A multi-membrane microphone including an audio processing circuit is disclosed. The membranes are configured to output to a plurality of amplifiers a plurality of sensing signals in response to sound. The amplifiers in turn create amplified signals by amplifying the sensing signals and introduce a plurality of offsets into the amplified signals, respectively. The audio processing circuit includes a controller that sequentially measures the offset for each amplifier a corresponding membrane is inactive and stores the offset. The controller also compensates each amplified signal by the corresponding offset during operation of the multi-membrane microphone.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to calibrating offsets in multiple membrane microphones and, in particular, offsets introduced in audio signals by channel amplifiers.
Description of the Related Art
Acoustic transducers, such as a microphone of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), typically comprise a sensing structure for transducing acoustic pressure waves into an electrical signal (for example, by capacitive variation). The acoustic transducers may further comprise electronic circuitry for processing the electrical signals and supplying an output signal that may be analog or digital as in the case of a digital microphone. The output signal may be modulated in accordance with any type of modulation scheme such as a pulse-density modulation (PDM) modulation scheme. The output signal may then be made available to an external electronic system, such as for example a microcontroller of an electronic apparatus that incorporates the MEMS microphone.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a multi-membrane microphone 10. The multi-membrane microphone 10 (also referred to herein as a multiple membrane microphone) comprises a plurality of membranes 12, a charge pump 14, and an audio processing circuit 16. The audio processing circuit 16 comprises a plurality of amplifiers 18, a multiplexer 20, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 22 and a controller 24.
An input port 26 of each membrane 12 is electrically coupled to an output port 28 of the charge pump 14. Further, an output port 30 of each membrane 12 is electrically coupled to an input port 32 of a respective amplifier 18 of the plurality of amplifiers 18. An output port 34 of each amplifier 18 of the plurality of amplifiers 18 is electrically coupled to a respective input port 36 of a plurality of input ports 36 of the multiplexer 20. Further, a selection signal input port 38 of the multiplexer 20 is electrically coupled to a selection signal output port 40 of the controller 24.
As shown in FIG. 1, an output port 42 of the multiplexer 20 is electrically coupled to an input port 44 of the A/D converter 22, and an output port 46 of the A/D converter 22 is electrically coupled to an input port 48 of the controller 24 at output node 50. An output signal of the audio processing circuit 16 may be sensed at the output node 50.
The input port 26 of each membrane 12 receives a charging signal 52 from the output port 28 of the charge pump 14, whereby the charging signal 52 is used to maintain a constant charge on the sensing capacitor of the membrane 12. The constant charge is maintained to enable the membrane 12 to better transduce an impinging sound pressure signal 54. As a result of the sound pressure signal 54 impinging on the membrane 12, the membrane 12 produces a respective sensing signal 56 at its output port 30.
The membranes 12 may have different sensitivities and may have different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ratings. The controller 24 of the audio processing circuit 16 may switch between membranes 12 depending on a level of the sound pressure signal 54. For example, one membrane 12 may have greater sensitivity than another membrane 12 and may be used when the sound pressure signal 54 impinging on the membranes 12 is below a threshold, whereas the other membrane having the lower sensitivity may be utilized when the sound pressure signal 54 is greater than the threshold. Switching between audio detection by the plurality of membranes 12 improves the audio detection capability of the microphone 10.
The plurality of amplifiers 20 receive a respective sensing signal 56 at their respective input ports 32. Each amplifier 20 of the plurality of amplifiers 20 amplifies a signal level of the respective sensing signal 56 and outputs an amplified signal 58 at the respective output port 34 of the amplifier 18. The multiplexer 24 receives the plurality of amplified signals 58 at the respective plurality of input ports 36. The multiplexer 20 also receives a selection signal 60 from the controller 24 at its selection signal port 38. The selection signal 60 indicates selection of one of the plurality of amplified signals 58 for processing. Based on the selection signal 60, the multiplexer 20 outputs, at its output port 42, one of the amplified signals 58 as a selected amplified signal 62.
The selection signal 60 indicates an audio channel selected for processing by the controller 24, whereby the audio channel comprises the membrane 12 and amplifier 18 corresponding to the selected amplified signal 62. The A/D converter 22 receives the selected amplified signal 62 at its input port 44 and converts the selected amplified signal 62 from analog format to digital format. The A/D converter 22 outputs, at its output port 46, an output signal 64 that is the result of the conversion.
The output signal 64 is received by the controller 24 at its input port 48. The controller 24 uses feedback control to control audio channel selection. For example, based at least in part on a signal power level or noise power level of the output signal 64, the controller may determine to switch between audio channels. For example, if the signal power level of the sound pressure signal 54 falls below a threshold, the controller 24 may select the membrane 12 having a higher sensitivity for detecting the sound pressure signal 54. Conversely, the controller 24 may select the membrane 12 having a lower sensitivity for detecting the sound pressure signal 54. The controller 24 selects the membrane 12 for detecting the sound pressure signal 54 by outputting the selection signal 60 indicating the selection of the amplified sensing signal 58 corresponding to the membrane 12.

Offset calibration in a multiple membrane microphone


Systems and methods for electropolishing devices are disclosed. The electropolishing system includes electropolishing fixtures configured to reposition the devices during the electropolishing process.

Medical devices are an important part of the health industry and are responsible for improving the health of many people. Many life-saving procedures can be performed today because of advances in medical device technology. Stents, for instance, are examples of medical devices that are used in a variety of medical procedures. When stents are used in the context of the vascular system, they can open blocked vessels, increase the flow of blood and prevent reoccurrence of the blockage. Stents are not limited, however, to the vasculature system and can be employed in many systems and circumstances.
The production of medical devices such as stents can be a complicated process. Producing the stent includes forming struts that are arranged to provide strength and flexibility to the stent. The struts can be formed, for example, by laser cutting.
Once the stent is formed, the stent is polished in order to remove rough edges that may remain on the stent and to smooth the surface of the stent. As one can imagine, a stent with rough edges may have adverse effects if introduced into a patient's vasculature. The stent could cut a vessel's wall, for instance, or irritate the vessel's wall, stimulating cell growth and forming a blockage in the vessel.
Electropolishing is the process commonly used to polish stents. The process requires that the device be suspended within an electrolytic bath while electrical current is applied through the stent in order to drive material away from the stent surface. Forming a secure contact is important to the process since insufficient current flow results in improperly or poorly polished devices. Alternatively, the lack of a secure contact can result in electrical arcing that burns the stent's surface.
Conventionally, the electrical contact has been accomplished using paddles. The use of paddles has not always been effective. The results produced with traditional paddles are not optimal, either because the paddles cover too much surface area or because the paddle contacts cannot be alternated to allow for stent contact areas to vary. There is a need for a new configuration that allows contact with the stent surface to be achieved and effectively controlled in order to achieve a more uniform finish.

Electropolishing method including multi-finger contacts


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a patient is assessed. A TBI diagnosis for the patient is determined based on features from MRI data, such as anatomical features, functional features, diffusion features, connectivity features from functional MRI, connectivity features from diffusion MRI, and/or network features from the connectivity features. The TBI diagnosis is determined using a trained classifier. The classifier synthesizes the features into a single number (e.g., a confidence in the prediction of the diagnosis) and indicates the features most responsible for the diagnosis. The disease trajectory for a given patient may be predicted using the trained classifier.

Many individuals, by nature of their lifestyles and/or careers, may be at risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI). By way of example, athletes (e.g., especially though not necessarily athletes who participate in high-impact sports, including but not limited to football players, soccer players, boxers, etc.) and soldiers (e.g., especially soldiers exposed to shockwave blasts from explosions) are examples of individuals who may be at higher-than-normal risk for TBI.
Most cases of TBI in sports are deemed "mild" TBI. The examination of suspected injuries tends to be based on psychological tests and, in some instances, structural brain scans. However, for mild TBI, structural brain scans may appear normal, thereby frustrating accurate diagnosis. The decision to return an injured individual to a full range of activity (e.g., returning an athlete to the field of play or returning a soldier to active duty) is oftentimes made based on guidelines that consider the results of psychological tests. Thus, even though a decision may be made that an individual is ready to return to a full range of activity, the individual may still have injury and the recovery process may still be continuing even long after the return to normal activity levels is deemed safe. Returning an individual with TBI to normal activity levels prematurely interferes with the recovery process and places the individual at further risk.


Reduction of the nitrite content of aqueous solutions by treatment with hydrogen peroxide in the acidic pH range can be controlled by measurement of the redox potential. Contrary to the teaching of the prior art, addition of the hydrogen peroxide in the process according to the invention is terminated not at the highest redox potential, but only after lowering of the potential to a value of 650.+-.10 mV. In this way, nitrite contents below 1 mg/l can be obtained even when the solutions additionally contain fluctuating amounts of various compounds oxidizable by H.sub.2 O.sub.2.

