In a radio base station, a plurality of time division multiplexed frames are transmitted through a plurality of space dividing beams such that it becomes possible for the radio base station to realize the radio communications with different radio terminals at the same time using the same frequency, by using a scheduling processing which allocates communication bandwidths to the radio terminals such that there is substantially no mutual interference among those signals to be transferred by different frames, with respect to a plurality of frames that are corresponding to at least one of the plurality of space dividing beams.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radio base station for carrying out radio communications with a plurality of radio terminals by adopting both a time division multiple access scheme and a space division multiple access scheme, and a frame configuration method for the radio base station.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, demands for the radio data communications are increasing, and in conjunction with this, requests for allocating necessary radio bandwidths to respective radio terminals are also increasing. In order to make the radio bandwidths to be allocated to respective radio terminals variable, there is a need for a scheduler that makes radio bandwidth allocation adjustment among users. For example, a HIPERLAN2 proposed in the ESTI-BRAN (European Tele communications Standards Institute-Broadband Radio Access Networks) and a HiSWANa (High Speed Wireless Access Network a) proposed in the ARIB-MMAC (Association of Radio Industories and Businesses-Multimedia Mobile Access Communication systems) are radio systems of the centralized control type in which a MAC (Media Access Control) of the radio base station determines a frame configuration of each frame and broadcasts it to the radio terminal. For this reason, the HIPERLAN2 and HiSWANa are applicable not only to the radio LAN but also to a subscriber radio system called FWA (Fixed Wireless Access).
On the other hand, in order to utilize the limited radio frequencies effectively, a scheme called SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access) has been proposed recently. This is a scheme for suppressing interferences among radio terminals by controlling the antenna directivity. In this scheme, the radio base station is required to have one or more modulation/demodulation units in order to enable communications with different radio terminals at the same time using the same frequency.
However, up to now, there has been no proposition for a specific frame configuration method suitable for the case where a plurality of modulation/demodulation units are provided in a radio base station that carries out radio communications in the TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) scheme using a frame configuration.

Radio base station and frame configuration method using TDMA scheme and SDMA scheme


A head drive mechanism is disclosed which is associated with a disk drive device for rotatably mounting a disk member. The head drive mechanism comprises a head member capable of recording signals on the disk member and reproducing the same from the disk member. A carriage is provided for mounting the head member thereon, and a drive mechanism drives the carriage to slide in a direction parallel to the surface of the disk member. A signal transmitting member is electrically connected at one end with the head member and secured on the support member. The other end of the signal transmitting member is secured at a predetermined position which is fixed with respect to the disk drive device. The signal transmitting member is formed to have a resilient force for biasing the support member in a direction opposite to the direction in which the drive mechanism drives the carriage.

The present invention relates to a head drive mechanism to be associated with a disk drive device in an electronic still video camera or the like.
In an electronic still video camera, video signals are recorded or reproduced by making a magnetic head access a predetermined track of a video floppy disk. The magnetic head is mounted on a carriage and is moved so that it can access a desired track, the carriage being driven in the radial direction of the disk.
Conventionally, a spring or the like is employed for biasing a carriage in the direction where the carriage is moved by a drive means to ensure that the carriage is moved without shaking.
However, the use of such a spring for biasing a carriage is disadvantageous in that the number of parts and production cost tends to increase.

Head drive mechanism with resilient signal transmitting member


A method of controlling the resistivity and morphology of a tungsten film is provided, comprising depositing a first film of a bulk tungsten layer on a substrate during a first deposition stage by (i) introducing a continuous flow of a reducing gas and a pulsed flow of a tungsten-containing compound to a process chamber to deposit tungsten on a surface of the substrate, (ii) flowing the reducing gas without flowing the tungsten-containing compound into the chamber to purge the chamber, and repeating steps (i) through (ii) until the first film fills vias in the substrate surface, increasing the pressure in the process chamber, and during a second deposition stage after the first deposition stage, depositing a second film of the bulk tungsten layer by providing a flow of reducing gas and tungsten-containing compound to the process chamber until a second desired thickness is deposited.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method of tungsten film deposition, and more particularly, a method of forming a tungsten film with reduced resistivity and improved surface morphology.
2. Description of the Related Art
The semiconductor processing industry continues to strive for larger production yields while increasing the uniformity of layers deposited on substrates having larger surface areas. These goals, in combination with new materials, have led to higher integration of circuits per unit area of the substrate. As circuit integration increases, so does the need for greater uniformity and process control regarding thicknesses of layers deposited on substrates. As a result, various technologies are being developed to deposit layers on substrates in a cost-effective manner, while maintaining control over the characteristics of the layer.
Formation of film layers at a high deposition rate while providing adequate step coverage are conflicting characteristics in which one characteristic is oftentimes obtained at the expense of the other. This conflict is true particularly when refractory metal layers are deposited over gaps or vias during the formation of contacts interconnecting adjacent metallic layers separated by dielectric layers. Historically, CVD techniques have been employed to deposit conductive material such as refractory metals in order to inexpensively and quickly form contacts. With the increasing integration of semiconductor circuitry, tungsten has become a metal of choice due to its superior step coverage.
There are, however, several disadvantages to depositing tungsten by traditional CVD methods. Tungsten films are typically composite films comprising a thin tungsten nucleation layer (having a thickness of, e.g., about 50 angstrom (Å) to about 150 Å) and a thicker bulk tungsten layer (having a thickness of, e.g., about 500 Å to about 2000 Å) formed thereover. Tungsten films comprised of a thin tungsten nucleation layer and a thick bulk tungsten layer tend to have poor film morphology. Use of tungsten has frustrated photolithography steps during the manufacturing process as it results in a relatively rough surface having a reflectivity of 70% or less than that of silicon (thickness and wavelength dependent). Also, tungsten has proven difficult to deposit uniformly, and poor surface uniformity typically increases film resistivity.
Traditional tungsten bulk deposition processes applying continuous flows of tungsten-containing gas, such as tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), and reducing gas, such as hydrogen (H2), on a tungsten nucleation layer are able to achieve low resistivity but result in high surface roughness. Low resistivity is desired for better transistor device speed and low surface roughness is desired to facilitate the formation of photoresists for etching. Low resistivity tungsten is required for bitline in memory and contact in logic application. For the Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) bitline process, both low resistivity and good morphology are required.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a method of forming tungsten films having both good film morphology and reduced resistivity.

Method of depositing tungsten film with reduced resistivity and improved surface morphology


Different symmetrical and asymmetrical devices are formed on the same chip using non-critical block masks and angled implants. A barrier is selectively formed adjacent one side of a structure and this barrier blocks dopant implanted at an angle toward the structure. Other structures have no barrier or have two barriers. Source and drain engineering can be performed for LDD, halo, and other desired implants.

