A sight includes a power-changed unit and a bullet impact correction unit. The power-changed unit includes an outer barrel, a rotary frame disposed around the outer barrel, a frame screw disposed in the rotary frame, and a resilient member disposed between the outer barrel and the frame screw. The bullet impact correction unit includes an elevation adjustment screw and a windage adjustment screw, both of which abut the power-changed unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sight for avoiding adjustment deviation or component stuck situation.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional sight, wherein some components (such as an enclosure 11 of FIG. 2) are not shown in the figure for simplification. The sight 10 includes a power-changing unit 12 for a user to change the multiplying power of the power-changing unit 12 for clearly observing a target by rotating the rotary frame 123 according to the distance to the target.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the sight 10 observed in a direction A1 of FIG. 1, wherein the conventional sight 10 further includes a bullet impact correction unit 14. The bullet impact correction unit 14 includes an elevation adjusting screw 141 and a windage adjusting screw 142 which are both disposed on the enclosure 11 to abut the power-changing unit 12. In operation, the elevation adjusting screw 141 and the windage adjusting screw 142 are driven to abut the power-changing unit 12 so that the power-changing unit 12 can be rotated with respect to a center C1, thereby adjusting elevation and windage to correct the bullet impact point. FIG. 3 illustrates a position change of the power-changing unit 12 with respect to the enclosure 11 after the elevation and windage adjustments.
As shown in FIG. 1, a frame screw 126 is disposed in the rotary frame 123. FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 1, wherein an opening 1211 is disposed in an outer barrel 121 of the power-changing unit 12. The frame screw 126 extends into the opening 1211, so that the outer barrel 121 can be rotated by the rotary frame 123 through the frame screw 126 in multiplying power operation. An end 1261 of the frame screw 126 is designed to be spherical so that the power-changing unit 12 can be rotated with respect to the center C1 for correcting a bullet impact offset, and the detail is as follows:
During the elevation adjustment, the power-changing unit 12 is rotated with respect to the center C1 to move vertically (in directions perpendicular to the ground). As shown in FIG. 5, the end 1261 of the frame screw 126 is designed to be spherical, thus without affecting the rotation of the power-changing unit 12 and the elevation adjustment.
During the windage adjustment, however, the power-changing unit 12 is rotated with respect to the center C1 to move horizontally. If the windage adjustment screw 142 moves largely, the spherical end 1261 of the frame screw 126 will interfere with the opening 1211 so that the bullet impact offset cannot be accurately corrected. In a serious case, some components (such as the frame screw, the elevation adjustment screw, and the windage adjustment screw) even get stuck.
FIGS. 6 and 7 respectively illustrate the relative positions of the spherical end 1261 and the opening 1211 before and after the windage adjustment. As shown in FIG. 6, before the windage adjustment, the spherical end 1261 and the opening 1211 do not interfere with each other. During the windage adjustment, however, the opening 1211 (or the power-changing unit 12) is rotated with respect to the center C1 in a direction D1 so that the spherical end 1261 and the opening 1211 seriously interfere with each other as shown in FIG. 7.

Sight with resilient member around frame screw


The present invention is directed to an acoustical baffle that has use in vehicle interiors, such as an interior headliner. In particular, the baffle can provide improved acoustics while maintaining a desired airflow resistance and can be configured to provide for different sound attenuation characteristics at selected locations of the baffle construction.

A variety of multilayer composites are known that are utilized to reduce noise levels in vehicular applications. Specifically, multilayer composites for sound control have been employed in headliners, trunk liners, hood liners, dash mats, interior panels, carpeting and in other vehicular trim panel components to regulate noise reduction in the vehicle interior. Nevertheless, an on-going need exits to improve acoustic performance and airflow resistance and to provide acoustic baffles with reduced complexity of construction and ease of manufacture for vehicular applications.


A semiconductor device having a ferroelectric capacitor is formed by the steps of forming a lower electrode on a substrate, applying a rapid thermal annealing process to the lower electrode, depositing, after the step of rapid thermal annealing process, a ferroelectric film on the lower electrode, crystallizing the ferroelectric film by applying a thermal annealing process to the ferroelectric film, and forming an upper electrode on the ferroelectric insulation film.

