A display apparatus includes a plurality of first gate lines extended in a first direction and disposed on a substrate on which a plurality of pixels is disposed, a plurality of second gate line extended in a second direction to cross the first gate lines, a plurality of data lines disposed substantially parallel to the first gate lines, and a first insulating layer disposed between the first gate lines and the second gate lines and provided with a plurality of via holes to expose a portion of a corresponding first gate line of the first gate lines. Each of the first gate lines makes contact with a corresponding second gate line of the second gate lines through a corresponding via hole of the via holes.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display apparatus that has a reduced size while maintaining a high display quality, and a method of manufacturing the display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a display apparatus includes a display panel and a driving circuit driving the display panel to display an image corresponding to an external input signal. The driving circuit includes a gate driving circuit and a data driving circuit. The gate driving circuit includes a gate driving IC (integrated circuit). Recently, the gate driving IC has been made with an amorphous silicon gate (ASG) circuit using an amorphous silicon thin film transistor (a-Si TFT).
In general, the ASG circuit is positioned at a left or right side of the display panel or at both left and right sides of the display panel. Accordingly, it is difficult to reduce non-display areas disposed at the left and right sides of the display panel due to the ASG circuit.

Display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same


A sifting shovel for sifting particulate matter from a volume of material comprising a shovel head and a handle with an end fixed to the shovel head. The shovel head has a base plate, a sifting plate disposed in spaced relation relative to the base plate, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a proximal end wall. The sifting plate has a plurality of apertures therein, and the base plate, the sifting plate, and the first and second side walls have distal ends that together define an open mouth of the shovel head. The open mouth can have a minimum opening height greater than a maximum aperture dimension, and the shovel head can have a truncated wedge shape. At least a portion of the handle can be disposed below a longitudinal center of gravity of the sifting shovel, such as by forming a bend in the handle, to enable the sifting shovel to tip automatically.

Fireplaces and stoves have been employed as sources of residential and even commercial heating for centuries, and their popularity can be seen to increase in relative proportion to increases in energy prices. It will be appreciated that it is economically advantageous to get the most energy possible from wood, coal, heating pellets, and other forms of burnable fuel. It would be ideal, therefore, to ensure that the burnable fuel is as fully consumed as possible and, conversely, that as little unburned fuel as possible is removed from the fireplace or stove during cleaning and the like. One knowledgeable in the art will also be aware that removing as little unburned fuel as possible is desirable to minimize the volume of waste with which a party must contend.
A number of prior art inventors, such as Brooks in U.S. Pat. No. 71,969, Cipriano in U.S. Pat. No. 1,675,092, Fisher in U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,416, Neugent in U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,376 to Neugent, and Dixon in U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,285, have sought to provide hand tools for enabling the easy, efficient, and safe sifting of materials. To date, however, the proposed solutions of the prior art have been comparatively limited in effectiveness and complex in structure and operation.
For example, many devices of the prior art have disadvantageously removed significant amounts of large coals, embers, and other uncombusted materials from the combustion area thereby leading to unnecessary energy losses. The effectiveness of other prior art constructions has been inhibited by components that inadequately secure heated embers during the removal and transfer of ash from the combustion area to a waste container thereby representing not only a significant fire hazard but also a messy and inefficient arrangement. Still further, certain prior art devices employ moving parts whose function is impaired by individual and repeated heating effects, including thermal expansion and contraction, thereby leading to malfunctioning and premature failure.
In light of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need in the art for a sifting tool for enabling the safe and efficient sifting of unburned embers from dust, ash, and the like to permit, for example, the removal of the dust and ash from a furnace, stove, or the like while enabling the return of unburned embers to the combustion area for permitting the full and efficient consumption thereof with minimal waste.


A cooking pan with a temperature display function includes a pan body and a handle. An extra bottom layer is provided at a bottom of the pan body with a metallic plate sandwiched in between the bottom of the pan body and the extra bottom layer. An installation hole is located at a side of the metallic plate with a temperature sensor installed inside the hole. A display unit is placed on the handle and the temperature sensor is connected to the display unit via connection wires. This cooking pan can show the temperature of the bottom of the pan body precisely and quickly, so that the user can control the timing better.

Nowadays cooking pans are commonly used for preparing meals such as drying, deep-frying, stewing etc. Many cooking pans comprise a metallic plate having a certain thickness, which is embedded between cooking surface and pan bottom. Such cooking pans do not include a temperature display unit therefore users have to control the heating e.g. cooking time, frequency of slipping and amount of heat based on their experience. However it may lead to overcooking or undercooking.


Systems and methods for a situated multi-user environment are provided. In one aspect, the method includes a step for receiving a user event message for a first user based on data received by a data source. The method also includes a step for updating a display based on the received user event message for the first user, wherein the display provides an indication of a relative physical location of the first user amongst a group of users within a certain proximity of each other. The method also includes a step for receiving a command from a first user to share a content item with a second user in the group of users. The method also includes a step for providing access to the shared content item to a device of the second user.

The subject technology is generally directed to improving the digital experience of a group of users that are within close proximity of each other ("co-located").
When people are physically co-located, they can easily share objects, speak to each other, ask each other questions, and collaborate on projects and plans. In a digital context, the physical location of people relative to each other generally has no impact on their digital experience. For example, the same steps are required to digitally share a photo with somebody who is sitting next to a user sharing the photo as would be required to digitally share the photo with somebody else who may be thousands of miles away from the user sharing the photo. This uniform ability to share may be an advantage when interacting with people who are far away, but may be an inefficiency when, for example, sharing an e-book with someone standing next to a user requires the user to log into at least one device, find a file, choose a transfer method, pick a recipient for the transfer method, and send the file to the recipient.


A method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of glass fibers is provided, which can improve the accuracy of the cross-sectional size of a through hole in the glass part. A mother glass having a similar cross section to a desired cross section of a glass part having a through hole is prepared, and the prepared mother glass is drawn while it is heated. The mother glass is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 100 xcexcm or less per minute

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of optical fibers, method of manufacturing mother glass to produce glass parts, and glass parts for connection of optical fibers.
2. Prior Art
Generally, in optical communication systems and optical applied equipment, optical connectors are used to connect optical fibers or connect an optical fiber and a light emitting/receiving device or the like.
Conventionally, optical connectors of this kind are divided into a split type as disclosed in Japanese Patent (KOUHOU) No. 2788800 and an integral type as shown in cross section in FIG. 17.
The integral type optical connector shown in FIG. 17 is comprised of a cylindrical glass ferrule 10 having a through hole 11 with a small diameter formed therein along a longitudinal central axis thereof. Optical fibers 12 and 13 are held in the through hole 11 with end faces 14 thereof abutting against each other. A matching agent (epoxy adhesive agent or ultraviolet hardening resin) is filled between the end faces 14. The matching agent acts to match the refractive index between the optical fibers 12 and 13, as well as bond the optical fibers together. The through hole 11 is tapered at its opposite open ends 15 and 16, so as to facilitate insertion of the optical fibers 12 and 13 into the through hole 11. The matching agent or an adhesive agent is filled in the open ends 15 and 16, and in gaps between the wall of the through hole 11 and the optical fibers 11 and 12 in order to fix the optical fibers 12 and 13 inside the through hole 11.
The ferrule 10 constructed as above is manufactured by forming a mother glass having a similar cross section to that of the ferrule, forming a through hole in the mother glass by machining, then drawing the mother glass with a through hole thus formed while heating the same to obtain a drawn glass, and then cutting the drawn glass into a suitable length. In manufacturing the ferrule 10, the formation of the mother glass and the through hole may be performed by press molding.
The ferrule 10 which is manufactured in the above described manner requires to have dimensional tolerances of xc2x13-5 xcexcm of the cross-sectional size of the through hole 11, so as to locate the optical fibers with an accuracy of the order of light wavelength.
According to the conventional manufacturing method described above, sufficient dimensional accuracy of the cross-sectional size of the through hole 11 cannot be achieved because the ferrule 10 is formed by hot drawing a prepared mother glass. As a result, the optical fibers 12 and 13 cannot be smoothly inserted into the ferrule 10, nor held in place with accuracy.
Further, the process of forming a through hole in the mother glass to manufacture the ferrule 10 by machining or by press molding takes much time and labor to perform.
In addition, the conventional ferrule 10 is solely designed to make a connection between single optical fibers and cannot make a connection between groups of plural optical fibers
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of optical fibers, which can improve the accuracy of the cross-sectional size of a through hole in the glass part.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing mother glass to produce glass parts for connection of optical fibers, which can easily form a through hole in the mother glass.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide glass parts for connection of optical fibers, which are suitable for making a connection between groups of plural optical fibers.
To attain the first object, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a glass part for connection of optical fibers, the glass part having at least one through hole formed therein to hold optical fibers, comprising the steps of:
preparing a mother glass having a similar cross section to a desired cross section of the glass part; and
drawing the prepared mother glass while heating the same;
wherein the mother glass is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 100 xcexcm or less per minute.
Preferably, the mother glass is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 10 xcexcm or less per minute.
More preferably, the mother glass is made of a glass selected from the group consisting of soda lime silicate glass, low alkali silicate glass, and germanate glass.
To attain the second object, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing mother glass to produce glass parts for connection of optical fibers, comprising the steps of:
putting together a plurality of glass elements having a polygonal cross section so as to form a through hole having a polygonal cross section; and
bonding together the glass elements put together by heat fusion.
Preferably, the glass elements comprises a number of glass elements equal to a number of sides of said polygonal cross section.
To attain the third object, the present invention provides a glass part for connection of optical fibers having at least one through hole formed therein to hold optical fibers, wherein the through hole has a cross section of a shape selected from the group consisting of polygon, oblong, ellipse, connected circles, and connected squares.
In a preferred embodiment, the through hole has a cross section of a shape selected from the group consisting of hexagon, octagon, and connected squares.
In another preferred embodiment, the through hole has a cross section of a shape selected from the group consisting of oblong, connected circles, and ellipse.
Preferably, the glass part is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 100 xcexcm or less per minute.
More preferably, the glass part is made of a glass having a maximum devitrification speed of 10 xcexcm or less per minute.
Further preferably, the glass part is made of a glass having approximately the same coefficient of linear expansion as that of optical fibers to be connected.
In another preferred embodiment, the glass part for connection of optical fibers has a through hole formed therein to hold optical fibers, wherein the through hole comprises a plurality of through holes.
The term xe2x80x9ccross sectionxe2x80x9d used throughout the present specification refers to a sectional form perpendicular to the direction in which the mother glass is drawn.

