A device for transporting fluids, such as viscous adhesives and sealants. The device includes a cylinder which may be filled by a supply line and a movable piston within the cylinder for ejecting the fluid into a discharge line. The piston includes an axial fluid channel and can be moved by way of a piston rod which also includes an axial fluid channel. An inlet valve is positioned between the supply line and the cylinder and may be moved between open and closed positions for releasing or interrupting the supply the fluid from the supply line into the interior of the cylinder. The piston rod includes threading and this threading is engaged with corresponding threading on a rotatable and drivable drive element so that the piston may be moved by rotating the drive element within the cylinder.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 29902514.4 filed Feb. 15, 1999, the disclosure of which is hereby fully incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a device for transporting fluids, especially viscous adhesive or sealing materials, with a supply line which can be connected to a source of fluid, a cylinder which can be filled with fluid by means of the supply line, and a movable piston inside the cylinder for ejecting fluid which is in the cylinder into a discharge line which communicates with the interior of the cylinder. The piston has an axial fluid channel and can be moved by means of a piston rod which has an axial fluid channel, with an inlet valve positioned between the supply line and the cylinder which can optionally be moved to open and closed positions to release or interrupt the supply of fluid from the supply line to the interior of the cylinder.
2. Background of the Invention
Known devices generally related to the present invention are used in order to transport adhesives or other fluids in measured quantities. One such device is known from the disclosed German patent application DE 42 11 370 A1. In the known transport device, a piston which is connected to a hollow tappet, having an axial channel which is connected to the cavity of the tappet, can be moved by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic drive cylinder inside a transport cylinder in such a way that fluid from the transport cylinder is ejected through the fluid channel formed in the piston and the hollow tappet and into a flexible line. The disadvantages here are the relatively long flow paths of the fluid through the piston, the hollow tappet and the hose.
In addition, only a relatively imprecisely measured quantity of fluid can be transported by means of the pneumatic drive cylinder. An additional disadvantage consists in the fact that the known transport device is a relatively large construction due to the pneumatic cylinder which drives the displacement piston. Furthermore, the transport of the fluid is subject to variations, since the gas in the pneumatic cylinder is compressible and there can therefore be variations in pressure in the pneumatic cylinder and uneven movement of the piston.
From the public application papers for 20 38 369, a cylinder pump is known which has a piston which can be moved in a cylinder by means of a piston rod, where one end of the piston rod has threading which engages a rotatable threaded sleeve in order to axially move the piston rod and thus the piston. A disadvantage of this device is that so-called dead spaces can occur in the cylinder chamber, in which fluid collects and is not ejected from the cylinder chamber over the period of several strokes of the piston. Furthermore, because of the dead spaces there can be unwanted temperature changes in the fluid, due to the fact that a quantity of fluid which is the first to be drawn into the cylinder cools down within the cylinder, and is not pressed out of the cylinder chamber until the end of the ejection stroke of the piston, whereas fluid which is last drawn into the cylinder is the first to be pressed out of the cylinder chamber again with the help of the piston.
The present invention is based on the task of providing a device to transport the fluid which avoids the disadvantages of the state of technology and makes it possible to transport an exactly measured quantity of a fluid, having compact and simple construction, and which in particular makes it possible to transport small quantities of fluid.
The invention accomplishes this task by providing the fluid transport device with a threaded piston rod. The threading on the piston rod engages corresponding threading on a drive element which is mounted so that it can rotate and can be propelled in a rotating manner, so that the piston can be moved in a cylinder by means of rotating the drive element.
The advantages of the invention consist mainly in the fact that by means of the corresponding threading on the piston rod, which has an axial fluid channel, and the drive element, measured transport of fluid with very exactly adjustable transport flows is realized, and at the same time there is the guarantee that because of the fluid channels formed in both the piston and the piston rod it is possible to fill the interior of the cylinder through these interconnected fluid channels, so that a quantity of fluid which is the first to reach the interior of the cylinder, after flowing through the interior of the cylinder, is the first again to be ejected, without small or even larger quantities of fluid collecting in a dead space in the cylinder and remaining in the cylinder longer than other quantities of fluid (first-in-first-out principle). By means of the combination, in accordance with the invention, of a piston rod which can be propelled with the help of threads, and the piston rod which has a fluid channel and a piston which also has an axial fluid channel, a compact design is realized for the device.
In an especially preferred manner, the piston rod is designed as a hollow spindle with male threads, and the drive element is designed as a threaded sleeve with female threads, since in this manner the double function of the piston rod in the form of a hollow spindle which serves on the one hand as the supply line for feeding the fluid into the interior of the cylinder and on the other hand as a means of propulsion for moving or shifting the piston inside the cylinder in order to draw fluid into or press it out of the piston can be realized with an especially compact and simple design.
In a manner which is likewise preferred, the implementation variant just described is further advanced by having the threaded sleeve mounted in a fixed location by means of a roller bearing on a housing and propellable by means of an electric motor, and by having gears between the threaded sleeve and the electric motor. The threaded sleeve, which is engaged with the hollow spindle in order to move the threaded sleeve and the piston axially, is thereby permanently and precisely mounted, and because of the gearing it can be driven at relatively low rotational speed, depending on the desired quantity to be transported, so that the piston is shifted in the cylinder at relatively low speed, in order to be able to transport relatively small quantities. At the same time, because of the gears, which preferably provide for a reduction in the speed of the electric motor, when the rotary speed of the drive element is low a relatively high torque is guaranteed in the drive element, so that the piston is moved in the cylinder with a relatively high force, so that variations in transport quantity can largely be avoided even with highly viscous fluids.
A gear system of relatively simple and reliable design consists in a gearset with a toothed belt, which works together with a gear wheel which is coupled to the threaded sleeve and another gear wheel which is coupled to the drive shaft of the electric motor.
In an especially preferred manner there is provision for the fluid flow path between an end section of the hollow spindle at the opposite end from the piston and the supply line to be interruptible by means of the inlet valve, for the inlet valve to be movable together with the hollow spindle, and for the supply line to be in the form of a flexible hose. The inlet valve is moved to the open position in order to fill the interior of the cylinder, and in this position the piston is shifted in such a way that fluid flows into the interior of the cylinder through the hollow spindle and the fluid channel formed in the piston. After the piston has reached its end position, the inlet valve is closed, and in order to transport fluid the hollow spindle can now be moved together with the piston by rotating the drive element, with the effect that fluid is pressed from the interior of the cylinder into a discharge line, which is preferably connected directly to the cylinder. By means of the flexible hose, the movements of the hollow spindle and the inlet valve can be adjusted relative to a fixed fluid source without problem.
In accordance with an additional preferred variant form it is proposed that the hollow spindle be guided at its end opposite the piston, and if appropriate that the inlet valve be guided by means of a linear guide. By having the piston guided axially inside the cylinder, on the one hand, and having the hollow spindle guided by means of a linear guide on the other hand, the elements of the device which can be moved relative to a housing are guided reliably for the back-and-forth movement which is necessary for operation. At the same time, an anti-twist prevention is realized for the hollow spindle and the piston. In a purposeful and robust manner, the linear guide has two guide rods and several guide sleeves which slide on the guide rods.
In an additional alternative implementation form of the invention, the inlet valve can be activated pneumatically or magnetically, since for both of these variants only little design effort is necessary. In an especially preferred manner, the discharge line is connected directly to the interior of the cylinder, and connects downstream to the discharge line of a fluid applying device, so that a complete device for transporting and applying a fluid is realized which can be attached to a robot arm, so as to be able, for example, to apply adhesive to motor vehicle parts in the manufacture of automobiles.
Since heated adhesives and sealants may be processed in many industrial applications, in accordance with an additional refinement of the invention a heating system is provided to heat the cylinder, so that the adhesive or sealant is kept at a preset temperature, especially during intermittent operation with relatively long interruptions in transport.

Device for transporting fluids, such as viscous adhesives or sealants


A switched regulator circuit provides step-up and step-down operation at high efficiency during light load conditions. Switching loss is reduced in a four switch arrangement by limiting bottom MOSFET switching frequency. The possibility of overcharge in boost mode operation has been avoided by automatically changing to a buck mode operation in response to sensed parameters.

