An extensible handle bag apparatus capable of being manufactured on conventional high-speed manufacturing equipment, wherein the handles of the bag apparatus are constructed from an extensible material which provide comfort to a person's hands when carrying the apparatus, as well as which provide substantial load carrying capabilities to the bag itself. One or more extensible handles are attached in a retracted position below the top peripheral edge of the bag until the handles are manually deployed by an individual making initial use of the fully constructed apparatus. The handles comprise a gripping member and two leg members operably attached to the gripping member. The handles further include attachment regions which are initially stretched, independent of the remainder of the handles so as to increase the surface area for adherence directly to the bag itself and/or to corresponding handle attachment patches.

The present invention relates to carrying bags with handles and, more particularly, to an extensible handle bag apparatus capable of manufacture on high-speed manufacturing equipment, wherein the handles of the bag are made from an extensible material which provide comfort to a person's hands when carrying the apparatus, as well as which provide substantial load carrying capabilities to the apparatus itself.
Bags manufactured with handles have been known in the art for many, many years. Many of these bags have utilized carrier members, or patches of material for binding the handles to the inside, or outside, surfaces of the bag. Examples of such prior art can be found in Winesett, U.S. Pat. No. 2,469,536; Steen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,224; and Class, U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,591.
Although such prior art have been functionally satisfactory, they have, in many cases, been found to be uncomfortable to a person's hands when carrying relatively heavy loads for an extended period of time--due primarily to the handle configuration and type of material used for the handles. Additionally, inasmuch as such handles have not been intended for manual extensible deployability after the bag is manufactured, they have been attached to the bag during the manufacturing process in such a way where at least a portion of the handle actually extends above and past the top peripheral edge of the bag itself--thus precluding the ability for the bag to be manufactured on high-speed equipment.
Accordingly, few if any of the prior art bags teach, much less disclose, a bag having an extensible handle which is attached and maintained below the top peripheral edge of the bag, during and after the manufacture--thereby facilitating relatively high-speed manufacturing of the apparatus. Indeed, inasmuch as at least a portion of the handles in the prior art are positioned above the upper peripheral edges of the web of bag material, the likelihood of the handles causing a jam, or other form of manufacturing malfunction (due to otherwise protruding handle members) during the cutting of web of bag material, or any other step of manufacturing, is often realized. Furthermore, few, if any of such prior art devices disclose an extensible handle which has only the attachment regions (where the handle is affixed either to the bag directly, or to handle patches) stretched independently of the remainder of the handles so as to increase the surface area for better adherence to the bag and/or patch of material.
Additionally, while prior art, such as Baron, Great Britain Specification No. 786,327, does disclose the use of extensible material for use as handles for a bag, such handles are not intended to be manually stretched from a retracted position below the top peripheral edge of the fully assembled bag, to a fully deployed position upon initial use of the bag by an individual. Indeed, such prior art discloses that such handles are stretched during the manufacturing process and then maintained in such a stretched position thereafter--thereby precluding high speed manufacture, as well as precluding individual formability of the handles to a respective individuals hands.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an extensible handle bag apparatus which can utilize an extensible handle attached and maintained below the top peripheral edge of the fully assembled bag during the manufacturing of same so as to facilitate manufacturing of the apparatus on high speed manufacturing equipment.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an extensible handle bag apparatus which has the attachment regions of the extensible handles pre-stretched during the manufacturing of same so as to increase the surface area for maximized adherence to the bag material itself and/or to corresponding handle attachment patches, while maintaining the remainder of the handles in a retracted position below the top peripheral edge of the assembled bag apparatus.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide an extensible handle bag apparatus having handles which are stretchably extended up and past the top peripheral edge of the fully assembled bag apparatus by manual deployability by an individual upon initial use of the extensible handle bag apparatus and, which are then substantially maintained in their stretched deployed state after such initial use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an extensible handle bag apparatus which utilizes an extensible handle which is comfortable to the hands of the individual carrying the extensible handle bag apparatus when the bag itself is supporting a load therewithin, and wherein such extensible handles improve the load carrying capabilities of the apparatus, which, in turn, reduces the likelihood of severing the bag at or near the handle attachment regions during such use.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims and drawings.


The present disclosure provides materials and methods for treating a patient with one or more conditions or disorders associated with ATXN1 whether ex vivo or in vivo. For example, the present disclosure provides materials and methods for treating a patient with Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). Also provided are materials and methods for editing a ATXN1 gene in a cell by genome editing. The present disclosure also provides materials and methods for altering the contiguous genomic sequence of a ATXN1 gene in a cell. In addition, the present disclosure provides one or more gRNAs for editing a ATXN1 gene. Also provided are therapeutics comprising at least one or more gRNAs for editing a ATXN1 gene. In addition, the present disclosure provides therapeutics for treating patients with a ATXN1 related condition or disorder.

Genome engineering refers to the strategies and techniques for the targeted, specific modification of the genetic information (genome) of living organisms. Genome engineering is a very active field of research because of the wide range of possible applications, particularly in the areas of human health. For example, genome engineering can be used to alter (e.g., correct or knock-out) a gene carrying a harmful mutation, or to explore the function of a gene. Early technologies developed to insert a transgene into a living cell were often limited by the random nature of the insertion of the new sequence into the genome. Random insertions into the genome may result in disrupting normal regulation of neighboring genes leading to severe unwanted effects. Furthermore, random integration technologies offer little reproducibility, as there is no guarantee that the sequence would be inserted at the same place in two different cells. Recent genome engineering strategies, such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator like effector nucleases (TALENs), homing endonucleases (HEs) and MegaTALs, enable a specific area of the DNA to be modified, thereby increasing the precision of the alteration compared to early technologies. These newer platforms offer a much larger degree of reproducibility, but still have their limitations.
Despite efforts from researchers and medical professionals worldwide who have been trying to address genetic disorders, there still remains a critical need for developing safe and effective treatments for ATXN1 related disorders and conditions.

Materials and methods for treatment of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) and other Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 Protein (ATXN1) gene related conditions or disorders


An air passage 2 is provided with an air passage groove 5 that supplies a required volume of air to the side downstream from the fully closed position of a valve body for control purposes. Further, a taper is formed in such a way that a predetermined volume of air can be supplied, even if positional variations have occurred to the valve body. This arrangement allows the volume of air required for the traveling of a car to be supplied, without increasing the number of parts, even if the valve body 3 has stuck downstream from the controlled area. This arrangement also permits a stable supply of air flow at the idle position of the valve body.

The present invention relates to an air intake control device that controls the throttle valve provided halfway through the air intake passage of an internal combustion engine (e.g. a gasoline engine and diesel engine), thereby adjusting the opening area of the air intake passage in response to the operating status of an engine. This air intake control device is used to control the intake air volume in the case of a gasoline engine, and is employed as a throttle mechanism of the air intake passage in the case of a diesel engine. The above air intake control device is described in Japanese laid-open Patent Publication Hei 03-271528.
The air intake control device for the diesel engine is designed to provide control in such a way as to secure a position slightly more open than the mechanically fully closed position to ensure that a sufficient space can be maintained between the valve and air intake wall surface even when the valve body is fully closed. This ensures that the engine does not stall even if the valve should fail to operate at the fully closed position for control purposes.
In order to ensure that the a predetermined volume of air flow leaks when the motor current is turned off, a throttle device for gasoline engine uses a so-called default mechanism according to the Japanese laid-open Patent Publication Hei 03-271528, for example, wherein the springs that produce a return force in the direction opposite to each other are provided between the valve operating gear and air intake device, and a lever, not stuck on the rotary shaft, is utilized between these two springs, whereby the throttle valve is forcibly opened by a predetermined angle when the motor current is off.

Air intake control device for internal combustion engine and air intake control device for gasoline engine