The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices and more particularly to a semiconductor memory device that uses a ferroelectric film.
Semiconductor devices such as DRAMs and SRAMs are used extensively in various information processing apparatuses including computers as a high-speed main memory device. These conventional semiconductor devices, however, are volatile in nature and the information stored therein is lost when the electric power is turned off. Thus, it has been practiced in conventional computers and computer systems to use a magnetic disk device as a large capacity, auxiliary storage device for storing programs and data.
However, magnetic disk devices are bulky and fragile, and are inherently vulnerable to mechanical shocks. Further, magnetic disk devices generally have drawbacks of large electrical power consumption and low access speed.
In view of the problems noted above, there is an increasing tendency in computers and computer systems of using flash-memory devices for the non-volatile auxiliary storage device. A flash-memory device is a device having a construction similar to a MOS transistor and stores information in a floating gate in the form of electrical charges. It should be noted that flash-memory devices have a construction suitable for monolithic integration on a semiconductor chip in the form of an LSI. Thus, there are attempts to construct a large-capacity storage device comparable to a magnetic disk device by using a flash-memory.
In a flash-memory device, writing of information is achieved by tunneling of hot electrons through a tunneling insulation film into the floating gate electrode. Further, erasing of the information is achieved also by causing the electrons in the floating gate to tunnel to a source region or to a channel region through the tunneling insulation film. Thus, a flash-memory device has an inherent drawback in that it takes a substantial time for writing or erasing information. Further, a flash-memory device generally shows the problem of deterioration of the tunneling insulation film after a repeated writing and erasing operations. When the tunneling insulation film is deteriorated, the reading or erasing operation becomes unstable and unreliable. An EEPROM, having a similar construction to a flash-memory, has a similar problem.
In view of the various drawbacks of the foregoing conventional non-volatile semiconductor devices, there is a proposal of a ferroelectric semiconductor memory device designated hereinafter as FeRAM for the auxiliary memory device and further for the high-speed main memory device of a computer. A ferroelectric semiconductor memory device stores information in a ferroelectric capacitor insulation film in the form of spontaneous polarization.
A ferroelectric semiconductor memory device typically includes a memory cell transistor and a memory cell capacitor similarly to a DRAM, wherein the memory cell capacitor uses a ferroelectric material such as PZT (Pb(Zr,Ti)O3) or PLZT ((Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3) for the capacitor insulation film. Thus, the ferroelectric semiconductor memory device is suitable for monolithic integration to form an LSI.
As the ferroelectric semiconductor memory device carries out the writing of information by controlling the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film, the writing is achieved with a high speed, faster by a factor of 1000 or more than in the case of a flash-memory. As noted before, the writing of information is achieved in a flash-memory by injecting hot electrons into the floating gate through the tunneling insulation film. As the control of the polarization is achieved by applying a voltage, the power consumption is also reduced below about {fraction (1/10)} as compared with the case of a flash-memory. Further, the ferroelectric semiconductor memory device, lacking the tunneling insulation film, provides an increased lifetime of one hundred thousand times as large as the lifetime of a flash-memory device.
Currently, FeRAMs are fabricated according to the relatively easy design rule of about 1 xcexcm. On the other hand, investigation is being made for increasing the tightness of the design rule so as to enable integration of the FeRAMs with other high-speed submicron devices such as CMOS logic devices on a common semiconductor chip.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a conventional FeRAM 10.
Referring to FIG. 1, the FeRAM 10 includes a memory cell transistor constructed on a p-type Si substrate 11, on which an active region is defined by a field oxide film 12. On the Si substrate 11, there is provided a gate electrode 13 in correspondence to the foregoing active region, wherein the gate electrode 13 constitutes the word line of the FeRAM. Further, a gate oxide film not illustrated is interposed between the Si substrate 11 and the gate electrode 13, and diffusion regions 11A and 11B of the n+-type are formed in the substrate 11 at both lateral sides of the gate electrode 13 as the source region and the drain region of the memory cell transistor. Thereby, a channel region is formed in the substrate 11 between the diffusion region 11A and the diffusion region 11B.
It should be noted that the gate electrode 13 is covered by a CVD oxide film 14 provided so as to cover the surface of the Si substrate 11 in correspondence to the active region, wherein the CVD oxide film 14 is covered by a planarizing interlayer insulation film 15. The interlayer insulation film 15 is formed with a contact hole 15A exposing the diffusion region 11B, and the contact hole 15A is filled by a conductive plug 16 of polysilicon or WSi.
Further, there is provided an adhesion layer 17 having a Ti/TiN structure on the interlayer insulation film 15 so as to cover the exposed part of the plug 16, and a lower electrode 18 of Pt is formed on the foregoing adhesion layer 17. The lower electrode 18 is covered by a ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 of PZT or PLZT, and an upper electrode of Pt is formed on the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19.
It should be noted that the lower electrode 18, ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 and the upper electrode 20 form together a ferroelectric capacitor defined by a side wall, wherein the side wall is covered by a CVD oxide film 21, and the ferroelectric capacitor as a whole is covered by another interlayer insulation film 22.
The interlayer insulation film 22 is formed with a contact hole 22A exposing the diffusion region 11A, and there is provided a bit line pattern 23 of Al or an Al-alloy on the interlayer insulation film 22 so as to make an electrical contact with the diffusion region 11A at the contact hole 22A.
FIG. 2 shows the hysteresis appearing in the polarization of a PLZT film constituting the foregoing ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19.
Referring to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the PLZT film 19 experiences an inversion of polarization when a predetermined write voltage is applied between the lower electrode 18 and the upper electrode 20 such that a predetermined electric field is applied to the PLZT film 19. In other words, desired information is written into the PLZT film 19 in the form of binary data by applying the write voltage across the upper electrode 20 and the lower electrode 18. Further, the reading of the information thus written into the PLZT film 19 is achieved by detecting the conduction or no-conduction of the memory cell transistor, wherein such a detection is made by activating the foregoing word line, and hence the gate electrode 13, and further by detecting the voltage appearing at the bit line electrode 23.
Larger the value of the spontaneous polarization represented in FIG. 2 by 2Pr, the more the reliability of the retention of information in the PLZT film 19. Further, the magnitude of the electric field needed to cause a writing of information decreases with increasing value of 2Pr. In other words, increase of the spontaneous polarization 2Pr contributes to the decrease of the drive voltage of the FeRAM 10. Thus, there is a demand for increasing the value of the spontaneous polarization 2Pr in the FeRAM 10 of FIG. 1.
It should be noted that the semiconductor memory device of FIG. 1 can be used also for a DRAM. In this case, due to the very large relative dielectric constant of the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19, a sufficient capacitance is secured without using a complicated shape and process for forming the memory cell capacitor.
Meanwhile, it is known that the PZT or PLZT film constituting the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 of FIG. 1 shows a columnar microstructure and that the value of the spontaneous polarization 2Pr is maximized when the crystal grains therein are oriented in the  less than 111 greater than  direction.
Thus, there have been various attempts to align the crystal grains in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 in the  less than 111 greater than  direction. For example, it is proposed to introduce Ar atoms into the lower electrode 18 by an ion implantation process so as to change the state of the lower electrode 18 into amorphous state (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 5-543345). According to this prior art process, the lower electrode 18 then is subjected to a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. Alternatively, there is proposed to anneal the lower electrode 18 in a furnace before depositing the ferroelectric film 19 thereon (Nakamura, T., et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol.34, pp.5184-5187). Further, there is an attempt to deposit the lower electrode 18 at a high temperature so as to enable the orientation of the crystal grains in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19.
Unfortunately, the foregoing approach to convert the lower electrode 18 once into amorphous phase and then to cause a crystallization by an RTA process is ineffective for achieving a satisfactory degree of crystallization in the lower electrode 18, and no desirable crystal orientation is obtained in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19. Further, when a high-temperature thermal annealing process is applied to the lower electrode 18 in a furnace, there is a tendency that the hillock phenomenon is induced in the lower electrode 18, wherein such a hillock caused in the lower electrode 18 decreases the yield of the semiconductor device.
In the formation of the ferroelectric capacitor as noted above, it is very important to crystallize the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 by conducting a crystallization process. Further, it is also very important to control the process of forming the upper electrode 20. Without such a crystallization process, no desirable property is obtained for the ferroelectric capacitor.
Conventionally, such a ferroelectric capacitor is formed first by forming the adhesion layer 17 of the Ti/TiN structure and then the lower electrode 18 of Pt by a sputtering process conducted on the interlayer insulation film 15 in a reducing or inert atmosphere. Next, the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 of PZT is formed on the lower electrode 18 by a sputtering process. By forming the lower electrode 18 in a reducing atmosphere or inert atmosphere, the problem of oxidation of the lower electrode 18 and associated problem of increase of the resistance are successfully avoided.
Next, the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 is subjected to a thermal annealing process in an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of typically 700-800xc2x0 C., and the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 thus formed undergoes a crystallization. Thereby, it has been practiced to conduct the crystallization process in an oxidizing atmosphere so that the formation of oxygen defects in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19, caused as a result of diffusion of oxygen atoms from the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 to the lower electrode 18, is successfully compensated for. As a result of the crystallization, the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 shows a preferable hysteresis as represented in FIG. 2, with a spontaneous polarization 2Pr.
After the formation of the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19, the upper electrode 20 is formed on the film 19 by a deposition of Pt. Thereby, the deposition of the upper electrode 20 has been conducted in an inert atmosphere such as Ar so as to avoid the oxidation of Pt constituting the upper electrode 20.
On the other hand, in such a process of forming the upper electrode 20 on the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 in an inert atmosphere, it is inevitable that the oxygen atoms in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 are extracted to some extent by the upper electrode 20, resulting in the formation of oxygen deficiency in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19. It should be noted that the existence of the oxygen deficiency in the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 tends to induce a diffusion of Pt from the upper electrode 20 into the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19, and there is caused a mutual diffusion of Pt and oxygen between the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 and the upper electrode 20. When such a mutual diffusion is caused, the ferroelectric capacitor insulation film 19 shows a deterioration in the fatigue characteristic and the retention characteristic.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful semiconductor device having a ferroelectric or high-dielectric capacitor wherein the foregoing problems are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a ferroelectric capacitor and a semiconductor device having such a ferroelectric capacitor wherein the grain orientation in a ferroelectric capacitor insulation film forming the ferroelectric capacitor is controlled for maximum relative dielectric constant.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a ferroelectric capacitor and a semiconductor device having such a ferroelectric capacitor wherein the degradation of performance of the capacitor associated with the formation of the capacitor electrode is successfully avoided.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-dielectric capacitor and a semiconductor device having such a high-dielectric capacitor wherein the degradation of performance of the capacitor associated with the formation of the capacitor electrode is successfully avoided.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a semiconductor device having a ferroelectric capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode on a substrate;
applying a rapid thermal annealing process to said lower electrode;
depositing, after said step of rapid thermal annealing process, a ferroelectric film on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said ferroelectric film by applying a thermal annealing process to said ferroelectric film; and
forming an upper electrode on said ferroelectric insulation film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a ferroelectric capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode on a substrate;
applying a rapid thermal annealing process to said lower electrode;
depositing, after said step of rapid thermal annealing process, a ferroelectric film on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said ferroelectric film by applying a thermal annealing process to said ferroelectric film; and
forming an upper electrode on said ferroelectric insulation film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ferroelectric capacitor, comprising:
a substrate;
a lower electrode formed on said substrate;
a ferroelectric film formed on said lower electrode; and
an upper electrode formed on said ferroelectric film,
said ferroelectric film comprising crystal grains aligned substantially in a  less than 111 greater than direction.
According to the present invention, Ti migrates from an adhesion layer formed underneath said lower electrode to the surface thereof in the form of TiOx as a result of the rapid thermal annealing process applied to the lower electrode. Thereby, TiOx thus migrated functions as nuclei of crystal growth and the ferroelectric crystals of the ferroelectric film, which may either of PZT, PLZT, BST or SBT, deposited on the lower electrode grows generally in the  less than 111 greater than  direction. Because of the  less than 111 greater than  orientation of the ferroelectric film, the spontaneous polarization is of the ferroelectric film is maximized. By conducting the thermal annealing process of the lower electrode only for a short time in the form of RTA, the oxidation of the lower electrode is avoided successfully. Further, the formation of unwanted hillock is avoided successfully.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a semiconductor device having a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a dielectric film having a perovskite structure on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said dielectric film by applying a thermal annealing process to said dielectric film in an oxidizing atmosphere; and
forming an upper electrode, after said step of crystallizing, on said dielectric film,
said step of forming said upper electrode being conducted in an oxidizing atmosphere.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device, comprising:
a substrate;
a memory cell transistor formed on said substrate;
a memory cell capacitor in electrical contact with a diffusion region of said memory cell transistor,
said memory cell transistor comprising:
a lower electrode in electrical contact with said diffusion region;
a capacitor dielectric film having a perovskite structure formed on said lower electrode; and
an upper electrode of Pt formed on said capacitor dielectric film,
said upper electrode having a sputter etching rate substantially lower than a sputter etching rate of said upper electrode in the case said upper electrode is formed in a substantially inert atmosphere.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a dielectric film having a perovskite structure on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said dielectric film by applying a thermal annealing process in an oxidizing atmosphere; and
forming, after said step of crystallizing, an upper electrode on said dielectric film,
wherein said step of forming said upper electrode is conducted in an oxidizing atmosphere.
According to the present invention, the upper electrode experiences a densification as a result of the step of forming the upper electrode in the oxidizing atmosphere. Thereby, the problem of oxygen diffusion from the dielectric film into the upper electrode is successfully avoided. The capacitor of the present invention shows a substantial improvement in terms of fatigue, retention, imprint and resistance against exfoliation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a semiconductor device having a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a dielectric film having a perovskite structure on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said dielectric film by applying a thermal annealing process in an inert atmosphere;
applying, after said step of crystallizing, a thermal annealing process to said dielectric film in an oxidizing atmosphere; and
forming, after said step of thermal annealing process in said oxidizing atmosphere, an upper electrode on said dielectric film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a dielectric film having a perovskite structure on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said dielectric film by applying a thermal annealing process in an inert atmosphere;
applying, after said step of crystallizing, a thermal annealing process to said dielectric film in an oxidizing atmosphere; and
forming, after said step of thermal annealing process in said oxidizing atmosphere, an upper electrode on said dielectric film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a semiconductor device having a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a high-dielectric film on said lower electrode;
crystallizing said high-dielectric film by applying thereto a thermal annealing process in an inert atmosphere;
applying, after said step of crystallizing, a thermal annealing process to said high-dielectric film in an oxidizing atmosphere; and
forming, after said step of applying said thermal annealing process in said oxidizing atmosphere, an upper electrode on said dielectric film,
wherein said thermal annealing process in said oxidizing atmosphere is conducted at a temperature set so that no substantial oxidation occurs in said lower electrode.
According to the present invention, the lower electrode experiences densification without substantial oxidation, by conducting the crystallization process in the inert atmosphere. As a result, the problem of mutual diffusion of the elements at the interface between the lower electrode and the dielectric or high-dielectric film is successfully minimized, and the capacitor leakage current, caused by the defects in the dielectric film acting as a carrier, is substantially reduced. As the crystallization process of the dielectric or high-dielectric film is conducted in the inert atmosphere separately from the oxidizing process for compensating for the oxygen deficiency of the dielectric or high-dielectric film, it becomes possible to increase the crystallization temperature and the relative dielectric constant of the dielectric or high-dielectric film is successfully maximized. Further, by conducting the thermal annealing process in the oxidizing atmosphere at the temperature in which no substantial oxidation is caused in the lower electrode, the problem of defect formation in the lower electrode is eliminated and the capacitor leakage current is reduced further.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fabrication process of a capacitor, comprising the steps of:
forming a lower electrode;
depositing a dielectric film having a perovskite structure on said lower electrode;
raising the temperature of said dielectric film to a thermal annealing temperature while holding said dielectric film in an inert atmosphere;
changing, after said thermal annealing temperature is reached, the atmosphere of said dielectric film from said inert atmosphere to an oxidizing atmosphere while holding said dielectric film at said thermal annealing temperature;
annealing, after said step of changing the atmosphere, said dielectric film in said oxidizing atmosphere while holding said dielectric film at said thermal annealing temperature; and
forming, after said annealing step in said oxidizing atmosphere, an upper electrode on said dielectric film.
According to the present invention, the lower electrode undergoes densification as a result of the rapid temperature rise to the thermal annealing temperature in the inert atmosphere. As a result of the densification, the lower electrode experiences minimum oxidation when the thermal annealing process is conducted in the oxidizing atmosphere. The dielectric film thus processed have the crystal grains aligned in the  less than 111 greater than  direction.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.

