The present invention has its object to provide a curable composition insuring a reduced stress without sacrificing restoring force and other physical properties and having a sufficient degree of adhesiveness.

The present invention relates to a curable composition which is conducive to reducing a tensile stress with a high restoring force retained and has a sufficiently high degree of adhesiveness.
Polymers containing reactive silicon groups cure by crosslinking in the presence of moisture. A curable composition utilizing a polymer the backbone chain of which is a polyoxypropylene, among them, has the characteristic of being liquid at room temperature but forming a rubber elastomer on curing and has, therefore, been used universally as, for example, a sealant for architectural use.
For use in architectural applications, a curable composition is required to be of high restoring force and low stress in order to follow the shrinkage of joints.
As means for implementing a low stress feature, a method, comprising changing polymer species and that comprising increasing the amount of the curing catalyst, and the like are known. However, with any of such means, a reduction in stress is accompanied by a decrease in restoring force so that a curable composition having a satisfactory balance of stress and restoring force cannot be obtained.
Moreover, in order that such a composition can be used as a sealant, the composition is further required to have satisfactory adhesive properties. For the construction of a cured product of the sealant, a tin-series curing catalyst or an amine-series promotor is usually employed. However, the concomitant use of an amine compound causes the problem of lowering adhesiveness and is, therefore, not recommendable for sealant use.
The present invention is directed to a curable composition comprising an oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) having at least one reactive silicon group per molecule, an acid (B), an amine (C), and a tin-series curing catalyst (D).
The invention is now described in detail.
The present invention comprises an oxyalkylene polymer (A-1), an acid (B), an amine (C) and a tin-series curing catalyst (D).
The component (A-1) mentioned above contains at least one reactive silicon group per polymer molecule. If the number of reactive silicon groups per molecule is less than 1, the polymer will be insufficient in curability, and, therefore, the above range must be adhered to. The preferred number is 1.1 to 5. Exceeding 5 is undesirable, for the network structure will become too dense to show satisfactory mechanical characteristics.
The backbone chain of said oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) having at least one reactive silicon group per molecule has a repeating unit of the following general formula (1).
xe2x80x94R1xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
(wherein R1 represents a divalent hydrocarbon group)
R1 mentioned above is not particularly restricted insofar as it is a divalent hydrocarbon group but is preferably a methylene group or a straight-chain or branched-chain alkylene group containing2 to 14 carbonatoms. The more preferred group is a straight-chain or branched-chain alkylene group of 2 to 4 carbon atoms.
The repeating unit of the general formula (1) mentioned above is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned xe2x80x94CH2Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2CH2Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2CH (CH3)Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2CH (C2H5)Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2C(CH3)2Oxe2x80x94, and xe2x80x94CH2CH2CH2CH2Oxe2x80x94, among others.
The backbone chain of said oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) may comprise one species of said repeating unit represented by general formula (1) or comprise two or more species of said repeating units.
Said backbone chain of oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) may contain urethane-binding and/or other moieties within the range not seriously affecting the characteristics of the oxyalkylene polymer.
The urethane-binding moiety mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned the moiety available from the reaction of an aromatic polyisocyanate, e.g. toluene(tolylene) diisocyanate, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate or the like, or an aliphatic polyisocyanate, e.g. isophorone diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate or the like, with a polyol having the above repeating unit of the general formula (1).
The reactive silicon group in said component (A-1) is a silicon-containing group having a hydrolyzable group or a hydroxyl group as the reactive group and is preferably a group of the following general formula (2).
xe2x80x94[Si(R2)2xe2x88x92a(X)aO]mxe2x80x94Si(R3)3xe2x88x92b(X)bxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
wherein R2 and R3 are the same or different and each represents an alkyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an aryl group of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group of 7 to 20 carbon atoms or a triorganosiloxy group of the formula (R4)3SiOxe2x80x94 in which R4 represents a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms and the three R4 groups may be the same or different; when R2 or R exists in 2 or more, each may represent the same group or different groups; X represents a hydrolyzable group or a hydroxyl group and when X exists in 2 or more, each may represent the same group or different groups; a represents an integer of 0 to 2; b represents an integer of 0 to 3; m represents an integer of 0 to 19 and when m exists in 2 or more, a in m of thexe2x80x94[Si (R2)2xe2x88x92a(X)aO]mxe2x80x94 group may represent the same value or different values. It should be understood that said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) contains at least one hydrolyzable group or hydroxyl group represented by X.
The above-mentioned alkyl group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, butyl, t-butyl and cyclohexyl, among others.
The aryl group of 6 to 20 carbon atoms is not particularly restricted but may for example be phenyl or naphthyl.
The aralkyl group of 7 to 20 carbon atoms is not particularly restricted but may for example be benzyl.
The monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, butyl, t-butyl, pentyl, ethinyl, 1-propenyl, vinyl allyl, 1-methylbutyl, 2-ethylbutyl and phenyl, among others.
Said hydrolyzable group represented by X is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned various known groups such as hydrogen, halogen, alkoxy, acyloxy, ketoximate, amino, amido, acid amide, aminooxy, mercapto, alkenyloxy, etc. Among these, hydrogen, alkoxy, acyloxy, ketoximate, amino, amido, aminooxy, mercapto and alkenyloxy are preferred, and from the standpoint of mild hydrolyzability and ease of handling, alkoxy groups are particularly preferred.
The hydroxyl or hydrolyzable group represented by X can bind, within the range of 1 to 3, to one silicon atom. Moreover, the sum of the hydroxyl and hydrolyzable groups in said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) is preferably within the range of 1 to 5.
The silicon atom forming said reactive silicon group may be one or two or more, and when silicon atoms are joined by siloxane bonding or the like, the number may be 20 at a maximum.
Among reactive silicon groups represented by the above general formula (2), reactive silicon groups of the following general formula (3) are readily available and, therefore, can be used with advantage in the practice of the present invention.
xe2x80x94Si(R3)3xe2x88x92bXbxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3)
(wherein R3, X, and b are as defined hereinbefore).
Referring to said component (A-1), the method for introduction of said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) is not particularly restricted but any of the known methods, such as the following, can be utilized.
(1) The process comprising reacting an oxyalkylene polymer having a functional group such as hydroxyl within its molecule with an organic compound having an active group reactive to said functional group and an unsaturated group to thereby give an unsaturated group-containing oxyalkylene polymer or carrying out a copolymerization reaction with an epoxy compound containing an unsaturated group to thereby give an unsaturated group-containing oxyalkylene polymer and then hydrosilylating the resulting unsaturated group-containing oxyalkylene polymer with a reactive silicon group-containing hydrosilane.
(2) The process comprising an unsaturated group-containing oxyalkylene polymer prepared in the same manner as in process (1) with a compound having a mercapto group and a reactive silicone group.
(3) The process comprising reacting an oxyalkylene polymer having a functional group, such as hydroxyl, epoxy and isocyanato, within its molecule with a compound having a functional group reactive to this functional group and a reactive silicon group.
Among the above processes, either process (1) or process (3) wherein the hydroxy-terminated polymer is reacted with a compound having an isocyanate group and a reactive silicon group is preferred.
The above component (A-1) may be a straight-linear polymer or a branched linear polymer and its molecular weight is preferably about 500 to 50,000, more preferably 1000 to 30,000.
Species of said component (A-1) are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned the polymers disclosed in Japanese Kokoku Publication Sho-45-36319, Japanese Kokoku Publication Sho-46-12154, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-50-156599, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-54-6096, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-55-13767, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-55-13468, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-57-164123, Japanese Kokoku Publication Hei-3-2450, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,632,557, 4,345,053, 4,366,307 and 4,960,844 and the polyoxyalkylene polymers having high molecular weights but narrow molecular weight distributions with number average molecular weights xe2x89xa76000 and Mw/Mn values xe2x89xa61.6 as disclosed in Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-61-197631, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-61-215622, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-61-215623 and Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-61-218632, among others.
The reactive silicon group-containing oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) mentioned above can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
The present invention may also be carried into practice using a blend of said oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) with a reactive silicone group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2).
The reactive silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) mentioned above is preferably a polymer obtainable by introducing said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) into a vinyl copolymer. The reactive silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned the polymers disclosed in Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-59-122541, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-63-112642, and Japanese Kokai Publication Hei-6-172631, among others.
More particularly, those polymers are obtainable by introducing said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) into a molecular chain substantially comprising an acrylic ester monomer unit and/or methacrylic ester monomer unit having an alkyl group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms which is represented by the following general formula (4):
xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C(R5)(COOR4)xe2x80x94xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
(wherein R4 represents an alkyl group containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms; R5 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group) and an acrylic ester monomer unit and/or methacrylic ester monomer unit having an alkyl group of not less than 10 carbon atoms, which is represented by the following general formula (5):
xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94C(R7)(COOR6)xe2x80x94xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
(wherein R6 represents an alkyl group containing not less than 10 carbon atoms; R7represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group) optionally together with some other monomer units.
In the above general formula (4), R4 is not particularly restricted insofar as it is an alkyl group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, thus including methyl, ethyl, propyl, n-butyl, t-butyl and 2-ethylhexyl, among others. Particularly preferred are alkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, with alkyl groups having 1 to 2 carbon atoms being still more preferred. Those may be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
In the above general formula (5), R6 is not particularly restricted insofar as it is an alkyl group containing not less than 10 carbon atoms, but there can be mentioned lauryl, tridecyl, cetyl, stearyl, nonadecyl, eicosyl and behenyl, among others. Particularly preferred are alkyl groups having 10 to 30 carbon atoms, with alkyl groups having 10 to 20 carbon atoms being still more preferred. Those may be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
The molecular chain of said reactive silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) substantially comprises said monomer unit of the general formula (4) and said monomer unit of the general formula (5). The term xe2x80x9csubstantiallyxe2x80x9d in this context means that the sum of the monomer units of the general formula (4) and general formula (5) in said molecular chain is in excess of 50 weight %. It is preferred that the sum of said monomer unit of the general formula (4) and monomer unit of the general formula (5) is not less than 70 weight %.
Furthermore, the occurrence ratio of said monomer unit of the general formula (4) to said monomer unit of the general formula (5) is preferably 95:5 to 40:60 by weight, more preferably 90:10 to 60:40 by weight.
The other monomer units mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned other monomer units derived from: acrylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, etc.; amide group-containing monomers such as acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methylolacrylamide, N-methylolmethacrylamide, etc.; epoxy group-containing monomers such as glycidyl acrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, etc.; therefrom amino group-containing monomers such as diethylaminoethyl acrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, aminoethyl vinyl ether, etc.; acrylonitrile, styrene, xcex1-methylstyrene, alkyl vinyl ethers, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, and ethylene or the like.
The method of introducing said reactive silicon group into the molecular chain comprising said monomer units is not particularly restricted but any of the known processes can be utilized. For example, a vinyl monomer containing said reactive silicon group of the general formula (2) can be introduced by way of copolymerization.
In this procedure, said reactive silicon group-containing vinyl monomer is used in such a proportion that the average number of reactive silicon groups in said reactive silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) will be not less than 1, preferably not less than 1.1, and more preferably not less than 1.5 in order that a sufficient degree of curability may be obtained.
Moreover, the introduction of said reactive silicon group is preferably carried out so that the apparent number average molecular weight per reactive silicon group will be 300 to 4000.
Said reaction silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) is preferably a polymer with a number average molecular weight of 500 to 100000 from the standpoint of ease of handling.
The relative amount of said reactive silicon group-containing vinyl polymer (A-2) based on 100 weight parts of said reactive silicon group-containing oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) is preferably 0.1 to 1000 weight parts, more preferably 1 to 200 weight parts.
Furthermore, in the present invention, a polymer obtainable by polymerizing a (meth) acrylic ester monomer in the presence of said reactive silicon group-containing oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) can also be used. This type of polymer has been typically described in Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-59-78223,. Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-59-168014, Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-60-228516 and Japanese Kokai Publication Sho-60-228517, among other publications, however it is not limited to these polymers.
The acid (B) to be formulated in the curable composition of the present invention is not particularly restricted but various organic acids and inorganic acids can be used. As typical examples of the acid (B) which can be used, the following compounds can be mentioned, however it is not limited to these acids.
{circle around (1)} Carboxylic Acids
The carboxylic acids are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned saturated monocarboxylic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid, acetoacetic acid, ethylmethylacetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isoacetic acid, 2-ethylbutyric acid, ethoxyacetic acid, valeric acid, isovaleric acid, hexanoic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, stearic acid, glyoxylic acid, glycolic acid, gluconic acid, etc.; olefin monocarboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, angelicic acid, crotonic acid, isocrotonic acid, 10-undecenoic acid, elaidic acid, erucic acid, oleic acid, etc.;
acetylenemonocarboxylic acids such as propiolic acid etc.; diolefincarboxylic acids such as linoleic acid, linoelaidic acid, etc.; polyunsaturated monocarboxylic acids such as linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, etc.; saturated dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, azelaic acid, ethylmalonic acid, glutaric acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, oxydiacetic acid, etc.; unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, acetylenedicarboxylic acid, itaconic acid, etc.; tricarboxylic acids such as aconitic acid, citric acid, isocitric acid; and aromatic monocarboxylic acids such as benzoic acid, 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid, atrolactinic acid, anisic acid, isopropylbenzoic acid, salicyclic acid and toluic acid, etc., among others.
{circle around (2)} Phosphoric Acids
The phosphoric acids mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned phosphoric acid and its partial esters, such as inorganic phosphoric acid, phosphoric monomethyl ester, phosphoric dimethyl ester, phosphoric monoethyl ester, phosphoric diethyl ester, phosphoric monobutyl ester, phosphoric dibutyl ester, phosphoric mono-2-ethylhexyl ester, phosphoric di-2-ethylhexyl ester, phosphoric monoisopropyl ester, phosphoric diisopropyl ester, phosphoric monooctyl ester, phosphoric dioctyl ester, phosphoric monooleyl ester, phosphoric dioleyl ester, etc.; phosphorous acid and its partial esters; alkyl(or aryl)phosphonic acids and partial esters of alkyl(or aryl)phosphonic acids; dialkyl(or aryl)phosphinic acids and partial esters of dialkyl(or aryl)phosphinic acids, among others.
{circle around (3)} Other Acids
As the acids other than the above-mentioned acids, which can be used, there can be mentioned sulfonic acids such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, naphthalene-xcex1-sulfonic acid, etc.; and inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, among others.
As said acid (B), the acids mentioned above can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species. In the present invention, carboxylic acids can be used with advantage from the standpoint of ease of use.
The amine (C) to be formulated in the curable composition of the present invention is not particularly restricted insofar as it is a compound having at least one amino group within its molecule, but there can be mentioned a variety of amines such as primary amines, secondary amines and tertiary amines and amine derivatives.
The primary amines mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned aliphatic primary amines such as methylamine, ethylamine, propylamine, isopropylamine, isopropyl alcohol amine, butylamine, 1-ethylbutylamine, isobutylamine, pentylamine, octylamine, laurylamine, monoethanolamine, diethylaminopropylamine, oleylamine, cyclohexylamine, benzylamine, guanidine, 2-ethylhexylamine, triethylenetetramine, etc. and aromatic primary amines such as aniline, nitroaniline, phenylenediamine, toluidine, toluylamine, xylenediamine, 2,3-xylidine, anisidine, phenetidine, benzidine, benzylamine, naphthylamine and so forth.
The secondary amines mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned aliphatic secondary amines such as dimethylamine, diethylamine, diethanolamine, diethylenetriamine, dibutylamine, N-methylbutylamine, piperidine, diisopentylamine, pyrrolidine, morpholine, 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, etc. and aromatic secondary amines such as N-ethylnaphthylamine, acetanilide, benzylaniline, diphenylguanidine and so forth.
The tertiary amines mentioned above are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned aliphatic tertiary amines such as trimethylamine, triethylamine, triethanolamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine, N,N-dimethylbutylamine, N,N-dimethyloctylamine, N,N-dimethyllaurylamine, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undecene (DBU)-7, etc. and aromatic tertiary amines such as N,N-dimethylaniline, N,N-dibenzylaniline, dimethylaminobenzoic acid, 2,4,6-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenol and so forth.
As said component (C), these amines can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species. Among these amines, primary amines are preferred from the standpoint of activity.
The tin catalyst (D) to be formulated in the curable composition of the present invention is not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned salts of tin with carboxylic acids, such as dibutyl dilaurate, dibutyl tinmaleate, dibutyltin diacetate, stannous octoate, stannous naphthenate, etc., reaction products of dibutyltin oxide with phthalic esters, and tin alkoxides such as dibutyltin diacetylacetonate, dibutyltin bis (ethyl acetoacetate) and dibutyltin dimethoxide and so forth.
It is preferred that the above-mentioned component (B) and component (C) to be formulated in the present invention are added each in molar excess over said component (D).
If the formulating amount of said component (B) or said component (C) is not more than equimolar to the component (D), the strain-reducing effect will be drastically compromised, therefor the case is not preferable.
The amount of said component (D) relative to 100 weight parts of oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) is preferably 0.1 to 20 weight parts, more preferably 0.1 to 10 weight parts. If the amount is less than 0.1 weight part, the curing reaction of the formulation will not proceed sufficiently. If the amount of component (D) exceeds 20 weight parts, localized heating and foaming will take place in curing so that no satisfactory cured product will be obtained, therefor the case is not preferable.
The curable composition of the present invention may be supplemented with any of various plasticizers where necessary.
Said plasticizers are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned phthalic ester plasticizers such as dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, diheptyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, diisodecyl phthalate, diisoundecyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate, dilauryl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate, etc.; epoxy plasticizers such as epoxidized soybean oil, epoxidized linseed oil, benzyl epoxystearate, etc.; polyester plasticizers such as polyesters of dibasic acids with a dihydric alcohol; polyethers such as polypropylene glycol and its derivatives, among others. Those plasticizers can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
The curable composition of the present invention may optionally contain a silyl hydrolyzing-condensation catalyst other than said tin catalyst for promoting the reaction of said reactive silicon group. Such silanol catalysts other than tin catalysts are not particularly restricted, but there can be mentioned titanic esters such as tetrabutyl titanate, tetrapropyl titanate, etc.; organoaluminum compounds such as aluminum trisacetylacetonate, aluminum tris(ethyl acetoacetate), diisopropoxyaluminum ethylacetoacetate, etc.; reaction products of a bismuth salt with organic carboxylic acids, such as bismuth tris(2-ethylhexanoate), bismuth tris(neodecanoate), etc.; chelate compounds such as zirconium tetraacetylacetonate, titanium tetraacetylacetonate, etc.; organolead compounds such as lead octoate etc.; and organovanadium compounds, among others. Those catalysts can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
Where necessary, the curable composition of the present invention may be further supplemented with various additives such as a dehydrating agent, a compatibilizing agent, an adhesion improving agent, a modifier, a storage-stability improving agent, a filler, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet absorber, a sequestrant, an antiozonant, a light stabilizer, an amine series radical chain terminator, a phosphorus series peroxide decomposer, a lubricant, a pigment, a blowing agent, a flame retardant, an antistatic agent and so forth.
Said filler is not particularly restricted but there can be mentioned wood, meal, walnut shell flour, rice hull flour, pulp, cotton chip, mica, graphite, diatomaceous earth, China clay, kaolin, clay, talc, pyrogenic or fumed silica, precipitated silica, silicic anhydride, quartz powder, glass beads, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, titanium oxide, glass balloon, aluminum powder, zinc dust, asbestos, glass fiber, carbon fiber, carbon black and so forth. These fillers can be used each alone or in a combination of two or more species.
The curable composition of the present invention may contain, in addition to said oxyalkylene polymer (A-1) containing at least one reactive silicon group per molecule, another polymer having a reactive silicon group. Among such polymers, polydimethylsiloxane can be mentioned as an example.
The method of producing the curable composition of the present invention is not particularly restricted. Thus, for example, said component (B), component (C) and component (D) may be independently added to said component (A-1) or to said (A-1) component having (A-2) blended. Alternatively, said components (B) and (C) may be added in the first place and said component (D) be then added. Preferred is the latter method. Furthermore, where necessary, the method of preparing a uniform dispersion by judicious control of heat and agitation conditions or the method comprising dissolving and mixing each component by means of a mixer, a roll, or a kneader can be employed. A dispersibility improving agent may also be used concomitantly.
The curable composition that can be obtained in the above manner can be provided not only in a two-component type but also in a one-component type. Such a one-component type can be provided by preparing the curable composition of the invention in a substantially anhydrous state, and this system can enjoy a long shelf-life if stored in a hermetically sealed condition and yet, upon exposure to the atmospheric air, begins to cure promptly from the surface.
The curable composition of the present invention finds application as an elastomeric sealant in the building, civil engineering and industrial fields, and can be used as a paint, an adhesive, an impregnant or a coating material as well.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a curable composition comprising comprising an oxyalkylene polymer having at least one reactive silicon group per molecule (A-1),

Abstract: an acid (B),

Abstract: an amine (C), and

Abstract: a tin-series curing catalyst (D).

Abstract: This composition optionally contains a vinyl polymer having at least one reactive silicon group.


An apparatus for containing and mixing a load of liquids and solids is disclosed. The apparatus includes an elongated tank, which includes a lower portion and an upper portion. The apparatus further includes an elongated rotatable shaft within the tank. At least one blade is connected to the shaft and is configured to mix the liquids and solids when the shaft is rotated. The apparatus also includes a shaft support configured for maintaining the shaft in a rotatable manner within the tank. The shaft support is selectively moveable in a manner permitting the shaft to move in an upward direction from the lower portion toward the upper portion, and in a downward direction from the upper portion toward the lower portion. An is contained with the tank for moving the shaft support in the upward direction and in the downward direction.

Solids materials are often transported in mixture with liquids, either because the mixture in-and-of itself is desired, or because the addition of liquids to solids aids in the handling of the solids. For example, it is often easier to unload material from a tank when the material is in flowable form. Such mixtures or slurries can include for example, hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste, raw solids material, processed solids, beads, pellets, particles, grains, or chemical compounds contained in at least partial suspension with a diluent. In some instances the suspension may be substantially homogeneous, and in others it may be non-homogenous. The solids can be any pulverized, particulate, or other solids material which when mixed with a diluent, may become at least partially flowable. Examples of diluents include solvents, water, naphtha, paint thinner, bitumen, and other petroleum based materials; condensate, or any other liquid or material sufficient to render a mixture flowable.
When transporting mixtures over long distances, via road, rail, sea, or air, extended transportation time may facilitate a settling of solids on a bottom portion of a tank. When transportation time extends over many hours, days or even weeks, the challenge may increase significantly. For example, solids may settle in the liquids and gradually form a sediment on the bottom of a storage container e.g., tank, during storage and/or transport. As loads shift, the solids sediment may have varying thickness on the floor of the tank. As a slurry or other mixture is unloaded from the tank, the liquids portion of the mixture may be readily removed while a portion of the solids sediment may remain in the tank.
Depending on the particular circumstance, the retention of solids in the bottom of the tank may pose a number of challenges. Added cost may be required to remove retained solids, or otherwise, the tank's capacity may be diminished. In addition, if uniformity is desired at the time of tank unloading, a sedimentary tank may result in uniformity variances at the time of unloading. Depending on the circumstance, concentration differences or non-homogeneity may be undesirable at a receiving facility, and may result in rejection of the shipment of waste materials.
Raw material, virgin materials, and materials to be used in industrial processes may be transported without a portion of the liquid (e.g., water or solvents) in order to save weight and/or increase capacity. Adding liquids to the top of a load prior to offloading to reconstitute the materials into a mixture may also prove challenging.
In order to address these issues, tanks have been designed to include an agitator system to stir the mixture so that the slurry may be in a homogenous state when discharged from the tank. With some of these systems, the agitator may become embedded in solids material and may have difficulty mixing waste.

Tank agitation system with moveable shaft support


A method for simplifying common mode feedback circuitry utilized in multi-stage operational amplifiers may comprise generating a first differential output signal by a first amplifying circuit in an amplifying stage and communicating the first differential output signal to a first output of the amplifying stage. A second amplifying circuit in the amplifying stage may generate a second differential output signal that may be communicated to a second output of the amplifying stage. The second differential output signal may be fed back to a first feedback circuit in the amplifying stage, and the first differential output signal may be fed back to a second feedback circuit in the amplifying stage. Additionally, the first and the second differential output signals may be fed back to the second feedback circuit and the first feedback circuit, respectively, in a first amplifying stage and/or any one or more of succeeding amplifying stages.

A transistor is an electronic device that controls voltage and current flow. In order to mitigate the effects of impairments such as noise, transistors may be arranged so that they form a differential amplifier. A differential amplifier may be designed such that its outputs are proportional to a difference between two inputs to the differential amplifier, and, therefore, any error that may be common to both inputs may be ignored. These errors may include internal and/or external errors. Internal errors due to temperature changes may affect voltage and current characteristics of the transistors on both sides of the differential amplifier to approximately the same degree. This may occur in instances where the transistors are on the same chip and may have the same process variations.
External errors may include noise picked up by inputs of the differential amplifier. Since both signals to the two inputs of the differential amplifier may pick up the same noise, the noise may not affect the output. This may occur because the same noise on both inputs may not affect the difference between the two inputs. The noise common to both inputs may be referred to as common mode noise. In this regard, the differential amplifier may be adapted to eliminate common mode noise.
Differential amplifiers may form the basis of operational amplifiers, which may also be referred to as op amps. An operational amplifier is basically a differential amplifier having a large voltage gain, very high input impedance and low output impedance. The operational amplifier has an "inverting" or negative (−) input and "non-inverting" or positive (+) input, and one or two outputs. The high input impedance allows minimal current in to the inputs of the operational amplifier. This feature may be used with a feedback circuit, in which an output of the operational amplifier circuit depends for the most part on the feedback circuit. Often, analysis of a circuit utilizing an operational amplifier may assume the operational amplifiers to be ideal operational amplifiers. An ideal operational amplifier has infinite input impedance, zero output impedance, infinite open loop gain when there is no feedback, and infinite bandwidth.
Some operational amplifiers, such as type 741 by Fairchild Semiconductor, may have very high open loop gain on the order of several hundred thousand, but very low open loop bandwidth of 10 hertz or less. With the addition of feedback devices, for example, resistors, the closed loop bandwidth may be increased at the sacrifice of the closed loop gain. Generally, the gain-bandwidth product for an operational amplifier, which may be the gain multiplied by the bandwidth for a specific feedback configuration, may be a constant. Operational amplifiers may have a single output or differential outputs. Differential-output operational amplifiers may have outputs whose voltage levels are centered about a common mode voltage, which may be a reference voltage, and the average of the output voltages may be the common mode voltage.
Common mode noise may affect the differential outputs so that the common mode voltage may move to a level other than the desired reference voltage. Therefore, in order to reduce the effect of the common mode noise and to keep the common mode voltage at the desired reference voltage, a feedback circuit may be implemented as part of the differential-output operational amplifier. Some feedback circuit may utilize a voltage comparator and resistors. However, the drawback to this may be additional power and layout area needed.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for simplifying common mode feedback circuitry in multi-stage operational amplifiers


A method for performing chromatic adaptation includes performing chromatic adaptation wherein corrections to tristimulous values XYZ are maximized in the regions of white and neutral and are minimized in the vicinity of non-neutral regions of colors space via piecewise linear corrections in XYZ. In one embodiment, a selective linear correction is performed using three matrices one for each sector in an RGB color space. In an alternative embodiment, selective color adjustments are made and the adjustments are partitioned for each primary and secondary color.