A thin dielectric substrate bearing a plurality of conductive leads has a hole circumscribed by the substrate in which is positioned a die having pads that are bonded to ends of leads carried by the substrate and projecting into the hole for contact with the die pads. The leads include free outer ends that project laterally outwardly and downwardly away from the plane of the substrate for connection to contact pads on a circuit board. The free leads are isolated from pressure applied to the chip on tape assembly after it has been connected to a circuit board by means of a thin self-supporting thermally conductive heat spreader that contacts the side of the die opposite its pads and includes fixed standoff and/or alignment pins that extend through alignment holes in the thin substrate and are in physical contact with a surf ace of the printed circuit board. The arrangement enables transfer of force applied to the heat spreader directly to the circuit board, thereby isolating the die, thin substrate and its fragile free leads from forces applied to the die and/or the heat spreader.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip on tape package and more particularly concerns an arrangement for protecting the fragile leads of the package and for facilitating alignment during assembly of the die to the laminated tape.
2. Description of Related Art
A TAB (tape automated bonding) package, sometimes termed a chip on tape package, is one of several methods of assembling an integrated circuit die or chip to a plurality of conductive leads so as to allow the chip to be electrically connected to other components, such as conductive pads on a printed circuit board for example. The TAB package frequently comprises a section of a thin laminated tape formed of a thin layer of substrate and a layer of thin conductive leads bonded thereto with an opening, generally of rectangular configuration, to mate with the rectangular configuration of a die. The die is positioned substantially in the tape opening, and its connector pads are bonded to ends of the leads of the laminated tape that extend inwardly of the tape opening to overlay the respective conductive pads of the die to which they may be bonded by conventional automatic bonding techniques. The conductive leads of the tape extend laterally outwardly of all four outer sides of the tape section and also project downwardly below the tape section and die, being configured and arranged for resting upon and electrically contacting contact pads formed on another electrical component, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) for example. The laterally outwardly and depending free ends of the tape are bonded to the conductive pads of the printed circuit board for physical and electrical connection by conventional techniques, and hold the tape section and die spaced above the PCB.
In assembly of the tape to the die, the inner end of the tape leads must be precisely aligned with the die pads before bonding. This alignment has been carried out in the prior art either manually or visually, or by use of external alignment devices. Further, the assembly of die and tape, e.g. the TAB package, must be handled and shipped as a separate article, and is often assembled to other electrical components or a printed circuit board by automatic pick-and-place machines.
As more and more electronic functions are packaged within smaller and smaller packages, components, contact pads, and electrical leads all become increasingly smaller. Frequently the conductive leads of the TAB package have widths on the order of 0.002 inch and are spaced from one another by like distances. The thickness of the leads are even smaller than their 0.002 inch widths and spacing. These leads are generally made of copper, and extend freely and totally unsupported beyond the outer edges of the thin laminated tape. Consequently they are highly susceptible to bending, breaking and other types of damage. These fragile free leads are not only easily damaged by inadvertent contact with other objects, but sudden accelerations to which the TAB package may be subjected can also result in bending or distortion of the leads. Shipping of TAB packages is also difficult and inconvenient, often being carried out in complex carriers or on reels.
Die alignment is typically accomplished by external alignment devices, either visually or manually, which complicates production and assembly, and requires increased labor. Arrangements for protecting the TAB package leads for surface mounting have required separate and independent supporting devices. In some arrangements a hole is formed in the printed circuit board directly below the face of the die and a soft support, is inserted into the hole to support the die during attachment of a heat sink. In the prior art, if a heat sink is used, it is attached to the die after the TAB package has been mounted on the PCB. In the attachment of a heat sink to the opposite side of the die, some pressure must be exerted against the die and therefore against the PCB through the very fragile free leads, which are not capable of supporting any significant amount of pressure.
Prior solutions to these problems have addressed one or more, but not all of these problems. These solutions often require more area on the printed circuit board, require more parts and are difficult or virtually impossible to automate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for mounting, alignment and protection of leads of a TAB package by methods and structures that avoid or eliminate above mentioned problems.

Support assembly for mounting an integrated circuit package on a surface


This invention relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing a plurality of elements that are present on the surface of a material of interest or in its neighborhood, as well as a thin-film forming apparatus that is capable of measuring the composition of a sample during thin film formation in the process of semi-conductor fabrication. The apparatus are characterized in that a detector is isolated from the light and heat generated in a sample making mechanism by means of a shield which is not only heat-resistant but also transmissive of fluorescent X-ray containing soft X-rays of 1 Kev and below and that a mirror for total reflection of X-rays which is equipped with slits capable of adjusting the incident and exit angles of fluorescent X-rays from the sample excited with an excitation source as well as the ranges of those angles is provided either at the entrance or exit of said shield or at both.

This invention relates to a thin-film forming apparatus for use in the fabrication of electronic devices, semiconductors, etc. More particularly, this invention relates to a thin-film forming apparatus that is capable of consecutively measuring the composition of a sample in the process of forming the desired thin film on the sample. This invention also relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing a plurality of elements that are present on the surface of a material of interest or in its neighborhood, as well as a thin-film forming apparatus that is capable of measuring the composition of a sample during thin film formation in the process of semi-conductor fabrication.
As the scale of integration of electronic devices, semiconductor devices, etc. has increased while their feature size has decreased today, it has become apparent that the performance of those devices tends to depend on the quality of the thin films they use. For example, if the silicon (Si) to oxygen (O) ratio in a silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) deviates from the stoichiometric value of 1:2, one may conclude that an unwanted substance other than SiO.sub.2 has entered the film to change its dielectric constant, whereby desired high-frequency characteristics cannot be attained. Further, when forming a thin compound film, it is often difficult to attain the desired composition primarily due to the differences in sputtering yield and sticking coefficient. Conventionally, a composition analyzer is used to evaluate the composition of a thin film after making it with a thin-film forming apparatus. But, in this case, it has been difficult to form the thin film without any change in its composition due to variations in the process conditions being properly corrected during thin film formation. Under these circumstances, attempts have been made to consecutively measure the change that will occur in the composition of the thin film being formed.
FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrammatic views of the prior art thin-film forming apparatus that is described in Ino et al., "Surface Analysis by RHEED Excited Total Reflection Angular X-Ray Spectroscopy (TRAXS)" in Oyo Butsuri (Applied Physics), 56, 7, 1987, pp. 843-850. FIG. 17 shows the apparatus as it is equipped with an elemental analyzer for measuring the compositional changes of a sample. Shown by 1 is a vessel for keeping an X-ray detector in vacuum; 3 is a window that maintains the vacuum enclosure of the X-ray detector but which admits the passage of X-rays; 6 is a liquid nitrogen dewar vessel for cooling the X-ray detector; 7 is an X-ray transmitting window; 10 is a thin-film forming vacuum chamber; 12 is a sample making mechanism; 13 is an exhaust unit for degasifying the vacuum chamber 10; 21 is a sample; and 31 is an excitation source that excites the elements in the sample 21 to emit their characteristic X-rays (fluorescent X-rays). Shown by 51 is a sample holder with a stage 52 for mounting the sample 21 in position.
FIG. 18 shows the interior of the vessel 1 in detail. Shown by 2 is the X-ray detector (hereunder sometimes referred to simply as the "detector"); 4 is an amplifier for amplifying the output signal from the detector 2; and 5 is a rod that guides the signal from the amplifier 5 to the outside of the vacuum enclosure and which lets in a cooling medium for cooling the detector.
The operation of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is described below. To form a thin film of gallium arsenic (GaAs), he activates the mechanism 12 is activated to have gallium (Ga) and arsenic (As) evaporated onto the sample 21. During the thin-film formation, an excitation beam such as an electron beam generated from the excitation source 31 such as an electron gun is incident upon the sample 21, whereby Ga and As are excited to emit their characteristic X-rays. The emitted X-rays exit from the chamber 10 through the window 7 and travel in air atmosphere to be admitted into the detector 2 through the window 3 at the front of the vessel 1. Signals associated with the detected characteristic X-rays are amplified by the amplifier 4 and the amplified signals pass through the rod 5 to be fed into a spectrum analyzer (not shown) or some other suitable external circuit. With this arrangement, the composition of the surface of sample 21 can be analyzed while a thin film is formed on the sample.
The prior art elemental analyzer is described below in detail. FIG. 19 is a diagrammatic view of the elemental analyzer described in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 82840/1985. As shown, the analyzer comprises the detector 2, a vacuum chamber 11, an exhaust port 14 which is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) that is operated to keep the inside of the chamber 11 in vacuum, an electron gun 32 for emitting an electron beam onto the sample 21, the sample holder 51, the sample mounting stage 52, a spectrum analyzer 71 for spectrum separating the X-rays detected with the detector 2, and a memory unit 72 for storing the output of the spectrum analyzer. The memory unit 72 may be replaced by a display unit.
The operation of the elemental analyzer shown in FIG. 19 is described below. The sample 21 is to be mounted on the stage 52 at the distal end of the sample holder 51. In order to facilitate its mounting, an opening/closing portion is provided in a suitable area of the vacuum chamber 11 so that the sample 21 can be pushed into the chamber 11 via said portion. Alternatively, the vessel 11 may be so constructed that the sample holder 51 can be pulled out for mounting the sample 21 outside the vessel. The sample holder 51 is equipped with bellows or some other suitable means for permitting it to rotate or move back and forth so that the position and inclination of the sample 21 can be freely adjusted.
In response to a current from a power source, the electron gun 32 generates and emits an electron beam. The emitted electron beam is focused by an optional electronic lens and a collimator (not shown) to be incident on the surface of the sample 21. This electron beam excites the elements that are present on the surface of the sample 21 and in its neighborhood, whereby X-rays characteristic of the excited elements are emitted for detection with the detector 2. The detected X-rays are spectrum separated with the spectrum analyzer 71 and the X-ray spectra supplied from the spectrum analyzer 71 are stored in the memory unit 72.
The angle at which emitted X-rays are picked up is selected at the angle of total reflection of electromagnetic waves (generally characteristic X-rays) emitted from the sample 21, namely the critical angle, or at nearby angles. The reason for selecting the critical angle as the angle at which emitted X-rays are to be picked up is described below on the basis of the disclosures in "Oyo Butsuri (Applied Physics)", 56, 7, 1987, pp. 842-850 and "Japanese Journal of Applied Physics", 24, 6, 1985, pL. 387-390. In the following discussion, each of the angles such as the critical angle and glancing angle is measured as the angle the incident or emerging X-ray forms with the surface of the sample.
FIG. 20 shows how X-rays leaving the surface of a material to enter vacuum are refracted. As shown, the intensity of such X-rays decreases sharply if they are emitted at smaller angles than a certain critical value .theta..sub.c. The value of .theta..sub.c coincides with the critical angle for total reflection that occurs when X-rays of the same energy are launched from vacuum into the material of interest and it is expressed by: ##EQU1## where Z, A and .rho. are the atomic number, mass number and density, respectively, of the material of interest, and .lambda. is the wavelength of the incoming and outgoing X-ray.
Take, for example, the case where an electron beam is incident on the surface of the material. The characteristic X-rays are refracted as shown in FIG. 21 and those which are picked up at angles close to the critical angle .theta..sub.c contain information from the surface layer whereas those picked up at angles greater than .theta..sub.c contain information from deeper areas. As eq. (1) shows, the critical angle .theta..sub.c varies with the wavelength of incoming and outgoing X-ray and the shorter its wavelength (hence, the higher its energy), the smaller the critical angle is. In addition, the characteristic X-rays have energy values peculiar to the associated elements. For example, the intensity of characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample 21 having approximately one atomic layer of silver (Ag) evaporated on the Si surface has a pickup angle dependency as shown in FIG. 22. The characteristic X-rays emitted by Ag can be detected with a very high sensitivity by picking them up at the angle of total reflection of Ag characteristic X-rays with respect to Si or at nearby angles. In addition, the characteristic X-rays emitted from the neighborhood of the Si surface can be selectively detected by picking up the characteristic X-rays emitted by Si at the angle of total reflection of Si characteristic X-rays with respect to Si or nearby angles.
To take another example, the intensity of characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample 21 having calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) or copper (Cu) deposited as a trace impurity on the Si surface has a pickup angle dependency as shown in FIG. 23. Obviously, the angle of total reflection of emitted characteristic X-ray with respect to Si varies with the species of element that emits the X-ray. If the sample 21 is made of zinc sulfide (ZnS), the intensity of characteristic X-rays emitted from the sample has a pickup angle dependency as shown in FIG. 24. Obviously, the angle of total reflection of the Zn characteristic X-ray with respect to ZnS differs from that of the S characteristic X-ray with respect to ZnS and at the angle of total reflection of Zn, the S characteristic X-ray has a very small intensity whereas at the angle of total reflection of S, the Zn characteristic X-ray contains more of the information from a deep area of the sample.
A problem with the prior art elemental analyzer constructed in the manner described above, is that if more than one element is present in the neighborhood of the surface of the sample 21, the different values of energy possessed by X-rays characteristic of the individual elements provide different angles of total reflection for the sample 21. As a result, if the characteristic X-ray emitted by a certain element is detected at an angle in the neighborhood of the angle of total reflection for that element, the intensity of the characteristic X-ray of another element will decrease or more of the information from a deeper area will be detected to reduce the sensitivity of measurement for the surface of the sample (i.e., more of the unwanted information will be contained in information about the surface of the sample 21).
The prior art thin-film forming apparatus capable of compositional measurement of samples, which has the construction shown in FIG. 17, has had the following disadvantages:
(1) Conventionally, the X-ray transmissive window 7 is formed of a beryllium (Be) foil which, at a sufficient thickness to keep an ordinary degree of vacuum, will absorb soft X-rays having an energy of no more than 1 keV and this has made it difficult to measure the characteristic X-rays of materials such as oxides and carbides that contain light elements;
(2) Even if the X-ray transmissive window 7 is formed of an organic material that transmits soft X-rays (e.g. Parylene), the heat of radiation that is generated from the substrate and other sources during thin film formation can potentially soften or melt the X-ray transmissive window;
(3) Even if the apparatus is so modified as to enable the measurement of light elements, the efficiency of generation of characteristic X-rays decreases drastically with the decreasing atomic number of light elements such as oxygen (O), nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). With compounds containing such light elements, the yield of characteristic X-rays will vary considerably with the species of element even if the compositional ratio of any two elements is 1:1. Accordingly, in performing pulse measurements on the characteristic X-rays entering the detector 2, the counting rate of pulses is limited by the higher of the two yields of characteristic X-rays and the counting rate for the measurement of characteristic X-rays of the lower of the two yields becomes very low. Under the circumstances, the time of pulse measurement must be prolonged in order to achieve a higher precision of measurement. Since it takes a long time to accomplish the measurement of materials containing light elements, it is difficult to catch up with the high speed of thin film formation, so has it been to consecutively measure the composition of the sample 21 in the process of thin film formation if it contains light elements.


