An information processing apparatus decrypts stream data encrypted according to a first encryption method using a key encrypted according to a second encryption method. In the apparatus, an update instructing unit identifies the update timings of decryption keys and issues an update command. A decryption key output unit outputs a first decryption key before receiving the update command and outputs a second decryption key generated subsequent to the first decryption key after receiving the update command. An update instruction control unit determines whether the second decryption key has been generated before the first decryption key is updated to the second decryption key. When the second decryption key is generated, the update instruction control unit considers the second key generation point in time to be the update timing from the first decryption key to the second decryption key so as to control the update instructing unit to issue the update command.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a program for processing information and, in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a program that can minimize an adverse effect that occurs when a key required for decrypting stream data is encrypted and an operation for decrypting the key is not completed in time.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an encryption method has been proposed in which stream data including a plurality of successive units of data is sequentially encrypted on a unit-by-unit basis and an encryption key used for encrypting each of the units of data is changed according to a predetermined rule (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-143548).
In addition, the development of an encrypting apparatus that encrypts stream data according to such an encryption method and generates meta data including a plurality of encryption keys used for encrypting the stream data and update information for identifying the timings of updating the encryption keys has started.
Furthermore, the development of a decrypting apparatus that decrypts data encrypted using such an encrypting apparatus by using the meta data generated by the encrypting apparatus has started.
Furthermore, in order to enhance the confidentiality of these encryption keys, a technique for encrypting these encryption keys according to a second encryption method and inserting the encryption keys into meta data has been developed.
Accordingly, in this case, to decrypt each of the plurality of encryption keys encrypted according to the second method contained in the meta data, the decrypting apparatus needs to generate each of the plurality of decryption keys and carry out a decrypting operation using each of the decryption keys.

Method, apparatus, and program for processing information


Piston-type device to regulate pressure in mixing valves, advantageously of the cartridge type, comprising at least an outer containing body (11) with separate inlet holes (15a, 15b) and outlet holes (21a, 21b) for hot and cold water and containing inside a floating piston with apertures on the circumference which can be associated in a variable manner with the inlet holes (15a, 15b), the lateral contact surfaces of the floating piston (14) on the two sides being defined by ribs (19) obtained radially on the outer containing body (11) and extending towards the inside of the regulator device (10), the ribs (19) defining a contact surface at least reduced in relation to the front surface of the floating piston (14).

The state of the art includes cartridge-type mixing valves which have a normally cylindrical cartridge body containing inside those functional elements to supply and restrict the hot and cold water to be mixed and delivered.
The cartridge body normally comprises a lower wall, or closure element, with two inlet holes, respectively associated with the supply pipes of the hot and cold water, and an outlet hole for the mixed water.
The different rates of flow of the water being fed are regulated by activating, by means of a lever, two plates, one stationary and the other movable, in such a way as to reduce or increase the apertures of the respective holes.
One of the most common disadvantages found in these mixing valves derives from the difference between the pressure, and therefore the flow, of delivery of the hot water and the cold water.
This difference in pressures derives from the different delivery points of the supply system from which the two types of water are supplied, and of the consequent different losses in load factor along the relative supply pipes.
In the more up-to-date mixing valves, the state of the art therefore includes, at the inlet to the mixing valve, an equalising device to equalise the two different pressures, thus making it possible to obtain at the outlet rates of flow of hot water and cold water substantially of the same entity.
One type of pressure regulator normally used in the state of the art includes a body, interposed between the supply pipes and the mixing valve and having the relative water inlet and water outlet holes, inside which there is a floating piston which moves towards one side or the other according to the differences in pressure with which the two types of water are supplied by the water supply system.
This movement of the floating piston causes an increase or a reduction in the inlet aperture of the feed channels of the water so that, when there is a condition of equal pressures and therefore the floating piston is stable, the two rates of flow delivered to the mixing valve are substantially equal.
In regulator devices known to the state of the art, it happens that at the end of its travel, both on one side and the other, the floating piston rests substantially with all its front surface on the wall of the body inside which it is contained.
This causes considerable imbalances in the thrust value acting on the piston, as this thrust is obtained as a product of the pressure and the surface.
A solution to this problem has been proposed in EP-A-599.998, which includes slots on the front walls of the piston.
This solution however does not resolve the problem in a satisfactory manner, as it causes difficulties in the working, imprecise regulation, possible imbalances and irregularities in the movement of the piston and other disdvantages.


A wavetrap includes a housing having a base including a base plate. The housing has a wire channel, an inductor pocket and a terminal pocket. The housing has a capacitor pocket that receives a capacitor. The wavetrap includes a defroster wire having a wire end received in the wire channel. The defroster wire extends from the housing for connection to a vehicle defroster circuit. The wavetrap includes an inductor supported by the base plate. The inductor is received in the inductor pocket. The inductor has a coil extending between a first end and a second end. The first end is coupled to the wire end of the defroster wire. The wavetrap includes a ground terminal supported by the base plate. The ground terminal is received in the terminal pocket. The ground terminal is electrically connected to a ground circuit.

The subject matter herein relates generally to a wavetrap system for a vehicle.
Vehicles, such as automobiles, include rear window defroster systems that are used to defrost the rear window of the vehicle. The rear window defroster system includes a heater grid of wires across the rear window. The rear window defroster system includes a positive side coupled to a positive power supply of a battery of the vehicle and a negative side that is electrically grounded. Some vehicles utilize the heater grid of wires as an antenna circuit. Such vehicles use a wavetrap system to electrically isolate the vehicle defroster circuit from the battery or other electrical systems of the vehicle. The wavetrap system includes a positive side wavetrap and a negative side wavetrap. The positive side wavetrap includes different components than the negative side wavetrap, leading to design of two completely different components, which increases the overall cost of the wavetrap system.
A need remains for a cost effective and reliable wavetrap system for a vehicle defroster system.


A mobile terminal establishes a long distance wireless communication with a printing device in accordance with identification information communicated between the mobile terminal and the printing device using the near field communication. The mobile terminal transmits a print command to the printing device using one of the near field communication unit and the long distance communication unit. The mobile terminal determines, after the print command was transmitted, and transmits, to the printing device, using the long distance communication unit, a print termination command, when the mobile terminal is spaced from the printing device by the first distance.

1. Technical Field
The following disclosures relate to a printing apparatus, a mobile terminal, and a computer-readable recording medium storing instructions to be executed by the mobile terminal.
2. Related Art
Recently, in order to enable communication between mobile terminals such as a smartphone, a tablet PC and a device having a printing function, a plurality of wireless communication methods are generally employed. Examples of such a wireless communication method is Bluetooth® which is a registered trademark of Bluetooth sig, Inc., Wi-Fi® which is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance, an NFC which is an abbreviation for a Near Field Communication, and the like. Further, a handover technique is suggested to make use of the plurality of wireless communication methods. For example, the NFC is used to establish a wireless communication between a mobile terminal and the printing device at an initial stage, and then, making use of the NFC communication, the communication method is switched to another method with which data can be transmitted/received at a higher speed than the NFC.
For example, given that a first communication device and a second communication device are to transmit/receive data, the first communication device first obtains a communication method and an encryption method from the second communication device using the NFC wireless communication. If the obtained communication method and the encryption method match the communication method and the encryption method of the first communication device, the first and second communication devices start the data communication using the communication method of which speed is higher than the NFC.

