A specimen container label is particularly suited for use by robotic elements to improve the tedious process of aliquoting urine samples to increase productivity and decrease costs in laboratories. The label has a substrate with top and bottom surfaces and pressure sensitive adhesive provided on the bottom surface to effectively secure the label to a specimen container. The substrate also includes a central enlarged, preferably circular in plan, portion, with at least one wing, typically two opposite wings, extending outwardly from the central enlarged portion, and an opening in the substrate at the central portion which allows a robotic element to handle a specimen container cover over which the substrate central portion is applied. The opening may be covered with a glassine patch, which is easily pierced by the robotic element. The label may initially be provided with a release liner of the same dimensions and configuration, and the wings may be necked down where they engage the central portion. The label substrate may be provided on a business form with other labels, typically all having the same bar code indicia on them.

Society is increasingly becoming concerned with testing of bodily fluids for a number of purposes, such as testing urine samples for drug use, for health indicators, and the like. It is normally a tedious process to aliquot urine samples manually, and it has long been the goal of laboratories, particularly drug testing laboratories, to improve productivity and decrease costs in the handling of urine samples. It is also very important to be able to handle the urine samples without mistake, and to be able to determine whether a urine sample has been tampered with. Therefore some sort of tamper indicating label is provided on the specimen container, the label performing the tamper indicating function as well as providing indicia, such as machine readable indicia like bar coding, to allow effective tracking of the urine specimen.
Robotic elements can be used to automate tedious manual procedures, however when dealing with specimen containers, it is often difficult for the robotic elements to properly handle the containers especially since the tamper indicating and tracking-facilitating labels may interfere with the robotic elements. This may cause interruptions in processing, and potentially damage to the specimen containers or the integrity of the system, therefore heretofore it has been difficult to effectively automate aliquoting of urine samples utilizing robotic elements.
According to the present invention, a specimen container label, a specimen container, and a method of handling a specimen container, are provided which allow automation of laboratory handling of specimens, including improving the productivity and decreasing the costs of aliquoting urine samples, particularly for drug testing laboratories. The labeling system and procedure according to the present invention allows for effective engagement of the urine specimens with a robotic element while still effectively performing the functions of tamper indication and tracking. The particularly designed label according to the present invention is used with other conventional labels, such as main sample labels, sample B labels, and box/bag seal labels, for effective tracking, labeling, etc., of urine specimens, and may increase the productivity of aliquoting urine samples from about 30 per hour (when done manually) to about 300 per hour (when done automatically using robotic elements).
The labeling system according to the present invention is easy to use at collection sites, that is the labeling system can be used by relatively poorly trained or untrained personnel. The system according to the invention does not differ too significantly from present procedures, which makes its implementation far more practical and expeditious. The labeling system is particularly compatible with the SPS Robotics System, and keeps the robotic arm free of adhesive, and minimizes the label waste. The system according to the invention also provides maximum flexibility with respect to numbering and bar coding, and may be printed on press, or on site by the customer. The label material utilized according to the invention can securely adhere to the specimen container within a minute, has lightweight face stock and an aggressive adhesive to maximize tamper evidency, and will maintain adhesion even if the samples get wet. The label maintains its tamper evident functions even in a wide range of temperatures, e.g. from -40-180.degree. F., and has a long life (typically over five years). The label may also be used with various security features such as serrated edges, interlocking security circles, hash cuts, and the like.
According to one aspect of the present invention a specimen container label is provided comprising the following components: A label substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface. Pressure sensitive adhesive provided over a sufficient area of the bottom surface to effectively secure the label substrate to a specimen container. The substrate including a central enlarged portion, with at least one wing extending outwardly from the central enlarged portion. And, an opening in the substrate at the central portion which allows a robotic element to handle a specimen container cover over which the substrate central portion is applied.
The specimen container label according to the invention also preferably has the following additional features: The at least one wing comprises at least two wings. The central enlarged portion is substantially circular in plan, and the opening is also substantially circular in plan. The label further comprises indicia, including machine readable indicia (e.g. bar coding), on the label substrate top surface. The label further comprises a release liner having substantially the same shape and dimensions as the label substrate, and covering the pressure sensitive adhesive, and readily removable from the pressure sensitive adhesive to expose the adhesive. The label further comprises a patch engaging the bottom surface of the label substrate and closing the opening in the substrate, the patch of material (e.g. glassine) that may be much more readily punctured by robotic element than the label substrate. And, the label may further comprise machine readable indicia on the top surface; and the label substrate is releasably mounted on a business form containing at least one other label having the same machine readable indicia thereon.
According to another aspect of the present invention a specimen container is provided comprising the following components: A body having an open top. A cover for the body open top, including a portion thereof for handling by a robotic element. And, a label holding the cover on the body in a predetermined position so that breaking of the label indicates that the cover may have been opened, the label comprising a central enlarged portion engaging the cover, with at least one wing extending outwardly from the central enlarged portion and engaging the body; and an opening in the label at the central portion which allows a robotic element to handle the cover, the central portion and the at least one wing at least in part held to the cover and body by pressure sensitive adhesive.
The specimen container body, cap, and label may have further particulars as follows: The body comprises a vial and the cover comprises a screw on cap having a top surface having a substantially circular peripheral portion, an annular opening adjacent the peripheral portion, and a central substantially cylindrical portion, the opening in the label central enlarged portion overlying the cap central substantially cylindrical portion. The label central enlarged portion is substantially circular in plan, having substantially the same diameter as the vial cap. The label has visible machine readable indicia on at least one of the central portion and the wing. The at least one wing comprises at least two wings engaging the body on substantially opposite sides of the central portion. And, the label may further comprise a patch engaging the bottom surface of the label and closing the opening in the substrate, the patch of material that may be much more readily punctured by robotic element than the label substrate.
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of handling a specimen container comprising a body with an open top covered by a cover, the body having a specimen therein, using a label having an enlarged central portion and at least one wing with top and bottom faces and pressure sensitive adhesive on the bottom face of each, and an opening in the central portion, is provided. The method comprises: (a) Placing the central portion of the label on the specimen container cover, and the at least one wing on the specimen container body, so that the pressure sensitive adhesive holds the cover to the body in a manner that will indicate tampering. (b) Shipping the specimen container to a laboratory without disturbing the label in a way that indicates tampering. (c) Engaging the cover with a robotic element by moving the robotic element through the opening in the label into contact with the cover. And, (d) aliquoting the specimen container using the robotic element.
The method acts may be further practiced as indicated by the following: Where the specimen container comprises a vial, and the cover for the specimen container comprises a screw threaded cap for covering the vial, then (d) is practiced in part by twisting the screw on cap with the robotic element to unscrew the cap, and break the seal provided by the label. Where the opening in the label is covered by a glassine patch, and then (c) is practiced by the robotic element piercing the glassine patch to engage the cap. Where the cap for the vial has a peripheral ring, an annular space adjacent the peripheral ring, and a central substantially cylindrical upstanding portion, then (c) is practiced to move the robotic element through the opening to grasp the substantially cylindrical upstanding portion.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective specimen container label system that facilitates automation of specimen container handling, will not adversely impact labeling at the collection site, and will not interfere with other intended functions of the labeling system. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.