A smoking article wrapper having improved ignition proclivity characteristics includes discrete areas of an outer circumferential surface of the wrapper treated with a non-aqueous solution of a solvent soluble cellulosic polymer dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent. The solution also includes a particulate inorganic non-reactive filler suspended in solution by weight percentage of solution. The solution is applied in discrete areas as bands or patterns causing reduced permeability of the treated areas within a permeability range adequate to reduce ignition proclivity. A method is also provided for producing a smoking article wrapper having improved ignition proclivity characteristics as described.

The present invention relates to a smoking article wrapper composition for significantly reducing ignition proclivity of the smoking article, and a method of making the smoking article wrapper composition. The invention particularly relates to an improved wrapper paper for cigarettes wherein the cigarettes tend to self extinguish if left or dropped on a flammable substrate before igniting the substrate.
There is an ongoing concern in the industry to produce cigarettes having wrappers which reduce the ignition proclivity of the smoking article, in other words the tendency of the smoking article to cause ignition of surfaces which come into contact with the lit smoking article. Reports have been made of fires attributed to burning cigarettes coming into contact with combustible materials. A justifiable interest exists in the industry to reduce the tendency of cigarettes, or other smoking articles, to ignite surfaces and materials used in furniture, bedding, and the like upon contact.
Thus, a desirable feature of smoking articles, particularly cigarettes, is that they self-extinguish upon being dropped or left in a free burning state on combustible materials.
It has long been recognized in the industry that the cigarette wrapper has a significant influence on the smolder characteristics of the cigarette. In this regard, various attempts have been made in the art to alter or modify cigarette wrappers in order to achieve the desired tendency of the cigarette to self extinguish, or to reduce the ignition proclivity characteristics of cigarettes.
For example, it is known in the art to treat bands or other areas of the cigarette paper to reduce the air permeability within the treated areas. It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,259 to define at least one circumferential band on the wrapper of a smoking article which will hopefully cause the smoking article to extinguish under free burn conditions. The band is formed by applying a liquid substance or compound to the cigarette paper which has a liquid form in a temperature range of about 100.degree. C. to 200.degree. C. This reference teaches that, as the burning cone of the cigarette comes into contact with the band, a film is formed on the cigarette paper as the substance changes to liquid form which substantially restricts the flow of air to the burning coal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,932 teaches another method of providing areas of decreased air permeability which cause the cigarette to self extinguish as the cigarette smolders or burns into the areas of reduced permeability. The '932 patent teaches to form patterned or annular zones in the cigarette paper by multiple batonneing of the paper, for example, by use of an embossing calendar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,414 discloses the use of printed bands of material on cigarette paper to control the burn rate of the cigarette. Although this reference does not particularly address ignition proclivity, it teaches to provide relatively narrow low porosity bands along the cigarette. The bands are formed by applying a gel-forming substance to the paper by painting, printing, or other coating techniques. The reference teaches that preferred gel-forming substances are those which form gels in water, such as gelatin, alginates, methyl cellulose, methylethyl cellulose and gums. Water insoluble substances such as lacquers and varnishes may also be used in an organic solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,145 is another reference that teaches providing areas of reduced porosity along the cigarette by applying a discontinuous coating of a porosity reducing composition. This reference is not particularly concerned with ignition proclivity of the smoking article, but with controlling the puff count and tar delivery of the smoking article. This reference also teaches to include a burn promoter in the wrapper to balance the effect of the discontinuous coating areas.
Various other applications and processes for reducing ignition proclivity of a cigarette are known as, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,553; U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,650; U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,775; U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,738; U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,345; U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,437; U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,983; and European Patent Application 0 559 300 82.
Although, as set forth in the above identified references, it has been known in the art to attempt to reduce ignition proclivity tendencies of cigarettes by defining discrete areas of reduced porosity or air permeability along the cigarette, the prior art has not provided an economically feasible method of producing such cigarettes on a commercial scale. Cigarettes are produced in relatively high speed commercial processes and any process or system for reducing the permeability of the cigarette paper to control ignition proclivity must be compatible with the high speed cigarette manufacturing process. Thus far, the systems and processes known in the art have been unacceptable in this regard. For example, the known processes are not compatible with conventional high speed printing techniques for applying the porosity reducing solutions to the cigarette wrappers in a high speed commercial operation. Attempts have been made to apply aqueous solutions to the cigarette wrappers, but such attempts have been generally unsuccessful. The aqueous solutions significantly reduce the strength of the paper and also cause the paper to crinkle or pucker in the coated areas. Cigarettes made with these wrappers have a non-uniform and unappealing outer surface.
Thus, what is needed, is a method (and resulting article) for manufacturing a smoking article wrapper wherein a film forming non-aqueous solution is applied to the cigarette paper in discrete areas or bands by way of conventional high speed printing techniques such that a reduced air permeability is achieved in the treated areas which promotes self extinguishing of the cigarette and does not adversely affect taste or quality of the cigarette.