Mobile terminal, printing apparatus and computer-readable recording medium storing program therefor


Pharmacogenetic methods for determining a predicting responsiveness to antifolate therapy for subjects that present with recent-onset undifferentiated arthritis. The methods are based on the determination of a set of clinical parameter values and determining a predicted responsiveness to antifolate therapy by correlating the parameter values with predefined responsiveness values associated with ranges of parameter values. Parameters values that are decisive for responsiveness to antifolate therapy may include polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD1) gene as well as in three genes involved in the adenosine release pathway, the presence or absence of Rheumatoid factors, gender, pre- or postmenopausal status and/or smoking status.

Individualized treatment decision-making is one of the most important challenges of medicine. To this end, a number of studies have recently appeared that associate clinical variables or gene-expression profile with disease outcome, thereby providing help for clinicians in treatment decisions in several diseases (e.g. Hodgkin disease, lymphoma).
Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to progressive joint and cartilage destruction. (1) Patients with active RA generally experience declining functionality and disability within two years of disease onset. (2) RA treatment is, since the last decennium, characterized by earlier and more intensive treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), as this treatment strategy prevents joint damage and functional disability. Recent clinical studies demonstrate that early therapeutic intervention with combination strategies, with or without anti-tumor necrosis factor agents (anti-TNF agents) are superior to monotherapy with DMARDs and considerably improves RA prognosis. (3-5)
Although combination strategies are more efficacious, such intensive approach is probably not necessary for all newly diagnosed RA patients. (6; 7) In addition, combination treatment with anti-TNF agents or corticosteroids possibly introduces patients to other risks, such as serious infections or osteoporosis. (8; 9) As a result, it is important to determine whether patients have a high probability of response to monotherapy to preclude or prescribe combination treatment.
Methotrexate (MTX) is the most widely used DMARD in clinical practice, although the factors determining MTX efficacy are largely unknown. The influences of demographic, clinical immunological and genetic factors on the state of disease in RA patients have been previously studied (10-18). Polymorphisms in genes encoding methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), adenosine monophosphate deaminase (AMPD1), aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase (ATIC) and inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) demonstrate an association with MTX response. (19-21) Non-genetic factors such as low disease activity at baseline, male sex, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and lower creatinine clearance are also related to MTX efficacy (22). However, these associations, alone or in combination, were not transformed into clinical decision tools to guide MTX treatment in patients.
Therefore, there is still a need to explore additional polymorphisms in genes that are associated with MTX response and a need for a clinical pharmacogenetic model that reliably predicts the efficacy of MTX monotherapy in patients with recent-onset arthritis.

Pharacogenetic method for prediction of the efficacy of methotrexate monotherapy in recent-onset arthritis


A method for fabrication of local interconnects in an integrated circuit, and an integrated circuit formed according to the same, is disclosed. According to the disclosed embodiment, a first and a second conductive structure are formed over the integrated circuit. An insulating layer is formed over the integrated. A first photoresist layer is formed over the insulating layer, patterned and developed. The insulating layer is etched to expose selected regions of the first and second conductive structures. A refractory metal layer is formed over the integrated circuit. A barrier layer is formed over the refractory metal layer, and optionally a refractory metal silicide layer is formed over the barrier layer. A second photoresist layer is formed over the barrier layer, patterned and developed. The refractory metal layer and barrier layer, and the refractory metal silicide layer if formed, are etched to define a conductive interconnect between the exposed selected regions of the first and second conductive structures.

With the trend to continue to miniaturize semiconductor integrated circuits to achieve submicron feature sizes, local interconnection has become of prime importance in semiconductor manufacturing. Local interconnects have been used to achieve increased packing density in sub-micron integrated circuit designs. Local interconnects are an extra level of interconnect used for connecting closely spaced elements in a layout design.
Local interconnects typically do not cross over any portion of other interconnect layers, although they may cross over field oxide regions. Local interconnects may be used to connect N+ regions to P+ regions or to connect source/drain regions to gates. Local interconnects must meet certain basic requirements to achieve the objective of increased packing density. The materials used for the local interconnects must provide for low contact resistance to source/drain regions and provide low sheet resistance. In order to prevent subsequent severe topography, local interconnects must be thin, e.g., less than 2500 Angstroms. Further, local interconnects must be capable of acting as a barrier to prevent interdiffusion of dopants between P and N regions.
Numerous techniques have been used to implement local interconnects. These techniques typically introduce new processing technologies above and beyond those used for the remainder of the device fabrication process flow. Such techniques include, for example, the use of titanium nitride for the local interconnect. Titanium is deposited and followed by a thermal treatment. However, this technique creates high sheet resistance and discontinuity over source/drain regions due to the thinning of the titanium nitride layer. An additional layer of titanium nitride may be formed by depositing titanium followed again by a thermal treatment to overcome these problems but the process steps then become complicated.
Another technique includes the use of a polycide layer for the local interconnect. Selective deposition of refractory metals on silicon has also been proposed for local interconnects. The quality of the conducting element formed using such techniques varies, with some techniques resulting in fairly good conductors. Such techniques, however, typically introduce additional process complexity to the normal process flow. This additional complexity tends to decrease device yield and increase cost.
It is desirable to use local interconnection in integrated circuit design because of the layout area savings. It would be desirable to provide a local interconnection fabrication technique which does not introduce additional process complexities.

Local interconnect for integrated circuits


Aspects of the disclosure relate to determining perceptive range of a vehicle in real time. For instance, a static object defined in pre-stored map information may be identified. Sensor data generated by a sensor of the vehicle may be received. The sensor data may be processed to determine when the static object is first detected in an environment of the vehicle. A distance between the object and a location of the vehicle when the static object was first detected may be determined. This distance may correspond to a perceptive range of the vehicle with respect to the sensor. The vehicle may be controlled in an autonomous driving mode based on the distance.

Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles which do not require a human driver when operating in an autonomous driving mode, may be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items from one location to another. An important component of an autonomous vehicle is the perception system, which allows the autonomous vehicle to perceive and interpret its surroundings using various sensors such as cameras, radar, lasers, and other similar devices. For example, autonomous vehicles may use the sensors to gather and interpret images and sensor data about its surrounding environment, e.g., parked cars, trees, buildings, etc. Information from the perception system may be used by these vehicles to react to their surroundings by making numerous decisions while the autonomous vehicle is in motion, such as speeding up, slowing down, stopping, turning, etc.
As such, it is important for the vehicle's computing systems to be able to approximate the perceptive range of the vehicle's sensors. This can be especially important to safely determining how far into the future or how far ahead of the vehicle for which the vehicle's computing devices can determine trajectories. Typically, perceptive range is determined or predicted in advance through testing for both optimal and suboptimal conditions, but when occurring in real time, situations such as weather (e.g. rain, fog, snow, dust, etc.) can affect the perceptive ranges in unexpected or undesirable ways. As a result, a vehicle may encounter situations in which the vehicle's computing devices expect that the perception system can perceive objects at distances at which the perception system actually cannot. In other words, when there are no objects close to the vehicle, the computing devices may assume that there are no occlusions and that everything within the predetermined perceptive range is visible.

