A method for compiling code includes receiving a code section representation including a guard at a location, placing, at the guard, a triggering condition, and relocating the guard from the location to a second location in the code section representation. The method also includes transforming the guard into a control-split instruction. The control-split instruction includes a deoptimization branch and a continue execution branch. The method further includes placing, at the guard, a deoptimization instruction, and selecting a symbolic frame state linked to a side-effecting instruction. The side-effecting instruction is the last side-effecting instruction before the control-split instruction. The method also includes linking the deoptimization instruction with the symbolic frame state based on the symbolic frame state being linked to the side-effecting instruction, unlinking the symbolic frame state from the side-effecting instruction, and storing the code section representation.

In general, programmers pursue the most efficient way to execute code especially when using a compiler. Specifically, compilers may insert additional instructions, remove extraneous instructions, and modify the order of instructions. Many of these modifications to a code section depend on the points in the code where deoptimization may occur. Further, the order in which the modifications occur in the compilation process may impact the overall efficiency of the compilation.

Changing de-optimization guard representation during the compilation process


The present invention relates to a wireless transmitter comprising a transmitter radio unit working a wireless transmitter comprising a transmitter radio unit working in the millimeter wave frequency band using a directional antenna and a bidirectional radio unit working in a frequency range different from said transmitter radio unit and using an omnidirectional antenna. The invention further relates to a wireless receiver and a wireless relay.

The continuously increasing demand for higher bandwidth in the actual non-licensed wireless communication systems, aiming to transmit high resolution video streams which need data rates in the multi-GBbps ranges forced a search for frequency ranges where such a bandwidth is available like the unlicensed 60 GHz ISM band also known as millimetre wave band (mm-wave) or other unlicensed frequency bands.
The several GHz of bandwidth available in these bands, however, is accompanied by a severe free space path loss which limits the operation range. Furthermore, mm-waves do not pass through objects or people. Hence, mm-waves will not penetrate walls and a person passing through a 60 GHz link will also block the transmission completely. A wireless network based on this technology, e.g. to distribute high definition video content into a household, needs to hop over one or more intermediate nodes to reach a destination placed in another room.
To compensate the path losses, the radios in the wireless terminals running at these high frequencies employ one or multiple beam directional antennas. These type of antennas are capable to orientate one or more antenna beams in a specific direction (within the physical limits of the specific antenna) by steering the main beam in that direction (beam steering antennas) or by switching on the beam with the closest orientation to the desired one (beam switching antennas). The benefits are threefold:    1. The directional antenna gain compensates for the propagation losses    2. Thanks to a beam selection algorithm the radio link control (RLC) procedure has detailed information about the channel conditions which can analyse to select the best antenna beams combination between transmitter and receiver.    3. Additionally, a beam tracking algorithm keeps the RLC continuously informed about the channel conditions of the active antenna beam combination and the other possible ones.
Some beam selection and tracking algorithms proposed in the literature work under the assumption that the channel for every antenna beam combination can be sounded/measured at any time using a specific PHY frame sent by a transmitter. These frames are used in the receiver to estimate several characteristics of the wireless channel like the power delay profile, SNR, etc. Such characteristics are then employed by the beam selection or tracking algorithm to calculate one or more parameters which directly relate to the channel quality for the specific beam combination (link).
However, the main problem with above approach consists in how to reliably sending back to the transmitter the measurements done at the receiver for every antenna beam combination in order to run the beam selection and tracking algorithms effectively. The timely provision of this information on the transmitting side is critical for seamlessly switching to another antenna beam combination in case of a sudden heavy degradation (e.g. temporal obstructions) of the channel quality.
On the other hand, even if no obstruction or any other channel degradation occurs in the directional data channel, sending additional control information over the same mm-wave channel can cause excessive delays if a retransmission of data is necessary, eventually blocking the content source transmission. This is particularly an issue in high definition content streaming applications which are very sensitive to delays, since some control information has to be exchanged between the data source and the data consumer like HDCP (High bandwidth Digital Content Protection).
Moreover, using the same mm-wave radio to send the measurements information back to the transmitter also forces the wireless terminals to implement a complete mm-wave radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver), although most of the devices this multi-Gbps technology is intended to are usually either data producers (Blue-Ray player, HD Camcorders, Game consoles with HD output, still cameras and so forth), or data consumers (TV, Beamer and so forth). Therefore, implementing an out-of-band back channel would save resources in the mm-wave radios: instead of complete radio transceivers, the data producers would implement only a mm-wave transmitter and the data consumers only a receiver.
Therefore, for at least the above reasons, it is not recommendable to use the same antenna link for sending back control and measurement data, because this channel may not be very robust due to sudden obstructions, the sent back control data may create unacceptable delays in streaming the user data (e.g. movie) and lastly, subjects consumer electronic devices to the heavy burden of implementing costly two way radios.

Out-of-band radio link protocol and network architecture for a wireless network composed of wireless terminals with millimetre wave frequency range radio units


The invention provides novel inhibitors of cancer stem cells as well as cancer stem cell pathway kinase and other related kinases, pharmaceutical compositions and uses thereof in the treatment of cancer or a related disorder in a mammal, and methods of making such compounds and compositions.

Despite decades of intensive scientific and clinical research, cancer remains a challenging disease to both the patient and the healthcare provider. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that there are over 1.5 million new cases of cancer and more than half million of cancer-related deaths in 2011. Worldwide, cancer is the third leading cause of death.
Cancer is characterized by rapidly-proliferating cell growth in the body. Cancer is often able to invade other tissues from its original location and, in a process called metastasis, spread to other parts of the body through blood and lymphatics. There are many types of cancer, which may be classified in pathology and clinical diagnosis into carcinoma, sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and malignant tumors of the central nervous system.
At the present time, the leading therapies for cancer include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Surgery and radiotherapy are quite successful in treating primary tumors. However, once a cancer has disseminated to distant sites, chemotherapy is often required to treat the disease. Cytotoxic agents have played a critical role in modern cancer therapy. However, they usually induce substantial toxicity in normal tissues. Targeted therapies that more specifically target cancer cells are more desirable. A relatively new class of agents with selectivity for targets implicated in tumor growth have started to emerge recently, demonstrating impressive efficacy with much less toxicity than cytotoxic agents.
Protein kinases represent potential targets for therapeutic inhibition. (Pyle, et al., 2006 Nat Biotechnol. 24(3): p. 344-50.) Protein kinases are a family of enzymes that regulate a wide variety of cellular processes, including cell growth, cell proliferation, cell differentiation and metabolism. A kinase enzyme that modifies other proteins by chemically adding phosphate groups to them in a phosphorylation process. Protein kinases communicate cell growth signals through sequential chemical modification of pathway partners. Therefore, pharmacologic inhibition of any kinase on a given signal transduction cascade would theoretically block communication along the entire pathway. In addition, it is known that protein kinases play a role in disease states and disorders, for example, kinase mutation and/or overexpression are frequently characterized in cancers, resulting in hyperactivated activity that often correlates with uncontrolled cell growth.
Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) is a subpopulation of cells within a variety of tumor types with a tumorigenic potential that is lacking in the rest of the cells within these tumors. CSC can generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. There is mounting evidence that such cells exist in almost all tumor types. CSC give rise to the differentiated cells that form the bulk of the tumor mass and phenotypically characterize the disease. Cancer stem cells have been demonstrated to be fundamentally responsible for carcinogenesis, cancer metastasis, and cancer reoccurrence. In many tumors, CSC and their differentiated progeny appear to have markedly different biologic characteristics.
Therapies specifically targeted at CSCs, therefore, hold unique potential for improvement of survival and quality of life of cancer patients, especially for sufferers of metastatic disease. (PCTUS2008075418, WO 2009033033) Conventional therapies that target mature tumor cells may lead to clinical improvement, but are unlikely to be curative unless CSCs are also targeted. Relevant targets unique to the rare cancer stem cells may be missed if clinical activity is judged solely by criteria that reflect the effects of treatment on the bulk of the cancer.
Recent studies have shown that certain compounds inhibit kinases and kill cancer stem cells, demonstrating that kinases are important targets for killing or inhibiting cancer stem cells. These kinases important for CSCs are collectively referred to cancer stem cell pathway kinase (CSCPK) hereinafter. Our results provide a method of targeting cancer stem cells with CSCPK inhibitors.
PDGFRα is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that is activated after binding to its ligand, PDGF, which contributes to cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. It belongs to class III receptor tyrosine kinase family and are related to the CFS-1 receptor/c-fms and the stem cell growth factor/c-kit proto-oncogene family. PDGFRα pathway is active in early fetal development and reactivated in many cancers, such as hepatocellular cancer (HCC), head and neck cancer, brain tumors, gastrointestinal tumors, skin cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, sarcoma, and leukemia. (Betsholtz 1995 Int J Dev Biol 39(5): p. 817-25; Chott, et al. 1999 Am J Pathol 155(4): p. 1271-9; Dabrow, et al., 1998 Gynecol Oncol 71(1): p. 29-37; Cools, et al. 2003 N Engl J Med 348(13): p. 1201-14; Heinrich, et al., 2003 Science 299(5607): p. 708-10; Holtkamp, et al. 2006 Carcinogenesis 27(3): p. 664-71; Jackson, et al. 2006 Neuron 51(2): p. 187-99; Jechlinger, et al. 2006 J Clin Invest 116(6): p. 1561-70; Ongkeko, et al. 2005 Am J Clin Pathol 124(1): p. 71-6; Stock, et al. 2007 Mol Cancer Ther 6(7): p. 1932-41; Sulzbacher, et al. 2003 Mod Pathol 16(1): p. 66-71; Wilczynski, et al. 2005 Hum Pathol 36(3): p. 242-9; Zhang, et al. 2005 Clin Cancer Res 11(24 Pt 1): p. 8557-63; Westermark, et al. 1993 Acta Oncol 32(2): p. 101-5.)
In addition, PDGFRα activation has recently been shown to play a key role in bone metastasis of prostate cancer. (Dolloff, et al. 2005 Oncogene 24(45): p. 6848-54; Dolloff, et al. 2007 Cancer Res 67(2): p. 555-62.) Furthermore, PDGFRα-p70S6K pathway has been shown to be essential for angiogenesis in vivo. (Tsutsumi, et al. 2004 Circ Res 94(9): p. 1186-94.) Specifically targeting PDGFRα using monoclonal antibody has been shown to lead to significant reduction in tumor cell proliferation and survival while being a relatively non-toxic treatment. (Stock, et al. 2007 Mol Cancer Ther 6(7): p. 1932-41.) Therefore, PDGFRα represents a target for developing targeted chemotherapy against broad spectrum of cancers with less toxicity.
Other than cancer, it has been well demonstrated that chromosomal rearrangements activate PDGFRα by fusion to FIP1L1, causing idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. (Cools, et al. 2003 N Engl J Med 348(13): p. 1201-14.) In addition, activation of PDGFRα by promoter polymorphisms has linked to neural tube defects including spina bifida, which has been verified by mouse mutant model. (Joosten, et al. 2001 Nat Genet 27(2): p. 215-7.) PDGFRα activation has also been linked with fibrosis. (Lasky, et al. 1998 Am J Respir Crit Care Med 157(5 Pt 1): p. 1652-7; Ferns, et al. 1991 Science 253(5024): p. 1129-32; Johnson, et al. 1992 J Exp Med 175(5): p. 1413-6; Raines, et al. 1989 Science 243(4889): p. 393-6.) Thus, PDGFRα is a potential target for anti-fibrotic therapy.
There are continued unmet needs for novel inhibitors of cancer stem cells as well as cancer stem cell pathway kinase and other related kinases and targets.

Inhibitors of kinases and cancer stem cells, and methods of preparation and use thereof


An injector has a housing, a command piston, a control chamber, a needle, a nozzle chamber, a fuel inflow passage, a fuel discharge passage and an electric valve. The housing slidably supports the command piston and the needle. The housing and one end face of the command piston enclose the control chamber. The needle is disposed at the other end face side of the command piston. The housing and a leading end portion of the needle enclose the nozzle chamber to accumulate the high-pressure fuel therein. The housing is provided with an injection hole, which is opened and blocked by the needle. The fuel discharge passage opens at a fuel discharge port to the control chamber to discharge the high-pressure fuel out of the control chamber. The fuel discharge port is close to an uppermost position of the command piston.

Current strict low emission vehicle regulations in each country request pretty high injection accuracy in each fuel injection. Specifically, recent diesel engines are requested to perform pilot-injections or multi-injections in accordance with the strict low emission vehicle regulations, so that it is required to increase an injection accuracy of each fuel injection. However, manufacturing tolerances and/or secular changes occurring in the injector may change injection amount and/or injection timing. Thus, it is requested to develop an injector maintaining high injection accuracy over a long period of usage.
In the following is described an example in which the manufacturing tolerances and/or secular changes spoil a fuel injection accuracy of the injector.
FIG. 5 schematically depicts a structure of a conventional injector 3 (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,666-B and its counterpart JP2003-97378-A, for example). The injector 3 has a fuel inflow passage 31, a fuel discharge passage 32, a control chamber 33, a control valve 34, a command piston 35, a needle 36, a housing 38 and a nozzle chamber 44. The housing 38 supports the command piston 35 and the needle 36 to allow a reciprocating motion therein. The housing 38 and the command piston 35 enclose the control chamber 35 therebetween to define an outline thereof. High-pressure fuel is introduced through the fuel inflow passage 31 into the control chamber 33. The high-pressure fuel accumulated in the control chamber 33 is discharged through the fuel discharge passage 32. The fuel discharge passage 32 is blocked and opened by the control valve 34, which is actuated by an electric valve such as an electromagnetic valve. The nozzle chamber 44 is disposed around the needle 36, and a high-pressure fuel is supplied thereinto to push the needle 36 in a valve-opening direction.
As shown in FIG. 2A, when the injector 3 opens, the electromagnetic valve is turned on to draw up the control valve 34 to open the fuel discharge passage 32. Then, a piston control pressure Pcc, which is a pressure exerted by the high-pressure fuel in the control chamber 33 on the command piston 35 in an axial direction of the injector 3, decreases from a common rail pressure Pc to a valve-opening pressure Popn; thereby a conically-shaped needle head 36a lifts off the needle seat 45, which is formed in the housing, to start injecting the high-pressure fuel through the injection holes 46. It takes a time (hereinafter referred to as an injection start delay) Tds from turning on the electromagnetic valve to the fuel injection start by a decrease of the piston control pressure Pcc below the valve-opening pressure Popn.
That is, the command piston 35 receives the piston control pressure Pcc in a valve-closing direction (downward in FIG. 1). The needle 36 receives a counter-pressure Pc in a valve-opening direction (upward in FIG. 1). The counter-pressure Pc is approximately equal to the common rail pressure Pc. Thus, in order to start fuel injection by the injector 3, a pressure difference (Pc−Pcc) must be over a valve-opening pressure difference dP0. Thus, in order to start fuel injection by the injector 3, it is necessary to decrease the piston control pressure Pcc below the valve-opening pressure Popn so that the pressure difference dP0 (Pc−Pcc) becomes over the valve-opening pressure difference dP0.
In simple explanation to disregard a valve return force exerted by a valve return spring on the command piston 35 in the valve-closing direction, the piston control pressure Pcc exerts a valve-closing force on the command piston 35 as much as a product (Pcc×Scc) of the piston control pressure Pcc and a pressure-receiving area Scc on an upstream end face of the command piston 35. The counter-pressure Pcc exerts a valve-opening force on the command piston 35 as much as a product (Pc×Snc) of the counter-pressure Pc and a pressure-receiving area Snc on a downstream end face of the command piston 35. Thus, if manufacturing tolerances and/or secular changes occur in a diameter Dns of a needle seat portion 47, the pressure-receiving area Scc changes, thereby the above-described valve-opening force also changes. Specifically, the valve-opening pressure Popn decreases to Popn′ as shown in FIG. 2A. Accordingly, in order to start fuel injection by the injector 3, it is necessary to adjust the piston control pressure Pcc.
A change of the valve-opening pressure from Popn to Popn′ further changes the injection start delay from Tds to Tds′. That is, if the diameter Dns of the needle seat portion 47 includes a relatively large tolerance or error, the injection start delay changes from Tds to Tds′, so that a target injection amount Q0 and a target injection timing T0, which are calculated in accordance with a current driving condition, include errors to spoil a high accuracy in fuel injection deviated from ideal values thereof.
When the injector 3 is closed to stop fuel injection, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the needle head 36a is apart from the needle seat 45, so that the valve-closing timing is not deviated by a change of the diameter Dns of the needle seat portion 47. That is, the valve-closing timing is not affected by the manufacturing tolerances and/or secular changes occurring, which may occur in the diameter Dns of a needle seat portion 47.


