A cooling element with a sorption agent, that under vacuum can sorb a vapor-like working agent that evaporates from a liquid working agent in an evaporator and with a regulator organ in a working agent vapor channel between the sorption agent and the evaporator, wherein the entire cooling element is hermetically enclosed by a gas-tight multi-layer film, the multi-layer film has a flexible construction and is under vacuum so encloses the regulator organ, the working agent vapor channel and the evaporator, that the evaporator and the working agent vapor channel remain flexible and the working agent vapor can flow to the sorption agent only through the regulator organ.

The invention concerns a sorption cooling element with a regulator organ and with a gas-tight multi-layer film for cooling wherein by vapourising a working agent and subsequent sorption of the working agent vapour in a sorption agent under vacuum cold is produced. At the same time the evaporator has a flexible construction to enable to adjust it to suit various cooling tasks.
Sorption cooling elements are devices, in which a solid adsorption agent in the form of vapour sorbs a second agent, the working agent, which boils at lower temperatures while releasing heat (sorption phase). In doing so the working agent is evaporated in an evaporator while taking up heat. Once the adsorption agent is saturated, it can be again desorbed at higher temperature by heat input (desorption phase). At the same time working agent evaporates from the adsorption agent. The working agent vapour can be reliquefied and subsequently evaporated again.
Adsorption devices for cooling with solid sorption agents are known from EP 0 368 111 and DE-OS 34 25 419. Sorption agent containers, filled with sorption agents, draw off the working agent vapour emerging in an evaporator and sorb it while releasing heat. At the same time the sorption heat has to be removed from the sorption agent. The cooling devices can be used for cooling food and keeping it hot in thermally insulated boxes.
WO 01/10738 A1 describes a self-cooling beverage can wherein the evaporator is provided within and a sorber outside of the can. The cooling is started by opening a vapour channel between the evaporator and the sorber. The cold, produced in the evaporator, is transferred over its surface to the beverage to be cooled inside the can. The heat emerging in the sorption agent is stored in a heat buffer. The self-cooling beverage can is strongly modified in comparison with a conventional can and is expensive to produce.
Further, more theoretical configurations of self-cooling barrels are compiled in WO 99/37958 A1. None of the devices can be cost-effectively materialized and manufactured.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,100 B1 describes a self-cooling cooling element on the exterior of a bag for liquids or loose goods. On this occasion the sorption agent is enclosed in a flexible, multi-layer film. The contact with the hot sorption fill is reduced to a minimum by insulating and flow materials as well as by heat-storing masses situated between them. The temperature equalization between the hot sorber fill and the cold evaporator, which lie against one another with a large surface, has to be reduced by using an elaborate insulation.
DE 10 2005 034297 A1 describes a sorption cooling element with a gas-tight film wherein a sorption agent is filled in a gas-tight bag for the sorption agent, that for the purpose of starting the cooling function is cut by a cutting tool. A control of the cooling capacity is thus impossible.

Sorption cooling element with regulator organ and additional heat source


A system for coupling conduit sections includes a coupling tool with a pair of lever arms pivotally interconnected and each mounting a clamp assembly. The clamp assemblies are adapted for releasably clamping the conduit sections. A coupling has a generally tubular configuration with a throughbore with multiple annular internal ribs. A coupling method includes the steps of clamping first and second conduit sections with respective clamping assemblies, placing the conduit section ends against the coupling throughbore ends, and squeezing the tool lever arms together whereby the conduit section ends are inserted into the coupling throughbore in fluid-tight sealing and pull-out resistant engagement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conduit or pipe couplings, and in particular to a system, tool and method for pushing the ends of a pair of plastic conduit sections into a coupling to form a fluid-tight, pull-out resistant coupling therebetween.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Couplings and fittings of various types are used for joining pipes and conduits. Examples include threaded fittings, couplings that are secured with solvent adhesives, weldments and various push-type couplings. The performance criteria for pipe coupling mechanisms are generally determined by such factors as the pipe materials, design pressures, temperature ranges, fluid-tight requirements, pull-out resistance requirements and environmental conditions.
For example, the nationwide, fiber-optic, telecommunications networks consist largely of buried fiber-optic cables. The cables are commonly protected from groundwater and other subsurface conditions by enclosing them within plastic conduits. A common fiber-optic cable installation procedure involves placing the empty conduits below grade with special trenching and tunnel-boring equipment, whereafter the fiber-optic cables are blown through the conduit with high-pressure air. The plastic conduits and the connecting fittings used in such installations must be impervious to groundwater, resistant to the corrosive effects of soil and capable of maintaining relatively high internal air pressures. Therefore, the connecting fittings or couplings used for joining the conduit sections require sufficient pull-out resistance to withstand internal air pressures, and further to resist tensile forces tending to separate the conduit sections by pulling apart their connections.
Conduit coupling systems are commonly used in adverse field and environmental conditions where only minimal equipment is available and speed is relatively important. Therefore, machining and other preparation of the conduit sections ends should be eliminated or minimized. Manually-operated hand tools are generally preferred due to their portability and independence from external power sources. Moreover, the couplings and other fittings should be relatively simple, inexpensive, strong and reliable. Still further, the bores of the aligned conduit sections should be free from obstructions after they are coupled.
Heretofore there has not been available a conduit coupling system, tool and method with the advantages and features of the present invention.

Conduit coupling system, tool and method


An integrated circuit is described which includes a supply voltage detection circuit. The detection circuit produces an output which indicates a voltage range of the supply voltage. The output of the detection circuit is used to adjust the operation of the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is described as a flash memory device which can include a controller to monitor the output of the detection circuit, or provide the output to an external controller. The controller uses the detection circuit output to adjust memory operation, such as a programming pulse length.

Most electronic devices are sensitive to changes in voltage supply levels. Devices incorporating integrated circuits such as portable computer and digital cameras are typically sensitive to the supply voltage and will show variations in output due to variations in the supply voltage. The devices, therefore, are usually designed to avoid or decrease sensitivity to changes in the supply voltage. To achieve this result, the device circuitry becomes more complex.
Supply voltage sensors can be provided in these devices. The sensors, however, are typically an analog integrated circuit which cannot easily be implemented in an application specific integrated circuit ASIC or logic design. Thus, an extra integrated circuit is required to provide a voltage supply sensor in an electronic device.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an integrated circuit which includes a supply voltage sensor which does not greatly effect the size or complexity of the integrated circuit.

Integrated circuit with supply voltage detector


A reversible and conservative photon routing switch is implemented as a room temperature, optical, vertical cavity X-gate (also sometimes known as a Fredkin gate). Such gates are primitive structures into which all logic functions can be decomposed. The construction of the device makes it uniquely suited to dense packed arrays of optoelectronic components for optical routing and logic. In one of the switching states, light incident on the device from either side of the wafer will pass through the device (the device is bi-directionally transmissive). In the other switching state, light incident from either side of the wafer will be reflected. Switching can be performed using either electrical or optical control. Thus incident photons are either routed through the device or reflected from the device. The characteristics of the device operation for both transmission and reflection are designed to be nearly identical regardless of whether the incident light impinges upon the top of the device or the bottom of the device (after passing through the substrate). This ability to have input light from either side makes the device reversible. This dual reversible and conservative nature along with the vertical cavity format allows for dense two dimensional arrays of devices to be formed on a single substrate. Furthermore, because the incident photon stream is recoverable in both the on and off states and can be recovered from either the top or the bottom of the wafer, device layers can be vertically stacked. Thus the device is useful for 3-D device geometry in which optical outputs from one set of devices can be directly used as the inputs to other sets of devices.

The quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) has been extensively investigated for its use as an optical intensity modulator. The lowest-energy absorption edge of a semiconductor is a multiparticle system comprised of extended electron and hole states which are correlated through the Coulomb interaction. These states, known as Wannier excitons in semiconductors, have two properties which make them a noteworthy choice for intensity modulation. First, the absorption of these excitons can be quite large (around 3.times.10.sup.4 cm.sup.-1 under zero electric bias when the excitons are confined in a single dimension by a quantum well) and, second, the absorption peak can be shifted by applying an electric field across the active region. Thus, a wavelength region which had little or no absorption can be made to have quite high absorptive properties with an applied voltage. The ability to create intensity modulators follows directly. Quantum-well optical intensity modulators have been made in waveguides, in vertical reflection modulators, in vertical transmission modulators, and in vertical Fabry-Perot modulator configurations.
Among them, the asymmetric Fabry-Perot modulator (AFPM) has been proposed as one of the most promising devices for free-space optical interconnect. The free-space optical interconnects offer several advantages over traditional two-dimensional electronic circuits: complete connectivity, freedom from crosstalk, inherent impedance matching, high "pinout" density, and a lower ratio of drive power to data rate for relatively long connections. The AFPM architecture is well-suited to the optical interconnects for its surface-normal configuration, polarization independence, low insertion loss, low chirp, high contrast between on and off states, and VLSI-compatible drive voltage.
The types of modulators with the AFPM structure discussed in the previous works include reflection (reflective/absorptive) modulators and transmission (transmissive/absorptive) modulators. Five prior publications on the reflection modulators are shown below.
Pezeshki et al., "Optimization of modulation ratio and insertion loss in reflective electroabsorption modulators," (Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 57, No. 15, October 1990) shows theoretically that the maximum modulation ratio in Fabry-Perot reflective electroabsorption modulators for a given insertion loss is solely a function of the ratio of the maximum to minimum absorption.
Goossen et al., "Monolithic integration of normally-on and normally-off asymmetric Fabry-Perot modulators by selective anti-reflection coating," (SPIE Photonic Switching, Vol. 1807, 1992) integrates normally-on and normally-off high-contrast reflection modulators by selective AR coating.
Trezza et al., "High contrast asymmetric Fabry-Perot electroabsorption modulator with zero phase change," (Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 63, No. 4, July 1993) determines the wavelengths and biases at which there exist large absorption changes and zero refractive index changes relative to zero bias. At these wavelengths and biases, zero-chirp reflection modulators can be realized.
Trezza et al., "Zero chirp quantum well asymmetric Fabry-Perot reflection modulators operating beyond the matching condition," (J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 74, No. 12, December 1993) demonstrates asymmetric Fabry-Perot reflection modulators which operate beyond the matching condition and exhibit zero phase change (zero chirp) when switched.
The two prior publications on the transmission modulators are listed below.
Trezza et al., "Low-voltage, low-chirp, absorptively bistable transmission modulators using type-IIA and type-IIB In.sub.0.3 Ga.sub.0.7 As/Al.sub.0.33 Ga.sub.0.67 As/In.sub.0.15 Ga.sub.0.85 As asymmetric coupled quantum wells," (J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 74, No. 11, December 1993) theoretically analyzes and experimentally demonstrates the modulation of the optical transmission.
Lin et al., "Normally on GaAs/AlAs multiple-quantum well Fabry-Perot transmission modulator with ON/OFF contrast ratio >7.4," (Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 66, No. 10, March 1995) reports a normal-incident normally on GaAs/AlAs multiple-quantum well Fabry-Perot transmission modulator.
A significant disadvantage of the prior art is that for both reflection modulators and transmission modulators, the incident photon energy is unrecoverable in one of the two switching states. In addition, the existing reflection modulators operate only with light impinging from one side of the wafer. Therefore, they can not be used as X-gates in which all logic functions can be decomposed. In the past, X-gates were realized using many CMOS gates or quantum electronics at millikelvin temperatures, both of which are incompatible for practical, efficient switching architectures. Optically, X-gates were made using meters of optical fibers which are clearly not compatible with dense packed device arrays.

Optical modulator and optical modulator array

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Hollow particle can be charged into a tire when a second stem is disconnected from a first stem in a tire valve of the present invention. When the second stem is fitted in the first stem, the hollow particle is sealed in the tire by a filter provided on the second stem and a gas can be charged into the tire through a valve core provided on the second stem.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire valve mounted on a tire.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been provided a technique for charging a predetermined amount of hollow particle and a gas into a tire so that decreased internal pressure of the tire due to damage is restored (see Patent document). This is a new technique in which ride comfortableness can be avoided from reduction due to deterioration in the rolling resistance or weight increase in the tire since this technique necessitates no reinforcement in side walls of the tire.
Furthermore, since the aforesaid new technique can be realized with the use of a general-purpose tire and a general-purpose wheel, no special wheel as employed in a run-flat tire having core and no special-purpose rim-assembling jig are necessitated. Thus, the technique has an advantage in that existing infrastructure can be utilized with the tire.
However, general-purpose tires have only a single valve mounting hole through which a tire valve is mounted. Accordingly, in order that the aforesaid new technique may be applied to general-purpose wheels, a new tire vale is necessitated which can allow not only the hollow particle and gas to flow therethrough but also allow only the gas to flow therethrough in maintenance work such as increase or decrease in the tire internal pressure by the user.
Furthermore, it is important from the view point of productivity that hollow particle should be charged into the tire as quickly as possible. Additionally, it is also important in fulfilling versatility that the aforesaid new tire valve should also be used with a general-purpose air chuck and a general-purpose valve core used with conventional general-purpose tire valves in the maintenance work of increase or decrease in the tire internal pressure by the user. Patent document: JP-A-2003-118313 (paragraphs [0034] to [0039] and FIG. 1)


The present invention relates to a short arc discharge lamp having a quartz envelope with a bulb and a support for supporting at least one electrode rod within the quartz envelope for specific alignment. The support includes a collar surrounding the at least one electrode rod and being made from a material having a melting point above an operating temperature of the short arc lamp. The collar also has at least one coil spring and at least one placement means for placing at least one coil spring around an outer surface of said collar. Connected to the support is a securing piece for securing the collar to the at least one electrode rod.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to support elements for short arc lamp electrode rods. More specifically, such support elements of the present invention include a collar, at least one coil spring and a placement piece for each coil spring and provide significant passage areas for circulation of gas within the arms of the lamp.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Short arc lamps have been in use for many years and typically involve xenon or other gas within a quartz glass envelope with an anode and cathode separated by a gap across which an arc passes during use. Xenon is particularly useful because it emits a daylight-like light.
The electrodes are attached to electrode rods in opposite positions to each other and these rods extend into quartz arms for contact with electrical connectors. The electrode rods are supported so as to be centrally located axially within the quartz arms, and so as to align the electrodes with one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,329 by Austad et al. discloses a short arc discharge lamp having a quartz envelope with a bulb and a plurality of arms having a specified cross-section, and wherein one or more electrode rods are supported within the lamp arms for specific alignment. Support elements for the electrode rods are made of high temperature metal and have a flat central portion with a central orifice of sufficient dimension to permit one of the electrode rods to pass into the central orifice, and have at least two legs, and preferably four legs, radially extending from the flat central portion. The legs have outer portions terminating with pods formed at substantially right angles to the flat central portion of the support element, the legs being of sufficient length to fit the support element within a specified cross-section of the envelope arms so as to contact an inside surface of the envelope arms with the pods. There is also provided means for securing the support elements within the envelope arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,472 describes a discharge lamp or arc lamp with specified support element structures for the electrode rods (referred to as "elongated electrodes"). The high pressure arc lamp described has a quartz glass enclosure defining a discharge space and quartz arms extending away from the discharge space are provided with elongated electrodes (assemblies) extending respectively through the quartz arms. These electrode assemblies carry respective electrodes at their inner ends and the electrode assemblies are sealed hermetically to the respective envelope portion. In order to support the electrodes within the envelope, respective support elements are fitted around the electrodes in spaced relation to the envelope and quartz arms. Means including a respective resilient element engaging each support member, are provided to hold the support elements in their axial position around the respective electrode assemblies. The resilient elements are each held between the respective electrode and the inner surface of the respective support element to continuously urge the axially outer surface of the support element resiliently against the respective inner diameter of the quartz arms.
Unfortunately, the lamp described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,472 above retains the gases within the bulbous portions or bulb of the envelope and the sputtering and blackening which occurs limits the illumination and the life of the lamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,281 describes another arc lamp wherein the electrode rods are supported by spring biased quartz plugs. These plugs are of less mass than the previously described prior art electrode supports and are spring loaded toward the center, with notches or openings cut out for gas to flow through. However, these spaces do not permit or induce significant enough gas flow to substantially reduce the negative sputtering effects described above. In fact, larger cut outs cannot be made without causing or risking cracking or shattering of the glass supports.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,616 to Lavering describes and illustrates and an electrode support structure for use in a short arc lamp. The structure includes a ring having a plurality of flaps formed therein. Struts are attached to the electrode and to the flaps. These struts may be straight and may be abutted to the electrode. The flaps can bend to minimize the stresses created by the contraction and expansions of the struts relative to the ring during the temperature cycling of assembly and operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,752 to Peterson discloses a quartz halogen lamp having a connector coil at the end of a filament leg to physically support the filament and make electrical connection to lead-in wire. The coil encircles the lead-in wire and has two warms in an overlapping, compressive engagement which constricts the coil in its direction of winding and thereby clamps it on the wire. A similar coil, the arms of which press against the lamp envelope, supports the interior end of the filament mount.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,941 to Wilson et al. discloses a compact source lamp including a vitreous envelope having a tubular portion, pinch seals at opposite ends of the envelope through which extend inleads each including a foil portion hermetically sealed through the pinch seal and a rod-like portion projecting into the envelope. The electrodes have their outer ends attached to the inner ends of the rod-like portions and define a short interelectrode gap. The foil portion is associated with at least one of the electrodes and is insufficiently rigid to support the electrode vertically. At least one support member comprises a wire coiled around the one electrode at its outer end and has an expanded turn bearing against the wall of the vitreous envelop at the tubular portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,211,941 to Sanden et al. describes and illustrates a filament support for tubular incandescent lamps having a support member formed from a single length of wire bent to form a retroverted mid-section which engages the envelop wall and two clamping legs which cross over at least one point adjacent the filament coil and which have clamping portions engaging the filament coil at least at three points around its periphery and which extend divergently therefrom into engagement with the wall of the tubular envelope.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,615 to Anton discloses a radiation detector tube including a gastight envelope with a hollow axially symmetrical conducive cathode, a radiation-permeable window sealed across one end of the cathode, an insulator sealed at the other end of the cathode and an anode wire mounted in cantilever fashion and sealed to the insulator. The anode wire extends coaxially within the cathode and terminates adjacent the radiation permeable window. There is also an anode support structure including an insulating sleeve positioned along said anode wire and adjacent the unsupported end of the anode and extending beyond the free tip of the anode, and a support member which engages the insulating sleeve and the cathode to hold the insulating sleeve in fixed positions to prevent the anode from vibrating.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,749,461 to Hierholzer, Jr. et al. relates to electric discharge devices in which a high pressure mercury vapor lamp is resiliently supported inside of an outer envelope of the reflector type wherein the radiations emitted thereby may be directed to a predetermined direction through a dome portion of the outer envelope.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,562,887 to Beese discloses a vapor lamp having an glass envelope resistant to caesium at a range of temperatures with electrodes therein and having a discharge between the electrodes and the envelope upon the application of electrical energy thereto. The envelope is generally cylindrical and includes an ionizable medium.
Great Britain Patent Application No. 2,106,312 A discloses a high pressure discharge lamp with electrodes in relatively long leg parts and having a reinforcement abutment. The reinforcement abutment is a quartz annulus fused to the inside of the leg parts and resilient clips which fit around shanks of the electrodes and bear against the abutments to centrally locate and support the shanks.
Thus, while various supports have been developed for short arc lamp electrode rods, none suggest or teach the present invention collar with coil springs with their configurations and advantages described herein.