Assessing perception of sensor using known mapped objects


An apparatus and a method for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication terminal are disclosed. According to the apparatus and the method, when a mobile communication terminal receives a paging channel in a sleep mode, an expiration time of a predetermined timer is retroacted (advanced) or delayed to a reception time of the paging channel within a range in which operations of the mobile communication terminal are not decisively influenced, so that the total number of times of activation of the mobile communication terminal can be reduced. Consequently, power consumption can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a mobile communication terminal sets a sleep mode in order to save power in a waiting state. Further, a mobile communication terminal is activated again when a paging period and an operating system timer expire. The operating system timer denotes various timers provided for operation of a mobile communication terminal. For example, the operating system timer may include a protocol timer, a Man Machine Interface (MMI) timer, an application timer, etc. That is, when a mobile communication terminal is set to receive a paging channel transmitted from a network, the mobile communication terminal must end the sleep mode at a reception point of the paging channel. Further, the mobile communication terminal must end the sleep mode when the various timers of the mobile communication terminal expire. This is also applied when an end point of the sleep mode and a waking point by expiration of the operating system timer are within several tens of ms for reception of the paging channel. In other words, the mobile communication terminal is activated when the timer expires even within several tens of ms. Therefore, power consumption occurs during activation of the mobile communication terminal in each case.
The reception of the paging channel is an operation which must necessarily be performed by the mobile communication terminal at the corresponding point in order to receive system information, but an error of about several tens of ms can occur depending on the type of the system operating timer. However, most timers do not cause fatal defects in the operation of the mobile communication terminal. For example, even though time information displayed on a display screen of the mobile communication terminal has an error of about several tens of ms, a user cannot notice the difference. Accordingly, if a difference of several tens of ms is properly corrected, it is possible to reduce the frequency of terminating a sleep mode and thus reduce power consumption.

Apparatus and method for reducing electric power consumption in mobile communication terminal


A pin has a shank with a spherical lead-in portion at the free end thereof. The spherical lead-in portion has a diameter that is equal to or slightly less than the diameter of a cylindrical portion of the pin. The purpose of the spherical lead-in portion is to allow a greater portion of the pin to enter a matching hole before further alignment of the centerlines of the pin and the hole is required. This makes aligning the centerlines significantly easier and reduces wear on the structure defining the matching hole. A relief portion following the spherical lead-in portion as well as a chamfer following the relief portion aid in the final alignment.

Pins have, traditionally, been designed as one-piece cylindrical rods or pins integrated with pin retainers. Conventional pin retainers have attachment areas suitable for attaching the entire pin to a part after the one-piece cylindrical pin has been assembled to a mating hole. Conventional pins include only a chamfer at the free end to ease their entry into the mating holes. Typically, the mating hole, also has a chamfer to ease the entry of the free end of the pin.


An impact-safe projectile launcher for use within an inflatable structure is presented. The projectile launcher comprises a launch tube having an inner end and an outer end. A mount connects the launch tube to the inflatable structure, e.g. a bounce house. An air inlet is provided at the inner end of the launch tube. A projectile inlet is provided downstream of the air inlet at the inner end of the launch tube. An air blower is connected to the inflatable structure and operatively connected such that air flows continuously from the air blower through the air inlet down the launch tube. The continuous flow of air propels impact-safe projectiles that are inserted into the projectile opening down the launch tube and out of the projectile launcher through the outer end of the launch tube.

Projectile launchers for propelling impact-safe foam projectiles are generally known and used in participatory play structures. Known projectile launchers include a launch tube sized and configured to accommodate insertion of an impact-safe projectile with substantially little or no friction between the launch tube inner wall and the projectile. A nozzle is disposed at one end of the launch tube. The nozzle receives compressed air and discharges a stream of high-velocity air which impinges upon the projectile within the launch tube. The flow of air into the nozzle is controlled by a play-participant-actuated valve. Upon actuation of the valve the nozzle discharges a stream of high-velocity air which transfers momentum to the projectile, propelling it down the launch tube and into the air or at a selected target. Compressed air is typically supplied by a compressor having an operating pressure of about 40-60 PSI. Projectiles may be inserted into the launch tube through an inlet or a feed tube which intersects the launch tube at the rear end of the projectile launcher.


A cigarette case includes an outer casing hingedly secured to a cover; a U-shaped first pusher proximate the other side of the outer casing and including at least one longitudinal groove or arcuate section; a trigger member secured onto the other side of the outer casing; a spring biased hinge-type ejector lid on a top corner of the outer casing; a sliding cross-shaped second pusher; and a sliding V-shaped member resiliently interconnecting the second pusher and the cover. A plurality of cigarettes are contained in a space defined between the first pusher and the second pusher such that pulling up the trigger member a predetermined distance will lift the first pusher to cause the at least one cigarette engaged therewith to open the ejector lid.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to accessories for smoking tobacco, and more particularly to a cigarette case having an improved cigarette ejection mechanism for ejecting one or two cigarettes in a dispensing operation.
2. Description of Related Art
There have been numerous suggestions in prior patents for ejecting a cigarette from a cigarette case. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,717 discloses a cigarette case for automatically lighting and ejecting a cigarette contained therein. While the '717 patent can accomplish its objective, its gear mechanism and conveyor are relatively complex in constructions, resulting in an increase in the manufacturing cost. Thus, continuing improvements in the exploitation of cigarette case having a simple cigarette ejection mechanism are constantly being sought.

Cigarette case with cigarette ejection mechanism


The present invention relates to a nectarine tree, Prunus persica, and more particularly to a new and distinct variety broadly characterized by a large size, vigorous, self-fertile, productive and regular bearing tree. The fruit matures under the ecological conditions described in mid July, with first picking on Jul.13,1997. The fruit is uniformly large in size, acidic and sweet in flavor, globose in shape, freegstone in type, firm in texture, and mostly red in skin color. The variety was a first generation cross using an unnamed freestone peach as the selected seed parent and `August Red` (U.S. Plant Pat. No.6,363) nectarine as the selected pollen parent.

In a continuing effort to improve the quality of fresh market and shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine and peach seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as `Western Pride`. The present variety was developed by us in 1987 in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was a first generation cross using an unnamed freestone peach as the selected seed parent and `August Red` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,363) nectarine as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock, the standard of the stone fruit industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is most similar to the `Summer Bright` nectarine, (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,049), by producing yellow flesh nectarines that mature in the latter part of July, that have sweet acidic flavor, and that are mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by requiring higher chilling, by blooming later, and by producing fruit that matures about 5 days later, is larger in size, and is freestone instead of clingstone.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, `August Red` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,363) by producing large yellow flesh nectarines that are mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that ripens about about month earlier and that is freestone instead of clingstone.