Method of manufacturing glass parts for connection of optical fibers, method of manufacturing mother glass to produce glass parts, and glass parts for connection of optical fibers


A touch panel input device includes a touch panel having a lower layer including a resistive conductor and an upper layer including a dielectric, a driving circuit for applying a driving signal to points on the lower layer, a voltage detecting circuit for converting a current flowing through each point into a voltage signal, a switching circuit for switching the voltage signal to generates a coordinate signal, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the coordinate signal into digital coordinate data, and protrusions, each protrusion including a resistive conductor, located on the upper layer of the touch panel.

The present invention relates to a touch panel input device, and more particularly, to a touch panel input device which generates coordinate data of a position on a touch panel which a pointing means, such as a finger of a user contacts.
FIG. 1 is for explaining the principle of a touch panel input device. As shown in the drawing, the touch panel input device comprises of a touch panel 11 having a lower layer 111 comprising a resistive conductor and an upper layer 112 comprising a dielectric, a driving circuit 12 for applying a driving signal to predetermined points UR, UL, LL and LR on the lower layer 111, a voltage detecting circuit 13 for converting currents i.sub.UR, i.sub.UL, i.sub.LL and i.sub.LR flowing toward each point into voltage signals V.sub.UR, V.sub.UL, V.sub.LL and V.sub.LR, a switching circuit 14 for switching the voltage signals to generate a coordinate signal, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 15 for converting the coordinate signal into digital coordinate data. Here, R.sub.UR, R.sub.UL, R.sub.LL and R.sub.LR are voltage detecting resistors each having the same resistance value.
In FIG. 1, when there is no physical contact with the surface of the upper layer 112 of the touch panel 11, there is no flow of the currents i.sub.UR, i.sub.UL, i.sub.LL and i.sub.LR since the touch panel 11 is in an electrically floating state. Accordingly, there is no voltage drop across any of the voltage detecting resistors R.sub.UR, R.sub.UL, R.sub.LL and R.sub.LR and all the voltage signals V.sub.UR, V.sub.UL, V.sub.LL and V.sub.LR become "0V." When the user's finger touches the surface of the upper layer 112 of the touch panel 11, the currents i.sub.UR, i.sub.UL, i.sub.LL and i.sub.LR flow towards the finger via the lower and upper layers 111 and 112 of the touch panel 11. Here, the respective currents i.sub.UR, i.sub.UL, i.sub.LL and i.sub.LR are in inverse proportion to the distance between the finger-touch point and each of the points UR, UL, LL and LR. Accordingly, a voltage drop occurs across each of the voltage detecting resistors R.sub.UR, R.sub.UL, R.sub.LL and R.sub.LR and each voltage varies in accordance with the position of the finger. The voltage detecting circuit 13 detects the voltage change and generates each of the voltage signals V.sub.UR, V.sub.UL, V.sub.LL and V.sub.LR. The switching circuit 14 generates X-coordinate and Y-coordinate signals by switching. The analog-to-digital converter 15 converts the coordinate signals into digital coordinate data.
FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the operation of a conventional input device of a touch panel type. As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional touch panel 21 comprises of a lower layer 211 comprising a resistive conductor and an upper layer 212 comprising a dielectric. When a user's finger touches the surface of the upper layer 212, a current due to a driving signal flows via the lower layer 211 and the upper layer 212 toward the finger since a capacitance C.sub.g of the upper layer 212 is present. However, since an air capacitance C.sub.a is present between the upper layer 212 and the finger, noise current flows through the air capacitance C.sub.a. Accordingly, accuracy and precision in relation to the output data of such an input device are lowered. Further, since the surface that the finger touches, i.e., the upper surface of the upper layer 212, is slippery, a user tends to apply force in order to press more firmly.


A telephone-line powered coin telephone chassis which operates on as little as 23 milliamperes of off-hook loop current and which shuts down on-hook. Capacitors power a microprocessor for a short time during on-hook coin control immediately after a phone call. The chassis is designed to operate with the WESROC.RTM. coin telephone monitoring system and has built-in circuitry which makes a direct communications link between a remote unit of the WESROC system and the chassis. Connectors are built into the chassis for electrically connecting the chassis to the WESROC remote unit and to coin telephone components external to the chassis. Built into the chassis is circuitry for preventing tone fraud and pin fraud, detecting the presence of the handset, a push-button line diagnostic test, an interface for a volume switch and an interface for an electronic coin chute.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to telecommunications apparatus, and more particularly to a chassis for use in a coin or pay telephone.
2. Background Information
The state of the art includes various coin telephones. Some are owned and controlled by a telephone company, while others are customer owned and do not rely on signaling from a central office. Many prior art coin telephones require an independent power supply at the site of the telephone. Some sites where it may be desirable to locate a coin telephone may not have such a power supply readily accessible. The expense of providing access to such a power supply may prohibit use of such a telephone.
The prior art also includes line powered coin telephones which can obtain some of the necessary operating power from the telephone line itself. The telephone line provides at least 23 milliamperes of loop current to the telephone during the off-hook condition. During the on-hook condition, however, line loop current is limited by law to a maximum of five microamperes. Phones which require devices to be energized during on-hook condition require an additional power source, typically a battery. An example of such a system in a coin operated customer owned line powered telephone is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,005 to Kelley et al. Because it is customer owned, the Kelley telephone must have the ability within the telephone to rate calls, control coin collection, and connect calls rather than relying on a signal from a central office. The Kelley telephone shuts down unnecessary circuits during the on-hook condition, but has a real time clock, memory, and wake-up circuitry which must be kept energized during on-hook condition. A rechargeable battery supplies that power. The battery is charged by any excess current available from the telephone line during off-hook condition. If there is an excessively long period where the telephone remains in the on-hook condition, the battery may discharge to a low enough level to make the telephone inoperative.
Another example of a line powered telephone which uses a rechargeable battery is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,054 to Mellon. The Mellon phone is powered by line power in both the on-hook and off-hook condition, but it is connected to a coin trunk. Current to energize the coin collect relay is generally provided by the central office in the off-hook condition, but the phone has a battery to supply current for the coin collect in situations where the central office current is not available to operate the coin collect relay.
The owner of a coin telephone has a need to monitor its use and status to know for example, the total coins in a coin box and when repair is needed. Efficient collection routes can be designed by knowing such data. Statistical data regarding the amount of usage of a coin telephone and types of calls made from it is also useful. One such electronic system which does that is the WESROC.RTM. coin phone monitoring system. WESROC is a multipurpose monitoring system for coin telephones manufactured by Independent Technologies, Inc. of Omaha, Nebr., applicant's assignee. The WESROC apparatus and method are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,590, entitled Monitoring System for Remote Devices, which was issued Apr. 25, 1995, to Blood et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,590 is hereby incorporated by reference. Prior art coin telephones do not have built in capability to work with a state of the art monitoring system such as WESROC.
Public coin telephones are also subject to vandalism, and attempted fraudulent use. If a handset is shorted out, pin fraud is possible and line current can significantly increase, which could damage other components. Prior art coin telephones do not have built in capability to detect and prevent tone and pin fraud.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a coin telephone chassis which does not need any power source other than that which is available through the telephone line. It is further object of the invention to provide a coin telephone chassis having a built-in interface for a multipurpose monitoring system for coin telephones such as WESROC. It is another object of this invention to provide a coin telephone chassis with built-in features for the WESROC monitoring system. It is another object of the invention to provide a coin telephone chassis having built-in devices to prevent tone and pin fraud.
Applicant's invention provides a coin telephone chassis which overcomes the limitations and shortcomings of prior art coin telephones.