This invention relates to angled ion implants. More particularly, it relates to a method of producing a symmetrical and an asymmetrical semiconductor device using angled ion implantation.
Semiconductor devices, such as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), produced with angled ion implantation techniques are often constructed symmetrically. This allows great flexibility in the layout of multiple devices as the source and drain are interchangeable (and both sides of the gate are consequently referred to simply as the xe2x80x9csource/drainxe2x80x9d).
For some applications, this type of device symmetry is highly desirable or essential. Devices produced by angled ion implantation are generally made symmetric by rotating the semiconductor device to allow the angled implant beam to implant from all sides of the gate. This results in a series of symmetrical implants and a symmetrical device.
High voltage devices have required a graded lightly doped drain (LDD) implant while low voltage devices favor an abrupt implant, such as an extension type implant, as is well known in the art. Low voltage devices also often have a halo or a more heavily doped halo than high voltage devices. Such high and low voltage devices are frequently fabricated on the same chip. They generally have different gate dielectric thicknesses, channel lengths, and use separate masking steps and implants for the source/drain design.
For other applications, performance can be improved if the semiconductor device is constructed asymmetrically. For example, for MOSFETs having an LDD region and a halo region, the LDD is desirable exclusively on the drain side and the halo is desirable exclusively on the source side of the gate.
The addition of an LDD region degrades device performance because it increases series resistance and overlap capacitance. Since the lightly doped LDD region is strictly required only on the drain side of the device to mitigate hot carrier degradation, the LDD on the source side of a symmetrical device adds series resistance and capacitance with no additional benefit. Device performance can be improved if the LDD implant could be blocked from the source side thereby making an asymmetrical device. Furthermore, where a particular device is never subjected to high voltages, blocking the LDD implant from both sides may also be advantageous.
However, a very accurately-aligned critical mask capable of blocking the implant beam from the source side, but not blocking it from the drain side, has been needed to provide the desired asymmetrical device. To block the implant on one side, but not on the other side of the gate requires aligning the critical mask to within the width of the gate. This has required alignment tolerance within one half the width of the gate. Obtaining such critical alignment is an expensive and error-prone procedure.
Alternatively, the LDD implant may be produced through a single ion implant beam which places the implant under one side of the gate. Thus, the desired LDD is formed when the appropriate ion implant beam is directed at an angle towards the drain side of the gate. To produce many asymmetrical devices on the same semiconductor substrate requires that all of the devices be oriented in the same direction so that a single ion implant step can produce all of the LDD regions desired on the same side of the gate while avoiding implant on the opposite side.
It can be seen that controlled device asymmetry is possible if all the devices are oriented in the same direction and the opposite direction rotation is omitted. However, orienting all of the devices in the same direction significantly limits layout flexibility.
The same problem is encountered when constructing a halo implant only on the source side of the device. If the halo implant is placed on the drain side, it increases junction capacitance and peak electric field. Achieving halo implants only on the source side has heretofore required the same choice between an expensive critical mask with alignment comparable to half the gate width or an angle implant with uniform device orientation such that all of the devices have the source on the same side.
Therefore, an improved process to provide implants is needed and this solution is provided by the following invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to selectively provide different implants on different devices or on different sides of the same device on a semiconductor wafer.
It is a further object of the present invention to form both symmetrical and asymmetrical semiconductor devices on a semiconductor wafer.
It is a feature of the present invention to use a single non-critical mask to selectively form barriers adjacent semiconductor devices or adjacent one side of certain devices to shadow ion implant beams.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the location of ion implant can be controlled without adding critical masks or reducing layout flexibility.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide asymmetrical devices without added critical masks or reducing layout flexibility.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are accomplished by a method for selectively blocking angled ion implants on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface. A first structure and a second structure are formed on the surface of the substrate. A first barrier is selectively formed adjacent a first side of the first structure. A dopant is implanted at an angle, however the barrier shadows the dopant from a portion of the first structure and no barrier shadows dopant from a corresponding portion of the second structure.
The present invention also includes symmetrical and asymmetrical semiconductor devices on the same wafer. Most typically, this will include a field effect transistor, having an LDD on the drain side of the gate, but not on the source side of the gate, or having a halo on the source side of the gate, but not on the drain side of the gate, or both; or a second set of devices having no halo implant in the source/drain, or a set of devices having no LDD implant in the source/drain.
Although the present invention may find application in various types of ion implanted semiconductor devices, the invention will be described here in connection with its application in MOSFET technology in which the structures on the semiconductor surface are the gates of MOSFETs.

International Business Machines Corporation


A bookbinding system to produce booklets, including: an image forming section; a first conveyance route of the sheet carrying the image; a sheet storing section which stores sheets on which no image is going to be formed; a second conveyance route to connect the sheet storing section and the first conveyance route; a notching section which forms notches on edges of the sheets; and a bookbinding section which accumulates the sheets to form a sheet bundle, and adhere a cover sheet to the sheet bundle to become a booklet, wherein the image forming section is placed upstream of a merging point of the first and second conveyance routes, with respect to a sheet conveyance direction of the first conveyance route, wherein the notching section is placed downstream of the merging point; and the bookbinding section is placed downstream of the notching section, with respect to the sheet conveyance direction.

In recent years, various technologies have been provided in which a plurality of recording sheets carrying images are stacked to be a sheet bundle, after which cover sheets are attached by adhesive onto said sheet bundle to become a booklet.
For example, there is one technology in which a user stacks a plurality of sheets carrying images to be one sheet bundle, after which the user sets said sheet bundle and the cover sheets onto the bookbinding machine, whereby a booklet is produced by said bookbinding machine.
Further, in a bookbinding system incorporating an image forming apparatus, such as a copy machine and a printer, there is a technology in which a plurality of recording sheets carrying images are automatically stacked to be one sheet bundle, after which a cover sheet is attached onto said sheet bundle by the adhesive. In said bookbinding system, the general procedure to produce a booklet is, firstly, a plurality of recording sheets carrying images are stacked and aligned to become a sheet bundle. After that, adhesive is applied onto the end portion of said sheet bundle. A cover sheet is conveyed to a predetermined position, so that the cover sheet can be adhered to the end portion of the sheet bundle. By the above procedure, the plurality of sheets and the cover sheet are united so that a booklet is produced.
FIGS. 11 (a) and (b) show an example of a booklet which is structured of a sheet bundle and a cover sheet.
FIG. 11(a) shows a status of cover sheet CO which is not yet folded, while FIG. 11(b) shows a status where cover sheet CO has been folded. As shown in FIG. 11(a), a bundle of sheets S, carrying the adhesive on its end portion is moved in an arrowed direction to be adhered to cover sheet CO, after which the sheet bundle is covered with cover sheet CO like a U-shape. In the finished status of booklet MA, edge SE of sheets S is aligned to edge COE of cover sheet CO.
However, after the adhesive is applied onto end portion SB of the sheet bundle, cover sheet CO is adhered to the sheet bundle. Occasionally a problem may occur in which sufficient adhesive force between cover sheet CO and end portion SB cannot be obtained, whereby some sheets S may drop from booklet MA.
One method to overcome this problem is that notches are formed on the edges of sheets S corresponding to end portion SB of the sheet bundle, so that the amount of adhesive to be applied onto end portion SB can be increased, whereby the sufficient adhesive force between sheets S and cover sheet CO is obtained.
In the above-described bookbinding machine, it may be possible to provide a mechanism to form the notches on the end portion of the sheet bundle introduced in said machine, and also in the above-describe bookbinding system, it may be possible to provide a notch forming means along the conveyance route of the sheet carrying images, to form the notches, as described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-62145.
However, general bookbinding machines tend to be quite large-sized, which incorporate a mechanism to align the sheet bundle which has been set, and said general bookbinding machines will be larger-sized by incorporating the notch forming mechanism, as well as a mechanism to collect sheet chips generated by said notch forming mechanism.
Further, in the bookbinding system of the above-described Patent Document, only the sheets on which images are formed by the image forming apparatus, are notched so that the booklet is produced. Accordingly, said bookbinding system cannot produce a booklet by such procedures that sheets carrying no image are introduced between the sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming apparatus, after which the sheets carrying image and the sheets carrying no image are notched and combined to become a booklet. Yet further, said bookbinding system cannot produce a booklet using only sheets on which no image has been formed by said image forming apparatus. Accordingly if the user is required to produce various kinds of booklets, said bookbinding system cannot be used.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


The invention discloses a method for selectively introducing carbonyl groups into polymers by oxygenation of double C═C bonds of polymers with the aid of nitrous oxide (N2O) at a temperature comprised between 50 and 350° C. and a pressure of N2O of from 0.01 to 100 atmospheres.

The known method of changing the properties of polymers is chemical modification thereof by introducing polar functional groups at a stage of polymerization using modifying monomers. One of the examples illustrating this modification is copolymerization of butadiene with methacrylic acid resulting in the obtaining of carboxylate rubbers. In patents (U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,109, 22 Sep. 1970, CO8F 1/67, 13/04. D.M.Fenton, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,460, 09 May. 09, 1972, CO8F 1/67, 13/04, K.Nzaki; U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,911, 28 Feb. 1978, CO8F 004/26, D. M. Fenton; U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,871, 05 May 1994, CO8G 067/02, A. Sommazzi, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,120, 06 Jan. 1993, CO8G 067/02, E.Drent, et al.; EP Pat. No. 0,802,213, 22 Oct. 1997, CO8G 067/02, A. Sommazzi, et al.) a disclosure is made of methods for introducing carbonyl groups into polymers through CO copolymerization with olefinic and diene monomers in the presence of complexes of palladium resulting in the obtaining of alternating polymers.
Another method for the modification of polymers is introduction of diverse polar functional groups into polymers already produced. This method finds a particularly wide variety of application with respect to polymers containing double carbon-carbon bonds (C═C). These both can be residual double bonds (for example in polyolefins) and regular double bonds (for example in polydienes).
For example, in patents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,653, 23 Sep. 1986, CO8F 008/00, J. D. Kitchens, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,241, 28 Jan. 1986, CO8F 008/32, J. D. Kitchens, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,607,536, 21 Sep. 1971, B44D 1/50, CO8F 27/10, R. A. Bragole) a disclosure is made of methods for the modification of polymers by introducing thiocyanate or isothiocyanate groups on C═C bonds using chemical methods or by exposure to a UV-radiation.
In patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,172, 20 Jul. 1993, BO5D 003/06, P. T., Cahalan, et al.) there is shown and described a method for modifying polyolefins by grafting an acrylamide monomer by exposure to a UV-radiation in the presence of cerium ions.

