Process for the resolution of rac-2-oxotricyclo2.2.1.0.sup.3,5 !heptane-7-carboxylic acid esters using lipase from candida.. Compounds of the formula I ##STR1## in which R.sup.1 has the meanings mentioned, may be obtained in isomerically pure form from enantiomer mixtures or racemic mixtures by reacting the compound of the formula I in the presence of a lipase or esterase from porcine liver, porcine pancreas, bovine pancreas or from microorganisms such as Candida, Pseudomonas, Mucor, Rhizopus and Aspergillus, or proteases from Bacillus in the presence of water and, if desired, a cosolvent and separating from one another the esters and acids present in the solution obtained.

Rac-2-Oxotricyclo184.108.40.206.sup.3,5 !heptane-7-carboxylic acid is accessible starting from norbornadiene by the Prins reaction and a subsequent Jones oxidation, and is an important precursor for the preparation of prostaglandins (Bindra, Grodski, Schaaf, Coney, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1973, 95, 7522; Cervinka, Habartova, Coll. Czech. Chem. Comm. 1983, 48, 3565; Bartmann, Beck, Jahne, Lerch, Wess, Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1987, 321; CS 240,862).
It has been known for over twenty years that the resolution of rac-2-oxotricyclo220.127.116.11.sup.3,5 !heptane-7-carboxylic acid can be effected with the aid of (S)-(-)-phenylethylamine, by preparation and multiple recrystallization of the phenethylammonium salt (Bindra, Grodski, Schaaf, Corey, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1973, 95, 7522; Bartmann, Beck, Jahne, Lerch, Wess, Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1987, 321; CS 240,862). This process is very laborious and unacceptable on the industrial scale for economic reasons.

Process for the enzymatic separation of enantiomers of rac-2-oxotricyclo2.2.1.0 3,5! heptane-7-carboxylic acid and of rac-2-oxotricyclo2.2.1.0 3,5! heptane-7-carboxylic esters


A method for manufacturing a vehicular lamp including a wire installation process that installs a wire (hearing wire) 6 in a flat resin plate 7 by heat; a shape-forming process that forms the resin plate 7 into a predetermined curved shape; a trimming process that trims the resin plate formed in the predetermined curved shape into a desired shape of the exterior contour of a front lens 3; and a fixing process that fixes the front lens to a lamp body 2 by optical welding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp manufacturing method and to a vehicular lamp and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a vehicular lamp that has a heating wire therein and to such a vehicular lamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some vehicular lamps, a wire is installed in the front lens so that the wire is electrically heated for the purpose of defrosting the front lens and melting snow on the front lens.
The front lens of a vehicular lamp generally includes an emission surface portion that emits light from the light source and a flange portion that projects from the outer peripheral portion of the emission surface portion toward a substantially perpendicular direction and is attached to a lamp body; and the flange portion projects out from the perimeter of the outer peripheral portion of the emission surface portion so that the front lens is connected or fixed to the lamp body by such a method as vibration welding and hot plate welding or by a sealing material.
However, the flange portion formed along the perimeter of the outer peripheral portion of the light emission surface portion would interfere with the installation work of the heating wire. In other words, during the wire installation operation that uses a wire installation head for installing a wire (heating wire) in the light emission surface portion, the flange portion of the front lens obstructs the movement of the wire installation head.
Furthermore, due to the flange portion, the shape of the front lens is complicated; and since it is necessary to form the front lens by injection molding in which a melted resin is injected into a molding die, the manufacturing costs tend to be high, and the manufacturing time for the front lens tends to be longer.

Method for manufacturing a vehicular lamp and a vehicular lamp


A method for preventing the formation of gas bubbles inside a high pressure reference electrode in the electrolyte-filled section, and thus eliminating the gas bobble effect on the electrical continuity, was disclosed. One or more thin solid rods or tubes are inserted into the internal electrolyte-housing tube and the thin rods or tubes alter the surface tension of the gas bubbles so that the bubbles are unstable in the middle of the liquid electrolyte. Compared with the fiber wicks or porous powder used by previous researchers to ensure the electrical continuity, the thin tubes or rods are easy to handle and easy to clean. This method may also be used in other systems that contain a liquid-filled vertical or sloped tube (e.g., a pH electrode) to prevent the formation of gas bubbles in the liquid-filled section of the tube.

High-pressure and high-temperature reference electrodes are widely used for corrosion control and electrochemical studies [see D. D. Macdonald, "Reference Electrodes for High Temperature Aqueous Systems—A Review and Assessment," Corrosion, Vol. 34, page 75-84, 1978, and C. M. Menendez, "Reference Electrodes For High Pressure And High Temperature Electrochemical Testing," CORROSION/2001, paper, 01305, (Houston, Tex.: NACE International, 2001)]. This invention is related to a method for eliminating the formation of gas bubbles inside a reference or a pH electrode tube filled with a liquid. Such gas bubbles formed inside the tube in the liquid section often affect the electrical continuity between the top and bottom ends of an electrode.

High pressure reference electrode and a method to eliminate the formation of gas bubbles in vertical or sloped liquid-filled tubes


Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved edge protector having two plies wrapped around a core and a method of manufacturing the improved edge protector.

Edge protectors are rigid members used to protect the corners of loads during transit. Edge protectors are typically manufactured by laminating multiple plies of paperboard together using adhesive and then bending the laminated plies into an L-shaped member. In use, edge protectors are positioned on some or all of the exposed corners of a load and then held in place with straps that a strapping machine tensions around the load (and the edge protectors) or with film that a wrapping machine wraps around the load (and the edge protectors). FIG. 1 shows a prior art edge protector E positioned on a corner LC of a load L and held in place with tensioned straps S. Once positioned like this, the edge protectors act as barriers that protect the corners of the load from damage during transit.

Edge protector and method of manufacturing same


A phase detector includes a phase propagator circuit including a plurality of flip-flops. Each flip-flop includes a clock input configured to receive a clock signal having a different phase relative to phases of the clock signal received by other flip-flops in the plurality of flip-flops. The phase detector further includes a phase controller coupled to the clock input of each flip-flop in the plurality of flip-flops. The phase controller is configured to provide the different phases of the clock signal to the plurality of flip-flops such that the different phases are scaled exponentially relative to one another.

Delay lock-loops (DLLs) have been widely used to generate on-chip clocks in microprocessors, memory interfaces, and communication circuits. DLLs include a delay block having an input to receive a reference signal and an output to provide a delayed version of the reference signal. The delay block often includes a series of delay elements, which may be individually controlled to adjust the cumulative delay through the delay block. DLLs further include a phase detector coupled to the input and the output of the delay block to detect a phase error between the reference signal and the delayed version of the reference signal and to adjust the delays in a series of delay elements so that cumulative delay through the series of delay elements is equal to a known reference delay.

Multi-stage delay-locked loop phase detector


A method and apparatus for continuously making snow at all times of the year comprises the creation of countless ice crystals from a mist in a controlled environment. The mist may have a ice crystal nucleus added to it to facilitate the development of the ice crystal at higher temperatures. The ice crystals are directed into an ultrasonic field generated by an transducer where the fall rate of the crystals levitated. While the crystals are within the ultrasonic field, the crystals grow into snowflakes as a result of collisions with other crystals. The snowflakes eventually fall out of the ultrasonic field as snow having a more natural appearance than more conventional snow-making techniques.

