The invention relates to a sealing ring and an atomizer in an electronic cigarette. The sealing ring comprises a bottom cover portion, an outer wall portion which is perpendicular to the plane of the bottom cover and is extended axially from the periphery of the bottom cover, an inhalation hole which is through the central of the sealing ring, an inner wall portion which surrounds the inhalation hole, an circular recess which is located between the inner wall and the outer wall, and at least one reflow hole which is through both the bottom cover and the circular recess. If the sealing ring and the atomizer are adopted in the electronic cigarette, a condensed smoke liquid can reflow back into the atomizer via the sealing ring, and can be heated and further atomized again. The invention can improve efficiency in the use of smoke liquid.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic cigarettes, and more particularly to a sealing ring and an atomizer in the electronic cigarette.
Related Art
Electronic cigarettes, as one kind of electronic products and smoking simulators, are provided to smokers, in which an electric heating wire heats a smoke liquid and further atomizes the smoke liquid in an electronic cigarette. The heated smoke liquid generates a gaseous smoke which is through a snorkel and an opening of a suction nozzle cover to the external of the electronic cigarette. Usually a sealing ring is provided in an atomizer in the electronic cigarette to prevent the smoke liquid from leaking to the opening of the suction nozzle cover and may being inhaled by smokers.
In the smoking process, the gaseous smoke is easily condensed and changes into a smoke liquid in a cavity adjacent to suction nozzle cover, the condensed smoke liquid in the cavity cannot reflow back into an oil reservoir cotton due to the previous sealing ring insulating the reflow of the smoke liquid in the cavity, which results in the condensed smoke liquid in the cavity being inhaled by smokers.
It is an object of the invention to provide a sealing ring in the electronic cigarette which overcomes the above defects and make the condensed smoke liquid reflow back into an oil reservoir cotton.

Sealing ring and atomizer in electronic cigarette

HUIZHOU KIMREE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. SHENZHEN BRANCH


The back EMF (BEMF) of a motor is sensed and compared to a target back EMF (BEMF) to generate an error control signal. The circuit supply voltage is also sensed. A PWM motor control signal is generated in response to a comparison of the error control signal to a ramp signal having a variable slope. The variable slope is selected in response to the sensed circuit supply voltage. The motor is then driven in response to the PWM control signal. The sign of the error control signal is used to selectively short one of motor terminals to a reference voltage supply node while the other motor terminal is driven in response to the PWM control signal.

A hard disk drive (HDD) includes a disk on which data is stored, a spindle motor which rotates the disk, a read/write head, and a voice coil motor (VCM) to move the read/write head over the disk for reading/writing data from/to the disk surface. When the disk is rotating, and read/write operations are in progress, the head, which is carried on a VCM arm, is moved from a parked position to a position above the data storage surface of the disk. This is referred to in the art as "ramp loading" or "un-parking" of the VCM arm. When the disk is not rotating, the head must be parked in a safety zone away from the disk in order to prevent any damage to the disk or head. This is referred to in the art as "ramp unloading" or "parking" the VCM arm. When a power loss (any power supply inactivation such as a power failure event or a power-down event) occurs, it is important to move the read/write head to the safety zone away from the disk. If the VCM arm is not fully parked in the safety zone, the read/write head may land on the disk while the disk is spinning or stopped potentially resulting in damage to the disk and/or the head. It is thus critical to ensure full retraction of the VCM arm.
Those skilled in the art understand, however, that it is also important to precisely control the speed of the VCM when moving the VCM arm. For example, during retraction of the VCM arm a precise control over VCM speed is needed to ensure that the VCM arm carrying the read/write is not damaged if an obstacle is encountered. Conversely, during loading of the VCM arm and tracking of data on the disk, it is important to control VCM speed in order to ensure accuracy of read/write head placement over time.
The operation to park the VCM arm can present a challenge when a power loss (any power supply inactivation such as a power failure event or a power-down event) occurs. It is known in the art to harvest energy from the spindle motor in response to a power loss to power the operation of the VCM in retract mode. In such a case, the spindle motor is exploited as a generator whose output voltage is dependent on the speed of spindle motor rotation and the electrical constant of the motor itself. As the spindle motor slows, however, the amount of generated power begins to decrease. The generated power can be supplemented by energy stored in a capacitor during normal operation, but eventually the power available for use in VCM arm retraction will dissipate to zero, and the unloading of the VCM arm must be completed before that point is reached.
Because it is critical to complete the parking of the VCM arm while power remains available, this would suggest controlling the VCM for a very fast movement of the VCM arm to the parking zone. However, as discussed above, precise control over the speed of the VCM during VCM arm movement must be exercised so as to ensure that the retraction does not damage the head and/or arm. This would suggest controlling a slower movement of the VCM arm towards the parking zone. If the movement is too slow, however, the power available for retraction may fully dissipate before parking is completed, thus leaving the read/write head in a dangerous position over the disk.
There is accordingly a need in the art for a method and apparatus to control the speed of VCM operation during emergency retraction of the VCM arm so that the VCM arm retraction achieves parking on the ramp without moving too quickly. There is further a need in the art for adjusting the emergency retraction operation in response to the dwindling power availability.

Method and apparatus for speed control of voice coil motor retract operation dependent upon available power


Memory interleaving includes providing a non-power of two number of channels in a computing system and interleaving memory access among the channels.

A channel generally refers to a pathway between a computer system and other computing systems and/or other devices. Each of a computing system's channels is an independent unit that can transfer data at the same time as other channels. Each channel is typically assigned a segment of memory address space and can transfer data corresponding to its assigned memory address space. In this way, the computing system's processor may access different segments of memory via different channels without idling while the memory completes an access to one segment before beginning another memory access. This type of memory access is generally called interleaving.


A data processing system for determining a capacity of a server farm implements determining a first operating parameter indicative of a utilization status of a server farm comprising a plurality of virtual machines; determining that the first operating parameter falls within a first range of operating values in which capacity testing of the server farm is performed; capacity testing the server farm to determine a capacity estimate by iteratively configuring a virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines operating in an active state to operate in a sleep state until the first operating parameter reaches an upper threshold associated with the first range of operating values and monitoring performance of the plurality of virtual machines; modifying configuration parameters of the server farm to adjust an amount of available computing capacity based on the capacity estimate; and operating the server farm based on the updated configuration parameters.

A server farm is a logical collection of servers that are working together to provide a service or services to one or more customers or tenants of the server farm. The services may include supporting a web application or web applications or other such services. The server farm may include multiple servers and each server may be configured to run one or more virtual machines. Each virtual machine may provide services to a particular tenant of the server farm. The exact number of servers associated with the farm and the number of virtual machines provided by the servers may be a factor of an estimated capacity of the server farm and the anticipated demands for that capacity by the tenants. The server farm provider typically provides excess computing capacity beyond the anticipated capacity to seamlessly support tenant needs in the event that one or more of the virtual machines experiences problems and needs to be taken offline and/or there is a spike in demand by one or more of the tenants. Furthermore, the system may not have been fully tested to understand how the system will perform under high capacity so more excess capacity is maintained than is probably necessary to support such surges. However, maintaining such excess computing capacity is expensive. Hence, there is a need for improved systems and methods of determining how much excess capacity should be maintained by the server farm without compromising the user experience provided by the services supported by the server farm.

Determining server farm capacity and performance


A steering apparatus for a steerable vehicle includes a steering actuator, a steering input unit, a disturbance determination section, and a steering controller. The steering actuator is configured to generate a steering effort to regulate a steering output of the vehicle, in accordance with a steering effort command. The steering input unit is configured to set a steering input. The disturbance determination section is configured to determine a disturbance indicator indicative of a disturbance input to the vehicle. The steering controller is configured to perform the following: setting a desired steering output in accordance with the steering input; setting the steering effort command in accordance with the desired steering output; adjusting the steering effort command in accordance with the disturbance indicator; and outputting the adjusted steering effort command to the steering actuator.

