A piezoelectric transformer includes a piezoelectric plate in which a pair of cuts are formed in the piezoelectric plate at a position corresponding to a nodal point of the piezoelectric plate. The pair of cuts form a cut-out projection. Connection electrodes electrically connected to input electrodes are respectively formed on input-side cut-out projections. In this piezoelectric transformer, the desired support and electrical connection are made through the cut-out projections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric transformer preferably for use in an inverter for a liquid crystal display back light, in an inverter for lighting a fluorescent lamp, or in a high-voltage power supply circuit for copying machines or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional piezoelectric transformer is constructed as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an external appearance, input/output configurations and a vibrating form of the piezoelectric transformer vibrating in the secondary vibration mode of longitudinal vibration ordinarily called .lambda. mode. The resonance wavelength of the longitudinal vibration used is hereinafter referred to as .lambda..
This piezoelectric transformer includes a flat rectangular piezoelectric plate 1 having a length of .lambda. and formed of a piezoelectric ceramic. Input electrodes 2a and 2b are disposed on opposite positions on two major surfaces of one of two halves of the piezoelectric plate 1 bisected along the width direction of the piezoelectric plate 1. An output electrode 3 is formed on one end surface of the other half of the piezoelectric plate 1, the electrode 3 extending along the width of the plate 1. The half of the piezoelectric plate 1 which forms an input section is polarized in the direction of thickness of the plate 1 , as indicated by arrow P1, while the other half of the piezoelectric plate 1 forming an output section is polarized in the longitudinal direction, as indicated by arrow P2.
This piezoelectric transformer vibrates so that, as shown in the lower section of FIG. 8, a nodal point at which the vibration displacement is zero is located at a distance corresponding to 1/4 of the length of the piezoelectric plate 1 (.lambda./4) from each of the lengthwise opposite ends of the piezoelectric plate 1 while the vibration displacement is maximized at the opposite ends.
This piezoelectric transformer is fixedly supported at positions corresponding to the nodal points, and input wirings 4a and 4b are respectively connected to the input electrodes 2a and 2b at positions corresponding to the nodal point while an output wiring 5 is connected to the output electrode 3. The input wiring 4b functions as an input-output common terminal (grounding electrode). An input voltage is applied between the input electrodes 2a and 2b through the input wirings 4a and 4b, and an output voltage generated by the piezoelectric effect and the reverse piezoelectric effect is output through the output electrode 3 and the output wiring 5. Lead wires or the like are used as wirings 4a, 4b, and 5 for connection to external circuits by being connected to the input electrodes 2a and 2b and the output electrode 3 by soldering.
The connection of the input wirings 4a and 4b may be made at any position as long as the connection position corresponds to the nodal point. It may be such that portions of the input electrodes 2a and 2b are formed on the side surfaces perpendicular to the widthwise direction as connection electrodes electrically connected to the input electrodes 2a and 2b, and the input wirings 4a and 4b are connected to the connection electrodes at positions on these side surfaces corresponding to the nodal point.
If the fundamental (primary) vibration mode commonly referred to as the .lambda./2 mode (not shown) is used, a nodal point occurs at the position corresponding to 1/2 of the length of the piezoelectric plate 1 (.lambda./2) in the lengthwise direction and the vibration displacement is maximized at the opposite ends of the piezoelectric plate 1. In the tertiary (3.lambda./2) vibration modes or other higher-order vibration modes, a nodal point exists at the center of each .lambda./2 section and the vibration displacement is maximized at the opposite ends and at the positions corresponding to integer multiples of .lambda./2 from the opposite ends of the piezoelectric plate.
In the above-described piezoelectric transformer, the piezoelectric plate is ordinarily supported at positions corresponding to locations of nodal points at which the displacement caused by vibration is minimum. Electrical connection between the input electrodes and an external circuit is also made at a position corresponding to a location of a nodal point in order to avoid any impediment to vibration and to prevent disconnection of lead wires or the like due to vibration. Also, input wiring connections are made at positions on the side surfaces corresponding to a location of a nodal point for the purpose of reducing the overall thickness of the piezoelectric transformer.
At a nodal point, however, the vibration stress is maximum while the vibration displacement is minimum. Therefore, even though the piezoelectric plate is supported on a supporting member or electrical connection by soldering at a nodal point in the abovedescribed conventional piezoelectric transformer, the state of bonding or joining to the supporting member or the soldered state of lead wires or the like is liable to deteriorate, so that the reliability of supporting the piezoelectric plate and of the various electrical connections to the piezoelectric plate is low.
For stable support and practical mounting, support or electrical connection is ordinarily made in the vicinity of widthwise opposite ends or on side surface portions corresponding to a location of a nodal point. In such a case, however, vibration in the widthwise direction is limited so that a deterioration in performance, i.e., a reduction in step-up ratio or the like, results, or the reliability of electrical connection is reduced by a vibration stress in the lead wires or the like due to the widthwise vibration displacement.


A printing apparatus for printing an image on a sheet fed along a sheet feeding path. The printing apparatus includes a print head unit and a sheet feeding system. The sheet feeding system may include a pair of rollers and a sheet guide device. The pair of rollers apply a charge to a sheet and feed the sheet toward a printing device. The sheet guide device is positioned adjacent the printing device and attracts the charged sheet and guides the sheet fed by the pair of rollers. The sheet feeding system may also include a charge dissipating device that removes the charge on the sheet after printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates in general to a printing apparatus. More particularly, the present application relates to sheet feeding systems for the printing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional ink jet printing apparatus ink jet printing is generally performed by discharging ink from a plurality of nozzles of an ink jet printing head onto a recording medium or sheet as the sheet is fed past the printing head. However, as the sheet is being fed toward the printing head the leading and trailing edges of the sheet have a tendency to curve or float so that the quality of the image being formed at the edges is lower than the quality of the image formed on the rest of the sheet. Further, in such conventional ink jet printing apparatus, when ink drops discharged onto the sheet penetrate into the fibers of the sheet, the fibers become moist and expand so that the sheet may partially wrinkle, curve and/or float causing the sheet to contact the printing head. If the sheet contacts the printing head the quality of the image being printed may be affected.
One technique conventional ink jet printing apparatus used to avoid the problems caused when the sheet wrinkles, curves or floats was to reduce the area of the sheet that could be printed on so no printing occurred close to the edges.
Another technique for avoiding these problems is discussed in Japanese Laid Open patent Application Number 07-17088. In the '088 publication the sheet is grasped by a feeding roller and a pinch roller in contact with the feeding roller and an ejecting roller, and by a spur in contact with the ejecting roller. However, in this technique a trailing edge of the sheet curves upward or floats after the trailing edge passes a gap between the feeding roller and the pinch roller so that suitable printing of an image on the trailing edge of the sheet cannot be achieved.
Another technique for avoiding these problems is discussed in Japanese Laid Open patent Application No. 17-266570. In the '570 publication a sheet is pre-heated and then is fed by a feeding belt having a plurality of holes therethrough from which air is suctioned by a suction member disposed below the feeding belt to reduce edge floating. However, with this technique smaller sized sheets cannot be used because some of the air suctioned by the air suction member passes through holes in the feeding belt that are not covered by the smaller sized sheet. As a result, the suction force on the sheet is insufficient to smoothly feed the sheet by such a sheet feeding device.

