An implant in the form of a bone screw that meets device tracking requirements set for the in the FDA regulations is provided. The bone screw includes a screw body and a tag body formed as an integral extension of the screw body and is connected to the screw body via a frangible interface bone screw. The screw body has a head portion and a threaded shaft portion that extends along a longitudinal axis from the head portion to a screw tip of the screw body. The tag body defines at least one surface configured to display traceability information for the bone screw. The frangible interface is disposed between the tag body and the screw tip of the screw body. The frangible interface is configured to fracture upon application of a predefined mechanical force so that the tag body is removable from the bone screw.

Pursuant to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, manufacturers are required to track certain devices from their manufacture through the distribution chain. The purpose of device tracking is to ensure the ability to promptly locate devices in commercial distribution. Tracking information may be used to facilitate notifications and recalls ordered by FDA in the case of risks to health presented by the devices. In particular 21 C.F.R. Part 821 provides that manufacturers must adopt a method of tracking devices whose failure would be reasonably likely to have serious, adverse health consequences; or which is intended to be implanted in the human body for more than one year; or are life-sustaining or life-supporting devices used outside of a device user facility.
The FDA regulation identifies the information that must be provided and maintained after distribution to or implantation in a patient. This information includes: (i) The unique device identifier (UDI), lot number, batch number, model number, or serial number of the device or other identifier necessary to provide for effective tracking of the devices; (ii) The date the device was shipped by the manufacturer; (iii) The name, address, telephone number, and social security number (if available) of the patient receiving the device, unless not released by the patient; (iv) The date the device was provided to the patient; (v) The name, mailing address, and telephone number of the prescribing physician; (vi) The name, mailing address, and telephone number of the physician regularly following the patient if different than the prescribing physician; and (vii) If applicable, the date the device was explanted and the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the explanting physician; the date of the patient's death; or the date the device was returned to the manufacturer, permanently retired from use, or otherwise permanently disposed of.
In the device manufacture, the key requirement is the "identifier necessary to provide for effective tracking of the devices," which is hereinafter referred to as "traceability information." In most cases, manufacturers opt to use a unique device identifier (UDI) code to satisfy this requirement. For large implants, such as bone plates and large bone screws, the traceability information required by the FDA can be etched or laser-marked onto the implant. However, smaller implants, such as small bone screws, are not large enough or do not have enough available surface area to accept a readable UDI code.
For such smaller implants, some manufacturers attach removable tags or labels to the implants to provide additional space for the UDI code. These attached tags are usually formed from material that is different than the material of the implant, for example, plastic material, and are fixed to the implants after the implants have been manufactured. While these separately attachable tags are adequate to meet the FDA's identification requirements, the tags often add costs to the implant manufacturing process. For instance, in the case of separately attachable tags formed from plastic material, the tags will typically require dedicated forming tools, such as molding tools for the injection molding of the plastic tags. The implant manufacturing process will also include additional assembly steps to securely attach a tag to each implant.
To account for some of the issues in using separately attachable tags, some smaller implants include a removable tag that is formed integrally with the implant. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,471 (the '471 patent) discloses a bone fracture reduction device for the internal fixation and immobilization of bone fragments. The reduction device includes a bone affixation plate that defines at least two spaced openings for receiving bone screws. The reduction device also includes a bone plate identification tag formed integrally with a peripheral portion the device. The identification tag is severable from the reduction device without effecting the attachment or function of the device due to the location of the tag on a non-functional, peripheral surface of the reduction device. More specifically, the surface from which the identification tag integrally extends from the reduction device in the '471 patent does not interact with the bone(s) of the patient, the bone screws that are inserted into the device, or the driving tool(s) that are used to attach the bone screws to the device.
The use of an integrally-formed, removable tag or label on a bone screw poses unique challenges as compared to the use of these tags on other small, implantable devices. These challenges arise because essentially every surface of a bone screw performs important functions and, thus, these functional surfaces are subject to stringent dimensional controls. For instance, the head of the bone screw typically defines a driving feature used to cooperate with a driving tool to rotatably drive the bone screw into the bone of a patient. Depending on the specific function of the bone screw, the head can also include external threads and/or smooth contact surfaces that are configured to cooperate with one or more other medical devices. Similarly, the shaft of the bone screw typically includes one or more external threads that directly interface with the bone to secure the bone screw. The tip of the bone screw can have a variety of geometries to provide the bone screw with specific functionalities, such a self-drilling.
Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a feature that permits marking a small implant, such as a bone screw, with the information required by the FDA. It would be further advantageous to safely incorporate aspects of the provided marking feature into the functionality of the small implant.


A feature of a workpiece can be identified. Two-dimensional data of at least a region of a workpiece and three-dimensional data of a portion of the region of the workpiece are acquired, such as by illuminating at least the region with at least a first light source disposed at a first angle of incidence relative to a plane of the region and illuminating the portion with a second light source, such as at least one laser, disposed at a second angle of incidence greater than the first angle of incidence. An estimated location of an attribute of a feature of the workpiece is determined from the three-dimensional data, and the feature is identified by analyzing the two-dimensional data in an area surrounding the estimated location of the attribute. Attributes of features can include without limitation a point along a line of an edge.

As part of a manufacturing process, a manufactured article or workpiece may be inspected for presence of defects or for compliance with a manufacturing specification or a design requirement or the like. For example, an inspection may be performed manually, such as by a human inspector with a microscope. Such manual inspection can be time- and labor-intensive. To that end, manual inspection of the workpiece can become a large part of the manufacturing process. Thus, such manual inspection may not be suitable for high-volume manufacturing processes.
Machine vision systems may be used to inspect a workpiece in order to increase inspection throughput over manual inspection by humans. Machine vision systems may analyze two-dimensional information and three-dimensional information to inspect a workpiece. As characterized by resolution, robustness, and speed of measurement, that which may be a strength of two-dimensional machine vision analysis conversely may be a weakness of three-dimensional machine vision analysis, and vice versa.
For example, two- and three-dimensional machine vision analysis of edge detection of a workpiece, such as a component made of composite tape or tow, will be considered. Regarding resolution, two-dimensional edge detection can produce an excellent average measurement of an edge line—because a large portion of an image frame is used; on the other hand, three-dimensional edge detection may be restricted to no more than the size of an image pixel and, therefore, can only locate one point. Regarding robustness, two-dimensional edge detection can be highly susceptible to image noise and surface artifacts that may resemble an edge; on the other hand, three-dimensional edge detection is not susceptible to image noise or surface artifacts at all. Regarding speed, two-dimensional edge detection may be slow—the two-dimensional edge detection algorithm must analyze an entire image before finding results; on the other hand, three-dimensional edge detection can be fast—the three-dimensional edge detection algorithm only has to analyze an image near a laser signature.
Therefore, a two-dimensional machine vision edge detection algorithm may perform well at determining precise location of an edge. However, the two-dimensional machine vision edge detection algorithm may be fooled by image noise and surface artifacts into finding "edges" that are not there. Moreover, analysis of an entire image by the two-dimensional machine vision edge detection algorithm may be time consuming. On the other hand, a three-dimensional machine vision algorithm can quickly detect a point without being susceptible to image noise or surface artifacts. However, the three-dimensional machine vision algorithm can only locate one point that is no more than the size of the image pixel.
Thus, neither two-dimensional machine vision analysis nor three-dimensional machine vision analysis is superior to the other in all three characteristics of resolution, robustness, and speed. However, two-dimensional machine vision analysis and three-dimensional machine vision analysis may be complementary to each other in the characteristics of resolution, robustness, and speed.
The foregoing examples of related art and limitations associated therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.

System and method for identifying a feature of a workpiece


A feed forward apparatus and method discipline a clock signal by a reference signal in digital telecommunication networks. A synthesizer correction term within the feed forward apparatus and method includes a frequency correction term so that when one frequency correction term is selected in place of another frequency correction term the phase of the clock signal remains free from extraneous frequency or phase variations during the transition between frequency correction terms. Alternatively, the synthesizer correction term includes a phase correction term so that phase coherence between the reference signal and the clock signal results.