The present invention relates generally to steering systems for steerable vehicles, and more particularly to a steer-by-wire system for a steerable vehicle.
A Published Japanese Patent Application No. 10-310074 (hereinafter referred to as "JP10-310074") shows a steer-by-wire device configured to control steering operation in accordance with a deviation between a desired road wheel steer angle and an actual road wheel steer angle, and in accordance with a steering load, and specifically configured to control steering operation by determining the amount of a controlled variable of steering in such a manner as to regulate the deviation between the desired road wheel steer angle and the actual road wheel steer angle to zero.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Steering apparatus for steerable vehicle


The present invention relates to a circulating apparatus for a linear guideway, and more particularly to the component of the unloading circulating portion of a rolling module of linear motion, the circulating apparatus is J-shaped, an end of which is disposed in the through holes, and end of which is connected to the loading path of the sliding block, the circulating apparatus is provided with a circulating path for enabling the rolling elements to move endlessly and circularly, in the circulating path are arranged two opposite grooves, the circulating apparatus comprises an outer circulating half tube and an inner circulating half tube which are connected together along the two opposite grooves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circulating apparatus for a linear guideway which usually provides linear-motion transmission for precision control equipments and is widely used on mechanical arms, industrial mechanism, automatic equipments, measuring devices and electronic instruments.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
The working principle of a linear guideway is that a plurality of rolling elements are employed to move between the sliding block and the rail so as to cause relative motion between the sliding block and the rail, and a circulating apparatus is used to make the rolling elements move endlessly.
For example, JP Patent No. 2002-54633 discloses a rolling-element circulating system which is made up of a plurality of independent components, wherein the rolling-element retainers 11, 12, 13, the circulating path 14 and the circulating unit (including 15a and 15b) are independent components. The respective independent components are not integral with the slide block 4, the disadvantage of this circulating system is that it is made up too many independent components, and thus the assembly is complicated and time-consuming. Besides, two many connections between the respective components will adversely affect the stable motion of the rolling elements, and as a result, noise will be caused.
Another rolling element circulating system as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,763 generally consists of two-part split tube of opposed J shape, this design allows the unloading area of the circulating portion of the rolling elements to be a unitary structure, thus eliminating the connection problem. However, the sliding block must be particularly designed to cooperate with the J-shaped tube and the J-shaped tube should be additionally provided with positioning boards, thus complicating the assembly work. Furthermore, there is no space in the J-shaped tube for allowing the flow of the lubrication, the rolling elements cannot be lubricated easily. Besides, due to the J-shaped tube is split into two half parts along the horizontal direction thereof, when the rolling elements move into the J-shaped tube from the loading path, the J-shaped tube is likely to be split apart since the striking force of the rolling element acting on the J-shaped tube is in the direction nearly orthogonal to the dividing line (along which the two parts of the tube are connected) of the tube.
Another rolling element circulating system as disclosed by JP Patent No. 3349238 generally consists of four U-shaped tubes having ball-retaining recess, and the connecting line of (along which the two parts of the tube are connected) the tube is located towards the ball-retaining recess, the defect of this design is that the striking force of the rolling element is applied in the direction orthogonal to the dividing line (along which the two parts of the tube are connected) of the tube, so that the circulating system is also likely to be split apart, and the rolling motion of the rolling elements will be affected adversely.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.

Recirculating apparatus of linear motion guiding


A knee prosthetic including a tibial component defining medial and lateral concavities shaped to receive medial and lateral femoral condyles of the femur. The concavities have first portions for contact with the condyles during normal knee flexion and second portions for contact with the condyles during deep, or high, knee flexion. The medial concavity can include a conforming boundary that encompasses at least the first and second portions, wherein an area inside the conforming boundary has a generally flat surface. The flat surface allows the medial femoral condyle to slide and rotate posteriorly during high knee flexion. The conforming boundary can have a generally triangular shape with an apex extending anteriorly and a relatively wider base extending posteriorly, wherein the apex includes the first portion and the base includes the second portion. The relatively wider base portion advantageously allows additional area for posteriorly directed articulating contact during high knee flexion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to the field of knee prosthetics and specifically related to the field of tibial trays capable of providing high knee flexion with and without retention of the posterior cruciate ligament.
2. Description of Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,808 (the '808 patent) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,103 (the '103 patent) which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, the assignee of the present patent application (Wright Medical Technology, Inc., of Arlington, Tenn.) introduced a knee prosthetic capable of better imitating the complex biomechanics and kinematics of the normal human knee. The knee prosthetic described in the '808 and '103 patents has been, and continues to be, successful, especially at facilitating movement within the normal ranges of knee flexion.
Various scientific publications recognize that the kinematics of a normal, uninjured knee when subject to deep or high knee flexion can become very complex. See, e.g., Bellemans, et al., Fluoroscopic Analysis of the Kinematics of Deep Flexion in Total Knee Arthroscopy, J. Bone Joint Surgery [Br] 84-B:50–3 (2002). Deep knee flexion, as used herein and in the prior art, is the same as high knee flexion and refers to relative movement of the femur with respect to the tibia to an angle of about 90° or greater. Such complex knee kinematics can be difficult to replicate using conventional knee prosthetics which are primarily intended to address more normal ranges of knee flexion.
Another issue associated with the implantation of knee prosthetics is that in some instances a surgeon may elect to retain the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the knee when implanting tibial and femoral components of the knee prosthesis. Generally, it is believed by some that sparing the PCL facilitates a return to normal knee kinematics. Several publications have examined the effects of such PCL-sparing surgeries on knee kinematics, and in particular, the effects of PCL-sparing on knee kinematics in deep or high flexion. See, e.g., Most, et al., Femoral Rollback After Cruciate-Retaining and Stabilizing Total Knee Arthroplasty, Clinical Ortho. & Related Research, No. 410, pp 101–113 (2003); Bertin, et al., In vivo Determination of Posterior Femoral Rollback for Subjects Having a NexGen Posterior Cruciate-Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty, 17 J. of Arthroplasty 1040–1048 (2002); Guoan et al., Cruciate-Retaining and Cruciate-Substituting Total Knee Arthroplasty, 16 J. of Arthroplasty 150–156 (Supp. 2001); Sorger, et al., The Posterior Cruciate Ligament in Total Knee Arthroplasty, 12 J. of Arthroplasty 869–879 (1997); Stiehl, et al., Fluoroscopic Analysis of Kinematics After Posterior Cruciate-Retaining Knee Arthroplasty, J. Bone Joint Surgery [Br] 77-B: 884–889 (1995); Mahoney, et al., Posterior Cruciate Function Following Total Knee Arthroplasty, 9 J. of Arthroplasty 569–578 (1994). Regardless of the efficacy of sparing the PCL, its retention often increases the complexity of knee kinematics throughout the range of knee flexion. In particular, PCL retention can result in combined shifting and pivoting of the femur with respect to the tibia due to its exertion of a laterally directed force on the femur.
Different prosthetic devices have been developed to address the various issues associated with deep knee flexion. In one example, there are knee prosthetics in which the tibial tray rotates with respect to the tibia, by being mounted for rotation on its tibial base. In another example, there are knee prosthetics in which the tibial tray translates (or slides) with respect to the tibia, by being mounted for translation (sliding) on its tibial base. There are also knee prosthetics in which the tibial tray both rotates and translates with respect to the tibia, by being mounted for rotation and translation on its tibial base. Although these prosthetic devices provide one option to facilitate high knee flexion, they are relatively complex due to the required relative movement of the components with respect to their supporting bones.
Prosthetic devices have also been developed having a high anterior lip that allows for resection of the PCL, or protects the PCL in a PCL-sparing surgery. However, additional options for PCL sparing, especially prosthetics that also account for deep knee flexion, are still desirable.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a knee prosthesis that allows for more normal kinematic motion at higher or deeper flexion angles. In addition, it would be advantageous if such a prosthetic provided for retention of the PCL as is preferred by many surgeons.


A device for monitoring leukocyte migration is provided. The invention also provides a method of using the device to monitor leukocyte migration in the presence of physiological shear flow and therefore simulate physiological conditions of a blood vessel in vivo. The invention further provides a method of using the device to high-throughput screen a plurality of test agents. The present invention further provides a flexible assay system and numerous assays that can be used to test biological interactions and systems. Laminar flow gradients are employed that mimic gradient situations present in vivo.