Smoking article wrapper for controlling ignition proclivity of a smoking article


A rectangular tape cassette case for carrying a plurality of tape cassettes has a base member formed with a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of side walls. A cover member formed with a top wall and a pair of side walls is slidably mounted on the base member in a longitudinal direction of the rectangular tape cassette case. The base member has ribs for separating spaces for each of the tape cassettes to be carried.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a case suitable for carrying tape cassettes each of which encloses a pair of reel hubs with a tape form recording medium wound thereon.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Tape cassettes such as compact cassettes and DAT (digital audio tape) cassettes are in wide use now. In using such tape cassettes, it is common practice to store or carry each of the tape cassettes in a case which is formed, for example, of plastic.
For very small sized (or micro) tape cassettes which have been developed in recent years, however, it is not always preferable to provide one case for each tape cassette. It is rather convenient, for storing or carrying the micro tape cassettes, to prepare a case which accommodates a predetermined number (e.g., three or four) of the tape cassettes.
Besides, a case having a plurality of storage portions or spaces for each of a plurality of tape cassettes to be carried is required to have such a construction that each of the storage spaces can be set into a suitable position for easy storage and pick-up of the tape cassette.


An error control method for wireless data transmission over a digital mobile communication system includes a step of obtaining, during data communication, statistical information including transmission error information at a receiving side, a step of determining an error control strategy and/or a value of at least one parameter of the error control strategy which are/is optimum for transmission path conditions at that time, based upon the obtained statistical information, and a step of using the determined error control strategy and/or the at least one parameter for the error control during data communication.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an error control method and apparatus for wireless data communication, particularly to an error control method and apparatus for wireless data transmission over a digital mobile communication system such as a PHS (Personal Handy phone System), various digital mobile/car phone systems, or a digital private wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, data transmissions via mobile terminals of a mobile communication system have been popular in practice with the spread of personal computer communications and internet access. These wireless data communications have been utilized not only for private use, but also for commercial use.
In general, in the radio link or radio frequency communications environment, transmission path conditions will greatly vary due to the special characteristics of radio propagation, such as fading. Therefore, most of the digital mobile communication systems adopt at least one error control strategy such as, for example, the FEC (Forward Error Correction) strategy, or the ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) strategy, so as to reduce bit errors which may occur during passage through the radio link.
In the PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) system, which is one of the Japanese digital mobile phone systems, the data communication of 2400 bit/s adopts the FEC strategy using BCH (Bose Chaudhuri Hocquenghem) code and the data communication of 9600 bit/s adopts the ARQ strategy with a combination of Go-Back-N and Selective Repeat protocols. In other mobile communication systems, the FEC strategy, the ARQ strategy or the FEC/ARQ hybrid strategy may be adopted for data communication.
According to the conventional data transmission over mobile communication systems, the error control strategy is not changed and its parameters are also fixed while the communication link is kept in connection. For example, in the above-mentioned data transmission of 2400 bit/s over the PDC system, the BCH code length is fixed to 15 bits, the information length is fixed to 4 bits, and the depth of the associated interleaving is fixed to 73 while the connection is kept. Also, in 9600 bit/s data communication, both the frame length and the modulo number for ARQ are fixed to certain values during the connection.
However, since the transmission path conditions will always vary in the mobile radio link environment, the unchanged error control strategy and fixed parameters thereof will introduce a number of problems, as will be discussed below.
The error control strategy and its parameters are usually designed so that bit errors can be reduced even when the transmission path conditions are somewhat poor. Therefore, when the conditions are relatively good, it is not necessary to execute such error control. In other words, no bit errors will occur without executing such error control. In such conditions, it is preferable to increase the amount of information which can be transmitted per unit of time rather than executing such error control. For example, in the above-mentioned data transmission of 2400 bit/s over the PDC system, the maximum transmission efficiency can be obtained if all bits are used for data transmission under good transmission path conditions. However, only 4 bits in the 15 bits of the BCH code can be utilized for data transmission causing a very low transmission efficiency of 4/15. Similar to this, in the data transmission of 9600 bit/s over the PDC system, 48 bits are utilized for the ARQ control information whereas 176 bits are used for data transmission, also causing a low transmission efficiency of 176/224.
Conversely, when the transmission path conditions become worse than the conditions estimated in designing the error control method and its parameters, high transmission performance cannot be maintained by means of the designed error control method and the parameters. As a result, bit errors may occur in the data transmitted to the user, the transmission delay may exceed the maximum permissible limit, or the throughput may be lowered. In an extreme case, no data transmission is possible, causing the transmission link to be disconnected.

Error control method and apparatus for wireless data communication


A method and system is provided for inter-domain loop protection using a hierarchy of loop resolving protocols. The method includes receiving messages from inter-domain switches. The inter-domain switches belong to a plurality of loop-free network topology domains. A logical domain is abstracted that includes the inter-domain switches and logical links that connect the switches. Each logical link represents one of the physical loop free network topology domains that the inter-domain switches belong to. Then, the loops in the logical domain are eliminated. One or more logical links and ports associated with those logical links may be blocked to break the loops. This provides for a network free of inter-domain loops.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of loop free network topology domains. In particular, the invention relates to inter-domain loop protection using a hierarchy of loop resolving protocols.
2. Background Information and Description of Related Art
A virtual local area network (VLAN) restricts communication between computers in a network on some network administrator defined basis rather than, for example, the physical location of the computers. The computers in the VLAN communicate with each other as if they are connected to the same local area network (LAN) segment even though they may actually be physically located on different segments of an internetwork. Conversely, computers connected to the same network segment may not necessarily be able to communicate with each other if, for example, they belong to different VLANs.
Networks, such as LANs, are often partitioned into separate segments to increase network performance. Bridges or switches connect the segments. A LAN may include redundant bridges and paths to provide backup in the event of a bridge or path failure in the LAN. The Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1D standard, authored and published by the IEEE Standards Association in June 1998, comprises an algorithm that provides for this redundancy while preventing undesirable loops in the LAN. Using the algorithm, bridges select a root bridge, and calculate and select a single path to the root bridge when faced with multiple redundant paths. After path costs are calculated and a single path is selected, the bridges block the redundant links.
There are other algorithms that prevents undesirable loops in a network. For example, the Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching Protocol (EAPS) prevents loops in a Layer-2 (L2) network having a ring topology. In the EAPS system, there is a master node linked to at least one transit node in a ring network. Each node has a primary port and a secondary port. During normal operation, the master node blocks data traffic from traversing its secondary port. During a network failure, the master node reroutes data traffic through its secondary port. Thus, similar to STP, EAPS blocks ports to prevent loops and provide a loop free domain.
These algorithms have been modified in different ways to further accommodate VLANs. For example, the IEEE 802.1Q standard, authored and published by the IEEE Standards Association in March 1999, specifies a single STP instance for all VLANs while another approach provides for a separate STP instance for each VLAN. Yet another approach contemplates one or more STP instances for one or more VLANs. Thus, an STP instance or STP domain (STPD) may span multiple VLANs, or a single VLAN may encompass multiple STPDs.
Similarly, other algorithms, such as EAPS provide for a domain to span multiple VLANs, or a single VLAN to encompass multiple loop free domains. However, one problem with multiple loop free domains is the possibility of inter-domain loops through the switches that are members of more than one loop free domain, since algorithms, such as STP and EAPS, only guarantees a loop-free topology inside each domain. Furthermore, a network, such as a VLAN, may contain different types of loop free domains with the possibility of inter-domain loops through switches that are members of more than one type of loop free domain.

Method and system for inter-domain loop protection using a hierarchy of loop resolving protocols


A book holder for supporting and protecting an article of reading material is provided. The book holder includes a spine, a pair of cover panels, each of the cover panels is hingidly to the spine permitting the pair of cover panels to be rotated into an open position and to be rotated into a closed position. The book holder is adapted to receive and support an article of reading material in an open position when the book holder is open and for enclosing and protecting the reading material when the book holder is closed. A page holder assembly is provided to hold the reading material open and for marking a page. The page holder assembly can also include a line marker for marking a line of text in the reading material. In additional embodiments, an illumination means for illuminating the reading material and a magnify sheet for magnify the reading material may be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a book holder. More particularly, relating to a closable book holder that when open is adapted to support an article of reading material for reading and that when closed is adapted to enclose and protect the article of reading material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable to have a device for supporting an article of reading material for reading by a reader, and which provides hands free reading of the article of reading material by the reader. This is even more desirable with physically challenged individuals. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,679,757; 1,728,431; 4,116,413; 5,893,546; 3,136,082; and 4,467,920.
Heretofore prior art devices for supporting reading material do not address the problem of protecting the reading material during periods time where the reader is not reading the material. Therefore a void exists in the prior art, and the apparatus of the present invention fills the void by providing a support for reading material which protects the reading material when not being read.


Provided with a dielectric ceramic composition for microwaves having the formula represented by yMgTa.sub.2-x O.sub.6-5/2x +(1-y)ZnNb.sub.2 O.sub.6 +wC, wherein 0<x.ltoreq.0.8, 0.1.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.w.ltoreq.2 wt %, and C is at least one selected from a group consisting of Sb.sub.2 O.sub.5, CuO, ZnO, NiO, MgO, SrCO.sub.3, BaCO.sub.3, ZrO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, and TiO.sub.2, the composition having a low permittivity of 20-30, a quality factor almost equal to that of Ba(Zn,Ta)O.sub.3 families, and a relatively excellent sintering characteristic, thus particularly suitable for dielectric resonators in a high frequency band above 10 GHz.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dielectric ceramic compositions for microwave application and, more particularly, to dielectric ceramic compositions for microwave devices such as, for example, those having a dielectric resonator designed to operate in a microwave frequency range of 10 GHz above.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, telecommunications such as mobile communication and satellite communication have focused a growing interest in dielectric ceramic devices for microwave application. In particular, mobile communication arrangements which include automobile telephones, cellular phones, pagers and GPS (Global Positioning Systems) employ microwave dielectric materials which are required to possess various electrical and physical properties such as, for example, high permittivity (.di-elect cons.), high quality factor(Q), small temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (.tau..sub.f), and good sintering characteristics.
To meet these requirements, U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,412 by the present inventor discloses a novel dielectric ceramic composition having the formula expressed by B'B".sub.2 O.sub.6 (wherein B' is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Co, Mn, Ni and Zn, and B" is one metal selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta).
Many studies are now being made on the dielectric ceramic compositions that have dielectric properties of high reliability and can be used in a high frequency band above 10 GHz for satellite broadcasting and communication systems. A dielectric ceramic composition used in a high frequency band must have required dielectric properties, e.g., comparably low permittivity of around 20-30, small temperature coefficient of resonance frequency and especially high quality factor, as well as an excellent sintering characteristics.
Based on these requirements, the present inventor studied on the dielectric ceramic compositions having the formula expressed by B'B".sub.2 O.sub.6 (wherein B' is Mg and B" is one metal selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta) and revealed that such dielectric ceramic compositions have dielectric properties of high reliability in a high frequency band of above 10 GHz.


An apparatus comprises red, green and blue LED strings each having a corresponding switching circuit. Each LED string is divided into a plurality of LED segments. The three LED strings are connected in parallel or in series. Each LED string may be connected in series with a respective current source or share a common current source. A controller controls each switching circuit so that the number of LED segments connected in series in the red, green or blue LED string can be respectively controlled according to a color setting signal and the voltage level of an input voltage. A first control method is provided for controlling the apparatus having a constant input voltage and a second control method is provided for controlling the apparatus having a periodically time-varying input voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to light emitting diode (LED) based lighting apparatuses, and more particularly to an apparatus for driving an LED based lighting apparatus having multi-color LED strings.
2. Description of Related Arts
LEDs are semiconductor-based light sources often employed in low-power instrumentation and appliance applications for indication purposes. The application of LEDs in various lighting units has become more and more popular. For example, high brightness LEDs have been widely used for traffic lights, vehicle indicating lights, and braking lights.
An LED has an I-V characteristic curve similar to an ordinary diode. When the voltage applied to the LED is less than a forward voltage, only very small current flows through the LED. When the voltage exceeds the forward voltage, the current increases sharply. The output luminous intensity of an LED light is approximately proportional to the LED current for most operating values of the LED current except for the high current value. A typical driving device for an LED light is designed to provide a constant current for stabilizing light emitted from the LED and extending the life of the LED.
In order to increase the brightness of an LED light, a number of LEDs are usually connected in series to form an LED-based lighting string and a number of LED-based lighting strings may further be connected in series to form a lighting apparatus. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,891 discloses a plurality of LED-based lighting strings as a computer-controllable light string with each lighting string forming an individually-controllable node of the light string.
The operating voltage required by each lighting string typically is related to the forward voltage of the LEDs in each lighting string, how many LEDs are employed for each of the lighting string and how they are interconnected, and how the respective lighting strings are organized to receive power from a power source. Accordingly, in many applications, some type of voltage conversion device is required in order to provide a generally lower operating voltage to one or more LED-based lighting strings from more commonly available higher power supply voltages. The need of a voltage conversion device reduces the efficiency, costs more and also makes it difficult to miniaturize an LED-based lighting device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,781,979 provides an apparatus for controlling series-connected LEDs. Two or more LEDs are connected in series. A series current flows through the LEDs when an operating voltage is applied. One or more controllable current paths are connected in parallel with at least an LED for partially diverting the series current around the LED. The apparatus permits the use of operating voltages such as 120V AC or 240V AC without requiring a voltage conversion device.
US Pat. Publication No. 2010/0308739 discloses a plurality of LEDs coupled in series to form a plurality of segments of LEDs and a plurality of switches coupled to the plurality of segments of LEDs to switch a selected segment into or out of a series LED current path in response to a control signal. US Pat. Publication No. 2011/0085619 discloses an LED selection circuit for an LED driver that drives multiple unequal lengths of LED strings to selectively turn the LED strings on and off corresponding to an input AC line voltage. US Pat. Publication No. 2012/0217887 discloses LED lighting systems and control methods capable of providing an average luminance intensity independent from the variation of an AC voltage.
As more and more LED-based lighting strings are used in high brightness lighting equipment, there is a strong need to design methods and apparatus that can drive and connect the LED-based lighting strings intelligently and efficiently to increase the utilization of the LEDs and provide stable and high brightness by using the readily available AC source from a wall power unit.
In principle, it is possible to generate a light of any desirable color if LEDs of red, green and blue colors are assembled together in a lighting apparatus. In order to operate under the readily available AC voltage, a multi-color LED lighting apparatus presents a further challenge in the design of its driving circuit because the number of LEDs in each color and how the LEDs of different colors are connected in series or parallel have to be considered in addition to the variation of the input AC voltage.
There is a strong need in providing an efficient and flexible driving circuit for the multi-color LED lighting apparatus to generate lights of different colors and different brightness under different lighting and color requirements.

Apparatus for driving multi-color LED strings


An online system determines a frequency with which its users delete information stored in a browser on client devices associated with each user. When a user accesses the online system, the online system determines a user identifier associated with the user and determines if one or more conditions are satisfied based on information received from a browser used to access the online system. If a condition is satisfied, the online system communicates an instruction to the browser to communicate information associated with a third party and the user identifier to the third party. Information previously stored in the browser and associated with the user identifier is compared to information associated with the user identifier received from the browser. Deletion of information stored in the browser is determined when stored information associated with the user identifier differs from received information associated with the user identifier.

This disclosure relates generally to online systems, and in particular to measuring deletion of cookies by users of an online system.
An online system allows its users to connect to and communicate with other online system users. Users may create profiles on an online system that are tied to their identities and include information about the users, such as interests and demographic information. The users may be individuals or entities such as corporations or charities. Because of the increasing popularity of online systems and the increasing amount of user-specific information maintained by online systems, an online system provides an ideal forum for advertisers to increase awareness about products or services by presenting advertisements to online system users. For example, presenting advertisements to users of an online system allows an advertiser to persuade online system users to take an action regarding the advertiser's products or services. Many online systems generate revenue by charging advertisers for each presentation of an advertisement to an online system user (e.g., each "impression" of the advertisement) or interaction with an advertisement by an online system user.
Effectiveness of advertising campaigns conducted on an online system may be improved by storing cookies on a device and/or browser used to access the online system. These cookies enable advertisers to store and retrieve information describing a user associated with the device or browser. For example, a cookie allows an advertiser to determine a user's preferred websites and the user's browsing activity (e.g., information describing the user logging into the online system, describing the user's interactions with advertisements and online content) over a variable time-frame. Cookies may also allow a user to store information describing the user in a cookie associated with a website for subsequent retrieval when the user accesses the website. Content providers may also use cookies to generate browsing histories for various users that may be used to by a content provider to target the user with advertisements for specific products or services.
However, users may delete cookies stored by a browser to clear their browsing histories, to reclaim storage space on a device, and/or to protect their privacy. Users may delete all cookies stored by a browser or may delete cookies associated with by particular websites. When a user deletes cookies, content providers are unable to ensure that the proper content is presented to a particular user.

Measuring deletion of cookies included in browsers used by online system users


Accurate and efficient detection of data duplication is implemented. A data duplication determination part (1A) of a storage system (1) temporarily stores in a pool (4) a target chunk data when a second management table (T2) indicates that the target chunk data, which is included in received data, has already been stored, and, in addition, when data (a fingerprint (FP)) for guaranteeing the identity of the target chunk data is not stored in a third management table (T3). The duplication determination part (1A), in a case where the second management table indicates that another target chunk data that differs from the target chunk is already stored, and, in addition, in a case where determination is made that the FP of the other target chunk data is stored in the third management table, makes a redetermination as to whether the chunk data stored in the pool has already been stored.