Information in digital telecommunication networks is transmitted and received at well-defined and precise bit rates, which are based on precise frequency sources. A node within the telecommunication network having direct access to these precise frequency sources may transmit information in the form of digital signals at very precise rates. However, many nodes do not have direct access to the precise frequency sources. These nodes recover an input clock from the incoming digital signal at the node. The recovered clock serves as a reference signal for disciplining an output clock signal. The disciplined output clock signal is subsequently used to synchronize transmission from the node. If one reference signal at a node becomes unusable, another reference signal, or reference, available at the node may be used in its place, providing robustness to the telecommunication network.
While the reference signals possess the excellent long-term frequency stability of the precise frequency source upon which the reference is based, the short-term frequency stability may be degraded as a result of transmission through the telecommunication network. At present, phase feedback servo loops are employed to reduce momentary degradations in frequency stability in an effort to generate a clock signal having both excellent long-term and short-term frequency stability.
An example of a feedback servo loop is the simple phase lock loop (PLL). In the simple PLL, an output signal produced by a frequency tunable oscillator is fed back for phase comparison to a reference input. The phase difference resulting from the phase comparison is processed and then used to tune the frequency of the oscillator such that the phase difference between the reference input and the output signal is nulled. In the steady state, or locked condition of the PLL, the reference input and the oscillator signal are phase aligned and are at the same frequency.
Other phase feedback servo loops are variations of the simple PLL. One example of such a phase feedback servo loop for disciplining an output (clock) signal by a reference input is taught by Scordo in U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,193. As in any phase feedback servo loop, the output signal is fed back within the loop. Iterative computation based on the present input and the past output signal produces a present output signal. Two oscillators are used. The first oscillator acts as a common phase reference for both the reference input and the output signal. The second oscillator is a tunable oscillator used to provide the output signal. A digital-to-analog converter produces an analog voltage for tuning the second oscillator based on the result of the iterative computation by integrators and summers.
Lesea in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,382 teaches another method of disciplining a clock signal by a reference input based on phase feedback. Phase comparison takes place between the reference input and a synthesized output. The phase difference based on the phase comparison, is fed back to modify a synthesizer which produces the output signal. As with any feedback system, the output is used for its own synthesis.
In feedback servo loops, the output is fed back within the loop for comparison against a reference input to generate correction information, which is used to refine the output in an iterative manner. In telecommunication networks, in which there may be multiple reference inputs and only one output, the single output is dedicated to only one reference input for iteration, completing only one feedback loop. Thus, loops using other of the multiple reference inputs are incomplete. Switching from one reference to another requires completing an incomplete loop and bringing the newly completed loop to its final steady state. Loop transients generally result from such reference input switching.
Loop transients produce extraneous frequency and phase variations in the output (clock) signal which are not related to the reference inputs. Frequency and phase variations in the clock signal affect transmission to other nodes in the telecommunication network which sense the variations in the clock signal, and as a result, switch to another of the multiple references available at the node. The switching of that reference in turn, induces additional extraneous frequency and phase variations in its generated clock signal, and so on. The successive reference input switching and the loop transients that result, cause the overall performance of the telecommunication network to degrade.

Feed forward method and apparatus for generating a clock signal


This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding an ammonium transporter. The invention also relates to the construction of a recombinant DNA constructencoding all or a portion of ammonium transporters, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct may alter levels of the ammonium transporter in a transformed host cell.

Higher plants are autotrophic organisms that can synthesize all of their molecular components from inorganic nutrients obtained from the local environment. Nitrogen is a key element in many compounds present in plant cells. It is found in the nucleoside phosphates and amino acids that form the building blocks of nucleic acids and proteins, respectively. Availability of nitrogen for crop plants is an important limiting factor in agricultural production, and the importance of nitrogen is demonstrated by the fact that only oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen are more abundant in higher plant cells. Nitrogen present in the form of ammonia or nitrate is readily absorbed and assimilated by higher plants.
Nitrate is the principal source of nitrogen that is available to higher plants under normal field conditions. Thus, the nitrate assimilation pathway is the major point of entry of inorganic nitrogen into organic compounds (Hewitt et al. (1976) Plant Biochemistry, pp 633-6812, Bonner, and Varner, eds. Academic Press, NY). Although nitrate is generally the major form of nitrogen available to plants, some plants directly utilize ammonia, under certain conditions.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transport of ammonium across the plasma membrane for use as a nitrogen source is mediated by at least two functionally distinct transport systems. Expression of an Arabidopsis cDNA in a mutant yeast strain deficient in two ammonium uptake systems allowed the identification of a plant ammonium transporter. The isolated cDNA encodes a highly hydrophobic protein with 9-12 putative membrane spanning regions. Sequence homologies to genes of bacterial and animal origin indicated that this type of transporter is conserved over a broad range of organisms suggesting that this gene encodes a high-affinity ammonium transporter (Ninneman et al. (1994) EMBO J. 13:3464-3471). A gene encoding an ammonium transporter has been identified in yeast which is most highly expressed when the cells are grown on low concentrations of ammonium or on 'poor' nitrogen sources like urea or proline. This gene is down-regulated when the concentration of ammonium is high or when other 'good' nitrogen sources like glutamine or asparagine are supplied in the culture medium. The main function of this gene appears to be to enable cells grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions to incorporate ammonium present at relatively low concentrations in the growth medium (Marine et al. (1994) EMBO J. 13:3456-3463).
Genes encoding high affinity ammonium transporters have yet to be identified in corn, soybean and wheat, although ESTs encoding peptides with similarities to cDNAs encoding high-affinity ammonium transporters are found in the NCBI database. Rice ESTs having General Identifier Nos. 568344 and 2309655 encode peptides with similarities to high-affinity ammonium transporters. Genes encoding ammonium transporters have yet to be identified in corn, rice, soybean and wheat, although an EST encoding a peptide with similarities to cDNAs encoding ammonium transporters is found in the NCBI database having NCBI General Identifier No. 5005512.


An interposer 2 including a base 10 formed of a plurality of resin layers 26, 34, 42, 52, 56; a thin-film capacitor 12 buried in the base 10, including a lower electrode 20, a capacitor dielectric film 22 and an upper electrode 24; a first through-electrode 14b formed through the base 10 and electrically connected to the upper electrode 24 of the thin-film capacitor 12; and a second through-electrode 14a formed through the base 10 and electrically connected to the lower electrode 20 of the thin-film capacitor 12, further including: an interconnection 48 buried in the base 10 and electrically connected to the respective upper electrodes 24 of a plurality of the thin-film capacitors 12, a plurality of the first through-electrodes 14b being electrically connected to the upper electrodes 24 of said plurality of the thin-film capacitors 12 via the interconnection 48, and said plurality of the first through-electrodes 14b being electrically interconnected by the interconnections 48.

The present invention relates to an interposer, and an electronic device fabrication method using the interposer, more specifically, an interposer which can simplify test steps, and an electronic device fabrication method using the interposer.
Recently, in digital LSIs (Large Scale Integrated circuits), etc., typically microprocessors, the operation speed increase and the power consumption decrease have been made.
To stably operate an LSI in a GHz band-radio-frequency region and at low voltage, it is very important to suppress the source voltage variation due to abrupt changes of the load impedance, etc. of the LSI and to remove radio-frequency noises of the power source.
Conventionally, the source voltage change is suppressed, and the radio-frequency noises are removed by mounting decoupling capacitors near an LSI, etc. mounted on a circuit board. The decoupling capacitors are formed on a substrate discrete from the circuit board and are mounted suitably on the circuit board.
However, when decoupling capacitors are mounted near an LSI mounted on a circuit board, the LSI and the decoupling capacitors are electrically connected to the decoupling capacitors via interconnection formed in the circuit board, and large inductance due to the wiring is present. Due to the large inductance between the LSI and the decoupling capacitors, the source voltage variation cannot be sufficiently suppressed, and the radio-frequency noises cannot be sufficiently removed. To make the suppression of the source voltage variation and the removal of the radio-frequency noises sufficient, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and the equivalent series inductance (ESL) are required to be decreased.
Here, the technique of disposing between the LSI and the circuit board an interposer with capacitor incorporated in is noted (Patent References 1 to 5).
Following references disclose the background art of the present invention.
[Patent Reference 1]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei 4-211191
[Patent Reference 2]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. Hei 7-176453
[Patent Reference 3]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2001-68583
[Patent Reference 4]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2001-35990
[Patent Reference 5]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2002-83892
[Patent Reference 6]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2003-158239
[Patent Reference 7]
Specification of Japanese Patent No. 3014383
[Patent Reference 8]
Specification of Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2003-282827
However, in testing the characteristics of the thin-film capacitors of the proposed interposer, a probe is connected sequentially to the respective through-electrodes connected to the thin-film capacitors for the test. Accordingly, it is difficult to test the proposed interposer in a short period of time and at low costs.

Interposer and electronic device fabrication method


The invention concerns a method for encoding a video stream, an associated method for decoding a video stream, an associated encoder, an associated decoder and associated computer programs. The encoding method is directed to encoding a video stream comprising at least one video sequence, comprising, for the encoding of a square or rectangular block of a picture of a video sequence of the video stream, selecting a motion information predictor for the block from a list of candidate motion information predictors, and entropic encoding of an index representative of a position of the selected motion information predictor in the list.