The inflammatory response is an attempt by the body to restore and maintain homeostasis after infection or injury, and is an integral part of body defense. Most of the body defense elements are located in the blood and inflammation is the means by which these elements leave the blood and enter the tissue around the injured or infected site. The primary objective of inflammation is to localize and eradicate the source of injury or infection and repair tissue surrounding the site of injury or infection.
As a consequence of the initial innate immune response to infection, phagocytes such as mast cells in the damaged tissue release a variety of cytokines and inflammatory mediators, such as histamines, leukotrienes, bradykinins, and prostaglandins. These inflammatory mediators reversibly open the junctional zones between the thin delicate cells of the inner surface of the blood vessels, known as the endothelium, that surround the damaged tissue. The inflammatory mediators also cause increased blood vessel permeability and decreased blood flow velocity. Another result of these changes in the blood vessels is that leukocytes, which normally travel in the center of the blood vessel, move out to the periphery of the inner surface of the blood vessel to interact with the endothelium. The cytokines and inflammatory mediators released by the phagocytes also induce the expression of adhesion molecules on the surface of the endothelium, resulting in an "activated" endothelium.
The first contact of leukocytes with the activated endothelium is known as "capture" and is thought to involve the adhesion molecules P-selectin and L-selectin, which are upregulated on endothelium after exposure to inflammatory mediators. P-selectin and L-selectin belong to a family of adhesion molecules called selectins. Selectins are a group of monomeric, integral membrane glycoproteins expressed on the surface of activated endothelium and leukocytes. Selectins contain an N-terminal extracellular domain with structural homology to calcium-dependent lectins, followed by a domain homologous to epidermal growth factor, and nine consensus repeats (CR) similar to sequences found in complement regulatory proteins. There are three primary selectins thought to be involved in the inflammatory response: P-selectin; E-selectin; and L-selectin. P-selectin, also known as CD62P, GMP-140, and PADGEM, the largest selectin, is expressed on activated endothelium; E-selectin, also known as ELAM-1, is expressed on endothelium with chemically or cytokine-induced inflammation; L-selectin, also known as LECAM-1, LAM-1, Mel-14 antigen, gp90mel, and Leu8/TQ-1 antigen, is the smallest selectin and is found on most leukocytes. All three selectins are thought to bind to selectin binding ligands, at least in part through a carbohydrate component.
During capture, P-selectin is thought to bind to its main leukocyte ligand P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1). Other ligands of P-selectin include CD24 and yet uncharacterized ligands. The structure of functional PSGL-1 includes a sialyl-Lewisx component. In addition, during capture L-selectin is thought to bind to its ligand on endothelial cells. L-selectin interacts with three known counter receptors or ligands, MAdCAM-1, GlyCAM-1, and CD34, although the precise ligand or counter receptor involved in capture is unknown.
Once leukocytes are captured, they may transiently adhere to the endothelium and begin to "roll" along the endothelium. The term "rolling" refers to the literal rolling of leukocytes along the activated endothelium in the presence of fluid drag forces arising from the relative movement between the endothelium and the leukocytes. Rolling is thought to involve P-selectin, L-selectin, and E-selectin. Bonds between P-selectin and PSGL-1 are thought to primarily mediate the "rolling" of leukocytes across the endothelium.
Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) produced by cells at the injured or infected site stimulate the endothelium to produce chemokines such as interleukin-8 (IL-8) and integrin binding ligands such as intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAMs) on the surface of the endothelial cells opposite the basal lamina. The chemokines are held on the surface of the endothelial cells opposite the basal lamina where the chemokines interact with chemokine receptors on the surface of the rolling leukocytes. This interaction, in turn, triggers the activation of molecules called integrins on the surface of the leukocytes. Integrins are a family of heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins that attach cells to extracellular matrix proteins of the basement membrane or to ligands on other cells. Integrins are composed of large α and small β subunits. Mammalian integrins form several subfamilies sharing common β subunits that associate with different α subunits. ∃2 integrins (the "CD-18 family") include four different heterodimers: CD11a/CD18 (Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 (LFA-1)); CD11b/CD18 (Mac-1); CD11c/CD18 (p150,95), and CD11d/CD18. The most important member of the ∃1 integrin subfamily on leukocytes is Very Late Antigen 4 (VLA-4, CD49d/CD29, ∀4∃1). Activation of these integrins by chemokines enables the slowly rolling leukocytes to "arrest" and strongly bind to the endothelium's ICAMs, VCAMs, and other integrin binding ligands of the endothelial cells, such as collagen, fibronectin, and fibrinogen. Once bound to the endothelial cells, the leukocytes then flatten and squeeze between the endothelial cells to leave the blood vessels and enter the damaged tissue through a process termed "transmigration." Transmigration is thought to be mediated by platelets, endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), junctional adhesion molecule (JAM), and possibly CD99, a transmembrane protein.
Despite their importance in fighting infection and injury, leukocytes themselves can promote tissue damage. During an abnormal inflammatory response, leukocytes can cause significant tissue damage by releasing toxic substances at the vascular wall or in uninjured tissue. Alternatively, leukocytes may stick to the capillary wall or clump in venules to such a degree that the endothelium becomes lined with these cells. Such a phenomenon, referred to as "pavementing," may be related to the development of arteriosclerosis and associated diseases. Such abnormal inflammatory responses have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of other clinical disorders including adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); ischemia-reperfusion injury following myocardial infarction, shock, stroke, or organ transplantation; acute and chronic allograft rejection; vasculitis; sepsis; rheumotoid arthritis; and inflammatory skin diseases.
Several methods and devices exist in the art to study the processes of leukocyte migration implicated in these various inflammatory diseases. For example, one method involves plating a monolayer of isolated endothelial cells on the surface of microtiter plates, activating the cells with a chemoattractant and then placing labeled leukocytes in the plate. A test agent, such as an adhesion inhibitor, may be optionally added to the plate. The number of leukocytes that remain adherent to the endothelial cell monolayer is then determined. A significant disadvantage of this method is that the leukocytes are not exposed to the endothelial cells in the presence of shear flow and thus this method does not simulate physiological conditions in vivo.
Another method involves contacting a suspension of isolated leukocytes in a suitable medium with a human vascular tissue sample mounted on a microscope slide and then incubating the tissue with a cell suspension on a rotating table. The adhered cells are fixed and counted. Because cells are fixed, such a method precludes the observation of leukocyte migration in real time. In addition, such a method requires human vascular tissue, which can be difficult and costly to obtain.
Another method known in the art to study leukocyte migration, involves a device consisting of two glass tubes called microslides, one microslide capable of being inserted into the other. The smaller microslide is inserted into the larger one to create a flow channel with a flat surface on which selected adhesion molecules are present. A suspension of leukocytes is then perfused through the flow channel over the adhesion molecule immobilized surface using a syringe pump. The rolling and adhesion of the leukocytes is then observed. Because of the size and configuration of this device, it requires considerable handling and manipulation.
Another device to study leukocyte migration during the inflammatory response is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,945 to Springer et al. entitled "Device and Method for Analysis of Blood Components and Identifying Inhibitors and Promoters of the Inflammatory Response." This device consists of several different components that are bulky in size. As such, it requires extra handling and positioning, creating the risk of contaminating or damaging the endothelial monolayer. This device also requires the use of a large number of cells and consequently a large amount of reagents.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved device to study the leukocyte migration along the endothelium that simulates the physiological conditions of a blood vessel. There also exists a need for a device that would allow for high throughput screening of test agents that potentially affect the interaction of leukocytes with the endothelium without requiring the number of leukocytes per assay as required by the devices currently known in the art. The present invention meets these needs.

Device and method for monitoring leukocyte migration


A damascene approach may be utilized to form an electrode to a lower conductive line in a phase change memory. The phase change memory may be formed of a plurality of isolated memory cells, each including a phase change memory threshold switch and a phase change memory storage element.

This invention relates generally to phase change memories.
Phase change memory devices use phase change materials, i.e., materials that may be electrically switched between a generally amorphous and a generally crystalline state, as an electronic memory. One type of memory element utilizes a phase change material that may be, in one application, electrically switched between generally amorphous and generally crystalline local orders or between the different detectable states of local order across the entire spectrum between completely amorphous and completely crystalline states.
Typical materials suitable for such an application include various chalcogenide elements. The state of the phase change materials is also non-volatile. When the memory is set in either a crystalline, semi-crystalline, amorphous, or semi-amorphous state representing a resistance value, that value is retained until reprogrammed, even if power is removed. This is because the program value represents a phase or physical state of the memory (e.g., crystalline or amorphous).
In some cases, it may desirable to provide various electrical connections between electrodes utilized in phase change memories.
Thus, there is a need for alternate ways to provide electrical connections for phase change memories.