Integrity seal form/label combination for robotics systems


A new method is provided for the creation of spacers for the CMOS gate electrode. A layer of a spacer material is deposited over the gate structure; a layer of photoresist is deposited over the layer of spacer material. The layer of photoresist of the invention is partially stripped removing the photoresist from above the gate structure and providing a thinner layer of photoresist over the surrounding layer of spacer material. The layer of spacer material is partially etched whereby the layer of photoresist serves as a partial etch stop layer. The remainder of the photoresist is removed, the spacer material is further etched using a dry etch whereby a thin layer of spacer material (oxide) remains deposited over the surface of the substrate. As a final step the thin layer of spacer material (oxide) is removed from the surface of the substrate using a wet etch.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuit devices and, more particularly, to a method of etching the spacers of the CMOS gate electrode that is used in image sensor devices.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The manufacturing of semiconductor devices requires the creation of a variety of components that collectively perform functions of data manipulation (logic functions) and of data retention (storage functions). The vast majority of these functions operates in a digital or one-off mode and as such recognize zero and one conditions within the operational levels of the circuits. There are, in addition, applications that make use of analog levels of voltage where the voltage may have a spectrum of values between a high limit and a low limit. There are furthermore applications where both the digital and the analog methods of signal processing reside side by side in the same semiconductor device.
This mixture of functions and processing capabilities brings with it a mixture of components that can coexist within one semiconductor device. Where the vast majority of device components is made up of transistors, gate electrodes and a variety of switching components that address logic processing functions, it is not uncommon to also see resistors and capacitors that form part of a semiconductor device. It is for instance known that capacitors form a basic component of many analog circuits that are used for analog applications such as switched capacitor filters. It is also well known in the art that capacitors are widely applied in digital applications such as the storage node for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) circuits. This ability of capacitors to function in either the digital or the analog mode is referred to as the mixed mode application of the capacitor.
The DRAM technology is widely used for data storage where one transistor and one capacitor form one DRAM cell. For the capacitor a stacked capacitor is frequently used since this structure has good data storage performance characteristics. To fabricate this device, a modified CMOS process is typically used. One other application in which the CMOS structure has been successfully applied is in the creation of image sensors; it is this latter application that is addressed by the invention.
An image sensor is, in its broadest terms, used to convert an optical image that is focused on the sensor into electrical signals. The image sensor typically includes an array of light detecting elements, where each element produces a signal corresponding to the intensity of light impinging on that element when an image is focused on the array. These signals may then be used, for example, to display a corresponding image on a monitor or may otherwise be used to provide information about the optical image.
One very common type of image sensor is a charge-coupled device (CCD). Integrated circuit chips containing CCD image sensors have a relatively low yield and are expensive due to the specialized processing involved. The CCD's also consume a relatively large amount of power.
A much less expensive type of image sensor can be formed as an integrated circuit by using a CMOS process. In such a CMOS type image sensor, a photodiode or phototransistor (or any other suitable device) is used as the light-detecting element, where the conductivity of the element corresponds to the intensity of light impinging on the element. The variable signal thus generated by the light detecting element is an analog signal whose magnitude is approximately proportional (within a certain range) to the amount of light that impinges on the element.
The light-detecting elements are typically formed in a two-dimensional core array, which is addressable by row and column. Once a row of elements has been addressed, the analog signals from each of the light detecting elements in the row are coupled to the respective columns in the array. An analog-to-digital converter may then be used to convert the analog signals of the columns to digital signals so as to provide only digital signals at the output of the image sensor chip.
What is needed is an inexpensive, but highly efficient, image sensor, which produces reliable images. Implied in this is that leakage current in the spacer regions, that is the source/drain regions of the CMOS gate electrode of the image sensor, is reduced to a minimum. Potential plasma damage that can be caused during the spacer etching must therefore be kept at a minimum.
FIG. 1 shows a Prior Art gate electrode with the etching of the spacer, as follows:
FIG. 1a shows the poly silicon gate electrode 10, a layer 12 of tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS) has been deposited over the gate electrode 10 and the top surface of substrate 14. FIG. 1a shows that only one layer of the dielectric TEOS is deposited in order to form the gate electrode spacers.
FIG. 1b shows the results of the spacer etch, gate electrode spacers 16 are formed after etching has been completed. It is apparent from FIG. 1b that lack in control of the etching or over-etching can readily cause damage the surface areas 18 of substrate 14.
Using current fabrication technology, it is well known that defects in the substrate cause leakage current between the gate electrodes of the image sensor, especially where the substrate defects are caused by plasma damage. It is therefore of key importance to produce a substrate surface that is free of damage and, more particularly, to be able to perform spacer etching without causing damage to the substrate surface. Current practice uses a single layer of dielectric above the spacer between the gate electrodes of the image sensor. With only a single layer of dielectric, it is difficult to sense and control the etch stop above the substrate. This difficulty in controlling the etching process results in substrate surface damage; this in turn results in leakage current between the gate electrodes of the CMOS image sensor device.
An additional problem is that, during the growth of field oxide, a phenomenon occurs that causes defects when the gate oxide is grown. This problem is referred to as white ribbon or white pixels. A thin layer of silicon nitride can form on the silicon surface (i.e., the pad-oxide/silicon surface interface) as a result of the reaction of NH.sub.3 and silicon at that interface. When the gate oxide is grown, the growth rate becomes impeded at the locations where the silicon nitride has been formed. The gate oxide is thus thinner at these locations than elsewhere, causing low-voltage breakdown of the gate oxide.
The invention teaches a new method of etching the spacers for gate electrode structures. Typical silicon oxide gate spacers are formed via anisotropic RIE of a deposited layer of silicon oxide layer, using CHF.sub.3 or CF.sub.4 --O.sub.2 --He as an etchant. Typical silicon nitride spacers are formed via anisotropic RIE of a deposited layer of silicon nitride layer, using CHF.sub.3 or SF.sub.6 --O.sub.2 as an etchant. Typical gate spacers can also be formed using thermal S.sub.i N or using CVD S.sub.i N or using thermal SiO.sub.x N.sub.y or using CVD SiO.sub.x N.sub.y to a thickness within the range between 250 and 1500 Angstrom. The invention provides a new sequence of steps for the formation of gate spacers.
The invention addresses the above-indicated problems of white pixel formation while at the same time providing a good method for endpoint detection during the etching of the gate spacers. The invention further prevents the occurrence of plasma damage to the surface of the substrate thereby reducing leakage current along the surface of the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,722 (Huang) discloses a process using a double spacer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,824 (Gardner) shows a two step spacer process that protects the substrate surface during the etch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,342 (Wu) shows a sloping spacer 22 process for a graded LDD. However, this reference differs from the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,563 (Hynecek) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,849 (Nakashiba) show CMOS Tx image sensor processes.

Approach to the spacer etch process for CMOS image sensor

Taiwan Semiconductors Manufacturing Company


For small angles that are near critical angle, a primary incident X-ray beam has excellent depth resolution. A series of X-ray fluorescence measurements are performed at varying small angles and analyzed for depth profiling of elements within a substrate. One highly useful application of the X-ray fluorescence measurements is depth profiling of a dopant used in semiconductor manufacturing such as arsenic, phosphorus, and boron. In one example, angles are be varied from 0.01.degree. to 0.20.degree. and measurements made to profile arsenic distribution within a semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment, measurements are acquired using a total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) type system for both known and unknown profile distribution samples. The fluorescence measurements are denominated in counts/second terms and formed as ratios comparing the known and unknown sample results. The count ratios are compared to ratios of known to unknown samples that are acquired using a control analytical measurement technique. In one example the control technique is secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) so that the count ratios from the TXRF-type measurements are compared to ratios of integrals of SIMS profiles. In another example, the TXRF-type measurement ratios are compared to simulation profiles of known samples. Integrals of the SIMS profile that vary as a function of depth into the substrate correspond to the grazing incidence angles of the TXRF-like measurement and respective count rates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measurement techniques used in semiconductor processing and fabrication. More precisely, the present invention relates to nondestructive measurement techniques for determining implant dose in semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor processing and fabrication arts, considerable investment has been made in developing high resolution measurement devices and techniques for evaluating sample parameters. Many various types of measurements are performed in the semiconductor industry where very thin films, such as oxides, metals or dielectrics, are deposited on semiconductor substrates such as silicon. Non-destructive techniques are particularly useful for evaluating thickness, impurities and index of refraction characteristics of the films to insure high yields during fabrication.
One type of information that is particularly useful in semiconductor fabrication is information relating to the dose and profile of ion implantation of dopants such as arsenic (As), phosphorus (P), and boron (B). One conventional technique for monitoring implant dose is ellipsometry which measures damage that results from implantation. In another conventional technique, implant doses are monitored using a Faraday cup or cage in the implanter. Ellipsometry and Faraday cup techniques are nondestructive tests. In contrast, implant profiles are usually measured using a secondary ion mass spectometry (SIMS) laboratory set-up outside the fab.
Conventional ellipsometric techniques are non-contact, optical measurement techniques. A probe beam having a known polarization state is directed to interact with a sample, resulting in a change in the polarization state that is monitored by measuring a selected parameter of the reflected probe beam. For example, as the thickness of a film varies, the intensity of the reflected probe beam also varies due to the variation in interference effects created at the interface between the thin film and the substrate. Also the thickness of a thin film changes the polarization state which occurs when the probe beam is reflected off the sample surface. By monitoring either the change in intensity of the reflected probe beam or the change in polarization state (ellipsometry), information about the thin film is derived. An analyzer determines the polarization state of the beam following the beam interaction with the sample. The change in polarization state of the beam caused by the interaction with the sample varies as a function of the sample parameters. Measurement of the change supplies data used in analysis of the sample. In a typical measurement scenario, the azimuthal angle of the polarizing or analyzing elements are varied to obtain multiple measurements. Usage of multiple measurements increases accuracy. One approach for improving accuracy is to perform measurements at several different wavelengths using a spectrophotometer that performs multiple-wavelength interferometric-type measurements. Another approach for improving accuracy is to measure at a number of different incidence angles of the probe beam.
Faraday cages trap and measure ion beam current during implanting while blocking electrons that might accompany the ion beam. Faraday cages do not measure neutral atoms in the ion beam. Since neutralized atoms have essentially the same energy as the ions and are individually equivalent in terms of implantation dose, if significant neutralization of the beam takes place, the Faraday cage reading expresses a false measure of the implantation current. The Faraday cage determines a sensed beam intensity of an ion beam at the target chamber. An implant controller determines beam current from the sensed beam intensity by accounting for both charge stripping and charge neutralization of ions within the ion beam caused by interactions between the ions that make up the beam and residual gas molecules encountered by the beam along the beam path to the target.
Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is a prevalent analytical method in the microelectronics industry today for characterizing materials present in semiconductor processes. In SIMS, a sample to be studied is bombarded with a primary beam of energetic ions. The ions sputter away ionized particles, for example secondary ions, from the surface of the sample. The secondary ions are directed into a mass spectrometer which identifies the ions as a function of a mass to charge ratio. Continued sputtering dislodges particles and secondary ions located below the surface of the sample. Thus, SIMS permits analysis of elements embedded within the sample as a function of sample depth. For example, SIMS data may express that 10.sup.19 atoms of boron per cm.sup.2 reside at the surface of a silicon sample while 10.sup.19 atoms of boron per cm.sup.2 reside one micron below the surface. SIMS is presently used to measure the amount of material embedded within a thin film. However, SIMS does not meet the requirements of being an inexpensive, non-destructive technique requiring little maintenance, having the ability to serve as a portable monitoring station.
Although SIMS depth resolution, lateral resolution, and sensitivity continue to improve as technology advances, several drawbacks are inherent with SIMS measurements. The biggest drawback is SIMS character as a destructive technique. SIMS sputters away layer after layer of material from the surface of the sample. Thus SIMS is not feasible for usage as a bench-top process control station for monitoring the amount of material embedded within a substrate. Furthermore, SIMS is a very bulky, complex, expensive method that employs complicated, maintenance-intensive machinery. For instance, SIMS instruments typically occupy an entire room in a midsized laboratory and include several vacuum pumps, valves, powerful magnets, energy filters, ion sources, and complex data analysis tools.
What is needed is an analytical method that measures the implant dose nondestructively.