Method for introducing carbonyl groups into polymers containing double carbon-carbon linkages

Abstract: The introduction of an insignificant amount of C═O groups allows one to modify the physico-chemical properties of a polymer, with its molecular weight and molecular-weight distribution preserved. Deeper oxygenation results in controlled cleavage of polymer macromolecules and makes it possible to produce oxygen-containing oligomers having a desired molecular weight.

Institut Kataliza Imeni G.K. Boreskova, Sibirskogo Otdeleniya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk


According to one embodiment, there is provided a vehicle behavior control system. The vehicle behavior control system includes a steering angle obtaining module, a steering angular velocity obtaining module, a vehicle speed obtaining module, a standard yaw rate calculation module, a limit yaw rate setting module and a behavior stabilization control module. The behavior stabilization control module executes a behavior stabilization control so as to stabilize a behavior of the vehicle by giving a braking force to a turning outer wheel of the vehicle based on a target braking force. The behavior stabilization control module sets a control intervention threshold based on the limit yaw rate and the steering angular velocity, and determines that the behavior stabilization control is to be started in case the standard yaw rate exceeds the control intervention threshold.

There is known a vehicle behavior control system in which when the vehicle gets unstable as a result of the steering wheel being turned drastically, a braking force is given to part of the wheels to stabilize the behavior of the vehicle. For example, in a vehicle behavior control system described in JP-2010-64720-A, an actual turning state quantity such as an actual yaw rate is obtained, and when the vehicle gets unstable, a braking force is given to part of the wheels based on the turning state quantity so obtained, whereby the behavior of the vehicle is stabilized.
More specifically, the vehicle behavior control system of JP-2010-64720-A is configured to restrict an oversteer condition by giving the braking force to turning outer wheels while the vehicle is turning.
In this vehicle behavior control system, in case a disturbance to the behavior of the vehicle can be estimated, it is desirable to start a vehicle behavior stabilization control as soon as possible in order to reduce the disturbance to the behavior of the vehicle as much as possible. For example, in JP-2010-64702-A, a threshold to start a behavior stabilization control is changed in case the steering wheel is turned to an opposite direction after it has been turned either to the left or the right.
Incidentally, it takes, more or less, a certain period of time until a change in vehicle behavior appears after the steering wheel has been operated. Because of this, in case the disturbance to the behavior of the vehicle is estimated based on the actual turning state quantity of the vehicle as in the vehicle behavior control system of JP-2010-64720-A, the control may not be started early enough. In addition, in the vehicle behavior control system of JP-2010-64720-A, the threshold is changed on condition that the steering wheel is turned back, and therefore, even though a first turning of the steering wheel is drastic, the threshold is not changed. As a result, the start of the control may be delayed.
In addition, in the event that the braking force is given to the turning outer wheels of the vehicle to solve the oversteer condition of the vehicle, in case the braking force is too large, the yaw rate is reduced more than required, thereby possibly causing an understeer condition.

Vehicle braking system for stability control

AUTOLIV NISSIN BRAKE SYSTEMS JAPAN CO., LTD.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor chip that has electrode pads on the chip front surface and disposed inside a conductive outer ring. A film circuit is disposed on the chip front surface side. External connection thermals are formed on the film circuit so as to project there from. First leads electrically connect part of the electrode pads to part of the external connection terminals. A second lead electrically connects a grounding or power supply electrode pad to the outer ring, and a third lead electrically connects a grounding or power supply external connection terminal to the outer ring.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor package of a ultra-many-pin structure in which a semiconductor chip is bonded to a novel lead frame, and to a manufacturing method of the lead frame.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional semiconductor package which can be mounted on a printed wiring board or the like through an organic board having external connection terminals such as solder balls.
As shown in FIG. 1, a semiconductor chip 51 is mounted on the front surface of a multilayered organic wiring board 50 of about 2 to 6 layers which is made of an organic material. Electrode pads of the semiconductor chip 51 are connected to wiring films 52 that are formed on the front surface of the multilayered organic wiring board 50 by wire bonding, i.e., with gold wires 53 or the like.
The back surface of the multilayered organic wiring board 50 is provided with solder balls (external connection terminals) 55 which are electrically connected to the wiring films 52 on the front surface via through-holes 54. The solder balls 55 project from openings of a solder resist film 56. The semiconductor chip 51 is sealed with a sealing resin 57 together with the gold wires 53.
In the above-configured semiconductor package 58, the solder balls 55 formed on the back surface are connected to a printed wiring board 59. In many cases the multilayered organic wiring board 50 is called a ball grind array (BGA) because a number of solder balls 55 are arranged in grid form, and the semiconductor package 58 using the multilayered organic wiring board 50 is called a BGA package.
However, there is a certain limit in reducing the wiring pitch in the conventional semiconductor package 58, because the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip 51 are connected to the wiring films 52 of the multilayered organic wiring board 50 by wire bonding. In the case of a semiconductor package called TCP (tape carrier package), leads are formed by etching metal foil (copper foil) that is attached to an insulating film. Therefore, also in this case, due to restrictions such as one resulting from lead thinning by side etching, there is a certain limit in increasing the number of pins.
In view of the above, the present assignee has already proposed semiconductor packages of an ultra-many-pin structure in which a semiconductor chip is bonded to a novel lead frame (or lead frame structural body).
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an example of such semiconductor packages of an ultra-many-pin structure.
In the illustrated configuration of a semiconductor package 60, a plurality of electrode pads 62 are formed on the front surface (chip bottom surface as viewed in FIG. 2) of a semiconductor chip 61 along its periphery. A reinforcement plate 63 is provided outside the semiconductor chip 61 so as to surround it, and the reinforcement plate 63 defines a package external shape. A wiring film 65 is laminated on the reinforcement plate 63 through an insulating bonding layer 64. The wiring film 65 is constituted of a plurality of leads 66 consisting of inner leads 66a and outer leads 66b and an insulating film 67 which covers and protects the outer leads 66b. The tips of the inner leads 66a are connected to the electrode pads 62 formed on the chip front surface, and solder balls (external connection terminals) 68 are formed on the outer leads 66b so as to penetrate through the insulating film 67. A peripheral space of the semiconductor chip 61 is charged with a sealing resin 69, and a radiation plate 71 is bonded to the chip back surface and the reinforcement plate 63 through a heat conductive adhesive 70.
Now, a manufacturing procedure of the above semiconductor package 60 will be described roughly.
First, to produce a lead frame, a metal base 72 of a three-layer structure is prepared as shown in FIG. 3A. The metal base 72 has a structure in which an aluminum film 74 is formed on the front surface of a substrate (hereinafter called a copper substrate) 73 made of copper or a copper alloy and a nickel film 75 is formed thereon. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of leads 66 are formed on the front surface of the metal base 72 by electrolytic copper plating. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, slits 76 are formed to define a lead frame outer shape for each chip. Then, as shown in FIG. 3D, an insulating film 67 is laid on the leads 66, to form a wiring film 65 constituted of the plurality of leads 66 and the insulating film 67. At this time, the lead portions projecting from the insulating film 67 become inner leads 66a and the lead portions covered with and protected by the insulating film 67 become outer leads 66b. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3E, an undercoat film of nickel, for instance, is formed on the outer leads 66b which are covered with the insulating film 67, and a solder material 68a is laid on the undercoat film by electrolytic plating. At this time point, the solder material 68a has mushroom shapes.
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the copper substrate 73, the aluminum film 74, and the nickel film 75 of the metal base 72 are sequentially removed by selective etching while an outer ring 77 is left, so that the respective leads 66 are separated from and made independent of each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, a reinforcement plate 63 is bonded to the surfaces of the outer leads 66b which are covered with the insulating film 67 through an insulting bonding layer 64. Then, as shown in FIG. 4D, bumps 78 are formed on the tips of the respective inner leads 66a extending from the insulating film 67.
Thus, a lead frame 79 before attachment of a semiconductor chip is completed.
Thereafter, to attach a semiconductor chip to the above-produced lead frame 79, the tips of the inner leads 66a are connected to electrode pads 62 of a semiconductor chip 61 through the bumps 78 as shown in FIG. 5A. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, a sealing resin 69 is injected into a peripheral space of the semiconductor chip 61 and then cured. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, a radiation plate 71 is bonded to the back surface of the semiconductor. chip 61 and the reinforcement plate 63 through a heat conductive adhesive 70. Then, as shown in FIG. 5D, the solder material 68a which was laid by electrolytic plating in the previous lead frame manufacturing process is shaped by causing it to reflow, to obtain desired solder balls 68. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5E, the outer ring 77 is separated with the outer circumference of the reinforcement plate 63 as the boundary, to complete the semiconductor package 60 shown in FIG. 2.
The semiconductor package 60 realizes an ultra-many-pin structure beyond the previous limit, because the leads 66 can be patterned more finely, which results from the fact that the leads 66 are formed on the metal base 72 by electrolytic copper plating at the stage of manufacturing the lead frame 79. Further, the semiconductor package 60 is superior in heat dissipation because the radiation plate 71 is bonded to the chip back surface side.
However, even the above ultra-many-pin structure semiconductor package 60 has the following problems:
(1) Stress-induced breakage likely occurs in the bonding portion between the chip front surface and the sealing resin 69.
(2) The front surface of the semiconductor chip 61 is likely affected by radiations such as xcex1-rays. As a countermeasure, it is necessary to coat polyimide or the like on the chip front surface.
(3) It takes time to charge the peripheral space of the semiconductor chip 61 with the sealing resin 69.
(4) Crosstalk noise likely occurs when the pattern of the leads 66 is made finer.
(5) The bumps 78 are polluted with a gas generated from the insulating bonding layer 64 when the bumps 78 are formed on the tips of the inner leads 66a in the lead frame manufacturing process.
(6) Since the solder balls 68 are obtained by shaping the mushroom-shaped solder members 68a, which are laid by electrolytic plating in the lead frame manufacturing process, into a ball shape by the reflow method immediately before the package is completed, the surfaces of the solder members 68a are oxidized during a period of time that elapses between the above two time points. Therefore, brushing is needed to eliminate oxide films prior to the reflowing of the solder members 68a. There is a possibility that the brushing causes pieces of the solder members 68a to fall off or the wiring film 65 to peel off the bonding layer 64.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing another example of the semiconductor packages of an ultra-many-pin structure that have been proposed by the present assignee.
As shown in FIG. 6, a semiconductor chip 162 is disposed inside an outer ring 161. A plurality of electrode pads 163 are formed on the front surface of the semiconductor chip 162 along its periphery. A film circuit 165 is placed on and fixed to, via a bonding layer 164, a central portion of the chip front surface which excludes the pad forming region. The film circuit 165 consists of an insulating film 166 as a base and lead patterns 167 that are formed within the insulating film 166. Further, external connection terminals (solder balls) 168 are provided on the film circuit 165 at positions corresponding to the ends of the respective lead patterns 167. Leads 169 extending from the lead patterns 167 come out of the film circuit 165, and lead tips 169a are connected to the electrode pads 163 on the chip surface. A sealing resin 170 fills in the space between the outer ring 161 and the structure made up of the semiconductor chip 162, the bonding layer 164, and.the film circuit 165.
In the semiconductor package having the above configuration, the lead patterns 167 including the leads 169 of the film circuit 165 are formed by electrolytic plating that uses a metal base (not shown), and the external connection terminals 169 are formed on the lead patterns 167 also by electrolytic plating. Thus, this semiconductor package realizes a many-pin structure in which the number of pins is beyond the limit so far existed. Further, part of the metal base is left as the outer ring 161, which constitutes the package outer frame. Therefore, the positional accuracy between the package outer frame and the external connection terminals 168 is assured, which enables easy execution of an alignment operation during package mounting. In addition, what is called a CSP (chip size package) structure is attained in which the package size is made at the same level as the chip size.
In the semiconductor package shown in FIG. 6, a ground (GND) line or a power line of a printed wiring board for package mounting (hereinafter referred to as a package mounting board) is connected to an electrode pad 163 of the semiconductor chip 162 via a given external connection terminal 168 and a corresponding lead pattern 167. However, for a certain signal to be processed, there may occur a case that the power line potential or the ground potential becomes unstable. It is desired that the semiconductor package be improved in this respect.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a first object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor package which can avoid stress-induced breakage in the bonding portion on the chip front surface, can suppress the influence of radiations, and enables high-speed sealing.
A second object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor package which can reduce crosstalk noise.
A third object of the invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a lead frame which allows formation of high-quality bumps on the tips of inner leads.
A fourth object of the invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a lead frame which makes it unnecessary to perform brushing in causing a reflow of a solder material that has been laid on leads by electrolytic plating.
A fifth object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor package of an ultra-many-pin structure which enables a ground line or a power line to be connected from a package mounting board to an electrode pad of a semiconductor chip in a stable manner.
According to the invention, there is provided a semiconductor package comprising a semiconductor chip having a plurality of electrode pads formed on a peripheral portion of a front surface of the semiconductor chip and an effective device region occupying an inside of the peripheral portion; an insulating, thick-film protective layer laminated on the effective device region of the semiconductor chip; a plurality of leads constituted of outer leads and inner leads being integral with and extending from the outer leads, the inner leads having tips being connected to the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip; an insulating film for protecting the outer leads; external connection terminals formed on the outer leads; a reinforcement plate provided so as to surround the semiconductor chip; and a sealing resin for filling in a peripheral space of the semiconductor chip.
In the semiconductor package having the above configuration, since the thick-film protective layer is laminated on the effective device region of the semiconductor chip, the influence of radiations can be suppressed by the shielding effect of the thick-film protective layer even without subjecting the chip front surface to any coating treatment. Further, since the interposition of the thick-film protective layer reduces the space to be charged with the sealing resin, the resin sealing time can be shortened as much. Further, since the front surface of the semiconductor chip is covered with the thick-film protective layer rather than a sealing resin, stress-induced breakage can be prevented from occurring in the bonding portion on the chip front surface.
Further, according to the invention, there is provided a semiconductor package comprising a semiconductor chip having a plurality of electrode pads formed on a peripheral portion of a front surface of the semiconductor chip; a plurality of leads constituted of outer leads and inner leads being integral with and extending from the outer leads, the inner leads having tips being connected to the electrode pads of the semiconductor chip; an insulating film for protecting surfaces on one side of the outer leads; external connection terminals formed on the outer leads; a conductive reinforcement plate provided so as to surround the semiconductor chip, and bonded to surfaces on the other side of the outer leads through an insulating adhesive layer; a conductive outer ring provided so as to surround the reinforcement plate, and electrically connected to at least one of the outer leads; and a conductive paste for filling in a space between the reinforcement plate and the outer ring.
In the semiconductor package having the above configuration, by electrically connecting the outer ring to at least one of the outer leads, say, a grounding outer lead, the grounding outer lead and the reinforcement plate are electrically connected to each other via the outer ring. Thus, a microstrip structure is realized in which the insulating bonding layer (dielectric) is interposed between the plurality of leads (strip conductors) and the reinforcement plate (grounding plane), whereby crosstalk noise can be reduced.
Further, according to the invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of a lead frame, comprising the steps of forming a plurality of leads on a surface of a metal base of a laminated structure by metal plating; separating the plurality of leads from each other by selectively removing the metal base by etching; and forming bumps on tips of the respective separated leads, and then bonding a reinforcement plate to lead surfaces excluding bump forming regions thereof.
In the above lead frame manufacturing method, since the bumps are formed before the reinforcement plate is bonded to the lead surfaces, the bumps are never polluted by a gas generated from a bonding layer for bonding of the reinforcement plate.
Further, according to the invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of a lead frame, comprising the steps of forming a plurality of leads on a surface of a metal base of a laminated structure by metal plating; covering given regions of the leads with an insulating film; and laying a solder material on the leads at given positions by electrolytic plating with the insulating film used as a mask, and, immediately thereafter, shaping the solder material into ball shapes by reflowing.
In the above lead frame manufacturing method, since the solder material is shaped into balls by reflowing immediately after it is laid on the leads at the given positions by electrolytic plating, there occurs almost no oxidation of the solder material over time. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform brushing prior to the reflowing.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a semiconductor package comprising a conductive outer ring; a semiconductor chip having a plurality of electrode pads on a peripheral portion of a front surface of the semiconductor chip and disposed inside the conductive outer ring; a film circuit disposed and formed on the side of the front surface of the semiconductor chip; a plurality of external connection terminals formed on the film circuit so as to project therefrom; first leads for electrically connecting part of the electrode pads formed on the semiconductor chip to part of the external connection terminals formed on the film circuit; a second lead for electrically connecting a grounding or power supply electrode pad among the electrode pads formed on the semiconductor chip to the outer ring; a third lead for electrically connecting a grounding or power supply external connection terminal among the external connection terminals formed on the film circuit to the outer ring; and a conductive stage bonded to a back surface of the semiconductor chip and the outer ring through respective conductive bonding layers.
In the semiconductor package having the above configuration, the grounding or power supply electrode pad is short-circuited with the chip back surface via the second lead, the outer ring, and the conductive stage, and the grounding or power supply external connection terminal is short-circuited with the chip back surface via the third lead, the outer ring, and the conductive stage. As a result, the chip back surface serves as the common ground or power supply, and the outer ring and the conductive stage that are connected to the chip back surface have the same potential. Therefore, a grounding line or a power line from a package mounting board can be connected to the electrode pad of the semiconductor chip in a more stable manner.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor package with improved cross talk and grounding


Provided are an agitator and an agitating hook provided therein. The agitator includes a rotary shaft rotatably installed in a reactor, rotor blades installed at an outer circumference of the rotary shaft and rotated with the rotary shaft to agitate a material therein, and an agitating hook constituted by a pair of members spaced apart from each other at an inner wall of the reactor and through which the rotor blades pass. Here, a gap between the agitating hook is larger at an outlet port through which the rotor blade leaves than at an inlet port through which the rotor blade enters. Since a pressure is uniformly applied from the inlet port through which the rotor blade enters to the outlet port through which the rotor blade leaves, a torsional moment applied to the agitating hook is minimized. Therefore, it is possible to improve durability of the agitating hook and increase reliability of products.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agitator, and more particularly, to an agitator capable of improving durability of an agitating hook for agitating a high viscosity material with rotor blades, and an agitating hook provided therein.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, polymerization refers to a reaction in which small molecules are repeatedly added to form a single long continuous chain. Here, a small unit molecule is referred to as a unit body. An agitator is needed in a polymerization reactor, which performs polymerization, to agitate a high viscosity fluid or gel-type material having a viscosity higher than a predetermined level.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional agitator, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the agitator shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in the drawings, the agitator has a substantially cylindrical shape, in which an agitation member is installed. The agitator shown in FIG. 1 may be installed in plural in the cylinder to perform agitation. A rotary shaft 3 is rotatably installed at a center in an inner space defined by an inner wall 1 of the agitator. The rotary shaft 3 receives power from a power source such as a motor to be rotated.
A plurality of rotor blades 5 are installed at an outer circumference of the rotary shaft 3. The plurality of rotor blades 5 may be installed at the outer circumference of the rotary shaft 3 at a predetermined interval. The rotary blades 5 may be rotated together with the rotary shaft 3 to substantially agitate a high viscosity material. The rotary blade 5 has a substantially fan-shape.
In addition, agitating ribs 7 are formed at ends of the rotary blades 5, respectively. The agitating ribs 7 perpendicularly project from the ends of the rotor blades 5. Referring to FIG. 3, the agitating rib 7 perpendicularly extends from the end of the rotor blade 5 in both directions. Meanwhile, the agitating rib 7 passes through a rib passing part 13, which will be described.
An agitating hook 10 is installed at the inner wall 1 to agitate and crush a high viscosity material. The agitating hook 10 may be provided around the inner wall 1 in plural. As shown in FIG. 2, the agitating hook 10 is formed of a pair of symmetrical members spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other. In addition, the rotor blade 5 and the agitating rib 7 pass through the agitating hook 10 to agitate and crush the high viscosity material.
Referring to FIG. 2, the agitating hook 10 includes support parts 12 projecting from the inner wall 1 of the reactor and spaced apart a predetermined gap from each other, connecting parts 14 extending from tips of the support parts 12 in facing directions, and parallel parts 16 parallelly extending from tips of the connection parts 14.
In addition, the rib passing part 13 through which the agitating rib 7 passes is formed between the support parts 12, and a blade passing part 17 through which the rotor blade 5 passes is formed between the parallel parts 16. The rib passing part 13 has a relatively larger width than that of the blade passing part 17, because a width of the agitating rib 7 is larger than that of the rotor blade 5.
In order to prevent interference between the agitating hook 10 and the rotor blade 5 during rotation, a predetermined gap must be formed therebetween. This is also similar to the agitating rib 7. This is shown in FIG. 3 well. That is, the high viscosity material passes through the gap formed between the agitating hook 10 and the rotary blade 5 to be crushed.
Specifically describing the agitation and crush operation of the agitating hook 10, first, a high viscosity fluid or gel-type material is inserted into the agitator. In general, a high viscosity material agitated in the agitator has a viscosity of 10,000 cp or more. Such a material is likely to be changed from a liquid phase into a solid phase so that the volume thereof is abruptly expanded.
When the high viscosity material is input, the material is conveyed from an inlet port to an outlet port and sequentially converted from the liquid phase into a gel type and from the gel type into a solid phase. In particular, as described above, the volume is abruptly expanded while the gel-type is converted into the solid phase. The solid lumps pass through the agitating hooks 10 to be agitated and crushed by rotation of the rotor blades 5.
However, the conventional art as described above has the following problems.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the agitating hook 10 through which the rotor blade 5 passes has a constant gap from an inlet port through which the rotor blade 5 enters and an outlet port through which the rotor blade 5 leaves. Since the gap between the rotor blade 5 and the agitating hook 10 is constant, a pressure applied to the agitating hook 10 is increased from the inlet port to the outlet port as shown in FIG. 4.
When the pressure applied to the agitating hook 10 is not constant and increased as it goes toward the outlet port, a torsional moment is applied to the agitating hook 10 due to a difference in pressure. That is, the agitating hook 10 receives a force to be rotated in an arrow direction shown in FIG. 5.
Since such a moment is repeatedly applied to the agitating hook 10 whenever the rotor blades 5 continuously pass through the agitating hook 10, the agitating hook 10 may be failed due to fatigue. In particular, when the moment is continuously applied to the support parts 12 of the agitating hook 10, the agitating hook 10 may be broken to be separated from the inner wall 1.
Eventually, when the agitating hook 10 is broken, since the agitator cannot be normally operated, agitation efficiency is decreased and repair cost is increased.

Agitator and agitating hook provided therein


The present invention relates to compositions and methods for modulating the Wnt signaling pathway, using compounds having Formula (1) and (3): wherein A, B, Y and Z all represent rings, and R1, R2, R3 are as defined herein.