Telephone-line powered coin telephone chassis


A radially expandable stent for implantation in a body blood vessel includes a pair of cylindrically shaped end portions made from a malleable metal and formed in a radially expandable fashion. According to the invention, the end portions are joined by a plurality of individual longitudinal wire members such that upon radial expansion of the stent, such as through use of a balloon catheter, the stent expands radially with a minimum of lateral shrinkage. Preferably, the longitudinal wire members are wrapped to the end portions to form flexible hinging sites upon expansion.

Known radially expandable intravascular stents include a cylindrically shaped sleeve having a first diameter which is placed over a collapsed balloon catheter and then inserted into an occluded or partially occluded blood vessel of interest. Upon inflation of the balloon to a specific pressure, the stent is permanently deformed to a larger second diameter and into contact and support with the interior walls of the blood vessel. After subsequent deflation of the balloon and removal of the catheter, the implanted stent remains supported to the interior wall of the blood vessel at the expanded second diameter.
Intravascular stents such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,665, issued to Palmaz, included a number of interconnected elongate elements, made from a material such as stainless steel or tantalum, which are arranged and welded in a criss-cross arrangement to form a unitary cylindrical structure. An implanted stent of this construction is shown in FIG. 1 as positioned in an occluded blood vessel of interest. After inflation of the collapsed catheter balloon, however, the overall radial expansion of the instant stent creates a corresponding lateral or axial shrinkage, as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the net result may be a less than successful implantation procedure.
Stents, such as those described by Palmaz, are designed to be expanded only a single time and only to a specific diameter. Therefore, even properly implanted stents of this type may not produce a satisfactory result, particularly in procedures involving children, having blood vessels which will naturally increase in size over time. That is, additional axial shrinkage will occur upon reexpanding of the implanted stent to compensate for the growing blood vessel.
It would be preferred to be able to implant an intravascular stent capable of further radial expansion to at least one greater radial diameter, at a later time as needed. More preferably, it would be preferable to provide a stent capable of radial expansion with a minimum of axial shrinkage.

Intravascular stent with limited axial shrinkage


A radiation-sensitive composition comprising an admixture in a solvent of: at least one alkali-soluble binder resin, at least one photoactive compound and an effective sensitivity enhancing amount of at least one dimeric or trimeric unit formed by the condensation reaction of an aldehyde with sesamol; the amount of said binder resin being about 60 to 95% by weight, the amount of said photoactive component being about 5% to about 40% by weight, based on the total solids content of said radiation-sensitive composition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radiation sensitive mixtures (e.g., those particularly useful as positive-working resist compositions) containing the admixture of an alkali-soluble binder resin, a photoactive compound and an effective sensitivity enhancing amount of at least one dimeric or trimeric unit formed by the condensation reaction of an aldehyde with sesamol all dissolved in a solvent. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to substrates coated with these radiation sensitive mixtures as well as the process of coating, imaging and developing these radiation sensitive mixtures on these substrates.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
Photoresist compositions are used in microlithographic processes for making miniaturized electronic components such as in the fabrication of integrated circuits and printed wiring board circuitry. In these processes, a thin coating or film of a photoresist composition is generally first applied to a substrate material, such as silicon wafers used for making integrated circuits or aluminum or copper plates of printed wiring boards. The preferred method of applying this film is spin coating. By this method, much of the solvent in the photoresist formulation is removed by the spinning operation. The coated substrate is then baked to evaporate any remaining solvent in the photoresist composition and to fix the coating onto the substrate. The baked coated surface of the substrate is next subjected to an image-wise exposure of radiation. This radiation exposure causes a chemical transformation in the exposed areas of the coated surface. Visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, electron beam, ion beam, and X-ray radiant energy are radiation types commonly used today in microlithographic processes.
After this image-wise exposure, the coated substrate is treated with a developer solution to dissolve and remove either the radiation-exposed or the unexposed areas of the coated surface of the substrate. In some processes, it is desirable to bake the imaged resist coating before this developing step. This intermediate step is sometimes called post-exposure bake or PEB.
There are two types of photoresist compositions--negative-working and positive-working. When negative-working photoresist compositions are exposed image-wise to radiation, the areas of the resist composition exposed to the radiation become less soluble to a developer solution (e.g., a cross-linking reaction occurs) while the unexposed areas of the photoresist coating remain relatively soluble to a developing solution. Thus, treatment of an exposed negative-working resist with a developer solution causes removal of the nonexposed areas of the resist coating and the creation of a negative image in the photoresist coating, and thereby uncovering a desired portion of the underlying substrate surface on which the photoresist composition was deposited but not exposed to the radiation. On the other hand, when positive-working photoresist compositions are exposed image-wise to radiation, those areas of the resist composition exposed to the radiation become more soluble to the developer solution (e.g., the Wolff rearrangement reaction of the photoactive compound occurs) while those areas not exposed remain relatively insoluble to the developer solution. Thus, treatment of an exposed positive-working resist with the developer solution causes removal of the exposed areas of the resist coating and the creation of a positive image in the photoresist coating. The desired portion of the underlying substrate surface is uncovered where the photoresist was exposed to the radiation.
Positive-working photoresist compositions are currently favored over negative-working resists because the former generally have better resolution capabilities and pattern transfer characteristics.
After this development operation, the now partially unprotected substrate may be treated with a substrate-etchant solution or plasma gases and the like. This etchant solution or plasma gases etch the portion of the substrate where the photoresist coating was removed during development. The areas of the substrate are protected where the photoresist coating still remains and, thus, an etched pattern is created in the substrate material which corresponds to the photomask used for the image-wise exposure of the radiation. Later, the remaining areas of the photoresist coating may be removed during a stripping operation, leaving a clean etched substrate surface. In some instances, it is desirable to heat treat the remaining resist layer after the development step and before the etching step to increase its adhesion to the underlying substrate and its resistance to etching solutions.
End users of photoresists are demanding photoresist formulations possess better lithographic properties for the fabrication of smaller microelectronic circuits. The lithographic properties which are critical to positive-working photoresist end-users include the following: (1) good resolution capabilities in both the micron and submicron ranges without incomplete development in the exposed areas (i.e., scumming); (2) higher thermal image deformation temperatures (e.g., above 120.degree. C.); (3) relatively fast photospeeds; (4) good adhesion to substrate; (5) good development contrast; (6) good process latitude; (7) near to absolute vertical profiles (or good contrast) between exposed and unexposed photoresist areas after development; (8) good resistance to etching solutions and plasma etching techniques; (9) reduced tendency to form insoluble particulates; and (10) mask linearity.
Generally in the past, efforts to improve one of these lithographic properties have caused significant decreases in one or more of the other lithographic properties of the photoresist. Accordingly, there is a need for improved photoresist formulations which possess all of these desired properties without making significant tradeoffs. The present invention is believed to be an answer to that need.
For example, it is well known to add sensitivity enhancers (also known as photospeed enhancers or speed enhancers or dissolution enhancers) to resist formulation to increase the solubility of the resist coating in both the exposed and unexposed areas when the speed of development is an overriding processing consideration. However, some degree of contrast may be sacrificed with the addition of such sensitivity enhancers, (e.g., in positive-working resists, while the exposed areas of the resist coating will be more quickly developed, the sensitivity enhancers will also cause a larger loss of the resist coating from the unexposed areas). Thus, if too much resist coating is removed from the unexposed areas of a positive-working resins, film defects such as pinholes may be introduced into the coating or subsequent plasma etching steps may cause unwanted breakthroughs in the unexposed areas. Accordingly, sensitivity enhancers should provide the desired increased speed of development without too much more film loss in the unexposed areas.
Numerous compounds have been proposed as sensitivity enhancers in resist compounds. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,661,582; 4,009,033; 4,036,644; 4,115,128; 4,275,139; 4,365,019; 4,650,745; and 4,738,915 for examples of known sensitivity enhancers. All of these U.S. patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entities. While their known sensitivity enhancers may be suitable for some resist formulation or for some particular end uses, there is a need for new sensitivity enhancers which have better sensitivity enhancement without significant film loss in other resist formulations or in other end uses, or are suitable in a certain combination of resist formulations or a combination of end uses to which the previously known sensitivity enhancers are not suitable. The present invention is believed to be an answer to this need. Separately, sesamol (C.sub.7 H.sub.6 O.sub.3) or 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol is a known phenolic hydrolysis product of sesamolin. Sesamol has a chemical formula of: ##STR1##
The reaction of sesamol as a phenolic monomer for reactions with aldehydes to prepare phenolic dimers, trimers, oligomers, or novolaks has not been reported in the literature.