The present invention relates to a process for the automatically controllable reduction of the nitrite content of nitrite-containing aqueous solutions, more particularly wastewaters and pickling acids, to values below 1 mg NO.sub.2.sup.- /l by treatment of the solutions at a pH value below 3.5 with hydrogen peroxide of which the addition is controlled by the redox potential. The process according to the present invention also encompasses the treatment of nitrite-containing aqueous solutions which, in addition to nitrite, contain other compounds oxidizable by hydrogen peroxide.
An automatically controllable process for detoxifying wastewaters containing nitrite ions, in which the nitrite ions are oxidized with hydrogen peroxide to nitrate ions in the mildly acidic pH range, is known from DE-PS 28 52 475 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,914). In this process, the reduction in the pH value during oxidation is used to control the input of H.sub.2 O.sub.2. This process is suitable for detoxification by batch methods, but not for the treatment of large wastewater streams with fluctuating contents of various ingredients oxidizable with H.sub.2 O.sub.2 by continuous methods.
EP-A-0 267 166 describes a process for the reduction of NO.sub.X gas from a nitric acid solution containing "dissolved NO.sub.X " by treatment of the solution with hydrogen peroxide, the quantity of hydrogen peroxide added being controlled depending upon the redox potential. FIG. 1 of that document shows the redox potential curve as a function of the "dissolved NO.sub.X " content which comprises nitrous acid, N.sub.2 O.sub.3, NO and NO.sub.2. It can be seen that the redox potential increases with decreasing content of dissolved NO.sub.X, reaching a maximum of +855 mV on complete oxidation, i.e. at an NO.sub.X content of zero. When more H.sub.2 O.sub.2 is added, the redox potential of the solution containing excess H.sub.2 O.sub.2 falls to +650 mV.
Contrary to the teaching of EP-A 0 267 166, it has now been found that nitrite-containing wastewater treated with hydrogen peroxide by the process according to that document is not free from nitrous acid at the maximum redox potential, which is in the order of +850.+-.30 mV depending on the acid concentration, so that nitrite remains in the waste-water after neutralization and leads to environmental pollution. This process fails completely unless sufficient iron (II) ions are present in addition to nitrite ions in the solution to be treated. In this case, the initial potential is itself +850 mV so that, under the known control regime, no H.sub.2 O.sub.2 at all would be added and, hence, no detoxification would occur.

Process for automatically controllable reduction of the nitrite content of nitrite-containing aqueous solutions to values below 1 mg/1


The present invention provides a neck pillow comprising an elongate cushioned member extending from a first end to a second end of the pillow. Each end comprises at least one fastening element for mutual engagement such that the pillow may be arranged in a closed configuration in which the pillow defines a closed loop and an open configuration in which the ends are spaced apart from each other.

The present invention relates to a pillow, in particular to a neck pillow, to provide support to a user. In particular, the present invention relates to a neck pillow to provide support for the neck in particular the chin. The present invention relates to a neck pillow for children for use during travel, such as for example in a car or on a plane.


The present invention is directed to a logical board game featuring hexagonal primary playing fields as a playing area, and pieces, the primary playing fields being congruent geometrical figures that form a regular six-pointed star-shaped playing area that has axes of symmetry, one playing field of which is at the center of the playing area, and that the primary playing fields adjoin, by at least two of their sides, their neighboring primary playing fields.

The subject of the invention is a logical board game involving a playing area of regular hexagonal cells, and pieces. The cells are congruent geometrical figures. The subject of the invention is also a game-of-chance board game involving a playing area of regular hexagonal cells as well as a roulette cylinder and/or tumbling die or other random number generator and/or computer and tokens.
The invented games are played on a special playing area (board). Industrial design patents numbers D03 00347 and D03 00348 describe a similar special playing area pattern.
The board games that are the subject of this invention belong to two sub-categories, namely logical board games (I) and games that involve elements of games of chance (II).
Chess belongs to the sub-category of logical board games (I). A characteristic of the board games described in the invention is the fact that the same board can also be used for playing logical games such as horse race, pawn war, French chess (also known as "Giveaway Chess," but referred to as "French Chess" throughout), halma, pyramid, checkers (shashki), and triangles (merelles).
The games described in the invention are further characterized by the fact that, when the starting setup is defined randomly (by means of a draw), the same board can also be used for playing several, already existing, board games that involve elements of games of chance. Thus, using the chess pieces, several roulette-like games can be played such as (chess-) queen roulette, rook-bishop roulette, king-knight-2 pawns roulette and lotto chess, as well as lotto, roulette, dreidel, and blackjack. This feature distinguishes the invented games from any formerly known (reform) chess games.
I have given my invention the commercial name Polgár Superstar® board game indicating that these games are members of the Polgár Superstar® family of games that are playable on the Polgár Superstar® six-pointed star-shaped board. (In the present description of the invention, instead of the term "board" I will mostly use the more specific expression "playing area", also formerly referred to as the "playing field". Also, I have substituted the term "field" or "cell" with the term "primary playing field".)
One of the most ancient known games, chess, which dates back more than 2,000 years, has a playing area of 8×8 square-shaped cells organized into vertical columns and horizontal rows usually on a board, table or box surface, and a set of playing pieces comprising two times 16 pieces and pawns. The pieces are shaped as figures that act in accordance with their established roles within the rules of the game. During the past five hundred years the game has been played according to the same rules as a game for two players who oppose one another as "white" and "black" in accordance with the starting move. All this is indicative of the strict rules of this traditional game.
The large number of pieces and cells, according to the rules, results in such a large number of move combinations that the game of chess is regarded allover the world as an intellectual pursuit highly suitable for developing complex combinative abilities and, consequently for realizing various strategic and tactical concepts.
It is no coincidence that, alongside traditional chess (8×8 board, FIDE-rules), a large number of reform chess ideas have also been published. Several innovations have been attempted in order to make the game more dynamic.
One opportunity lies in changing the size of the board, or the shape and geometry of the playing area. Thus, a smaller board may result in a certain simplification and can speed up the game since, logically, fewer pieces can be placed on the smaller board bearing in mind the reduced size of the playing area. Examples of such commercially available games are the well-known Alapo, Apocalypse, Archer, Baby, Benighted, Bird, Chessence, Los Alamos, Microchess I and II, and Minichess I, II, III and IV. Larger boards that require the inclusion of more pieces, sometimes involving new pieces (typically major pieces, with new ways of moving and capturing), make it possible for more than two people to play on the same board at the same time. One example of this is Paulovits chess (1931), which is played on a 10×10 board, and others are those games detailed in Hungarian patent descriptions 130.346 and 187.705. The overwhelming majority of these reform chess games, however, did not result in the desired acceleration while preserving the traditional values—particularly the high-level intellectual pleasure produced by the clashing of minds—of the game. The majority of reform chess versions have become over-complicated, the playing areas confusing, and the games slow and heavy.
Another option is to vary the basic setup. In traditional chess the basic setup is fixed, and characterized by symmetry and the opposition of pieces. In my game the placement of major pieces on the base-line—both in terms of position and order—is optional, making it possible to checkmate the opponent in just one move!
Grandmaster Pal Benko published his version of reform chess, Prechess, in 1978. Here, the placement of the major pieces in the basic setup is not determined and can be asymmetrical. Prechess, however, has not become widespread. American chess genius Robert Fischer also proposed a non-determined placement of the major pieces, while preferring to maintain the symmetrical basic setup of the major pieces (white pieces opposite to the equivalent black ones).
Star-shaped chessboards have already been invented by many others. The chess game known as "Baltic Four-Handed" in the technical literature (L. Kieseritzky, 1835?), for example, can be played on an eight-pointed star-shaped chessboard. Hungarian patent description 168.051 details a board game that involves an eight-pointed star-shaped playing field comprising 128 congruent rhomboid-shaped fields.
Besides square-shaped cells the chessboard can be "paved" with fields of other geometrical shapes. Diamond Chess, for example, features triangular cells.
The technical literature contains mention of several playing areas made up of hexagonal playing fields that connect like the cells of a honeycomb (The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, Games and Puzzles Publications, © D. B. Pritchard, Surrey, UK 1994): "Hyperchess", "King's Colour" page 363; "Hexachess", page 138, and "Hexagonal chess", pages 138-145. There are dozens of versions of reform chess in which the board is made up of hexagonal fields, such as Chessex, Chessnik, En Garde, Galachess, Haynie's Hexagonal Chess, Hexabeast, Hexmate, Hexachess, Hexagonal, Hexagonia, Hexchad, Hex, Hexchess, Hexshogi, Ludus Chessunculus, Mi Arena Chex, Mini Hexchess, Three-Handed Hexagonal, Triangular, Tri, Trimex, Triscia, Triss, Troy, Chazz Hyperchess, King's Colour, Mars, Quatrechess, etc.
In 1978, Nerida Fay Ellerton invented a six-pointed star-shaped chessboard paved with hexagons—containing as many as 400 fields in three different colours, making the game complicated and cumbersome. Details of the game are given in British patent description GB 2 033 239, and the star-shaped playing area divided into hexagonal fields is represented in diagram 4. The playing area represented in the diagram significantly differs from the starshaped playing area described in our study. The board shown there is not suitable for fulfilling the functions that I have set out for the games I have devised. Over the past 25 years, I have no information about the spread of the games mentioned in the above document.