Semiconductor device having a ferroelectric capacitor and a fabrication process thereof


A wall structure has a telescoping portion and a stationary portion. An overlapping section of the telescoping portion has a recess to allow dry wall to be fastened to the stationary portion at the overlapping section without being attached to the telescoping portion. The fastener pierces through the drywall and a sidewall of the stationary portion. However, a tip of the fastener does not engage a sidewall of the telescoping portion. Rather, the tip of the fastener stops within the recess of the telescoping portion.

The present invention relates to wall structures that may be fire rated and/or accommodate seismic shifts or settlings of the building.
In building construction, conventional wall fabrication techniques employ wooden materials such as headers and footers as well as wooden vertical studs placed between the headers and footers to form a wall frame. Unfortunately, traditional wooden wall constructions suffer from several drawbacks including the excessive time to erect the wall structure, high material costs, and heavy weight.
In certain situations, metallic framing structures are now used in buildings due to its light weight, ease of erecting the wall structure and low expense. Nonetheless, these metallic wall frames suffer from other deficiencies. In particular, the metallic framing structures are fabricated similar to a wooden framing structure in that there are a plurality of vertical studs held between a header and footer. The header and footer are secured to the ceiling and floor to stabilize the wall structure. Unfortunately, during building fabrication, the distance between the ceiling and floor may vary. By way of example and not limitation, metallic framing structures may be implemented in high rise or mini rise structures. Each floor is comprised of a poured reinforced concrete. Variations between each floor (i.e., ceiling to floor distances) may be up to about six inches (6″). When the metallic framing structures are erected under these conditions, the metallic vertical studs must be cut to fit the ceiling to floor height or a plurality of different vertical stud lengths must be stored to fit the ceiling to floor height. Solutions have been presented to eliminate the need to cut to fit the vertical stud or store a variety of vertical stud lengths. One such solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,043 (hereinafter '043 Patent) issued to William Andrews. The '043 Patent discloses a metal stud member (i.e., vertical stud) and a metal plate member (i.e., header or footer) which interlock with each other via a simple twist and lock manipulation. Additionally, the vertical stud members may be telescopic in nature. The telescopic feature of the vertical studs accommodate the ceiling to floor variations that exist not only in high rise or mini rise structures but also in other types of structures. The installer attaches an upper metal plate member to the ceiling and a lower metal plate member to the floor in alignment with the upper metal plate member. The metal stud members are disposed between the upper and lower metal plate members and extended via the telescopic feature to the precise distance between the ceiling and floor (i.e., upper and lower metal plate members). The solution provided in the '043 Patent allows the installer to precisely fit the vertical stud member to the ceiling to floor height without cutting the metallic vertical stud member to length or storing various lengths of vertical stud members.
The metallic wall frame fabricated from the metallic header, metallic footer and metallic vertical stud members address the variations in ceiling to floor height during installation. However, other factors in future changes in the ceiling to floor height must also be considered. By way of example and not limitation, ceiling to floor height variations may occur during seismic shifts, fire due to thermal expansion, changes due to normal ambient temperature changes, and settling of the building during and after construction of the building. In most buildings, after the metallic wall frame is erected, drywall is attached to the metallic wall frame. To this end, a plurality of screws are screwed through the drywall and into the metallic vertical studs. Unfortunately, these screws may bind the inner and outer metallic vertical members that allow the metallic vertical stud to be telescopic. In essence, the screws lock the length or height of the vertical stud member. During seismic shifts, the ceiling to floor height may increase and decrease during the seismic shift. If the metallic vertical studs are no longer telescopic but fixed due to the screws, then these vertical studs may be crushed or pulled apart during the seismic shift. During fire, the building (i.e., floors, ceilings and wall structures) may experience heat that causes thermal expansion. The thermal expansion may cause the ceiling to floor height to increase or decrease. If the metallic vertical studs are not telescopic but fixed due to the screws, then in this situation also, the metallic vertical studs may be crushed or pulled apart due to the thermal expansion of the various parts of the building. Moreover, during construction and after completion, the building may settle into the ground thereby causing the ceiling to floor height to slowly change over a period of time. If the screws affixed to the metallic vertical studs do not allow the metallic vertical studs to be telescopic, then the settling of the building may cause the metallic vertical studs to rupture (i.e., pull apart) or be crushed under the weight of the building.
Solutions have been provided that address the changing nature of the ceiling to floor height distance. By way of example and not limitation, U.S. Pat. No. RE 39,462 (hereinafter '462 Patent) illustrates a vertically slotted header to allow for spatial variations in distance between a ceiling and floor. As shown in the '462 Patent, a header is attached to a vertical stud. The header is allowed to traverse vertically with respect to the vertical stud through a slot in a sidewall of the header. This type of vertical displacement is typically used for achieving a fire rating for the wall structure. In a fire, the distance between the ceiling and floor may change due to the thermal expansion of the wall structure. The allowable vertical displacement maintains the wall structure in tact despite different coefficients of thermal expansion of the various materials of the wall structure.
Unfortunately, the device of the '462 Patent suffers from various drawbacks. First, the amount of vertical displacement is limited by a length of the slot. Moreover, the lateral position of the stud with respect to the header is limited by the placement of the slot. The lateral position of the stud cannot be minutely adjusted based on the circumstances. The stud must be aligned to the slot. Additionally, the header shown in the '462 Patent is generally weak due to the plurality of unnecessary slots that are formed in the sidewalls of the header. If the header is subjected to a vertical load, then the header may be likely to deform at the location of the slots due to stress concentrations and the like. Moreover, the screw that attaches the sidewall of the header to the sidewall of the vertical stud is located at the very top of the wall frame and also close to the ceiling. As such, the construction worker has a very small area to work with in screwing the screw into the metallic header and vertical stud.
Another solution is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/483,791 (hereinafter '791 Application), the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. In the '791 Application, the telescopic feature of the metallic vertical stud is retained despite the drywall being screwed into the vertical stud member. This is accomplished by slotting one of the telescoping members of the vertical stud member such that the screw attaching the drywall to the wall frame is secured only to one of the telescoping members and not both. Unfortunately, the length of the slot is not very long. It allows for only approximately a three inch (3″) vertical deflection, a small amount. Additionally, since the drywall is placed over the plurality of vertical stud members, the location of the slot cannot be seen. As such, the installer may inadvertently screw the screw into both of the telescoping members that make up the telescopic vertical stud member. Accordingly, there is a need for a telescopic vertical stud member that allows for infinite vertical deflection and is not subject to installation error.