Sesamol/aldehyde condensation products as sensitivity enhancers for radiation sensitive mixtures


A system and method for using a communications network with a server and a database to provide income-generating business card and referral card network. In one embodiment, a credit card issuer provides a set of personalized business cards to a first customer for his use, upon qualifying the first customer for a credit card from the card issuer. The business cards can be used to receive a discount from a merchant within certain network affiliated with the card issuer. At the same time, the business cards provide a linkage to the first customer's account, so that the first customer will receive a credit to his account, based on the second customer's use of the business card at an affiliated merchant. The second customer is then invited to apply for a credit card from the card issuer. If the second customer qualifies and accepts the credit card, the second customer receives his own set of personalized business cards for distribution. Whenever the second customer uses his credit card anywhere, another credit is applied to the first customer. Also, whenever a third customer uses the second customer's business card during a commercial transaction, the second customer will receive a credit in his account. If the third customer also becomes a credit card holder from the card issuer, the second customer will then receive a credit whenever the third customer uses his credit card anywhere. The system may be set up so that the customers who refer continue to receive credits whenever customers from one or more levels below use the business cards for discounts, or use their own credit cards.

Business cards have long been used by individuals to promote themselves or the product and services they represent. However, once a business card is handed out to a recipient, the card basically does not provide any assurance that the recipient will patronize the card-owner's business, or purchase any products from the card-owner. The use of the card in a way that is beneficial to the card-owner is entirely at the hands of the recipient. Of course, exchanging business cards has become such a common practice nowadays that people just hand them out quite readily no matter what. Even when the recipient gets in touch with the card-owner based on the information on the card, there is still no assurance of any direct and immediate benefit to the card-owner.
Therefore, it is desirable to be able to make the recipient's use of the business card to generate direct and immediate benefit to the card-owner ("first owner").
Additionally, once a direct and immediate benefit is conferred upon the card-owner, it is desirable to be able to benefit the recipient as well.

Method and system for multiple income-generating business card and referral network


The evaporative emission control system of an internal combustion engine is tested by closing the purge air inlet from the atmosphere, applying a vacuum signal to the system, storing the value of a closed loop air/fuel adjustment at the time the vacuum signal is first applied, sensing for the vacuum signal at a specified point in the system and indicating a fault condition if the vacuum signal is not sensed within a first time period and when the amount of the closed loop air/fuel adjustment at the end of a second time period varies from the stored adjustment by an amount less than a predetermined amount.

This invention relates to a system and method for diagnosing an evaporative emission control system of an internal combustion engine.
Vehicle internal combustion engines employ numerous subsystems to effect their operation. The subsystems include, for example, spark timing control, fuel control, and evaporative emission control. The failure of any of the engine subsystems may detrimentally affect the operation of the internal combustion engine in terms of either performance or emissions. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to diagnose the various subsystems of an internal combustion engine so as to evaluate whether or not the subsystem is operating in a satisfactory manner. This invention is directed toward a system and method for diagnosing the operation of the evaporative emission control system of an internal combustion engine.
Engine evaporative emission control systems typically use a fuel vapor recovery canister to control the loss of fuel vapors from vehicle fuel tanks. Generally the canisters take the form of a container filled with activated charcoal or some other absorbing agent which is effective to store the evaporated hydrocarbons until they can be drawn into the induction system of the engine to undergo combustion in the engine cylinders. In these systems, the vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine is used to draw a purge stream of air through the canister so as to purge the collected vapors from the active material of the canister during each engine operation so as to condition the canister for collection of subsequently generated vapors.
These evaporative emission control systems are generally comprised of a combination of hoses, pipes and containments, such as the vapor collection canister and the fuel tank, connected with defined openings to the environment. Defects in such a system will typically show as a leak resulting from, for example, disconnected hoses or a loose or missing gas cap. Defects may further take the form of a restriction such as a pinched line.


The present invention relates to an electronic device for monitoring the blind spot of a motorcycle driver. The device includes a lean detector to incorporate lean into the position of the motorcycle driver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blind spot detection in a vehicle. In particular, it relates to blind spot detection specifically for a motorcycle.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the major reasons for motor vehicle accidents are blind spots in the perspective of a driver of the vehicle. The driver blind spot occurs when a second vehicle is in an accompanying lane and is not visible in the rear view mirror or difficult to see because of its location relative to the view of the driver. Blind spot accidents will happen when a driver switches lanes and is not aware of the second vehicle's position relative to the vehicle. When that happens, a collision between the two vehicles occurs. A series of mirrors is typically used to help, but no matter what the vehicle—be it a sedan, van, truck or a motorcycle—there is difficulty in seeing vehicles in the adjoining lanes. The problem is especially dangerous for motorcycles seeing that a collision between a motorcycle and any other vehicle almost guarantees injury to the motorcycle driver.
There are currently several devices available for standard 4 or more wheeled motor vehicles, from radar to infrared, which basically assume where the blind spot is on a particular vehicle. These devices are based on the driver being positioned to the left or to the right side of the vehicle and can detect objects in that particular spot, notifying the driver to be aware. These devices work since the vehicle in normal operation stays relatively level and the second vehicle is in a predictable place. Motorcycles have a separate problem. First, the driver is positioned in the center of the vehicle and second, the blind spot is relatively different than it is for a car. Motorcycles while turning lean left and right relative to the ground and forward movement, which changes the relative position of vehicles in adjoining lanes, even though the motorcycle remains relatively in the same position in the lane. Currently, there is not a blind spot system detection device which addresses this issue.


An insulation or jacket layer for a coated conductor is composed of (A) a crosslinked silane-functionalized polyolefin, (B) a filler, (C) a reactive branched polysiloxane, and (D) from 0.00 wt % to 20 wt % of a silanol condensation catalyst.

Moisture-curable flame retardant compositions containing a silane-functionalized polyolefin (e.g., a silane-grafted polyolefin) are frequently used to form coatings, and particularly insulation or jacket layers, for wires and cables. Many flame retardant compositions including fillers such as metal hydrates and silica that often yield less than desirable burn performance and/or mechanical properties (e.g., crush resistance, tensile elongation, etc.).
To improve properties, a linear silicone fluid can be added to the composition. The addition of a linear silicone fluid improves some properties, including tensile elongation. While such formulations are suitable for certain lower-voltage requirements, these formulations still do not meet standards for crush resistance. Consequently, the art recognizes the need for flame retardant compositions that have improved crush resistance performance in moisture curable cable and wire insulation.

Moisture curable composition for wire and cable insulation and jacket layers


A door interlock includes a pivot arm having a door lock position, a door unlock position, and a latch recess. A latch has a door lock position against the pivot arm, a door unlock position releasing the pivot arm, and a latch projection. A latch operating solenoid is the only solenoid mechanically linked to the latch. A capacitor is supplied by a power supply and is arranged to pulse the latch operating solenoid without pulling down the power supply. The pulsing of the latch operating solenoid by the capacitor causes the latch operating solenoid to move the latch projection of the latch into and out of the latch recess of the pivot arm so that a door is locked and unlocked.

It is generally desirable to restrict access to the interior of an appliance, such as a horizontal axis washer, during its operation. For example, if the door of a horizontal axis washer is opened while the washer is in operation, (i) the user is exposed to the rotating wash basket of the washer, and/or (ii) hot wash water may flood out of the washer. Accordingly, such an appliance requires a door interlock in order to reduce the risk that the appliance door will be opened during operation of the appliance.
Door interlocks currently used in connection with horizontal axis washers are subject to tampering and/or improper adjustment during end use operation, field servicing, and/or factory assembly. Also, these door interlocks require multiple solenoid actuators. Such door interlocks are bulky and not particularly suited for use in connection with narrow width cabinet machines. Moreover, door interlocks in use today rely primarily on thermoactuators in order to provide automatic door interlock release in the event of a power loss. Because of variations in ambient temperatures, thermoactuators do not permit uniformity of release times. Furthermore, current door interlocks waste power.
The present invention is directed to a door interlock which solves one or more of the above noted and other problems.

Door interlock for an appliance such as a washer


A method of constructing a single-transistor ferroelectric memory (FEM) cell includes: preparing a silicon substrate for construction of a FEM gate unit; forming gate, source and drain regions on the silicon substrate; forming a nitride layer over the structure to a predetermined thickness equal to a specified thickness for a bottom electrode of the FEM gate unit; forming a first insulating layer over the structure; chemically-mechanically polishing the first insulating layer such that the top surface thereof is even with the top of the nitride layer; forming the bottom electrode for the FEM cell; and chemically-mechanically polishing the bottom electrode such that the top surface thereof is even with the top surface of the first insulating layer. Additional layers are formed and polished, depending on the specific final configuration of the FEM cell.

