A spatial frequency filter used in a pattern defect detection device, including a pattern which includes a black spot having a diameter expanded by a controlled amount in comparison with the diameter of a black spot on a photosensitive plate obtained by exposure by diffracted light from a pattern on a model specimen

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern defect detection device for detecting defection and foreign matters in patterns of a regular arrangement such as in a patterned semiconductor integrated circuit, and more particularly, to improvement of a spatial frequency filter used in such a pattern defect detection device.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a pattern defect detection device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 63-205775. This pattern defect detection device includes a light source 1 of a laser oscillator and the like for generating coherent light, a collimator 2 to expand and collimate the coherent light emitted from source 1 to become parallel, a half mirror 3, a stage 5 for supporting a specimen 4 having a patterned surface, a lens 6 for focusing light diffracted by the pattern on the surface of specimen 4, a half mirror 7, and a spatial frequency filter 8 having a pattern of a plurality of black spots, supported in a holder 8a at the back focal plane of lens 6 for transmitting only diffracted light corresponding to the defection of the pattern and blocking diffracted light of a proper pattern.
The pattern defect detection device of FIG. 1 also includes a defect detection TV camera 9 (defection signal detection portion) for detecting diffracted light passing through the transparent portion of spatial frequency filter 8, i.e. through the portion other than the black spots, a first signal processor 10 for detecting the defect position according to the diffracted light detected by defect detection TV camera 9, a TV monitor 11 for displaying the defect, a position detection TV camera 12 for detecting the position of the diffraction pattern according to reflected light from half mirror 7, a second signal processor 13 for detecting the position of the diffraction pattern according to the reflected light detected by position detection TV camera 12, and a controller 14 to calculate the position offset distance from the proper position of the diffraction pattern according to the defect position and the diffraction pattern position detected by first and second signal . processors 10 and 13 for sending a correction command to tilt-azimuth angle adjustment mechanisms 15, 16 and to a rotation angle adjustment mechanism 28.
The operation of the device of FIG. 1 will be explained hereinafter. The coherent light emitted from laser oscillator 1 is collimated into a parallel ray by collimator 2 and reflected by half mirror 3 to be directed to the pattern on specimen 4 such as a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer Diffracted light from specimen 4 passes half mirror 3 to be converged by lens 6 and divided into two by half mirror 7. The diffracted light passing half mirror 7 reaches to spatial frequency filter 8, whereas the diffracted light reflected by half mirror 7 enters position detection TV camera 12
At the time of defect detection, the diffracted light reaching to spatial frequency filter 8 through half mirror 7 has the component of proper pattern of specimen 4 removed by the pattern of black spots on spatial frequency filter 8, so that only the component of a defection is transmitted as a defection signal. This defection signal is received by defect detection TV camera 9 and detected by first signal processor 10. This defection is displayed on monitor 11.
During the defect detection, registration of the diffraction pattern represented by black spots on spatial frequency filter 8 and the pattern of the diffracted light of the proper pattern on specimen 4 must be carried out. More specifically, the diffracted light of half mirror 7 is observed by position detection TV camera 12, whereby the position of the diffracted light pattern is detected by second signal processor 13. The output signals of signal processors 10 and 13 are received by controller 14, whereby the position offset distance of the diffracted light pattern with respect to the position of the pattern of black spots on filter 8 is calculated from these output signals to provide an instruction to tilt-azimuth angle adjustment mechanisms 15, 16 and to rotation angle adjustment mechanism 17 to correct the deviation of the tilt-azimuth angle of the optical axis of the specimen 4 surface and the rotation angle Thus, a correct matching is carried out of the black spot pattern on spatial frequency filter 8 and the diffracted light pattern of proper pattern on specimen 4.
The above-described spatial frequency filter 8 is produced by exposing a photosensive plate with a diffracted light pattern of a proper pattern at the back focal plane of lens 6. This filter 8 is then accurately positioned and fixed at the back focal plane of lens 6.
Since a conventional pattern defect detection device was implemented as described above, it was always necessary to accurately match the pattern of black spots on spatial frequency filter 8 and the diffracted light pattern by monitoring change in the angle of reflection of the wafer surface, i.e. the tilt-azimuth angle, to move stage 5 including tilt-azimuth angle adjustment mechanisms 15 and 16 during the defect detection.
The actual subject to be inspected, for example a semiconductor wafer, is subjected to various thermal treatments, wherein many have an undulating surface The undulating surface of specimen 4 attributed to a great correction of the tilt-azimuth angle, with a possibility that this correction may not be completed within a predetermined time period A great amount of correction required a long time period for this correction, leading to increase in the time required for the entire inspection. If defect detection was carried out when the correction of the tilt-azimuth angle was not thoroughly completed, there were some cases where the Fourier transform pattern of the black spot pattern on spatial frequency filter 8 and that of the pattern on specimen 4 do not match partially (or in some cases entirely). Light signal passing through the not-matching portion caused reduction in the ratio between the defection signal to be detected and the signal from the proper pattern which should not actually be detected, i.e. noise. This led to a problem that there was a limit in the minimum size of the defection that could be detected.
In specimen 4 having a complicated pattern such as in a semiconductor integrated circuit wafer where there is a pattern region including highly repetitive components such as memory cells, and a pattern region including few repetitive components that will reduce the diffracted light intensity to one order of magnitude lower, recording of the pattern region of the low repetition number could not be carried out sufficiently for creating a spatial frequency filter 8 just by a one time exposure on a photosensive plate. A filter 8 not sufficiently recorded could not completely block the diffracted light pattern and passes weak remaining diffracted light pattern. On the contrary, if the photosensive plate is exposed until a spatial frequency filter 8 is obtained that has a spot of density that can completely block the diffracted light pattern from the pattern region of the low repetition number, the portion on the photosensive plate recording diffracted light from the pattern region of the high repetition number will have excessive exposure energy applied corresponding to the right end portion of the density curve of FIG. 2.
Referring to the graph of FIG. 2, the abscissa shows exposure light energy (erg/cm.sup.2) having a wave length of 633 nm, and the ordinate represents the optical density D of a photosensive plate exposed by that light energy. The optical density D is defined as D=log.sub.10 (I.sub.in /I.sub.out), where I.sub.in denotes intensity of incident light and I.sub.out denotes intensity of transmitted light. Over-exposure occurs in the portion where diffracted light from the pattern region having many repetitive components are recorded to generate halation. This halation uncontrollably expands beyond the spot portion to be recorded to form unnecessary screening portions, whereby the defect signal transmittance of spatial frequency filter 8 is reduced. There is also a possibility of light being transmitted through a portion which should actually be a screening pattern portion. This means that detection will be carried out where remaining diffracted light pattern exists, leading to a problem that the region that can be detected correctly is limited to specific portions, such as in memory cells.
When spatial frequency filter 8 is formed by a photosensive plate such as a photosensitive material of silver halide emulsion, the density of the spots on filter 8 does not exceed a constant value, as shown in FIG. 2. More specifically, the light signal screening ability of spatial frequency filter 8 decreases the light intensity to only 1/1000-1/10000. This means that a proper pattern signal not blocked at the filter will pass therethrough to act as background noise, whereby the minimum size of the defection signal intensity that can be detected is inevitably determined. Therefore, a very small defection could not be detected that has a signal intensity that is less than 1/1000-1/10000 of the signal intensity from a proper pattern.

Pattern defect detection device and a spatial frequency filter used therein


A package substrate (11) having access to a plating bus (36, 38) through intermediate routing layers (4, 6). Specifically, electrical contact between a solder pad (16, 19, 51), and its respective bond post (27), if any, is made by routing a trace (32, 52) through an intermediate routing layer (4, 6). The trace (32, 52) begins within a final package dimension (10) and extends to a peripheral portion (12) which is excised during manufacturing. There is a conductive trace (32, 52) visible from the side of the final packaged device (10').