Digital video coding is an active field of research and standardization, since digital video is used in many consumer appliances such as laptop or desktop computers, digital cameras, digital recording devices, tablet computers.
In order to efficiently store and transmit digital video data, the digital video data is compressed.
Various compression standards have been developed, and the most recent one, the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), which is presently under development, reaches higher compression efficiency than previous standards, and can be applied for very large picture resolutions.
Similarly to other compression methods, HEVC uses spatial and temporal prediction to reduce the redundancy of the video data and to achieve compression. The spatial prediction consists in predicting picture portions from other portions of the same picture, at the same temporal instant of the video. The temporal prediction consists in predicting a portion of a picture of the video from a portion of another picture of the video sequence, pointed at by a motion vector. The temporal prediction is also called inter prediction.
HEVC has an aim of further improving compression that is achieved by using hierarchical coding units, the basic unit used for carrying information related to prediction processes, called prediction unit, being of variable size and shape (either rectangular or square, with a variable size as from 4×4 to 64×64 pixels), so as to better take into account the content of a video sequence.
Moreover, HEVC proposes mechanisms to further increase the compression by reducing the bitrate of motion information to be transmitted. To this end, in the inter prediction modes, in particular the modes called "merge" and "skip", the motion information associated to a prediction unit is predicted from a candidate list. The candidate list includes motion information of already processed neighbouring prediction units of a prediction unit to be encoded, either in a spatial neighbourhood of the prediction unit to be encoded or in a temporal neighbourhood of the prediction unit to be encoded. The candidate list being predetermined, only an index indicating the position of the best suited motion information predictor for the motion information of the current prediction unit to be encoded is actually encoded and transmitted to the decoder. The encoding chosen is a specific entropic encoding called context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) which adapts a probability model used by an arithmetic encoder according to a local context. The entropic encoding using CABAC, as applied in HEVC, brings a particular advantage in terms of compression enhancement if the candidate list is ordered according to the relevancy of the candidate motion information predictors, the first candidate in the list being the most relevant.
The standard HEVC is dedicated to mono-view video compression, since it is adapted to compress a video stream comprising a single video sequence. An extension of HEVC standard, currently under development, is directed to the compression of multi-view video streams, which comprise N video sequences, with N at least equal to two, captured simultaneously, typically by N cameras which are positioned at different spatial positions. The views are rectified, therefore the cameras are assumed to be aligned. A block of a picture in a first view corresponds to a block displaced on the horizontal axis of a second view, the displacement depending on the distance between the cameras. Several applications can be envisaged for the multi-view video coding, also called 3D video coding, such as stereoscopic television and multi-view 3D television.
In order to take advantage of the potential redundancy offered by the presence of multiple views, a disparity compensated prediction mode has been added to the HEVC inter prediction modes. The disparity compensation refers to motion compensation between prediction units of sequences corresponding to different views: a prediction unit of a current view has a disparity motion vector pointing to a portion of a reference picture of a different view. Further, the list of candidates for motion information prediction comprises, for a current prediction unit to be encoded, the motion information associated to the prediction unit of another view corresponding to the current prediction unit.
There is still a need to improve compression, both in mono-view video coding and in multi-view video coding.

Method and device for motion information prediction in multi-view video coding


It is an object to obtain an insulated gate semiconductor device with an unreduced current value capable of being turned off while adopting structure for reducing the ON voltage, and a manufacturing method thereof. An N layer (43) is provided in close contact on a surface of an N.sup.- layer (42), a P base layer (44) is provided in close contact on the surface of the N layer (43), and a trench (47) which passes at least through the P base layer (44) is provided, and a gate electrode (49) is provided in the trench (47) through a gate insulating film (48). The carrier distribution of the N.sup.- layer (42) becomes closer to the carrier distribution of a diode, and an ON voltage is decreased and a current value capable of being turned off is not decreased when turning off. Accordingly, there are provided an insulated gate semiconductor device with low power consumption, small size, large capacity and high reliability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to insulated gate semiconductor devices and manufacturing methods thereof and, particularly to the device structure with a low ON voltage of an insulated gate bipolar transistor having a trench MOS gate and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional insulated gate semiconductor device, and a description is made on an insulated gate bipolar transistor with the trench gate structure (referred to as an IGBT, hereinafter, and an IGBT with the trench gate structure is referred to as a U-type IGBT) as an example.
Recently, the IGBTs are used in the voltage resonance circuits, which are high frequency inverters for energy conservation, miniaturization, and weight reduction of household electric appliances, and used in intelligent power modules for performing variable speed control of three-phase motors in the fields of the general purpose inverters, the AC servo, and the air conditioners, etc., and they are now in general use. In the IGBTs, which are key devices thereof, devices with good switching characteristic, low saturation voltage and large SOA (Safe Operating Area) are demanded while the switching characteristic, the saturation voltage and the SOA are in the trade-off relation.
In FIG. 26, the reference numeral 1 denotes a P.sup.+ collector layer, the reference numeral 2 denotes an N.sup.- layer, the reference numeral 3 denotes a P base layer, the reference numeral 4 denotes an N.sup.+ emitter layer, the reference numeral 5 denotes a trench, the reference numeral 6 denotes a gate insulating film, the reference numeral 7 denotes a gate electrode, the reference numeral 8 denotes an interlayer insulating film, the reference numeral 9 denotes an N.sup.+ buffer layer, the reference numeral 10 denotes an emitter electrode, the reference numeral 11 denotes a collector electrode, and the reference numeral 12 denotes a channel region.
Next, operation of the IGBT will be described.
When a certain collector voltage V.sub.CE is applied between the emitter electrode 10 and the collector electrode 11 and a certain gate voltage V.sub.GE is applied between the emitter electrode 10 and the gate electrode 7, that is, when the gate is turned on, the channel region 12 is inverted into the N-type and a channel is formed. Electrons are injected from the emitter electrode 10 through the channel into the N.sup.- layer 2. The injected electrons establish forward bias between the P.sup.+ collector layer 1 and the N.sup.- layer 2 and holes are injected from the collector electrode 11 via the P.sup.+ collector layer 1 and the N.sup.+ buffer layer 9 into the N.sup.- layer 2. As a result, resistance of the N.sup.- layer 2 decreases because of the conductivity modulation and the current capacity of the IGBT increases. The voltage drop between collector-emitter of the IGBT at this time is the ON voltage (V.sub.CE(SAT)).
Next, when turning the IGBT from an ON state to an OFF state, the gate voltage V.sub.GE applied between the emitter electrode 10 and the gate electrode 7 is brought to 0 V or the backward bias, that is, the gate is turned off, and then the channel region 12 inverted into the N-type returns to the P-type and the injection of electrons from the emitter electrode 10 is stopped. Subsequently, the electrons and holes accumulated in the N.sup.- layer 2 go through to the collector electrode 11 and the emitter electrode 10, respectively, or they are recombined and disappear.
Generally, the ON voltage of the IGBT is mostly determined by substantial resistance of the N.sup.- layer 2 required to hold the breakdown voltage. Factors of the substantial resistance include the electron supplying capability of the MOSFET forming the IGBT. In the structure of the U-type IGBT in which a narrow and deep trench is formed in the surface of a chip and a MOSFET is formed on the sidewall thereof, the electron supplying capability of the MOSFET can be increased by reducing the unit cell interval as much as possible.
FIG. 27 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the IGBT.
In FIG. 27, the reference numeral 15 is a bipolar transistor, and the reference numeral 16 is a MOSFET.
Generally, the IGBT is represented by the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 27. Since h.sub.fe of the bipolar transistor 15 formed of the P.sup.+ collector layer 1, the N layer of a combination of the N.sup.+ buffer layer 9 and the N.sup.- layer 2, and the P base layer of the IGBT is small, however, the IGBT can be considered a combination of the MOSFET and the diode 17.
FIG. 28 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the IGBT when h.sub.fe of the bipolar transistor 15 is assumed small.
In FIG. 28, the reference numeral 17 is a diode and the reference numeral 18 is a MOSFET.
FIG. 29 is a graph showing the carrier concentration distribution of an N.sup.- layer in an ON state of a PIN diode.
As the MOSFET 18 can be regarded as a mere switching element in FIG. 28, the carrier concentration distribution of the N.sup.- layer of the PIN diode 17 of the IGBT should be something like the carrier concentration distribution of the N.sup.- layer of the PIN diode as shown in FIG. 29, but it is not.
FIG. 30 is a graph showing the carrier concentration distribution of the N.sup.- layer 2 in an ON state in a conventional IGBT.
While the carrier concentration of the N.sup.- layer in the ON state of the PIN diode is uniform between the end of the N.sup.- layer on the anode side and the end on the cathode side as shown in FIG. 29, the carrier concentration of the N.sup.- layer 2 in the ON state in the conventional IGBT gradually decreases from the end of the N.sup.- layer 2 on the collector side to the end on the emitter side, as shown in FIG. 30. Accordingly, the ON voltage of the conventional IGBT is higher than that of the diode.
Especially, in the IGBT with a high breakdown voltage, the breakdown voltage is secured by increasing the thickness of the N.sup.- layer 2. The gradient of the decrease of the carrier concentration of the N.sup.- layer 2 from the end on the collector side toward the end on the emitter side is not affected by the thickness of the N.sup.- layer 2 if the carrier life time is the same, so that the difference in the carrier concentration between the end on the collector side and the end on the emitter side increases as the N.sup.- layer 2 becomes thicker, and the difference in the ON voltage from the diode increases as the IGBT has a higher breakdown voltage.
Various devices are considered for the purpose of eliminating such a difference between the ON voltage of the IGBT and the ON voltage of the diode, which is considered limiting value of the ON voltage of the IGBT. They include the MCT (MOS CONTROLLED THYRISTOR) and the IEGT (INJECTION ENHANCED GATE BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR).
FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the MCT.
In FIG. 31, the reference numeral 21 denotes an N.sup.+ cathode region, the reference numeral 22 denotes an N region, the reference numeral 23 denotes a P.sup.+ region, the reference numeral 24 denotes a channel region in gate on, and the reference numeral 25 denotes a channel region in gate off, or an OFF channel region. Other reference characters are the same as those in FIG. 26.
It is known that the carrier concentration distribution of the N.sup.- layer 2 in the ON state in the MCT generally takes the distribution similar to that of a diode. Accordingly, the ON voltage is lower in the MCT than in the IGBT with the conventional structure.
However, when off, the P-channel MOS formed of the P base layer 3, the N region 22 and the P.sup.+ region 23 forms a channel by the inversion of the OFF channel region 25, through which channel holes flow. Hence, there is a problem that the current value capable of being turned off can not be large, considering that the resistance of the OFF channel region 25 is generally high. There is also a problem that the processes are complicated and the devices are expensive because an N-channel MOS for ON and a P-channel MOS for OFF must be formed in the triple diffusion in the surface.
Examples of the IEGT include one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-243561.
For example, in the IEGT shown in FIG. 101 of Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-243561, the N emitter regions and the P base regions of some cells in the U-type IGBT are coated with insulating layers, and the contact between the N emitter regions and the P base regions, and the emitter electrode is eliminated.
Operation of the IEGT is basically the same as that of the U-type IGBT, but, since the cells are formed in which contact between the N emitter region and the P base region, and the emitter electrode is not formed, the hole current going through to the P base region in the ON state is restricted, holes are accumulated in the N-type base layer surface, and the carrier concentration distribution of the N-type base layer results in the same one as that of a diode, and the ON voltage of the IEGT becomes lower than the U-type IGBT.
It operates basically in the same way as the U-type IGBT also in the OFF state, but a less number of cells operate as compared with the U-type IGBT when holes accumulated in the N-type base layer go through to the emitter electrode, and the holes go through a less number of cells.
The movement of holes at this time becomes a base current of a parasitic bipolar transistor formed of the N-type base layer, the P base region and the emitter region, and when it exceeds the built-in potential (generally 0.6 V), the parasitic bipolar transistor turns on. Accordingly, in the IEGT in which part of cells of the U-type IGBT are taken away, a current value capable of being turned off may have to be set smaller than in the common U-type IGBT so that the parasitic transistor will not turn on.