Vertical deflection extension end member


A rotating tool is disclosed. It includes a main body, a rotating wheel and a transmission shaft. A diaphragm is formed in the main body for fixing the rotating wheel. The rotating wheel cooperates with idlersand gears for increasing rotating speed. Two bevel gears serve to change the operation direction. Therefore, an operator can depress a grip with one hand and rotate a handle with the other hand to enhance convenience in use and increase the speed of operation.

The present invention relates to a rotating tool, and more particularly to a tool which meets the requirement of using attitude of an operator.
A traditional screwdriver (not shown) is used to rotate a screw (not shown). Even the screwdriver is equipped with a ratchet mechanism and has one-way driving function, such screwdriver still can hardly quickly screw in or unscrew out the screw. In practice, a considerably long section of the screw can be quickly rotated without using much strength and only a short section of the screw necessitates greater strength. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a rotating tool which not only is able to quickly rotate the screw or the like, but also can provide greater torque so as to increase working efficiency.


In a stackable support for bracing plants or other items incapable of self support, an elongated primary member includes first and second ends. At least one retaining arm extends from the primary member adjacent to the second end and is adapted to engage and brace said plants or other supple items. Successive stackable supports are capable of being mounted one on top of the other to accommodate larger or growing plants, or other supple items.

The present invention is generally directed to apparatus for buttressing plants and other items that are not self-supporting, and is more specifically directed to a support that can conform to and accommodate differently sized items.
Historically, people have supported plants and other items not capable of supporting themselves by various different methods. For example, during the gardening season, tomato plants are often held up or staked with items such as sticks, pieces of wood, plastic rods, etc. These are often ineffective since the plants require bracing in several different areas which cannot be accommodated by using a single stick or rod. Accordingly, people often resort to using several sticks or rods and tie the plants thereto with string, creating an unsightly and relatively ineffective mass of tangled pieces. One manner by which this problem has been addressed is to use what is referred to as a cage. The cage consists of upstanding pieces of wire cylindrically held together by a series of wire hoops welded thereto. The cages are centered over the plant to be supported such that the plant grows up through the middle of the cage and is supported thereby. The cages are somewhat effective; however, a problem often occurs due to the fact that they are made in a fixed height. When a plant grows beyond the height of the cage, the aforementioned sticks and rods must be resorted to in order to support the uppermost portions of the plant. In addition, over time the cages tend to rust and become unsightly, resulting in the discarding of old cages and purchasing of new ones.
Another problem that occurs with both the use of sticks, rods and cages is that these items cannot be conformed to provide support in precisely the area at which it is needed. Moreover, once these items are positioned, they cannot be readily adjusted to address the changing height and width of the growing plant. Based on the foregoing, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a support that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a stackable support system that can be adapted to changes in plant height and width.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a support system that can be conformed to retain various different items to either prevent them from toppling or to buttress more supple objects.
The present invention is directed to a stackable support for bracing plants or other items that require additional support to maintain them in their intended orientation. The stackable support includes a primary member having a first and second end and defining a longitudinal axis. At least one retaining arm extends outwardly from the primary member and is located adjacent to the second end. Means are provided for enabling successive stackable supports to be coupled together end to end, thereby allowing a user to create a support having a desired height.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stackable support includes a pair of retaining arms, each positioned adjacent to the second end of the primary member. In this embodiment, the arms are bendable and can be positioned to conform to any configuration best suited to brace a particular plant or other object. In addition, the ends of each of the retaining arms can be hook shaped such that the arms can be bent and the hooked ends coupled together to form a closed perimeter. Alternatively, successive supports can be hooked together to form a fence-like structure useful in supporting such things as rows of plants.
The means for coupling successive stackable supports together can take the form of a mounting rod projecting outwardly from the second end of the primary member and coaxial therewith. The mounting rod is slidably received in a bore extending from the first end of the primary member partway therethrough and coaxial with the longitudinal axis.
Preferably, the primary member defines a bore extending longitudinally therethrough with the mounting rod and retaining arms being located such that they extend partway into the bore from the second end of the mounting rod. It is also preferable that the mounting rod be formed from a deformable material such as copper, thereby allowing the retaining arms and mounting rod to be crimpingly retained in the bore. It is preferable that all of the components of the present invention be fabricated from copper.
An advantage of the above-described invention is that the supports can be stacked one on top of the other to provide for any desired height, or coupled side-by-side to form a fence-like structure for supporting rows of plants, or the like.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the retaining arms are bendable so that they can be made to conform to any desired configuration and that configuration can be altered as, for example, a plant being braced by the support grows.
Still a further advantage of the present invention is that being fabricated from copper, when used outdoors, the support will weather and oxidize, thereby taking on the aesthetically pleasing green color characteristic of copper.

Stackable support for bracing plants and other supple items


An opthalmological measuring device for determining geometric structures in an eye includes an optical, triangulating measurement system for determining at least one geometric reference in the eye by triangulation, and an optical, interferometric measurement system for determining geometric detailed structures in the eye by optical interferometry. The measuring device is designed to position the geometric detailed structures determined by the interferometric measurement system on the basis of the at least one geometric reference in the eye determined by the triangulating measurement system. This firstly allows the interferometric measurement system to register geometric detailed structures in the eye with a high optical resolution and at places that are not visible to the triangulating measurement system, and secondly allows the positioning of said geometric detailed structures in the eye on the basis of geometric references that are determined by the triangulating measurement system without significant movement artifacts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an opthalmological measuring device and an opthalmological measurement method for determining geometric structures of an eye. In particular, the present invention relates to an opthalmological measuring device and an opthalmological measurement method for determining geometric structures of an eye, in which use is made of an optical, triangulating first measurement system and an optical, interferometric second measurement system.
2. Related Art
The laid-open specification DE 10 2007 017 599 describes an opthalmological measurement system and an opthalmological measurement method for determining geometric parameters in the front eye section, which parameters are required for calculating the refraction of intraocular lenses. The measurement system according to DE 10 2007 017 599 comprises, combined in a single instrument, a first measuring device for determining the axial length and a second measuring device for registering a plurality of structures in the front section such as the cornea, anterior chamber and lens. Here, the first measuring device comprises a known optical coherence interferometer (PCI=partial coherence interferometry, OCT=optical coherence tomography) operating in the time or frequency domain. The second measuring device comprises a slit illumination unit and an imaging unit for carrying out a known slice-image method. The measurement system moreover comprises a control unit designed to evaluate both the measured values required to measure the axial length and the angular and distance conditions required for a triangulation on the eye, with sections, radii and/or angles of refraction being determined from the slice images of the front eye sections supplied by the imaging unit.
The advantage of triangulating measuring devices with a slice-image method compared to those based on one or more individual beams is that triangulating slice-image methods do not generate any, or only generate few, movement artifacts caused by eye movements and thus have a comparatively higher geometric precision with the same number of measurement points. Furthermore, in the Scheimpflug configuration there is the additional advantage of allowing the depth measurement range at high optical resolution to be designed to be significantly greater than in interferometric methods. This holds true for both the lateral resolution and the depth resolution. In triangulation methods and in interferometric methods with a single scanned beam, the movement artifacts caused by eye movements generate measurement errors, which have to be corrected by an additional method that registers the eye movements. In order to be effective, such a method, not known previously, would have to be significantly faster and more precise than the measurement errors caused by the eye movements. In turn, triangulation methods with many individual beams or with structured illumination are disadvantageous in that the number of measurement points is limited and, moreover, the depth measurement range is severely limited because the imaging unit cannot be arranged in Scheimpflug configuration for all beams. The known triangulating measuring devices generally are disadvantageous in that the measurement region thereof that can be registered is limited to the front eye region (anterior chamber region), which can be illuminated directly, and the posterior chamber of the eye is not visible. In the process, the measurement region of the known triangulating measuring devices is further limited by opacity, e.g. in the cornea, by implants, e.g. lenses placed in front, and by the iris, and certain partial regions, such as the anterior chamber angle, cannot, in general terms, be registered by the known triangulating measuring devices due to tissue properties.
The advantage of known optical coherence interferometers is that the measurement region thereof that can be registered is not limited to the front eye region (anterior-chamber region) because the posterior chamber of the eye can also be measured due to the axial operating principle of these interferometers. In conventional interferometric methods, use is typically made of a scanning beam. In the process, the beam at a particular position generates a depth scan (A-scan) at this location. Relative displacement of measurement object and light beam, or scanning the beam, extends the depth scan over a contiguous surface along a scan line (B-scan). A three-dimensional scan (C-scan) is assembled from a plurality of B-scans. Thus, as soon as the interferometric methods are used for the structural measurement at a plurality of positions, eye movements generate movement artifacts and hence measurement errors. Moreover, compared to triangulating measurement methods in Scheimpflug configuration, there is the additional disadvantage that the depth measurement range of interferometric methods has to be designed to be significantly smaller at a high lateral resolution. Since the focal depth region decreases disproportionately with image resolution for optical reasons, the desire for high lateral resolution generally significantly restricts the depth measurement range, particularly in interferometric methods.
At this juncture, reference is additionally made to the fact that there are further interferometric (OCT-) methods, which can simultaneously register a plurality of A-scans (with a plurality of light beams) by means of optical parallelization. Furthermore, there are en-face techniques, which successively scan a plurality of planes at depth in order to subsequently synthesize A- and B-scans. Some of these techniques can be used to reduce movement artifacts. However, disadvantages of these techniques include the high technical and financial expenditure required for this, a reduced resolution and/or compromises (limitations) in the depth measurement range. It can be observed that there are no commercially available systems with movement- and artifact-free interferometric methods. [Drexler] provides a good overview of the prior art.
Even if triangulating methods and interferometric (OCT-) methods can be used for the geometric measurement technique, it should be noted here that they are based on different effective principles. While the operational principle of triangulating methods is based on diffuse scattering in the tissue and on surfaces in a large spatial area, interferometric methods operate with backward reflection in respect of the projecting optical system. Hence both methods supply different items of information, and thus overall more information, relating to the structural properties of the measurement object in addition to the geometry thereof.