Advancements in technology in the semiconductor industry have created a need for very high pin count packages. Traditionally, semiconductor packages were wire bonded from a semiconductor die to a package substrate wherein the final package substrate had external electrical contacts which could be accessed by users. As designs have become more complex, the need for more Inputs and Outputs (I/O) has surpassed the ability to provide the additional I/O by conventional wire bond methods. Therefore, advanced packaging techniques, such as direct die attach, have been developed. With direct die attach techniques, such as flip chip, the die is attached directly to the packaged substrate which in turn provides the necessary electrical traces to the external contacts to the device.
One high I/O package is a Ball Grid Array package (BGA). A BGA package when viewed from the underside has a full or partial array of solder balls attached. The BGA package in turn can be attached to a printed circuit board by an end user. While the array structure of the BGA package allows for a high number I/O, there are problematic issues associated with routing the trace signals from the bonding fingers which attach to the die. One method of overcoming the routing problem associated with die bonding large I/O packages to BGAs has been to use the direct die attach packages previously discussed. By eliminating the space used by the wire bonding posts or fingers and the wire bonds themselves, additional routing space can be obtained allowing greater optimization during routing. However, the use of direct die attached technology can be expensive. For example, depending upon the size of a die, the use of a C-4 process in manufacturing a semiconductor device can result in a die cost in excess of five times greater than the die cost associated with a traditional wire bonded semiconductor die.
Another solution to improve routability is to add additional routing layers to the package. However, adding additional routing layers to the package increases the overall cost of the package. Therefore, one of the problems associated with high pin count packages are the additional costs that can be required either in the package device design, or the semiconductor device design.
Another problem associated with the use of BGA packages is that during the packaging process, it is necessary to plate the solder pads and/or the bond posts using an electrolysis method. Generally, Nickel/Gold is used in this electroplating process to provide a wire bondable surface and to protect the solder pads from atmospheric corrosion. The process of electrolytically plating the solder pads requires an electrical connection to each one of the solder pads of the BGA package. As a result, it is necessary to form an electrical connection from each wire bond post and BGA solder pad to an external electroplating bus. The need for this electroplating connection requires additional routing, including plating traces, from the bond fingers, vias, or the solder pads associated with the package. In the prior art, the top and bottom layer of the BGA package have plating busses for making electrical contact to each solder pad during electroplating. Generally, the plating busses run the entire periphery of the device being processed. Plating traces are connected to one of the plating busses in order to create the contact needed.
By making an electrical connection to the plating bus, each of the wire bond post and BGA package solder balls can be electrically contacted thereby allowing the electroplating process. However, availability of routing space for the functional traces is further limited by the need for electroplating traces, especially, where large pin counts, large die, and the need for smaller substrates exists. In addition, the problem of routing the plating traces needed to allow for electroplating is made more difficult based upon pin to ball assignments which can be specified by the designers of the semiconductor devices. Therefore, a new routing scheme which does not require additional cost to the packaging, and allows for more efficient routing of the plating traces would be desirable.

Semiconductor device having plated contacts and method thereof


An endonuclease which cleaves double stranded DNA at a specific site, producing staggered ends with 4 base pair, 3' overhangs, has been isolated, purified and characterized. A method of producing sufficient quantities of the endonuclease for purification and characterization is disclosed. A method to use the endonuclease to cleave DNA, producing fragments useful for gene mapping is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a protein, more specifically to an endonuclease protein which has not previously been purified or characterized. This endonuclease is novel and extremely useful because it cleaves double-stranded DNA at specific, infrequent sites, for which endonucleases were not previously available. The resulting fragments are of great value for human gene mapping because the cleavage site is a sequence ordinarily encountered in genomic DNA, and because cleavage by the endonuclease produces relatively larger fragments than characteristic of those produced by many previously available endonucleases. This invention also includes methods for purifying the endonuclease and for cleaving DNA by use of the endonuclease.
2. Description of Related Art
(A) Restriction Endonucleases
One of the essential tools molecular biologists use to delve deeper into the mysteries of life contained in the structure of DNA, the genetic material, is a molecular scissors called a restriction endonuclease. There are many such enzymes which are capable of cutting DNA at specific sites (see Lewin, 1987 for review).
Restriction enzymes (restriction endonucleases) recognize specific short sequences of DNA (usually unmethylated DNA) and cleave the duplex molecule, usually at the target recognition site, but sometimes elsewhere. In some instances, the recognition site is specific, but the cleavage site is located some distance away from the recognition site and does not appear to be at any specific sequence.
"Duplex" refers to the double stranded composition of the DNA molecule. The cleavage induced by endonucleases is usually at specific sequences of approximately 4-6 base pairs. A base pair is a union of purines or pyrimidines in the DNA duplex. There are four such bases and they pair in specific unions: adenine with thymine, (A-T), guanine with cytosine (G-C).
Fragments generated by endonucleases are amenable for further analysis of their nucleotide composition. Variation in the fragment sizes obtained from the same chromosomal locations among individuals, is referred to as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).
Restriction endonucleases are essential components of methods used to construct maps of the genetic material, although not all such endonucleases are useful. Some of the problems limiting their use are that cleavage may be too frequent using a particular enzyme, producing pieces too small to be useful. Another problem is that the sites attacked may have nucleotide sequences that are so unusual that they are not likely to occur in vivo. Some enzymes only cleave artificially engineered sequences.
Restriction endonucleases are named by using three or four letter abbreviations identifying their origin, coupled with a letter and/or number designation which distinguish multiple enzymes of the same origin. An example of the nomenclature is EcoR1, one of the endonucleases derived from E. coli. Most of the endonucleases discovered initially were isolated from bacteria, in which they cleave DNA as part of the natural function of the cell. However, other organisms, for example, yeast, can be used as a source of double-strand DNA cleaving endonucleases.
Isolation of many endonucleases occurred because the bacteria from which the endonucleases were derived were able to distinguish between the DNA native to the bacteria and any invading foreign DNA. One of the ways bacteria recognized foreign DNA was by the absence of methyl groups at appropriate base pair sites. The bacteria protects its own DNA from cleavage by its own endonucleases, by methylation of its own DNA bases at appropriate target sites. Successful attack on bacteria by foreign DNA, for example by phage, may be due either to the fact that the phage DNA has the same pattern as the host DNA, or alternatively, that mutations have caused defects in the ability of the bacteria to produce an endonuclease or to attack the foreign DNA. Endonucleases isolated from bacteria are of two types, one which is only able to cleave DNA, and another in which both restriction and methylation activities are combined. Some restriction endonucleases introduce staggered cuts with overhangs others generate blunt ends.
(B) Restriction Mapping
Gene maps give the location of specific genes (specific DNA nucleotide sequences) that encode the primary sequences of protein gene products relative to each other and also localize the genes on specific chromosomes of higher organisms. A map of DNA obtained by using endonucleases to map breakpoints is called a restriction site map and consists of a linear sequence of cleavage sites. This physical map is obtained by extracting DNA from the chromosomes in cells, breaking the extracted DNA at various points with endonucleases, and determining the order of cleavage sites by analysis at the fragments.
Distances along the maps are measured directly in base pairs, or, if distances are long, in megabase pairs. By comparing the sequences of DNA between relatively short distances, a DNA map is constructed in a stepwise fashion. A major goal of current research is to construct a map of the entire human genome. (The Human Genome Project, American Society of Human Genetics Symposium, Baltimore, Nov. 15, 1989.) Success in mapping human and animal genomes will require a selection of endonucleases which cleave at a large variety of sites which occur in the DNA of living organisms, not just in artificial sequences.
DNA fragments produced by the action of endonucleases are separated on the basis of size by agarose or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An electric current is passed through the gel, causing the fragments to move down it at a rate depending on length; the smaller fragments move more rapidly. The result of this migration in a gel, is a series of bands each corresponding to a fragment of a particular size. Many different endonucleases are used for gene mapping, and large numbers of overlapping fragments are analyzed. Sequential cleavage using different endonucleases produces a series of larger fragments broken down into smaller fragments. A hierarchy is then constructed based on the fact that there is complete additivity of length of the fragments within the original starting fragment. For example, a fragment of 2,100 base pairs may be broken down into 200 and 1900 base pairs. (see Lewin, 1987 for review).
Construction of an entire gene map for a species, for example construction of the human gene map, is a difficult and tedious task. The larger the number of endonucleases available for restriction mapping, the easier and more sophisticated the genetic map construction. In particular, many endonucleases are needed which cleave at a variety of specific sites and which produce fragments of different lengths. To appreciate the magnitude of the mapping problem it should be noted that an estimated 3 billion base pairs contained in 22 pairs of human chromosomes called autosomes plus two sex chromosomes, comprise the human genome.
Restriction maps represent advantages over older methods of mapping which identified a series of genetic sites because of the occurrence of DNA changes (mutations), because restriction maps can be obtained for any sequence of DNA. Their construction is not dependent upon the location of mutations, and no knowledge of the function of a particular sequence of DNA is required. However, restriction maps are related to, and are colinear with, "genetic" maps.
Mutations which are deletions or insertions of base pairs may be detected in restriction maps by noting an alteration of the length of a restriction fragment in which the mutation lies. Base-pair change type of mutations may be detected if their presence inactivates or creates a cleavage site of a particular endonuclease, altering the length of the restriction fragments produced by cleavage in the area of DNA in which the mutation lies.
(C) Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP)
Different alleles (conditions of a gene) may lead to the production of different proteins and subsequent variation in the phenotype, (the detectable physical, biochemical, or physiologic makeup of the organism). Variation of DNA within populations is called genetic polymorphism. Even if the polymorphism does not lead to detectable changes in the phenotype by physical appearance or biochemical assays, genetic polymorphism may be detectable by variations in the DNA restriction fragment lengths (RFLP). Polymorphic variation in the restriction map therefore is independent of gene function.
RFLP's have numerous applications including as markers for paternity testing or determining the location of specific genes. For example, mutant genes responsible for inherited diseases such as Huntington's Chorea, a progressive neurological degeneration, have been localized to specific chromosomes in humans by correlating inheritance of RFLP's in families with the inheritance of the particular clinical condition. RFLP patterns of family members who are normal are compared with patterns of family members who are affected with a particular genetic disease.
(D) Other Uses for Restriction Endonucleases
Another use of restriction endonucleases is to create and use cloning vectors for the transmission of DNA sequences. For this purpose, the gene of interest needs to be attached to the vector fragment. One way this may be accomplished is by generating complementary DNA sequences on the vector and on the gene of interest so that they can be united (recombined). Some restriction endonucleases make staggered cuts which generate short, complementary, single stranded "sticky ends" of the DNA. An example of such an action is that effected by the EcoR1 endonuclease which cleaves each of the two strands of duplex DNA at a different point. These cleavage sites lie on either side of a short sequence that is part of the site recognized by the endonuclease. When two different DNA molecules are cleaved with EcoR1 the same sticky ends are generated which enables them to combine with each other. The DNA fragment can then be retrieved by cleaving the vector with EcoR1 to release the gene.
(E) Exons and Introns
The restriction map of DNA may not correspond directly with the coding sequence of messenger RNA produced by the DNA because DNA sequences of the total gene may consist of exons and introns. Exons are that part of the DNA code that appear in the messenger RNA. Most, but not all, exons code for proteins. Introns are DNA sequences that are usually spliced out of the RNA product before the messenger RNA proceeds to be translated into proteins. Splicing consists of a deletion of the intron from the primary RNA transcript and a joining or fusion of the ends of the remaining RNA on either side of the excised intron. Presence or absence of introns, the composition of introns, and number of introns per gene, may vary among strains of the same species, and among species having the same basic functional gene. Although in most cases, introns are assumed to be nonessential and benign, their categorization is not absolute. For example, an intron of one gene can represent an exon of another. A mosaic gene is defined as one which is expressed through the splicing together of exons carried by one molecule of RNA. In some cases, alternate or different patterns of splicing can generate different proteins from the same single stretch of DNA (Lewin, 1987).
(F) Mitochondrial DNA: Yeast Mitochondria
The DNA contained in mitochondria (cell organelles which contain extranuclear DNA) represents an example of differences arising during evolution between the composition of genes with regard to the exon and intron sequences as well as non-coding sequences. For example, comparing the mitochondrial genes of yeast with those in mammalian systems, indicates that identical mitochondrial proteins are produced despite the disparity in evolution between these species. The yeast mitochondrial genomes, however, are much larger than those occurring in vertebrates due to the absence of introns in the latter and the presence of non-coding spacer DNA in the former.
Primary DNA sequence data are known for many yeast isolates (see deZamaroczy and Bernardi, 1986) in which interstrain differences are due to (i) a small number of large deletions/additions, mainly concerning introns; (ii) a large number of small (10-150 bp) deletions/additions located in the intergenic sequences; (iii) 1-3 bp deletions/additions and point mutations. In Saccharomyces cerevesiae the size of mitochondrial DNA can range up to about 84 kilobases, approximately 2/3 of which is non-coding regions. There are more than 20 mitochondria per cell, i.e., approximately 4 genomes per mitochondrion. In comparison, vertebrate mitochondrial DNA is approximately 17 kilobase pairs. In the individual mitochondrion there are usually several copies of a single molecule of DNA. Moreover, there are multiple mitochondria per cell. In plants and some unicellular eukaryotes, extranuclear DNA is found in chloroplasts and mitochondria.
The DNA within the mitochondria directs protein synthesis, just as nuclear DNA does. However, a finite number of proteins are produced. There are general similarities in the machinery for gene expression in mitochondria of various species, rendering products and information derived in one genus applicable to many others. For some products, the cytochrome c oxidase in yeast, for example, protein synthesis combines factors produced in the cytoplasm encoded by nuclear DNA with those synthesized directly in the mitochondria. Mutations identifying almost all the mitochrondrial genes have been detected. Nuclear mutations that interact with, or abolish, the effects of these mutational complexes in the mitochondria, have also been found. Genes coding for many of the same functions are present both in the yeast and the mammalian mitochondrial genome, making the yeast mitochondria a good model system for testing theories on gene expression in higher organisms. The mitochondrial genome of one of the yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has provided both information on genetic expression, as well as products which can be useful for analysis of higher systems. (Lewin, 1987; Butow 1985).
In the invention described herein, a new and unique restriction endonuclease has been isolated and purified. One obstacle to purification and characterization of this enzyme in the past has been the inability to accumulate sufficient amounts of the protein, a problem which has been solved by methods disclosed in this invention. A preferred source of the endonuclease described in this invention is yeast mitochondria from a special strain. The endonuclease has wide applications for in vivo or in vitro cleavage of double-stranded DNA from many genera.

Site specific double stranded DNA endonuclease

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A collapsible dripping apparatus for liquids having a filter holding member, a bellows member and a supporting brim member. The apparatus can be disassembled into three pieces to be made compact when the apparatus is not being used. Therefore, the apparatus can be stored or brought to someplace without occupying a large space. Further, the assembled apparatus has a fan-like shape so as to be able to drip liquid material, such as coffee and tea using a filter which is available on the market.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dripping apparatus for liquids, particularly relates to an apparatus for dripping liquid, such as coffee and tea. The apparatus according to the present invention is designed so as to be collapsible into a compact size, therefore, it is convenient for storing or carrying during when the apparatus is not used.
2. Related Art
Apparatuses for use in dripping coffee or tea are generally made of a solid material, for instance, porcelain, plastic resin, etc. Such a dripping apparatus comprises a circular shaped brim portion, which is designed so as to be suitable to place it on a coffee or tea cup or a coffee or teapot; and a filter holding portion, an upper side of which is enlarged to be fitted to the shape of a general type of filter paper. Since the conventional type of dripping apparatus for liquids has such a special shape, during when the apparatus is not being used, there is some difficulty to store it in a kitchen or carry it somewhere outside.
Various instant type of coffee or tea dripping sets have been well known which are also convenient to be carried outside. Taste of regular coffee or tea can be expected from such dripping sets. For instance, in the Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publications No. Sho 63-166128 (1988), Hei 1-178835 (1989) and Hei 4-44836 (1992), a disposal type coffee dripping set is disclosed which comprises a coffee liquid dripping portion having a container in which some coffee powder is preliminarily prepared and a foldable bellows portion which is combined to the dripping portion.
According to conventional coffee dripping sets, a taste of regular coffee can be expected, while, the conventional coffee dripping sets have a disadvantage that the sets cannot be reused because of their construction in that the coffee liquid dripping portion containing some coffee powder and the foldable bellows are combined together as a single body. Further, since the conventional type coffee dripping apparatuses have such a construction that hot water should be directly poured into the prolonged bellows portion, the bellows are shrunk by the force of the hot water poured into the bellows portion as a practical use. That is to say, according to the conventional dripping sets, it is difficult to pour hot water into the coffee dripping apparatus effectively and safely. Furthermore, in such conventional dripping sets, since the coffee powder is preliminarily prepared in the container of the dripping apparatus, the coffee powder might deteriorate if a long time has passed after purchasing the dripping apparatus. In such a case, it is difficult to taste the flavor of regular coffee which is made just after being ground.
Furthermore, a different type of coffee dripping apparatus is also known, which is reusable and has a construction in that a thin metal string is rolled up so as to make a spiral and conical shape having an aspect point thereof at a lower side. This type of coffee dripping apparatus can be reused and can be folded to a compact size. However, the material for this apparatus is metal, for instance, stainless steel, so that the manufacturing cost for the apparatus becomes very high.
The present invention has its purpose for providing a reusable type dripping apparatus for liquids which is designed so as to be collapsible into a compact shape. According to the invention, when the dripping apparatus is stored or carried somewhere, the apparatus can be folded into a compact size, while, the apparatus can be used to drip liquid material, such as coffee or tea, easily and safely with the aid of paper filter which is widely available on the market.


A bag construction includes first and second opposed panel sections. Each of the panel sections have first and second opposite side edges. The panel sections are secured to one another along at least a portion of the first and second opposite side edges by first and second side seals, to define a bag construction interior. The first and second side seals each have an inner edge portion adjacent to the bag construction interior. The first side seal inner edge portion has at least one non-linear edge section extending over a part of the first side seal inner edge portion. The non-linear edge may include an edge with a plurality of spaced inwardly directed projections, or an edge with curved portions, or an undulated edge. The seals may be used in a variety of packaging arrangements, and help to provide an arrangement which will stand upright when filled or at least partially filled with material.

A variety of items are marketed and enclosed within flexible bags or bag constructions. Examples of such products include shampoo, soap, detergent, lotion, and others. Further, many other products such as nuts, candies, coffee, salt, seed, fertilizer, and the like are also packaged in flexible bags, with or without pour nozzles. The bags may include a reclosable zipper arrangement at one end.
Flexible bags sometimes have a base, such as a bottom gusset or pad, and are arranged to stand upright when filled. This permits the seller to display the bag in a visible and attractive manner. Improvements for maximizing the attractiveness of a flexible bag have been desirable.