Depth profile metrology using grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence


A fuel injector for injecting fuel into a turbomachine combustion chamber, the injector presenting an injector nose for connection to an injection system fastened to the end wall of said combustion chamber, the injector nose comprising:                a first channel for passing a flow of an air/fuel pre-mixture towards the combustion chamber, the first channel opening out into the center of the injector nose via an outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture;        an electrical insulator surrounding said outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture;        a plasma generator system disposed inside said electrical insulation and downstream from said outlet opening for the air/fuel pre-mixture in order to control ignition and combustion of the air/fuel pre-mixture;        a second channel for passing a flow of fuel towards the combustion chamber, the second channel opening out outside said electrical insulation; and        a third channel for passing a flow of fuel towards the combustion chamber, this third channel opening out outside the second channel.

A turbomachine combustion chamber is generally annular in shape, centered on an axis X that corresponds to the axis of rotation of the rotor of the turbomachine. The combustion chamber has two annular walls (or shrouds) disposed coaxially about the axis X, and a chamber end wall arranged between said shrouds in the upstream region of said chamber. Said chamber walls define the combustion enclosure of the chamber.
A plurality of fuel injection systems are fastened to the end wall of the chamber (in orifices provided for this purpose through the chamber end wall), and they are distributed regularly around the axis X. A fuel injector is connected to each injection system.
An injection system generally comprises a central hole for receiving the free end of a fuel injector, and a plurality of air admission passages disposed concentrically around said central hole. These air admission passages generally serve to swirl air, i.e. they are constituted by annular passages having series of vanes extending therein for imparting rotary motion to the air passing therethrough. The air passing through these admission passages comes from the diffuser of the turbomachine, which diffuser is situated upstream from the combustion chamber. This air is mixed with fuel delivered by said injector so as to form an air/fuel mixture that is burnt in the combustion chamber.
The injector is a part that passes through the "combustion chamber module" of the turbomachine from the outer casing of said module to the end wall of the chamber. The injector comprises the fuel feed pipe(s) (forming part of a fuel manifold) that serve(s) to convey fuel for injection into the chamber. The fuel is expelled from the free end, or "nose", of the injector.
The invention relates to a fuel injector and not to the injection system to which the injector is connected.
The conventional process for designing and optimizing an airplane turbojet combustion chamber seeks to reconcile the expected operating performance (typically: fuel efficiency, stability range, ignition and re-ignition range, combustion area lifetime, temperature distribution at the outlet from the combustion area) depending on the intended mission of the airplane, with reducing polluting emissions (NOx, CO, UHC, soot).
A known solution for reducing polluting emissions, in particular those involving nitrogen oxides (of the NOx type) is to ensure that the combustion flame is in the presence of an air/fuel mixture that is rich or lean. For example, a leaner air/fuel mixture can be obtained for the combustion flame by increasing the flow rate of the air delivered to the combustion (mainly the flow rate through the end wall of the chamber).
Experience shows that this solution based on a lean mixture is effective in reducing NOx. Nevertheless, when attempts are made to take this solution to its potential maximum in terms of reducing polluting emissions (for a combustion area of fixed shape and thus of constant air distribution), it suffers from the following drawback: the stability of the combustion flame is affected (i.e. the vulnerability of the flame to being blown out is increased), in particular at low operating speeds of the turbojet, such that idling stages can no longer be obtained for the engine; the combustion efficiency at intermediate operating speeds is reduced; when the airplane is on the ground, it is more difficult to ignite the flame; and re-igniting the flame when the airplane is at altitude is also more difficult.

Fuel injector for injecting fuel into a turbomachine combustion chamber


A color television receiver is disclosed, which includes a circuit for detecting a color saturation level of a color from red, green and blue primary color signals or from color difference signals and a color temperature control circuit for increasing at least a blue color component on a screen of a color cathode ray tube in accordance with an increase of the color saturation level, the color temperature control circuit being controlled by the output of the color saturation level detecting circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to color television receivers and, more particularly, to a color temperature control or correction for a color television receiver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an NTSC (national television standard committee) system, chromaticity close to the blackbody radiation at a color temperature of 6740.degree. K. is selected to be a standard white color at the image transmitter side. Accordingly, the reference white color upon adjusting the white balance of a color picture tube has to be selected at this color temperature fundamentally.
However, in practice, the white color on the picture screen of the color cathode ray tube which is adjusted as described above is perceived as remarkably "reddish white" under, for example, the illumination of a fluorescent lamp having high color temperature. The reason for this is that human eyes follow illumination light and recognize "bluish white" having high color temperature around the color cathode ray tube as "pure white".
As described above, goodness or badness of the white on the picture screen of the color cathode ray tube greatly depends on the observation condition and also on the preference of each viewer. Generally, it is said that white color having color temperature higher than that of the illumination light is preferred.
While, if the color temperature is set high regardless of the content of a picture image, there arises a problem that a chromatic color, particularly flesh color, becomes bluish and hence unnatural color.
Therefore, in the art it has been proposed to control or correct the color temperature in response to the brightness of a color video signal.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the prior art. In FIG. 1, a composite color video signal is applied to an input terminal 1 and then fed to a Y/C separating circuit 2 where it is separated to a luminance signal Y and a chrominance signal C. The chrominance signal C is color-demodulated by a color demodulating circuit 3 which then produces red, green and blue color difference signals R-Y, G-Y and B-Y, respectively. These color difference signals R-Y, G-Y and B-Y are supplied to a matrix circuit 4. The matrix circuit 4 is also supplied with the luminance signal Y from the Y/C separating circuit 2 through a contrast adjusting variable resistor 5. Thus, the matrix circuit 4 produces red, green and blue primary color signals R, G and B. These red, green and blue primary color signals R, G and B are, respectively, supplied through gain control circuits 6R, 6G and 6B to the cathodes of a cathode ray tube 7. The input vs. output characteristics of the gain control circuits 6R, 6G and 6B are respectively shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C.
That is, the red primary color signal R is amplified linearly relative to the input. However, although the green primary color signal G and the blue primary color signal B are amplified linearly when the inputs are lower than a predetermined level, when the inputs are higher than the predetermined level, the green primary color signal G and the blue primary color signal B are respectively amplified so as to emphasize green and blue colors. In this case, the blue primary color signal B is emphasized much, while the green primary color signal G may be emphasized a little.
In this case, the above predetermined level is selected to correspond to a portion of high brightness, for example, the telop portion of a white character on a picture screen. The telop portion refers to a character display superimposed upon the television picture on the screen, for example, to display advertising information, announcements, stock market prices and the like.
Thus the telop portion of the white character and the like are made bluish, which is equivalent to the case that the color temperature is raised, white color being reproduced without being reddish. In addition, in the portion of the brightness less than the predetermined level, under the standard color temperature, for example, 9300.degree. K., each primary color signal is supplied to the cathode ray tube so that a flesh color or the like can be prevented from being made bluish.
However, according to such prior art color temperature control or correction system, only the portion of high brightness level such as a portion of a white character and the like can be controlled or corrected and a white color having low brightness level can not be corrected. The reason for this is that this prior art system carries out the color temperature control or correction not for the color saturation level but for the brightness.
Further, since the green and blue primary color signals are passed through the gain control circuits 6G and 6B which are non-linear circuits, there is then a defect that a non-linear characteristic causes color shading.
In addition, there is a further defect that the color temperature is changed by the adjustment of contrast.

