The present invention provides an automatic lug loader to place blocks on each lug on a lug conveyor in a finger jointing machine. The lug loader includes a support structure with a control station and a feed table. A powered loading conveyor overlies the support structure with an infeed end disposed over the control station. The loading conveyor extends downstream to an outfeed end which is disposed over the upstream end of the lug conveyor. A powered adjuster is connected to the loading conveyor and shifts the loading conveyor toward and away from the control station to selectively grip a block.

Due to the increasing environmental restrictions on logging and diminishing supplies of high quality old growth timber, the cost of lumber has risen dramatically. In particular, clear lumber, lumber that is free of knots or other defects, has become especially valuable. Because of the increasing cost of natural clear lumber, it is desirable to provide a substitute product formed from lower cost raw material such as low grade lumber, i.e. lumber with knots, cracks, or other defects.
One way to create a long piece of clear lumber is to join small clear pieces together, usually with a joint called a finger joint. This is accomplished by cutting the short clear blocks from longer pieces of low grade lumber and joining those blocks together. The use of finger joints in the assembly of the composite board results in a product that has nearly the same strength as a naturally occurring clear board. This allows lumber that is otherwise only suitable for low value uses to be converted to high value clear lumber.
Small pieces or blocks are normally joined together with the aid of a finger jointing machine. The finger jointing machine mills or cuts fingers into each end of the blocks, applies glue to one or both ends and presses the blocks together so that the fingers on each block interlock, thus forming the final product. Most typically, the blocks are carried through the finger jointing machine on a conveyor that has a number of spaced apart lugs. The boards are placed in a spaced apart side-by-side arrangement, one in front of each lug, and the lugs carry or push the boards through the machine. For maximum efficiency it is important that each lug carry a block through the machine. Any missed lugs result in a reduced output level.
In order to have the highest recovery of clear product from low grade source lumber, it is important that the finger jointing machine be capable of working with blocks of varying length. Currently, finger jointing machines can mill and press together blocks as small as 4" in length. The same machines must also accommodate blocks 36" or longer. In order to avoid the additional step of sorting the short clear blocks into groups of uniform length, the machines are designed to accommodate blocks of assorted lengths in random order, within the above range. Thus a 4" block may directly follow a 30" block, which may in turn be followed by a 16" block. Generally a single sequence of blocks will have the same thickness and width, but a finger jointing machine can usually be set to accept various thicknesses or widths of blocks by some adjustment or modification.
In the past, partially because of the need to accommodate blocks of varying length, a human operator has been required to place each block in front of a lug, attempting to utilize every lug. In addition to being labor intensive and monotonous for the operator, this procedure is far from foolproof and many lugs go unused, thereby reducing efficiency.
After the finger joints are milled in the ends of the blocks, the blocks are placed in an end-to-end relationship on a press conveyor that carries the blocks into a pressing stage. The transfer operation from the lug conveyor to the press conveyor is known as a corner operation since the conveyors typically are oriented transversely to one another. In the past, the corner operation, like the feed operation, required a human operator to pick up each block off the lug conveyor and place it on the transverse conveyor. Thus, transferring the blocks from the lug conveyor to the transverse conveyor has been one of the more labor intensive parts of the process of creating finger jointed boards.
This invention addresses these problems by automating both the loading of the blocks in front of the lugs and the corner operation.

Position control apparatus and method for controlling the movement of a block in a woodworking machine


A method and apparatus is provided that comprises an improved substrate polishing pad conditioning plate. In one embodiment, the conditioning plate contains multiple channels interposed between the abrasive surfaces so as to manage slurry and debris to resist clogging the abrasive surface of the conditioning plate so as to enable conditioning of the polishing pad.

During the microelectronic device fabrication process, multiple integrated circuits are formed upon the surface of substrate. Examples of substrates include, but are not limited to silicon wafers, gallium arsenide wafers and the like. Each integrated circuit consists of micro electronic devices electrically interconnected with conductive traces known as interconnects. Interconnects are patterned from conductive layers formed on the surface of the substrate. The ability to form stacked layers of interconnects has allowed for more complex micro circuits to be implemented in and on relatively small surface areas of the substrate. With the number of micro circuits increasing and becoming more complex, the number of layers of a substrate are increasing. Accordingly, planarity of the substrate surface becomes a critical dimension, and is now found to be important to maximizing circuit performance.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a known method of planarizing the surface of a layer of a substrate. CMP combines chemical etching and mechanical abrasion to remove roughness on the surface of the substrate. FIG. 1 is an example of a top view of a known CMP process. During the CMP process, the substrate 10, being attached to a head 12, is inverted such that the integrated circuit-embodied surface opposably faces a polishing pad 14. Polishing pad 14 is saturated with a slurry containing abrasive particles and a mild chemical etchant that softens or catalyzes the exposed surface being planarized. The polishing pad 14 is fixedly attached to a turntable or platen (not shown). The substrate 10 is polished by placing the substrate 10 into contact with the polishing pad 14 while the polishing pad 14 is rotated on the platen. The surface roughness of the integrated circuit-embedded embedded surface of the substrate 10 is removed by the combined action of chemical softening of the exposed surface material and physical abrasion brought about by relative movement between the polishing pad 14, the slurry and the substrate 10.
As portions of the substrate 10 are removed by the polishing pad 14, a combination of slurry and debris tends to clog the surface of the polishing pad 14, such that over time, the polishing pad 14 becomes less effective. The surface of polishing pad 14 is cleaned by conditioning disc 16, which has an abrasive surface that engages the polishing pad surface. Known conditioning discs are typically made of stainless steel and have an abrasive surface, such as coatings like diamond grit or with surface marks. The abrasive surface of conditioning disc 16, however, tends to clog with slurry and debris, thereby rendering less and less effective over time. The spent conditioning discs are removed from the CMP machine and either treated to refresh the conditioning surface or discarded. This process is time consuming, expensive and complicates achieving accurate planarity due to uneven declining effectiveness over the life of the conditioning disc.
Accordingly, new configurations and methods are needed for providing a conditioning disc that will resist clogging, and which provides for minimal downtime and replacement, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

Polishing pad conditioning method and apparatus


A wall hanger includes first and second components. The first component includes a first main body for mounting to a computer device, an insert member provided on the first main body, and a first engaging member provided on the first main body and located above the insert member. The second component includes a second main body for mounting to a wall surface, an insertion groove portion provided on the second main body, and a second engaging member provided on the second main body and located above the insertion groove portion. The insert member is inserted into the insertion groove portion along an insertion direction until the first engaging member is brought into engagement with the second engaging member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wall hanger, more particularly to a wall hanger for hanging a computer device on a wall surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0230102 discloses a mini personal computer (so-called mini PC) having a size smaller than that of an ordinary desktop computer. As a mini PC is much smaller than a desktop computer, it has the advantages of occupying less space, lightweight, portability, etc.
Because of its lightweight and portability, the mini PC may be moved from place to place or may be put in a fixed place during use. In addition, electronic devices such as displays may be hung on a wall to save space due to space utilization planning or design considerations. Thus, it would be highly desirable to develop a positioning structure that permits mounting of the mini PC on a wall surface, for example, and dismounting of the mini PC therefrom for carrying, and that is convenient to operate.

Wall hanger and assembly of the wall hanger and a computer device


An agricultural machine is equipped with a operator's cab and incorporates a gearbox which can be shifted through the various gear stages by means of a shift lever. The shift lever is coupled to the steering column when necessary by a coupling device such that the pivotal movement of the steering column can be utilized to shift gears in the gear box. To this end, an auxiliary pedal for releasing the steering column is provided in the cab in addition to the normal foot pedal. The auxiliary pedal initially releases the gas strut that is retaining the steering column and then inserts a locking pin into a blind hole in the shift lever when the steering column is in the relevant position. In this manner the operator has more free space because the number of elements in the controls are reduced.