Damascene conductive line for contacting an underlying memory element


A powder spray coating system includes a spray gun for spraying powder in a spray pattern onto a part. The spray gun includes an electrode connected to a power supply, the electrode charging powder as the powder is dispensed from the gun toward the part. A first current sensor measures gun current from the power supply to the electrode. An ABI probe or ion collector is mounted with the gun for collecting free ions produced by the electrode. The collector has a forward portion positioned near the spray pattern and spaced from the electrode. A second current sensor measures return current from the ion collector. A regulating assembly regulates the return current from the ion collecting device. A controller is connected to the first and second current sensors and to the regulating assembly for operating the regulating assembly in accordance with a predetermined setting representing the difference between the gun current and the return current. The system automatically adjusts the position or effective position of the forward tip of the ABI probe relative to tip of the gun as parts of different shapes and geometry pass before the gun.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrostatic spray coating systems, and more particularly to a device for collecting free ions in an electrostatic spray coating system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In electrostatic spray coating systems, the coating material is pumped from a supply to one or more spray guns which spray the coating material onto a part to be coated. The coating material may be either in the form of dry particles conveyed in a fluidized air stream or in the form of liquid atomized by the gun. The spray guns may charge the coating particles by means of a high voltage charging electrode. When the coating particles are sprayed from the front of the gun, they are electrostatically attracted to the part to be coated which is generally electrically grounded and suspended from an overhead conveyer or otherwise conveyed through a spray booth. The spray guns are mounted in the spray booth, either in a stationary position or on a reciprocator or other device which allows the gun to be automatically moved in a predetermined path. Once these charged coating particles are deposited onto the part, they adhere there by electrostatic attraction until they are conveyed into an oven where they are cured, or, in the case of powder coating, melted to flow together to form a continuous coating on the product.
An ion collector or counter-electrode has been found to be useful in attracting free ions which would otherwise flow from the gun to the ground part. When charging the powder, a large number of free ions are also generated. Without an ion collector, the free ions are conveyed with the coating material onto the part. This causes a charge to accumulate on the deposited coating layer until the local electric field strength is great enough to cause ionization within the coating layer. This "back-ionization" disturbs the deposited coating and results in craters and other defects in the cured coating. Back-ionization causes a dramatic reduction in transfer efficiency and has a detrimental effect on economic and environmental effectiveness of the powder coating process. By using an ion collector, these free ions are collected before they reach the part, the transfer efficiency is improved, and the appearance of the surface finish on the part can be improved.
An example of an ion collector is the anti-back-ionization (ABI) device shown in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 08/959,723 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This patent shows an ABI probe which provides satisfactory free ion collection. The effective probe length is adjustable, allowing the position of the end of the probe relative to the electrode to be changed, so that the probe position relative to the electrode can be adjusted.
Another example of an ion collector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,172, issued to Belmain et al., in the form of a counter-electrode mounted on a powder spray gun on the front of the gun. Yet another example of an ion collector is shown in European Patent Publication No. 0,620,045 in the form of a counter-electrode ring fixedly mounted around the front of the gun. These ion collectors are fixed in position or built into the gun, so that they do not provide easy adjustment or removability.
The presence of an ion collector or ABI device or probe allows users to dramatically reduce the field strength between the gun and the grounded part as well as significantly reduce the free ion current to the part. Therefore, the development of back ionization is reduced or delayed, and the strength of the electric field between the gun and part is reduced. The reduction in field strength results in improved penetration of recessed areas or Faraday cage areas on the part. Positioning the ABI probe, however, is very important in fully realizing the positive effects of the probe. If the ABI probe is positioned properly, the coating results are comparable to those achieved using statically charged coating systems, and the ease of application is similar.
Maintaining the proper distance between the tip of the ABI probe and the part, however is more difficult than might first be contemplated. The distance between the gun and the part changes based upon the geometry of the part and upon changes in the parts assortment. Many parts include recessed areas which are significantly farther from the gun than the remainder of the part, and many parts are presented on production lines mixed with other parts which have significantly different shapes. As the distance between the gun and part changes, the positioning of the ABI probe must be manually adjusted to provide for maximum positive effect of using the ABI probe as an ion collector. Unfortunately, manual re-positioning is usually not possible in the middle of a production run as different shaped parts enter the spray booth. While manual re-positioning can be performed periodically taking into account the general shape and geometry of the parts on a specific production run, such manual re-positioning of the ABI probe can be rather cumbersome and, as a result, tends to be done rarely in many production applications.

Spray gun having an anti-back-ionization probe with a control system therefor


A cup holder tray having a plurality of cup pockets for receiving beverage cups therein, a finger spacing provided between two cup pockets, and a thumb-receiving surface above the finger spacing. The thumb-receiving surface can have friction protrusion to enhance friction with the thumb. Each one of the cup pockets having a circular wall and a system of cup holding surfaces protruding inwardly from the circular wall and cooperating in holding a beverage cup to be pushed downwardly therein. At least one of the cup holding surfaces can be connected to the circular wall by a lateral wall on each side, the lateral walls having a planar section oriented roughly normal to the beverage cup during use.

Cup trays have been known for decades and are commonly used when a consumer purchases more than one beverage, to allow the consumer to handle all the beverages (typically up to four) at once. Further, it is a common design requirement for such cup trays that their structure be appropriate for handling with a single hand when loaded, while leaving the other hand free. The cup trays can also be conveniently laid on a flat surface, such as a seat of a car to carry the beverages to a place of consumption. Cup trays are typically intended to be disposed of after use, and there is therefore a strong market pressure for their costs to be maintained as low as possible. It is common that such trays be made of moulded pulp, although other materials have been used as well. Trays having four cup pockets are the most common, and are typically provided in a generally square shape with one cup pocket adjacent each corner.
Although known cup trays were satisfactory to a certain degree, there still remained room for improvement. For instance, there was strong market demand to improve or maintain the cup retention strength, make them capable of handling a wider variety of sizes, make them easier to handle, while maintaining their costs highly competitive.


In a method and control device for determining the position in at least one spatial direction of a local coil on a patient table in a scanner of a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus, a radio-frequency signal is emitted in the presence of a magnetic field gradient applied in the appertaining spatial direction and a signal profile is measured by the local coil along the magnetic field gradient. The signal profile is acquired for each of a number of positions of the patient table relative to the scanner along the magnetic field gradient. Based on the measured signal profile the position of the local coil is determined.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a method for determining the position in at least one spatial direction of a local coil on a patient positioning table or board within a magnetic resonance tomography scanner, in which a radio-frequency signal is emitted in volume in which a magnetic field gradient is applied in the appertaining spatial direction and a signal profile is measured along the magnetic field gradient by means of the appertaining local coil. The invention also concerns a corresponding control device for a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus for determining the position of a local coil according to such a method as well as a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus with such a control device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern magnetic resonance examination systems normally operate with a number of various antennas (called coils in the following) to emit radio-frequency pulses for nuclear magnetic resonance excitation and/or to receive the induced magnetic resonance signals. A magnetic resonance system normally have a larger whole-body coil installed in a fixed manner in the apparatus. The whole-body coil is typically cylindrically arranged around the patient acquisition space (for example with what is known as a birdcage structure) in which the patient is situated on the patient positioning table during the measurement. Furthermore, one or more small local coils or surface coils are frequently used in a scanner. The local coils serve to acquire detailed images of body parts that are located relatively close to the body surface. For this purpose, the local coils are applied directly on the point of the patient at which the region to be examined is located. Given a use of such a local coil, in many cases transmission is made with the whole-body coil (as a transmission coil) and the induced magnetic resonance signals are received with the local coil (as a reception coil).
For the magnetic resonance examination, it is important to know the exact position of the local coils that are employed relative to the patient table, and therewith relative to the patient. In principle, with the patient table moved out of the imaging volume, it is possible to measure the position of the coils manually using rulers, measuring sticks, markings on the patient table etc. Such a measurement is notably complicated and additionally entails the danger that the measured positions are associated with the wrong coils, in particular given a use of a number of coils or given the use of coil arrays formed of a number of coils. In principle, it is therefore simpler and safer to automatically determine the position of the local coils in the framework of a magnetic resonance measurement
Such an automatic determination of the position of a local coil on a patient table in a specific spatial direction can ensue according to the initially-described method, by applying a magnetic field gradient in the appertaining spatial direction in which the position should be determined. A radio-frequency signal is then emitted by the whole-body coil or with a local coil, and a reception signal profile is measured along the magnetic field gradient by means of the appertaining local coil whose position should be established. The position of the local coil in the appertaining spatial direction is finally determined with the aid of this signal profile.
Such a method is specified in German PS 196 53 535. The reception signals are received by, apart from the local coil to be localized, an antenna with a homogenous sensitivity over the entire measurement space, for example by the whole-body coil. The intensity values received by the local coil are normalized with the intensity values received by the antenna with homogenous sensitivity. A maximum point obtained from the spatial curve of these normalized intensity values is then acquired as a position value for the local coil. Since, due to the noise portions in the measurement signals, this spatial determination can be relatively error-prone, in German OS 102 07 736 it is proposed to adapt a function (that is approximated to the form of the sensitivity profile of the local coil) to the spatial curve of the intensity values, and to use on the maximum point of this function as the position of the local coil.
A problem in the determination of the coil position according to one of these known methods occurs in the particularly significant determination of the position of the coil in the longitudinal direction of the patient table—typically designated as the z-direction. The possibility exists that the coil is located all the way at the edge of or outside of the scanner, and therewith outside of the magnetic field, since the patient table can be adjusted in the z-direction and is normally only partially located within the scanner. However, if a local coil is located directly on the edge of the magnetic resonance scanner, the coil profile varies (for example) unpredictably and chaotically. If the local coil is located outside of the scanner, a relevant coil profile can no longer be measured at all. This leads to a completely wrong position being determined for such local coils with the typical position determination methods.