Color temperature control circuit using saturation level detector


A toilet tank ballcock which includes an adjustable detent arm pivotally mounted above the ballcock float to swing into a latching position below the float and thereby prevent the float from lowering except pursuant to an intentional flush of the tank. The ballcock also has a fully and conveniently adjustable riser column and float linkage rod to allow for easy control of the volume of water delivered by each flush.

Toilets use a substantial amount of water in their operation and it is naturally desirable to avoid waste of any water if possible. This is especially true for commercial users having large numbers of toilets, such as hotels and motels, and those living in areas where water is in short supply.
One common source of wasted water relates to the volume of water delivered by each flush of the tank. For many users it is not necessary to have their tank deliver the maximum amount of water during each flush cycle, and a substantial amount of water can be conserved by reducing this volume. Hence, it is desirable to be able to conveniently control the volume of water a tank will deliver when flushed. Moreover, in some areas water shortages are only temporary, in which case a user may wish to conserve water only during a shortage period and return to normal flush volume after the shortage is over. In such situations, the convenience with which water volume can be adjusted is especially important.
Leaks are another potentially significant source of wasted water. Leaks often develop around the edges of the flush tank stopper valve as the stopper gets old and begins to deteriorate. With these leaks water drains slowing into the toilet bowl and can go undetected for a long period of time. Leaks also may develop at the base of the ballcock water supply line or through cracks in the tank, in which case water drains to the floor around the toilet causing potentially serious damage.
With a typical ballcock system, when water level in the tank falls below a certain level due to leakage, the ballcock simply activates water flow and refills the tank. Thus, because the tank is being perpetually refilled, leaking can continue indefinitely. Over time, a huge amount of water can be wasted or, worse, very extensive damage caused. There is a particularly great risk that such leaks will go undetected in situations, as in hotels and motels, where a toilet may not be used for substantial periods of time.


An intravascular stent including a cylindrical sheet having overlapping edges that interlock. The edges have a series of protrusions and apertures that interlock and ratchet as the stent expands to an open position to support a section of arterial wall. The stent may be expanded by a balloon catheter or it may be self-expanding. The stent is biocompatible, may be bio-erodible, and capable of localized drug delivery. A plurality of retaining members to keep the stent open are disclosed. In one embodiment a buckle fastening member is used, while in another embodiment a helical seam containing projections is employed. The stent may be wound in such a manner that during expansion of the stent one side of the sheet desires to return to its original shape, creating a bias. In addition, a variety of reticulated structure stents are disclosed, with novel geometric patterns that aid in increased flexibility while preserving radial strength and also allow blood-tissue interaction and side branch access. The intravascular stent may be made of a sheet of material strengthened and stiffened by pyrolytic carbon or by structural reinforcement as in composite laminates.

1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention generally relates to expandable endoprosthesis devices, in particular expandable intraluminal vascular grafts, generally called stents, adapted to be implanted into a body lumen, such as a coronary artery, to maintain the patency of the lumen. These devices are frequently used in the treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis in blood vessels, especially after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures, with the intent to help reduce the likelihood of restenosis of a blood vessel. Stents are also used to support a body lumen where a flap or dissection has occurred or in general where the lumen is weak. The present invention also relates to an expandable intraluminal vascular graft that can be used in any body lumen.
2.Description Of Related Art
In expandable stents that are delivered with expandable catheters, such as balloon catheters, the stents are positioned over the balloon portion of the catheter and expanded from a reduced diameter to an enlarged diameter greater than or equal to the diameter of the artery wall, by inflating the balloon. Stents of this type can be expanded to an enlarged diameter by deforming the stent, by engagement of the stent walls with respect to one another, and by one-way engagement of the stent walls together with endothelial growth into the stent. Other stents are self-expanding, through the properties of the material constituting the stent or by design.


A system and method of minimizing interference and retries in an environment where two or more network protocols utilize the same frequency spectrum is disclosed. A lower-power network controller is co-located with a WIFI controller. The lower-power network controller parses incoming packets as they are received and generates a request signal once it is determined that the incoming packet is destined for this device. This maximizes the likelihood that no WIFI traffic will occur while the incoming packet is being received.

The proliferation of networks, especially in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, has led to challenges for those attempting to utilize multiple network protocols. For example, ZigBee, Thread and BlueTooth Low Energy all operate in the 2.4 GHz spectrum, and are considered low power protocols. However, WiFi, which has much higher transmission power levels, also operates in this frequency spectrum. Consequently, these various protocols may interfere with one another, resulting in reductions in throughput or data loss.
However, currently, most solutions to this problem are unmanaged, meaning that customers are asked to maximize RF isolation. This may be done by attempting to physically separate the antennas associated with each network protocol. Alternatively or additionally, the networks may be set up on separate channels within the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum to attempt to reduce isolation requirements. Finally, the number of retries allowed for each network protocol may be maximized, thereby using retransmissions to serve as a safety net in case the other techniques do not yield the required RF isolation.
In addition, recent market trends are to reduce the space required to implement these various protocols. One way of doing this is to co-locate multiple antennas within a single device. For example, gateways and other devices that include WiFi and one or more other network protocols are becoming increasingly popular.
The unmanaged approaches that are currently used are insufficient to address these issues associated with co-existence of multiple network protocols. Therefore, there is a need for a more managed and planned approach to co-located networks which operate in the same frequency spectrum.

ZigBee, thread and BLE co-existence with 2.4 GHz WiFi


An image forming apparatus includes: an image receptor; a developing member which develops a latent image on the image receptor with a toner; an anti-spattering member collecting free toner particles, a driver which drives the developing member and the anti-spattering member; and a controller which controls the driver not to drive the anti-spattering member during a printing operation, and to drive the anti-spattering member at other times when printing operation is not being performed.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that is capable of reducing vibration and noise caused by an anti-spattering member during a printing operation, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is an electronic device which forms an image on a print medium. Recently, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus as a laser printer has attracted much attention.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus may include a photosensitive body, a light scanning unit to expose the photosensitive body and to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing roller to develop the electrostatic latent image with toner into a visible image, a transfer roller to transfer the visible image on the surface of the photosensitive body to a print medium, and a fusing roller to fuse the toner transferred to the print medium by, e.g., heat and pressure.
The image forming apparatus may further include an anti-spattering member to gather spattered toner and prevent the toner from being spattered since the toner is likely to be spattered while the developing roller develops an image and/or when the transfer roller transfers the image.
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0109802, filed Nov. 16, 2005, which has been published as Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2007-0052132, entitled "A DEVELOPING DEVICE OF AN IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS," assigned to the present assignee, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a developing cartridge having an anti-spattering member.
A conventional image forming apparatus may gather the spattered toner as the anti-spattering member rotates, but may also create noise and/or vibration during the printing operation, which may in turn may cause a jitter that may result in deterioration of image quality.

Image forming apparatus and control method thereof


The present invention is directed to the veterinary transdermal application of an active agent to an animal. More particularly, the invention is directed to an active agent dispenser or apparatus attachable to the ear of an animal for the transdermal delivery of an active agent to the animal. The dispenser comprises an ear tag component and a transdermal device component, wherein the transdermal component is held tightly in active agent-transmitting relation to the ear of an animal by the ear tag component.

Identification animal ear tags for cattle, hogs, sheep and the like are in widespread use. The most popular forms of these tags comprise two components formed of plastic or other resilient material, the male component having a pointed pin, spike or rivet of hard plastic material which is adapted to be forced through an animal ear and the female component which can be urged over the pointed end of the rivet to retain the male component in position on the ear. The means of identification, i.e., the tag itself, can be attached to or integrally formed with either or both components of the two-component tag. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,544,547, 4,581,834, and 4,694,781; U.K. Pat. GB 2 062 552: and PCT patent publication WO 82/01639 describe exemplary two-component tags.
As ear identification tags for animals are increasingly used, various techniques also have been devised for using such tags to topically release agents such as insecticides, insect repellents or animal repellents, either through separately applied tags or by adding a carrier of some type to the identification ear tag. However, these all have certain problems or drawbacks in addition to being for topical rather than transdermal delivery of agent. Those ear tags where the tag itself is made of a material impregnated with an insecticide, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,184,453 and 4,265,876 for example, pose the problem that within a relatively short period of time the insecticide is used up. Where the tags have been adapted to include replenishable insecticide devices (examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,949,708, 4,425,874, 4,562,794, 4,694,781 and 4,697,549), the tags themselves are of special construction to accommodate the the different insecticide dispensers. With insecticide carriers which are wrapped around a portion of the tag to fasten upon themselves, removal and installation of the carriers is cumbersome. Examples of such carriers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,777 and 4,495,898. Additionally, all are for topical rather than transdermal delivery of an active agent.
Transdermal drug delivery in veterinary applications is discussed by Pitman and Rostas in Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 70(11):1181-1193 (1981), and 71(4):427-430 (1982). A few techniques and devices are known for administering medicaments through the skin for veterinary use. One example of such a technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,290, which suggests attachment of a device to the ears or tail of an animal for applying a drug. Another example is described in EP application 376,143, which describes a device which is wrapped completely around the ear.
Transdermal drug delivery devices for placement by adhesive means onto the skin are well-known for use with humans. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,598,122, 3,598,123, 4,379,454, 4,286,592, 4,314,557 and 4,568,343, for example, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, such devices are not useful for animals. Retention is not reliable because of exposure to weather or of animal behavior such as grooming. Also, locations free of hair growth to allow the use of aggressive adhesive are rare. Moreover, any dramatic change in animal handling practices required of livestockmen would be met with resistance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an active agent transdermal delivery device which is practical and simple to use, can be manufactured economically, may be used in conjunction with a standard unmodified ear identification tag and which is easy to apply and easy to remove and is readily removable without requiring removal of the identification tag. It is also desirable to provide a device for transdermal delivery without altering animal handling practices or increasing cost.

Veterinary transdermal active agent delivery device


The passive cooling of a shelter containing a heat source is achieved by utilizing a thermal liquid in an accumulator, a first heat transfer loop for thermosiphonically transferring heat from the interior of the shelter to the liquid in the accumulator when the liquid is cooler than the interior of the shelter, and a second heat transfer loop for thermosiphonically transferring heat from the liquid in the accumulator to the environment when the latter is cooler than the liquid in the accumulator.

This invention relates to a method of and means for passively cooling a shelter containing a heat source and located in a diurnal environment which is periodically hotter and cooler than the interior of the shelter.
A shelter located in a diurnal environment which is periodically hotter and cooler than the interior of the shelter, and which has an external and internal heat load is termed herein, a shelter of the type described. A shelter housing electrical communication equipment as a part of a communication relay station remotely located in a tropical environment is an example of a shelter of the type described. In such case, hot ambient air, as well as sunshine, constitute the external heat load on the shelter, while electronic equipment housed within the shelter constitutes the internal heat load. Reliability of electronic communication equipment is assured only if the temperature in the interior of the shelter is maintained within predetermined limits. For this reason, a heavily insulated shelter is employed and day-time cooling is required because of the internal and external heat load. At night, some cooling is also necessary due to the internal heat load.
Conventionally, active cooling systems, such as conventional air-conditioning units, have been employed to cool remotvely located shelters of the type described. Active cooling requires the generation of power in excess of that necessary to drive the electronic equipment. In order to reduce power consumption, it would be very desirable to eliminate the extra load imposed on the power generator by the shelter cooling system. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of and means for passively cooling a shelter of the type described without using any source of energy apart from the natural difference in temperature between the environment and the interior of the shelter.

Method of and means for passively cooling a shelter containing a heat source


An optical signal transmitted by another terminal device that was used for compensation could be received by a device that is not the intended destination of said optical signal, resulting in the problem that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed for the information in said optical signal. This optical reception device is characterized by the provision of the following: a receiving means via which wavelength-multiplexed signal light is inputted; and a transmitting means that, in accordance with an identifier in an optical signal of a prescribed wavelength in the inputted wavelength-multiplexed signal light, forwards said optical signal.

In recent years, as the traffic increases, it is desired to increase the bandwidth of the circuit (line) and achieve higher functionality of the network in the undersea cable system. Therefore, techniques such as OADM (Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) and ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) are applied to the undersea cable system.
In the undersea ROADM system, a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) communication is used, and, for example, a transmission apparatus inputs a client signal as a wavelength multiplexed optical signal into an undersea cable, and multiple paths are accommodated in a single optical fiber, so that the flexibility of the network is improved.
In the undersea cable system having the OADM function, the total power of the signal transmitted in the cable constituted by an optical fiber is configured to be at a constant level, and in a case where some of the wavelength component of the signal is lost because, e.g., the cable is disconnected, the other wavelength components of the signal is amplified, so that the total power of the signal is maintained at a constant level.
However, when the power of only a particular wavelength component of the signal is increased, and the power becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value, a change occurs in the optical spectrum because of, e.g., degradation of the waveform of the signal due to nonlinear effect of the optical fiber, and the transmission quality of the signal is degraded.
An optical communication system described in PTL 1 relates to a technique for ensuring the communication quality by correcting the total power of the signal with dummy light in a case where a fault occurs in a cable. In the optical communication system described in PTL 1, a terminal apparatus (optical transmission apparatus) includes a dummy light generation unit generating dummy light according to a portion where optical signal disconnection occurs, so that the strength (the power) of the transmitted signal is maintained at a constant level, in a case where a fault of cable disconnection occurs.

Optical reception apparatus, optical transmission apparatus, optical communication system, optical communication method, and storage medium storing program


A binder is applied to particles which are then combined with fibers to bind the particles to the fibers. The particles have functional sites for forming a hydrogen bond or a coordinate covalent bond. The fibers have hydrogen bonding functional sites. The binder comprises binder molecules, the binder molecules having at least one functional group that is capable of forming a hydrogen bond or a coordinate covalent bond with the particles, and at least one functional group that is capable of forming a hydrogen bond with the fibers. A substantial portion of the particles that are adhered to the fibers may be adhered in particulate form by hydrogen bonds or coordinate covalent bonds to the binder, and the binder in turn may be adhered to the fibers by hydrogen bonds. Fibers containing particles bound by this method are easily densified.

This invention concerns polymeric and non-polymeric binders for particles and the use of such binders in binding particles to fibers. The fibers and bound particles may be easily densified by external application of pressure. The binders are reactivatable, and may be applied to particles, which thereafter may be bound to fibers on a wet-laid fiber sheet manufacturing line. In particular embodiments, the invention concerns binding superabsorbent particles to cellulosic fibers which may then be used, for example, to make absorbent fibers that are densified and incorporated into absorbent products. In other embodiments, the invention concerns the reactivation and use of binder coated particles, preferably at an article manufacturing plant, at a location remote from a pulp-sheet manufacturing line to bind superabsorbent and/or other particles to cellulosic fibers which may then be used, for example, as absorbent fibers incorporated into absorbent products.
Superabsorbent polymers have been developed in recent years that are capable of absorbing many times their own weight of liquid. These polymers, which are also known as water insoluble hydrogels, have been used to increase the absorbency of sanitary products such as diapers and sanitary napkins. Superabsorbent polymers are often provided in the form of particulate powders, granules, or fibers that are distributed throughout absorbent cellulosic products to increase the absorbency of the product. Superabsorbent particles are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,160,059; 4,676,784; 4,673,402; 5,002,814; and 5,057,166. Products such as diapers that incorporate absorbent hydrogels are shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,669,103 and 3,670,731.
One problem with the use of superabsorbents is that the superabsorbent material can be physically dislodged from the cellulosic fibers of an absorbent product. Separation of the superabsorbent from its substrate reduces the absorbency of the product and diminishes the effectiveness of the superabsorbent material. This problem was addressed in European Patent Application 442 185 A1, which discloses use of a polyaluminum chloride binder to bind an absorbent polymer to a fibrous substrate. The polyaluminum binder, however, suffers from the drawback of being an inorganic product that is not readily biodegradable. Moreover, that European patent does not offer any guidance for selecting binders other than polyaluminum chloride that would be useful in binding absorbent particles.
A method of immobilizing superabsorbents is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,571 in which a water swellable absorbent polymer is converted to a non-particulate immobilized confluent layer. Polymer particles are converted to a coated film by plasticizing them in a polyhydroxy organic compound such as glycerol, ethylene glycol, or propylene glycol. The superabsorbent assumes a non-particulate immobilized form that can be foamed onto a substrate. The individual particulate identity of the superabsorbent polymer is lost in this process. The confluent nature of the superabsorbent material can also result in gel blocking, in which absorption is diminished as the water swollen polymers block liquid passage through the film layer.
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,412,036 and 4,467,012 disclose absorbent laminates in which a hydrolyzed starch polyacrylonitrile graft copolymer and glycerol mixture is laminated between two tissue layers. The tissue layers are laminated to each other by applying external heat and pressure. The reaction conditions form covalent bonds between the tissue layers that firmly adhere the tissue layers to one another.
Numerous other patents have described methods of applying binders to fibrous webs. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,757,150; 4,584,357; and 4,600,462. Such binders are not described as being useful in binding particulates, such as superabsorbent particles, to fibers. Yet other patents disclose crosslinking agents such as polycarboxylic acids that form covalent intrafiber bonds with individualized cellulose fibers, as in European Patent Application 440 472 A1; European Patent Application 427 317 A2; European Patent Application 427 316 A2; and European Patent Application 429 112 A2. The covalent intrafiber bonds are formed at elevated temperatures and increase the bulk of cellulose fibers treated with the crosslinker by forming intrafiber ester crosslinks. Crosslinking must occur under acidic conditions to prevent reversion of the ester bonds. The covalent bonds within the fibers produce a pulp sheet that is more difficult to compress to conventional pulp sheet densities than in an untreated sheet. Covalent crosslink bonds may also form between the fibers and particles, and occupy functional groups that would otherwise be available for absorption, hence absorption efficiency is decreased.
A particular disadvantage of forming covalent ester intrafiber crosslinks is that the resulting fiber product resists densification. Energy requirements for making densified absorbent products are increased because very high compression pressures must be used to densify the absorbent product. It would be advantageous to provide a method of enhancing densification of crosslinked fibers by reducing energy requirements for densification.
Many different types of particles other than superabsorbents may be added to fibers for different end uses. Antimicrobials, zeolites and fire retardants are but a few examples of particles that are added to fibers. It would be advantageous to provide a method of attaching particles that could be accommodated to the many different particle needs of end users. Moreover, it would be advantageous to reduce particulate waste in the attachment process, and simplify shipment of fiber products that require particulate addition. It would be further advantageous to bind particulates to fibers without requiring the shipment of bulk fibers with adhered particulates because shipping and excessive handling of these fibers subject them to mechanical impact which can dislodge some particles from the fibers. It would also be advantageous under some circumstances to incorporate binder coated particles onto fibers during the initial pulp sheet manufacturing process so that the fibers with particles are ready for use at a remote product manufacturing location. However, the particles are then subject to dislodgement during the subsequent manufacturing processes.
It has previously been important that particles added to cellulose products be insoluble in liquids such as water or liquid binders. It has been thought that liquid insolubility (particularly water insolubility) was an essential characteristic for particles bound to cellulose fibers because soluble particles would be dissolved by a water containing binder. Although the particle could eventually resolidify as the binder evaporated, dissolution of the particle in the binder would cause the particle to diffuse to areas of the product where it was not needed or desired. Water soluble particles have therefore not been used for particles that were to be bound to fibers using a binder.
The foregoing and other problems have been overcome by providing fibers with hydrogen bonding functional sites, and binders that have a volatility less than water. The binder has a functional group that forms a hydrogen bond with the fibers, and a functional group that is also capable of forming a hydrogen bond or a coordinate covalent bond with particles that have a hydrogen bonding or coordinate covalent bonding functionality. The binder is applied to the particles to at least partially coat the particles. The binder containing particles, when combined with the fibers, are bonded to the fibers by a bond that has been found to be resistant to mechanical disruption. A significant advantage of these binders is that the binder and particle together on the fiber have been found to reduce the pressure required to densify the fibers. This is particularly true for superabsorbent particles, and preferably comprises using superabsorbent particles and a binder in an active state. The binders can also be present on particles in an inactive state for more than a week, a month, or a even a year, then later activated or reactivated to bind particles to the fibers. Liquid binders (which includes neat liquids or aqueous solutions of solid binders) can be placed on the particles, dried, and later reactivated by moistening the particles. Alternatively, a dry solid binder may be blended with the particles and later activated by addition of a liquid. An inactive binder can also be activated by applying kinetic energy to the binder containing particles in the presence of the fibers. Typically, an inactive state is one where the binder and particles reach an equilibrium moisture content with the atmosphere (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cair dryxe2x80x9d). Kinetic energy can be applied to the binder and fibers, for example and without limitation, by applying mechanical agitation, pressure from an external source, or using ultrasonics. In yet other embodiments, the binder may be activated or reactivated by heating the binder containing particles after applying the binder to the particles.
The capacity for activation or reactivation allows the binder to be applied to the particles, which are then shipped to distribution points with the binder in an inactive form. The binder is then activated at the distribution point (for example, a customer""s facility) where binder containing particles are added to the fibers and bound thereto. As used herein, binder xe2x80x9cactivationxe2x80x9d includes both activation of previously inactive binders (such as solid binders in the absence of liquid) or reactivation of previously active binders (such as a liquid binder that has been air dried). More typically, the particles are exposed to the binder, e.g. by spraying binder onto a stream of particles, as the particles are being deposited on a web of fibers or are otherwise being combined with the fibers. The binder binds the particles to the fibers. By applying binder primarily to the particles instead of directing the binder to the fibers, lesser quantities of binder are required to bind the particles to the fibers.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the binder containing particles can be applied to a fiber product in a pattern that corresponds to a desired distribution of particles in fibrous material. The binder may then be reactivated to bind the particles in place. A reactivation fluid, such as a reactivation liquid, for example, can be applied to binder containing particles deposited in the areas of a diaper that will be initially moistened by urine during use. Examples, without limitation, of suitable reactivation liquids include water, glycerin, lower alkyl alcohols, polyols, such as glycols, glycerin and monoglycerates, acetone, and combinations thereof, such as water and glycerin. When the reactivating fluid is a liquid, for example water, the liquid may be sprayed or otherwise applied and may be provided in the form of a gas. When water is the reactivating liquid, then it may be provided as steam or moisture-laden gas, such as humid air. Other liquid reactivation fluids may be applied in the same manner. Binder containing particles, such as superabsorbent particles can be added to areas of the diaper to which an activation fluid is or will be applied and will be adhered almost exclusively in those areas where initial urine absorption is required. Targeted activation of binder containing particles allows the particles to be efficiently and economically attached to the fibers, with reduced particle wastage. Moreover, targeted binder activation and particle adherence increases the absorptive efficiency of the product by diminishing excessive wicking of liquid within the plane of an absorptive product.
The particles of the present invention may be bound to the fibers with a polymeric or non-polymeric binder. The binder comprises binder molecules wherein the binder molecules have at least one functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond or coordinate covalent bond with the particles and at least one functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond with fibrous material. The polymeric binder may be selected from the group consisting of polyglycols, especially polyethylene glycol or poly(propyleneglycol), a polycarboxylic acid, a polycarboxylate, a poly(lactone) polyol, such as diols, a polyamide, a polyamine, a polysulfonic acid, a polysulfonate and combinations thereof. Specific examples of some of these binders, without limitation, are as follows: polyglycols include polypropylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG); poly(lactone) polyols include poly(caprolactone) diol; polycarboxylic acids include polyacrylic acid (PAA); polyamides include polyacrylamide or polypeptides; polyamines include polyethylenimine and polyvinylpyridine; polysulfonic acids or polysulfonates include poly(sodium-4-styrenesulfonate) or poly(2-acrylamido-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid); and copolymers thereof (for example a polypropylene glycol/polyethylene glycol copolymer). The polymeric binder typically has repeating units. The repeating unit may be the backbone of a compound, such as with a polypeptide, wherein the repeating polyamides occur in the peptide chain. The repeating unit may also refer to units other than backbones, for instance a repeating acrylic acid unit. In such a case, the repeating units may be the same or different. The binder has a functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond or a coordinate covalent bond with particles, and a functional group capable of forming a hydrogen bond with the fibers. At this time, the most preferred polymeric binder is polyethylene glycol although another especially preferred polymeric binder is an amide binder such as a polypeptide binder with polyglycine being a specifically preferred example.
The non-polymeric binder has a volatility less than water, a functional group that is capable of forming a hydrogen bond or coordinate covalent bond with the particles, and a functional group that is capable of forming a hydrogen bond with the cellulose or other fibers. The non-polymeric binder is an organic binder, and preferably includes a functional group selected from the group consisting of a carboxyl (for example, carboxylic acids), a carboxylate, a carbonyl (for example, aldehydes), a sulfonic acid, a sulfonate, a phosphoric acid, a phosphate, an amide, an amine, a hydroxyl (such as an alcohol) and combinations thereof (for example, an amino acid or an hydroxy acid), wherein there are at least two functionalities on the molecule selected from this group, and the two functionalities are the same or different. Examples of such binders include polyols, polyamines (a non-polymeric organic binder with more than one amine group), polyamides (a non-polymeric organic binder with more than one amide group), polycarboxylic acids (a non-polymeric organic binder with more than one carboxylic acid functionality), polyaldehydes (a non-polymeric organic binder with more than one aldehyde), amino alcohols, hydroxy acids and other binders. These binders have functional groups that are capable of forming the specified bonds with the particles and fibers.
More preferably, the organic non-polymeric binder is selected from the group consisting of glycerin, a glyceride monoester, including monoglycerides, a glycerin diester, including diglycerides, glyoxal, ascorbic acid, urea, glycine, pentaerythritol, a monosaccharide or a disaccharide, citric acid, tartaric acid, taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), p-aminosalicylic acid, dipropylene glycol, urea derivatives such as DMDHEU, and combinations thereof. Suitable saccharides include glucose, sucrose, lactose, ribose, fructose, mannose, arabinose, and erythrose. The preferred binders are non-polymeric molecules with a plurality of hydrogen bonding functionalities that permit the binder to form hydrogen bonds to both the fibers and particles. Particularly preferred binders include those that can form five or six membered rings, most preferably six membered rings, with a functional group on the particle surface. At present, glycerin, a glycerin monoester, a glycerin diester, and blends of these with urea are the preferred binders. At this time, a specifically preferred non-polymeric binder is glycerin.
The fibrous material may be cellulosic or synthetic fibers that are capable of forming hydrogen bonds with the binder, while the particles are selected to be of the type that are capable of forming hydrogen bonds or coordinate covalent bonds with the binder. It has unexpectedly been found that this binder system secures particles to fibers exceptionally well. A superior fibrous product is therefore produced that has improved absorbent properties as compared to unbound or covalently bound particles. Formation of the noncovalent bond allows production of a fiber product that is easily manufactured and a web that is easily densified, and that is readily biodegradable and disposable.
In one preferred embodiment, an absorbent product comprises a fibrous cellulosic mat that contains superabsorbent hydrogel particles in particulate form. The superabsorbent particles are capable of forming hydrogen bonds or coordinate covalent bonds with the binder, depending upon the binder, while the binder in turn is capable of forming hydrogen bonds with the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose fibers. These noncovalent, relatively flexible bonds between the binder and particles maintain the particles in contact with the fibers, and resist dislodgement of the particles by mechanical forces applied to the mat during manufacture, storage or use. The amount of binder present typically depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the binder and particles, and whether the particles are immediately added to the fibers or after a period of time. Hence, one skilled in the art will realize that the amount of binder suitable and particularly useful for a particular application will vary. However, the binder may suitably be present in an amount of from about 0.01 to 50 percent of the total weight of the particles, preferably from 0.03 to 20 percent, more preferably 0.03 to 5 percent and most preferably 0.03 to 1 percent. This lower percentage range produces very strong bonds that would require a much higher quantity of binder if the binder were applied to the fibers instead of the particles. The particles bound by the binder of the present invention (via hydrogen/coordinate covalent bonds) may suitably be present in an amount of 0.05 to 80 percent of the total weight of the fibrous material and the particles, preferably 1 to 80 percent or 5 to 80 percent, or more than 5 percent by weight. A particularly suitable range of particles is 5 to 70 percent by weight of the fibrous material and particles. A preferred weight ratio of particle to binder is 90:1 to 500:1. An example of a suitable particle is a superabsorbent polymer such as a starch graft polyacrylate hydrogel fine or larger size particle such as a granule, which is capable of forming hydrogen bonds with the binder. The binder also is capable of forming hydrogen bonds with the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose, thereby securely attaching the superabsorbent particles to the fibers.
The present invention also includes a method of binding particles to fibers wherein the particles are insoluble in the binder (and soluble in water) and therefore retain their solid particulate form following binding. The particles, whether water soluble or not, preferably have functional groups that can form hydrogen bonds or coordinate covalent bonds with the binder, and the binder in turn is capable of forming hydrogen bonds to the fibers. Other particles without the desired functionality may also be included in the fiber product, but such particles will not be bound as strongly in the same manner.
In especially preferred embodiments, the fibers are cellulosic and the particles are superabsorbent particles that are bound to the binder by hydrogen bonds. The fibers also may be continuous or discontinuous synthetic or natural fibers having a hydrogen bonding functional group that hydrogen bonds with the binder. The binder is suitably applied to the particles in an amount of at least 0.03 percent, and preferably no more than 80 percent, more preferably no more than 20 percent and most preferably 0.1 to 3 percent, by total weight of the particles. The particles may be bound to the fibers at less than 150xc2x0 C. or without any external application of heat at ambient temperature (e.g., about 25xc2x0 C.). Particles may also be bound in the absence-of any external application of pressure, or in the absence of external heat and pressure.
In some embodiments the binder is associated with the particles as a solid (for example, a dry powder or a dried liquid), and the fibers contain at least 7 percent water by weight when the binding step is performed. This level of moisture in the fibers provides sufficient mobility of reactants to allow the particles and fibers to bind well to each other. When a liquid binder is used (for example, glycerin or a solution of glycine powder), the fibers suitably contain at least about 0.5 percent water by weight. A solid binder is suitably used with fibers having less than 0.5 percent water by weight if the binder is heated above its melting point to liquefy it. A solid binder may be thermoplastic or meltable, such that it can be heated above its melting point and then cooled to fuse fibers to each other. The thermoplastic properties of the binder can also provide additional mechanical adherence between the particles and fibers. In some embodiments, a meltable binder such as urea may be employed which can adhere particles both physically and with hydrogen bonding.
In other embodiments, the particles are soluble in water but have reduced solubility in the binder such that the particles can be bound in solid particulate form to the fibers. Addition of the binder does not dissolve the particle and cause it to diffuse away from its desired site of attachment to the fibers.
The invention also is directed to fibrous products produced by any of the methods described herein and to absorbent products or articles comprised of such fibrous products.
The present invention relates to the above objects, features and advantages individually as well as collectively. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed descriptions and accompanying drawings.

