetics Society, Vol. 18, No. 2, 1994, discloses a structure in which a Co/Cu/Co sandwich film is formed on a buffer layer made of Fe or NiFe, and a Co oxide film is formed on the surface of the Co layer by natural oxidation. In this structure, the magnetoresistive effect is obtained by producing a difference in the saturation field between the two magnetic layers and by achieving the antiparallel magnetizations with the formation of the Co oxide film. The saturation field of the magnetic layer is the strength of an external magnetic field which must be applied to switch the direction of magnetization of the pinned magnetic layer. This document reports that the GMR as high as 6 to 15% is obtained even at room temperature by the use of the buffer layer made of Fe or NiFe.
4 Document (4), "The Effect of Buffer Layer in the Magnetoresistive Effect of Co/Cu/Co Sandwich Film", Transactions of Japanese Applied Magnetics Society, Vol. 19, No. 2, 1995, discloses a structure in which a Co/Cu/Co sandwich film is formed on a buffer layer made of Fe or NiFe like Document (3).
The spin-valve film shown in FIG. 21 and the sandwich film shown in FIG. 22 are non-coupled type magnetoresistive effect films. Therefore, if the coupling between the magnetic layers (interlayer coupling) is strong, the magnetization directions of the two layers do not become antiparallel, causing a problem that the GMR is not obtained. Namely, in order to obtain the GMR by achieving an antiparallel state of the magnetization directions of the two layers, it is necessary to weaken the coupling between the magnetic layers. Document (4) focused on this problem, and reported a method of weakening the coupling between the magnetic layers by forming a Fe or NiFe layer as the buffer layer of the Co/Cu/Co sandwich film.
5 Document (5), Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application No. 66033/1995 (Tokukaihei 7-66033), discloses a substrate/buffer layer/Co/Cu/Co structure or a substrate/buffer layer/Co/cu/co/cap layer structure. In this structure, CoO as an antiferromagnetic material is used for the buffer layer or the cap layer. The magnetoresistive effect is improved by fixing the magnetization of the adjacent Co layer with the CoO.
With the prior arts of 2 and 5, the magnetization of the Co layer is fixed by layering CoO on the Co layer as the pinned magnetization layer by reactive sputtering. However, the Neel point of such an antiferromagnetic material, CoO, is not high. Consequently, the exchange coupled magnetic field for fixing the magnetization of the Co layer is weak at room temperature, and the antiparallel state of the magnetization directions cannot be achieved. Namely, there is a problem that the magnetoresistive effect is only obtained at low temperatures.
With the prior arts of 1, 3 and 4, the surface of the Co layer as the pinned magnetization layer is subjected to natural oxidation. However, since the natural oxide film (i.e., the film oxidized by air) is used, it is not easy to control the magnetic properties of the pinned magnetization layer. Moreover, since the saturation field of the pinned magnetization layer is decreased, the pinned magnetization layer is not stable with respect to the external magnetic field. In particular, in a structure using NiFe as the free magnetization layer for improving the sensitivity, the saturation field of the pinned magnetization layer is so small and the maximum saturation field is 16000 A/m (200 Oe). Thus, this structure is not practicable.
Further, there are reports on the buffer layer of the Co/Cu/Co sandwich film in the above-mentioned prior art documents, 3 to 5. However, Document (4) mentioned in 4 describes that the GMR is not obtained with a Co/Cu/Co structure having no buffer layer. Namely, the MR ratio depends greatly on the material and thickness of the buffer layer. In order to obtain a high MR ratio, it is necessary to form a buffer layer with a thickness of around 70 .ANG. when Fe is used, or around 100 .ANG. when NiFe is used. Thus, in the method of weakening the coupling between the magnetic layers by providing the Fe or NiFe layer as the buffer layer of the sandwich film, the effect cannot be obtained unless the Fe or NiFe buffer layer has a very large thickness. Thus, the overall resistance of such a sandwich film is much lower compared to a film having no buffer layer. Consequently, a high reproduction output cannot be obtained.
In order to obtain a high reproduction output, it is necessary to achieve a high MR ratio without lowering the resistance of the film. However, since the specific resistivity of Fe and NiFe is as small as 20 to 30 .mu..OMEGA.cm, if Fe or NiFe is used as the buffer layer, the resistance of the film is lowered. Moreover, the film structure is limited because the buffer layer is essential. Thus, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in designing the structure of a magnetoresistive effect device is small.
Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application No. 65329/1995 (Tokukaihei 7-65329) discloses a sandwich structure using a high coercive force film instead of the antiferromagnetic layer. In this structure, a change in resistance is produced with a low external magnetic field by using an alloy of Co--Pt or other alloys, such as Co--Cr and Co--Ta, containing Co as a main component, as the high coercive force film.
However, the MR ratio obtained by the structure disclosed in this publication is so low as on the order of 3%. The reason for this is that since the Co alloy normally has a specific resistivity as low as some ten .mu..OMEGA.cm, the separation of the current to the Co alloy layer occurs. Furthermore, in this structure, in order to increase the MR ratio, it is considered to decrease the thickness of the Co--Pt film as thin as possible or reduce the Pt composition. However, both of these methods cause a lowering of the coercive force.

Magnetoresistive effect device utilizing an oxide layer adjacent one of the magnetic layers


A packet processing apparatus includes a static pattern matcher comparing pattern information defining a packet to be filtered with a value regarding at least a part of a received packet, the pattern information being stored by a pattern information manager. A frequency calculator calculates the frequency of matching by the static pattern matcher. A dynamic pattern matcher matches the frequency and a preset comparison value and a processing determiner determines a processing on the received packet based upon the dynamic pattern match.