Ophthalmological measuring device and measurement method


A method for pre-provisioning a virtual machine instance includes deriving a weight function for at least one virtual machine request based on historical data of the at least one virtual machine request to create a weighted virtual machine request for each request, capturing at least one inter-arrival pattern of requests, and applying the at least one pattern to the at least one weighted request to create a prioritized ordering of the at least one weighted request, and pre-provisioning at least one instance of a virtual machine image based on the prioritized ordering of the at least one weighted request.

Growing adoption of cloud technology has triggered interest in making cloud service offerings more efficient. One feature of a cloud service is the ability to provision a compute instance to a user. Server instance provisioning goes through an elaborate workflow. Accordingly, optimizing any step in this workflow can potentially reduce the turnaround time.
Providing Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) or Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) has been gathering momentum. The key enabler for these services is the cloud architecture. One selling point for the cloud is the idea of getting a virtual server with user-specified configuration on demand. Although on demand service refers to the delivery of a server as requested by the user, the speed of provisioning is also of essence when it comes to user satisfaction. Currently, most of the public cloud providers take time in the order of few minutes to bring a virtual server online. With an ideal goal of virtualizing an enterprise, including user desktops, existing server provisioning times of minutes is too slow. Assuming a scenario where all the desktops of a group of employees are instances in a cloud and each user releases the instance every day, ideal server provisioning time should at least match the boot time for a personal desktop computer.
As noted above, server provisioning in a cloud follows an elaborate workflow. The flow begins with the user making a request for a specific image type; thereafter the image is searched for in an image repository and transferred to the compute nodes. This is followed by attaching of the remote storage space, and finally the server is brought online, with requisite (often user-defined) configurations. Thus, the trick in reducing the server provision time lies either in reducing the time spent in the workflow, or to be prepared beforehand with a server instance for the user. While every cloud provider is focused in optimizing their provisioning workflow, these techniques rely on specific architectures. Therefore, a need exists for the use of prediction techniques to forecast the arrival of provision requests to allow the cloud to setup a server for a user a priori.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rapid provisioning of virtual machines based on multi-dimensional user request patterns in a cloud

International Business Machines Corporation


The disclosure is directed to conjugates, e.g. PNA conjugates, as well as methods of employing the conjugates for detecting one or more targets in a biological sample, e.g. a tissue sample.

Cell staining methods, including immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization analysis (ISH), are useful tools in histological diagnosis and the study of tissue morphology. IHC employs specific binding agents or moieties, such as antibodies, to detect an antigen of interest that may be present in a tissue sample. IHC is widely used in clinical and diagnostic applications, such as to diagnose particular disease states or conditions. For example, particular cancer types can be diagnosed based on the presence of a particular marker molecule in a sample obtained from a subject. IHC is also widely used in basic research to understand biomarker distribution and localization in different tissues. Biological samples also can be examined using in situ hybridization techniques, such as silver in situ hybridization (SISH), chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), collectively referred to as ISH. ISH is distinct from IHC in that ISH detects nucleic acids in tissue whereas IHC detects proteins in tissue.
Characterization and quantitation of the multitude of proteins expressed by an organism's genome are the focus of proteomics. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (MIHC) represents a major unmet technological need to detect and analyze multivariate protein targets in paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed tissues with broad applications in research and diagnostics. Multiplex immunohistochemistry (MIHC) techniques are attempting to address the need for detecting and analyzing multivariate protein targets in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Effective MIHC techniques have broad applications in research and diagnostics. However, there are few, if any, efficient and reproducible methods that allow simultaneous and quantitative detection of multiple protein targets in tissues.
A key constraint of translational research within a clinical trial setting is that there is often a limited amount of tissue from which to carry out biomarker analyses. Further, this tissue is frequently archived and stored in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) blocks. Traditional methods of gene expression analysis have limitations for clinical application. For example, RT-PCR measures the expression of one gene at a time, whereas multiplex expression profiling techniques such as microarrays, covering many thousands of transcripts, are often expensive and lack flexibility and reproducibility when evaluating low-quality RNA samples such as those from FFPE. The evaluation of these assays is semi-quantitative and inherently subjective. This has led to an increase focus on developing quantitative and highly multiplexed assays that enable profiling of multiple markers with a single assay. Platforms that enable multiplexed analysis of biomarkers from limited amounts of poor-quality material are therefore very attractive.
NanoString nCounter technology, which enables direct automated detection of nucleic acids (DNA and/or RNA) is a relatively new technology that has been employed in various clinical and research applications. Commonly, the target nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) is hybridized to a biotinylated DNA strand (capture strand,) enabling the immobilization of the nucleic acid to a streptavidin surface inside the nCounter cartridge and a fluorescently labeled DNA strand (reporter strand, 7 Kb of which about 50 bases are complementary to the target nucleic acid). The automated digital readout of the fluorescently labeled reporter strand is believed to allow for the non-amplified measurement of up to 800 nucleic acid targets within one sample.
DNA antibody barcoding consists of labeling an antibody with a DNA strand that can be used as a unique molecular tag. Combining DNA antibody barcoding with the NanoString nCounter technology expanded the NanoString nCounter technology to encompass applications involving multiplexed protein analysis.
Synthetic molecules that can bind with high sequence specificity to a chosen target in a gene sequence are of interest in medicinal and biotechnological contexts. They show promise for the development of gene therapeutic agents, diagnostic devices for genetic analysis, and as molecular tools for nucleic acid manipulations. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a nucleic acid analog in which the sugar phosphate backbone of natural nucleic acid has been replaced by a synthetic peptide backbone usually formed from N-(2-amino-ethyl)-glycine units, resulting in an achiral and uncharged mimic. It is believed to be chemically stable and resistant to hydrolytic (enzymatic) cleavage and thus not expected to be degraded inside a living cell. PNA is capable of sequence-specific recognition of DNA and RNA obeying the Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding scheme, and the hybrid complexes exhibit extraordinary thermal stability and unique ionic strength effects. Since PNA contains no charges, the binding hybridization between PNA and DNA is stronger than that between DNA and DNA for the same sequence.


The present invention utilizes the internal photovoltaic effect of a GaAs SFET to mix an RF modulated optical signal with a microwave signal. As those skilled in the art will readily recognize, a GaAs MESFET generically comprises an n layer of GaAs (channel) deposited on semi-insulating GaAs (substrate). Source, gate and drain electrodes are then formed on the channel with the gate acting as a Schottky barrier. In this standard MESFET, the difference in doping between the channel and substrate produces a potential barrier. It has been found that when the device is illuminated, the potential barrier is reduced in the region between the source and the gate and drain and the gate. This reduced potential barrier allows more drain current to flow from the device. It has been found that this drain current photoresponse is highly non-linear with respect the gate voltage applied to the device and therefore, it may be used to mix RF modulated optical signals with microwave signals. Accordingly, the present invention uses this effect to mix an optical signal directly or indirectly delivered to the MESFET with an RF signal so as to produce an IF signal.