Voltage regulators are known that can convert from input voltages above, below, or equal to the controlled output voltage, respectively performing buck mode regulation, boost mode regulation, or buck-boost mode regulation. Regulator architecture typically is provided for power supplies in automotive applications, lap-top computers, telecom equipment and distributed power systems. A known "four-switch" buck-boost converter is described in an October 2001 datasheet for the LTC3440 "Micro-power Synchronous Buck-Boost DC/DC Converter" integrated circuit manufactured by Linear Technology Corporation. Two of the four switches are connected to the input side of an inductor, the other switches connected to the output side. In accordance with the level of voltage output to be controlled and the level of voltage input, the regulator has the capability of assuming a plurality of operation states in which the switches variously are sequentially activated or deactivated, to connect the inductor to the input, the output, and/or a common ground connection. The voltage mode control technique used presents difficulty in compensating for boost mode and buck-boost mode closed loop operation.
Other known arrangements are simplifications of the "four-switch" configuration in which two of the switches are replaced by diodes. With such arrangements, control flexibility is lessened as fewer different switch operation states are available. A known variable frequency control technique can be used to apply constant-on time control for buck mode and constant-off time control for boost mode. This technique utilizes a wide switching frequency range and a low system bandwidth. Another known alternative is current mode control, wherein a sense resistor is placed permanently in series with the circuit inductor or two sense resistors are used, one at the input and another at the output.
Light load efficiency is important for battery applications. During conditions of low inductor current, activation of switches in regulators, such as described above, at times becomes unnecessary. Without provision in those systems for identifying and adjusting for such conditions, needless switching operations will occur. A need thus exists for switching regulators that eliminate unnecessary switching, thereby to improve efficiency.
During light load conditions in which the output voltage level is greater than the input voltage, regulation proceeds in a discontinuous current boost mode. As inductor current information is not available during certain switching periods, undesirable negative current levels can occur. A need exists to prevent overcharge at the output.

Light load current-mode control for switched step up-step down regulators


The invention relates to a method for adjusting ejection timing including forming adjustment patterns on a medium by shifting relative ejection timings of liquid droplets from a first nozzle row and a second nozzle row lined up in a direction intersecting a row direction in which nozzles of the first nozzle row and the second nozzle row are lined up, while shifting relative positions of the first nozzle and the second nozzle, and the medium in the intersecting direction; and determining adjustment amounts of relative ejection timings of the first nozzle row and the second nozzle row based on the adjustment patterns, wherein the adjustment patterns are formed in the intersecting direction in a plural number separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and the ejection timing is adjusted based on an average of the adjustment amounts determined based on the adjustment patterns.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods for adjusting ejection timing and ejection timing adjusting apparatuses.
2. Related Art
There are printers having two heads disposed lined up in a direction intersecting a row direction in which nozzles of nozzle rows are lined up. These two heads are disposed such that the position of one of the heads is shifted in the nozzle row direction by a distance corresponding to half a nozzle pitch. Through this, it is possible to double the resolution in the nozzle row direction. In order to perform printing using heads disposed in this manner, it is required to adjust in advance the landing positions of liquid droplets ejected from those two heads with respect to a transport direction.
A method has been used in order to adjust the landing position in the transport direction; an adjustment pattern, in which the ejection timings of liquid droplets ejected from a first head and a second head are shifted by small degrees, is printed, and then the optimal ejection timing of the liquid droplets is selected so as to carry out necessary adjustment (JP-A-10-329381).
However, when a roller for transporting paper is decentered or the like, the transport amount of paper varies when paper is transported. Then, such variance in the transport amount due to such decentering causes a transport error.
Forming an adjustment pattern and adjusting the ejection timing of liquid droplets based thereon results in adjustment of the ejection timing of liquid droplets based on the adjustment pattern formed while affected by a transport error. The transport error is composed of a consistent error component and an error component that periodically varies, the components being combined. It is difficult to determine the amount of the error component that periodically varies while the pattern is recorded. Therefore, it is impossible to properly adjust the ejection timing due to the indeterminable varying component contained in the transport error.

Method for adjusting ejection timing and ejection timing adjusting apparatus


A start control apparatus includes a position sensor, a basic start determination processor, a sensor output determination processor, and a start permission continuation processor. The basic start determination processor determines whether a sensor output is in a permission region for permitting the start of operation of a motor when an engine start range is selected, and generates a start permission signal when the sensor output is in the permission region. The sensor output determination processor determines whether distinctive variation characteristics are detected in the sensor output when the motor is started based on the start permission signal and supply of electrical current to the motor. The start permission continuation processor permits continuation of operation of the motor when the variation characteristics are detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a start control apparatus and a program for a start control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, for example in a vehicle equipped with a vehicle drive apparatus (power train) such as a stepped automatic transmission, a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), a semi-automatic transmission, an electrically driven apparatus using a drive motor as a drive source, and an electrically driven apparatus using a drive motor, an engine and a power generator as drive sources, when a range is selected by positioning of a shift lever (or other shift control member), a vehicle drive control apparatus for controlling the vehicle drive apparatus turns on and off solenoids or the like in accordance with the transmission logic for the selected range. For this purpose, a position determination apparatus is provided. The position determination apparatus receives an output signal from a position sensor. The position determination apparatus determines the shift position, i.e., position of the shift lever, based on the output signal to detect the selected range.
The position sensor may be a non-contact sensor having a magnet and a Hall IC or the like. When the shift lever or the like is repositioned by the driver, a manual shaft and the magnet attached to the manual shaft are rotated together responsive to the movement of the shift lever. The Hall IC generates an analog sensor output corresponding to the rotation of the magnet. For example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-174212.
For example, in a vehicle equipped with a stepped automatic transmission, a start control apparatus is provided. When it is determined that a range suitable for starting the engine, i.e., an engine start range such as the parking range or the neutral range, is selected in order to start the engine, the start control apparatus outputs a start permission signal to a motor drive circuit to permit operation of the starter motor. As a result, the motor drive circuit starts the starter motor by supplying electrical current to the starter motor, and the starter motor, in turn, drives the engine.
However, in the start control apparatus of the related art, when the starter cable, i.e., the power line for supplying electrical current to the starter motor, is run near the position sensor, the magnetic field generated by the electrical current flowing through the starter cable in operation of the starter motor may affect the Hall IC, and cause errors in the sensor output of the Hall IC.
As a result, even if the shift lever is actually in a position selecting an engine start range, it may be erroneously determined that an engine start range has not been selected due to error in the sensor output of the Hall IC, the loss of performance in the Hall IC, or the like. In this case, the start of the starter motor is prohibited unintentionally.
FIG. 2 is a time chart showing operation of the start control apparatus in the related art wherein Vh denotes a voltage value indicating the sensor output of the Hall IC. When the voltage value Vh is in a permission region, i.e., not less than a lower limit value VNL, the start control apparatus permits the start of the starter motor. When the voltage value Vh is less than the lower limit value VNL, i.e., in a prohibition region, the start control apparatus prohibits energizing the starter motor.
That is, when the shift lever is in a position corresponding to an engine start range, e.g., in the neutral position, the voltage value Vh (the sensor voltage expressed in volts [v]) is not less than the lower limit value VNL. Therefore, the start control apparatus permits operation of the starter motor. However, a magnetic field is generated when electrical current flows through a line to the starter motor at time t1, and the magnetic field affects the Hall IC. When the voltage value Vh becomes less than the lower limit value VNL at time t2, the start control apparatus prohibits operation of the starter motor. Thereafter, the voltage value Vh reaches the minimum value at time t3. When the voltage value Vh reaches the lower limit value VNL at time t4, the start control apparatus permits operation of the starter motor.
As described above, when the voltage value Vh becomes less than the lower limit value VNL, even if the shift lever is in a position corresponding to an engine start range, it may be determined that an engine start range is not selected, and operation of the starter motor is prohibited.

Start control apparatus and program for a start control method


A portable electronic device with power failure recovery, powered by a main power source, the device comprising a power detection module, a processor, a timing unit and a power management unit. The power detection module detects an output characteristic from the main power source and asserts an interrupt signal if the characteristic is below a threshold value. The processor asserts a turn-off signal and an enable signal in response to the interrupt signal. The timing unit asserts a notification signal at a predetermined time interval when the enable signal is asserted. Upon receipt of the turn-off signal, the power management unit disconnects the main power source from a circuit block. Moreover, the power management unit reconnects the main power source to the circuit block when the notification signal is asserted and the output characteristic of the main power source is beyond the threshold value.