Logical board game and game of chance on a star-shaped board


The present invention is directed to wet processing methods for the manufacture of electronic component precursors, such as semiconductor wafers used in integrated circuits. The electronic component precursors are placed in a reaction chamber and contacted with at least one reactive chemical process fluid for a selected period of time. The reactive process fluid can be, for example, hydrofluoric acid. The electronic component precursors are then exposed directly to a drying fluid, with no intervening rinsing fluid, for a selected period of time. The drying fluid can be a vapor.

The present invention is directed to wet processing methods for the manufacture of electronic components and electronic component precursors, such as semiconductor wafers used in integrated circuits. More specifically, this invention relates to methods of, for example, cleaning, stripping, and etching of electronic component precursors using dry displacement technology in conjunction with wet chemical processing techniques.
Wet processing is used extensively during the manufacture of integrated circuits, which typically comprise electronic component precursors such as semiconductor wafers, flat panels, and other electronic component precursors. Generally, the electronic component precursors are placed in a bath or a vessel and then contacted with a series of reactive chemical process fluids and rinsing fluids. The process fluids may be used, without limitation, for etching, photoresist stripping, and prediffusion cleaning and other cleaning steps of the electronic component precursors. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,577,650; 4,740,249; 4,738,272; 4,856,544; 4,633,893; 4,775,532; 4,917,123; and EPO 0,233,184, assigned to a common assignee, and Burkman et al., Wet Chemical Processes-Aqueous Cleaning Processes, pg 111-151 in Handbook of Semiconductor Wafer Cleaning Technology (edited by Werner Kern, Published by Noyes Publication Parkridge, N.J. 1993), the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In a typical wet processing technique, electronic component precursors are exposed to reactive chemical process fluids to either remove (i.e., cleaning) contamination on the electronic component precursors or to etch some part of the surface. After this cleaning or etching is performed, the chemical will adhere to the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors. The adhered chemical must then be removed before treating the electronic component precursors with the next reactive chemical process fluid so that the chemical residue does not contaminate the next reactive chemical process.
Therefore, in current wet processing techniques, after each chemical treatment step, the electronic component precursors are rinsed with DI water to remove the chemicals from the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors, whether the chemical treatment is done in a bath, full flow vessel, or using other wet bench techniques. Sometimes a trace chemical may be added to the rinse water to give the rinsing fluid a certain property that may be beneficial. Even if the rinsing fluid (i.e., water) is modified with a trace chemical, its function is not changed. There is a clear distinction between chemicals that are used to perform, for example, the cleaning or etching action of the electronic component precursors and the rinsing fluid, which is intended to remove the chemicals from the surfaces of the electronic component precursors (even though the water may not be pure water but may have certain chemicals added to it).
In conventional techniques, a rinse with deionized (DI) water is always performed after the last chemical treatment step and before the wafers are dried, whether the chemical treatment is done in a bath, full flow vessel, or using other wet bench techniques. Although a DI rinse removes the given chemical from the surface of the electronic component precursors after the chemical has performed its function (e.g., cleaning or etching), this rinsing step imposes several limitations on the manufacture of semiconductor components. For example, it is standard in the industry to rinse the electronic component precursors between chemical treatment steps with DI water until the level of dissolved chemicals is about 10 p.p.b. (i.e., 4-16 Mohm-cm). This requires extensive rinsing.
Because DI water tends to be very expensive, rinsing substantially increases the costs of manufacturing electronic component precursors. DI rinsing also takes a long time, sometimes consuming as much as 60% of the total wet processing time, therefore decreasing throughput of the electronic component precursors.
The rinse with DI water can also compromise the integrity of the wet processing techniques by causing precipitation of residual material or by causing the formation of undesirable oxide, silica, and/or metal precipitates. A rinsing fluid, even when it is pure DI water is sometimes reactive with semiconductor materials such as silicon and can oxidize some silicon atoms on the surface of the semiconductor material.
In addition to rinsing electronic component precursors after treatment with reactive chemical process fluids, the electronic component precursors normally need to be dried. This can be a particularly challenging process because it is important that no contamination be created during the drying process. Evaporation is undesirable since it often leads to spotting or streaking. Even the evaporation of ultra high purity water can lead to problems because such water is very aggressive to the water surface and will dissolve traces of silicon and silicon dioxide during even short periods of water contact. Subsequent evaporation will leave residues of the solute material on the wafer surface. Contamination and other causes of semiconductor failure are discussed, for example, in J. Schadel, xe2x80x9cDevice Failure Mechanisms In Integrated Circuits,xe2x80x9d Solid State Devices 1983 Conf. Ser. No. 69 (Institute of Physics, London 1984) 105-120.
Conventionally, semiconductors are dried through centrifugal force in a spin-rinser-drier. Because these devices rely on centrifugal force to xe2x80x9cthrowxe2x80x9d water off the wafer surfaces, their use results in several problems. First, there are mechanical stresses placed on the wafers which may result in wafer breakage, particularly with larger wafer sizes. Second, because there are many moving parts inside a spin-rinser-drier, contamination control becomes a difficult problem. Third, since the wafers conventionally travel at high velocity through dry nitrogen, static electric charges develop on the wafer surfaces. Since oppositely charged airborne particles are quickly drawn to the wafer surfaces when the spin-rinser-drier is opened, particular contamination results. Fourth, it is difficult to avoid evaporation of water from the surfaces of the wafers during the spin process with the attendant disadvantages discussed above.
More recently, methods and apparatus have been developed for steam or chemical drying of wafers, including the method and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,532. Chemical drying generally comprises two steps. First, the rinsing fluid, preferably water is driven off the wafers and replaced by a nonaqueous drying fluid. Second, the nonaqueous drying fluid is evaporated using a predried gas, preferably an inert gas such as nitrogen at a low flow velocity.
Another chemical drying process currently used in Japan consists of sequentially immersing the wafer carrying vessel in tanks of deionized water, followed by suspending the wafers above a tank of boiling isopropanol. The wafer-carrying vessel is then slowly withdrawn from the isopropanol vapor to pull the water droplets off the wafer surfaces.
One of the most important features for an effective wafer drying technology is that the wafers produced be ultraclean (i.e., with minimum particle contamination and minimum chemical residue).
Thus, there is the need in the art for a simple and efficient method that permits the safe chemical treatment of electronic component precursors, while at the same time eliminating the problems and costs associated with DI rinsing after chemical treatment steps and the problems associated with drying electronic component precursors using conventional techniques. The present invention addresses these as well as other needs.
The invention presents, inter alia, wet processing methods useful in the manufacture of electronic component precursors, such as semiconductor wafers and flat panels, used in integrated circuits. These novel methods can be used for the cleaning, stripping, and/or etching of electronic component precursors, such as semiconductor wafers.
In conventional wet processing techniques, a reactive chemical process fluid is removed from the surface or surfaces of a electronic component precursors with a rinsing fluid, such as DI water. It has been discovered that a reactive chemical process fluid can be displaced from the surface of a semiconductor wafer by using a drying fluid, such as isopropyl alcohol instead of a rinsing fluid, thereby eliminating the final DI rinse of electronic component precursors. It is also contemplated that a drying fluid may be used between chemical treatment steps thereby eliminating or minimizing the need for DI rinses between chemical treatment steps. By eliminating the final DI rinse and minimizing the use of DI water between chemical treatment steps, the problems that may be associated with its use, such as precipitation of silica, metal, and/or oxide precipitates, can be minimized, if not avoided.
It has also been discovered that the drying fluid serves the additional function of drying the electronic component precursors, thus, eliminating the need for an additional drying step as in conventional wet processing techniques.
In particular, the invention is directed to a method for the manufacture of electronic component precursors comprising: placing the electronic component precursors in a reaction chamber; contacting the surfaces of said electronic component precursors with at least one reactive chemical process fluid for a selected period of time; and exposing the electronic component precursors to a drying fluid for a selected period, after the electronic component precursors have been exposed to the final reactive chemical process fluid.
In one aspect of the invention, the electronic component precursors are maintained in a single reaction chamber during the entire chemical treatment process. In this aspect of the invention, the electronic component precursors are placed in a reaction chamber and the surfaces of the electronic component precursors are contacted with one or more reactive chemical process fluids for a selected period of time without removing the electronic component precursors from the reaction chamber. If more than one reactive chemical process fluid is to be used for treating the electronic component precursors, the process fluids may be introduced sequentially into the reaction chamber such that one process fluid directly displaces the previous process fluid from the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors, thereby eliminating the step of a DI rinse, or by draining the chamber of one reactive chemical process fluid before exposing the electronic component precursors to another reactive chemical process fluid. It is also contemplated that a DI rinse may be used between chemical treatment steps. The DI rinse may directly displace the reactive chemical from the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors or the chamber may be drained before the DI rinse is introduced into the chamber. It is also contemplated that a drying fluid may be used between chemical treatment steps in place of a DI rinse. In such instances, the drying fluid would be introduced into the reaction chamber such that it would directly displace the reactive chemical process fluid from the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors.
In another aspect of the invention, the electronic component precursors are moved from one reaction chamber to another, wherein each reaction chamber contains a different reactive chemical process fluid. According to this aspect of the invention, after treating the electronic component precursors with one reactive chemical process fluid, the electronic component precursors are immediately immersed into the next reactive chemical process fluid contained in another reaction chamber without rinsing the electronic component precursors with a rinsing fluid to remove the previous reactive chemical process fluid from the surfaces of the electronic component precursors. It is contemplated, however, that the electronic component precursors can be immersed in a chamber containing a rinsing fluid in between chemical treatment steps. It is further contemplated that the electronic component precursors can be immersed in a chamber containing a drying fluid in between chemical treatment steps.
Regardless of the reaction chamber used for treating the electronic component precursors, in a preferred embodiment, following exposure of the electronic component precursors to the last reactive chemical process fluid, a drying fluid is supplied to the reaction chamber such that the it displaces the last reactive chemical process fluid from the surface or surfaces of the electronic component precursors preferably at such a rate that substantially no liquid droplets are left on the surfaces after replacement of the reactive chemical process fluid with the drying fluid. It is also contemplated that the electronic component precursors may be exposed to a drying fluid between chemical treatment steps, thereby eliminating the step of a DI rinse between each chemical treatment step.
The use of a drying fluid in place of a DI rinse to remove reactive chemical process fluids from the surface or surfaces offers the advantages of higher output of electronic component precursors. By eliminating the DI rinse and a separate drying step at the end of the wet processing technique, the methods of the invention result in a significant costs savings because DI water is very expensive. These are great benefits to the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The method of the invention offers improved safety because the reactive chemicals such as HF are removed from the ends of electronic component precursors, and prevents operators from being exposed to such hazardous chemicals. These methods also result in improved process performance of electronic component precursors (i.e., wafers or panels are cleaner).