The invention relates generally to agricultural machines and more particularly to a self-propelled agricultural machine having a tiltable steering column to which a gear-shift lever is selectively operatively attached.
A multi-stage gearbox is a necessary requirement in self-propelled agricultural machines since the speed of travel is appreciably less when working in the field, such as harvesting, than when running on a highway. The gearbox forming the main drive mechanism normally comprises at least two forward gear stages in addition to a reverse gear stage. These three functions are accessible via a shift lever and a gear-shift-transfer element of the gear box coupled thereto. A rod-linkage assembly, an actuator link or a hydraulic device are suitable for the gear-shift-transfer element. The shift lever is coupled to the input member of the gear-shift-transfer element irrespective of the particular arrangement being used. The gear box is equipped with a slidable shaft on which the relevant gears are moved during a gear change. These gear shifts are effected while the machine is stationary and the speed of travel is regulated by a hydraulic drive arrangement when in either of the two gear stages. In harvesting machines known up to now, the manual shift lever was located in the cab adjacent the operator's seat.
A steering column supporting the steering wheel can be adjusted through a predetermined angular range both forwardly and backwardly in relation to the direction of travel of the agricultural machine so that each operator can set the steering wheel to the most comfortable position. For this purpose, the steering column is constructed as a single unit or consists of several mutually articulated sections. The base portion of the steering column is articulated to the floor of the operator's cab. Locking and releasing devices are provided near the pivotal point in both the single and the multi-section assemblies. These devices, in the form of hand or foot operated levers, are operable from the cab to actuate a control element in the form of a lockable gas strut, for example. In these known arrangements, the number of actuating elements in the cab has been found to be disruptive since they limit the operator's freedom of movement.
A steering device for a self-propelled combine harvester is known from DE 1755309 A1. This includes a joystick which is not used for steering the combine harvester but is connected to a control device so that e.g. the speed of travel of the combine harvester will be altered if the joystick is tilted in the direction of travel. In this case, the joystick is effective on a hydraulic device to alter the speed of travel of the combine harvester in a continuous manner should a sweeping motion occur in the direction of travel or vice versa. This document provides no insight about the operation of a mechanical gear box.
An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled agricultural machine in which the gear shifting function will be ensured in a simplified manner.
Another object is to provide a self-propelled agricultural machine having a gear shifting function but with reduced number of operating devices.
Yet another object is to provide a machine in accordance with the foregoing objects without limiting the ease of operation of the machine by overloading the driving position with operating devices of different sorts.

Self-propelled agricultural machine with gear shifting steering column

CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH


A polyoxymethylene polymer composition is disclosed containing a formaldehyde stabilizer package. The formaldehyde stabilizer package, which contains at least two emission control agents, dramatically and unexpectedly reduces formaldehyde emissions. The formaldehyde stabilizer package includes at least two emission control agents selected from the group of benzoguanamine compounds, a hydantoin, a substituted hydantoin, an amino acid, and an alkylene urea such as ethylene urea.

Polyacetal polymers, which are commonly referred to as polyoxymethylenes, have become established as exceptionally useful engineering materials in a variety of applications. Polyoxymethylene polymers, for instance, are widely used in constructing molded parts, such as parts for use in the automotive industry and the electrical industry. Polyoxymethylene polymers, for instance, have excellent mechanical properties, fatigue resistance, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and moldability.
Although polyacetal resins possess many useful properties, the polymers have a tendency to degrade when heated and are inherently unstable in an oxidative atmosphere or in an acidic or alkaline environment. In particular, polyacetal resins have a tendency to emit formaldehyde during processing and after the polymer has been molded into a part. Formaldehyde is not only a contaminant, but can also adversely affect metallic components that may be placed in association with the polymer. For example, formaldehyde readily oxidizes to formic acid which can corrode metals or cause discoloration.
In view of the above, those skilled in the art have attempted to combine polyacetal polymers with various compounds in order to lower formaldehyde emissions. For instance, in the past, polyacetal polymers have been combined with melamines in order to achieve lower formaldehyde emission performance. In addition, various other chemical compounds have been suggested for lowering formaldehyde emissions.
Although various chemical compounds used in the past have successfully lowered formaldehyde emissions from products made from polyoxymethylene polymers, further improvements in formaldehyde emissions are needed. For instance, stricter government regulations continue to require further Improvements in reducing formaldehyde emissions.
Unfortunately, however, when additives are combined with a polyacetal polymer in order to enhance one property, the additive may have an adverse impact on another property. For example, adding greater amounts of formaldehyde scavengers into polyoxymethylene polymer compositions can compromise one or more properties of the polymer. For instance, excess amounts of formaldehyde scavengers may increase the occurrence of mold deposits and/or begin to adversely affect other physical properties.
In view of the above, a need exists for an improved formaldehyde stabilizer package capable of further reducing formaldehyde emissions without adversely affecting other properties of the polyoxymethylene polymer composition.

Low emission polyoxymethylene composition


A lactone-modified silicone composition comprising a lactone-modified silicone compound of general formula (I), and a low-viscosity silicone oil of general formula (II) having a viscosity of not more than 100 cSt at 25.degree. C., a cosmetic agent containing it, and a lustering agent containing it. ##STR1## In formula (I) above, R.sup.1 is the same or a different group selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, a substituted or non-substituted phenyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, or a phenylalkylene group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms consisting of a substituted or non-substituted phenyl group and an alkylene group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms, and wherein at least 50 wt. % of R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 1 to 30 carbon atoms;. A and B is each the same or a different group, and represents a methyl or R.sup.2 Z group; PA1 wherein R.sup.2 represents a polyester group having an average molecular weight of 200 to 100,000 obtained by lactone ring opening polymerization; PA1 z is a divalent group that connects a silicon atom to an R.sup.2 group;. x is an integer of 3 to 1,000;. y is an integer of 0 to 50; and in formula (II) above,. R is a substituted or non-substituted, the same or a different, monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms; and a is a number of from 1.8 to 2.3. The lactone-modified silicone composition is stable and may be smoothly spread, and it is exceptionally useful as a component for cosmetic agents and lustering agents.

The present invention relates to a silicone composition containing a low-viscosity oil as a base oil, and more particularly to a lactone-modified silicone composition that is very uniform and stable namely, one wherein no separation of components is observed, and a cosmetic agent or lustering agent containing it.
Conventionally, paste-like or grease-like materials containing a silicone oil as a main component have been used in many industries, and recently various wax-like compositions containing a low-viscosity silicone oil have been proposed in many industries, especially in the medical and cosmetic industries, because such a low-viscosity silicone oil is excellent in its smooth spreadability on human skin and its refereshing feeling when it is used, in addition to its good features of low toxicity and little skin irritation. In these wax-like compositions, a large amount of a thickening agent made of inorganic materials such as silica flour, kaolin, talc, sericite, bentonire, etc., or organic materials such as lithium soap, aluminium soap, etc. had to be blended to change a low-viscosity oil to a paste-like or grease-like material (examples of these thickening agents are shown in Silicone Resins, vol. 9, of Plastic Material Series, published by Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun-sha).
However, the use of a large amount of a thickening agent makes it difficult to get a smooth and uniform silicone composition. It has further been pointed out that separation of the silicone oil from the composition often occurs, and thus it fails to maintain its stability.
Wax-like compositions containing a low-viscosity silicone oil have generally also not been known, because the known synthetic or natural waxes are hydrocarbons or their ester compounds, and they are not compatible with a low-viscosity silicone oil, and thus the waxes and the silicone oil separate.
Accordingly, a silicone oil having a relatively high viscosity of not less than 100 cSt at 25.degree. C. have been used as a base oil. However, paste-like or grease-like silicone compositions using a silicone oil having a relatively high viscosity as a base oil cannot be smoothly spread, and often give a sticky feeling when they are used. Thus, it is considered that creams, sticks, ointments, or cake-like compositions using such silicone compositions did not have the needed qualities.

Lactone-modified silicone compositions and cosmetic agents or lustering agents containing them


Communication systems may benefit from connection setup improvements. For example, fifth generation communication systems may benefit from low latency service connection setup for 5G network terminal in new service areas. A method can include receiving an indication of preference for services from a 5G network terminal. The method can also include determining that the indication indicates a preference for low latency services. The method can further include determining whether the low latency services are offered in a tracking area of the 5G network terminal. The method can additionally include communicating with the 5G network terminal regarding the availability of the low latency services.

Field
Communication systems may benefit from connection setup improvements. For example, fifth generation communication systems may benefit from low latency service connection setup for 5G network terminal in new service areas.
Description of the Related Art
New mobile low-latency and ultra-reliable services may be supported in fifth generation (5G), especially for use cases involving vehicle to vehicle (V2V) or vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), collectively V2X.
FIG. 1 illustrates a reference 5G architecture. As shown in FIG. 1, the architecture can be divided into domains of mobile access, networking service, and application. Each domain can include control plane and user plane aspects. At the leftmost side, there can be internet protocol (IP) and Ethernet (ETH) user to network interfaces (UNIs) over a 5G network terminal (NT) serviced by an access point (AP). The access point can be connected by interface S1*c to a control mobility gateway (cMGW) and by interface S1*u to a user plane gateway (uGW). The cMGW can be connected to a home subscriber server (HSS) via an S6a* interface. The uGW and cMGW can be connected to one another over an Sx interface. Thus, the AP, uGW, cMGW, and HSS can be provided in the mobile access domain.
The HSS can be connected to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server over an ASIa interface, which can be one example of an access to service interface (ASI). The cMGW can be connected to a control plane service edge (cSE) node over an ASIc interface. Furthermore, the uGW can be connected to a user plane service edge (uSE) node over an ASIu interface. The cSE can be connected by respective interfaces to the AAA server and the uSE. Thus, the uSE, cSE, and AAA server can be provided in the networking service domain.
The AAA server can interface with an application user database. Furthermore, the uSE can interface with an application server. The application server and the application user database can be provided in the application domain.
V2X is an example use case for local services, and traffic control organized in small geographical areas to cover important road intersections is an example of V2X. Each traffic control area, which is an example of a service area, can use a local virtual private (VP) local area network (LAN) service (in short VPL service), can have a local router, and an application server.
FIG. 2 illustrates a traffic control service use case. As shown in FIG. 2, there can be a plurality of traffic control zones, here illustrated as traffic control zone 1 and traffic control zone 2. The traffic control zones may overlap with a plurality of radio cells. Multiple 5G network terminal (5G NT) devices may be present in the zones. 5G network terminals are examples of user equipment that can be used, although other user equipment are permitted. In FIG. 2, 5G NT3 is shown in traffic control zone 2 and 5G NT2 is shown in traffic control zone 1. 5G NT1 is shown in initially in traffic control zone 1, but moving to the border of traffic control zone 1 and traffic control zone 2. In each zone there can be a respective VPL service instance: VPL service instance 1 is shown in traffic control zone 1 and VPL service instance 2 is shown in traffic control zone 2. Each zone may be provided a respective tenant router and traffic control server. The VPL service instances can belong to a mobile network operator, while the tenant routers and traffic controllers can belong to a traffic control application provider.
The term "local service" can refer to a service that is provided by a mobile network in a pre-defined geographic area of typically some hundred meters to some kilometers extension.
Fundamental challenges in supporting local, low latency and mission critical services, as may be needed for V2X applications, include early detection and fast autonomous setup of the service connection once a 5G NT approaches a respective service area. This may include the special case that the 5G NT moves from one service area, service area 1 to another service area, service area 2.
The service may need to be made available to the 5G NT before the service will be used, such as before the vehicle enters a critical street intersection area. On the other hand, it may not be acceptable to connect potential service users too early to the service, as this may require unnecessary network resources by generating dummy load.
A further challenge is that in idle state the location of a 5G NT may only be known with rather coarse granularity, such as with a tracking area list (TAL), which can make a decision for service connection based on this TAL rather imprecise.

