The present invention provides a semiconductor device, a method of manufacture therefore and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit including the same. The semiconductor device, among other elements, may include a substrate (110), as well as a nickel silicide region (170) located over the substrate (110), the nickel silicide region (170) having an amount of indium located therein.

Traditional metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors often use metal silicide layers to reduce resistance. A self-aligned silicidation process (salicide) is often used to form the region of titanium, cobalt or tungsten silicide on the gate electrode and source/drain regions of the MOS transistor. In this process, a blanket metal film is deposited on the silicon substrate containing the MOS transistor structure. The metal is then reacted with the underlying silicon regions to form a low resistance metal silicide. Any unreacted metal remaining on the substrate is then removed using a metal etch process that is selective to the remaining metal silicide.
In order to reduce the resistances associated with the metal silicide regions, nickel is finding increasing use in forming the metal silicide regions in MOS transistors, particularly for transistors with physical gate lengths of less than 65 nm and/or MOS transistors with ultra-shallow junctions. Nickel, unfortunately, has a very high diffusivity in silicon leading to the formation of nickel silicide regions that extend beneath the transistor sidewall structures. Regrettably, the nickel silicide regions that extend beneath the transistor sidewall structures tend to lead to nickel silicide excessive encroachment defects extending into the channel region of the MOS transistor. In a similar manner, the high diffusivity of nickel causes excessive spike defects into the source/drain regions. As would be expected, the encroachment and spike defects tend to cause serious acceptance, manufacturability, and ultimately device yield problems.
There is therefore a need for a method to form nickel silicide regions in MOS transistors that does not experience the severe defect issues caused by the traditional methods.

Nickel silicide including indium and a method of manufacture therefor


This invention provides efficient methods for producing a covalent linkage having improved chemical stability between an amine-containing biomolecule and a solid support or hydrogel surface containing an aldehyde moiety.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the detection of molecular interactions between biological molecules. Specifically, the invention relates to methods for producing apparatus for detecting molecular interactions between probe molecules immobilized on a microarray and target molecules exposed to the microarray. The methods of the invention can be used to provide microarrays of oligonucleotides for performing nucleic acid hybridization assays to detect molecular interactions between the oligonucleotides on the microarray and nucleic acid target molecules obtained or produced from a biological sample. The invention also provides the apparatus produced using the inventive methods, and methods for performing assays using said apparatus for detecting molecular interactions between probe and target biomolecules.
2. Background of the Invention
Immobilization of DNA, RNA, peptides, and other biomolecules through chemical attachment to a solid support or within a matrix has become an important method of molecular biology and pharmacological research and clinical diagnostics. It is especially important in the manufacturing of microarray or chip-based technologies. Microarrays have numerous applications, including diagnosis of disease, drug discovery, and genetic screening, among others.
Microfabricated arrays (biochips) of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids have utility in a wide variety of applications, including DNA and RNA sequence analysis, diagnostics of genetic diseases, gene polymorphism studies, and analysis of gene expression. In the process of biochip fabrication, large numbers of probe molecules are bound to small, defined regions of a substrate. Biochip substrates can comprise a number of substances, including glass slides, silicon wafers, or polymeric hydrogels. The chemistries that may be employed to immobilize probe molecules to a biochip array are limited to those that will be compatible with a chosen substrate and further are limited to those chemistries that will permit efficient attachment of a large number of different probe molecules to a single supporting substrate surface.
Conventional methods for attaching a biomolecule to a surface involve multiple reaction steps, often requiring chemical modification of the solid support itself, or secondary substrates such as hydrogels attached to a solid support, in order to provide an appropriate chemical functionality capable forming a covalent bond with the biomolecule. The efficiency of the attachment chemistry and strength of the chemical bonds formed are critical to the fabrication and ultimate performance of the microarray.
For arrays comprising polyacrylamide or other hydrogels, the necessary attachment functionality is currently provided by chemical modification of the hydrogel itself: amide, ester, or disulfide bonds are formed between probe molecules and the polymeric constituents of the hydrogel after polymerization and crosslinking of the hydrogel. An unresolved problem with this approach is that the attachment chemistry is not optimally stable over time, especially during subsequent manufacturing steps, and under typical conditions of use, where the microarray is exposed to high temperatures, ionic solutions, and multiple wash steps. As a consequence, the number of probe molecules on the array can be depleted during use, thus reducing the performance and limiting the useful life of the array. In addition, these methods have an inherently low coupling efficiency.
An alternative method is to covalently link an amine-terminated oligonucleotide to an available aldehyde moiety in the hydrogel matrix. In this reaction scheme, the initial product of the amine-aldehyde reaction is a chemically-reversible Schiff base. In order to stablize the bond between the solid support and the oligonucleotide, however, the Schiff base must be reduced. This has conventionally been achieved using a borane-pyridine complex dissolved in chloroform. However, a major disadvantage of this method for producing a stable covalent bond between the amine nitrogen and the aldehyde carbon atom is that the reaction must be performed as a three-phase reaction (the solid support, the aqueous hydrogel, and the organic borohydride). The triphasic nature of this reaction considerably lowers the reaction rate and yield of the reduction.
There is thus a need in the art for novel biochip arrays using different means and methods for attaching and stabilizing probe molecules to substrates. In particular, there remains a need in the art for methods that more straightforwardly and efficiently provide a stable chemical bond between amine-terminal oligonucleotide and hydrogel polymers on biological microarrays.
This invention provides methods for stabilizing amine-derivatized oligonucleotides and nucleic acids to aldehyde-functionalized solid supports. In preferred embodiments, the solid support comprises a microarray as defined herein, and most preferably the microarray further comprises a hydrogel matrix. The invention provides improved methods for forming a stable amine bond between an amine-containing biomolecules, most preferably an amino-terminal oligonucleotide or nucleic acid, and an aldehyde moiety comprising the polymeric component of the hydrogel. In preferred embodiments, the invention provides improved methods involving two phases (solid and liquid) to reduce an unstable Schiff base formed by contacting a solution of the amino-terminal oligonucleotide or nucleic acid with a hydrogel comprising an aldehyde moiety. In preferred embodiments, sodium cyanoborohydride is used to reduce the Schiff base. Microarrays produced using the methods of the invention and methods of use thereof are also provided.
Sodium cyanoborohydride is advantageously used to reduce the unstable Schiff base because this reagent is soluble in aqueous solutions and it is more effective than reductants known in the prior art. The methods provided by the invention are dramatically increased in reaction rate and yield of the stable amine adduct. In addition, sodium cyanoborohydride can be dispensed simultaneously with DNA oligonucleotides because of its aqueous solubility, does not adversely affect oligonucleotide integrity, or interfere with reaction of the terminal amine with the bound aldehyde. These features eliminate the requirement for performing a separate reduction step, which is not only time consuming but also hazardous. Further, these features facilitate automation of microarray manufacturing.
Specific preferred embodiments of the present invention will become evident from the following more detailed description of certain preferred embodiments and the claims.

Schiff base reductant co-dispense process


A stereoscopic picture-taking method comprises the steps of (1) positioning two image-bearing transparencies each having substantially the same positive image at separate right-position and left-position locations relative to one another; (2) projecting light through the right-positioned transparency first to a right-positioned taking lens of a camera and then to a right-positioned imaging area on a filmstrip in the camera, to expose a latent image on the right-positioned imaging area of the positive image on the right-positioned transparency; and (3) projecting light through the left-positioned transparency first to a left-positioned taking lens of the camera located to the left of the right-positioned taking lens and then to a left-positioned imaging area on the filmstrip located to the left of the right-positioned imaging area, to expose a latent image on the left-positioned imaging area of the positive image on the left-positioned transparency. Preferably, the positive image on the right-positioned transparency and the positive image on the left-positioned transparency are of a similar main subject shown in front of a similar background, with the main subject in the two transparencies being in at least slightly different locations relative to the background to appear to be viewed from at least slightly different perspectives when looking at the two transparencies.