Many electronic devices, including portable electronic devices such as wireless communication devices, utilize a removable battery for a power source. Power failures in the power source may occur for many reasons. For example, power failure may occur when the portable electronic device is hit or as the result of a battery bounce, so the removable battery is momentarily disconnected from the electronic circuitry of the portable electronic device. Such a temporary power failure may last for several microseconds, at most one second. After recovery from the power failure, the portable electronic device typically goes through a "rebooting" process. However, all of the data before the power failure is lost. This can be very annoying to the user. The simplest solution to the above-described problem is to provide a large auxiliary power device that takes over when a power failure in main battery occurs. This is still not satisfactory to users due to cost and inconvenience of the portable electronic device.
One portable electronic device of the prior art monitors recovery from the power failure by using a battery check routine it pushes on the stack of a micro-controller. The portable electronic device pops off the battery check routine from the stack upon determining a stable recovery, while returning to an exact point in a main program it left when it detected the power failure. Unfortunately, such a portable electronic device still requires a large auxiliary power source to keep the micro-controller working.
Another portable electronic device of the prior art stores the current operating state and the current time of the device in a non-volatile RAM upon detection of the power failure. After recovery from the power failure, the stored operating information is transferred to a processor of the portable electronic device. The processor also receives the failure time from the non-volatile RAM and recovery time from a built-in clock. The processor determines that the power failure is a short break and returns the device to the operation state before the power failure based on the above-described information on the operation state of the device if the period of the power failure falls within a resumption allowable time range. This method would require a considerable amount of non-volatile RAM to save the operating state. Furthermore, the portable electronic device needs additional timer to continue operation since the processor has to determine the period of the power failure.
Therefore, what is needed is a portable electronic device with power failure recovery, unencumbered by the limitations associated with the prior art.

Portable electric device with power failure recovery and operation method thereof


Methods and structure of enabling secure communications between a customer computer system and a vendor support representative computer system despite firewall security on either or both systems. One embodiment provides for a collaboration center with a rendezvous service and an interaction service responsive to communications from the support representative or the customer. The rendezvous service initiates the communications between the customer and an appropriate support representative selected according to rendezvous rules provided by the vendor. Once selected, the support representative and customer systems interact by exchanging requests and responses through the interaction service using standard HTTP and Web protocols and interfaces. The communications utilize standard Web browser client programs on the respective computers and standard Web HTTP protocols that pass through typical firewall protection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to vendor/customer support and management systems and in particular to improved usage of the Internet for collaborative remote support between the customer and a vendor's support representative.
2. Discussion of Related Art
It is widely known that computing systems (hardware and/or software systems) sometimes encounter problems during their operation that require remedial action. A large class of such problems are easily solved by users or customers without requiring further information or intervention by a vendor of the failing system. Such problems are frequently referred to as "self solve" problems. Other more complex problems may require assistance from knowledgeable support personnel associated with the vendor of the failing system. Typically, such knowledgeable support personnel are located in a centralized facility handling such support issues via telephone and/or computer communications.
Such support and communications from knowledgeable personnel via telephone communications give rise to number of problems. One problem in such oral support communications is obtaining correct information from a customer premises to permit reliable diagnosis and resolution of a problem. Often such information is highly technical and detailed in nature and may be difficult for a customer to readily identify and obtain on behalf of the support personnel. Further, such detailed technical information can be erroneously communicated by the customer thereby misleading the support personnel in attempts to diagnose and resolve the problem.
Other known techniques attempt to resolve the problems of oral telephonic communications for such support functions by a providing direct computer to computer communications between the customer's computing system and the support personnel of the vendor. Such a direct computer to computer communication link permits accurate retrieval of detailed technical information required by knowledgeable support personnel of the vendor. Detailed, complex technical data regarding the customer's system or use of the system can be more readily obtained by such direct computer communication techniques then by telephonic requests between support personnel and a customer. Further, the information so acquired is more likely to be technically accurate then information manually obtained and communicated orally by the customer.
Such computer to computer communication links are, in general, presently practiced in the art in accordance with one of two methods. A direct point-to-point dial-up connection using modems is a first common technique wherein both parties utilize modems and a standard telephone communication link to connect to computers. Well-known commercially available software may be used for controlling such point-to-point direct computer communication links such as pcAnywhere. Such direct modem-based communication links are often prohibited by corporate security policies within the customer's enterprise. Such security policies are intended to preclude exactly such external communications by unauthorized third parties. Further, such direct point-to-point modem communication links impose a significant burden on both the vendor's support personnel and customers to set up and configure the link for establishing and conducting the desired communications.
A second well-known computer to computer communications link technique solves some of the above problems by utilizing the Internet for the computer communications link. Use of the Internet for computer to computer communications is well-known and widely available thereby obviating the burden of configuring and managing a point-to-point modem telephonic communication link. One significant difficulty that arises even in this simpler approach is the presence of security firewalls implemented within the customer enterprise and/or the vendor's support center. These firewall devices or systems are specifically designed to prevent such incoming communications from external, unauthorized users. Most enterprises that utilize such firewall protection are unwilling or unable to alter the configuration of the firewall security to permit limited incoming computer communication links for purposes a providing support by vendor. These limitations effectively prevent direct network communications between the vendor's support personnel and the customer computers.
Similar issues arise in the context of managing a large enterprise of distributed computing systems. Even an in-house manager of such an enterprise may have difficulty accessing a remote user's computing systems for purposes of managing that system where enterprise-wide firewall security measures are implemented.
It is evident from the above discussion that the need exists for any improved communication architecture that permits flexible, convenient, reliable communications directly between the customer's computing or software systems and a vendor's knowledgeable support personnel.

Methods and systems for customer premises remote collaboration facility

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method for manufacturing the capacitor of a dynamic random access memory cell. The method includes the steps of first providing a substrate having field effect transistors thereon, and then forming a dielectric layer over the substrate. Next, a contact opening that exposes the source/drain region is formed in the dielectric layer, and then conductive material is deposited over the substrate, filling the contact opening to form a conductive layer. Thereafter, the conductive layer is patterned, and then a portion of the exposed dielectric layer is removed to form trenches that surround the conductive layer. In the subsequent step, conductive spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the trenches and the conductive layer. The conductive spacers and the conductive layer form the lower electrode structure of a capacitor.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing integrated circuits. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
2. Description of Related Art
As the microprocessor of a computer becomes more powerful and the size of software programs increase, the demand for a high capacity capacitor in each memory unit is greater. Following the recent increase in integration level for DRAMs, each memory cell now comprises just a transfer field effect transistor and a storage capacitor.
Since a capacitor is the storage center of a DRAM cell, the higher the electric charges stored within a capacitor, the lower the effect of noise on the data reading is. The most common methods of increasing the electric charge storage capacity of a capacitor include increasing the surface area, choosing a material having a high dielectric constant to form the dielectric film layer, or reducing the thickness of the dielectric film layer.
At present, high dielectric constant materials that can be used to form the dielectric film layer include tantalum pentoxide Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5, Lead-Zirconium-Titanium oxide Pb(Zr,Ti)O.sub.3 (PZT), and barium-strontium-titanium oxide (Ba,Sr)TiO.sub.3 (BST). Due to the increase in the level of integration for integrated circuits, surface area of a capacitor can only be increased by developing three-dimensional capacitor structures, for example, stacked type or trench type capacitors. For even higher level of integration such as 64 Mb DRAM, the electrode and the dielectric film layer of the capacitor not only extend in a horizontal direction, but also stacked up vertically to form what is known as a fin-type capacitor. Alternatively, the electrode and the dielectric film layer of the capacitor extend to form vertical structure known commonly as a cylindrical-type capacitor.
FIG. 1 is a schematic, cross-sectional diagram showing a conventional cylindrical type capacitor for a DRAM cell. The method of forming the DRAM capacitor includes the steps of first providing a substrate 100 having some isolation regions 102 already formed therein. Next, field effect transistors 104 are formed on the substrate 100, and then a dielectric layer 110 is formed over the substrate 100. Thereafter, contact openings 112 are formed in the dielectric layer 110, exposing a portion of the source/drain region 108. In the subsequent step, an amorphous silicon layer 114 is formed over the dielectric layer 110, filling the contact openings 112 as well. Next, photolithographic and etching operations are conducted in sequence to pattern the amorphous silicon layer 114 above the dielectric layer 110, and hence forming the lower electrode structure of the capacitor. Thereafter, hemispherical grains (HSG) (not shown in the figure) are selectively formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon layer 114 so that surface area of the lower electrode is increased. Finally, a dielectric film layer 116 is formed over the amorphous silicon layer, and then a polysilicon layer 118 that serves as the upper electrode of the capacitor is deposited over the dielectric film layer 116.
To increase the memory holding capacity of each high-density DRAM cell even further, a thicker layer of amorphous silicon is usually deposited. Since an increase in thickness of the amorphous silicon layer can increase the surface area of the lower electrode, the charge storage capacity of the capacitor is also increased.
However, amorphous silicon has a rather low rate of deposition. At present, choosing the production of DRAMs as an example, depositing amorphous silicon to a thickness of about 8000 .ANG. requires roughly 16 hours. Hence, trying to increase the storage capacity of a capacitor by increasing the thickness of the amorphous silicon layer requires a longer depositing time. Therefore, throughput of production is reduced and cost of operating the oven is increased as well. In addition, a thicker amorphous silicon layer increases the difficulties of patterning the layer in an etching operation.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need to improve the method for manufacturing DRAM cells.

