Picture hangers having prongs become automatically inserted into a picture backing material. An insertion apparatus feeds a strip of preformed blanks to an anvil which severs the blanks and presses them into the backing material. At the same time that the apparatus severs the first blank of the strip, a prong forming tool, attached to the anvil, bends the prongs of the next blank. A feed rod advances the strip of blanks through the apparatus, one blank at a time. A pair of paws, attached to the anvil, carry the severed hanger to the picture backing, and releases the hanger as the hanger becomes inserted into the backing. The apparatus includes a resilient structure which enables the device to operate efficiently with picture backings having varying thicknesses. One can also use the invention to insert hangers into picture frames, mirrors, plaques, signs, or the like.

This invention relates to the field of insertion of picture hangers into-picture backing materials. The invention deals especially with picture hangers having prongs which become embedded in a picture backing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,788 shows a hanging device intended for use with a hardboard material. Such hardboard materials commonly form the backing material for pictures and other articles suspended from walls. The patented hanging device includes a generally flat body defining at least one opening, and a plurality of prongs integrally formed with the body, and extending away from the plane of the body. The prongs permit the secure insertion of the hanging device into the hardboard (or other) material. After insertion of the hanging device, one bends a portion of the body away from the hardboard, and the opening in the body then provides means for hanging the picture from a nail. This description hereby incorporates by reference the disclosure of the above-cited patent.
The hanger shown in the above-cited patent typically comes from a strip of pre-cut stock. One begins with a flat metal strip, and punches the strip with a progressive die. A progressive die includes a punch and die assembly which moves from one location to the next. In this case, the progressive die moves along the strip, forming each portion of the initially solid strip into a hanger blank. Thus, the strip, which comprises the input to the apparatus of the present invention, contains a plurality of such pre-formed blanks, integral with each other. One thus forms each hanger by forming the prongs of each blank into the desired orientation, and then severing the blank from the strip.
This specification generally uses the term "blank" to refer to the unfinished hanger while it still forms part of the strip. The specification generally uses the term "hanger" to refer only to the completed and severed hanger that becomes embedded in a picture backing.
One can use a hammer or similar tool to insert the hanger described above. However, using a hammer has the disadvantage that it tends to bend the prongs in an undesired manner. Also, when one uses a hammer, the prongs tend not to enter the hardboard material in a controlled and predictable manner.
Others have used a hand-operated press to insert the above-described hangers. The press eliminates or reduces the disadvantage of the hammer. But the press operates slowly; one can insert only one hanger, into the picture backing, at one time, because one can load only one hanger into the press at one time. The time consumed in operating the press increases the cost of production dramatically, especially in applications where one wants to insert thousands of such hangers in a day.
The present invention solves the problems described above by providing an apparatus and method for automatically inserting hangers into picture backing materials. The invention starts with a strip of hanger blanks, forms the prongs in each blank, severs the blank to form a finished hanger, and inserts the hanger into the picture backing. The invention therefore greatly enhances the efficiency of the insertion process.

Apparatus and method for insertion of picture hangers


A toner-amount detection sensor includes a board, a sensor cover, a light emitter, a light receiver, a light-shielding wall, and two locking parts. The light emitter is surface-mounted on the board. The light receiver is surface-mounted on the board. The light-shielding wall is located between the light emitter and the light receiver, abuts the board, and abuts the sensor cover or extends from the sensor cover. The two locking parts are formed at opposite ends of the sensor cover to press the board to lock it from outside the light emitter and light receiver relative to the light-shielding wall, using the abutment between the light-shielding wall and the board as a supporting point.

This disclosure relates to a toner-amount detection sensor.
Typical toner detection sensors used in image forming apparatuses, such as printers and multifunction peripheral, are reflective optical sensors each including a light emitter that emits light to toner on an image carrier and a light receiver that receives the reflected light (specularly reflected light and/or diffusely reflected light) to detect the amount of the toner based on the output voltage of the light receiver.
Some of such sensors have the light emitter and light receiver that are surface-mounted on a board.


A wire management article includes a base sheet and a plurality of wire management elements. The base sheet has a major surface from which the wire management elements project. The wire management elements define a plurality of channels. Each channel is configured to retain at least one wire. The wire management article may include a cover sheet releasably attached to the base sheet. The wire management article may be part of a wire management system.

Articles for identifying and organizing wires used, e.g., to route signals or power between electrical devices, are known in the art. For example, it is known in the art to use wire ties to route and group wires. These wire ties wrap around a group of wires but provide no further organization and do not allow for ease of identification and removal or addition of a single wire. For example, when a single wire needs to be removed or traced during installation or debug of an electrical system routing a large number of parallel wires, the installer must either unthread the group of wires from a number of wire ties or destroy the wire ties. After this, the installer will have to re-thread the group of wires or install new wire ties resulting in additional time, effort, cost, and waste.
Although many useful articles have been developed to identify and organize wires, there is still a need in the art for a wire management article that is inexpensive, reliable, and provides identification, organization, separation, protection, design flexibility, and ease of access and removal to a group of wires without destruction of the article or the wires or a laborious unthreading/re-threading process.


A control circuit for a read operation of a SERDES (SERializer and DESeriallizer) type semiconductor memory apparatus is disclosed that includes a first delay unit that is configured to generate and output a first delay signal to a first global input/output line driver by receiving a sensing-enable signal ‘IOSTB’, and to generate and output a second delay signal to a second global input/output line driver by receiving the sensing-enable signal. The first delay unit generates the second delay signal by delaying the sensing-enable signal in synchronization with a clock. The semiconductor memory apparatus also includes a second delay unit configured to generate a pipe latch control signal in response to the first delay signal and the second delay signal.