Optical control of hybrid and monolithic microwave circuits, such as switches, attenuators, phase shifters and mixers, has been described in several articles. Examples of these articles include: Paolella et al, "Optical Gain Control of a GaAS MMIC Distributed Amplifier," Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, Vol. 1, No. 1, March, 1988; Jemison et al, "Optical Control of a Digital Phase Shifter," 1990 IEEE International Microwave Symposium, May, 1990, Dallas, Tex.; and Paolella et al, " Optically Controlled GaAs MMIC Switch Using a GaAs MESFET as an Optical Detector," 1990 MTT-S Symposium Digest, May 1990.
For many of the applications described in these articles, such as optically controlling the gain, phase and/or switching of the microcircuit requires detection and amplification of the optical signals and therefore, additional devices are needed to accomplish these tasks. Known prior art devices have used GaAs MESFETs as optical detectors with additional amplification stages to provide control of gain, phase and switching of microwave circuits. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,965, entitled, "Optical Gain Control of GaAs MMIC Distributed Amplifier," issued to Paolella et al on Aug. 22, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,281, entitled, "Optical Control Circuit for a MMIC," issued to Paolella on Feb. 4, 1992.
Although gain, phase and switching of microwave circuits and mixing of two optical signals to generate a microwave signal (see Fetterman et al, "Control of Millimeter Wave Devices by Optical Mixing," Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 34-39, March 1988) have been achieved, to date, a method has not been proposed to integrate the mixing of an RF modulated optical signal with a microwave signal in a fully monolithic device. The present invention addresses this need.

Method for mixing optical and microwave signals using a GaAs MESFET

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


The invention's toothbrush comprises an open end which is rolled up and placed in a small and convenient package. The closed end of the disposable toothbrush supports a number of clusters of bristles. The toothbrush is placed onto the user's index finger and is held tight by a small rolled up (i.e. unopened) portion near the base of the individual's index finger. The material near the tip (i.e. the closed end) of the toothbrush is thicker than the remainder of the toothbrush. The thicker material supports the bristles and permits a strong brushing action by the user. The toothbrush is carried along with toothpaste in a small package. In other embodiments of the invention, the disposable toothbrush can have ribs for massaging the gums and the package can contain some dental floss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to toothbrushes and in particular to disposable toothbrushes packaged with accompanying toothpaste.
2. Background Art
Virtually everyone is aware that brushing the teeth is necessary for adding to the health and longevity of the teeth and also necessary for a pleasant appearance and smell of the teeth. In fact, dentists recommend that one's teeth be brushed once in the morning, after every meal, and once prior to retiring to bed at night. However, for practical reasons, many individuals do not regularly brush their teeth. Over time, the effect of irregular brushing is the build of plaque, onset of gingivitis, formation of cavities and a number of other health-related problems. Thus, although many individuals choose not to brush regularly due to inconvenience or impracticality, they will eventually spend much time and money to cure teeth related and health related problems that could have been prevented.
One primary reason for the impracticality of regular brushing is the difficulty that most individuals have with the inconvenience of carrying a toothbrush and its container and the required toothpaste and its separate container. Although toothbrushes, toothpastes and their respective containers are available in small as well as large sizes, there are many reasons why the mere reduction in the size of the present toothbrushes and toothpastes has not significantly reduced the inconvenience of carrying a separate toothbrush and separate toothpaste with their separate containers.
First, it is difficult to carry two separate items, i.e. a toothbrush separate from the toothpaste. Second, the toothbrush requires a protective container to keep the toothbrush from collecting dust, becoming dirty and unsanitary, being damaged, or causing damage to other items in its proximity. Third, the toothpaste manifestly requires a container to be held in and carried around. Thus, the amount of space consumed by the toothbrush, its container, and the toothpaste and its (separate) container usually exceeds the available space in a typical pocket or purse. Moreover, since the two necessary components, i.e. the toothbrush and the toothpaste are separate from each other, individuals often forget to take one or the other component. Further, toothbrushes shorter than four inches are impractical since they cannot reach the back of the mouth such that it becomes very difficult to reach and brush one's wisdom teeth. Thus, the toothbrush and its package are typically more than four inches in length. Also, the present toothbrushes and their accompanying packages are quite inflexible. Thus, it is very difficult to fit the toothbrush in cramped surroundings since a space for the exact dimensions of the toothbrush must be made available. Finally, the recurring cost of purchasing a small toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste (and their containers) is prohibitive.
The above are some of the reasons for the impracticality of carrying a small toothbrush and toothpaste around when one leaves home. To applicant's knowledge no attempt has been made to overcome the impracticality of carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste in a convenient manner. Although there are a number of disposable personal care items in the market, such as disposable razors, to applicant's knowledge there are no practical and cost-effective disposable toothbrushes in the market that overcome the inconveniences and impracticalities that were discussed above.
Presently, a type of flexible instrument is used for massaging a baby's gums (prior to the time that the baby has developed any teeth). This flexible gum massager consists of a thin plastic tube. The parent's finger is inserted into the tube such that the tip of the finger is pressed against the closed end of the thin plastic tube. The thin plastic tube is designed such that it loosely fits over the parent's finger. The closed end of the plastic tube loosely fits over the tip of the parent's finger and has a few ribs (i.e. a few raised arcs) that are used to massage the baby's gums. However, such an instrument cannot work as a toothbrush and has never been used as a toothbrush. First, the flexible tube is loose and does not form a tight grip over the finger. Accordingly, it is extremely difficult for the baby gum massager to withstand the more rigorous adult tooth brushing action. Second, there are no bristles that can be used to brush the teeth. Third, there is no reason why adults would want to use such an instrument instead of a regular toothbrush since the instrument does not come with portable toothpaste and thus can be used only at home. In other words, if such an instrument must be used at home, one may simply use a regular toothbrush instead of such an instrument. Fourth, the material used for the baby's gum massager is latex (i.e. a thin plastic) that is not strong enough to support bristles for brushing action. Moreover, the baby gum massager is designed to have a loose fit over the parent's finger and does not grip the finger tight enough to permit either light or heavy brushing action.
Therefore, there is serious need in the art for a disposable and portable toothbrush and toothpaste that can be practically and conveniently carried around in small spaces such as one's pocket or wallet or a small purse. There is further need in the art for an effective and disposable toothbrush in order to make it practical and convenient to regularly brush one's teeth in various places such as the airport, the airplane, a hotel room, a restaurant, at work, and at school. There is also need in the art for a convenient package to carry the disposable toothbrush in a sanitary and safe manner. Moreover, there is need in the art to have a low cost disposable toothbrush such that its disposal does not amount to "waste" of money.

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A hybrid hydraulic excavator includes: an engine; a generator motor; an electric storage device; a commanding system being configured to command at least activation of a service mode for maintenance and execution of a charge-release process for the electric storage device; a display being configured to provide at least information on the charge-release process for the electric storage device; and a display controller being configured to control displaying of the display. The display controller commands the display to display charge-release-failure information when the charge-release process is ongoing at the elapse of a predetermined duration of time since the activation of the service mode was commanded.

As a work machine, there has been known a hybrid work machine such as an excavator in which an engine drives a generator motor and a hydraulic pump, whereby an electric motor for an upper rotary body, in which a cab and the like are provided, is driven by electric power generated by the generator motor while a hydraulic actuator for a working equipment and a hydraulic motor for a traveling device are driven by a pressure oil from the hydraulic pump. The electric power generated by the generator motor is charged in a capacitor serving as an electric storage device and is outputted from the capacitor to the electric motor through an inverter.
In some hybrid work machines, charge release of an electric storage device (i.e., capacitor) is performed before measurement of the capacitance of the electric storage device (see, for instance, Patent Literature 1). According to Patent Literature 1, prior to capacitance measurement, charge release (discharge) of the capacitor is preferably performed to reduce a capacitor voltage to a preset level for the purpose of comparison with previous measurement data.
Further, for capacitance measurement, an engine is typically driven and a work mode is set at a power mode or the like, thereby driving the engine and a generator motor at a stable speed to stably generate electric power and thus to stably and accurately measure the capacitance.

Hybrid work machine and control method of providing information for the same


A system and method for attaching an annular structural component to an aerospace vehicle is provided. The system includes a plurality of fittings circumferentially affixed to an engagement portion of the vehicle, and a plurality of supports. Each support has a first end connected to a corresponding fitting, and a second end having an elongate slot. A flange is configured to extend inwardly from the structural component and into engagement with the second end of each support. The flange has an elongate slot located at each support. Each flange slot is non-parallel to an open communication with each respective support slot. A plurality of pins connects the supports to the flange. Each pin extends through a corresponding flange slot and respective support slot to constrain the structural component, while attaching the structural component to the vehicle during use of the vehicle.

Aerospace vehicles such as, for example, the space shuttle, hypersonic vehicles, and hypersonic missiles, typically have a vehicle body with a nose portion which receives a nose cap. Various nose cap attachment systems are known; however, thermal growth of the nose cap causes high stresses at the attachment system connections. Thermal growth of the nose cap structure is particularly apparent in re-entry vehicles, such as the space shuttle.
Similar attachment systems are used in aerospace vehicles to attach other annular structural components in addition to nose caps. Thermal growth of these other annular structural components also causes high stresses at the attachment system connections.

System and method for attaching a structural component to an aerospace vehicle


An interface converter module includes a metallized housing having a first end and a second end. A printed circuit board is mounted within the housing and has mounted thereon electronic circuitry configured to convert data signals from a host device transmission medium to the second transmission medium. The printed circuit board has not more than twenty contact fingers adhered at one end in order to form a host connector, a media connector is at the other end of the module. The media end having a dual LC duplex optical receptacle, where each duplex portion of the dual LC duplex optical receptacle houses a ROSA and a TOSA. The module and receiver may include interengaging rails and slots and/or keys and keyways to ensure correct matching of modules and receptacles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved pluggable electronic module configured to connect and/or convert data signals from a first serial transmission medium to a second serial transmission medium. A preferred embodiment of the invention is related to a GigaBit Interface Converter (GBIC) as defined by the GBIC specification (Small Form Factor document number: SFF-8053, revision 5.1a), the teaching of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, the preferred embodiment includes an interface converter module having four optical sub-assemblies, thus forming the multi-port pluggable transceiver. However, the improvements disclosed in this specification are applicable to high-speed data communication modules other than GBICs as well.
2. Discussion of the Background
The GBIC specification was developed by a group of electronics manufacturers in order to arrive at a standard small form factor transceiver module for use with a wide variety of serial transmission media and connectors. The specification defines the electronic, electrical, and physical interface of a removable serial transceiver module designed to operate at Gigabit speeds. A GBIC provides a small form factor pluggable module which may be inserted and removed from a host or switch chassis without powering off the receiving socket. The GBIC standard allows a single standard interface to be changed from a first serial medium to an alternate serial medium by simply removing a first GBIC module and plugging in a second GBIC having the desired alternate media interface.
The GBIC form factor defines a module housing which includes a first electrical connector for connecting the module to a host device or chassis. This first electrical connector mates with a standard socket which provides the interface between the host device printed circuit board and the module. Every GBIC has an identical first connector such that any GBIC will be accepted by any mating GBIC socket. The opposite end of the GBIC module includes a media connector, which can be configured to support any high performance serial technology. These high performance technologies include: 100 Mbyte multi-mode short wave laser without OFC; 100 Mbyte single-mode long-wave laser with 10 km range; Style 1 intracabinet differential ECL; and Style 2 intracabinet differential ECL.
The GBIC module itself is designed to slide into a mounting slot formed within the chassis of a host device. The mounting slot may include guide rails extending back from the opening in the chassis wall or faceplate. At the rear of the slot the first electrical connector of the module engages the mating socket which is mounted to a printed circuit board within the host device. The GBIC specification requires two guide tabs to be integrated with the electrical connector. As the connector is mated with the socket, the guide tabs of the connector engage similar structures integrally formed with the socket. The guide tabs are to be connected to circuit ground on both the host and the GBIC. The guide tabs engage before any of the contact pins within the connector and provide for static discharge prior to supplying voltage to the module. When the GBIC is fully inserted in this manner, and the connector fully mated with the socket, only the media connector extends beyond the host device chassis faceplate.
The GBIC specification document only provides for a single transmit function and a single receive function. For example, the optical GBIC at the media connector end accepts a duplex SC optical connector having one ferrule for transmitting data and one ferrule for receiving data. As the desire for increased bandwith continues, increasing density of media connectors is also desired. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an interface converter module having multiple optical ports.

Multi-port pluggable transceiver (MPPT) with multiple LC duplex optical receptacles


An instruction executing section supplies an instruction of a certain context to a pipeline and executes the context. When a vacancy of the pipeline is judged, the instruction executing section switches the context to another context which is being executed, thereby simultaneously executing a plurality of contexts. An ID setting section sets a peculiar context ID to each of the plurality of contexts which are simultaneously executed by the instruction executing section. A register renaming section executes a multi-renaming such that a register name which is used when the plurality of contexts are simultaneously executed by the instruction executing section is renamed to a register name CIDi-Rj obtained by adding a designation register name Rj (j=1, 2, 3, . . . , m) of an execution instruction to CIDi as a context ID which was set by an ID setting section and whose context is being executed and the physical register is allocated.

The invention relates to a processor having an architecture of a super scalar and its processing method. More particularly, the invention relates to a processor for supporting a multi-context in which a plurality of contexts are simultaneously allowed to flow in a pipeline and are executed and its processing method.
First, a multi-context which is used in the invention will be described. First, the context is defined as "an execution unit on a computer to execute a certain group of works having a certain meaning". The context includes processes of different address spaces of the UNIX and a thread of the same address space in the MACH. Namely, a plurality of contexts don't care about a problem about whether they have independent memory spaces or the same memory space but incorporate both of those cases. The multi-context, therefore, is a set of a plurality of contexts which can be simultaneously executed. A processor to support the multi-context of the invention intends to efficiently input a plurality of contexts to a pipeline and to execute them.
Hitherto, codes which were compiled to a single instruction train from a single user program are generally inputted to a pipeline of the super scalar processor and, upon execution, a parallel performance is extracted by a hardware and the instructions are executed in parallel. According to this method, however, in the case where there is a dependency relation between the instructions, the case where a mishit occurs in a cache, the case where a branch instruction is executed, or the like, the execution is interrupted and a vacancy occurs in the pipeline. Such a phenomenon is called a stall of the pipeline or the occurrence of a bubble of the pipeline. Therefore, the performance which the processor inherently has cannot be fully used. Accordingly, in order to solve the stall of the pipeline, there is a method whereby an instruction train of a plurality of processes is inputted to the pipeline at a certain predetermined interval and the stalls of the pipeline which are caused from the mutual instruction trains are set off. According to this method, however, since a switching interval of the instruction train is constant, a scheduling using a nature of the program cannot be performed and an effect of the elimination of the stall is small. To simultaneously execute a plurality of contexts, registers each for holding an execution environment of each context of the number as many as the number of contexts have to be provided, so that a large quantity of resources are consumed. On the contrary, in case of dividing certain predetermined resources to the contexts and of using them, there is a drawback such that the resources which can be used by one context are reduced.
An HEP will now be described as an example of the above method. As shown in FIG. 1, the HEP is a method whereby a plurality of instruction streams are mechanically inputted to a pipeline one instruction by one and its mechanism is simple. In FIG. 1, (n) programs are simultaneously inputted to one pipeline. Each of the programs (1 to n) denotes a context of the invention. Upon execution, the instructions are sequentially inputted to a pipeline 200 in accordance with the following order and are executed.
Instruction 1 of the program 1 PA1 Instruction 1 of the program 2 PA1 Instruction 1 of the program n PA1 Instruction 2 of the program 1 PA1 a forming step of forming a plurality of contexts as execution units to execute a certain group of works of a certain meaning; PA1 an instruction executing step of supplying an instruction of the context existing in a pipeline, executing such an instruction, and when a vacancy of the pipeline is judged, switching the context to another context which is being executed, and simultaneously executing a plurality of contexts; PA1 an ID setting step of setting a peculiar context ID to each of the plurality of contexts which are being simultaneously executed; and PA1 a register renaming step of renaming a name of the register which is used in the execution of the context to a register name in which a designation register name of an execution instruction was added to the context ID and allocating a physical register.
The pipeline 200 is constructed by four stages. A fetching stage (F) fetches an instruction from a cache. A decoding stage (D) decodes the instruction. An executing stage EX (Execute) executes the instruction. A storing stage (S) (Store) stores the execution result. Now, assuming that the instruction 1 of the program 1 is a load instruction and an instruction 2 of the program 1 uses the result loaded by the instruction 1, in the case where the instruction is executed by only the program 1, a stall of the pipeline occurs between the instructions 1 and 2. Generally, since the load instruction accesses a memory, the loading result cannot be used in the cycle just after, so that a stall of the pipeline occurs. In case of the HEP of FIG. 1, since the execution of the instruction 1 of the programs 1 to (n) is sandwiched between the execution of the instruction 1 of the program 1 and the execution of the instruction 2 of the program 1. Therefore, the stall of the pipeline 200 in the case where the instruction 1 of the program 1 is a load instruction is effectively eliminated and a throughput of the execution of the program can be raised. However, when the instructions are inputted to the pipeline 200, since the relation among the instruction streams of the plurality of programs 1 to (n) is not considered, there is no guarantee such that the occurrence of the stall of the pipeline 200 can be always reduced. Further, the work registers of only the number corresponding to the number of contexts (programs) which simultaneously operate upon execution must be prepared and a request for the number of registers increases. On the contrary, when the number of registers which can be prepared by the hardware is fixed, the number of registers which can use one context decreases. In the example of the HEP of FIG. 1, the register sets of the number as many as the (n) programs must be simply prepared at a time. Further, according to such a simple inputting method of the instruction stream, there is a large possibility such that hit ratios of an instruction cache and a data cache deteriorate. On the other hand, as another method of solving the stall of the pipeline, there is also a method whereby program units which can be executed in parallel called threads are extracted from a single program and they are simultaneously inputted to the pipeline and are executed. In many cases, however, such a method can be applied to only the simple case such that a loop of a numerical value calculating program written by the FORTRAN or the like is set to one thread. It is very difficult to extract the threads by a compiler for a general program.