Color management is a field of technology that relates to translating digital images from one media to another in order to preserve color appearance. The Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (hereinafter "CIE") XYZ observer functions are the basis for most color measurements that require the matching of colors. By combining these functions with non-linear color appearance models (CAMs) such as CIELAB and CIECAM96s, complex color images as well as simple color patches can be reproduced with great success. It is well known that corrections to XYZ must be performed when the measured value of white between media or environments is different. Some illustrative examples of these cross-media conversions include:                1) Converting a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) image that has been optimally prepared on a display calibrated to D65 white to a CMYK file to be printed on neutral paper and viewed in a D50 light booth;        2) Converting a CMYK file optimized for neutral white paper to be printed on custom paper that is intentionally tinted a pastel blue or pink; and        3) Converting an image which was optimized for viewing in D50 illumination for viewing in office light illuminationThe type of technology that specifically addresses this topic is known as "chromatic adaptation". Chromatic adaptation provides a transformation from tristimulous values in one viewing condition to matching tristimulous values in a second set of viewing conditions. The "viewing condition" may be in one illustrative example the measured properties of the "white" illumination employed to view the images. However, more generally, "viewing condition" may be, for example, the measured value of white (RGB=100%) for a display system such as a computer monitor. For the purposes of this description, it is assumed that "viewing condition" is the adaptive "white point" of a scene that is being viewed. In the case of printed images on paper, the white point is the combined effect of illumination and reflective properties of the paper. In the example of images on a display, the white point is the maximum of red, green, blue (RGB=100% each or gray level 255, 255, 255) combined to yield the "whitest white" of the display system in a calibrated state.
Several methods of chromatic adaptation have been developed in the past. The most recent version of the International Color Consortium (ICC) specification specifically recommends a Bradford model as a simple, baseline method for performing chromatic adaptation (see section 6.2.1 of the ICC Specification ICC.1: 2004-10). This was a big step forward, since previous versions of the ICC specification only defined a primitive XYZ scaling as a baseline adaptation method (see 6.3.2 of the ICC Specification ICC.1: 2004-10). This method was adequately useful for conversions between CMYK media with slightly different paper color (i.e. up to 5 delta E in a*b*), but was quite unsatisfactory, as for example, for use in converting images from displays set at a D65 white point for purposes of displaying on a system with a D50 white point (i.e. a 20 delta E difference from D50). As discussed above, defining an effective method of chromatic adaptation is key for color conversions between media and environments with significant white point differences.

Method and apparatus for chromatic adaptation


In a method for scanning microscopy an illuminating light beam that contains at least first light of a first wavelength and second light of a second wavelength, is coded. The coded illuminating light beam is directed onto a specimen and detection light proceeding from the specimen is decoded.

In scanning microscopy, a specimen is illuminated with a light beam in order to observe the reflected or fluorescent light emitted from the specimen. The focus of an illuminating light beam is moved in a specimen plane by means of a controllable beam deflection device, generally by tilting two mirrors; the deflection axes are usually perpendicular to one another, so that one mirror deflects in the X direction and the other in the Y direction. Tilting of the mirrors is brought about, for example, by means of galvanometer positioning elements. The power level of the light coming from the specimen is measured as a function of the position of the scanning beam. The positioning elements are usually equipped with sensors to ascertain the present mirror position.
In confocal scanning microscopy specifically, a specimen is scanned in three dimensions with the focus of a light beam.
A confocal scanning microscope generally comprises a light source, a focusing optical system with which the light of the source is focused onto an aperture (called the "excitation pinhole"), a beam splitter, a beam deflection device for beam control, a microscope optical system, a detection pinhole, and the detectors for detecting the detected or fluorescent light. The illuminating light is coupled in via a beam splitter. The fluorescent or reflected light coming from the specimen travels back through the beam deflection device to the beam splitter, passes through it, and is then focused onto the detection pinhole behind which the detectors are located. Detection light that does not derive directly from the focus region takes a different light path and does not pass through the detection pinhole, so that a point datum is obtained which results, by sequential scanning of the specimen, in a three-dimensional image. A three-dimensional image is usually achieved by acquiring image data in layers, the track of the scanning light beam on or in the specimen ideally describing a meander (scanning one line in the X direction at a constant Y position, then stopping the X scan and slewing by Y displacement to the next line to be scanned, then scanning that line in the negative X direction at constant Y position, etc.). To allow image data acquisition in layers, the specimen stage or the objective is shifted after a layer has been scanned so that the next layer to be scanned is brought into the focal plane of the objective.
For many applications, specimens are prepared with several markers, for example several different fluorescent dyes. These dyes can be excited sequentially, for example using illuminating light beams that exhibit different excitation wavelengths. Simultaneous excitation using an illuminating light beam that contains light of several excitation wavelengths is also common. European Patent Application EP 0 495 930: "Confocal microscope system for multi-color fluorescence," for example, discloses an arrangement having a single laser that emits several laser lines. At present, such lasers are usually embodied in practical terms as mixed-gas lasers, in particular as Ar/Kr lasers.
When the acquired image data are analyzed, it is important to be able to make an allocation as to which detected signals are attributable to which marker or fluorescent dye. This functions particularly reliably and reproducibly if each fluorescent dye possesses an emission spectrum specific to it, which does not overlap with any of the other emission spectra. In such a case the individual fluorescent dyes can be excited simultaneously, and the detection light, spectrally divided in accordance with the individual fluorescent dyes, reflects the distribution of the individual fluorescent dyes in the specimen. A multi-band detector such as the one known, for example, from German Unexamined Application DE 199 02 625 A1 is often used for detection in this context.
If the emission spectra of the individual fluorescent dyes do overlap, however, the distributions of the individual fluorescent dyes in the specimen can no longer be cleanly optically separated from one another, although a certain degree of separation of the dyes can be achieved, based on the acquired data, using mathematical methods.

Method for scanning microscopy, scanning microscope, and apparatus for coding an illuminating light beam


Path information is obtained in a VPLS-based network by generating special Layer 2 frames (referred to herein as “trace-request frames”), performing source MAC filtering to identify the trace-request frames, and generating a special frame (referred to herein as a “trace-reply frame”) when the source MAC filtering identifies a trace-request frame. Upon identifying a trace-request frame, path information is collected and embedded into the trace-reply frame. The trace-reply frame is then sent to the originating node where the path information is used to learn the path that the trace-request frame traversed. By sending multiple trace-request frames with different source MAC addresses, path information received from source MAC filtering at different nodes in the VPLS-based network can be collected and used to learn an entire path of interest.

Virtual private LAN services (VPLS) over MPLS provides LAN-like connectivity between geographically diverse customer locations. Draft standards for implementing VPLS over MPLS are presented in "Virtual Private LAN Services over MPLS", IETF draft-lasserre-vkompella-ppvpn-vpls-04.txt, March 2003, and "Virtual Private LAN Service", IETF draft-kompella-ppvpn-vpls-02.txt, May 2003, "Transport of Layer 2 Frames over MPLS", IETF draft-martini-12circuit-trans-mpls-09.txt, April 2002, and "Encapsulation Methods for Transport of Layer 2 Frames Over IP and MPLS networks", IETF draft-martini-12circuit-encap-mpls-04.txt, November 2001, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The basic operation of VPLS is described with reference to FIG. 1 and involves establishing virtual circuit (VC) label switching paths (LSPs) and tunnel LSPs (also referred to as "pseudo-wires"). FIG. 1 depicts an MPLS domain 102, three service provider edge devices (PEs) 104, geographically diverse customer edge devices (CEs) 106, and customer LANs 108 for two different customers, customer A and customer B. FIG. 1 also depicts corresponding tunnel LSPs 110 between the PEs and examples of VC LSPs (e.g., VCA LSP and VCB LSP) that are carried within the tunnel LSPs. In operation, an Ethernet frame from a customer location is either switched or routed by a CE to one of the PEs (also known as MPLS label edge router (LERs)). The respective PE classifies the frame based on either the incoming port or the virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) of an IEEE 802.1q tagged frame. The frame is then mapped to a user-defined Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC), which specifies how the frame gets forwarded. The FEC lookup yields the outgoing port of the frame and the tunnel and VC labels that are used to encapsulate the frame. FIG. 2 depicts an example of a frame encapsulation format for implementing VPLS. A complete description of the frame format is described in the above-referenced IETF document entitled "Encapsulation Methods for Transport of Layer 2 Frames Over IP and MPLS networks." The frame format includes the original Ethernet frame 220, an MPLS label stack 222, and an outer Ethernet header 224. The outer Ethernet header identifies the next hop of the frame during transport through the MPLS domain. The label at the top of the MPLS label stack is the tunnel label, which is used to transport the frame across the provider's MPLS domain via the tunnel LSPs. The label at the bottom of the MPLS label stack is the VC label, which is used by egress PEs to determine how to process a frame that is exiting the MPLS domain. The original Ethernet frame is the customer frame that is transported between the geographically diverse customer locations.
During transport through the MPLS domain 102, backbone label switch routers (LSRs) (not shown) in the MPLS domain only look at a frame's tunnel label to switch the frame through the MPLS domain. The tunnel label at the top of the MPLS label stack is removed at the penultimate hop (i.e., the hop prior to the egress PE) and the frame is passed to the egress PE with only the VC label. The egress PE uses the VC label to determine how to process the frame. The frame is then forwarded to the outgoing port that is identified via the VC label.
The VPLS architecture described above with reference to FIG. 1 can be modified to improve scalability. A standardized architecture for improved scalability is referred to in the above-described documents as Hierarchical VPLS or "HVPLS." FIG. 3 depicts an example of an HVPLS-based network architecture, which includes Layer 2 devices, referred to as multi-tenant units (MTUS) 312, located between the PEs 304 and the CEs 306 to create hierarchies with a hub-and-spoke arrangement. Using the HVPLS architecture, a full mesh of tunnels 310 is maintained between the PEs within the MPLS domain while additional LSPs 314 are established between the PEs 304 and MTUs 312. The hierarchical architecture reduces signaling and frame replication overhead and as a result large scale VPLS services are easier to deploy.
To provide viable VPLS services, a service provider must be able to test the connectivity between nodes in its VPLS-based network. In particular, it is important to be able to test the paths that are traveled by actual customer traffic. Two categories of testing functionality that are common in network management involve testing end-to-end connectivity between two nodes (often referred to as a "ping" test) and learning the path that traffic travels to get from one node to another (often referred to as a "traceroute" or "tracepath" test). Well-known "ping" and "traceroute" functionality has been developed for Layer 3 networks (e.g., IP-based networks). Although the ping and traceroute functions work well in IP-based networks, these functions are not exactly transferable to Layer 2 networks such as VPLS-based networks. Solutions for providing Layer 2 ping functionality have been implemented and accepted however there is no widely accepted technique for providing the traceroute functionality. One proposed solution for providing traceroute functionality is described by Stokes et al. in an IETF draft document entitled "Testing Hierarchical Virtual Private LAN Services" (draft-stokes-vkompella-ppvpn-hvpls-oam-02.txt), June 2003. This proposal for providing traceroute functionality in a VPLS-based network depends on retaining the value in the time-to-live (TTL) field of the MPLS tunnel label when the tunnel LSP is switched at a PE. Retaining the TTL value in the tunnel label through an LSP switch can be difficult to implement because it requires additional information to be switched from an ingress port to an egress port.
In view of this, what is needed is a technique for obtaining path information related to a VPLS-based network that is easy to implement and that reflects paths that are traveled by actual customer traffic.

Obtaining path information related to a virtual private LAN services (VPLS) based network


Fast purging of change data from a named change data database table by: (1) partitioning the table into partitions to separate data to be retained from data to be dropped and dropping the partition holding the data to be purged; or (2) creating a temporary change data database table and inserting the change data to be retained into a temporary table, dropping the named change data table, renaming the temporary table as the named table and inserting the change data within the temporary table into the renamed change table; or (3) creating a temporary change data table and copying data above a given value from the named table into the temporary database table, truncating the named table and inserting the data from the temporary into the named table and dropping the temporary table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for fast purging of data from, for example, change data tables within database applications without the use of the SQL DELETE statement.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
As described in the above identified pending patent applications, a subscriber of change data capture system captures all the updates including SQL INSERT, DELETE and UPDATE statements that occur to interesting tables in a relational database, and stores the change data in a set of relational tables referred to as change tables.
As described in the above pending patent applications, the subscriber (user) of the Change Data Capture systems calls the EXTEND_WINDOW and PURGE_WINDOW interfaces to consume data from change tables. This also indicates to the system that the subscriber has finished with some of the change data, and therefore that data can be safely deleted from the system. It is important to delete change data once all the subscribers are finished with it, due to the large amount of change data that is constantly added to change tables. It is expensive and impractical to allow change data to remain on the database system that is no longer in use. However, the system ensures that the change tables do not grow without limit.
Existing purge mechanisms rely on the conventional SQL DELETE statement, whose performance degrades as the change table grows and as the number of rows to be deleted increases.

Method and apparatus for partitioned based purging of data


A method comprises generating a first set of configurations of a layout of semiconductor components. The configurations of the first set of configurations each satisfy a first sub-set of a set of design rules. The method also comprises generating a second set of configurations of the layout of semiconductor components. The second set of configurations are generated by eliminating one or more configurations of the first set of configurations based on a determination that the eliminated one or more configurations of the first set of configurations fail to satisfy a second sub-set of the set of design rules. The method further comprises selecting a layout generation configuration for generating the layout of semiconductor components. The method additionally comprises generating the layout of semiconductor components based on the selected layout generation configuration.

The recent trend in miniaturizing integrated circuits (ICs) has resulted in smaller devices which consume less power, yet provide more functionally at higher speeds than before. The miniaturization process has also resulted in stricter manufacturing specification. Both satisfying the manufacturing specification and achieving an optimized design for a semiconductor device may not be problematic at low process nodes. However, achieving a design optimization while continuing to satisfy the manufacturing specification becomes more challenging at advanced process nodes.

Generating a semiconductor component layout

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


An integrated circuit (IC) design method for use as a design and/or manufacturing tool for designing and/or manufacturing integrated circuitry (110). The method utilizes one or more library element (150A-F) to provide a flexible modeling template. Each library element includes one or more module ports (160A-F) each for accepting any one of a plurality of device modules (170). The device modules are logical representations of corresponding respective portions of the integrated circuitry. For any given module port, the corresponding device modules may be interchanged essentially without additional integrated circuitry design changes.

Semiconductor manufacturing processes balance various parameters to produce the complex integrated circuit devices common today. This balance may result in some nominal process variations that create deviations in integrated circuit device performance. These deviations often require adjusting the manufacturing process to re-center certain digital logic parameters.
These adjustments often impact second order devices, such as resistors. This impact may be diminished by applying a re-centering scheme to these second order devices. The modifications to the second order devices resulting from the re-centering, however, typically impart additional changes to the digital logic parameters. Thus, these solutions require a continuing trade-off between process optimization directed to the digital logic and optimization directed to the second order devices.
This trade-off has spawned the development of a variety of mitigation methods presently used in designing semiconductor technology or products. These methods include redesigning products to run a on particular manufacturing line, modifying second order devices to adjust second order properties, and using additional masks in the manufacturing process to tune second order devices separately from the digital logic. These techniques require relatively large investments of time and money that ultimately increase the cost of the final product.

Method of facilitating integrated circuit design using manufactured property values

International Business Machines Corporation


A thermosiphon reboiler heat exchanger which integrates multiple parallel reboilers into a single unit and a heating method are disclosed. The present heat exchanger utilizes a compartmentalized shell for vaporizing a tube-side liquid with a plurality of hot shell-side fluids. The present apparatus is particularly useful for a fractionation system in a phenol manufacture process.

A thermosiphon reboiler can be used in certain instances to save pumping costs in a fractionation column. The reboiler forms one hydraulic leg and the column another in a U-shaped "siphon" network. As vapor return lowers the hydraulic head of the reboiler leg, additional liquid feeds hydraulically from the fractionator to maintain a head equilibrium between the legs. Such thermosiphon reboilers are well known in the art.
Thermosiphon reboilers are commonly used on a variety of distillation towers in manufacturing processes. Increased efforts to improve energy efficiency in the processes have resulted, in some instances, in an addition of multiple separate reboilers piped in parallel with a common feed line so that several different hot process and/or utility streams can be used as heating fluids by supplying each of the hot streams to a separate reboiler. Therefore, reboil flowrate through each of the individual reboilers depends on a complicated resolution of the head differentials in each parallel leg. It can be seen that carefully balanced piping schemes and complex flow controls must be used to maintain adequate flow through each reboiler as process conditions change. Even so, flow upset and startup difficulties can still frequently occur. It is therefore desirable to reduce piping and control complexities as well as opportunity for process upset due to flow imbalances by integrating separate heat exchangers into a single unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,601 to Yamaguchi et al. describes a shell-and-tube reactor including a vessel having at least one intermediate tube plate sectioning the interior of the vessel into at least two compartments having different temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,955 to Dighton et al. describes a single pass, horizontal shell and tube heat exchanger made in three sections which can be independently heated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,289 to Kays et al. describes preheater for use in a multieffect distillation system comprising a housing having a plurality of chambers with a conduit means extending axially through each of the chambers
U.S. Pat. No. 2,204,447 to Samans describes a compact catalytic reactor apparatus for securing uniform heat exchange throughout the body of the catalyst. The apparatus has a shell divided into a plurality of cylindrical sections surrounding a tube bundle with catalyst in the spaces between the tubes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,132,150 describes a method and apparatus for contacting liquid phases wherein the contact zone comprises packing members which may be segregated from each other in separate casings.

Integrated thermosiphon heat exchanger apparatus


Collectively loading an application in a parallel computer, the parallel computer comprising a plurality of compute nodes, including: identifying, by a parallel computer control system, a subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer to execute a job; selecting, by the parallel computer control system, one of the subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer as a job leader compute node; retrieving, by the job leader compute node from computer memory, an application for executing the job; and broadcasting, by the job leader to the subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer, the application for executing the job.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for collectively loading an application in a parallel computer.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Modern computing systems can be massively parallel and comprised of many processing blocks. A particular computational task may be executed in parallel across many of these processing blocks. In order to participate in the execution of the particular computational task, each processing block may require the same execution environment, including the same software for carrying out the computational task and the same execution parameters. If each processing block reads the software and execution parameters for carrying out the computational task from a file system, the number of accesses to the file system grows as the number of processing blocks grows.


An exposure apparatus for executing an exposure of a substrate to light via a mask. The apparatus includes a booth which stores the mask in an atmospheric pressure, a processing chamber in which the exposure is executed in a first vacuum pressure, a vacuum chamber, arranged between the booth and the processing chamber, stores the mask at a second vacuum pressure that is higher than the first vacuum pressure and is between 0.1 Pa and 100 Pa, a first load lock chamber, arranged between the booth and the vacuum chamber, through which the mask is transferred, in which the atmospheric pressure and the second vacuum pressure are replaceable, and a second load lock chamber arranged between the vacuum chamber and the processing chamber, through which the mask is transferred, in which the second vacuum pressure and the first vacuum pressure are replaceable.

The present invention relates generally to an exposure apparatus, and, more particularly, a processing system for transporting an object, such as a mask, a semiconductor chip or a liquid crystal display substrate, etc., from a supplying part to a processing chamber for executing an exposure process in a fabricating process of the semiconductor chip or the liquid crystal display substrate, etc.
In manufacturing such fine semiconductor devices as a semiconductor memory and a logic circuit in photolithography technology, a reduction projection exposure apparatus for transferring a circuit pattern by a projection optical system projecting the circuit pattern onto a wafer, etc., has been conventionally used.
The critical dimension transferable by the projection exposure apparatus or the resolution is proportionate to a wavelength of light used for exposure, and inversely proportionate to the numerical aperture ("NA") of the projection optical system. The shorter the wavelength is, the better the resolution becomes. Therefore, the exposure light uses a shorter wavelength with the demand for the fine processing to semiconductor devices in recent years, and use of the wavelength of the ultraviolet light has shifted from an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp (i-line (a wavelength of about 365 nm)) to a KrF excimer laser (a wavelength of about 248 nm) and an ArF excimer laser (a wavelength of about 193 nm).
The semiconductor device becomes minute so rapidly that the lithography using the ultraviolet light has a limit. Then, a reduction projection exposure apparatus (hereafter, it is called, an "EUV exposure apparatus") using extreme ultraviolet light is developed to efficiently transfer a finer circuit pattern of 0.1 μm or less.
A chamber stores an exposure part of the exposure apparatus, and has a vacuum atmosphere to prevent attenuation of the exposure light, because the exposure light with such a short wavelength as the EUV light remarkably decreases at an ambient pressure.
Such a processing system arranges a load lock chamber to transfer a substrate as an object to be exposed between a chamber that houses in the exposure part and a substrate supplying part located under the ambient pressure (for instance, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, Publication No. 10-092724). Here, the substrate as the object to be exposed is a mask (reticle) that has a circuit pattern and serves as an original edition, and means a transmitting type mask for transmitting the exposure light and a reflecting type mask for reflecting the exposure light.
FIGS. 18A and 18B are schematic block diagrams showing a configuration of a conventional processing system 1000. FIG. 18A is a sectional view, and FIG. 18B is a top view. The processing system 1000 has a high vacuum atmosphere in a processing chamber 1100 storing the exposure part. The processing chamber 1100 is connected with a reserving room 1110 storing a second transporter 1112.
A carrier mounting part 1310 as the substrate supply part is arranged in the ambient atmosphere, and a first transporter 1320 is arranged to access the carrier mounting part 1310 and the load lock chamber 1200. A clean booth 1300 is arranged to surround the first transporter 1320.
The load lock chamber 1200 includes a first gate valve 1220 for shielding between the load lock chamber 1200 and the carrier mounting part 1310 in the ambient atmosphere, and a second gate valve 1220 for shielding between the load lock chamber 1200 and the reserving room 1110.
A description will now be given of an operation of the processing system 1000. The first transporter 1320 takes out one mask from the carrier mounting on the carrier mounting part 1310, and transports the mask to the load lock chamber 1200. The first gate valve 1210 closes to shield the ambient atmosphere, and the load lock chamber 1200 exchanges the atmosphere after the mask is transported to the load lock chamber 1200 and is put on a mounting stage.
A description will now be given of a replacement of an atmosphere in the load lock chamber 1200. The vacuum-exhausting valve (not shown) opens when the clean booth 1300 and the processing chamber 1100 are shielded by closing the first gate valve 1210 and the second gate valve 1220, and then a vacuum pump (not shown) starts exhausting the gas of the load lock chamber 1200 through a vacuum-exhausting tube. The vacuum exhaustion is stopped by closing the vacuum-exhausting valve after the load lock chamber 1200 is exhausted to a predetermined degree of vacuum.
The second gate valve 1220 opens, and then the second transporter 1112 takes out the mask in the processing chamber 1100, and transports the mask to the exposure part stored in the processing chamber 1100 after the atmosphere replacement finishes in the load lock chamber 1200. The first transporter 1320 and the second transporter 1112 transport the mask for use with the exposure part to the carrier mounting part 1310 through the load lock chamber 1200 (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 10-092724, 10-233423, 2000-123111, and 2001-085290).
However, when the mask is transported and the load lock chamber is replaced with the vacuum atmosphere, particles (contaminants) adhere to the mask disadvantageously. For instance, the particles swirl and adhere to the mask during the exhaust to replace the atmosphere of the load lock chamber. The particles adhered mask disadvantageously deteriorate the exposure, because a particle adhered part neither transmits nor reflects the exposure light (production of the exposure defect).
Thus, various methods are proposed to prevent the particles from adhering to the mask. For instance, it is proposed that a method arranges a pellicle to protect surfaces of particles with a transcript pattern, but this method may not apply because of a restriction of the material and the structure in the processing system using the EUV light, etc., with shorter wavelengths. It is difficult to use the material with the ultraviolet light or the visible radiation, because the material highly absorbs the light when the exposure light has a short wavelength. Thus, the material usable for a wavelength range of the EUV light does not exist.
Moreover, a method is proposed which arranges a detecting mechanism for detecting particles from adhering to the mask, in the processing chamber. However, this method decreases the throughput, because this processing chamber needs many components, a large size, and a long time to create a high vacuum atmosphere, since the detecting mechanism is arranged in the processing chamber maintained in a high vacuum atmosphere. Moreover, maintaining the high vacuum atmosphere becomes difficult. Although it is conceivable to arrange a detecting mechanism in the ambient environment (that is, a clean booth) for detecting the particles adhered to the mask, and to carry the mask into the processing chamber after the detecting mechanism detects the particles, this method cannot eliminate particles adhered during transportation.
On the other hand, another proposed method prevents swirls of the particles that adhere during a replacement to the vacuum atmosphere (that is, the exhaust is slowed down), and by exhausting slowly when the exhaust begins. However, the slow exhaust needs a long time from the ambient attainment to the high vacuum atmosphere, and the throughput decreases.

Exposure apparatus having a processing chamber, a vacuum chamber and first and second load lock chambers


Devices and methods for controlling the flaking of coating fragments from medical implants and improving the delivery of therapeutic agents from such coatings are described.

Drug-eluting stents are commonly used in coronary angioplasty procedures, after a diseased vessel has been opened by balloon angioplasty, to maintain the opened diameter of the vessel and to reduce the risk that the vessel will re-narrow by a process known as restenosis. Stents of this type are typically composed of a radially expandable stent body, e.g., a metal stent body, whose outer surface is coated with a drug-containing polymer coating from which the anti-restenosis drug is eluted over a period of a few week to several months. The stent is carried to the target vascular site in a contracted condition on the catheter balloon. As the balloon is expanded to open a narrowed portion of a vessel, the stent carried on the balloon is expanded against the vessel wall for deployment in the vessel. During this stent expansion, the stent coating is exposed to radial stresses and may fracture, releasing flaked coating material into the bloodstream. Flaked pieces of sufficient size can serve as sites for blood clotting, posing a concern for embolism.
Previous efforts to address this problem have involved increasing the adhesion of the coating to the implant, in an effort to minimize flaking. One way to increase adhesion is to roughen or texture the surface of the implant, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,805,898 and 7,335,314 (Wu et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,617 (Reiss), and WO 08/027,872. However, when medical implants experience sufficient structural deformation, rigid and semi-rigid coatings inevitably crack and flake off in fragments, fibers, or strands, risking clinical complications such as embolism, blood flow interruption/disruption, and blood clots. This problem is observed, for example, in the case of coated filaments of vascular stents, which are typically expanded following delivery to a preselected site of implantation. A related problem is observed when two stents are implanted in an overlapping or juxtaposed configuration, wherein contact between the stents causes damage to the coating of one or both stents.
It is, therefore, apparent that simply increasing the adhesion of the coating to the surface of the medical implant does not fully address the problems of flaking, dislodgement and coating embolization.


A modular board to board mezzanine ball grid array BGA connector includes a plug, a receptacle and if needed an adapter. The plug and the receptacle can be made form the same base pieces to accommodate different stack heights. If a greater stack height is needed, spacers can be used in the plug and the receptacle to accommodates a greater selected stack height. The plug and the receptacle both include a base having an interstitial diamond recesses in which the solder balls are disposed and in which one end of a contact is inserted. The plug may further include a plug cover that can be connected to the base, and the receptacle may include a receptacle cover that fits over its base. The plug can have a plug contact assembly, and the receptacle can have a receptacle contact assembly. The plug and the receptacle can be mated by mating the plug cover to the receptacle cover and the receptacle contacts to the plug contacts. If a larger stack height is desired, a spacer can be attached to the base of either or both the plug or the receptacle to achieve a larger stack height.

Ball grid array (BGA) connectors are generally known in the art and a general discussion of such connectors can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,606. In these types of connectors an integrated circuit is mounted to a plastic or ceramic substrate with a ball grid array, which generally includes spherical solder balls that are positioned on electrical contact pads of a circuit substrate. These types of connectors can be mounted to an integrated circuit without using external leads extending from the integrated circuit. Among the advantages of ball grid array connectors are smaller package sizes, good electrical performance and lower profiles.
In prior mezzanine style connectors unique components were required for each connector stack height and gender. This invention includes a modular mezzanine style board to board connector that can be made to a selected stack height by choosing from a variety of common components that can mixed or matched to provide a desired stack height. Regardless of the stack height, the plug and the receptacle can be made using at least some of the same components. If a larger stack height is needed, additional components can be added.


A system for resonantly enhanced frequency conversion includes a nonlinear crystal for frequency converting a pump laser beam, and mirrors forming a ring resonator for the pump laser beam such that a closed propagation path of the pump laser beam, inside the ring resonator, passes through the nonlinear crystal. The mirrors include an adaptive mirror, a curved-mirror pair positioned in a first segment of the propagation path spanning between the adaptive mirror and the nonlinear crystal, and an input coupler for coupling the pump laser beam into the ring resonator. The curved-mirror pair forms an imaging system having conjugate planes at the adaptive mirror and the nonlinear crystal. The input coupler is positioned in a second segment of the propagation path that spans between the adaptive mirror and the nonlinear crystal and does not include deflection by the curved-mirror pair.

Lasers are used in an ever-expanding array of applications, including machining, communications, remote sensing, medical procedures, and scientific research. Laser applications often require laser light at a wavelength that cannot, at least efficiently, be directly generated by a laser. In such situations, frequency conversion in an optically nonlinear medium may be used to generate laser radiation at the desired wavelength from laser radiation of another fundamental wavelength that can be directly generated. For example, ultraviolet laser radiation may be generated in a nonlinear crystal by frequency doubling visible laser radiation.
The efficiency of frequency doubling of fundamental laser radiation is proportional to the square of the intensity of the fundamental laser radiation. Depending on the scenario, thermal effects, depletion of the fundamental laser radiation, and other factors may cause deviations from this relationship. However, in most cases, the achievable power of frequency-doubled laser radiation increases strongly with the intensity of the fundamental laser radiation.
Enhancement cavities may be used to increase the achievable intensity of a laser beam in a nonlinear crystal. An enhancement cavity is an optical resonator that is impedance matched and resonant with an incident laser beam, often referred to as a pump beam. The optical resonator is defined by a set of mirrors. The set of mirrors may form a linear resonator where the pump beam bounces back and forth between two end-mirrors to form a standing wave. Alternatively, the set of mirrors may form a ring resonator where the pump beam circulates in one direction. In either case, when the optical resonator is resonant with the pump beam, constructive interference leads to enhancement of the intensity of the pump beam inside the optical resonator. The enhancement factor may be as large as 100, for example. Enhancement cavities are therefore useful for enhancing the intensity of a laser beam in a nonlinear crystal so as to significantly increase the power of a frequency-converted laser beam generated therefrom. The degree of intensity enhancement in an enhancement cavity is subject to the efficiency with which the pump beam is coupled into the optical resonator. For example, mode matching of the pump beam to the mode of the optical resonator is required for efficient input coupling.
Thermal lensing occurs in a nonlinear crystal when a laser beam propagating therein locally heats the material of the nonlinear crystal and thereby induces a gradient in the refractive index of the nonlinear crystal. The heating is caused by absorption of the laser radiation. Most commonly used nonlinear crystals exhibit relatively low absorption in the near-infrared and visible regions and more significant absorption in the ultraviolet region. Therefore, frequency conversion into the ultraviolet region is particularly prone to thermal lensing. However, thermal lensing may be non-negligible even in the visible region when the laser power is high.

Resonantly enhanced frequency conversion with adaptive thermal-lensing compensation


The present invention is directed to an aqueous suspension and/or aqueous dispersion of calcium carbonate obtained by the process of manufacturing a calcium carbonate-containing slurry prepared by addition of one or more zirconium compounds, wherein the aqueous suspension and/or aqueous dispersion of calcium carbonate consists essentially of calcium carbonate, water, one or more zirconium compounds and optionally, one or more phosphate-free additives acting as dispersion and/or grinding aid agents.

Aqueous suspensions and/or aqueous dispersions and/or dry calcium carbonate mineral pigments of mineral matter are presently used in various applications and, especially when containing calcium carbonate as inorganic particulate material, they are notably used to produce compositions containing pigments or fillers, which can further be used in paper manufacturing and/or paper and/or plastic coatings, as fillers for plastics or in aqueous paint compositions and the like.
In order to maintain such slurries in stable form in terms of viscosity, and to avoid undesirable phenomena such as aggregation, flocculation or sedimentation during slurry manufacturing, transport or storage, the skilled man in the art knows that it is necessary to obtain stable aqueous suspensions and/or aqueous dispersions of particulate material using dispersing and/or grinding aid agents. It is also well known that the choice of such dispersing and/or grinding aid agents may later influence some of the characteristic properties of the final products made based on these slurries; for instance, in the case of aqueous paint, paper or paper coating formulations, the state of the art includes documents concerning dispersing agents that enhance the optical properties of final products, such as opacity, gloss or the scattering coefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,017 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,719 deal with finely divided calcium carbonate that is acid-stabilized through the use of a calcium-chelating agent, a conjugate base, such as polyphosphates and a weak acid, the latter being preferentially phosphoric acid, and a process in order to obtain such calcium carbonate and a paper containing such calcium carbonate.
These solutions do not comply with new requirements of the skilled man in the art, in terms of non-use of certain chemicals which are now considered as potential pollutants in waste waters and process waters, namely phosphate compounds. In fact, chemical products containing phosphates are currently subject to an increasing number of restrictions. In the Spring of 2003, the European Union signed a Protocol on a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. On Oct. 7, 2004, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation for future reporting obligations: COM (2004) 634. Annex I of this proposal lists the industrial facilities and activities under consideration: the mineral industry is mentioned on page 25 (underground mining and related operations, opencast mining). Annex II lists 90 products under consideration: on page 28 is mentioned phosphorus total.
In view of the above, the previous solutions disclosing the use of phosphates and above all of phosphoric acid can not be considered as relevant, efficient and useful for the skilled man in the art.
As known for many years in the art, another solution to obtain stable suspensions of minerals matter is to use of acrylic homopolymers and/or acrylic copolymers with other water-soluble monomers. FR 2 603 042, EP 0 100 947, EP 0 127 388, EP 0 129 329, EP 0 542 644 disclose the use of such polymers exhibiting low molecular weights for this purpose. Although these various types of dispersing agents make it possible to obtain aqueous suspensions of finely divided mineral matter that are stable over time, they do not allow the subsequent suspension or redispersion of mineral matter in water, such as notably calcium carbonate, when issued from a mechanical and/or thermal reconcentration step subsequent to a step of dry and/or wet grinding without the use of dispersant and at low concentration in terms of dry matter (<40% by dry weight), and optionally followed by an additional grinding step. Such low solid ground calcium carbonate, ground in aqueous suspension with using any dispersing and/or grinding aid agents are difficult to disperse to form high solids content suspensions.
Faced with this problem, the skilled man in the art knows WO 01 48093 that teaches the selection of homopolymers of acrylic acid and/or water soluble copolymers of acrylic acid with a high molecular weight (corresponding to viscosity indexes ranging from 0.08 to 0.80). Another solution is proposed in EP 0 850 685, which discloses the use of a water soluble copolymer of acrylic acid and maleic acid, in a certain ratio, and according to a certain molecular weight.
However, the above-mentioned polymers and copolymers are derived from petrochemicals which are well known to contribute to an undesirable increase in TOC in the atmosphere and DOC in water, and do not comply with the Kyoto Protocol, as mentioned previously herein.
Furthermore, none of these documents teach the influence of the dispersing agent used on the final properties of the aqueous formulations containing a suspension of mineral matter obtained according to these inventions and, more particularly, neither deals with the possible enhancement of optical properties of paints or paper or paper coatings manufactured using such slurries: the present invention allows the skilled man in the art to comply with the requirements of the end-user in terms of maintaining or improving the optical properties of the final products.
It is of note that such aqueous solutions containing zirconium compounds have been well known in the art for many years, especially as regards their use as crosslinking agents in aqueous coating formulations as disclosed in "Zirconium compounds find new uses in surface coatings" (Modern paint and coatings, February 1988, 4482, pp 36-39). The fact that polymeric species of zirconium can interact with the functional groups of organic polymers makes them of great interest in water-based inks and coatings where they can improve both heat resistance and scrub resistance: as mentioned in the article "Zirconium compounds in waterbased coatings" (Polymers paint colour Journal, Mar. 9, 1988, 178, 4209, pp 154-162), this is notably the case for Bacote™ 20 (AZC—ammonium zirconium carbonate) and Zirgel™ K (KZC: potassium zirconium carbonate) manufactured by Magnesium Elektron Ltd. It is also well established that some of these compounds may be used in ink-jet coating formulations, where they can influence rheological, optical and printing properties of these inks. These results are discussed relative to ZAA (zirconium carbonate) and AZC in "Influence of cationic additives on the rheological, optical, and printing properties of ink-jet coatings" (Polymers paint colour Journal, Mar. 9, 1988, 178, 4209, pp 154-162). However, all of the above documents refer to the use of zirconium compounds in aqueous formulations containing organic polymers (primarily binders which are strongly crosslinked by the above-mentioned zirconium compounds), which is entirely different from the present invention which deals with the reduction or elimination of organic polymers, more particularly polycarboxylates, used as grinding and/or dispersing aid agents in aqueous suspensions of calcium carbonate.
Finally, although they cannot be considered as being strictly within the application field of the present invention, since they do not address the requirements of the skilled man in the art entirely avoiding the use of phosphate compounds, providing stable slurries with high solids content of more than 45% by dry weight of mineral matter, possibly of more than 65% by dry weight of mineral matter, and possibly of more than 78% by dry weight of mineral matter, maintaining and/or enhancing the optical properties of the final products, and reducing the TOC value for an equal degree of calcium carbonate dispersion), the following documents are mentioned since they disclose the use of zirconium compounds in aqueous suspensions of mineral matter, free of organic polymers, and the enhancement of optical properties of final products such as paper and paper coatings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,251 teaches that either zinc oxide or zirconium oxide or mixtures thereof can be used to improve the dispersion of calcium carbonate in water, thus leading to solids contents ranging from 55% to 80% by dry weight of mineral matter; however, the use of the above mentioned products is restricted to a combination with phosphate dispersants, as indicated in claim 1.
EP 0 206 837 discloses a process of preparing a clay pigment with the use of a sufficient amount of a zirconium ion source to enhance the optical properties of a substrate containing the pigment. AZC is disclosed as one of the most efficient zirconium ion sources to improve brightness, opacity and the scattering coefficient of a paper formulated according to this invention. Nevertheless, in view of the given examples, it clearly appears that, in order to obtain slurries of high solids content (higher than 60% by dry weight of mineral matter), conventional phosphate-based dispersants must be used (see example 1, p 12); the higher the concentration of AZC, the higher the optical properties, the lower the dispersibility of the mineral particles (see example 2, p 15).
Thus, the skilled man in the art obviously deduces from these documents that while zirconium compounds may be used to disperse minerals such as clay, and highly concentrated slurries may be obtained, requiring however the use of phosphate-based dispersants, the mineral's dispersability is decreased: faced with the new regulations concerning pollutants in the mining industry, this is precisely what he wants to avoid.

Process to disperse and / or grind and / or concentrate calcium carbonate in aqueous media using an aqueous solution containing zirconium compounds


Apparatus and methods for reducing the tune-time delay in a television appliance having a PVR subsystem are provided. A first signal path provides a desired television signal for display without a PVR associated tune-time delay. The first signal path includes a first buffer for buffering the television signal and a decoder for decoding the buffered television signal for display. The second signal path includes a storage device for storing a copy of the buffered television signal, and a second buffer for buffering the stored television signal when a trick play mode is selected. The decoder decodes the buffered television signal to provide the requested trick play mode. A switch is provided under control of the processor for switching between display of the television signal via the first path and display of the trick play mode via the second path.

The present invention relates to the field of multi-media recording and playback. More specifically, the present invention relates to reducing tune-time delay in a personal versatile recorder subsystem of a television appliance.
Cable and satellite television systems are capable of providing a viewer with hundreds of channels of television programming. Such an abundance of programming often creates difficult viewing choices for a viewer when two programs that the viewer would like to watch are broadcast simultaneously. In addition, a viewer may like to record for later viewing a program which is broadcast at an inconvenient time.
These problems were first overcome by recording devices such as the video cassette recorder (VCR). A VCR allows a viewer to record incoming audiovisual programming while viewing a different channel. A VCR also allows a viewer to record programming while the viewer is unavailable to watch the programming by presetting program times into the VCR. Thus the VCR allows a viewer to record and view programming that the viewer would otherwise not be able to view.
The VCR concept has been expanded in recent years to include digital compression devices that provide additional features for managing the reception and recording of analog audiovisual programming. Such products have been given various names, such as personal video recorders, video recording computers, and personal television servers (hereinafter "personal video recorders"). Current examples of personal video recorders include the TiVo® system made by TiVo, Inc. and the ReplayTV® system made by Replay Networks, Inc. Personal video recorders replace the conventional VCR magnetic tape recording medium with a computer hard drive internal to the recorder. The personal video recorder is connected between a viewer's television set and set-top terminal, satellite receiver, or antenna. The personal video recorder can control the channel tuned on the television, provide an interactive electronic program guide, and record programming on a manual, external signal responsive, or timer controlled basis. Additionally, the personal video recorder can buffer incoming audiovisual programming to enable a viewer to pause or replay a portion of a live television program, so long as the pause or replay does not exceed the capacity of the buffer. The personal video recorder can alternatively be built into the set-top terminal or the television, instead of comprising a separate stand-alone box.
However, the prior art personal video recorder does not have the capability to store and replay other types of media, including Internet data files such as web pages, MP3 files, JPEG files, bit map files, and the like. In addition, the prior art personal video recorder does not have the capability to store, retrieve and replay streamed audiovisual digital programming content from the Internet or other caching servers.
The personal versatile recorder (PVR) developed by General Instrument Corporation of Horsham, Pa., the assignee of the present invention, overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art personal video recorders. One implementation of a PVR is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/520,968, filed on Mar. 8, 2000, entitled "Personal Versatile Recorder and Method of Implementing and Using Same." The PVR enables the receipt, recording, retrieval and playback of a variety of types of data or data files on a hard drive, including but not limited to digital and analog audiovisual programming, streaming media, picture files, video files, audio files, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) files, and various types of Internet multimedia content.
In a typical PVR application, the incoming analog video is converted into MPEG format and the resulting digital data is routed through the hard disk drive of the PVR in order to enable any "trick play" modes such as instant replay, slow play, rewind, or pause. However, due to the bursty nature of the hard disk drive transfers, buffers are required at both the read and write ports of the hard disk drive. The resultant latency through both buffers and the hard disk may be as much as two seconds. Such a delay occurs each time a new channel is tuned and is apparent to the consumer. Where a digital channel is used as the input, the PVR delay will be added to the tuning delay, also resulting in an intolerable delay for each channel change. If the PVR delay is eliminated by bypassing the PVR subsystem, the input video is not capable of being recorded and the trick play modes will not be enabled. Additionally, for an analog input signal, in addition to the extra delay, a degradation in the lossy compression of the MPEG encoder and decoder in the PVR subsystem impairs the picture quality.
It would be advantageous to provide methods and apparatus which reduce the tune-time delay associated with the PVR subsystem, while still enabling trick play modes. It would also be advantageous to provide improved quality of analog channels. Further, it would be advantageous to optimize the most common use mode of the television appliance so that the PVR subsystem may be available to perform other tasks, such as video scaling, graphics, DOCSIS modem data processing, and the like.
The methods and apparatus of the present invention provide the foregoing and other advantages.

Methods and apparatus for reducing tune-time delay in a television appliance with personal versatile recorder capabilities


The system serves to transmit electrical energy in conurbations. It has a gas-insulated cable (1) having at least one high-voltage electrical conductor (8) arranged in a pipe (101) filled with insulating gas. The gas-insulated cable (1) contains at least two underground cable sections (11, 12), which can be operationally interconnected at an installation point (5) accessible from the outside. Such a system is distinguished by high availability, is easy to maintain and can be produced in a method in which impairment of the infrastructure of the conurbation accommodating the system is largely prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is based on a system for transmitting electrical energy having at least one underground, high-voltage electrical conductor according to the preamble of patent claim 1. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a system.
2. Discussion of Background
Such a system is preferably used in conurbations, and usually contains high-voltage cables which are laid in the ground and conduct electrical energy from power stations, overhead lines or transforming stations to substations in which high voltage of, for example, 110 kV is transformed to medium voltage of, for example, 10, 20 or 30 kV. In rapidly growing urban agglomerations, in particular in Asia, such a system cannot be set up or extended without substantial impairment of elements of the infrastructure, such as the traffic, supply of water and gas and the disposal of sewage. This is so chiefly because it is generally necessary when laying and maintaining high-voltage cables to dig trenches, and this very severely disturbs the infrastructure and substantially impairs its efficiency.

System for transmitting electrical energy having at least one underground, high-voltage electrical conductor, and a method for producing such a system