Electrode rod support for short arc lamp


A coupling arrangement between a coaxial connector body and an outer conductor of a coaxial cable that includes an annular contact groove provided in a bore of the connector body. The contact groove has a groove bottom, a connector end sidewall and a cable end sidewall. The connector end sidewall is angled to transition between a groove bottom width that is less than a groove top width. A spring contact has a non-deformed state width seated within the contact groove. The non-deformed state width is greater than the groove bottom width and less than the groove top width. In a non-deformed state the spring contact contacts the connector end sidewall, without contacting the groove bottom.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical cable connectors. More particularly, the invention relates to a solid outer conductor coaxial cable connector that is rotatable while mounted upon the cable end, which exhibits an improved passive intermodulation distortion (PIM) electrical performance.
2. Description of Related Art
Coaxial cable connectors are used, for example, in communication systems requiring high levels of electrical performance, precision and reliability.
To create a secure mechanical and optimized electrical interconnection between the cable and the connector, it is desirable to have generally uniform, circumferential contact between a leading edge of the coaxial cable outer conductor and the connector body. A flared end of the outer conductor may be clamped against an annular wedge surface of the connector body, via a coupling nut. Representative of this technology is commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,059 issued Feb. 26, 2008 to Vaccaro.
During systems installation, rotational forces may be applied to the installed connector, for example as the attached coaxial cable is routed towards the next interconnection, maneuvered into position and/or curved for alignment with cable supports and/or retaining hangers. Rotation of the coaxial cable and a cable end clamping type coaxial connector with respect to each other may damage the connector, cable and/or the integrity of the cable/connector clamp inter-connection.
Competition in the coaxial cable connector market has focused attention on improving electrical performance and minimization of overall costs, including materials costs, training requirements for installation personnel, reduction of dedicated installation tooling and the total number of required installation steps and/or operations.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a connector that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.


A droplet jetting apparatus of the present invention includes: a head unit having droplet jetting heads; a head unit support 61 for supporting the head unit; an X-axis direction moving mechanism 6 for moving the head unit support 61; and a head driving control section 130 for controlling driving of the droplet jetting heads. The head driving control section 130 is provided on the head unit support 61 so that the head driving control section 130 is moved with respect to the main body together with the head unit. Thus, it is possible to provide a droplet jetting apparatus capable of suppressing generation of noise in drawing pattern data transmission, and carrying out accurate driving of the droplet jetting heads; an electro-optical apparatus manufactured using such droplet jetting apparatus; a method of manufacturing an electro-optical apparatus using such droplet jetting apparatus; and an electronic device comprising such electro-optical apparatus.

An industrial droplet jetting apparatus (ink jet drawing apparatus) has been proposed for use in manufacturing an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device or a color filter in a liquid crystal display device or the like, or forming metal wires on a substrate, for example, by applying an ink jet method (droplet jetting method) of an ink jet printer.
In this droplet jetting apparatus, a head unit which includes droplet jetting heads (ink jet heads) is provided so as to be movable with respect to a main body (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. HEI 10-260307). Further, a pattern is drawn on a work by jetting droplets from the droplet jelling heads while moving the work placing portion and the head unit relatively to each other based on drawing pattern data which has been converted to a bit map. The drawing pattern data is normally created by an external apparatus such as a personal computer or the like, and during the drawing operation, a head driving control section controls the driving of each droplet jetting head based on this drawing pattern data.
In this prior art droplet jetting apparatus, the head driving control section is provided outside the main body, and the head driving control section and the droplet jetting heads are connected via electric cables such as FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) or the like, for example. In this case, the electric cables connecting the head driving control section and the droplet jetting heads are housed in a cableveyor (that is a conveyor for protection of cables therein) to make it possible for the electric cable to follow the movement of the head unit, but the length thereof is very long. For this reason, in the process of transmitting the drawing pattern data from the head driving control section to the droplet jetting heads, cross talk noise or the like, for example, is generated, and there are cases where such noise has adverse effects on the drawing accuracy.

Droplet jetting apparatus, an electro-optical apparatus, a method of manufacturing an electro-optical apparatus, and an electronic device


An LED illumination apparatus includes at least one connector and a lighting drive circuit. The connector is connected to an insertable and removable card-type LED illumination source, which includes multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of a substrate. The lighting drive circuit is electrically connected to the card-type LED illumination source by way of the connector. The card-type LED illumination source preferably includes a metal base substrate and the multiple LEDs that have been mounted on one surface of the metal base substrate. The back surface of the metal base substrate, including no LEDs thereon, thermally contacts with a portion of the illumination apparatus. A feeder terminal to be electrically connected to the connector is provided on the surface of the metal base substrate on which the LEDs are provided.