A stereoscopic camera is ordinarily designed to take two photographs of the subject in front of it. The photographs are taken from viewpoints separated by substantially the same distance as a pair of normal human eyes. When the subsequent positive prints are looked at through a suitable stereoscopic viewer they combine to give a three-dimensional reproduction of the subject that was photographed.
Stereo cameras using 35 mm. film can take pairs of 24.times.30 mm. pictures which are separated on the filmstrip by one frame, i.e. one imaging area. The filmstrip is advanced one frame and three frames alternately by use of a special film transport.
Normal 35 mm. cameras making conventional full-frame 24.times.36 mm. exposures can also be used for stereo work with the aid of a stereo attachment accessory. This splits up the 24.times.36 mm. imaging area to produce two half-frame 18.times.24 mm. exposures forming a matched stereo pair. One way in which this is done is for the stereo attachment accessory to have a pair of spaced-apart frontal lenses which face the subject to be photographed and a pair of juxtaposed rear lenses located in front of the taking lens of the camera. Light rays reflected from the subject are received through the two frontal lenses, then reflected from a first pair of reflectors towards one another to a second pair of reflectors, and then reflected through the rear lenses to the taking lens and to respective half-frame imaging areas on the filmstrip. See prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,970, issued Jun. 11, 1974.
A stereo camera that has three taking lenses for making three half-frame exposures is disclosed in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,951, issued Mar. 15, 1994. The two endmost lenses are separated from one another by substantially the same distance as a pair of normal human eyes.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,453 issued Feb. 23, 1993 discloses a method and apparatus for pre-exposing the same image of a distinctive mark, figure or the like on one corner-portion of each full-frame imaging area on a filmstrip pre-loaded in a single-use camera. According to the disclosed method, diffuse light is first projected through an image-bearing transparency to the taking lens of the camera and then to a relatively small corner portion of respective imaging areas on the filmstrip. Thus, a latent image of the distinctive mark, figure or the like is exposed on one corner portion of each imaging area of the filmstrip without exposing the remainder of each imaging area. When the camera is subsequently used to take pictures, the exposures are made on the same imaging areas over the latent images that were pre-exposed on the filmstrip.
No suggestion is made in U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,453 to somehow use the disclosed method for stereoscopic picture-taking.

Stereoscopic picture-taking method and system using pre-existing images of a subject


A method and an apparatus for leveling an increasing or decreasing slope of an AM modulated receiving signal attenuate the AM modulated receiving signal with an attenuation curve with a stepwise slope corresponding to the increasing or decreasing slope of said AM modulated receiving signal, filters the attenuated AM modulated receiving signal within AM-demodulation with a lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter of at least second order and increases the level of each delay-unit's output signal of the infinite-impulse-response filter each time a step in the attenuated AM modulated receiving signal arrives at the input of said infinite-impulse-response filter.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for leveling an increasing or decreasing slope of an AM modulated receiving signal.
2. Related Technology
In an amplitude modulated receiver—AM receiver—the level of an amplitude modulated receiving signal is controlled by means of an automatic gain control (AGC) for adapting the receiving signal to the predetermined signal range in the signal path.
The receiving signal is fed through a (pre-)amplifier 1 according to FIG. 1. The level of the (pre-) amplified receiving signal is measured by a subsequent RF level detector 2. The automatic gain control 3 determines the suitable attenuation value for the radio-frequency receiving signal. Adjusted by means of the automatic gain control 3 the radio-frequency-attenuator (RF attenuator) 4 attenuates the receiving signal for ensuring a suitable signal level at the broadband mixer 5 input.
The mixer 5 supplied with a carrier signal from a local oscillator 6 converts the receiving radio frequency signal to intermediate-frequency (IF) range. The intermediate-frequency signal is bandpass filtered for a subsequent narrowband analog-digital-converter 10 by means of an intermediate-frequency filter 7.
The level of the intermediate-frequency receiving signal is measured by a subsequent IF level detector 8. The automatic gain control 3 determines the suitable attenuation value for the intermediate-frequency receiving signal. Receiving the determined attenuation value from the automatic gain control 3 the intermediate-frequency-attenuator (IF attenuator) 9 attenuates the receiving signal for ensuring a suitable signal level at the (narrowband) analog-digital-converter 10 input.
After analog-digital-converting the attenuated digital receiving signal is frequency shifted to the baseband by means of a digital-down-converter 11 sourced with a carrier signal from a numerically controlled oscillator 12. Finally the baseband receiving signal is filtered and demodulated in an AM demodulator 13. In the AM demodulator 13 the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) is determined by lowpass filtering of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) in a lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter 14.
In a subtracting unit 15 the difference between the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) and the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) is calculated, which is scaled with the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) in a subsequent scaler 16 for generating the AM demodulated receiving signal y(n) corresponding to equation (1).
                              y                                (            n            )                          =                                            m                                            (                n                )                                      -                          D                                                                                C                                                  (                                      m                                                              (                      n                      )                                                        )                                                                          D                                                                                C                                            (                                  m                                                        (                    n                    )                                                  )                                                                        (        1        )
For cost and performance reasons the RF and IF attenuator 4 and 8 are usually realized as step attenuators exhibiting only discrete levels of attenuation, for example 1-12 dB in 1 dB steps as in curve 1 of FIG. 2.
A RF receiving signal with an increasing and/or decreasing slope—curve 2 in FIG. 2—is transformed by such an attenuation to an attenuated RF receiving signal with smaller increasing and/or decreasing slope segments connected each other by step segments. Curve 3 in FIG. 2 shows the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) at the output of the digital-down-converter 10.
The subsequent AM demodulator creates the demodulated signal y(n) from the attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n). In principle the AM demodulation is performed corresponding to equation (1) by determining the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n), subtracting the time average DC(m(n)) from the amplitude m(n) and normalizing the difference by dividing through the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n).
The time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) is determined by means of a lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter. The order of the lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter is normally at least two—typically four—and therefore the lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter, if activated by an step in the signal at its input, generates oscillations. The signal at the output of the lowpass infinite-impulse-response filter representing the time average DC(m(n)) of the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n) is characterized by oscillations in case of steps in the amplitude m(n) of the complex attenuated baseband receiving signal x(n), as can be seen in curve 1 of FIG. 3.
These oscillations are transferred to the output signal y(n) of the AM demodulation (curve 2 of FIG. 3). In case of a audio signal as receiving signal the oscillations in the output signal y(n) can be heard as unwanted clicks.
A receiver with an AGC-controller and a predictive offset correction is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,100 B1 referred to as background art.

Method and apparatus for leveling an increasing or decreasing slope of an AM modulated receiving signal


An array of resilient floor tiles is assembled into a continuous sheet after being laid down. An array of included, sacrificial resistive wires is buried along the edges of the tiles and is controllably heated in order to cause welding of the edges of tiles across the paths of the wires to neighboring tiles. Subsequently the wires may be used to give the array integral tensile strength. The welded array is provided with greater strength for resisting use, expansive and contractile forces caused by environmental heat and cold and also long-term tile contraction owing to loss of plasticizer as may be seen with PVC-based tiles.