Bag constructions having inwardly directed side seal portions


The present invention provides a method of detecting abnormal serum nucleic acid profiles to assess the risk of a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, e.g., BSE.

Mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive, invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle. BSE was recognized as a public health concern in 1996 when young Britons were diagnosed with what appeared to be a new form of a familial illness of older age, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). British scientists linked the development of this "variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease" (vCJD) to exposure to and/or consumption of BSE cattle. As of November 2002, 143 cases of "definite or probable" vCJD had been diagnosed in the UK.
The European Union has created a policy to cull cohorts in herds of cattle in which a BSE marker is detected. Cohorts, which have an approximately 100-fold increased BSE risk, are defined as all animals born and/or raised in the same herd as a confirmed BSE or prion-positive case within twelve months before and after the date of birth of the BSE index case. Cohort culling is most often accomplished through back-tracing from a slaughterhouse detection. Unfortunately, new variant cases of BSE in cattle younger than twenty four months in Japan and France appear to indicate a change in the clinical parameters of BSE (Biacabe, et al. in Int. Conf. of Prion Diseases: From basic Research to intervention concepts. 44Munich; 2003; Casalone, et al. in Int. Conf. of Prion Diseases: From basic Research to intervention concepts. 256Munich; 2003).
Early stage spongiform encephalopathies are difficult to detect by prion testing because prion accumulation is most often associated with late-stage disease. Genetic tests for prion gene polymorphisms are currently used to determine the susceptibility of sheep for scrapie (Hunter, et al. Arch Virol 141:809-824, 1996). No such diversity of prion genes is found in BSE. However, the detection of nucleic acids in cattle sera (Brenig, Schutz, & Urnovitz, Berl Munch Tierarztl Wochenschr 115:122-124, 2002) has previously been reported. Tests for detection and monitoring of genetic material associated with chronic illnesses other than BSE can be performed using sera. Such serum nucleic acids (SNA) associated tests are often designed to detect unique nucleic acid targets, usually of exogenous origin, e.g. HIV-1, CMV, HCV and HBV. SNAs of possible endogenous origin also have been found to be associated with chronic illnesses in humans (Urnovitz, et al. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 6:330-335, 1999; Durie, Urnovitz, & Murphy Acta Oncol 39:789-796, 2000). However, this approach has not been applied to detection of transmissible spongiform encephlopathies.
It has been suggested that current tests are not sensitive enough to fully protect against the entry of BSE cattle into the human food chain (Knight, Nature 426:216, 2003). Further, current tests cannot identify cohort herd mates of BSE-infected cattle that have an increased risk of BSE. The current invention addresses this need.

Detection of nucleic acids to assess risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy


Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus, and method for using an antenna system comprising individually configurable antenna circuitries in a wireless network device to simulate the standard MU-MIMO transmissions as specified in the IEEE 802.11ac standard with antenna beamforming. The individually configurable antenna circuitries can be configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals with specific radiation patterns including directional beam patterns. Client devices may be grouped and antenna circuitries may be configured in such a way as to minimize inter-user interference. Frequent sounding-channel state feedback cycles and associated overhead are obviated with antenna beamforming, and no change to standard-compliant client devices is necessary. A better overall performance compared to MU-MIMO based on DSP-based beamforming as specified in the IEEE 802.11ac standard is expected.

The IEEE 802.11ac standard specifies downlink (DL) Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) transmissions, which enable a wireless network device, such as a wireless access point or a mesh node, to simultaneously transmit data to multiple client devices. Because spatial streams intended for different client devices are transmitted simultaneously, MU-MIMO transmissions are implemented with the digital signal processing (DSP)-based beamforming technique in order to manage inter-user interference. The implementation of MU-MIMO including beamforming needs to be efficient and accurate enough to focus specific spatial streams toward intended client devices while generating nulls toward the other clients that are part of the same MU-MIMO burst. In particular, to sufficiently reduce inter-user interference, very accurate cannel state information between the antennas of the wireless network device and the antennas of client devices is required. However, even if channel state information is obtained very frequently to account for fast changing channel states, the accuracy of channel state information is still limited by measurement, quantization, estimation, and other errors.
Moreover, as stated above, the need for very accurate channel state information in the operation of MU-MIMO calls for performance of sounding and feedback processes with a very high frequency. For example, in typical implementations the interval between two sounding and feedback cycles may be approximately 20 milliseconds (ms). The overhead associated with sounding and feedback processes at such a high frequency quickly becomes prohibitive as the number of active MU-MIMO client devices increases. For example, a significant impact on the overall throughput of the system can be expected with just more than a few active MU-MIMO client devices.

MU-MIMO implementation with configurable antenna system


Embodiments of the present disclosure encompass systems and methods for in-situ/in vivo, bottom-up tissue generation for wound repair, repair of tissue defects, and the like. Embodiments of the systems of the present disclosure include modular scaffolds seeded with cells (modular tissue forming units (MTFUs)) for packing a tissue defect, such that these MTFUs are able to fill the wound bed with cells of one or more needed tissue types supported by the modular scaffolding particles.

Complex traumatic and surgical wounds constitute substantial burdens to the health care system, including extensive costs associated with extended hospitalizations, and risks of infection, thrombosis and flap/graft loss. The current standard of care for complex wounds includes external fixation, serial debridement of soft tissue, and replacement/repair of the honey defect. The 'state-of-the-art' solution for re-establishing bony continuity is the use of vascularized bone, such as a free fibula flap. This, however, requires a 6-8 hour operation by a surgeon with microsurgical expertise and creates a significant 'donor site defect' and associated pain, convalescence, and risks of infection, non-union, and malunion, at both the treatment and donor site. New treatment options are needed that replace and/or regenerate missing and damaged tissues while minimizing donor site harvest/morbidity.
Orthopedic injuries are the most common type of injury associated with recent armed conflicts, causing the majority of front-line evacuations and the majority of long-term disabilities. Nearly 80% of all injuries during such conflicts were due to explosive mechanisms, such as IEDs, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. The extent of trauma caused by blast injuries tends to be significant, resulting in severe bony injuries associated with extensive soft tissue deficits. Effective treatment of bone fractures is highly dependent on the quality and extent of surrounding soft tissues, and fracture healing is compromised at skeletal sites with a reduced soft tissue envelope. In fact, the more severe the soft-tissue damage, the higher the rate of non-union. Injury to the soft tissues is now accepted by most treating surgeons as being the most important component of high-energy trauma to the bony skeleton, dictating both the management, as well as determining the successful treatment outcome of such injuries.
Regenerative medicine has the potential to revolutionize the clinical treatment of complex wounds, such as those discussed above, that result from trauma, as well as those other tissue defects resulting from congenital anomalies, disease, surgery, or other condition. Traditional, "top down" tissue replacement and regeneration strategies face various challenges, such as slow vascularization, diffusion limitations, low cell density, and non-uniform cell distribution, that limit the long term feasibility of such approaches. The primary limitation to progress results from an inability to provide clinically-relevant solutions that provide adequate oxygen supply to larger construct dimensions needed for human-sized defects. Without new strategies to overcome this bottleneck, the field is destined to stagnate, or even fail completely.

Systems and methods for in-situ, bottom-up tissue generation

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


According to one embodiment, a recognition device includes storage and a processor. The storage is configured to store a first recognition model, a first data set, and tags, for each first recognition model. The processor is configured to acquire a second data set, execute recognition processing of the second recognition target data in the second data set by using the first recognition model, extract a significant tag of the tags stored in the storage in association with the first recognition model, based on the recognition processing result and the second correct data in the second data set, and create a second recognition model based on the acquired second data set and the first data set stored in the storage in association with the extracted tag.

In general, for example, a recognition model including an acoustic model, a language model, etc., is used in voice recognition which recognizes voice data and converts the voice data into a text.
Such a recognition model is created based on a data set (learning data), but preparing a data set including a sufficient data amount to create a recognition model of high recognition accuracy is difficult.

Recognition device, method and storage medium


The present invention relates to a computer implemented method for aligning a three-dimensional model (6) of a patient's dentition to an image of the face of the patient recorded by a camera (3), the image including the mouth opening, comprising:                estimating the positioning of the camera (3) relative to the face of the patient during recording of the image to obtain an estimated positioning,        retrieving the three-dimensional model (6) of the dentition of the patient,        rendering a two-dimensional image (7) of the dentition of the patient using the virtual camera (8) processing the three-dimensional model (6) of the dentition at the estimated positioning,        carrying out feature detection in a dentition area in the mouth opening of the image (1) of the patient recorded by the camera (3) and in the rendered image (7) by performing edge detection and/or a color-based tooth likelihood determination in the respective images and forming a detected feature image for the or each detected feature,        calculating a measure of deviation between the detected feature images of the image taken by the camera (3) and the detected feature image of the rendered image,        varying the positioning of the virtual camera (8) to a new estimated positioning and repeating the preceding three steps in an optimization process to minimize the deviation measure to determine the best fitting positioning of the virtual camera (8).

For dentists and patients, it is of interest to get a visual impression of the appearance of the face with a modified dental situation, i.e. to visualize the modified dental situation in an image of the face of the patient. Also, the appearance during a dental treatment including teeth position correction devices such as dental braces and retainers may be of importance for the patient before deciding to undergo such treatment. For this purpose, a virtual preview (virtual mock-up) of the dentition modified by dental treatment and/or a preview of the patient wearing the braces/retainers is helpful for the dentist and may also be used in the course of interactively modifying the treatment plan to get the most favorable aesthetic results.
In this respect it has already been proposed in WO 2017/085160 A1 to overlay a three-dimensional model of a dental situation in an image taken by a camera, wherein in the described method biometric face reference points are automatically identified in the image recorded by the camera, and the recognized face points are analyzed to determine the orientation of the head of the patient in the image and to identify the area of the mouth opening in the image. The three-dimensional model is then oriented and aligned such that it fits to the determined orientation of the face of the patient in the image, and is overlaid in the mouth opening of the image. No details are disclosed how a two-dimensional image of the dental situation is generated from the three-dimensional model. In practice, this method allows for a rough alignment but the position of the virtual dentition is not very precise and robust.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,775,491 B2, which forms the basis of the preamble of claim 1, discloses a computer implemented method for aligning a three-dimensional model of a dental situation to an image of the face of the patient recorded by a camera. In this method a three-dimensional model of the oral cavity of the patient is obtained. This three-dimensional model is modified in a dentistry treatment plan by applying dental restorations to obtain a three-dimensional model of the dental situation of the patient dentition after application of the dental restorations. A two-dimensional image of the face of the patient including the mouth opening is obtained. Then the positioning of the camera that recorded the image relative to the dentition of the patient is estimated. In the context of this application "positioning of the camera" is including the three-dimensional position x, y, z in space and the angular orientation of the camera with respect to the face of the patient. A virtual camera using the estimated positioning is processing the three-dimensional model of the dental situation to obtain a two-dimensional image, and a portion of the three-dimensional model of the dental situation is selected which is visible to the virtual camera. The image rendered by the virtual camera is overlaid and displayed in the image taken by the camera. It has been found that estimating the positioning of the camera often does not lead to satisfying results of the visualization because already small deviations in the positioning of the virtual camera from the positioning of the real camera result in unrealistic effects of the visualization of the dentition in the mouth opening of the image recorded by the camera. Already small deviations in the orientation of the rendered image of the dental situation from the orientation of the oral cavity in the image taken by the camera may lead to awkward aesthetic impressions in the composed image. For this reason, it would be desirable to be able to precisely align a three-dimensional model of the dentition of the patient to an image of the face of the patient showing part of the dentition in the mouth opening; such alignment could then also be used to visualize a modified dental situation derived from the three-dimensional model of the dentition in a correctly positioned manner in an image of the face of the patient.

Method for aligning a three-dimensional model of a dentition of a patient to an image of the face of the patient recorded by camera


A shielded cable includes a cable body that is surrounded by a vacuum metallized layer. The metallized layer can be grounded with a metallized thermoform connector. Optionally, an insulating top coating can be disposed over the metallized layer over the cable body.

The present invention relates generally to shielding of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiofrequency interference (RFI). More specifically, the present invention relates to metallization and grounding of electrical cables and connectors to provide electromagnetic shielding from electromagnetic interference, radiofrequency interference, and electrostatic discharge (ESD). As subsequently used herein, "EMI" shall include ESD, RFI, and any other type of electromagnetic emission or effect.
Cables and connectors must be allowed to deliver their signals unimpeded. Unfortunately, cables and connectors for connecting electronic devices and specialized cabling that incorporate passive and active electrical devices in a flexible substrate material (e.g., flexible circuits) are both receptors and emitters of EMI radiation. Impingement of EMI can disrupt the functionality of the cable and connectors, and in some cases may cause electronic failure of the cables. With microprocessor speeds continuing to increase, the creation of EMI is a substantial concern to designers, manufacturers, and owners of electronic equipment.
Conventional cable shielding solutions include flexible conductive braiding, conductive epoxies, and conductive foils or tapes that can be wrapped around the dielectric cladding of the cable to provide shielding. Unfortunately, each of the conventional solutions has various drawbacks. For example, the conductive braiding is costly, the conductive epoxies are also costly and difficult to apply to the cladding, and the conductive foils and tapes must manually be wrapped around the cable body.
A particular problem of convention shielding solutions is leakage at the joint where the cable body shielding and connector attach. Gaps or "slot antennas" at joints or seams that break the continuous nature of the shield is a primary reason why shielding effectiveness degrades.
Current shielded cable solutions can provide shielding effectiveness in the range of 20 dB to 50 dB. Unfortunately, with the higher-speed microprocessor technology that is presently in use (and that is being developed) there is a need to provide consistent integrated designs of enclosures, cables, and connectors in the range of 55 dB or higher.
The above mentioned conventional solutions do not provide a high degree of shielding effectiveness and have high leakage problems (thus causing a loss of shielding effectiveness) and often require the use of manual assembly to apply the shields over the connectors and cables. Accordingly, what is needed are systems and methods which provide adequate EMI shielding to cables and connectors.

Electromagnetic interference shielding of electrical cables and connectors


A mobile wireless communications device may include a housing and a common antenna carried by the housing and having a plurality of spaced apart signal feed points thereon. The device may further include a plurality of wireless radio frequency (RF) transceivers carried by the housing and coupled to respective ones of the signal feed points of the common antenna. Each wireless RF transceiver may also have a respective different operating frequency associated therewith. Furthermore, the device may also include a controller selectively operating at least some of the wireless RF transceivers to advantageously use the common antenna at a same time.

Cellular communications systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular telephones allow users to place and receive voice calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology has increased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices and the different types of devices available to users. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate personal digital assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, etc. Moreover, such multi-function devices may also allow users to wirelessly send and receive electronic mail (email) messages and access the Internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.
Even so, as the functionality of cellular communications devices continues to increase, so too does the demand for smaller devices which are easier and more convenient for users to carry. One challenge this poses for cellular device manufacturers is designing antennas that provide desired operating characteristics within the relatively limited amount of space available for the antenna. This is particularly true where multi-frequency band operation is required. Some wireless communications devices use multiple antennas to cover multiple radio frequency (RF) bands. Thus, as the number of operating frequency bands increases, so to does the number of antennas that are required. As a result, it may not be possible to include all of the antennas required to provide operation in all desired frequency bands in some embodiments due to such space constraints.
When the number of operating frequency bands is fairly small, some conventional mobile wireless communications devices will use a single antenna to cover the frequency bands. Yet, in such devices it may be difficult to obtain a desirable match and antenna gain over all of the frequency bands, and some trade-offs may need to be made between the frequency bands.
One example of a single antenna system used for operating over multiple frequency bands is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,028 to Hayes et al. This patent is directed to a planar inverted-F antenna for communications devices, such as radiotelephones, that radiates within multiple frequency bands. Multiple signal feeds extend from a conductive element in respective spaced-apart locations. A respective plurality of micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches are electrically connected to the signal feeds and are configured to selectively connect the respective signal feeds to ground or RF circuitry. In addition, each MEMS switch can be opened to electrically isolate a respective signal feed.
Such antennas may be advantageous for operating over different frequency bands at different times, and over a relatively small range of operating frequencies. Nonetheless, there may be applications in which it is desirable to provide multi-frequency operation at the same time and over a fairly large range of frequencies but while still providing a relatively compact antenna configuration suitable for use in handheld wireless communications devices.

Mobile Wireless Communications device with multiple RF transceivers using a common antenna at a same time and related methods


A spherical roller bearing providing an inner ring, an outer ring, rollers for rolling on raceways arranged on the rings, and a cage for holding the rollers spaced apart from each other. The cage having an annular core and a plurality of bars delimitating a plurality of pockets for the rollers, the annular core including two side faces from which the bars protrude axially outwardly, the inner and outer rings being rotatable with respect to each other around a bearing axis. The annular core further provides a plurality of spacing elements that protrude from the side faces of the annular core designed to come into contact with side faces of the rollers in order to prevent the rollers from moving axially towards the center of the bearing.

Spherical roller bearings have two rows of symmetrical rollers, a common sphered outer ring raceway and two inner ring raceways inclined at an angle to the bearing axis. The center point of the sphere in the outer ring raceway is at the bearing axis.
Spherical roller bearings comprise one or two cages, of the window or prong type.
Spherical roller bearings can also comprise a floating guide ring or a central fixed flange or rib which guides the unloaded rollers so that they enter the load zone in the optimal axial position. The floating guide ring is centered either on the inner ring or on the cage(s).
The floating guide ring prevents the unloaded rollers to move axially towards the center of the bearing, so that they are not squeezed between the raceways when they enter the load zone.
Improvements are possible.


A multilayered pressure vessel (10) fabricated from at least one single ply sheet of flexible material (100) having an approximate longitudinal midline which divides the material into an inner portion (130) having an inner surface, an outer surface, an edge, a seam allowance, and a width, and an outer portion having an inner surface, an outer surface, an edge, a seam allowance, and a width. The width of the outer portion (120) is greater than the width of the inner portion (140). A primary seam (250) binds the outer portion and the inner portion to the material sheet at the midline proximate the outer portion edge and inner portion edge. The sheet (100) is wrapped into a continuous substantially 720 degree wrap to form a generally cylindrical vessel body having possible multiple fluid passageways, at the election of the user. The primary seam (250) is concealed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally both to devices for conveying or storing gasses and to structural elements such as columns, beams, struts, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a light weight inflatable pneumatic structural members deployed into serviceable condition by internal gas pressure. Even more particularly, the present inventions relates to a multilayered pressure vessel suitable for use in storing and conveying gasses, and especially well-suited for use as an inflatable load-bearing element. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Background Art
By definition pressure vessels comprise those vessels that have an internal pressure higher than the external atmospheric pressure. Such vessels include those that contain fluids, i.e., fluid storage tanks, and those that convey fluids, such as hoses. It is known to fabricate pressure vessels of flexible rather than rigid material, as this offers a reduction of mass and storage volume compared to rigid material systems. However, it is a relatively recent development in the technology of structural materials to compose columns, beams, struts, trusses, and the like, of inflatable rather than rigid materials. This advancement is still becoming fully appreciated, and the contemplated fields of use continue to expand rapidly.
In manufacturing inflatable structural members, the primary structural requirements that inform the design and selection of materials include: (1) general compressive buckling; (2) beam stiffness and natural frequency; and (3) beam bending buckling. Design parameters include: (1) the radius of the tube; (2) tube thickness; (3) tube length; (4) the modulus of elasticity; and (5) material density. Inflatable structural members have been devised to possess sufficiently desirable structural characteristics to enable use in a variety of fields. Inflatable structural members are even contemplated for use in extreme and exotic environments, most notably outer space.
For instance, as noted by S. L. Veldman and C. A. J. R. Vermeeren in Inflatable Structures in Aerospace Engineering—an Overview (April 2001), inflatable circular cylindrical beams are able to support structures such as solar array systems, telescope mirrors, sun shields and solar sails, truss structures, and the like. They may also be employed in permanent and temporary inflatable space habitats, and even in reentry and recovery vehicles. The authors note that in such applications, the low mass, low storage volume and ease of deployment are factors that reduce cost considerably.
More conventional applications are well known, and range across a diverse spectrum of possibilities, including columns, beams, booms, trusses, struts, cantilevers, shelters, linear actuators, ladders, antennas, masts, frame links, and so forth. The obvious advantage is that the potential structure may be transported to the construction site in a relatively collapsed or flat condition, perhaps on a reel or in racks, and it may then be deployed and installed in a structure. If rigidized, it may remain relatively permanent; if not, it may be collapsed for storage and transport once again.
The advantages of flexible structural members were recognized at least as early as 1968, when U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,623 was issued to the Canadian Peter Isaac. His patent discloses an inflatable structural member made of stiff resilient material which is normally flexible and capable of being stored on a reel, but becomes erectly rigid when inflated. The member is stored on a reeled state in the flexible state and may be fed from the reel in a rigid state in a cantilever manner without guidance other than from the reel. The member is capable of carrying tensile, compressive, or flexural loads after unreeled.
A later, though not significantly more mature, expression of the art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,447, issued to Boxmeyer in 1985, which teaches a lightweight, inflatable structural member, having a substantially tubular shape and sealed at both ends, including an inner lining to maintain internal pressure upon inflation. The inner lining is covered with a filament reinforced matrix structure comprising resin impregnated filaments of high tensile strength. The uninflated structural member is stowable in a collapsed condition. Curing of the resin matrix is inhibited by storing the collapsed member at a low temperature. Prior to use, the member is inflated with a fluid and heated to enable curing of the resin matrix.
This method of manufacturing a rigid structural member by inflatable flexible material and coating or otherwise rigidizing the material with resin was recognized much earlier, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,506, to Ross, which discloses a method of manufacturing an article of stiffened fibrous material comprising the steps of providing a pliable article having spaced fibrous walls and ties connecting the spaced walls; inflating the fibrous article; applying a resin bonded fibrous material over the inflated article; and hardening the resinous band while the article is inflated to tension the material.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention in various national offices. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.
Additionally, and as will be readily appreciated, the structural elements taught in each of Boxmeyer and Ross require more than pneumatic pressure to provide the desired structural characteristics, and after rigidization they are incapable of collapse for storage and transportability. Furthermore, the structural member of Isaac may be fabricated from flexible material, but the manufacturing process entails use of a tube to which upper and lower members, joined by hinges, are affixed. Thus, provision of an article already comprising a pressure vessel, namely a tube, is a predicate to the construction of the device shown in Isaac.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a pressure vessel fabricated from flexible material that may be adapted for a variety of uses ranging from use as structural member when inflated, to use as a fluid conveyance means when uninflated and configured as a hose or filter. It would further be desirable that such a member be capable of collapse for easy storage and transport. Finally, it would be desirable to have an inexpensive and mechanically simple means of constructing such a pressure vessel.

Multilayered pressure vessel and method of manufacturing the same


A transfer unit is movable between a first position adjacent to an image forming device and a second position for exposing the image forming device, when a door panel is opened. The transfer unit moves to the second position together with the door panel, and when the door panel is in a generally fully opened state, the transfer unit is movable to the first position independently of the door panel, thereby improving the ease of maintenance in the vicinity of the transfer unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser printer, and in particular relates to an apparatus having a door member and a transfer unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been provided a multi-color image forming apparatus called a tandem type (or an inline type) which typically has a plurality of photosensitive drums placed in a line. This tandem type image forming apparatus mainly includes a transverse configuration in that the photosensitive drums are arranged in a horizontal direction and a longitudinal configuration in that the drums are arranged in a vertical direction. The longitudinal configuration can be reduced in occupied area although the height is increased in comparison with the transverse configuration, so that it has an advantage in usability for jam disposal, for example.
FIG. 8 shows a conventional longitudinal full-color image forming apparatus. Reference numerals 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d denote process cartridges for each color; numeral 102 denotes a transfer unit for transferring image by carrying and conveying a sheet S with a belt 102a; and numeral 103 a fuser. Images formed by the process cartridges 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d are transferred on the sheet S carried by the transfer unit 102, and the sheet S carrying the transferred image is discharged out of the apparatus after passing through the fuser 103. When a door 104 is opened, the process cartridges 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d are exposed, facilitating component replacement and jam disposal.
However, in the conventional example mentioned above, when doing maintenance on the backside of the transfer unit 102 (adjacent to the door of the belt 102a), the accessibility to this region is difficult because the space between the transfer unit 102 and the door 104 is comparatively small. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in an apparatus having a sheet conveying unit 105 for double-sided printing arranged on the backside of the transfer unit 102, the space for having access to the sheet conveying unit 105 is very limited. Hence, the disposal of a jam generated in the sheet conveying unit 105 has been very difficult.

Image forming apparatus having a movable transfer unit


The invention provided herein relates to vaccines that can be tailored to achieve a desired immune response. Some compositions provided herein are used for preferentially eliciting a humoral immune response while other compositions are useful for preferentially eliciting a cell-mediated response. Combinations of vaccine compositions are also useful for eliciting both types of responses and/or for modulating the type of immune response elicited. The invention also provides methods for eliciting an immune response in an individual by administering the compositions disclosed herein. These immune responses are useful for protecting an individual from various types of diseases, infections, and undesirable conditions.

Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective measures available to the health care industry for the prevention and treatment of disease. There remains, however, an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines and adjuvants for a variety of diseases, including those caused by or associated with infection by pathogenic agents, cancers, genetic defects and other disorders of the immune system. Publications on vaccines, for example, Rabinovich et al., Science 265, 1401-1404 (1994), state that there is still a need for safe and heat-stable vaccines that can be administered orally and that need to be administered only a few times, preferably early in life. Also preferred are combination vaccines that can protect individuals from more than one disease, as well as vaccines that do not require an adjuvant and that can elicit cell-mediated, humoral, and mucosal immunity. To date very few, if any, vaccines meet all of these criteria.
Killed or attenuated pathogens are frequently used in conventional vaccines, and particularly in vaccines against viral infections. For example, two types of influenza vaccines are presently in use. The more conventional vaccine is an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given by injection, typically into the arm. A second vaccine, called the nasal-spray flu vaccine (sometimes referred to as LAIV for Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine), was approved in 2003 and contains attenuated (weakened) live viruses administered by nasal sprayer. As set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO), influenza virus types A and B are both common causes of acute respiratory illnesses. Although both virus types may cause epidemics of considerable morbidity and mortality, influenza B infections are often limited to localized outbreaks, whereas influenza A viruses are the principal cause of larger epidemics, including worldwide pandemics. The influenza virus is a member of the Orthomyxo virus family, and has a wide host range, including humans, horses, dogs, birds, and pigs. It is an enveloped, negative-sense RNA virus produced in 8 RNA segments encoding 10 viral proteins. The virus replicates in the nucleus of an infected host cell. The influenza virus is most dangerous for the young and the old, or immunocompromised individuals. The virus can be propagated to high titers in chicken eggs, which serve as the vehicle for generation of virus for the production of influenza vaccines.
Influenza A viruses undergo frequent changes in their surface antigens, whereas type B influenza viruses change less frequently. Immunity following infection by one strain may not protect fully against subsequent antigenic variants. As a consequence, new vaccines against influenza must be designed each year to match the circulating strains that are most likely to cause the next epidemic. Therefore, the WHO annually collects data based on the surveillance of the most prevalent influenza strains circulating among people and makes recommendations for the influenza vaccine composition. Currently, the vaccine includes two subtypes of influenza A virus and one influenza B virus in the vaccine. The vaccine typically protects approximately 50%-80% of healthy adults against clinical disease.
Subunit vaccines, the development of which was made possible by recombinant DNA technology, have been disappointing to date, as they exhibit only limited immunogenicity. One example is the recent clinical testing of several HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) subunit vaccines which has been stopped due not only to limited efficacy of the vaccines, but also because in some cases, immunized individuals showed accelerated disease progression when they were subsequently exposed to HIV; see, for example, Cohen, Science 264:1839 (1994); and Cohen, Science 264: 660 (1994). One disadvantage of subunit vaccines, as well as of killed virus and recombinant live virus vaccines, is that while they appear to stimulate a strong humoral immune response, they fail to elicit protective cell-mediated immunity. A major conclusion at the 1994 International AIDS Conference was that there remains a need for a cytotoxic T cell-mediated response to prevent, or reduce, HIV infectivity, which to date is lacking in vaccines in the clinic. In addition, HIV vaccines tested to date have failed to elicit immunity at the mucosal surfaces where primary HIV infection occurs.
Furthermore, the only adjuvants approved for use in the United States are the aluminum salts aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate, neither of which stimulates cell-mediated immunity. In addition, aluminum salt formulations cannot be frozen or lyophilized, and such adjuvants are not effective with all antigens.
Yeast cells have been used in the production of subunit protein vaccines, including some of those tested in the aforementioned HIV vaccine trials. Yeast have also been fed to animals prior to immunization to try to prime the immune response in a non-specific manner (i.e., to stimulate phagocytosis as well as the production of complement and interferon). The results have been ambiguous, and such protocols have not generated protective cell-mediated immunity; see, for example, Fattal-German et al., Dev. Biol. Stand. 77: 115-120 (1992) and Bizzini et al., FEMS Microbiol. Immunol. 2: 155-167 (1990).
Previous studies have shown the potential for using recombinant S. cerevisiae yeast as a vaccine and immunotherapy vector. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,830,463 and 7,083,787, as well as U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2004-0156858 A1 and 2006-0110755 A1. These yeast-based immunotherapeutic products have been shown to elicit immune responses that are capable of killing target cells expressing a variety of viral and cancer antigens in vivo, in a variety of animal species, and to do so in an antigen-specific, CD8+ CTL-mediated fashion. See also Stubbs et al., Nat. Med. 7:625-629 (2001) and Lu et al., Cancer Research 64:5084-5088 (2004). More specifically, other studies have shown that Saccharomyces cerevisiae are avidly phagocytosed by and directly activate dendritic cells which then present yeast-associated proteins to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in a highly efficient manner. See, e.g., Stubbs et al. Nature Med. 5:625-629 (2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,787.
In addition to being able to interact directly with dendritic cells, yeast have a variety of other characteristics that make them an ideal platform for immunotherapy. First, multiple antigens may be engineered for expression within a single yeast strain (see, e.g., Pichuantes et al., "Expression of heterologous gene products in yeast." In Protein Engineering—Principles and Practice, pp. 129-162, J. L. Cleland and C. S. Craik, eds., Wiley-Liss, New York (1996). These formulations share many advantages with DNA vaccines, including ease of construction and the ability to target multiple antigens. Unlike DNA vaccines, yeast-based immunotherapeutic formulations do not require extensive purification to remove potentially toxic contaminants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated yeast as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). As such, the concern over toxicity and safety that exists with other vaccine vectors does not apply to yeast-based delivery vehicles.
Despite all the existing efforts to produce efficacious vaccines, there still remains a need for vaccine compositions that are efficient at stimulating a variety of immune responses. With respect to influenza vaccines, rates of illness among children, the elderly and certain high-risk groups is still significant, and in developing countries, vaccination may be sporadic or non-existent. In industrialized countries, production of sufficient influenza vaccine to accommodate the recipient population is hampered by production problems, high expenses and the time required to produce the vaccine using current technologies. In addition, threats of new viral strains and the possibility of future pandemics have raised interest in more effective and efficiently produced influenza vaccines. Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved vaccines that provide long-lasting and effective protection against a variety of strains of influenza, and that can be produced rapidly and safely for use in humans and other animals. However, these concerns and needs are not unique to influenza vaccines, but extend to other types of vaccines, including vaccines directed to other viruses and other infectious agents.
Indeed, many pathogens, including bacteria and parasites, infect individuals in stages, presenting a different subset of antigens for the immune system to address at each stage. In addition, many pathogens have evolved a series of strategies that allow the pathogen to "hide" from or otherwise evade the immune system. Finally, as with the viruses described above, many pathogens evolve and mutate antigens, particularly those expressed or localized on their surface, and it is also possible to be infected by multiple species or strains of pathogens at the same time, all of which complicate vaccination strategies. By way of example, infection with the parasite that causes malaria, (e.g., Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax) initially enters the body as a sporozoite through the blood stream as a result of a bite by an infected mosquito, but then quickly infects liver cells where the sporozoite undergoes radical changes to become a merozoite. The merozoite is released from the liver cell and rapidly infects red blood cells, where the parasite multiplies, differentiates, and continues to infect other cells. Accordingly, an ideal vaccine would be able to prime the immune system to recognize and destroy all stages of the parasite, whether in the blood, in the liver, or in red blood cells. However, most vaccines are unable to prevent or eradicate all infection, but instead are focused on limiting the ability of the pathogen to cause disease or be toxic to an individual, while other stages of the life cycle and quiescent infection remain unaddressed.
Therefore, for combating pandemics of infectious disease or disease caused by other agents, it is desirable to have the ability to control or influence the type of immune response elicited, such as by preferentially eliciting a cell-mediated immune response (e.g., generation of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs)), preferentially eliciting a humoral response (e.g., an antibody response), or eliciting both types of immune responses, depending on the disease or condition being prevented or treated, and/or the immune status of an individual with respect to a particular antigen or pathogen at a given time point. In addition, it would be useful to provide compositions that can stimulate an efficacious immune response with a few administrations, and that also are effective at stimulating immune responses with exposure to low levels of antigen (dose-sparing).

Yeast-based vaccine for inducing an immune response


A temperature management system for managing the temperature of a discrete, thermal component. The temperature management system comprises a heat exchanger thermally coupled with the thermal component. The system also comprises a fluid transfer device that circulates a coolant fluid through a thermal conduit system. As the coolant flows through the heat exchanger, it absorbs heat from the component. Upon exiting the heat exchanger, the heated coolant flows to the beat sink where the heat sink absorbs heat from the coolant fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to temperature management systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems for managing the temperature of discrete thermal components.
2. Description of the Related Art
To drill a well, a drill bit bores thousands of feet into the crust of the earth. The drill bit extends downward from a drilling platform on a string of pipe, commonly referred to as a "drill string." The drill string may be jointed pipe or coiled tubing. At the lower, or distal, end of the drill string is a bottom hole assembly (BHA), which includes, among other components, the drill bit.
In order to obtain measurements and information from the downhole environment while drilling, the BHA includes electronic instrumentation. Various tools on the drill string, such as logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools and measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tools incorporate the instrumentation. Such tools on the drill string contain various electronic components incorporated as part of the BHA. These electronic components generally consist of computer chips, circuit boards, processors, data storage, power converters, and the like.
Downhole tools must be able to operate near the surface of the earth as well as many thousands of feet below the surface. Environmental temperatures tend to increase with depth during the drilling of the well. As the depth increases, the tools are subjected to a severe operating environment. For instance, downhole temperatures are generally high and may even exceed 200° C. In addition, pressures may exceed 20,000 psi. In addition to the high temperature and pressure, there is also vibration and shock stress associated with operating in the downhole environment, particularly during drilling operations.
The electronic components in the downhole tools also internally generate heat. For example, a typical wireline tool may dissipate over 100 watts of power, and a typical downhole tool on a drill string may dissipate over 10 watts of power. Although there is electrical power dissipated by a drill string tool, the heat from the drilling environment itself still makes internal heat dissipation a problem. The internally dissipated heat must be removed from the electronic components or thermal failure will occur.
While performing drilling operations, the tools on the drill string typically remain in the downhole environment for periods of several weeks. In other downhole applications, drill string electronics may remain in the downhole for as short as several hours to as long as one year. For example, to obtain downhole measurements, tools are lowered into the well on a wireline or a cable. These tools are commonly referred to as "wireline tools." However, unlike in drilling applications, wireline tools generally remain in the downhole environment for less than twenty-four hours.
A problem with downhole tools is that when downhole temperatures exceed the temperature of the electronic components, the heat cannot naturally dissipate into the environment. The heat will accumulate internally within the electronic components unless there are provisions to remove the heat. Thus, two general heat sources must be accounted for in downhole tools, the surrounding downhole environment and the heat dissipated by the tool components, e.g., electronics components.
While the temperatures of the downhole environment may exceed 200° C., the electronic components are typically rated to operate at no more than 125° C. Thus, due to the extended time downhole, heat transfer from the downhole environment and the heat dissipated by the components will result in thermal failure of those components. Generally, thermally induced failure has two modes. First, the thermal stress on the components degrades their useful lifetime. Second, at some temperature, the electronics fail and the components stop operating.
Thermal failure is very expensive. The expense is not only due to the replacement costs of the failed electronic components, but also because electronic component failure interrupts downhole activities. Trips into the borehole also use costly rig time. An effective apparatus and method to cool electronic components in downhole tools would greatly reduce costs incurred during downhole operations associated with thermal failure.
A traditional method of cooling the electronics in a downhole tool involves modest environmental temperatures, such as may be found near the surface of the earth. Near the surface of the earth, the electronics operate at a temperature above the environmental temperature. In modest environments, the electronics are thermally connected to the tool housing. The thermal connection allows the heat to dissipate to the environment by the natural heat transfer of conduction, convection, and/or radiation. Temperature gradient cooling will only work, however, if the temperature gradient between the electronics and the environment is large enough to adequately cool the electronics.
A traditional method for reducing thermal failure in harsh thermal environments, such as thousands of feet below the surface of the earth, is to place the electronics on a chassis in an insulated vacuum flask. The vacuum flask acts as a thermal barrier to retard heat transfer from the downhole environment to the electronics. However, thermal flasks are passive systems that only slow the harmful effects of thermal failure. Because of the extended periods downhole in both wireline and drill string operations, insulated flasks do not provide sufficient thermal management for the electronic components for extended periods. Specifically, the flask does not remove the heat generated internally by the electronic components. Further, a thermal mass, such as a eutectic material, can be included in the flask to absorb heat from the downhole environment as well as the heat generated internally by the electronics. However, both the thermal flask and the thermal mass are only used to thermally manage the temperature of the interior of the electronics compartment. Because the discrete components are internally generating heat, they will remain at a higher temperature than the general interior of the electronics compartment. Thus, thermal failure continues to be a problem.
Another cooling method for deep-well cooling uses an active cooling system to cool electronics in a downhole tool. In this method, water in one tank is in thermal contact with the electronics chassis of the downhole tool. The water absorbs heat from the downhole environment and the electronics and begins to vaporize at 100° C. so long as the pressure of the tank is maintained at 1.01×105 Pa (14.7 psi). In order to maintain the pressure, the steam is removed from the tank and compressed in a second tank. However, sufficient steam must be removed from the first tank in order to maintain the pressure at 1.01×105 Pa. Otherwise, the boiling point of the water will rise and thus raise the temperature of the electronics chassis in the first tank.
In practice, active steam cooling has significant problems. First, this method has very large compression requirements because the compressed steam in the second tank cools to the temperature of the downhole environment. The compressor must be able to compress the steam to a pressure greater than the saturation pressure of steam at the temperature of the downhole environment, which is 1.55×106 Pa (225 psi) at 200° C. Second, this method is also time limited based on the amount of water in the first tank because when all the water in the first tank vaporizes, the cooling system will not function. In addition, the method does not isolate the electronic components but instead attempts to cool the entire electronics region. While the temperature of the region may remain at 100° C., the temperature of the discrete electronic components will be higher because they are internally generating heat. Consequently, this system does not effectively maintain the temperature of the discrete electronic components in order to minimize the effects of thermal failure.
Another cooling method attempts to resolve the problem of the high compression requirements of the above-mentioned cooling system by use of a sorbent cooling system. This method again uses the evaporation of a liquid that is in thermal contact with the electronic components to maintain the temperature of the components. Instead of using a compressor to remove the vapor, this method uses desiccants in the second tank to absorb the vapor as it evaporates in the first tank. However, the desiccants must absorb sufficient vapor in order to maintain a constant pressure in the first tank. Otherwise, the boiling point of the liquid will rise as the pressure in the lower tank rises.
Like the previous method, the sorbent cooling system also has significant problems. First, sorbent cooling only cools the entire electronics region, not the discrete electronic components. Thus, because of internal heat dissipation, the electronic components may remain at a higher temperature than the entire electronics region. Second, the desiccants must absorb sufficient vapor in order to maintain a constant temperature in the first tank. Otherwise, the liquid will evaporate at a higher temperature and thus the temperature in the first tank will increase. Further, the amount of water in the first tank limits the system. Once all the water evaporates, the system no longer functions.
Other methods also cool electronics apart from downhole applications. For example, micro-channel heat exchangers cool microprocessors and other microelectronic devices in surface-based applications. However, these systems operate in an environment where the ambient temperature is less than the device being cooled. In a downhole environment, the ambient temperature is often higher than the recommended operating temperature of the components being cooled. These methods will not function properly in a downhole environment because they cannot remove the heat from the components in an environment where the ambient temperature is higher than that of the components.
None of the known cooling methods effectively and efficiently controls the temperature of electronic components in downhole tools. An effective cooling system for electronic components in downhole tools is one that performs at least one or both of the following: (1) isolates thermally sensitive components from the environment; and (2) removes heat from thermally sensitive components. Consequently, to effectively manage the temperature of discrete thermal components in downhole tools, the present invention has been developed. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description.

Method and apparatus for managing the temperature of thermal components


A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a sequence controller and a data processor. The sequence controller executes a pulse sequence using a combination of multiple types of labeling methods to acquire magnetic resonance signals. The data processor generates multiple types of labeled images based on the magnetic resonance signals.

Magnetic resonance imaging is an imaging method in which nuclei of a patient placed within a static magnetic field are magnetically excited by a high frequency (RF(radio frequency)) signal of the Larmor frequency and an image is reconstructed from magnetic resonance (MR) signals generated in accordance with the excitation. In the field of magnetic resonance imaging, non-contrast MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) is known as a method of acquiring images of blood vessels without using a contrast agent.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and image processing apparatus


A battery protection device has a charging circuit for charging a capacitor in accordance with an input signal so that the input signal will be distinguished from noise, and an output circuit for generating an output in accordance with the input signal. The battery protection device receives as its input signal a overvoltage detection signal, and the capacitor is charged in accordance with this signal. The output circuit outputs a signal for cutting off the battery charging path in accordance with the overvoltage detection signal. The battery protection device also has a latch circuit for latching the output of the output circuit in a state for outputting the charging path cutoff signal once the voltage across the capacitor exceeds a predetermined level, and an operation-responsive circuit for independently supplying an electric current to the capacitor in response to a predetermined operation. When a change is caused in the voltage across the capacitor by the current supplied from the operation-responsive means, the change is fed to the latch circuit and thereby the latch circuit is unlatched.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery device having a rechargeable battery such as a lithium-ion cell, and to a battery protection device for use in such a battery device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A circuit of the type that produces an output signal by processing an input signal it receives is often so designed that, when the input signal once exceeds a predetermined level, the output of the circuit is locked in a fixed state and this locked state is maintained by a latch circuit. For example, in a case where the input signal is a monitoring signal that is used to monitor the condition of a system, such a circuit serves, when the system is in an abnormal condition, to prevent the aggravation of the condition by feeding its output signal back to the system.
Even when the system is brought back into a normal condition, the locked (i.e. latched) state persists. To cancel this locked state, it is necessary to expressly feed an unlatching signal to the latch circuit.
This requires the circuit, when it is formed as an IC (integrated circuit), to be provided with an extra terminal pin for receiving the unlatching signal, and thus to be provided with a larger number of terminal pins in total. This is disadvantageous for the miniaturization of the IC package and of the IC chip. The latched state can be canceled also by temporarily lowering the power source voltage supplied to the IC. However, this undesirably causes all the other circuits in the IC to be reset as well.

Battery protection device and a battery device employing such a battery protection device