Known ferroelectric random access memories (FRAM) are constructed using one transistor and one capacitor. The capacitor is generally made by sandwiching a thin ferroelectric (FE) film between two conductive electrodes, which electrodes are usually made of platinum, or an alloy thereof. The circuit configuration in the read/write sequence of this type of memory is similar to that of conventional dynamic random access memories, except that no data refreshing is required in a FRAM. Known FRAMs, however, have a fatigue problem that has been observed in the ferroelectric capacitor, which is one of the major obstacles that limit the viable commercial use of such memories. The fatigue is the result of a decrease in the switchable polarization (stored nonvolatile charge) that occurs with an increased number of switching cycles. As used in this case, "switching cycles" refers to the sum of erasing and writing pulses in the memory.
The foregoing problems have been resolved, and such resolution is set forth in pending U.S. patent applications and patents identified above. In those applications and patents, however, at the time of filing same, the process for manufacturing included conventional etching and polishing of the FE memory cells. Although the memory devices made by such processes are superior to those made according to the known art at the time, problems may arise due to short circuits being caused by residual metal particles from the conductive electrodes of the capacitor contaminating the FE material and the surrounding oxides. Additionally, dry etching of FE thin films caused the electrical characteristics of those films to deteriorate. Because of the problem with metal particles causing short circuits, it is necessary to space the devices apart on the wafer and to maintain a certain size thereto, in order to keep the capacitors therein at a relatively large size. The disclosure herein provides a method to eliminate the aforementioned problems.

Method of manufacture of single transistor ferroelectric memory cell using chemical-mechanical polishing


Methods and tools for facilitating the installation and/or removal of a rotor on a shaft of a gas turbine engine are provided. The tool includes a stabilizer attachable to the shaft and including a first guide counterpart. The tool also includes a holder attachable to the rotor and including a second guide counterpart for engagement with the first guide counterpart of the stabilizer. Engagement of the first and second guide counterparts guides movement of the holder relative to the stabilizer along a guide axis and prevents movement of the holder relative to the stabilizer transverse to the guide axis.

Aircraft (e.g., gas turbine) engines have rotors that are rotatably mounted inside shrouds with relatively small clearances between the rotors and the shrouds. The removal or installation of some rotors in gas turbine engines, whether during initial assembly of the engine or during maintenance, is a time-consuming and expensive task that requires significant disassembly of the gas turbine engine in order to facilitate access and safe handling of the rotor(s). Improvement is desirable.

Aircraft engine repair tool and method for removal and installation of a rotor in an aircraft engine


The present invention relates to regulation of cellular proliferation. More particularly, the present invention is directed to nucleic acids encoding NP95, which is involved in modulation of cell cycle arrest. The invention further relates to methods for identifying and using agents, including small molecule chemical compositions, antibodies, peptides, cyclic peptides, nucleic acids, RNAi, antisense nucleic acids, and ribozymes, that modulate cell cycle arrest via modulation of NP95; as well as to the use of expression profiles and compositions in diagnosis and therapy related to cell cycle regulation and modulation of cellular proliferation, e.g., for treatment of cancer and other diseases of cellular proliferation.

Cell cycle regulation plays a critical role in neoplastic disease, as well as disease caused by non-cancerous, pathologically proliferating cells. Normal cell proliferation is tightly regulated by the activation and deactivation of a series of proteins that constitute the cell cycle machinery. The expression and activity of components of the cell cycle can be altered during the development of a variety of human disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, psoriasis, where aberrant proliferation contributes to the pathology of the illness. There are genetic screens to isolate important components for cell cycle regulation using different organisms such as yeast, worms, flies, etc. However, involvement of a protein in cell cycle regulation in a model system is not always indicative of its role in cancer and other proliferative disease. Thus, there is a need to establish screening for understanding human diseases caused by disruption of cell cycle regulation. Identifying proteins, their ligands and substrates, and downstream signal transduction pathways involved in cell cycle regulation and neoplasia in humans is important for developing therapeutic regents to treat cancer and other proliferative diseases.

NP95: methods of assaying for cell cycle modulators


The invention relates to a control circuit for an output buffer, of the type which comprises a first input terminal receiving a first enable signal and a second input terminal receiving a second enable signal, as well as first and second output terminals to generate first and second partial enable signals to transfer discrete sets of data bits. The first and second input terminals are coupled to the first and second output terminals through a multiplexer. The control circuit includes a synchronization circuit for linking the partial enable signals operatively to a synchronization signal of the pulse type being synchronous with the loading of the output buffer. The synchronization circuit is connected between an output terminal of the multiplexer and the first and second output terminals of the control circuit.

As is well known, non-volatile memory devices include two basic control terminals which receive a first enable signal, conventionally designated CE and a second enable signal, designated OE. In particular, the first signal CE enables the memory device operation, while the second signal OE enables its communication to internal or external circuitry.
The enable signals, CE and OE, are utilized, for example, to control output lines of memory devices through output buffers which are in a "tri-state" condition, that is a high impedance condition, regulated by the signal OE. In particular, the enable signals CE and OE are applied to such output buffers by specially provided control circuits.
As the enable signal OE assumes a low logic level, or 0 level, the control circuit drives the output buffer to the high impedance condition, thereby enabling the communication of external logics to internal circuitry of the memory device. Likewise, as the enable signal OE assumes a high logic level, or 1 level, the control circuit enables the output buffer to transmit to the outside of the memory device data stored in the inside.
The signal CE sets an operation interval of the memory device, for example to read data which is transferred to the output lines only during the checking of programmed data for correctness, in the course of a programming phase. Thus, the signal CE functions as a signal enabling the checking of programmed data.
Shown schematically in FIG. 1 is a control circuit 1' of an output buffer according to the prior art. The control circuit 1' includes first I1' and second I2' input terminals as well as first O1' and second O2' output terminals. In particular, the first input terminal I1' receives the inverse of the first enable signal OE' and the second input terminal I2' receives the inverse of the second enable signal CE'.
The first input terminal I1' is further coupled to a first input terminal I3' of a multiplexer 2' through a first logic gate 3'. Likewise, the second input terminal I2' is coupled to a second input terminal I4' of the multiplexer 2', through a second logic gate 4'.
The multiplexer 2' has a further input terminal I5' receiving a control signal PG'. The multiplexer 2' also has an output terminal O3' which is coupled to both the first O1' and the second O2' output terminals of the control circuit 1', through respective first 5' and second 6' logic circuits.
The multiplexer 2' will choose between the first OE' and the second CE' enable signal according to the condition of operation of the memory device; that is, it will output the first enable signal OE' while reading of the memory device, the second enable signal CE' being only output during the memory device programming phase to enable the checking during the programming phase.
The first logic circuit 5' comprises substantially first IN1' and second IN2' logic inverters connected in series with each other between the output terminal O3' of the multiplexer 2' and the first output terminal O1' of the control circuit 1'.
The second logic circuit 6' similarly comprises a first logic gate PL1' with two inputs and of a third logic inverter IN3', connected in series with each other between the output terminal O3' of the multiplexer 2' and the second output terminal O2' of the control circuit 1'. In addition, said first logic gate PL1' receives a control signal WORD' at an input terminal I6'.
The first O1' and second O2' output terminals of the control circuit 1' supply first OE.sub.-- L' and second OE.sub.-- H' partial enable signals which are advantageously utilized to control the transfer of discrete sets of bits.
However, the enabling of the read data transfer to the output, as provided by either enable signals OE' and CE', has a response time which is shorter than the propagation time required to complete the reading, from the time the memory is activated, which results in a first random switching of the output stages followed by a second reading, now a consistent one with the memory contents. Thus, it would be desirable to have, at a first reading event, the activation of the output buffers delayed such that the switchings of the output signals cannot perturb the real data read-out process with unreliable switchings.
In fact, the sensitiveness to this undesired phenomenon is higher the more parallel the data, hence the need to have a synchronized enabling for the first read cycle so as to avoid penalties in terms of time. Once the first read cycle is synchronized, no further checking is necessary while the enable signal OE' is at the 0 level.
The underlying technical problem of the present invention is to provide a control circuit of an output buffer, in particular for a non-volatile memory device, which has such structural and functional features as to allow the delaying of just the first switching of the memory device output lines at the end of a true reading interval, thereby overcoming the drawbacks of prior art devices.


Several embodiments of induction systems for internal combustion engines wherein the effective shape of the intake passage may be changed during engine running conditions to achieve turbulence of the desired type in the combustion chamber and improve volumetric efficiency at low and mid range performance and provide a substantially uninterrupted introduction of charge under high speed running so as to improve the performance throughout the entire engine load and speed ranges. Also, a control valve arrangement is provided in the exhaust system for improving performance under low engine speeds and low engine loads.

This invention relates to an induction system for an engine and more particularly to an improved engine induction system that permits the attainment of good performance throughout the entire engine speed and load range.
As is well known, many factors in the design of an internal combustion engine affect their performance. Also, the design of certain factors to achieve optimum performance at one speed and/or load range may deteriorate performance at other speed and load ranges. A typical example of this is the design of the induction system. In order to provide maximum power output, the induction system should provide good charging efficiency which necessitates the absence of turbulence in the intake charge. However, if no turbulence is generated in the induction system and combustion chamber under low speed low load conditions, poor combustion and performance can result. There have, therefore, been proposed systems for cooperation with the induction system to generate turbulence under only certain running conditions. Examples of such induction systems may be found in the copending applications of Yoshiharu Isaka, entitled "Tumble Control Valve for Intake Port," Ser. No. 834,604, filed Feb. 12, 1992 and "Intake Air Control System," Ser. No. 839,111, filed Jun. 3, 1992, which applications are assigned to the assignee hereof.
In the arrangement shown in those patents, there is provided a control valve in the induction passage which is generally positioned at a point adjacent where the induction passage communicates with the valve seat of the cylinder head and at an area where the intake passage has a generally angularly related shape with the control valve positioned at the bight. Although this arrangement is extremely effective in providing the desired degrees and types of turbulence in the combustion chamber under low and mid range performance and no turbulence at high speeds, the flow control pattern which can be accomplished with this type of control valve has some restrictions.
In addition to the question of generating turbulence in the combustion chamber, it is also the practice to tune the length and effective cross-sectional area of the intake passage so as to achieve maximum volumetric efficiency. However, an induction system that is tuned to achieve maximum volumetric efficiency and power at the high speed will be relatively inefficient for charging at low speeds and low load conditions. Although arrangements have been incorporated for changing the tuning of an individual intake passage, this has been done conventionally by changing the effective length of the passage. However, such length changing devices add to the bulk of the induction system with obvious disadvantages.
Specifically, it may be desirable to provide an arrangement wherein the actual shape of the intake passage may be reconfigured so as to change the direction in which the flow passes through the valve seat and also to tune the intake passage for different speed and load conditions.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved intake system for an internal combustion engine wherein the actual configuration of the intake passages may be changed during engine running.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved induction system for an internal combustion engine wherein the intake port configuration and the flow pattern generated by it can be changed during engine operation.
If it is desired to provide a change in the actual configuration of the induction passage as opposed to providing a flow directing device in the induction passage as in the aforenoted co-pending applications, then this must be done in such a way that facilitates making the change while not unduly complicating the cylinder head.
It is, therefore, a still further principal object of this invention to provide an improved induction system for an internal combustion engine wherein the configuration of the intake passages may be changed during engine operation while maintaining a relatively simple and easily operated structure.


Embodiments for providing a 2-dimensional (D) computerized-tomography (CT) image corresponding to a 2-D ultrasound image through image registration between 3-D ultrasound and CT images are disclosed. An imaging system comprises a CT imaging unit, an ultrasound image forming unit, a storing unit, a processor and a display unit. The processor extracts the 2-D CT image from the 3-D ultrasound-CT registered image by performing a rigid-body transform upon the 3-D ultrasound image and calculating similarities between reference images and the 2-D ultrasound images, wherein the reference images are obtained through the rigid-body transform.

An ultrasound diagnostic system has been extensively used in the medical field due to its non-invasive and non-destructive nature. The ultrasound diagnostic system can provide an ultrasound image of the inside of a target object in real-time without resorting to any incisions. However, the ultrasound diagnostic system suffers from inherent shortcomings of an ultrasound image such as a low signal-to-noise ratio and a limited field of view. Thus, an image registration between a CT image and an ultrasound image has been introduced to compensate for inherent deficiencies of the ultrasound image.
Generally, an image registration between a CT image and an ultrasound image is performed by means of a spatial sensor. Errors may occur during the image registration due to spatial movement variation in the inner part of a target object such as respiration. If an ultrasound probe is moved and a 2-D ultrasound image is newly obtained, then the spatial sensor is typically used to determine whether or not the newly obtained 2-D ultrasound image exists in a pre-obtained 3-D ultrasound image, and to extract a 2-D CT image corresponding to the newly obtained 2-D ultrasound image from a 3-D ultrasound-CT registered image.

System and method for providing 2-dimensional computerized- tomography image corresponding to 2-dimensional ultrasound image


A passive vapor dispersing device which may be used for freshening or otherwise treating the air, characterized by both rapid and substantially linear delivery of volatizable fragrance or other materials. The device uses a packaged combination of liquid reservoir, wick and emanator which is assembled and shipped with the wick and emanator out of contact with each other, but is activated when the user opens the package and places the wick and emanator in contact. The housing for the device provides guide means for assisting the user in placing the wick and emanator in proper contact, and irreversible lock means for holding the components in contact and preventing access to the wick and emanator once activation has been achieved.

Vapor-dispersing apparatuses for volatizing a liquid in a container to a vapor in the atmosphere have been known in the art for many years. Passive vapor-dispersing apparatuses typically include a volatizable material in communication with a material delivery system configured to facilitate evaporation of the volatizable material into the air of the surrounding environment at ambient conditions, i.e., without significant mechanical or electrical assistance such as spraying or heating. In some delivery systems, the vaporizer includes a liquid such as oil contained in a reservoir; in others, the vaporizer includes a wax, gel, or other such solid or colloidal material.
In particular, many of these devices make use of the principle of diffusion. For instance, some devices make use of a wick-based system. In these systems, one end of a wick is placed in a fluid to be volatized, while the other end is exposed to the atmosphere. Capillary action forces liquid through the wick and up to the exposed end, where the liquid evaporates off of the end of the wick and into the surrounding atmosphere.
By virtue of the passive nature of such vaporizers, the rate at which vapor is delivered to the environment starts at a very low level when the device is first activated (e.g., removed from the packaging), then slowly levels-off to a relatively low steady state value. In non-vented systems, a partial vacuum can even develop in the reservoir causing the capillary action to seriously slow down. It would be advantageous for passive vapor-dispersing devices, such as room deodorizers and the like, to provide, a relatively linear level of vaporization over the lifetime of the product, and to have rapid activation.
Wick type dispersers have more disadvantages. Wick type dispersers typically comprise either a one-piece or two-piece wick. In the two-piece wick device, for example, the wick may be used to conduct fluid into a secondary emanator or second wick portion, where the fluid vaporizes. Both one-piece and two-piece wick systems suffer inherent problems. The one piece wick is either molded from a single block of porous plastic, making the part overly expensive, or the one-piece wick is a simple and cheap fibrous bundle of material which cannot be effectively sealed to the neck of the fluid reservoir and kept from dripping at this connection or even from the material itself, causing a serious safety hazard and mess for the consumer. Furthermore, for the two-piece wick system, such as a wick-to-emanator system, there is little in the prior art to suggest how the user is to connect the conduit wick to this secondary emanator, in fact, in most instances, it is assumed this connection is already made at the time of manufacturing.
A pre-activated wick-to-emanator system has many drawbacks. First is the need for an enormous closure to seal both the wick and the pre-saturated emanator, which would be an expensive molded plastic part. Second, the consumer could easily touch the pre-saturated emanator and in some instances, this could be a safety issue. For a vapor-dispersing apparatus to vaporize a strong concentration of active material, the volatizable material should preferably be a very concentrated material, in fact, most preferably close to 100% active material. In the case where the vapor-dispersing apparatus is an air freshener for example, the volatizable material should preferentially be essentially 100% pure fragrance oil with only small amounts of solvent carrier.
Obviously, concentrated or near 100% active organic compositions such as fragrance oils or insecticides may be severe eye and skin irritants, and it would be advantageous to have a safe way for the consumer to activate any vapor-dispersing apparatus. In particular, in the case of a wick-to-pad system designed to vaporize a potentially unsafe material, it is essential that a safe way to activate the apparatus be invented. More specifically, what is needed is a method for the user to activate a wick-to-pad vapor-dispersing apparatus and then not be able to access the inside of the apparatus and touch the activated and saturated pad, for the life of the product.


A method of slag-free teeming of metal melt includes arranging outside of the metal vessel and closely adjacent to the discharge edge of the vessel discharge opening, of a jetting lance an inclination of which relative to a bath surface in the vessel and spacing from the discharge edge is changeable and injecting, through the discharge opening of the melt vessel, immediately before start of the teeming process and during the teeming process, a fluid jet having a high kinetic pulse energy substantially parallel to the bath surface for forcing a slag melt, which is located in a discharge region of the vessel and covers the metal melt, back.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for slag-free teeming of metal melt from a metallurgical vessel, e.g., a converter, according to which at the start of the teeming or pouring process, the slag melt, which covers the metal melt in the discharge region of the vessel, is forced back or is blown away.
When a metal is subjected to a thermal metallurgical process or to alloying in a metallurgical melt vessel, after conclusion of the process, the molten metal or the metal melt is covered with a molten slag or the slag melt.
During the teeming or pouring of the metal melt from a metallurgical vessel, there exists a danger that the originally available separation between the metal and slag melts, which is caused by swirling, is not available any more, and the slag melt is poured from the melt vessel together with the metal melt.
The oxidic slag, which is poured together with the metal melt, contains oxygen, which results in an additional consumption by aluminum, for a necessary deoxidation, of synthetic slags for absorbing oxides and calcium in order to modify the oxidic inclusions. The oxidation product, alumina (Al2O3), adversely affects the pouring characteristics, and the oxygen of FeO, which is contained in the slag, makes the desulphurization and degasification more difficult. Contrary to this, with a reduced slag content in the metal melt, e.g., xe2x80x9cClean Steelxe2x80x9d handling of steel melt in secondary metallurgy is substantially facilitated, which plays a significant role, in particular, in production of steels with an ultra-low carbon content for producing flat products.
In order to reduce the flow of slag, together with the metal melt, different methods and apparatuses were proposed. Thus, German utility model DE298 08 318 U1 proposes to arrange around a discharge opening, which is formed in the vessel bottom, a plurality of gas-permeable, truncated cone-shaped rinsing blocks through which from beneath, in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the metal melt, a gas is injected into the metal melt. This measure should provide a swirl above the discharge opening.
WO 94/19498 suggests, for preventing flow of slag together with the metal melt through a discharge opening in the vessel bottom, providing of a jetting lance, which is inserted from above through the cover of the melt vessel, for blowing the slag melt away from the bath surface in the region of the discharge opening.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention disclosed in WO 94/19498, the lance is introduced through a side opening in the vessel and is brought to a vicinity of the discharge opening. In this embodiment, the front end of the lance is bent downward, with the jet acting on the bath surface from above.
The drawback of both known methods and apparatuses consists in high investment and operational costs (wear of the lance and the rinsing blocks, high gas consumption) associated with prevention of flow of the slag together with the metal melt during discharge of the metal melt from a metallurgical vessel through an opening in the bottom of the vessel.
Another drawback of the proposed solutions consists in that with the slag melt being blown away from above, there exists a danger of swirling which can break the original separation of the slag and metal melts and which causes introduction of gases into the metal melt which is highly undesirable. In addition to the introduction of gases into the metal melt during introduction of gases with the lance, as a result of an xe2x80x9copen-jet effect,xe2x80x9d the surrounding air is introduced, together with the gases. Thus, in addition to the introduction of the undesirable nitrogen, introduction of the undesirable oxygen takes place.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for teeming of metal which would insure a slag-free teeming of the metal melt to a most possible extent by preventing swirling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for a slag-free teeming of the metal melt which would not require high investment and operational costs.
These and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by arranging, outside of the melt vessel and closely adjacent to the discharge edge of the vessel discharge opening, of a jetting lance an inclination of which relative to a bath surface in the vessel and spacing from the discharge edge is changeable, and by injecting, through the discharge opening of the melt vessel, immediately before start of teeming process and during the teeming process, a fluid jet having a high kinetic pulse energy substantially parallel to the bath surface for forcing the slag melt, which is located in the discharge region of the vessel, back from a surface of the metal melt, whereby pouring of the slag melt together with the metal melt is prevented.
The apparatus for effecting the above-described method includes a jetting lance located outside of the vessel opposite the discharge edge for forcing slag melt covering metal melt in a discharge region of the vessel back, and a manipulator for supporting the jetting lance and for changing an inclination of the jetting lance relative to a bath surface in the vessel and for changing spacing of the jetting lance from the discharge edge.
By directing, according to the present invention, a fluid jet with a high kinetic pulse energy somewhat parallel to the bath surface from the outside of the vessel sidewise against the slag melt layer, the slag melt is forced back from the discharge opening and is prevented from being poured out together with the metal melt. The forcing of the slag melt layer back from the surface of the metal melt, by directing a fluid jet substantially parallel to the bath surface, is effected without creation of any swirling. As a result, the drawbacks of the known solutions, according to which the jets are directed onto the bath surface from above which causes penetration of the slag melt into the metal melt, are eliminated by the present invention.
In order to insure that during the teeming process, the slag melt is constantly and in the desired manner is forced back from the metal melt in the discharge region, according to the present invention, the inclination of the jetting lance relative to the bath surface and the spacing of the jetting lance from the discharge edge of the metal melt are continuously changed and follow the pouring or discharge movement of the melt vessel.
In accordance with inclination positions of the melt vessel during the teeming process, the spacing of the discharge nozzle of the jetting lance from the exit edge varies from 0.1 m to 3 m, preferably from 0.2 m to 2 m, and the inclination of the jetting lance to the horizontal or to the bath surface varies from xe2x88x9215xc2x0 to +60xc2x0, preferably, from xe2x88x9210xc2x0 to +45xc2x0.
According to the present invention, for changing the position of the jetting lance, there is provided a manipulator on which the jetting lance is supported by a support mounted on a slide connected with the manipulator. For controlling the operation of the manipulator, there is provided a measuring and control system.
According to the present invention, the data, which characterize the melt vessel movement during the teeming process, are continuously collected and are communicated to a measuring and control system, which processes the data and generates control signals for controlling the operation of the manipulator.
According to the present invention, as an injected fluid, an inert gas, e.g. nitrogen or argon, is used. Also, a suitable liquid can be used for forming the injectable fluid jet.
According to the present invention, an opening of the discharge nozzle, which is provided at the lance front end, has a rectangular, substantially slot-shaped cross-section aligned with a horizontal or with the bath surface. The shape of the discharge opening of the discharge nozzle is adapted to the size of the discharge surface, which corresponds to the amount of the discharged metal melt, and to the usable fluid. The width and shape of the discharge nozzle should correspond to the volume of the discharged gas necessary for forcing back the slag melt in the discharge edge region and for preventing flow of boundary streams of the slag melt in a direction toward the discharge edge.
According to the present invention, the jetting lance is located outside of the melt vessel and remains outside of the vessel during the teeming process. The advantage of this consists in that the wear of the lance, e.g., as a result of oxidation, is practically eliminated, and any insulating measures become unnecessary. This also contributes to the reduction of investment and operational costs.
The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiment, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Method and apparatus for slag-free teeming of metal melt from a metallurgical melt vessel


A circuit device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a circuit board which has one or more wiring layers formed on a base material and has an insulating layer laminated on a surface of the base material opposite to the one or more wiring layers, and a guiding member which is configured to encircle at least a part of an end face of the circuit board so that a space is formed with the end face and to guide movement of a dried body which is supplied to the formed space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit device and an inkjet head assembly, and more particularly relates to a technology for protecting an electrical wiring pattern on a circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a circuit board configured to include a base material, such as a resin film and glass epoxy, a thin film made of a metallic material, such as copper, formed on the base material, an electrical wiring pattern formed by patterning the metal film by etching or other methods, and further a coating made of an insulating material, such as a solder resist, for coating the electrical wiring pattern.
The circuit board is widely used in industrial equipment and/or consumer equipment. Thus, as the circuit board is used in various applications and environments, the use environments of the circuit board are assumed to include a high-humidity environment, a high-temperature environment, and an environment where foreign materials, such as powder dust, are present.
Such environments may cause a problem of a short circuit or an open circuit between electrical wirings due to degradation of insulating materials and a problem of a short circuit of the electrical wiring caused by water and foreign materials intruding in between an insulating layer and a base material.
In general, when the circuit board is used in the high-humidity environment and the environment involving a large amount of foreign materials (materials having conductivity in particular), long-term reliability (resistance) becomes an issue. Since an electrical wiring pattern is coated with an insulating material in order to prevent a short circuit and an open circuit of the electrical wiring pattern, the reliability is not an issue in a short term use. However, in the case where the circuit board is used over a long period of time, further measures need to be taken in a viewpoint of assuring long-term reliability.
Described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-86992 is a board having conductive patterns formed thereon and a semiconductor element mounted thereon, in which a semiconductor element mounting surface of the board is coated with sealing resin, and the surface of a coating film (solder resist film) for coating the conductive patterns is coated with a glass film.
Such configuration suppresses an intrusion of water into the coating layer and prevents a short circuit between the conductive patterns.


In order to provide a charge/discharge technology for controlling an assembled battery system without promoting degradation or reduction in the lifetime of the assembled battery system, the assembled battery system includes a function for controlling charge and discharge power of a plurality of units each including a secondary battery and a power converter as one unit, the plurality of units being electrically connected in parallel to each other. When each unit performs charge or discharge by at least one or more times, charge and discharge of the unit are controlled so as not to be performed until a predetermined pause time period elapses.