Method of binding binder treated particles to fibers


A rechargeable battery that may be manufactured and used in various shapes is disclosed. An embodiment of the rechargeable battery includes: an electrode assembly including a pair of electrodes on respective surfaces of a separator and a pair of lead tabs extending from the pair of electrodes; and a pouch receiving the electrode assembly and having the lead tabs protruding out to one side, each of the electrodes including a first bending part including a molded plate including active material particles and a metal fiber yarn of a current collector, and the pouch including a second bending part superimposed on the electrodes in parallel and including a molded sheet having a shape corresponding to that of the first bending part.

1. Field
Aspects of embodiments according to the present disclosure relate generally to a rechargeable battery that may be manufactured and used in various three-dimensional shapes, and a manufacturing method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery is a battery that is configured to repeatedly perform charging and discharging, unlike a primary battery, which is not designed to be repeatedly charged and discharged. A small-capacity rechargeable battery is used in small portable electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, and a camcorder. A large-capacity rechargeable battery is used as a power supply for driving a motor, for an electric bicycle, a scooter, an electric vehicle, a fork lift, and the like.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Rechargeable battery and manufacturing method of the same


A method and apparatus for transmitting data in a wireless communication system is provided. A user equipment (UE) establishes dual connectivity with at least one first cell and at least one second cell, receives an indication which indicates that a data transmission path of a radio bearer is to be configured for the at least one first cell, configures the data transmission path of the radio bearer for the at least one first cell, and transmits data via the data transmission path on the at least one first cell.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for transmitting data in a wireless communication system.
Related Art
Universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is a 3rd generation (3G) asynchronous mobile communication system operating in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) based on European systems, global system for mobile communications (GSM) and general packet radio services (GPRS). A long-term evolution (LTE) of UMTS is under discussion by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) that standardized UMTS.
The 3GPP LTE is a technology for enabling high-speed packet communications. Many schemes have been proposed for the LTE objective including those that aim to reduce user and provider costs, improve service quality, and expand and improve coverage and system capacity. The 3GPP LTE requires reduced cost per bit, increased service availability, flexible use of a frequency band, a simple structure, an open interface, and adequate power consumption of a terminal as an upper-level requirement.
Small cells using low power nodes are considered promising to cope with mobile traffic explosion, especially for hotspot deployments in indoor and outdoor scenarios. A low-power node generally means a node whose transmission (Tx) power is lower than macro node and base station (BS) classes, for example a pico and femto eNodeB (eNB) are both applicable. Small cell enhancements for the 3GPP LTE will focus on additional functionalities for enhanced performance in hotspot areas for indoor and outdoor using low power nodes.
In light of operator's big interest in deploying small cells overlaid in a macro cell, some issues are identified for small cell enhancements. One of the issues is to introduce user equipments (UEs) having dual connectivity to a macro cell and small cells. For example, the UE has one connectivity to a macro cell for control plane aspects and another connectivity to a small cell for user plane aspects.
To support such dual connectivity to different cells, radio bearers would be configured differently for different cells. For example, the UE would be configured only with signaling radio bearers (SRBs) only for a macro cell and configured with data radio bearers (DRBs) only for small cells. However, because radio bearers are configured per UE currently, it is not possible to selectively configure radio bearers per cell.
Accordingly, a method for configuring radio bearers per cell may be required.

Method and apparatus for transmitting data in wireless communication system


The present invention provides solution to the problems involved in construction of roads which are economical and which have longer life and low maintenance requirement. It provides a crack free, skid resistant and ravel free road. Also, the invention provides a process for the construction of road which is capable of addressing the problems of prior art.

Pavement sections, such as concrete slabs and roadways usually undergo thermal movement, expansion and contraction, in response to ambient temperature changes and water permeated soil conditions. The gaps widen and narrow due to thermal movement of the pavement sections, which causes cracks to form in the road surfacing material. The underlying pavement deteriorates quickly, especially in areas where water penetrates through cracks in the asphalt.
Knowing these problems associated in prior art there is a need to provide a solution to the problems explained above. The present invention provides a composition for constructing road, a process to prepare such composition, a process to construct road which is crack free, skid resistant and ravel free road.
The product of instant invention is a low cost and quick way to develop infrastructure in villages and throughout the country. They are constructed in few hours. The constructed roads are aesthetic and structurally improved when compared with existing roads in and around the world. The construction is a low cost maintenance product for existing roads and highways. The composition of instant invention is termed as Z-course.
One way to improve is to provide for a cement/asphalt mixtures and processes for preparation provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,031, wherein the said application provides for cement asphalt mixture to be applied at room temperatures and an improvement to existing cement/asphalt mixtures and used mainly for base courses. The Z course is a thin mixture of rubberized emulsion, aggregate, water and fly ash and is a sacrificial wearing course intended to protect the underlying base course. Another U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,418 application provides for an asphalt emulsion is an asphalt anionic emulsion. The Z course is more than emulsion and is a cationic process. Yet another way provided by EP 1956050 is bituminous composition for road construction for binders which is not a sacrificial wearing surface as that of instant invention. Yet another application U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,501 provides for aqueous quick setting bitumen aggregate mix suitable for cold pavement of roads, parking places, sidewalks and is not Z course of sacrificial wearing course. Yet another application U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,806 provides for a method and apparatus for road maintenance (equipment) for slurries etc whereas the Z course as provided in the instant invention is a product and not equipment.
The Z course uses rubber, fly ash and uses a cationic emulsion to yield the useful properties explained in the detailed description. The materials which constitute Z course have been around for long time—water, aggregate (crushed rock) asphalt, cement, cationic chemistry rubberized asphalt.
The novelty and inventiveness is development of the process (combination) and application (for road maintenance) in the proportions of these commonly used materials for a much needed product—it is "green" (helps the environment) costs half as much and lasts twice as long as the traditional methods.
The sacrificial wearing course—Z course is designed to protect the underlying asset the base course. (Z course is not a base course) Base courses are very expensive and use lot of asphalt in various courses.
Z course also uses less fossils fuels—oil; contributing to less depletion of natural resources and provides a contribution towards lessening of green houses gases, because the traffic can be opened quickly no "idling" by cars.


A simple device producing both action effect and electronic effect includes a housing, an elastic driving mechanism and an electronic control circuit with a vibration sensor. The elastic driving mechanism has an elastic member, a transmitting shaft, a power input device, an eccentric action member. The electronic cir-control circuit has a circuit board, the vibration sensor, a battery and a function device. The elastic member stores and releases energy, and a changed energy is produced in the storing and releasing process. The eccentric member is connected to the output shaft of the elastic driving mechanism and rotated by the changed energy to produce vibration or jumping phenomenon. Then the vibration sensor senses the vibration phenomenon and triggers a signal of changing its own condition and starts the electronic circuit to produce function to let the function device perform preset action or function.

This invention relates to a simple device producing both an action effect and an electronic effect, particularly to one provided with an elastic driving mechanism with an eccentric action member for producing vibration or jumping action, and at the same time indirectly triggering a vibration sensor to the operation of an electronic control circuit.
A conventional method for producing action and starting an electronic circuit at the same time is effected by a switch to turn on a separated power source of a motor and an electronic circuit for producing action driven by the motor and driven by the electronic circuit. In other words, the action driven by the motor is practical movement such as tottering, slowly sliding, running and scrawling, wheel moving, jumping, vibrating, etc., all accomplished by a motor in conjunction with different mechanical designs. They are called action effect, guided by action phenomenon. Action driven by the electronic circuit is phenomenon such as sound, dialogue, lighting, flashing, and practical movement. They are called electronic effect, as driven by the electronic circuit. A motor and an electronic circuit combined together are the most popular conventional design, having a rather high cost owing to large current consumed by a motor using a large ordinary battery or storage battery. This involves disadvantage to environment, a large dimension, and the heavy weight of a motor and a battery, which makes it impossible to lessen the cost of a whole toy.

Simple device producing both action effect and electronic effect

5/F, No. 8, Alley 5, Lane 265 Sec. 4, Hsin Yi Road


A filter-press type ion exchange membrane-method electrolysis cell comprising. (a) an anode structure which comprises a rectangular anode frame including a top element, a bottom element and two side elements and anode plates welded to the anode frame, PA1 (b) a cathode structure which comprises a rectangular cathode frame including a top element, a bottom element and two side elements and cathode plates welded to the cathode frame, and PA1 (c) an ion exchange membrane interposed between the anode structure and the cathode structure; PA1 the two side elements of the anode frame and the two side elements of the cathode frame have a tubular structure with a rectangular cross section, PA1 the top and bottom elements of the anode frame and the top and bottom elements of the cathode frame have a .].-shaped cross section, and are secured such that their open portions face the inside of an anode compartment and a cathode compartment, respectively, and PA1 at least one end of the top element of the anode frame communicates with the top end of the side element of the anode frame and at least one end of the top element of the cathode frame communicates with the top end of the side element of the cathode frame so that the side element communicating with the top element of the anode frame, and the side element communicating with the top element of the cathode frame form conduits for withdrawing gas and solution flowing from the anode compartment and the cathode compartment, respectively, PA1 (d) a current disperser surrounding an anode lead bar welded to anode plates within the anode structure and a current disperser surrounding a cathode lead bar welded to cathode plates within the cathode structure, whereby a region not permitting passage of gas is formed between the periphery of the anode lead bar and the inside of the current disperser welded to the anode plates and between the periphery of the cathode lead bar and the inside of the current disperser welded to the cathode plates, thus serving as a passage for a downwardly moving stream of electrolytic solution, and PA1 (e) a pipe for supplying an anolyte solution disposed within the anode compartment and a pipe for supplying a catholyte solution disposed within the cathode compartment.. wherein

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a filter press type ion exchange membrane-method electrolysis cell used, for example, in the electrolysis of alkali metal halides.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional filter press type ion exchange membrane-method electrolysis cell, the piping system is complicated because the pipe for withdrawing electrolytic solution and gas generated during electrolysis is secured to each electrolysis compartment from the outside through an electrode frame in each electrode structure. This causes a great deal of difficulty in installing or repairing the electrolysis cell.
In an attempt to overcome this difficulty, U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,129 suggests a filter press type electrolysis cell in which a top portion and a bottom portion of an electrode frame are constructed as hollow bodies so that the bottom hollow portion is used as a pipe for introduction of electrolytic solution and the electrolytic solution and gas generated during electrolysis are discharged from the top hollow portion.
In the electrolysis cell disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,129, an outlet for gas generated during electrolysis and electrolytic solution is located in the top hollow portion of the electrode frame, and therefore, it is necessary to provide at the side portion of the electrolysis cell a piping system for withdrawing the gas generated during electrolysis and the electrolytic solution. Thus, the problem of piping is not improved very much as compared with the conventional electrolysis cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,129 further discloses that it is desirable to use a hollow structure as the side portion of the electrode frame, and use the hollow side portion for circulation of electrolytic solution (see column 3, lines 3 et seq. of U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,129). Circulation of electrolytic solution at both side portions, however, is not sufficient, and uniform circulation of the entire electrolytic solution is not obtained.

Filter press type ion exchange membrane-method electrolysis cell