1. Technical Field
The present invention described herein generally relates to a semiconductor memory apparatus, and more particularly, to a control circuit of a read operation for a semiconductor memory apparatus.
2. Related Art
Typical semiconductor memory apparatuses use a parallel input/output system for exchanging data with an external chipset using a single port having a plurality of input/output pins. The parallel input/output has an advantage of processing data at a high speed since the parallel input/output can simultaneously transmit several bits of data.
However, the parallel input/output has a disadvantage in that the number of buses required for transmitting data increases and the more the data transmission distance increases, which results in an increased unit cost of the product.
A SERDES (SERializer and DESeriallizer) has been used in the conventional art in order to supplement the disadvantages of the parallel input/output. In the SERDES, a semiconductor memory apparatus is provided with two or more ports with each port including a SERDES circuit. Each of the ports converts series signals that are externally inputted into parallel signals and transmits them to a memory bank, and also converts parallel signals that are inputted from the memory bank into series signals and outputs them to the outside.
According to these operations, a SERDES type memory apparatus can reduce the number of bus lines required.
In the SERDES, at least two write/read operations are executed for every one write/read command. Accordingly, in a SERDES type semiconductor memory apparatus having a CAS-to-CAS is delay 'tCCD' of four clocks, one write/read operation should be executed within two clocks.
Presently, the time interval for this operation is fixed. Accordingly, one time period for a write/read operation should be executed within 2 ns for a target frequency of 1 ns. That is, a column selection signal 'YI' for controlling the first write/read operation and a column selection signal 'YI' for controlling the second write/read operation should not be delayed by more than 2 ns.
In addition, the time interval between the two column selection signals 'YI's is a fixed value corresponding to a high-frequency operation, without consideration to the operational speed of the semiconductor memory apparatus. Accordingly, the semiconductor memory apparatus always operates with the predetermined minimum margin.
FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are circuit diagrams showing a procedure for a command process in a conventional SERDES semiconductor memory apparatus.
First, FIG. 1A is a circuit diagram showing a write operation.
First, a write command 'WT' that is created by a command decoder (not shown) is enabled and supplied to a column decoder 101. The column decoder 101 receives an address signal 'ADD' and the write command 'WT' and creates a first column selection signal 'YI1' and a second column selection signal 'YI2' synchronized with a clock signal 'CLK' supplied to the column decoder 101. The second column selection signal 'YI2' can be a signal that is delayed by a predetermined time interval, e.g., two periods of the clock signal, and in synchronization with the first column selection signal 'YI1'.
Further, data input multiplexers 'MUX1', 'MUX2' 103, 105 each receive the column selection signals 'YI1', 'YI2' and data 'DIN' such that the data can be transmitted to a memory bank. According to this configuration, the input data 'DIN' is inputted to a port after undergoing a predetermined process according to a data strobe signal 'DQS' from a data input pad 'DQ' and is parallelized. Then, the input data 'DIN' is transmitted to the data input multiplexers 103, 105 through a global input/output line 'GIO'.
A write driver 107 transmits the data received from the input multiplexers 'MUX1' and 'MUX2', which receive the input data through the global input/output line, to a memory bank block through a local input/output line 'LIO/LIOb'.
For example, when two write operations are executed for one write command, input data having 8 bits is parallelized to 4 bits-by-4 bits and sequentially inputted through the GIO to the input multiplexers 'MUX1' and 'MUX2'. Further, the data input multiplexer 'MUX1' 103 transmits the first 4 bits of data to the local input/output line 'LIO/LIOb' via the write driver 107 according to the first column selection signal 'YI1'. Thereafter, the data input multiplexer 'MUX2' 105 transmits the second 4 bits of data to the local input/output line 'LIO/LIOb' via the write driver 107 according to the second column selection signal 'YI2' that is outputted after a predetermined time interval (i.e., two clocks).
As described above, it is possible to transmit the data inputted according to the data strobe signal to the memory bank at an exact time since the column selection signals 'YI1' and 'Y12' are created in synchronization with the clock signals during the write operation.
Next, FIG. 1B is a circuit diagram showing a read operation.
As a read command 'RD' is enabled, a column decoder 201 receives an address signal 'ADD' and the read command 'RD' and outputs a column selection signal 'YI'. Accordingly, an input/output sense amplifier 205 receives data 'DOUT' stored in the memory bank block through the local input/output line 'LIO/LIOb' and subsequently amplifies and latches the data.
In response to an output signal of a first delay unit 215, the data amplified by the input/output sense amplifier 205 is transmitted to a pipe latch 213 through global input/output line drivers 207, 209 and a multiplexer 211. In this configuration, the first delay unit 215 delays a sensing-enable signal 'IOSTB' outputted from a sensing-enable signal generator 203 for a predetermined amount of time and then outputs it.
More specifically, a portion (a first data group) of the output signals from the input/output sense amplifier 205 is transmitted to the multiplexer 211 through a global input/output driver according to a first delay signal 'MAO<1>' outputted from the first delay unit 215. The rest (a second data group) of the output signals from the input/output sense amplifier 205 are then transmitted to the multiplexer 211 through a global input/output driver according to a second delay signal 'MAO<2>' outputted from the first delay unit 215. According to this configuration, the second delay signal 'MAO<2>' is a value obtained by delaying the first delay signal 'MAO<1>' by a predetermined time.
The first data group is inputted to the multiplexer 211 and should be stored in the pipe latch 213 before the second data group is inputted to the multiplexer 211. Therefore, first and second pipe latch control signals 'PIN1', 'PIN2' that are created by a second delay unit 217 should be designed so as to have the same delay values as the first and second delay signals 'MAO<1>', 'MAO<2>' that are outputted from the first delay unit 215, respectively.
As described above, the first delay unit 215 and the second delay unit 217 are designed to have a fixed delay time, regardless of the operational speed of a semiconductor memory apparatus. However, the positions of the first delay unit 215 and the second delay unit 217 are designed differently and therefore, there is difficulty in configuring the delay units 215, 217 to have the exact same delay values. As a result, a problem occurs where the data that has been transmitted to the global input/output line is not transmitted to the pipe latch 213 at the exact time. This problem can be exacerbated in a high-frequency operation and cause the semiconductor memory apparatus to malfunction.
Further, since the delay times applied to the first delay unit 215 and the second delay unit 217 are values created by fixing the sensing-enable signal 'IOSTB' for a predetermined time, the first delay unit 215 and the second delay unit 217 operate according to the fixed value, even though the operational margin is sufficient in a low-frequency operation, such that the efficiency of the semiconductor memory apparatus is deteriorated.

Control circuit of read operation for semiconductor memory apparatus


An optical pickup in which a substantially L-shaped retaining seat having an inclined side surface and an inclined end surface which are orthogonal to each other is formed on one side surface of a light passage hole formed in a housing, a groove is formed between the inclined side surface and the inclined end surface, while a positioning seat is formed on the other side surface of the light passage hole. An adhesive agent is injected between each of both end portions of a half mirror, which is disposed in an inclined state on the both seats, and each of the seats and into the groove. The width of an opening portion of the groove is set to be larger than the width of an depth portion of the groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for fixing a half mirror of an optical pickup for use in a disk player such as a DVD or a CD, which makes it possible to reliably fix a half mirror of an optical pickup to a housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 shows an example of an optical pickup. This optical pickup has a half mirror HM disposed in an inclined state at midway in a light passage hole 2 formed in a housing 1. An objective lens OL and a collimator lens QWP, on the one hand, and a support member 4 with a photodiode PD, on the other hand, are respectively disposed at both ends of the housing 1 with the half mirror HM placed therebetween. Further, a semiconductor laser LD is provided on a side surface of the housing 1. A laser light is projected from the semiconductor laser LD onto a disk D such as a DVD or a CD through the half mirror HM, the collimator lens QWP and the objective lens OL, and the reflected light is received by the photodiode PD so as to read information recorded on the disk D.
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, a substantially L-shaped retaining seat 6 having an inclined side surface 6a and an inclined end surface 6b opposing orthogonal to each other is formed on one side surface 2a of the light passage hole 2. Further, a U-groove 7 is formed between the inclined side surface 6a and the inclined end surface 6b. A positioning seat 8 having an inclined side surface 8a flush with the inclined side surface 6a of the retaining seat 6 is formed on the other side surface 2b of the light passage hole 2.
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the half mirror HM has the shape of a rectangular block, and is disposed so as to diagonally traverse the light passage hole 2 by causing its rear surface to abut against an end surface 2c of the light passage hole 2, its one end portion to abut against the inclined side surface 6a and the inclined end surface 6b of the retaining seat 6, and its other end portion to abut against the inclined side surface 8a of the positioning seat 8.
A technique for fixing the half mirror HM disclosed JP-A-8-111027 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. In this technique, an ultraviolet curing adhesive agent 10 is injected by an injector 9 into three spots between the half mirror HM and the retaining seat 6, and between the half mirror HM and the positioning seat 8. Also, the adhesive agent 10 is injected by an injector 9 into the U-groove 7. Ultraviolet rays are then applied to the adhesive agent 10 to cure, thereby fixing the half mirror HM so as not to move unexpectedly in the left-and-right directions a and b, back-and-forth directions c and d, and vertical directions e and f.
With the above-described conventional structure, since the width t and the height h of the U-groove 7 are set to be 0.5 mm to 1 mm for example, and U-groove's opening area is small, there is a possibility that the adhesive agent 10 fails to be injected sufficiently into the U-groove 7 and flows out to the outside if the ultraviolet curing adhesive agent 10 is injected into the U-groove 7 at a time. In such case, the adhesive agent 10 is injected into the opening portion of the U-groove 7 only by an interval α, thereby rendering the fixation of the half mirror HM by the adhesive agent 10 unreliable.
Accordingly, it is conceivable to enlarge the width t and the height h of the U-groove 7. However, this may cause the ultraviolet curing adhesive agent 10 to be accumulated in the U-groove 7 in a relatively large quantity, and the half mirror HM may possibly be displaced from its predetermined position by being pulled by the shrinking force due to the curing of the adhesive agent accumulated therein.