This invention relates to resilient playground or floor (safety) mats, as embodied in the applicants' products most of which are made up of arrays of square tiles, 0.5 meter along an edge, made of a resilient material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cast in moulds including perforations and surface detailing, so that the tiles have improved grip and resilience properties. Such PVC mats may include plasticisers, fillers, and colouring material and may include conductive material. Mats are intended to lie flat on a substrate and be attached by their edges to neighbouring tiles. Interlocking complementary lugs and pockets are of assistance. It has been found that more extreme environments such as outdoors in North America have been causing unexpected expansion/contraction of playground mats as a result of temperature changes. In addition a loss of dimension over a period of years is known to occur because of the gradual loss of the significant amount of plasticiser incorporated with the plasticiser. (Typically, about 20% by weight of flexible PVC is a plasticiser such as dioctyl phthalate. This substance can diffuse through the mass of the PVC). As a result, the glued joints become infiltrated with plasticiser. The inventors have realised that glued joints can be expected to fail when the plasticiser migrates into the glue itself, over time, and causes weakening of the joint. As a result, tiles lift off the substrate and/or separate from each other. Of course, the invention is in no way limited to use with the applicant's tiles; the above problem has merely stimulated the research that resulted in this invention. Many other articles constructed from plastics are amenable to a welding treatment according to the invention, as will shortly be described.

Apparatus for construction of safety mats


One aspect of the invention includes a computer device. The computer device includes a network interface component configured to download media from an external source through a secure network connection. The computer device also includes a memory configured to store the downloaded content. The computer device further includes a media profiling engine configured to query the memory for the downloaded content based on the connection of the network interface component to the external source through the secure network connection and to generate a media profile log comprising information relevant to the downloaded content.

In digital commerce, consumers can access specific websites on the Internet to purchase goods and/or services via the specific websites. Consumers are often tracked in digital commerce for purposes of advertisement that is directed to the consumer, such as based on a transaction history of the respective consumer with respect to previously visited websites and/or previous purchases from a given online media provider. For example, client cookies and/or reports are often provided to a push server that is coupled to the Internet for directing targeted advertisement to the client based on the client's apparent preferences in response to the transaction history.


An exhaust gas treatment method for an exhaust system that includes a hydrocarbon trap (16) disposed upstream of a downstream catalyst zone comprising a catalyst effective at least for the oxidation of unburned hydrocarbons, in which air is added to the exhaust gas stream in an amount that provides a stoichiometric air/fuel balance in the exhaust gas entering the downstream catalyst zone. The air may be added at any point upstream of the downstream catalyst zone, but optimum results are obtained when air is added between the trap (16) and the downstream catalyst zone. The addition of air can be controlled by the output of a sensor (26) that measures the air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas, disposed downstream of the trap (16), or by the output of a thermocouple (18) disposed upstream of the trap.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the reduction of noxious automotive emissions, and more particularly to the addition of air to the exhaust gas stream of an automotive engine to combust unburned and partially burned hydrocarbons.
In order to meet Governmental emissions standards for internal combustion engine exhaust, motor vehicle manufacturers emplace catalytic converters in the exhaust gas lines of their vehicles. A common form of converter comprises a catalyst member which comprises a honeycomb monolith having gas flow passages extending therethrough. The monolith carries a coating of catalytically active material which is effective to convert noxious components of the exhaust gas, which may include unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and NO.sub.X to innocuous substances. A common type of catalytic material comprises catalytically effective amounts of platinum group metals dispersed on a refractory inorganic oxide support material such as alumina, ceria and zirconia. Three-way catalysts are known for their ability to substantially simultaneously oxidize unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O while reducing NO.sub.X.
Three-way catalysts, like more conventional oxidation catalysts, are generally not effective until they have been heated to a threshold temperature often identified as the "light-off" temperature. Ordinarily, during the operation of an automotive engine, the exhaust gases heat the catalytic converter to the light-off temperature within a few minutes of operation. However, during those initial minutes of operation known as the "cold-start" period, the engine and the exhaust system apparatus are cold, so the exhaust gases are relatively cold and quickly transfer the little heat they contain to heat the catalytic converter and other components of the exhaust system. During the cold-start period, the exhaust gases are rich in unburned hydrocarbons, which pass through the cold catalytic converter unaffected. Recently, efforts have been made to reduce cold-start emissions, including incorporating an adsorbent hydrocarbon trap in the exhaust gas line. Such traps allow the exhaust gases to flow in contact with an adsorbent material, e.g., a molecular sieve, which adsorbs and thus retains the hydrocarbons during the cold-start period. When the adsorbent is heated, however, it releases the previously trapped hydrocarbons. By that time, however, the engine will be heated to its steady operation temperature and the catalytic converter will be at or near its light-off temperature, so that at least some of the desorbed hydrocarbons, which otherwise would have passed through the catalytic converter untreated, will be oxidized to less noxious species. However, since engines are generally run on a stoichiometric air/fuel combustion mixture, the desorption of hydrocarbons into the exhaust gases causes the exhaust gases to become fuel-rich, and thus prevents optimum catalyst performance.
2. Related Art
The prior art teaches that three-way catalysts are best used for treating CO, unburned hydrocarbons and NO.sub.X by maintaining the air/fuel ratio of the engine combustion mixture at a stoichiometric balance, i.e., a balance in which there is sufficient oxygen to fully combust the hydrocarbons without leaving unreacted oxygen. This allows for the complete combustion of the carbonaceous components of the fuel to proceed substantially simultaneously with the reduction of NO.sub.X. Accordingly, automobiles are equipped with engine control modules that control fuel injectors to attain the desired air/fuel balance. However, variations from stoichiometric air/fuel operation frequently occur, e.g., during acceleration and deceleration. It is generally accepted that when the combustion mixture is lean, there will be excess oxygen in the exhaust gas, and the activity of the three-way catalyst will favor oxidation of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,287 to Keith at column 11, lines 29-47, where the conventional air/fuel ratio index variable A is used to relate a given air/fuel mixture to a stoichiometric air/fuel mixture, which has an air/fuel weight ratio of 14.65 for a fuel with H/C ratio of 1.90. For a lean air/fuel mixture, .lambda.>1; for a stoichiometric mixture, .lambda.=1; for a fuel-rich mixture, .lambda.<1.
In SAE Paper 930739, Hochmuth et al disclose in FIG. 8 a number of exhaust configurations in which a hydrocarbon trap is disposed between catalyst zones defined by discrete catalytic converters or passes of a heat exchange cross-flow monolith having three-way catalyst material in both passes. The Paper teaches the addition of air into the exhaust gas stream to burn desorbed hydrocarbons, and teaches the injection of air at a point downstream from the hydrocarbon trap to assist in the combustion of desorbed hydrocarbons in a catalyst zone further downstream from the trap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,418 to Wood, dated Dec, 30, 1975, discloses a crossflow catalyst monolith mounted in a canister, in which the monolith defines a first catalyst zone for the reduction of nitrogen oxides and a second catalyst zone for the oxidation of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, and teaches the injection of air into the exhaust gas stream at a point between the catalyst zones, to assist in oxidation in the second catalyst zone. Similar arrangements are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,535 (see column 3, lines 24 through 42) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,419 (see column 3, lines 51 through 63).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,244 to Dunne et al, dated Sep. 24, 1991, shows a valve-operated exhaust system in which, during the cold-start period of engine operation, exhaust gases are flowed through an adsorbent and then through a three-way catalyst. When the catalyst reaches its light-off temperature, the valves are used to bypass the adsorbent zone. A minor part of the hot exhaust gases is used to desorb hydrocarbons from the adsorbent and to flow them to the catalyst. There is no suggestion regarding the addition of air into the exhaust gas stream other than that which is required to combust the fuel.
Some automobiles employ a "fuel cut" mode of engine operation during deceleration, in which the fuel injectors are completely closed, forcing a large excess of air through the exhaust system which can combust adsorbed hydrocarbons.