A printer comprises a platen, a guide shaft extended in parallel to the platen, a carriage supported on and guided by the guide shaft for sliding movement along the platen, a wheel holder including a motor holder holding a print wheel driving motor and supported on the carriage, and a print wheel cassette held on the wheel holder. The motor holder is supported on the carriage so as to be swingable on the guide shaft or about an axis parallel to the guide shaft by a predetermined angle between a working position, adjacent to the platen to position the wheel cassette held on the wheel holder for a printing operation, and a releasing position distant from the platen to remove the wheel cassette from the wheel holder. The wheel holder is formed by bending a lower portion of the motor holder so that the wheel cassette is seated thereon. Elastic members are attached to the carriage so as to press the wheel cassette resiliently against the wheel holder when the wheel cassette is inserted in the wheel holder and the motor holder is set in place at the working position, so that the wheel cassette is restrained from free movement and vibration during printing operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer and, more particularly, to a wheel printer incorporating improvements for preventing free movement of a wheel case containing a print wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
A wheel printer is provided, as shown in FIG. 5, with a platen 20 extended in a horizontal position, a carriage 30 supported on a guide shaft 14 parallel to the platen 20, a guide member 15 for movement along the platen 20, and a wheel cassette 36 consisting of a print wheel 34 and a wheel case 35 containing the print wheel 34. The carriage 30 carries a type striking mechanism, not shown, a ribbon cassette 37, and a wheel holder for detachably holding the wheel cassette 36. Shown also in FIG. 5 are a side frame 11, a bottom plate 12, a carriage body 31, a ribbon guide 33 and a paper guide 32.
The wheel holder will be described. A motor holder 40 holding a wheel driving motor, not shown, is supported swingably on the guide shaft 14 by a connecting plate 41 fixed thereto. A spindle 45 is supported in a sleeve 44 fixed to the motor holder 40. A gear member 43 having a gear 43a engaging a driving gear fixed to the output shaft of the wheel driving motor is mounted fixedly on the spindle 45. The spindle 45 has an interlocking portion 46 that engages the center hole of the print wheel 34 in its free end. The motor holder 40 has a support wall 51 for supporting the wheel case 35 at its lower end, a holding wall 49 for pressing the wheel case 35 with a rubber presser 48 that comes into contact with the front surface of the wheel case 35, and positioning walls, not shown, to position the wheel case 35 with respect to the horizontal direction. The ribbon guide 33 has a contact protrusion 50 that touches an upper portion of the back surface of the wheel case 35. The carriage body 31 has a back wall 100 having a positioning portion 101. The support wall 51 of the motor holder 40 snaps over the positioning portion 101 when pivoted into a work position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5. The back surface of the wheel case 35 is spaced from the back wall 100 of the carriage body 31.
To enable the wheel cassette 36 to be inserted in and removed from the wheel holder, the motor holder 40 and the associated parts can be shifted between a working position indicated by dot-dash-dot lines in the lower portion of FIG. 5 to hold the wheel cassette 36 for printing and a releasing position indicated by alternate long and two short dashed lines in the upper portion of FIG. 5. The cassette shown in solid lines is shown in a partially inserted position. The motor holder 40 is turned away from the platen 20 by an angle of about 20.degree. on the guide shaft 14 to shift the same from the working position to the releasing position. The wheel cassette 36 can be inserted in or removed from the wheel holder with the motor holder 40 positioned at the releasing position. A plate spring 102 is attached to the lower end of the paper guide 32 to bias the wheel case 35 resiliently toward the motor holder 40 to restrain the wheel case 35 from free movement and vibration.
Without the plate spring 102, the wheel case 35 is caused to play or vibrate by vibrations generated by the rotation of the print wheel 34 and the movement of the carriage 30 because the upper portion of the wheel case 35 is held between the holding wall 49 and the contact protrusion 50, and a small gap is formed between the lower portion of the back surface of the wheel case 35 and the positioning portion 101 of the back wall 100.
Although the play and vibration of the wheel case 35 during printing operation can be prevented by the plate spring 102, the lower portion of the wheel cassette 36 is biased excessively toward the front, i.e., toward the motor holder 40, by the plate spring 102 as indicated by continuous lines in inserting the wheel cassette 36 in the wheel holder, and the upper end of the ribbon guide 33 touches the wheel case 35 as shown in FIG. 5 to impede the movement of the wheel cassette 36.

Printer having elastic wheel cassette holders


To provide a storage management device capable of performing restore at a high speed. In the storage management device that manages backup and restore of data stored in a storage device, a temporary restored image is created by applying each required delta image to the full backup image, a reverse delta image before the application of the applied delta image is created, and a number of delta application blocks concerning the applied delta image is recorded as cost information of applying delta. The delta backup restore unit determines a restore method by comparing a number of blocks, which is changed when restore is performed by applying each piece of the reverse delta image, with a number of blocks, which is changed when the restore is performed by applying each delta image, with reference to the cost information of applying delta.

It is related to a method of restoring a backup image, and in particular to a restore method for delta backup.
Generally, in information systems, data backup is performed for the quick recovery at the time of occurrence of faults. When a fault occurs in an information system, a user recovers the information system to its state before the fault occurrence by restoring a backup image at a specific point in time.
In particular, block-level delta backup is an effective way of backing up a large-capacity disk volume. In more detail, regarding such delta backup, a delta backup system is proposed which includes a storage device that is accessed in units of blocks having a predetermined size and stores data that is a target of backup, a latest update generation management mechanism that manages delta map information recording latest backup generations in which data in the respective blocks has been updated, and a delta management mechanism that receives data in each block in the storage system updated in a specified backup generation based on the delta map information and stores the data in the block, a position of the block in the storage system, and a backup generation, in which the block has been updated, in a backup device as a backup image. With this construction, it becomes possible to make backups in multiple generations only of each updated block on a disk, which increases the efficiency and reliability of backup work (refer to JP 09-101912 A).
Also, a technique is proposed with which at the time of backup of a shared disk, a cache control unit reflects data in a write cache of each computer in data on the shared disk, a copy management unit collectively copies data in multiple blocks of the shared disk to a backup medium, a block management unit and a group management unit list up each block that is a target of backup, and a log management unit saves a log of each computer on a log medium, thereby achieving efficient data backup (refer to JP 2001-290686 A).


A linear motion device includes a rod extending along a longitudinal axis, and a plurality of actuator units. Each of the plurality of actuator units includes at least one Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) element that is attached to a coupling mechanism. The at least one SMA element of each if the plurality of actuator units moves the coupling mechanism along the longitudinal axis, and into grasping engagement with the rod. Each actuator unit moves the rod a unit movement distance along the longitudinal axis in response to a control signal. The plurality of actuator units are actuated repeatedly in a cyclic order to move the rod in a continuous linear motion a distance greater than the unit movement distance of each of the plurality of actuator units.

Many linear actuators exist for moving a rod along a linear path. Some linear actuators utilize a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) element to linearly move the rod. The SMA element contracts in response to a control signal, such as an electric current to move the rod. When the electric current is interrupted, the SMA element cools, and returns, i.e., elongates to an initial, pre-contracted length. The length of the SMA element may decrease up to approximately 5% of the initial length of the SMA element during contraction. The actual decrease in length of the SMA element is dependent upon the heating temperature of the SMA element. Accordingly, the distance the SMA based linear actuators may move the rod is limited to approximately 5% of the length of the SMA element.

Shape memory alloy based linear actuator assembly


Electronic self-test and/or self-diagnostic systems particularly useful with emergency lighting fixtures, including exit signage having light emitting diodes as light sources and unit emergency fixtures powered with lead-acid batteries, the systems perform testing and diagnostic functions on the circuitry, power supply, charger and lamping of such fixtures either by manual or automatic initiation. Testing functions are provided through use of a programmable microprocessor, the diagnostic circuitry not only monitoring operation of charger/transfer circuitry but also controlling the charger/transfer circuitry to enable alternate strategies for alleviation of a given failure. In emergency mode of a light emitting diode exit sign, a microprocessor-controlled two-stage inverter is employed not only to power the LED light source, but also to efficiently power the microprocessor. Power to the microprocessor is controlled by the microprocessor itself and can therefore be discontinued after appropriate operation until mains power is restored, thereby effectively reducing power consumption to zero. System operation can be flexibly configured through use of a two-wire serial link between modular elements of the system. Incandescent emergency unit fixtures due to high drain rates and output loads require emergency mode operation through use of lead-acid batteries, thereby requiring voltage controlled charging and relay transfer, the self-test and/or self-diagnostic circuitry of the invention used with emergency unit fixtures thus differing in various respects from the circuitry employed for the LED exit signage fixtures and primarily in the need to measure both charge and discharge currents, the circuitry having a larger dynamic range in addition to a capability of measuring both positive and negative currents.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to emergency lighting systems normally operable from a mains power supply and configured to operate from an emergency power source on failure of mains power, the invention particularly relating to programmable self-test and/or self-diagnostic systems for emergency lighting fixtures and which are capable of manual or automatic performance of testing and diagnostic functions on the circuitry, power supply, charging system and lamping thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Emergency lighting systems have become ubiquitous due to code requirements, power typically being provided to emergency lighting systems under normal operating conditions by mains power supplied both to a normal AC ballast for light generation and to an emergency ballast for maintaining a charge on a power supply typically carried by the emergency lighting system, the power supply usually taking the form of an internal battery. Loss of line voltage results in the switching of the emergency ballast to power the lamping of the emergency lighting system through the emergency power supply, power being typically provided to the lamping for operation of the emergency lighting system for a relatively short period of time. Since the emergency lighting system is effectively in stand-by mode during normal operation thereof, periodic testing of the system is desirable in order to ensure proper functioning during emergency conditions, that is, loss of mains power. Conventionally, emergency lighting systems are tested by the active intervention of building maintenance personnel by manual operation of a test switch to simulate a power outage and to monitor the operation of the emergency lighting system. Neglect of testing procedures often occurs and results in detection of the failure of the emergency lighting system only when an emergency situation arises. In relatively recent years, automatic self-test and/or diagnostic circuitry for emergency lighting systems has become available. In such circuitry, an internal control system such as a microprocessor automatically causes a number of different tests to be conducted in sequence, such tests including detection of lamp current flow, power transfer from charger to battery and battery voltage. Failure conditions are typically indicated in such circuitry through illumination of a visual indicator such as a light emitting diode to indicate that maintenance is required. Systems monitored at central locations would also produce an indication of test failure on a computer display terminal at a central monitoring location. Systems capable of automatic testing include the supervisory emergency lighting system disclosed by Balcom et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,039, this patent also describing other emergency lighting systems having periodic testing and self-diagnostic capabilities. The supervisory system of Balcom et al continuously monitors selected parameters of an emergency lighting system and periodically tests the system under simulated full-load emergency conditions automatically. The Balcom et al system also includes a closed loop three-mode battery charging control circuit. Vosika et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,423, disclose a self-diagnostic circuit for an emergency lamp which includes a high-impedance circuit path connected in series with the lamp and including a visual indicator energized by battery current passing through the circuit path and lamp during standby mode operation. A second high impedance circuit path is connected in parallel with the lamp to energize a second visual indicator whenever proper electrical continuity does not exist through the lamp. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,029, McDonald automatically tests the emergency ballast of an emergency lighting system, testing functions being facilitated by providing the emergency ballast with a transistorized inverter cutoff unit.
While circuitry of the prior art provides improved testing and diagnosis of emergency lighting systems when compared to manual testing as has been standard in the art for many years, the art is improved by the present invention which provides a low power, low cost circuit board combining all functions of a self-test/self-diagnostic system with control of all diagnostic, charging and transfer functions through the use of software, a microprocessor so controlled not only monitoring operation of charger/transfer circuitry but also controlling the charger/transfer circuitry to enable alternate strategies for alleviation of a given failure. The present self-test and self-diagnostic circuitry is thus capable of optimal function at extraordinarily low cost, the present system thereby producing a valuable advance in the art.
The invention provides an emergency lighting fixture having both manual and automatic self-test/self-diagnostic capabilities and wherein all diagnostic, charging and transfer functions are controlled by a microprocessor operating with software instructions. Microprocessor control is accomplished without modification of standard charger, inverter and lamp topology such as are conventionally employed in emergency lighting systems now available in the marketplace. The present electronic self-test and/or self-diagnostic circuitry combines with an emergency lighting system to perform under manual or automatic control testing and diagnostic functions on the circuitry, power supply, charger and lamping of a fixture. The diagnostic circuitry of the invention not only monitors operation of charger/transfer circuitry but also controls such circuitry to enable implementation of alternate strategies for alleviation of a given failure. In an LED exit sign, for example, a two-stage inverter powers the light emitting diodes and is controlled by the microprocessor, the microprocessor being efficiently powered in inverter mode. Further, battery power supply to the microprocessor is controlled by the microprocessor and is discontinued after appropriate operation until primary power is restored. Configuration of the test and diagnostic system in an exit signage embodiment can occur through use of a two-wire serial link between modular elements of the system, allowing the system to be flexibly configured in a low power low cost circuit board, flexibility further being provided by separate treatment of lamping from charger and diagnostic electronics.
In the LED exit signage mode, the present diagnostic circuitry employs the two-stage inverter indicated herein as being controlled by a microprocessor to convert voltage from one or more cells to a higher voltage for driving a string of light emitting diodes such as form the lamping of the exit sign or the like, driving of the light emitting diodes being accomplished in a manner similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,639, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinto by reference. An EEPROM memory is used in this embodiment of the present system to set factory determined configuration parameters, thereby allowing accurate calibration without the need to use unreliable and costly potentiometers and further providing a field diagnostic log containing information relating to testing and diagnostic history. The LED exit signage embodiment of the present system further utilizes all solid state transfer switches for switching between emergency charging and diagnostic modes, this embodiment of the invention not utilizing relays and therefore using less power with more reliability than prior systems so configured. Since the microprocessor used according to the invention controls its own power supply and turns itself off once battery voltage has reached a low voltage disconnect threshold, very low power is consumed once the required emergency discharge is complete, a further benefit which allows the system to be shipped in this first embodiment without disconnecting the battery. Emergency lighting fixtures configured according to this first embodiment of the invention therefore do not require connection of the battery on site during installation, thereby reducing on-site installation time and possible error. System flexibility in the LED exit sign embodiment of the invention is maximized through use of a two-wire serial data interface providing linkage between elements of the system which can be modular in nature and include optional circuit boards to allow optional features to be readily added to the lighting system. Software controlling the microprocessor of the invention in the LED exit sign embodiment of the invention, drives a low cost battery maintenance algorithm through use of a simple shunt circuit to reduce battery trickle charge current once the battery is charged, battery life thus being prolonged.
A second embodiment of the invention capable of self-test and/or self-diagnosis of emergency unit lighting fixtures is necessitated by differences in the-basic load and battery chemistries which exist between normally incandescent emergency unit fixtures and emergency exit signage illuminated by an array of light emitting diodes. While the first embodiment of the invention finds primary use with exit signage illuminated by light emitting diodes, the second embodiment of the invention is used in emergency unit fixtures wherein sealed lead-acid batteries are normally used to provide power for direct current lamps when AC mains power fails. Typical drain rates in the emergency mode of operation in such emergency unit fixtures range from three to thirty amps depending upon the number of direct current lamps operated within the unit fixture. By comparison, battery drain rates required from an efficient light emitting diode exit sign is less than approximately 650 milligrams. Accordingly, LED exit signs can be operated in the emergency mode by one or more NiCd batteries using a relatively simple current control charger. The use of lead-acid batteries in emergency unit fixtures requires use of a voltage-control charger in order to maintain the batteries properly in the normal, non-emergency mode of operation. The need for sealed lead-acid batteries in emergency unit fixtures is accompanied by the need for temperature compensation of charger output voltage in order to maximize battery life over a range of operating temperatures.
As a second consideration for the need for the two embodiments of the invention, a large difference exists in output mode requirements between emergency exit signage and unit emergency fixtures. In the situation involving an exit sign illuminated by light emitting diodes, in particular, the load is small enough to be driven with a small boost converter circuit having a battery-drain rate of less than 650 milliamps. In emergency unit fixtures utilizing incandescent lamping in the emergency mode, output load of greater than three amps necessitate use of a relatively simple relay transfer circuit for the output load. A further complication of the increased output load in emergency unit fixtures dictates that diagnostic circuitry for unit fixtures requires a more complicated current sense circuit as opposed to a relatively simple shunt element, that is, a resistor, as is used in the exit sign which is capable of functioning with the first embodiment of the circuitry of the invention. The self-diagnostic aspect of the second embodiment of the invention requires the diagnostic circuitry to measure both charge and discharge currents, such diagnostic circuitry therefore requiring a large dynamic range and being capable of measuring both positive and negative currents.
The second embodiment of the invention which is particularly useful with emergency unit fixtures having incandescent lamping is capable of operation without the use of an inverter. Further, the second embodiment of the invention does not provide a zero power consumption feature as occurs with the first embodiment of the invention, it being necessary to ship emergency unit fixtures so configured with the battery disconnected. Still further, the emergency unit fixtures having the second embodiment of the diagnostic circuitry forming a portion thereof utilizes a relay to connect direct current lamps to lead-acid batteries during emergency mode operation. A relay can preferably be used when the system is configured with lead-acid batteries. The battery-charging algorithm used in the emergency unit fixture is also more complex than the algorithm employed in the first embodiment of the invention which is used with LED emergency exit signage. The more complex algorithm is necessary due to the differing charger topology, the emergency unit fixtures requiring a voltage-control charger while the LED exit signs utilize a relatively current-control charger using a shunt regulation topology.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide electronic self-test and/or self-diagnostic systems particularly useful with emergency lighting fixtures, the systems performing testing and diagnostic functions on the circuitry, power supply, charger and lamping of a fixture either by manual or automatic initiation.
It is another object of the invention to provide diagnostic circuitry for emergency lighting systems which not only monitor operation of charger/transfer circuitry but also control the charger/transfer circuitry to enable implementation of alternate strategies for alleviation of a given failure.
It is a further object of the invention to provide self-test/self-diagnostic emergency lighting fixtures configured in a low power, low cost circuit board with control of all diagnostic, charging and transfer functions by means of software, the system including a standard charger, an inverter or relay and standard lamp topology.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide in a first embodiment of self-test/self-diagnostic emergency lighting fixtures an inverter controlled by a microprocessor and converting voltage from one or more cells to a higher voltage to drive lamping such as a light emitting diode array as in an exit sign, inverter operation being fully microprocessor controlled.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide in a second embodiment of self-test/self-diagnostic emergency lighting fixtures a relay transfer circuit controlled by a microprocessor and a voltage-controlled charger for operation of emergency unit fixtures utilizing incandescent lamping, operation of the fixtures being microprocessor controlled.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Self-diagnostic circuitry for emergency lighting fixtures


The present disclosure discloses an apparatus. The apparatus according to the present disclosure may include a communication interface, one or more memories, and one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to: control the thin-film deposition devices to execute the thin-film deposition process by accessing the memory and executing a recipe; obtain in-process thin-film state data of the thin film from the thin-film measurement result received via the communication interface during the thin-film deposition process; and derive post-process thin-film state data of the thin film from the process condition data, the sensing data, and the in-process thin-film state data using a first correlation model.

A thin film may be deposited on a substrate (e.g., a wafer) accommodated in a process chamber through various thin-film deposition methods. With respect to a thin-film deposition process, data related to the deposition state of the thin film, the operating state of the thin-film deposition devices, and/or the process conditions of the thin-film deposition process may be collected. For example, data on the state of a thin film during a thin-film deposition process may be collected by, for example, electron diffraction measurement or X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The collected data may be used for various analysis such as checking the state of the thin film and changing the process condition.
The collected data may be analyzed by a human user. The user may interpret the collected data and may change the process conditions or the like based on the interpreted result. However, it may be difficult for the user to perform analysis on the thin film or the process considering the collected data comprehensively. This is because, in the thin-film deposition process, various thin-film deposition methods may be used, and the kinds of data collected about the thin-film deposition processes are also becoming increasingly large. The interfaces of the thin-film deposition devices, the measurement devices for measuring the state of thin films, and the sensors for sensing the state of thin-film deposition devices may also be different, and thus it may not be easy for the user to know all the interfaces. In addition, the analysis results on collected data may vary depending on the user's ability and expertise. Specifically, when the collected data is not in a quantitative form, the deviation between the users of the analysis results becomes larger, and the reliability of the analysis results may be significantly lowered.

Apparatus, method, and recording medium storing command for controlling thin-film deposition process


The invention is based on a method for controlling a flash unit in connection with a digital image sensor without a mechanical shutter, wherein the exposure of the image sensor is performed in sub-areas, such as pixel rows or columns, or in another order, by using a rolling electronic shutter or the like. Thus, the exposure of said sub-areas of the image sensor takes place at least partly at different times. According to the invention, during the time of exposure of one image, i.e. substantially all the sub-areas of the image sensor, several discrete, successive flashes of the flash unit are used to achieve even exposure of the image area, which the flashes are timed in such a way that each single flash is triggered at a point of time which is common to the integration or exposure time of as many successive sub-areas of the image sensor as possible. According to the invention, the successive light flashes are also timed in such a way that one and only one flash of the flash unit occurs during the integration or exposure time of each single sub-area. By the present invention, the significant advantage is attained that the invention minimizes the number of light flashes required for one image while it also secures that each sub-area of the sensor to be exposed at a different time is illuminated as evenly as possible.

Digital image sensors based on semiconductor technology, such as matrix sensors based on charge coupled devices (CCD) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, now make it possible to provide a large variety of devices with built-in imaging functions. Such image sensors are used e.g. in digital video and still cameras intended for consumers, as well as in various camera devices connected to computers, such as so-called network cameras. Thanks to their high degree of integration, compact size and low power consumption, particularly CMOS sensors are also very suitable for use in small-size portable devices, such as mobile stations and so-called personal data assistants (PDA).
Particularly in a situation in which a digital camera, i.e. a digital image sensor, is implemented in a device which is small in size (portable) and/or inexpensive in its sale price, it is important to implement the camera function with structures which are as simple as possible. The aim is thus to minimize the space taken by the camera in the device as well as the power consumption and the total manufacturing costs of the device.
One way to simplify the structure of the digital camera is to eliminate a separate, typically mechanically operated shutter which is used in front of the sensor matrix to control the exposure time. In such shutter-free digital cameras, the exposure time is controlled electronically by controlling the functions of the sensor matrix.
In the following, we shall briefly describe the operation of a CMOS sensor based on the use of an electronic shutter, as well as the problems caused by the use of the electronic shutter in practice.
To put it simply, the CMOS image sensor consists of a matrix of photo-sensitive pixels. When light strikes a single pixel, the pixel is charged with an electric charge which is proportional to the amount of incoming light and is further stored in or in connection with said pixel. To read the pixel value, the charge is converted by means of a charge amplifier to a voltage which is further conducted via an analog-to-digital (AD) conversion out of the image sensor.
The exposure time of a single pixel in the CMOS sensor consists of the time during which the pixel is allowed to integrate the electric charge formed by this incoming light. The integration or exposure time starts at the point of time when the previous charge contained in the pixel is first adjusted to zero by a reset function, and ends when the pixel charge is read by a sample function.
To achieve the best possible image quality, all the pixels of the image sensor should be exposed precisely at the same time. In other words, the above-described operations of resetting, integration and reading should be performed simultaneously for all the pixels in the matrix. However, this will result in a very complex structure of the sensor. Furthermore, the transfer of image information in serial and digital form out of the sensor circuit should use a considerably large bandwidth.
Thus, for the above-mentioned reasons, the solution commonly used is to process a CMOS matrix sensor row by row, i.e. to perform the operations of resetting, integration and reading for one pixel row of the matrix at a time. This makes the sensor structure considerably simpler, and thus also the transfer of the image information out of the sensor circuit will take place naturally in serial form, row by row, wherein the requirements set for the image information transfer rate are easier.
However, the row-by-row processing has the drawback that the different rows of the matrix sensor are now exposed at slightly different times. FIG. 1 shows, in principle, the row-by-row processing of the image sensor and its effect on the exposure of the different rows of the sensor.
To start the integration or exposure time of the rows, the rows are reset one by one with a reset function (R). To keep the exposure times of the rows mutually equal, the resetting (R) of successive rows takes place at the same rate at which the rows will be read with the sample function (S) at a later stage. The period of time between the resetting operations (R) of two successive rows is called row processing time (RP). The minimum value for the row processing time (RP) is determined by the rate at which the sensor circuit can transfer image information out of the circuit. Consequently, the row processing time (RP) also indicates the time which is taken between the sample operations (S) of two successive rows.
The row integration or exposure time (RI) can now be formed of suitable multiples of the row processing time (RP) in such a way that the exposure time (RI) is kept equal for all the rows. In the example of FIG. 1, the time selected for the exposure time is 10× the processing time (RP). After the first row (row 0) has integrated light for said exposure time (RI), the system contained in the circuit will read and convert the image information of the pixels of said row into digital format and output it from the circuit. After this, the image information contained in the next rows in the order will be read and outputted in a corresponding way.
As shown in FIG. 1, image information will not be outputted from the sensor circuit before the point of time T2, because the integration time (RI) of the first row 0 has not expired yet. It can be seen from FIG. 1 that during the period between the points of time T1 and T2, there is a period which is common to the exposure of the rows 0 to 4 but is still shorter than the total exposure time (RI) of a single row. However, for example row 0 and row 11 are exposed at a totally different time. Consequently, the difference in the time of exposure is greatest between the first row 0 and the last row n−1 of the sensor.
Consequently, the exposure/integration times (RI) of adjacent rows of the image sensor, to be processed one after the other, are partly overlapping, but the exposure/integration takes place clearly at different times in rows which are far from each other, for example at the upper and lower edges of the sensor.
Row-by-row processing of the image area in the above-described manner is known from prior art as a rolling electronic shutter or as a rolling window shutter.
When the object to be imaged is substantially immovable in relation to the camera or in a slow motion in relation to the processing time of the whole image area (all the rows), and when the lighting is constant with respect to time, the rolling electronic shutter will not cause considerable harm to the imaging and to the image quality.
However, in a situation in which an electronic flash unit (flash unit) is used for illuminating the object during the imaging, considerable problems will be caused to the image quality by the exposure of the sensor rows at different times. The reason for this is that because of the short flash time specific to the flash unit, the illumination produced by the flash unit will significantly change the time when the whole image area of the sensor is exposed/processed.
For example, the duration of a flash in flash units based on a discharge tube, used in pocket cameras or the like, typically varies from some test of microseconds to some hundreds of microseconds. Correspondingly, in a CMOS sensor with VGA resolution (640×480 pixels), to be processed row by row, the processing of the whole image area typically takes several tens of milliseconds when a rolling electronic shutter is used. Now, as the flash of the flash unit is considerably shorter than the processing of the whole image area, this will cause that different rows of the sensor will be exposed in significantly different ways when the flash unit is used, and therefor, the quality of the images taken with the flash unit is impaired.

Control of a flash unit in a digital camera


The invention relates to a device for connecting body tissues with a head part, which has a longitudinal axis and can be pushed into a body opening, wherein a plurality of tissue staples are accommodated in the head part in a storage position which tissue staples consist of a linear main section and two engagement sections projecting perpendicularly therefrom and are each aligned in a first plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Optimal usability in the human body is achieved in that a hydraulic cylinder and/or a cylinder rod are at least partially arranged in the interior of the space which lies between the engagement sections of the tissue staples in the storage position, and preferably that the cylinder rod is firmly connected to a slider.

The present invention relates to a device for connecting body tissues, having a head part with a longitudinal axis which can be pushed into a body opening, wherein, in the head part, a plurality of tissue staples are accommodated in a storage position, which consist of a linear main section and two engagement sections projecting perpendicularly therefrom and which are each aligned in a first plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
It is known in medicine to close wounds with tissue staples, which are inserted into the skin in the area of the wound edges and then deformed in order to fix the wound edges against each other. Devices have been developed to carry out this process, which are generally referred to as staplers. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,926 A, EP 1 695 668 A or EP 0 354 724 B, for example. Typically, several tissue staples are stacked in a magazine, similar to paper staples. Before use, the foremost tissue staple is turned into a position in which it can be advanced and inserted into the skin.
The present invention relates to devices suitable for connecting sections of body tissue of the type described above, with the difference, however, that the device is sufficiently small and compact to be inserted into artificial or natural body openings in order to connect body tissue inside the body. It therefore relates to the use in endoscopic or laparoscopic interventions. The particular requirement is therefore to design the device with the smallest possible cross-section, to safely apply the necessary actuating forces and to guarantee a high level of reliability, since direct visual and tactile control is not possible in this form of application.
Various devices for connecting body tissues inside the body have become known. However, these devices are complex to use and often only suitable for special applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An alumina film, a silicon oxide film, and a silicon nitride film formed on a substrate containing a large amount of alumina are etched by using an etching material in which the concentration of ammonium fluoride, which is a component of BHF, is set low. Etching is performed by using an etching material that is an aqueous solution produced by mixing hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and water at a weight ratio of x:y:(100-x-y) where x and y satisfy a relationship y<-2x+10 (0<x.ltoreq.5, 0<y.ltoreq.10). 50% hydrofluoric acid on the market and 40% aqueous solution of ammonium fluoride are used.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of removing an insulating film or a protective film formed on wirings in a producing method of forming semiconductor devices such as thin film transistors (TFTs) and thin film diodes (TFDs) on an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate or other various substrates, or of forming a thin film integrated circuit, particularly an active matrix liquid crystal display device, using such semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display devices are used in many TV sets, word processors, etc. as thin and light weight display devices. In particular, active matrix liquid crystal display devices in which a thin film transistor (TFT) and other elements are formed at each display pixel by utilizing the producing technology of integrated circuits such as ICs and LSIs are expected as liquid crystal display devices capable of displaying superior images.
As the area of active matrix display devices using TFTs is increased, they are required to have small wiring resistance. The resistance of chromium (Cr) which has conventionally been used for a wiring is high. In general, when a low-temperature-processing polycrystalline silicon thin film, which is superior in high speed operation to an amorphous silicon thin film, is used as a semiconductor layer, since a producing process includes a doping process and a laser irradiation process, it is an important point whether gate electrode-wirings are sufficiently durable in such process.
Anodized aluminum is promising as a material that satisfies such conditions as low resistance and superior process durability.
FIGS. 1A-1D show a producing process for forming an electrode or wiring 11 containing mainly aluminum on a desired base member (object) such as an insulator, an insulating film, or a semiconductor.
In FIG. 1A, an electrode or wiring 11 containing mainly aluminum is formed on a base member 10 by sputtering, evaporation or the like. An oxidized aluminum layer (oxide layer) 12 is then formed on the aluminum surface by anodization in an electrolytic solution using the electrode or wiring 11 as an anode. The oxide layer 12 is used to improve a withstanding voltage or form offset gate regions of a TFT. In FIG. 1B, after the formation of the oxide layer 12, a silicon oxide or silicon nitride film is formed as an interlayer insulating film 13.
Since it is necessary to form a wiring for contact to the electrode or wiring 11, a hole portion 15 is formed by forming a desired mask 14 (usually a resist is used) and then etching a part of the electrode or wiring 11 with an etchant (etching material) such as buffer hydrofluoric acid (BHF), as shown in FIG. 1C. After the formation of the hole 15, the mask 14 is removed and a desired metal wiring 16 as a contact to the electrode or wiring 11 is deposited by evaporation or sputtering. (FIG. 1D).
Usually, an active matrix liquid crystal display device has a configuration in which a liquid crystal material is held between two glass substrates and TFTs are formed on one of the glass substrates. One of the conditions required for the substrate on which the TFTs are to be formed is a low degree of alkali metal dissolving. This is because if a substrate, such as a soda lime glass, containing a large amount of Na, K, etc. is used, alkali metals such as Na and K are dissolved during formation of a TFT substrate, so that the TFT characteristics are much deteriorated. For this reason, low alkali glass is generally used which contains a small amount of alkali metals.
Another condition is that contraction of a substrate which occurs after a heat treatment of the TFT substrate formation process is small. This is because if contraction of a substrate is large after a heat treatment, it becomes difficult to position alignment marks of a patterning mask in a subsequent photolithography process. In the photolithography process, a maximum allowable value of alignment mark deviation due to substrate contraction is 2 .mu.m or less. This value corresponds to changes in 20 ppm and 4 ppm in the case of substrates of 100 mm square and 500 mm square, respectively. In a process of producing a TFT substrate, a heat treatment of 350.degree. C. and 3 hours is needed for an amorphous silicon TFTs and a heat treatment of 600.degree. C. and 4 hours is needed for low-temperature-processing polycrystalline silicon TFTs. Glass substrates satisfying the above conditions for such a heat treatment are needed.
Examples of glass materials that satisfy the conditions of (1) a low alkali content and (2) superior heat resistance and that are now used in active matrix liquid crystal display devices are #7059 and #1737 of Corning Glass Works and NA45 of Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. In particular, #1737 is promising as a substrate having a small contraction amount after a heat treatment because it has a higher strain point than other glass materials. Although aluminum can be anodized easily, it is difficult to remove an aluminum oxide by etching.
Conventionally, etching removal of an aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) film, is generally performed by using a phosphoric acid solution containing chromic acid anhydride. (See "Testing method of thickness of anodic oxide coatings of aluminum and aluminum alloys" of JIS H8680 and "Anodizing process standard of aluminum and aluminum alloys" of JIS H9500.) However, there remain many problems in terms of productivity, partly because chromic acid is a pollution-causing substance and therefore it requires cumbersome waste liquid processing.
Thus, as an alumina etching method not using chromic acid, there has been studied a method of using BHF in which 50%-hydrofluoric acid on the market and 40%-ammonium fluoride are mixed with each other at a ratio of 1:6 to 1:100 or BHF containing acetic acid (ABHF). BHF is usually used to etch a silicon oxide film etc. and ammonium fluoride is added to prevent resist peeling. However, the use of these etchants causes deposition of regular and rectangular crystals of 1 to 20 .mu.m in size on an alumina surface. As a result, alumina in deposition portions is not etched at the same rate as that in the other portions, thereby leaving protrusions. This makes it difficult to form stable semiconductor circuits partly because of poor conditions of films formed thereon.
The use of BHF or ABHF causes deposition of regular and rectangular crystals of 1 to 20 .mu.m in size on the surface of the above #1737 substrate, which is thereby clouded. However, when etching is performed with conventional BHF, this phenomenon is not found in the above #7059 substrate, which is commonly used as a substrate for low-temperature-processing TFTs.
To consider a cause of the above phenomenon, Table 1 shows compositions of #7059 and #1737.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Compositions of low alkali glass substrates (%) #7059 #1737 ______________________________________ SiO.sub.2 47.7 57.3 BaO 9.9 9.9 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 11.7 16.7 B.sub.2 O.sub.3 13.3 7.6 CaO <0.1 4.2 SrO <0.1 1.8 MgO <0.1 0.7 NaO <0.1 <0.1 Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 <0.1 <0.1 K.sub.2 O <0.1 <0.1 ______________________________________
As seen from Table 1, #1737 has a larger content of alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) than #7059. Taking into consideration the fact that the similar phenomenon occurs in etching an alumina film, protrusions are considered to occur at portions containing a large amount of alumina.
No protrusions occur if DHF, which is produced by diluting hydrofluoric acid with pure water by a factor of 10 to 100, is used as an etchant instead of the above BHF. Since a ratio of an etching rate of DHF to alumina/aluminum of gate wiring is 1 to 2, it can sufficiently be used to form a contact hole by time control. However, it has been impossible to use DHF in a TFT substrate producing process because of resist peeling from a substrate during etching.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A pulser driver assembly of a measurement-while-drilling tool that includes an improved flow switch is disclosed. The flow switch uses multiple accelerometers of different types that measure acceleration changes in a system. The accelerometer data is then filtered and processed by an onboard microcontroller. The filtered data is then passed to a fuzzy logic voting algorithm which systematically and robustly characterizes the signal, and identifies the flow state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measurement-while-drilling and logging-while-drilling technologies used in the oil and gas industry, and more specifically to downhole mud pulse telemetry assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
In downhole drilling operations, tools are lowered deep into the ground to perform various functions, such as drilling, measuring related data, and logging the data. Measurement-while-drilling allows for the surface acquisition of downhole data during drilling. Boreholes may be thousands of feet in length, and may encompass different geological rock formations. Due to the length of the drill string, communication between surface equipment and downhole tools is limited during drilling applications. In modern measurement-while-drilling systems, information is telemetered to the surface primarily through either mud pulse, electromagnetic, or acoustic telemetry systems. These telemetry systems may transmit data regarding the location, orientation, and inclination of the drill string, the type of rock formation that is being drilled, the rotational speed of the drill string, etc.
Mud pulse telemetry systems are commonly used to communicate between a downhole tool and the uphole operator during drilling applications. Data to be transmitted is encoded into a predetermined encoding scheme. In mud pulse telemetry systems, a pulser is used to generate surges, or pulses, in the drilling fluid, generically known as mud, which is flowing through the drill string. The pulser generates pressure pulses by constricting a flow path in the fluid in the borehole. The constrictions are created and then released in the drill string with a specific timing to generate patterns to encode data based on the timing of the pressure pulses.
A common type of pulser is a hydraulic, or tensor, pulser. In a hydraulic pulser, pulser driver circuitry activates a solenoid. The solenoid actuation causes a poppet valve to open, which causes a signal shaft to move and create another restriction at the bottom of the tool. This restriction causes a pulse to be generated through the fluid.
The pressure pulses propagate through the fluid from the downhole tool to the surface. Pressure sensitive transducers at the surface can detect the encoded pulses and decode the pulses to arrive at the original data. The real time capture and transmission of data allows operators at the surface to make real time decisions regarding drilling operations. The mud pulse telemetry communication may be bidirectional, and surface equipment may generate pulses that are telemetered downhole to steer or control a downhole drill string.
Mud pulse telemetry systems must have fluid flowing through the system in order to generate pressure pulses and telemeter data. In order to sense whether drilling fluid is being circulated, vibration sensitive devices are incorporated into the pulser driving circuitry. These vibration sensitive devices, generically known as flow switches, send a signal to the measurement-while-drilling control circuitry, generically known as the microprocessor unit (MPU), when the flow state changes from off to on.
For the effective operation of downhole tools, accurate and robust flow switches are essential. Mud pulse telemetry tools operate on battery power, so unnecessary triggering of the pulser should be avoided to conserve power. Further, without flow switches to accurately determine the flow state, the pulser could trigger without fluid flow and fail to convey a pulse to the surface, resulting in the potential loss of encoded data. The following invention relates to the development of a "smart" flow switch which implements algorithms to accurately and robustly determine the flow state.


According to the invention it was unexpectedly found that budesonide can be used for the treatment of cholestatic liver diseases such as PBC, PSC and AC. In particular budesonide is highly effective when administered together with ursodeoxycholic acid.

Pharmaceutical compositions comprising immuno suppressives, e.g. corticosteroids such as prednisolone or budesonide are well known for the treatment of hepatic diseases (Danielsson et al., Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther., 1994, 8, 585-590). Different in many aspects from other hepatic diseases, however, are, cholestatic diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune cholangitis (AC). It was the general belief in the art that the therapy with such immuno suppressives is not promising for the treatment of cholestatic diseases.
In particular, there were controlled clinical investigations whether prednisolone can be used for the treatment of PBC (Mitchison et al., Hepatology, 1989, 4, 420-429; Mitchison et al., Journal of Hepatology, 1992, 15, 336-344), however, the therapy with prednisolone is controversially discussed. The activity of prednisolone is not without doubt and, furthermore, severe side effects were observed. For this reason, up to now a therapy of PBC, PSC and AC with glucocorticoids was not considered being helpful (Paumgartner & Beuers, In: Falk Symposium 87, Acute and chronic liver diseases, 1996, 96-106; Rasenack and Gerok in Hepatologie (Ed. Gerok & Blum), 1995, page 435 and 439; Praktische Gastroenterologie, (Ed. Layer et al.), 1996, 397-398).
Therefore, for the treatment of cholestatic liver diseases there was up to now no alternative to a therapy with ursodeoxycholic acid which may not completely heal the disease but impressively alleviates the symptoms of the disease and improves the laboratory values (The new England Journal of Medicine, 1991, 1548; Seminars in Liver Disease, Volume 11, No. 1, 1991, 56; Gastroenterology 97, 1989, 1268; Internist, 35, 1994, 1147 and Journal of Hepatology, 21, 1994, 624-633).
Despite the fact that treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid alleviates the symptoms of the cholestatic liver diseases to some degree, there is still need in the art for further pharmaceutical compositions and methods for improving the treatment of cholestatic liver diseases, in particular of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune cholangitis (AC).

Budesonide alone or in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid in the therapy of cholestatic liver diseases


A carriage suspension system for use with a lift truck having a tractor, a mast including a vertical track and a carriage suspended from the track for movement therealong. The carriage is raised and lowered via chains, one end of each chain being secured via a compressible spring which isolates the carriage from tractor vibrations and oscillations. The track restricts lateral carriage movement.

The present invention relates to lift trucks generally and more specifically to a suspension system which isolates a vertically raisable lift carriage from other truck components.
Most lift trucks include a lift carriage mounted to a mast which is in turn mounted to a tractor. The tractor includes a plurality of wheels which facilitate horizontal truck movement within the factory, warehouse, or the like. The mast includes a mainframe attached to the tractor and may include one or more telescopics. Generally, trucks that service shelves at greater heights will use one, two and sometime three telescopics to extend the maximum elevated fork height without substantially increasing the fully lowered height of the truck. In all cases, the carriage is mounted to the innermost telescopic. The mast also includes one or more ram/chain mechanisms which facilitate vertical movement of the carriage. Typically the carriage will be mounted to the track of the mainframe or telescopic for movement therealong. The lower end of the ram will be mounted in a fixed position to the mainframe or telescopic. The ram includes a pulley mechanism at its upper end. A chain connected at a first end to an anchor which is fixed in a single position with respect to the mainframe or telescopic, extends upwardly over the pulley mechanism and is connected to the carriage at a second end. To raise the carriage with the load, the ram is extended. Because the first end of the chain is fixed, when the ram is extended, the chain's second end is raised, lifting the carriage.
If the vehicle contains no telescopics, the carriage will be mounted to the track of the mainframe for movement therealong and the base of the ram will be mounted to the mainframe. If the vehicle contains a single telescopic, the pulley mechanism described above will also be attached to the telescopic for vertical movement thereof. The carriage will be mounted to the track of the telescopic for movement therealong and the telescopic will be mounted to the track of the mainframe for movement therealong. The base of the ram and the first end of the chain will be fixed to the mainframe. If the vehicle includes two telescopics, the first telescopic is typically raised in a manner similar to the above using one or more additional ram/chain mechanisms.
In this case the ram(s) which elevates the carriage is fixed to the telescopic to which the carriage is mounted.
In all of the above configurations, the dimensions of the components are chosen so that throughout the full range of vertical motion of the carriage, including the fully lowered position, the total carriage weight is suspended by the aforementioned ram/chain mechanism.
In modern lift truck applications it is desirable to elevate to increasingly greater heights. As is well known in the industry, a rigid mast and tractor are desirable to retain stability at the greater heights. Unfortunately, a stiff mast and tractor system can permit the transmission of severe vibrations and oscillations to the carriage. This is because the truck described above does not isolate the carriage from truck vibrations which, in many cases, are magnified as they are transmitted through the truck. This later phenomenon is particularly true where the vibrations are at the same frequency as a natural oscillating frequency of the truck.
One common carriage attachment is a lift fork including two or more horizontal lifting arms. The arms or forks can be slid under a load and raised via the carriage. In this case if the carriage vibrations are sufficient, a load on the forks can shift. A shifted load can at least contribute to a perception of instability which will cause an operator to slow the operation of the truck, thereby reducing the overall productivity.
Another common carriage attachment is an operator's carriage. For this reason, vibrations are often transmitted to the operator's carriage and tend to cause operator discomfort.
Moreover, because the ram/chain mechanism is rigid, the ram/chain components are subjected to extreme stress each time the truck is used which reduces the useful life of the components.
The industry has generally recognized operator discomfort and load carrying problems due to truck vibrations during operation and has attempted to solve these problems in a number of different ways. One solution has been to provide a better wheel suspension system. Unfortunately, better suspension systems can further decrease truck stability. For example, wheel deflections can cause a truck to "rock" laterally. This is particularly problematic when a load is suspended at extended elevated heights or when the truck is operating in a very narrow aisle, which is often the case.
Another solution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,383 which teaches a leaf spring mounted fork, the fork freely and pivotally suspended from a single central spring section to permit "lateral sway" and "lateral resiliency". Unfortunately, while lateral sway may be important in the environment contemplated by the '383 system (i.e. severely uneven terrain in the lateral dimension where one of more wheels may be independently lifted off the ground and the load is relatively low at all times), in the present case, lateral sway cannot be tolerated. In the warehouse environment where aisles are narrow, tractor wheels are relatively close together and the carriage is often disposed along an upper section of the mast, lateral sway causes lateral truck instability which can result in collisions between the carriage and warehouse fixtures. In addition, the '383 system is relatively complex and there fore would be expensive to manufacture.
Another solution has been to provide foam or rubber floor mats inside an operator's station. This solution, however, can only isolate an operator from high frequency vibrations and, it has been found, can exacerbate transmission of low frequency vibrations. In addition, this solution does not eliminate or reduce vibration transmission to the fork and load.
Yet one other solution has been to mechanically isolate the operator platform floor. Unfortunately, this solution also has a number of shortcomings. Once again, solutions of this type are typically expensive. In addition, to effectively isolate an operator in this manner requires a substantial suspended floor which can result in relative motion between an operator and truck controls. Moreover, even if a suspended floor can be designed which effectively isolates an operator from truck vibrations, such isolation does not eliminate load and fork vibrations.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a system for use with a lift truck which isolates a lift carriage from tractor vibrations which is simple to manufacture, inexpensive, stable, and durable.


A washing machine and a controlling method thereof are provided. The washing machine and controlling method use a sensor to sense a load of laundry at a predetermined point during a wash cycle, and controls the rotating speed of a drum based on whether the sensed load of laundry is a small load or a single article, in order to untangle laundry and implement a spin cycle.

A washing machine is a washing apparatus that uses the driving force of a motor to spin a rotating tub and pulsator during wash, rinse, and spin cycles. After wash liquid and laundry are disposed inside the rotating tub, they are churned, so that the friction between the laundry, the wash liquid, and the inside of the rotating tub washes the laundry.
Such washing machines are divided into pulsator, agitator, and drum-type washing machines.
A drum-type washing machine disposes detergent and wash liquid together with a load of laundry inside a wash drum, and rotates the same by means of driving force from a drive unit, so that friction between the rotating wash drum and the laundry washes the laundry, with a minimum of damage incurred to the laundry, less tangling of the laundry, and provision of hand-washed results.
However, in the related art, the drum accelerates linearly to a preset rpm, instability is sensed when the preset rpm is reached, and then a spin cycle is begun. In such a method of linearly increasing rpms until a preset rpm value is reached, a problem arises during the spin cycle when the load of laundry is small. That is, because a small load of laundry will be insufficiently untangled, it will be sensed as a single article of laundry, so that the starting point of the spin cycle will be delayed, resulting in an improper starting of the spin cycle.

Washing machine and controlling method of the same


A light emitting device, includes: a light source to emit source light; a first wavelength conversion portion to absorb the source light and to emit first light having a wavelength different from a wavelength of the source light; a light transmitting portion provided at an opposite side of the first wavelength conversion portion from the light source and configured to transmit the source light and the first light; and a second wavelength conversion portion provided at an opposite side of the light transmitting portion from the first wavelength conversion portion and configured to absorb at least one of the source light and the first light to emit second light having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the source light and also different from a wavelength of the first light. Part of the source light is configured to be taken to an outside of the light emitting device without passing through at least one of the first wavelength conversion portion and the second wavelength conversion portion.

This invention relates to a light emitting device and a method for manufacturing the same.
Attention has been focused on white-light emitting devices with high efficiency and high luminous flux, which use light emitting elements such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). In such a light emitting device, for example, violet to blue light rays emitted from LEDs are wavelength-converted by fluorescent materials to generate light of other colors and thus obtain white light.
A technique has been disclosed in which a green fluorescent material layer is stacked with a red fluorescent material layer in such a light emitting device to improve the color rendering index (for example, refer to JP-A 2007-80872 (Kokai)). However, even with this technique, improvement in luminous efficiency is not enough, and accordingly further improvement can be expected.

Light emitting device and a method for manufacturing the same


A gastrointestinal-type tube insertion or removal device includes a body portion, a finger grip portion secured to an end of the body portion, and arm lifts secured to an end of the body portion opposite the finger grip portion. One or more optional stabilizing lifts may likewise be secured to the insertion or removal device in close proximity to the arm lifts. Also methods of using the gastrointestinal-type tube insertion or removal device are described for inserting or removing a skin level gastrointestinal-type tube.

Low profile gastrointestinal tubes are frequently used for long term tube fed patients who are ambulatory and/or in a combative state and require a smaller, more "manageable" gastrostomy device. These smaller, more manageable devices presently utilize two different types of internal retention bolsters each of which attach to a distal end of the gastrointestinal tube to hold and affix a hollow organ of choice, e.g. the stomach, against the posterior abdominal wall. The hollow organ is so affixed by capturing the organ wall and abdominal wall between an internal retention bolster and an external retention skin disc each of which are attached to opposite ends of a gastrointestinal tube. The gastrointestinal tube is preferably of a short length slightly greater than the combined thicknesses of the abdominal and organ walls. The first type of internal retention bolster of the two types available remains the dominant type on the market and utilizes a deformable obturatable retention bolster to secure the gastrointestinal tube within the organ of choice. The method of using this type of obturatable retention bolster consists of inserting an obturator rod into the lumen of the gastrointestinal tube to abut or engage the distal end of the bolster and mechanically elongate and thereby slenderize the silicone, latex or polyurethane bolster to a size about that of the diameter of the tube. Such slenderization of the bolster allows safe insertion or removal of the tube and bolster into or from an established, matured stoma.
The second type of internal retention bolster utilizes an elastomeric, e.g. silicone, latex, polyurethane, or the like, balloon which is affixed at the distal tip of the gastrointestinal tube. The elastomeric balloon can be inflated and deflated from the proximal, external retention end. The balloon type retention gastrointestinal tubes are often unreliable in nature because the thin membranes of the balloons have a tendency to breakdown if used in a gastric environment. The present invention preferably relates to the first type of low profile gastrostomy device which uses an obturatable retention bolster for affixing the organ of choice.
Obturatable retention bolsters are currently the most common means used to secure low profile skin level gastrointestinal tubes in a matured stoma. However, due to the fact that the tubes are precisely sized to fit the exact depth of the stoma, placement can be both difficult and dangerous. The desirable short length of the skin level gastrointestinal tube makes it very difficult to place. Prior to the present invention, in order to properly place a tube, two fingers had to be placed under the external retention skin disc while pressing the proximal end of the obturator with the thumb. In so doing, the obturator fully obturates and elongates the obturatable retention bolster secured to the distal end of the tube and in communication with the distal end of the obturator. While obturating and elongating the bolster to slenderize the same, the bolster must be pushed into and through the stoma. For proper gastrostomy tube placement, the entire internal retention bolster, obturated to a slenderized configuration, must be completely within an organ such as the stomach prior to deactivating the obturation mechanism. The obturation mechanism is deactivated by withdrawing the obturator to allow the internal retention bolster to assume its preset enlarged shape. However, because the tube length between the distal retention bolster and the external retention skin disc is so closely matched to the thicknesses of the organ and abdominal walls, little extra room remains for manipulation thereof with two or more fingers inserted between the skin and the external skin disc. Thus, a tremendous amount of force must be placed on the tube or catheter and on the patient's abdomen for proper placement. Such a tremendous force is required for placement in order to ensure that the internal retention bolster is completely within the organ prior to deactivating the obturator and allowing the slenderized internal retention bolster to assume its natural enlarged shape.
Since this tube placement procedure is usually performed by "blind" bedside placement without x-ray or endoscopic confirmation, there have been deaths and other serious complications reported where the internal retention bolster was allowed to expand before it was fully within the desired organ. Premature expansion of the retention bolster allows the organ, such as the stomach to separate from the abdomen and in such a case allows nutritional formula, gastric contents and/or air to be delivered into the peritoneum.
The short length of skin level gastrointestinal tubes, which inherently lack space between the internal bolster and the external skin disc for manipulation thereof, has also hindered and sometimes prevented clinicians from using the obturator to re-slenderize the bolster prior to removal of the tube. In such a situation, forceful traction has been utilized to forcefully overcome the resistance of the internal bolster to deform the bolster as it is forced through the stoma to remove the catheter from the patient. Forcefully pulling out a gastrointestinal tube with traction rather than by means of re-obturation with this type of large internal retention bolster is both painful and damaging to the integrity of the matured stoma site.
A method and apparatus that would facilitate obturation of the gastrointestinal-type tube for more reliable insertion and removal thereof would be desirous. Such a device would serve to decrease stress on the stoma, decrease pain experienced by the patient upon removal of the tube, and help prevent leakage of fluids such as stomach acids from around the stoma which result from improper placement of the gastrostomy device upon insertion.

Gastrointestinal-type tube insertion or removal device


A network facsimile device capable of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) receiving, via a network, electronic mail (email) to which facsimile image data is attached, the network facsimile device includes domain registration means for registering a domain of an address of the network facsimile device, and email address registration means for registering a plurality of email addresses indicating the network facsimile device. The network facsimile device receives email when an address attached to such email is the network facsimile device domain and is one of the plurality of email addresses registered in the email address registration means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a local area network facsimile device having the capability to send and receive electronic mail (email) via a local area network (LAN) or the internet as well as the capability to send and receive facsimile data via a public network as part of the facsimile transmission process.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
A conventional network facsimile device, also known as a network fax, connects to the internet and is communications capable. In addition to having the capability to transmit facsimiles via a public network as part of the facsimile transmission process, such a network facsimile device also has an address conversion table, in which sub-address data received through the facsimile transmission process and network addresses that correspond to the sub-address data are matched and stored. Accordingly, the network facsimile device can take image data received via the public network and transmit, via a LAN, to a communications terminal of the network address corresponding to the sub-address data sent to the network facsimile device from the sender's communications terminal at the time the image data was transmitted. Additionally, if the LAN that is connected to the network facsimile device is further connected to the internet, then the aforementioned network facsimile device can send and receive image data and email to and from other communications terminals connected to a different LAN, via the LAN, internet or intranet, as the case may be.
For example, if the type of transmission used in the aforementioned network facsimile device is the so-called store and forward type, then transmission data from the sender's network facsimile device is temporarily stored in the buffer memory of a mail server such as a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server where an error check is performed, after which the transmission data is forwarded onward.
As electronic mail reception protocols, there exist that protocol in which email is received directly from the aforementioned SMTP server as well as the so-called Post Office Protocol, or POP, in which email is periodically retrieved from a POP server. When using POP as the email reception protocol, the email address is registered in the facsimile terminal. From among the mail delivered to the aforementioned mail server a user then receives that which matches the user's own email address.
By contrast, a facsimile terminal that uses SMTP as the mail reception protocol, although there is a possibility that email other than that having the email address that is registered in the facsimile terminal may be sent thereto, reception of email other than that of the terminal setting email is restricted.
It should be noted that Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-41275, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-234328 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-261628 teach that which is related to the above-described types of devices.
Thus, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-41275 discloses a method in which, of the registered addresses used to send and receive email, those that are unneeded are automatically deleted. Similarly, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-234328 discloses a method for sending and receiving email when connected to a mail server or accessing a home page. Likewise, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-261628 discloses a method for confirming that email has been sent after sending or receiving email via SMTP.
However, the above-described conventional art entails a drawback. Specifically, when receiving electronic mail using SMTP, it is not possible to register a plurality of email addresses in the network facsimile device's own domain. As a result, even when a plurality of users use the same network facsimile device, that network facsimile device is unable to receive email having an address different from the one email address for that device, which is inconvenient.