Low latency service connection setup in new service area


A film peeling apparatus includes a peeling pin that push-lifts a first end portion of a cut portion of a film toward a second end portion of the cut portion, a peeling roller that push-lifts the second end portion of the cut portion toward the first end portion of the cut portion by closely contacting the second end portion of the cut portion and rotating, and an absorbing unit that absorbs and removes the cut portion of the film push-lifted by the peeling pin and peeling roller.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a film peeling apparatus and a film peeling method using the same, and more particularly, to a film peeling apparatus that may be used for peeling a portion of a film attached to a panel, such as a protective film for a flat panel display apparatus, and a film peeling method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a protective film for protecting a panel is attached to a flat panel display apparatus, such as an organic light emitting display apparatus or a liquid crystal display apparatus.
The protective film is attached on the front surface of the panel in which an unnecessary portion of the film is cut and peeled off.

Film peeling apparatus and film peeling method using the same


An objective lens system having reconfigurable optical components that enable the inspection of inspection surfaces in the absence of a pellicle or through a thin membrane pellicle, and using the same system, also enabling the inspection of inspection surfaces through a thick pellicle. An objective lens system includes a first group and a second group of optical elements. The first group of optical elements enables high numerical aperture and beam contraction. The second group of optical elements is capable of two mode operation enabling, in one mode, inspection through a thin membrane pellicle or in the absence of a pellicle and in another mode, enabling inspection through a thick pellicle. The system can also be enhanced through the use of an interposable aberration corrector plate that is used to correct optical aberrations caused by the presence, absence, or thickness of pellicles.

In semiconductor processing, photomasks are used in photolithographic processes to define circuit structures on semiconductor substrates. Such masks are protected from environmental contamination and other effects by thin membrane pellicles. Commonly, such pellicles are formed of very thin membranes of organic material. Typically, such thin pellicles are on the order of less than about two micron (μm) thick. With the ever increasing drive toward smaller features sizes and increasing circuit densities, the industry is driven toward the need to obtain higher resolution in the transfer of mask patterns onto semiconductor substrates. One means of achieving this increased resolution is through the use of shorter wavelength exposure sources. One exposure source coming into ever increasing use is the deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser. Typical examples of such lasers are ArF (argon fluoride) lasers and F2 (fluorine) lasers. In common implementation, the F2 laser generates an exposing light beam having a wavelength of 157 nm (nanometers).
Such short wavelength exposure sources can damage conventional thin membrane pellicles after only a few exposures to 157 nm light at typical exposure levels. As reliance on 157 nm exposure sources increases, the traditional thin membrane organic pellicles currently used to protect the mask surface can no longer be used. Consequently, the industry is developing thick fused silica pellicles as an alternative. As used herein, "thick pellicles" are defined as pellicles thicker than about 2 μm thick (particularly, 300 μm and 800 μm thick pellicles). Industry organizations such as SEMATECH and its Japanese analog SELETE have called for the use of 800 μm fused silica pellicles having a thickness tolerance of about ±0.5 μm. Although these thick pellicles are more rugged in the face of UV exposure, the use of these new thicker pellicles presents significant optical problems for the conventional optical systems used in current photomask inspection tools.
In conventional optical systems and inspection tools, the thin organic pellicles are so thin as to be optically insignificant to the optical system, and, in general, can be ignored. For example, in inspection systems having numerical apertures (NA) of 0.8 or less, pellicle thicknesses of 2 μm or thinner have negligible effect on system optical performance, and can be ignored.
In contrast, the thick pellicles proposed by SELETE and SEMATECH will induce significant optical effects that must be corrected in order to obtain satisfactory resolution.
To resolve very small features on a photomask requires a very high resolution imaging system. The resolution of an optical system can be represented by 2*NA/λ, where NA is numerical aperture, and λ is the wavelength of light. Thus, to increase resolution (i.e. to see smaller defects), NA can be increased, λ can be decreased, or both may occur. For high-resolution photomask inspection stations, NA can be pushed beyond 0.8, and λ can be decreased into the UV and DUV regions of the spectrum. However, to detect the smallest of defects under these conditions, these imaging systems must have P-V wavefront errors of well under λ/4 (the well-known Raleigh Criteria) where λ is the wavelength of light used to image the defects. Therefore, the highly aberrated wavefront that results from passing a beam of light through an 800 μm thick pellicle at high NA values, must be corrected. Without such correction, the image quality would be so poor that even large, high contrast defects would be missed during inspection. Thus, it is important that the industry find a solution to this very serious problem.
FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) present a simplified illustration of one aspect of the problems introduced by using thick pellicles. FIG. 1(a) is a simplified and schematic depiction of a generic conventional objective lens system 101. A light beam 102 is passed through the objective lens system 101 where it becomes focused at a point 103 in the image plane 104 of the objective lens system 101. Commonly, many optical elements are used by the objective lens system 101 to correct for a variety of optical aberrations to accomplish the needs of the objective lens system 101. Such optical elements commonly include lenses, lens groups, gratings, apertures, filters, as well as a number of other optical devices known to those having ordinary skill in the art. In a surface inspection tool, an object 105 (e.g., a photomask) being inspected is positioned at the image plane 104 for inspection by the tool.
FIG. 1(b) depicts the same objective lens system 101 as shown in FIG. 1(a). A conventional thin membrane pellicle 106 (e.g., pellicles having a thickness of 2 μm or less) is interposed between the objective lens system 101 and the object 105. As is depicted, the light beam 102 is passed through the objective lens system 101 and is focused at point 103 in the image plane 104. The presence of the thin pellicle 106 has a negligible effect on the light beam. As a result, until now there has not been a need to address the optical effects induced by the presence (or absence) of pellicles.
FIG. 1(c) is a simplified and schematic illustration depicting some of the problems induced by the interposition of a thick pellicle 107 between a conventional objective lens system 101 and an inspection surface (not shown in this view). The light beam 102 passes through the objective lens system 101 onto the thick pellicle 107. The thick pellicle 107 functions as an aberration inducing optical element. An aberration so produced can be generally described as an aperture dependent focus, which results from a beam 102 passing through the thick pellicle 107. This is illustrated in FIG. 1(c) using a few example aperture locations and resultant focal points (110, 111, 112). The presence of the thick pellicle aberrates the light beam 102 such that there is no single focal plane where the parts of the incident beam entering different parts of the aperture, are all in focus. The end result is a blurry, low contrast image. Such a distorted light beam cannot be used to effectively image small defects on a photomask surface. Thus, solutions to this problem are needed.
In particular, there is a need for a lens system (and accompanying inspection tool) capable of inspecting objects through both thick and thin pellicles (or in the absence of pellicles). In some embodiments, the system should also be capable of obtaining a high numerical aperture (NA) and a relatively long working distance. Moreover, it is especially advantageous for such a system to achieve such inspection flexibility by changing, moving, adding or removing only a few optical elements.

Optical compensation in high numerical aperture photomask inspection systems for inspecting photomasks through thick pellicles


The invention disclosed herein relates to a portable roof scaffold system comprising a combination transport/hook/standoff device, a fixed-direction ladder platform, a fixed-direction roof-ladder standoff, a multi-direction ladder platform, a multi-direction roof-ladder standoff, and one or more ladders. The combined use of these devices create an easily handled, easily set-up, scaffold which is supported above the roof surface, or the skeletal framework of a roof. The ladder platforms may be positioned at a predetermined angle with respect to the ladder to form a level working platform on any roof slope, and may be slid along the ladder to raise or lower the working level on the roof even while remaining parallel to the angles of hips and valleys in the roof frame. Self-locking features of the ladder platforms make them easy and safe to relocate as work progresses.