Air injection strategies for effectively burning hydrocarbons released from a hydrocarbon trap


A top and bottom emission organic EL display and fabricating method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a pixel area having a first area and a second area, a first organic EL device provided to the first area of the pixel area to emit light in one direction, a second organic EL device provided to the second area of the pixel area to emit light in a direction opposite to that of the first organic EL device, and a transistor electrically connected to the first and second organic EL devices to drive the first and second organic EL devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic EL display and fabricating method thereof. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for two-side emissions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a pixel area of an organic EL display consists of a switching thin film transistor for switching a pixel, a drive thin film transistor for driving the pixel, a storage capacitor, an anode (pixel electrode), an organic emitting layer, and a cathode (common electrode).
FIG. 1 is a diagram of circuit for an organic EL display according to a related art, FIG. 2 is a layout of an organic EL display according to a related art, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram taken along a cutting line I-I in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a semiconductor layer 2 is formed on a glass substrate 1 with polysilicon and the like. The semiconductor layer 2 is then patterned to leave an area for forming a thin film transistor therein.
A gate insulating layer 3 and a gate electrode conductive layer are sequentially formed over the substrate 1. The gate electrode conductive layer is then patterned to form a gate electrode 4.
Source and drain regions 2a and 2c of a thin film transistor are formed by implanting dopants in the semiconductor layer 2 with B, P or the like using the gate electrode 4 as an implantation mask and performing thermal treatment on the dopant-implanted semiconductor layer 2.
In this case, an undoped portion of the semiconductor layer 2 becomes a channel region 2b.
Subsequently, an insulating interlayer 5 is formed over the substrate 1. The insulating interlayer 5 and the gate insulating layer 3 are then selectively removed to expose the source and drain regions 2a and 2c of the thin film transistor.
An electrode line 6 is formed to be electrically connected to each of the exposed source and drain regions 2a and 2b.
A planarizing insulating layer 7 is formed over the substrate. The planarizing insulating layer 7 is then selectively removed to expose the electrode line 6 connected to the drain region 2c.
An anode (pixel electrode) 8 is formed to be electrically connected to the exposed electrode line 6.
Subsequently, an insulating layer 9 is formed between neighboring anodes 8.
And, a hole injection layer 10, a hole transport layer 11, an organic emitting layer, an electron transport layer 13 and an electron injection layer 14 are sequentially formed over the substrate.
After a cathode (common electrode) 15 of aluminum or the like has been formed over the substrate, a passivation layer 16 is formed on the cathode 15 to cut off oxygen or moisture.
However, in the above-fabricated related art organic EL display, the drive circuit occupies most parts of the pixel area to reduce a portion, through which the light can pass, i.e., to lower an aperture ratio.
Moreover, in case of employing a compensation circuit, the area occupied by the drive circuit in each pixel area is increased more to lower the aperture ratio considerably.

Organic EL display and fabricating method thereof


The present invention relates to the estimation of the amount of subtypes of specific cells, for example the number of certain subtypes of leukocytes, by measurements of unique proteins in extracts of blood and other biological material. The knowledge of the number or amount of specific subtypes of white cells is important in the clinical diagnosis and surveillance of subjects with inflammatory disease including infectious disease, cancer, allergy/asthma etc.

The estimation of the number of various leukocytes in blood and other body fluids is one of the most widely used tools in medicine. The traditional way of obtaining this information is the counting and differentiating of the cells under the light microscope. This technique is complemented by the automated counting in cell counters based on the principle of counting the number of particles in the fluid and the measurement of various physical parameters such as size, forward and side scatter, but also my histochemical staining of cells. An extension of these techniques is the flow cytometer principle in which antibodies are used to identify individual cells based on their cell surface antigens or by means of their content of intracellular antigens after permeabilisation of the cells.
In WO 00/58726 there is described a method for quantitating leukocyte count in whole blood. However, this method does not quantitate different specific subtypes of leukocytes in respect of number or ratio.

Method for estimation of the amount of specific cell types


A physically unclonable function (PUF) device and a method for maximizing existing process variation for a physically unclonable device are provided. The method of maximizing process variation of the PUF device includes: modeling a physically unclonable function (PUF) device, comprising a plurality of PUF cells, selecting the size of transistors in the PUF device to be smaller than a predetermined size defined according to a design rule check (DRC) and generate maximum variations among the plurality of PUF cells, varying the material of the PUF device, and driving the PUF device with a predetermined voltage. The physically unclonable device includes: a plurality of PUF cells, configured to generate an output. Each of the plurality of PUF cells includes a harvester circuit, configured to generate a bit line and a complementary bit line. The harvester circuit is selected to be smaller than a predetermined size defined according to a design rule check (DRC) and generate maximum variations among the plurality of PUF cells; and a sense amplifier having a plurality of transistors configured to receive a first input signal and a second input signal from the harvester circuit.

Typically, in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, even if there are two identical integrated circuits on the same die, each integrated circuit would still be unique because of physical randomness even though the two integrated circuits are manufactured using the same manufacturing process and the same material. This inherent variation may be extracted and used as unique identifications and can be thought of as being similar to DNAs of human beings. The physically unclonable function (PUF) has been proposed and became popular to provide security and uniqueness to integrated circuits. A PUF is based on a cryptography which is easy to evaluate and would produce an output, but such output could be hard to predict. Each PUF circuit may provide a unique identity and a unclonable function based on static variations in the components that are used to manufacture the device, and such variations are rarely the same for two electrical components such that the variations would be used to provide a unique identity to each PUF circuit.
In a delay based PUF device, the identity of the device could be generated based on the delay chains of logic which is less secure, and it could be difficult to distinguish among devices by using the variations of the delay chains. A Static Random-access memory (SRAM) PUFs may generate such variations during a startup stage, but to do so may cause time delays during power on or power off. Also, using additional circuits may increase power consumption, may require extra bits, and may require a filtering mechanics to identify the bits that could be masked.
In addition, because PUF devices are inherent as technologies continue to develop even though foundries have kept attempting to control the variations of the core devices, it could be desirable to actually develop a PUF device that has a maximum static variation for certain applications in this technical field.

Physical unclonable device and method of maximizing existing process variation for a physically unclonable device

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A camping-type container for a liquified gas fuel. The inventive container comprises: a container body formed of a transparent material such that a user can see the liquid level of the liquified gas fuel in the container; a top end structure provided on the top end of the container body; and a discharge valve provided in the top end structure, the discharge valve being a valve of the type attachable to a camping-type appliance.

The present invention relates to containers for liquified gas fuels. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to camp-type containers for liquified gas fuels.
Portable gas stoves, lanterns, and other appliances used for camping, backpacking, etc. are typically fueled by butane, isobutane, propane, white gas, or other gas fuels stored in liquified form. Such fuels are commonly provided in metal, aerosol-type containers which can, in many cases, be attached directly to the camping appliance.
The metal camp-type containers used heretofore for storing liquified gas fuels provide good strength and durability for most camp-type uses. However, these metal containers are disadvantageous in that the user cannot see or otherwise quickly and conveniently determine how much fuel remains in the container. Although the user can, to some degree, roughly estimate the amount of fuel contained in the container by lifting and/or shaking the container, this method of estimation is not very accurate. Moreover, the lifting and shaking technique cannot be employed with any degree of reliability unless the container is first disconnected from the appliance.
Thus, a need presently exists for a camp-type canister for liquified gas fuels which (a) allows the user to quickly, easily, and accurately determine the amount of fuel remaining in the container and (b) provides substantially at least the same degree of strength and durability as the metal containers used heretofore.
The present invention provides a camping-type container which addresses the needs and alleviates the problems mentioned above. The inventive container comprises: a container body formed of a transparent material such that a user can see the liquid level of a liquified gas fuel stored in the container; a top end structure provided on the top end of the container body; and a discharge valve provided in the top end structure. The discharge valve is a valve of the type attachable to a camping-type appliance.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent upon examining the accompanying drawings and upon reading the following description of the preferred embodiments.