The amount of data handled by information processing systems is increasing year by year, and accordingly storage systems with larger capacity are developed to back up the data growing in volume. Backup data often includes the same data as data that has already been stored in the storage system. Therefore, eliminating duplicate data inside backup data makes it possible to effectively utilize the storage resources of a storage system.
In order to check whether identical segments exist in a system, a conventional technique via which a three-stage search is performed to determine (1) whether a segment fingerprint is included in a memory buffer index; (2) whether a segment fingerprint is included in a Bloom filter fo an index; and (3) whether a segment fingerprint is included in an index, is well known (Patent Literature 1).

Data duplication detection system and method for controlling data duplication detection system


A method for aliquoting a sample liquid using a sealing liquid in a microfluidic device includes combining the sample liquid and the sealing liquid, which have different wetting behaviors, to form a two-phase system separated by a boundary surface. The microfluidic device includes a chamber with at least one inlet channel for introducing the liquids and a plurality of cavities configured to be filled via the inlet channel. The inlet channel and the cavities have a geometry that is defined in dependence on the respective wetting behaviors of the sample liquid and the sealing liquid. The method first includes introducing the sample liquid to form a first meniscus configured by the defined geometry, e.g. concave, to fill the cavities. The method further includes introducing the sealing liquid to form a second meniscus configured by the existing, greater contact angle and the defined geometry, e.g. convex, to cover the filled cavities.

The disclosure proceeds from a device or a method of the type of the claims.
Microfluidic analysis systems, called lab-on-a-chip systems, permit automated, reliable, compact and inexpensive processing of chemical or biological substances for medical diagnostics. By the combination of a multitude of operations for controlled manipulation of fluids, it is possible to achieve complex microfluidic process operations.
A fundamental operation is the aliquoting of a fluid, which forms the basis for highly multiplexed nucleic acid-based analysis methods, digital PCR applications or single-cell analyses. The literature has already presented a multitude of approaches based on various mechanisms for aliquoting of a fluid. It is possible here to distinguish between droplet-based approaches and those based on the use of a microfluidic aliquoting structure with a multitude of compartments. In the case of approaches of the first kind, a monodisperse emulsion of droplets in a second liquid immiscible phase is produced and stabilized by using suitable interface-active substances, also called surfactants. This fluidically generates the individual reaction compartments, which can make it difficult to achieve defined pre-storage of reagents in the compartments. In the case of approaches of the second kind, the aliquoting, by contrast, is effected in a microfluidic structure, wherein the aliquots, i.e. the portions, are produced in well-defined compartments. It is possible here for target-specific reagents to be pre-stored in the individual compartments, in order to enable highly multiplexed analyses. Furthermore, these approaches have the advantage that the aliquots are localized at defined positions, which permits easier evaluation.
However, the solutions known to date for microfluidic aliquoting are subject to certain restrictions or place specific demands on the device or the method for operation of the device, such that these cannot directly be mapped onto a fully automated lab-on-a-chip system. Some solutions, for instance, require manual pipetting steps. Other solutions require, for complete filling of the cavities, centrifuging at right angles to the plane of the cavity or centrifuging in the plane of the cavity. Although centrifuging can achieve removal of air trapped in the cavities, centrifuging simultaneously constitutes a significant challenge to a lab-on-a-chip system. Moreover, in the case of a centrifugation in the plane of the cavity, the maximum achievable cavity density is reduced owing to the fluid channels required. Other solutions again are based on the gas permeability of the substrate, in order to be able to displace air trapped in the cavities. The solution described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,150,913 B2 utilizes, for example, the elasticity of the substrate. However, many polymers that permit inexpensive manufacture of microfluidic chips in high-throughput methods such as injection molding usually do not have adequate gas permeability or elasticity. The solution presented in U.S. Pat. No. 8,895,295 B2 requires evacuating of the cavities. Lab-on-a-chip systems can be manufactured inexpensively from polymers, for example PC, PP, PE, COP, COC or PMMA. However, some polymers in untreated form have hydrophobic surface characteristics. For wetting of hydrophobic surfaces with aqueous solutions, additional interfacial energy should be supplied to the system composed of fluid and the solid state. The capillary forces present therefore counter complete filling of the microfluidic structure and correspond to a capillary pressure that prevents spontaneous advancing of the fluid meniscus. It is only the application of a sufficient external pressure that can overcompensate for the capillary pressure present, such that advancing of the fluid meniscus can be brought about. However, for pressure-driven wetting of hydrophobic surfaces in particular with aqueous solutions, a suitable design of the geometry of the microfluidic structures is required to achieve complete filling of the structures and prevent unwanted trapping of air.

Method and microfluidic device for aliquoting a sample liquid using a sealing liquid, method for producing a microfluidic device and microfluidic system


A latch mechanism is provided for securing the lid of a container in a closed position having actuator components that facilitate latching and unlatching of a latch plate of the latch mechanism.

Latches are routinely used on doors, chests, cabinets and other containers where a lid or door must be retained in a closed and locked position. Typically, latches include a latch plate moveable between a latched position and an unlatched position. When unlatched, the latch plate may receive a striker pin mounted to the lid of a toolbox, for example, as the lid is moved to a closed position. Once the lid is closed, the latch plate moves to the latched position to capture the striker pin and retain the lid in the closed position. The latch may be provided with a lock to prevent the latch plate from releasing the striker pin except when unlocked.
A number of designs have been proposed in the prior art to move the latch plate from its latched position to the unlatched position wherein the striker pin may be released. One approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,810 in which a handle mounted to the housing of a latch is pivoted to set in motion a series of components that cooperate to move the latch plate to an unlatched position. In this and similar designs, a first end of the handle is pivotally mounted to the latch housing and its opposite, second end connects to one of the components that function to open the latch plate. The latch plate is opened by moving the second end of the handle to an unlatched position thus pivoting the handle about its first end. A substantial amount of force is required to pivot the latch handle because, as noted above, its second end is directly connected to the series of components that cooperate to open the latch plate.


A method of creating a porous carbon coating on a medical device by applying a precursor carbon material on the medical device and then pyrolysing the precursor carbon material by laser irradiation. The laser irradiation may be focused to carbonize only certain portions of the medical device and any uncarbonized areas can be removed by solvent washing. Also provided is a medical device having a carbonized coating created according to the method of the present invention.

Many implantable medical devices have a coating in which the coating can perform various functions, such as improving the biocompatibility of the device or serving as a drug delivery system. Also, certain types of porous coatings have been proposed to encourage the migration and normal growth of tissue onto the coating. This feature is beneficial in medical devices because it can enhance its effectiveness and reduce the incidence of unwanted effects and complications such as thrombosis, infection, scarring, or abnormal tissue growth.
One type of porous coating is a porous carbon coating, which has been demonstrated to be highly biocompatible. Porous carbon coatings are able to serve as localized drug delivery systems, which is beneficial in improving the effectiveness of medical devices. Therapeutic agents can be loaded into a porous carbon coating on a medical device and released into the surrounding fluid or tissue after implantation.
There are various methods for creating a porous carbon coating on a medical device, including chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and sputtering. Porous carbon can also be created by carbonization in which a carbon-containing precursor material, such as wood, cellulose, coal, or synthetic polymer is pyrolysed. During pyrolysis, the carbon-containing precursor material decomposes, with most of the non-carbon elements, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen being removed in tarry or gaseous form. The resulting carbonization of the carbon-containing precursor material transforms it into a solid porous carbon mass.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0079200 (Rathenow et al.), whose entire disclosure is incorporated by reference herein, describes porous carbon coatings on medical devices created by coating the medical device with a polymer film and then pyrolysing the polymer film by oven heating at high temperatures. The oven heating method of Rathenow results in the uniform carbonization of all parts of the medical device coated with the polymer film.

Medical devices coated with porous carbon and methods of manufacturing the same


A method of cleaving a target nucleic acid molecule is disclosed. A cleavage structure is formed that comprises the target nucleic acid and a pilot nucleic acid. A first region of the target nucleic acid is annealed to the pilot nucleic acid to form a duplex structure. A second region of the target nucleic acid contiguous to the duplex is not annealed to the pilot nucleic acid, thus forming a junction site between the duplex region and the non-annealed region. The cleavage structure is exposed to a cleavage agent capable of preferentially cleaving the cleavage structure at a target site in a manner independent of the sequence of the cleavage structure. The cleavage structure and the cleavage agent are incubated under conditions wherein cleavage can occur.