Wet processing methods for the manufacture of electronic components


An apparatus for characterizing dynamic stability of an emulsion includes a test vessel, a gap within the test vessel defined between a stationary surface and a moving surface; and an inlet for feeding an emulsion through the gap within the test vessel, whereby dynamic stability of the emulsion can be characterized based upon cycles of flow through the test vessel. Methods for characterizing dynamic stability are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining dynamic stability of an emulsion and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for accurately and repeatably simulating flow conditions so that the dynamic stability of an emulsion can be determined at the flow conditions.
Emulsions are used in a wide variety of industries and applications. In these various industries, emulsion stability is frequently a critical product characteristic.
In the fuel industry, heavy hydrocarbon in water emulsions are used to provide a combustible fuel. One example of this type of emulsion is a bitumen in water emulsion provided by Bitor, S.A. under the trademark Orimulsions.RTM..
No apparatus or device is currently known which can directly measure the resistance to instability of such emulsion products. In order to evaluate dynamic stability of an emulsion in a particular flow system, expensive empirical procedures must be followed which are not necessarily repeatable for different types of emulsion and/or other flow conditions.
The need remains for a method and apparatus for accurately and repeatably characterizing the dynamic stability of an emulsion.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for characterizing dynamic stability of an emulsion which is simple in structure and use and which provides accurate and repeatable results.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for characterizing dynamic stability of an emulsion which is efficient, accurate and repeatable in providing results for various flow conditions and emulsions.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method as described above which can be calibrated so as to simulate the conditions of a particular flow environment, thereby allowing the evaluation of dynamic stability of an emulsion in a particular flow environment.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.

Apparatus and method for determining dynamic stability of emulsions


A vertical rapid heating furnace for treating semiconductor wafers comprising a hot wall reaction tube positioned within a cylindrical array of circular parallel heating elements substantially concentric therewith, each heating element being spaced from the hot wall reaction tube, each heating element comprising a coil of resistance heating conductor. The coiled resistance heating conductor can be a coil of resistance heating wire, the coil having an outer diameter of from 1 to 7 mm and supported in an annular heating element support. Each heating element support is dimensioned to support and accommodate the thermally expanded heating element supported therein at both the minimum and maximum furnace temperatures. Preferably, each annular heating element support is provided by an annular recess in the insulation surrounding the array of heating elements. The preferred vertical rapid heating and cooling furnace for treating semiconductor wafers comprises a hot wall reaction tube and a cylindrical array of circular parallel heating elements substantially concentric therewith and spaced therefrom to define a cooling gas passageway between said hot wall reaction tube and said cylindrical array of heating elements. The cooling gas passageway has lower and upper ends, the furnace has a cooling gas inlet opening in communication with said lower end, and a cooling gas exhaust outlet in communication with said upper end.

Heat treatment devices have been used to form diffusion layers or form silicon oxide or nitride films on semiconductor or glass substrates in the manufacture of electronic devices. These substrates are typically thin wafers made of silicon or other semiconductor materials. The description of the device hereinafter will be provided in reference to wafer substrates, it being understood that the apparatus is equally suitable for treating any thin glass or semiconductor sheets, and treatment of any or all of these materials are considered to be within the scope of this invention.
These devices provide the desired heat treatment by heating the wafers in a reactor or heating chamber while introducing inert or reactive gases into the chamber. These heating chambers are surrounded by heating elements enclosed within an insulated shell. In order to treat large numbers of wafers in a single heat treatment operation, it is conventional to support the wafers, one above the other in a parallel orientation, in a wafer boat. This combination is referred to hereinafter as a wafer stack.
Vertical furnaces generally have the furnace and coaxial wafer boat aligned along a vertical axis. The wafer boat loaded with wafers to be treated is raised into the furnace through a bottom opening before the treatment cycle and lowered from the furnace after treatment. A preferred vertical furnace designed to reduce particulate contaminants by eliminating gas eddy areas in the reaction chamber is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,680.
Commonly assigned, copending applications Ser. No. 08/565,177, filed Nov. 11, 1995, and Ser. No. 08/563,875, filed Nov. 28, 1995, describe wafer boat structures which protect wafers during rapid heating and cooling cycles and which are particularly effective with the furnace of this invention.
The prior art furnaces are limited by the ability of their heating systems to rapidly raise and lower furnace temperatures. Japanese patent application publication Hei 4-184923, to Nishimura et al. (Jul. 1, 1992), describes a heat treatment apparatus designed to reduce the heating time. The heating and cooling cycle times for the Nishimura et al. system are limited by the provision of additional heat sink materials to support the wafers, since they increase the power requirements and times for the heating and cooling phases.


An automotive tool for engaging and removing a cable guide bushing from a bushing passage in an inner door panel of a vehicle door is comprised of elongate, generally rectangular, parallelepiped bar with a manual grip at one end and a generally circular, through-passage at the opposite end with a radial slot through the bar connected to the through passage. The through-passage includes first and second uniformly, equally arcuate, constant radius surfaces at the juncture of the top side and bottom side of the bar with the through-passage to facilitate smooth engagement, and placement of the through passage over the compressible legs of the cable guide bushing in a manner which compresses the legs to enable removal of the bushing from a retaining passage in the inside panel from the inside of the door.