The Wnt gene family encodes a large class of secreted proteins related to the Int1/Wnt1 proto-oncogene and Drosophila wingless ("Wg"), a Drosophila Wnt1 homologue. (Cadigan et al. (1997) Genes & Development 11:3286-3305). Wnts are expressed in a variety of tissues and organs and play a major role in many developmental processes, including segmentation in Drosophila; endoderm development in C. elegans; and establishment of limb polarity, neural crest differentiation, kidney morphogenesis, sex determination, and brain development in mammals. (Parr, et al. (1994) Curr. Opinion Genetics & Devel. 4:523-528). The Wnt pathway is a master regulator in animal development, both during embryogenesis and in the mature organism. (Eastman, et al. (1999) Curr Opin Cell Biol 11: 233-240; Peifer, et al. (2000) Science 287: 1606-1609).
Wnt signals are transduced by the Frizzled ("Fz") family of seven transmembrane domain receptors. (Bhanot et al. (1996) Nature 382:225-230). Wnt ligands bind to Fzd, and in so doing, activate the cytoplasmic protein Dishevelled (Dvl-1, 2 and 3 in humans and mice) (Boutros, et al. (1999) Mech Dev 83: 27-37) and phosphorylate LRP5/6. A signal is thereby generated which prevents the phosphorylation and degradation of Armadillo/β(beta)-catenin, in turn leading to the stabilization of β-catenin (Perrimon (1994) Cell 76:781-784). This stabilization is occasioned by Dvl's association with axin (Zeng et al. (1997) Cell 90:181-192), a scaffolding protein that brings various proteins together, including GSK3, APC, CK1, and β-catenin, to form the β-catenin destruction complex.
The Wingless-type (Wnt) Frizzled protein receptor pathway involves important regulatory genes that carry polymorphisms associated with primary carcinomas. In the course of downstream signaling, cytosolic β-catenin accumulates, translocates into the nucleus, and then enhances gene expression by complexing with other transcription factors. (Uthoff et al., Mol Carcinog, 31:56-62 (2001)). In the absence of Wnt signals, free cytosolic β-catenin is incorporated into a complex consisting of Axin, the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene product, and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β. Conjunctional phosphorylation of Axin, APC, and β-catenin by GSK-3β designates β-catenin for the ubiquitin pathway and degradation by proteasomes. (Uthoff et al., Mol Carcinog, 31:56-62 (2001); Matsuzawa et al., Mol Cell, 7:915-926 (2001)).
Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes cell survival in various cell types. (Orford et al., J Cell Biol, 146:855-868 (1999); Cox et al., Genetics, 155:1725-1740 (2000); Reya et al., Immunity, 13:15-24 (2000); Satoh et al., Nat Genet, 24:245-250 (2000); Shin et al., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 274:2780-2785 (1999); Chen et al., J Cell Biol, 152:87-96 (2001); Ioannidis et al., Nat Immunol, 2:691-697 (2001)). Wnt signaling pathway is also thought to be associated with tumor development and/or progression. (Polakis et al., Genes Dev, 14:1837-1851 (2000); Cox et al., Genetics, 155:1725-1740 (2000); Bienz et al., Cell, 103:311-320 (2000); You et al., J Cell Biol, 157:429-440 (2002)). Aberrant activation of the Wnt signaling pathway is associated with a variety of human cancers, correlating with the over-expression or amplification of c-Myc. (Polakis et al., Genes Dev, 14:1837-1851 (2000); Bienz et al., Cell, 103:311-320 (2000); Brown et al., Breast Cancer Res, 3:351-355 (2001); He et al., Science, 281:1509-1512 (1998); Miller et al., Oncogene, 18:7860-7872 (1999)). In addition, c-Myc was identified as one of the transcriptional targets of the β-catenin/Tcf in colorectal cancer cells. (He et al., Science, 281:1509-1512 (1998); de La Coste et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 95:8847-8851 (1998); Miller et al., Oncogene, 18:7860-7872 (1999); You et al., J Cell Biol, 157:429-440 (2002)).
International Application Number PCT/US2010/025813 describes N-(hetero)aryl, 2-(hetero)aryl-substituted acetamides for use as Wnt signaling modulators.
A need exists for agents and methods that modulate the Wnt signaling pathway, for example, agents having functional activity as Wnt inhibitors, thereby treating, diagnosing, preventing, and/or ameliorating Wnt signaling-related disorders. Furthermore, the ideal drug candidate should exist in a physical form that is stable, non-hygroscopic and easily formulated.

Substituted pyridines for modulating the WNT signaling pathway


A first decoder performs decoding on each data set in a first plurality of data sets using a first code; each data set in the first plurality is stored on a different chip. It is determined if the first decoding is successful; if not, a second decoder performs a second decoding on each data set in a second plurality of data sets using a second code; each data set in the second plurality includes at least some data, after the first decoding using the first code, from each data set in the first plurality. The first decoder performs a third decoding on each data set in the first plurality using the first code, where each data set in the first plurality includes at least some data, after the second decoding using the second code, from each data set in the second plurality.

NAND Flash storage systems sometimes include multiple NAND Flash. A NAND Flash chip, like any other semiconductor, may fail and this may be referred to as a "chipkill." To ensure that user data is able to be recovered even in the event of a chip failure, some systems manufacturers have performance requirements related to chipkill. One such solution which may be supported is a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) type of solution. A NAND Flash storage system that supports RAID includes at least one additional NAND Flash chip. In one example, there are Np NAND Flash chips which are used to store user data, plus an additional NAND Flash chip (used in the event a chip fails) for a total of Np+1 NAND Flash chips.
It would be desirable if additional error protection and/or recovery techniques could be provided, for example in combination with RAID support. For example, it may be desirable to improve the performance of a storage system when faced with random errors. It would also be desirable if such techniques did not require additional hardware (e.g., did not require additional NAND Flash chips beyond the exemplary Np+1 NAND Flash chips).

Solid state device coding architecture for chipkill and endurance improvement


A loosely bound book of foam-based pages includes a plurality of pages, each page including a middle foam plate and front and back semi-rigid paper plates mounted on and sandwiching the middle foam plate and at least one binder slot formed in each of the pages, the binder slot extending entirely through the middle foam plate and the paper plates. At least one binding strap is extendable through the binder slot of each of the pages for binding the plurality of pages in a book and at least one releasable binding strap closure device is mounted on the binding strap, the releasable binding strap closure device operative to open and close the binding strap to permit pages to be added to and removed from the loosely bound book.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to looseleaf books and, more particularly, to a loosely bound book of foam-based pages which includes a plurality of pages, each page including a middle foam plate and front and back semi-rigid paper plates mounted on and sandwiching the middle foam plate, at least one binder slot formed in each of the pages which extends completely through the page, at least one binding strap extendable through the binder slots of each of the pages and at least one releasable binding strap closure device mounted on the binding strap to permit opening and closing of the binding strap for adding or removing pages from the loosely bound book.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many different kinds of books and book bindings which are currently used in the publishing industry. While the majority of books are constructed of paper and paper products, there are many different types of children's books which are constructed of different materials such as cloth, foam, or other such materials, in order to provide additional tactile sensations for the children reading the books. Recently, one of the more popular types of manufacturing materials used in connection with children's books are thin plates of foam which constitute the pages and front and rear covers of the children's books. These are bound together in many different ways and assembled to form many different shapes and sizes of children's books, but one of the inherent problems encountered in the use of such foam pages is that the foam material which is used to construct the pages is not conducive for writing thereon, only for printing by the manufacturer, and thus the children who are using the foam books cannot personalize the foam book by writing their own thoughts and ideas on the pages of the foam book. There is therefore a need to provide a book which incorporates pages which permit the children to write on those pages, yet which also incorporates many of the advantages supplied by use of foam-based materials for construction thereof.
Another disadvantage found in connection with children's books currently being manufactured is that the binding methods used in connection with those children's books render it highly inconvenient or even impossible to add or subtract pages from the children's book, thus severely limiting the ability of the child to personalize the book and add or subtract pages therefrom. While various binding methods are used in connection with paper-based pages which permit the addition and subtraction of pages from the book, such a binding has heretofore been unavailable for use with foam-based pages, and the main reason for this has been that addition and subtraction of pages from the foam-based page book has been generally deemed unnecessary. Once the child has the ability to modify or personalize the pages of the book, however, the ability to add and remove pages from the book becomes far more critical, and therefore there is a need for a binding device which will permit the addition and subtraction of pages from a foam-based book and do so in an easy to use and aesthetically attractive configuration.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a loosely bound book of foam-based pages which includes a binding device which permits addition and subtraction of pages therefrom.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loosely bound book of foam-based pages in which the plurality of pages are constructed of a middle foam plate sandwiched between front and back paper plates which permit the user to write thereon, yet which also provide the soft edges of the foam page which is desirable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loosely bound book of foam-based pages which includes a releasable strap which extends through binder slots formed in each of the pages to bind the loosely bound pages to one another in a loosely bound book format.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loosely bound book of foam-based pages in which the binder strap includes a releasable closure device such as a hook and loop fastener attached at opposite ends of the strap to close the binder strap in a loop configuration to secure the loosely bound pages in a loosely bound book format and also permit opening of the binder strap to add or subtract pages from the book.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a loosely bound book of foam-based pages which is relatively simple in design and is safe, efficient, and effective in use.

Loosely bound book with foam-based pages


A multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed comprises waveguide feeds in a concentric architecture. A waveguide feed is located in the center and coaxial waveguide feeds are disposed around the center feed. The waveguide feeds may be all-metallic with the center feed operating in a TE11 mode and the coaxial feeds operating in a coaxial TE11 mode. The waveguide feeds may have electromagnetic band gap (EBG) surfaces on waveguide surfaces. The center waveguide feed may have an EBG outer conductor surface and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode. The coaxial waveguide feeds may have EBG inner and outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide TEM mode. The coaxial feeds may have EBG inner conductors and near perfect electrical conductor (PEC) outer conductors and operate in a circular waveguide-like TE11 mode or may comprise EBG outer conductors and PEC inner conductors and operate in a quasi-TEM waveguide mode.