Network equipment such as a router and a switch generally has a packet filtering function. The filtering function is a function mainly limiting the circulation or changing the destination of packets matching a condition for filtering, which is predefined in an ACL (Access Control List).
The filtering function may be implemented in software or hardware. Filtering functions implemented in software (as disclosed in JP-T-2008-505561 or JP-A-8-18599, for example) have high flexibility while disadvantageously having a low processing speed. Therefore, the implementation in hardware is more suitable for processing a large number of packets at a high speed.

Packet processing apparatus, network equipment and packet processing method


There is described a container for storing and/or dispensing a substance, the container (10) defining a dispensing orifice (13) and a filling orifice (14) spaced from said dispensing orifice (13), the filling orifice (14) being recessed into the container (10) and permanently sealed following the introduction into the container (10) of the substance to be stored and/or dispensed. There is also described a closure for a container (10), the closure defining a dispensing orifice (13) and comprising a closure means (11) flexibly hinged to the closure for movement between an open position and a closed position in which the closure means (11) closes the dispensing orifice (13), and a projecting portion provided on one of the closure or closure means and adapted so as to be progressively received within an opening (30) provided in the other of the closure and closure means (11) as the closure means (11) is moved towards said closed position, the projecting portion so engaging the means defining the opening as to prevent the closure means from moving from said open position to said closed position as the container is filled. There is also described a closure for a container, the closure defining a dispensing orifice (13) and comprising a closure means (11) for closing the dispensing orifice (13) and a tear tab (23) formed integrally with the closure and connected thereto by a frangible tear point (29), the tear tab (23) being so arranged as to partially overlie a surface of the closure means (11) when said closure means (11) is in said closed position thereby enabling the tear tab (23) to be joined to the closure means (11) to secure the closure means (11) in said closed position, the tear tab (23) being further joined to the closure by a frangible manufacturing support (35) adjacent the portion which in use is joined to the closure means (11).

The present invention relates to containers for storing and/or dispensing a substance, to closures for use with such containers, to parisons for use in blow moulding operations to produce such containers and closures and to methods of forming both the parisons and the containers either with or without an associated closure.
Plastic bottles and containers are generally formed of two separate components, a main body and a closure, the two components usually being manufactured by different process. The main body is usually manufactured by extrusion blow moulding, injection blow moulding or by injection stretch blow moulding. If the container is a straight sided container it is usually manufactured by injection moulding. By contrast, the closure is usually manufactured by injection moulding.
The two components are often manufactured in separate factories and are then transported to a filling production line where they are then separately sorted and orientated. The main body is placed on the filling line and filled with the required contents. The closure is then assembled onto the body. The assembled container is typically then labelled before a number of additional operations are carried out, such as adding a tamper evident feature in the form of a shrink wrap sleeve. It is to be noted however, that each of the components making up the container require separate sets of tooling, manufacturing infrastructure, inventory control and handling equipment.
As a manufacturing process, extrusion blow moulding offers the advantage that undercuts can be easily formed enabling the production of hollow containers having a restricted neck or the like. Although hollow shapes such as a handle can be formed within the volume of the container, this process has the disadvantage that solid integral homogeneous components, such as solid handles, cannot be formed concurrently with the container in the same operation. By contrast, injection blow moulding and injection stretch blow moulding offer methods of manufacturing hollow containers having a restricted neck and which also allow for the provision of integral solid components such as one or more handles. Unfortunately, injection blow moulding is more expensive to tool up for and therefore usually requires large production volumes to justify the higher tooling cost or else added value in the product produced. The product produced by injection blow moulding or injection stretch blow moulding is undoubtedly superior to that produced by extrusion blow moulding since greater control of wall thickness and tolerances is possible and no waste is produced. However, injection blow moulding has the disadvantage of limitations due to blow ratios. The maximum parison length to neck diameter ratio (L/D) is generally accepted to be 12 to 1.
Typically a security feature is provided for containers that require evidence of tampering. This is usually in the form of a separate component which needs additional manufacturing effort, separate tooling and inventory control and which must be assembled to the finished container, usually on the filling line.
A separate screw or push on closure or a separate dispensing orifice plug is provided for containers where a small orifice is required for the metering out of flowable contents. The orifice is usually smaller than the top opening of the main body such as is the case, for example, with plastic shampoo bottles.
A typical closure may be provided with a plain film hinge with which to attach a dispensing cap to the body of the closure. A spring feature may also be provided, either separate from the hinge and integral with the closure or else integral with the hinge, in order to generate a spring action to facilitate the positive opening and closing of the dispensing cap and to keep the cap in an open position when pouring.
It is also known to provide plastic containers having two openings. Such containers are typically in the form of dispensing tubes and are commonly used for the dispensing of tooth paste. The tubes comprise a top end having a restricted opening from which the contents of the tube are dispensed and a bottom end having an opening through which the tube is first filled but which is subsequently sealed. The tube type container has the disadvantage that it can not be stood upright on its sealed end as a single sealing edge does not provide a stable base.
Containers are typically labelled either by attaching a self adhesive, preprinted label to the main body or by screen or other printing methods. In tool labelling is also becoming more popular. Generally a moulded container will possess a raised split line as a consequence of the moulding process. The position of this split line on the container is critical if the container is to be screen printed.
In regard to the cycle time of slender plastic moulded parts, it is advantageous to gate the part close to the area of the greatest restriction, as the gate is the hottest part of the tool and this increases the filling time.
It is more important than ever for packaging design to maximise the efficient use of raw materials and minimise the overall energy consumption required to produce the finished container. It is therefore advantageous to combine several design features into a single embodiment to reduce cost, increase efficiency and to produce a more worthy product.
Containers are produced in many shapes and sizes and are manufactured from a wide variety of materials. They employ many closures types and several different processing methods are used.
Recycling of the plastic used in packaging is required by the public as a result of the attention now given to environmental issues. However, many plastic containers consist of two plastic types, one plastic type for the closure and one plastic type for the body. If the two types of plastic are recycled together the plastic re-grind quality is lower than it would be if the two components were separated. This however, is a time consuming task.