The present invention relates, inter alia, to compositions and methods, including heterodimeric proteins that find use in the treatment of disease, such as immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmunity.

Protein-protein interactions are critical for the normal physiological functions of cells and multicellular organisms. For example, cytokines act as ligands which bind to their cognate receptors so as to regulate essential biological processes such as inflammation and immunity. In this regard, many natural cytokines, cytokine receptors, integrins, and other proteins exist or function as multimeric protein complexes. Some multimers, such as those within the tumor necrosis factor superfamily function as homotrimers, other ligands including the IL-12 family of cytokines (e.g., IL12, IL23, IL27, or IL-35) form heterodimers. Similarly, cytokine receptors may also function as heterodimeric complexes. For example, many interleukin receptors form heterodimers for signal transduction.
The modulation of protein-protein interactions is a useful mechanism for therapeutic intervention in various diseases and pathologies. Soluble binding proteins which interact with ligands can potentially sequester the ligand away from the receptor, thereby reducing the activation of that particular receptor pathway. Alternatively, sequestration of the ligand may delay its elimination or degradation, thereby increasing its duration of effect and biological activity. Additionally, soluble ligands may be utilized to either activate or inhibit specific receptors. Nevertheless, the synthesis and manufacturing of soluble proteins may be hampered where it is desirable to produce heterodimeric proteins. Particularly, the efficiency of synthesis may be greatly compromised by the formation of mixtures of homodimers and heterodimers.
Accordingly, there remains a need for novel methods for the efficient synthesis and manufacturing of heterodimeric proteins for therapeutic use.


The invention relates to an intraoral device for automated preparation of the teeth with a view to performing partial or peripheral dental restoration, which includes: a splint (1) suitable for being positioned in the mouth of a patient, said splint including a means (13) for maintaining the position thereof inside said mouth; at least one mobile cutting tool (2) combined with said splint; and an electronic management unit which makes it possible to control said cutting tool, characterized in that: said cutting tool (2) is configured so as to cut at least the labial surface of the tooth (D1) to be prepared, said tool being mounted on a mobile carriage (23) moving along a rail (24) attached to the splint (1), opposite the labial surface of the tooth (D1) to be prepared, said rail having a curvature that matches the dentition (D) of the patient; said splint (1) includes at least one 3D digitization tool (4) arranged such as to digitize at least the labial surface of said tooth to be prepared, said digitization tool being connected to the management unit (6) so that the digitized data can be transferred to said management unit; and said management unit is configured so as to control the movement of said cutting tool (2) in accordance with the digitized data.

A ceramic facet permits covering the labial surface of a tooth that is stained, discolored, deformed or slightly deteriorated by use. Facets are mostly placed on central incisors up to the first premolars. To prepare a tooth for placing a facet, the dentist must remove a fine layer of enamel on the labial surface of the tooth. A print of the tooth thus prepared is thus made, then transmitted to a laboratory to make the facets.
The inventor has developed a technique that permits minimizing the removed enamel layer ("GUREL G. Predictable, precise and repeatable tooth preparation for porcelain laminate veneers. Pract Proced Aesthet Dent. 2003; 15(1): 17-24". "GUREL G. Ceramic facets: from theory to practice. Quitessence Publishing 2006".) In the first place, the practitioner prepared an esthetic design that corresponds to the final shape of the tooth and its arrangement on the arch. The esthetic design is produced from a wax-up. It permits its validation by the practitioner and the patient, from the esthetic and functional plan before it is performed. It will also be used as a guide during preparation. The practitioner must then prepare the tooth while preserving a maximum of enamel (in other words, by avoiding unnecessary removal of tissue) and by providing the dental technician with a constant thickness to build the ceramic facet. In practice, the thickness of the ceramic facet must be at least 0.5 mm on the labial surface and at least 1.5 mm on the incisal edge. The difficulty consists of prepare the tooth as a minimum to obtain these thicknesses. To do so, a replica of the esthetic project is applied in the mouth. The practitioner mills roots of about 0.5 mm deep throughout the esthetic design on the surface of the teeth. After having removed the esthetic design, it suffices then to smoothen the dental surface to be prepared without removing more dental tissue than what is necessary. An imprint is made again by using the silicone key which initially was used to produce the esthetic design. It is from this new imprint that the dental technician prepares the ceramic fact on measure. To obtain an optimal result, this technique, namely removal of the dental tissue and of making the imprint that follows, can only take place by experienced practitioners.

Intraoral device for automated preparation of the teeth with a view to performing partial or peripheral restorations


A paint can holder for holding a paint can having an upper groove and lower lip comprises a bracket defining upper and lower ends, with the lower end defining a groove configured to accept the lower lip of the can therein. A clip and a lock operably are attached to the bracket proximal to the upper end. The lock is operably engageable with the upper groove of the can to removably secure the holder and can to one another. The clip is operably engageable with a belt or article of clothing. The holder preferably further includes a magnet located on the lock for magnetic engagement with a ferrous bristle binding of a paint brush to suspend the brush within about an interior of the can. In another embodiment, the paint can holder is adjustable to accommodate the holding of various sizes of the paint.

Trimming out walls and ceilings during painting processes generally requires that the painter carry the paint can around as the paint is applied. However, supporting and handling the paint can during such trimming is awkward. For example, when painting in confined spaces, such as corners, ceiling/wall junctions or close to trim ("cutting in" as it is known in the trade), it may be necessary to utilize a ladder or scaffolding to provide a platform from which the painter may work. However, when utilizing ladders or scaffolds, it may not be possible to have a convenient, stable surface to support the paint can.
Also, when utilizing a ladder while painting with a paintbrush in one hand and the paint can in the other, the painter does not have a free hand to grasp the ladder (or some other structure) to remain steady against any loss of balance. Furthermore, the painter must constantly maintain the paint can in a vertical position to prevent any paint spillage. Maintaining the paint can in a vertical position is especially difficult when ascending or descending a ladder or when painting overhead. Furthermore, paint spillage often occurs when the painter must use both hands to maintain his balance or to prevent himself from falling.
With regard to carrying or holding a paint can, one-gallon-sized paint cans are generally equipped with a semicircular metal wire handle or bail. However, manually holding the paint can for an extended period of time is problematic due to the bail causing localized stress or pain on the user's fingers. Also, holding the paint can's bail while simultaneously dipping the paint brush is cumbersome due to interference occurring between the brush and the hand holding the handle/bail over the top of the can.
Unlike gallon-sized cans, which generally include the aforementioned handles or bails, quart-sized and pint-sized cans generally do not have either. When working with such paint cans, it is difficult for most individuals to grip the can for long periods without risking spillage. This is because the hand often gets fatigued when holding the wide grip necessary to clutch the can. Paint cans also become slippery when the outside of the cans get wet from paint spilled or dripped thereon during use, thus making them difficult or unpleasant to hold.
Because painting tasks are rarely competed without interruption, a placement of the paint-laden brush during any such interruption often presents itself as a concern. Less experienced painters often make the mistake of placing the brush atop the rim of the paint can after unloading as much paint from the bristles as possible. This nonetheless often results in paint drips on the outside of the container, the floor, or other surface, resulting in the need to clean such surfaces.
It is therefore desirable to have a device that will free the painter from holding the paint can when working in precarious positions while still nonetheless providing ready access to the paint. Because paint is packaged in variously sized containers, the device should be adaptable for holding various-sized paint cans. The device should maintain the paint can in an upright position when carrying the can and removably lock the device and can to one another during use. The device should also provide a practical means and location for storing the paint brush in relation to the can. The present invention thus provides these and other advantages.