The present invention relates to a novel method and apparatus for making snow and particularly to a method and apparatus for making snow in all seasons.
One method and apparatus for making snow utilizes blocks or cakes of ice which are shaved into fine ice flakes by a rotating cutter. The snow-like ice flakes are blown off, together with a gas, by a blower or compressed air blast. A disadvantage of the shaving method and apparatus is the form of shaved ice which is far from naturally formed snowflakes.
Another method and apparatus for making snow involves a snow making chamber having a screen- or brush-like member on which frost is formed by a spray, ultrasonic atomizer or the like. The frost is then scraped by suitable means to form the snow. A disadvantage of the device is the long time required for frost development, since the frost is formed on the screen- or brush-like member by the mist. Once the frost has been scraped, considerable time is required before new frost can develop, making it impossible to produce snow on a continuous basis. A further disadvantage associated with this method is that the frost, once scraped, tends to harden to a state much different from that of naturally formed snow crystals.
A third method and apparatus provides a mist which is supplied to a snow making chamber to generate ice crystals. The ice crystals are suspended within the chamber by an air stream. As the ice crystals are suspended, they continue to grow into snowflakes. The ice crystals become heavier as they grow and eventually fall out of the air stream due to their weight.
Following this method, it is difficult to suspend the fine ice crystals and grow them into snowflakes having a diameter of several millimeters. An extremely sophisticated control of the air stream is required to achieve the desired suspension density. Accordingly, the ice-crystal growth chamber must be of a height substantially equal to a building five stories high in order to achieve an effective control of the air stream. As a consequence, the apparatus is inconveniently bulky and impractical to use. Moreover, the method requires a time cycle on the order of 20 to 30 minutes to grow the ice crystals in the same manner as in nature, so it is difficult to realize continuous snowfall.
In view of the problems and disadvantages associated with the former methods of making artificial snow, the present invention provides a method for continuously and rapidly making snowflakes which more closely resembles naturally formed snow.

c/o Wetmaster Kabushiki Kaisha, 25-18, Shimoochiai 4-chome, Shinjuku-ku


An electrical connector has a flexible printed circuit for interconnecting a mother board and two daughter boards. The electrical connector includes a connector housing that is attached to the bottom of a heat frame that holds the two daughter boards. The connector is secured to the mother board. The flexible printed circuit is looped around a compression plate in the housing and attached to the heat frame and daughter boards at each end by compression assemblies that press gold dot contacts of the flexible printed circuit against the daughter boards.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,523 granted to Brian D. Morrison and Jack Rosenberg Jan. 23, 1990, discloses a controlled impedance connector that has two flexible printed circuits that are wrapped around a connector housing and secured against the outer walls of the housing by two pressure plates. Each flexible printed circuit connects two printed wiring boards (daughter boards) comprising surface mounted devices to a mother board. The daughter boards are bonded to opposite sides of a central heat frame that is attached to a flange of the connector housing by jacking screws. The daughter boards and the flexible printed circuits are connected electrically in two ways. Signal connections are made by copper fingers of the flexible printed circuit that are soldered to contact pads of the daughter boards. Power and ground connections are made by gold dot contacts of the flexible printed circuit that are pressed against contact pads of the daughter boards by pressure plates that are individually secured to the respective daughter boards. The flexible printed circuits are connected electrically to the mother board by gold dot contacts of the flexible printed circuit that are pressed against contact pads of the mother board by a spring biased pressure bar carried by the connector housing.


A magnetostrictive position measuring method determines a time of flight of a magnetostrictive response transmitted through a waveguide. The magnetostrictive response is generated using a target magnet in response to a magnetostrictive excitation. In the method, an electrical response signal containing an indicator of the magnetostrictive response is digitally sampled at a sampling rate to obtain a plurality of samples. An amplitude of each of the plurality of samples within a target frequency range is determined through an analysis of the plurality of samples in a frequency domain. A peak sample from the plurality of samples in the frequency domain corresponding to the magnetostrictive response is identified. The time of flight and a position of the target magnet along the waveguide is determined based on the peak sample.

Magnetostrictive position measurement systems or linear position transducers are robust, high resolution instruments which have proven to be useful in many measurement and control applications. Magnetostrictive linear position systems generally include a wire waveguide and a target magnet that has a position that can vary relative to the waveguide. The location of the target magnet corresponds to the position to be measured.
An electrical excitation signal may be used to trigger a magnetostrictive response from the target magnet that may be used to detect its position. For example, the electrical excitation signal may be delivered to the target magnet through the waveguide. When the excitation signal reaches the area of influence of the target magnet, a magnetostrictive response in the form of a torsional strain is generated within the waveguide. The torsional strain produces an acoustic wave that travels along the waveguide to a detector located at a reference position. The period of time or "time of flight" between the generation of the electrical excitation signal and the detection of the magnetostrictive response (acoustic wave) at the detector indicates the position of the target magnet. Alternatively, a mechanical excitation may be employed to generate a magnetostrictive response from the target magnet.
The detector generates an electrical response signal that contains an indicator of the magnetostrictive response. Thus, the time of flight may be determined by identifying the indicator in the electrical signal. Two primary techniques are employed to detect the magnetostrictive response in the electrical response signal. In one technique, the electrical response signal is analyzed to determine when the electrical response signal crosses a predetermined threshold voltage. The timing of this threshold crossing is used to establish the time of flight and, thus, the position of the target magnet. An alternative technique uses a cross-correlation approach, in which the electrical response signal is analyzed to determine when it matches a predetermined waveform. The time of the match is used to establish the time of flight and the position of the target magnet.
The above-described techniques rely upon an expectation that the electrical response signal will have a specific shape. As a result, changes to the target magnet or other components of the magnetostrictive linear position transducer that alter the shape of the electrical response signal can affect the accuracy of the detection of the electrical response signal or render the transducer inoperable.

Target detection in magnetostrictive sensors using a target frequency range


Methods and systems for securing information are provided. The method includes generating a hash key by an input/output (I/O) processing module interfacing with a processor executable application to encrypt a block of data of a data container to secure and store the data container; generating cipher text for the block of data encrypted with the hash key; using an encryption key to encrypt the hash key for the block of data; providing the cipher text and the encrypted hash key by the I/O processing module to a storage system for storage; where the I/O processing module segregates the encrypted hash key from the cipher text and maintains the encrypted hash key as part of metadata for the cipher text; and storing the cipher text with the encrypted hash key as the metadata for the cipher text for the block of data.

Various forms of storage systems are used today. These forms include direct attached storage, network attached storage (NAS) systems, storage area networks (SANs), and others. Storage systems are commonly used for a variety of purposes, such as providing multiple users with access to shared data, backing up data and others.
A storage system typically includes at least one computing system (may also be referred to as a "server" or "storage server"), which is a processing system configured to store and retrieve data on behalf of one or more host computing systems ("hosts"). The storage system may be presented to a host system for storing information.
Information stored by storage systems today should preferably be secured. It is desirable to secure information closest to an application that is generating the information. It is also preferable to efficiently store the secured data by the storage system, using techniques like de-duplication. Continuous efforts are being made to efficiently secure and store data.

Methods and systems for securing stored information


An object of the invention is to improve the motorcycle radiator arranging construction with a view to improving the external appearance characteristic of a motorcycle. In a motorcycle having a water-cooled engine 12 installed thereon, a radiator 75 is arranged erect in a space 87 defined between the engine 12 and a rear wheel 16 in such a manner that a front surface 75a thereof is directed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is supported on a body frame 11, whereby the radiator 75 is made difficult to see from the outside compared with a case where the radiator is arranged at the front of the body frame to thereby make conspicuous, for example, the design of the engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved motorcycle radiator arranging construction.
2. Description of the Background Art
As a conventional motorcycle radiator arranging construction, there is known, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. JP-A-2003-89349 in which a radiator is arranged between body frames ahead of an engine.
This JP-A-2003-89349 will be described. Similar reference numerals to those used in the relevant publication will be used for description. As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 40 of the publication, a motorcycle 1 is a vehicle in which a gusset 32 is attached to a rear portion of a headpipe 21 and a pair of left and right lower or down tubes 33 are caused to extend substantially downwards from the gusset 32, whereby a radiator 10 is arranged between the down tubes 33, and the radiator 10 so arranged is hence positioned ahead of an engine 9.
The radiator 10 is arranged between the left and right down tubes 33 ahead of the engine 9 or at a location best seen from the front of the vehicle. Due to this, for example, even in case the design characteristic of the engine is enhanced, while the engine 9 remains visible from the sides of the vehicle, the engine 9 becomes difficult to see from the front of the vehicle or see diagonally from the front of the vehicle.
To cope with this, attempting to provide it at a rear portion of the body of the vehicle, when the radiator is provided on a swing arm, as to water piping to the radiator, for example, the movability of the radiator needs to be taken into consideration when designing the same.
In addition, when attempting to provide the radiator in the interior of the body, the cooling performance needs to be secured.
Furthermore, since The radiator 10 is arranged between the left and right down tubes 33 ahead of the engine 9 or at a location best seen from the front of the vehicle, for example, even in case the design characteristic of the engine is enhanced, while the engine 9 remains visible from the sides of the vehicle, the engine 9 becomes difficult to see from the front of the vehicle or see diagonally from the front of the vehicle.