Techniques for prioritizing user equipments (UEs) for switching between wireless systems are disclosed. The wireless systems may be part of a small cell and may include a WLAN system and a cellular system. In one design, a network entity (e.g., the small cell) may identify a plurality of UEs communicating with a first wireless system. The first wireless system may be one of a plurality of wireless systems providing communication coverage for the UEs. The network entity may determine priorities of the UEs for switching from the first wireless system to a second wireless system. The network entity may then select at least one UE among the plurality of UEs to switch from the first wireless system to the second wireless system based on the priorities of the UEs.

I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for supporting wireless communication.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.
A wireless system may include one or more base stations that can support communication for one or more user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.
Multiple wireless systems utilizing different radio technologies may be deployed in a given geographic area. Any number of UEs may be located with the geographic area. Each UE may support one or more of the radio technologies utilized by the multiple wireless systems. It may be desirable to efficiently support communication for the UEs via the multiple wireless systems.

Prioritization of users for switching between co-existence wireless systems


The invention provides: an optical element that includes a birefringence functional layer constituted of a polymerizable liquid crystal material, in which the birefringence functional layer is formed directly or indirectly on a substrate, and in a post-process carried out thereafter, alignment and characteristics of the birefringence functional layer are not disturbed, with the result that a high quality birefringence control function can be exerted; a liquid crystal display device provided with the optical element; a method of evaluating a birefringence functional layer that is not disturbed in the alignment and physical properties by the post-process; and a method of producing the optical element. The optical element includes at least a light-transmitting substrate; and a birefringence functional layer made of a polymerizable liquid crystal material, wherein the birefringence functional layer is formed by aligning a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer having a polymerizable group at least at one terminal thereof directly or indirectly on a substrate followed by fixation, and a degree of reduction of residual double bonds in the birefringence functional layer before and after heat treatment at 250° C. for 1 hr is less than 0.25.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical element having a birefringence functional layer, and in more detail, to an optical element having a birefringence functional layer formed by aligning and fixing a polymerizing liquid crystal monomer. Furthermore, the invention relates to a liquid crystal display device member and a liquid crystal display device which are provided with the optical element, a method of producing the optical element, and a method of evaluating the birefringence functional layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device, having various advantages such as being easy to make thin and light, able to reduce the consumption power and difficult to cause flickers, is used in various fields such as televisions and medical equipments. The liquid crystal display device switches light by making use of the birefringence property of a driving liquid crystal material. Accordingly, the liquid crystal display device has the viewing angle dependency derived from the birefringence property of the driving liquid crystal material. In addition to the above, the liquid crystal display device has a problem in that, depending on an angle by which a viewer sees a liquid crystal display screen, light leakage or gradation reversal phenomenon is caused, that is, the viewing angle becomes narrower.
In order to overcome the problem, developed is a birefringence functional layer forming film having a retardation control function that controls exit light from a liquid crystal cell or incident light to a liquid crystal cell. The birefringence functional layer forming film is usually prepared by stretching a film such as polyacrylate, polycarbonate or triacetyl cellulose. The film is located outside of a liquid crystal cell formed by sandwiching a driving liquid crystal material with two substrates. At that time, the birefringence functional layer forming film is usually adhered to a substrate with an adhesive to use. However, since the refractive index of the adhesive coated on the substrate is different from the refractive index of a birefringence functional layer forming film, there is a problem in that the irregular reflection is caused at a display surface. Furthermore, there is a problem in that, when the birefringence functional layer forming film is adhered outside of the substrate, the exposed film absorbs moisture to expand. Still furthermore, since a birefringence functional layer forming film cannot be patterned in accordance with a pixel size of a display and the heat resistance is low, there is a problem in that the optical characteristics vary owing to the shrinkage with time.
In order to overcome the problems, there are recently proposed a method of forming a birefringence functional layer having a retardation control function from a liquid crystal material such as a polymerizable liquid crystal or a polymer liquid crystal, and a method in which the birefringence functional layers are arranged inside of two substrates that sandwich a driving liquid crystal material for use as a so-called in-cell type (for example, Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 2004-524385 (JP-A-2004-524385)). When a birefringence functional layer is formed with the polymerizable liquid crystal material, it is necessary that after the polymerizable liquid crystal material is coated on a predetermined substrate, desired alignment is promoted and the alignment is fixed. JP-A-2004-524385 discloses an invention of an alignment layer having a retardation control function, which is formed by homeotropically aligning a polymerizable liquid crystal material. When a three-dimensional polymer network is formed in the alignment layer, as a method of increasing the crosslinking density of the polymer disclosed is a method where a non-mesogenic compound having at least two polymerizable functional groups is added to a polymerizable material.
A birefringence functional layer used as the in-cell type is excellent in that it can overcome problems possessed by the birefringence functional layer forming film of a type that is adhered outside of a substrate.
Usually, the birefringence functional layer, when formed in an optical element, excellently shows a desired alignment. However, when a different layer is further laminated on the optical element to form a liquid crystal device member, there is a problem in that the alignment of a polymerizable liquid crystal material that constitutes a birefringence functional layer is disturbed or the characteristics of the birefringence functional layer are disturbed. This results in another problem in that an optical element having such a birefringence functional layer cannot exhibit a high quality retardation control function.