An electron beam exposure device in which an electron beam from an electron beam source is passed through at least a slit of a first slit assembly. The first slit assembly includes: a base; a bearing assembly; a stage rotatably supported by the base via the bearing assembly; a stage rotation adjusting mechanism; a slit member; and at least one heat transfer path means for transferring heat of the stage to the base, wherein the at least one heat transfer path means enables the rotation of the stage by the stage rotation adjusting mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electron beam exposure devices, and more particularly, to a block type electron beam exposure device or a variable rectangular type electron beam exposure device, having a heat dissipating ability. By such electron beam exposure devices, an electron beam is formed into a beam having a rectangular cross-section by being passed through a slit assembly, and thus forms a beam which may be projected onto a wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, demands have increased for an electron beam exposure device such as a precise forming of a LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) pattern which may reliably correspond to a fine structure of the LSI and a high-speed forming of the fine LSI pattern in order to improve a throughput of the circuit.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2 are diagrams showing a conventional first slit assembly 10 which is provided next to an electron gun in a conventional block type electron beam exposure device. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a top view of the first slit assembly 10 and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view of the slit assembly 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view of a region of a stage of the first slit assembly 10 in a magnified scale.
As shown in these figures, the first slit assembly 10 used in a conventional block type electron beam exposure device is comprised of a housing 11, a base 12, a bearing 13, a stage 14, a slit member 16, worm gear 17, a motor 20, an exhaust port 21, and a cover 23.
The base 12 is fixed in the housing 11 and the stage 14 is rotatably supported by the base 12 with respect to a vertical axis 15 via the bearing 13. The slit member 16 is fixed on the stage 14 and the worm gear 17 is provided with the stage 14. The slit member 16 has a structure in which a plurality of slit forming members 26 are combined with each other so that a slit 25 having substantially a rectangular shape is formed in a center thereof. Each of the slit forming members 26 may be made of such metal as molybdenum having excellent thermal resistance.
The worm gear 17 may be comprised of a worm wheel 18, which is integrally formed with the stage 14, and a worm 19, which is supported by the base 12. The worm 19 is actuated by the motor 29 which is provided outside of the housing 11. The interior of the housing 11 may be maintained in a vacuum via the exhaust port 21. The slit member 16 is covered by the cover 23, which is fixed to the base 12, having a hole 22 at substantially the center thereof.
The electron beam irradiated from the electron gun passes through the hole 22 and reaches the slit 25 where a peripheral portion of the beam is blocked by the slit member 16. Thus, the electron beam which is passed through the slit 25 has a cross-section matched with the shape of the slit 25 (a rectangular shape in this case). The electron beam from the first slit assembly 10 having a cross-section of a rectangular shape may be projected onto a wafer through electromagnetic lenses and deflectors so that a LSI pattern is precisely formed on the wafer.
On the other hand, the reason that the stage 14 should be rotated with respect to the vertical axis 15 is that a phase of a second slit assembly (to be described later) is slightly rotated with respect to the electron beam whose cross-section is formed in a rectangular shape by the first slit assembly 10 due to the setting accuracy of the electromagnetic lens L1b or a subtle change in the strength of the electromagnetic lens Lb1 and it is necessary to carry out an adjustment operation corresponding to the above rotation. The adjustment, in which the stage 14 is rotated with respect to the vertical axis 15, may be made by appropriately operating the motor 20 before the irradiation of an electron beam so that the stage 14 is rotated, via the worm gear 17, in a range of a few degrees. In this manner, the parallelism and the vertical relationship of the electron beam passed through the first slit assembly 10 with respect to the sides of the second slit assembly may be adjusted within a predetermined range.
As mentioned above, when the cross-section of the electron beam is shaped into a rectangular form by the slit member 16, the peripheral portion of the electron beam is blocked by and irradiated onto the slit member 16. Thus, the temperature of the slit member 16 is increased by the electron beam. In order to lower the temperature of the slit member 16, the heat generated in the slit member 16 may be transferred to, in order, the stage 14, the base 12 and the housing 11.
However, as indicated by an arrow 30 in FIG.2, the heat transfer path from the stage 14 to the base 12 is narrowed by the plurality of balls of the bearing 13, whose contacting area is restricted (i.e., small) and unstable due to the circular shape thereof. Thus, the heat transfer efficiency from the stage 14 to the base 12 tends to become insufficient, and hence the temperature of the slit member 16 tends to be increased depending on the irradiation time and strength of the electron beam. If the temperature of the slit member 16 exceeds a certain limit, the slit member 16 may be melted or physically damaged, and hence a precise forming of a circuit pattern cannot be achieved by the slit member 16.
Also, because of this tendency of the slit member 16 to be heated to a high temperature, it is difficult to increase the strength of the electron beam in order to increase the speed of forming a circuit pattern using a conventional electron beam exposure device.
Moreover, when ozone gas is used to eliminate charge-up (or dust) in the column of the electron beam exposure device, the surface of the slit member 16 is easily oxidized upon contact with the ozone gas since the temperature of the slit member 16 is high. If the surface of the slit member 16 (the surface of the slit 25) is oxidized, the sides of the rectangular cross-section of the electron beam is no longer sufficiently straight, and hence a precision of a circuit pattern formed by the irradiation of the thus formed electron beam is lowered.
Further, the effect of a backlash associated with the worm gear 17 is likely to occur appeared as a slight shift in position of the stage 14 in the rotation direction. If the position of the stage 14 in the rotation direction is changed, an image projected onto a wafer through the slit is shifted in the rotation direction and a precision of a circuit pattern will also be decreased.


The present invention relates to a plate speaker, and more particularly, to a guide damper intended for a plate speaker and made of a flexible synthetic resin material. The guide damper for a voice coil plate for a plate speaker includes: a coil plate bonding part made of a flexible synthetic resin material and having an integrated structure, wherein the coil plate bonding part has a groove in the lengthwise direction thereof such that the voice coil plate is seated on the central portion thereof; an outer frame having a closed loop shape and adhering to a base frame defining the outer shape of the plate speaker, wherein the outer frame defines the outer shape of the damper; and a damper bridge connecting each of the left and right sides of the coil plate bonding part to the outer frame, wherein the damper bridge provides damping between the coil plate bonding part and the outer frame.

A speaker has a voice coil and a diaphragm interposed between magnets and generates a sound as the diaphragm vibrates by the movement of the voice coil.
A plate type speaker has a plate voice coil and magnets arranged at both sides of the voice coil with a predetermined space, and an induced electromotive force is generated by the Fleming's left hand rule and the Lorentz rule to form a frequency corresponding to a voice and reproduce the sound by vibrating the diaphragm using the frequency.
The voice coil is spirally wound or printed as a pattern in an oval shape on one side or both sides of a coil base of a plate shape so as to form a voice coil plate.
The diaphragm is attached on the top of the voice coil plate in the lengthwise direction, and a sound is generated as the diaphragm vibrates according to the movement of the voice coil plate.
A guide damper is used to transfer the vibration from the voice coil plate to the diaphragm, and a damper covered with a piece of thin cloth or made of a metal material is used as the guide damper in the prior art.
In the plate type speaker, although the structure of the voice coil is important to efficiently transfer sound energies, damper capability of the guide damper, which is a medium for transferring the energies, is very important. For this reason, development of the guide damper is still under progress and advanced until present.

Damper of a voice coil plate for a plate speaker


Improvements and modifications to an electrical grid interconnector initially adapted for electrically and mechanically interconnecting conductors in parallel which improvements and modifications permit the electrical connector to additionally connect the two conductors in perpendicular relationship. The connector includes a C-shaped clamp body member which has a lower surface, a flat back surface and a downwardly curved upper surface. A wedge member, moved by screw means relative to the body member, works against the lower surface of the C-shaped clamp member. A slot is provided in the clamp body member extending from the lower surface thereof upwardly through the rear wall and curved top wall thereof. Alternate conductor interface inserts are provided which are positioned between the two conductors to be interconnected. The first insert includes parallel conductor engaging upper and lower surfaces and the second insert includes perpendicular upper and lower conductor engaging surfaces thus permitting the conductors to be interconnected in parallel when the conductors run parallel to the clamp body member by use of the first interface insert and to be interconnected perpendicular to one another with one of the conductors extending through the conductor slot when the second interface insert is utilized.