This invention relates to antennas, reflector antennas, and specifically to a multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed.
Contemporary military satellite communication (SATCOM) systems require cost-effective, light-weight, low-mass, multiband and polarization-agile antenna apertures. Specific SATCOM bands of current interest include C-band, X-band, Ku-band (10.7–12.7 GHz), K-band (20–22 and 29–31 GHz) and Q-band (43–45 GHz) for various military and commercial SATCOM systems. In addition, the ability to receive orthogonal polarized signals within the same band is a requirement for military SATCOM systems. An example of this is the requirement to simultaneously receive SCAMP MILSTAR (21-GHz right-hand circular polarization (RHCP)) and Global Broadcast System (GBS) video link (21-GHz left-hand circular polarization (LHCP)).
A traditional metallic waveguide feed 15 for a reflector antenna 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and represents the current art in reflector systems for portable communications. With the traditional waveguide feed 15 the realization of more than two bands is difficult. Multiband feeds can be mechanically large and therefore initiate excessive aperture blockage for many reflector applications. The feed assemblies are mechanically complex and difficult to manufacture, which adds to weight and cost. Such feeds are capable of circular polarization only and limited to two frequency bands.
Cluster feeds are commonly used on large satellite reflectors. They are mechanically complex and are not suitable for moderate and small-sized reflectors due to large aperture blockage.
A need exists for a low-cost, physically compact multiband reflector antenna feed for multiband polarization-agile communications-on-the-move and other microwave/millimeter wave multiband SATCOM systems.

Multiband waveguide reflector antenna feed


An improved stabilizing system for a poured concrete wall utilizing interlocking foam blocks disposed on a foundation. The improved stabilizing system comprises a plurality of reinforcement members. The first ends of the reinforcement members are secured within the foundation to extend in a vertical orientation through internal cavities within the plurality of courses of the interlocking foam blocks. A plurality of retainers are disposed on the upper surface of the interlocking foam blocks. A plurality of binders secure the plurality of retainers to the plurality of reinforcement members for stabilizing the wall during the process of pouring a concrete material within the internal cavities of the interlocking foam blocks.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to a stabilizing system, and more particularly to a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which utilizes interlocking foam block molds.
2. Background Of The Invention
In recent years, the prior art has seen an increased use of interlocking foam blocks for the construction of a building structure. A plurality of interlocking foam blocks are assembled to form a wall. Each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks has a vertical aperture. Reinforcing steel bar was located between the plurality of interlocking foam blocks as well as being located with the vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks. The vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks are filled with a curable material such as a cementitious material or the like. Upon curing of the curable material, the building structure consists of a reinforced cementitious material located within the vertical aperture of each of the plurality of interlocking foam blocks.
Australian Patent 151,293 to Peter Lewis Bruning discloses a wall structure comprising a number of pillars, spaced apart and tied together by top and bottom horizontal members to afford an openwork frame, and pre-cast concrete walling slabs which rest one upon another and fill in the spaces between the pillars, characterized in that the pillars are formed with inwardly presented longitudinal rebates, that the ends of the walling slabs are formed with outwardly presented rebates to afford end flanges which are received in the pillar rebates and bear against the inwardly presented faces thereof, and that the walling slabs are retained in assembled relation one upon another by wooden or other strips which are secured to the innermost faces of the pillars and overlap the end flanges of the walling slabs.
U.S. Pat. No. 791,380 to Albert A. Thompson discloses a fence-post of plastic material having embedded in a face thereof a longitudinal strip flush with the face of the post, said strip having a longitudinal groove in its rear face having converging sides which meet, said groove receiving a portion of the material of the body of the post, in the form of a longitudinal ridge standing directly in the rear of the front face of the strip and in position to receive against its side faces the ends respectively of a staple driven through the strip.
U.S. Pat. No. 931,616 to H. H. Johanning discloses a cementitious post having a slotted channel in the face of the upper portion and an air chamber formed in the lower portion thereof, a strip filling said channel, wire netting embedded in the post throughout the extent thereof, said netting being located near the surface of the post with its longitudinal edges spaced apart and turned back at acute angles, all substantially as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 958,619 to L. F. Frazier discloses a fence post consisting of a concrete base having a surface area greater than the post. A core rises centrally from and integral with said base, and exterior tile encloses said core and extends from the top of the post downwardly to and into the concrete base. The tile having one face recessed and a wooden strip secured in said recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,649,909 to T. F. McKeon discloses a concrete fence post comprising a main body portion, a pair of longitudinally extending spaced reinforcing strips, of a width slightly less than the thickness of said post, embedded in said post and having their longitudinal edges within the marginal limits of said post; U-shaped clips for embracing said strips at their longitudinal edges for retaining the same in operative relative position, the outer ends of said U-shaped clips being flared outwardly for preventing their removal from the concrete poured around said strips; a wooden strip embedded in said main body portion between said reinforcing strips and having its inner face projecting inwardly of one of the longitudinal edges of said strips, the outer face of said wooden strip lying flush with one of the faces of said post; U-shaped clips embedded in said post, the legs of said U-shaped clips engaging opposite faces of said wooden strip in said post and the bight of said U-shaped clips lying snugly in engagement with the outer surface of said wooden strip, the ends of said legs of said U-shaped clips being angularly turned for preventing their removal from said post.
Although the use of interlocking foam blocks for the construction of a building structure has increased the efficiency of the construction of a building structure, the use of interlocking foam blocks of the prior art has certain disadvantages. A significant disadvantage of the interlocking foam blocks of the prior art is the difficulty of affixing an to outer and/or an inner facing material to the foam building blocks.
In my prior U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/581,366 filed Dec. 29, 1995, I disclosed a novel method and apparatus for providing an improved mounting for attaching a facing material to a poured concrete wall within foam block molds. U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/581,366 filed Dec. 29, 1995 set forth a improved mounting for stabilizing the foam blocks during the process of erecting and positioning the foam blocks as well as during the process of pouring of the concrete within the cores of the foam blocks.
It is an object of the present invention to improve upon my aforementioned invention and provide a stabilizing system for a concrete poured wall within foam blocks which is adaptable for use with my prior invention set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/581,366 filed Dec. 29, 1995, as well as being applicable to the foam mold blocks of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which stabilizes the foam blocks during the erection and assembly process.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which stabilizes the foam mold blocks during the process of pouring of the concrete within the foam block.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which is able to interconnect a building plate on an upper surface of the concrete wall to the foundation of the building structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which does not appreciably raise the cost of the building structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which eliminates the need for externally reinforcing or stabilizing the foam mold blocks.
Another object of this invention is to provide a stabilizing system for use within a poured concrete wall of a building structure which provides a substantial material and labor savings in the elimination of external supports of the foam mold blocks.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Stabilizing system for concrete poured walls within foam block forms


A method of forming a water vapor barrier layer to a core of a golf ball is provided. The method includes placing the core of the golf ball into a vapor barrier composition, withdrawing the lifting device, and spinning and optionally oscillating the core within the composition for a time sufficient for the composition to form a layer on the core. The present invention also provides an apparatus that can be used to form a water vapor barrier layer.