Method and control device for determining the position of a local coil on a patient table of a magnetic resonance scanner


A radiation applicator system is structured to be mounted to a radiation source for providing a predefined dose of radiation for treating a localized area or volume, such as the tissue surrounding the site of an excised tumor. The applicator system includes an applicator and an adapter. The adapter is formed for fixedly securing the applicator to a radiation source, such as a radiosurgery system which produces a predefined radiation dose profile with respect to a predefined location along the radiation producing probe. The applicator includes a shank and an applicator head, wherein the head is located at a distal end of the applicator shank. A proximate end of the applicator shank couples to the adapter. A distal end of the shank includes the applicator head, which is adapted for engaging and/or supporting the area or volume to be treated with a predefined does of radiation. The applicator can include a low energy radiation filter inside of the applicator head to reduce undesirable low energy radiation emissions. A biocompatible radiation shield may be coupled to the outer surface of the applicator head to block radiation emitted from a portion of the radiation probe, in order to shield an adjacent location or vital organ from any undesired radiation exposure. A plurality of applicators having applicator heads and radiation shields of different sizes and shapes can be provided to accommodate treatment sites of various sizes and shapes.

This invention relates to a miniaturized, programmable radiation source for use in delivering substantially constant or intermittent levels of x-rays to a specified region and, more particularly, to an apparatus for delivering a controlled dose of radiation to a localized volume of tissue, such as a volume of tissue of the human body.
In the field of medicine, radiation is used for diagnostic, therapeutic and palliative treatment of patients. The conventional medical radiation sources used for these treatments include large fixed position machines such as linear accelerators ("LINACs"), smaller transportable radiation delivery machines such as high-dose-rate after loaders, and catheters for low-dose-rate brachytherapy. The current state of the art treatment systems utilize computers to generate complex treatment plans for treating complex geometric volumes.
Typically, these systems apply doses of radiation in order to inhibit the growth of new tissue because it is known that radiation affects dividing cells more than the mature cells found in non-growing tissue. Thus, the regrowth of cancerous tissue in the site of an excised tumor can be treated with radiation to prevent the recurrence of cancer. Alternatively, radiation can be applied to other areas of the body to inhibit tissue growth, for example the growth of new blood vessels inside the eye that can cause macular degeneration.
Conventional radiation treatment systems, such as the LINAC used for medical treatment, utilize a high power remote radiation source and direct a beam of radiation at a target volume, such as a tumor inside the body of a patient. This type of treatment is referred to as teletherapy because the radiation source is located a predefined distance, typically on the order of one meter, from the target. This treatment suffers from the disadvantage that tissue disposed between the radiation source and the target is exposed to radiation.
An alternative treatment system utilizing a point source of radiation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,900 issued to Nomikos et al., owned by the assignee of the present application, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The system includes a miniaturized, insertable probe capable of producing low power radiation in predefined dose geometries or profiles disposed about a predetermined location. One advantage of this system is that the radiation is applied to treat a predefined tissue volume, without significantly affecting the tissue in adjacent volumes.
A typical use of the described radiation therapy system involves positioning the insertable probe into or adjacent to the tumor or the site where the tumor or a portion of the tumor was removed to treat the tissue adjacent the site with radiation. In order to facilitate controlled treatment of the site, it is desirable to support the tissue portions to be treated at a predefined distance from the radiation source. Alternatively, where the treatment involves the treatment of surface tissue or the surface of an organ, it is desirable to control the shape of the surface as well as the shape of the radiation field applied to the surface.
The treatment can involve the application of radiation, either continuously or intermittently, over an extended period of time. Therefore, it is desirable that the insertable probe be adjustably supported in a compliant manner to accurately position the radiation source with respect to the treated site and accommodate normal minor movements of the patient, such as movements associated with breathing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for delivering radiation to a localized region.

Shaped biocompatible radiation shield and method for making same


In a frictionless handoff of audio content playing, a client device listens for ultrasonic audio. The client hears a playing of a modified audio content by another client device, which includes audio content and an ultrasonic audio quick response (QR) code overlaid on the audio content. The ultrasonic audio QR code includes location information corresponding to a location in the audio content. The client device extracts the ultrasonic audio QR code from the modified audio content. After determining that the playing of the modified audio content has stopped, the client device receives a command to resume playing of the audio content on the client device. In, response to the command, the client device retrieves location information in a last extracted ultrasonic audio QR code and plays the audio content starting at a location in the audio content corresponding to the location information in the last extracted ultrasonic audio QR code.

Services exist that use audio fingerprinting to create a snapshot of audio content that allows a service to efficiently look up the identity of the audio content in a database. However, the identity depends upon the existence of the audio content fingerprint in the database. When audio content is not fingerprinted or archived, such as when the audio content is too obscure or niche to warrant fingerprinted or archiving, the audio content cannot be identified. Without the ability to identify the audio content, other services cannot be provided to consumers for the audio content. Further, the identifying of, the audio content often depends on the existence of a network connection between a client device and the service provider, and further depends on server calls by the client device over the network.

Frictionless handoff of audio content playing using overlaid ultrasonic codes

International Business Machines Corporation


A mixed liquid manufacturing apparatus comprises: an information input unit, in which information of an object, to which a mixed liquid is offered, is input; a material storage system that stores a plurality of materials for a mixed liquid; a product information system that selects kinds and quantities of the stored materials on the basis of the input information of the object, to which a mixed liquid is offered; a liquid transfer unit, by which the selected materials are taken out from the material storage system; a mixing unit, in which the materials supplied from the liquid transfer unit are mixed; an injection unit, by which the mixed liquid is injected into a mixed liquid container; an input unit, by which matters being declared on a label of the mixed liquid container are input; and a label formation unit, in which the input matters are printed on the label and the label is stuck on the mixed liquid container, and wherein the label formation unit begins printing before the injection unit completes injection of the mixed liquid into the container.