In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a specialty automotive tool which may be used for disengagement of an annular, compressible bushing that functions to retain a cable sheath attached to an inside door panel of a vehicle door. The bushing is thus attached or positioned at one end of the hollow, cable sheath. The sheath and bushing receive a cable that extends through the sheath and bushing for connection to the inside vehicle door handle mounted to the inside vehicle door panel. The bushing is mounted in a slot or opening of a bracket on the inside face of the inside door panel.
That is, the door construction of various vehicles typically may include an outside panel with a door latch and an inside panel fitted on the outside panel. An inside door handle mounted within the vehicle on the inside door panel is operable to actuate the door latch by means of a connecting cable fitted in the space between the outside door panel and the inside door panel. The cable provides a linkage between the inside door handle mounted on the inside door panel and the door latch mounted on the outside door panel. Typically, the cable is housed in a protective sheath. One end of the sheath is affixed to the inside door panel of the vehicle door. The opposite end of the sheath is attached to the housing for the door latch mounted on the outside door panel. The sheath protects the cable within the sheath which moves freely and independently of the sheath in response to actuation of the inside door handle. The sheath thus protects the cable from wear and interference with other components in the space between the inside door panel and the outside door panel of the vehicle door construction.
Often the sheath is affixed or attached to an inside panel bracket by means of an annular bushing positioned at the inside end of the sheath. The annular bushing may include compressible dogs or ears which enable the bushing to be snap fitted into a compatible opening of the bracket affixed to the inside door panel.
To repair the door or a latch mechanism or a handle, a mechanic will typically disengage and detach the inside door panel from the outside door panel. Then the mechanic will detach the bushing the protective sheath and the cable from the inside door panel and the door handle. Detachment of the cable, bushing and sheath from the inside door panel is often a difficult task.
That is, the door construction, including the arrangement of the inside door handle, of the latch in the door, and the repair operation associated with the door construction are illustrated in the following internet site: www.utube.com/watch?v+vgfos6xo-im. The internet site depicts the procedure to disassemble a vehicle door by separating and removing an inner door panel from the outside door panel including detachment of the inside door handle from the cable which is connected thereto and which has its opposite end connected via the cable to the door latch mounted on the outside door panel. The series of steps to accomplish this disassembly is facilitated by the use of a pick in the form of a dental pick which the mechanic uses to disengage the various component parts connecting the inside door panel and the various controls in the door including the cable and bushing for the cable sheath. A component which requires detachment or removal from the inside door panel in order to repair the vehicle door latch or the door panel typically includes the cable guide bushing. Removal of the cable guide bushing from the inner door panel allows detachment of the cable from that inside door panel.
Mechanics have found that an especially difficult step in the removal process is disengagement of the cable guide bushing from the inside door panel. Removal typically requires compression of ears or dogs which are positioned on the perimeter or rim of the annular bushing. That is, the dogs or ears typically must be compressed in order to remove the bushing from the inner door panel. In the past this was accomplished by use of a pick or alternatively by a pliers, such as a needle nose pliers. Such tools, though potentially effective, often require extra time, diligence and experience in order to successfully accomplish the objective of removal of the cable guide bushing to thereby achieve release of the cable and sheath from attachment to the inside door panel.
Thus, there has developed a need for an improved tool which will enable a mechanic or auto technician to quickly, easily and successfully disengage a cable guide bushing from the inside door panel of a vehicle door assembly or construction, thereby enabling removal of the cable sheath, bushing and cable from connection with the inside door panel and ultimately removal of the guide sheath and/or the cable from the door assembly for replacement or repair.

Automotive tool for engagement and removal of an inside door handle cable sheath bushing


A ball tension device for producing generally uniform tension in a traveling textile yarn, particularly in combination with a yarn storage and supply apparatus of the rotating drum type. A base portion has a yarn passageway with an upwardly facing annular ball seat. A ball freely rotatably rests on the seat to apply a force to a yarn passing over the seat and through the passageway. A ball retaining portion extends over the ball at an upward spacing sufficient to allow upward movement of the ball but insufficient to allow removal of the ball. These base and ball retaining portions project transversely from a mounting portion to provide a substantial open space to permit entry of a downwardly inclined traveling yarn. The ball retaining portion is imperforate to provide a cover for the ball and seat to shield the ball and seat from accumulation of lint. Similarly, the substantial open space around the ball and seat tends to minimize lint accumulation. The ball retaining portion is formed with an undersurface facing the ball and has an upwardly extending recess to accommodate upward movement of the ball while the ball retaining member otherwise retains the ball against displacement from the device. This recess may be elongated to accommodate transverse movement of the ball during threading. For the same purpose, the mounting portion may be formed with a recess in the surface facing the ball to permit movement of the ball transversely to accommodate threading.

The present invention relates to ball tension devices for controlling tension in yarn being fed to textile machines to obtain substantially uniform tension for enhanced efficiency of operation and quality of the textile product being processed or manufactured.
Ball tension devices have proven to be highly successful in controlling the efficient manufacture of high quality textile products by maintaining substantially uniform tension in yarn being fed in textile manufacturing and processing equipment of various types, such as textile winders, warpers, spinning machines, knitting machines, and the like. The original ball tension device which has become universally used and has proven to be highly successful in providing uniform tension in a traveling yarn with resulting high quality products at high operating efficiency is the type in which a ball is retained in a cylindrical housing on a seat at the bottom of the housing and at the top of a yarn passageway through which a yarn travels upwardly between the ball and seat and through the housing, with the ball applying a tensioning force to the yarn and being freely movable from the seat under the influence of variations in the tension of the yarn entering the device so as to vary the applied tension and thereby produce a substantially uniform tension in the yarn exiting the device. Such a ball tension device is used with each yarn being fed to a particular machine so that all of the yarns are fed to the machine with substantially equal and uniform tension.
Variations in this basic yarn tension device have been developed over the years for particular uses. For example, various yarn guide configurations have been developed, the size and number of balls have been varied, the direction of yarn travel has been varied to exit to the side rather than primarily upwardly or to travel transversely across the seat and under the ball rather than upwardly between the ball and seat, and various combinations with other equipment components have been developed, such as with balloon breakers and yarn break sensors.


A sapphire crystal growth method includes a first step of grinding, a second step of purification, a third step of spraying and drying particles, a fourth step of adding organic bonding agent, a fifth step of press molding, and a sixth step of crystal growth. Thus, the sapphire crystal growth method has a shorter crystal growth time than that of the conventional crystal growth method. In addition, the sapphire crystal growth method has a lower price, has crystals whose mass and size are unlimited, and has a higher quality.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crystal growth method and, more particularly, to a sapphire crystal growth method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises a flame fusion process, wherein the aluminum oxide powder is falling down and melted by a torch which is formed by burning hydrogen and oxygen. The liquid aluminum oxide is dripped onto a pan and then solidified to form a single-crystal aluminum oxide having a diameter reaching about 3 centimeters. However, such a single-crystal aluminum oxide contains air bubbles and an aluminum oxide powder that has not been melted, and has a residual stress, thereby decreasing the quality of the sapphire crystal.
Another conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises a flux growth process, wherein the aluminum oxide is melted at a temperature under 2050° C. by aid of an assistant, such as the plumbum (Pb) oxide, aluminum fluoride and sodium fluoride. Then, the liquid aluminum oxide is cooled and saturated. However, the flux growth process is not available for mass production in the industry.
Another conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises a Czochralski process, wherein the aluminum oxide powder is placed in a crucible, and the crucible is heater by a graphite resistance so that the aluminum oxide powder is melted in the inert gas or in the vacuum. Then, the sapphire crystal falls down gradually to touch the liquid surface slightly. At this time, the sapphire crystal is rotated slowly and drawn upwardly to draw out the sapphire crystal.
Another conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises a thermal gradient technique which is researched by the Crystal System company in 1978. The thermal gradient technique includes a crucible in a vacuum resistance furnace, a thermal body and a shielding device. However, the thermal gradient technique produces a molybdenum (Mo) pollution during the crystal growth.
Another conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises an edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) process, wherein the sapphire crystal is not rotated during the crystal growth, and the diameter and shape of the sapphire crystal is controlled by a die floating at the liquid surface of the aluminum oxide. However, the sapphire crystal contains a residual stress with a high density and incurs a dislocation, so that the edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) process is not available for the semi-conductor substrate.
Another conventional sapphire crystal growth method comprises a Kyropoulos process, wherein the sapphire crystal is not rotated during the crystal growth and is not drawn upwardly. On the contrary, the sapphire crystal is solidified, cooled and shrunk in the crucible. However, the size of the sapphire crystal is slightly smaller than that of in the crucible, so that the sapphire crystal needs a complicated working procedure to reach the final diameter.
Thus, the sapphire crystal grown by the above-mentioned growth methods has limited mass and size, has a lower quality, has a higher price and has a longer growing time.


An apparatus for reducing the load applied to a rig. The rig is positioned over a well, with the well having a tubular string disposed therein. A landing string is connected to the tubular string such as casing, production and/or testing assemblies. The apparatus comprises a floatation module attached to the landing string and a clamp for clamping the floatation module onto the landing string. In one embodiment, the floatation module comprises a tubular sleeve having a buoyant material applied thereto. The tubular sleeve includes slots. The clamp may contain a set of dies adapted to engage the slots of the tubular sleeve. A method of landing a work string into a sub-sea well head from a floating drilling rig is also disclosed, wherein a marine riser connects the rig to the sub-sea well head.