Apparatus for fixing a half mirror of an optical pickup and optical pickup


A lithographic apparatus is provided that uses an array of individually controllable elements to pattern the beam of radiation. The critical dimension uniformity of a substrate patterned using the apparatus is improved by adjusting the pattern data provided to the array of individually controllable elements to compensate for process variation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus and a device manufacturing method.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a target portion of a substrate. The lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs), flat panel displays, and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional lithographic apparatus, a patterning means, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC (or other device), and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g., comprising part of one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer or glass plate) that has a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist). Instead of a mask, the patterning means may comprise an array of individually controllable elements that generate the circuit pattern.
In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively exposed. Known lithographic apparatus include steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion in one go, and scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through the beam in a given direction (the "scanning" direction), while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction.
The substrate may be subjected to a variety of processes before the exposure process. For example, the substrate will generally be treated with resist before exposure. Also, prior to exposure, the substrate may be subjected to cleaning, etching, ion implantation (e.g., doping), metalization, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, priming, resist coating, soft bake processes, and/or measurement processes. The substrate may also be subjected to a variety of post-exposure processes, for example, post-exposure bake (PEB), development, hard bake, etching, ion implantation (e.g., doping), metalization, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, cleaning, and/or measurement processes. Furthermore, typically several layers are required. Therefore, the entire processing procedure or variant thereof, is repeated for each layer.
The pre-exposure and post-exposure processes are performed by stations or modules designed for their respective purposes. The substrate is subjected to these processing modules, as well as the lithographic exposure apparatus, in a pre-defined sequence. In order for devices formed on a substrate to function correctly, it is necessary for the features of those devices formed on the substrate to be within a given tolerance of a specified size. It is therefore standard to specify key attributes, which are collectively referred to as a critical dimension (CD) of the exposed pattern, in order to characterize the features and the profile of the pattern and establish a bench mark level of quality and uniformity. The CD metric may include, for example, a gap between features, X and/or Y diameter of holes and/or posts, ellipticity of holes and/or posts, an area of a feature, a feature side wall angle, a width at the top of a feature, a width at the middle of a feature, a width at the bottom a feature, line edge roughness, or the like.
The size of a feature formed on a substrate is, in general, determined by the areas of resist on the substrate that receive a threshold dose of radiation in the exposure process. This threshold dose is affected by the type of resist used, the processing conditions before exposure, and the processing conditions after the exposure. Therefore, variations in the pre-exposure and post-exposure conditions affect the size of features, and hence, the critical dimension uniformity (CDU), potentially compromising the quality of the exposed pattern. If the CDU is not sufficient, a substrate may be rejected, reducing the yield.
Therefore, what is needed is lithographic apparatus and method that can be used to expose patterns on a substrate with improved CDU.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method


A stochastic computational model parameter synthesis system comprising at least one processor capable of executing processor executable code, and a non-transitory computer memory operably coupled with the at least one processor and storing processor executable code, which when executed by processor, causes processor to synthesize at least one parameter of a stochastic computational model to satisfy one or more behavioral specifications of properties observed in a modeled system. The processor generates and searches randomized projections of a first parameter space having n dimensions into one or more second abstract parameter space having d dimensions, where d is less than n, and outputs a signal indicative of a synthesized parameter value to the user.

The development of stochastic computational models is becoming increasingly important in many areas of engineering, finance, medicine, economics, social and physical sciences. Very often, the overall structure of such computational models can be obtained from first principles by using our understanding and insight into the physical system that is being modeled. For example, a computational model for programmed cell death or apoptosis may include a number of biochemical reactions that have been studied in the scientific literature on apoptosis. A model for stability control in a car may be obtained from the engineering design of the vehicle.
However, several components of a stochastic computational model are not readily obtained from first principles. Very often, model designers incorporate such information in the computational model as parameters. Stochastic computational model parameters are variables in the model, whose values do not change during the model simulation. The model designer chooses these parameter values carefully so that the computational model replicates the behavior of the physical system being modeled.
As the size of a stochastic computational model grows, the number of parameters used to describe the model also increases. The model designer chooses the values of all these parameters before the model can be simulated. The problem is further aggravated by the fact that the number of possible values of these parameters is exponential in the number of parameters themselves. Hence, the designer is faced with the daunting chance of choosing a parameter value from a very large number of possible parameter values, referred to as the problem of parameter space explosion. It is very difficult for her to manually explore the exponentially large space of parameter values.
Model designers often use "thumb rule" assumptions obtained by years of experience in developing stochastic computational models to synthesize the values of model parameters. These assumptions are often not based on a sound mathematical framework, but are merely heuristic simplifications that make the parameter synthesis problem tractable. However, the result of such heuristic parameter synthesis based on "thumb rules" is not complete. A complete parameter synthesis system finds a parameter value if one exists. A model designer using such a heuristic approach can never prove that a given model is fundamentally flawed, and no choice of parameter values can enable the computational model to satisfy the behavioral observations obtained from the system being modeled. The ability to generate such a proof is fundamental to the process of model development where inaccurate models are identified rapidly. Another simplification often used by model designers is to perform local sensitivity analysis of the parameters of the model. Local sensitivity analysis does not provide much information about the global behavior of the model. On the other hand, global sensitivity is difficult to compute even for moderate size computational models.
The correct value of parameters for a computational model can be obtained by exhaustively enumerating all the possible values of the parameters in the model. As the number of parameter values is exponential in the number of parameters, this approach is infeasible.
TOKEN, T. and CAREY, D. M. (2005) System for estimating model parameters, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0091294, discloses a system for estimating a set of mathematical model parameters. In this system, the design consists of a sensor configured to produce data and a control circuit that produces at least one parameter. The control circuit estimates the set of mathematical model parameters based on an updated data matrix. The system is an online parameter estimation system and does not scale to massively parallel computing platforms and hundreds of parameters.
Calvin J. Bittner, E. J. V., James P. Hoffmann, C. V., and Josef S. Watts, S. B. V. (2001) Method of determining model parameters for a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) compact model using a stochastic search algorithm, U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,390 discloses a method of determining a set of parameters for modeling an active semiconductor device, for example, MOSFETs. The system uses genetic evolution of fitness vectors to determine a suitable choice of parameter values. Vectors of best fitness are selected and at least one genetic operator is applied to create new vectors. The process is repeated until a satisfactory set of parameters is obtained.
"Synthesis and infeasibility analysis for stochastic models of biochemical systems using statistical model checking and abstraction refinement" (Sumit Kumar Jha and Christopher James Langmead) discloses a system for automatically synthesizing the set of all kinetic parameters such that a given biochemical model satisfies a given high-level behavioral specification. The system integrates statistical model checking with abstraction refinement, and can also report the infeasibility of the model if no such combination of parameters exists. The system has been used to synthesize as many as 11 parameters of a biochemical model as it potentially needs to explore an exponential number of parameter values.
Accordingly, what is desired, and not heretofore been developed, is a stochastic computational model parameter synthesis system that can synthesize parameter values of a stochastic model that enable the model to satisfy a given behavioral specification, wherein randomized projections of the parameter space are built in a distributed manner and only a polynomial number of parameter values are explored before the system stops.

Stochastic computational model parameter synthesis system

The University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


A polyethylene-based stretched film with a thickness in the range of 10 to 100 μm, the film comprising components (A) and (B) (the total amount of components (A) and (B) being 100 parts by weight), and has a density in the range of 898 to 960 Kg/m3:                (A) 50 to 95 parts by weight of a polyethylene composition which comprises the following components (I) and (II) (the total amount of (I) and (II) being 100 parts by weight), and has a density in the range of 890 to 940 Kg/m3:        (I) 5 to 95 parts by weight of an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer obtained by copolymerization of ethylene and an alpha-olefin having 4 to 12 carbon atoms with the use of a metallocene catalyst, which has a melt flow rate in the range of 0.01 to 10 g/10 min and a density in the range of 900 to 925 Kg/m3, and,        (II) 5 to 95 parts by weight of an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer obtained by copolymerization of ethylene and an alpha-olefin having 4 to 12 carbon atoms with the use of a metallocene catalyst, which has melt flow rate in the range of 1 to 100 g/10 min and a density in the range of 926 to 960 Kg/m3; and        (B) 5 to 50 parts by weight of a high-pressure low density polyethylene which has a melt flow rate in the range of 0.1 to 10 g/10 min, and a density in the range of 910 to 930 Kg/m3.

A stretched film made from polyethylene or a resin composition containing polyethylene as a base component has been used in various applications from the viewpoint of excellent transparency, strength characteristics, chemical resistance and bag-production processability.
However, as for a conventional stretched film obtained by using polyethylene, it is disadvantageous that the stretched film has poor strength in the stretching direction, and a bag produced therefrom is easily torn when the contents are contained in the bag, thus damaging the contents, it is difficult to perform heat sealing on the stretched film, making it difficult to form a bag-shaped product and its appearance is poor, and the like.
JP-A No. 8-134284 discloses a polyethylene-based resin stretched film obtained by stretching polyethylene obtained by using a metallocene compound in at least uniaxial direction, but since the tear strength in the MD direction is unsatisfactory, there is a need for improvement.
JP-A No. 8-269256 discloses a film for packaging heavy goods which can be obtained from a composition comprising linear low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene and high-pressure low-density polyethylene. Since this invention discloses only the use of a film obtained by inflation molding for the purpose of packaging heavy goods, it does not describe nor suggest a stretched film.
As described above, a polyethylene-based stretched film, which has excellent tear strength both in the MD and TD directions and excellent transparency, and which is uniformly stretchable, is desired. Further, a resin composition which can provide the stretched film is also desired.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A No. 8-134284
[Patent Document 2] JP-A No. 8-269256

Resin composition and stretched film obtained by using the same


A communications interface system and method for a plasma generator is provided. The communications interface system includes a power delivery system component that has a standard POD interface for communicating information that complies with a first protocol. A portable device is coupled between the standard POD interface and a second communication interface for communicating information therebetween. The second communication interface communicates information in a format that complies with a second protocol. The portable device is detachable from the standard POD interface and the second communication interface. A first communication link couples the standard POD interface to the portable device. A second communication link couples the portable device to the second communication interface.