Together with introduction of a natural energy power generation apparatus which utilizes natural energy such as wind-power generation and solar power generation into a power line, there is the possibility that the power system associated with the apparatus is adversely affected by frequency variation or voltage variation. As one of countermeasures, a method has been proposed in which a power storage apparatus is provided to a natural energy power generation apparatus to suppress the voltage variation of a power line of the natural energy power generation apparatus. For example, a power storage apparatus for compensating for output variation of a natural energy power generation apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the power storage apparatus, an assembled battery system which includes a plurality of series battery units of lithium batteries connected in parallel to each other and a control apparatus is configured. The assembled battery system changes over between charge and discharge in response to output variation of the natural energy generation apparatus. Further, each of the series battery units includes a current control element which is controlled in response to a voltage, a temperature or an internal resistance of the battery unit, or these of a battery cell which constitute the battery unit in order to prevent a dispersion of a voltage among each unit.


A remote control unit of an electronic apparatus has a receiving device provided in a cabinet of the electronic apparatus and a remote controller having a plurality of control buttons for controlling the electronic apparatus. The receiving device has a transparent module and a plurality of receiving sensors disposed in the transparent module. A housing encloses the module and protrudes out of the upper section of the cabinet. The receiving device can be protruded from or retracted into the upper section of the cabinet allowing the electronic apparatus to be controlled from any direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote control unit of an electronic apparatus, and in more detail, to a remote controller receiving apparatus which has been improved to facilitate reception of the signal emitted from the remote controller in any direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electronic apparatuses such as televisions, audio and video players, camcorders, etc., utilize a remote control device for simplifying the manipulation thereof. FIG. 1 shows a conventional electronic apparatus utilizing a remote control device.
The apparatus 1 has a receiver unit 2 for controlling each function of the apparatus 1 provided on the front panel of a cabinet 1a thereof, and a separate remote controller (not shown) separately manufactured. The remote controller has various buttons for manipulating respective functions of the apparatus 1 and a transmitter unit for transmitting preset control signals to the receiver unit 2 in response to the operation of the buttons.
The remote control device described above, wherein a receiver unit 2 is installed on the front panel of a cabinet 1a of the apparatus has limitations. For example, apparatus cannot be remotely controlled when the remote controller is positioned beyond a certain angle laterally or to the rear thereof.

Multi-direction remote control unit for an electronic apparatus


A radiator useful for radiating pulses with a duration of about 10 ms is disclosed. Such pulses occupy the frequency band from zero to a few hundred Hertz. For a given time variation of an electromagnetic signal, the energy radiated in the far field is proportional to (Is).sup.2, where I is the current amplitude in the antenna and s is the length of the radiator. Typical antenna designs cannot be used at very low frequencies with large relative bandwidths. However, the large current radiator disclosed, herein, is small, has antenna currents in the order of 10.sup.8 A, and requires a drive voltage of about 1 volt and drive current of 10.sup.4 A. This large current radiator is designed with a small antenna length s by using a design wherein the antenna current is n times larger than the drive current. This is accomplished by winding electrically conductive means n times around a shield so that the n forward loop wires are all on one side of the shield, and cover a surface area sxW. The n return loop wires are on the opposite side of the shield and are confined so that they cover a surface area that is very small compared to the area of the forward loop. Furthermore, the shield is fabricated to reflect the electromagnetic energy produced by the forward loop and absorb the electromagnetic energy produced by the return loop. Hence, the antenna is highly efficient. And, since n can be 10,000 or more, the antenna current can be in the kilo Ampere range and beyond with a moderate drive current.

Very slowly varying electromagnetic waves can penetrate not just air, but also earth and water. This is true despite the large conductivity of earth and water (e.g., the conductivity of sea water is about 4 A/Vm). Hence, electronic communication can be achieved through earth and water as well as through air. For instance, it is known that underwater communication to depths of 500 m can be achieved with sinusoidal waves of 50 Hz and less. However, two problems are encountered when communicating with such low frequency sine waves. First, at such low frequencies, antennas of one quarter wavelength and other effective designs are very long (i.e., 1 km to 100 km). Hence, they are not very portable and may even be required to be permanently located on large tracts of land. A second problem is that efficient sine wave antennas have small relative bandwidths. With a typical relative bandwidth of 1%, a carrier frequency of 50 Hz will only be useful in transmitting signals with a baseband bandwidth of about 0.5 Hz. Since Nyquist s theorem states that the information rate can not exceed two pulses per cycle, a maximum of only one pulse per second can be transmitted (i.e., 2.times.0.5 Hz=1 pulse per sec.). Since teletype characters consist of a sequence of five pulses, five seconds are required to transmit one teletype character. Accordingly, one line of 60 characters would require 300 seconds (i.e., five minutes). It is evident that, in the above situation the transmission rate of information is extremely slow. However, the transmission rate can be increased to approximately 50 pulses per second, (i.e., a speedup of 50 times), by using a large relative bandwidth and eliminating the requirement for a sinusoidal carrier. By using pulses with a duration of 20 ms and occupying the entire frequency spectrum from 0 to 50 Hz (i.e., 0<f<50 Hz) a transmission rate of 50 pulses per second (i.e., 10 teletype characters per second) can be achieved. However, there remains the problem of designing a high current antenna for such slowly varying waves, particularly for mobile use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,267 to H. F. Harmuth describes the antenna that is the predecessor to the present invention, and which is an efficient high current radiator for large relative bandwidth signals. It has a forward loop geometry that is very different from the return loop, and has a high permeability shield around the return loop that absorbs its electromagnetic radiation. That antenna, however, is for pulses with a duration of approximately one nanosecond, and, as described in that patent, is not an effective radiator for pulses on the order of 10 milliseconds. For such relatively long pulses, ferrites cannot be used for separating the forward and the return loops of the radiator, other materials and techniques are needed.
The high current capability of the above mentioned radiator enables us to make an antenna that has a short length. As mentioned above, the long length of effective antennas was always a problem for slowly varying electromagnetic waves. Radiators for slowly varying electromagnetic waves are characterized by the product sI, where s is the length of the radiator and I the peak current flowing through the radiator. This fact allows a trade-off between s and I. That is, one can build physically small radiators by using large antenna currents, or vice versa. But large currents (e.g., hundreds of kiloAmperes) present a problem that has heretofore been a major obstacle.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a highly efficient antenna for radiating low frequency non sinusoidal electromagnetic energy with wide relative bandwidth.
Another object is to provide such an antenna which can handle large currents.
Another object of this invention is to increase the efficiency of an electromagnetic radiator by introducing a specially designed shield that reflects electromagnetic waves.
A further object of this invention is to arrange the geometry of the radiator and the composition of the shield so that the electromagnetic shield absorbs the electromagnetic waves radiated by return loop current, and reflects the electromagnetic energy from a forward loop, thereby increasing the efficiency of the antenna.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a material that has low conductivity in the direction of the incident electric field vector and high permeability in the direction of the incident magnetic field vector, which will act as a reflector for electromagnetic energy.
Another object of the invention is to provide an antenna in which the antenna current is n times greater than the drive current, by configuring the current path of the antenna as a series wound transformer with n loops, driven by the drive current.
Another object of this invention is to fabricate an antenna with an antenna current that is so large that the antenna itself can be made small and portable even for very low frequency radiation.
Still a further object of this invention is to make an antenna for low frequency electromagnetic waves that is small enough that it can be portable, for carrying on shipboard, airplane, or automobile.
A further object of this invention is to show how an efficient high current land based radiator of great length can be built up by combining many small high current radiators into a large coordinated system.

Radiator for slowly varying electromagnetic waves


In a method and control device for adjusting a rotational speed of a shaft of a gear change transmission of a motor vehicle, a torque required for the acceleration of the transmission and derived from a drive motor is transmitted by means of an automated clutch and using the torque the rotational speed of the shaft is precisely and rapidly adjusted to a range around a target rotational speed by defining a desired value for a position of the clutch on a rotational speed difference between a measured rotational speed of the shaft and a target rotational speed so that the gear can then rapidly be changed.

The invention relates to a method for adjusting a rotational speed of a shaft of a gear change transmission with an automated clutch, and to a control device of a gear change transmission having such an automated clutch arranged between the transmission and an associated engine.
DE 102 09 512 A1 describes a method for adjusting a rotational speed of a shaft of a synchronized gear change transmission. Arranged between the gear change transmission and the engine is an automated clutch. During a gear change of the gear change transmission, in order to relieve the synchronizer of the target gear of load, the clutch is set such that a torque is transmitted from the engine to the shaft and the shaft is thereby accelerated. DE 102 09 512 A1 does not give any specifications regarding the value of the torque or how the clutch position which is to be controlled.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a way by which precise and fast adjustment of the rotational speed of a shaft a gear shift transmission to a range around a certain target rotational speed can be achieved.

Method and control device for adjusting a rotational speed of a shaft of a gear change transmission