Switching multi-context processor and method overcoming pipeline vacancies


A method and apparatus for continuously treating traveling filaments includes an assembly for causing at least one filament to travel along a travel path and assembly for rotatably supporting one or more filaments for payout therefrom responsive to the influence of the assembly for causing the filaments to travel, an assembly for rotating the filament supports at a predetermined angular velocity to form a traveling twisted filament and an arrangement for applying treating fluid to the traveling filaments.

The present invention relates broadly to methods and apparatus for preparing and treating traveling filaments and, more particularly, to a method for continuously processing and preparing twisted, dyed and bonded filaments.
Generally, filaments for use in the textile industry for sewing and other applications are prepared for use by application of one of several treatment agents. For example, fibrous filaments may be treated with a bonding agent to reduce fibrous projections from the surface thereof to reduce breakage. These or other filaments may be dyed to produce a desired color. Often filaments will also be treated with a lubricant to enhance their performance ability during industrial sewing operations. Often, these processes are done separately with liquid applications occurring in a bath and, if heat need be applied, it is applied in a hot air oven. The result is a generally slow process for taking raw filament and preparing a fully functioning thread, yarn or other finished filament.
Other treatments may be performed on the filaments which does not involve application of treating agents but rather involves surface texturizing. This includes adding a twist to the fibers to provide bulk or other desired surface textures. Often, the twist will be performed in a jet entanglement unit which entangles multifilament bundles by the application of high-pressure air thereto. This additional process adds to the expense and time required to prepare filaments for use in industry.
There accordingly exists a need for a high-speed process to produce filaments having the desired texturizing and application of treating liquid to rapidly produce a finished filament product.


Methods, and systems, and computer program products for displaying and editing picklists in a drop-down menu of a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer. The drop-down menu allows a user to see a list of entries in a picklist section and to select an option to remove entries from the picklist section, to minimize clutter. The picklist section filters out redundant entries which are similar though not textually equivalent, to eliminate confusion in file lists and lists of recently used e-mail.

Various applications remember recently used files. For example, word processors such as WordPerfect for Windows remember a limited number of recently used files that have been opened or saved. The names of prior opened files are added at the end of a drop-down menu such as the File menu associated with the name "File" on a horizontal bar of the main application window in WordPerfect for Windows. This is a short-hand way of showing the user certain used files which now can be reopened and reaccessed by electing (as by single or plural mouse clicking for example) an entry in the menu corresponding to the file name. The order and content of lists of recently used files are controlled by the application, e.g., the word processor, and, in some applications, the order of the list of recently used files is updated as a less recently used file is used after using a more recently used file. However, known applications do not include a user-controllable mechanism for specifying that entries in the list should be removed.
Also, for some lists of fixed maximum sizes, when a list is full, the addition of a new file to the list causes the least recently used file in the list to be removed from the list to make room for the new file, and the order of the list is updated to make the most recently used file appear first on the list. However, known applications use simple fixed-rule filtering to decide which new entries are to be added to the drop-down menu, and which new entries are the same as already existing entries and, therefore, should only cause the order of entries on the picklist section of the drop-down menu to be updated.
Further, some current applications, such as Pegasus mail for Windows, allow users to call up lists independently of any drop-down menu. As shown in FIG. 1A, when sending mail to a user in Pegasus mail, the user may either fill in the text box marked "To:" or select the question mark icon 31 to indicate that the user wishes to see a list of recently used addresses. Addresses may also be selected from an electronic address book, such as is shown in FIG. 1C, where full e-mail addresses are paired with equivalent aliases. In response to selecting the question mark icon 31, a recently used address list is displayed in a list box, as shown in FIG. 1B, complete with redundant, but not textually equivalent entries. Since the user is not shown the list of names until after selecting the question mark icon, the user cannot see while using the screen of FIG. 1B whether the user wishes to remove any list entries. Also, since the list box contains redundant information, users may become confused as to which address is the proper address. It is desirable to overcome these deficiencies in known picklists and drop-down menus in computer graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

Methods, systems, and computer program products for controlling picklists


An oscillator uses a differential signal corresponding to a difference between an oscillation output f1 of a first oscillator circuit and an oscillation output f2 of a second oscillator circuit as a temperature detection value, and outputs a control signal for reducing an influence caused by a temperature characteristic of the oscillation output f1 based on the differential signal. The oscillator includes a switching unit configured to alternately switch between a first state where a first connecting terminal and a second connecting terminal are connected to a storage unit for access of an external computer to the storage unit, and a second state where the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are respectively connected to a first signal path and a second signal path via a frequency reduction unit such that the output signals from the frequency reduction unit are extracted to an external frequency measuring unit.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an oscillator that uses, as a temperature detection value, a signal corresponding to a difference between an oscillation output f1 of a first oscillator circuit and an oscillation output f2 of a second oscillator circuit, and reduces an influence caused by temperature characteristics of the oscillation output f1.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 18 illustrates a general constitution of a Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator (TCXO), which is an oscillator. Reference numeral 90 denotes a crystal unit, and reference numeral 91 denotes an oscillator circuit. Changing a control voltage, which is supplied from a control voltage generator 93 to a voltage variable capacitance element 92, controls capacitance of the voltage variable capacitance element 92 to adjust an oscillation frequency (output frequency).
Since the frequency of the crystal unit 90 changes depending on the temperature, the control voltage generator 93 corrects a control voltage in response to temperatures detected by a temperature sensor 94. In general, a cubic function is stored in a memory 95 for example, then a frequency corresponding to a temperature detection value is read out based on the cubic function (frequency versus temperature characteristic), which is a function to normalize frequency versus temperature characteristics of the crystal unit 90 using a reference temperature. That is, a difference between a frequency at a temperature at that moment and a frequency at the reference temperature is read out. A control voltage that corresponds to the difference between the frequencies is set as a temperature compensation amount. Then, the temperature compensation amount is subtracted from a control voltage that corresponds to the frequency at the reference temperature. Besides an example described above, another oscillator that can output more precise signal is offered. This oscillator uses, as a temperature detection value, a signal corresponding to a difference between an oscillation output f1 of a first oscillator circuit and an oscillation output f2 of a second oscillator circuit to achieve such a precise output. The details thereof will be described in this embodiment.
Incidentally, an oscillator should be adjusted in order to achieve a stable oscillation output. In the example of the TCXO, a function is set, which function determines a control voltage corresponding to the above-described temperature detection value. It is, however, required to make an oscillator connectable to, for example, a device that measures a frequency for adjustment in order to perform such an adjustment without complicating a configuration of an oscillator.
FIGS. 2 and 3 in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-292030 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Literature 1) illustrates a configuration of two crystal units (crystal resonators) sharing a common crystal element on which two pairs of electrodes are disposed. According to the paragraph 0018 in the Patent Literature 1, a frequency difference between the two crystal units is caused by temperature change, accordingly the temperature can be measured by measuring this frequency difference. A relation between this frequency difference Δf and a frequency amount to be corrected is stored in a ROM, and the frequency correction amount is read out based on the frequency difference Δf. This apparatus, however, cannot solve the above-described problem.
This disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object of the disclosure is to provide an oscillator that can reduce an influence caused by temperature characteristics at high accuracy with simplifying the configuration of the oscillator.


A cable for use in computer networking for example has a jacket defining an internal space. A separator is located in the internal space and divides the space into three or more segments. The separator has a three or more radiating walls, at least one of which has an extension extending substantially normally from the wall to at least partially enclosed one of the segments. A conductor is located within each segment.

The present disclosure relates to electrical cabling of the type that might be used in computer networking for example. The disclosure more particularly, although not exclusively, relates to a multi-conductor cable having reduced crosstalk between adjacent internal conductors.
Ethernet cabling can comprise long runs of twisted pair conductors. Although there is a significant cost advantage in using twisted pair cabling over other types of cabling, crosstalk between adjacent twisted pairs can be a problem—particularly resulting in bandwidth limitations for high-speed networking.
Coaxial cabling and other shielded cabling—whilst displaying superior rejection of crosstalk between adjacent cables is significantly more expensive than twisted pair cabling, is more bulky, more difficult to install and manage (negotiate corners for example) and is more difficult to terminate.
More recent "Cat 6" cabling comprises multiple twisted pairs inside a common jacket. Within the jacket is a cross-shaped internal separator dividing the internal space of the jacket into segments within which respective twisted pairs reside. The separator reduces cross-talk between adjacent internal conductors; however, the known construction still enables a degree of undesirable "Return Loss" and "Near End Cross Talk" between adjacent conductors.