Cleavage of Nucleic Acid
Many techniques of molecular biology depend on the ability to cleave DNA or RNA molecules specifically at defined locations. Restriction enzymes cleave double-stranded DNA at specific sequences that are usually palindromic and 4-6 base pairs in length. Several hundred restriction enzymes have been discovered, most of which only cleave double-stranded DNA molecules. Several restriction enzymes have been shown to have the ability to cleave single-stranded DNA, albeit with reduced efficiency, at sites that bear the sequence that is normally recognized in double-stranded DNA. While the large number of different restriction enzymes cleave double-stranded DNA at a variety of sites, these enzymes cleave only at sites whose sequences conform to the substrate sequence specificity of the enzyme, and do not cleave at all points that might be desired by the investigator. Therefore, restriction enzymes limit a cleavage reaction to both a specific nucleotide sequence and to the use of double-stranded DNA.
Class IIs restriction enzymes, such as Fok 1, cleave DNA at a site other than their recognition sequences. Fok I can be directed to cleave single-stranded DNA at selected sites through the use of adaptor oligonucleotides that direct it to the DNA (Podhajska et al., Gene, 40, 175-182; 1985). The adaptor must contain two regions--one that serves as the recognition site for the enzyme and another that hybridizes to the single-stranded DNA. The specificity of the binding of the adaptor to its target may be relatively low due to the ability of the enzyme to tolerate mismatched base pairs and the need to incubate the reaction at temperatures below 40.degree. C. Only DNA has been shown to be a substrate for cleavage in this system.
Ribozymes, RNA molecules that possess self-catalytic activity, can be targeted to cleave nucleic acid. However, the specific target cleavage sites have a sequence requirement (Symons, R. Ann. Rev. of Biochem., 61:641-671, 1992).
Other methods of cleaving nucleic acids include the use of non-specific nucleases. A nuclease is an enzyme that cleaves nucleic acids. Endonucleases, such as the restriction endonucleases discussed above, cleave nucleic acids by hydrolysis of internal phosphodiester bonds. Although restriction endonucleases cleave only at specific nucleotide sequences, other endonucleases, such as Mung Bean nuclease, are not sequence-specific. In contrast, exonucleases cleave nucleic acid chains from the ends. An example of a structure-specific nuclease is snake venom phosphodiesterase I which is a nuclease that degrades single-stranded nucleic acids. Non-sequence-specific nucleases, either exonucleases or endonucleases, cannot he used directly to cleave nucleic acid molecules in a sequence specific manner.
RNA can be cleaved at specific sites through hybridization of adaptor molecules that serve as sequence-specific recognition sites for RNases such as RNaseP. (Li, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 89:3185-3189, 1992.)
There is a need in the art of molecular biology techniques for a method to cleave nucleic acids at any specific sequence that is not limited to sequences recognized by restriction endonucleases.
DNA Polymerase
DNA polymerases (DNAPs) catalyze the synthesis of a DNA chain. Additionally, many DNAPs are known to have nuclease activity.
Some DNAPs are known to remove nucleotides from the 5' and 3' ends of DNA chains (Kornberg, et al., DNA Replication, 2d ed., W. H. Freeman and Co., publishers, 1992). These activities are usually termed "5' exonuclease" and "3' exonuclease", respectively. For example, the 5' exonuclease activity located in the N-terminal domain of several DNAPs participates in removal of RNA primers during lagging strand synthesis during replication and the removal of damaged nucleotides during repair. Some DNAPs, such as one isolated from E. coli (DNAPEcl), also have a 3' exonuclease activity responsible for proof-reading during synthesis (Kornberg, supra).
A DNAP isolated from Thermus aquaticus, called Taq DNA polymerase (DNAPTaq), has a 5' exonuclease activity, but lacks a functional 3' exonucleolytic domain (Lawyer, et al., J. Biol. Chem. Sci., 12:288, 1987). Derivatives of DNAPEcl and DNAPTaq, respectively called the Klenow (DNAPKln) and Stoffel (DNAPStf) fragments, lack 5' exonuclease domains as a result of enzymatic or genetic manipulations (Brutlag, et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 37:982, 1969; Erlich, et al., Science, 252:1643, 1991; Setlow, et al., J. Biol. Chem., 247:232, 1972). The 5' exonuclease activity of DNAPTaq is reported to require concurrent synthesis (D. H. Gelfand, PCR Technology; Principles and Applications For DNA Amplification, Henry A. Erlich, ed. Stockton Press, 17, 1989). Although mononucleotides predominate among the digestion products of the 5' exonucleases of DNAPTaq and DNAPEcl, short oligonucleotides (.ltoreq.12 nucleotides) can also be observed, implying that these so-called 5' exonucleases can function endonucleolytically (Setlow, supra; Holland, et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 88:7276, 1991). Thus, we prefer to call these activities "5' nucleases".

Method of site-specific nucleic acid cleavage


A spherical sample cell (FIG. 4A) bears an external inwardly specular laye defining a hollow imaging mirror 11D and an optical aperture 11E. The mirror acts as an integrator of both the exciting radiation for irradiating the sample and the resulting excited radiation to be analysed, the former entering and the latter exiting through the aperture 11E. Optical integration resulting from multiple internal reflections provides multifold increase in excited radiation compared with bare cells, which is of particular advantage in Raman spectrophotometry. Alternatively, the mirror may be provided in two complementary halves in a two-part cell-holder, in which case any conventional sample cell that fits within the mirror may be used. Spectrophotometers adapted for use with the sample cell or the cell holder as well as methods based on them are described.

This invention relates to analytical-sampling devices for handling analytical samples in situations wherein liquid or vapour samples contained in said devices are to be subjected to exciting radiation at the sample station of a spectrophotometer and the resulting excited radiation (also known as stimulated radiation) is to undergo spectroscopic analysis, each device being provided with a hollow imaging mirror that in use surrounds the sample, except for an optical aperture through which the exciting radiation reaches the sample and from which the excited radiation emerges, both undergoing a large number of multiple reflections within the mirror resulting in the sensitivity of said analysis being greatly enhanced. The invention also relates to spectrophotometers co-operating with said devices and to methods of spectrophotometry based on the use of said devices.
Although the present invention may find application wherever radiation stimulated in a sample by exciting radiation is to be subjected to spectrophotometric analysis, its greatest advantage is likely to be associated with its use in laser induced fluorescence and Raman spectrophotometry; this specification will make particular reference to the latter.
It is well known in the art of Raman spectroscopy that the so called Raman effect is extremely weak and that, therefore, sophisticated sampling techniques are required to optimise the collection of the desired Raman scatter and exclude as far as possible the Rayleigh scatter. Both are the result of exciting radiation impinging upon the molecules of the samples, with the important difference, however, that in the case of the former the radiation stimulated in the sample is inelastically scattered by the molecules, and, therefore, carries with it their vibrational and rotational information that permits the Raman spectrum to be traced, whereas in that of the latter it is elastically scattered and conveys no such information but only contributes unwanted background to the Raman spectrum.

Enhancing emission of excited radiation in an analytical sample subjected to exciting radiation


An adjustable length belt clip construction 10 adapted to receive a plurality of belts 100 having different widths. The construction 10 includes a main clip unit 11 having a clip member 40 hingedly connected to a backing plate member 20 wherein both the clip member 40 and the backing plate member 20 are provided with extension elements 43 and 24, respectively, that can be adjusted to vary the effective length of the main clip unit 11. The backing plate member 20 is adapted to releasably receive different decorative face plate units 12.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of decorative accessories for belts in general, and in particular to an adjustable belt clip construction having removable decorative face panels.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos., 4,280,254; 4,819,303; 5,044,049; and 5,333,361, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse belt clip constructions.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical belt clip construction that has an adjustable length as well as a decorative face plate that is removable from the main clip housing.
As most fashion conscious people are all too well aware, standard belt clip constructions not only have a fixed decorative face panel, but are also designed to only accommodate a belt having a specific width.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved type of adjustable belt clip construction whose height can be varied to accommodate different width belts, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.


An arrangement in the on-line finishing of a paper machine, which includes at least one finishing stage (12, 13) for the paper web produced, has cutting equipment (16) for forming the tail as well as tail threading equipment (15) for carrying the tail through the finishing stage (12, 13). At the end of the finishing stage (12, 13) there is a draw point (24), through which a carrier rope system (17) included in the tail threading equipment (15) is adapted to pass. The draw point (24) is formed between one cylinder (28) and a wire (29) arranged in contact with it for forming a single-contact draw point.