The present invention relates to a novel compound EI-2128-1 having IL-1 production inhibitory activity which is represented by formula (I): ##STR1##

Interleukin-1 (hereinafter referred to as IL-1) is a protein having a molecular weight of 17.5 kDa which is produced by a variety of cells in the body such as macrophage, monocyte, neutrophil, fibroblast, skin keratinocyte, hepatic Kupffer cell, renal glomerular mesangial cell, brain astroglia, and angioendothelial cell. IL-1 includes .alpha.-form having an isoelectric point (pI) of 5 and .beta.-form having pI of 7. At present, it is known that the .alpha.-form and the .beta.-form exhibit the same activity.
IL-1 is known to have various biological activities. That is, IL-1 is deemed to act as a factor that enhances multiplicative division of lymphocytes and as a cofactor that enhances multiplication of B cells and production of antibodies. Further, it is considered that IL-1 acts on arachidonic acid cascade in the temperature center of the hypothalamus to increase the synthesis of prostaglandin E.sub.2, thereby causing pyrexia. Furthermore, it is shown that the activity of IL-1 is significantly increased in the serum of patients suffering from septicemia or Crohn's disease and in the cavum articulare of patients who suffer from articular rheumatism. This suggests the participation of IL-1 in the attack and progress of these diseases. Suppression of the production of IL-1 is considered to be effective for alleviating the symptoms that occur through IL-1.
Examples of known compounds having IL-1 production inhibitory activity are synthetic compounds such as naphthalene derivatives (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 59743/92), 3-arylisothiazole derivatives (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 74121/92), and zingerol derivatives (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 202127/92).
There have been reports on aranorosin J. Antibiot., 41, 1780-1784 (1988), Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 157386/91!, and aranorosinol A and aranorosinol B J. Antibiot., 45, 1592-1598 (1992)!. However, the structures of these compounds are different from the structure of the compound represented by formula (I), and there has been no report on IL-1 production inhibition by any of these compounds.

Physiologically active substance EI-2128-1


A storage device for storing rolled documents includes a tube pivotally mounted to a housing and advanceable between retracted and extended positions relative to a roof of the housing. The roof covers an open end of the tube in the retracted position. In the extended position, the open end of the tube is advanced away from the roof to permit rolled construction drawings to be inserted into and removed from the tube. A floor extends across at least a portion of the tube to prevent the rolled documents from falling out of the tube. Clamps mounted on the housing enable mounting of the storage device on a post, such as a T-post. The storage device may include a display panel having a pocket formed by a sheet of transparent flexible plastic into which a building permit may be positioned and displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage and display devices for storing documents at a construction site and which also permit display of a building permit and storage of other documents at the construction site.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many cities require building permits to be displayed and accessible to inspectors at construction sites. In addition to providing information concerning the basis for the permit, the document may have checkoff spaces for completion by various inspectors during the construction process. It is also convenient to be able to store a set of large format construction drawings at the work site for access by subcontractors, inspectors or the property owner during the construction process. Some jurisdictions require the builder's stamped and city-sealed copy of the plans be made accessible to the inspectors at the construction site. Due to their size, construction drawings are typically rolled into a cylindrical shape for storage.
A wide range of display systems have been developed to permit the weather resistant display of building permits on a construction site while permitting access by inspectors. Display devices have also been developed to store rolled construction documents at the construction job site in a weather resistant container for ready access during the construction process. Such display devices may also include structure for displaying building permits in conjunction with the rolled construction documents.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,373 discloses a combination building permit display device and rolled blueprint holder. The device includes a flat panel base member with a pocket formed from transparent plastic sheet material for receiving and displaying a building permit while protecting it from the elements. Rolled documents are stored in a cylindrical tube with a closed end and an open end. The rolled documents are inserted in the tube and then the tube is hung on the base member with the closed end at the top and the open end resting on a shelf to prevent the drawings from falling out. The tube does protect the rolled documents from the elements if properly used. However, if an inexperienced user hangs to tube with the open end up, the tube functions as a catch basin, collecting any precipitation and forming a pool of water waterlogging any documents positioned therein. In addition, it would appear difficult to hold the documents in the tube while trying to hang the tube upside down on the base member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,851 also provides a weather resistant display case for displaying construction permits and for storing rolled documents. The display case is formed from two halves, each having a semi-cylindrical recess near a hinge connecting the halves together. It is foreseen that users are likely to experience difficulty in trying to position and hold a rolled set of plans in the semi-cylindrical recess in the base member while trying to simultaneously close the front panel over the rolled plans without the plans uncoiling to the point that they are too large to fit in the mating recesses or fall out of the recess in the base member.
Another problem encountered with existing plan and permit boxes is where to mount the boxes. Existing boxes, including those discussed above, are generally adapted to be either nailed to a wall of the building under construction or nailed to a wooden stake to be driven into the ground. The ability to mount the box to a stake generally addresses the situation where the walls of the building have not yet been erected and there is no structure available yet to nail the box to. Wooden stakes however are not particularly convenient to use. Typically the installer has to bring a sledge hammer or the like to the site to drive the stake into the ground far enough so that it does not work its way out of the ground and fall over. The stakes are prone to break when driving them into the ground and the height of generally available wooden stakes positions the box mounted thereon to low for convenient access. It is also known to mount such boxes on larger wooden posts, such as 4 inch by 4 inch posts. However, installing such posts requires digging a hole and either setting the post in concrete or tamping the dirt around the post to secure it in place, requiring additional time and equipment.
There remains a need for an effective and easy to use apparatus for storing rolled construction drawings at a construction site which protects the documents from the elements and which may also provides weather resistant means for displaying of construction permits. There also remains a need for an improved system for mounting plan and permit boxes at a construction site.

Weather resistant container for storing rolled construction documents and display for building permits


A method for compensating at least partially a frequency deviation in a grid is provided in which a grid frequency is determined and the grid frequency is applied to a grid frequency criterion. If the grid frequency meets the grid frequency criterion, a determination is made as to a set of wind turbines from a wind turbine power plant fleet based on the grid frequency criterion, and a command for a transient frequency response is transmitted to the set of wind turbines.