The present invention is directed toward an electrical connector and, more particularly, toward an electrical grid interconnector which is adapted to electrically and mechanically interconnect two electrical conductors such as an electrical transmission conductor to a distribution conductor.
The present applicant is the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,222 issued Nov. 15, 1983. The subject matter of this patent is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings as prior art. The disclosure in the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,222 is hereby incorporated by reference into this patent application.
In summary, the applicant's prior patent discloses an electrical connector which utilizes a C-shaped clamp body member 10 which includes a bottom wall 11, a flat rear wall 12 and a downwardly curved top wall 13. The electrical connector of the applicant's prior patent further includes a wedge 14. The wedge 14 is moved axially of the body member 10 by means of a screw 15 passing through and journaled within a tab 16. One end of the screw 15 is threaded into a threaded bore 17 at its first end and works against the wedge at its opposite end as the screw 15 is turned by means of a nut 18 engaging the outside edge of the tab 16. Thus, as the screw member 15 is rotated by means of the nut 18 and is threaded within the threaded bore 17 of the body member 10, the wedge will advance. As the wedge 14 advances, the under surface 20 of the wedge 14 engages the upper surface 21 of the body member thus advancing the upper surface 21 of the wedge upwardly toward the curved top wall 13.
The electrical connector of the applicant's patent is designed to interconnect mechanically and electrically an upper conductor 22 and lower conductor 23 disposed in parallel relationship. The upper surface of conductor 22 is designed to engage the downwardly curved top wall 13 of the clamp body member whereas the lower surface of the lower conductor 23 engages a complementary elongate recess 24 (shown in FIG. 2) of the wedge 14.
Disposed between the upper conductor 22 and lower conductor 23 is a parallel conductor interface insert 25..The conductor interface insert 25 includes a conductor engaging upper surface 28 having formed therein a conductor engaging recess 29 which engages the upper conductor 22. In a like manner, the conductor interface insert 25 includes a conductor engaging lower surface 30 having formed therein a conductor engaging recess 31.
As the screw 15 is advanced relative to the clamp body member 10, the wedge will bring the upper surface 21 of the wedge into contact with the conductor 23 which, in turn, comes into engagement with the conductor engaging recess 31 of the conductor interface insert 25. In a like manner, the conductor engaging recess 29 of the conductor engaging insert 25 comes into engagement with the lower surface of the conductor 22 ultimately forcing the upper surface thereof into engagement with curved top wall 13.
The conductor interface insert 25 includes a tang 32 extending outwardly therefrom. The tang 32 is used in conjunction with a hot stick which grips the tang and is used to insert the tang between the conductors while the conductors are electrically charged. In a like manner, the nut 18 can drive the screw 15 by means of an insulated wrench mechanism to permit installation of the electrical connector with the conductors alive.
The electrical connector of the applicant's invention works exceedingly well with parallel conductors. However, to interconnect conductors at a transverse or perpendicular angle, an entirely different connector must be utilized. This is obviously a drawback in that a utility company or other concern utilizing such conductors must maintain a complete supply of two totally separate connectors. Accordingly, what is needed in the industry is a universal connector that will connect both parallel and perpendicular conductors.


This disclosure describes an aerial vehicle, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”), which includes a plurality of maneuverability propulsion mechanisms that enable the aerial vehicle to move in any of the six degrees of freedom (surge, sway, heave, pitch, yaw, and roll). The aerial vehicle may also include a lifting propulsion mechanism that operates to generate a force sufficient to maintain the aerial vehicle at an altitude.

Unmanned vehicles, such as unmanned aerial vehicles ("UAV"), ground and water based automated vehicles, are continuing to increase in use. For example, UAVs are often used by hobbyists to obtain aerial images of buildings, landscapes, etc. Likewise, unmanned ground based units are often used in materials handling facilities to autonomously transport inventory within the facility. While there are many beneficial uses of these vehicles, they also have many drawbacks. For example, due to current design limitations, unmanned aerial vehicles are typically designed for either agility or efficiency, but not both. Likewise, aerial vehicles are designed to only operate with four degrees of freedom-pitch, yaw, roll, and heave.
While implementations are described herein by way of example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementations are not limited to the examples or drawings described. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit implementations to the particular form disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include," "including," and "includes" mean including, but not limited to. Additionally, as used herein, the term "coupled" may refer to two or more components connected together, whether that connection is permanent (e.g., welded) or temporary (e.g., bolted), direct or indirect (e.g., through an intermediary), mechanical, chemical, optical, or electrical. Furthermore, as used herein, "horizontal" flight refers to flight traveling in a direction substantially parallel to the ground (e.g., sea level), and that "vertical" flight refers to flight traveling substantially radially outward from the earth's center. It should be understood by those having ordinary skill that trajectories may include components of both "horizontal" and "vertical" flight vectors.


An improved method and composition for achieving a kinetically-controlled solder bond is disclosed having particular application to the fabrication of hybrid integrated circuits and optical subassemblies. The method involves the use of a solder layer, a quenching layer, and a control layer disposed between the solder layer and quenching layer, in which the control layer is advantageously comprised of a thin film of platinum. Additionally, a barrier layer, also preferably comprised of a thin film of platinum, is disposed between the solder layer and the parts to be bonded to prevent the oxidation of solder materials during the soldering process or later storage of the soldered parts.