Motorcycle radiator arranging construction


A modular air conditioning system with adjustable capacity includes a cooling module, a heating module, and a blower module which can be assembled in any of a plurality of configurations, including a vertical downflow configuration, a vertical upflow configuration, or a horizontal configuration, using the same set of modules. The same set of modules can be operated over a range of cooling capacities by employing a condensing unit of the required capacity connected to the cooling module and by adjusting the airflow volume rate of air transported through the system. A movable restrictor plate is positioned in partial covering relation to a discharge opening of the blower module and is adjusted to achieve the required airflow volume rate.

In any manufacturing business, the need to keep inventory to a minimum, while retaining the capability of meeting customers' needs, is an important business objective. More specifically in the HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) field, each manufacturer generally produces and stocks a large number of product models in order to provide the configurations and capacities needed to cool and heat structures such as residences and small commercial buildings. Other manufacturers concentrate on medium and large installations. It is common in the industry to provide sizes ranging from two through five ton cooling capacities in typical increments of 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, and 5 ton evaporator (cooling) or indoor coils with matching outdoor condensing units or outdoor heat pump sections.
To satisfy the variety of applications, the indoor blower coils or heating units that must be provided are in horizontal, vertical upflow, and vertical downflow (counterflow) configurations. To accommodate the size ranges for these three configurations for cooling alone, it would be necessary to stock as many as eighteen models. Additionally, where heating only is desired, individual models can be provided in a great number of sizes. In many cases, both heating and cooling are desired, and this can require either a heating unit complete with heat generating section and blower to which cooling coils are added or a cooling coil with a blower to which a heating section might be added. The product manual or literature of any major HVAC manufacturer will show an extensive listing of products.
In the past, combination air treating installations for heating, cooling, or both have generally been achieved by one of three basic design approaches. First, all-weather air treatment has been provided by adding a cooling coil unit downstream of the air flow from a furnace unit designed primarily for forced warm air heating. Second, it has been common to mount a cooling coil unit having its own independent blower in parallel flow relation to a furnace unit. In a third approach, combination air treating units have been constructed within a single unitary cabinet containing a furnace heat exchanger, a cooling coil unit, a blower unit, and appropriate control devices.
All of these approaches have necessitated substantial design compromises and have sacrificed the optimum efficiencies in either heating or cooling which might otherwise be obtained for each installation and its particular use demands. For example, a system that is designed primarily for forced air heating does not have sufficient air handling capacity to perform adequately for air cooling. The differences between heating and cooling requirements vary greatly in buildings of various types and different occupancies such that it is often difficult to obtain an optimum combination of heating and cooling by simply adding a cooling unit onto an existing forced air heating system.
Although the use of a separate blower-powered cooling coil added in parallel with an existing forced air furnace will provide both good heating and cooling performance, such structures have been expensive and bulky. In many homes, the available space for utility installations has not been sufficient for such parallel arrangements. Further, the use of flow selection dampers to change over between heating and cooling has introduced sources of air leakage, and such dampers are costly to install and to service.
The third approach of large and unitary combination structures has been unacceptable for general domestic use, because, from a manufacturing and sales standpoint, it is a practical impossibility to maintain an adequate inventory of the number of different combinations which would be required for various fuels and heating capacities, various cooling capacities, and various air handling rates. From the point of view of some customers, it has been an economic burden to initially purchase a complete combination unit rather than to first install a heating system and add cooling capability at some later date when the added expenses can be more easily assumed. Additionally, there are problems for installers in fitting such unitary combination units into existing utility spaces and for home builders to design the required space for such units.

Modular air conditioning system with adjustable capacity


An improved guiding member for use within a body lumen having a unique combination of superelastic characteristics. The superelastic alloy material has a composition consisting of about 30% to about 52% (atomic) titanium, and about 38% to 52% nickel and may have one or more elements selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, platinum, palladium, vanadium, copper, zirconium, hafnium and niobium. The alloy material is subjected to thermomechanical processing which includes a final cold working of about 10 to about 75% and then a heat treatment at a temperature between about 450° and about 600° C. and preferably about 475° to about 550° C. Before the heat treatment the cold worked alloy material is preferably subjected to mechanical straightening. The alloy material is preferably subjected to stresses equal to about 5 to about 50% of the room temperature ultimate yield stress of the material during the thermal treatment. The guiding member using such improved material exhibits a stress-induced austenite-to-martensite phase transformation at an exceptionally high constant yield strength of over 90 ksi for solid members and over 70 ksi for tubular members with a broad recoverable strain of at least about 4% during the phase transformation. An essentially whip free product is obtained.