This invention relates to a floatation module and method of using the floatation module. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, this invention relates to a floatation module and method for safely reducing the rig hoisting requirements to run tubular strings into sub-sea wells and well bores.
As the energy industry continues to search the globe for hydrocarbon reservoirs, the search has increasingly focused in the world's oceans. Economical hydrocarbon reservoirs are increasingly being discovered and developed in deep water tracts located in remote and exotic places on the planet. Floating drilling platforms, such as mobile offshore drilling units (MODU's), are anchored in water depths of more than 9,200 feet and are dynamically positioned in water depths greater than 10,000 feet.
In combination with this deep water drilling, the actual wells drilled are in increasingly deeper water in order to penetrate commercially feasible hydrocarbon reservoirs. Hence, these wells can exceed 34,000 feet in depth. The equipment required to safely drill ultra deep water wells is large, extremely heavy, and difficult to safely handle. As understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the lifting and lowering capacity of the drilling rigs, including MODU's, are loaded to the maximum safe working loads.
For instance, if an operator is running a casing string into a well bore to a sub-sea wellhead, the operator is required to lift out of the casing slips then lower that proper amount of casing. However, the operator will also be required to pick-up and lower a landing string in combination with the casing, and wherein the ultimate length of the landing string will be basically equal to the distance between the rotary table and sub-sea well head at the sea floor. Therefore, the combined weight of the casing string and the landing string could push the safe hoisting and drill pipe slip's capacity of the MODU to its maximum designed safe working loads.
The landing string is specifically designed to provide the very high tensile strengths (now rated to 1,500,000 lbs. working load) to safely land out casing in the sub-sea well head. As the water depth increases, the length and weights of the landing string increase proportionateley. Existing MODU's are now operating at or near their maximum hoisting capabilities with loads of 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 pounds. Casing loads of 1,500,000 pounds translate to dynamic loads of 1,750,000 lbs or more (depending on hole condition, fluid characteristics, casing designs, friction) when picking up out of the slips. In some cases, this exposes the entire load path/hoisting system (top drive, subs, crown sheaves, derrick, slips and brakes) to maximum loading.
Numerous problems involving drill pipe slip crushing and catastrophic slip failures have occurred which have required new heavier designs that even now barely meet load requirements. Loading the hoisting system to the maximum of its design creates several safety concerns including, but not limited to: special landing strings being designed that are heavier wall, which further exacerbates the load handling requirements; rig hoisting system capability to safely handle extreme loads (static/dynamic); the rig's capability to safely apply over-pull in tight hole conditions; the requirement of inspection of hoisting and braking system prior to the job; and dynamic loads which reach and/or exceed safe working capabilities.
A prior art technique, known as floating, is sometimes used to reduce casing loads during running. The floating technique entails running the casing without completely filling the entire length with fluid, therefore establishing buoyancy due to the air inside. This presents several concerns for operations, equipment, and the health and safety of the rig crew. For instance, some of the problems encountered include: extremely high differential pressures on float equipment; failure of float equipment could cause immediate overloading of rig hoisting system caused by loss of buoyancy, which would be catastrophic; well control and/or stuck pipe due to swabbing or suction if floats fail; casing collapse; and, removal of air in casing effects circulation and cementation of the casing.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for running and landing casing from floating drilling platforms. There is also a need for a device and method that can reduce the rig hoisting requirements to safely run casing strings from floating drilling platforms. These as well as many other needs will be met by the invention herein disclosed.


A method for controlling a backlight circuit, a backlight circuit and a boost circuit are provided by the present invention. The method comprises: acquiring a current backlight brightness level of a terminal; determining a minimum voltage required by a Light Emitting Diode (LED) to reach the backlight brightness level; and regulating a boost circuit to provide the minimum voltage for the LED. By way of the present invention, the endurance ability of the terminal is improved.

Currently, Liquid Crystal Displays (abbreviated as LCD) are usually used in terminals, and the backlight brightness of the LCDs greatly affects the imaging effects. Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are applied as backlight emitting devices, and usually, an anode of a LED is connected to a positive pole of a battery, and a cathode of the LED is in series connection with a brightness balancing resistor and then connected to a current control end.
The number of the LEDs required by the terminals is relevant to the display area of the LCD and the emitting power of the LED. However, there is a disadvantage in this circuit: the battery voltage gradually reduces over the working time, and when the battery voltage reduces to a certain extent, the backlight brightness cannot be ensured; in addition, when the power of the whole machine fluctuates, the backlight brightness could also fluctuate. For example, when an entertainment terminal plays a video and uses a built-in loudspeaker, if the battery voltage is insufficient, the backlight brightness could flicker with the music, and the lower the battery voltage, the higher the brightness level, the greater the volume of the loudspeaker, the more apparent the fluctuation of the backlight brightness.
In order to solve the above problem, in the related art, a backlight circuit with a boost circuit is employed in some terminal products, and the advantage of such circuit is: when the battery voltage is relatively low, the LED backlight can still obtain relatively high working voltage from the boost circuit. In this way, the backlight brightness could not flicker with the fluctuation of the power of the whole machine.
Although, the backlight circuit with a boost circuit solves the problem that the brightness fluctuates when the power of the whole machine fluctuates under a low voltage condition, the additional power consumption is often brought along. For example, for a terminal product, one lithium battery is employed to supply power, the voltage of the lithium battery is about 4.2 V when being fully charged, and the voltage for the terminal to power off automatically is about 3.3 V. The boost circuit of the backlight circuit of the terminal provides a fixed 4.3 V voltage to the LED. The brightness of some terminals can be regulated, it need not provide a 4.3 V voltage to the backlight under low brightness condition, the excessive voltage can be consumed at the control end, which results into heat loss and reduces the endurance ability of the terminal.

Backlight circuit control method, backlight circuit and booster circuit


A living body inspection apparatus which quantitatively evaluates timings of movements (bending and stretching) of fingers. The apparatus includes: a movement sensor including a transmitter coil for generating a magnetic field and a plurality of receiver coils for receiving the generated magnetic field from the transmitter coil; analyzing means which analyzes time-series waveform data acquired from the movement sensor; and display means which displays a result of analysis made by the analyzing means. For comparison of waveform data, the analyzing means includes distance waveform generating means for generating distance waveforms corresponding to the waveform data, and standard point generating means for generating standard points based on standard distances in the distance waveforms.

Cervical spondylosis is a condition that regressive change in the cervical disc and vertebral body of the cervical spine has caused cervical disc degeneration and spur formation. Basically it is irrelevant to neurologic manifestations but clinically it involves some sort of neurologic manifestation. Clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis are manifested by hematogenous disorders caused by direct compression of spinal nerve roots and the spinal cord or vertebral artery compression.
Clinical symptoms of cervical spondylosis, which include pain, numbness, muscular weakness, and motor disorders in the neck, shoulders, arms, and fingers, are most often manifested in fingertips. Therefore, evaluation of the motor function of fingers has been widely adopted to diagnose cervical spondylosis. Conventionally, diagnosis has relied on finger motor function evaluation through eye observation of hand clenching and unclenching movements (bending and stretching all the fingers) and by reference to findings from X-ray examinations and MRI scans.


Described are techniques used in fulfilling an information need not formulated as a natural language question. A query is accepted that includes one or more words not formulated as a natural language question. The query is syntactically analyzed in order to extract a concept from the query. Documents are identified containing the one or more words. The analyzed query is matched to one or more question keys in a structures repository. A best match is determined between the analyzed query and a question key of the structures repository. The key of the at least one best key match is mapped to partially specified queries and the key of the best question key match is mapped to questions representing an information need corresponding to the query. The partially specified queries and questions are matched to potential answers contained in a collection of documents. One or more matching answers are returned based on a metric.

Accompanying the rapid growth in the amount of information available in the form of documents stored in databases has come an increased need to efficiently extract information relevant to a specific need. Traditional searching methods search and retrieve documents according to the words in a given input query. Search engines allow users to find documents containing one or more words or phrases, often referred to as keywords, found in the input query and return a list of relevant documents for the input query. For instance, with traditional search and retrieval methods, the input query                Time Warner
returns a list of documents containing one or both words Time or Warner. Search engines may also permit the formulation of Boolean queries, which allow words in the query to be combined using logical operations such as AND, OR, and NOT. Such operations allow to specify which words must appear in the documents, which words may appear in the documents, and which words may not appear in the documents. For example, using a traditional Boolean search engine, the query                US AND OPEN AND (NOT golf)
selects documents that contain the word US and Open but not the word golf
Another feature that may be used when performing queries with traditional search engines is the ability to trigger a search for phrases in documents. For example the query                "US Open"
retrieves documents that contain the exact phrase "US Open" while rejecting documents that contain the word US and/or the word Open separately. Examples of search engines offering these capabilities are search engines used with the World Wide Web such as AltaVista™, Lycos™, Inktomi™, InfoSeek™, NorthernLight™, HotBot™, MSN Search™, Google™ and Yahoo™. Additional search engines include those used for searching documents found in databases, digital libraries or other information sources such as Inktomi Enterprise Search™, Verity™, K2 Enterprise, or AltaVista® Search Software.
The result of a search using search engines such as those mentioned above is a list of relevant documents, generally displayed in some order, for example, from the most relevant document to the least relevant document. To present documents in an order, search engines rank the documents according to some metric. Typically, the ranking will first show documents containing the highest number of keywords.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, screen display 10 shows the result of a search on Google™ (http://www.google.com) for the query Time Warner. The screen display 10 shows the first 3 documents ranked from the most relevant document to the least relevant document. Each of the results consists of a description of a document. Such description, for example, may include the title of the document, a description of the document, and its Internet Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
One form of output of traditional search engines that may be queried are documents which match words in the input query. Although documents may be what users are seeking when using traditional search engines, it may also be that a user is seeking information other than document names or URLs.
For example, as illustrated in the screen display 20 of FIG. 2, a user who is seeking the names of tennis players who won the US Open tournaments, may issue the query                tennis US Open winners
The above-referenced query may be an input query to a traditional search engines which display as query results the documents including words from the input query. It may be the case that the user is looking for the actual names of tennis players who won the US Open.
As another example, as illustrated in the screen display 30 of FIG. 3, a user seeking the movie titles in which Bruce Willis appears may issue the query Bruce Willis movies. As shown in screen display 30, a traditional search engine may return as a query result the documents in which the input query terms appear rather than the movie titles. Screen display 40 of FIG. 4 also illustrates the return of documents in response to an input query of Oregon senators.
In the foregoing description as illustrated in the screen displays 10, 20, 30 and 40, conventional search engines and World Wide Web search engines expect that the user is seeking documents that include particular term or terms of an input query. It may be desirable to provide a search engine, for example, with the ability to return information besides documents and to infer additional information that a user may be seeking based on a particular input query.
For example, when a user issues the query tennis US Open winners, the user may be seeking the names of the tennis players who won the US Open. Traditional search engines are unable to recognize that a user is seeking the names of tennis players and not looking for documents including the terms from the input query. Similarly, the query Oregon senators, may be intended to seek the names of senators of Oregon and not to seek documents. As yet another example used above, when a user issues the query Bruce Willis movies, the user may not be looking for the actual documents including input query terms, but may rather be looking for the titles of movies in which Bruce Willis appears.
Question-answering systems, for example, such as described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/845,571, filed Apr. 30, 2001, entitled SYSTEM FOR ANSWERING NATURAL LANGUAGE QUESTIONS, (hereinafter "the Question Answering application"), may be used to provide answers to questions. However, the foregoing systems expect input in the form of a question. For example, a user seeking for the names of senators of Oregon, may issue the question
Who are the senators of Oregon?
Although question-answering systems will give the names of senators of Oregon as results, the user is expected to type a question and is unable to issue a short and simple query as senators of Oregon.
The foregoing question-answering systems may suffer from a drawback in that the user is expected to input a question, and may not accept as input short queries which do not form a question. Furthermore, users of traditional search engines and systems may be more inclined to type short keyword queries (e.g., one, two or at most three words) than to enter input queries in the form of questions which may be much longer (e.g., more than five words).
It may also be desirable to have a system and method for inferring additional information from a query and provide as output answers in response to the inferred additional information. It may also be desirable to provide the document lists produced in accordance with the original input query terms. It may also be desirable to provide document lists in accordance with terms of the inferred information.

Method for detecting and fulfilling an information need corresponding to simple queries

Global Information Research and Technologies, LLC


A method of in situ electrophoresis of biological samples has the steps of preparing a sample plate and a gel plate, applying reagent onto the gel plate, moving an applicator to the sample plate so as to receive a sample onto the applicator, moving the applicator toward the gel plate such that at least a portion of the sample is loaded onto the gel plate, electrophoresing the gel plate, staining the gel plate and scanning the stained gel plate so as to electronically analyze a band in the gel of the gel plate.

Electrophoresis is a scientific technique of moving charged particles, using an electric field, through solid or semi-solid media. The technique is commonly used in scientific research, including medical laboratories for analyzing various blood proteins.
In the analysis of biological material, it is known that much information can be provided by identification and qualification of certain components, such as proteins or nucleic acid fragments. It is well known that electrophoresis is an effective method of identifying the respective components of such biological material for subsequent microscopic analysis of the sample or for subsequently employing optical densitometry techniques in analyzing the samples.
In the basic method of electrophoresis, an electric field is applied across a diffusion medium. The diffusion medium contains biological particles having an electric charge. As the electric field is applied, the biological particles migrate through the diffusion medium at different rates, depending on the amount of charge on the particles and size of the particles. Thus, the biological particles are separated into distinct bands as a result of the differential migration. Subsequent staining of the fractional components in the diffusion medium allow visual analysis by optical densitometry or other methods.
Electrophoresis has been performed through a series of manual steps for many years. The manual process typically starts with preparing an electrophoresis chamber. The chamber is used to create the electric field. The chamber includes a rectangular electrically insulated container having electrodes at opposite ends thereof. The chamber is then filled with a buffer to create the interface between the two electrodes for supporting the electric field. The buffer is typically a stable aqueous solution. Next, the operator must prepare the diffusion medium, such as SDS, cellulose acetate or agarose gel. The gel is set upon a support medium, such as MYLAR™, so as to maintain the structural integrity of the gel during handling.
After the operator has prepared the electrophoresis chamber, the operator then manually applies, as precisely as possible, consistent volumes of the biological samples to precise locations in the diffusion medium or gel. The operator then places the gel into the electrophoresis chamber so that the edges of the gel are aligned with electrodes at each of the longitudinal ends of the chamber. The electric field is applied using a precise and consistent high voltage applied for a precise and consistent interval of time across the gel in the buffer solution.
After the electric field has been removed, the operator manually moves the gel into another container to apply a uniform coating of staining reagent to the surface of the gel, thus allowing a precise and consistent interval of time for the reagent and sample to chemically react. The staining reagent can be a colormetric or enzymatic solution, used to chemically combine with the bands of the biological particles of the sample, thereby causing the bands to exhibit optical characteristics. The operator may place the gel into a temperature controlled oven and incubate the gel, using a precise and consistent temperature and time interval. Incubation controls the chemical reaction between the bands and the staining reagent by means of applying heat for a fixed interval of time. The operator then dries the gel by increasing the oven temperature for a second precise and consistent temperature and time interval. The drying process stops the reaction between the bands and the reagent.
There have been prior art apparatus and methods available for automatically performing electrophoresis and staining of the plurality of samples applied to a diffusion medium. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,418 to Golias and U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,689 to Golias describe an automated electrophoresis and staining apparatus and method. Such prior art includes an electrophoresis chamber and a series of vats mounted upon a platform and arranged in a row where the vats are adapted to contain, respectively, a liquid stain and a series of plate processing solutions. The plate holder rack, having a horizontal open frame, supports an upright electrophoresis plate or support medium onto which has been applied a sample for electrophoretic fractionization. Such an electrophoresis plate had to have been previously prepared by applying samples either manually or by using one of the parallel applicators described above. The plate is nested within the chamber within an electrophoretic circuit for a predetermined time period. A power-operated lift and transfer assembly is provided on the base and is adapted to lift, transfer and lower the plate holder rack and plate from the chamber progressively into each of the underlying vats for a predetermined period of time in a linear stepping motion maintaining the plate in an upright position at all times. It is noted that the staining process relies on chemical procedures for the staining process rather than the manual system described above where incubation and drying are used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,247, issued Dec. 16, 1989 to Sarrine et al., and owned by the present applicant, describes an automatic electrophoresis apparatus and method. In this patent, an electrophoresis machine is described in which all electrophoresis processing, scanning and densitometer functions are automatically performed under computer control. This machine includes an apparatus for automatically pipetting samples from the sample plate to the surface of the support strip. There is also an apparatus for applying electric current to the strip while simultaneously cooling it. Additionally, and furthermore, the device includes apparatus for applying and spreading fluorescent staining reagents to the strip. The device includes a special apparatus for incubating the strip and subsequently drying the strip. A video camera, mounted to a fluorescent scanning box which encloses the application plate, is used in combination with digital processing equipment so as to electronically scan the electrophoretically longitudinally displaced components of the samples for determining relative component densities. The subject matter of this patent is also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,348, 4,909,920, and 4,986,891. Each of these patents is also owned by the same assignee.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,709, issued on Oct. 24, 1995 to Sarrine et al., also discloses another type of automatic electrophoresis method and apparatus. This apparatus is used for automatically performing medical assays and includes an electrophoresis platform which cooperates with a gantry assembly. The electrophoresis platform and the gantry assembly are movable along paths that are perpendicular to each other. An applicator assembly includes pipettes which transfer samples in a specimen tray to a electrophoresis plate mounted on the electrophoresis platform. The electrophoresis platform then moves to a position into the gantry assembly, where electrophoresis is conducted to separate the samples into different fractions. The electrophoresis platform then moves between a reagent pouring station where a reagent is applied to make the separated fractions fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The electrophoresis platform is then moved beneath the gantry assembly again as an air knife in the gantry assembly spreads the reagent. After incubation and drying of the electrophoresis plate, the electrophoresis platform and the gantry assembly are moved relative to one another while the electrophoresis plate is read with the aid of ultraviolet lamps and a photomultiplier tube mounted in the gantry assembly. The gain of the photomultiplier tube is automatically adjusted and the data gathered is automatically edited to remove background noise.
It is object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for automatically conducting electrophoresis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrophoresis method whereby a single pipette can be used for the various operations associated with the gel plate and with the staining of the electrophoresed plate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic electrophoresis method and apparatus whereby all the operations are carried out in situ.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic electrophoresis method and apparatus in which the de-staining operation can be carried out in a convenient and easy manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic electrophoresis method and apparatus which allows a plurality of reagents to be dispensed by a single pipette so that various analyses can be carried out.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic electrophoresis method and apparatus which provides a single apparatus for automatically applying a plurality of biological samples to a diffusion medium, automatically subjecting such samples to electrophoresis, automatically staining such samples, automatically incubating and drying the support medium in which the components of the samples have been separated into longitudinal bands, and automatically scanning such bands so as to automatically display results.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.

Automatic in situ electrophoresis method and apparatus


A sectionalized over-garment which is convertible for appropriate climatic adaptation during extended outdoor use includes a vest section and a skirt section. The vest section includes a front body opening, as well as arm holes and a pair of access holes respectively located between an arm hole and the front opening. Importantly, the user can manipulate the open/close function for each hole/opening from inside the vest section. As a parka, the vest section includes a hood. The skirt section can be engaged with the vest section to establish a full body over-garment. And, alone, the skirt section can function as a small tent or shelter. When a panel is deployed from the bottom of the skirt section to cover the feet, and with the opening and holes of the vest section closed, the over-garment functions as a sleeping bag.

In any twenty-four hour period, anywhere in the world, weather conditions will inevitably change. As is well known, such changes can sometimes be considerable and, if not properly prepared for, can be debilitating or, at best, uncomfortable. The situation becomes even more critical when a person is exposed to adverse weather over prolonged periods of time that exceed twenty-four hours. An additional consideration for long-term exposure is the need for sleep.
Many outdoor recreational activities such as hunting, fishing and hiking, as well as vocational activities such as law enforcement, search/rescue, fire-fighting and military operations all require specifically different clothing and equipment. Nevertheless, they all have a common interest in maintaining user comfort and a high-performance capability. In particular, despite whatever the weather conditions might be, there is a need, and a desire, to keep the individual warm and dry.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an over-garment that will afford its user with a freedom-of-movement for outdoor activities that is unrestricted, unhindered and unencumbered by the over-garment. Another object of the present invention is to provide an over-garment which can be easily converted between a plurality of different functional configurations, to include: i) a protective parka, ii) a full body over-garment, iii) a blanket/quilt or shelter and, iv) a sleeping bag. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor over-garment that is easy to use, simple to manufacture and relatively cost effective.


The present invention provides devices, systems, methods and kits for endoscopically accessing a body cavity and providing a directed pathway toward a target tissue within the cavity. The directed pathway is provided by an access sheath which is positioned in a desired configuration, generally directed toward the target tissue. Depending on the location of the target tissue and the desired angle of approach, the access sheath may be required to maintain one or more curves in one or more planes to properly direct the interventional devices. In addition, the access sheath has a locking feature to hold the sheath in place and maintain the desired configuration. Interventional devices may then be passed through the sheath to the target tissue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an access sheath for endoluminally accessing a body cavity and directing the passage of interventional devices therethrough into the cavity. Particularly, the present invention relates to an articulatable access sheath which directs the interventional devices into the cavity in a desired orientation. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to vascularly accessing an atrium of the heart to direct an interventional catheter toward a cardiac valve.
To access a target location within the human body from a remote location, a catheter is typically passed through one or more body lumens, such as through the vascular system, to the target location. When the vascular system is used, a guidewire and dilator is inserted into an artery or vein through a relatively small incision in the patient's body. The guidewire and dilator is then threaded through the patient's vasculature to reach the desired target area. Often the dilator is covered by a sheath which is passed with the dilator to the target location. The dilator is then removed and the sheath is used as a conduit for access for a variety of medical devices to access the target location. Such devices may include catheters, surgical instruments, fiber optic cables for visualization, lasers, electronic devices, or sensors capable of monitoring physiological parameters in situ, to name a few. Although such access reduces the need for traditional invasive surgery, challenges arise related to control, manipulation, and positioning of instruments near the target location, particularly within a target body cavity.
A device advanced to the cavity will typically protrude into the cavity at the angle in which it entered. If the target tissue is not within this pathway, the device will need to be steered toward the target tissue. If more than one device is used during a procedure, each device will need to be steered and repositioned when used. This increases the time and cost of the procedure and also the risk of misalignment.
For example, to gain access to the left atrium of the heart, the catheter and/or access sheath may be tracked from a puncture in the femoral vein, through the inferior vena cava, into the right atrium and through a puncture in the intra-atrial septum to the left atrium. This pathway may then be used to access the mitral valve which lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle. From the point of entry through the septum, the mitral valve may be located below and to the right or left requiring the devices which are inserted to be directed downward and perhaps laterally after entry, toward the mitral valve. In addition, devices used for applying interventional therapies to the mitral valve may require precise alignment with the valve commissures, leaflets, or coaptation line to perform the procedure. When such procedures require the use of more than one instrument, each instrument would be dependent upon proper positioning in relation to the valve. This would require that positioning or steering mechanisms be built into each instrument and each instrument would be required to be properly positioned when introduced. This adds cost, complexity, and time to the overall procedure.
To overcome some of these challenges, access sheaths have been developed to direct instruments that are passed therethrough. For example, an access sheath having a pre-shaped curve at its distal end has been developed to both assist in negotiating twists and branches common in a patient's arterial or venous system and to maintain a shape once positioned within a target cavity. Since the pre-shaped curve is fixed into the access sheath at the time of manufacture, the radius and extent of the curvature generally cannot be altered. Due to anatomical variations, extensive pre-surgical planning would be necessary to determine the correct curvature of the access sheath. Such tailoring would be prohibitively complex and a predicted curvature would most likely still require additional repositioning once inside the body. Continuously replacing the pre-shaped access catheter in hopes of obtaining the proper curvature would be expensive and time consuming, possibly placing the patient at additional risk.
Steerable guide catheters and delivery catheters have been developed to more effectively navigate through the tortuous pathways of some body lumens, particularly the vascular system. Typically steering is accomplished through a combination of torqueing the proximal end of the catheter and pulling various pullwires to deflect the distal end of the catheter. Unfortunately, torque transmission has not been perfected in such steerable catheters. Due to the length of the catheter body between a proximal control end and the distal tip, torsion can tend to accumulate as the proximal end of the catheter is twisted to rotate the tip. The accumulated torsional moment may release unevenly, resulting in skipping or rapid rotation of the distal tip inside the vessel. To optimize torque transmission, the walls of such steerable catheters generally comprise a series of layers. In a typical steerable catheter, a woven metal or polymeric tubular braid may be sandwiched between an inner tubular sleeve and an outer tubular jacket. As a consequence, improved torquability generally results in increased wall thickness, which in turn increases the outside diameter of the steerable catheter or reduces any given desired inside diameter. In addition, such a heavy braided construction is often difficult to deflect by actuation of pullwires. To overcome this, the deflectable section can be softened with coils or softer polymers to allow it to be deflected to a much greater extent. However, this reduces the catheter's ability to transmit torque to or through this softer section. In addition, these softer sections may not offer adequate support for interventional devices or tools which are later passed through its inner lumen.
For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide an access sheath having an articulatable distal end which does not rely on permanent pre-shaping or torque transmission for positioning the access sheath within a target body cavity in a desired orientation. The articulatable access sheath should have a large lumen diameter to accommodate the passage of a variety of interventional devices, should have good wall strength to avoid kinking or collapse of the sheath when bent around tight curves, and should have good column and tensile strength to avoid deformation when the interventional devices are passed through the lumen. The sheath articulation mechanisms should provide for a high degree of controlled deflection at the distal end of the sheath but should not take up significant lumen area to allow for passage of interventional devices. Further, the access sheath should be articulatable in a manner which allows compound curves to be formed, for example curvature within more than one plane. Such manipulation should allow fine control over the distal end to accommodate anatomical variations within the same type of body cavity and for use in different types of body cavities.
2. Description of the Background Art
Hermann et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,031) describes a large-diameter introducer sheath having a hemostasis valve and a removable steering mechanism. The steering mechanism is described to be within an obturator which is positioned within the sheath during positioning and is then removable. Adair (U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,845) describes a steerable sheath having an articulatable member which is deformable to allow articulation. Kordis (U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,634) describes a sheath which is positioned by a separate, dedicated steering catheter.
A number of the other references refer to guidewires or catheters which themselves are steerable by means of wires. For example, Stevens-Wright et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,527) describes a handle which applies tension selectively to two or four pull cables to steer an attached catheter. Stevens-Wright et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,817) further describes improvements in actuating the tip of the catheter described in Stevens-Wright et al. '527.
Hammerslag (U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,368) describes a steerable guidewire or catheter wherein the tip is deflectable through a full 360 degree range of motion by means of axially moveable deflection wires extending throughout. Hammerslag (U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,592) describes a guide catheter through which a torque control wire or a deflection wire extends. Manipulating an actuator controls the wire to steer or aim the guide catheter. Savage (U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,564) and Savage et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,725) also describe a steerable catheter having wire members extending through the catheter wall to manipulate the tip.
Likewise, the following also provide variations of the steerable catheters which utilize wires for manipulation: Accisano, III (U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,085), Krauter (U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,994), West et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,525), Nardeo (Pub. No. US 2001/0037084 A1), Bumbalough (U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,746), Webster, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,699), Lundquist et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,968) and Lundquist et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,378). Falwell et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,250) describes a catheter having any suitable steering mechanism known in the art.

Steerable access sheath and methods of use