In fabricating hybrid integrated circuits and optical subassemblies, it is necessary to achieve high-strength bonds having high thermal and electrical conductivity between submount metallization parts and parts bonded to the submount. One method commonly used to achieve such bonds is soldering. For example, a metal mixture (a solder), is disposed between a laser chip and a substrate, and the solder is melted in contact with the two parts and then resolidified. Generally, resolidification is achieved via thermodynamic bonds, that is, by reducing the temperature of the parts and the solder, which causes the material of the solder to freeze with the material of the parts. If the parts are never again exposed to a temperature high enough to melt the solder, the bond remains solid.
One disadvantage of soldering methods involving thermodynamic bonds is that they cannot be used with a high probability of success if after the initial bond is formed, the parts must be raised to a temperature close to or above the softening point of the solder. For example, with a solder comprised of gold and tin, the solidus line of the composition may be at approximately 280 degrees Centigrade. With thermodynamic bonds, the integrity of the solder may be jeopardized if the parts are later raised above that solidus line. This is an especially difficult problem when the parts must be maintained in a precise dimensional alignment, which is the case when lasers are bonded in an optical system. Thus, efforts recently have been directed toward developing bonds that will remain intact even at temperatures above the melting point of the original solder composition. In S. Bader, W. Gust, and H. Hieber, "Rapid Formation of Intermetallic Compounds by Interdiffusion in the Cu-Sn and Ni-Sn Systems," ACTA METAL. MATER. Vol. 43 (1995), at 329-337, there is discussed the use of binary intermetallic formulations that reportedly provide a solder system in which the usage temperature may be greater than the melting temperature of the original solder materials. Bader et als. teaches the use of a binary formation with no controlling elements.
Kinetic bonds (bonds controlled with the use of chemical reaction rates and controlling elements), may prove advantageous over thermodynamic bonds or pure binary bonds. With kinetically-controlled bonds, the timing of chemical reactions (kinetics) controls the degree of melting, oxidation, or chemical transformation and thereby the wetting, flow, and strength of the solder bond. For example, a solder comprising one or more layers of elements may be incorporated on one part or the other. Additional layers of solder elements may be added to the solder to cause the melting point of the solder to vary as the elements of the parts are absorbed within the solder. These additional layers are referred to herein as "quenching layers." Thus, freezing may be induced with the incorporation of quenching layers of additional elements rather than by solely lowering the temperature. In such solder arrangements, the bond can sometimes be made so that it will remain solid even at temperatures above the melting point of the original solder composition.
For example, a kinetically-controlled bond involving the use of quenching layers known in the art involves the use of a gold-tin (AuSn) solder in the bonding of gold (Au) or gold-covered parts. In the bonding of two parts, such as a laser chip and an optical sub-assembly substrate, a mixture of gold and tin is commonly used for a solder layer which is applied to one part, e.g., the substrate. In thin film applications, the solder layer typically will comprise a plurality of layers, such as alternating layers of gold and tin. The solder layer is melted by applying a temperature to it and the substrate that is slightly above the eutectic point of the solder, to ensure complete melting of the solder layer. Once the solder layer is melted, a quenching layer (such as an additional layer of gold), is added, and the second part (the laser chip), may then be applied on the quenching layer. Alternatively, one or more additional solder layers or quenching layers may be added before the second part is applied. As the solder and quenching layers freeze, they bond the two parts together.
With this process, the quenching layer increases the bond strength and provides some added control over the bonding. As the quenching layer is incorporated into the solder layer and the bond thus formed, the temperature at which the mixture is solid (the solidus line) rises as a function of the atomic fraction of gold in the mixture. Hence, the incorporation of additional gold (the quenching layer), which is not part of the original solder layer allows one to adjust the rate at which the material is brought to freezing, as opposed to by simply lowering the temperature. However, this type of solder bond remains difficult to control under most circumstances, because the additional elements often will be rapidly incorporated into the solder layer, such that the bond must be made quickly to avoid premature freezing. There generally remains a need for obtaining better control over this soldering process.
Another drawback with the above-described method (besides the rapidity of the reaction and the need to obtain greater control over the process), involves oxidation of the solder materials. Oxidation may occur before the bond is formed or during storage. Also, oxide layers and intermetallic compounds formed on the surface of the solder layer prior to bonding can cause a lack of, or a deficiency in, the metal-metal contact and lead to the formation of a bond with undesirable characteristics such as poor strength or low electrical conductivity. Oxidation is particularly problematic when tin (Sn) is used in the solder layer. When tin is used, it may diffuse to the surface of the solder and cause the formation of a layer of SnO.sub.2. This may cause wetting problems during bonding, as the oxide (SnO.sub.2) is moisture sensitive. The diffusion of tin in gold and the mutual diffusion of tin and gold is well-known to be rapid even at room temperature. See. e.g., L. Buene, "Interdiffusion and Phase Formation at Room Temperature in Evaporated Gold-Tin Films," THIN SOLID FILMS 47:159 (1977); S. Nakahara, R. McCoy, L. Buene, and J. M. Vandenberg, "Room Temperature Interdiffusion of Au/Sn Thin Film Couples," THIN SOLID FILMS 84:185 (1981); V. Simic and Z. Marinkovic, "Thin Film Interdiffusion of Au and Sn at Room Temperature," JOURNAL OF THE LESS COMMON METALS 51:177 (1977). Even if the solder layer is pure gold, such oxidation and wetting problems may arise.
Various methods are commonly used to prevent or reduce oxides, for example, storage in inert ambients such as argon; storage at very cold temperatures; the use of fluxes; or reducing the ambient atmospheres during the bonding process. These methods generally are rather costly due to storage or bonding conditions or the equipment required, and they may potentially impact on reliability or process safety. Some recent studies have explored the incorporation of nickel into the soldering structure as a barrier layer to seek to address difficulties encountered with interdiffusion. C. H. Lee, Y. M. Wong (an inventor herein), C. Doherty, K. L. Tai, E. Lane, D. D. Bacon, F. Baiocchi, and A. Katz, "Study Of Ni As A Barrier Metal In AuSn Soldering Application For Laser Chip/Submount Assembly," J. APPL. PHYS. 72:3808 (1992).
For further background regarding solder bonding, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,817, entitled "Compliant Layer Metallization," issued Sep. 24, 1996, to G. Derkits, an inventor herein, and J. Lourenco and R. Varma, which patent was assigned to Lucent Technologies, Inc., the assignee herein, and is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is addressed to improved methods of forming solder bonds and improved solder bond compositions. With the method of the present invention, greater control is achieved over the reaction rates and bonding process so improved bonds may be formed remaining solid even at temperatures above the melting point of the original solder composition. Oxidation of solder materials is also controlled. Further advantages may appear more fully upon consideration of the illustrative embodiments described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Method and compositions for achieving a kinetically controlled solder bond


Corrupted firmware in a modem is automatically replaced. Replacement firmware is stored on a host computer. An update server executing on the host responds with firmware image in response to request from modem. Any interface port may be used to receive updated firmware, including a network interface.

Internet service is ubiquitous in today's network-connected world. Most users of the Internet secure their access through a subscription arrangement with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISPs facilitate communication between subscribers and the greater Internet by offering various modes of connection to their subscribers. The ISP forwards subscribers' outgoing messages to the Internet proper through a high-speed backbone connection. Likewise, subscribers' incoming messages are received from the high-speed backbone and are relayed to individual subscribers. By so doing the relatively high cost of access to the Internet is shared among a large number of subscribers, thus making Internet access affordable to individual users.
ISPs communicate with their subscribers through various kinds of connections, the vast majority of which require the use of some kind of modem. Examples include voice-band dial-up modems, satellite modems, wireless modems, cable modems and, in a growing number of instances, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modems. Given that newer modem technology is relatively young when compared, for example, to voice-band dial-up modem technology, the expense of keeping up to date with the latest developments in modem technology can constitute a significant cost burden for ISPs. One method that modem manufacturers have developed to help to reduce this cost burden is to use non-volatile memory programmable modems. Non-volatile memory programmable technology permits a subscriber's modem to be upgraded by remote control without the need for customer or even manual intervention. Special capabilities in these programmable modems permit the modem operating firmware to be upgraded by means of special signals that can be initiated by the ISP and transmitted over the communications line that connects the subscriber to the ISP's facilities. When a programmable modem receives such a signal, it suspends normal operation and enters a mode whereby certain program code is stored in the modem's non-volatile program memory. In some cases, this may be flash memory or Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). Once code is stored in non-volatile program memory, it is semi-permanent in that the state of the memory is maintained even when modem power is turned off.
The state of affairs just described does not tell the whole story, however. It is unfortunate that communication between ISPs and subscribers' modems cannot be guaranteed to be 100% reliable. In fact, errors are a normal part of life for modems in their normal operating mode, and modem designers have developed many innovative techniques that lower the probability of such errors and that mitigate their effects when they do occur. In spite of these innovations, however, the probability of error during modem communication can never be zero. Additionally, many other sources of disruption in the communication process are outside the control of modem designers. Some of these sources of disruption are lightning strikes, damage to telephone lines caused by traffic crashes, storm damage to telephone lines, loss of power at the subscriber's premises, and the like. Therefore, while means exist for remotely reprogramming modems, the integrity of the process cannot be guaranteed, and means must be sought to cope with the result when the normal remote reprogramming process fails.
The problem is made especially difficult because of the chicken and egg nature of the whole process. Indeed, a subscriber's modem must have valid code on board in order to execute the instructions necessary to receive, process, and reload updated code being received from an ISP. However, given that non-volatile memory is relatively expensive it is normally necessary to erase all of the existing code stored in the memory before beginning the reprogramming process. During this interval, the firmware stored in the non-volatile memory is normally moved to random access memory (RAM). A microprocessor in the modem can then execute the firmware from the RAM image. If for some unhappy reason power to the modem is lost during the reprogramming process, the modem is left with no valid code with which to complete the process. Alternatively, if an error occurs in the sequence of many thousands of bits received by the subscriber's modem during reprogramming, the non-volatile memory will be programmed with invalid code, and the modem simply will not work.
The solution to this problem heretofore has been for the subscriber to return his modem to the manufacturer or dealer to have the unit reprogrammed. While manufacturers and ISPs may wish to believe that such situations occur only rarely, the loss of confidence both in the manufacturer and in the ISP on the part of the subscriber, not to mention the cost and general inconvenience to the subscriber, definitely are not good for business and should be avoided. What is needed is a way to recover from the catastrophic loss of firmware code stored in non-volatile memory that does not burden or inconvenience the subscriber.