This invention relates to the field of medical devices, and more particularly to guiding means such as guidewires for advancing catheters within body lumens in procedures such as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).
In typical PTCA procedures a guiding catheter having a preformed distal tip is percutaneously introduced into the cardiovascular system of a patient in a conventional Seldiger technique and advanced therein until the distal tip of the guiding catheter is seated in the ostium of a desired coronary artery. A guidewire is positioned within an inner lumen of a dilatation catheter and then both are advanced through the guiding catheter to the distal end thereof. The guidewire is first advanced out of the distal end of the guiding catheter into the patient's coronary vasculature until the distal end of the guidewire crosses a lesion to be dilated, then the dilatation catheter having an inflatable balloon on the distal portion thereof is advanced into the patient's coronary anatomy over the previously introduced guidewire until the balloon of the dilatation catheter is properly positioned across the lesion. Once in position across the lesion, the balloon is inflated to a predetermined size with radiopaque liquid at relatively high pressures (e.g. greater than 4 atmospheres) to compress the arteriosclerotic plaque of the lesion against the inside of the artery wall and to otherwise expand the inner lumen of the artery. The balloon is then deflated so that blood flow is resumed through the dilated artery and the dilatation catheter can be removed therefrom.
Conventional guidewires for angioplasty and other vascular procedures usually comprise an elongated core member with one or more tapered sections near the distal end thereof and a flexible body such as a helical coil disposed about the distal portion of the core member. A shapable member, which may be the distal extremity of the core member or a separate shaping ribbon which is secured to the distal extremity of the core member extends through the flexible body and is secured to a rounded plug at the distal end of the flexible body. Torquing means are provided on the proximal end of the core member to rotate, and thereby steer, the guidewire while it is being advanced through a patient's vascular system.
Further details of dilatation catheters, guidewires, and devices associated therewith for angioplasty procedures can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,323,071 (Simpson et al.); 4,439,185 (Lundquist); 4,516,972 (Samson); 4,538,622 (Samson et al.); 4,554,929 (Samson et al.); 4,616,652 (Simpson); and 4,638,805 (Powell).
Steerable dilatation catheters with fixed, built-in guiding members, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,181 (now Re 33,166) are frequently used because they have lower deflated profiles than conventional over-the-wire dilatation catheters and a lower profile allows the catheter to cross tighter lesions and to be advanced much deeper into a patient's coronary anatomy.
A major requirement for guidewires and other guiding members, whether they be solid wire or tubular members, is that they have sufficient columnar strength to be pushed through a patient's vascular system or other body lumen without kinking. However, they must also be flexible enough to avoid damaging the blood vessel or other body lumen through which they are advanced. Efforts have been made to improve both the strength and flexibility of guidewires to make them more suitable for their intended uses, but these two properties are for the most part diametrically opposed to one another in that an increase in one usually involves a decrease in the other.
The prior art makes reference to the use of alloys such as NITINOL, which is an acronym for Ni—Ti Naval Ordnance Laboratory. These alloys have shape memory and/or superelastic characteristics and may be used in medical devices which are designed to be inserted into a patient's body. The shape memory characteristics allow the devices to be deformed to facilitate their insertion into a body lumen or cavity and then be heated within the body so that the device returns to its original shape. Superelastic characteristics on the other hand generally allow the metal to be deformed and restrained in the deformed condition to facilitate the insertion of the medical device containing the metal into a patient's body, with such deformation causing the phase transformation. Once within the body lumen the restraint on the superelastic member can be removed, thereby reducing the stress therein so that the superelastic member can return to its original undeformed shape by the transformation back to the original phase.
Alloys having shape memory/superelastic characteristics generally have at least two phases. These phases are a martensite phase, which has a relatively low tensile strength and which is stable at relatively low temperatures, and an austenite phase, which has a relatively high tensile strength and which is stable at temperatures higher than the martensite phase.
Shape memory characteristics are imparted to the alloy by heating the metal at a temperature above which the transformation from the martensite phase to the austenite phase is complete, i.e. a temperature above which the austenite phase is stable. The shape of the metal during this heat treatment is the shape "remembered". The heat treated metal is cooled to a temperature at which the martensite phase is stable, causing the austenite phase to transform to the martensite phase. The metal in the martensite phase is then plastically deformed, e.g. to facilitate the entry thereof into a patient's body. Subsequent heating of the deformed martensite phase to a temperature above the martensite to austenite transformation temperature causes the deformed martensite phase to transform to the austenite phase and during this phase transformation the metal reverts back to its original shape.
The prior methods of using the shape memory characteristics of these alloys in medical devices intended to be placed within a patient's body presented operational difficulties. For example, with shape memory alloys having a stable martensite temperature below body temperature, it was frequently difficult to maintain the temperature of the medical device containing such an alloy sufficiently below body temperature to prevent the transformation of the martensite phase to the austenite phase when the device was being inserted into a patient's body. With intravascular devices formed of shape memory alloys having martensite-to-austenite transformation temperatures well above body temperature, the devices could be introduced into a patient's body with little or no problem, but they had to be heated to the martensite-to-austenite transformation temperature which was frequently high enough to cause tissue damage and very high levels of pain.
When stress is applied to a specimen of a metal such as NITINOL exhibiting superelastic characteristics at a temperature above which the austenite is stable (i.e. the temperature at which the transformation of martensite phase to the austenite phase is complete), the specimen deforms elastically until it reaches a particular stress level where the alloy then undergoes a stress-induced phase transformation from the austenite phase to the martensite phase. As the phase transformation proceeds, the alloy undergoes significant increases in strain but with little or no corresponding increases in stress. The strain increases while the stress remains essentially constant until the transformation of the austenite phase to the martensite phase is complete. Thereafter, further increase in stress are necessary to cause further deformation. The martensitic metal first yields elastically upon the application of additional stress and then plastically with permanent residual deformation.
If the load on the specimen is removed before any permanent deformation has occurred, the martensitic specimen will elastically recover and transform back to the austenite phase. The reduction in stress first causes a decrease in strain. As stress reduction reaches the level at which the martensite phase transforms back into the austenite phase, the stress level in the specimen will remain essentially constant (but substantially less than the constant stress level at which the austenite transforms to the martensite) until the transformation back to the austenite phase is complete, i.e. there is significant recovery in strain with only negligible corresponding stress reduction. After the transformation back to austenite is complete, further stress reduction results in elastic strain reduction. This ability to incur significant strain at relatively constant stress upon the application of a load and to recover from the deformation upon the removal of the load is commonly referred to as superelasticity or pseudoelasticity.
The prior art makes reference to the use of metal alloys having superelastic characteristics in medical devices which are intended to be inserted or otherwise used within a patient's body. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,665,905 (Jervis) and 4,925,445 (Sakamoto et al.).
The Sakamoto et al. patent discloses the use of a nickel-titanium superelastic alloy in an intravascular guidewire which could be processed to develop relatively high yield strength levels. However, at the relatively high yield stress levels which cause the austenite-to-martensite phase transformation characteristic of the material, it did not have a very extensive stress-induced strain range in which the austenite transforms to martensite at relative constant stress. As a result, frequently as the guidewire was being advanced through a patient's tortuous vascular system, it would be stressed beyond the superelastic region, i.e. develop a permanent set or even kink which can result in tissue damage. This permanent deformation would generally require the removal of the guidewire and the replacement thereof with another.
Products of the Jervis patent on the other hand had extensive strain ranges, i.e. 2 to 8% strain, but the relatively constant stress level at which the austenite transformed to martensite was very low, e.g. 50 ksi.
What has been needed and heretofore unavailable is an elongated solid or tubular body for intravascular devices, such as guide wires or guiding members, which have at least a portion thereof exhibiting superelastic characteristics including an extended strain region over a relatively constant high stress level which effects the austenite transformation to martensite and still provide a one-to-one torque response. The present invention satisfies these and other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Data indicative of first and second members of a social group, a media content accessed by the first and second members of the social group, and a time at which the media content was accessed by the first and second members of the social group is collected. A system then compares the received data to determine if the second member of the social group accessed the same media content as the first member of the social group and if the second member of the social group accessed the same media content within a predetermined amount of time. When the second member of the social group accessed the same media content as the first member of the social group within the predetermined amount of time the first member of the social group is identified as a social influencer.

Emerging "Social TV" enabling technologies such as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,519,658, entitled "Automatic Blogging During Media Viewing," are enabling viewers of media content to interact with selected peer groups for the purpose of sharing viewing preferences, comments, opinions, etc. Increasingly, such interactions may occur in real time, i.e., while the participants are actively viewing media content.

System and method for identifying social media influencers


A thermal management system for an IC device mounted on a circuit board is provided. The system includes a socket housing and an array of power contacts disposed within the housing. The power contacts deliver power to an underside of the IC device and generate heat at the underside of the IC device. A heat conducting interface conveys heat from the underside of the IC device to a heat sink positioned above the IC device.

The invention relates generally to power delivery in electronic circuits and more particularly to thermal management of heat associated with an electronic component.
Competition and consumer demand have continued the trends toward faster, higher performance electrical systems, particularly with regard to computer systems. As microprocessors and associated integrated circuits (IC's) operate at higher speeds, the power requirements for these devices also increase. The speed of the microprocessor is influenced by how quickly the microprocessor's internal transistors can switch on and off. Lowering the operating voltage enables faster switching and correspondingly higher speeds. However, as the operating voltage is reduced, operating currents are increased to maintain power to the associated integrated circuits. Increasing current can result in undesirable power drain or power losses.
Modern high speed IC devices, including microprocessors, which is sometimes referred to as a central processing unit ("CPU"), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC's), memory sockets, or power connectors, and the like, generate large amounts of heat during operation which must be removed from the device in operation, otherwise, unstable operation or damage to the device may result. In the case of a CPU, for example, a heat sink is typically mounted above the CPU along with a fan to dissipate heat from the heat sink to the surrounding atmosphere, thus enhancing the CPU cooling process. This internally generated heat, however, is not the only concern for the CPU and other IC devices. There is an additional heat load associated with the delivery of power for running the IC device. As the IC devices become more and more powerful with more and more transistors, power requirements go up dramatically. As the power requirement of the IC device increases, so does the need to eliminate additional heat from beneath the device. The additional heat travels from a motherboard to the IC device and from the IC device to the motherboard through a socket in which the device is mounted. This additional heat can represent a significant thermal load. That load affects the conductivity of the socket contacts and the communication speed of the IC device and supporting motherboard traces. While much effort has gone into thermal management above the IC device, little has been done to remove heat from beneath the device.

Thermal managed interconnect system for a circuit board


In an optical system for forming a photoresist pattern on a substrate, an optical element such as a holographic optical element and an aperture plate provides an off-axis illumination beam having a hexapole. The photoresist pattern is formed to form structures such as contact pads, and includes first holes and second holes repeatedly arranged on the substrate. The hexapole includes four first poles symmetrically disposed with respect to an x-axis and a y-axis, and two second poles disposed in the x-axis so as to be symmetric with respect to the y-axis. The off-axis illumination beam may improve a resolution of the photoresist pattern and a depth of focus (DOF) of a light beam to be projected onto the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for forming a photoresist pattern on a semiconductor substrate. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical system of an exposure apparatus for forming a photoresist pattern on a silicon wafer used as a semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices may be manufactured by a process including a fabrication process performed for forming electronic circuits on a silicon wafer used as a semiconductor substrate, an electrical die sorting (EDS) process performed for inspecting electrical characteristics of the semiconductor devices on the semiconductor substrate, and a packaging process performed for packaging the semiconductor devices in epoxy resins and individuating the semiconductor devices.
The fabrication process may include various unit processes such as a deposition process, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, a photolithography process, an etching process, an ion implantation process, a cleaning process, an inspection process, or other similar processes. The unit processes may be repeatedly performed to form the semiconductor devices of the semiconductor substrate.
The photolithography process may be performed to form the photoresist pattern on a layer formed on the semiconductor substrate to form the layer into a specific pattern having electrical characteristics. The photoresist pattern is used as a mask in an etching process for forming the specific pattern.
The photolithography process may include a photoresist coating process for coating the semiconductor substrate with a photoresist composition, a soft baking process for forming the coated photoresist composition on the wafer into a photoresist layer, an exposure process and a development process for forming the photoresist layer into a photoresist pattern using a photo mask or a reticle, a hard baking process for hardening the photoresist pattern on the wafer, or the like.
Patterns on semiconductor substrates have gradually decreased in size, having finer features, as an integration degree of semiconductor devices has increased. Accordingly, a resolution and a depth of focus (DOF) in the photolithography process have become more important.
The resolution and the DOF may be influenced by a wavelength of a light beam and a numerical aperture (NA) of a projection lens used in the photolithography process. Examples of the light beam used in the photolithography process may include a g-line light beam having a wavelength of 436 nm, an i-line light beam having a wavelength of 365 nm, a KrF laser beam having a wavelength of 248 nm, an ArF laser beam having a wavelength of 198 nm, a F2 laser beam having a wavelength of 157 nm, or the like.
Methods for preventing distortion of the photoresist pattern, for example, due to scattering and diffraction of the light beam transmitted through the photo mask in accordance with shrinkage of the patterns, may include using a phase shift mask (PSM) or an optical proximity correction (OPC) method.
Where a numerical aperture of the projection lens is increased to improve the resolution the DOF may deteriorate. An off-axis illumination (OAI) may be used to improve the DOF by projecting a zero-order diffracted light beam and positive first-order diffracted light beam occurring from the photo mask onto the semiconductor substrate.
Examples of the OAI may include an annular illumination (AI), a dipole illumination, quadrupole illumination, or the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,810 to Chen et al. discloses masks for improved lithographic patterning for off-axis illumination lithography, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,736 to Smith et al. discloses an imaging method using phase boundary masking with modified illumination.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a light beam used in the annular illumination, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views showing photoresist patterns formed using the light beam as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the light beam used in the annular illumination, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views showing photoresist patterns formed using the light beam as shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a ratio of an inside diameter and an outside diameter of an annular illumination beam 10a in FIG. 1 to a diameter of an equivalent circle 12 of a projection lens is about 0.65:0.85:1. A ratio of an inside diameter and an outside diameter of an annular illumination beam 10b in FIG. 4 to a diameter of an equivalent circle 12 of a projection lens is about 0.58:0.88:1.
Photoresist patterns 22a, 22b, 24a and 24b correspond to contact pads to be formed on a semiconductor substrate 20 in FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show the photoresist pattern 22a and 22b formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 using the annular illumination beam 10a as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows the photoresist pattern 22a formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 when a light beam transmitted through a photo mask is focused onto a surface of a photoresist layer on the semiconductor substrate 20. FIG. 3 shows the photoresist pattern 22b formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 when a light beam transmitted through the photo mask is focused at a point spaced by about 0.3 μm upwardly apart from the surface of the photoresist layer on the semiconductor substrate 20.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show the photoresist patterns 24a and 24b formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 using the annular illumination beam 10b as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows the photoresist pattern 24a formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 when a light beam transmitted through the photo mask is focused onto the surface of the photoresist layer on the semiconductor substrate 20. FIG. 6 shows the photoresist pattern 24b formed on the semiconductor substrate 20 when a light beam transmitted through the photo mask is focused at a point spaced by about 0.3 μm upwardly apart from the surface of the photoresist layer on the semiconductor substrate 20.
As shown in figures, the resolution of the photoresist pattern and the DOF of the light beam may be determined in accordance with a cross-sectional shape of the light beam and a distance between the projection and the semiconductor substrate. Thus, the OAI may not cope effectively with complex and/or fine photoresist patterns, and a process margin in the photolithography process may not be sufficiently secured. Consequently, there is a need for improving the resolution and the DOF in a photolithographic process.

Optical system for providing a hexapole illumination and method of forming a photoresist pattern on a substrate using the same


A process is provided for separating trace amounts of water-immiscible, volatile organic liquids dissolved in aqueous media whereby the aqueous media are subjected to vapor stripping under vacuum at about ambient temperature in conjunction with a heat pump which indirectly recovers the energy of vaporization in its cold loop and returns such energy to the vaporization of the aqueous media in its hot loop. Inasmuch as the entire process is conducted at ambient temperature, there is little loss of energy to the environment and processing energy is recovered and reused to the application of a heat pump system.

This invention relates to a method for separating trace amounts of water-immiscible, volatile organic liquids from an aqueous medium wherein the organics are dissolved. The invention is further directed to achieving these objects at about ambient temperature for the aqueous medium. The invention is especially useful for removing trace amounts of organic contaminants from groundwater and process streams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,089 describes a stripping method for removing volatile organic liquids from aqueous media by in situ generation of water vapor utilized as a stripping gas under vacuum. Overhead vapors from the stripping column are compressed to liquefy most of the overhead vapors to produce a condensate containing water, water-immiscible liquid organics and some noncondensable components. The organics coalesce to provide a separate decantable organic phase.
A major limitation in the application of this method is the relatively large compressor required to compress vapor volumes to maintain stripping efficiencies in the stripping column.

Method for removing dissolved immiscible organics from am aqueous medium at ambient temperatures


A method and a completely integrable circuit arrangement are proposed for recovery of a timing signal from a data stream. Two groups of phase regulators are supplied with a locally existing reference timing signal, preferably in each case one of mutually complementary reference timing signals. One phase regulator in each case, which has assumed a state within its operating range, is selected to provide the recovered timing signal, while a phase regulator which is currently not selected is kept in the state within its operating range which is diametrically opposite to the state of the currently selected phase regulator. On reaching the limit of the operating range of the currently selected phase regulator, a changeover is made to the phase regulator which has been kept ready until this point.

The invention relates to a method and a circuit arrangement for obtaining a timing signal.
In digital data transmission systems, the bit timing at the receiving end can be obtained from the received digital data signal by means of clock recovery circuits. When phase locked loops are used for clock recovery from a digital data stream, only pure phase comparators (phase-sensitive phase detectors) may be used since no phase correction flank is available with every bit clock pulse but, depending on the envisaged coding, for example on average only every three bit clock pulses. As is known, these pure phase comparators have the disadvantage that circuits constructed in this way also lock onto harmonic frequencies and even attempt to do this (unsuccessfully) at other frequencies. In order to avoid these disadvantages, voltage-controlled oscillators have been used until now having a mid-frequency which is in each case defined accurately and corresponds to the nominal value of the bit clock rate, as well as a very small frequency shift, precise frequency-determining elements being required to implement such voltage-controlled oscillators (cf. Deutsche Bundespost Information Leaflets, Year 34/1981, No. 2, page 81).
PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuits are used in digital data transmission networks, for example in SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) transmission systems, to produce the transmission clock. The phase locked loop compares the filling level of a buffer store with its nominal value, and corrects the transmission frequency accordingly. The nominal transmission frequency is defined by the mid-frequency of the phase locked loop. The actual transmission frequency is determined by pulling the phase locked loop via its control voltage on the basis on the quantity of data which occurs. The signal which indicates the discrepancy between the filling level of the buffer store and the nominal value is provided by a discrete signal having a low rate of state changes in comparison with the transmission frequency. Integrated voltage-controlled oscillators VCOs which are known per se cannot be used for this application because of the occasional correction, since their short-term stability is insufficient by a wide margin in terms of the accuracy requirements for synchronous data networks.
In this application as well, circuits are normally used in which a phase locked loop controls a voltage-controlled, crystal-stabilized oscillator VCXO (Voltage-Controlled Xtal (=crystal) Oscillator). These voltage-controlled, crystal-stabilized oscillators require accurate frequency-determining elements for stabilization.
The frequency-determining elements, which can be provided by narrowband filters or tuned circuits and which can be implemented, for example, using surface acoustic wave, crystal or ceramic filters cannot directly be integrated together with the rest of the circuit in a chip, so that the frequency-determining elements must be arranged outside the chip, for which purpose additional connections to the chip must be provided, additional space is required on the assembly, and additional outlay is required for fitting the assembly with components.

Generating circuit including selection between plural phase regulators


A novel apparatus for producing sweet synthetic crude from a heavy hydrocarbon feed includes: an upgrader for receiving the heavy hydrocarbon feed and producing a distillate fraction including sour products, and high-carbon content by-products; a gasifier for receiving the high-carbon content by-products and producing synthetic fuel gas and sour by-products; a hydroprocessing unit for receiving the sour by-products and hydrogen gas, thereby producing gas and sweet crude; and a hydrogen recovery unit for receiving the synthetic fuel gas and producing further hydrogen gas and hydrogen-depleted synthetic fuel gas, the further hydrogen gas being supplied to the hydroprocessing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds. In particular, the method and apparatus include gasification of heavy high-carbon content by-products produced by the upgrading of the heavy hydrocarbon feeds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of heavy crude oils contain high concentrations of sulfur compounds, organo-metallic compounds and heavy, non-distillable fractions called asphaltenes which are insoluble in light paraffins such as normal pentane. Because most petroleum products used for fuel must have a low sulfur content to comply with environmental regulations and restrictions, the presence of sulfur compounds in the non-distillable fractions reduces their value to petroleum refiners and increases their cost to users of such fractions as fuel or raw material for producing other products. It is desirable to remove the non-distillable fractions, or asphaltenes, from the oil because not only do the non-distillable fractions contain high amounts of sulfur, the asphaltenes tend to solidify and foul subsequent processing equipment. Removal of the asphaltenes also tends to reduce the viscosity of the oil.
Solvent extraction of asphaltenes is used to process crude and produces deasphalted oil (DAO) which is subsequently further processed into more desirable products. The deasphalting process typically involves contacting a heavy oil with a solvent. The solvent is typically an alkane such as propane, butane and pentane. The solubility of the solvent in the heavy oil decreases as the temperature increases. A temperature is selected wherein substantially all the paraffinic hydrocarbons go into solution, but where a portion of the resins and asphaltenes precipitate. Because the solubility of the asphaltenes is low in the oil-solvent mixture, the asphaltenes will precipitate out and are further separated from the DAO.
In order to increase the saleability of these hydrocarbons, refiners must resort to various expedients for removing sulfur compounds. A conventional approach for removing sulfur compounds in distillable fractions of crude oil is catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of molecular hydrogen at moderate temperature and pressure. While this approach is cost effective in removing sulfur from distillable oils, problems arise when the feed includes metal-containing asphaltenes. Specifically, the presence of the metal-containing asphaltenes results in catalyst deactivation by reason of the coking tendency of the asphaltenes, and the accumulation of metals on the catalyst.
Many proposals thus have been made for dealing with non-distillable fractions of crude oil and other heavy hydrocarbons, include residual oil which contain sulfur and other metals. And while many are technically viable, they appear to have achieved little or no commercialization due in large part to the high cost of the technology involved. Usually such cost takes the form of increased catalyst contamination by the metals and/or carbon deposition resulting from the attempted conversion of the asphaltene fractions.
One way that refineries have attempted to receive more value from heavy hydrocarbons including asphaltenes has been to gasify them. U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,862 to Visser et al. discloses a process for thermal cracking residual hydrocarbon oils involving feeding the oil and a synthetic gas to a thermal cracker, separating the cracked products into various streams including a cracked residue stream, separating the cracked residue stream into an asphaltene-rich stream and an asphaltene-poor stream, then gasifying the asphaltene rich stream to produce syngas which is fed to the thermal cracker.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,874 to Wallace et al. discloses extracting asphaltenes through with a solvent and gasifying the asphaltenes in the presence of oxygen. Heat from the gasification of the asphaltenes is used to help recover some of the solvent used in extracting the asphaltenes.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,365 to Liu discloses processing heavy crude oil by distilling the same, solvent deasphalting the oil, and further processing the heavy hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen is used to treat the deasphalted oil fraction and distillate hydrocarbon fractions obtained from the heavy crude oil.
However, there still remains a need for a cost-effective and commercially viable method of extracting more value out of asphaltenes produced in refineries.

Method of and apparatus for upgrading and gasifying heavy hydrocarbon feeds


A supply line reservoir in an appliance housing for connecting lines that enter the housing and connect to insertable and removable appliances that are accommodated within includes a spare length of the connecting line. This spare length is fixed within said housing in such a way that an-appliance can be taken out of the housing while maintaining a connection of the line. The spare length of connecting line is guided within said housing when the appliance is in said housing, and released from the housing when the appliance is taken out of said housing.

In the construction of installations, it is necessary to provide a large number of appliances in the individual parts of the installation with supply lines. These supply lines can be electrical lines, hydraulic lines, air-pressure feeds, data lines and any other kind of connection or supply line that is needed for operating the appliance in the installation.
Furthermore, it is necessary to occasionally insert and remove an appliance of this kind. Such occasions may arise, for example, when servicing an appliance, or when replacing a defective appliance. Under these circumstances, the appliance to be removed may be in a fairly inaccessible location within the installation. This can make the removal of such an appliance complicated.
An additional problem that arises is that the connecting or supply lines are relatively short in the region of the insertion or removal apertures. As a result, before the appliance can be taken out or re-inserted, these lines have to be attached or detached while still at the location at which the appliance is being operated. This can be difficult because one may have to work in cramped quarters.
In order to solve this problem, it is known to provide spare lengths of line in the region of the appliance and of the insertion aperture. By this means, the appliance can be taken out without having to immediately disconnect the line. In the case of simple servicing operations, these lines can even remain on the appliance under certain circumstances. By avoiding the need to attach and detach supply lines, one can considerably shorten the servicing time. Even when a supply line has to be detached from the removed appliance and connected again after the repair, having a spare length makes this part of the servicing operations considerably easier.
In practice, however, it has turned out that during installation, it is quite common for installers not to provide spare lengths of line. A natural tendency among installers appears to be to pull the line taut when it is laid. This results in either a non-existent spare length of line or one that is too short to be useful. Depending upon the way in which the appliance is designed, moreover, it is difficult to guide the spare lines without their becoming twisted. In some cases, the spare length may even impair operation of the appliance.


A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a platen, a polishing pad affixed to a surface of the platen, and a polishing head configured to retain and rotate a wafer while pressing a surface of the rotating wafer against the polishing pad. A first portion of the polishing pad that engages the polishing head proximate the edge of the wafer provides less rigidity than a second portion of the polishing pad that engages a portion of the surface of the wafer. For example, the polishing pad and/or the platen may have a recess or other cushioning structure positioned proximate a locus of movement of a portion of the polishing head that supports the edge of the wafer.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for fabricating microelectronic devices, and more particularly, to polishing apparatus and methods.
Fabrication of integrated circuit devices, such as memory devices, microprocessors, and the like, commonly involves the use of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to remove materials from a wafer surface and/or to planarize the surface of the wafer before building up additional structures. Generally, CMP involves rubbing the surface of the wafer against a pad made of a resilient material, such as polyurethane, in the presence of a chemical slurry to remove material, such as a metallization layer, deposited on the wafer surface. The pad and/or the slurry may include abrasives.
Several different types of CMP machines have been developed. One type of machine uses a disk-shaped polishing pad that is affixed to a fixed or rotating platen. In such a machine, the wafer is typically supported by a polishing head that rotates the wafer and presses the rotating wafer's surface against the polishing pad.
An example of such a disk-type polishing machine is shown in FIG. 1. The polishing machine 100 includes a polishing head 110, a platen 120, a polishing pad 130 affixed to the platen 120, and a pad conditioner 140. The platen 120 is driven by a motor 150 via a shaft 160. The polishing head 110 is driven by a motor 170 via a shaft 180. The polishing head 110 and the platen 120 may rotate in the same direction or in opposite directions.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the polishing head 110. The polishing head 110 includes a carrier 111, a manifold 112, a support 113, a retaining ring 114, and a membrane 115. The support 113 includes an inner support 113b and an outer support 113a. The outer support 113a has a generally cylindrical shape with a ring-shaped wall 116 and a protrusion 117. A first fluid path 118 and a second fluid path 119 are configured to carry de-ionized water used to clean the head 110, and to carry air to provide vacuum to pick up wafers and pressure for the polishing process. In particular, the first fluid path 118 and the second fluid path 119 provide pressure at the center area of the wafer and at the edge area of the wafer, respectively, during polishing. First and second holes 121, 122 communicate with the membrane 115. The retaining ring 114 prevents the wafer from slipping out of the polishing head 110.
FIG. 3 shows a typical operation of the polishing machine 100. While holding and rotating a wafer W, the polishing head 110 presses the wafer W against the rotating polishing pad 130. As shown, the polishing head 110 and platen 120 both rotate clockwise. The polishing head 110 may also oscillate in a horizontal plane while holding the wafer against the pad 130, as shown by the double-headed arrow.
A polishing pad may have surface features, such as grooves, that can aid distribution of slurry across the surface of the wafer, as shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,873 to Tsai et al. Some types of CMP machines impress a spinning wafer against a belt-type polishing pad, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,936 to Jensen et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,579 to Jensen et al.
Because of the nature of the polishing process, CMP pads wear as they are used. It is generally desirable that wear occur in a uniform manner over the part of the pad that contacts the wafer, such that a substantially uniform polishing profile can be maintained as wafers are polished in the fabrication process. For example, a pad design that tears or develops a significantly non-uniform surface may provide unacceptably non-uniform polishing results or may need to be replaced more often than desired.

Chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and methods using a polishing surface with non-uniform rigidity


An educational device is provided which can be used to teach arithmetic. The educational device comprises a track having a scale on an outer surface of said track. The scale is comprised of a plurality of evenly spaced apart unit markings, the markings being spaced apart by a unit length. Blocks are provided which are slidingly received on the track. Each block has a length based on the unit length, and indicium is provided on the each block to identify the length of the block in unit lengths. When a set of blocks is positioned on the track, the end of the last block will line up with a unit marking on the scale representing the overall length of the set of blocks in “units”, and hence showing the sum of the lengths of the set of blocks placed on the track. By adding and removing blocks to the track, addition and subtraction “facts” can be visually taught.

The present disclosure relates to an educational device that teaches mathematical functions, in particular, the present disclosure relates to an educational tool that teaches mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division via a "hands-on" use by students.
Currently students, and in particular, elementary school age children, learn arithmetic by memorizing the "facts" of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The students then practice their arithmetic to help "drill" in the "facts". However, not all children learn well this way. Rather, many children are visual learners. It would thus be beneficial to provide a device which can be used by children to visualize arithmetic problems, and, which will hopefully be fun for the children to use.


A composite reusable sound attenuating or transmitting device, especially an ear plug, is formed from a core, about which is adhered a strip of slow recovery foam. After each use of the device, the strip of foam is generally removed and discarded; typically, a new strip is applied the next time the device is used.

This invention relates to the sealing of sound transmission or blocking devices to a user's ear canal and is particularly concerned with a means for insuring that ear plugs not only fit snugly and comfortably but also consistently.
Disposable prior art ear plugs are typically made of either soft elastomeric material or resilient foam, which must be inserted deep into the ear canal to be effective. Perhaps the most common ear plug of this type is a die-cut or tapered cylinder of resilient, slow recovery foam about 5/8 inch (16 mm) long, as shown in U.S. Re. Pat. No. 29,487. A somewhat more sophisticated but significantly more expensive product is the "Pod Plug," in which a straight rubbery stiffener extends from a rubbery dish-shaped member and facilitates its insertion into the ear canal; cf. U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,123. Insertion of either type of plug is complicated by the anatomy of the canal and the fact that the plugs are available in only a few sizes. Since ear plugs are typically used once and then thrown away, it is generally impractical to have them custom made to fit each person. Further, even if reusable, custom made ear plugs are expensive.

Sealing strip for ear plugs and the like


An elbow for a dryer exhaust vent conduit. The elbow can have two nestable channel sections, each channel section having a generally C-shaped cross-section, which may be substantially semi-circular. Each channel section has a connection mechanism along at least one side such that the two channel sections are joinable to form a substantially tubular conduit which has a smooth interior surface, reducing friction losses to the airflow speed of the dryer exhaust. Each channel section can be curved in a large radius arc to provide a turn to the elbow, which may extend around a quarter circle to provide a 90° turn to the dryer exhaust vent conduit. Snap fit locking tabs may lock the two channel sections together. Ends of the elbow may fit into or outside adjoining conduit pipes. The channel sections can be nested for ease of transport and storage and can be easily assembled on site.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to exhaust vent systems, and more particularly to an elbow for a dryer exhaust vent conduit.
2. Description of Related Art
A clothes dryer requires a vent to the exterior, which is typically achieved using an exhaust conduit that is enclosed in a wall cavity and which conveys heated air and lint from the dryer to the exterior of the building in which the dryer is placed. The dryer can include a flexible transition hose which connects the dryer appliance to the exhaust conduit. In a common installation configuration, the exhaust conduit within the wall cavity is vertical, and is angled at the bottom of the vertical section in an elbow so that it protrudes horizontally from the wall surface, with the flexible hose leading from the dryer appliance attached to the horizontal section of the conduit. The exhaust conduit may also be angled at the top of the vertical section in a second elbow to allow for a horizontal venting through a wall outlet, or may remain vertical and vent to the roof of a building.
If air flow from the dryer is restricted, there may be inefficient operation of the dryer, which can waste energy and cause damage to the dryer blower. Of greater concern is the possibility of lint buildup within the exhaust conduit due to non sufficient airflow, which can create a potential fire hazard. Airflow restriction can result due to kinking or crushing of the exhaust conduit or the flexible hose, or can result simply due to friction acting on the air from the surface of the conduit or hose. The friction causes the airflow to slow as the air travels further from the dryer blower. This reduction in air speed allows lint traveling in the airflow to settle, creating a dangerous buildup over time.
The typical exhaust conduit elbow can be used within a wall cavity, attic space or crawl space to provide for angles of turn between 0° and 90°. The typical elbow has a 3.25″ radius and is formed of a metal pipe, usually aluminum, which is divided into sections. For example, the elbow may have four sections, each of which may have straight walls, with the two central sections being generally wedge-shaped so that the elbow extends through an angle of turn of approximately 90°. The sections may be connected by crimped or folded metal areas so that the elbow may be flexed slightly to suit the application. The 3.25″ radius is very tight and causes airflow restriction and friction loss, which in turn creates more turbulence and restricts efficient airflow much more than straight sections of the exhaust conduit. The airflow restriction and friction loss of a typical elbow has been calculated to be equivalent to the friction loss as 5 linear feet of straight pipe.
To attempt to alleviate efficiency and lint buildup problems, many building codes place a restriction on the permitted length of dryer exhaust conduits. For a typical exhaust conduit having a diameter of approximately 4″, many building codes restrict the length of the conduit to 25 feet. Additionally, for every 3.25″ elbow introduced in the exhaust conduit to turn the conduit, the permitted length of the conduit is reduced by 5 feet, due to the calculated friction loss in the elbow being equivalent to 5 linear feet of straight pipe. However, space considerations in homes and other buildings often make it difficult to comply with these codes while retaining the greatest amount of usable living space within the building.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved elbow for a dryer vent exhaust conduit.


A single-sided electronic connector for assembly to a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) includes a connector housing having a pin supporting wall extending the width thereof, a plurality of conductive pins extending from an outboard side of the wall, a plurality of soldertails corresponding to the conductive pins extending from an inboard side of the wall, and a plurality of gripper arms which extend from an inboard side of the housing for receiving and securing an edge of the PCBA therein through an interference fit such that the soldertails engage only one side of the PCBA. Each gripper arm defines a slot having crush ribs into which the edge of the PCBA is inserted. A pair of mounting ears extend from a respective pair of gripper arms, and are configured to receive a mounting screw therethrough for attaching the electronic connector to a support structure. In an automated manufacturing process, an edge of the PCBA is inserted into the gripper arms of the electronic connector and the assembly is then run through an infrared reflow to solder the connector to the PCBA. The PCBA/electronic connector assembly is then hard-mounted to the support structure, such as a hard drive assembly, utilizing screws which extend through the slots of the mounting ears.

This invention relates generally to an electronic connector associated with a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). More specifically, the present invention relates to a single-sided electronic connector that is assembled to a PCBA through an interference fit, and which may be subsequently hard-mounted to a hard disk drive assembly through slots provided adjacent to aligned mounting holes of the PCBA.
In recent years microcomputer equipment, particularly personal and desk top computers, have become extremely popular for a wide variety of home, business and commercial uses. Such computers commonly include a main central processor unit having one or more memory storage disks. In many modern computers, the storage disk or disks, sometimes referred to as "hard disks," are provided as part of a Winchester-type disk drive unit having the storage disks supported in a stack on a rotary spindle within a substantially sealed disk drive housing. The disks are rotatably drive in unison by a small spindle motor, and one or more electromagnetic heads on a movable positioning arm are displaced by a precision stepper motor to traverse surfaces of the rotating disks for purposes of reading and writing data. Such Winchester-type disk drive units are generally preferred in comparison with so-called floppy-type disk drives due to their higher memory storage capacities and faster operating speeds.
Typically, such computer disk drive units or "hard drive assemblies" (HDA) include a housing having a base and a removable cover which collectively define a disk storage compartment therebetween. A shaft is fixed to the base and extends therefrom toward the housing cover, and one or more memory storage disks are mounted for rotation within the disk storage compartment about the shaft. The shaft and the memory storage disks comprise a memory storage unit which, with other related components situated within the disk storage compartment, are manufactured to very precise manufacturing specifications.
Often a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is mounted directly to a disk drive unit housing. An electronic connector is typically mounted to the PCBA prior to assembly of the PCBA to the disk drive unit, to provide an electronic interface between the disk drive unit or hard drive assembly and the main central processor unit. The electronic connector typically has a standard configuration, i.e., SCSI (small computer system interface), SCA (single connector attach) or AT and, in the past, has been press-fit to the PCBA. One disadvantage in such an assembly of the electronic connector to the PCBA is that automated assembly of these two components has not been possible. Of course, improvements to the design of the various components associated with the hard drive assembly, printed circuit board and electronic connector, which would facilitate automatic assembly of these components to one another would be considered by those in the industry to be highly desirable.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a novel assembly of electronic components which facilitates assembly of the PCBA to the electronic connector with no hard-mounting of such components to one another, and which further permits the hard-mounting of these components when assembled to the disk drive unit itself. Preferably an improved electronic connector would be provided that would permit automated pick and place of the connector onto the PCBA in accordance with efficient manufacturing techniques. Such an improved electronic connector must maintain the flexibility and versatility for modification into standard configurations (for example, SCSI, SCA or AT configurations), and must not be appreciably more expensive to manufacture than standard electronic connectors. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

Single-sided electronic connector and method of assembly


A primary exposure and an effects exposure of a scene are captured via a digital imaging sensor. During at least the effects exposure, the scene is caused to shift in a predetermined pattern relative to the digital imaging sensor via an image stabilizing device. The effects exposure and the primary exposure are combined to form a digital image.

Digital photography has nearly supplanted film in the consumer photography market. A wide variety of dedicated digital cameras are available, with a wide range of prices and capabilities. Additionally, a majority of mobile devices, such as phones, tablets, and media players, now included built-in cameras. While the picture quality mobile device cameras may sometimes lag behind those of dedicated digital cameras, the picture quality of most current mobile-device-integrated-cameras is more than sufficient for a majority of consumers. Further, due to the ubiquity and instant availability of devices such as camera phones, these devices may capture more memorable photos because they are more likely to be at hand when something memorable happens.
A number of mobile applications have taken advantage of the popularity of mobile device cameras. Some applications may facilitate editing, tagging, and otherwise processing digital photos after they have been taken. Other applications facilitate easily storing, sharing, and categorizing digital photos. Because digital cameras have become an important component of the mobile device experience, finding new ways of making photos interesting and memorable will help drive application and device sales.

Method and apparatus for creating exposure effects using an optical image stabilizing device


A wireless communication method and apparatus are disclosed. In an embodiment a wireless communication method includes receiving, by a first device, at least two pieces of timing advance (TA) information, wherein the at least two pieces of TA information are corresponding to at least two beams of the first device on the same carrier and performing, by the first device, timing adjustments on transmissions on the at least two beams based on the at least two pieces of TA information.

As one of key technologies of a new radio (NR) access technology, a high frequency (HF) can provide more spectrum resources, support more antennas, and improve system capacity, and therefore the high frequency has been widely researched. As frequency increases, a wavelength of a radio signal correspondingly becomes shorter, and a size of an antenna at both ends of a transceiver can be greatly reduced due to a short wavelength, so that a plurality of antennas can be easily integrated into a panel with limited space. By using a multiple-antenna beamforming technology, transmit signal energy is collected in a direction for sending, so that coverage can be effectively improved, and therefore communication performance can be improved. Accordingly, a receiver can form a directional receive beam to receive, with a high gain, a radio signal arriving in a spatial direction. With continuous evolution of an antenna encapsulation technology, a plurality of antenna elements can be more easily combined with chip nesting to form an antenna panel or antenna array, making it possible to configure a plurality of antenna arrays with low correlation on a transmitter. A plurality of antenna panels can independently form a transmit beam, so that one transmitter can send a data stream by using different beams, so as to improve a transmission capacity or reliability. Currently, there is no desired solution for timing advance of different beam transmission signals on a same transmitter to a receiver.

Wireless communications method and apparatus


A system for activating the distress beacon determines a positional difference between a theoretical position of the aircraft determined from data of the flight plan and a real position of the aircraft determined from the navigation and monitoring equipment installed in the aircraft. This system delivers an instruction to arm the distress beacon when one or more conditions are met, among which is the condition that the positional difference exceeds a predetermined value.

The invention relates to the field of distress beacons installed in aircraft, these beacons also being known by the English acronym "ELT" (Emergency Locator Transmitter).
The invention relates more particularly to improving the reliability of activation of such a beacon, which is susceptible to being the source of false alarms.
The invention applies more particularly, but not exclusively, to the field of commercial aircraft.
Existing aircraft are equipped with a distress beacon which makes it possible to locate them in the event of an accident. Such a beacon comprises an acceleration sensor, also called a "G-switch." This sensor makes it possible, when the load factor measured by that sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold (in the event of a large deceleration of the aircraft or of an impact), to activate a transmitter of the beacon so that it transmits a 406 MHz radio signal that can be detected by geostationary satellites. When the transmitter is triggered, said beacon is said to be activated.
However, such an acceleration sensor requires complex and frequent calibration in order to avoid the untimely activation of the transmitter. For example, it is necessary to avoid a triggering of the transmitter in the case of a "hard" landing of the aircraft, which is of no consequence to the passengers and which is not therefore considered as an accident.
There is therefore a need to improve the reliability of activation of the distress beacon, while limiting the frequent and costly maintenance interventions such as the calibration operations mentioned above.

System for activating the distress beacon of an aircraft


A coating auxiliary device, for coating hollow workpieces, includes a loading tray, masking stoppers, and an ejecting plate. The loading tray includes a loading surface, a matching surface opposite to the loading surface, and engaging portions extending up from the loading surface. Each workpiece is engaged with an engaging portion. The loading device defines guiding holes. Each guiding hole passes through an engaging portion and the matching surface and is in communication with the respective workpiece. Each masking stopper is configured to be inserted into a respective workpiece to mask an interior of the respective workpiece. The ejecting plate includes an assembling surface and ejecting rods extending up from the assembling surface. Each ejecting rod is configured to be guided into a respective guiding hole from the matching surface to eject out a respective masking stopper.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a coating auxiliary device.
2. Description of Related Art
A metallic film can be coated to an exterior surface of a lens barrel for electromagnet interference (EMI) shielding function. When coating the lens barrel, one end of the lens barrel is seated on a loading plate, and a masking stopper is inserted into the other end of the lens barrel to enclose the lens barrel and prevent an inner surface of the lens barrel from being coated. After coating, the masking stopper is manually taken out from the lens barrel, which is an inefficient use of man power.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a coating auxiliary device, which can overcome the limitations described.


An electronic apparatus is provided. The electronic apparatus includes a housing, a touchscreen display positioned inside the housing and exposed through a first area of the housing, a microphone positioned inside the housing and exposed through a second area of the housing, at least one speaker positioned inside the housing and exposed through a third area of the housing, a wireless communication circuit positioned inside the housing, a processor positioned inside the housing and electrically connected to the touchscreen display, the microphone, the at least one speaker, and the wireless communication circuit, and a memory positioned in the housing and electrically connected with the processor.

In addition to an input scheme of the related art using a keyboard or a mouse, the latest electronic apparatuses have supported various input schemes such as a voice input and the like. For example, the electronic apparatus such as a smartphone or a tablet personal computer (PC) may recognize the voice of a user input while a speech recognition service is executed and may execute an action corresponding to a voice input or may provide the result found depending on the voice input.
Nowadays, the speech recognition service is being developed based on a natural language processing technology. The natural language processing determines the intent of the user utterance and provides the user with the result matched to the intent.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

Electronic apparatus for processing user utterance