Method for manufacturing dynamic random access memory capable of increasing the storage capacity of the capacitor


A method for managing cache accessing of CKD formatted records that uses a Predictive Track Table to reduce host delays resulting from cache write misses. Because a significant portion of CKD formatted DASD tracks contain records having no key fields, identical logical and physical cylinder and head (CCHH) fields and similar-sized data fields, a compact description of such records by record count and length data, indexed by track, can be quickly searched to determine the physical track location of a record update that misses the cache. The Predictive Track Table search is much faster than the host wait state imposed by access and search of the DASD to read the missing track into cache. If the updated record that misses cache is found within the set of records in the Predictive Track Table, then the update may be immediately written to cache and to a Non-Volatile Store (NVS) without a DASD read access. This update then may be later destaged asynchronously to the DASD from either the cache or the NVS. Otherwise, if not found in a predictive track, the update record is written directly to the disk and the cache, subject to the LRU/MRU discipline, incurring the normal cache write-miss host wait state.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to methods for controlling data flow in a Direct Access Storage Device (DASD) channel, and more specifically, to an efficient Count-Key-Data (CKD) DASD channel control system employing a Predictive Track Table.
2 Discussion of the Related Art
Use of Direct Access Storage Devices (DASDs) in a data processing system requires performance of certain Input/Output (I/0) functions. Data must be transferred between the DASD and the host processor. Such DASDs are often connected to a host processor through an I/O channel. The host Central Processing Unit (CPU) operating system initiates data transfer with a command to the I/0 channel. This shifts control to a series of Channel Command Words (CCW's) that are sent from the CPU over the channel to the DASD controller for effectuating data movement across the interface.
The channel forwards each CCW to the controller for a selected DASD. Once the channel passes a command to a particular controller, the command must be interpreted and the elements of the command must be executed by the DASD. The various functions of channel, controller and command interpretation can be integrated with the host processor or distributed between the host and the mechanical storage components of the DASD.
The DASD controller performs several functions, including the interpretation and execution of CCW's forwarded by a channel from the host CPU. Seek commands position a DASD access mechanism. Search commands cause comparison between data from main CPU storage and data stored on specified DASD areas. Write commands cause data to be transferred from main CPU storage to specified DASD areas. Read commands cause data copies to be transferred from DASD storage to main CPU storage and checked for validity.
Another important function of the DASD controller is the prescription of data storage format for the DASD. Such a format includes provisions for certain "non-data" information such as the track address, record address, and so forth. There are also unused spaces and error correction codes prescribed for the DASDs commonly encountered in widespread use.
Conventional track formats include an index point on each track of the recording surface indicating the physical beginning of the track. Also, on each track, there is normally one Home Address (HA) that defines the physical location of the track and the condition of the track. The HA normally contains the physical track address, a track condition flag, a cylinder number (CC) and a head number (HH). The combination of the cylinder number and head number indicates the track address is commonly expressed in the form CCHH. The HA contains the "physical" track address, which is distinguished from a "logical" track address. The physical and logical track addresses may differ for records stored in the DASD tracks.
The first record following the HA is commonly a track descriptor record, sometimes referred to as R0. One or more user data records follow R) on the track. The first part of each user record is an "address marker" that enables the controller to locate the beginning of the record when reading data from DASD. Each user record is commonly formatted in either a "count-data" (CD) or a "count-key-data" (CKD) format. The only difference between the CD and CKD formats is the presence of key fields and key length data in the CKD formatted record. Both are herein henceforth referred to as CKD records.
The CKD record consists of a count field, an optional key field and a variable-length data field. The typical count field is of the form CC (two bits of cylinder number), HH (two bytes of head number), R (one byte of record number), KL (one byte of key length), and DL (two bytes of data length). Thus, each CKD record is self-identifying. The CCHH in the count field (called "logical" CCHH) is typically the same as the cylinder and head numbers in the HA for the track containing the record (called "physical" CCHH), although not necessarily. Thus, a CKD track consists of the track header (HA and RO) followed by some number of CKD records. The CKD record numbers (R) may, but need not, increment along the track in a monotonic pattern of one, two, three, etc.
In the typical situation, user data is written or read in a data field of a CKD record in some track on some DASD. The channel specifies the device and the track within the device of interest. The channel may also specify the rotational position on the track from which to begin searching for the record having the data field to be read or written. This is accomplished by specifying a search parameter (five bytes in the form CCHHR) for use by the DASD controller to match against count fields in the track of interest. When the DASD controller finds a CKD record on the track with a count field that matches the search parameter, it then either reads or writes the corresponding data field, which is provided by the host through the channel for record writes. The fundamental feature of importance to this disclosure is that the disk controller is not permitted to read or write until it has verified the existence of a count field in the track that matches the channel search parameter. This means that a write command will force the channel to wait until the matching record is actually located on the rotating DASD medium. Of course, such a read wait state is reasonable because a CKD record cannot be read until located, but the only overriding reason for holding the CPU channel merely to locate the proper record for updating is to ensure error recovery.
The prior art is replete with methods for reducing and eliminating the host CPU wait states necessitated by DASD accesses for read and write. A DASD cache is a high-speed buffer store used to hold portions of the DASD address space contents in a manner that reduces channel wait states. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,380, Malcolm C. Easton, et al, disclose a method for DASD cache management that reduces the volume of database transfers between DASD and cache, while avoiding the complexity of managing variable length records in the cache. Easton et al, achieve this by forcing the starting point for staging a record to the beginning of the missing record and, at the same time, allocating and managing cache space in fixed length blocks.
Some DASD controllers known in the art, such as the IBM 3990 DASD controller, have some amount of relatively fast Non-Volatile Store (NVS) for storing records that have been written by the host system but not yet written to the DASD medium by the DASD controller. The NVS is additional to the high-speed cache buffer store commonly included in the typical disk controller. DASD controllers having both cache and NVS are said to perform "fast-write" operations.
A fast-write operation proceeds as follows. If a track record to be updated is already in cache (that is, a record count field is found in cache that matches the search parameters provided by the host computer), the cache copy of the record is updated in cache and another updated copy is made in NVS. The two copies of modified records are maintained for error recovery purposes to avoid single points of failure. After copying to NVS, the DASD controller returns a completion signal to the host system, freeing the host CPU to proceed with the next channel operation. Such an operation is called a "fast-write hit" and is completed well before the updated record is actually written to the DASD medium. At some later time, the DASD controller asynchronously destages the updated record to disk from the cache and then removes the record from both cache and NVS.
This explanation, made in terms of a single record, actually is better understood in terms of a single track. DASD controller cache memory is generally organized in fixed block sizes. Because a single track is often a fixed size while single records are not, the typical practice is to stage and destage data from cache to DASD and back again in single track increments.
With a "fast-write hit", the DASD controller can eliminate the disk access time from the channel write operation as perceived by the host CPU. The actual destage of the modified record from cache to disk can be accomplished at a more convenient time; for example, when the DASD controller is idle, or when there is other work to be done against the same track or cylinder as the one holding the modified record.
If the record to be updated was not originally located in cache, however, the "fast-write" operation becomes a "fast-write miss" and the DASD controller must then locate the record on a disk before releasing the channel. That is, a fast-write miss is treated as if there is no cache. After the disk controller locates the track, it must search the count fields of records in the track starting at any specified rotational position, and search for a matching count field. Once the matching count field is located, the DASD controller updates the corresponding data field on the DASD medium and, only then, returns a completion signal to the host CPU. The controller may also read the entire track into cache at the same time in anticipation of subsequent updates to records on the same track.
It will be appreciated that a "fast-write miss" is much slower than a "fast-write hit" because it includes a disk access delay as part of the response time seen by the host CPU. Thus, although the "fast-write" is a useful technique commonly used in DASD controllers to improve the performance of write operations from the host system, the effectiveness of this technique depends on the number of "fast-write hits". This is because the controller functions as slowly on a fast-write miss as it does without the fast-write capability. Thus, for applications exhibiting poor write-hit ratios, use of DASD controllers with fast-write capability will not materially improve DASD channel efficiency.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,155, James L. Iskiyan, et al, disclose a cache and a DASD backing store in which CKD records are staged and destaged to provide a "fast-write" capability. Iskiyan, et al teach the use look-up tables for indicatinq whether cache record images are modified with respect to the DASD-stored versions of the same records. While the Iskiyan, et al technique improves the read and write access efficiency for a "fast-write" type of system, their technique does nothing to avoid the "fast-write miss" delays described above. There is a strongly felt need in the art for a technique that will make available the benefits of the "fast-write" caching scheme to applications exhibiting poor write-hit ratios. The related unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by this invention in the manner described below.