The present invention relates to a mixed liquid manufacturing apparatus.
Recently, products made to partial order and conformed to an individual's taste and physical constitution are increased among shampoo, toothpaste, perfume, etc. Incidentally, amendment of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in 2001 with respect to, for example, cosmetic annuls the registration system every product, and allows freely changing a component ratio of registered materials as far as the materials are used in the range of allowed rates, so that there is opened up a road to cosmetic made to order, by which cosmetic conformed to a customer's taste and physical constitution are offered. In keeping with this, counseling cosmetic meeting carefully with a customer's need by increasing the number of goods and combining the goods with counseling begin to account for much on the market. However, this is responsible for an increase in cost because respective shops must posses various kinds of cosmetics in stock. As measures to carry this a step further, JP-A-5-216900 and JP-A-10-83421 propose a cosmetic ordering production control system, in which after attending to demand of a customer, such information is forwarded to a factory, and a desired cosmetic is manufactured and forwarded to the customer.
JP-A-2001-126140 proposes the provision of a cosmetic factory (clean room) in juxtaposition with a cosmetics shop in order to manufacture and sell a cosmetic meeting with a customer's demand.
JP-A-2002-284618 discloses a configuration, in which a compounding device placed in a clean bench is used to dispense necessary materials in necessary quantities into a sales container and to dispense and sell perfume at need.
However, with the measures disclosed in JP-A-5-216900 and JP-A-10-83421, it takes several days for a customer to get cosmetic, and it cannot be said that the measures adequately meet with the customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
In the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2001-126140, color, scent, and a feeling of quality, which are conformed to a customer's demand, are given to a material (semi-product) that constitutes a base of cosmetic, in the juxtaposed factory. Since a semi-product is used as a material, production in a small factory becomes possible and what is desired by a customer can be offered on the spot. However, since a clean room maintained in a sanitary condition must be provided in juxtaposition with a shop, a device becomes large in size and an initial cost and a running cost are increased. Also, it cannot be said that the configuration adequately meets with a customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
In the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2002-284618, there is no need of the cost of installation and an equipment that needs maintenance expenses, and it is possible to manufacture and sell cosmetic at low cost on the spot.
In the device disclosed in JP-A-2002-284618, however, raw liquids metered and fed via pumps from respective material containers are sequentially discharged into sales containers from nozzles to form cosmetic. However, it cannot be said that the device adequately meets with a customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
Dispensing from the nozzles is performed every raw liquid, but the cut off performance of the liquid at the nozzles at the time of dispensing must be maintained in the same condition for "any raw liquid" and "discharge for any time of dispensing" in order that cosmetic should be kept in quality (component structure ratio, uniformity, sanitary aspect, etc.). However, the cut off performance of the liquid from the nozzles depends upon viscosity and surface tension of an associated liquid, which depend upon components and temperature of the liquid.
Further, when discharged from the same nozzle, there is caused a problem that liquid adhering to a nozzle portion dries to thereby change the cut off performance of the liquid at the nozzle portion and varies in the quantity of the liquid adhering to the nozzle portion. Furthermore, since uniform mixing of liquids cannot be achieved only by discharging the liquids into a sales container from nozzles, cosmetic of good quality cannot be offered to a customer unless agitation is carried out after all raw liquids are put into the sales container.


Disclosed is a method for planarizing the insulating layer formed on a semiconductor substrate without forming voids. An insulating layer is coated on a semiconductor substrate on which a metal wiring layer has been previously formed, and then a resist layer serving as a sacrificial layer is formed on the insulating layer. Etching the sacrificial layer provides a sacrificial residue on the insulating layer between portions of the metal wiring layer. After an upper portion of the insulating layer is istropically etched, the insulating layer and sacrificial residue are anisotropically etched. An insulating layer thus-obtained has a good profile so that a planarized insulating interlayer free of voids is obtained by an additional etch-back process using a second sacrificial layer. Consequently, a subsequent second metal wiring formation or lithography process can be easily carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method for planarizing an insulating interlayer to be used in conjunction with other multilevel interconnect technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to manufacture an integrated circuit, it is necessary to form many active devices on a single substrate. Initially, each of the devices must be isolated from the others, but recently it has become necessary to electrically interconnect specific devices during the fabrication step to obtain the desired functionality of the circuit. Both MOS and bipolar VLSI and ULSI devices have multilevel interconnect structures to accommodate the numerous interconnections of the devices.
As the number of layers in an interconnect structure increase, the topography of the top layer coated on the semiconductor wafer becomes more rugged. For example, in manufacturing a semiconductor wafer having two or more metal layers formed thereon, a first insulating interlayer is coated on the wafer on which a plurality of oxide layers, poly crystalline silicon conductive layers and a first metal wiring layer, have been previously formed, followed by forming vias for interposing a second metal layer. The surface of the first insulating layer is uneven because the underlying structure upon which the first insulating layer has been formed is uneven. When a second metal layer is directly formed over such a first insulating interlayer, the second metal layer fractures due to peaks and/or cracks in the first insulating interlayer and, as a result, the metal coverage over the first insulating interlayer fails. This failure lowers the yield of the semiconductor device. Therefore, planarization of the insulating interlayer is required for multilevel metal interconnections, before forming a via or coating a second metal layer.
One of the simplest methods available for planarizing the semiconductor wafer having steps formed thereon is to deposit a CVD-glass layer which is significantly thicker than the step height it must cover. However, this is unrealistic because increasing the thickness of the insulating layer also increases the via depth between a first metal wiring layer and a second metal layer. Furthermore, as the first metal wiring layers become more closely packed, voids will form in the insulating layer if conventional CVD-SiO.sub.2 processes are used.
One conventional planarization method as described by S. Wolf in Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era. Vol. 2, to form an exemplary insulating layer includes using a resist layer coated on an insulating interlayer as a sacrificial layer. The process comprises coating a resist layer and etching back the insulating interlayer by using the resist layer as a sacrificial layer to adjust the thickness of the insulating interlayer.
In the next step, the sacrificial resist layer is first rapidly etched back by dry etching until the topmost regions of the insulating interlayer are just barely exposed. The etch chemistry is then modified so that the sacrificial layer material and the insulating interlayer material are etched at approximately the same rate. Etching continues under these conditions until all of the sacrificial resist layer has been etched away. By this etch-back procedure, the surface of the insulating interlayer is highly planarized since the profile of the sacrificial layer is thus transferred to the insulating interlayer. In some cases, the thickness of the insulating interlayer over underlying metal layers may be thinner than desired after the etch-back step is completed. In other cases, etch-back is allowed to proceed until the first metal wiring layers are exposed for improving the degree of planarization. In such a case, an additional CVD insulating layer is generally deposited in order to establish the minimum adequate thickness of the insulating interlayer.
With the increase in integration density of semiconductor devices, the spaces between the metal layers become narrower. Therefore, various problems such as the formation of voids in the insulating interlayer occur, so its planarization becomes difficult to improve. To improve the degree of planarization of the insulating layer formed over such closely spaced metal layers, a method of repeating the etch-back step two times has been typically carried out.
FIGS. 1A to 1D illustrate a process for planarizing an insulating interlayer by two times etch-back.
FIG. 1A displays a first metal wiring layer 2 which has been formed on a semiconductor substrate 1 with a pattern as shown. A CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3 is formed on the first metal wiring layer 2 and the semiconductor substrate 1 as illustrated in the figure. The final stage demonstrated in FIG. 1A is the formation of a resist layer 4 on top of the CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3.
FIG. 1B demonstrates results of a first etching back-step of the resist layer 4 and the CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3 shown in FIG. 1A. A CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3a with spaces 9 between the first metal wiring layer 2 is the result of the first etching back-step. The spaces between the first metal wiring layer 2 are an undesirable side effect of the first etching back as will be discussed later.
FIG. 1C shows the effect of forming a second CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 5 upon the CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3a shown in FIG. 1B. The CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 5 is formed in the same manner as was the CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3a, thereby forming voids 7 in the spaces 9. A second resist layer 6 is then formed on the second CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 5 with the same techniques uses to form resist layer 4.
FIG. 1D demonstrates the results of a second etching back step of the second resist layer 6 and the second CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 5 shown in FIG. 1C. A planarized insulating layer 3b comprising CVD-SiO.sub.2 is shown in this illustration with a planar top surface 8 and voids 7 which are the product of the second etching back step. A third CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer (not shown in the drawings) may be formed on the planarized insulating layer 3b if the planarized insulating layer 3b does not meet minimum thickness specifications.
Accordingly, as exemplified, a planarized insulating interlayer 3 containing voids 7 may be fabricated. Trouble arises when the first CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3 is formed and etched back by using a sacrificial resist layer 4. The first etch back generates negative-sloped spaces 9 in the first CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 3a making further layer formations difficult at the negative sloped spaces 9. Therefore, the formation of the second CVD-SiO.sub.2 layer 5 contains undesirable voids 7.

Planarization method for a semiconductor substrate


A laser protection device employing a gas plasma switch wherein applied laser radiation is focused inside a gas chamber, and a nuclear source is employed to pre-ionize the gas volume, whereupon focused laser radiation causes gas breakdown and plasma formation that attenuates the radiation. Specifically, the invention reduces the threshold of plasma switch initiation by incorporating a nuclear source within the gas chamber that constantly injects plasma forming seed particles into the vicinity of a focused laser beam. The plasma resulting from avalanche ionization of the seed particles reflects, absorbs and deflects the laser radiation. The nuclear source introduces charged particles, excimers and metastable atoms with low ionization potential into the gas chamber. Such charged particles are effective plasma initiators because they have low ionization thresholds. The present invention has been found well suited to protect against pulsed laser sources because of fast rise times and high attenuation levels. The present invention has negligible insertion loss, fast rise time on order of 5 nsec, passive operation requiring no input power using laser initiated plasma, it operates in stand-by and is ready for operation at all times, and provides broadband protection for all wavelengths greater than about 1 .mu.m.

The present invention relates to optical sensor protection technology, and more particularly, to protection apparatus that may be interposed between a laser and a sensitive detector that attenuates a high intensity laser beam.
Advanced infrared sensors using sensitive detection elements are highly vulnerable to laser countermeasures. Deployable sensors, such as those used in space applictions, for example, typically require some means of protection from laser countermeasure devices. Incorporation of laser protection devices is an important design issue.
State of the art infrared sensors, such as forward looking infrared systems and range finders, are particularly vulnerable to pulsed laser countermeasures. The optical gain of these systems is typically on the order of 10.sup.6 so that even moderate power laser threats can permanently damage sensitive detector elements upon which scene radiation is focused. Pulsed lasers are difficult to protect against because of their fast rise times and high peak powers. In that respect, a TE (transversely excited) laser is a likely threat because of its low cost and high reliability. Such lasers typically have pulse lengths of 50 nsec to 10 .mu.sec and peak powers of about 1 MW.
Gas plasmas initiated by focused laser radiation are known to attenuate a laser beam along the direction of propagation. This effect is useful in sensor protection in that it may be employed to limit countermeasure laser energy transmitted to sensitive detectors. Prior work has shown the usefulness of particulates to reduce the laser intensity threshold for plasma ignition with subsequent attenuation of the laser radiation. For example, see the article by Lencioni, in Appl. Phys. Lett., 23, 12 (1973). In that article and in other reported work, particulates are mixed with a gas in a test cell and laser radiation is brought to a tight focus within the cell. The plasma discharge takes place at the focus. The problem with this approach is that a large number of particulates must somehow be kept in suspension in the gas to guarantee that the minimum number is suspended within the small focal volume and thus be present to initiate plasma ignition.
Schemes to keep particulates suspended include recirculating fans and flow loops that do not lend themselves to compact geometries, and which use lifetime limiting components. Alternatively, the focal spot size can be made large, but then the laser intensity threshold rises. For example, a threshold of 3.times.10.sup.8 W/cm.sup.2 requires a focal spot size of about 500 .mu.m.sup.2. Therefore, in order to maintain operation of the plasma switch at the relatively low flux level of 10.sup.8 W/cm.sup.2 with a small spot size on the order of 100 .mu.m, a means of injecting particulates directly into the focal volume is needed.
An alternative approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,769 issued May 21, 1991 in the names of D. B. Cohn, W. Affleck and G. D. Lawrence, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. That application discloses a protection device that successfully creates a sufficient density of particulates near the focal spot to initiate plasma formation when subjected to a high power laser pulse. This was achieved via electrodes positioned adjacent to the focal point whereby a discharge of particulates from the electrodes are injected into the vicinity of the secondary focal spot. Although the protection device achieves satisfactory performance, it requires external power sources and high voltage circuits to effect particulate production and control.
Accordingly it is an objective of the present invention to provide a simplified gaseous laser power limiter that attenuates applied laser energy. It is an objective to provide a system that is fast reacting, with negligible insertion losses. It is a further objective to provide an automatic system that may be employed in a standby mode, thus requiring no separate threat warning devices. It is yet another objective to provide a system that is passive and thus dispenses with the need for external voltage sources and circuitry.

Gaseous laser power limiter initiated by nuclear radiation


The battery pack has a battery, output terminals to bring out the battery electrodes, and a molding holder to connect to the battery as well as retain the output terminals. The battery pack is molded with at least the battery, the molding holder, and its connecting region inserted into a molded plastic resin region. The molded plastic resin region exposes output terminal surfaces, and also joins the battery, output terminals, and molding holder as a single unit.

This invention relates to a method of battery pack manufacture, and in particular to a battery pack and its method of manufacture wherein batteries and output terminals are inserted into a mold in a process step to form an external plastic case.
A battery pack formed by inserting batteries into a molded plastic resin region, which serves as the external battery pack case, has been developed. This type of battery pack is cited in Japanese Non-examined Patent Publication 2000-315483. As shown in FIG. 1, the printed circuit board 105 and batteries 102 are inserted and fixed in the mold when a molded plastic resin region is formed and becomes the external case of the battery pack. Unlike related art battery packs, this battery pack does not require battery and printed circuit board insertion and assembly in a separately formed case. Here, the printed circuit board and batteries are held in fixed positions during the molding step to form the molded plastic resin region which becomes the case. This type of battery pack can be manufactured inexpensively in quantity.
However, when the battery pack shown in FIG. 1 is actually manufactured in quantity, it has the drawback of poor yield. This is because the molded plastic resin region is difficult to form in a precise configuration. In particular, an error in the printed circuit board 105 dimensions makes molding difficult for a battery pack in which the printed circuit board 105 is inserted into the molded plastic resin region. The printed circuit board 105 is inserted and temporarily held in the mold cavity 111 for molding in the plastic resin region. However, a printed circuit board 105 with error in its dimensions cannot be temporarily held in a precise position in the mold 110. This is because the printed circuit board 105 is slid into, or sandwiched in the mold to temporarily hold it in a fixed position in the mold cavity 111. The mold 110 is designed to allow a printed circuit board 105 with maximum dimensions to be slid or sandwiched in the mold cavity 111 and temporarily held. Consequently, a printed circuit board smaller than maximum dimensions cannot be temporarily held in the proper position, and it also cannot be reliably retained in that position. A printed circuit board which cannot be reliably retained in the mold cavity can easily become further out of position when molten plastic resin is injected into the mold cavity. Therefore, this battery pack has the drawback that the inserted printed circuit board moves out of position. In a battery pack having output terminals attached to a printed circuit board, and having those output terminals exposed outside the molded plastic resin region, there is a further drawback of plastic resin attaching to the surfaces of the output terminals. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 shows a mold for forming a plastic resin region that exposes the output terminals outside of the molded plastic resin region. As shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to tightly contact the mold 210 to the output terminals 203 at the exposed areas. If space is left here, plastic resin can ingress into the gap left between the mold 210 and the output terminals 203 as shown by the broken lines of FIG. 2. This will cover the output terminals 203 with plastic resin. In particular, high manufacturing efficiency injection molding injects molten synthetic resin into the mold cavity 211 at extremely high pressures. Therefore, molten plastic resin can ingress into even small gaps and reduce yield. A battery pack with plastic resin on its output terminals does not allow electrical connection of the output terminals to power supply terminals of an electrical apparatus and is a reject part.
As shown in FIG. 1, a connector 116 provided with output terminals at the end of lead wires 115 is attached to a battery pack having parts such as a printed circuit board which cannot be accurately positioned in the mold. In a battery pack of this configuration, output terminals are not embedded within the molded plastic resin region, and yield can be improved. However, not only does the attachment of lead wires 115 make fabrication more complex, temporary placement within the mold 110 is also troublesome. This is because battery pack parts are temporarily placed in the mold cavity 111 with lead wires 115 pulled outside the mold 110. Furthermore, this battery pack has the drawback that lead wires can be easily open circuited. In addition, electrical equipment which attaches a battery pack having lead wires must provide internal the necessary space to accommodate the lead wires and connector. Therefore, it also has the drawback that space for holding the battery pack becomes greater.
The present invention was developed to eliminate drawbacks of the type mentioned above. Thus it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a battery pack and its method of manufacture wherein output terminals can be inserted in a mold and accurately positioned within the plastic resin mold region.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.

Battery pack and its method of manufacture


The revolving overhead windmill includes airfoils that harvest wind energy using a configuration, in the class of vertical axis wind turbines, wherein the airfoils are modestly elevated above a water or ground surface through the use of buoyancy forces and elongated structural members. The airfoil angle of attack is controlled in a periodic manner as each airfoil revolves around a closed circuit of revolution, in order to optimize system energy harvest as measured by metrics such as megawatts of electric power generation under rated wind conditions. Typical large-scale applications in high wind, offshore locations can substantively contribute to utility-scale renewable energy production and also contribute towards climate change mitigation targets.

As the World's human population grows and as the economic prosperity of our global population grows, the energy demand of our global population also grows. With limited availability of oil reserves, there is a growing need for the conception, development and deployment of cost-effective and large-scale renewable energy alternatives. The continued use of fossil fuels to meet current and emerging energy needs also has very negative environmental consequences, including massive emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, along with exacerbation of global warming and climate change effects. These factors provide strong motivation for the invention, development and deployment of cost-effective, large-scale renewable energy alternatives.
The Sun provides enormous quantities of energy to the World every second, and that energy can be found in harvestable form as direct solar energy and as wind energy.