The invention relates to an arrangement in the on-line finishing of a paper machine, which includes at least one finishing stage (12, 13) for the paper web produced with the paper machine, and which arrangement includes                cutting equipment (16) prior to the finishing stage (12, 13) for forming a tail from a fully wide paper web,        tail threading equipment (15) for taking the formed tail through the finishing stage (12, 13), and        a draw point (24) at the end of the finishing stage (12, 13) for tensioning and holding the paper web in the finishing stage (12, 13),with the carrier rope system (17) included in the said tail threading equipment (15) being adapted to pass by the draw point (24).
Today in paper machines, the tendency is to locate the finishing line immediately after the production line in order to improve efficiency. This means that the paper web is immediately guided to the finishing process from the last section of the production line without intermediate reeling and a separately located finishing line. In other words, the paper web runs at the production speed during finishing, and therefore the term on-line finishing is also used. Normally finishing includes coating of the paper. To produce an optimum quality paper, the paper web is first precalendered in the finishing process in order to ensure successful coating. Finally the coated paper is often also calendered, which provides a good surface smoothness and gloss, for example, to the coated paper.
The paper web is taken through the various finishing stages by means of a tail formed out of the paper web. The tail also proceeds at the production speed. Consequently, particularly the speed differences between the various tail threading devices often cause a tail threading failure. In addition, the paper web is spread to the full width between the different finishing stages prior to starting the following tail threading procedure. In present applications the tail must be taken, for example, through the coating process and spread to the full width before the paper web can be measured in respect of precalendering. Consequently, controlling of the various finishing stages is indefinite and awkward because the reliability of the effect of the various finishing stages is uncertain. Furthermore, in the situation described above, the coated paper needs to be guided to broke treatment during the precalendering adjustment. This increases the consumption of the coating material and complicates the broke treatment.
Adjustment problems are also created in tail threading because the tail needs to be guided for a long distance. This makes the tail stretch and even break sometimes Also the speed differences between the various tail threading devices and finishing devices lead to tail breaking, in which case the tail threading procedure must be usually started over again. Particularly in the present paper machines the tail threading devices are provided with speed sensors. In practice, however, controlling the speed of the tail threading devices and a sufficiently accurate speed measurement are difficult and sometimes even impossible. With the further increasing speed, the problems become even worse. Normally the tail is transferred through the finishing stage by means of ropes. The finishing stage often ends at a drying unit, which comprises dryer cylinders and a dryer wire. When arriving at the drying unit with the carrier rope system, the tail tends to move onto the dryer wire if even a slight speed difference is present. In this situation the tail normally breaks and tail threading fails. At the same time, parts of the tail remain in the drying unit, which may disturb the following tail threading attempts.
The tail is usually formed out of the paper web using water cutters, which are arranged in connection with the drying units. As the paper web must be cut against the dryer wire, cuttings gradually block the dryer wire. Cuttings also spread into the drying unit and, in the worst case, to the entire finishing process following it. This increases the likelihood of web breaks and impairs the quality of the final product.
Furthermore, various kinds of cleaning devices are required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,396 sets forth a coater and a method for using it. In this method the web is guided to the broke pit at the full web width after unreeling the paper reel. A tail is separated from the web, and this tail is guided to the coating device. After spreading the tail, coating is started. At a web break, the web is led to the broke pit at the processing speed and the tail threading procedure is repeated. The equipment in question is a so-called off-machine coater. In addition, there is low potential in contributing to a successful tail threading.

Arrangement in the on-line finishing of the paper machine


A snapping basketball net includes a plurality of beads supported by a net material. The plurality of beads knock together in response to a basketball passing through the net material. A plurality of retainer members maintain the arrangement of the plurality of beads on the net material.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/559,136 filed Apr. 2, 2004, and entitled "Snapping Basketball Net."
This invention generally relates to a basketball net which enhances the "swishing" sound that occurs when a basketball passes straight through the net.
Every basketball player and fan enjoys the "swishing" sound that accompanies a successful basketball shot. The "swish" sound often adds much excitement to the game, whether playing on a home basketball backboard system or in a gym competitively. The satisfaction a shooter gets by "swishing" a successful basketball shot can often be enough to boost that player's confidence and thereby increase their level of play. Also, the sound of a basketball shot that "swishes" through the net during a crucial moment of the game is greatly disheartening and intimidating to the opponent.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a basketball net that produces a more audible noise or snapping sound to enhance the "swish" effect that occurs when a player makes a perfect basketball shot.


The exercise apparatus targets the muscles around the abdominal, oblique muscles and mid-section of the body. An individual stands upon a platform and grasps a pair of handlebars positioned at waist height. The handlebars are attached to the top of a riser that extends downwards and is attached to a pair of rotating pivot arms. The riser also has a resistance mechanism that allows for compression of the riser in a downward movement. The pivot arms are attached to the center of a resistance device. An individual stands upon the apparatus, and while keeping the lower body relatively stationary, rotates the handlebars from side to side up to 220 degrees of rotation. An individual can also perform abdominal crunches by bending at the waist and pushing the riser downwards against the resistance of the abdominal crunch mechanism, and thus perform abdominal crunches throughout the entire rotation of the exercise apparatus.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to an exercise machine and method of use that primarily targets the abdominal and mid-torso muscles of an individual, but also serves to strengthen the entire body as well as provide a cardiovascular/aerobic workout.
2. Background
This invention was designed to tone the core midsection muscles of a human body. In addition, the machine works the entire body both, strengthening the majority of the muscles and aerobically working the heart muscle.
The primary muscle groups that this invention isotonically targets on the anterior portion of a human body are the a) oblique abdominis muscles ("lovehandles"); b) rectus abdominis Muscles; c) biceps brachii muscles; and the d) pectoralis muscles. The primary muscle groups that this invention isotonically targets on the posterior portion of a human body are the a) erector spinae muscles; b) latissimus dorsi muscles and c) triceps brachii Muscles.
The primary muscle groups that this invention isometrically targets on the anterior portion of the human body are the quadriceps femoris muscles. The primary muscle groups that the invention isometrically targets on the posterior portion of the human body are the a) gluteal muscles (muscles that comprise the buttocks and allow a person to remain in an erect posture); and b) biceps femoris muscles (muscles on the back of the upper leg that enable a leg to bend).
The machine can be used by anyone, young or old, in shape or not, male or female. The resistance is only as difficult or easy as an individual desires, and thus it is safe for everyone. An individual does not have to lie supine or kneel. For some people it is very difficult for them to kneel or lie supine due to arthritis, knee injury, obesity, etc. With this invention an individual only has to be able to stand and grasp a handle and rotate clockwise and counterclockwise by keeping the lower body stationary and by rotating the upper body from the pelvic area. An added component is the ability to perform abdominal crunches by bending at the waist and pushing the handlebars downwards against the vertical abdominal crunch mechanism. An individual can do abdominal crunches throughout the entire rotation of the vertical riser and handlebars about the machine, thus targeting all core muscles in the midsection.

Abliterator: abdomen, obliques exercise machine with crunch component


Electrical devices comprised of nanoscopic wires are described, along with methods of their manufacture and use. The nanoscopic wires can be nanotubes, preferably single-walled carbon nanotubes. They can be arranged in crossbar arrays using chemically patterned surfaces for direction, via chemical vapor deposition. Chemical vapor deposition also can be used to form nanotubes in arrays in the presence of directing electric fields, optionally in combination with self-assembled monolayer patterns. Bistable devices are described.

During the past several decades there has been a nearly constant exponential growth in the capabilities of silicon-based microelectronics leading, for example, to tremendous advances in our computational capabilities. Silicon-based microelectronics, however, can be made only so small. That is, there is a size limitation smaller than which silicon-based microelectronics cannot be fabricated. Specifically, the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (SEMATECH, Austin, 1997) suggest that silicon-based microelectronics, which are typically said to follow "Moore's Law", will continue only to about the year 2010. At this time, two factors are expected to bring Moore's scaling to an end. First, fundamental physical limitations will be reached for both device elements and wire interconnects that will prevent current designs from functioning reliably. Second, the concurrent exponential increase in fabrication (FAB) facility cost is expected to make it uneconomical to consider increasing integration levels further (using silicon technology) even if it is physically meaningful.
These factors, and the expected benefits that could be derived from further dramatic increases in computational power in the relatively near future, have led many to consider new devices and computer architectures. In particular, there has been considerable interest in developing the concept of molecular electronics. Molecular-based electronics can in principle overcome the fundamental physical and economic limitations of silicon-based microelectronics; it is physically possible to have single molecular devices. For example, a conformational change that varies the conjugation in a molecule could behave as a switch or rectifier.
Investigation has taken place into manipulation of molecules at surfaces for electronic applications. Liu, et al, in "Controlled Deposition of Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Chemically Functionalized Templates," Chem. Phys. Lett. 303 (1999) 125-129 report procedures for producing individual, short carbon nanotube segments and for their deposition on chemically functionalized nanolithographic templates. Specifically, a patterned self-assembled monolayer is formed on a surface and a carbon nanotube is adsorbed onto the surface in an orientation corresponding to the pattern. The authors also describe connection of an individual carbon nanotube between two electrodes.
Monolayers have been used to provide molecular electronic devices. Collier et al. describes the use of a Langmuir-Blodgett film of rotaxane molecules interposed between lithographically fabricated wires of micron-scale diameter (Science Vol. 285, p. 391, 1999). This system is useful for read-only memory devices, however, as the configurable elements involve irreversible oxidation of the rotaxane.
Other studies report a single carbon nanotube constructed as an electronic switch (Collins, et al., Science 278 (1997)100), and a room-temperature transistor (Tans, et al., Nature 393 (1998) 49).
To date, there has been considerable progress in characterization of the electrical behavior of individual or small numbers of molecule devices. However, a significant need exists for improvement in molecule-scale electronics, especially for integrating bistable and switchable devices for high-density memory arrays.

Methods of forming nanoscopic wire-based devices and arrays

President and Fellows of Harvard College