A two-piece cartridge-type seal for wheel bearings and the like. The seal element contains a radial flange having a seal attached thereto and a mounting flange portion. The wear sleeve portion includes a cylindrical flange receivable over a rotary part, and a radial flange having an extension with an inner surface which engages a part of the seal during installation only. In use, the radial flange of the wear sleeve is engaged by a tool, and this radial flange deflects slightly to push the seal element into a desired position of installation, whereupon, when the tool is removed, the radial flange springs back and creates a slight working clearance between these parts.

The present invention relates generally to exclusion seals and more particularly to various forms of so-called cassette seals often used in automotive and other applications. In particular, the invention relates to a simple and reliable way to position a seal outer case and wear sleeve relative to each other, insuring that there is proper axial space for the axial elastomeric lip in case one element is accessible to the mounting tool, and to provide a labyrinth with extremely small clearance and minimum variation in such clearance due to tolerance stack-up.
By cassette seals as used herein is meant a seal containing two separately manufactured elements installed and used as a unit in a given application; cassette seals include a composite seal element and a wear sleeve element. With this type of seal, the composite seal element includes a mounting flange and a seal body attachment flange with an elastomeric seal body bonded thereto and including surfaces adapted to engage a mating part along a generally circular locus to form a seal band. In most ordinary seals, the part mating with the seal comprises a shaft or other machine part. In the cassette seal, the cooperating sealing surface is instead formed on a second element, usually termed a wear sleeve. This element normally includes a cylindrical surface cooperating with a seal band-forming portion of the radially acting seal body, and one or more radial flanges that, among other things, serve an excluder, labyrinth or similar protective function.
Some of the advantages of a two-element seal are well known. For example, a seal assembly wherein both elements are made by the same manufacturer can be pre-sized and pre-fit so that there will be no question about proper functioning upon installation. From an administrative or quality assurance standpoint, both elements are made by the same entity and accordingly, elimination of possible defects and accountability for possible imperfections is rendered relatively simple and straightforward. With most two-element seals of the type with which the invention is concerned, therefore, sealing conditions can be carefully controlled so that the composite seal and the wear sleeve elements cooperate fully and operate as designed, free from malfunctions that might otherwise be caused by misapplication or mis-installation of the product or the like.
However, seals of type in question, although advantageous in respect to the problem of accurate, reliable and generally foolproof sealing, have a few possible drawbacks. One of these relates to the manner in which the seal is actually installed in practice, bearing in mind that this is done on a mass production basis. In this connection, it will be appreciated that although the cost of an oil seal is very small in relation to the value of the mechanism being protected, its potential for damage or dissatisfaction is large.
If a seal fails, there is not only the expense of seal replacement, but also the cost of labor. Considering that many seals are normally extremely inaccessible in use, replacement labor is a significant expense. If the seal failure has occasioned damage to the sealed part, then there will be a still further expense. Therefore, virtually completely foolproof installation of a seal is necessary to insure that it will perform according to expectations. Thus, one or more properly designed and installed low cost seals may insure extended service life for expensive elements such as wheel hub assemblies or even engines, transmissions or the like.
In this connection, installation of two-element seals has created a problem in many applications. In order to achieve proper installation, the two elements need to be spaced axially apart to a relatively exact degree. One way in which this may be achieved is to separately insert one element and subsequently insert the other one, measuring the distance between the two by a separate operation. In some instances, a specialty tool is provided with seal-engaging surfaces that are offset by a distance equal to the desired clearance which is intended to remain when installation is complete. However, this approach has some drawbacks, particularly where the flange that is to be engaged by one portion of the tool is obscured by another portion of the seal or by the portions of the housing in which the seal is to be positioned.
In some instances, the seals are constructed in a "unitized" assembly wherein the two elements are pre-assembled and subsequently inserted as a unit into the application. However, the process of installation normally involves transferring force from one part of one element to the other in a manner which leaves parts in contact that are subsequently required to be abraded. This can create a problem during the initial wearing or "bedding in" process undergone by the seal, and in some cases, thereafter.
Moreover, forming the seal in an assembly at the factory requires additional elements, such as snubbers, chaplets or the like to be present and in some cases, various auxiliary flanges or curls are required to be imparted to the elements to insure the proper relative positioning of the seals. Manufacturing seals of this sort therefore involves a greater cost than should be necessary to achieve desirable results.
According the to the present invention, it has been found that a pair of cooperating seal elements can be designed and manufactured in such a way that, upon installation, one part may be made to bear upon the other for the purpose of transmitting an installing force suitable to position both elements of the seal properly and, upon release of that installing force, a flange of one of the elements will, through its own innate resiliency, spring back to an unstressed or fully installed position wherein there is a slight but definite clearance between such part and its companion element.
This does away with the need for abradable snubbers or the like and also insures that the seal will be properly vented upon initial installation. As will be apparent, if there is metal-tc-metal contact between parts that rotate relative to each other, the seal would be initially damaged. Where abradable materials are provided for this purpose, scrap in the form of fine dust or like particles are created and, as pointed out above, the ability to have fresh air circulate in the region of the primary seal lip can be impeded during this process. However, the parts should lie close enough to each other to provide a labyrinth effect.
The prior art having offered products which are capable of improvement in regard to cost and reliability of installation, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved, dual-element excluder seal.
Another object of the invention is to provide a two-element seal, one of which comprises a composite seal element and the other a so-called wear sleeve or companion flange of special design and construction.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a two-element seal wherein portions of the two elements cooperate with each other during installation to insure a completely reliable installation process.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an excluder seal assembly wherein a portion of a first element transiently engages a portion of a second seal element during installation to transfer axially applied forces thereto, and wherein such portion of the first element springs back upon completion of the installation so as to provide a working clearance between the two elements.
A further object of the invention is to provide a two-element seal assembly which, by reason of design and manufacture, eliminates the need for so-called for pre-unitized construction.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a seal of the cooperating parts or so-called cassette type which is able to be manufactured and installed reliably at low cost and which will deliver consistently outstanding performance in use.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a seal in which, in one form, a radial flange on the wear sleeve engages an axial flange on the composite seal element during installation, and wherein, in another form, the wear sleeve radial flange engages a radial flange extending from an axial or mounting flange surface of the composite seal element during installation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a seal assembly wherein the wear sleeve may undergo rotary motion and have a portion that will serve an auxiliary function such as providing apertures or "teeth" for cooperation with the sending or pickup elements of an anti-lock braking system, electronic speedometer or the like.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a form of two-element seal wherein the individual elements may be varied somewhat in construction and arrangement and still achieve the desired advantages during installation, namely, the use of one portion of one element to bear against a portion of the other element during installation and to spring back to an unloaded or unstressed position during use, thus providing a labyrinth with a definite space between elements.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice by providing an excluder seal having a composite seal element and a wear sleeve element adapted to cooperate with each other, with the seal element including a seal body having portions adapted to engage the wear sleeve element to form a dynamic seal band therewith and a wear sleeve element having a wearing surface in opposed contacting relation to the seal band forming surface on the composite seal element, and further including at least one resilient flange having one surface able to be engaged by an installation tool and another surface adapted to engage a part of the composite seal element on the surface of the flange opposite the surface engaged by the installing tool.
The manner in which the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate the corresponding parts throughout.

Cassette type seal with radial and axial lip


A process for forming a shallow trench having steep sidewalls near its bottom and sloping sidewalls at the top is described. The process is in 3 stages. The first stage involves methane trifluoride, carbon tetrafluoride, argon, and oxygen. The second stage involves methane trifluoride and methane monofluoride, while the third stage involves hydrogen bromide, chlorine, and helium/oxygen. If the ratio of the various components at each stage is carefully controlled along with other variables such as discharge power, pressure, and duration, the trench profile described above is obtained with a minimum of deposited polymer material on the sidewalls.

Shallow trench isolation is widely used in integrated circuit technology as a means for electrically isolating different parts of the circuit from each other. As the name suggests, a relatively shallow trench is etched into the silicon surface and is then filled with a suitable dielectric material, most commonly silicon oxide.
In the interests of achieving maximum circuit density, the walls of these trenches are made relatively steep, sloping in from the vertical by no more than about 80 degrees. It has, however, been observed that if the walls of the filled trench intersect the surface at near 90.degree., a great deal of stress builds up at the silicon to oxide interface, leading to undesirable consequences such as cracking and poor gate oxide integrity.
Because of this stress problem, there has been a great deal of interest in providing trenches with a profile such that the walls are close to vertical at the trench bottom but, near the top, gradually flair out and approach the surface less steeply.
Takahashi et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,086 April 1990) accomplish top rounding by lining their trench walls with a layer of polysilicon that is oxidized just before the trench is filled in. Price et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,288 January 1987) produce a trench with a lower portion having steep walls and an upper portion having sloping walls by first performing an isotropic silicon etch and then following that with an anisotropic silicon etch.
Horioka et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,332 November 1993) achieve rounding of trench corners by using a mixture of fluorine gas combined with at least an equal amount of oxygen. Cox et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,448 January 1988) are concerned with producing deep trenches in silicon and have developed an etch chemistry based on oxygen, hydrogen chloride, and boron trichloride.

Achievement of top rounding in shallow trench etch

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.


A sheet-refeeding system for vacuum-refeeding sheets in printing and die cutting machines includes a supporting structure and a plurality of boxes containing fans, located on the supporting structure above a sheet-conveying line. The system further has sheet-dragging knurled rollers positioned in slits formed in a conveying plate which in turn has rows of small holes to let air pass therethrough. The system has a central conveying line and at least two side lines. Each line has a plurality of idle guide rollers. Longitudinal sheet-guiding plates are installed between the sides of the idle rollers. Toothed belts are positioned between the lines of idle guide rollers. The belts have on their external surfaces small sheet-dragging blocks, which are installed with such pitch and such speed as to adjust a phase of the sheets moving on the belts to the location of a die cutting cylinder installed downstream of the sheet-refeeding system without interference with the rear sides of the sheets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a system for vacuum-refeeding sheets, in particular corrugated board sheets, to be used, for example, in printing and die cutting machines in order to prepare packaging boxes.
2. Description of Rrior Art
Systems of this type are known, in which there is a sheet-transporting device, that connects the printing station to the die cutting station in a rotary printing machine. This sheet-transporting device allows conveying sheets by vacuum, in particular corrugated board sheets or similar sheets, by applying an upward-directed suction force generated by a fan placed inside an upper hood of the system. A horizontal sheet displacement is therefore obtained, where the sheets are grasped by two rubber rollers and then pass, pushed by two belts with small blocks, on idle rollers in contact with the upper face thereof without having to make these sheets pass on cylindric rollers that will make the lower face of the sheets dirty, as soon as a sheet has been printed on by the upstream printing station.
The above-described device has the problem that it has been necessary to have sheets available whose width is greater than the distance between the two belts, so that the belts could push the sheets through the small blocks. Therefore the belts must have been transversally adjusted at every work-change, with obvious operating problems. Furthermore, the belts reduce the available space under the sheets, occupied in this case by a small-sized drying machine, that thereby guarantees a less effective drying operation.

System for vacuum-refeeding sheets, in particular corrugated board sheets, to be used in printing and die cutting machines


An electroplating wand has a tubular housing with a battery compartment at a first end and an elongated anode protruding from a second end of the housing. The anode is covered with a cloth material that absorbs plating solution when immersed within a container of plating solution. A DC battery is received within the battery chamber and provides the sole power source for the wand. A cap for a container of plating solution is clamped on the anode with the end of the anode protruding past the cap so that it can be immersed within a container of plating solution while the container is fastened to the cap over the end of the anode. A ground wire protrudes from the battery chamber and has a clip allowing it to be fastened to the material that is to be plated.

The present invention relates to a portable electroplating wand. More specifically, it refers to a hand-held, battery operated electroplating wand that has an anode located within a container for protection during non-use and for obtaining a source of plating solution during use.
It is known to use a wand including an anode to electroplate metallic materials. In such devices known to Applicant, an electrical conductor is used to connect the electrical circuitry of the wand to a source of electrical power. This source of electrical power can be a separate storage battery such as, for example, a car battery or a source of AC power provided via a transformer. Applicant is unaware of any plating device that is completely portable and self-contained, requiring no outside connection to a power source or separate plating solution bath.
The prior art known to Applicant describes electroplating devices such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,605 where the portable device cannot be hand held, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,525,681; 3,746,627; 3,755,089; 4,176,036; 4,431,501 and 5,401,369 where an outside source of power is required for a portable electroplating device.
A portable hand-held electroplating device is needed with a self-contained power source and plating solution so that one can easily and inexpensively plate areas where previous plating has rubbed off or chipped off. This is particularly a problem for gold touch-up plating where the soft nature of gold and rubbing causes wear over metal-coated gold surfaces. A portable hand-held electroplating device that can be easily stored for later use would serve the purpose of touch-up plating.
The present invention solves this problem and differs from the teachings of the prior art references as contemplating an electroplating wand that is completely self-powered and hand-held, requiring no outside connection to a power source and, further, as including a cap from a plating solution container clamped to the anode.

Portable self-powered hand-held electroplating wand


Based on whether a requisite braking torque is less than a drive torque of the driving wheel, braking force is generated for only driving wheels, or braking force is generated for driven wheels, in addition to that for the driving wheels. Thus, it is possible to maintain the creep speed to the target speed and achieve a suitable front and rear braking force distribution on downward slope roads where a gravity impellent is acting on the vehicle, as well as on flat roads and upward slope roads. The ability to achieve such a suitable front and rear braking force distribution ensures that the driven wheels will not easily lock up on a low μ road surface or the like.

A vehicle brake control device is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2004-90679. The vehicle brake control device sets a target vehicle speed depending on a creep condition during creeping and changes the target vehicle speed depending on various conditions, such as vehicle running conditions, road surface conditions, and driving operations, in order to realize suitable creeping.
According to the vehicle brake control device described above, braking force must be generated for each wheel in order to set a creep speed to the target vehicle speed.
However, in cases where the vehicle is traveling on a low μ road surface (i.e., road surfaces with a low surface friction coefficient μ), for example, tendency in which driven wheels are locked will easily be greater if braking force is simply generated for each wheel.
In other words, when the braking forces are generated for each wheel, it can be considered that they may be generated by applying identical W/C pressures to respective wheels. In such case, creep torque is generated for driving wheels only, so there is a different distribution of braking force for the driving wheels and the driven wheels. For this reason, greater braking forces are distributed to the driven wheels on which creep torques are not generated compared to the driving wheels. Therefore, a balance of front and rear braking forces balance becomes unstable, and results in locking up of the driven wheels.
Such a problem becomes especially apparent during times of faster idling, such as immediately after the engine is started and while the air conditioner is running.
In addition, ABS control cannot be executed at low speeds due to the lowered accuracy of a wheel speed sensor. More suitable braking force distribution control is therefore needed in order to fully exploit a side force between the tires and the road surface when inputted braking force is transmitted to the road surface.