In case of a frequency deviation in a grid, most electrical generators comprised of electrical machines directly connected to the grid provide a natural inertial response compensating for the occurring frequency deviation. For example, when the frequency declines, the generator shaft slows, releasing kinetic energy that is converted to electric power, which partially compensates for the lack of energy that causes the frequency decline. When the frequency increases, the generator shaft speed increases, causing the generator to absorb energy from the power system, thereby partly compensating for the surplus of energy that caused the frequency increase. Conventional electrical energy generators, like a coal plant or a nuclear plant, provide inertial response according to the inherent characteristics of the turbine and generator used for the power generation.
Converter-controlled equipment, like wind turbine and solar PV, do not provide any response to abnormal frequency unless this capability is programmed into the controls. A requirement to provide this capability is often stipulated by grid operators. As more and more renewable energy power plants like wind turbines using full inverters are providing this ancillary service as transient frequency response to the grid, the grid operators may need more flexibility in selecting the magnitude of the response to such frequency drops. At this time, in case of a frequency drop in a grid, a renewable energy power plant like a wind turbine may be constrained to provide the maximum transient frequency response it is able to deliver to the grid at the threshold frequency. With the increasing number of wind turbines as renewable energy power plants, this may lead to an overcompensation of the frequency deviations in a grid, which may lead to further de-stabilizing the grid frequency
Therefore, there may be a need for an improved reaction possibility for a wind turbine as well as for an entire wind turbine power plant fleet, in case of a detected frequency deviation in a grid, in order to provide an appropriate assistance for a stabilization of the grid frequency.

Inertial response function for grids with high turbine penetration


The present invention pertains to a treating device 1, especially a rotating transverse gluing mechanism for high-speed, register mark-related paper or film webs 2. The movements of the transverse gluing mechanism 1 are synchronized with the web 2, and the transverse gluing mechanism has an independent synchronous drive 6 with a drive motor 7 and a regulating unit for this purpose. The electronic regulating unit compensates variations in the synchronism of the running web 2.

Such transverse gluing mechanisms have been known from DE-A 35 27 660, DE-A 41 29 404, EP-A 0 096 832, and EP-A 0 209 110. They are usually attached to high-performance rotary printing presses and are used to apply a transverse glue strip to predetermined points of the high-speed, printed paper web. The transverse glue strip is usually located at a fold line formed later in the folding device. Its length depends on the printed and folded format in the transverse and longitudinal directions and it must therefore be accurate to the register mark. The cylinder of the transverse gluing mechanism is wrapped around by the running paper web at least partially and it rotates at the same circumferential velocity as the plate cylinder of the printing press, which has the same diameter. This requires a high precision of the drive of the transverse gluing mechanism. The prior-art transverse gluing mechanisms have no separate drive, but they are driven by a unit of the printing press, e.g., a cardan shaft. The drive is derived via toothed belts, universal-joint shafts, bevel gear pairs and the like. The circumstance that a printing press is usually retrofitted with a transverse gluing mechanism and that the printing press has no prepared interfaces for this is problematic. In addition, the drive parts must be calculated and manufactured for high accuracy, which entails a considerable design and mounting effort in the case of multistep intermediate drives.
A similar device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,942. A running paper web is perforated here by two perforating rollers in some areas. An adhesive layer is applied to the paper web via a downstream glue spreading roller, with the exception of the perforated areas. The perforating and glue spreading rollers are coupled and synchronized via a gear connection.
DE-A 40 31 964 shows a rotary printing device with a printing block basic body, which is driven by a controllable drive as a function of a speed of rotation control function which is different at different angular positions. The drive is connected to a central control, from which the feed of the material web to be printed on is also controlled via other controllable drives. The printing block basic body follows different angle and control functions during one revolution, and it is adapted, with a limitation in time, both to an inking roller and the material feed and has additional variable velocity functions in between.
CC-A-648 497 discloses a gluing device which has a perforated metal cylinder which rotates synchronously with the substrate web and by which drops of glue are continuously applied to the web. The glue is applied without register mark reference. The synchronization between the cylinder and the web is established in a known, not specifically described manner.

Treatment device, particularly for a transverse sizing machine


A machine tool has a spindle which has a tool receptacle for an interchangeable tool holder. The tool holder is chucked into the tool receptacle during operation of the machine tool. A first passage having an outlet opening is arranged in the interior of the spindle. The outlet opening opens out inside the tool receptacle. The tool holder has a coolant tube which engages in the outlet opening of the first passage. According to the invention, the first passage comprises a continuous inner tube, the first end of which is connected to a connection for a coolant source and the second end of which is designed for connection to the coolant tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool having a spindle which has a tool receptacle for an interchangeable tool holder which is chucked into the tool receptacle during operation of the machine tool and which has a coolant tube for receiving a cooling lubricant, furthermore having a first passage which is arranged in the interior of the spindle and has an outlet opening which opens out inside the tool receptacle, the coolant tube, when a tool holder is chucked, engaging in the outlet opening of the first passage.
The invention also relates to a tool holder for such a machine tool, having an external taper for being chucked into a tool receptacle of the machine tool and having a coolant tube for receiving a cooling lubricant.
2. Related Prior Art
Such a machine tool and a corresponding tool holder are known, for example, from DE 197 26 942 A1.
The known machine tool has a spindle which is rotatably mounted in a spindle housing and on the end face of which a receptacle for the tool holder is provided centrally. The tool holders are standardized as a rule. So-called HSK tool holders, which have a hollow shank taper for being clamped into the tool receptacle, are becoming more common. In this case, the tool receptacle has a chucking system with collets which engage in the interior of the hollow shank taper in order to chuck the tool holder in a rotationally fixed manner. The collets are normally actuated via a collet spigot which is provided on the end of a chucking rod arranged axially in the spindle.
In the known machine tool, an inner passage runs through the spindle in the axial direction. The inner passage opens out with an outlet opening centrally at the base of the tool receptacle, the bottom end of the inner passage being formed by a bore through which the chucking rod passes. A coolant tube of the chucked tool holder engages in the outlet opening formed in this way. This provides a continuous passage through which a cooling lubricant can be directed from a coolant source via the spindle and the tool holder to the tool. The cooling lubricant used in the known machine tool is an oil-water emulsion (CL).
A special aspect in the known machine tool is that the cooling lubricant does not just serve to cool and lubricate the tool during the machining of a workpiece. This is because, during a tool change, when the entire tool holder plus the tool is exchanged as a rule, the cooling lubricant also serves here to clean the tool holder, in particular its external tapered and plane surfaces, of chips and any other dirt particles. To this end, the tool holder is rinsed with the cooling lubricant at least when approaching the tool receptacle.
The known machine tool therefore only needs a single inner passage, which serves to cool and lubricate the tool and also to clean the tool holder. This permits an especially simple and thus cost-effective construction.
In addition to the use of a cooling fluid for cooling and lubricating a tool, it is in principle also known to use "minimum quantity lubrication". In this case, an aerosol, preferably in the form of an oil/air mixture, is used instead of the cooling fluid. As the name already implies, the quantity of cooling lubricant required in the case of minimum quantity lubrication is considerably smaller than when using a cooling fluid.
Now it is desirable to operate a machine tool of the type described above with the simplest possible means, even with minimum quantity lubrication. When putting this into practice, however, it has been found that it is difficult to ensure a continuous and uniform flow of the cooling lubricant. Further investigations have shown that one cause of this is cavities, edges and other irregularities of the inner passage of the known machine tool, in particular in transition and coupling regions. At high speeds of the spindle, the oil from the aerosol collects at such locations and sinks. If the speed of the spindle is reduced or the spindle is braked, for example for a tool change, the oil flows off from the sinking locations, which leads to an increased quantity of oil at the outlet opening of the inner passage. If the spindle is then accelerated again to high speeds, first of all some of the oil supplied in the aerosol collects at the sinking locations. Consequently, the quantity of oil provided at the outlet opening of the inner passage may at first be too small after a tool change. Under unfavourable conditions, there is the risk of the tool and/or of the machined workpiece being damaged as a result.
DE 84 30 433 U1 discloses a machine tool which has a twin-passage system. To cool the tool during the machining of a workpiece, a cooling lubricant is fed via an axially arranged first inner passage. In this known machine tool, however, the inner passage for the cooling lubricant opens out outside the locating space for the tool holder. To clean the tool holder during a tool change, a second inner passage via which compressed air is supplied during the tool change is provided in this known machine tool. The second inner passage opens out centrally at the base of the locating space for the tool holder.
The tool holders of this known machine tool have no coolant tube of the type described above, via which a cooling lubricant is directed to the tool. On the contrary, the document attaches importance to the fact that precisely no cooling lubricant passes into the region of the tool receptacle. In addition, this known machine tool is also not intended for minimum quantity lubrication.

Machine tool and tool holder for said machine tool


A unitary medical conduit holder for securing medical conduits to the skin of a patient is made of two major portions which are sonically welded or otherwise attached to one another. The first portion is a base plate or patch for adhesively securing to the skin. The second portion is a strap with wide and narrow ends which fold in opposite directions fully encircle the conduit or a bundle of conduits. Complementary pressure sensitive VELCRO type attachment surfaces are present on the upper surfaces of the base plate and the strap. In the final use position the externally exposed parts of both the base patch and the strap are smooth so as not to snag on surrounding materials. The surface of the strap which contacts the bottom of the conduit is made of or coated with a high friction material to prevent axial slipping of the encircled conduit. Typical conduits which may be conveniently held in place with this invention include tubes, lumens, catheters, electrical wiring, and optical fibers. The conduits may easily be removed or replaced without the necessity of removing the adhesive from the patient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a temporary clamp or holder for adjustably securing a conduit adjacent the surface of an object and more particularly to a clamp capable of holding medical conduits to a patient's body in conjunction with numerous medical treatments and procedures. It will be understood the term conduit is used in the broadest sense in this disclosure and might equally apply to a tube for transporting a fluid, a wire or other medium for transporting electromagnetic energy, or simply a rod for transporting thermal energy. Thus, in the broad sense, this invention is useful for firmly holding any long slender conduit of indefinite length, such as a tube, pipe, optical fiber, or electrical wire, adjacent and parallel to an attachment or mounting surface. Generally the mounting surface is the epidermal layer of a human patient since it is so often crucial to provide conduit support near a point of entry of a conduit into the interior of the body. However, upon occasion, it may prove useful to support a medical conduit from a nearby physical object such as a bedrail, etc. The medical conduit holder of this invention proves ideal for use with a large variety of mounting surfaces. There is no requirement that the mounting surface be planar or regular in any way. Many medical treatments and procedures require the transient use of external and mesentery conduits and thereby require apparatus for temporarily holding the conduits in place in a convenient and inexpensive manner. As a result the invention applies to numerous and diverse specialties within the medical field. For example, lumen injection cannulae, feeding tubes, nasogastric tubes, Foley catheter and condom catheter tubes, dialysis tubes, angiocath and heparin lock set tubes, luer locks as well as other tubes used to introduce liquids into the body intravenously or to introduce oxygen into the mouth or nose of the patient may be adequately supported by means of this invention. Electrical wiring and other patient monitoring type conduits may also be conveniently held in place so as to prevent entanglement or dislodging during patient movement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has long been a need for a simple but universal tube, lumen, and conduit (TLC) holder for bedridden patients. For years adhesive tape attached directly to the skin and wrapped about the tube was the best device available for releasably but firmly retaining conduits upon a patient. Rarely do medical personnel have the skill to make a proper mesentery support using ordinary hospital self adhesive tape for holding a catheter or tube to the skin. Tape has proven unsatisfactory because it must be removed from the patient each time the conduit must be moved or changed, causing discomfort to the patient and skin irritation. Conduits of this nature often need to be reoriented or replaced requiring frequent irritating pulling of adhesive tape support structure from the sensitive epidermal layer of the patient. Various devices for holding either an injection cannula, catheter tubing or an infusion tube in place have been developed heretofore. Many prior conduit holders have made it difficult or impossible to adjust or replace the conduits without completely removing the conduit holder from its mounting surface. Prior conduit holders have also been difficult or impossible to trim to size for fitting to the patient. Many prior holders suffer from an inability to firmly hold long slender conduits in their lengthwise direction. In other words it was easy for the captured conduit to slide longitudinally with respect to the holder. This longitudinal sliding can be either desirable or undesirable, depending on the situation, and should therefore be under the control of the user as is accomplished with this invention. Another common problem with prior conduit holders is that they tend to get caught in bed linen and clothing due either to excess bulkiness or exposed tacky surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,136 issued to Lund on Nov. 29, 1966 shows a tube lock for releasably anchoring a medical tube to the skin of a patient. Lund uses VELCRO fastening means and an auxiliary tube to secure the tubing against lengthwise movement. The auxiliary tube causes the Lund device to be useful only for tubing of a certain diameter. In contradistinction, the instant invention may securely hold tubes or bundles of tubes of any diameter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,250 issued to Thomas on Jul. 18, 1972 shows a tabbed anchoring tape means for anchoring medical tubing. Thomas's tape is adhered to the skin of the patient and wrapped around the tubing but uses no easily releasable reusable attachment means and in no other way resembles the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,380 issued to Boyd on Sep. 10, 1974 shows a holder for intravenous injection cannula and tubing. Body uses a separate clamping tube in the form of a slit hollow cylinder for supporting the catheter tube which is in turn held shut by a VELCRO strip. This holder is not adaptable to different sized or multiple tubing. In contradistinction, the instant invention will hold conduits of all sizes, and multiple conduits.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,849 issued to Muller et al on Apr. 22, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,421 issued to Poprick on Oct. 16, 1973, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,280 issued to Lacount on Apr. 10, 1973 show catheter or surgical tube supports which are designed to encircle a limb of the patient. In contradistinction, the instant invention does not require the encircling of a limb to establish a firm support base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,784 issued to Johnson on Aug. 28, 1979 shows a catheter tube holder forming a double bridge member that loosely encircles the tube. The Johnson holder does not prevent longitudinal slippage of the tube and is therefore limited in application. In direct contradistinction thereto, the instant invention may be infinitely adjusted to grip firmly various sizes and quantities of tubes, while preventing longitudinal slippage of the tubes; accordingly, the instant invention provides a virtually unlimited range of applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,468 issued to Geist on Jun. 8, 1982 shows a mesentery tube holder apparatus for adhesive attachment of a tube to a patient's body. Geist's support does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Geist's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. In contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,976 issued to Ferguson on Apr. 22, 1986 shows a catheter support adhesively attached to the skin. The support does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Ferguson's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. By way of contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,245 issued to Hubbard et al on Feb. 18, 1986 shows a personal catheter leg strap which appears, at least superficially, like the instant invention in that they both employ VELCRO fastened straps encircling a catheter tube. However, in direct contradistinction the instant invention, Hubbard's holder must be wrapped around a limb of the patient thus limiting its use to the area of the limbs. Hubbard's holder can only be oriented in a fixed direction with respect to the limb it encircles. Hubbard's conduit strap must be wrapped an additional half turn about the tubing so as to prevent the artificial burr material from exterior exposure. However, this direction of wrapping makes the support weaker by requiring the VELCRO attachment points to be located some distance from the supported tube. Hubbard does not address the problem of axial slippage of the supported tube in this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,017 issued to Hubbard et al on Oct. 14, 1986 is a continuation-in-part of the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,245. This patent specifically addresses the axial slippage problem but otherwise suffers from the same disadvantages mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,736 issued to Kalt et al on Oct. 27, 1987 shows a tubing clamp utilizing a conduit strap having VELCRO fastening means for adhering a medical tubing between a resilient pad on the strap and a resilient base. Kalt's holder does not completely encircle the tubing or provide uniform clamping pressure about the circumference thereof. Kalt's holder is not adaptable to a wide range of different tubing diameters nor is it suitable for simultaneously holding several pieces of tubing. By way of contradistinction, the instant invention completely encircles the medical conduit with a bidirectional wrapping, allows a significantly greater total holding force without tube deformation, and is suitable for multiple or variable diameter tubing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,716 issued to McGuire on Feb. 23, 1988 shows a fastener exclusively made to hold Foley catheters. Since the device has an opening for inserting a second passage of the catheter, McGuire's catheter holder will only work with Foley type catheters. In contradistinction, the instant invention enfolds the tubing from two directions with straps firmly attached to a large area adhesive base plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,322 issued to Bowen et al on Sep. 15, 1992, in which a named coinventor therein, Michael L. Bowen, is the same person named as a coinventor in the instant application, teaches a catheter tube holder including a double base member with an integral tube holder extended upwardly from the center of the base. The holder includes a slot through which the tab end of the holder is inserted, after the tab main body is wrapped around a catheter tube, and the tab end is provided with hook type fasteners cooperating with the loops of a loop strip on the top surface of one side of the double base member. Wrapping the tube is a two handed operation and one must carefully insert the "hook" tab end through a very small aperture to avoid the hook catching on the loop portion of the base. In contradistinction, the bidirectional enfolding of the two straps of the instant invention can be accomplished quickly and easily with one hand, since the straps are simply folded over the tube. There is no "threading" involved due to the provision of a cutout of substantial dimensions in the large strap.
The brochure of Utah Medical of Midvale, Utah shows a tube holder of APLIX Inc. which is of unknown date (circa 1990) but is believed to qualify as prior art with respect to this invention. The APLIX holder makes no provision for securement against lengthwise movement of the tubing and exposes VELCRO hooks to the surroundings. By contrast, the instant invention has at least a limited range of directional adjustment, provides bidirectional endfolding for stopping lengthwise movement, and does not expose VELCRO hooks to the surroundings.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


A management label has a color loss determination area that enables easy determination of color loss. An identification color printing area 11 where an inventory control color for managing products and a color loss determination area 15 for determining color loss are printed on the label side 10a of an inventory management label 10. The color loss determination area 15 contains a color loss determination section 18 including the letters “NG” printed with a black coloring agent, and a background portion 19 that is printed using cyan, magenta, and yellow coloring agents. When there is no color loss and the letters “NG” and background portion 19 are printed normally, the letters “NG” and background portion 19 are both gray and the “NG” letters cannot be read. If one of the colors is lost, the printed colors change, the letters “NG” become discernable, and color loss can be easily determined.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a color loss determination printing method that enables easily determining loss of color ink in a color printer that prints in color using multiple colors of ink. The invention also relates to inventory management print media such as labels having a color loss determination area that is printed by the color loss determination printing method.
In the following specification, the term "ink" will be used for convenience. However, it is intended that "ink" shall be interpreted herein as a generic term that covers ink, toner, thermal print materials, or any other coloring agent that can be used to print in color. The terms "color ink" and "coloring agent" may be used interchangeably herein as generic terms that represent a liquid or material that can be used in color printing.
2. Description of Related Art
When products are distributed to and stored in multiple warehouses, an inventory management label on which are printed the product name and the name of the warehouse where the product will be stored is applied to the surface of the cardboard box in which the products are packaged. A color that is assigned to each warehouse name is also printed in an area of the inventory management label that is easy to read so that the person routing the products to the different warehouses can easily determine where to send each box.
If red (R) is assigned to warehouse A, blue (B) to warehouse B, yellow (Y) to warehouse C, and green (G) to warehouse D as shown in FIG. 4A, the inventory management labels that are used for storing roll paper in warehouse A, for example, are printed with red denoting warehouse A. In the sample inventory management label shown in FIG. 4B, the strips 70 at the top and bottom of the inventory management label are the identification color printing area where red is printed on the inventory management label.
An inventory management label with an identification color printing area is commonly printed using a color inkjet printer that prints using four colors of ink, black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow (Y), for example. Such inkjet printers print the color assigned to each warehouse in the identification color printing area by overlaying different colors of ink in a known ratio in order to print a desired color.
If, when printing the inventory management labels with an inkjet printer the identification color printing area is printed without using one of the required colors because the supply of that color ran out, for example, the identification color printing area will be printed with a uniform color just as when the identification color printing area is printed normally but the resulting color will differ from the color that should be printed. This is referred to as "color loss."
As shown in FIG. 4C, when the inventory management label shown in FIG. 4B is printed when magenta (M) is lost, the strips 70 of the inventory management label are printed yellow (Y). As shown in FIG. 5, the red (R) that is desired to be printed in the strips 70 is printed normally using magenta (M) and yellow (Y) inks (red is the complement of magenta and yellow). However, only yellow (Y) is printed if magenta (M) is lost, and the resulting label will be printed with yellow (Y) denoting warehouse C. As a result, the worker reading the inventory management label printed with color loss may very likely send the boxes containing roll paper to warehouse C instead of the correct warehouse A. The worker will not realize that the wrong color has been printed because the label will still look ok.
The same problem occurs when other colors of ink are lost. Referring to FIG. 5, blue (B) is printed normally using cyan (C) and magenta (M) inks (blue is the complement of cyan and magenta). Therefore. only magenta (M) ink will be printed if cyan (C) is lost, and the color printed in the identification color printing area will be magenta (M), which can easily be mistaken for red (R).
Likewise, green (G) is printed normally using cyan (C) and yellow (Y) inks (green is the complement of cyan and yellow). Therefore, only cyan (C) ink will be printed if yellow (Y) is lost, and the color printed in the identification color printing area will be cyan (C), which can easily be mistaken for blue (B).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-H09-66650, for example, teaches a method of confirming whether each color of ink is discharged normally from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head by printing a test pattern. However, even if a test pattern is printed and it is confirmed that there is no color loss at the start of printing, this method cannot determine if color loss suddenly occurs while printing is in progress.
It is also conceivable to limit the colors printed in the identification color printing area to the four primary ink colors. If only the primary colors are then printed, the base color of the inventory management label will appear in the identification color printing area if one of the colors is lost, and color loss can be easily confirmed. This does not allow management using more than four colors, however, and is therefore not practical.
It is also conceivable to print a color sample 75 having four printing areas each printed with one of the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) as shown in FIG. 6 in a prescribed area of the management label so that color loss can be determined from this color sample 75. Color loss can be confirmed if any one of the four printing areas is not printed in the color sample 75.
However, looking at a color sample 75 having four small printing areas and confirming whether each of the printing areas is correctly printed is bothersome and time-consuming. In addition, the area printed with yellow (Y) ink can be difficult to discern because of the small area, and confirming color loss is not easy. A problem with the color loss determination printing method that prints such a color sample 75 is that it is difficult to readily and accurately evaluate color loss.

Printing method for determining color loss in a color printer, and a management print medium


This disclosure concerns flux-calcined products manufactured from filtration waste streams, and methods for manufacturing the same. In particular, it concerns functional additives produced from spent cake comprising diatomite filtration media which are suitable for use in paints, plastic films and elastomers for control of optical and surface properties, and processes which are suitable for manufacture of such products. It further concerns the recovery of energy from spent cakes during the regeneration process.