International Business Machines Corporation


Each base station transmits a TDM pilot 1 having multiple instances of a pilot-1 sequence generated with a PN1 sequence and a TDM pilot 2 having at least one instance of a pilot-2 sequence generated with a PN2 sequence. Each base station is assigned a specific PN2 sequence that uniquely identifies that base station. A terminal uses TDM pilot 1 to detect for the presence of a signal and uses TDM pilot 2 to identify base stations and obtain accurate timing. For signal detection, the terminal performs delayed correlation on received samples and determines whether a signal is present. If a signal is detected, the terminal performs direct correlation on the received samples with PN1 sequences for K1 different time offsets and identifies K2 strongest TDM pilot 1 instances. For time synchronization, the terminal performs direct correlation on the received samples with PN2 sequences to detect for TDM pilot 2.

I. Field
The present invention relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for performing signal acquisition in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
In a communication system, a base station processes (e.g., encodes and symbol maps) data to obtain modulation symbols, and further processes the modulation symbols to generate a modulated signal. The base station then transmits the modulated signal via a communication channel. The system may use a transmission scheme whereby data is transmitted in frames, with each frame having a particular time duration. Different types of data (e.g., traffic/packet data, overhead/control data, pilot, and so on) may be sent in different parts of each frame.
A wireless terminal in the system may not know which base stations, if any, near its vicinity are transmitting. Furthermore, the terminal may not know the start of each frame for a given base station, the time at which each frame is transmitted by the base station, or the propagation delay introduced by the communication channel. The terminal performs signal acquisition to detect for transmissions from base stations in the system and to synchronize to the timing and frequency of each detected base stations of interest. Via the signal acquisition process, the terminal can ascertain the timing of each detected base station and can properly perform the complementary demodulation for that base station.
The base stations typically expend system resources to support signal acquisition, and the terminals also consume resources to perform acquisition. Since signal acquisition is overhead needed for data transmission, it is desirable to minimize the amount of resources used by both the base stations and terminals for acquisition.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to efficiently perform signal acquisition in a wireless communication system.

Signal acquisition in a wireless communication system


A semiconductor device consuming a first voltage includes a voltage-detection circuit which detects a voltage level of the first voltage, and a control circuit which controls the voltage-detection circuit to operate for a predetermined time period in accordance with a timing at which the first voltage is started to be consumed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices, and particularly relates to a semiconductor device which is provided with a voltage-level-detection circuit for detecting a voltage level of an internal voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices are generally equipped with a mechanism to detect a level of a voltage used inside the devices. For example, when a voltage is internally generated in a semiconductor device for internal use, this internally generated voltage, which is different from a power voltage VDD and a ground voltage VSS externally provided, needs to be checked as to whether this voltage is kept at a predetermined voltage level. Based on the check results, the voltage level of the internally generated voltage is controlled.
In semiconductor memory devices such as DRAMs, when a voltage level VDD is to be stored in a capacitor serving as a memory cell, a cell transistor connected to this memory cell is turned on so as to supply electric charge from a bit line to the memory cell. In this case, the cell transistor needs to receive as a gate input thereof a voltage which is higher than the target voltage level VDD by a margin of a threshold voltage of the transistor. Moreover, this gate voltage needs to be further higher by a margin of an overdriving voltage in order to achieve high-speed charging up of the memory cell. When such a voltage level, higher than the externally provided power voltage, is required, a voltage pumping circuit is used. The semiconductor memory device may malfunction, however, when the pumped voltage declines as current consumption inside the device increases out of proportion to the supply of the pumped voltage. In order to avoid this, the pumped voltage level needs to be detected to attend to voltage-level control based on the detected voltage level.
Similar voltage-level detection and voltage-level control should also be conducted with regard to a substrate voltage, which is set to a voltage lower than the ground voltage in semiconductor devices.
The voltage-level-detection circuit used for above-described voltage-level detection detects a voltage level by dividing a target voltage using a series of resistors and by comparing the divided voltage with a reference voltage. Such a voltage-level-detection circuit is in operation at all the time, so that the series of resistors keeps consuming electric power.
This electric-power consumption is small. In view of recent development in the reduction of power consumption in semiconductor devices, however, even a small power consumption cannot be ignored.
Accordingly, there is a need for reducing power consumption in a voltage-level-detection circuit of a semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device reducing voltage consumption in voltage-detection circuit


A system for allowing a peripheral device to be inserted directly into a port of a computer system while the computer system is powered on. The insertion of a peripheral device into the computer system port is automatically detected, and a configuration operation is automatically performed when insertion of the peripheral device is detected. The system also allows a plurality of peripheral devices to be connected to a single port of a computer system by automatically determining the number of peripheral devices and assigning a unique address to each of the peripheral devices. The peripheral device may have a host port for communicating with the computer system, a slave port for connecting to a slave device, and a device manager which identifies if a slave device is connected.

This invention relates to computer peripheral devices.
A peripheral port, such as a keyboard port, a mouse port, or a serial interface port, is used in a computer system to connect to a peripheral device. Generally, each peripheral port is designed for connection to a specific type of peripheral device and is connectable to only one peripheral device. Solutions exist in which customized hardware interfaces are attached to an existing computer peripheral port to allow different types of and multiple peripheral devices to be attached to the computer port. Installation of the customized hardware requires that the computer case be opened.

Apparatus and method for coupling multiple peripheral devices to a single port of a computer


Apparatus for recording multi-party Internet Protocol (IP) sessions at a branch, the apparatus comprising: a data capturer, deployed on a device in a local network of the branch, configured to capture at least one data packet of a multi-party IP session involving the branch; and a recorder, deployed on the device, associated with the data capturer, and configured to receive at least one of the captured data packets from the data capturer and to record the received data packets.

The present invention relates to recording and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus for branch IP recording.
Capturing and recording media data is a frequent and well known practice within commercial environments, as well as among private individuals.
For instance, many industries rely on call centers for the collection and dissemination of critical customer information. As call volumes grow, and customer data collection and customer inquiries become more complex, businesses increasingly look for additional functionality, efficiency and flexibility in their communication systems.
There are many systems developed for recording and archiving telecommunication transactions in commercial environments, where the recording is carried out centrally.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,744, to Cheng, entitled "Intercepting call communications within an intelligent network", filed on Apr. 24, 1997, the inventor describes a method of intercepting call communications within an intelligent network (IN) for law enforcement purposes under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) at a dedicated service control point (SCP) and routing calls and calling information from a public telephone network to selected subscribers for special centralized services.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,297, to Nelkenbaum, entitled "Method and system for multimedia network based data acquisition, recording and distribution", filed on Dec. 11, 2000, introduces an intelligent digital recording system, in conjunction with public centralized network resources.
Nelkenbaum provides wide area multimedia (Fax, Internet, Screens, Video, Voice, etc.) recording services.
The architecture taught by Nelkenbaum allows parallel recording from a variety of communication sources, i.e., wired and wireless networks etc. The stored data can be accessed by the end users via a variety of multimedia formats, or can be distributed to the users on a predetermined schedule using several different storage and/or transmission mediums.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/005,816, to Anders, entitled "Centralized voice over IP recording and retrieval method and apparatus", field on Dec. 7, 2004, teaches an apparatus and methodology for recording, at a central data center, telephone conversations originating from remote locations.
Anders discloses a methodology for recording and storing voice and related data at a central data center remote from either the origin or destination locations of a telephone call placed by an inmate in a prison or other facility.
The technology disclosed by Anders permits storage of both voice and call related data at a remote facility in such a manner that the data is searchably accessible by authorized personnel at other remote locations by way of network or Internet connection to the central data center.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/442,876, to Barker, entitled "Voice over IP telephone recording architecture", filed on May 30, 2006, describes a method and system for on-demand recording of a voice session by a telephone recording device in a telecommunication network.
With Barker, after establishing a voice session between the telephone recording device and a communication device, a user of the telephone recording device may instruct the recording device to store voice data during the voice session so long as the voice session has not been terminated.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/452,917 entitled "Voice over IP Capturing" assigned to Nice Systems Ltd. discloses a network device which is configured to capture communication (voice, video, text, etc) carried over voice over internet protocol (VoIP) data traffic in an internet protocol (IP) network. The captured data may then be forwarded to a remote server.
The systems described hereinabove are dependent on the smooth and continuous operation of the network connecting a remote branch and a center where the actual recording of calls (or other media) captured at the branch is carried out.
Though there are current solutions to branch recording that are independent of the central server. The current solutions have the disadvantages of needing dedicated equipment in the branch, expensive, a maintenance burden and cost, a large footprint, and lack support for new multimedia types.
Simple recording solutions such as tapes, several known propriety solutions, and the like are also unsatisfactory, because it is not feasible to retrieve relevant information or interaction as rapidly and completely as is usually required.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a system devoid of the above limitations.