The present invention relates to a character input apparatus and method which pairs the title of a heading to the region where a character is inputted and determines the character group which can be inputted into the region corresponding to the heading as input candidate characters. When a character is inputted in the region, the heading in that region is discriminated and the characters are recognized referring to the input candidate character group corresponding to the title of the heading.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a character input method and apparatus which inputs characters and obtains the character codes corresponding to the inputted characters.
2. Description of the Related Prior Arts
There is a conventional freehand character input apparatus which recognizes an inputted freehand character and displays the character on a coordinate input apparatus such as a tablet. In such an apparatus, in the case where an inputted freehand character is recognized, a list of recognition candidate characters corresponding to each heading to which a freehand character is inputted is designated in advance and a character recognition is performed on the basis of the list of recognition candidate characters. The inputted freehand character is recognized in a manner such that a plurality of candidate characters among the recognized candidate characters are displayed and the appropriate character among the displayed candidate characters is selected and designated. Furthermore, the following apparatus is also known. That is, to which region of the screen the position where the freehand character has been inputted belongs is discriminated, and the kind of the candidate characters corresponding to that region is specified. Then, the plurality of specified candidate characters are displayed and the character is recognized.
However, in the above-described method and apparatus, there are the following drawbacks. First, in the former case, since the list of recognition candidate characters is effective only when data is inputted into a certain heading, the list of candidate characters needs to be changed whenever the title of a heading is changed resulting in complexity of the operation.
Second, in the later case, since the region determination is performed on the basis of the position of the screen where the inputted freehand character is located, if the layout of document is changed, the designation of candidate characters needs to be changed. Therefore, whenever the document layout is changed, the recognition candidate characters corresponding to the region of the screen needs to be redesignated. Thus, the operation is considerably complicated.

Method and apparatus for recognizing input handwritten characters associated with title information


An improved method is provided for the thermo-chemical dewaxing a large dimension line or conduit using a Nitrogen Generation System/Emulsion. The method involves introducing an emulsion into the conduit to be waxed. The emulsion comprises an internal aqueous phase and an external organic phase. The aqueous phase comprises an oxidizing nitrogen salt, a reducing nitrogen salt and water. The organic phase comprises a non-polar organic liquid, such as kerosene, and a delayed action activator for inducing the reaction of said oxidizing nitrogen salt and said reducing nitrogen salt. The improvement comprises a delayed action activator which may be a copolyanhydride such as poly(adipic-co-sebacic)anhydride solubilized in a polar organic solvent such as chloroform. The solubilized delayed action activator is easily and accurately pumped into the conduit to be dewaxed. The emulsion is maintained in the conduit until the delayed action activator induces the reaction of the nitrogen salts to generate nitrogen and heat, thereby fluidizing wax in the conduit.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,581, of the Applicant and herein fully incorporated by reference, teaches the use of a Nitrogen Generating System/Emulsion useful for the dewaxing of producing formations, whereby an increase in temperature provided by the reaction of nitrogen salts combined in the presence of an organic solvent in the external phase of the emulsion to cause paraffin removal from the reservoir. The salts used are an oxidizing nitrogen salt and a reducing nitrogen salt.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,313, also of the Appliant and herein fully incorporated by reference and directed to the dewaxing of hydrocarbon conduits, aqueous solutions which contain selected nitrogen reactants are individually prepared in mixing tanks and then added, still individually, to adequate volumes of a hydrocarbon organic solvent designed to efffect the dissolution of the specific kind of paraffin deposit found in the conduit or line. Also, dispersing agents and/or pour point depressants may be advantageously added to the thus prepared emulsions. The activation of the chemical reaction between the nitrogen reagents is effected with the aid of a solution of a weak organic acid such as acetic add. The emulsion contains in its internal phase the nitrogen salt which is stable in the slightly acidic medium having a pH between 3 and 6. The external phase is made up of an organic solvent or mixtures of organic solvents, especially hydrocarbon solvents. The breaking of the emulsion triggers the reaction of heat and nitrogen generation, which is called Nitrogen Generating System or SGN after the original Portuguese.
On the basis of the results of initial effective internal volume assessment of the conduit to be dewaxed, adequate volumes of the two emulsions are prepared which are simultaneously injected to the interior of the conduit, co-currently to the production flow by means of surface pumping systems. Support vessels comprise the terminals for injecting treating fluid at the inlet and for recovering the mixture of spent fluid and fluidized paraffin at the outlet.
The activation of the treating fluid is effected by means of acetic acid. The thus prepared fluid is then pumped at maximum possible flowrate from the vessel installed upstream of the conduit being treated. The mixture of emulsions C (ammonium chloride) and N (sodium nitrite) produces, exclusively on flow, the Nitrogen Generating System, emulsified SGN The emulsions are pumped at equal and constant flowrates while being displaced with the aid of a small bed of kerosene and seawater so as to place the fluid in the second half of the conduit. After the period of time that the fluid is left at rest so that it can effect the dissolution and removal of the paraffin deposit, the simultaneous pumping of emulsions C and N is resumed in order to treat the first half of the conduit. After another rest period the SGN treating fluid is withdrawn and the final internal effective volume is assessed in order to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Thus, the treating fluid using the Nitrogen Generating System works from downstream to upstream in the conduit to be dewaxed, the removal of the paraffin deposits being practically complete. However, as already stated before, the activation with acetic acid limits the use of this system to conduits of up to 4000 meters length and 4 inches internal diameter since the release of hydrogen ion is relatively quick and the emulsion is rapidly broken, and the nitrogen and heat generation reaction is initiated.
In spite of the excellent results in terms of paraffin removal obtained in the field by the technique set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,313, there are some drawbacks in the process which stem on the one hand from the relatively short time to the onset of the heat and nitrogen generating reaction which limits the length and diameter of the line to be dewaxed, and on the other hand, the high cost which derives from the use of support vessels where treating fluids are prepared and from where same are pumped to the line, this item representing nearly 70% of the overall cost of the process.
Thus, there was a need to develop a method able to effect the thermo-chemical dewaxing of highly-extended, high-volume hydrocarbon transmission conduits, and wherein the pumping of the treating fluid made up of one single aqueous solution of nitrogen salts could be effected from the production platform or from any equivalent equipment, this representing great savings. The pumping of one single solution which contained both the nitrogen salts, ammonium chloride and sodium nitrite, represents on its own a significant progress since this pumping should be done at constant flowrate, the feature of being constant being a difficult achievement when two solutions must be separately pumped. Also, because of the highly-extended feature of the conduit, the onset of the reaction of heat and nitrogen generation should be strongly delayed. Therefore, as described and claimed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/742,126, the contents of which are fully incorporated in the present application, the Applicant has developed a polyanhydride-based polymer matrix designed to have an extended delayed action in the activation of the chemical reaction of the Nitrogen Generation System as applied to the dewaxing of large dimension lines.
However, as the polyanhydride of U.S. Ser. No. 08/742,126 was used in suspension in an aliphatic solvent, and in view of the large volumes of several cubic meters required to activate the SGN reaction as applied in the field, the pumping of the polyanhydride was rendered difficult and inaccurate, due to inhomogeneities or sedimentation of the suspended product which eventually led to variable hydrolysis rates of the polyanhydride. The applicant has thus developed new linear, aliphatic copolyanhydrides which are used in solution in a polar organic solvent, this leading to more uniform, accurate and easier pumping of the activator besides a better control of the hydrolysis rate of the delayed-action activator. The use of such copolyanhydrides as delayed-action activators constitute the improvement in the method for the thermo-chemical dewaxing of large dimension conduits described and claimed in the present invention.

Method for the thermo-chemical dewaxing of large dimension lines