The present invention relates to an LED (Light Emitting Diode) illumination apparatus and a card-type LED illumination source. More specifically, the present invention relates to an LED illumination apparatus that uses a card-type LED illumination source on which multiple LEDs are mounted, and also relates to such a card-type LED illumination source that can be used effectively in that LED illumination apparatus.
Incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, high-pressure discharge lamps and other types of lamps have been used as luminaires or light sources for billboards. Recently, an LED illumination source has been researched and developed as a new type of illumination source that could potentially replace these conventional light sources. An LED illumination source has a longer life than any of those conventional light sources, which is one of its advantageous features, and is widely expected to be a next-generation illumination source. To obtain a luminous flux comparable to that of an incandescent lamp or a fluorescent lamp, however, the LED illumination source needs to be an array of multiple LED elements because a single LED element has just a small luminous flux.
Hereinafter, conventional LED illumination sources will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) illustrate configurations of two conventional LED illumination sources. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) illustrate cross-sectional structures of LEDs included in the two types of LED illumination sources.
Each of these LED illumination sources includes a substrate 21 as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). On the substrate 21, a number of LED bare chips 22 are mounted. As used herein, the "LED bare chip" refers to an LED that is yet to be mounted and yet to be molded with a resin, for example. For the sake of clarity, an LED that has already been molded so as not to expose its light emitting portion but still has not been mounted yet will be herein referred to as an "LED element". On the substrate 21 shown in FIG. 1(a), a plate 23, including multiple holes 23a to transmit the light that has been emitted from the LED bare chips 22, is provided. On the other hand, on the substrate 21 shown in FIG. 1(b), a layered resin 24 that also transmits the light emitted from the LED bare chips 22 is provided. That is to say, the LED bare chips 22 are covered with the resin 24.
In each of these LED illumination sources, the LED bare chip 22 is mounted in a bare chip state on the substrate 21 as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b). The LED bare chip 22 includes a chip substrate 31 of sapphire, SiC, GaAs or GaP, and a light emitting portion that has been formed on the chip substrate 31. The light emitting portion is formed by stacking an n-type semiconductor layer 32 of GaN, for example, an active layer 33, and a p-type semiconductor layer 34 in this order. The electrode 32a of the n-type semiconductor layer 32 and the electrode 34a of the p-type semiconductor layer 34 are electrically connected to conductive lines 21a on the substrate 21 by way of Au wires 41 and 42, respectively. It should be noted that this configuration of the light emitting portion is just an illustrative one. Thus, the LED may have a quantum well, a Bragg reflector layer, or a resonant cavity structure.
In the configuration shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a), the light that has been emitted from the LED bare chip 22 is reflected from a reflective plane 23a, which is the inner surface of a hole (or opening) 23b of the plate 23, and then goes out of the element. The hole 23b of the plate 23 is filled with the resin 24 so as to mold the LED bare chip 22 and the wires 41 and 42 together. On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2(b), the light that has been emitted from the LED bare chip 22 goes out of the element through the molding resin 24.
In the LED bare chip 22, when a forward bias voltage is applied between the electrodes 32a and 34a of the n- and p-type semiconductor layers 32 and 34, electrons and holes are injected into these semiconductor layers and recombine with each other. As a result of this recombination, light is created in, and emitted from, the active layer 33. In an LED illumination source, the light, emitted from multiple LED bare chips 22 that have been mounted on the substrate, is utilized as illumination.
The LED bare chip 22 generates a lot of heat when emitting the light. The heat generated is supposed to be dissipated from the substrate 21 by way of the chip substrate 31. However, to make such an LED illumination apparatus a commercially viable product, the following problems must be solved.
As described above, the luminous flux of each one of the LED bare chips 22 is small. Accordingly, to achieve desired brightness, quite a few LED bare chips 22 need to be arranged on the substrate 21. To avoid an excessive increase in size of the substrate even when a great number of LED bare chips 22 are arranged thereon, the LED bare chips 22 need to be mounted at an increased density.
Also, to increase the luminous flux of each LED bare chip 22 as much as possible, a current to be supplied to the LED bare chip 22 (e.g., an eddy current of about 40 mA with a current density of about 444.4 mA/mm2 per unit area, for example) needs to be greater than a current that is supplied for normal purposes other than illumination (e.g., about 20 mA with a current density of about 222. 2 mA/mm2 per unit area for a 0.3 mm square LED bare chip, for example). However, when such a great amount of current is supplied to each LED bare chip 22, an increased quantity of heat is generated from the LED bare chip 22. As a result, the temperature of the LED bare chip 22 (which will be herein referred to as a "bare chip temperature") rises to reach a rather high level. Generally speaking, the bare chip temperature has significant effects on the life of the LED bare chip. More specifically, it is said that when the bare chip temperature rises by 10° C., the life of an LED apparatus, including the LED bare chip 22, should be halved.
An LED is usually believed to have a long life. However, it is quite a different story if the LED is used for illumination purposes. What is worse, when the bare chip temperature rises with the increase in the quantity of heat generated, the luminous efficacy of the LED bare chip 22 decreases unintentionally.
In view of these considerations, to realize an LED illumination apparatus with a huge number of LED bare chips 22 mounted thereon at a high density, the heat dissipation performance should be improved, and the bare chip temperature should be decreased, compared to the conventional ones. The optical efficiency also needs to be increased to utilize the light, emitted from the LED bare chips 22, as illumination as efficiently as possible, or with the waste of the optical energy minimized.
To overcome these problems, various types of LED illumination sources with an array of LED bare chips thereon have been proposed. However, none of those conventional LED illumination sources has ever succeeded in coping with all of those problems satisfactorily.
Hereinafter, the problems of the conventional LED illumination sources will be described with reference to FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), 2(a) and 2(b). Firstly, if the LEDs are kept ON continuously for a long time, the center portion of the substrate, having the huge number of LEDs integrated thereon, gets more and more heated. As a result, the difference in temperature between the center and peripheral portions of the LED substrate escalates with time. The configuration shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a) is adopted for an LED dot matrix display, for example. In an LED display, the plate 23 works in such a manner as to increase the contrast between the emitting and non-emitting portions of each LED. When LEDs are used for a display like this, not all of those LEDs are always kept ON at full power. Thus, not so serious a heat generation problem should happen in such a situation. However, when LEDs are used to make an illumination apparatus, all of those LEDs must be kept ON for a long time, thus causing a non-negligible heat generation problem.
In the conventional examples described above, the substrate 21 and the plate 23, both made of the same resin, are combined together, and have substantially the same thermal expansion coefficients. However, a resin material normally has a low thermal conductivity, and easily stores the heat generated. For that reason, such a resin material cannot be used so effectively in an illumination apparatus that should always be kept ON at the maximum output power.
Also, since there is a difference in temperature between the center and peripheral portions of the substrate 21 to be combined with the plate 23, a difference is also created between the thermal expansion coefficient of the center portion and that of the peripheral portion, thus imposing a great stress in the peripheral portion of the substrate. When LEDs are used in an illumination apparatus, a stress is caused by the heat every time the LEDs are turned ON and OFF repeatedly, which eventually leads to disconnection of the electrodes 32a or 34a of the LEDs.
The substrate itself may include a portion, which is as thick as the plate 23 and which is made of a material with a thermal conductivity that is approximately equal to the high thermal conductivity of the substrate material, instead of the plate 23 separately provided. Then, that substrate may include recesses to mount LED bare chips thereon. Even so, the heat-dissipating and uniform thermal distributing performance is also limited by the thermal conductivity of the substrate material.
Furthermore, when the above-described configuration is adopted, the substrate itself needs to be thick enough and the substrate to mount the LED bare chips 22 thereon cannot have a reduced thickness. For that reason, even if the substrate material has a high thermal conductivity, the heat is still stored easily in the substrate. Accordingly, when kept energized or ON for a long time with a great amount of current supplied as in an illumination apparatus, the LED bare chips, mounted around the center of the substrate, in particular, will have noticeably increased temperatures, thus creating a big temperature difference between the center and peripheral portions of the substrate. Consequently, the properties of the substrate material with the high thermal conductivity cannot be made full use of, and the heat dissipation problem is still insoluble. Furthermore, unless the recesses to be provided on the surface of the substrate have relatively large sizes, a sufficient space cannot be allowed to mount the LED bare chips 22 thereon and conductive line the LED bare chips 22 by the wire bonding technique. In addition, the optical system used should have an increased size. Also, it is currently difficult to mount the LED bare chips 22 inside the recesses considering the capillary and collet sizes of bonders of various types. That is to say, to get the capillary or collet inserted into the recess, the recess and the optical system (i.e., the light outgoing region) should have increased sizes.
In the configuration shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 2(b) on the other hand, one side of the substrate 21 is covered with the molding resin 24. Accordingly, the time it takes to cure the molding resin 24 in the center portion of the substrate is different from the time it takes to cure the same resin 24 in the peripheral portion thereof. As a result, a great residual stress is produced inside the resin. Furthermore, since the light that has been emitted from one LED bare chip 22 is absorbed into other LED bare chips 22 (i.e., self-absorption by LEDs), the light-extraction efficiency of the overall LED illumination source decreases. Moreover, since the molding resin 24 functions as a heat storage material, a temperature difference is created between the center and peripheral portions of the substrate. In that case, the thermal expansion coefficient also varies on the same substrate, thus propagating the stress of the molding resin 24 to the peripheral portion of the substrate.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Ultrasound treatment (UST) of poly-Si thin films on glass substrates is disclosed, for improving properties of such thin films for uses such in thin-film transistor applications. Hydrogenated films subjected to UST showed a strong decrease of the sheet resistivity. UST improves the electrical homogeneity of polycrystalline silicon as confirmed by spatially resolved surface photovoltage mapping. Spatially resolved photoluminescence and contact potential difference mapping confirmed that UST effect is grain boundary related. Studies of hydrogenated thin-film transistors demonstrated remarkable UST induced improvement in transistor characteristics, especially, a reduction of leakage current by as much as one order of magnitude and a shift of the threshold voltage. All these effects are believed to result from UST enhanced hydrogenation of dangling bonds at grain boundaries in polycrystalline silicon films.

Hydrogenation is a critical process for improving electronic properties of polycrystalline silicon (referred to herein as "poly-Si") for thin-film transistors. Proper hydrogenation has been shown to passivate traps, reduce device leakage current, and improve drive current by increasing carrier mobility. The degree of poly-Si hydrogenation is often inferred from time consuming analytical measurements or from end-of-line transistor parameter characteristics. It has also been found that poly-Si hydrogenation can be monitored in a quick, non-contact manner by surface photovoltage (SPV) measurement, which provides a convenient real-time feedback for process control. This SPV approach is relevant to the effect of the ultrasound treatment described below.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides enhanced hydrogenation in poly-Si thin films by means of ultrasound treatment (UST) of such thin films. Ultrasound waves propagating through a semiconductor produce lasting changes in recombination properties related to point and extended defects. It has been found that UST applied to p-type Cz-Si and solar-grade polycrystalline Si caused significant changes in the dissociation-association kinetics of metal acceptor pairs. These results suggest that coupling of ultrasound vibrations to semiconductor materials will vary properties of point and extended defects not only in compound semiconductors, but also in silicon. Stimulated by UST, processes of point defect releasing from traps as well as point defect gettering by sinks can be of particular importance for polycrystalline silicon thin films. This is explained by two reasons: (1) existence of extended lattice defects (grain boundaries and dislocations), which effectively absorb the acoustic waves; and (2) existence of mobile point defects, e.g. hydrogen, strongly interacting with extended defects.
The present invention is particularly useful in providing enhanced hydrogenation in polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films on substrates such as glass substrates, for use in thin-film transistor ("TFT") applications. Specifically, in TFT manufacturing, plasma hydrogenation is normally one of the final technological steps. According to the present invention, UST processing is designed to enhance plasma produced hydrogenation of TFTs.
One aspect of the present invention relates to the application of UST to hydrogenated poly-Si thin films, to enhance the electronic properties of such poly-Si thin films.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to the application of UST to hydrogenated poly-Si thin film transistors to improve the electronic properties of such transistors.
Still another aspect of the present invention is the mechanism by which hydrogenation and application of UST to a poly-Si film improves its electronic properties. Specifically, hydrogenation and application of UST adds hydrogen to the poly-Si film and promotes passivation of dangling Si bonds in the film, to enhance the electronic properties of the poly-Si film.
The present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Ultrasound treatment of polycrystalline silicon thin films to enhance hydrogenation


A U-base clip component can include two opposing side walls joined together at an insertion end with a rib receiving cavity between the two opposing side walls. Aperture retention arms can extend outwardly from the two opposing side walls, respectively. Rib coupling arms can extend inwardly from the two opposing side walls. A seal component can include a central wall having a clip aperture therethrough. A first component annular seal can extend in a first direction away from a first side of the central wall. A second component annular seal can extend in a second, opposite direction away from a second, opposite side of the central wall. The seal component and the U-base clip component can have a shipping configuration in which the U-base clip component extends through the clip aperture with the seal component coupled between the trailing end and the aperture retention arms of the U-base clip component.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
One type of sealing fastener designed to couple a first component having a rib to a second component having an aperture therethrough are referred to as bathtub fasteners. Such bathtub fasteners typically have a bathtub portion that seals around a specially-designed metal clip. The metal clip couples the rib to the interior of the bathtub. In turn, the bathtub is inserted into the aperture to seal the aperture and provide the coupling between the aperture and the metal clip. Among their disadvantages, such bathtub fasteners typically require a relatively large amount of space to implement, and have a relatively high cost to manufacture.
Another type of sealing fastener designed to couple a first component having a rib to a second component having an aperture therethrough are referred to as pour-over clips. Such pour-over clips typically have a liquid sealing material that is poured over the terminal end of the metal clip to form a planar seal element for sealing between the two components. Among their disadvantages, it is difficult to ensure the clip is centered so that an effective seal is formed against both the components, and pour-over material options are very limited.

Dual component sealing fastener and coupling assembly including same


A fuser member includes a metallic core cylinder with an axially extending slot defined in an end region of the core cylinder. An integral flange is formed from material from the slot. The flange extends generally radially from the core cylinder adjacent the slot. A drive gear includes a key. The slot receives the key for rotation of the core cylinder.

The present exemplary embodiment relates generally to a fusing system for fusing marked media and more particularly to a fuser member with a reinforced slot for accepting a drive gear.
Fuser rolls used in electrographic imaging systems generally comprise a metal core cylinder coated with one or more elastomer layers. The fuser roll is heated, either internally or externally, to provide a heated exterior surface for fusing marking materials, such as toners, to paper or other marking media. Conventional fuser roll core cylinders are relatively thick-walled aluminum alloy cylinders. The thickness has been employed in order to provide strength and durability as the fuser roll presses against the adjacent compression roll in the nip region.
Typically, the fuser roll is allowed to cool between fusing operations to conserve energy and prolong the life of the fuser roll. The warm-up time of a fuser roll depends on its mass. It is desirable for the fuser roll to reach an operating temperature of about 150–200° C. within a relatively short period of time using conventional power sources. In order to save energy and shorten warm-up times, the fuser roll wall thickness has been progressively reduced. However, it has been found that the thinner cylinder walls are subject to weakness and cracking, particularly in the end region of the cylinder where a drive slot is punched out of the fuser core cylinder. The drive slot receives a key of a drive gear for rotation of the core cylinder. As the fuser roll rotates, the pressure placed on the fuser roll at the nip tends to cause the fuser roll to be slightly out of round. The slot acts as a stress raiser. Cracks may propagate from the slot, ultimately causing the failure of the fuser roll.
Various attempts have been made to strengthen the slot. In one method, a rib is mounted to the fuser roll in the region of the slot.


The present invention provides a highly optimized motor design enabling an increase in torque compared to a similarly sized motor of traditional design. Additionally, the present invention enables motors that provide smooth, ripple free, operation at low speeds. These advances are provided through disclosure of slot/pole ratios that provide the stated benefits.

Efficiency is always a major goal of any motor design. Ideally, motors would be small, powerful with low torque ripple, inexpensive, and energy efficient. This ideal, however, cannot be met. For real world designs tradeoffs must be made and goals must be prioritized.
When designing high performance servomotors cost, energy efficiency, and size are often of lower priority than power and performance quality. Servomotors, generally, must produce smooth and powerful torque over a range of speeds on a continuous basis over time and on a peak short term basis, without cogging, torque ripple, or speed ripple. Furthermore, many servo applications particularly require high torque at low speed with smooth performance.
The torque ripple produced from a servomotor in a servosystem, consisting of a servomotor and servodrive electronics, has many sources. Generally, the principal sources are cogging torques, MMF harmonic torques, and current harmonic torques. The cogging torque is due to the variations in permeance as seen by the rotor magnets as the rotor is turned with no current applied to the motor. The MMF harmonic torques are a result of the nonsinusoidal distribution of the winding turns around the stator, since they are typically placed in distinct slots. The current harmonic torques are a result of the drive producing unequal and/or nonsinusoidal three phase currents.
Traditional servomotors solve the above identified problems by employing high speed motors in combination with gearboxes to provide the correct torque speed combination for the particular drive application. These motors are designed to run efficiently at high speed where cogging, speed ripple, and torque ripple are not a serious issue. A gearbox is used to transform the high speed motion of the motor into the low speed/high torque operation required by the driven device.
This solution, however, creates inefficiencies of its own, mainly due to the need for a gearbox. Gearboxes are expensive, inefficient, noisy, producers of torque ripple which are prone to wear requiring additional maintenance expense. The use of a gearbox also prevents the tight integration of the motor and the driven device due to the backlash of the gears and due to the lower torsional resonances in the required couplings and the gearbox itself. This results in lower system bandwidths, reducing the system performance in an overall physically larger system with extra room required to house the gearbox.
The inefficiencies of a gearbox are avoided by employing a direct drive/cartridge motor, see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,036. Direct drive motors can be bolted directly to the driven machine. Thereby, achieving a high degree of mechanical simplicity, mechanical stiffness and efficiency. Accordingly, direct drive systems do away with the gearbox, its system limitations, and its associated expense. Loss of the gearbox, however, also results in the loss of its functional benefits, namely, the ability to run the motor at its most efficient speed and then use gearing to provide the required torque at the required speed. As a result, direct drive motors must be designed to run optimally at the required speed of the driven device. The low speed/high torque applications described above, therefore, require relatively larger motors compared to the geared solutions. Also, with the motors running at lower speeds cogging, speed ripple, and torque ripple become more significant issues. Of course, the need for a relatively larger, more expensive, motor at least partially negates the cost benefit attained by removing the gearbox.

Highly efficient permanent magnet brushless motor


A method of manufacturing an SRAM cell with polysilicon diode loads using standard logic technology processing. A P+ polysilicon area and an N+ polysilicon are forms a lateral PN junction. In standard logic technology processing the lateral PN junction is shorted out. In the present invention the lateral PN junction is allowed to function as a polysilicon diode load and an ancilliary lateral PN junction is shorted using a polycide cap layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the manufacture of high performance semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to the manufacture of high performance small area SRAM cells and, even more particularly, to the manufacture of high performance small area SRAM cells having polysilicon diode loads.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Static random access memory (SRAM) is used in computers as memory that is used by the microprocessor or central processing unit to store instructions and data from programs that are currently being used by the computer. The SRAM memory often used in this way is generally known as cache and is located between the microprocessor and the memory known as main memory. To attain the maximum benefits that SRAM can provide, the SRAM cache memory is ideally manufactured on the microprocessor chip which makes the SRAM cell area critical. Main memory is typically dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The SRAM cells used in the cache memory is optimized to run at the speed of the microprocessor. The reason that SRAM is not normally used for main memory is that because SRAM is optimized to run at the speed of the microprocessor it is more costly than DRAM and takes more chip space. This is because, in order to make the RAM run at the speed of the microprocessor it is necessary to use more transistors, typically four to six transistors per bit, to allow high-speed direct access to information in the memory by the microprocessor. DRAM memory typically uses 1 transistor per bit. This means that less memory is available per unit area on an SRAM chip and results in higher cost. Because of the increasing requirements of modern memory-hungry applications which are reaching multiple-megabyte proportions, DRAM will remain the memory of choice for main memory. However, modern computer systems require more cache memory to allow the microprocessor to fetch and process information at full speed. As the speed of the microprocessors increases and as more use of multitasking increases, the requirements for more higher speed SRAM memory will continue to grow. In addition, to achieve the full speed direct access, it is also becoming necessary for the computer designer to continue to design the cache memory to be manufactured on the main CPU chip.
For this reason, the size of the SRAM memory cell is very important. Numerous methods and devices have been conceived and tried in order to shrink the size of the individual SRAM memory cell. The comparison standard remains the classic CMOS (complementary metal on silicon) six transistor design consisting of a CMOS R-S flip-flop and two transmission gates to allow for the necessary read and write functions. The standard load devices in the R-S flip-flop in the six transistor SRAM memory cell are p-channel transistors. However, the p-channel transistors are not critical and can be replaced with passive loads such as "poly load," diode loads (reverse biased, leakage current only), and depletion NMOS loads. Plain low resistance material works, but draws too much current for practical large RAM (random access memory) arrays. Prior art poly loads and diode loads entail thin film deposition masking, doping, and some physical area in the cell.
What is needed is a smaller SRAM cell that can be manufactured using standard logic process technology. A standard logic process technology is defined as a process technoloy having N+ and P+ polysilicon gates with a refractory metal on top of the N+ and P+ lateral junctions to "short out" these lateral junctions.


An inventive medical device for transcutaneously inserting a cannula into body tissue. The device has a cannula with a wall that at least partially encloses a lumen. The device also has a patch for mounting onto skin of a user. The patch has a base and has a reservoir for storing a medical fluid. The patch also has a spring driven inserter. The inserter has a drive that urges the cannula from a storage position within the patch to an inserted position within the body tissue. The inserter also has a lock configured for securing the drive in a fixed position. The lock is fixedly connected to the drive and has a snap closure. Also disclosed is a medication pump that is fluidly connectable to the cannula. A method of transcutaneously using the medical device to transcutaneously insert a cannula into body tissue is also disclosed.

This disclosure relates to a medical device for transcutaneously inserting a cannula into a body tissue, a medication device for delivering at least one medication to a user and a method for transcutaneously inserting a cannula into a body tissue. The method and devices according to this disclosure may mainly be used for delivering insulin to a user. This disclosure may both be applied in the field of home care as well as in the field of professional care, such as in hospitals. Other applications are generally feasible.
Delivering medicine to a user, specifically insulin delivery, plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases, in particular in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Besides using injection pens or syringes, insulin delivery may specifically be performed by using insulin pumps.
In particular, a user is generally required to wear the insulin pump on his or her body at all times, thus leading to a preferably small and compact construction of the insulin pump and its components. Common pumps for delivering medicine, such as for example insulin, comprise a plurality of medicine reservoirs. As an example, fluid delivery devices are disclosed in WO2011/046950 A1. The fluid delivery device comprises a housing having a fluid reservoir. A needle is in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir in an engaged position and out of fluid communication with the fluid reservoir in armed and storage positions. A proximal end of a biasing member is coupled to the housing and a distal end of the biasing member is configured to deliver a force to the fluid reservoir. A piston member extends through the biasing member and is coupled to the distal end of the biasing member. The piston member is fixed with respect to the housing in a locked position such that the biasing member does not deliver the force to the fluid reservoir and the piston member is moveable with respect to the housing in a released position such that the biasing member delivers the force to the fluid reservoir. Transitioning the needle from the storage position to the armed position transitions the piston from the locked position to the released position.
WO 2005/002649 A1 describes medical devices which are adapted for application to a skin surface of a user and comprise a transcutaneous device which is supplied in a sterile condition. Thus, a medical device is provided, comprising a mounting surface adapted for application to the skin of a subject, a first portion having a first end adapted to penetrate the skin of the subject, and a second portion in fluid communication with the first portion and having a second end. The device further comprises enclosure means being transformable from an initial configuration encapsulating the first and second portions in an initial aseptic state, to a second configuration in which the ends of the first and second portions are allowed to communicate with the exterior through the enclosure means, wherein the enclosure means does not enclose the mounting surface.
WO 2017/220681 A1 describes a medical device for transcutaneously inserting an insertable element into a body tissue is disclosed. The medical device comprises: at least one insertable element, wherein the insertable element comprises at least one in vivo distal end for subcutaneous insertion and at least one ex vivo proximal end; at least one insertion cannula for subcutaneously inserting the insertable element, the insertion cannula having a lumen which fully or partially is enclosed by a wall of the insertion cannula, wherein the insertable element is received in the lumen, wherein the insertion cannula is a pre-bended insertion cannula. The medical device further comprises at least one patch which is configured to be mounted onto a skin of a user. The patch comprises a patch base. The patch comprises an integrated insertion mechanism for driving the insertion cannula from a storage position within the patch into an inserted position within the body tissue on a curved insertion path.
Despite the advantages of state of the art pumps for delivering insulin, several technical challenges remain. Commonly, the cannula is inserted via a separate insertion unit or via electro mechanics which are positioned within a patch. However, due to the external insertion unit, there is an external interface and additional handling steps are required. In case electro mechanics are applied, there is an increased manufacturing effort which leads to increased costs.

Medical device for transcutaneously inserting a cannula into a body tissue


A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a soft magnetic layer, a pre-underlayer, an underlayer, and a main recording layer serving as a magnetic recording layer. The pre-underlayer contains seed crystal grains that serve as a base for crystal grains of the underlayer, and an addition substance that is added between the seed crystal grains and composed of an element having an atomic radius smaller than that of an element forming the seed crystal grains.

Various information recording techniques have been developed following the increase in volume of information processing in recent years. Particularly, the areal recording density of a HDD (hard disk drive) using the magnetic recording technique has been increasing at an annual rate of about 100%. Recently, the information recording capacity exceeding 160 GB has been required per 2.5-inch magnetic disk adapted for use in a HDD or the like. In order to satisfy such a requirement, it is necessary to realize an information recording density exceeding 250 Gbit/inch2.
In order to achieve the high recording density in a magnetic disk for use in a HDD or the like, a magnetic disk of the perpendicular magnetic recording system (perpendicular magnetic recording disk) has been proposed in recent years. As a perpendicular magnetic recording medium for use in the perpendicular magnetic recording system, there has been proposed a perpendicular magnetic recording medium or a CGC medium using CoCrPt—SiO2 as a magnetic recording layer because it exhibits high thermal stability and excellent recording characteristics.
As a first background art, in order to improve the recording density in such a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, it is necessary to reduce the noise in a magnetization transition region of the magnetic recording layer (improve the S/N ratio). For that, it is necessary to improve grain separation and miniaturization of magnetic crystal grains of the magnetic recording layer.
As a method for improving the grain separation and miniaturization of the magnetic crystal grains of the magnetic recording layer, there is, for example, a method such as adjusting the composition of a target for use in a process of forming the magnetic recording layer by a sputtering method or increasing the pressure of a gas (film forming gas pressure) for use in the film formation. However, in terms of the recording density required in recent years, it is difficult to sufficiently miniaturize the magnetic crystal grains only by adjusting the composition of the target. Further, when the film forming gas pressure is increased, there is, for example, a possibility that the structure of the magnetic recording layer is affected so that sufficient reliability as a magnetic recording medium cannot be ensured.
Herein, use is conventionally made of a structure in which an underlayer adapted to control the orientation of magnetic crystal grains of a magnetic recording layer is formed under the magnetic recording layer. There is conventionally known a structure in which a layer of Ru—SiO2 or the like is used as the underlayer (see, e.g. Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this structure, the miniaturization of the magnetic crystal grains of the magnetic recording layer is facilitated by miniaturizing crystal grains of the underlayer.
As a second background art, the easy magnetization axis of a magnetic recording layer is oriented in a plane direction of the surface of a substrate in the conventional in-plane magnetic recording system (also called the longitudinal magnetic recording system or the horizontal magnetic recording system), while the easy magnetization axis is adjusted to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of a substrate in the perpendicular magnetic recording system. As compared with the in-plane magnetic recording system, the perpendicular magnetic recording system can more suppress a thermal fluctuation phenomenon during high-density recording and thus is suitable for increasing the recording density.
Conventionally, CoCrPt—SiO2 or CoCrPt—TiO2 is widely used as a magnetic recording layer, wherein Co forms crystals with a hcp structure (hexagonal closest packed crystal lattice) and Cr and SiO2 (or TiO2) are segregated to form grain boundaries. By using such a material, since SiO2 (or TiO2) is segregated around ferromagnetic Co, physically independent fine Co grains tend to be formed so that high recording density tends to be achieved.
In general, an underlayer is provided for improving the crystal orientation of the magnetic recording layer. Ti, V, Zr, Hf, or the like is known as the underlayer, but as shown in Patent Document 3, Ru (ruthenium) is currently predominant. This is because it is known that Ru takes a hcp structure and effectively improves the perpendicular orientation of the easy magnetization axis of the magnetic recording layer composed mainly of Co (cobalt) to enhance the coercive force Hc, thereby achieving an increase in recording density with a predetermined S/N ratio and a predetermined resolution ensured.
It is known that even if the material is the same, the underlayer changes in film function depending on an atmospheric gas pressure in a film forming process. Patent Document 4 proposes a structure having, as an undercoat film of a perpendicular magnetic layer, a layer containing ruthenium and formed in a high-pressure argon atmosphere and a layer containing ruthenium and formed in a low-pressure argon atmosphere. In Patent Document 4, it is described that the layer containing ruthenium and formed in the low-pressure argon atmosphere (around 1 Pa) exhibits an effect for higher orientation of the magnetic layer, while the layer containing ruthenium and formed in the high-pressure argon atmosphere (about 6 Pa to 10 Pa) exhibits an effect for finer grains of the magnetic layer.
As described above, in order to achieve the increase in recording density, it is effective to miniaturize the magnetic grains. However, if the magnetic grains are excessively miniaturized, the number of atoms forming each magnetic grain becomes too small, so that the thermal fluctuation phenomenon arises as a problem like in the in-plane magnetic recording medium. In order to avoid this thermal fluctuation problem, the following method has been employed so far.
Specifically, it is a method of further providing a pre-underlayer under an underlayer and optimizing a material or a film structure of the pre-underlayer to facilitate the alignment of the orientation of crystal grains of the underlayer, thereby indirectly improving the crystal orientation of a magnetic recording layer to improve the coercive force. The material of the pre-underlayer can be selected from various materials such as, for example, Ni (nickel), Pt (platinum), and Pd (palladium).
As a third background art, in order to achieve high recording density in a magnetic disk for use in a HDD or the like, it is necessary to miniaturize magnetic crystal grains forming a magnetic recording layer serving to record an information signal, and further, to reduce the thickness of the layer. However, in the case of a conventionally commercialized magnetic disk of the in-plane magnetic recording system, as a result of the advance in miniaturization of magnetic crystal grains, there has arisen the so-called thermal fluctuation phenomenon where the thermal stability of a recorded signal is degraded due to superparamagnetism so that the recorded signal is lost, which has thus become an impeding factor for the increase in recording density of the magnetic disk. In order to solve this impeding factor, a magnetic disk of the perpendicular magnetic recording system has been proposed.
In the case of the perpendicular magnetic recording system, as is different from the in-plane magnetic recording system, the easy magnetization axis of a main recording layer is adjusted to be oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of a substrate. As compared with the in-plane magnetic recording system, the perpendicular magnetic recording system can suppress the thermal fluctuation phenomenon. Further, a soft magnetic layer is provided in a perpendicular magnetic recording medium to enable convergence of the magnetic flux from a recording head by the soft magnetic layer and it is possible to generate a sharp and large magnetic field as compared with an in-plane magnetic recording medium by the mirror image effect, and therefore, the perpendicular magnetic recording system is suitable for increasing the recording density.
When the magnetic recording layer has a hcp structure (hexagonal closest packed structure) in the perpendicular magnetic recording system, the easy magnetization axis is a c-axis so that it is necessary to orient the c-axis in the normal direction of the substrate. In order to improve the orientation of the c-axis, it is effective to provide a nonmagnetic underlayer with a hcp structure under the magnetic recording layer. A CoCr alloy, Ti, V, Zr, Hf, or the like is known as a material forming the underlayer, but it is known that particularly Ru (ruthenium) can effectively improve the crystal orientation of the magnetic recording layer to enhance the coercive force Hc.
In the perpendicular magnetic recording system, the S/N ratio (Signal/Noise Ratio) and the coercive force Hc are improved by forming the magnetic recording layer into a granular structure in which a nonmagnetic substance or an oxide (see, e.g. Patent Document 5) is segregated to form grain boundary portions between magnetic grains of the magnetic recording layer, thereby isolating and miniaturizing the magnetic grains. Further, in order to facilitate the miniaturization of the magnetic grains, it is important to miniaturize grains of the underlayer formed under the magnetic layer, and thus, a nonmagnetic substance or an oxide is added also to the underlayer (see, e.g. Patent Document 6).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-334424
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2006-85742
Patent Document 3: JP-A-H7-334832
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2002-197630
Patent Document 5: JP-A-2003-036525
Patent Document 6: JP-A-2006-085742