Method and apparatus for firmware restoration in modems


A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an apparatus having a processor adapted to receive a message from a portable communication device communicatively coupled to a set-top box presenting a media program and to retrieve from the message a media descriptor associated with the media program. The processor is further adapted to identify according to the media descriptor one or more images of one or more performers commonly presented in the media program, to monitor one or more frames of a live media feed including the media program, and compare the one or more human figures to the one or more images of performers. The processor can also be adapted to recognize a performer from the comparison, to retrieve information associated with the performer, and to transmit the information to the portable communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Media communication systems such as cable TV, satellite TV, and Internet Protocol TV can provide subscribers with hundreds of channel options collectively presenting media programs that span an expansive genre. Consequently, viewers have a rich selection of media programs they can choose from. With such a broad scope of content, subscribers may encounter many actors and actresses that may or may not be known to the subscribers.

System and method for presenting information associated with a media program


A liquid drop discharge device provides a head unit 420 which discharges filter element material relative to each of various colors of color filters. The head unit 420 is composed of an ink jet heads which are arranged on one end of a print substrate plate having a shape of rectangular card and head devices 433 which are arranged on the other end of the print substrate plate comprising connectors 441. The head devices 433 are aligned in two rows, as two groups, in a staggered arrangement so that a portion on which the connectors 441 are aligned in one of the two rows does not face to the same portion of the other in the two rows and protrudes outside of the print substrate plate. The head unit 420 discharges the filter element material onto predetermined portions in a superimposing manner while shifting along a direction which intersects to a direction along which the head devices 433 are arranged.

In recent years display devices which are so called electro optical devices, such as liquid crystal devices and electroluminescent devices and the like, have become widespread as display sections for electronic devices such as portable telephones, portable computers and the like. Furthermore, recently, it has become common to provide a full color display upon such a display device. A full color display upon such a liquid crystal device is provided, for example, by passing light which has been modulated by a liquid crystal layer through a color filter. And such a color filter is made by arranging filter elements of various colors such as R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in dot form upon the surface of a substrate plate which is made from, for example, glass or plastic or the like in a predetermined array configuration such as a so called stripe array, delta array, or mosaic array or the like.
Furthermore, a full color display upon such an electroluminescent device is provided by, for example, arranging electroluminescent layers of various colors such as R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in dot form upon the surface of a substrate plate which is made from, for example, glass or plastic or the like in a predetermined array configuration such as a so called stripe array, delta array, or mosaic array or the like, and sandwiching these electroluminescent layers between pairs of electrodes so as to form picture elements (pixels). And, by controlling the voltage which is applied between these electrodes for each picture element pixel, a full color display is provided by causing light of the desired colors to be emitted from these picture elements.
In the past, there has been a per se known method of using photolithography when patterning the filter elements of a color filter of various colors such as R, G, and B, or when patterning the picture elements of an electroluminescent device of various colors such as R, G, and B. However there are certain problems when using this photolithography method, such as the fact that the process is complicated, the fact that large quantities of the color material or the photoresist are consumed, the fact that the cost becomes high, and the like.
In order to solve this problem, a method has been contemplated of forming a filament or an electroluminescent layer or the like as a dot form array by discharging in dot form a filter element material or an electroluminescent material by an ink jet method.
Now, a method of making a filament or an electroluminescent layer or the like as a dot form array by an ink jet method will be explained. The case will be considered in which, as shown in FIG. 29(a), a plurality of filter elements 303 which are arrayed in dot form are formed, based upon an ink jet method, upon the internal regions of a plurality of panel regions 302 shown in FIG. 29(b) which are established upon the surface of a so called motherboard 301 which is a substrate plate of relatively large area which is made from glass, plastic or the like. In this case, as for example shown in FIG. 29(c), while performing a plurality of episodes of main scanning (in FIG. 29, two episodes) for a single panel region 302, as shown by the arrow signs A1 and A2 in FIG. 29(b), with an ink jet head which has a plurality of nozzles 304 which are arranged in a linear array so as to constitute a nozzle row 305, filter elements 303 are formed in the desired positions by discharging ink, i.e. filter material, selectively from this plurality of nozzles during these main scanning episodes.
These filter elements 303 are ones which are formed by arraying various colors such as R, G, and B and the like as described above in a suitable array form such as a so called stripe array, delta array, or mosaic array or the like. Due to this, in the ink discharge processing by the ink jet head 306 shown in FIG. 29(b), ink jet heads 306 for just the three colors R, G, and B are provided in advance, so as to discharge the single colors R, G, and B. And a three color array including R, G, and B or the like is formed upon the single motherboard 301 by using these ink jet heads 306 in order.
On the other hand, if a plurality of panel regions 302 are formed upon the motherboard 301, then it has been contemplated to form the filter element 303 at high efficiency by using an ink jet head of elongated form so that the ink jet head is positioned along substantially the entire extent of the widthwise dimension of the motherboard 301, which constitutes its widthwise direction with respect to the main scanning direction of the ink jet head. However there is the problem that, if a motherboard 301 is utilized whose size is different from and does not correspond to the size of the panel regions 302, every time this happens, a different ink jet head comes to be required, and accordingly the cost is increased.
Because the ink jet head has a mechanism in which ink is pressurized by a pressing means, for instance a piezo electric crystal, it is necessary wirings through which signal to drive the piezo electric crystal passes. According to the above necessity, a head device which comprises a board on which a ink jet head and a connector by which a circuit for driving the ink jet head are integrally mounted is utilized.
However, it is necessary to consider a working efficiency in wiring the ink jet heads, a layout of the head devices so as to obtain a desired print pattern, and an noise prevention in designing an arrangement of the head devices.

Liquid drop discharge method and discharge device; electro optical device, method of manufacture thereof, and device for manufacture thereof; color filter method of manufacture thereof, and device for manufacturing thereof; and device incorporating backing, method of manufacture thereof, and device for manufacture thereof


A protective structure for thermal insulation and impact resistance, and especially suited for bonded application to the exterior of aircraft including spacecraft to protect the craft from high temperatures generated by exhaust gases and by atmospheric re-entry. The structure includes either a single ceramic tile component with a cover component comprising a fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite encasing the tile component, or a plurality of ceramic tile components with a like single cover component encasing the plurality of tile components. Utilizing the structures as an external aircraft surface imparts a super hard exterior that functions to significantly prohibit impact and erosion damage while not compromising the desirable thermal insulation properties inherent to tile.