Optical element, liquid crystal display device member with the optical element, liquid crystal display device with the liquid crystal display device member, method of producing the optical element and method of evaluating birefringence functional layer


Disclosed are sample analysis apparatus and methods. A sample analysis apparatus includes a first unit that rotates a microfluidic apparatus including: a chamber having a space accommodating a sample, a channel that provides a path through which the sample flows; and a valve that selectively opens and closes the channel, a valve driver that supplies energy, used to operate the valve, to the valve in a state of being separated from the microfluidic apparatus, a third unit that rotates the valve driver with respect to a common rotation axis with a rotation axis of the microfluidic apparatus and the third unit, and a control unit that controls the first and third units and the valve driver to supply energy to the valve while the microfluidic apparatus and the valve driver are being rotated at the same rotation speed.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to sample analysis methods and apparatuses that analyze a sample by using a microfluidic apparatus including a valve operated with external energy, and to methods of dynamically opening and closing a valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most deaths relating to malignant tumors are caused by metastasis of the tumor from an initial position where a tumor occurs, to a tissue and an organ which are separated from the initial position. Therefore, early detection of tumor metastasis is an important factor for increasing a survival probability of a cancer patient, and early tumor detection and monitoring of tumor growth are considered very important factors in successfully treating a cancer patient. It is known that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are detected from a patient before a tumor is detected for the first time. Therefore, CTCs play an important role in early detection and prediction of cancer. Also, since cancer is generally metastasized through blood, a CTC may be an indicator for diagnosing whether cancer is metastasized.
Sample analysis, which typically involves separating a target cell such as a CTC, a cancer cell, or a cancer stem cell from a sample, may use a disk-shaped microfluidic apparatus including a microfluidic structure which causes a flow of a sample due to a centrifugal force. The microfluidic apparatus includes a valve used to control a flow of a sample. The valve operates with energy supplied from the an external source. In order to operate the valve, a sample analysis process stops rotation of the microfluidic apparatus, supplies energy to the valve to melt a valve material, and again rotates the microfluidic apparatus. However, samples centrifuged from a plurality of layers are again mixed in a process of operating the valve, causing degradation in the reliability of analysis. Also, the melted valve material is solidified in a process of again rotating the microfluidic apparatus, and thus the valve cannot operate or operates unstably.

Sample analysis methods and apparatuses and dynamic valve operation methods


A window frame surrounds a window box in a wall having horizontally extending siding elements that are connected along overlapping horizontal seams and unconnected edges that are juxtaposed with the window box. The window box has top, bottom, and opposed side elements connected together to define a rectangle, wherein the top element has a transverse outer edge. The window frame has top, bottom, and opposed side frame elements connected together to define a rectangular frame, each element having front and back faces and inner and outer edges whereby the back faces of the window frame elements cover the unconnected edges of the siding and the inner edges of the frame elements closely surround the elements of the window box. A rigid strip is attached to the inner edge of the top element of the window frame and projects over and is vertically supported by the outer edge of the top element of the window box. A “J” hook is attached to the back of each side element of the window frame for engaging a seam in the siding.

The present invention relates to building construction and in particular to the framing of doors, windows, and other wall penetrations.
Many residential and some commercial buildings have a clapboard type siding of wood, aluminum, or vinyl, during construction or renovation, must be trimmed to accommodate a wall penetration where a window box or the like is to be mounted.
Typically, a frame is secured to the wall and surrounds the window box, to provide both a visual enhancement to the window as well as an interface for a clean transition with the siding that surrounds the wall penetration.


A method of encoding a transmission signal to reduce multiple access interference at a receiver. A data source signal including a plurality of source symbols is received into a transmitter. The source symbols are encoded using low energy encoding forming encoded codewords. An identifying pattern is applied to the encoded codewords forming a transmission signal. In one embodiment, the identifying pattern is a unique pseudo-random pattern identifying the data source. Once the pattern has been added, multiple transmission signals can be summed together and then modulated onto a carrier wave. The transmission signals are then transmitted on the carrier wave which is at a pre-selected frequency. The low energy encoding format is such that a sequence of signals forming codewords is created. Each sequence of signals is characterized by an energy and normally a high bit consumes energy whereas a low bit requires substantially less energy.

The present invention relates to multiple access systems and more specifically to encoding techniques for multiple access systems. In a general DS-CDMA system the multiple access interference (MAI) in each receiver increases along with the number of users in the system and therefore the capacity of a given frequency is limited.
Prior art methods and systems have looked to MAI cancellation and have focused on the receiver. For example, S. Verdu, "Minimum probability of error for asynchronous Gaussian multiple-access channels," IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, Vol. IT-32, pp. 85-86, January 1986 reported a receiver that outperforms a linear correlation receiver. In these receiver designs, however, the computational complexity exponentially increases with the number of transmitters.