Material processing, such as plasma deposition and sputtering, through the utilization of plasmas has been known for many years. These processes generally employ a generator to provide either an RF or high voltage DC power signal that is coupled to a plasma chamber. Conventional generators typically include a custom data communication system for transmitting signals between internal and external assemblies. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional generator 10a having a custom data communication system is shown. The data communication system generally employs a mixture of analog/digital signals for internal communications between system assemblies and a custom interface 12 for communications between the generator and the customer.
Referring to FIG. 2, another communication link configuration for communications between a generator 10b and customer includes the multiproduct configuration in which the generator 10b has both a custom interface 14 and a separate multiproduct interface 16. The custom interface 14 supports communications between the customer and the generator 10b, while the multiproduct interface 16 supports communications between the generator 10b and a variety of different products. The multiproduct configuration typically includes a control system 17 for coordinating communications flowing through the custom 14 and multiproduct 16 interfaces.
Referring to FIG. 3, a third conventional communication link configuration for a generator 10c is shown. The communication link includes a coprocessor within a custom multiprocessor control system 18 to provide enhanced control of communications through the custom interface 20. The coprocessor coordinates the flow of information from the generator through the custom interface 20.
Each of these configurations shares several drawbacks including inaccessibility for upgrading and servicing the interface, reduced interface choices for the customer, and the high cost of producing and maintaining customized versions of the generator to support different interface standards.

Portable devices for different control interfaces


A reflective mask comprising: a reflective layer that is arranged on a surface on a side on which EUV light is irradiated and reflects the EUV light; a buffer layer containing Cr that is arranged on a side of the reflective layer on which the EUV light is irradiated and covers an entire surface of the reflective layer; and a non-reflective layer that is arranged on a side of the buffer layer on which the EUV light is irradiated and in which an absorber that absorbs the irradiated EUV light is arranged in a position corresponding to a mask pattern to be reduced and transferred onto a wafer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reflective mask, a manufacturing method for the reflective mask, and a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is an exposure method in which light (an X ray) having extremely short wavelength near 13.5 nanometers is used. The EUV lithography is prospective as a method of forming a finer pattern on a wafer than that formed by light exposure in the past (having wavelength of 193 manometers (ArF) or 248 nanometers (KrF).
The pattern formed on the wafer by the EUV lithography is, for example, a pattern smaller than 50 nanometers. Therefore, a technical level required for defect inspection and defect correction for a mask for forming a pattern to be transferred onto the wafer is high. For example, to form a pattern having width of 32 nanometers on the wafer using a 4X mask, it is necessary to form a pattern having width of 128 nanometers on the mask. To keep fluctuation in a pattern dimension on the wafer within 5%, it is necessary to keep dimension fluctuation of a mask pattern within 6.4 nanometers. Therefore, it is necessary to perform inspection of the mask pattern at accuracy of a dimension equal to or smaller than 6.4 nanometers. When a pattern finer than 32 nanometers is formed on the wafer, it is necessary to inspect the mask pattern in specifications stricter than 6.4 nanometers.
In the past, a reflective mask used for EUV exposure and the like is manufactured by arranging an EUV light absorber (a Ta compound, etc.) on a mask and etching the absorber according to a pattern to be exposed. In such a reflective mask, a buffer layer formed of Cr, a Cr compound such as CrN, or the like is arranged below an absorber layer as an etching stop layer (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-13494). The buffer layer is necessary for obtaining signal contrast with the absorber not only during the etching of the absorber but also during inspection of a mask pattern by an electron microscope. During mask pattern formation, the buffer layer is present over the entire mask between the absorber and a Mo/Si multilayer film for reflecting EUV light. Such a buffer layer causes deterioration in the intensity of reflected light. Therefore, after formation of an absorber pattern, a section without the absorber is etched and removed to expose the Mo/Si multilayer.
However, in the technology in the past, the inspection of the mask pattern is performed before the etching and removal of the buffer layer, i.e., the etching and removal of the buffer layer is performed after the inspection. Therefore, a defect that occurs in this etching process is not inspected. Examples of the defect that occurs in the etching process for the buffer layer include a partial (local) etching removal residue of a buffer layer material and a pattern dimension change due to redeposit of the removed buffer layer material on the absorber pattern. Therefore, a pattern is formed on the wafer by the mask in which the defect occurs. As a result, a pattern cannot be formed on the wafer in a desired dimension.

Reflective mask and manufacturing method for reflective mask


This invention relates to certain substituted lactam compounds of the formula (I), particularly caprolactam compounds, which are useful for the treatment of cancer

Cancer is a serious health problem throughout the world. As a result, an extensive number of research endeavors has been undertaken in an effort to develop therapies appropriate to the treatment and alleviation of cancer in humans. Research has been conducted to develop anti-cancer agents effective against various types of cancer. Oftentimes, anti-cancer agents which have been developed and found effective against cancer cells are, unfortunately, also toxic to normal cells. This toxicity manifests itself in weight loss, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, itching, hallucinations, loss of appetite, and other undesirable effects.
Additionally, conventionally used cancer treatment agent often do not have the effectiveness desired or are not as broadly effective against different types of cancers as desired. As a result, a great need exists for therapeutic agents which are not only more effective against multiple types of cancer, but which have a higher degree of selectivity for killing cancer cells with no or minimal effect on normal healthy cells. In addition, highly effective and selective anti-cancer agents, In particular, against cancers of the colon, bladder, prostate, stomach, pancreas, breast, lung, liver, brain, testis, ovary, cervix, skin, vulva, small intestine, lymph glands, and blood cells are desired. Moreover, anti-cancer activity against colon, breast, lung, pancreas, and prostate cancers as well as melanomas are particularly desired because of the lack of any particular effective therapy at the present time.

Substituted lactams and their use as anti-cancer agents


In the method of the present invention, a customer of a service provider would be placed in hold while waiting to speak to a customer service representative. The method and system of the invention would recognize the telephone number of the caller using a “caller ID” system. If this call is the first time the caller has ever called, the caller would be presented with an audible listing of listening choices that would include but not be limited to the latest news, the weather (of the caller's location), financial headlines, or a selection of music stations (via cable radio, for example). The caller would then speak or type his/her preference into the keypad and the selection would be played. If the caller does not like the selection, the caller can then speak another selection or type the new selection as many times as the caller prefers. The caller selection is recorded in a caller preference database. Finally, when the same customer calls one or more additional times, the system would retain the caller's number and preferred listening selection, based on caller ID value. The listening selection would automatically be played on subsequent calls.

Telephone-based customer service plays an increasingly important role for organizations involved in activities requiring direct communication with customers. In order to serve a maximum number of callers, call centers are typically designed to optimize call handling efficiency and telephone attendant productivity.
An Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is commonly utilized by call centers to enhance attendant productivity. An ACD allows a call center to cost-effectively handle a large number of calls by placing some of the calls in a holding queue when no attendants are available to take the telephone call. When a call is placed in the holding queue, a greeting message identifying the called party is typically played to the caller, indicating that the next available attendant will service the call.
Call queuing plays an important role in call center operations and provides many advantages to the call center, including increased attendant productivity, by minimizing idle time for the attendant, simultaneous handling of a greater number of calls during an increase in calls, and encouragement of callers to wait for an available attendant, as opposed to requiring the caller to attempt another call in response to a busy signal.
In spite of the benefits to the call center, call queuing, however, is perceived by the customers as a waste of their time, and may result in frustration, abandoned calls, a loss of business, and poor customer satisfaction when the customer deems the holding time to be excessive. Thus, in order to distract the callers such that their focus is not on the amount of time they are waiting in the queue, many call centers incorporate various activities to entertain callers waiting in a call queue. For example, many call centers play music, news, weather or advertising messages to the caller during the holding period. In this manner, the caller may be entertained or informed of sales promotions for particular products or services. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,774 to Friedes discloses an Interactive Queuing System For Call Centers and suggests that music or advertising messages may be played to a caller on hold.
Conventional systems for entertaining callers placed on hold by a call center do permit a caller to select a desired entertainment option. The technology now exists where call centers can provide a caller with a number of valuable entertainment options while the caller is on hold. This technology would enable an increase in caller satisfaction and tolerance of excessive hold times would increase.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,240 to Walker et al, provides a system for entertaining a caller placed in a queue of a call center. A method is disclosed that allows the caller to access a plurality of entertainment options while on hold. The entertainment options permit the caller to (i) place a call to a third party while on hold; or (ii) access one or more premium entertainment services while on hold. A PBX/ACD receives the calls destined for the call center, and queues the calls when an appropriate attendant is not available. An IVRU prompts a caller for specific information and forwards the collected information to the PBX/ACD. The IVRU provides the caller with a menu of available entertainment options, which can be accessed, by the caller while the caller is on hold. The PBX/ACD establishes a connection between the caller and the selected entertainment service. The call is then transferred to an available attendant with any data that may be required to process the call.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,804 provides an on-hold activity selection apparatus and method that allows an on-hold party to select an on-hold activity, from a menu of on-hold activities, with which to be entertained and/or informed. The on-hold activity selection apparatus detects the occurrence of an on-hold condition in a communication between a first party terminal and a second party terminal. In response to detecting the on-hold condition, the on-hold activity selection apparatus provides a menu of available on-hold activities to the terminal, which is placed on-hold. If a reply is received from the on-hold terminal identifying a selected on-hold activity, the on-hold activity selection apparatus then provides the on-hold terminal with the selected activity. The menu of available on-hold activities may be based on profile information, corresponding to the on-hold terminal, stored in a database. The on-hold activities may include listening to music, advertisements, sports, news, viewing television broadcasts, graphical presentations, prerecorded video messages, reading textual messages, playing video games, browsing the Internet, and the like. The on-hold activities may include live feeds and/or prerecorded activities.
Various other proposals have surfaced in the past for dealing with the on-hold problem. One proposal is for the receiving telephone system to provide the caller with an estimated hold-time until an agent will answer that call. While this information may be helpful where the wait will be relatively short, a caller informed of a long wait might not have the time to remain on the telephone for that long a period, and so may simply hang up in frustration and come away with the feeling of being unimportant to the commercial concern.
Another proposal has been to provide the caller with the opportunity to schedule a return call from the commercial enterprise. Such a proposal is undesirable from a customer service perspective in that it fails to recognize that the timing of the initial call is already based on the convenience of the caller. Any other time is likely not as convenient and thus represents a compromise; an unacceptable compromise in those cases where the timeliness of the call is critical, such as for airline scheduling and the like. Such a scheduled callback approach also raises privacy issues for those callers who prefer not to leave their name and/or phone number merely to request information. At bottom, such systems may suggest to the caller that he should not have called when he did, even though that was the time when the consumer was motivated, and able, to call.
Another system has been proposed in which the calling party has the ability to interrupt the on-hold status of the receiving telephone to alert the nearby agent to return to the phone. Such a remote on-hold termination system is of little value to consumers put on-hold automatically upon receipt of their call, or where no agent is readily available when alerted.
Almost everyone that has used a telephone has been put on hold. In the age of reduced customer service personnel, the "on hold" time can be quite lengthy. During this hold time, the caller is obliged to listen to whatever type of "on hold" music or chatter that has been chosen by the called company, and that choice can be grating or of marginal utility to the caller. There remains a need for a method and system for selecting an audio user interface for telephone hold time and a mechanism for recalling a user's preference, once such an interface has been chosen.

Method and system for telephone wait user interface selection

International Business Machines Corporation


An inkjet-recording device includes a recording head, a platen, a conveying member, and a movable supporting member. The recording head ejects ink droplets onto a recording medium. The platen is disposed in confrontation with the recording head to support the recording medium while keeping a predetermined distance from the recording head. The conveying member conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction. The movable supporting member is linked to the conveying member to slide in the conveying direction while supporting the recording medium.

An inkjet-recording device includes a recording head with a plurality of juxtaposed nozzles. A recording paper is conveyed below the recording head while the recording head forms an image on the paper. The recording head records an image on the recording paper by moving in a main scanning direction (orthogonal to the paper-conveying direction), while ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles at a prescribed timing. In recent years, inkjet-recording devices have been provided with a photo printing function. This type of image recording is called "borderless recording" because the image is recorded without leaving margins on the edges of the recording paper.
In borderless recording, the recording head is moved beyond the edges of the paper and ink is ejected to a point outside the region occupied by the recording paper. For example, in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2000-118058, when borderless recording is performed on the leading and trailing edges of the recording paper, the recording paper is positioned relative to the recording head so that a portion of the nozzles in the recording head is positioned off the edge of the recording paper. Consequently, the recording head ejects ink droplets through these nozzles onto a platen provided below the recording paper. The platen is provided with a groove formed in the top portion thereof and extending in the main scanning direction, and an ink absorbing material disposed inside this groove for absorbing the ink droplets. This configuration makes it possible to record an image over the entire recording paper, without leaving a border along the edges of the recording paper, while preventing ink ejected onto the platen from staining the underside of the recording paper.
There has also been a demand in recent years for inkjet-recording devices capable of recording images at a faster rate. Conventional attempts to increase the image recording speed have involved increasing the size of the recording head in order to increase the number of nozzles arranged in the paper-conveying direction. However, in order to perform high-quality borderless recording, it has been necessary to increase the width (dimension in the paper-conveying direction) of the groove provided in the platen as the size of the recording head is increased.
However, since the recording paper is positioned above this groove when performing borderless recording, an increased groove width may cause the recording paper to deform, bending downward into the groove. Such bending of the recording paper changes the distances between nozzles in the recording head and the surface of the recording paper, potentially leading to recording problems.
To resolve this problem, Japanese unexamined patent application publications Nos. 2001-80145 and 2002-307769 proposed providing paper support members in the groove formed in the platen. These paper support members rotate along with the recording paper as the recording paper is conveyed. The paper support members support the recording paper advancing over the groove, while moving in the width direction of the groove. Hence, the paper support members can support the recording paper when the recording paper is conveyed over the groove formed in the platen.

Inkjet recording device and driving unit provided therein


A method is provided in a computer processing system that reads and displays a social media stream accessible by a plurality of users. A system is also provided that reads and displays a social media stream accessible by a plurality of users. The method includes receiving, by a processor-based dictionary manager, at least one dictionary configuration. Each dictionary configuration specifies at least one dictionary from a set of dictionaries and respective settings for the at least one dictionary. The method further includes filtering, by a filter, the social media stream using the at least one dictionary configuration to provide at least one filtered social media stream. The respective settings for the at least one dictionary include a respective dictionary influence polarity and a respective polarity magnitude for the respective dictionary influence polarity.

Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to information processing and, in particular, to dictionary based social media stream filtering.
Description of the Related Art
Dictionary-based linguistic analysis has become commercially important. The better-known applications of such analysis are usually described as "sentiment analysis", in which a large body of social media is compared with the following two dictionaries: (1) a dictionary of positive words; and (2) a dictionary of negative words. Each posting in the social media receives a score based on word-matches to these two dictionaries. A posting that has a higher positive score is considered to indicate positive sentiment, and a posting that has a higher negative score is considered to indicate negative sentiment. When the social media stream is carefully targeted (i.e., with a mention of a particular brand), then the aggregate positive or negative score can have importance as commercial intelligence.
Regarding the use of such dictionaries, typically, in prior art approaches, researchers assemble multiple dictionaries, and score each social media posting using all of the dictionaries. The next step is collecting some form of "ground truth" for a particular concept of interest. As used herein, "ground truth" refers to a "true" estimate of the accurate classification or attribute, which can then be predicted on the basis of other attributes. Then, a sophisticated analysis is conducted using multiple regression methods or machine-learning, to reduce the wide diversity of dictionaries down to a small number of crucial concepts that are the best predictors of that "ground truth" data. Thus, existing approaches to addressing the problem of applying dictionaries to social media are highly quantitative, and are the domain of experts.

Dictionary based social media stream filtering


A frameless container is disclosed for carrying cargo and having opposing sidewalls that are comprised of a plurality of panels. The plurality of panels have a coplanar relationship relative to each other and comprise a majority portion having an edge region that has apertures therein and an inner face portion which defines a vertical plane. The panels further comprise integral connecting and bracing means comprising a first inclined portion, first and second ledge portions each having an aperture therein, a plateau portion, and a plurality of fasteners extending through and clamped within respective apertures of the first and second ledges, as well as the apertures of the majority portion. The plurality of panels are arranged in a side-by-side manner with the bracing and connecting means of the forward first panel overlapping a section of the majority portion of the next panel. The first inclined portion of the bracing and connecting means is selected to have a dimension so as to allow the inner faces of the majority portions of the panels to be tucked under the connecting and bracing means and to lie in the same plane.