A calibration method is provided for an IC tester which performs testing of ICs in association with a computer having a storage. A calibration file corresponding to results of calibration is stored by the computer. At first, the IC tester loads correction information representing results of a previous calibration from the computer. Then, a value of time propagation delay (TPD) is measured with respect to a pin selected from among pins of an IC and is compared with the correction information. The IC tester corrects a delay time provided for the pin whose value of TPD differs from the correction information. Thereafter, the correction information is renewed using the corrected delay time, so that the renewed correction information is stored by the computer. Thus, the IC tester completes the calibration prior to the testing of the IC. By the way, the correction of the delay time is made if the measured value of TPD is substantially different from the correction information, or if a prescribed time has already elapsed after the previous calibration. In addition, the pins of the IC can be partitioned into blocks, so that the value of TPD is measured with respect to a pin belonging to each of the blocks. Because the calibration is performed with respect to the selected pins only, it is possible to reduce calibration time which is required before the testing of the IC.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to calibration methods of IC testers which perform testing of ICs to examine their quality in manufacturing. This application is based on patent application No. Hei 8-334268 filed in Japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Prior Art
The IC tester is designed to perform testing of ICs (where `IC` stands for `Integrated Circuit`) to make a decision as to whether the ICs are manufactured with good quality or not. In the testing, the IC tester supplies test signals to pins of a testing IC which is subjected to testing. However, due to some factors or variations, dispersion occurs on delay times of wires of the pins of the IC. To cancel the above dispersion, a timing calibration is provided between a supply source of the test signals and the pins of the IC.
Normally, the timing calibration is realized using timing correction elements (e.g., skew ducks) which are provided between the supply source of the test signals and the pins of the IC. Herein, an amount of correction corresponding to each timing correction element is managed by a computer, for example.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing procedures for preparation of the testing which the conventional IC tester performs. Incidentally, the flowchart of FIG. 3 shows a flow of steps which a control unit (not shown) of the IC tester performs.
Given an instruction to start testing, the control unit makes a confirmation as to whether or not a calibration file exists in step Sa1. That is, the control unit determines whether or not calibration has been previously carried out at least one time.
The calibration file contains calibration data corresponding to timing correction values which are used when the calibration is carried out. The calibration file is written into a storage (not shown) which is equipped in the control unit.
In the aforementioned step Sa1, if the control unit detects that no calibration file exists, the control unit proceeds to step Sa4, the content of which will be described later.
On the other hand, if the control unit detects in step Sa1 that the calibration file exists, the control unit proceeds to step Sa2 to determine as to whether or not a prescribed time has elapsed after the "previous" calibration.
If the prescribed time has not elapse after the previous calibration, the control unit proceeds to step Sa5, the content of which will be described later.
If the prescribed time has elapsed after the previous calibration, the control unit proceeds to step Sa3. Herein, a temperature detector (not shown) equipped in the IC tester is used to measure temperature. So, the control unit determines, in step Sa3, whether or not a variation of temperature, which occurs after the previous calibration, is greater than a prescribed value of temperature.
If the variation of temperature after the previous calibration is not greater than the prescribed value of temperature, the control unit proceeds to step Sa5.
On the other hand, if the variation of temperature after the previous calibration is greater than the prescribed value of temperature, the control unit proceeds to step Sa4 in which calibration is performed with respect to all of the pins of the testing IC.
Thereafter, the control unit proceeds to step Sa5 in which calibration data such as the time to perform the calibration, temperature and timing correction values are stored in the calibration file to renew its content. After completion of the step Sa5, the IC tester performs testing of the IC in step Sa6.
According to the conventional calibration method of the IC tester described above, the calibration is provided to perform the timing correction with respect to all of the pins of the IC. For this reason, the calibration requires a relatively large rate in device measurement time.
In addition, a decision whether to perform the calibration greatly depends on the variation of temperature. This indicates that the conventional calibration method of the IC tester cannot cope with the timing deviation due to factors irrelevant to the variation of temperature such as the secular change and change of the hardware.
Further, the conventional calibration method is designed such that the calibration should be performed for a long time before testing of the IC even if the timing correction is not required regardless of the variation of temperature.


In a rectangular lateral field effect transistor including a rectangular active region formed within a semiconductor substrate, and at least one rectangular wiring layer formed on the semiconductor substrate on one side of the rectangular active region, the rectangular active region has a length A in a first direction and a length k.multidot.x in a second direction, the rectangular wiring layer has a length A in the first direction and a length x in the second direction, wherein k is substantially defined by ##EQU1## where A.sub.r is a resistance value of an ON-resistance of said rectangular active region per unit area, and .rho. is a sheet resistance of the rectangular wiring layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lateral field effect transistor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art rectangular lateral field effect transistor includes a rectangular active region formed within a semiconductor substrate, and at least one rectangular wiring layer formed on the semiconductor substrate on one side of the rectangular active region. The rectangular wiring layer is made of aluminum or the like.
In the above-described prior art rectangular lateral field effect transistor, the width of the rectangular wiring layer is determined in view of the melting current flowing through the aluminum or the like and electromigration of the aluminum or the like. In this case, however, the total ON-resistance may be increased. Otherwise, in order to reduce the total ON-resistance, the area of the transistor may be increased, thus reducing the integration.

Lateral field effect transistor with minimum total on-resistance


Disclosed are methods and systems for identifying and visualizing the patterns of work transfers for service delivery using financial data. Within a service firm, work is often transferred from one delivery center to another, which results in additional costs and delays in service delivery. To control unnecessary work transfers, sustained patterns of work transfer are identified so that steps can be taken to limit their occurrence. The disclosed methods and systems analyze the relations among the costs transferred from one location to another.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of multi-hop work transfers. More specifically, the present invention is related to identifying and visualizing work transfers using financial data.
2. Discussion of Related Art
One of the most important advantages that global enterprises have compared to local firms is that they can more easily obtain skills in a wider range of geographical locations. For example, IT firms can provide certain services to their clients in one country by using employees located in another country where skilled IT workers are available. Global firms benefit from the ability to allocate work to the location best able to do the work based on available skills and billing rates, as well as factors like proximity to client, governmental policies, and languages spoken.
In global enterprises, transferring work from one location to another is common, and such transfers often occur on an ad-hoc basis. For example, when a global service firm develops a plan for service delivery for its client, the firm determines which delivery center to use for certain services based on information about the skills available in each delivery center. However, the information about available skills in each delivery center may change over time requiring that adjustments be made, including moving the work to another delivery center. Thus, when a delivery center receives a work request for a certain service from another location, the delivery center may not possess the required skills to perform the work, and thus needs to transfer the work to another delivery center. Such work transfers may also occur in multiple steps because information about skills availability may not be accurate when the transfer is made or because availability levels may change over time.
Work transfers may occur repeatedly if the firm is unable to identify recurring patterns in the transfer of work. Unnecessary work transfers incur transactional costs for the firm, including the time needed for workers in the new delivery center to gain knowledge of the client's IT and business context. In addition to financial costs, the churn has an impact on client satisfaction and service quality, which can be affected by service delays and disruptions in service delivery.

Method and system for identifying and visualizing work transfers using financial data


A semiconductor device includes a drift layer having a first conductivity type, a well region in the drift layer having a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, and a source region in the well region, The source region has the first conductivity type and defines a channel region in the well region. The source region includes a lateral source region adjacent the channel region and a plurality of source contact regions extending away from the lateral source region opposite the channel region. A body contact region having the second conductivity type is between at least two of the plurality of source contact regions and is in contact with the well region. A source ohmic contact overlaps at least one of the source contact regions and the body contact region. A minimum dimension of a source contact area of the semiconductor device is defined by an area of overlap between the source ohmic contact and the at least one source contact region.

Power devices made with silicon carbide (SiC) are expected to show great advantages as compared to those on silicon for high speed, high power and/or high temperature applications due to the high critical field and wide band gap of SiC. For devices capable of blocking high voltages, such as voltages in excess of about 5 kV, it may be desirable to have bipolar operation to reduce the drift layer resistance via conductivity modulation resulting from injected minority carriers. However, one technical challenge for bipolar devices in silicon carbide is forward voltage degradation over time, possibly due to the presence of Basal Plane Dislocations (BPD) in single crystals of silicon carbide. Thus, unipolar devices such as SiC Schottky diodes and MOSFETs are typically used for high power applications, e.g., up to 10 kV or more.
SiC DMOSFET devices with a 10 kV blocking capability have been fabricated with a specific on-resistance of about 100 mΩ×cm2. DMOSFET devices may exhibit very fast switching speeds of, for example, less than 100 ns, due to their majority carrier nature. However, as the desired blocking voltage of devices increases, for example up to 15 kV or more, the on-resistance of a MOSFET device may increase substantially, due to the corresponding increase in the drift layer thickness. This problem may be exacerbated at high temperatures due to bulk mobility reduction, which may result in excessive power dissipation.
With the progress of SiC crystal material growth, several approaches have been developed to mitigate BPD related problems. See, e.g., B. Hull, M. Das, J. Sumakeris, J. Richmond, and S. Krishinaswami, "Drift-Free 10-kV, 20-A 4H—SiC PiN Diodes", Journal of Electrical Materials, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2005. These developments may enhance the development and/or potential applications of SiC bipolar devices such as thyristors, GTOs, etc. Even though thyristors and/or GTOs may offer low forward voltage drops, they may require bulky commutating circuits for the gate drive and protections. Accordingly, it may be desirable for a SiC bipolar device to have gate turn-off capability. Due to their superior on-state characteristics, reasonable switching speed, and/or excellent safe-operation-area (SOA), 4H—SiC insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are becoming more suitable for power switching applications.

Field effect transistor devices with low source resistance


The invention relates to an embedded system for printing on colored background based on automatic generation of white underbase including printing ink separations. The system comprising: an embedded apparatus for receiving input data respecting an image printable on the colored background. The image constitutes a color or a grayscale containing transparency information. The apparatus processes the input data and outputs white underbase information including printing ink separation; a dual-acting device capable of acting in a first aspect as a plate making or film generating means in respect of offline printing, and in a second aspect acting as a print controller in respect of online printing. The system also includes a printing device, which can be an offset printing device, a screen printing device, a hybrid printing device when offline printing being adapted; and/or, an inkjet printer, a laser printer or a toner-based printer when online printing being resorted.

Since a period of little over last 10 years, digital or direct printing on garment has evolved tremendously with its wide spread use as a method of printing the garments. The methods involve using an inkjet printer employing process color inks along with white ink to hide the background color of the garment for printing an image from its digital representation. A suitable white underbase is printed on the garment as a masking layer to mask the color of the garment over which the color inks are laid down to produce a replica of the image to be printed.
There exist methods to fully automate the generation of white underbase for the colored backgrounds other than white. One of such methods provides for using the color of the background as an optimization [1]. The method achieves this objective by using the color of the background as a virtual ink and not using the corresponding ink during printing, if the virtual ink happens to be a part of the printer primaries inkset. This results in great savings of white ink in the underbase and thereby reducing the costs of the print.
There are other methods used by screen printers traditionally, when the color of the background is any other color than black. Such methods sought to optimize the use of the white ink under any color ink combination in the print using black ink. Such method is also referred for use in digital printing as its subject matter by reference [2]. However, such methods don't take advantage of the ink optimization offered by using the background color of the garment.
Therefore, when the color of the background is black, method described in [1] takes full advantage of the color of the background in reducing the ink amount that goes on the print and thereby reducing the cost of the print. However, when the color of the background is other than black, none of the two methods described above fully optimizes the use of printing inks including white ink. The method described by [1] only takes the advantage of the color of the background by virtually converting the background color into a printing ink but fails to take advantage of savings offered by optimization of white ink for combinations using black ink as used by screen printers in prior art. The method used by screen printers fate to take advantage of the color of the background while only optimizing the use of white ink under black ink combinations.

Method and apparatus for generating white underbase and generating modified separations for printing on colored background other than blank and white


This disclosure relates to a method for making a lithium anode for an electrochemical cell and more particularly to a method of extruding a ribbon of lithium into a reaction chamber for reacting the surface of the extruded lithium metal with nitrogen to produce a coating of lithium nitride on the surface of the lithium metal ribbon.

It has been found, that in a rechargeable electrochemical power source provided with a pure metallic lithium negative electrode which cell contains an organic based liquid or polymer type of an electrolyte, that a reaction between this lithium anode and the electrolyte takes place that produces a thin passivating film over the surface of the anode that diminishes the electrochemical activity of the cell by causing a voltage delay on start-up after a storage period.
To counteract this passivating effect caused by the reaction between the lithium anode and the electrolyte, it has been suggested that an inert coating be produced in place on the surface of the lithium metal anode to insulate the anode from the electrolyte. Such a coating however must also be electrically conductive when in contact with the electrolyte. A nitride coating on the lithium has been found to be such a coating that effectively insulates the lithium metal of the anode from a direct contact with the electrolyte that produces the passivating coating. and yet the nitride coating is electrically conductive to such an extent as to not inhibit the electrochemical reaction in the cell when it has been put in use.
Various methods for producing such a desired lithium nitride protective coating on a lithium metal anode for use in an electrochemical cell have been mentioned in the prior art including nitriding the lithium by a solution deposition procedure, vapor deposition, and rapid quench techniques. These coating methods contemplate the application of the coating either by means of a simple lithium nitride deposition or by chemically reacting the surface of a lithium metal anode to produce the surface coating or electrically depositing a coating in-situ on the lithium metal to be used as the anode. In all of these known prior coating disclosures, for coating a lithium metal with a lithium nitride layer on an anode, the coating is described as being applied to the surface of an existing lithium metal that is then to be used for the anode.
It is known that lithium is a highly reactive metal and when exposed to the normal atmosphere quickly acquires a perceptible oxide coating. The existence of even a very thin layer of the oxidized lithium on the surface of the metal to be coated as taught in the prior art will interfere with the production of the nitride coating and with the ultimate serviceability of the hoped for protective nitride coating on the lithium metal anode being prepared for use in an electrochemical power cell.
The present invention provides an improvement on these known coating procedures for making lithium/lithium nitride coated anodes for use in electrochemical power sources that use organic based or polymer electrolytes.

Method for making a lithium anode for an electrochemical cell


Provided herein is an inkjet ink composition for printing irremovable color trace marks on polymer substrates. The composition disclosed herein comprises a surface colorant, a hydrophobic colorant capable of staining the polymer substrates disclosed herein, a hydrophobic colorant carrier which provides good solubility for the hydrophobic colorant, a binder and an ink solvent system. Printing with the composition disclosed herein on multilayered plastic packaging provides a double layered print. The surface colorants can be removed by an organic solvent, while the hydrophobic colorant can stain the nonporous substrates, giving a watermark of the surface print or an inner layer trace marks, which are highly resistance against chemical and physical stress. The composition disclosed herein also allows color tuning of the trace marks. Attempt to remove the printed information by any physical or chemical means will leave irremovable color trace marks, thus allowing consumers to detect tampered goods.