A system and accompanying method produces cartons for randomly sized and shaped objects or groups thereof by automatically measuring minimum bounding dimensions and transferring these dimensions to an automatic carton-making system. The system for determining the dimensions of an object to be packaged preferably includes a conveyor for moving the object, a vertically oriented light curtain to determine the height of the object, a horizontally oriented light curtain to determine the width of the object, and a tachometer synchronized to the conveyor enabling at least one of the light curtains to determine the length of the object. A computerized interface between the measurement apparatus and carton-making system may include an algorithm for virtually rotating the object to produce a carton just large enough to fit the object. The carton may be a corrugated carton or non-corrugated carton, and the carton-making system may be supplied with a continuous feed of “fanfolded” raw material or it may be sheet-fed. The system for determining the dimensions of an object to be packaged is capable of determining the dimensions of a group of objects to be packaged.

There are many industries that must package objects having different sizes for shipment, warehousing, and other operations. There are commercially available carton-producing machines that are capable of producing customized boxes in the size and style needed. Such machines use corrugated cardboard to produce boxes on demand that vary in dimensions typology and quantity.
A side of a typical machine is depicted in FIG. 1A; a top view is shown in FIG. 1B. Required box dimensions are either input manually or determined from a bar code or previously generated list of carton sizes. Based upon this input, fan-fold raw material having a sufficient width is drawn from one of the stations 10 and delivered to a staging area 12. From there, the material is cut and scored at 14 to produce a flat panel that may be folded and glued or stapled to produce a box large enough to fit the object to be packaged. Although supplies 10 reduce waste by providing material of varying width, a more automated dimensioning capability would enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

System and method for making custom boxes for objects of random size or shape


A method is provided for recording visible marks on a recording medium using an input beam generated by an electromagnetic radiation source. The method comprises (a) substantially collimating the input beam to provide a substantially collimated beam, and (b) applying the substantially collimated beam to the recording medium to provide the visible mark on the recording medium.

Low power lasers are employed to read and write binary data on a data region of media. One typical media are optical storage discs, such as CDs, DVDs and the like. Typically, various types of data are written on a data side of the disc by a laser beam while the disc is rotating. Data may be recorded by changing a property of a desired area on the recording media so that the area is indicative of a zero or one data value.
The side of a data disc opposite the data side is often used as a label region for handwriting or affixing or marking a label with descriptions and illustrations corresponding to the recorded data. Recently, apparatus and methods have been developed with the ability to generate an optically visible label on the label region of an optical disc using the same laser that was employed to read and write digital or electronic data on the data side of the disc. See U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0108708 (Anderson, et al.), disclosing the use of laser sensitive materials on a disc label that react chemically with the application of light and heat and result in changes in color and shading on the label. As used herein, the terms "spot" or "data spot" refers to a non-visible spot or mark made on the data region of the media. The terms "mark" or "visible mark" refers to visible mark or spot made on the label region of the media.
In making data spots using an optical disc drive, small spots are produced extremely closely together, in order to pack as much data as possible onto the disc. Typically data spots are only about 1.7 micron in diameter or less. Thus, it is important to provide precisely focused data beams that are positioned exactly on the appointed data track. Another reason for having a focused beam for data writing is that a protective surface layer and/or defects and dust are commonly part of the data surface of a medium. Hence, a focused beam is needed for data writing to allow the beam to focus on the active layer. Likewise, in reading data spots, the read beam must be precisely focused and tracked to obtain correct data. This data read/write process requires precise and expensive optics and tracking elements in the data marking and optical pickup unit (OPU) devices of a laser/optical disc system, adding substantially to the cost of such systems.
In addition, it is important that data spots be small enough to enable suitable data storage density. Accordingly, it is desirable that a spot on the optical disc surface be made as small as possible to ensure accurate writing and reading. Numerical Aperture (NA) and wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation determine the minimum data spot size that can be marked on an optical data storage media. The smallest data spot size is created by using the highest practicable NA for the objective lens, that is the lens that focuses the laser light onto the media. For data systems, the entrance NA of an optical data system next to the data writing laser, referred to as the entrance pupil, has typically been small (less than 0.10). This small NA is chosen to make the irradiance distribution on the back of the objective lens as even as possible. The exit NA of the optical data system next to the recording surface, called the exit pupil, has typically been relatively large (more than 0.45), so that the data spot can be very small when focused. The small NA of the entrance pupil results in a substantial loss of laser power, as most of the light does not pass through the optical system. Existing OPUs are about 37% efficient from the laser diode output to the data spot. In addition, the large exit NA of an optical data system provides a short range of working distance within which the spot is in focus, thereby causing narrow tolerances in the variation of allowable distances between the optics and recording media.

Methods and apparatus for marking media with collimated electromagnetic radiation beam

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A procedure and device for longitudinal sealing and cutting of a film web, in particular a foil tube, in which the film web shows at least two layers of film, made of thermoplastic synthetic material, and in which the film web is sealed and cut in a continuous process by leading it through the device, in which the film first contacts the heating element in order to seal the two film layers by welding, in order to cut this sealed seam in the middle of the seam by guiding the film web over the cutting element, which dividends the sealed seam into at least two partial film tubes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method of lengthways sealing and cutting of a foil tube. The foil tube has at least two layers lying on each other and is made of thermoplastic synthetic material. The foil tube is brought to a device suitable for the sealing and cutting in accordance with the present invention.
Additionally, the invention is directed to an apparatus for the sealing and cutting of such a foil tube. The invention has application in that at least one foil tube results into a tube of reduced width.
The invention has application in the production of garbage bags and in the production of bags for the receiving of food, such as thin thermoplastic foils produced in long double-layered tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In prior art processing systems, the layered films are first cut longitudinally and then immediately sealed with each other at the cut edges by heat influence.
The foil tube is brought to a blade over a mostly convex conducting metal. The blade first splits the tube with the edge at the front. The foil is also being heated by means of a seal strip and melts the cut edges of the tube together. The melted edges connect themselves in a lengthways seal seam.
The prior art process is known as a "Slit Seal" procedure. The lengthways seal seam has a characteristic bead of material that increases the overall thickness of the foil by more than 20% of the foil thickness. When winding the tubes manufactured in this manner, the possible diameter of the rolls will be limited by the accumulated diameter of the built up edges, which arises by the Slit Seal procedures. The seam strength moreover decreases particularly with increasing foil thickness.
A further disadvantage is that when the film is guided over a convex plate, electrostatic charges build-up and wrinkles are a likely result. Additionally, during the slit seal procedure, the sealing elements emit considerable heat that needs to be eliminated by an intricate water-cooling system. Finally, the melted foil, as it passes over the convex plate, can create a build up of thermoplastic strings or spiders that require the periodic removal from the plate.

Method and apparatus for sealing and cutting of foil tubes


A method, device and computer-readable storage medium for setting up runtime environment for an application are provided in the present disclosure. The method includes the following steps: determining whether the application is installed; when the application is determined being installed, creating a process of the application according to user's instruction; and providing an application platform interface for developing the application.

Application platform refers to those computer softwares which provide the capability to embed third-party softwares. The application platform is a trend of client softwares now. The third-party applications are functional components developed by third-party developers, attached and run in appropriate client softwares. On one hand, these third-party applications rely on the application platform for publishing and promotion. On the other hand, these third-party applications enrich the features of the corresponding client softwares as functionally complement.
Plug-in system is commonly used in traditional client softwares. The plug-in system exposures a series of SDK (Software Development Kit) to enable third-party developers to develop Dynamic Link Library (dll) complied with interface specification, and to integrate the binary dll to the corresponding client software. When the function of the client software need to be evoked, the pug-in system loads the binary dll, to provide functions implemented thereby.
However, in the plug-in system, loading third-party applications may lead to instability and low performance problems of the application platform. Third-party application error would cause crash and low performance of the application platform, and the performance problem caused by the third-party applications would stay in the application platform even after the third-party applications being uninstalled. In addition, the development of the third-party applications relies on the version of application platform. For the application platform, loading expired third-party application may lead to crash. The reference count of third-party applications is easily go wrong, which may cause the application cannot be uninstalled or the application platform crash after uninstalling the third-party application. Furthermore, updating the third-party application usually has to restart the client software.

Method, device, and storage medium for setting up application runtime environment

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED