A terminal apparatus and a base station apparatus can efficiently communicate with each other through downlink. A terminal apparatus is configured to: acquire synchronization with a cell through cell search; and receive system information associated at least with (i) an operation of NB-IoT and (ii) a raster offset. The raster offset is an offset of downlink carrier frequency from a channel raster of prescribed spacing. The downlink carrier frequency is a carrier frequency of the NB-IoT.

In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), standardization process for a radio access method and a radio network for cellular mobile communications (hereinafter, referred to as "Long Term Evolution (LTE)", or "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA)") has been advanced (NPL 1, 2, and 3). In LTE, a base station apparatus is also referred to as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), and a terminal apparatus is also referred to as User Equipment (UE). LTE is a cellular communication system in which multiple areas covered by base station apparatuses are deployed to form a cellular structure. A single base station apparatus may manage multiple cells.
In the 3GPP, standardization process for Narrow band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) has been advanced for the purpose of reduction in cost of terminal apparatuses and reduction in power consumption of terminal apparatuses. (NPL 4). For the downlink of NB-IoT, standalone, in-band, and guard band scenarios have been considered. Standalone is a scenario in which downlink of NB-IoT is not included in the channel bandwidth of an LTE cell. In-band is a scenario in which downlink of NB-IoT is included in the transmission bandwidth of an LTE cell. Guard band is a scenario in which downlink of NB-IoT is included in the guard band of an LTE cell.

Terminal apparatus, communication method, and integrated circuit


Caged enzyme substrates as probes for detecting reporter enzyme activity in cell-based assays are disclosed. Caged substrates for reporter gene assays are shown as compounds of Formula I or Formula II: ##STR1## wherein Z is a luminescent functionality; G is a labile group, cleavable by enzymatic action; and K is a photolytically cleavable caging group; wherein m and n are independently 0 or 1, but m and n both can not be zero. Test kits for determining reporter enzyme activity using compounds of Formula I or Formula II and photolytic cleavage to produce a compound of Formula III: EQU G.sub.m --Z--G.sub.n III. are described. Methods for determining reporter enzyme activity and, by inference, the activator or suppressor activity of a test compound in a cell-based assay are also described.

To identify lead candidates for drug discovery programs, large numbers of compounds are often screened for their activities as enzyme inhibitors or receptor agonists or antagonists. Increased numbers of compounds as part of combinatorial libraries can be screened using microwell plates that allow miniaturization of assays. High throughput screening (HTS) has provided the ability to screen potential drug candidates rapidly on a miniaturized scale as described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/868,280, filed Jun. 3, 1997. HTS involving miniaturized microwell plates (1 .mu.L/well) requires both accurate sample handling and sensitive assay methods as described in international patent application Ser. No. PCT/US98/00494, filed Jan. 8, 1998. Typical assay methods involving biological systems and reporter genes require growth conditions for cells that promote reporter gene expression (usually as a reporter enzyme), which can involve specific media and/or an inducer. A further requirement is addition of a necessary substrate for the reporter enzyme, in order to detect a measurable response related to enzyme activity in the presence or absence of an activator or suppressor of the applicable cellular pathway. Currently, each measurement requires a subsequent addition of substrate. Repeated or serial additions increase both the chances for mistakes and the propagated error, and preclude replicate measurements when `irreversible steps` (e.g., cell lysis) are needed. These multistep methods for HTS represent a disadvantage in achieving a streamlined, efficient assay for evaluating potential drug candidates.
New targets for therapeutic discovery are emerging from current research in human genetics and eukaryotic molecular biology, which enable the identification and understanding of factors that control the level of gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Humans and other eukaryotic organisms have developed control mechanisms for biological pathways that achieve rapid and concerted responses to environmental stimuli. Often, these control mechanisms exert their influence at the genetic level, by controlling the expression levels of particular genes. The use of reporter genes constitutes an approach to quantitative determination of gene expression. Reporter genes are often coupled to a promoter, enhancer, or other sequence of interest; i.e. two genetic elements including a specifically measurable coding region are fused together as an artificial construct, which is then introduced into the eukaryotic cells. By measuring the level of reporter gene expression from this construct, indirect determination of the effect of the various experimental conditions, including activation or suppression of a receptor, is then possible. By inference, compounds that influence the level of reporter gene expression affect the control mechanisms in whole animal models and human clinical candidates and, therefore, have therapeutic potential.
Conventional reporter genes include those expressing E. coli .beta.-galactosidase [.beta.-gal] (An, G., Hidaka, K., Siminovitch, L., Mol. Cell. Biol. 2, 1628-1632 (1982)), xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Chu, G., Berg, P., Nucleic Acid Res. 13, 2921-2930 (1985)), galactokinase (Schumperli, D., Howard, B., Rosenberg, M., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 257-261 (1982)), secreted .beta.-lactamase (Cartwright, C. P., Li, Y., Zhu, Y. S., Kang, Y. S., Tipper, D. J., Yeast 10, 497-508 (1994)), .beta.-tactamase expressed intracellularly (Zlokarnik, G., Negulescu, P. A., Knapp, T. E., Mere, L., Burres, N., Feng, L., Whitney, M., Roemer, K., and Tsien, R. Y., Science 279(5347), 84-88 (1998)), thymidine kinase (Searle, P., Stuart, G., Palmiter, R., Mol. Cell. Biol. 5, 1480-1489 (1985)), chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (Gorman, C., Moffat, L., Howard, B., Mol. Cell. Biol. 2, 1044-1051 (1982)), secreted alkaline phosphatase (Berger, J., Hauber, J., Hauber, R., Geiger, R., Cullen, B., Gene 66, 1-10 (1988); Cullen, B., Malin, M., Methods Enzymol. 216, 362-368 (1992); Bronstein, I., BioTechniques 17, 172-178, (1994)), urokinase-plasminogen activator (Yokoyama-Kobayashi, M., Sugano, S., Kato, T., Kato, S., Gene 163, 193-196 (1995), Zimmerman, M., Quigley, J. P., Ashe, B., Dorn, C., Goldfarb, R., Troll, W., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 750-753 (1978), Huseby, R. M., et al., Thrombosis Research 10, 679 (1977)) and luciferase, which naturally produces a chemiluminescence signal via oxidation of organic molecules such as firefly luciferin (Structure A) (Ow, D. W., Wood, K. V., DeLuca, M.; DeWet, J. R., Helenski, D. R., Howell, S. H., Science 234, 856-859, (1986); Ow, D. W., Jacobs, J. D., Howell, S. H., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 4870-4874, (1987)). ##STR2##
From among the foregoing list of reporter genes, the gene expressing alkaline phosphatase is a particularly attractive reporter gene, in that its expression can be assayed by a simple, quick calorimetric assay for the product protein. A secreted form of human placental alkaline phosphatase, SEAP, has been readily and accurately quantified within the media of transfected cultures using either a standard calorimetric assay or a bioluminescence-based alkaline phosphatase assay. The SEAP assay has the additional advantage that multiple quantitative assays can be obtained from a single cell culture. The ability to measure levels of secretable alkaline phosphatase from cultured mammalian cells provides a universal method for the indirect determination of factors that influence gene expression (EP 327,960, Aug. 16, 1989). Measurement of SEAP in the presence of an activator or suppressor and under control conditions enables identification of potential drug candidates by their effect on cellular functions. However, SEAP suffers the disadvantage of requiring multiple step additions of substrate to each well at a controlled time to measure the activity of the enzyme within a certain time period.
The gene expressing chloramphenicol acetyltransferase [CAT] is another example of a reporter gene. It has the advantages of high protein stability, high sensitivity, and the absence of interfering activities in eukaryotic cells. Disadvantages of a CAT assay include the necessary harvesting, cell lysis, and extraction of cell cultures prior to a time-consuming assay using an expensive radioactive substrate. Assays based upon SEAP and CAT reporter genes afford results that are qualitatively and quantitatively comparable.
Reporter gene assays are typically used to evaluate agonist (stimulatory) or antagonist (inhibitory) activity of a test compound. For agonist assays, cells that conditionally express the reporter enzyme in the presence of a stimulatory signal are probed. For example, activation or stimulation of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor in the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293 is performed by assembling an artificial reporter gene construct wherein the expression of luciferase is induced by the elevation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels by virtue of a genetic response element (CRE) positioned at the 5'-end of the gene. Among its many known intracellular targets, cAMP is known to activate the expression of genes that contain cAMP response elements (CRE) in their promoter/enhancer regions. Stimulation of the VIP receptor is known to cause elevation of the cAMP levels, and consequently, the HEK293(CRE-luc) cell line thus constructed responds to VIP or VIP receptor agonists by increasing the level of luciferase expression. The level of luciferase expression is determined using well-established methods (e.g., LucLite kit, available from Promega, Madison, Wis.).
The human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293 cell line can then be used to screen for VIP agonists as follows: 1) The HEK293(CRE-luc) cell line is grown in a tissue culture dish, such as a 96-well microtiter plate suitably treated for tissue culture work 2) Once the cells have adhered to the microwell surfaces, test compounds are added and the cells continue to grow for 4 to 48 hours in the presence of cell growth medium. The cell growth medium allows for the production of new proteins, and consequently any stimulation of the VIP receptor or of the endogenous pathway leading to gene expression will result in the increased production of luciferase 3) After this incubation period, the medium is removed and the luciferase assay reagent comprised of luciferin, Mg.sup.+2, and ATP, along with cell lysis reagents, is added. The activity of luciferase is then detected by the chemiluminescence of the proximal oxyluciferin product of the enzymatic reaction. By quantifying the amount of light produced, the amount of luciferase can be compared from one sample to the next and consequently the amount of stimulation of the VIP receptor pathway can be gauged. VIP agonists will therefore appear as brighter wells on an otherwise dimmer background.
For antagonist assays, the steps are similar except that a common activator (in the instance above, VIP) is initially used to bring all wells of the screening assay to a uniform brightness level in the absence of test compound. Compounds are then tested for their ability to decrease the amount of light produced from the luciferase reaction. These two classes of assay can be summarized in the following scheme: ##STR3##
Following the above scheme, cells capable of expressing a reporter enzyme and a test compound are contacted and cells are grown under conditions to encourage expression of a reporter enzyme. In an antagonist assay, a known activator is also added with the cells and test compound to activate the reporter enzyme expression. Cell lysis is required to release the reporter enzyme. Following addition of the enzyme substrate to the media, interaction of the reporter enzyme and the added substrate occurs to produce a signal proportional to the expression of the reporter enzyme in the presence of a test compound. Note that the addition of substrate is done by adding another solution to the cells. This fluid addition step is a disadvantage for cell-based assays because addition of more solution can perturb the cells and dilute the sample so as to preclude a second measurement.
Chemiluminescent detection of reporter gene expression provides flexibility and sensitivity in assays. Chemiluminescent substrates for alkaline phosphatase, such as spiroadamantane-dioxetane compounds allow highly sensitive nucleic acid analysis techniques (During, K., J. Chrom. 618, 105-131(1993)). Disodium 3-(4-methoxyspiro[1,2-dioxetane-3,2'-(5'-chloro)tricyclo[126.96.36.199.sup.3,7 ]decan]-4-yl)phenyl phosphate (CSPD) and disodium 3-(4-methoxyspiro[1,2-dioxetane-3,2'-tricyclo[18.104.22.168.sup.3,7 ]decan]-4-yl)phenyl phosphate (AMPPD) are adamantyl 1,2-dioxetane systems that provide important features for chemiluminescent substrates for alkaline phosphatase or alkaline phosphatase conjugates (Bronstein, I., J. Biolum. Cherilum. 4, 99-111(1989)). In these compounds, the energy source for chemiluminescence is the dioxetane ring; chemical stability of the substrate is provided both by the adamantyl functionality and the phosphate group. The light emission capabilities of the enzyme substrate are defined by the aryl functionality. The activation site for the substrate consists of an enzyme cleavable group, in this case the phosphate ester bond. In general, the enzyme cleavable group imparts a high stability to the system, such that luminescence occurs only when the cleavable group has been removed. In this example, the arylphosphate is dephosphorylated to afford an aryloxide anion. The 1,2-dioxetane aryloxide anion, having a "weak" oxygen-oxygen bond, decomposes to form carbonyl products, and the decomposition releases approximately 400 kJ/mol of energy, resulting in a strong chemiluminescent signal.
For automated assays, a short half-life (t.sub.1/2) of the dioxetane and a short time required to reach maximum light emission for the reporter molecule are both desirable characteristics. Because the signal from a previous assay must dissipate before a second measurement can be taken, a long half-life lengthens the window between measurements, thus increasing the total time for assay and decreasing efficiency. A longer time for reaching maximum light signal emission also increases overall assay time and decreases reliability of signal readings. Long half-life and an increased time to reach maximum signal emission are disadvantages in high throughput screening assays. Chemiluminescent dioxetane derivatives that have reduced half-lives are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,847, issued Jul. 23, 1996.
Typically, the more popular forms of 1,2-dioxetanes, AMPPD and CSPD (shown below) are incubated with alkaline phosphatase for determined periods of time. ##STR4## CSPD usually achieves maximum light emission at a faster rate than AMPPD when used on nylon membranes in Western blot analysis. (Albrecht, S., et al, "Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence: Current Status", Stanley, P., Kricka, L.(Eds.), 115-118, (1991)). Reaction of AMPPD with alkaline phosphatase is outlined in Scheme 1.
Scheme 1. Use of Representative SEAP substrate (AMPPD) in measuring SEAP activity in vivo. ##STR5## Dephosphorylation of the arylphosphate results in a moderately stable anion (AMPD) which decomposes to an adamantanone and methyl m-oxybenzoate, (as a charge-transfer excited species). The excited state of methyl m-oxybenzoate anion emits light at a wavelength of approximately 477 nm. Decomposition of methyl m-oxybenzoate anion results in production of chemiluminescent signal emitted in the form of a glow, with breakdown of the intermediate anion determined by the environment (e.g., the membrane used for blot assay). Exposure time must be optimized for each general assay system to obtain appropriate signals. Generally, CSPD is preferred over AMPPD when longer emission times are needed for assays.
Chemiluminescent detection of SEAP is known. Optimum levels of SEAP in the culture medium usually are obtained 12-24 h after transfection. The levels of SEAP activity detected in the culture medium are directly proportional to changes in intracellular concentrations of its SEAP MRNA. Because the preparation of cell lysates is not necessary to assay for the reporter enzyme and the transfected cell cultures remain intact, repetitive sampling of the culture medium is possible. The assay is adaptable to automation using cultures grown in 96-microwell plates. Endogenous alkaline phosphatase activity can be eliminated by heating the culture to 65.degree. C., and the heat-stability of SEAP allows measurement of expressed SEAP only. Detection of SEAP activity from reporter gene expression requires several fluid manipulation steps involving removal of samples, dilution with buffer, heating and incubation. Addition of the chemiluminescent substrate CSPD and enhancer, followed by incubation, produces a stable chemiluminescent signal in approximately 10 minutes, and the signal remains constant for approximately one hour. However, multiple fluid manipulations, involving serial additions of the chemiluminescent substrate and the enhancer, increase the likelihood of error in measurement, particularly since maximum signal may occur before fluid addition is completed. In such a case, the maximum signal will not be obtained because the time required for fluid manipulations is too long.
A typical assay using secreted placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) would be designed by first assembling an artificial reporter gene construct wherein the expression of SEAP reporter gene is induced by the elevation of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels by virtue of a genetic response element (CRE), and then measuring the concentration of SEAP released into the medium. The HEK293(CRE-SEAP) cell line thus constructed again responds to VIP or VIP receptor agonists by increasing the level of SEAP expression. Theoretically, the reporter activity could be measured repetitively, since the cells are not destroyed by the measurement of the luminescent signal. However, repeated fluid addition to the same well is not advantageous for screening because multiple fluid additions: (a) increase error levels due to propagation of volumetric error into the overall measurement; and (b) can cause small wells to overflow as assay volumes increase with repetitive addition steps.
Chemiluminescent detection of peptidases is similar to chemiluminescent detection of SEAP and has been demonstrated with several available substrates. One commercially available substrate, CBZ-Gly-Gly-L-Arg-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin, available from Enzyme Systems Products, AMC-056, (Dublin, Calif.) can be used for the assay of urokinase-plasminogen activator. Interaction of the peptidase with the enzyme substrate results in the release of the fluorophore which can be detected as a fluorescent signal. An advantage of using a gene expressing a peptidase as a reporter gene is that the substrates are generally biocompatible and soluble under assay conditions. Another advantage arises from the fact that peptidases are usually secreted in their native environment and are stable extracellularly. Again, the disadvantage of using a peptidase as a reporter gene is that addition of the substrate is required prior to each measurement, thus introducing multiple fluid additions.
The unavailability of methods that enable assay of multiple drug candidates on a miniaturized, microvolume scale has hampered the advancement of drug discovery using high throughput screening methods. Rapid, effective means for identification of compounds that interact with eukaryotic systems to alter reporter gene expression would enhance the value of HTS in identifying potential drug candidates. For HTS applications, minimizing the number of fluid handling steps would improve accuracy and allow for facile miniaturization. It would therefore be desirable to have an enzyme substrate in the assay mixture at the initiation of the assay, but in a form that could not function as a substrate until that function was needed.

Caged enzyme substrates as probes for reporter enzyme activity


A sear mechanism for firearms comprises a sear box 12, and an additional safety device to prevent the hammer 16 from releasing accidentally and to fire under the action of inertial forces acting along the direction of the axis of the barrel in case of impact of the firearm, the additional safety device being an interposing element 60 which is slidably mounted below the firing pin latch 43 in a housing having a first inclined plane element 63 and a second inclined plane element 63a which are arranged between lateral walls 62 to form a seat 61 which holds element 60 in a first position where it does not interfere with the operation of the firing pin latch 43 but allows said element 60 to move into a position where it prevents the pin latch 43 from moving downwardly to disengage hammer 16.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a new additional safety device for a sear mechanism for firearms.
(2) Description of Related Art
In general, the field of portable, semi-automatic or automatic firearms foresees different solutions for the sear mechanism, which comprises a mobile element which holds the hammer in the cocking position.
Following the voluntary pulling of the trigger, the mobile element frees the hammer and allows it to hit against a firing pin under the thrust of a preloaded elastic element.
Such a mobile element can be realized, for example as a sear or as a sear pawl, pivoted at a fixed part of the body of the firearm and biased by an elastic element. To carry out its function such a mobile element is thus engaged with both the trigger and with the hammer.
Such a mobile sear element constitutes a delicate detail of the sear mechanism, since it is stressed mechanically and has a complex form, and it is thus generally made from metal.
Since the hammer and the sear element are equipped with additional engagement teeth, due to problems of wear of the interfacing contact surfaces, the hammer must also necessarily be made from metal.
A purpose of the present invention to provide an improved sear mechanism for firearms. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/390,939, which is incorporated herein by reference describes a sear mechanism which is adaptable for use in the present invention.
Hereafter specific reference shall be made to a rifle, even though that which is object of the invention can be applied to all firearms, including side-by-side, semi-automatic, rifled and military firearms, etc.
Moreover, given that the invention is intended for experts in the field of firearms, it the detailed description of the structure and operation of a firearm, in particular of a rifle like the one described is omitted. This description is set forth to point out the functions of the parts of a firearm which are the subject matter of the technical problem which is the basis of the invention.

Additional safety device for sear mechanism for firearms


A microstrip ultra-wideband antenna is provided, including: an upper dielectric substrate, a radiation patch, an open-circuit line, a short-circuit line, a ground plane, a lower dielectric substrate, a vertical dielectric substrate, isolation walls, a hyperbolic microstrip balun feeder and an ideal wave port. The radiation patch is attached to a lower surface of the upper dielectric substrate; the ground plane is attached to an upper surface of the lower dielectric substrate; the short-circuit line and the open-circuit line are attached to a rear surface and a front surface of the vertical dielectric substrate respectively; the hyperbolic microstrip balun feeder is attached to the front and rear surface of the vertical dielectric substrate; the isolation walls are located between the upper dielectric substrate and the lower dielectric substrate perpendicularly to an end of the radiation patch; and the ideal wave port is provided below the hyperbolic microstrip balun feeder.

With a continuous development of science and a continuous improvement and development of electronic communication systems, new requirements have been proposed on transmission capabilities of antennas. Researches on antennas with a wide bandwidth, wide-angle scanning, and good polarization performance have become current hot spot. Microstrip antennas have been widely used in modern communications due to the advantages of simple structure, light weight, miniaturization, wide bandwidth and easy connection to a microstrip feeder network. In recent years, with the popularization of wireless communication products and the development of ultra-wideband technology, an increasingly high requirement for the bandwidth of antennas is made. Ultra-wideband communication systems with a high data transmission rate, low cost, low power consumption and strong anti-interference ability have been developed rapidly since the Federal Communications Commission adopted a resolution to allow commercial application of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz bands in 2002. An ultra-wideband antenna requires an appropriate impedance matching bandwidth. The miniaturization of antennas is critical to the development of the entire ultra-wideband antenna field, especially for communication systems, and is also a development trend. According to a traditional method for designing a broadband phased array, array elements with broadband characteristics are designed in isolation and then placed to an array. Due to the mutual coupling between the array elements, the elements usually change greatly after being placed to the array. Therefore, new methods for designing an ultra-wideband phased array have been studied by many researchers. The continuous increase in the number of independent antennas required by modern satellites has led to higher requirements for the size and volume of phased array antennas, so that many researchers face a challenge against demanding requirements.
A traditional method for designing an ultra-wideband antenna is used to design elements (such as a log-periodic antenna and a helical antenna) with broadband characteristics, each single element of which usually has a wide bandwidth, and then construct the elements into an array, measures such as mutual coupling reduction or mutual coupling compensation are used to minimize deterioration of radiation patterns of the elements. However, this method has two major difficulties in the design process as follows: firstly, as a scanning angle increases, there is a strong mutual coupling effect between the elements, so that the performance of the entire antenna is much lower than that of a single element; and secondly, the designed antenna is bulky and needs to be covered with a radome on the outside of the antenna to meet shape requirements by a vehicle. In terms of the wide scanning angle, most traditional ultra-wideband antennas use a metal rod to remove scanning blind spots, but the blind spots are not completely removed in a desired band.
A major feature of an ultra-wideband antenna is the wide bandwidth. The wide bandwidth can increase an impedance span, resulting in higher frequency problems one after another. An impedance matching method for narrowband antennas cannot solve the problems of the ultra-wideband antennas. Researchers have developed a series of impedance matching methods for ultra-wideband antennas, but some methods have high requirements for processing.
Vivaldi arrays are a good option that meets the above requirements. However, elements of a Vivaldi array are a 3-dimensional high-profile structure rather than a planar structure. To address the above two issues, researchers have proposed some methods, such as increasing spacing between antenna elements to reduce mutual coupling. However, to prevent grating lobes at high frequencies, the spacing between the elements cannot exceed one wavelength, which limits broadening of the spacing between the antenna elements. The gain of the array antenna decreases quickly due to a strong mutual coupling effect at low frequencies, and thus antenna designers have begun to explore new design methods for ultra-wideband antennas. At present there are two mainstream methods: a tightly coupled dipole ultra-wideband array antenna and a linked-arm ultra-wideband array antenna.


Oxidation methods and resulting structures including providing an oxide layer on a substrate and then re-oxidizing the oxide layer by vertical ion bombardment of the oxide layer in an atmosphere containing at least one oxidant. The oxide layer may be provided over diffusion regions, such as source and drain regions, in a substrate. The oxide layer may overlie the substrate and is proximate a gate structure on the substrate. The at least one oxidant may be oxygen, water, ozone, or hydrogen peroxide, or a mixture thereof. These oxidation methods provide a low-temperature oxidation process, less oxidation of the sidewalls of conductive layers in the gate structure, and less current leakage to the substrate from the gate structure.

This invention relates generally to the field of integrated circuit design and fabrication. Specifically, the invention relates to ion-assisted oxidation methods and the structures formed thereby.
Silicon oxide is used in integrated circuit (IC) and semiconductor fabrication, especially metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) fabrication, due to its excellent dielectric properties for insulation and field enhancement. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,925 and 5,521,126, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Silicon oxide, both doped and undoped, is especially useful for fabrication of transistors. A transistor is typically fabricated by growing a gate structure containing a gate dielectric and a gate conductor on the surface of a silicon substrate, followed by forming source and drain regions in portions of the substrate flanking the gate structure. Unfortunately, the gate dielectric will be etched partially during the dry etch of the gate conductor. A thinner gate dielectric along the gate conductor edge will degrade the gate dielectric intensity and increase the gate-induced drain leakage. In order to eliminate these problems, the gate dielectric needs to be re-grown.
A high-temperature (greater than about 700° C.) oxidation is often used in the IC industry to re-grow the gate dielectric. High-temperature oxidation, however, can cause problems such as changes in impurity profiles, non-uniform oxide thicknesses along the side wall of the gate conductor, and defect formation in the underlying substrate. When certain metals, such as tungsten, are used as the gate conductor, a high-temperature oxidation process can form materials, such as tungsten oxide, that are volatile and can cause product yield loss.
Different oxidation techniques, such as plasma oxidation and anodization, have been proposed to reduce the temperature necessary to re-grow gate dielectrics. Most of these low-temperature techniques, however, fail to produce the high-quality gate dielectric necessary to maintain good gate dielectric integrity and low leakage.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ion-assisted oxidation methods and the resulting structures


The present invention refers to the improvements made to precast integral structure elements used in the fast construction of several-floor buildings made with hollow core slabs that have the same length wanted for the buildings height, thus allowing the construction of a prototype building in very short mounting and assembly times. Such structure elements are extruded slabs made of prestressed concrete which act as one piece bearing walls of the buildings height, as floor structure and ceiling slabs, and as parapet slab.

The present invention is related to the construction industry, and particularly with a procedure for the construction of several floor buildings with a swiftness not known until now, where the building's walls and units making up that wall have a length equal to its total height. This means that the building will be free of horizontal junctions in the floor structures. This invention consists also of new structural elements; particularly hollow core slabs made of prestressed concrete, that can be used with versatility in the aforementioned procedure.
The present invention resides in the improvements made to precast integral structure elements used in the fast construction of several-floor buildings made with hollow core slabs that have the same length wanted for the building's height. This allows the construction of a prototype building in very short erecting and assembly times. Such structure elements are extruded slabs made of prestressed concrete which act as one piece bearing walls of the buildings height and can also act, as floor structure and ceiling slabs, and as parapet slabs.
This invention is based particularly on the employment of these slabs and on the constructed buildings themselves. The present invention also resides in the construction procedures, that consist of the following stages or steps:
1. Building the foundation (either of the pneumatic-caisson or box type, or the cradle type) that may be poured in situ or precast or a mixture of both; PA1 2. Vertically fixing the precast integral wall structure elements; PA1 3. Longitudinally joining the vertical wall structure elements to form the bearing walls; PA1 4. Placing the necessary fixating and support components on the bearing walls for the floor structure and ceiling slabs; PA1 5. Placing integral precast slabs on their edge or inclined and resting them over the support components, thus forming horizontally extending vertical parapet beams; PA1 6. Fixing these slabs to the walls by means of post-tensioning cables that run through the upper and lower cavities of the slabs and cross through the walls to the exterior face of the walls thus anchoring the slabs to the exterior face of the walls thus forming frames; PA1 7. Laying further integral precast slabs horizontally over the support elements, serving as floor structures and ceilings. PA1 1. Castles or head frames poured in situ, PA1 2. Female-male type walls, and PA1 3. Walls placed edge to edge, (these edges having semi-circle depressions that when placed in contact with one another form a cylindrical cavity that is filled with cement grout that seals the vertical joint).
Even though the general construction technique that uses prior structural precast elements is now widely known, this technique is also known for not being optimized, because the joining of the structural precast elements has been complex and slow.
These inconveniences make the construction costs high, and even higher yet when erecting a building of several floors, because before this invention there was a wall for each floor, making it absolutely necessary to employ horizontal connections between them.

Precast integral structure elements and procedure for the fast construction of buildings with such elements


An IC card is provided with an IC module. The IC module is provided with a memory section and a control section. The memory section stores information that shows a file structure. The control section receives a first command, transmits a first response containing the information showing the file structure in response to reception of the first command, receives a second command which is transmitted in response to the first response and which includes a first data searched from the information showing the file structure, and sets up the first data in response to reception of the second command.

In recent years, in every country in the world, the IC card has spread splendidly. The IC card is used in various fields as an ID card, such as an employee ID card, a membership card, an insurance card and so on, for example, in addition to a credit card, a commuter pass, a passport, a driver's license, and a settlement of other commercial transaction. The IC card includes an IC (integrated circuit) chip that has a nonvolatile data memory and a control element such as a CPU and the like.
The IC card is subjected to issue processing by an issuing device, and thereby the IC card becomes in an issue state.
As for the issuing device, its setting is changed for every product (IC card) from which file structure differs, and the issuing device performs different issue processing to those different products. That is, in an IC card issuing company that manages an issuing device, a work to change the setting for every product from which the file structure differs is required, and the work is a burden for the IC card issuing company. On the other hand, in an IC card manufacturing company that manufactures the IC cards, there arises a labor to prepare an issue manual etc. for every IC card from which the file structure differs. Moreover, the issue manual in a language of each country is needed because the IC card is issued in every country in the world.

IC card, information processing method, computer readable recording medium and program


An optical multi-beam scanning device has a plurality of pre-deflection optical units, an optical path synthesizing member and an excessive light processing member. The excessive light processing member processes excessive light emitted from an excessive light emitting surface with is not an incident surface nor an emitting surface of the optical path synthesizing member. The excessive light processing member has a multi-stage taper constitution with a plurality of taper surfaces having different tilt angles.

The invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a composite machine which has a copying function and a printing function, and an optical multi-beam scanning device which is mounted on the image forming apparatus. Specifically, the invention relates to the optical multi-beam scanning device and the image forming apparatus for a color mode.
Image forming apparatuses mainly adopt a method in which a number of light beams to be scanned at a time is increased (multi-beam) as speed heightening means of writing optical systems. In writing optical systems of four-tandem (one pass) color composite machines, it becomes mainstream that a polygon mirror, a scanning lens, and the like are shared in order to reduce the cost.
In the case where the adoption of multi-beam is considered, a method of synthesizing laser beams from individual LDs (laser diodes) with one another using a beam splitter, a half mirror and the like so as to lead the synthesized laser beam to a polygon mirror, and a method of leading a plurality of laser beams to a polygon mirror using an LD array for emitting the laser beams to one direction are considered. From a viewpoint of an installation space, the LD array is advantageous, but when a number of scanning light beams increases to 4, 8, . . . , synthesization using the beam splitter should be used at the same time. In the four-tandem (1 pass) color composite machines, light beams (laser beams) should be separated by a mirror so as to go to photosensitive drums for respective color components after deflection. Since separation intervals are too narrow in the method using the LD array, the method using the individual LDs is preferable.
There are a lot of optical multi-beam scanning devices which adopt the method of synthesizing laser beams from the LDs using the beam splitter, the half mirror, and the like so as to lead the synthesized laser beam to the polygon mirror.
Optical parts for switching a ratio of reflection and transmission by a deflecting direction of a beam from the beam splitter, the half mirror and the like or by the thickness of a reflecting layer, are applied to a synthesizing unit for optical paths of the laser beams. Even in this case, a laser beam (excessive light), which moves to a direction (for example, a reflecting direction) other than an intended direction (for example, a transmitting direction), is also present, and this laser beam becomes stray light and it might deteriorate the performance of the apparatus.
A technique relating to an optical pickup is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5-54421. In this publication, a taper portion of 45° is provided on a portion for housing optical parts of the optical pickup, and excessive light emitted from a polarized light beam splitter is reflected by the taper portion (an optical path of the excessive light is folded by 90°) so as to let it go to the outside. There is also described that if the taper portion is painted black, it is more effective.
Such a stray light countermeasure against the application of the optical parts such as the beam splitter and the half mirror can be applied only to the case where rear positions of stray light emitting surfaces of the optical parts have a sufficient space. In the optical multi-beam scanning device which leads a plurality of laser beams from a plurality of LDs to one polygon mirror, since installation positions of the respective optical parts are close to one another, the above method cannot be applied in most cases from the viewpoint of the space.

Optical multi-beam scanning device and image forming apparatus


A process for fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The process includes providing a substrate and forming a hard mask on the substrate. The hard mask may be formed by atomic-layer deposition (ALD) or molecular-layer deposition (MLD). The process also includes disposing an exposure mask over the hard mask and exposing the exposure mask to a patterning particle to pattern a gap in the hard mask. The patterning particle may be, for example, a photon or a charged particle.

Charged-particle lithography, such as ion- or electron-projection lithography, is capable of very-high-resolution patterning. Ion beam lithography uses a focused or broad beam of energetic lightweight ions for transferring pattern to a surface. Using Ion Beam Lithography (IBL) nano-scale features can be transferred on non-planar surfaces.
In charged-particle (e.g., electron, and ions such as helium, He+, neon, Ne+, and gallium, Ga+) or photon (e.g., deep ultraviolet, DUV, extreme ultraviolet, EUV, X-ray) lithography, the fundamental process mechanism involves using bond dissociation in positive resist or bond association in negative resist and resultant dissolution rate differences between the exposed and unexposed areas when developing the resist. This limits the selection of the resist materials, which are mostly polymer-based organic materials.

Projection patterning with exposure mask

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


The present invention provides an IP telephone gatekeeper system and an implementation method thereof, characterized in that two or more individual gatekeepers are connected each other, so as to forming a gatekeeper system that can be regarded as a single gatekeeper system by the controlled gateways, in which the gatekeepers can substitute and backup mutually. A plurality of computer systems are used to realized the cooperation of a plurality of gatekeepers, for breaking through the limit of capacity of individual gatekeeper group and improving the reliability of the whole system, so that backing-up and substituting mutually can be achieved.

Currently, gatekeepers in most commercial IP telephone systems are implemented solely with software. Usually, a gatekeeper runs on a high-performance computer system under Windows or Unix OS. So a gatekeeper manages several subordinate gateway systems and provides bandwidth management, access control, address resolution, and zone management for the gateway systems. For each gateway registered to it, the gatekeeper has to manage it with certain resources; hence the gatekeeper is limited to its capacity. Currently, most gatekeeper software is designed to run on a single computer system, which limits the capacity of the gatekeeper. In addition, once the gatekeeper is out of service due to malfunction, calls to all gateways registered on it will be affected, resulting in severe service accident. Therefore, it is an important method to provide replaceable gatekeeper for enhancement of system reliability.

Method of implementing IP telephone gatekeeper group and gatekeeper system


An asymmetry thin-film transistor includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer and a gate positioned on the substrate. The semiconductor layer includes a first lightly doped region and a first heavily doped region adjacent to a first gate side, and a second lightly doped region together with a second heavily doped region adjacent to a second gate side. A first junction is between the first lightly doped region and the first heavily doped region. A second junction is between the second lightly doped region and the second heavily doped region. A distance between the first junction and the first gate side is unequal to a distance between the second junction and the second gate side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an asymmetry thin-film transistor (TFT), and more particularly, to an asymmetry thin-film transistor in a liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From the fact that a thin-film transistor having an active layer formed of a crystalline silicon film on a substrate having an insulating surface has a high electric field effect mobility, it is possible to form a variety of functional circuits. For example, in the active matrix liquid crystal device (AMLCD) employing the crystalline silicon thin-film transistor, a thin-film transistor used as a pixel switch is formed in every pixel of an imaged is play region, and a thin-film transistor used in a drive circuit is formed in the periphery of the image display region.
Since the functions and the operating conditions of the thin-film transistors in the pixel and the drive circuit are not the same, the characteristics that are demanded for a thin-film transistor is somewhat different. For example, the pixel thin-film transistor is demanded to function as a switch device for applying a voltage to a liquid crystal, so as to control the rotation angle of the liquid crystal. In this case, the characteristic that is demanded for the pixel thin-film transistor was to sufficiently lower an off-current value (a drain current that flows during an off-operation of the thin-film transistor), so as to maintain sufficient electric charges in a pixel storage capacitor.
Please refer to FIG. 1 of a cross-sectional diagram of a thin-film transistor according to the prior art. A thin-film transistor 10 includes a substrate 12, a semiconductor layer 14 positioned on the substrate 12, a gate insulating layer 16 positioned on the semiconductor layer 14, and a gate 18 positioned on the gate insulating layer 16. The semiconductor layer 14 includes two symmetric lightly doped drains (LDD) 20 and 22 and two symmetric source/drain regions 24 and 26 adjacent to the gate 18. A channel region 28 is defined between the lightly doped drain 20 and the lightly doped drain 22.
The lightly doped drains 20 and 22 are formed of n-type dopants to reduce leakage currents of the thin-film transistor, and prevent the electric field around the drain from getting too high to bring hot electron effects. Having lower dopant densities, the resistance of the lightly doped drains 20 and 22 is usually higher than the resistance of the source/drain regions 24 and 26. Therefore, the series resistance between the drain and the source 24, 26 is increased to reduce the electron mobility and the device operation speeds with the insertion of the lightly doped drains 20 and 22. In this case, the device operation speeds have to be sacrificed when using the lightly doped drains to solve the leakage current problems. Therefore, how to value the characteristics of the electron mobility and the leakage current values has become an important issue in the design and the fabrication of the lightly doped drains.
Please refer to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 of schematic diagrams to respectively illustrate correlations of an LDD length with a threshold voltage, electron mobility and a leakage current value (including an off-current Ioff measured during an off-operation or a drain current Id measured during a reverse-bias operation) of a thin-film transistor. As shown in these diagrams, when a length of the lightly doped drains 20 and 22 increases from 0 to 3 micrometers (μm), a threshold voltage increases, electron mobility reduces, and a leakage current value (Ioff or Id) reduces. It is obvious that one cannot keep high electron mobility and reduce leakage currents at the same time. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the device performances effectively.


An antistatic hose for conveying fluids with at least one conductive layer (2) comprising a first, conductive material (3) and a second, non-conductive material (4). The first, conductive material (3) forms a basic matrix and medium sized blocks (5) of the second, non-conductive material (4) are inserted in the basic matrix of first, conductive material (3). The first, conductive material (3) forms a continuous conductive path (6) extending along the entire length of the hose (1). The second material (4) is distributed in the matrix of first material (3) in an uneven and irregular way. The first material (3) preferably comprises a thermoplastic material to which particles of a conductive material have been added, whilst the second material (4) is thermoplastic.

At present various types of conductive hoses are known in which the conductive layer may be positioned either on the inside (in contact with the fluid conveyed) or on the outside (in contact with the external environment).
For example, patent EP 707 169 refers to a hose in which a conductive layer of plastic or elastomeric material covers an inner layer which forms the duct for the fluid, and in which a narrow electrically-conductive strip extends longitudinally along the hose. Moreover, said strip is at least partly in contact with the conductive layer and is homogeneously inserted in a spiral shape in the film which forms the inner layer.
Patent EP 999 396 refers to an antistatic hose with a wall made of elastomeric materials to which conductive particles are added. In this case the hose has a thin outer layer which is not conductive and which covers the conductive wall, except for a spiral portion.
However, the conductive hoses currently used have several disadvantages.
It should be remembered that the hoses are often used in systems together with moving parts. Therefore, the hoses have to be moved over the floor by dragging (in particular when hoses are full of product they are very heavy).
Despite the fact that in most applications the floors are smooth, hoses with an outer surface made of elastomeric material tend to wear due to friction. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the case of dark coloured hoses when they are dragged, leaving a coloured mark on the floor.
The wear phenomenon is aggravated by the fact that the elastomeric material adheres well to the ground, increasing friction.
This disadvantage is particularly problematic in those production environments (such as in the pharmaceutical and/or food industry) in which cleanliness is essential.
Moreover, hoses made of elastomeric material cannot resist all chemical attacks. As a result, the hoses should be used in environments in which they come into contact with a single product or with two or more products of a similar chemical nature.
Secondly, the use of elastomeric materials for hoses built on a mandrel, makes the hose difficult to clean, due to the fact that the surface is not smooth because of the cloth finish.


Display rotation management is described. A device may include sensors disposed within a housing that produce an output usable to determine an orientation of a display device disposed on a surface of the housing. A rotation manager module disposed within the housing may process the output of the sensors to determine the orientation of the display device. The rotation manager module may calculate an average orientation of the display device over a time interval and a variance of the orientation. Based on the variance of the orientation in relation to a threshold amount, the rotation manager module can set a screen orientation of the display device.

Users have access to computing devices that may assume a wide variety of configurations. For example, the first computing devices that were traditionally available to common users were configured as desktop personal computers. Users typically interacted with these computing devices using a keyboard and later a mouse to view data on a monitor.
Computing devices continued to evolve as users desired to interact with the devices in an increasing variety of circumstances. One such example was mobile phones that evolved from basic telephone functionality to the ability to run applications. Another such example is a slate computer, which may also be referred to as a tablet. Both of these examples are configured to be held by a user during interaction.
Because users hold these computing devices, a user may be able to easily change a device's orientation during interaction. Moreover, some orientations of a computing device may be more suitable for viewing particular content than other orientations. For example, it may be desirable to view some content with a computing device held vertically (e.g., a document) and desirable to view other content with the computing device held horizontally, e.g., a movie. Consequently, many computing devices have been configured to change a screen orientation to follow an orientation of the computing device. Sometimes, however, changing the screen orientation to match a computing device's orientation may be undesirable or annoying, such as when a user accidentally rotates the device or hands the device to another user, during quick movements of the user, and so on.


Hand operable pneumatically driven medical actuator and method of use preferably utilized for orthopedic or orthodontic manipulation in a user enabled pulse modulated mode. In one form, the medical actuator includes a free piston moveable within the body of the actuator responsive to pressurized gas selectively injected through a valve controlled by the hand supporting the actuator. The valve is operable in both pulse width and pulse frequency modulation modes, initiating corresponding pneumatic forces and acceleration effects on the free piston. A piston stop attached to a shaft extending from the medical actuator converts piston momentum into pulses of force transferable through the shaft to a translation device external to the medical actuator. The force pulses conveyer to the orthopedic or orthodontic translation device act upon teeth, bones, implants, or the like. Pulse modulation in a single hand operating mode permits the user to impart precise dynamic forces to the thing being manipulated.

The translation of bones or implants attached thereto during surgery, whether it be to humans or other animals, often requires the surgeon to carefully apply relatively significant forces. A common solution to accurately controlling the effects of the forces is to apply the forces in pulse increments, with the pulse characteristics defining a pulse force with limited translation. This form of applied force limits the obvious risk of producing an undesired excess in the translation of a bone or implant.
The particular context within which the present invention is preferably practiced involves the removal of orthopedic implants. In that context, the surgeon is attempting to forcefully extract implants from bone structure while in a sterile hospital environment with minimum size and power equipment. An existing device for accomplishing this function is often referred to as a "slap hammer", the title due largely to the nature of its operation. The structure and operation are analogous to those utilized by automobile mechanics and body repairmen in moving parts using a sliding hammer tool.
In the context of orthopedic implant extraction, the device consists of a guide rod and a sliding weight. A clamp is affixed to the surgically exposed implant and the device is threaded into the clamp. The sliding weight on the device is thrown upward, generating a jerking force when the momentum of the moving weight is converted to a pulse of force upon striking stop on the end of the guide rod. With repeated throws of the sliding weight the pulses of force extract the implant.
Though the "slap hammer" orthopedic implant extraction device is functional in accomplishing basic removals of implants and the like, it is heavy (5-10 pounds), is awkward to handle (requires two handed operation), and is not readily amenable to changes in force characteristics (intensity and duration) as may be sought during an extraction sequence. Though pneumatically operated hammers are known for automotive applications, their size and control characteristics do not lend themselves to orthopedic implant extraction or the like medical procedures.
Similar controllability concerns exits in the orthodontic practices, where extractions of teeth often occur only when the dentist or oral surgeon is pulling at his or her physical limits.
What is needed is a pneumatically operated medical actuator that has structural features which allow it to be light in weight yet fully capable of significant force pulses, that has actuation characteristics which lend themselves to single hand operation, and that provides control resources suitable to create selective pulses encompassing pulse width as well as pulse frequency modulation. Attainment of the foregoing beneficial features should not be done at the sacrifice of structural simplicity, an important consideration for the cleaning and sterilization associated with medical procedures. Likewise as to the importance of design features which allow use with the gases at the pressures available in conventional medical and dental operating rooms.

Hand operable pneumatically driver controllable pulse medical actuator


The present invention relates to a coated cutting tool wherein a ceramic film is formed on a cemented carbide substrate. The substrate is equipped with a ridge line of a cutting edge upon which round honing or combination honing has been performed, a breaker disposed on a rake face connected to the ridge line of the cutting edge, a base face, and an insert hole for securing to a holder. The nose radius is set to at least 1.6 mm. The ceramic film is equipped with an α-type aluminum oxide film. The ten-point average roughness Rz (5 microns reference length) is set to no more than 0.2 microns for the inside of the honed section, the flank face side of the honed section, and the rake face side of the honed section. The ten-point average roughness Rz is set to no more than 0.5 microns for the upper section of the breaker, the base face, and the area around the insert hole.

Conventionally, cutting tools equipped with a coated film formed from ceramics formed on a cemented carbide substrate are well known. In cutting tools used for rough cutting of train wheels and the like, high-strength inserts are used. More specifically, inserts with large nose radii (corner radii), e.g., round inserts, that have undergone honing along the ridge line of the cutting edge are used. Because workpieces such as train wheels are large, variations in stock allowance tend to occur when performing cutting due to hardness variations from quenching and dimension variations from hot forging during production. Thus, there is a demand for inserts with adequate strength to allow stable cutting. Also, inserts with large nose radii make it possible to perform high-efficiency cutting since they result in thinner chips and faster feeding.
Coated cutting tools with surface treatment applied to the cutting edge to provide a stable tool life are also known. For example, Japanese Examined Patent Publication Sho 48-37553; Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number Sho 48-58470; Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number Sho 55-150941; and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number Sho 60-24371 describe structures in which a ceramic film is not formed on the ridge line of the cutting edge or in which ceramic film is removed from the ridge line of the cutting edge. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Number Sho 59-219122 and Japanese Patent Publication Number 1805360 describe a coated cutting tool in which a ceramic film is thinner at the ridge line of the cutting edge. In Japanese Patent Publication Number 2138025 an aluminum oxide film formed from fine crystals coat the outermost layer. In Japanese Patent Publication Number 2105396 the surface of the ceramic film is smoothed. In Japanese Patent Publication Number 2825693 and Japanese Patent Publication Number 3006453, the ceramic film is formed with different types of film for the outermost layer of the ridge line of the cutting edge and the outermost layer of the other sections.


A system and a method are described for rapidly determining document similarity among a set of documents, such as a set of documents obtained from an information retrieval (IR) system. A ranked list of the most important terms in each document is obtained using a phrase recognizer system. The list is stored in a database and is used to compute document similarity with a simple database query. If the number of terms found to not be contained in both documents is less than some predetermined threshold compared to the total number of terms in the document, these documents are determined to be very similar. It is shown that these techniques may be employed to accurately recognize that documents, that have been revised to contain parts of other documents, are still closely related to the original document. These teachings further provide for the computation of a document signature that can then be used to make a rapid comparison between documents that are likely to be identical.

Regardless of the search technology that is employed, most conventional search systems follow the same basic procedure for indexing and searching a database in a digital library. First, the data to be searched must be input to the search system for indexing. Next, attributes or contents or both are extracted from the objects and processed to create an index. An index contains data that is used by the search system to process queries and identify relevant objects. After the index is created, queries may be submitted to the search system. The query represents information needed by the user and is expressed using a query language and syntax defined by the search system. The search system processes the query using the index data for the database and a suitable similarity ranking algorithm. From this, the system returns a list of topically relevant objects, often referred to as a Ahit-list@ The user may then select relevant objects from the hit-list for viewing and processing.
A user may also use objects on the hit-list as navigational starting points. Navigation is the process of moving from one hypermedia object to another hypermedia object by traversing a hyperlink pointer between the objects. This operation is typically facilitated by a user interface that displays hypermedia objects, highlights the hyperlinks in those objects, and provides a simple mechanism for traversing a hyperlink and displaying the referent object. One such user interface is a Web browser. By navigating from one object to another, a user may find other objects of interest.
In a network environment, the components of a text search system may be distributed across multiple computers. A network environment includes as a minimum two or more computers connected by a local or wide area network, (e.g., Ethernet, the telephone network, and the Internet). A user accesses the hypermedia object database using a client application on the user=s computer. The client application communicates with a search server (e.g., a hypermedia object database search system) on either the computer (e.g., the client) or another computer (e.g., one or more servers) on the network. To process queries, the search server needs to access just the database index, which may be located on the same computer as the search server or yet another computer on the network. The actual objects in the database may be located on any computer on the network. These types of systems and search processes are all well known in the computing and database arts.
A Web environment, such as the World Wide Web (WWW) on the Internet, is a network environment where Web servers and browsers are used. Having gathered and indexed all of the documents available in the collection, the index can then be used, as described above, to search for documents in the collection. Again, the index may be located independently of the objects, the client, and even the search server. A hit-list, generated as the result of searching the index, typically identifies the locations and titles of the relevant documents in the collection, and the user may then retrieve those documents directly with the user=s Web browser.
One of the continuing problems in information retrieval is related to the fact that in the Web environment, there are a large number of near-duplicate documents returned from most searches. A number of methods have been proposed for recognizing and eliminating such duplicates.
For example, Eric W. Brown and John M. Prager in U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,208 note that documents having identical metadata such as size, date, and base filename are likely to be copies kept on different directories or on different servers, and can effectively be reduced to one single occurrence.
Another system was described by Andrei Z. Broder, AIdentifying and Filtering Near-duplicate Documents,@ Combinatorial Pattern Matching, 11th Annual Symposium, Montreal, Canada, June, 2000., in which regions of each document, called Ashingles@, are each treated as a sequence of tokens and then reduced to a numerical representation. These are then converted to Afingerprints@ using a method originally described by M. O. Rabin, AFingerprinting by random polynomials", Center for Research in Computing Technology, Harvard University, Report TR-15-81, 1981.
At an even more simplistic level, an algorithm has been described for detecting plagiarism in which one simply searches for matches of six or more successive words between two documents.
As should be apparent, a need exists to provide an accurate and efficient algorithm and system for determining a degree of likeness between electronically represented documents.

System and method for detecting duplicate and similar documents

International Business Machines Corporation


An optical device for wavelength monitoring and wavelength control. The optical device has an optical element having a first surface and a second surface not parallel to each other. The optical element separates a light beam supplied to the first surface into a first beam reflected on the first surface, a second beam passed through the first surface, reflected on the second surface, and passed through the first surface again, and a third beam passed through the first surface and the second surface in this order. An optical filter is provided so as to transmit the first and second beams. The optical filter has wavelength characteristics different according to an incidence angle. The first and second beams passed through the optical filter are supplied to first and second photodetectors, respectively. On the basis of such a difference in wavelength characteristic, the wavelength of the light beam can be monitored according to outputs from the first and second photodetectors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to monitoring of the wavelength of an optical signal, and more particularly to an optical device for wavelength monitoring and wavelength control.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a manufacturing technique and using technique for a low-loss (e.g., 0.2 dB/km) optical fiber have been established, and an optical communication system using the optical fiber as a transmission line has been put to practical use. Further, to compensate for losses in the optical fiber and thereby allow long-haul transmission, an optical amplifier for directly amplifying signal light has been developed.
As a technique for increasing a transmission capacity by a single optical fiber, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is known. In a system adopting WDM, a plurality of optical carriers having different wavelengths are used. The plural optical carriers are individually modulated to thereby obtain a plurality of optical signals, which are wavelength division multiplexed by an optical multiplexer to obtain WDM signal light, which is output to an optical fiber transmission line. On the receiving side, the WDM signal light received is separated into individual optical signals by an optical demultiplexer, and transmitted data is reproduced according to each optical signal. Accordingly, by applying WDM, the transmission capacity in a single optical fiber can be increased according to the number of WDM channels.
In operating the system adopting WDM, the wavelength of each optical signal is monitored to maintain the wavelength locations of the WDM signal light constant. On the basis of the result of the wavelength monitoring, the wavelength of each optical signal is supervised or controlled. Also in a system using a single channel of optical signal, the wavelength of the optical signal is monitored for the purpose of suppressing a chromatic dispersion occurring in an optical fiber transmission line to an allowable small value, for example.
As a device for wavelength monitoring, an optical wavelength detector described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-22250, for example, is known. This optical wavelength detector includes a beam splitter for extracting first and second branch light beams from a main optical path, a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter for inputting the first and second branch light beams, respectively, first and second photodetectors for receiving output light beams from the low-pass filter and the high-pass filter, respectively, and a differential amplifier for comparing outputs from the first and second photodetectors. By setting the wavelength characteristics of transmittances of the low-pass filter and the high-pass filter so that the transmittances are changed in opposite directions with a wavelength change in the vicinity of a given wavelength, the wavelength is reflected by an output from the differential amplifier, thereby allowing wavelength monitoring.
In the above-mentioned optical wavelength detector in the prior art, two optical filters (the low-pass filter and the high-pass filter) having different wavelength characteristics are required, so that there arises a problem such that the number of parts is increased and the configuration tends to become complicated.

Optical device for wavelength monitoring and wavelength control


An apparatus and method indirectly determines the amount of outside air introduced into the ventilation system of a structure to control the indoor air quality in the structure. Test gas concentrations, preferably carbon dioxide concentrations, are measured for return air, outside air and mixed (supply) air. The flow rate of mixed air is measured. The volume of outside air introduced into the system is determined through use of the test gas concentration measurements without directly measuring the volume or flow rate of outside air. Preferably, a single sensor is utilized to measure each of the trace gas concentrations in the return air, outside air and supply air, and the various measurements sequentially multiplexed to a controller. Moreover, for calibrating the apparatus, a return air sensor is calibrated to the outside air and a mixed air sensor is calibrated to the outside air or the return air to eliminate inaccuracy due to sensor drift.

The present invention is generally directed to a method and apparatus for controlling ventilation rates and indoor air quality in a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system; more particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for controlling outdoor air flow volume in an HVAC system using trace gas concentration sensing.
Indoor air quality is, without question, a topic of necessary importance. Not only are occupants of buildings, e.g., office spaces and the like, increasingly concerned about and aware of health issues, but technical associations have recently issued standards which specify minimum ventilation rates for acceptable indoor air quality. For example, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) has issued ASHRAE Standard 62-1989 entitled "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality." ASHRAE standards are generally established to assist industry and the public by suggesting safe practices, and conformance with them is completely voluntary. Nevertheless, such standards are developed under the auspices of ASHRAE and reflect a consensus reached by concerned interests with respect to the topics contained in the standards. Moreover, many ASHRAE standards, such as ASHRAE Standard 62-1989, are rapidly becoming incorporated into local building codes.
ASHRAE 62-1989 specifies alternative procedures for ensuring acceptable air quality indoors: a ventilation rate procedure and an indoor air quality procedure. Acceptable air quality is achieved in accordance with the ventilation rate procedure by providing ventilation air of a specified quality and quantity to a given space. Similarly, acceptable air quality is achieved within the space in accordance with the indoor air quality procedure by controlling known specifiable contaminants.
In greater detail, ASHRAE 62-1989 prescribes supply rates of acceptable outdoor air required for acceptable indoor air quality for residential, institutional and commercial facilities. As set forth in the Standard, the supply rates incorporate an adequate margin of safety and to account for health variations among people. These rates are a function of, inter alia, the type of environment (i.e., smoking lounge, office space) and the number of occupants. The ASHRAE outdoor air requirements for ventilation range from about 15 (for example, in office reception areas) to about 60 cubic feet per minute (CFM) per person (in, for example, smoking lounges) as being the minimum prescribed supply rate of acceptable outdoor air required.
Indoor air quality is also a function of many variables, including, inter alia, the quality of outdoor air, the configuration of enclosed spaces, the design and maintenance of the ventilation system, as well as the presence and strength of contaminant sources. A properly designed ventilation system must take all of these variables into account to maintain an acceptable level of indoor air quality.
There are many sources of space contaminants. Humans and their activities release a wide assortment of organic and inorganic chemicals. Personal care products, photocopy machines and other office equipment release chemicals. Growth of fungal material can release spores into the air. Standing water can allow harmful bacteria to multiply. Office furniture, partitions, paint, floor coverings and cleaning materials release chemicals into the air. Cracks in below-grade walls and floors can allow radon gas to enter the building.
The outdoor air itself can be a source of unwanted contaminants. This is particularly true for buildings located in large, congested metropolitan areas, or in cases where the outdoor air intake location is near loading docks, garages or near the building exhaust.
Most air source contaminants can be classified as one of the following: particulate matter, inorganic compounds, volatile organic compounds or microbes and their by-products. Particulate matter includes, inter alia, tobacco smoke, dust, and the like. Inorganic air contaminants include gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone or radon as well as particulates like asbestos or fiberglass. Volatile organic compounds include those generated by, for example, cleaning materials, personal care products, furniture, carpet, adhesives, paint and people.
As noted above, one acceptable mode of compliance with ventilation rate requirements is by measuring and controlling deleterious substances below safe levels (such as is provided with ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality Procedure). This strategy is, however, inherently very rigorous because it considers all contaminants and implementation is difficult because insufficient knowledge exists respecting safe concentration levels for the thousands of combinations of potential indoor contaminants. In addition, it is currently not cost effective to purchase sensors to monitor all of these contaminants.
Another acceptable mode of complying with ventilation requirements is to provide continuous measurement of the ventilation air flow rate so that it can be regulated to a specified rate. One known practice is to set a fixed minimum position for the outdoor intake air damper which is expected to ensure adequate flow regulation in all modes of operation. However, observed results are only marginally acceptable in some cases, such as in a constant volume fan system, and are unacceptable in most variable air volume systems.
Thus, to ensure that a specified amount of ventilation air is supplied to a space, measurement and closed loop control of the ventilation air flow rate is highly desirable. However, measurement of the ventilation air flow rate can be very difficult and expensive to implement accurately.
For example, the ventilation (i.e., outdoor) air flow rate can be measured through use of an air flow meter. The most common technique used to measure air flow is the pitot tube air flow station. Such stations generally incorporate a fixed array of pitot tubes. The pitot tubes in these stations sense the velocity pressure of the air as it passes around the tube; the corresponding air velocity is related to the velocity pressure in a known manner. For measuring outdoor air flow, these flow stations would typically be installed near the outdoor air intake where the maximum air velocity is generally less than 500 ft/min. Since the velocity pressure associated with 500 ft/min is only 0.016 in. w.c. (4 Pa), a very small error in the output of the differential pressure transmitter used to evaluate the pitot tube signal can cause a very large error in the calculated air velocity. For this reason, pitot tube stations are generally not viable for air velocities below 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s) unless exceptionally accurate differential pressure transmitters with auto-zeroing capabilities are installed. Unfortunately the high cost associated with this type of transmitter may be prohibitive in many installations. Thus, pitot tube air flow stations are unable to provide the required sensing accuracy when installed in a typical outdoor air intake configuration.
A less common type of air flow station utilizes an array of thermally sensitive resistors (heated thermistors) to measure air flow. If voltage is applied across a thermistor, the relationship between the air velocity, air temperature and the power dissipation can be determined. Such quantities are generally determined through the use of microprocessors. These stations are capable of accurately measuring air velocity below 500 ft/min. However, because of the high sensitivity of these devices at low air flow rates, low levels of turbulence can adversely affect the accuracy of the air flow measurement. Unfortunately, outdoor air intakes are typically very turbulent environments. Moreover, complicated field calibration procedures must be employed and it is often difficult to accurately compensate for the effect of changing air temperature. Thus, thermal air flow stations are not a very good solution to the problem of directly measuring the outdoor air flow rate accurately.
Alternatively, if the outdoor and return air streams are adiabatically mixed, conservation of mass and energy laws can be utilized to calculate ventilation air flow rate on the basis of measured temperatures of the outside air, the return air and the mixed air. For example, outdoor air flow rate (CFM.sub.oa) can be determined based on the temperature of the outdoor air (T.sub.oa), temperature of return air (T.sub.ra), temperature of mixed air (T.sub.ma), as well as the mixed air flow rate (CFM.sub.ma) in accordance with the following relationship: ##EQU1##
A typical fan system layout, as shown in FIG. 1, can be used to implement the foregoing equation. Transmitters or sensors for measuring T.sub.ra, T.sub.ma, T.sub.oa and CMF.sub.ma are advantageously positioned as shown in FIG. 1. However, when the difference between T.sub.ra and T.sub.oa becomes small, even small errors in the measurement of either T.sub.ra or T.sub.oa can cause very large errors in the calculated outdoor air flow rate. Inasmuch as temperature sensing errors of .+-. 1 degree Fahrenheit are the industry norm, unacceptable measurements result when the difference between the return and outdoor air temperatures is less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Most environments have significant time periods when the difference between the outdoor and return air temperatures is less than 10 degrees. Thus, a temperature based thermal energy balance is only a marginally acceptable strategy for calculating outdoor air flow rates.
Multi-point sampling probes are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,405 issued Feb. 20, 1968 to Galegar discloses a sampling system for simultaneous sampling from multiple points. The samples are stored in separate containers, and then sequentially passed to the analyzer for analysis. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,392 issued May 23, 1978 to Smith et al. discloses an automatic gas analyzer system which provides for sequential analysis of a number of samples. A number of sample tubes and vent lines are utilized to ostensibly assure a fresh sample at a point near the sample analyzer in the form of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. A multiplexer in the form of a three-way control valve is utilized to sequentially pass the samples to the analyzer. Also disclosed is the use of sample inputs for auto-zero and auto-span adjustment of the analyzer. An analogous system for gas sampling in large ducts and pipes is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,731 issued Oct. 4, 1977 to Bohl et al.
None of these systems, however, provide an accurate, indirect method and apparatus for measuring the flow rate of outdoor, ventilation air, such as is necessary, for example, to ensure compliance with indoor air quality standards. Thus, there exists a long-felt and heretofore unresolved need of providing an accurate and reliable method and apparatus for controlling ventilation rates and indoor air quality.

Method and apparatus for controlling ventilation rates and indoor air quality in an HVAC system


A molding apparatus and method for use are provided for covering a seam extending between roof and side panels of a vehicle, the panels including opposing shoulders adjacent the seam defining a ditch. The apparatus includes a section of molding including first and second ends, an upper surface including a painted finish, and a lower surface. Mounts extend from the lower surface that are spaced apart from one another. Flexible trim extends along side edges of the molding between the first and second ends. In addition, a roof rack member extends from the upper surface of the molding. During use, the molding is mounted to the vehicle at a plurality of discrete locations, e.g., by the mounts, such that the molding extends along the ditch without touching the shoulders. The trim extends from the side edges to contact the shoulders of the ditch.

Vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles, generally include multiple sheet metal panels mounted to a frame of the vehicle to provide an outer finish for the vehicle. For example, a vehicle may include one or more roof panels and side panels that are mounted to the frame, resulting in one or more seams extending between the panels. Generally, a seam extends between a roof panel and each side panel along the roof of a vehicle from the front windshield to the rear window.
The edges of the adjacent panels may be abutted or overlapped with one another, thereby defining a seam. In some cases, the adjacent panels may include one or more upright flanges, e.g., that may be butted against one another to facilitate joining and/or sealing the panels together. The resulting seam may be joined, e.g., by spot or continuous welding, bonding using an adhesive, and the like, and/or sealed, e.g., using a caulk or other sealant, and the like. The seam may be joined and/or sealed along or between the edges and/or along ends of or between abutted flanges.
Because the resulting seam may be unattractive, molding may be attached over the seam to cover the lapped edges or flanges and/or to provide a desired aesthetic finish. One of the problems with conventional strips of molding is that it may be difficult to apply the molding in a continuous, e.g., straight or curved, line along the seam. When the molding is applied to a seam that is several feet long, any irregularities may be particularly noticeable to observers, such as potential purchasers of the vehicle. In addition, such molding may extend above the surface of the roof, detracting from the continuity and aesthetic appearance of the roofline.
For some panels, grooves or shoulders may be formed along the edges such that the adjacent panels define a channel or "ditch" along the seam. For example, a ditch may be provided along a seam between a roof and side panel for directing water, e.g., rain, along the ditch such that it does not run down on passengers entering or exiting the vehicle.
Because the ditch may include abutted flanges, spot welds, sealants, and/or other non-aesthetic features, molding is generally applied along the seam within the ditch to cover the seam and provide an aesthetic finish. The molding may be applied to the bottom of the ditch, e.g., using an adhesive and/or fasteners, or may extend across the ditch and be connected to the adjacent panels, e.g., by tongues or ribs on the molding that are received under ledges of the ditch. As explained above, such molding, however, may not be easily applied in a continuous uniform line, thereby detracting from the finished appearance of the vehicle. In addition, the surface within the ditch may be irregular due to the welds, sealants, and/or other non-aesthetic features. When the molding is applied in the ditch over such objects, the molding may not lie substantially flat within the ditch, potentially creating an unattractive finish.
Accordingly, molding and/or components for covering a seam between panels of a vehicle would be useful.

Molding apparatus for vehicles and methods for use


The present invention relates to a telecommunications connection module including a housing and connection locations mounted to a front face of the housing. The connection locations are removably mounted to the front face allowing access to an interior side of the connection locations from outside the housing and arranged to two rows. A shelf divide the interior of the housing into two spaces allowing cables to be directed to one or the other of the rows of connection locations. The housing may also include integral mounting recesses for mounting the housing to a telecommunications equipment rack. The rear of the housing may also include a removable portion and angled portions adjacent the sides which are offset toward the front face. The present invention also relates to a telecommunications connection system including a rack and at least one connection module mounted to the rack, the rack including a front and a rear cable management structure. The rear cable management structure includes at least two vertical cable channels, one of which is adapted to manage cable which do not extend from modules mounted to the equipment rack. The present invention also relates to a method of installing a new equipment rack into an existing telecommunication equipment installation into a gap in the existing lineup which is narrower than the existing equipment racks. The new rack includes a rear vertical cable channel for managing cables extending from devices mounted in adjacent or nearby equipment racks but which are not connected to the new rack.

In telecommunications infrastructure installations, equipment for switching, cross-connecting and inter-connecting a variety of devices is used. Much of these devices are installed in telecommunications equipment racks to permit organized, high-density installations to be achieved in limited space available for equipment. Due to the increasing demand for telecommunications system capacity, it is desirable to increase the density of connections within a given space that can be achieved. One approach to increasing the density of connections within an installation is to utilize space within the footprint of the rack which previously was not used. At the same time, it is desirable to ensure that cables leading to and from the equipment mounting within the installation are adequately managed and that sufficient cable management structures are provided.
Within a single telecommunications equipment installation, it may be desirable to provide connection modules and cable management structures for traditional copper, high speed copper and optical fiber.

Termination frame with modules and method


An electric device with a tilt mechanism is provided. The electric device includes a main body and a panel body rotatable with respect to the main body about a rotation axis. The electric device includes an engagement piece mounted on one of the panel body and the main body and an engaging piece mounted on the other one of the panel body and the main body. The engagement piece is formed to have a plurality of teeth on a plane spreading orthogonally with respect to the rotation axis. The plurality of teeth are disposed along a circumference centered on the rotation axis at a predetermined interval from one another. The engaging piece includes an engaging claw configured to be movable to be closer to and farther from the engagement piece, and an urging member configured to urge the engaging claw in a direction to be closer to the engagement piece.

1. Technical Field
An aspect of the present invention relates to an electric device having a tilt mechanism, which is capable of adjusting a tilt angle of a panel device with respect to a main body of the electric device.
2. Related Art
An electric device having a tilt-adjustable mechanism to adjust tilt angle of a panel device, such as a liquid crystal panel, with respect to a main body of the electric device is known. The tilt-adjustable mechanism may include, for example, a frictionally-holding mechanism to hold the panel device in a tilted posture by use of frictional force. For another example, the tilt-adjustable mechanism may include a ratchet gear to maintain the panel device in the tilted posture. When the ratchet gear is used in the tilt-adjustable mechanism, engagement between the ratchet gear and a ratchet may be released by an effect of a spring.


An apparatus, system, method, and program for facilitating the design of a bare board circuit board include transmitting a user interface application to a user over a publicly-accessible global network. The user interface application is updated in response to circuit board design data entered by the user.

An electronic assembly typically includes a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is populated with the various components associated with the assembly. The printed circuit board includes a relatively large number of signal carrying lines in the form of metallic traces which electrically couple two or more portions of circuit board to one another. Circuit boards may take the form of single-sided boards, double-sided boards, or multilayered boards which have a number of inner layers.
The layout and design of printed circuit boards can be a relatively complex task. Indeed, designers are often faced with problems such as insufficient board "real estate," conflicts with design standards, product cost constraints, etcetera. For example, during the layout and design of a circuit board, the designer may run out of room for the parts to be mounted on the topside board, yet the designer does not have all of the parts placed on the topside of the board. Moreover, the current design guidelines under which the designer is operating may state that, for example, surface mounted chips are not to be placed on the bottom side of the board. Hence, the designer is faced with the choice of either (1) putting surface mounted chips on the bottom side thereby violating the design guidelines in addition to increasing the cost of the assembly, (2) increasing the size of the board thereby increasing its cost, or (3) increasing the "technology level" of the board with more layers, finer lines, smaller pitch components, etcetera thereby also increasing the cost of the assembly.
In light of the fact that each of the above-identified options increases the cost of the assembly, the designer must determine which of the options will yield the most cost effective solution to the problem. In other words, the designer is challenged with finding the solution to his or her problem that increases the cost of the assembly by the least amount. In reality, of course, there is no universal solution to such a problem. Each situation is generally unique. In practice, the typical way to explore the designer's options is to have a circuit board vendor and an assembler quote each different option and then compare them. Unfortunately, getting these vendors to allow access to quoting resources with no prospect for an order is often difficult. There is no way the designer can do this for herself or himself.
Hence, the designer often takes her or his "best guess" at a solution to the design dilemma. The design is then presented to a supply base of vendors to determine the cost of the product based on the design. Often the "real" cost of the product based on the design exceeds the marketing expectations resulting in costly redesign efforts to reduce the cost.

Apparatus, system, method, and program for facilitating the design of bare circuit boards


An apparatus for delivering a fine spray mist for evaporatively or conductively cooling a localized area. The apparatus consists of a pressurizable container, a valve for activating the release of fluid from the container, a spray nozzle or a plurality of spray nozzles coupled to the valve, a pump for pressurizing the container, a belt for securing the device to a person, and a clip for attaching the mist nozzle in such a fashion that it directs the flow of mist in a hands free manner.

The current invention delivers a fine mist spray to cool a localized area by evaporative cooling also, but with the following improvements:
The new device allows for the introduction of ICE or ice water allowing the device to work efficiently in humid environments through the process of conductive cooling as well as evaporative cooling in dry climates. The new device also incorporates a hand pump which allows the device to be filled in a remote location. According to the preferred embodiment of the device, the pressurizable tank may be of sufficient size and in acceptable packaging to make the entire apparatus portable by hand carrying, adapted to be worn in a back-pack or fanny pack configuration or be substantially free standing.
The only known portable spraying device for delivering humidity into a dry atmosphere is my previous invention. Other devices known in the spraying apparatus art are a variety of devices for directing and applying a spray of fluid to an object, such as crops, lawns, weeds, or fire. Generally, these devices may be broadly classified into two categories. The first group, consisting of motor driven sprayers, is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,697 issued to Marks on Jan. 14, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,110 issued to Kobayashi on Nov. 10, 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,511 issued to Good, Jr. on Apr. 9, 1974 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,903 issued to Pagliai on Mar. 24, 1987. This first group of patents broadly discloses portable back-pack like sprayers however none discloses a fannypack style that can be worn for hands free operation. The second group, consisting of non-motor driven sprayers, is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,911,157 issued to Converse on Nov. 3, 1959, U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,364 issued to De Coste on Nov. 14, 1967, U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,245 issued to Smith on Nov. 23, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,643 issued to Caner et al on Apr. 25, 1987. Of this second group, only patents issued to Coste and Smith disclose a sprayer having a pressurizable container and a spray nozzle. In the De Coste patent, the fluid in the container is directly pressurized by introduction of pressurized air through an air valve into the fluid container. Upon exhaustion of the air pressure within the container, the container must be re-pressurized from a pressurized air source. The Smith patent discloses a spraying device having a pressurizable container where a manual air-pump is used to pressurize the fluid the container. My previous invention discloses a pressurizable container but can be substantially improved by including a manual air pump to pressurize the fluid in the container.
Thus, an examination of the art, reveals that there is no known spray cooling apparatus for evaporatively cooling a localized area which employs a pressurizable container, a valve for activating a flow of pressurized fluid from the lank through a nozzle or a plurality of nozzles and a fanny pack style bag for wearing the device in a hands free operative style, and allowing for the introduction of ice cubes and or ice water.