Printing device with a heater provided at a charge applying station


The plurality of antennas of a base station used for transmitting diversity are divided into groups. Each antenna is located so that signals transmitted from antennas in the same group have a high fading correlation. Each antenna group is spaced so that a fading correlation between the groups may become low. Since signals transmitted from an antennas in the same group have high fading correlation, such signals suffer little from fading fluctuations and a low control speed is acceptable. However, control between the groups must be exercised at a high speed. Therefore, a mobile station that receives the signals of the base station feeds back feedback information for controlling fading fluctuations between the groups and information within a group to the base station at a high transfer rate and at a low transfer rate, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmitting diversity communications apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transmitting diversity in W-CDMA, which is the third-generation mobile communications system, adopts a method using two transmitting antennas.
FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a transmitting diversity system using two transmitting antennas.
Mutually orthogonal pilot patterns P1 and P2 are transmitted from two transmitting antennas 1 and 2, respectively, as pilot signals, and channel impulse response vectors h1 and h2 from each antenna of a base station up to the receiving antenna of a mobile station are estimated by correlating each known pilot pattern to an incoming pilot on the receiving side of the mobile station.
A control amount calculation unit 10 calculates and quantizes the amplitude/phase control vector (weight vector) w=[w1, w2] of each transmitting antenna of the base station that maximizes power P expressed by the following equation (1) using these channel estimation values. Then, a multiplex unit 11 multiplexes the quantized weight vectors with an uplink channel signal as feedback information and transmits the signal to the base station. However, since there is no need to transmit both values w1 and w2, it is acceptable to transmit only value w2 obtained by assigning w1=1.P=wHHHHw  (1)H=[h1, h2]  (2)
In equation (2), h1 and h2 are the channel impulse response vectors from the transmitting antennas 1 and 2, respectively, and the superscript H on HH and wH indicates the Hermitian conjugation of H and w, respectively. If an impulse response length is assumed to be L, the channel impulse response vector is expressed as follows.hi=[hi1, hi2, . . . , hiL]  (3)
Therefore, in the case of two transmitting antennas, equation (1) is calculated based on the following algebraic calculation.
  H  =                    [                                                            h                11                                                                    h                21                                                                                h                12                                                                    h                22                                                                        ⋮                                      ⋮                                      ]                          ,                                                    w        _              =                                        [                                          w                1                            ,                                                                                w                2                                      ]                    T                                  ,                                                                                therefore                                                  Hw            =              [                                                                                h                    11                                                                          w                    1                                                  +                                                      h                    21                                                                          w                    2                                                                                h                    12                                                                          w                    1                                                  +                                                      h                    21                                                                          w                    2                                                                                ⋮                                      ]
At the time of handover, weight vector w that maximizes the following equation is calculated instead of equation (1).P=wH(HH1H1+HH2H2+ . . . )w  (4)
In equation (4), Hk is a channel impulse response signal from the k-th base station.
Then, the feedback information extraction unit 12 on the transmitting side extracts w2 (in this case, w1=1 is assumed) transmitted from a mobile station, from an incoming signal and an amplitude/phase control unit 13 multiplies a data signal to be transmitted from the transmitting antenna 2 by w2. In this way, the degradation of both the amplitude and phase of signals received from the transmitting antennas 1 and 2 that are received on the receiving side are corrected in advance and are transmitted from the transmitting side.
In W-CDMA, two methods are stipulated: mode 1 for quantizing weight coefficient w2 into one bit and mode 2 for quantizing w2 into four bits. In mode 1, since control is exercised by transmitting one bit of feedback information for each slot, control speed is high. However, since quantization is rough, accurate control is impossible. In mode 2, since control is exercised by transmitting four bits of information, more accurate control is possible. However, in mode 2, since only one bit can be transmitted for each slot and feedback information of one word is transmitted for every four slots, control cannot track fading in the case of a high fading frequency, and amplitude/phase characteristics degrade. As described above, if the signal transfer rate of an upward channel from a mobile station to a transmitting station, for transmitting feedback information is restricted, control accuracy and fading track speed have an inverse relationship.
The Release-99 specification of W-CDMA standard does not take into consideration a case where more than two transmitting antennas are used so as to avoid the degradation of uplink channel transmission efficiency due to feedback information transmission. However, if the increase of feedback information or the degradation of update speed is allowed, the number of antennas can also be increased to three or more. In particular, currently a case where four transmitting antennas are used is being extensively researched and developed.
If a closed-loop transmitting diversity system is applied to the radio base station of a cellular mobile communications system, a signal from each transmitting antenna independently suffers from fading, and ideally the same phase combination is performed at the antenna position of the mobile station. Therefore, a diversity gain corresponding to the number of transmitting antennas can be obtained and the gain can also be improved by the combination. Accordingly, the receiving characteristic is improved and the number of users accommodated in one cell can also be increased. "Ideally" means a case where there is neither transmission error of feedback information, control delay, channel response estimation error nor quantization error of a control amount. In reality, the characteristic degrades due to these factors compared with that of the ideal case.
In order to obtain a diversity gain corresponding to the number of antennas, antenna spacings (the distances between antennas) must be wide so that fading correlation may become sufficiently low. Generally, in order to suppress fading correlation to a sufficiently low level in the radio base station of a cellular mobile communications system, antenna spacings must be approximately 20 wavelengths. Since one wavelength is approximately 15 cm in a 2 GHz band, antennas must be installed approximately 3 meters apart. Therefore, if the number of transmitting antennas increases, an area needed to install antennas becomes wide and it becomes difficult to install antennas on the roof of a building and the like, which is a problem. Diversity gain is saturated as the number of transmitting antennas increases. Therefore, when the number of transmitting antennas reaches a specific value, the diversity gain cannot be improved any further even if the number of transmitting antennas is further increased.
When the number of transmitting antennas is increased, an amount of information to be fed back increases since feedback information must be transmitted to each antenna. Therefore, in that case, the transmission efficiency of an uplink channel degrades due to feedback information transmission or the control of transmitting diversity cannot track high-speed fading. As a result, the characteristic degrades, which is another problem.

Transmitting diversity communications apparatus


A system and method for linking the account of a subscriber of a multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) network to an account of the subscriber on a social networking site and to receive invitations to follow a page or join a group hosted on a social networking site that is relevant to the video content being displayed on the subscriber's television.

Information provided via networks is "consumed" in vast quantities every day. Such information may be provided in the form of television programming, email, short messages, blogs, and web pages.
The popularity of social media sites has been recognized by purveyors of products and services. By way of illustration, dozens of major cable and broadcast TV shows have started to create "fan pages" on Facebook and Twitter (in addition to their own show-centric websites/blogs). The fan pages provide viewers the opportunity to interact with (to "follow") cast members, writers and other fans, both within and beyond a show's broadcast window. Similarly, producers of branded products created Twitter and Facebook fan pages for their customers as a means to have a two-way dialog with their customer base. The online engagement of fans and customers may take the form of branded online and downloadable interactive applications, games and social communities that can be accessed regularly through multiple screens and devices.
The lines between these various media are also blurring. For example, some multi-channel video programming distributors (MVPDs) provide subscribers access to existing web-based social media platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter) while engaging in a TV viewing experience. The existing access to social media through video access devices replicates many of the text-heavy interactions that are better suited to a laptop or desktop PC (with its QWERTY keyboard, mouse & pointer/cursor) or smartphones (that also have a QWERTY keyboard & mouse, pointer/cursor equivalent). The navigation and data-entry device for a typical digital STB is a remote control that is reliant on the controls afforded by the up/down/right/left arrow keys and the ABCD colored buttons. This makes text entry a sub-optimal experience at best. Additionally, the access to these social networks is not typically contextually relevant to the viewer programming experience.

System and method for presenting during a programming event an invitation to follow content on a social media site


A method and an apparatus for extricating and transferring wires cut into lengths from a loose, random wire bundle (B) into a single layer (L) of parallel wires, in which first the loose, random wire bundle is fanned out into a plurality of random wire layers, and from the fanned-out, random wire layers, a partial bundle (T, T′) is extracted and put into the operative range of a portioning device (4, 4′), whereupon a plurality of wires (D) are extracted simultaneously as an intermediate bundle (Z) from the partial bundle and, for forming a bundle to be combed out (K), are put into the operative range of a plurality of combing-out devices (33); then for ordering the wires (D) of the bundle to be combed out, one wire (D2) at a time is engaged in succession by a combing-out device (33′; 33″) and combed out, and the combed-out wire then slides and/or rolls by gravity on inclined faces (20, 20′; 24) into the single layer.

A method and an apparatus of this generic type are known from Austrian Patent Disclosure AT-B 408 959. In it, from a bundle of loose, random wires, a smaller partial bundle is first extracted with the aid of a preportioning device and put into the operative range of a plurality of combing-out devices. For ordering the wires in the partial bundle, the wires are individually engaged in succession by the combing-out devices and combed out. Next, the combed-out wire rolls and/or slides individually by gravity into the single layer. This method and apparatus have the disadvantage that wires with a ribbed surface, as is usual for reinforcing steels, are tangled in such a way that they cannot be reliably separated into individual wires in a single work step, that is, with only a portioning device.
From Austrian Patent Disclosure AT-B 408 960, a method and an apparatus for extricating and separating steel wires that have been cut into lengths are known. Here, first a plurality of wires are taken from a bundle and put in an intermediate repository, which is located in the operative range of a separator device. For separating them, the wires are taken from the intermediate repository individually and in succession by the separator device with the aid of a magnetic force and delivered with a mutual lateral spacing to a downstream conveyor device; the wires are then stripped off by the separator device in a controlled way. This method and apparatus have the disadvantage that wires with a ribbed surface, as are usual in reinforcing steels, are tangled in such a way that they cannot be reliably separated by magnetic force in a single work step, that is, without a combing-out device. Moreover, this method can be employed only for magnetic materials.

Method and apparatus for transferring wires that have been cut into lengths from a wire bundle into a single layer

EVG Entwicklungs- u. Verwertungs-Gesellschaft m.b.H.


A keyboard for computers and data entry devices is disclosed, which increases typing speed, but at the same time eases the transition from the Standard Qwerty keyboard for experienced typists. Two letter sequences called digraphs are typed rapidly when struck by opposite hands. The proposed keyboard places frequently used digraphs on opposite hands and avoids the use of small fingers to increase typing speed. The home row is not emphasized and only three high frequency letters are moved relative to Qwerty positions, making the keyboard easy to learn. The constraints of maximal speed and minimal modification are satisfied concurrently. A second key is dedicated to the letter “E”, the most frequently used letter in the English language, to further enhance typing speed and ease of transition from Qwerty. The result is a faster and highly practical electronic keyboard.