Perpendicular magnetic recording medium and method of manufacturing the same


The present invention provides an evaluation method for a crystal defect in a silicon single crystal wafer based on an infrared laser scattering tomograph method, wherein at least, the silicon single crystal wafer is irradiated with a laser beam, and light that enters the silicon single crystal wafer is scattered by a crystal defect, and the scattered light is detected to evaluate a Direct Surface Oxide Defect (DSOD) and a void defect smaller than the DSOD in the silicon single crystal wafer. As a result, the evaluation method for a crystal defect in a silicon single crystal wafer that can simply and precisely evaluate, e.g., a small DSOD, which can be conventionally evaluated based on a Cu deposition method alone, without requiring a wasteful cost.

Silicon single crystal wafers are used mostly as materials forming a semiconductor integrated circuit. Various kinds of stresses are applied to a wafer by a heat treatment or machining until a semiconductor device is formed on a surface layer of a silicon single crystal wafer to provide an integrated circuit. Therefore, a silicon single crystal wafer produced from a silicon single crystal obtained by a Czochralski method (which will be referred to as a CZ method hereinafter) is superior in strength, and hence this wafer tends to be often used.
However, in recent years, with density growth of an integration degree of a semiconductor integrated circuit and attendant miniaturization of a device circuit, a quality requirement for a silicon single crystal as a wafer material is rigidifying. In particular, a grown-in defect that is introduced into a crystal at the time of growing a silicon single crystal has a great effect on characteristics when an integrated circuit is formed on a surface layer of the silicon single crystal wafer, and hence the defect present in the surface layer of a wafer used as a material for a high-function semiconductor device is precisely specified to product the silicon single crystal wafer. Further, in order to fulfill this requirement, in production of a silicon single crystal as a material of the silicon single crystal wafer, various methods of growing a silicon single crystal that can suppress formation of the grown-in defects as much as possible (that can ideally prevent the grown-in defects from being formed at all or can suppress such defects with a very low density even though the defects are formed) have been examined.
In order to grow a low-defect crystal in which the grown-in defect is suppressed, growing the crystal while preferably keeping a cooling rate of the single crystal pulled from a raw material melt constant as much as possible in an area where a defect formation suppressing effect becomes prominent. As disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open (Kokai) No. H11-79889, when a crystal is grown in a neutral region which is present at a boundary between a V-rich region where a grown-in defect, e.g., a Flow Pattern Defect (FPD), a Laser Scattering Tomography Defect (LSTD), or a Crystal Originated Particle (COP) is generated and an I-rich region where a Large-Secco Etch Pit Defect (L-SEPD) is generated and in which these crystal defects are not present, a silicon single crystal having a high quality can be obtained.
In recent years, a demand for a high-quality silicon single crystal wafer in which crystal defects are suppressed as explained above has been increased. However, it has been revealed that very small crystal defects are present even in a silicon single crystal subjected to crystal growth in a neutral region to suppress such crystal defects. Since such a crystal defect has a very small defect size (a diameter: approximately 15 nm to 20 nm), a particle counter used for regular crystal examination cannot detect such crystal defects. These defects are called Direct Surface Oxide Defects (DSOD), and detected by defect evaluation using Cu (copper) deposition.
The Cu deposition method has characteristics of accurately measuring defect positions in a silicon single crystal and improving a detection limit with respect to defects present in a wafer surface layer, thereby precisely evaluating very small defects. Specifically, an oxide insulating film (which will be also simply referred to as an oxide film hereinafter) having a predetermined thickness is formed on a wafer surface, and the oxide insulating film provided above a position of a defect formed in the wafer surface layer is destructed. Further, Cu is deposited at a position of the destructed oxide film part to specify the defect. When a voltage is applied to the oxide film formed on the wafer surface in a solution in which a Cu ion is present, a current flows through a part where the oxide film is degraded, and the Cu ion is precipitated as Cu. Since it is known that a the Cu precipitation part is a part where a grown-in defect due to a void, e.g., a COP is present, when this part is observed under a collimated light or directly by the naked eye or observed through an optical microscope, a transmission electron microscope (TEM), or a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a distribution or a density of defects can be evaluated.
Although the DSOD can be confirmed by evaluation based on the Cu deposition method, a surface of the wafer must be machined into a mirror surface in evaluation based on the Cu deposition method, and this is usually carried out in the form of sampling inspection after a mirror polishing process that is a final process in wafer processing. However, when the wafer is rejected on this stage, wafer machining is performed even with respect to a rejected lot without exception, and the rejected product takes labor and cost like a conforming product but is finally discarded, which is hence wasteful. Furthermore, the defect is hard to be discriminated from, e.g., a scratch caused by machining, and hence there is a problem in a measurement precision.
As explained above, the DSOD is a small defect having a diameter of approximately 15 to 20 nm, but a void defect (a diameter: approximately 10 to 15 nm) smaller than the DSOD may present in a surface layer of a silicon single crystal wafer. This small void defect may also affect characteristics of an integrated circuit formed on the surface layer of the silicon single crystal wafer in some cases. Therefore, a method that enables accurate and simple evaluation with respect to this void defect smaller than the DSOD has been demanded.

Evaluation method for crystal defect in silicon single crystal wafer


A process for producing a film for controlling the chemotactic function in an extremely small area in which a chemotactic factor substance in the area has a concentration gradient in one direction. The invention further includes an artificial material with an arrangement in which, on a substrate, there is a film having a chemotactic factor substance for controlling the chemotactic function which it has a concentration gradient in one direction. The process of the invention includes controlling the amount of irradiation in one direction of the film such that the chemotactic factor substance is degenerated which results in a corresponding concentration gradient of the film in the one direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for producing a film for controlling a chemotactic function. The film is composed of a thin film of a chemotactic factor substance in which the chemotactic factor substance is in a state in which it has a concentration gradient in one direction. The invention also relates to an artificial material which includes a film for controlling the chemotactic function on a substrate, and a process for producing the artificial material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, it has been determined that the structure of an artificial material, in which the cell function can be controlled, contributes greatly to the formation of a biological material with a precise function for use in the study of a cell function and the like.
For a particular type of artificial material, a material is used in which a cell growth factor or a cell adhesion factor has been fixed on a substrate of glass or a high molecular substance. Research is being conducted in which cell growth and differentiation are controlled by an artificial material of this arrangement.
In order to conduct this research, an artificial material is produced on a substrate of glass or a high molecular substance in which a chemotactic factor substance, such as insulin or the like, has been fixed, and using this artificial material experiments are carried out with respect to the cell breeding process, cell differentiation, cell motion, see for example "Control of cell function by gradual fixing of the surface density of physiologically active macromolecules", "Polymer Preprints", Macromolecule Society Association, Sep. 20, 1999, Vol. 48, No. 10, pp. 2411 to 2412.
The following issues have become evident as a result of the recent research:
On a thin film of chemotactic factor substance, the cells move in the one direction with a higher concentration of the chemotactic factor substance by a process of determining or consuming the chemotactic factor substance.
This behavior of the cells depends on the activity of the cells themselves.
The speed of motion is higher, the greater the cell activity.
The speed of motion is lower, the less the cell activity.
It is therefore possible that a cell's activity can be confirmed by measuring the speed of motion of the cells using one of the above cell properties. However, in order to measure the speed of motion of the cells, a thin film is required in which the concentration of the chemotactic factor substance, positioned in an extremely small area, changes essentially continuously in one direction, but a process for producing a thin film with this positioning and concentration gradient is not presently known.

Process for producing a film for controlling the chemotactic function and an artificial material and process for producing the artificial material


In a compression ignition internal combustion engine 20that generates electromagnetic wave plasma by emitting electromagnetic waves to a combustion chamber 21 during a period of a preceding injection, a control device 10 for internal combustion engine controls a fuel injection device 24 to perform, before a main injection, a preceding injection less in injection quantity than the main injection, while controlling a plasma generation device 30 to generate electromagnetic plasma by emitting electromagnetic waves to the combustion chamber 21 during the period of the preceding injection. The control device 10 controls a condition of heat production due to combustion of fuel from the main injection by controlling the amount of energy of the electromagnetic waves emitted to the combustion chamber 21 during the period of the preceding injection according to the operating condition of the internal combustion engine main body 22.

Conventionally, there is known an internal combustion engine that executes compression ignition of fuel in a combustion chamber. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2009-287549 discloses an internal combustion engine of this kind that emits electromagnetic waves to a combustion chamber to generate electromagnetic wave plasma.
More particularly, in the internal combustion engine disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2009-287549, when a piston is placed in the vicinity of the top dead center, an injector injects fuel, and the injected fuel is ignited. In the combustion chamber, aflame is formed centered on the injector. Then, a microwave pulse is supplied in a region in the vicinity of the flame, electrons in the flame are energized and accelerated while receiving the energy therefrom, and the accelerated electrons collide with ambient molecules. The collision molecules are ionized to form plasma. Also, free electrons in the plasma are energized and accelerated, and ambient molecules collide with the electrons and become plasma. In this internal combustion engine, an avalanche-like generation of plasma occurs, and comparatively large plasma is generated.
Furthermore, as a fuel injection device that injects fuel in a compression ignition internal combustion engine, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2010-255484 discloses a fuel injection device that executes a multiple injection. The fuel injection device executes a plurality of fuel injections including at least a pilot injection and a main injection during one combustion cycle.

Control device for internal combustion engine


A method for forming a thin film on a semiconductor substrate wherein the substrate is transferred between an auxiliary chamber having an inert atmosphere to a reaction chamber having a reactive atmosphere, and wherein the inert and the reactive atmospheres exist concurrently during transfer.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for fabricating semiconductor devices and, particularly, to such apparatus suitable to use in forming thin membranes on main surfaces of semiconductor substrates.
A lateral type reactor such as shown in FIG. 1 has been used heretofore as such apparatus. The lateral type reactor comprises a cylindrical tube 1 into which a plurality of semiconductor substrates 2 arranged vertically on a board 3 are inserted and various thin membranes are formed on the substrates 2 by means of reactions between them and various gases introduced through a gas port 4 thereinto sequentially.
For some reactions which need an electric field, a parallel flat type reactor such as shown in FIG. 2 has been also used. The latter type reactor comprises a reaction tube 1a in which at least a pair of parallel upper and lower electrodes 5a and 5b are arranged and, by means of reaction gases introduced thereinto through a gas port 4a, desired thin membranes are formed on surfaces of semiconductor substrates 2 disposed on the lower electrode 5b acting as a susceptor. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numerals 6 and 6a depict evacuation ports, respectively.
In any of these conventional apparata, the reaction tube has to be opened to atmosphere when the substrates are to be inserted into or removed from the tube. Thermal energy required in either apparatus to treat the semiconductor substrates therein is supplied by an external resistance heater, internal infrared lamp or RF induction heater etc. as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 24467/1986.
In such conventional apparatus, when the thickness of membrane to be formed is small, a control of membrane thickness becomes difficult due to the fact that undesired oxide membrane may be formed additionally during the semiconductor substrates are inserted into or derived from the apparatus. Further, problems of degradation of quality of formed membranes may occur due to oxidation thereof when the semiconductor substrates having the membranes are inserted into or removed from a reactor kept at high temperature.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 21025/1983 discloses a vertical cylinder type reactor in which semiconductor substrates are stacked on a carrier with suitable space therebetween and main surfaces thereof being down, to thereby make thicknesses of epitacially deposited membranes thereon uniform while preventing accumulation of dust thereon.
The latter reactor is, however, disadvantageous in that the semiconductor substrates must be supported with the main surfaces being down, which necessitates a relatively complicated supporting structure. In addition, the problems of thickness control and the degradation of membrane quality are not solved.

Method for forming a thin film on a semiconductor device using an apparatus having a load lock


A miniature prism assembly which in its preferred embodiment utilizes a one inch prism, a stationary target, a yoke, and a housing bracket, all in an integrated unit which can be strung with a plumb line without removing the reflective prism housing from the yoke and which can be strung in the same manner irrespective of whether the prism is adjusted for a 0 or 30 millimeter offset and while the target remains with the yoke. Further, the present invention utilizes a stationary target easily mounted and having a center line that does not alter its position irrespective of the elevation of the prism. The novel yoke and target of the present invention permit the stringing of a plumb line while the target remains affixed to the yoke by utilizing unique bushings and dual purpose slots which permit plumb line stringing around the periphery of the yoke and simultaneously assist to retain the target.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to prism assemblies used for measuring precise distances such as in surveying and more particularly, to an integrated prism assembly which is adjustable in elevation, has selectable offsets, provides a stationary target and a level and which can accommodate a plumb line for accurate positioning of the assembly with a minimum of inconvenience.
2. Prior Art
The use of prism assemblies in the surveying art as retroreflectors for precisely measuring distances is well-known. By way of example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,550 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Typically such prism assemblies tend to be relatively large, cumbersome structures utilizing one or more three inch diameter prisms, associated targets to permit easier sighting and complex brackets to permit elevation adjustment and offset variation in the field. However with technological improvements in laser optics and particularly in regard to the distance measurement capabilities of laser distance measuring instrumentation, there has been a recent trend in the industry toward the use of smaller prism assemblies which employ one inch prisms and a relatively miniaturized structure associated with such prisms to permit a greater degree of portability and convenience in the field. Such smaller and simpler prism assemblies typically can be carried in a coat pocket or small pouch that may be attached to a belt of the user thereby significantly increasing the convenience of making a large plurality of measurements at different locations in the field over the course of a work day. There is however a trade-off that one must make between convenience of portability and performance capabilities. More specifically, the more portable one wishes to make these miniaturized prism assemblies, the more difficult it becomes to provide certain performance characteristics such as vertical alignment positioning capability, ease of sighting from a long distance, leveling capability, ease of offset and elevation adjustment and the like. On the other hand, in general, the more these performance characteristics the prism assembly is designed to possess, the more difficult it becomes to provide miniaturization and portability and ease of use in the field.
FIGS. 1-8 of the accompanying drawings illustrate various configurations of prior art miniature retro-reflective prism assemblies of the type hereinabove discussed and reveal various ways in which there has been an attempt in the prior art miniature prism field to accommodate the desire for both portability and performance. Thus, for example some of the prior art configurations shown in FIGS. 1-8 of the accompanying drawings illustrate the capability of providing a plumb line and elevational control to position the prism at a desired location and direction for improving measurement capability. Other configurations of the prior art shown in the accompanying drawings illustrate the ability to change the offset of the prism such as between 0 and 30 millimeters and still other prior art configurations have a target to improve the sightability of the prism from a remote location where the laser instrumentation may be located.
Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned prior art disclosed herein and otherwise known to the applicants, provides a miniature prism assembly capable of each one of the aforementioned features in an integrated unit which can be strung for a plumb line without moving the reflective prism housing from the yoke, which allows the plumb line to be strung in the same manner for 0 and 30 millimeter offset and which allows stringing of the plumb line while a stationary target remains on the yoke. Perhaps most importantly, there is no known prior art portable prism assembly that uses a stationary target which is easily mounted and which does not present any inaccuracies in the distance measurement because the center line does not move when the prism is tilted. There has therefore been a long-felt need for a miniature prism assembly of the type generally described above, but which provides all such features in one combined unit and also overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies of the prior art.


The present invention is an article for storing shower and bathroom supplies comprising a rectangular unit with at least one cavity positioned between the center line of the bottom portion of the article and each terminal end of said bottom portion and a mounting whereby said mounting secures the article into place above a shower header.

The modern bathroom is replete with articles and devices provided for convenience.
The bathroom further is a placed where numerous personal care items are typically stored. There are many devices that provide storage in, or near, the shower area. However, the storage capacity of these articles is usually limited. The present invention has addressed the limitation of storage available in, or near, the shower area of the bathroom.