Inkjet printing is a well-known technique for printing or marking information (e.g., manufacturing and/or expiration dates, lot numbers, manufacturing locations, etc.) or images on packages of consumer products such as dairy products, beverages, snacks, food products, plastic bottles, PVC pipes, electrical wirings, etc. Such markings provide manufacturers with useful information for tracking products from their production lines to retail locations where they are being sold to consumers. Product traceability is an important issue in protecting public health and managing supply chain because it allows a manufacturer or public agency to quickly and accurately identify any contaminated goods, and then remove them from the marketplace.
In recent years, the spread of counterfeit goods and the number of infringing goods increase significantly. Reselling of spoiled or lost inventory and contaminated products also happens frequently, thus threatening public health. One of the causes of these issues is attributed to the fact that current markings on packaging printed by inkjet printing technology are not permanent. The marks can be easily removed by either physical or chemical methods. In fact, this is a well-known and a long standing problem to the industries for products with markings on plastic surfaces. Therefore, in order to protect the product information and provide product traceability, there is an urgent need to develop printing systems that are capable of printing irremovable or indelible markings on plastic-based packaging materials.
To tackle the counterfeit issue, a range of anti-counterfeit technologies have been developed up to now. For pharmaceutical industries, well-known and widely used anti-counterfeit technologies include holograms and radio-frequency identification (RFID). However, holograms techniques can be easily reproduced and counterfeited. Nowadays, the RFID technologies are regarded as the most promising technologies for trace and track of the pallets and packages. The sophisticated RFID system allows tracing and securing the pharmaceutical supply chain. However, RFID still cannot prevent package tampering and intelligent hacking. Furthermore, RFID technologies are very expensive to be applied to those fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as dairy products, beverages, and food products. Therefore, there is a great demand for an affordable and reliable anti-counterfeiting technique for FMCG packaging.
In last decade, indelible inkjet ink formulations have been scarcely developed and used in printing codes or markings of industrial products from high speed production line with the "continuous inkjet" (CIJ) printing technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,400 has disclosed an anti-counterfeiting ink composition for invalidating bank notes or similar valuables by staining them permanently.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,024 has described an anti-counterfeiting non-yellowing watermark ink on papers.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,297,201 has described an inkjet ink composition that forms indelible images on porous or semi-porous substrate such as paper or postage stamps. The inkjet ink composition comprises (i) a hydrophobic colorant carrier, (ii) a first colorant that is soluble in the carrier; (iii) a second colorant comprising a pigment, which is dispersed in the carrier. The solubility difference between different colorants makes the resulting marks highly resistance against any chemical attacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,158 has disclosed an ink formulation containing more than 70% by weight of propylene carbonate as a solvent. The ink formulation has a high penetration capacity on paper substrates such as letters and postal articles. Propylene carbonate functions as a penetrant to carry the dyes passing through the substrate into inner layer of the substrate. The substrate then serves as a barrier to endow the penetrated dyes with good resistance to any physical and chemical stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,833,334 has disclosed an improved propylene carbonate-based ink formulation based on the U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,158. The formulation renders its good adhesion ability and extends its application to various substrates, such as, metal, plastics, glass, etc.
To address the moisture sensitive issue of the propylene carbonate-based ink, U.S. Pat. No. 8,282,724 has disclosed a water-free ink composition, wherein the inkjet ink composition contains organic compounds that are capable of dissociating the ionizable species. The presence of these ionizable species overcomes the problem of low ink conductivity arising from the absence of water for dissolving the conductive salt.
All of the inkjet ink compositions disclosed by the above patent references are mainly for printing indelible or anti-counterfeit markings on paper and postage stamps. They are not for printing indelible or anti-counterfeit markings on nonporous polymer substrates, such as low density poly(ethylene), high density poly(ethylene), poly(phenyl ether), polyolefin, poly(propylene), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, epoxy resins, and the like. As mentioned earlier, the marks produced by the current inkjet ink can be easily removed by either physical or chemical methods.
It is one of the objectives of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages and problems mentioned above.

Inkjet ink composition for printing irremovable trace marks on substrates for enhancing product authenticity and traceability


A composition includes a carbon nanotube (CNT)-infused metal fiber material which includes a metal fiber material of spoolable dimensions, a barrier coating conformally disposed about the metal fiber material, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) infused to the metal fiber material. A continuous CNT infusion process includes: (a) disposing a barrier coating and a carbon nanotube (CNT)-forming catalyst on a surface of a metal fiber material of spoolable dimensions; and (b) synthesizing carbon nanotubes on the metal fiber material, thereby forming a carbon nanotube-infused metal fiber material.

Fiber materials are used for many different applications in a wide variety of industries, such as the commercial aviation, recreation, industrial and transportation industries. Commonly-used fiber materials for these and other applications include metal fiber, cellulosic fiber, carbon fiber, metal fiber, ceramic fiber and metal fiber, for example.
Metal fiber materials, in particular, are frequently used in composites to impart electrical conductivity. The use of high aspect ratio metal fibers with random orientation in the composite matrix material allows for low fiber loading while achieving good electrical conductivity. Such low level loadings, however, impart little benefit to the tensile strength of the composite, which is almost unchanged relative the parent matrix material. While increasing the loading of metal fiber might improve tensile strength, it can negatively impact the overall weight of the composite material.
It would be beneficial to provide an agent that allows the electrical conductivity properties of metal fiber materials to be realized in a composite while also enhancing the metal fiber-matrix material interface and, ultimately, the tensile strength of the composite material. The present invention satisfies this need and provides related advantages as well.

CNT-infused metal fiber materials and process therefor


A system and method to facilitate transactions between a customer and a vendor utilizing an advertising campaign reaching a plurality of potential customers is provided. The method includes receiving a request from the vendor for a bulk token for use in the advertising campaign, generating the bulk token, transmitting the bulk token to the vendor to embed into the advertising campaign associated with a mailto link, the bulk token being sent as part of the advertising campaign to at least one of the plurality of potential customer, receiving a reply SMTP email from a customer from the plurality of potential customers indicating a request for a transaction responsive to the advertising campaign by selecting the mailto link, decoding the bulk token to verify the transaction, performing an SPF and DKIM validation of the received SMTP email to validate the transaction, and processing the verified and validated transaction.

Systems that use email to complete financial transactions have a range of technical issues that distinguish them from the issues in technology based in web URL financial transactions. In email-based systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,775,263 entitled System and Method for Email-Based E-Commerce, the contents of which is incorporated herein, customers receive email messages with offers and the customer may make purchases directly by generating a reply email and sending it. Upon receiving this email a system authenticates the email and processes the payment. For businesses working in email-based transactions, the goal is to make email transactions easier than web-based URL transactions. The objective is to make a streamlined experience for the end customer (the person making the purchase, donation, or sending money). Additionally, the vendor may prefer to have a tool that is simple and easy to use. Both the customer and the vendor may desire an uncomplicated experience that streamlines the process of purchasing.
Users of online services increasingly accept certain norms and expectations when using different arenas within the online experience. One of these is the divide between the email account and the website. Even if the email account is viewed in a webpage, users perceive their email client as a personal space where they read private messages and correspond in a secure way. When they visit web pages to view information, people generally understand that they are viewing information that is public. For example, if they comment on an article, video or advertisement they generally understand that comment may being viewed by others. This perception of privacy may not be founded in reality given the nature of online monitoring, but these expectations have helped from consumer habits.
In a customer's email account, they expect to receive messages from people they know and with whom they have initiated a correspondence. Generally speaking, email advertisements are seen as an unwelcome, or at least are an impersonal form of message. In the instances where advertising is requested by a customer, these are still not seen as emails one may actually respond to or be in a correspondence with. Some of these advertising emails tell the recipient not to reply. These emails may be opportunities for organizations to place URL hyperlinks that may drive the customer to their sites. Removing the consumer from the email client is a missed opportunity to immediately close a deal. A system that allows an organization to correspond with a customer through emails without having to visit a webpage would be welcome in the market place. If the customers receiving these emails have the ability to forward them onto their friends and share them with other customers, this may be a great convenience to both customers and vendors.
In the development of the email payment gateway one challenge is the identification and classification of a consumer. A consumer may have a payment method on file, or may be a new customer. A consumer without a payment method on file may first be directed to a system where that payment method may be selected. A consumer with a payment method may not need to be directed to this system. For the email commerce system, email service provider or vendor, providing this variation in behavior may require that emails be managed and often segmented between those that are registered with the email payment gateway and those consumers who are not. This organizational burden often outweighs the benefits of the tool. A system that does not require email lists to be segmented but still provides payment collection instructions for new users and uses the configured payment method for existing users would be welcome by vendors who need a more convenient way to use the email payment gateway.
Currently, a vendor using the email payment gateway requires a system that creates a distinct and separate email token for each individual customer. The information within the email correspondence is targeted to a specific user. In email marketing, this limits the behavior of all the participants.
A payment or purchase email that is designed so that an e-commerce system may identify that the email returned to the system is from either a registered customer, and therefore automatically processes a payment, or from a non-registered user, and responds to the customer in an alternative manner, would be a welcome change for a vendor and would create a streamlined user experience for customers.

System and method having increased security using simple mail transfer protocol emails verified by SPF and KDIM processes