List of References Cited in This Section (United States Patents)
2,040,248May 12, 1936Dvorak3,847,263Nov. 12, 1974X5,166,669Nov. 27, 1992Romberg5,836,705Nov. 17, 1998Choate5,879,089Mar. 9, 1999Armel6,053,647Apr. 25, 2000Parkinson
The preferred embodiments of the keyboard patents listed here are shown in FIGS. 2 through 7 of the Drawings, for ease of reference. An additional list of world-wide keyboard patents is also included below. The members of that list have some common attributes, which allow them to be addressed as a group.
Standard Qwerty Keyboard
The current Standard keyboard is also known as the Qwerty keyboard, based on the first six letters on the left hand side of the upper row of alphabetic characters. It was designed for mechanical typewriters around 1872 by C. Latham Sholes. Letters were arranged to prevent the jamming of mechanical keys, a design which also slows down typing. The Qwerty keyboard is poorly optimized for speed on an electronic keyboard, where mechanical key interference is no longer an issue. Regardless, the Qwerty keyboard is familiar to most keyboard users and is well entrenched in industry. Many improved keyboards have been proposed as alternates to the Standard, but these alternatives have not been broadly commercially accepted over the past one hundred and thirty years.
Dvorak Keyboard
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,248, of May 12, 1936, August Dvorak and William Dealey revealed an improved keyboard, with respect to the speed of typing and the reduction of finger reach and strain. They recorded the frequency of two letter sequences in the English language, called digraphs. Using this data, awkward key patterns were avoided, such as striking different keys with the same finger. The most frequently used letters were placed on the middle or "home" row, to minimize finger reach and potential strain. Due to the speed improvements and reduced strain which it offers typists, the Dvorak keyboard is widely acknowledged in industry as a keyboard design that is superior to the Qwerty keyboard.
One drawback of the Dvorak keyboard is the random placement of alphabetic characters, virtually all of which are in different locations from the Standard Qwerty keyboard. This makes transition from the Qwerty keyboard quite difficult. Another problem exists, in that two frequent letters, A and S, appear at small finger locations on the home row. Dvorak mentions that use of small fingers in typing is awkward, but places A and S at such locations regardless, so that all high frequency letters except R appear on the home row.
"X" Keyboard
In a Nov. 12, 1974 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,263, an alternate to the Dvorak keyboard was introduced by "X", with many of the same attributes. For example, "X" positions most frequently used keys on the middle or home row of the keyboard. Letter frequencies in foreign languages other than English are also considered. The "X" keyboard has both dextral and sinistral versions, aimed at use by persons with dominant right and left hands, respectively. All vowels appear on the left hand side of the "X" keyboard, in its dextral version. Most vowels and consonants are interleaved in language, so this places many sequential key combinations on opposite hands. High frequency keys appear at both small finger locations in the "X" Keyboard. With many high frequency keys on the middle row, the "X" keyboard offers greater speed potential to a typist, relative to the Qwerty keyboard.
The two main drawbacks of the "X" keyboard are similar to those of the Dvorak keyboard. The "X" keyboard has a random arrangement of alphabetic letters, almost all of which differ from the Standard Qwerty locations. A new random arrangement of letters is seen as a significant barrier to the wide-spread use of any keyboard. As well, the "X" keyboard places two frequently used letters at small finger locations, namely O and S. This is seen as problematic, because small fingers are often less agile than other fingers.
Romberg/ASER Keyboard
U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,669 was granted Nov. 27, 1992, to Harvey D. Romberg. It outlines a keyboard layout aimed at reducing the difficulty in transition from the Standard Qwerty keyboard. A maximum of fifteen keys are moved from their Qwerty locations. Several high frequency letters move from their Qwerty locations to the home row, as occurs in Dvorak and "X" keyboards. The left hand side of the home row begins with the letter sequence A, S, E, R, leading to the name ASER Keyboard. The arrangement reduces finger reach from the home row to upper and lower rows. Reach reduction is aimed at both improving speed and reducing repetitive strain injuries.
Limitations are seen in the ASER keyboard. Six high frequency letters are moved to the home row, namely the letters: E, R, N, T, I and O. Because these letters are so common, it is remains difficult for a touch typist or a hunt style typist to adjust to the change. The goal of easing transition from the Qwerty layout is only partially achieved. Next, the ASER keyboard patent description does not explore digraphs or key sequences. Analysis shows that it is not well optimized in terms of placing digraphs on opposite hands. As well, the small finger is used for two high frequency letters on the home row, namely A and O. The last two factors indicate some limitation with respect to typing speed.
Choate/Red Hot Keyboard
Preceded by similar patents in 1994 and 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,705 was granted to John I. M. Choate on Nov. 17, 1998. Choate introduced a keyboard identified by the high frequency letters "As in Red Hot" on the middle or home row. Similar to the Romberg approach, there was a direct effort in the keyboard design to ease transition from the Standard Qwerty layout. No more than 16 letters move from their locations on the Qwerty layout, in "Red Hot" realizations of a keyboard. Six high frequency letters (E, I, O, T, N and R) are moved from Qwerty locations to new home row locations. The emphasis on home row letter location by Choate is aimed at reducing finger reach. Choate presents statistics showing that the Red Hot keyboard design significantly reduces "finger distance" traveled. This attribute is aimed at a reduction in repetitive stress injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Choate also examines briefly the digraph statistics developed by Dvorak and Dealey. Choate notes that many of the frequent digraph pairs are now located on the home row, again reflecting a design aimed at reducing "finger distance" traveled. Placement of digraphs on opposite hands is not discussed by Choate and the layout is not optimized in that regard.
The main limitations seen in the Red Hot keyboard layout are similar to those of the ASER layout, discussed above. That is, six high frequency keys move from their Qwerty locations, so that transition from the standard may not be as easy as intended. As well, two high frequency letters (A and R) appear at small finger locations, which are awkward locations for many typists. Last, neither ASER nor Red Hot keyboards are optimized with respect to placement of high frequency digraphs on opposite hands. For the latter two reasons, there are typing speed limitations on both the ASER and Red Hot keyboards, as well as some ongoing difficulty in transition from Qwerty.
Armel/Central Keyboard
Another novel keyboard design was introduced by Gerald J. Armel, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,089, dated Mar. 9, 1999. Armel places an emphasis on the central region of the keyboard, which may be reached by the strongest and most dexterous fingers, the middle finger and forefinger, also called the "inner fingers". As used here, the term "finger dexterity" includes both the physical and mental aspects of finger control and movement.
A preferred embodiment of the Armel/Central Keyboard shows the most frequently used letters of the English language, in the center of the upper, middle and lower rows of the keyboard as follows:
upper rowS, T, Rmiddle rowN, E, Alower rowI, O, UThis Central keyboard arrangement designed by Armel was aimed at users who may have difficulty using fingers other than inner fingers, for a variety of reasons.
One issue that arises with the Armel keyboard, is the placement of letters in "random" locations, nearly all of which are different from Standard Qwerty locations. History shows that this is a major inhibitor to keyboard adoption in practice. In addition, the Central keyboard discussed here is not well optimized with respect to placement of digraphs of opposite hands. A central positioning of high frequency letters causes many key sequences to be performed by the same finger or by adjacent fingers. These factors suggest fundamental speed limitations in the Armel or Central keyboard layout.
Alphabetic Keyboards
There are a quite a number of keyboard patents which include key layouts in alphabetical order as one of their characteristics. So called "Alphabetic" keyboards have been defined as early as May 28, 1985, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,721, by Kathleen A. Gardener. A more recent Alphabetic keyboard is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,647, dated Apr. 25, 2000, by John V. Parkinson. The Parkinson patent is chosen for reference because it discusses the optimization of two key sequences, or digraphs, and claims to be better than the Dvorak layout, in this respect. The Parkinson analysis is confined to digraphs on the same row. When the analysis is expanded to frequent key sequences on two rows, as outlined herein, both the current invention and the Dvorak keyboard are seen to be better optimized for digraphs on opposite hands than the Parkinson Alphabetic keyboard implementation of the year 2000.
Alphabetical order is aimed at ease of learning for new users or those who only use a keyboard infrequently. The logical arrangement of keys in alphabetical order makes letters easier to find and to remember, in comparison to a random layout. This is of benefit to entirely new users or possibly persons who must only use keyboards infrequently.
Alphabetic arrangements of keys represents a total departure from the Standard Qwerty arrangement of keys. Because there are many existing keyboard users, who are familiar with the Qwerty layout, there will be an on-going barrier to adoption of an Alphabetic key layout.
The interleaving of vowels and consonants in the order of the alphabet makes it difficult to optimize such layouts for speed. A predetermined letter ordering, whether along rows or columns, inhibits placement of digraphs on opposite hands, which is an important factor for speed. Parkinson has tried to optimize this factor and may be considered "best-in-class" among Alphabetic keyboards. Still, both the current invention and the Dvorak keyboard place more digraphs on opposite hands. As such, the current invention is expected to be faster for typing and easier for Qwerty transition than Alphabetic keyboards in general.
Other Keyboard Arrangements (US, International and PCT/WIPO Patents)
WO 01/73744 A1Oct. 4, 2001Woods, Debra L.WO 9906216Feb. 11, 1999Pittard, Arthur GeorgeU.S. Pat. No. 4,927,279May 22, 1990Morgan, Ruth B.FR 2611589Sep. 9, 1988Marsan, ClaudeU.S. Pat. No. 4,332,493Jun. 1, 1982Einbinder, HarveyEP 0066991Dec. 15, 1982Rushforth, Shelagh JaneGB 2041295Sep. 10, 1980Marsan, C.U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,216Dec. 30, 1975Einbinder, HarveyU.S. Pat. No. 3,698,533Oct. 17, 1972Illig et al.U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,532Oct. 17, 1972Dodds, IrvineU.S. Pat. No. 1,506,426Aug. 26, 1924Hoke, R. E.U.S. Pat. No. 1,512,001Oct. 14, 1924Cerny, J.
All of the above keyboard layouts share one important characteristic: the letter arrangements are entirely different from the Standard Qwerty keyboard and the majority of letters have moved from their Qwerty locations. Clearly, the patents listed here do not have ease of transition from the Standard Qwerty keyboard as one of their primary objectives or attributes. As such, they fall into a very different category from the current invention, which includes that constraint as one its primary goals.
The second and concurrent goal of the current invention is to increase the speed of typing. As outlined above, the Dvorak and "X" keyboards have been designed with that goal in mind. Both Dvorak and "X" keyboards have layouts which include the vowels A, E, I, O, and U on the left hand side of the middle row of the keyboard. This is a characteristic shared by a number of the patents listed here, namely: Pittard 1999, Marsan 1988 and 1980, Einbinder 1975, Dodds 1972, and Cerny 1924. As a group, they may be called "vowel oriented" keyboards. By separating vowels from high frequency consonants, frequent key sequences appear on opposite hands. Such a separation is one of the main elements contributing to higher speeds of typing on a keyboard.
It is not viewed as necessary to analyze in detail the behavior of all vowel oriented keyboards, to demonstrate that the current invention is novel and different from the group. Rather, it is felt to be sufficient to examine the keyboard which is generally acknowledged as "best-in-class" with respect to typing speed, namely the Dvorak keyboard from 1936. As evidence of that stature, the Dvorak keyboard is included as a "Language-Property" option in most versions of the Microsoft Windows Operating System (OS), and can be readily installed on computers with a Window OS. A second keyboard, the "X" arrangement of 1972 is analyzed in detail in this document. Examination of further individual vowel oriented keyboards is viewed as likely to be redundant; their behavior or properties are expected to fall within the range of behaviors exhibited by the Dvorak and "X" keyboards.
Multiple Letter Keyboard—Marsan, 1988
The 1988 patent by Marsan may be worth a brief mention, since it contains an example of a keyboard with multiple keys assigned to the frequent letters E and A in the French language. The multiple letters in the Marsan case are aimed at providing easy access to the use of accents grave (è) and aigu (é) on the letter E and accent grave on the letter A. This is not an uncommon approach to speeding typing on European language keyboards, which may apply a variety of accents to letters, often vowels. In the Marsan example, the variants of the letters E and A appear close to one another on the same side of the keyboard. In the current invention, two E keys are placed on opposite sides of the keyboard, with the objective of increasing the frequency of key sequences that may be struck by fingers of opposite hands. The usage of multiple keys in the current invention is different from that of the Marsan, 1988, keyboard or other keyboards with separate keys representing accents on vowels or other letters.
Concluding Remarks on the Background of the Invention
As noted above, vowel oriented keyboards are considered as a group, and the best performing keyboards in that category, the Dvorak and "X" keyboards, are examined in detail in this document, as background to the current invention.
Attributes of the Romberg and Choate keyboards are examined in detail herein, because those two arrangements are specifically aimed at easing transition from the Qwerty keyboard; no other keyboards have been identified with that stated objective. The Armel or Central keyboard has been examined, because of its emphasis on inner fingers, which is somewhat similar to the avoidance of small fingers. It is problematic in terms of transition from Qwerty, as well as speed potential.
An Alphabetic keyboard example was examined, since there are several known variants of keyboards with letter arrangements in alphabetical order, either along rows or up and down columns. All are similar, however, in that they constrain consonants in a manner that does not lend itself to optimization of key sequences on opposite hands. The alphabetical order chosen dictates consonant positions in each case. This imposes inherent speed limitations.
A patent by Marsan of 1988, with multiple occurrences of the frequent letters A and E, is seen to be quite different in design and intent than the current invention.
It is hoped, therefore, that the examination of existing patents and known keyboard designs, as covered in this document, may be a comprehensive review of the subject for the purpose of differentiating the current invention.