(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
This invention relates in general to protective cover structures, and in particular to a protective structure for both thermal insulation and impact resistance wherein thermally insulative tile is encased within an impact resistant fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite material to thereby provide high-temperature protection inherent in tile along with impact-damage protection against high-speed particulate collisions.
The use of ceramic tile as a protective external structure is employed in various aircraft including spacecraft where thermal insulation is required for high-temperature protection against the heat of engine exhaust and of heat generated due to atmospheric re-entry. A typical aircraft application includes the bonding of a plurality of laterally juxtaposed tiles, usually square in shape, onto the aircraft. As is evident, the tiles so bonded are completely exposed and thus subject to all external environmental factors. As a result, while such tiles are highly effective in providing thermal protection, because their physical properties include a relative softness, they relatively quickly degrade due to impact forces upon collision with environmental particulate. Such deterioration results, of course, in high maintenance and product costs because frequent replacement is required to maintain the operability of the aircraft.
Despite the drawbacks associated with ceramic tile usage, no other compositions function as efficiently in providing the thermal protection that the product imparts. In view of this quality, it is apparent that a protective structure embodying ceramic tile coupled with an impact protectorant for such tile would provide an optimum combination usable in high-temperature applications and especially in aircraft applications. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a thermally-insulative ceramic tile structure additionally resistant to impact degradation from striking environmental particulate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermally-insulative ceramic tile structure wherein impact resistance is provided from a ceramic matrix composite encasing a ceramic tile.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a thermally-insulative ceramic tile structure wherein a plurality of ceramic tiles are encased within one ceramic matrix composite encasement to thereby permit enlarged single structures for application to an aircraft.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention is a protective structure for thermal insulation and impact resistance, and is especially suited for bonded application to the exterior of aircraft including spacecraft to protect the craft from high temperatures generated by exhaust gases and by atmospheric re-entry. The structure comprises either a single ceramic tile component with a cover component comprising a fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite encasing the tile component, or a plurality of ceramic tile components with a single cover component comprising a fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composite encasing the plurality of tile components. As is apparent, the latter configuration encompassing a plurality of tile components with a single encasement provides greater efficiency for application to an aircraft, for example, since a plurality can be placed at once. Conversely, the encased single ceramic tile component provides placement flexibility with respect to spacing because of being a smaller structure thereby positionable in tighter constraints.
Utilizing the present structure as an external aircraft surface imparts a super hard exterior that functions to significantly prohibit impact and erosion damage while not compromising the desirable thermal insulation properties inherent to tile. Formation of the structure is accomplished by wrapping one or more ceramic tile components within a single cover component comprising a prepreg ceramic matrix composite to thereby produce a precursor of the protective structure. This precursor is then subjected to a curing process, herein defined as including pyrolysis, to thereby render the prepreg composite as a fired ceramic matrix composite encompassing the ceramic tile component (s). Conventional tile adhesives can be employed to bond the structure at desired sites of the aircraft to thereby accomplish thermal protection while simultaneously protecting against foreign object impact. These benefits result in a more rapid turnaround of aircraft accompanied by significantly lower maintenance and operating costs.

Protective impact-resistant thermal insulation structure


The present invention provides a molecular mechanism for gene containment in sexually reproducing transgenic plants. The mechanism is achieved with a molecular construct comprising a blocking construct (BC) that is inserted fully or partially into an intron of a transgene of interest (TGI). The TGI encodes desired gene products, such as heterologous or homologous proteins, peptides or other useful products. The expression of the BC leads to block of at least one molecular or physiological function that is essential for development or reproduction of the transgenic plant. Thereby the BC expression leads to death or incapacity of sexual reproduction of the plant. Moreover, the mechanism comprises an externally applicable recovering tool to recover the functions blocked by the BC. The recovering tool may be a recovering construct (RC).

The techniques of plant biotechnology have improved during the last ten years so that most of the crop species important to the mankind can be transformed today. This has led to a situation where a continuously increasing number of crop species have been transformed with a continuously increasing number of traits. This together with the concerns of environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops has created a clear need for a new generation of GM-crops having a reduced probability of transgene flow among crops and their relatives. Accordingly, several research groups around the world are currently engaged in developing techniques for gene containment in transgenic crops. Henry Daniel 2002 (Molecular Strategies for Gene Containment in Transgenic Crops. Nature Biotech 20: 591–585) gives a good review of the techniques available today.
The molecular approaches for control of transgene flow can basically be divided into to two groups: one-factor systems and two-factor systems. The one-factor techniques use a negative selection factor to prevent any plant carrying the transgene to interbreed with wild type relatives or with their own offspring. Examples of one-factor technologies are male sterility described in U.S. patent application No. US2002157129, chloroplast transformation described by Scott and Wilkinson in Nat. Biotechnol. 17. 390–392 (1999), technology launched by Monsanto and known as 'terminator technology' described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,765 and tandem mitigation concept described by Gressel in Trend in Biotech. 17: 361–366.
The main limitation of one-factor techniques is that they may not offer absolute transgene containment. The negative selection eliminates transgene from population of plants in course of several generations. Acting as a negative selection factor, male sterility and chloroplast transformation decrease the reproduction capacity of transgenic plants by limiting pollen spread. These methods however, do not prevent transgene flow through seed shatter. The 'terminator' technology prevents gene flow only when killer (or terminator) gene is activated. After the activation of killer gene (negative selection factor) seeds of the next progeny are incapable to germinate and, therefore the plants cannot be propagated further. If the killer gene is not activated the transgene insert can freely flow because the killer gene remains silent.
The idea of tandem mitigation technology is to use genes, which are adverse for wild plants but neutral for cultured transgenic relatives. Because there are no genes absolutely perfect for such purposes, the technology can only exploit genes that reduce the vitality/reproductivity of wild relatives carrying the transgene insert. Therefore the limitation of this technology is that several generations are needed to remove the transgene from population.
Recently, two-factor concepts of molecular control have been proposed to significantly reduce a probability of transgene introgression into a population of sexually compatible plants.
Basically two-factor technologies use the negative selection factor (BC or EC), which absolutely prevents the transgene flow. This is made possible by using another rescuing factor, which represses the action of the first factor, disrupt killer gene or recovers the blocked function of the plant.
International patent publication WO9403619 (Bright et al.) describes a method, where disrupter gene (negative selection factor—BC) disrupts the transgene of interest or its promoter (by Cre recombinase) or kills the plant. Chemically inducible repressor gene represses the promoter of disrupter gene.
International patent publication WO0037660 (Fabijanski et al.) describes the system where lethal gene (BC) is linked to a transgene of interest. Repressor gene (RC) is placed into another allelic (sister) or non-allelic chromosome. Second pair of lethal and repressor genes can be placed in opposite order in the same inserts.
International patent publication WO02064801 (Kuvhshinov et al.) describes a system, where Excision construct EC is linked to the TGI. The EC excises the whole insert from the genome of the host organism under natural conditions. Artificially activated repression construct RC represses the action of the EC and saves the transgenic insert in the host genome. This system removes the entire transgene insert and leaves the host genome free from the foreign genes. Thus, transgenic plants can produce non-transgenic seeds.
Although the described prior art gives advanced alternatives to control transgene flow, none of the prior art resolves the problem of BC being inactivated by mutagenesis. This can happen approximately with a frequency of 10−6. In practice this means once in each middle size field plot during a growth season. The present invention markedly decreases the probability of BC to become inactivated.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/617,543 (Kuvshinov et al.) discloses a two-factor system called RBF (recoverable block of function) system. RBF system comprises a blocking construct (BC) linked to a transgene of interest (TGI) and a recovering construct (RC). According to this invention BC blocks a vital physiological or molecular function of the host plant through developmental or organ specific expression. The RC is induced by an externally controllable stimulus and when induced it recovers the function previously blocked by the BC. Even if this system is a huge step ahead in transgene containment techniques it as such does not remove the possibility of reorganization of genomic DNA in the segregating progenies.
This problem is resolved with the invention according to the present disclosure. The present invention minimizes reorganization of genomic DNA in a RBF system similar to that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/617,543 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,776.
According to the present disclosure the BC is placed into an intron of the TGI, thereby providing an inseparable genetic linkage between the BC and the TGI. This arrangement minimizes the probability of crossing-overs between the BC and the TGI and thereby prevents them being segregated.
Furthermore, this arrangement minimizes probability of large mutations of the BC without destroying the TGI simultaneously. Therefore, this disclosure resolves another problem the prior art includes; i.e. mutated BC would probably not block the reproduction of the transgenic plant and therefore the containment of the transgene would be incomplete if the TGI was not destroyed too.

Molecular mechanisms for gene containment in plants