The present invention relates generally to ladders and scaffolding and more particularly to ladder and scaffolding used on sloped roof structures.
In the prior art there are ridge attachment devices, ladder platform designs, and ladder standoffs. While these prior inventions are useful, they do not solve certain problems that continue to plague workers who must perform work on sloping roof surfaces and skeletal roof framework. The inventions cited, while improving the task of moving a scaffold up a roof slope, still require manual manipulations to lock such a device in place, thus placing the worker in an oftentimes awkward and unsafe position. The smaller devices, because they rest directly on the roof, risk damage to roofing materials which may easily occur in cases of extreme hot or cold weather, while the devices that are designed to be supported above the roof are too massive to be practical for the small jobs requiring such a device. In addition, the prior art addresses only the problem of perpendicular attachment of various ladders and platforms in relation to the roof ridge when erecting a scaffold on a roof surface. Not all roof surfaces are planar, but instead are a variety of intersecting planes creating valleys, hips, etc. which the prior art devices cannot reach effectively.
Clearly there is a need in the industry for a light weight, inexpensive, portable roof scaffold that can be quickly installed above a roof plane to protect existing roof surfaces, provide a means to install roof surfaces when only the skeletal frame is finished, and is capable of reaching into valleys.
The desire to meet these needs of the construction industry has been the stimulus for the disclosed invention.


A modular poster print stretch frame for displaying a variety of sizes of poster prints. The modular poster print stretch frame may comprise a plurality of modular frame sections, each having a section body and two or more connectors disposed on at least two faces of the section body, each connector being configured to link the modular frame section to at least one other modular frame section. Modular frame sections may also include a plurality of retaining structures which may be used to retain a fabric sheet, such as a poster print. Some or all of the modular frame sections may be substantially identical to and interchangeable with each other, allowing for simple and easy assembly of the modular poster print stretch frame to a variety of sizes.

Fabric poster prints and photo prints have seen a recent increase in popularity, and have been becoming increasingly ubiquitous as displays in homes, offices, or other locales. Improvements in printer technology have made fabric poster prints and photo prints relatively inexpensive and high-quality, making them increasingly attractive as an option. Many also appreciate the different aesthetics and display methods that may be possible with a fabric poster or photo print. For example, fabric poster or photo prints can be, and often are, displayed as a "gallery wrap," a type of display method that entails stretching the print around the sides of a frame so that the frame is hidden and the print appears to be displayed framelessly. Some fabric poster or photo prints may even be formed around a nonrectangular, or even irregularly-shaped or three-dimensional, frame, such as is done in "shaped canvas" painting.
Many traveling researchers, sales professionals, and other business professionals have also appreciated the travel-related benefits of fabric poster and photo prints for their presentation visual aids or other visual displays. One key benefit is that such displays can be easily folded and placed in luggage without the risk of creasing the fabric poster or photo print, which eliminates the need for the traveling professional to carry around a bulky poster carrying tube as they would traditionally have to.
However, the significant amount of customization potential that is offered by fabric poster and photo printing technology is hampered by the lack of customization innovations in framing techniques for fabric poster and photo prints. Current practices for framelessly displaying fabric poster or photo prints typically require the use of stretcher or strainer bars, which are typically rectangular braces of fixed size that cannot be easily altered once assembled. This limits the sizes and shapes of fabric poster and photo prints that can be framed with a standard frame to those matching the size of the custom frame. Such frames are also often bulky, which causes problems for traveling professionals who may need to transport a display stand or frame that can be used to display their presentation materials.


In accordance with the present invention there is provided a pre-cursor stent for positioning within the infrarenal neck, between an abdominal aortic aneurysm and the renal arteries of a patient to assist in repairing the abdominal aortic aneurysm. The stent is designed to be coupled to a graft for directing blood flow through the aneurysm. The stent is made from a substantially cylindrical self-expanding member having a proximal end, a distal end, a longitudinal axis extending therebetween and an interior. The precursor stent further includes at least two spaced apart longitudinal legs having distal and proximal ends, the proximal ends of the legs attached to the distal end of the member, the legs extending distally from the member, each the leg including a flange adjacent its distal end. Also in accordance with the present invention is an aortic graft, having the above mentioned precursor stent attached thereto when fully deployed. Further in accordance with the present invention is a delivery apparatus for the above described precursor stent.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a sac caused by an abnormal dilation of the wall of the aorta, a major artery of the body, as it passes through the abdomen. The abdomen is that portion of the body which lies between the thorax and the pelvis. It contains a cavity, known as the abdominal cavity, separated by the diaphragm from the thoracic cavity and lined with a membrane, the peritoneum. The aorta is the main trunk, or artery, from which the systemic arterial system proceeds. It arises from the left ventricle of the heart, passes upward, bends over and passes down through the thorax and through the abdomen to about the level of the fourth lumbar vertebra, where it divides into the two common iliac arteries.
The aneurysm usually arises in the infrarenal portion of the diseased aorta, for example, below the kidneys. When left untreated, the aneurysm will eventually cause rupture of the sac with ensuing fatal hemorrhaging in a very short time. High mortality associated with the rupture has led to the present state of the art and the trans-abdominal surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. Surgery involving the abdominal wall, however, is a major undertalkng with associated high risks. There is considerable mortality and morbidity associated with this magnitude of surgical intervention, which in essence involves replacing the diseased and aneurysm segment of blood vessel with a prosthetic device which typically is a synthetic tube, or graft, usually fabricated of either DACRON.RTM., TEFLON.RTM., or other suitable material.
To perform the surgical procedure requires exposure of the aorta through an abdominal incision, which can extend from the rib cage to the pubis. The aorta must be closed both above and below the aneurysm, so that the aneurysm can then be opened and the thrombus, or blood clot, and arterioscieriotic debris removed. Small arterial branches from the back wall of the aorta are tied off. The DACRON.RTM. tube, or graft, of approximately the same size of the normal aorta is sutured in place, thereby replacing the aneurysm. Blood flow is then reestablished through the graft. It is necessary to move the intestines in order to get to the back wall of the abdomen prior to clamping off the aorta.
If the surgery is performed prior to rupturing of the abdominal aorta aneurysm, the survival rate of treated patients is markedly higher than if the surgery is performed after the aneurysm ruptures, although the mortality rate is still quite high. If the surgery is performed prior to the aneurysm rupturing, the mortality rate is typically less than 5%. Conventional surgery performed after the rupture of the aneurysm is significantly higher, one study reporting a mortality rate of 66.7%. Although abdominal aortic aneurysms can be detected from routine examinations, the patient does not experience any pain from the condition. Thus, if the patient is not receiving routine examinations, it is possible that the aneurysm will progress to the rupture stage, wherein the mortality rates are significantly higher.
Disadvantages associated with the conventional, prior art surgery, in addition to the high mortality rate, are: the extended recovery period associated with such surgery; difficulties in suturing the graft, or tube, to the aorta; the loss of the existing thrombosis to support and reinforce the graft; the unsuitability of the surgery for many patients having abdominal aortic aneurysms; and the problems associated with performing the surgery on an emergency basis after the aneurysm has ruptured. As to the extent of recovery, a patient can expect to spend from 1 to 2 weeks in the hospital after the surgery, a major portion of which is spent in the intensive care unit, and a convalescence period at home from 2 to 3 months, particularly if the patient has other illness such as heart, lung, liver, and/or kidney disease, in which case the hospital stay is also lengthened. Since the graft must be secured, or sutured, to the remaining portion of the aorta, it is often difficult to perform the suturing step because of thrombosis present on the remaining portion of the aorta, and that remaining portion of the aorta wall may be friable, or easily crumbled.
Since the thrombosis is totally removed in the prior art surgery, the new graft does not have the benefit of the previously existing thrombosis therein, which could be utilized to support and reinforce the graft, were the graft to be able to be inserted within the existing thrombosis. Since many patients having abdominal aortic aneurysms have other chronic illnesses, such as heart, lung, liver, and/or kidney disease, coupled with the fact that many of these patients are older, the average age being approximately 67 years old, these patients are not ideal candidates for such surgery, which is considered major surgery. Such patients have difficulties in surviving the operation. Lastly, once the aneurysm has ruptured, it is difficult to perform a conventional surgery on an expedited basis because of the extent of the surgery.
Accordingly, the prior art teaches various methods and apparatus for repairing an abdominal aortic aneurysm which is believed to lower morbidity and mortality rate by not requiring an abdominal incision and general anesthesia, not requiring suturing the graft to the remaining aortic wall, and which permits the existing aortic wall and thrombosis therein to be retained to reinforce and support the aortic graft. An example of such a method and apparatus is given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,316,023 issued to Palmaz et al. on May 31, 1994; 5,360,443 issued to Barone et al. on Nov. 1, 1994; 5,578,071 issued to Parodi on Nov. 26, 1996; and 5,591,229 issued to Parodi on Jan. 7, 1997, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Devices, such as the one shown in the above referenced Barone patent, use an improved method for repairing an abdominal aortic aneurysm in an aorta having two iliac arteries associated therewith. The device includes first and second tubes, preferably made from a variety of materials such as DACRON.RTM. and other polyester materials, TEFLON.RTM. (polytetrafluoroethylene), TEFLON.RTM. coated DACRON.RTM., porous polyurethane, silicone, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, and expanded polyurethane. It is preferred that all of the foregoing materials be porous to allow for an intimal layer to form on the tubes 160. Each of the tubes are connected to expandable and deformable, tubular members, or stents. These stents can be similar in structure to those described in disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,665 issued on Mar. 29, 1988; U.S. Pat. 4,739,762, issued on Apr. 26, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,337 issued on Oct. 11, 1988, all of the foregoing patents being in the name of Julio C. Palmaz, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Each of the tube/stent structures are then disposed on the end of a balloon catheter. Either both tubes are inserted into the same femoral artery or one of the tubes is inserted into one femoral artery of the patient and the other tube is inserted into the other femoral artery of the patient. Thereafter the tubes are intra ally delivered to the aorta, thereby disposing at least a portion of each tube within the abdominal aortic aneurysm. The balloon catheters are then expanded to expand and deform the tubular members, to force the tubular members radially outwardly into contact with the aorta and each other. This secures the tubular members and a least a portion of each tube within the aorta, whereby the tubes provide a bilateral fluid passageway through the abdominal aortic aneurysm.
While the above mentioned devices would seem to work well, there is a desire to improve upon the device. More particularly, there was a need to ensure that most of the blood flowing through the abdomen, flows through the bilateral fluid passageways and not around them where it could cause further damage. The precursor stent gasket described in the above referenced parent case to this application, limits the amount of blood which could leak around the bilateral fluid passageways and into the aneurysm. The precursor stent is positioned within the infrarenal neck, between an abdominal aortic aneurysm and the renal arteries, of a patient to assist in repairing the abdominal aortic aneurysm. The stent is designed to be coupled to the bilateral grafts for directing blood flow. The graft has a distal end for positioning distal to the aneurysm, and a proximal end for positioning proximal to the aneurysm. The precursor stent includes a substantially cylindrical expandable member having a proximal end, a distal end and an interior. The stent further includes a compressible gasket member located within the interior of the expandable member and attached thereto. The compressible member is substantially impervious to blood when in a compressed state. In addition, the stent has a means, within the compressible member, for coupling the graft to the gasket member. This is so the coupled device can direct blood flow through the graft, with the gasket member substantially preventing blood from flowing into the aneurysm.
While the above described precursor stent gasket works well, there has been a desire to improve upon it. There has been a desire to design an improved gasket which can be more accurately placed within the body by making the gasket retrievable back into the delivery device if the physician determines that his current placement is not ideal. That is, a retrievable and repositional stent would be advantageous. While retrievable stents are known in the art, none of them allow the body or member of the stent to be fully deployed and then recaptures without having the stent attached to a separate line or the like. In addition, in the past making the stent gasket retrievable posed design difficulties. The retrievable features should not interfere with the gasket material. Puncturing the gasket material might lead to blood leakage within the aneurysm. In addition, the small size of the precursor stent gasket and its delivery system poses some difficulties with retrievability. The present invention not only overcomes these problems associated with prior precursor stents, but provides a advantageous repositionable and recapturable stent that can have many applications other than abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Stent which is easily recaptured and repositioned within the body