A banding machine is useful for applying rubber bands on lobster claws, grocery bunches or other plural articles in need of bunching together. The machine has a pivotable sub-frame with two pairs of side-by-side fingers. The fingers in each pair are operable to move apart from the adjacent finger to spread a rubber band when placed on the fingers. The machine has two reels of a rubber tube stock and two pairs of grippers to safeguard controlled feed of the tube to band cutters. The fingers are each designed to facilitate disengagement of the rubber bands from the fingers when the fingers are spread i.e. in a band application position and an object, e.g. lobster claw, is placed between spread fingers of a finger pair.

It is known that live lobsters are aggressive creatures that must be prevented from attacking adjacent lobsters or even injuring themselves during transportation or when held in a live-lobster tank. It is common practice to apply a rubber band onto the claws of a live lobster. Various devices have been proposed to accelerate and automate this procedure, and exemplary patent literature is listed below.
It is also known to bunch certain produce, e.g. broccoli, by applying elastic bands onto several broccoli stems and then usually cut the excess stems or stalks to a desired length.
In certain instances, lobsters with immobilized claws are held in cold water for an extended period of time. This scenario calls for a band material that is cold-water resistant, unlike in the case of produce bunching. Apart from the above aspect, it is usually quite important not to damage or injure a live lobster as it may cause a deterioration of its consumption value. Vegetable stems are usually less prone to a critical damage during banding. It is therefore of importance to design a lobster claw banding device or machine that provides a degree of safety in this regard.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,570,415 to Centeno; 4,480,536 to Burns; 4,470,241 to Parry et al.; and 3,386,371 issued to Farmer et al. are exemplary of machines for bunching produce or vegetables, e.g. broccoli or bananas.
Exemplary devices or machines for banding lobster claws are described in the Canadian Patent 978,036 to Dickie and U.S. Pat. No. 2,009,546 to Fannen et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,968,710 and 4,060,015 to Gros relate to apparatus and method for making resilient bands, and Canadian Patent Application No. 2,431,734 describes a lobster claw retainer made of a cold water-resistant composition.
Canadian Patent 1,251,389 addresses the problem of bonding of elastic bands during cutting.
It is preferable to use a machine that combines the step of making of resilient bands from a tubular elastic band stock with the step of banding. Attempts have also been made in the prior art to safeguard the operator from accidental injury during the cutting of the stock.


The apparatus comprises a control for intermittent operation of the reciprocating drive in such a manner, that the drive, taking the topmost position of the multi-needle injector as a point of departure, is started by receiving a synchronizing signal produced when the intermittent advancement of the production line stops in a correct position, after which the drive carries out a complete cycle of downward and upward movement of the multi-needle injector and stopping in said topmost position in readiness for a new synchronizing signal, the cycle time of the drive being shorter than the time of rest for the intermittent advancement of the production line, whereas the multi-needle injector is designed to cover a space in the direction of advancement of the production line corresponding to at least one advancement step for the intermittent advancement of the food product by the production line.

This apparatus is generally used for treating pieces of food product by injecting a brine containing various salts, sugar, spices, oils, marinades, preservatives, binders and the like to be evenly distributed in the pieces of food product, partly to achieve a desirable taste and colour of the product, partly to achieve an evenly distributed weight increase.
In known apparatuses of the kind referred to initially, the advancement of the food product takes place stepwise and in synchronism with the downward and upward movement of the multi-needle injector, the advancing mechanism being mechanically connected to the drive for the reciprocating movement of the multineedle injector. If such a known apparatus is to be used in connection with a production line, in which the food products are advanced portion-wise and intermittently, it is necessary to provide a synchronization between the portion-wise intermittent advancement of the production line and the step-wise advancement by the apparatus of the food product within the multi-needle injector.