Multi-panel construction of a sidewall of a trailer housing is well known and one such construction is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/306,298 of Schmidt, filed Feb. 6, 1989, and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. This patent application discloses sidewall construction of a trailer comprised of at least two groups of flat rectangular plates that are arranged in a side-by-side manner, and joined together by fasteners and a plurality of strips or posts which also maintain the panels in a predetermined spaced-apart relationship. It is desired, from cost and construction considerations, that a multi-panel construction be provided that is devoid of any such support posts.
In the construction of trailers, it is important to make available as much space as possible within the interior of the trailer housing for the purpose of carrying cargo. In this regard, it is desired that the walls of the housing, in particular, the sidewalls of the housing be devoid of any obstructions because the sidewalls are coextensive with the majority of the cargo being confined within the housing. Further, it is important that the portions of the sidewalls that face the confined cargo be devoid of any structural member that would otherwise cause a discontinuity in these faces of the sidewalls. More particularly, it is important that the inner faces of the multi-panel sidewalls be planar; i.e., that the inner faces of each opposing sidewall lie in the same plane.
Sidewall constructions of housings used for trailers must take into account the operating environment to which these sidewalls are subjected. For example, it is important that the construction of these sidewalls prevent any driven moisture, contaminants, or air flow passing along the outer or exterior surface of the sidewalls from finding its way into the inner faces of the sidewalls and, thus, into the interior of the trailer which might otherwise cause damage to the confined cargo.
Another important consideration for these sidewalls is the ability to provide outer faces for the sidewalls of the trailer that take into account aerodynamic features. More particularly, it is important to provide the outer surfaces of the sidewalls that reduce the aerodynamic drag typically experienced by trailers as they move along an interstate highway.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide multi-panel sidewall construction of trailer housings and other cargo carrying containers that reduce the typical aerodynamic drag experienced by moving trailers.
Further still, it is an object of the present invention to provide multi-panel construction that may also be used for the end walls of the trailer housings.
It is another object of the present invention to provide sidewalls for trailer housings and other cargo carrying containers that have means to prevent the entrance of exterior moisture, contaminants, or air flow into the interior of these cargo carrying containers.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide housings for carrying cargo containers that have an interior face, especially along the opposite sidewalls, that is free of obstructions, and all of the panels at each opposite sidewall are planar so as to make available as much space as possible for the carrying of cargo.

Frameless container for carrying cargo having a multi-panel construction


A method for generating a de-mapping clock for service data is provided, comprising: receiving a data frame and obtaining a payload value from the data frame; obtaining distribution of valid service data in a certain time cycle according to the payload value in the data frame; generating a data writing clock according to the distribution of the valid service data, performing a homogenization treatment on the data writing clock, and obtaining the data writing virtual clock; comparing a non-gap statistical quantity of the data writing virtual clock with a non-gap statistical quantity of the service clock gap, and generating a de-mapping clock gap according to the comparison result; generating a service clock gap according to the de-mapping clock gap; and performing a phase-locked loop process on the de-mapping clock gap, so as to obtain a recovery clock signal required by a de-mapping process.

Due to bandwidth demands resulting from increasing demands for various services, for example, voice, data, and multimedia, from human beings, an Optical Transport Network (OTN) increasingly becomes a core network for carrying services of each operator.
When the OTN network is widely applied, it is necessary to map services of various rates to a high rate Optical Channel Transport Unit (OTU) network for transporting, and it is necessary to de-map the high rate OTUk to obtain multiple paths of low rate services. Sizes of an OTUk (k is 1, 2, 3, or other natural numbers) frame are consistent, but a frame rate is increased as k is increased. In the prior art, a multiplexing and mapping form of an OTN is defined, differences between OTUk and OTUj clocks are compensated by setting positive justification opportunity (PJO) and negative justification opportunity (NJO) bytes in a frame structure of the high rate OTU, so as to realize conversion between OTN signals of different rate levels. When the low rate OTUj data is recovered by de-mapping, an asynchronous clock of the OTUj needs to be recovered from a high rate OTUk clock. In the prior art, justification is performed through the PJO and NJO bytes, that is, clock information is delivered through the PJO and NJO bytes.
During the implementation of the present invention, the inventor finds that the prior art at least has the following disadvantages. In the prior art, the mapping is implemented by adopting the PJO and NJO bytes, and information represented by the PJO and NJO bytes is limited, so that multiplexing and mapping to the OTN network can be performed on services of only a small part of rate levels, and de-mapping can also be performed on service data of only a small part of rate levels, and thus multiplexing and mapping and de-mapping cannot be implemented on the services of various types in the existing network.

Method and apparatus for mapping and de-mapping service data


A method, system and computer program product for improving the perceptual quality and naturalness of an image captured by an image acquisition device (e.g., digital camera). Statistical features of a scene being imaged by the image acquisition device are derived from models of natural images. These statistical features are measured and mapped onto the control parameters (e.g., exposure, ISO) of the digital acquisition device. By mapping these statistical features onto the control parameters, the perceptual quality and naturalness of the scene being imaged may be based on the values of these control parameters. As a result, these control parameters are modified to maximize the perceptual quality and naturalness of the scene being imaged. After modification of these control parameters, the image is captured by the image acquisition device. In this manner, the perceptual quality and naturalness of the image captured by the image acquisition device is improved.

Currently, image acquisition devices, such as digital cameras, may require manual tuning of at least some of the camera control parameters (e.g., exposure (total amount of light allowed to fall on the image sensor); gain (contrast); and ISO (International Standards Organization) (measure of the sensitivity of the image sensor)) that control the capturing of images and the perceptual quality or naturalness of these captured images. The naturalness of an image refers to how the image is viewed when captured with little or minimal distortion. As a result, image acquisition devices seek to capture an image that is most similar to the image being viewed by the user in the physical world and/or an image that has the highest perceptual/visual quality.
Unfortunately, image acquisition devices, such as digital cameras, are limited in their ability to maximize the perceptual quality or naturalness of the captured images due to the fact that the camera parameters that are used to control the perceptual quality or naturalness of the captured image may require manual tuning by the users. Furthermore, digital cameras are limited in their ability to maximize the perceptual quality or naturalness of the captured images due to the limited number of parameters that are currently used to control image capture as well as the fact that almost all of these parameters have to be optimized manually based on a tuning engineer's perception of quality.

Maximizing perceptual quality and naturalness of captured images

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A vessel treating machine comprising at least one treatment element for treating bottles having a collar in the area below its opening and a device for holding the bottle for treatment by the treatment element independently of the treatment element, the device comprising a supporting element for supporting the bottle from its collar and a centering element being distance-variable relative to the collar so that a bottle to be treated can be clamped between its collar and its opening and centered axially relative to the treatment element.

This invention relates to a vessel treating machine of the revolving type.
Thin walled and unstable vessels, in particular plastic bottles, have been provided for quite some time with a stable collar in the area below the opening for reliable handling. Due to this, an especially designed carrying element can engage the vessels at the collar and lift them to the treatment element or station of a vessel treating machine. Due to this handling ability, the formerly customary lifting cylinder acting on the bottoms of the vessels can be eliminated.
So far, a plate with a U-shaped recess for the introduction and removal of the vessels from the treatment stations has been used as the carrying or supporting element in the most simple case. An exact centering of the vessel's opening with respect to a treatment element is not ensured, however, with such supporting elements, since, during the period of time from the pushing in of the vessel into the laterally open recess of the supporting element until the lifting and pressing of the vessel's opening against a seal at the filling element, the vessel does not exactly maintain its original position due to centrifugal forces occurring in rotary machines and also due to machine vibrations.
However, it is important that there be an exact centering of the vessel's opening, not only in the case of vessel inspection machines, but also filling valves with sensitive sensors. Especially in the case of inspection machines it is often required that the vessel not be pressed against a sealing surface attached to the treatment element, like e.g. in filling valves, but the vessel must be positioned in an open condition, i.e. not closed air-tightly, at an inspection probe. In special cases, an exact vertical positioning of the vessel opening is of importance during the inspection process. All these requirements cannot be satisfactorily fulfilled by the known devices.
As opposed to this, the invention is based on the object of bringing about an improvement as regards a safe and fast handling with a simultaneously high centering accuracy.

Krones AG Hermann Kronseder Maschinenfabrik


The invention concerns a back-flow check valve having a flat valve seat with a plurality of openings which are covered by a head of a mushroom-shaped closing member manufactured of a soft-elastic material. A fine mesh sieve is arranged between the head of the closing member and the valve seat for covering the openings. The fine mesh sieve prevents the head from being partially pulled into the openings so that knobs would be formed on an interior surface of the head.

This invention relates to a back-flow check valve having a flat valve seat with a central passage and a plurality of openings which are radially spaced from the central passage, and with the back-flow valve also including a mushroom-shaped closing member having a stem which is held in the central passage and a head of soft elastic material which covers the radially-spaced openings.
Such valves are used to cut off under pressure lines, such as, for example, in an under pressure fluid amplifier used in a motor vehicle. The following demands, among others, are placed on such a back-flow check valve:
a switching time must be quite small; PA1 a seal must be assured; and PA1 flow noises must not be created, that is, when a medium being controlled is air whistling noises must not be emitted.
If a tough elastic material is used for a closing member, or only for a closing member's head, the seal suffers because the closing member fails to adequately conform to a valve seat and also whistling noises are created. Whistling noises are best prevented by using a soft elastic material for the closing member and the seal is, at least in the beginning, also good; however, the seal will be diminished, after a short time, because a continuous "under pressure" applied to an interior side of the closing member will partially suck the closing member through the openings, so that, after a longer period of use, small knobs are formed on the interior surface of the head of the closing member. Because of this, sealing problems are created, particularly if the sealing member axially rotates a small amount. Further, the shape of the head will be easily deformed so that an outer edge thereof will no longer lie against the valve seat with a uniform force about its perimeter.
A possible remedy can be had by forming the openings to have smaller diameters. However, particularly for injection-molded valve seats, there are rigid limitations in that a die in the extrusion tool for making the openings, because of stability, cannot be too thin.
It is an object of this invention to provide a back-flow check valve of this general type that provides a good seal, does not create whistling noises, allows at least a head of a closing member to be constructed of a soft elastic material while not allowing it to be deformed at holes in a valve seat by being sucked thereinto, and indeed without the openings being made to have very small diameters.


A system and method for efficient image compression begins by segmenting an input image into a current and previous window using a loading module. An encoding module compares the current and the previous window. If the current window does not match the previous window, the encoding module alters the dimensions of the current and previous windows and repeats the comparison. If a match is found, the encoding module instructs the loading module to continue to segment the image using the altered window dimensions. In this manner, the system's segmenting is in step with the natural cycle of repetition in the input image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the compression of digital data for efficient transmission or storage, and more particularly to the compression of data whose format, such as block size, is not known beforehand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A message may be represented in digital form using any number of well known coding methods. Typically, the objective is to choose the coding technique which expresses the digital data using the least number of bits possible. Representing the data in its most concise form enables a system to process and transmit the data more quickly, and to store the data using the least amount of storage space.
Often a message is input to a digital system in a form which is less than optimal. The system must then convert the input data stream to a more compact form. This processing is known as data compression (or sometimes simply referred to as source encoding).
Several different compression techniques are known in the art. In one common technique, a digital message is broken into a series of blocks, and each block is separately encoded by reference to a previously encoded block. For instance, in the well-known Lempel-Ziv coding technique, a table is employed which stores a list of previously encountered data blocks. A block currently being processed is compared with entries in the table. If the current block matches an entry in the table, the encoding module encodes the current block by making reference to the matching entry in the table--using a pointer, for example. The pointer itself may be transmitted instead of the entire data block. Preferably, the pointer is shorter than the block itself, thus resulting in compression of the data. When the pointer is received at a receiver site, the pointer may be used to reconstruct the data block, such as by making reference to a similarly constituted table at the receiver site.
The above discussed technique is best suited for digital information which exhibits a large amount of repetition. In such a case, component blocks comprising the data message often repeat, which increases the probability that a block currently being processed will match a previously encountered block.
However, prior art techniques such as that described previously fail to live up to their full potential in compressing digital messages. A data message may be segmented by an encoding system into component blocks which are out of step with the inherent repetition interval in the original data message. In this case, a search of the table of previously encountered blocks is less likely to reveal a match, and the data will not be optimally compressed. In such a case, the system has not fully exploited the inherent redundancy in the original data message.
This problem could be readily addressed if the interval at which data repeats in the original data message is known prior to encoding the data. This cycle interval (or step interval) could then be manually programmed into the segmenting algorithm. However, this approach is practical only if the size of the encoded blocks remains fixed. It is burdensome and impractical to reconfigure the algorithm for a new block size every time a new message is processed. Moreover, a single data message may often contain distinct portions, each of which might exhibit a different repeating interval. The above technique is unsuitable for such a mixed data message, as it would require the user to reconfigure the algorithm midway through the processing of the data message.
For instance, a digital image may contain several different halftone portions. As understood in the art, halftone images are created by using a repeating finite two-dimensional halftone pattern. Each halftone image includes a plurality of halftone cells of fixed dimensions. A single page of digital image information might include a first half-tone portion using a first cell dimension, and a second half-tone portion using a second cell dimension. It would not be feasible for the user to manually determine the cell dimension employed in each distinct portion, and configure the segmenting algorithm to appropriately deal with the cell size of each distinct portion.

System and method for compressing data using a dynamically changing compression window


A semiconductor device is provided, which includes a first semiconductor structure, a second semiconductor structure and a light-emitting structure. The light-emitting structure is located between the first semiconductor structure and the second semiconductor structure. The light-emitting structure includes a multiple quantum well structure. The multiple quantum well structure contains aluminum and includes a plurality of semiconductor stacks. Each of the semiconductor stacks is stacked by a well layer and a barrier layer. In each semiconductor stack, the well layer has a thickness larger than a thickness of the barrier layer.

In technical fields, such as information transfer and energy transformation, semiconductor devices play important roles. Various researches and developments of related material used in the semiconductor devices have been conducted. For example, a III-V group semiconductor material containing a III-group element and a V-group element may be applied to various optoelectronic devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs), or solar cells. In recent years, the optoelectronic devices are widely applied in fields including lighting, display, communication, sensing and power supply system. The light emitting diodes may be used as a solid-state lighting source and have many advantages, for example, low energy consumption and long operating lifetime. Therefore, the light emitting diodes have been taken place of traditional light sources and widely applied in traffic signs, backlight modules of displays, various lighting or medical devices.


An automatic sliding door closure device for use with a sliding door on a track. The device comprises a housing attached to the door having a connecting arm attached to the housing. A pulley rotatably mounted within the housing guides a cable having an exterior end attached to the doorframe and an interior end connected to the gear, rotating the gear when the sliding door is slid along the track. A spring engaged with the gear tensions rotation of the gear as the door is moved. An airtight cylinder parallel with the track has a plunger arm connected to the connecting arm that is drawn within the cylinder as the door is moved. A flexible member connected to the plunger arm creates an air cushion within the cylinder. An airflow control valve controls intake and outlet of air into the airtight cylinder controlling the closure speed of the door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to sliding doors. More specifically, the present invention relates to automatic sliding door closure devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many buildings and homes have manually or automatically operated sliding doors. Many of the sliding doors used in commercial settings are designed with elaborate systems to automatically open when approached and close after a period of time. The following are previously issued United States Patents disclosing sliding door closure systems of this type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,732 issued to Hickman discloses an automatic door closer kit for a sliding door assembly. The door closure kit is gravity actuated and comprises a counterbalance having an adjustable weight capacity, an anchor pulley mechanism having a grooved pulley wheel thereon and mounted on the lintel and one of the rails, a traveling pulley mechanism having a grooved pulley wheel thereon and mounted on the upper edge of the second side of a movable door, and a lifting pulley mechanism having a grooved pulley wheel thereon and mounted on an upper portion of the stationary panel adjacent a second frame. A cord, having one end attached to the counterbalance, is entrained over the lifting pulley then about the anchor pulley and about the traveling pulley and the other end is secured to a hook on the anchor pulley mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,188 issued to Hutchison discloses a device for automatically returning a sliding door or window to a predetermined position within a stationary frame.
The sliding doors used in most households are typically designed to be manually opened and closed. Several different types of kits have been devised to retrofit a manually operated door to automatically close these types of doors. The following are previously issued United States Patents disclosing sliding door closure devices of this type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,957 issued to Kitutka discloses an automatic door closing device for use in a sliding type door. The device includes a driving section having a spiral spring disposed in a casket to urge the sliding door toward closing direction and a buffer mechanism having a cylinder and a piston for moderating closing speed of the door. The device is sufficient for its intended use but requires lubricating oil to operate, making the maintenance of the device messy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,007 issued to Archer discloses an automatic sliding door closing device comprised of two elongated arms coupled together at their proximal ends by a coiled spring which spreads the distal ends of the elongated arms apart. This type of device is simpler in design but presents an unattractive appearance when in use.
Accordingly, there is a need for an automatic door closure device that may be easily installed on a preexisting sliding door in household settings that does not require lubrication oil for operation, and is not obtrusive to the aesthetic appearance of the sliding door entry.