Systems and methods are provided for decoding signal vectors in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, where the receiver has received one or more signal vectors based on the same transmitted vector. The receiver linearizes each received signal vector using one or more zero-forcing, MMSE, or other suitable linear equalizers. The components of the equalized signal vectors may be combined using maximum-ratio combining to form the components of a combined equalized signal vector. The components of the combined equalized signal vector may then be decoded individually using a linear decoder.

The systems and methods described herein relate to a technique for decoding a received signal vector in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) data transmission or storage system, where the receiver may receive multiple instances of the same transmitted signal vector.
In a data transmission or storage system, it is desirable for information, often grouped into packets, to be accurately received at a destination. A transmitter at or near the source sends the information provided by the source via a signal or signal vector. A receiver at or near the destination processes the signal sent by the transmitter. The medium, or media, between the transmitter and receiver, through which the information is sent, may corrupt the signal such that the receiver is unable to correctly reconstruct the transmitted information. Therefore, given a transmission medium, sufficient reliability is obtained through careful design of the transmitter and receiver, and of their respective components.
There are many strategies for designing the transmitter and receiver. When the channel characteristics are known, the transmitter and receiver often implement signal processing techniques, such as transmitter precoders and receiver equalizers, to reduce or remove the effects caused by the channel and effectively recover the transmitted signal. Intersymbol interference (ISI) is one example of a channel effect that may be approximately eliminated using signal processing.
However, not all sources of signal corruption are caused from deterministic sources such as ISI. Non-deterministic sources, such as noise sources, may also affect the signal. Due to noise and other factors, signal processing techniques may not be entirely effective at eliminating adverse channel effects on their own. Therefore, designers often add redundancy in the data stream in order to correct errors that occur during transmission. The redundancy added to the data stream is determined based on an error correction code, which is another design variable. Common error correction codes include Reed-Solomon and Golay codes.
One straightforward way to implement a code is to use forward error correction (FEC). The transmitter encodes the data according to an error correction code and transmits the encoded information. Upon reception of the data, the receiver decodes the data using the same error correction code, ideally eliminating any errors. Therefore, "decoding" is hereinafter referred to as a method for producing an estimate of the transmitted sequence in any suitable form (e.g., a binary sequence, a sequence of probabilities, etc.)
Another way to implement a code for error correction is to use automatic repeat request (ARQ). Unlike FEC, ARQ schemes use error-detecting rather than error-correcting codes. The ARQ transmitter encodes data based on an error-detecting code, such as a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code. After decoding the data based on the error-detecting code, if an error is detected, the receiver sends a request to the transmitter to retransmit that codeword. Thus, ARQ protocols require a forward channel for communication from transmitter to receiver and a back channel for communication from receiver to transmitter. Ultimately, the receiver will not accept a packet of data until there are no errors detected in the packet.
Finally, FEC and ARQ may be combined into what is known as hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). There are at least three standard HARQ protocols. HARQ type-I typically uses a code that is capable of both error-correction and error-detection. For example, a codeword may be constructed by first protecting the message with an error-detecting code, such as a CRC code, and then further encoding the CRC-protected message with an error-correcting code, such as a Reed-Solomon, Golay, convolutional, turbo, or low-density parity check (LDPC) code. When the receiver receives such a code, it first attempts FEC by decoding the error correction code. If, after error detection, there are still errors present, the receiver will request a retransmission of that packet. Otherwise, it accepts the received vector.
HARQ type-II and type-III are different from HARQ type-I, because the data sent on retransmissions of a packet are not the same as the data that was sent originally. HARQ type-II and type-III utilize incremental redundancy in successive retransmissions. That is, the first transmission uses a code with low redundancy. The code rate of a code is defined as the proportion of bits in the vector that carry information and is a metric for determining the throughput of the information. Therefore, the low redundancy code used for the first transmission of a packet has a high code rate, or throughput, but is less powerful at correcting errors. If errors are detected in the first packet, the second transmission is used to increase the redundancy, and therefore the error correcting capability, of the code. For example, if the first transmission uses a code with a code rate of 0.80, a retransmission may add enough extra redundancy to reduce the overall code rate to 0.70. The redundancy of the code may be increased by transmitting extra parity bits or by retransmitting a subset of the bits from the original transmission. If each retransmission can be decoded by itself, the system is HARQ type-III. Otherwise, the system is HARQ type-II.
It is beneficial for an ARQ or HARQ receiver to utilize data from multiple transmissions of a packet, because even packets that contain errors carry some amount of information about the transmitted packet. However, due to system complexity, and in particular decoder complexity, many practical schemes only use data from a small, fixed number of transmissions. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system or method for effectively utilizing information from an arbitrary number of transmitted packets that does not drastically increase the complexity of the system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Maximal ratio combining of equalized symbols for MIMO systems with HARQ and/or repetition coding


A cash register power supply system is disclosed which isolates the work system from the battery charging system. A battery charger charges one of two batteries while the other battery drives a cash register. A timer and switching mechanism switch the batteries between charge and work systems at regular time intervals. Thus, the work system is isolated from the house current and the possibility of power surges which can affect the cash register memory.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cash register power supply systems, and more particularly, to battery powered cash register power supply systems having a work system isolated from the charge system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Previous cash register power supply systems have had the problem of having a work system not isolated from the house alternating current. Thus, if a power surge or drop occurred, for example during an electrical storm, it would be transmitted to the cash register, often adversely affecting the cash register memory.


Improved treatment of superficial bladder tumors through the administration by intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin is realized through the use of therapeutic composition comprising bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) suspended in a 0.15 M sodium chloride solution containing a buffer to maintain the pH of the solution in the range 6.6 to 7.4, preferably 7.0. A kit and method are provided whereby such a composition may be employed to maximize intravesical attachment of BCG for improved efficacy.

This invention relates to the administration of bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the treatment of superficial bladder tumors and, more particularly, to an improved kit and method for such administration through the use of an optimal diluent formulation.
Based upon the original work by Morales and associates, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been administered intravesically in the treatment and prophylaxis of recurrent bladder tumor. Morales et al., J. Urol., 116:180, 1976. In the initial study, 120 mg. BCG were reconstituted in 50 cc. normal saline and instilled via a catheter into the bladder. Patients were advised to retain the BCG solution for not less that 2 hours and additionally, patients received 5 mg. BCG intradermally. Treatments were given weekly for 6 weeks. This original regimen was arrived at arbitrarily and was amenable to modification as future data became available.
In subsequent studies, modification of this regimen focused on the elimination of the intradermal dose of BCG, increasing the number of weekly BCG treatments, introduction of maintenance BCG dosage schedules and introduction of other substrains of BCG. See Martinez-Pineiro, Bladder Tumors and Other Topics in Urological Oncology, Edited by M. Pavone-Macaluso et al., New York:Plenum Press, p. 175,1980; Brosman J. Urol., 36, 1985; Hudson et al., J. Urol., 138:295, 1987; Lamm et al., J. Urol., 135:272,1986; Brosman, J. Urol., 128:27, 1982; Lamm et al., J. Urol., 128:931, 1982; Lamm, J. Urol., 134:40, 1985; Mori et al. Urol. Int., 41:254,1986; and Kelley et al., J. Urol., 134:48, 1985. In these studies, little attention has been paid to the actual administration conditions of the individual doses of BCG. Diluents reported in the literature for the reconstitution of lyophilized BCG preparations include normal saline, phosphate buffered saline or sterile water. The retention time for each BCG dose in these prior studies has been 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Recent studies have suggested that an initial requisite step in mediating the antitumor effect of BCG is attachment of BCG organisms to matrix fibronectin at sites of urothelial disruption. Ratliff et al., J. Urol., 139:3:410, 1988. Fibronectin is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 440 kD. It is found in a soluble form in plasma and other body fluids, and in an insoluble (matrix) form on cell surfaces, basement membranes and extracellular matrixes. Mosher, Prog. Hemat. Thromb., 5:111,1980. It has been demonstrated that pretreatment of BCG with soluble fibronectin prevents the binding of BCG to matrix fibronectin exposed on the murine bladder wall after mucosal disruption. Ratliff et al., supra. The inhibition of intravesical BCG attachment resulted in the loss of antitumor activity. Ratliff et al., Cancer Res. 47:1762, 1987.
There has been a continuing need to determine the optimal composition and physical conditions for the diluent in which the BCG is suspended and the interval that BCG is exposed to fibronectin so as to maximize the efficacy of BCG administration.

Kit and method for administration of bacillus calmette-guerin for the treatment of superficial bladder tumors


A method, a system, and a computer program product for processing the output of an OCR are disclosed. The system receives a first character sequence from the OCR. A first set of characters from the first character sequence are converted to a corresponding second set of characters to generate a second character sequence based on a look-up table and language scores.

Machine Translation (MT) systems are increasingly being used in various business processes for breaking the language barrier. In scenarios where hard-copies of documents need to be translated automatically, the MT systems can be used after the documents are processed by an OCR. The output of the OCR might be noisy. The noise refers to various possible errors such as, but not restricted to, character replacement or segmentation errors. In case of a character replacement error, a character in an image is wrongly recognized as a different character or a sequence of characters. In case of segmentation errors, either a space between two words is not recognized or one or more extra spaces are inserted in the middle of a word. Such noisy output may result in faulty translation by the MT system. Further, correcting such errors manually takes considerable time and effort.

Method for processing optical character recognizer output


A tracer object for tracing a user or process in a data processing system is provided. An application receives a tracer key containing a request for information to be traced. The received tracer key is checked against all tracer keys that the application has stored. If a match between two tracer keys is found, the stored tracer key maps the tracer key containing the request to the stored tracer key's associated tracer object and applies the conditions and modifiers contained in the tracer key containing the request to the tracer object. The tracer object then gathers the required information as requested.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data processing systems and, in particular, to a method, system, and computer program product for tracing a particular user or process in a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computing technology has resulted in immensely complicated and ever-changing environments. One such environment is the Internet, which is also referred to as an "internetwork." The Internet is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. When capitalized, the term "internet" refers to a collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called the "Web". Other internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transactions using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files such as text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc. HTTP is made up of header information and content. HTTP allows for the creation of custom headers. The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The Internet also is used widely to transfer applications to users using browsers. Often times, users may search for and obtain software packages through the Internet.
Other types of complex network data processing systems include those created for facilitating work in large corporations. In many cases, these networks may span across regions in various worldwide locations. These complex networks also may use the Internet as part of a virtual product network for conducting business. These networks are further complicated by the need to collect and analyze data concerning software application errors that occur within the network.
Often, software applications exhibit problems that only occur in a specific customer environment. This makes duplication of the problem in a controlled environment difficult if not impossible until the nature of the problem is determined. Unfortunately, the information necessary to isolate the exact nature of the problem can be difficult to obtain because enabling logging and/or trace information can significantly modify the runtime behavior of the system.
In this situation, the additional overhead and modified runtime execution path of the logging and trace infrastructure can prevent the problem from reoccurring, or cause additional problems to arise that are not relevant to resolving the outstanding problem. This makes it even more costly.

International Business Machines Corporation


There is described method and apparatus for supporting a patient's body in a MR scanner, including supporting it to rotate about its longitudinal axis and cant about a point on the longitudinal axis. Also provided are method and apparatus for supporting a patient's head and neck and using a surgical head-holder. Yet another embodiment of the invention provides method and apparatus for attaching first and second stirrups to a member supporting the patient. According to yet another embodiment, the invention provides for keeping two or more different members for supporting a patient's body during a medical procedure conducted in conjunction with an MR scanner, wherein each member is adapted to be detachably inserted into a bore of the MR scanner, and wherein each member provides for a different patient support functionality, selecting one of the different members for use in a medical procedure, positioning a patient's body on the selected member, and engaging the member with the MR scanner such that the member is disposed at least in part in a bore of the scanner.

Since its development in the early 1980s, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has become the dominant form in imaging of the central nervous systems and is continuing to grow in its uses in musculoskeletal and body imaging. It offers unprecedented abilities in visualization of the human body. Over the past few years, MR imaging has been investigated as a tool for use in association with therapy, so-called interventional MR imaging or MR-guided therapy. To accomplish this, various new scanner designs have been developed to permit surgical access to patients while inside the scanners. This has resulted in both more open MR scanners and new surgical tools that can be operated safely within the MR environment. Initially, new designs of the interventional MR suites have been required in order to permit surgical procedures in the MR environment. However, these designs have been first efforts and have not been optimized for both surgical procedures and clinical scanning. Specifically, new MR tables have been required with combined MR and surgical capabilities.


Disclosed herein is a test apparatus for a device under test. The test apparatus includes a voltage translator coupled to receive test data from the device under test, over a physical interface, using one of a plurality of I/O standards, with the voltage translator being capable of communication using each of the plurality of I/O standards. A programmable interface is configured to receive the test data from the voltage translator. A bit error rate determination circuit is configured to receive the test data from the programmable interface and to determine a bit error rate of reception of the test data over the physical interface based upon a comparison of the test data to check data.

High speed serial transceivers undergo bit error rate (BER) testing during characterization. The BER is the rate of occurrence of erroneous bits in data transmission or reception. This testing is performed using a BER analyzer, which can be located on-chip or off-chip.
An example of an off-chip BER analyzer 10 is now described with reference to FIG. 1A. The BER analyzer 10 includes a test data generator 12 and a BER analysis circuit 13. The device under test 16 includes a receiver 17 and a transmitter 18. A physical PHY receive channel 14 couples the test data generator 12 to the receiver 17, and a physical PHY transmit channel 15 couples the BER analysis circuit 13 to the transmitter 18.
The test data generator 12 generates a psuedo-random binary sequence for use as test data and transmits it to the device under test 16 over the PHY receive channel 14. The device under test 16 then transmits the test data back to the test apparatus 11, via the transmitter 18 and over the PHY transmit channel 15. The BER analysis circuit 13 receives the test data and determines the BER thereof by comparing the received test data to expected check data.
This off-chip BER analyzer 10 has a variety of drawbacks, however. For example, errors in the PHY receive channel 14 can affect the determined BER of the PHY receive channel 14. In addition, this off-chip BER analyzer 10 is unable to test a single channel protocol, such as USB 2.0. Furthermore, such off-chip BER analyzers 10 can be prohibitively costly. In addition, the BER testing of a variable burst-to-burst latency protocol (e.g. MIPI, MPHY, etc) with such off-chip BER analyzers 10 is not possible. In addition, in some cases, loopback between the PHY receive channel 14 and PHY transmit channel 15 may not be feasible, as these interfaces may not be pin to pin mapped.
The cost of an on-chip BER analyzer 20, such as that shown in FIG. 1B, may be less than that of an off-chip BER analyzer. Here, the device under test is an integrated circuit chip 22, and includes two separate and distinct physical channels, PHY1 23 and PHY2 25, that use different voltage levels and protocols in some cases. The channel PHY1 23 is coupled to a first BER analyzer circuit 24, while the channel PHY2 25 is coupled to a second BER analyzer circuit 26.
In operation, a test data generator 21 generates a psuedo-random binary sequence for use as test data and transmits it to the BER analyzer 20, over the channels PHY1 23 and PHY2 25, to BER analyzers 24 and 26. The BER analyzer circuits 24 and 26 determine the bit error rates of the channels PHY1 23 and PHY2 25.
As mentioned, this on-chip BER analyzer 20 is cheaper than an off-chip BER analyzer. However, it has drawbacks as well. For example, separate BER analyzer circuits 24 and 26 are needed for each channel PHY1 23 and PHY2 25. This means that this on-chip BER analyzer 20 increases the area overhead for applications in which multiple PHY channels are to be tested.
Consequently, further development in the area of bit error rate analyzers is needed.

Generic bit error rate analyzer for use with serial data links


An exposure apparatus includes: a first optical member via which an exposure beam exits; a first movable body movable while holding a substrate in a predetermined area; a first holding device releasably holding a first cover member, capable of forming a space retaining a liquid between the first optical member and the first cover member, such that when the first movable body is away from the first optical member, the first cover member is arranged at the position opposite to the exit surface of the first optical member; a second holding device arranged on the first movable body and capable of holding the first cover member released from the first holding device; and a third holding device arranged on the first movable body and releasably holding a second cover member. Deterioration of the performance due to the cover member can be suppressed while suppressing operating rate deterioration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate, an exposure method, and a method for producing a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus, in which a substrate is exposed through or via a liquid, has been contrived as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-289128 in relation to an exposure apparatus to be used for the photolithography step.
In the conventional technique, a shutter member is arranged at a position opposite to or facing a light exit surface (light outgoing surface) of the projection optical system to form a space holding or retaining the liquid between the shutter member and the light exit surface of the projection optical system. There is a possibility that the shutter member is deteriorated and/or polluted. If the shutter member is continuously used while leaving the state that the shutter member is deteriorated and/or polluted as it is, the following possibility arises such that, for example, the liquid, which is retained between the shutter member and the light exit surface of the projection optical system, leaks, and/or that the light exit surface of the projection optical system is polluted (for example, any water mark appears, etc.). If such an inconvenience or problem arises, for example, there is a possibility that the exposure accuracy is deteriorated. Further, if it is necessary that the maintenance operation is performed frequently due to, for example, the leakage of the liquid and/or the pollution of the projection optical system, then there is a possibility that the working rate of the exposure apparatus is lowered.
The present invention has been made taking the foregoing circumstances into consideration, an object of which is to provide an exposure apparatus and an exposure method which make it possible to suppress the deterioration of the performance which would be otherwise caused by a member holding or retaining the liquid between the member and an optical element (for example, a terminal (final) optical element of a projection optical system, etc.) when a substrate is exposed through a liquid while suppressing the lowering of the operation rate, and a method for producing a device by using the exposure apparatus and the exposure method.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device


An image forming apparatus and a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a transfer member include a fixing roller and a backup roller configured to press the image transfer member against the fixing roller, wherein either one of a circumferential hardness of the fixing roller and a circumferential hardness of the backup roller is configured to be harder than that of the other roller. The image forming apparatus and the fixing device further include a first gear coaxially mounted on the roller having the harder circumferential surface, a one-way clutch coaxially mounted on the other roller, and a second gear coaxially mounted on the one-way clutch. The first gear and the second gear are configured to be engaged when the backup roller presses the image transfer member against the fixing roller, and one of the first gear and the second gear is driven by a drive motor. Further, the backup roller and first gear are configured to be open relative to the fixing roller, the fixing roller being fixed in position for a maintenance operation. Also, a heating device may be provided to directly contact an outer surface of the fixing roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a laser beam printer, a photocopier, a plain paper facsimile machine, etc., and a toner image fixing device.
2. Discussion of the Background
As an example of fixing devices for fixing a toner image on an image transfer sheet such as a sheet of paper as a permanent fixed image, a heat roller fixing device is widely used.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a heat roller fixing device as an example of background art. The heat roller fixing device of FIG. 1 is typically used for fixing a relatively thick toner image, such as a fixed toner image required to be glossy such as a full color toner image. Referring to FIG. 1, the heat roller fixing device provides a fixing roller module 5, a backup roller module 6, a cleaning roller 13, and an oil coating roller 14. The fixing roller module 5 includes a halogen heater 1 as a heat source, a fixing roller having a hollow metal core 2, an elastic layer 3 on the hollow metal core 3, and a release agent layer 4 as the outermost layer. Similarly, the backup roller module 6 includes a halogen heater 7 as a heat source, a backup roller having a hollow metal core 8, an elastic layer 9 on the hollow metal core 8, and a release agent layer 10 as the outermost layer. The halogen heater 7 in the backup roller is optional and may be omitted.
An image transfer sheet 12 bearing a toner image 11 is transported into a nip formed between the fixing roller module 5 and the backup roller module 6, and the toner image 11 is softened or melted and fixed onto the image transfer sheet 12 by heat and pressure by the fixing roller and the backup roller. The cleaning roller 13 contacts the fixing roller module 5 to remove toner adhered on the surface of the fixing roller module 5. The oil coating roller 14 also contacts the fixing roller module 5 to apply oil as a release agent to the surface of the fixing roller module 5 to prevent the image transfer sheet 12 from twining around the fixing roller module 5. The oil also prevents the melted or softened toner from adhering to the fixing roller module 5.
Overlaying four color toners at most, such as of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toners, generally forms a full color image. To form a quality image, color toners are sufficiently melted and fixed so that each color toner can transmit a specific spectrum of light and thereby a merged spectrum generates a preferable color. For that reason, the hollow metal core 2 of the fixing roller module 5 is sometimes structured to have a large amount of heat capacity, and the elastic layer 3 is structured to sandwich the toner image 11 together with the backup roller module 6 for supplying sufficient heat.
The heat roller fixing device of FIG. 1 generally uses a relatively large amount of release agent because of a relative high temperature of the heat roller. However, when such a relatively large amount of the release agent is applied to the fixing roller module 5, the release agent generates a sludge-like mixture together with toner powders adhered on the fixing roller module 5, fiber and/or dust of paper, calcium carbonate, etc. Such a sludge-like mixture sometimes soils the fixing device, and may also soil the hands of a user or a service person of the image forming apparatus in which the fixing device of FIG. 1 is installed during a replacement operation of expendable equipment, such as the oil coating roller 14. The sludge-like mixture sometimes also hampers workability of the replacing operation of the expendable equipment as well. Therefore, a demand for a fixing device that uses a relatively small quantity of release agent in comparison with the background art is increasing.
As another example, Japanese Laid Open Patent No. 9-160410 describes an image forming apparatus installed with a fixing device having a heat roller pair constructed by a fixing roller and a backup roller. Each roller of the heat roller pair has a gear as a single piece on an axis. The fixing device also provides a belt, spanning parts for spanning and driving the belt, a belt charging device, a belt discharging device, and a preliminary heating device upstream from the heat roller pair. The fixing device further provides a motor for driving each of the heat roller pair via the gears and the preliminary heating device.
In this example, additional elements, such as the belt, the spanning parts, the preliminary heat source, the belt charging device, etc., are required, and therefore the production costs may increase. Further, each roller of the heat roller pair is driven via the gears fixed to the rollers by the single motor, so that an error in hardness of the elastic layer and/or an error of a diameter thereof may cause a difference between the surface velocities of the rollers. Consequently, such a difference between surface velocities may cause an image transfer sheet to become crinkled.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-discussed and other problems and has as one objective to overcome the above-discussed and other problems associated with the background methods and apparatus. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a novel image forming apparatus and a novel fixing device that can fix toner images on a image transfer sheet without release agent or with a relatively small quantity of release agent.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel image forming apparatus and a novel fixing device that can decrease chances of an image transfer sheet becoming crinkled.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel image forming apparatus and a novel fixing device that can reach a ready-to-fix state in a relatively short time.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a novel image forming apparatus and a novel fixing device including a fixing roller and a backup roller configured to press the image transfer sheet against the fixing roller, wherein either one of the circumferential hardness of the fixing roller and the circumferential hardness of the backup roller is configured to be harder than the other. The image forming apparatus and the fixing device further include a first gear coaxially mounted on the roller having the harder circumferential surface, a one-way clutch coaxially mounted on the other roller, and a second gear coaxially mounted on the one-way clutch. The first gear and the second gear are configured to be engaged when the backup roller presses the image transfer sheet against the fixing roller, and one of the first gear and the second gear is driven by a power source.

Fixing device for fixing a toner image in an image forming apparatus


Toteable swings with a variety of seats designed in characterized form appealing to children come in kits. The swings are highly portable, light weight, and easily carried by children. The swings are designed to be taken along on family outings and can be used where ever there is a suitable tree limb or an appropriate stand. The swing kit includes a designed seat and a nylon rope with a beaded end used for securing the seat and swing and for adjusting swing height for the individual using the swing. Changeable seats are supplied in a variety of flattened characterized seat designs including a frog shape, an airplane designs, a half moon and face shape, a baseball and mit, a flattened friendly elephant, and a mischievous dinosaur. Other designs can be added.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to swings in general and is especially directed towards portable swings having changeable seat boards. The present invention incorporates a variety of novelty seat boards into a kit that can be carried along on an outing for use on a convenient tree limb or an available stand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of swings having a variety of seat boards, ornate and plain, are seen in past art patents. Even so, few are readily available in the market place. A portable swing kit similar to the present invention is neither disclosed as past art nor found for sale in the market place. The present invention with uniquely designed changeable seats seems unique in the field.

472
FSC 297
FSC D21
FSC 47
FSC 428
FSC 182


The present invention relates to glass-ceramic compositions, as well as methods for forming such composition. In particular, the compositions include various polymorphs of silica that provide beneficial thermal expansion characteristics (e.g., a near linear thermal strain). Also described are methods of forming such compositions, as well as connectors including hermetic seals containing such compositions.

Hermetic seals to metals are difficult to maintain under various operating conditions, such as changes in temperature. One approach to form matched seals in metals having a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), for example stainless steel (SS), is the use of high CTE glass-ceramics (GCs). However, mismatches in thermal expansion characteristics can result in unsealing between such metal and GC interfaces in a seal. Additional compositions and methods are needed to provide GC compositions that more accurately match the thermal characteristics of metals.

Engineered high expansion glass-ceramics having near linear thermal strain and methods thereof

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


A combustor section for a gas turbine engine includes an outer wall assembly and an inner wall assembly inboard of the outer wall assembly to define an annular combustion chamber therebetween. A forward fuel injection system is in communication with the combustion chamber. A downstream fuel injection system is in communication with the combustion chamber through the outer wall assembly and a swirl mixer system in communication with the combustion chamber through the inner wall assembly.

The present disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to a combustor section therefor.
Gas turbine engines such as those that power modern commercial and military aircraft, generally include a compressor section to pressurize an airflow, a combustor section to burn a hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of the pressurized air, and a turbine section to extract energy from the resultant combustion gases.
The combustor section generally includes radially spaced apart inner and outer liners that define an annular combustion chamber therebetween. The inner and outer liners each typically includes an outer support shell lined with heat shields, often referred to as floatwall liner panels, to line an annular combustion chamber.
Combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of pressurized air may produce nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions that are subjected to excessively stringent controls by regulatory authorities, and thus may be sought to be minimized. NOx formation is not only a function of temperature, but also of flame residence time and Oxygen concentration in the reaction zone. Increasing the flame strain tends to reduce the residence time in the flame, but may also increase the Oxygen concentration in the flame. These intermediate effects of strain rates tend to increase the production rate of NOx. At high strain rates, however, the reduction in flame temperature overcomes the influence of the Oxygen concentration, and NOx production rates are reduced.

Circumferentially and axially staged annular combustor for gas turbine engine


A slot antenna is located on a substrate and includes a grounding portion, a radiating portion, and a feeding portion. The grounding portion is positioned on the substrate. The radiating portion is symmetrically octagonal-shaped and defines four trapezoidal-shaped slots on opposite sides. The radiating portion is parallel to the grounding portion. The feeding portion electrically connects the radiating portion to the grounding portion for feeding electromagnetic signals to the slot antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to antennas, and particularly, to a slot antenna.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to an increasing demand for wireless communication devices, there has been significant growth in wireless communication technology. Antennas are essential components in wireless communication devices for radiating electromagnetic signals. Frequency band and stability of antennas are especially significant factors to consider in the design of antennas.
Wideband slot antennas are very widespread in terms of research and practical application of antennas. Due to temperature variation, frequency offsets of slot antennas often occur. The slot antennas associated therewith are consequently required to have a wide and stable frequency band that is not affected by the temperature.


In preparing a solvent-polymer mixture for a subsequent reaction, e.g., metallation, wherein undesirable components lower boiling than the solvent, such as water, should be removed from the solvent and polymer, the undesirable components are removed by stripping using previously purified solvent, thereby preventing reboiler fouling. The stripping vapors are generated from solvent obtained from a source other than the fractionation column in which the stripping occurs in order to reduce costs. The process of this invention is particularly useful in removing water from a butadiene/styrene copolymer-cyclohexane solvent mixture prior to metallation of the copolymer.

This invention relates to a method for removing undesirable components from polymer-solvent mixtures. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method of stripping undesirable components from a polymer-solvent mixture wherein vaporized solvent which is polymer free is used as the stripping vapor. In another aspect, this invention relates to removing undesirable components from polymer-solvent mixtures with dried solvent which has been obtained from a prior reaction and passing the purified polymer-solvent mixture to a subsequent reaction. In still another aspect, this invention relates to removing water from a conjugated diene-monovinyl arene copolymercyclohexane solvent mixture prior to metallation of the copolymer. In still another aspect, this invention relates to taking a hydrogenated butadiene/styrene copolymer in cyclohexane diluent obtained from a hydrogenation reaction, passing the mixture to a fractionation-stripping column where water is stripped from the copolymer solution by solvent vapors generated from cyclohexane which is free of polymer and then passing the recovered, dried polymer and solvent mixture to a metallation reactor for reaction with an alkyllithium, such as n-butyllithium. In still another aspect, this invention relates to a method for removing water and other components boiling at lower temperatures then the solvent from a polymer-solvent mixture employing dried solvent obtained from existing storage as the shipping medium to remove water and said other components and yield a substantially pure and dried polymer-solvent product as bottoms.
The removal of undesirable components from a polymer-solvent mixture is many times necessary prior to subsequent reaction of the polymer. The important qualities of the solvent for reaction are: (1) freedom from hydrogen donor impurities, (2) freedom from polar compounds, (3) solubility of polymers in solvent, also viscosities of polymer solutions, (4) good volatility for removal from polymer, (5) commercial availability at reasonable price, (6) low environmental problems, (7) effects on polymer structure during reaction, especially polymer solution, e.g., cis, trans, vinyl configurations, (8) low freezing point for process operations. When metalizing a hydrogenated butadiene/styrene copolymer with alkyllithium, for example, it is necessary to carry out the reaction in a very dry solution (less than 5 ppm water) since the alkyl lithium is destroyed by water. It is required, therefore, that a wet hydrogenated butadiene/styrene copolymer-solvent mixture be dried before metallation of the copolymer with butyllithium.
In a process such as the metallation of a butadiene/styrene copolymer, both the copolymer and solvent must be substantially free of water. Separation of the polymer and solvent would allow one to dry the solvent in a fractionation column and use separated solvent from the column as stripping vapors, however, a separation of the solvent and copolymer would further require drying the polymer. Two drying steps, as well as an additional separation step, would, therefore, be required as opposed to the invention method in which the polymer and solvent mixture is not separated and both the solvent and polymer are dried in a single step.
In the drying of polymer solutions, stripping vapors are frequently generated by reboiling part of the polymer-solvent product bottoms obtained from the stripping column which results in reboiler fouling. Since a polymer solution rapidly fouls heat transfer surfaces if boiling occurs in the reboiler, one method of preventing the fouling would be to employ a high flow-rate, high-pressure pump-around system with flask letdown to prevent the solution containing the polymer particles from boiling and thereby depositing the polymer particles on the reboiler to cause reboiler fouling. It would be preferred, however, if a low pressure heat transfer system could be used without causing reboiler fouling problems due to the economic savings of a low pressure heat transfer system. Also the heat transfer rates are much better for solvent compared to polymer solutions. This results in much smaller heat exchangers for the reboilers handling solvent only.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a process wherein both the polymer and solvent of a polymer-solvent mixture taken from a prior reaction can be dried at the same time, recovered as a single product and passed to a subsequent reaction without the problem of reboiler fouling.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method for removing water from a polymer-solvent mixture without the use of a high flow-rate, high-pressure pump for generating stripping vapors.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an economical and time saving process for securing the absence of water in a polymer-solvent mixture which is passed to a metallation reaction.
Another object of this invention is to provide a process wherein water is removed from both a polymer and a solvent without the need for prior separation of the solvent and polymer.
Other aspects, objects and the several advantages of the invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon studying the drawing, specification and appended claims.