Solid core golf balls are well known in the art. Typically, the core is made from polybutadiene rubber material, which provides the primary source of resiliency for the golf ball. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,241,834 and 3,313,545, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, disclose the early work in polybutadiene chemistry. It is also known in the art that increasing the cross-link density of polybutadiene can increase the resiliency of the core. The core is typically protected by a cover from repeated impacts from the golf clubs. The golf ball may comprise additional layers, which can be an outer core or an inner cover layer. One or more of these additional layers may be a wound layer of stretched elastic windings to increase the resiliency of the ball.
A known drawback of polybutadiene cores cross-linked with peroxide and/or zinc diacrylate is that moisture adversely affects this material. Water moisture vapor reduces the resiliency of the core and degrades its properties. A polybutadiene core will absorb water and loose its resilience. Thus, preferably a golf ball core is covered quickly to maintain optimum ball properties. The cover is typically made from ionomer resins, balata, and urethane, among other materials. The ionomer covers, particularly the harder ionomers, offer some protection against the penetration of water vapor. However, it is more difficult to control or impart spin to balls with hard covers. Conventional urethane covers, on the other hand, while providing better ball control, offer less resistance to water vapor than ionomer covers.
Prolonged exposure to high humidity and elevated temperature may be sufficient to allow water vapor to invade the cores of some commercially available golf balls. For example at 110° F. and 90% humidity for a sixty day period, significant amounts of moisture enter the cores and reduce the initial velocity of the balls by 1.8 ft/s to 4.0 ft/s or greater. The change in compression may vary from 5 to about 10 or greater. The absorbed water vapor also reduces the coefficient of restitution (COR) of the ball.
Several prior patents have addressed the water vapor absorption issue. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,147 B2, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes a barrier layer in the form of an intermediate layer that has a moisture vapor transmission rate lower than that of the cover. The moisture vapor barrier layer may comprise nanoparticles, flaked glass, leafing or non-leafing metal flakes (e.g., aluminum flakes, iron oxide flakes, copper flakes, bronze flakes) or ceramic particles to increase the layer's resistance to the transmission of moisture through the layer. The primary ingredient of the barrier layer is made from a material or composition, such as polybutadiene, natural rubber, butyl-based rubber, acrylics, trans-polyisoprene, neoprene, chlorinated polyethylene, and balata. Furthermore, in one example, the intermediate layer is made from a multi-layer thermoplastic film having a base layer and a coating layer. The base layer includes polyethylene teraphthalate, polybutylene teraphthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polycyclohexanedimethylene teraphthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate bibenzoate and the coating layer includes polyvinylidene chloride, ethylene vinyl alcohol, modified polyester, silicon oxide, and one or more copolyesters prepared from dicarboxylic acids and diols or its derivatives. The vapor barrier layer can also have high specific gravity to form a ball with high moment of inertia.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,488 discloses a golf ball with a solid inner core, an outer core, and a water vapor barrier layer disposed there between. The water vapor barrier layer can be a polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) layer or a vermiculite layer. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,885,172 and 6,132,324 disclose, among other things, a golf ball with a polybutadiene or wound core with an ionomer resin inner cover and a relatively soft urethane outer cover. The hard ionomer inner cover offers some resistance to water vapor penetration and the soft outer cover provides the desirable ball control. It is also desirable to minimize the water barrier layer such that other properties of the ball are unaffected. These references are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Known methods for forming the moisture vapor barrier layers include using pre-formed semi-cured shells. A quantity of mixed stock of the preferred moisture vapor barrier material is placed into a compression mold and molded under sufficient pressure, temperature, and time to produce semi-cured, semi-rigid half-shells. The half-shells are then placed around a core (solid or wound) and the sub-assembly is cured in another compression molding machine to complete the curing process. A cover is then formed on the sub-assembly by any known method to complete the fabrication of the ball. Another known method is the sheet stock and vacuum method. Thin sheets of the mixed stock of the preferred moisture vapor barrier material are placed on the upper and lower platens of a compression-molded press. Suction force from a vacuum keeps the sheets tight against the mold cavities. A core (solid or wound) is placed in the bottom cavity above the vacuumed sheet. The sub-assembly is then cured in a compression molding press to cure the sub-assembly. A cover is then formed on the sub-assembly by any known method to complete the fabrication of the ball. Another known method is the rubber injection molding, wherein mixed stock of the preferred moisture vapor barrier material is fed into an injection molding barrel and screw. The stock is then injected through a nozzle into a mold cavity and surrounds a core (solid or wound). The sub-assembly is then heated under pressure to cure the sub-assembly. A cover is then formed on the sub-assembly by any known method to complete the fabrication of the ball. Other manufacturing techniques include spraying, dipping, vacuum deposition, reaction injection molding, among others. All of above-described methods which incorporate a water vapor barrier layer on the surface of the core have shortcomings, such as being expensive, not fully cover the pores of the core, and time consuming.
Thus, there remains a need for golf improved methods for applying the water vapor barrier layer on to the core of the golf ball.

Method of providing a moisture vapor barrier layer to a core of a golf ball


User interface (UI) manipulation techniques are disclosed that can allow a user device to hide and obscure sensitive information displayed on a flexible, foldable, or otherwise reconfigurable display from onlookers whilst maintaining or improving its accessibility exclusively to the primary user. Examples of the disclosed techniques can manipulate the UI in a way such that it is largely only viewable as intended when the user device is physically configured to a certain folding angle (and/or viewing angle). In some examples, the UI can be customized such that it promotes a certain device configuration (e.g., folding angle) that can provide an optimum security configuration for the user's current surroundings. The UI displayed on the display screen can change in form factor (e.g., an intended size as viewed by the user) to adapt to the current surroundings and/or based on the sensitivity in the displayed content.

With the prevalence of computers and portable electronic devices, the preferred mode of information presentation has long since shifted from paper to electronic. Typically, such an electronic device is equipped with a display screen (e.g., a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen) that presents visual information to a human user.
In many instances, for example, when financial or commercial transactions are involved, sensitive information such as a social security number or bank account number may be displayed on the display screen. This state of technology has created a vulnerability to an unscrupulous onlooker stealing sensitive personal and financial information from the user by looking at user's information from the sides of the device and taking a mental or actual picture.

User interface manipulation in a foldable screen device


A vehicle system and method that include a smart phone for communicating with a vehicle by an authorized user. The vehicle includes an FM transmitter that transmits vehicle information, including an authorization code, using an FM signal. The FM signal is received by the smart phone which deciphers the information, and automatically transmits a command signal back to the vehicle to perform a pre-programmed vehicle operation, such as unlocking the vehicle doors.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a vehicle system and method where a vehicle transmits FM signals to a smart phone and, more particularly, to a vehicle system and method where a vehicle transmits vehicle information on an FM frequency band that is received by a smart phone, and where the smart phone transmits a command signal back to the vehicle to perform some operation in response to receiving the FM signal.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Modern vehicles typically include a key fob that wirelessly transmits RF command signals to a vehicle controller to perform certain vehicle functions, such as lock the doors, unlock the doors, open the trunk, open the hatch, start the engine, turn on a security light, etc. The vehicle operator will press a particular push button on the key fob that typically has an image of the function that the button provides in order to transmit the command signal to the vehicle. The transmission is coded in such a manner that not only does the command perform a certain operation, but also protects the transmission from being recorded and resent by a third party. Key fobs of this type typically have a limited range, and provide a convenience factor for the vehicle operator.
Modern vehicles also typically allow a vehicle driver to set various vehicle devices and systems, such as vehicle mirrors, seats, pedals, radio, etc., to a particular desirable setting, and then allow the driver to record those settings as pre-sets by activating a storing button. If the settings are changed from the last time the vehicle driver drove the vehicle, such as by another vehicle driver, then that vehicle driver can activate the pre-sets, such as by pressing the storing button or another button, so that all of the devices are returned to the desirable position for that driver. A signal transmitted from the key fob identifying the vehicle driver can be used to set the various vehicle devices and system to the pres-set conditions, where the particular key fob is unique to the vehicle driver.
Systems have been proposed for a vehicle that cause a vehicle door handle to retract into the vehicle door for security purposes and upon detection of an authorized user will extend the handle to allow the driver to gain access to the vehicle. Current systems that deploy a vehicle handle from a retracted position may require about ten feet between when an authorized vehicle user is detected and when the user arrives at the vehicle to perform the operation satisfactorily.
As mentioned above, a typical system that allows a key fob to provide vehicle commands is activated by the vehicle driver or other authorized user using the key fob. It is desirable in some vehicle designs to cause the vehicle to perform the particular function automatically as the user approaches the vehicle, where the user is not required to actively transmit the signal. One known system, referred to as a passive entry passive start (PEPS) system, periodically interrogates or polls the area immediately around the vehicle to detect the key fob using a low frequency (LF) pulsed signal (30-300 kHz) transmitted from the vehicle at a predetermined pulse rate. The pulse width and the pulse rate of the polling signal is set based on how fast the user could be approaching the vehicle and how far from the vehicle it is desirable to first detect the user. When the key fob receives the low frequency pulsed polling signal, and authenticates it, the key fob will automatically transmit a command signal to the vehicle so that the vehicle will perform the particular function that is has been programmed to perform.
Low frequency signals are typically used for the key fob polling because they only radiate a short distance. Further, because of the short range of the low frequency pulsed polling signal, it is possible to interrogate directionally, such as at the left or right side of the vehicle or the front or rear of the vehicle. Thus, because the vehicle can know the direction of the approaching user, the vehicle need only open the door for that side.
Generating and transmitting low frequency signals typically requires a large amount of current, typically on the order of about 700 mA, for each pulse that is transmitted. Therefore, the amount of time that the vehicle is able to provide the pulsed polling signal at the low frequency before the vehicle battery voltage is reduced to an unacceptable state-of-charge, below which the driver may not be able to start the vehicle, is relatively short, for example, on the order of 12-24 hours. When this time has passed since the last time the vehicle was started, the PEPS system will go into a sleep mode, and not be able to provide the polling signal.

Vehicle data services enabled by low power FM transmission