Source coding for interference reduction


A method of providing a semi-automatic rifle with a reversible safety selector is provided. The method including the steps of: removably and rotatably locating a reversible safety selector in a receiver having a first side and an opposite second side, the reversible safety selector having a selector member and a shaft extending therefrom, the shaft being rotationally received within the receiver and the shaft further comprising a first position selection feature proximate to the selector member and a second position selection feature distal to the selector member, wherein a camming surface is located between the first position selection feature and the second position selection feature, wherein the first position selection feature is configured to only engage a spring biased detent of the receiver when the reversible safety selector is rotated between a first position and a second position with respect to the receiver when the selector member is located on the first side of the receiver, wherein the second position selection feature is configured to only engage the spring biased detent of the receiver when the reversible safety selector is rotated between the first position and the second position with respect to the receiver when the selector member is located on the second side of the receiver, and wherein the camming surface contacts a portion of a trigger of the firearm as the reversible safety selector is rotated between the first position and the second position with respect to the receiver.

1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a firearm and, more particularly, to a firearm having an ambidextrous fire control selector.
2. Description of Earlier Related Developments
Automatic and semi-automatic firearms may be provided with a fire control selector enabling the user to switch between modes of fire, such as for example, "SAFE", semi-automatic, burst and/or automatic. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,328 and 4,433,610, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety; disclose M-4 type firearms, each having a fire control selector protruding from the receiver of the firearm. Here, the user rotates the fire control selector with a thumb or other finger(s) to switch between firearm modes of operation. A problem arises when a user would like to switch hands of operation of the firearm. A further problem arises when a user would like to switch from a right hand selector operation to a left hand selector operation without additional parts. Accordingly, there is a desire to provide a firearm control selector that enables ambidextrous operation where the firearm selector is configurable from right hand to left hand operation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

COLT'S MANUFACTURING IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC


A pre-encapsulated cavity interposer, a pre-encapsulated frame, for a semiconductor device.

In response to the demand for semiconductor device packages having the ability to include the largest number of semiconductor devices in the smallest physical space, all components of such packages must occupy the least possible physical volume and use the most efficient manner to interconnect with each other and a power source.
It is known to form packages for semiconductor devices that include semiconductor memory devices of different types as well as other semiconductor devices with the package being connected to a printed circuit board. As it has become desirable for the amount of physical space that the package occupies to decrease, even though the number of semiconductor devices in the package is increasing, and desirable to have improvements in attachment techniques used for attaching the semiconductor devices to each other in the package itself and the attachment of the package to a printed circuit board are necessary.
While the use of lead frames and wire bonds to connect semiconductor devices is well known, such techniques can be further advanced. Similarly, while the use of lead frames and flip-chip type attachment techniques to connect semiconductor devices is well known, such techniques can be further advanced. Additionally, while the use of solder bumps to connect semiconductor packages in packages to printed circuit boards is well known, such can be further advanced.


In accordance with illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a paint shield that covers all exposed surfaces of an electrical outlet or switch assembly and its cover plate includes a front wall having top, bottom and side walls extending rearward thereof, and devices such as a pair of prongs or a suction cup which temporarily attach the shield to the assembly with the rear edge sections of the top, bottom and side walls positioned tightly against the adjacent side surfaces of the cover plate. The shield has a handling tab on the front wall that is longitudinally aligned with the prongs or suction cup.

When a room that has electrical fixtures such as outlets and switches is being painted with a new coat, it is unsightly if the paint is applied, inadvertently or otherwise, to the cover plates and other exposed surfaces of electrical outlets or switches. Thus the common practice is for the painter to detach the cover plates, and to use masking tape or the like to temporarily cover the other exposed surfaces. Alternatively, masking tape can be used to cover all outer surfaces on the switch or outlet. However, it is time consuming to remove the plates with a screwdriver and then replace them after painting, and of course masking tape must be positioned and later removed. It is a fairly common occurrence for the paint to flow past the edges of the tape, so that some paint removal and cleanup still is required. Quite often not all of the paint is in fact removed and presents an unsightly appearance requiring further cleanup.
An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved paint shield for an electrical outlet or switch assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved shield of the type described that can be quickly installed to provide total coverage of the plate and other exposed parts of an electrical switch or an outlet.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a shield of the type described which is inexpensive to make and reliable in use and reuse, being readily attached to and later detached from an electrical outlet or switch before and after a wall painting operation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved paint shield of the type described that completely covers the exposed surface of an electrical outlet or switch assembly during painting so that it is unnecessary to remove plates or to masking off any surfaces during painting.

Paint shield for electrical outlets and switches


An Si--O--F insulating film having a low dielectric constant is deposited on a substrate by thermally reacting disassociated SiF.sub.4 radicals and ozone or oxygen gas in a vacuum chamber. The SiF.sub.4 radicals are formed remotely from the chamber and interact thermally with the ozone or oxygen without requiring plasma enhancement. The deposited Si--O--F film has good gap-filling properties and is suitable for forming IMD layers over high aspect ratio 0.25 micron geometries.

The present invention relates to the deposition of dielectric layers during wafer processing and more specifically to a method and apparatus for forming a fluorine doped layer having a low dielectric constant and good gap-filling capability.
One of the primary steps in the fabrication of modern semiconductor devices is the formation of a thin film on a semiconductor substrate by chemical reaction of gases. Such a deposition process is referred to as chemical vapor deposition or "CVD". Conventional thermal CVD processes supply reactive gases to the substrate surface where heat-induced chemical reactions take place to produce a desired film.
Semiconductor device geometries have dramatically decreased in size since such devices were first introduced several decades ago. Today's wafer fabrication plants are routinely producing 0.5 and even 0.35 micron feature size devices, and tomorrow's plants soon will be producing devices having even smaller geometries.
As device sizes become smaller and integration density increases, issues that were not previously considered important by the industry are becoming of paramount concern. With the advent of multilevel metal technology in which three, four, or more layers of metal are formed on the semiconductors, one goal of semiconductor manufacturers is lowering the dielectric constant of insulating layers such as intermetal dielectric layers deposited by thermal CVD or plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) methods. Low dielectric constant films are particularly desirable for intermetal dielectric (IMD) layers to reduce the RC time delay of the interconnect metallization, to prevent cross talk between the different levels of metallization, and to reduce device power consumption.
Many approaches to obtain lower dielectric constants have been proposed. One of the more promising solutions is the incorporation of fluorine or other halogen elements, such as chlorine or bromine, into a silicon oxide layer to form an oxide/halogen network. An example of halogen incorporation is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/344,283, commonly assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., filed on Nov. 24, 1994. Fluorine, the preferred halogen dopant for silicon oxide films, lowers the dielectric constant of the silicon oxide film because fluorine is an electronegative atom that decreases the polarizability of the overall Si--O--F network. Fluorine-doped silicon oxide films are also referred to as fluorosilicate glass films or FSG for short.
In addition to decreasing the dielectric constant, incorporating fluorine in intermetal silicon oxide layers also helps solve common problems encountered in fabricating smaller geometry devices, such as filling closely spaced gaps on semiconductor structures. It is believed that because fluorine is an etching species, fluorine doping introduces a deposition/etch/deposition effect on oxide formation. The deposition/etch/deposition effect allows FSG films to have improved gap filling capabilities such that the films are able to adequately cover adjacent metal layers having an aspect ratio of 1.8 or more.
Thus, manufacturers desire to include fluorine in various dielectric layers and particularly in intermetal dielectric layers. A variety of different precursor gases and liquids have been employed as the source of fluorine in the formation of these FSG films. Some of these precursors include NF.sub.3, HF, SF.sub.6, CF.sub.4, C.sub.2 F.sub.6, C.sub.2 Cl.sub.3 F.sub.3 and triethoxyfluorosilane (TEFS) among others.
SiF.sub.4 has been used in conjunction with some of the fluorine sources listed above to form FSG films. In such processes, however, SiF.sub.4 has been employed as a silicon source and a second gas, e.g., NF.sub.3, HF, SF.sub.6, CF.sub.4, C.sub.2 F.sub.6, C.sub.2 Cl.sub.3 F.sub.3, SF.sub.6 or F.sub.2, has been used as a source of fluorine. SiF.sub.4 has not been used as the only source of fluorine for the formation of FSG films in combination with a silicon-containing source such as an organic silicon source like tetraethylorthosilane (TEOS).

Method for depositing low K SI-O-F films using SIF.sub.4 /oxygen chemistry


A system for and method of processing complex signals encoded into quantum states is presented. According to an embodiment of the invention, polarized components of a pump laser beam are separated and respectively modulated with first and second signals. The modulated polarized components are directed to adjacent non-linear crystals with optical axes aligned at right angles to each-other. Information regarding at least one of the first and second signals is then derived from measurements of coincidence events.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for and method of encoding classical complex signals into quantum entangled states. In particular, the invention relates to a general system for and method of quantum information processing.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Photons are quanta of electromagnetic energy. Multiple photons may be entangled or not entangled. Photons that are not entangled together (i.e., random photons) exist as independent entities. In contrast, entangled photons have a connection between their respective properties.
Two photons entangled together are referred to as an entangled-photon pair (also, "biphotons"). Traditionally, photons comprising an entangled-photon pair are called "signal" and "idler" photons. Measuring properties of one photon of an entangled-photon pair determines results of measurements of corresponding properties of the other photon, even if the two entangled photons are separated by a distance. As understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and by way of non-limiting example, the quantum mechanical state of an entangled-photon pair cannot be factored into a product of two individual quantum states.
In general, more than two photons may be entangled together. More than two photons entangled together are referred to as "multiply-entangled" photons. Measuring properties of one or more photons in a set of multiply-entangled photons restricts properties of the rest of the photons in the set by constraining measurement outcomes. As understood by those of ordinary skill in the art and by way of non-limiting example, the quantum mechanical state of a set of n>2 multiply-entangled photons cannot be factored into a product of n separate states. The term "entangled photons" refers to both biphotons and multiply-entangled photons.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc.


This invention relates to a laminate electrical insulation part for an electrical device comprising a thermoplastic film positioned between, adjacent to, and attached to two nonwoven sheets. Each of the nonwoven sheets consists of multicomponent polymeric fibers comprising at least a first polymer and a second polymer, the first polymer having a melting point that is at least 15 degrees Celsius lower than both the melting point of the second polymer and the melting point of the thermoplastic film, and the film is attached to the nonwoven sheets by the first polymer in the nonwoven sheets. The electrical insulation part has a breakdown voltage of at least 3 kilovolts, and a surface having a dynamic frictional coefficient of 0.25 or less. This invention also relates to an electrical device component comprising the laminate electrical insulation part.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a laminate electrical insulation part for an electrical device having a component, such as a core, provided with a plurality of slots to receive coils of current-carrying wire. Such laminate electrical insulation parts include, for example, a slot liner, a closure, a wedge, or a stick comprising a dielectric polymer film and at least one nonwoven sheet attached to each side of the dielectric polymer film solely by thermal bonding of the nonwoven sheets to the film.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Japanese Patent Publication Hei 11[1999]-170467 of Miki, et al. discloses a polyester composite material that can be used as a highly heat resistant electric insulating material characterized by the fact that it was prepared by thermally bonding on one surface or both surfaces of a polyester film a polyester nonwoven fabric made of polyester principal fibers and thermally fusible binder fibers having a melt point 5-50 degrees C. lower than the melting point of the principal fibers. The ratio of principal fibers to binder fibers in the nonwoven fabric should be in the range of 70:30 to 40:60, preferably 65:35 to 45:55. Therefore about half of the fibers at the surface of the nonwoven are binder fibers available for attaching the nonwoven sheet to the film. This publication further states that when the proportion of the binder fibers increases above 60 weight percent the heat resistance of the polyester composite material becomes lower. Therefore, adding additional binder fiber to the nonwoven sheet to increase the adhesion of the nonwoven sheet to the film is not a realistic option.
The integrity of the laminate structure is an important property for electrical laminate insulation parts. It is important that these laminate parts have adequate stiffness or rigidity, have a low surface friction coefficient, and that they do not readily delaminate, such as when slot liners are inserted into the slots of electrical device components or when conductors or wires come in contact with the slot liners during installation. Therefore it is desirable that both sides of the film be fully and uniformly bonded (i.e. over the film's entire surface) to the adjacent nonwoven sheets. Further, because stiffness or rigidity is important to these parts, generally highly crystallized films are used, for example bi-axially oriented PET film. This stiffness also makes it more difficult to adhere the film to the nonwoven sheets.
Because of these problems and requirements, most laminate electrical insulation parts use solvent-based thermoset adhesives to adhere nonwoven sheets to the polymer film. However, the commercial use of additional solvent-based adhesives generally requires continuous solvent-based processes and all the technological and safety complications related to dealing with volatile organics (ventilation, recuperation of the solvent, etc.). If the adhesive is solvent-free, similar complications are usually related to safety aspects of monomers, for they can also have a low vapor pressure, be volatile, and/or be a health hazard. Also, there is a perception by some in the industry that such adhesive laminates have a short shelf life; that is, they should be stored for only a few months prior to being installed in electrical devices. In addition there is a perception by some that parts made from adhesively-attached laminates may gradually and progressively delaminate while in service if the parts were improperly flexed, for example during installation, or if the adhesive bond was not properly achieved when the laminate was made. Still others perceive that the addition of an adhesive provides yet another material to the laminate part that because of differing thermal expansion coefficients is more apt to have delamination issues as the part cycles through periods of higher and lower temperature.
Therefore, what is needed is a laminate electrical insulation part comprising nonwoven sheets attached to a film wherein the nonwoven sheets provide uniform adhesion over the full interface between the nonwoven sheets and the film and other desirable attributes while avoiding the use of adhesives, solvents, or other environmentally unfriendly substances.


A system and method for calibrating sensors may include one or more processors, a first sensor configured to obtain a two-dimensional image, a second sensor configured to obtain three-dimensional point cloud data, and a memory device. The memory device stores a data collection module and a calibration module. The data collection module has instructions that configure the one or more processors to obtain the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional point cloud data. The calibration module has instructions that configure the one or more processors to determine and project a three-dimensional point cloud edge of the three-dimensional point cloud data onto the two-dimensional image edge, apply a branch-and-bound optimization algorithm to a plurality of rigid body transforms, determine a lowest cost transform of the plurality of rigid body transforms using the branch-and-bound optimization algorithm, and calibrate the first sensor with the second sensor using the lowest cost transform.

The background description provided is to present the context of the disclosure generally. Work of the inventor, to the extent it may be described in this background section, and aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
Some current vehicles utilize multiple sensors of varying types in an effort to detect objects external to the vehicle. Some of the sensors include one or more cameras that are capable of capturing two-dimensional images of the environment surrounding the vehicle. Other sensors include one or more LIDAR sensors that are capable of capturing three-dimensional point cloud data of the environment surrounding the vehicle.
In some cases, a field of view the two-dimensional images captured by the one or more cameras overlaps with the field-of-view of the three-dimensional point cloud data captured by the LIDAR sensors. This can be advantageous because the two-dimensional images captured by the one or more cameras can provide complementary sensing properties with the three-dimensional point cloud data captured by the LIDAR sensors. However, in order for these advantages to be more fully realized, a rigid body transform between the camera and the LIDAR sensor should be known in order to effectively perform geometric inferences on the information collected by the camera and the LIDAR sensor. A rigid transformation (also called an isometry) is a transformation of the plane that preserves length. Reflections, translations, rotations, and combinations of these three transformations are "rigid transformations" or "rigid body transformations."

System and method for calibrating sensors of a sensor system

The Regents of the University of Michigan


A wearable pollutant indicator, methods of making and using same. The indicator includes a polymeric film substrate having a first side and a second side, an adhesive disposed on the first side of the substrate, and a readily understood user interface disposed on the second side of the substrate, wherein the user interface comprises a qualitative indicator of the accumulated exposure to incident airborne particulate pollution as sensed through the reaction of the transition metal oxides therein.

There is a need for simple and readily understood, low-cost, wearable airborne particulate pollution sensors that can inform a user as to their accumulated exposure, without the required use of additional electronic devices. The purpose of such devices is atmospheric particulate exposure awareness education with the view to mitigate both dermatological effects and pulmonary system exposure. There have been attempts to commercialize keychain or belt-worn electronic devices that inform a user as to their instantaneous exposure to PM2.5 airborne particulate matter, which are capable of time-based integration to provide cumulative exposure data. See e.g., https://www.tzoa.com/products/ and http://www.dailycal.org/2014/11/24/uc-berkeley-undergrads-developing-wearable-air-pollution-monitor/.
Such devices are based on light scattering by the particulates, and are designed to report via Bluetooth communications to a smart phone application. Being somewhat cumbersome, they are not thought to have achieved a great level of success.

Sensing of markers for airborne particulate pollution by wearable colorimetry


A functional drapery rod suitable for receiving artistic material is made from a cylindrical member such as a wood rod or PVC. A grove is made longitudinally in the surface of the rod into which a track is fitted. Drapery is supported by decorative members such as rings which are attached to slides moveable along the track. The rod is retained by support members and connectors on the support members and on the rod prevent rotation of the rod in the supports.

The present invention relates to cylindrical drapery rods having a decorated surface and, in particular, to a functional rod on which drapery is supported by moveable support members that can be moved from an open condition to a closed condition.
Traditionally, curtains and draperies provide the function of controlling light passing through a window. The drapery may be opened to allow the light of a sunny day to illuminate the room or may be closed to provide privacy to the occupants thereof. A functional drapery rod is an elongate member having one or more tracks thereon for receiving a plurality of support members to which the upper ends of the drapery is attached. The support members move within the tracks to allow the drapery to be moved between an open condition, in which light is emitted to the room, and a closed condition in which the drapery provides privacy for the occupants.
The drapery within a room also contributes to the decoration thereof and it has become common for interior designers to sacrifice the functional purpose of such drapery in favor of their decorative qualities. Wooden rods are available having diameters of xe2x85x9e inch or more with outer surfaces which are smooth, carved to give a fluted appearance, or curved to give a spiral rope appearance.
These rods can be made functional by positioning wooden rings around the rod and suspending the drapery from the wooden rings. A wand is usually provided for moving the rings along the rod to thereby open or close the drapery.
The attractiveness of such wooden rods can be further enhanced by artistically painting the surfaces thereof to depict a scene or colorful design, or by applying clay relief to the rod to give a three dimensional quality to the designs thereon. When the surface of the rod is artistically painted, or when clay relief is applied to the surface, wooden rings cannot be used to move the drapery along the rod because the rings would damage the artistry applied to the surface thereof. Wooden rods with artistically decorated surfaces are, therefore, nonfunctional and blinds must be provided behind the drapery to control the light passing through the window. Where the blinds are installed so as to be visible behind the wood rod, the blinds detract from the appearance of the room.
It would be desirable to provide, therefore, a curtain rod, the outer surface of which could receive decorative material and which would allow movement of the drapery supported thereby from an open condition to a closed position without damaging or destroying the decoration on the rod.
Briefly, the present invention is embodied in an elongate cylindrical drapery rod for supporting drapery and the like. The rod has an outer surface having a longitudinal slot therein for receiving a metal track. The drapery is supported by a plurality of slides which are moveable within the track such that decorative material on the outer surface of the rod will not be damaged by movement of the drapery.
In the preferred embodiment, where the rod has a diameter of three inches or less, the rod may be made of wood. Wood is a heavy material, however, and where a rod with a diameter of greater than three inches is desired, the rod should be made of a lighter material. The plastic piping used for plumbing and commonly known as PVC is light weight, inexpensive, the surface thereof is suitable for receiving the paints and clay relief needed to decorate the surfaces thereof, and fittings and attachments are readily available to facilitate its use. Where PVC is employed, an elongate slot is cut in the outer surface of the PVC into which a metal track is retained by a suitable adhesive.
The rod may be used in a number or orientations. When the track is positioned along the upper surface of the rod, cylindrical loops with slides positioned along the inner surface of the loops may be fitted around the rod for movement along the rod without contacting the surface thereof. When the rod is oriented with the track along the lower surface thereof, the drapery may be suspended from slides depending from the track. The rod may also be oriented with the track directed towards the window, so that it is not visible from within the room. In this orientation, the drapery is attached with hooks to the slides which move along the back side of the rod as viewed from the room. Wooden rings such as sold by Kirsch, Incorporated, Sturgis, Mich. 49091 as their parts number 5402 and 5602 are useable in this regard.
Cylindrical drapery rods are supported by support members which extend from the wall and have an arcuate upper surface for supporting for the rod. Where the rod is to be positioned in the support with the track extending along the upper surface thereof, or with the track extending along the rear surface thereof, the weight the drapery may apply a rotational force to the rod. To prevent rotation of the rod within the support members, a strip of attachment material is applied to the arcuate surface of the support member and a complimentary strip of attachment material is applied to the outer surface of the rod and positioned so as to engage the attachment material on the support member. When the rod is assembled to the supports with the strips of attachment material engaging each other, and the rod will not rotate. In the preferred embodiment, the strips of attachment material are hook and loop type attachments such as sold under the trademark VELCRO.