Diatomaceous earth (DE), also called diatomite or kieselgur, is a naturally-occurring sedimentary rock comprising primarily the skeletal remains (frustules) of diatoms, a type of single-celled plant generally found in stable bodies of water, such as oceans, seas and lakes. Diatomite has been used for many years in a variety of manufacturing processes and applications, including use as a filtration media, a carrier, an absorbent and as a functional additive.
In its earliest known use, diatomite was employed as a pigment in cave paintings in Europe that date back as far as 40,000 years ago. Modern industrial use of diatomite began in the mid to late 1800's and expanded early in the 20th century when it was discovered that the filtration properties of the material could be modified through thermal treatment.
The earliest uses of thermally modified diatomite occurred around 1913, and in these processes, the material was heated to its softening point to agglomerate the diatom frustules to form larger particles and to increase the permeability of the product. Although the main function of this process was to promote the agglomeration of the frustules, and it is therefore perhaps most appropriately called a sintering process, it has been almost exclusively referred to as calcining perhaps because it partially or fully dehydrates the diatomaceous earth.
About fifteen years after the introduction of calcined diatomite products, it was discovered that the properties of diatomite could be further modified through the addition of a flux during the calcining process. While various fluxes have been used since the introduction of flux-calcined diatomite, sodium-based fluxes, such as salt (sodium chloride) or soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3), have been the most commonly-used fluxes.
The two sintering processes now in common use in the diatomite industry are almost universally referred to as either straight-calcining, for a sintering process in which no flux is used, or flux-calcining, in which a flux is added to the diatomite to promote a lower softening temperature and more particle agglomeration. These processes produce different physical and optical changes in the diatomite product, including the following. Straight-calcining typically produces a change in the color of natural diatomite, from an off-white color to a pink or reddish color. This color change may be generally correlated with the iron content of the diatomite. Straight-calcining generally is effective in producing products with low to medium permeabilities in the range of about 0.1 to about 0.5 to 0.6 Darcy. Flux-calcining often changes the color of natural diatomite from off-white to a bright white color. Flux-calcining can lead to much greater agglomeration of particles, and is commonly used to produce products with permeabilities in the one Darcy to over ten Darcy permeability range, along with functional additives valued for their optical properties and particle morphology.
Products comprising straight-calcined or flux-calcined diatomite find widespread use in micro-filtration applications. They are primarily used in solid-liquid separations that are difficult due to inherent properties of entrained solids such as sliminess and compressibility. Such products are generally used in two modes: (1) as a pre-coat, wherein a layer of the product is established on a supporting surface which then serves as the solid-liquid separation interface; and (2) as body-feed, in which the product is introduced into the pre-filtered suspension to improve and maintain the permeability of separated and captured solids.
Products comprising straight-calcined diatomite, which are generally pink in color, are commonly used in polish filtration processes, in which fine particles are removed from a liquid. Industries that commonly use such products in polish filtration include the fermented beverage industry which utilizes products that comprise straight-calcined diatomite in the polish filtration of fermented beverages, such as beer and wine.
Products comprising flux-calcined diatomite can be very white in color and are used in filtration applications, as a precoat layer, to support products that contain straight-calcined diatomite, and alone for primary (coarser than polish) filtrations of fermented beverages, sweeteners, edible oil, lube oil, biodiesel, amino acids, antibiotics, lubricants, chemicals, and several other applications.
Products comprising flux-calcined diatomite are also extensively used as functional additives in coatings (e.g., paints), plastic films, and elastomers wherein optical and physical properties of these products are important in controlling the optical and surface properties of the coatings, plastic films, and elastomers. Functional additive products containing flux-calcined diatomite generally have a finer particle size distribution (P.S.D.) than products used in micro-filtration applications that contain flux-calcined diatomite since functional additive products are most often produced as by-products or co-products of flux-calcined filter aids. As such, the supply of these products is affected by the demand for flux-calcined filtration media, and, as a result, the supply of the functional additive products can be limited. Typical properties of flux-calcined diatomite functional additives which are used in coatings, plastic films, and elastomers for a diverse range of applications are shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1Typical Properties of Exemplary Selected Flux-calcined Diatomite Functional AdditivesCeliteCelatom®Celite®Celatom®SuperCeliteClarcelProduct1MW-27281Celabrite®Floss499Dif DP.S.D.d10 (μm)876367d50 (μm)15171181518d90 (μm)333520203142Wet Sieve +44 μm (%) 0.90.70.0trace0.12.0Hegman Value 21.51.04.04.02.51.0Optical PropertiesL*97.097.097.097.296.995.3a*0.0-0.2-0.1-0.30.0-0.3b*220.127.116.11.21.52.4Wet Bulk Density (g/ml)0.400.380.430.440.430.43GCOA (%)130133120145131150Bulk Chemistry(XRF expressed as oxides)SiO2 (wt %)92.991.994.592.589.890.1Al2O3 (wt %)126.96.36.199.33.53.2CaO (wt %)0.30.40.40.30.60.6MgO (wt %)0.20.30.20.40.60.3Na2O (wt %)2.61.82.03.03.13.3K2O (wt %)0.10.10.10.20.20.2Fe2O3 (wt %)1.00.31.00.71.31.6TiO2 (wt %)0.20.00.10.10.10.41Celatom products are made by EP Minerals, LLC. Celite products are made by Imerys. Clarcel products are made by Ceca.2 Hegman value of Celite 281 taken from product information sheet published by Imerys (2008). Other data generated by EP Minerals, LLC R & D Laboratory.
After use in filtration, filter aids that contain diatomite (or are diatomite) generally end up as part of a filtration waste stream called "spent cake" or "filter sludge". The filtration waste stream (spent cake) comprises the original filter aid (typically a filter aid that contains diatomite or is entirely diatomite), solids removed during filtration, and retained residual liquids. These spent cakes may contain both organic and inorganic particulates and liquids and, in some cases, possess a significant energy content. Spent cakes from filtration operations in which only flux-calcined diatomite products are used are generally off-white to very dark in color, depending on the liquid filtered and the content of the liquid. Some examples of the properties of selected spent cakes are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2Properties of Selected Spent CakesCorn Spent Cake SourceWet-MillingMaltodextrinBiodieselSourceTate & LyleGPC1REG2Original Calorific 47739605410Value (k-cal/kg)Moisture Content (%)34.530.62.6Median Particle 3101700124Size, d50 (μm)Optical PropertiesY31.040.620.5L*62.569.952.4a*−0.6−0.86.4b*7.19.323.6Bulk Chemistry (XRF resultsexpressed as oxides, ignited basis)SiO2 (wt %)88.087.191.6Al2O3 (wt %)4.03.82.7CaO (wt %)0.40.40.6MgO (wt %)0.20.20.3Na2O (wt %)4.35.02.8K2O (wt %)0.20.20.2Fe2O3 (wt %)2.02.01.5TiO2 (wt %)0.30.20.11Grain Processing Corporation2Renewable Energy Group Incorporated
Spent cake is often disposed of in landfills and other waste handling facilities, which, in some cases, increases the cost of using diatomite products in filtration. However, diatomite spent cake is often re-used in applications that differ from the original uses, such as ingredients in mulches or in animal feed.
Spent cake has also been processed for re-use as a filter aid. Janacek (U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,977) teaches a method whereby spent cake is sterilized via steam treatment, has contaminants removed in a wet process (involving hydro-cyclones), and then is suitable for re-use as a filter aid. Weiergraber (U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,492) describes an apparatus used to thermally treat spent cake, thus resulting in a dry solid material either suitable for landfill or for re-use as a filter aid.
Tremonis GmbH in Germany has reprocessed spent filter cakes from brewing for several years using the Weiergraber technology. The reprocessed material is not a direct replacement for new diatomite filter aids, however, and must be blended with new filter aid material to be used in brewing to filter fermented beverages.
Palm, et al. (PCT/US2016/049975 and PCT/US2016/049966) teach products and processes, respectively, related to the regeneration of media used to clarify and stabilize fermented liquids. Such media comprise regenerated silica gel stabilization products and may optionally include diatomite, perlite, or rice hull ash filtration media. Palm et al. show that such regenerated products are effective in the clarification and stabilization of fermented beverages such as beer. Palm, et al. focus on straight-calcined filter aids and low permeability flux-calcined filter aids (about one Darcy permeability) when mixed together with silica gel, as well as on the properties required of filtration media, such as permeability, centrifuged wet density, and extractable chemistry, and most especially on the stabilization capability of the regenerated silica gel.
In summary, previous concepts for the use of spent cake have been associated with either regeneration and re-use in filtration applications or use in a lower value application, such as soil amendments or animal feed. However, processes for regenerating spent cake that contains diatomite into products suitable for use as white bright functional additives have not been explored.

White functional additives derived from filtration spent cake containing diatomite


A phase change memory device including a phase change material layer having phase change nano particles and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The phase change memory device may include a first electrode and a second electrode facing each other, a phase change material layer containing phase change nano particles interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and/or a switching device electrically connected to the first electrode. The phase change material layer may include an insulating material.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a phase change memory device and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a phase change memory device consuming less electric power and/or having improved current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor memory devices may be classified as volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices according to their capability to retain data when a power supply is disconnected. A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a static random access memory (SRAM) are examples of a volatile memory device. Such a memory device stores data as a logic 0 or a logic 1 according to a stored electric potential. DRAM may be able to store many electric charges because a DRAM regularly refreshes. Therefore, research has been conducted to increase the surface area of a capacitor electrode of the DRAM. However, increasing a surface area of a capacitor electrode may make it difficult to integrate a DRAM device.
A flash memory device may include a semiconductor substrate, a gate insulation layer, a floating gate, a dielectric film and/or a gate pattern as a control gate stacked on a semiconductor substrate. A flash memory cell may record or erase data by tunneling electrons through the gate insulation layer. To tunnel the electrons, an operating voltage greater than a supply voltage may be required. Accordingly, a booster circuit may be required to provide the operating voltage for recording and/or erasing the flash memory device.
Therefore, research has been conducted to develop a new memory device having a simple structure, high integrity and/or non-volatile characteristics and/or providing a random access scheme. Recently, a phase change memory device has been spotlighted as a next generation memory device. A phase change memory device uses a phase change material. The phase change material becomes amorphous or crystalline according to the amplitude of a supplied current, that is, Joule heating, and has distinct electric conductivity according to whether it is in an amorphous state or a crystalline state.
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating a method of operating a phase change memory device according to the conventional art. A method of recording and erasing data in a phase change memory cell will be explained with reference to the graph in FIG. 1. In the graph, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the temperature of a phase change material layer.
Referring to FIG. 1, if the phase change material layer is heated to a temperature higher than a melting temperature Tm of the phase change material and then suddenly cooled as shown in a first curve 1, the phase material layer enters an amorphous state. On the other hand, if the phase change material layer is heated to a temperature lower than the melting temperature Tm and higher than a crystallization temperature Tc of the phase change material over a time T2, which is longer than T1 as shown in a second curve 2 of the graph, the heated phase change material layer is annealed and enters a crystalline state. The resistivity of the phase change material layer in the amorphous state is greater than the resistivity of the phase change material layer in the crystalline state. Accordingly, stored data can be discriminated as logic 1 or logic 0 by detecting a current flowing through the phase change material layer in a read mode. Chalcogenide materials are widely used as the phase change material. Among the chalcogenide materials, a compound material layer (GST) containing germanium (Ge), antimony (Sb) and tellurium (Te) is widely used in phase change memory.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a phase change memory device according to the conventional art. Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional phase change memory device includes a bottom conductive layer 10, a top conductive layer 18, a thin film type of a phase change material layer 16 interposed between the bottom conductive layer 10 and the top conductive layer 18, and/or a contact unit 14 electrically connecting the bottom conductive layer 10 and the phase change material layer 16. The bottom conductive layer 10 and side surfaces of the contact unit 14 may be surrounded by an insulation layer 12. A contacting surface of the contact unit 14 may be electrically coupled to the phase change material layer 16. A transistor 5 may be electrically connected to the bottom conductive layer 10 and a current may be supplied to the bottom conductive layer 10, the top conductive layer 18 and the phase change material layer 16 interposed between the bottom conductive layer 10 and the top conductive layer 18 through the transistor 5. The current supplied to the top conductive layer 18 may flow through the phase change material layer 16, the contact unit 14, the bottom conductive layer 10 and the transistor 5.
In the phase change memory device, if the current flows between the bottom conductive layer 10 and the top conductive layer 18, the current flows to the phase change material layer 16 through the contact unit 14 and the contacting surface 20. According to the Joule heating caused by the current, the phase change material around the contacting surface 20 changes from a crystalline state to an amorphous state. A current required to change the phase change material from the crystalline state depends on the size of the contacting surface 20. That is, the smaller the contacting surface 20 is, the less current that is required to change the phase change material from the crystalline state. However, the configuration of a conventional phase change memory device having a thin film type phase change material is limited when the size of the contacting surface 20 is reduced.

Phase change memory device having phase change material layer containing phase change nano particles