Apparatus for injecting brine into food products


According to the present invention, after manufacture of a disconnect fuse circuit, windows are opened in the insulating film overlying the second interconnect layer at all possible disconnection points, the disconnection points preferably being an exposure window that is aligned over a disconnect fuse circuit that includes a via that electrically connects electrical conductors disposed on different respective layers. This insulating film may consist of one or more layers of one or more materials, but preferentially consists of a single layer of silicon oxide. The wafer is then stored for later configuration. When the wafer is to be configured, a non-precision mask is manufactured. The wafer is coated with photoresist and patterned using the mask to produce disconnection holes in the photoresist at the desired disconnection points. Since the area over the desired disconnection points are free of the insulating film overlying the second patterned interconnect layer, the etching process can be limited to etch techniques which are optimized to etch metal with selectivity to the insulating film. The areas at the disconnection sites that are covered by the insulating film are further protected during the etch process, since the insulating film acts as an etch barrier to inhibit the etching of active circuit elements in proximity to the desired disconnect points.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More specifically, it relates to semiconductor devices containing fuses that are disposed in a compact interconnect structure and methods for disconnecting them.
2. Background of the Related Art
Custom electronic devices that are made from standard components suffer from several disadvantages. Since several components are required to implement such a custom device, more circuit board space is required than if a custom or semi-custom integrated circuit had been used in place of the standard components. This makes the overall size of the device larger and more expensive. Also, the assembly process is longer, more costly, and prone to reworks or scrap, since more components are used. Further, a larger number of components usually require more power consumption, which means a larger, heavier, and more expensive power supply. Therefore, the overall size, weight, and cost of the resulting custom device may make it unappealing to the consumer or not competitive when compared to a similar product offered by another company. Accordingly, custom or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are frequently used to implement new circuit designs in the place of standard components.
There are several types of ASICs which are available, depending on size, power, and programmability requirements, and volume of devices used. Fully custom devices offer the lowest cost and least amount of power consumption, but are only economical in very large quantities because of the costs of a custom mask set and engineering design time. Semi-custom devices such as gate arrays require a smaller number of custom masks and design time as compared to fully custom devices, but have a larger die size, cost more to produce, and are typically used when needed quantities are not quite as large. Similarities exist in custom and semi-custom devices in that both have relatively long lead times to produce prototypes and production volumes, and the designs are expensive and time consuming to change. Since the non-recurring costs are so large, it is not economical to produce them in small quantities. Other non-custom devices, such as programmable array logic (PALs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and programmable logic devices (PLDs), are fabricated as unprogrammed xe2x80x9cblanksxe2x80x9d which are programmed by the end user as packaged units or after installation onto a circuit board. These non custom devices have a lower cost basis for smaller quantities, since no custom masks are required. The lead time to produce prototypes and production quantities is short, since the programming is performed near the end of the manufacturing cycle. They are also useful for designs that are expected to undergo revisions, since virtually no programmed material needs to be inventoried. However, these non-custom devices have the drawback of requiring a relatively large amount of die area dedicated to circuitry to perform the programming, and to signal paths to provide flexibility in routing. They are, therefore, more expensive to fabricate and don""t achieve the same programmable capacity as custom devices and gate arrays. In some cases, they also use more power and are slower.
Programming of the non custom programmable devices is sometimes accomplished through the use of disconnectable fuses. In this specification, the word fuse will be used to refer to fuses, anti-fuses, disconnection points, disconnectable links, or any combination of these terms. In certain types of programmable devices using electrically disconnectable or connectable fuses, the fuses in the device which define how the circuit is configured are accessed through the I/O pins on the device package. For techniques which require joining conductive regions together (for example, shorting a P/N junction), an excessive amount of current relative to normal operating conditions is passed through the junction, shorting it and allowing current to pass freely. To disconnect a conductive line, a fuse element in an undesired conduction path is subjected to enough current to heat it to its melting point, causing structural breakdown and creating a disconnection. Both of these methods require a relatively large amount of current to program the device. The transistors for generating these large currents in conventional MOS devices require large channel widths. Furthermore, a certain amount of heat insulation area is required around the fuses to prevent thermal damage to neighboring circuitry. This makes it difficult to achieve high device packing densities using these programming methods. Other devices have fuses that are disconnected through the use of a laser or other radiant energy beam device (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9claserxe2x80x9d). For these devices, the laser is used to disconnect the fuses near the end of or after the conclusion of the fabrication process. These laser programmable devices have a smaller die size than the electrically programmable devices, and don""t require expensive precision custom masks and long lead times like the custom and semi-custom devices. The laser programmable devices are also economical to produce in smaller quantities compared to custom devices.
In addition to using fuses for the customization of an integrated circuit to give it specific circuit or electrical characteristics, fuses have also been used to (1) repair non-functional devices through the selective deletion of defective portions of the circuitry, or by substituting functional redundant circuitry for the defective portions of the circuitry; and (2) mark the device for identification of characteristics in a manner that is readable visually or electrically, for example serialization of the integrated circuit, or how the device has been configured by the laser.
FIG. 1 shows an array of fuses that can be disconnected by a laser. Fuse body 2 on fuse 1 is irradiated by laser beam 7, which has an energy distribution that is approximately radial Gaussian in nature. This energy distribution results in an effective laser spot size 6, that is the area of the beam that has an energy sufficient to disrupt active circuit elements. This disruption can be physical damage that causes the device to be non-functional, or it could cause performance degradation, such as silicon crystal dislocation that causes current leakage. The two characteristics that define the area requirements for a fuse, also called the fuse cell, are the pitch of the fuses in a group, and the length of the fuse. These two dimensions have a direct bearing on how much die area the fuse cell occupies, and thus the overall die size. The pitch 5 of the fuse cell is the distance from the center of one fuse to the center of the nearest neighboring fuse. This dimension is controlled by the requirement that the spot size 6 not disrupt any other fuses, and is conventionally calculated by adding the diameter of the spot size 6 and two times the maximum expected alignment error in the placement of the spot. The length 8 of the fuse is the sum of the length of fuse body 2 and fuse terminals 3. The length 8 of the fuse 1 is controlled by the need to isolate the thermal energy transmitted to the fuse by the laser from interconnect lines 4 attached to the fuse. Another influence to the area requirements of the fuse is whether circuitry can be routed underneath or in close proximity to the fuse. Most design rules specify that all of the area underneath of the fuse, and a certain area around it, be free of active circuitry to protect it from damage. Some designs provide for a barrier at another level between the fuses and the active circuitry and thus utilize some of the area.
As is also well known in the prior art, laser type fuses can alternatively be disconnectable by photolithographic techniques combined with etching to remove a section of the fuse, thus forming a disconnection. Photoresist layer 21 in FIG. 2 is patterned to make a hole 22 in the photoresist over the fuse 24. Well-known etching techniques are then used to etch through the fuse 24, completing the disconnection. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the disconnection can be made cleanly and thoroughly without a risk of damage to any underlying circuitry 25, which would not typically be routed under the fuse, but is shown here to illustrate that such routing can take place if desired.
FIG. 3 illustrates that a smaller disconnection hole 31 on fuse 32 permits a smaller pitch 5. Since the thermal isolation requirements are not needed when using photolithographic techniques, the length of the fuse can also be shortened. The above-mentioned methods of disconnecting fuses can be used, in varying degrees, to reduce required fuse cell area and thus permit a smaller fuse cell and an advantageously smaller die.
An example of the fuse structure from FIG. 1 that is designed with rules optimized for a masking process is shown in FIG. 4. Although the fuse layer in FIGS. 1 and 4 is shown to have an interconnection layer patterned on a layer above it, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the fuse layer could be formed as the lop level layer with the interconnect layer at some level below it. The fuse pitch 41 is no longer defined by a laser spot size, but by the minimum spacing 42 between features for the fuse layer 43, as well as the minimum connection pad dimension 44. Since the thermal isolation requirements are not needed when using a masking process, the length 45 of fuse 46 is defined by the minimum linewidth for the fuse layer 47 plus the expected registration and sizing errors of the disconnect hole 48. All of these changes in fuse structure requirements permit a smaller fuse area resulting in an advantageously smaller die. For comparative purposes, the area required for the fuse structure shown in FIG. 1 is the product of dimension 9 (drawn at 16.8 xcexcm) and dimension 10 (drawn at 14.0 xcexcm) for a total area of 235.2 xcexcm2. The area required for the fuse structure shown in FIG. 4 is the product of dimension 49 (equivalent to dimension 9 and drawn at 12.6 xcexcm) and dimension 50 (equivalent to dimension 10 and drawn at 8.4 xcexcm) for a total area of 105.8 xcexcm2.
A further reduction in the area required for a fuse structure can be realized by making use of a vertical fuse at the connection point between two interconnect lines. FIG. 5a shows a top view of the fuse structure from FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 that is designed using vertical fuses. The cross-section of FIG. 5b is taken along the line B-Bxe2x80x2 from FIG. 5a. An insulating material such as doped or undoped silicon dioxide 51 is formed over first interconnect layer 52 and patterned to form a plurality of vias 53. A filler material for vias 53, such as tungsten plug 54, is used to fill vias 53 and provide a connection to a second interconnect layer 55. A disconnectable conduction path is thus formed between the first interconnect layer 52 and the second interconnect layer 55 through plug 54. At the time that the circuit is ready for customization or repair, a photoresist layer 56 is applied and patterned with disconnect hole 61, and a core section of material 62 is removed using etching techniques, forming a disconnection 63 as shown in FIG. 5c.
The length 57 of the fuse structure is defined by the minimum spacing 58 between features on the second interconnect layer 55, and the minimum connection pad dimension 59. The width of the fuse structure 60 is defined by the minimum connection pad dimension 59. For comparative purposes to the fuse structures shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the area required for the fuse structure shown in FIG. 5a is the product of dimension 57 (drawn at 17.4 xcexcm) and dimension 60 (drawn at 3.0 xcexcm) for a total area of 52.2 xcexcm2.
While the vertical fuse structure shown in FIGS. 5a-5c requires the smallest amount of area to implement, it suffers from some disadvantages. The disconnect hole 61 must be small and precisely positioned, requiring the use of expensive precision lithography equipment, precision masks for each design, and the use of more expensive lithography materials and processes, incurring a relatively high manufacturing cost for the device. If the disconnect hole 61 is too large, or misplaced such that it overlaps the vertical fuse structure 64 creating gaps 65 as shown in FIG. 6, the etch processes required to remove the vertical fuse structure 64 and customize the circuit can damage the first interconnect layer 52, as shown in FIG. 7. An alternative to the precision lithography processing would be to deposit insulating layer 67 after customization, since less etching would be required and the risk of damage to the first interconnect layer 52 would be minimized. However, insulating layer 67 is required to prevent corrosion of the sidewalls of second interconnect layer 55 during storage of the unconfigured circuits, so this processing sequence would not permit material to be stored for later customization, requiring a significant amount of planning to avoid shortfalls of material or scraps because it was not used before being damaged by corrosion. Another alternative would be to increase the top surface dimension of second interconnect layer 55, so that such dimension is at least as large as that of the disconnect hole 61, but this results in an undesirable increase in the die size. Still another alternative would be to avoid routing circuitry under the fuse structure 64, but this also results in an undesirable increase in the die size.
It is therefore desirable to have a structure and method for customizing a device using a vertical fuse without the need for precision masking equipment and processes, that permits the deposition of a protective layer over the vertical fuse structure, while allowing for the use of active circuitry below such a vertical fuse, and without increasing the dimensions of the second interconnect lines, thereby maintaining an efficient layout of the circuitry and a small die size while reducing processing costs.
It is an object of this invention to decrease the amount of space required for a disconnectable link, or an array of disconnectable links which form a specific circuit such as an AND array, thus reducing the overall size of the integrated circuit, without the need for precision photolithography at the customization step.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuse structure and a method of disconnecting a fuse that allows for active circuitry to be disposed below the fuses and not damaged during fuse disconnection.
It is another object of this invention to reduce the cost of manufacturing an integrated circuit by permitting the use of non-precision photolithography techniques to perform the customization.
In one embodiment of the invention, after manufacture of a disconnect fuse circuit, windows are opened in the insulating film overlying the second interconnect layer at all possible disconnection points, the disconnection points preferably being an exposure window that is aligned over a disconnect fuse circuit that includes a via that electrically connects electrical conductors disposed on different respective layers. This insulating film may consist of one or more layers of one or more materials, but preferentially consists of a single layer of silicon oxide. The wafer is then stored for later configuration. When the wafer is to be configured, a non-precision mask is manufactured. The wafer is coated with photoresist and patterned using the mask to produce disconnection holes in the photoresist at the desired disconnection points. Since the area over the desired disconnection points are free of the insulating film overlying the second patterned interconnect layer, the etching process can be limited to etch techniques which are optimized to etch metal with selectivity to the insulating film. The areas at the disconnection sites that are covered by the insulating film are further protected during the etch process, since the insulating film acts as an etch barrier to inhibit the etching of active circuit elements in proximity to the desired disconnect points.
The invention also allows an additional film or films to be deposited on top of the insulating layer. This film is selected to have properties wherein it will have a high level of selectivity to the metal etch process, and will thus function as a more effective etch barrier than the insulating layer alone.
Furthermore, the invention allows for the insulating layer to be formed using planarization techniques, such that it provides a thicker layer of insulating material over the active circuit elements to be protected, thus providing a more effective etch barrier.