A clip is provided for the channeling of water flow in assembled vinyl siding trim accessories, the clip having a first end segment which forms a detachable retention fastener, and a second end segment formed for the channeling of water.

Vinyl siding has become a very popular exterior finishing product primarily due to its relatively low cost and durability when compared to traditional materials such as wood or metal. In addition, vinyl siding can also be provided in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and is more flexible and forgiving, and hence, will not deform plastically under minor impact loads. Vinyl siding is also easy to machine and cut and can be worked with almost any hand tool at the construction site.
While the installation of exterior vinyl siding panels is relatively straightforward, installing vinyl siding around doors and windows requires more labor and expertise. Common finishing techniques for vinyl siding construction around doors, windows and other exterior openings typically involves the placement of trim accessories around the periphery of the door or window. While interior door and window trim is primarily aesthetic, outdoor trim requires consideration of the effects of rain, snow, wind and other natural elements.
The installation of aluminum siding requires special trim pieces or accessories to be formed and placed around these exterior openings. Typically, these trim pieces are specially designed to direct water away from these openings. As a result, during installation, these adjoining trim pieces require special preparation to avoid the infiltration of natural elements.
In the prior art, the interconnection of corner trim accessories for vinyl siding involves the construction of a "rain tab." The "rain tab" directs water flow from a longitudinal trim accessory into a vertical trim accessory that together form a mitered section. However, the preparation and construction of these "rain tabs" requires additional and costly labor by installers to create the "rain-tab" prior to installation.
Thus it would be desirable to provide a convenient and simplified means to interconnect siding accessories while still providing sufficient weather protection for the underlying structure.


This invention relates to a vehicle hood assembly that is operative to raise the rearward and frontward portions of a vehicle hood. The system includes an actuator selectively extendable to raise the rearward portion of a vehicle hood from a first position to a higher second position. A striker of novel design enables the frontward portion of the hood to rise as the rearward portion rises when the striker is engaged with a latch member. The latch member may be disengaged from the striker without extending the actuator, enabling the hood to reach a third position ideal for vehicle service and thus allowing a nonreversible-type actuator to be employed. A method of elevating the vehicle hood with respect to the vehicle body is also provided.

Typically, vehicle hoods are deformable when a downward force is exerted on the hood such as in a vehicle impact situation. However, the deformability of the hood can be influenced by the proximity of the hood to the rigid components in the vehicle's front (or engine) compartment. The hood's ability to absorb energy through deformation can be significantly impeded where the hood and engine compartment are in close proximity. In contrast, clearance between a vehicle hood and its engine compartment can increase the hood's ability to absorb energy when the hood is acted upon with a downward force. Therefore, notwithstanding other design concerns such as aerodynamics, it can be advantageous to increase the clearance between a vehicle hood and vehicle compartment in the frontward and rearward areas of the vehicle hood.
Also, since vehicle hoods cover engine components, they are typically configured to allow reasonable access to the front compartment of the vehicle for servicing of the engine compartments.

Vehicle hood assembly and method of elevating vehicle hood


A system is provided that is configured to receive a manufacturing process plan for a product including a plurality of component parts joined by fasteners, with the manufacturing process plan including process definitions that describe process operations in which component parts are worked to manufacture of the product. The system is configured to generate graphical views for respective process operations of the manufacturing process plan in which fastener locations are worked for installation of respective fasteners to join component parts of the product, and output the graphical views. The graphical view of a process operation may graphically depict one or more component parts and only those of the fastener locations on the one or more component parts worked during the process operation, with any others of the fastener locations on the same or other component parts being hidden from the graphical view.

Complex manufacturing projects such as the design and manufacture of aircraft generally require the successful integration of design engineering, manufacturing engineering and sometimes numerical control (NC) programming. The production of aircraft, for example, typically requires the successful integration of hundreds of thousands of parts and associated processes according to a comprehensive plan to produce an aircraft in accordance with engineering design data, and includes the automated manufacturing of a number of components, assemblies and sub-assemblies according to NC programming techniques.
From design engineering, engineering design data typically includes engineering drawings and parts lists that cooperatively form an engineering product plan that describes how component parts including materials, components, assemblies and sub-assemblies must be combined to form the desired product. For this, design engineering often makes use of computer-aided design (CAD) systems.
Manufacturing engineering may include the subsequent compilation of a manufacturing process plan from the engineering design data to make sure the intent of the design engineering is properly executed, often making use of manufacturing process planning (MPP) systems. Manufacturing engineering produces this manufacturing process plan so that identified parts in the desired product may be properly scheduled for assembly on the factory floor. Suitable scheduling and coordination is particularly important in complex projects that require accurate estimation of factors such as the overall cost of the project, the time required for completion of the project, and the risk of failure. In addition, these complex projects often require accurate estimation of other variables of importance such as the overall efficiency of the project. The manufacturing process plan therefore typically includes factory floor planning, tool planning and scheduling, compilation of work plans for assembly personnel, assembly plans, and other similar activities.
The NC programming for automated manufacture of various parts of the product generally takes input of engineering design data from design engineering, and the manufacturing process plan from manufacturing engineering. The NC programming produces machine control data such as commands for operation of automated machinery to produce the respective components, assemblies and sub-assemblies of the product, often making use of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems.
Although existing process planning and analysis techniques are useful, it is generally desirable to improve upon existing techniques.

Managing the manufacturing lifecycle of fasteners of a product


The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring system that includes a plug device having a plurality of wires configured to be connected to an electrical distribution circuit. An electrical wiring device includes an input receptacle and at least one electrical element. The input receptacle is configured to receive the plug device to thereby establish electrically a continuous path between the at least one electrical element and the plurality of wires when the plug device is inserted into the input receptacle, the electrical wiring device including no external terminal connection elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical circuit installation, and particularly to electrical devices that facilitate installation of electrical circuits in a building or some other structure.
2. Technical Background
Installing electrical circuits in buildings and/or other structures is typically labor intensive, time-consuming, and a process that requires electricians of various skill levels. As a result the installation process is expensive. The first phase of the installation is commonly referred to as the "rough-in" phase. In new construction, either conduit or armored cable is disposed through out the structure in accordance with the building plans. Junction boxes are installed at appropriate locations, and brackets and metal device boxes are installed throughout the structure where electrical service is desired. Junction boxes, of course, are employed to house the connection point, or junction, of several conductors. Metal device boxes are used to accommodate electrical wiring devices. For example, the types of electrical wiring devices may include, but are not limited to, receptacles, switches, dimmers, GFCIs, AFCIs, transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS), protective devices, timer devices, sensors of various types including occupancy sensors, thermostats, lighting fixtures, and/or combinations thereof. After the boxes are placed, the electrical wires are pulled through the conduits and all of the circuits are bonded. At this point, the leads from the electrical wires extend from the boxes and are visible and accessible for the next phase of the installation process.
Before discussing the next phase of the process, it is noted that electrical cables may include two to five conductive wires. For example, in a structure that requires high power, the most common way of distributing that power is by employing the three-phase power system. As those of ordinary skill in the art recognize, five wires are employed. Three phase power includes three "hot" or "live" wires. Each of these wires transmits electrical power that is 120 degrees out of phase with the other two hot wires. The other two wires are the neutral conductor and the ground wire. Three phase power typically comes from the power utility via four wires: the three-phase wires, and the neutral. If the current flowing through each of the phases is equal, no current will flow through the neutral. The neutral wire is typically connected to the building ground at the structure's main distribution panel. The five wire cable is distributed from the central panel. Some of the circuits in the structure are designed to provide power to grounded equipment. These circuits may employ three wires, a line conductor (hot wire), a neutral conductor, and a ground. Some circuits may only employ two wires, the line conductor and the neutral conductor.
Referring back to the installation process, after the "rough-in" phase has been completed, the electrical wiring devices are terminated, i.e., they are electrically connected to the wire leads. This part of the installation process is the most costly and time consuming. A journeyman electrician must perform, or supervise, the connection of each wiring device in the structure. In this process, each electrical wire must be stripped and terminated to the device. What is needed is an efficient, labor-saving, and cost effective means for terminating the electrical wires and coupling them to the individual devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Protective electrical wiring device and system