Vertical fuse structure for integrated circuits containing an exposure window in the layer over the fuse structure to facilitate programming thereafter


A fastening structure is provided which mounts a spoiler between a front bumper face and an under cover. The front bumper face has a lower end portion disposed in overlapping relation to a front end part of the under cover such that the lower end portion of the front bumper face is located below the front end part of the under cover. Downwardly projecting spacer portions are formed on an under surface of the front end part. When the lower end portion of the front bumper face and the front end part of the under cover overlap each other, the lower end portion of the front bumper face and the front end part of the under cover are spaced from each other by the spacer portions to define a clearance therebetween. The spoiler has a mounting portion retained in the clearance.

Some automobiles have a spoiler for changing a flow of air around an automobile body during running of the automobile. A mounting structure for mounting a spoiler to a lower part of a front bumper is known from, for example, JP-A-2003-341 561. The disclosed structure will be discussed with reference to FIG. 7 hereof.
Referring to FIG. 7, a conventional spoiler mounting structure 100 includes a front bumper 101 and a spoiler (air dam) 105. The front bumper 101 has a forward projecting portion 103 connected to a lower end portion 102 thereof. The spoiler 105 has a mounting part 106 mounted to the forward projecting portion 103.
The forward projecting portion 103 and the lower end portion 102 of the front bumper 101 jointly define an accommodating portion 107 accommodating therein an upper portion 108 of the mounting part 106. The mounting part 106 has a lower portion 109 disposed under the forward projecting portion 103. The lower portion 109 has a rearwardly extending portion 110.
The extending portion 110 has an engagement hole 111. The front bumper 101 has a rearward projecting portion 112 extending rearwardly from a rear end of the forward projecting portion 103. The rearward projecting portion 112 has a hook-shaped engagement projection 113. With the engagement projection 113 engaged with the engagement hole 111, the spoiler 105 is mounted to a lower portion of the front bumper 101.
An automobile including the structure 100 may take two forms, one of which is equipped with the spoiler 105, and the other of which is not equipped with the same. When the automobile takes the other form, that is, the automobile is not equipped with the spoiler 105, the spoiler 105 needs to be removed from the lower end portion 102 of the front bumper 101.
With the spoiler 105 removed from the lower end portion 102 of the front bumper 101, the forward projecting portion 103, the accommodating portion 107 and the engagement projection 113 all of which are located at a lower part of the front bumper 101 are exposed to an outside of the automobile. The exposed portions 103, 107, 113 are likely to adversely affect air flow around an automobile body during running of the automobile, as well as to provide unpleasant appearance of the automobile.
To address the above problem, the automobile which is not equipped with the spoiler 105 is required to use another type of front bumper including none of the forward projecting portion 103, the accommodating portion 107 and the engagement projection 113. This means that there should be provided two types of the front bumper, one used for the automobile equipped with the spoiler 105, and the other used for the automobile not equipped with the spoiler 105. This results in an increase in the number of components of the automobile. Further, maintenance operation on such an increased number of components is difficult to easily perform. Furthermore, the increase in the number of components makes it difficult to reduce the number of steps for assembling the automobile. There is a demand for a front bumper applicable to both an automobile equipped with a spoiler and an automobile not equipped with the spoiler.


A flight simulator rests on a plurality of air cushions as a hovercraft and assumes spatial attitudes depending upon the relative heights of the air cushions. Flight controls determine the volume of air supplied to each air cushion and thereby control the pitch and roll attitudes of the flight simulator. The simulator may be connected to an external support frame and may thereby be subjected to longitudinal, lateral, and rotational movements.

Spatial attitude simulators provide a working environment for the training of individuals whose jobs may require them to perform while in unusual spatial attitudes. Foremost amongst these are flight attitude simulators which are used to train pilots to fly aircraft that may be in any number of spatial attitudes during flight. Flight simulators have been known and used for many years, and generally require elaborate hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical actuation and control systems. The machinery and hardware used in traditional flight simulators requires extensive installation and setup, often including below-deck piping and wiring, and demand a high level of maintenance to keep them operating smoothly. For these reasons, flight simulators are expensive to acquire and maintain, and lack the portability that may be desirable for use in rural environments in which flight training facilities are few and far between. What is needed is a flight simulator that is inexpensive to acquire, easy to install and maintain, and that is portable with a minimum of activity required for setup and breakdown, and that may be stored for transport in small truck-sized bundles.

Pneumatically supported spatial attitude simulator


A composition for use in making commercial food and skin products comprising S-equol or mixtures, including both a non-racemic mixture and a racemic mixture, of S-equol and R-equol. The composition can be used to make articles of commerce such as food supplements, pharmaceuticals, and medicaments. The compositions are useful in a method of delivering S-equol to a mammal to prevent or treat a disease or associated condition, including hormone-dependent diseases or conditions such as cardiovascular disease, lipid disorder, osteopenia, osteoporosis, liver disease, and acute ovarian estrogen deficiency. The S-equol enantiomer can be produced in a biological synthesis from the metabolism of an isoflavone by an organism.

The nutritional value of soybeans and foods made of purified soy proteins is well established and the renaissance of interest in soy foods is largely the result of documented research of the potential health benefits of isoflavones, a class of phytoestrogens found in abundance in soybeans. Although the recent FDA approval allowing manufacturers of soy foods to make a heart health claim for soy foods containing the mandatory 6.25 g/serving of soy protein (FDA, 1999) did not recognize the value of soy's constituent isoflavones, studies now indicate that phytoestrogens contribute to the cholesterol-lowering effect while also having important non-steroidal properties that contribute to reduced cardiovascular risk factors. The low incidence of hormone-dependent diseases in Asian countries where soy is consumed regularly has been suggested to be due in part to the actions of soy isoflavones.
Phytoestrogens, particularly the isoflavones derived from soy, clover and kudzu, such as genistein, daidzein, glycitein, peurarin, and their glycosidic derivatives, biochanin A and formononetin, and their glycosidic derivatives, exhibit estrogenic properties in some mammalian and human tissues, and exhibit anti-estrogenic properties in other tissues by competitively inhibiting estrogen binding at estrogen receptor sites. Unlike estrogens, these isoflavone phytoestrogens seem not to be associated with an increased risk of breast and uterine cancers, and may actually inhibit the development of breast and prostate cancers.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in the United States and in Western European countries. Several causative factors are implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease including hereditary predisposition to the disease, gender, lifestyle factors such as smoking and diet, age, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, including hypercholesterolemia. Several of these factors, particularly hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia, contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, a primary cause of vascular and heart disease.
A high blood cholesterol concentration is one of the key risk factors for vascular disease and coronary heart disease in humans. Elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (hereafter "LDL-cholesterol") and total cholesterol are directly related to an increased risk of coronary heart disease [Cholesterol and Mortality: 30 Years of Follow-Up from the Framingham Study, Anderson, Castelli, & Levy, JAMA, Vol. 257, pp. 2176-80 (1987)] while a a low level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (hereafter "HDL-cholesterol") is also a predisposing factor. Several clinical trials support a protective role of HDL-cholesterol against atherosclerosis. A study has shown that for every 1-mg/dL increase in HDL-cholesterol in the blood, the risk for coronary vascular disease is decreased by 3% in women [High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Disease: Four Prospective American Studies, Gordon, Probstfield, and Garrison et al., Circulation, Vol. 79, pp. 8-15 (1989)].
Estrogens play an important role in regulating lipid metabolism and maintaining healthy blood vessels, as evidenced by the escalation in plasma cholesterol that occurs aftermenopause and the fact that cardiovascular disease kills more women than men in the USA and most Western countries. For this reason, there has been a long held belief that HRT would benefit postmenopausal women by providing protection against CVD. The recent findings from the Women's Health Initiative Study of over 16,608 postmenopausal women taking HRT over an eight-year period has failed to show such benefits, and actually found an increased risk of death from thromboembolism and heart disease, especially in the first year of taking combined estrogen and progestin regimen, while significantly increasing the risk of breast cancer. As a consequence of these reports, HRT use has plummeted and women are now increasingly seeking alternative forms of estrogen to provide the benefits of postmenopausal estrogen deficiency. Phytoestrogens, such as isoflavones that act as natural selective estrogen receptor modulators by virtue of the conformational binding to the estrogen receptor are potential attractive alternatives and while there has been much published on the use of soy or clover isoflavones, there is a paucity of data on the potential value of the important metabolite, equol.
Recent studies have determined that soy isoflavones play a role in lowering blood concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in animals, inhibiting the development of atherosclerosis. The effect of isoflavones on blood cholesterol levels in humans is more controversial, but several studies now show the need to have isoflavones present in soy protein to observe cholesterol-lowering effects. A key study by Crouse et al, showed a dose-dependent relationship between the reduction in serum total and LDL-cholesterol and the amount of isoflavones present in soy protein. Independent of the effects isoflavones may have on cholesterol homeostasis, there is now evidence that isoflavones exert important effects on blood vessels. Studies have shown reductions in lipid peroxidation, improvements in arterial reactivity, blood flow, and blood pressure, and decreases in platelet aggregation. We have recently found that a daily diet containing isoflavones reduced the level of C-reactive protein, which is one of the key markers of inflammation, and considered one of the precipitating factors in cardiovascular disease. All of the above are crucial risk-reduction factors for cardiovascular disease.
Isoflavones have been shown to have bone-sparing effects. Thus far 17 in vitro studies of cultured bone cells, 24 in vivo studies of animal models of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and 17 dietary intervention studies show that isoflavones have bone-sparing effects. In all of these studies it has been the soy isoflavones or clover isoflavones that have been examined. We have shown for the first time that equol is an important bone-trophic agent and that unlike estrogens, it has the ability to not only reduce the activity of the bone-resorbing cells, but can actually increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.
While the bulk of the scientific literature has focused on the natural isoflavones in soy or clover, little has been reported on the actions or effects of their intestinally derived metabolites and there remains a need to develop further compounds and methods that can safely provide treatment or preventive benefits in mammals and humans.
Equol (7-hydroxy-3-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-chroman), a non-steroidal estrogen, was first isolated and identified from pregnant mares urine in 1932 and was later identified in the urine of humans consuming soy food. Equol has a structure similar to the steroidal estrogen estradiol. Equol is unique among the isoflavones in that it possesses a chiral center and as such exists as two distinct enantiomeric forms, the R- and S- enantiomers. All previous studies on equol appear to have been conducted with the racemic form of equol. There has in general been a lack of appreciation that two forms of equol exist and to our knowledge no previous study has reported on the specific actions or activity of the individual enantiomers. Equol when originally identified in mare's urine was reported to be optically active, existing as the R-enantiomer. Later, this was found to be an incorrect assignment and evidence was provided that the form of equol isolated from horse urine was in fact the S-enantiomer. For the first time, we have evidence that the human form of equol produced in the intestine, is exclusively the S-enantiomer, and we have synthesized and isolated the individual enantiomers, and shown significant differences in their respective affinities for estrogens receptors (ER), ERα and ERβ.
While equol was originally found to have no estrogenic action when injected into ovariectomized mice in large doses, later findings showed that it was the agent responsible for an infertility syndrome in sheep.
Also, (−)equol was originally reported as having no estrogenic activity in the ovariectomized mouse, but later the racemic mixture of equol proved to behave as a weak estrogen, while its precursors, daidzein and formononetin had no or negligible estrogenic activity.
Equol is not normally present in the urine of most healthy adults unless soy is consumed. The formation of equol in vivo has been exclusively dependent on intestinal microflora as evidenced from the finding that germ-free animals do not excrete equol, and that equol is not found in the plasma and urine of newborn infants fed exclusively soy foods from birth.
Equol is exclusively a non-steroidal estrogen that does not occur naturally in any plant-based products.

Compositions and products containing S-equol, and methods for their making

Australian Health & Nutrition Assoc. Ltd.


A method of processing a vehicle wheel/rim preform with a centersection/spider and an annular wall extending around a first rotational axis and having an annular surface defining axially spaced, annular inboard and outboard bead seats. The method includes the steps of: providing a workpiece support having a chuck assembly that is rotatable around a second axis and at least one rim wall support assembly; engaging the chuck assembly with the centersection/spider to maintain the vehicle wheel/rim preform in a processing position; engaging the at least one rim wall support assembly with the annular wall to exert thereon a force with a radial component to thereby stabilize the wheel/rim preform; and processing the vehicle wheel/rim preform at the annular surface fully axially between the inboard and outboard bead seats.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vehicle wheels/rims of the type to which a separable tire is mounted and, more particularly, to a method of processing a vehicle wheel/rim preform to form surfaces thereon to seat inboard and outboard beads on a tire. The invention is further direction to an apparatus for practicing the method.
2. Background Art
Myriad wheel/rim constructions have evolved over the decades to accept inflatable tires on all types of vehicles, from recreational to commercial applications. The basic wheel/rim construction consists of a centersection/spider, through which the wheel/rim is mounted to a vehicle, and an annular wall, which cooperates with the tire. The annular wall has inboard and outboard flanges, spaced axially with respect to the rotational axis for the wheel/rim, which respectively seat inboard and outboard beads on a tire.
Heretofore, the annular wall has been manufactured either with one piece or using a multi-part construction. With a multi-part construction, the wheel/rim "halves" are separately machined and mechanically joined to produce a unitary structure. This multi-part construction represents an expedient in terms of the manufacturing process but creates a challenge to the manufacturer in terms of maintaining dimensional, alignment, and balance tolerances. The automotive industry is becoming increasingly demanding that the wheel/rim be precisely machined so that there are no appreciable irregularities or defects that will cause vibrations, particularly at high operating speeds.
Whereas in the past, most wheels/rims in the automotive industry were designed to be used in conjunction with decorative hubcaps, the recent trend has been to expose the centersection/spider. This has prompted vehicle manufacturers to place even stricter demands on wheel/rim manufacturers, not only in terms of dimensions and balance, but also in terms of appearance.
Meeting the industry demands offers a particular challenge to wheel/rim manufacturers with respect to the wheel/rim designs wherein a single piece is utilized to form the annular wall between the inboard and outboard flanges. In a typical manufacturing process, the vehicle wheel/rim preform is cast or otherwise formed. The preform is clamped upon a lathe spindle and rotated to allow machining, including on the seating surface on the annular wall, to end specifications. In carrying out this machining, it is important that the preform be positively maintained upon a spindle chuck so that the annular wall can be precisely formed based on certain datum locations. This requires that the preform be clamped in such a manner that it does not shift or deform and is not prone to having induced harmonic vibrations that may adversely alter the machining process.
To avoid these latter conditions, it is known to clamp the preform to the chuck in the region of one of the flanges at a plurality of angularly spaced locations, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,137. To effect the required clamping rigidity, a clamping structure is typically utilized at a wheel/rim flange which blocks machining of the wheel/rim in the vicinity of the flange. Generally, in the past, this has necessitated a two step clamping and machining operation. That is, after clamping one of the inboard and outboard flanges and machining accessible regions on the wheel/rim, the wheel/rim is axially inverted and the other of the inboard and outboard regions is exposed to allow machining of the previously clamped portions.
For this machining operation to be effective, the preform must be precisely axially aligned in the reversed clamping orientation. Even slight misalignments may result in an imbalanced structure and/or a detectable step at the location where the machining processes meet. Due to the increasing sensitivity of the automotive industry to even slight imperfections, this process may be impractical to carry out in an economical manner.
One attempted solution to this problem has been to machine between the inboard and outboard flanges with the wheel/rim maintained in a single clamped position on the spindle chuck, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,174. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,174, the preform is required to be constructed with a flange extension which facilitates clamping and ultimately must be removed in a separate processing step. Consequently, additional material must be added to the preform and an additional manufacturing step is required to remove the extension and finish the flange at which the extension is removed to complete the wheel/rim. Additional steps are thus required to machine the wheel/rim. These additional steps add time to the manufacturing process and thereby potentially adversely affect profitability. Further, the material defining the extension must be appropriately handled and disposed of, representing another inconvenience and expense.

Method and apparatus for processing/machining a vehicle wheel/rim preform


A method of calibrating an electrically actuated hydraulic valve in a system that controls the flow of hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic cylinder connected to a machine element operates automatically. The system includes an ultrasonic sensor providing an indication of the position of the machine element. The calibration method includes the step of automatically applying a command signal to the hydraulic valve while monitoring the ultrasonic sensor to determine the level of the command signal required to cause the hydraulic cylinder to begin to move. The calibration method includes the additional step of automatically applying in succession a plurality of command signals of increasing level to the hydraulic valve while monitoring the ultrasonic sensor to determine the speed of movement of the hydraulic cylinder resulting from each of the command signals. Finally, the calibration method includes the steps of storing the level of the command signal required to cause the hydraulic cylinder to begin to move, and storing the speed of movement of the hydraulic cylinder resulting from each of said plurality of command signals of increasing level.

The present invention relates to calibrating electrically actuated hydraulic valves of the type that control the application of hydraulic fluid to hydraulic cylinders in various machines. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of calibrating valves associated with hydraulic cylinders in asphalt screeds in earth moving machine, and in other similar machines. The invention contemplates using sensors, such as acoustic or ultrasonic sensors that are relatively noisy, to monitor cylinder movement during the calibration process.
Various types of machines, such as earth grading and paving machines, operate in an automatic or semi-automatic mode using one or more sensors, such as ultrasonic or acoustic sensors, to control the movement of machine elements. For example, an asphalt paving machine deposits a layer of asphalt as it moves along a roadbed, with the thickness of the layer being based on the relative height of an adjacent reference surface or an adjacent reference string. It is common to measure this relative height with an ultrasonic transducer that directs pulses of sonic energy downward, and measures the time required for the sonic energy to reach the reference surface or string and to be reflected back to the transducer. This measured time is directly related to the distance from the transducer to the reference surface or string.
An asphalt paving machine typically uses a screed which is pulled behind the machine to control the thickness of the asphalt layer. The screed is pulled by a pair of screed tow arms which extend forward along the sides of the paving machine. Raising the tow points of the screed tow arms causes the angle of attack of the screed to change, resulting in a thicker layer of asphalt. Lowering the tow points of the screed tow arms correspondingly reduces the thickness of the asphalt layer. The tow points of the screed tow arms are raised and lowered by a pair of hydraulic cylinders that receive hydraulic fluid through electrically actuated hydraulic valves. The valves receive command signals which vary in level from a control circuit that is responsive to an ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer may be mounted on one of the tow arms.
When the ultrasonic control system is added to the paving machine, it is necessary to calibrate various aspects of the control system, including the hydraulic valves that raise and lower the tow points. In the past, the valves in paving machines having ultrasonic sensors have been calibrated manually, or calibrated using sensors other than the ultrasonic sensors, since it has been found that ultrasonic sensors typically are too noisy to be used in automatic calibration techniques for valves. Manual calibration is time consuming and providing other sensors for valve calibration adds to the cost and complexity of the systems. It is seen, therefore, that there is a need for an automated method for calibrating valves in a paving machine control system in which the calibration method utilizes the ultrasonic transducer that is an integral part of the control system.

Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC


Disclosed is a pressure measuring system for a vacuum chamber, in particular, a pressure measuring system for a vacuum chamber using ultrasonic wave. In this regard, there is provided a pressure measuring system for a vacuum chamber using ultrasonic wave, comprising a vacuum chamber 10 formed with desired vacuum at the inside thereof; ultrasonic wave-emitting means mounted close to an outer peripheral surface of the vacuum chamber 10 for emitting an ultrasonic wave 62 to the inside of the vacuum chamber 10; ultrasonic wave-receiving means for receiving a reflection wave 64 reflected after the striking of the ultrasonic wave 62 emitted from the ultrasonic wave-emitting means to the vacuum chamber; reflection wave-detecting means for detecting the reflection wave 64 from the ultrasonic wave-receiving means; and amplitude-analyzing means for analyzing the amplitude of the reflection wave 64 detected by the reflection wave-detecting means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure measuring system for a vacuum chamber, in particular, to a pressure measuring system for a vacuum chamber using ultrasonic wave.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, vacuum chambers used in the fabrication process of the semiconductor and the LCD are at low vacuum state in the range of 1 Pa˜105 Pa, and the pressure measurement of such a low vacuum region is performed by using a CDG (capacitance diaphragm gauge).
Accordingly, the vacuum pressure measurement from now on has been performed by mounting such sensor or measuring device in a vacuum chamber. However, when several sensors are to be mounted in such chamber, possibility of the leakage of the vacuum at a connection portion, and the like becomes very high. As a result, the vacuum leakage should be always checked before the use of the vacuum chamber, or measuring the vacuum pressure.
Further, it was required to form a vacuum state in the inside of the chamber, and the like, in which the vacuum pressure sensor or the measuring device was not mounted, after separately mounting it inside of them. In addition, it was impossible to measure the vacuum pressure, if it was impossible to mount such sensor or measuring device, or it was impossible to perform the separate mounting work of it.

Pressure measuring system for vacuum chamber using ultrasonic wave

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science


A system for delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents into a living body includes a port assembly having a cannula extending from the mounting side, a port opening away from the mounting side and a resilient barrier between the port and the cannula. An access hub includes a connector positionable at the port for opening the resilient barrier. The access hub is movable in the port assembly, is engaged therewith through a resilient ring coupling and forms a seal with the resilient barrier, reducing the amount of volume to be primed. Inserters, both disposable and reusable, include the cannula insertion member as part of the assembly. A spring loaded port driver is operatively mounted within the housing with movement controlled by a latch. The driver includes a seat for receipt of a port assembly. The cannula insertion member is nonremovably fixed in a socket in the port driver in the disposable assembly. In the reusable inserter, the cannula insertion member is slidably mounted within a socket associated with the latch. Slidable movement is limited by locking shoulders. The socket is split and may be splayed to release the cannula insertion member following use.

The field of the present invention is devices for the delivery or placement of therapeutic or diagnostic agents into a living body.
Some medical procedures employ the infusion of therapeutic agents into living bodies over periods of time, making a syringe inconvenient and/or inappropriate. Such procedures have been used for the infusion of insulin, for example. In other cases, monitoring of internal body conditions with small sensors or other devices also makes syringes and like devices inappropriate for continuing access to subcutaneous tissue. To provide access in either circumstance, ports have been devised which provide support for a flexible cannula implanted in the body. Ports typically provide a housing which has a mounting side that is held by tape, dressings or direct adhesive against the body. A flexible cannula extends from the housing into the body.
Ports used for infusion may be employed in combination with a delivery tube extending to the housing of the port and in communication with the cannula as a complete infusion set. The delivery tube of such an infusion set is in communication with the flexible cannula through an infusion fluid chamber in the port to deliver therapeutic agents. Diagnostic agents such as biosensors may be delivered in like manner.
To place such ports or infusion sets including such ports, insertion sets have been used. An insertion set typically includes the port and necessarily includes a rigid sharp such as a needle which is placed through the flexible cannula for insertion into the body. The needle typically extends through a resilient barrier such as a resealable resilient mass, through a chamber and then axially through the cannula. Once the cannula has been positioned in the body, the port is positioned and the needle can be withdrawn. The resealing of the mass as the needle is withdrawn prevents fluid from leaking from the port while remaining in position at the site. Once the port has been placed with the flexible cannula extending into the body, the agent or agents can be delivered.
A first type of insertion set includes an infusion set having the port and a delivery tube in communication with the cannula. The insertion set needle accesses the housing through a different path than the delivery tube. The seal is typically bypassed by the delivery tube in this instance. Alternatively, the insertion set is used with a port rather than a complete infusion set. The delivery tube is placed after insertion of the port to complete an infusion set. The same path is used for the insertion needle as part of the insertion set as is used for communicating the tube of the infusion set with the cannula. In this latter case, the delivery tube is associated with a hub which includes a member able to pierce a resealable resilient mass for communication between the delivery tube and the cannula once the insertion set has been disassembled through retraction of the needle.
Mechanisms referred to as inserters have been devised to rapidly insert the needle and cannula into the body at the site. For the infusion of insulin in particular, diabetics self medicate. Consequently, they, a family member or other care provider places the port for infusion. This can be emotionally and physically difficult when repeated infusions are required over long periods of time. Inserters alleviate this burden somewhat by making the placement of the needle automatic and quick. Further, pressure by the inserter about the targeted site reduces the sensation of pain.
Inserters typically include a housing with a driver slidable in the housing. The driver includes a socket to receive the insertion set. A spring is operatively placed between the housing and the driver to advance rapidly an insertion set positioned in the socket. A latch then controls the advancement of the driver. One complete system including an infusion port, an insertion set having the infusion port and an insertion needle, and an inserter is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,925.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus for delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents