A method and apparatus for mounting, inspecting, and adjusting probe card needles used during testing of fabricated circuits. A build wafer, comprised of build and scrub target patterns, is used to mount and re-work probe needle assemblies onto a probe card. Each build target is composed of a hard material that is resistant to probe needle scratching, and is offset a preset distance from the position of the bonding pads on the actual wafer to be tested. Each scrub target is composed of a soft material that is easily disturbed by the probe needle's scrubbing action. By counting the number of lines broken or cut by a probe needle's scrub mark, the approximate length and width of the scrub mark may be ascertained. An adjustment tool is designed to fit snugly around the untapered, thickest portion of the probe needle. The tool is rotated along the axis of the probe needle shaft, allowing the technician to "tweak" the probe needle either up or down. In one embodiment, the tool consists of a three parallel cylinders, triangularly spaced, and attached orthogonally to the end of an offset lever. The spacing between the cylinders can accommodate the diameter of the thickest portion of a probe needle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor fabrication and testing equipment and, more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus for mounting and adjusting probe card needles used to test fabricated semiconductor wafers.
2. Background Art
One step in the process of semiconductor manufacturing is the testing of circuits fabricated on wafers. During testing, a wafer of monolithic circuits is placed in a holder under a microscope and is tested using a multiple-point probe card. Metal probes are used to contact various bonding pads on an individual circuit, and a series of electrical tests are performed to determine the electrical properties of the selected circuit. Information from these tests is compared with information stored in a memory, and the circuit is either rejected or accepted based on this comparison.
FIG. 1 illustrates a "probe card" probe assembly commonly used to electrically test wafer devices. A probe card is a printed circuit board that can be used in conjunction with standardized testing equipment to test the electrical properties of semiconductor chip devices. A typical probe card contains a plurality of probe assemblies 100-107, matching circuitry, and an interface for attaching the probe card to the testing equipment. Each probe assembly contains a probe needle. During the testing procedure, the probe needle is brought into contact with aluminum bonding pads located on the individual semiconductor circuit 110 so that sufficient electrical contact is established to allow the electrical tests to be performed.
To assure proper contact with the bonding pads, the probe needle tips must penetrate the thin aluminum oxide layer that characteristically forms over the exposed aluminum bonding pads. To do so, probe needles are typically oriented at an angle and are applied to the surface of the wafer with sufficient force so that when the bonding pads of the wafer are brought into contact with a probe needle tip, the probe needle scratches, or "scrubs," the surface of the bonding pad, penetrating any built-up aluminum oxide layer. In addition, all probe needles that contact the bonding pads should be co-planar. That is, the probe needle tips should all lie in a single plane.
A typical probe assembly is shown in FIG. 2. The probe assembly of FIG. 2 consists of a thin metal blade 201 and a specialized probe needle 202. The blade 201 is connected to the matching circuitry and interface 203. The probe needle 202 is attached to the blade 201 at a shoulder 204 at an angle of approximately six degrees below horizontal. The probe needle is typically round in cross section. The probe needle 202 is of uniform diameter from the shoulder 204 to approximately the midsection of the needle. The probe needle 202 is tapered from the midsection to the end of the probe needle tip 205. The tip is typically 7 mils long and is bent at an angle approximately sixteen degrees from vertical. The tip 205 is a part of the needle assembly and is formed by the bend.
As each silicon wafer is tested, the probe assemblies are lowered so that the tips of the probe needles make contact with the semiconductor circuit's aluminum bonding pads. The combination of an untapered needle diameter and the length of the tapered portion of each probe needle gives the probe needle a predetermined amount of flexibility. Each probe needle is designed so that as the probe needle is lowered onto the pad, the probe needle tip "scrubs," or scratches, the surface of the aluminum bonding pad. Scratching is necessary to insure good electrical contact through the surface layer of accumulated aluminum oxide. The probe needle is attached to the blade and the tip is angled from the needle at angles designed to produce the optimum scratch mark on the bonding pad. The angles noted above, six and sixteen degrees, are given by way of example only. Other angles may be used.
When a probe card is first assembled, the probe card technicians must mount each probe needle assembly so that the tip of each probe needle, when lowered, will come in contact with the associated bonding pad on the wafer. Ideally, the probe card needle tip should initially contact the bonding pact at a point approximately 1/3 of the way across the pad, scrub through the center of the pad, and stop at a point approximately 2/3 of the way across the bonding pad. Mounting the probe needle in this manner insures that the needle tip scratches through the oxide layer and makes good electrical contact with the aluminum bonding pad. Unfortunately, it is difficult for the technician to estimate, without the benefit of any reference, the location of a point 1/3 of the way across the bonding pad. In practice, therefore, the technicians are directed to estimate the bonding pad center, and place the needle/blade, or mount the needle in the epoxy ring, so that the probe needle tip will approximately hit the bonding pad center.
FIG. 10 illustrates the different scrub marks created by starting the probe needle tip 1/3 and 1/2 of the way across the bonding pad 300. In typical probe needle mounting, the needle tip 1001 first contacts the bonding pad 300 in the center, and comes to rest near the edge of the bonding pad box. Because of the needle tip's proximity to the bonding pad edge 1006, "pushed" metal 1002 caused by the scrub may be forced out of the bonding pad area. In ideal probe card needle mounting, the needle tip 1003 first contacts the bonding pad 300 at a point 1/3 of the way across the bonding pad, and comes to rest at a point 2/3 of the way across the bonding pad. A needle mounted in this manner scrubs through the center of the pad, insuring good electrical contact, and comes to rest far enough away from the bonding pad edge 1006 so that the pushed metal 1004 seldom leaves the bonding pad region. Unfortunately, because of the technicians' inability to accurately and consistently estimate a point 1/3 of the way across a bonding pad, the current practice is to mount the probe needles in the center of the bonding pad, as shown by probe needle 1001.
After prolonged use, the probe needle tips of the probe assemblies typically lose co-planarity. Consequently, inaccuracies may occur in testing the circuits because either a higher probe needle tip fails to make sufficient contact to scratch through the layer of aluminum oxide, or a lower probe needle tip scratches the bonding pad excessively, damaging the circuit, or the probe needle tip, or both.
To prevent these testing inaccuracies from occurring, probe card technicians monitor the wafer testing procedure and ensure that the probe needle tips remain co-planar. In the prior art, technicians select a representative wafer at random from the group of wafers that have already been tested with the probe card. The technicians re-planarize the probe card needle tips at a planarization station. One type of planarization station is called a light box. The probe card is lowered onto chucks that are grounded to a set of light emitting diodes (LED). Each time a probe needle touches a chuck an LED lights up. The amount of travel between the point where the first LED illuminates and the last LED illuminates represents the planarity error. The technicians adjust the angle and position of each probe needle until the planarity error is within a specified range.
Next, using a low magnification microscope, the technicians inspect the surface of the wafer's bonding pads. By looking at the length and character of the scrub marks on each bonding pad, the technician performs a visual probe mark "footprint analysis" without the benefit of any specific visual reference. The technician typically is directed to look for actual presence and general location of the probe needle scrub marks. For example, a technician may be directed to make sure that less than 50% of each scrub mark is outside the bonding pad without cutting neighboring metal runs more than 50%. The technicians also look for overdrive damage (indicated by passivation exposure), and side to side scrub patterns that may indicate planarity problems. Of course, the relatively small size of the bonding pad (approximately 4.times.4 mils) increases the difficulty of accurate footprint analysis.
One disadvantage of the prior art needle mounting and Scrub mark inspection technique is that it is a subjective probe mark analysis that does not set any specific minimum or maximum limit to the length or difference in the acceptable scrub marks. A very short "dot" scrub mark indicates the absence of any oxide breaking scrub action, possibly preventing the probe needle from making good electrical contact with the bonding pad, and leading to the unwitting failure of a good wafer during testing. A long probe mark indicates excessive chuck travel, loss of probe needle tip planarity, or improper needle angle. In current practice, only scrub mark presence and location (but not length) are considered. Planarity checks are typically performed to determine accurate needle height placement. However, these planarity checks do not take into account actual needle length, loose probes, different needle gram force ratings, different taper lengths, defective probe card pads, epoxy plasticity, needle tip shape or diameter, or false readings due to needle contact anomalies, improper set-up, or equipment manufacturers' tolerance drift. The typical result is a probe card that, while being perfectly planarized, has widely varying scrub marks.
Further, as the probe needle is driven past initial wafer contact, it moves towards the center of the needle pattern. This over-travel (typically 3 mils) pushes the needle from pad center towards, and sometimes beyond, the inside edge of the bonding pad. This may result in pushed aluminum shorts, metal migration problems over time, loss of probe contact, burn-in failures, loose aluminum flakes inside packages, reductions in reliability, cut metal runs, and optical inspection rejects. To complicate the situation, as each probe needle wears, it also recedes towards the outside of the bonding pad box. This is partially offset by probe needle stress relaxation which decreases the average needle tip to probe card distance thereby effectively moving the needle tip array in towards the center of the needle pattern. At present, no current method allows and operator to place a probe needle in the ideal location (outer 1/3 line of the bonding pad box), resulting in improperly and/or inconsistently placed needles. Although epoxy cards allow accurate probe placement during assembly, these cards are typically mounted in the center of the bonding pad.
Prior art tools are currently available to adjust, or "tweak," the probe needles. These tools allow the technicians to push, pull, or twist the needles in any location or manner deemed best by the technician. The thinner midsection and tapered portions of the probe needle are more flexible than the thicker, untapered portion. Using these prior art tools, technicians typically adjust the probe needles where it is easiest for them to do so, that is, near the probe needle tip, where the probe needle is thinnest and easiest to bend. Due to the currently available tool inadequacies, some technicians even adjust the probe needles using home-made tools made from tweezers or needles.
Ideally, any adjustments Lo the probe needle should be made at the non-tapered portion of the needle or "shoulder" 204, where the probe needle 202 attaches to the probe card blade 201. Adjustments made at this location will have a minimum effect on the probe needle's flexibility and angle of attack. However, this type of bend in the thicker portion of the probe needle is very difficult to attain using any of the currently available tools.
The disadvantages of the prior art adjustment tools are multiple. Flexibility of the probe needle is provided by its tapered end portion. Consequently, any adjustments made to this critical area causes an intensified change in the probe needle's rated modulus of elasticity. The modulus of elasticity determines the amount of force to be applied by the probe needle tip, for a given needle diameter at a given overtravel setting. The preservation of this flexibility is critical in producing and maintaining a proper scratch mark on the bonding pad. Additionally, adjustments along the probe needle's tapered portion have a multiplied effect on the needle's angle of attack and scrub rate. When the technicians use the prior art tools to pull or push the probe needle along the tapered portion, distributed arc bends are typically applied to the probe needle. Arc bends have an intensified effect on the probe needle's modulus of elasticity, and also reduce the probe needle's ability to properly maintain or hold adjustments.
The prior art mounting, inspection, and adjusting techniques lead to inconsistent maintenance results and, thus, more frequent needle adjustment cycles and more down time in the wafer testing procedure. Inaccurate probe needle adjustments decrease wafer yield due to insufficient or excessive scrubbing between the probe needle tip and each circuit's bonding pads. In addition to this risk of reduced electrical test yield, the wafers may be rejected for visual damage. Costly rework is an option if the damage is less than specification limits. However, some military specifications prohibit rework by disallowing a second set of probe works on certain devices. Wire bonding integrity is tested by pull testing that is dependant on the presence of aluminum (without passivation exposure) in the "center" of the die. Unfortunately, this area is typically exposed by low or overdriven probes. Apparent yield improvement typically encourages the technicians to improperly perform overdrive increases made to "chase" a high or light probe needles. However, visual rejects and poor wire bond integrity result even if only one probe is overdriven.

Method and apparatus for mounting, inspecting and adjusting probe card needles


A system for securing a seat, in particular in an aircraft, in a rail, in particular a rail of the aircraft, the system including a base, and clamping and locking jaws for clamping and locking the system into position in the rail, by gripping the rail between the base and the clamping and locking jaws, the clamping and locking jaws being movable relative to the base between a first drawn-apart position for mounting/dismounting of the system in/from the rail and a second drawn-together position for locking the system, by clamping around the rail, by use of an actuator that is operable by a mounting/dismounting operator between an unlocking position and a locking position of the system, wherein hard spot crossing is provided between the base and the clamping and locking jaws, the hard spot crossing maintaining the clamping and locking jaws in their first drawn-apart position for mounting/dismounting the system.

Already known in the state of the art, are seat securing systems for such type of applications, which are adapted so as to ensure the securing of a seat in a rail of the rest of the aircraft.
As a general rule, such a securing system in particular comprises of a base provided with the means in the form of clamping and locking jaws for clamping and locking of the system into position in the rail, by gripping the latter between the base and these means in the form of clamping jaws.
The base and the means in the form of clamping jaws are then movable relative to each other, between a first drawn-apart position for mounting/dismounting of the system in/from the rail, and a second drawn-together position for locking the system, by clamping around the rail, by making use of maneuvering means that are operable by a mounting/dismounting operator.
In the simplest versions of these securing systems, such as for example, in the one described in the patent document FR 2 953 488 filed in the name of the applicant, these maneuvering means that are operable by the mounting/dismounting operator in order to ensure the locking of the system in position, are formed by a clamping screw and are therefore movable between an unlocking position and a locking position for unlocking/locking of the system, by screwing with the help of, for example, any tool that is operated by the mounting/dismounting operator.
According to other embodiments, these means include cam means, lever means, etc.
However, all of these known systems have a certain number of disadvantages in particular in terms of the ease and reliability of this mounting/dismounting.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for securing a seat notably for aircraft and seat comprising such a system


A laundry treatment appliance, program product and method utilize a slider-based user interface to facilitate user selection of settings for a laundry treatment cycle. A slider-based user interface, for example, may include a fabric slider control that receives user input that selects from among a plurality of fabric selections and a cycle modifier slider control that receives user input that selects from among a plurality of cycle modifier selections capable of increasing and/or decreasing various default settings associated with various fabric selections.

Laundry treatment appliances such as laundry washing machines and dryers are used in many single-family and multi-family residential applications to clean and dry clothes and other fabric items. Due to the wide variety of items that may need to be cleaned by a laundry washing machine, for example, many laundry washing machines provide a wide variety of user-configurable settings to control various aspects of a wash cycle such as water temperatures and/or amounts, agitation, soaking, rinsing, spinning, etc. The cycle settings can have an appreciable effect on washing performance, as well as on energy and/or water consumption, so it is generally desirable for the settings used by a laundry washing machine to appropriately match the needs of each load washed by the machine.
Some laundry washing machines also support user selection of load types, typically based on the types of fabrics and/or items in the load. Some laundry washing machines, for example, have load type settings such as colors, whites, delicates, cottons, permanent press, towels, bedding, heavily soiled items, etc. These manually-selectable load types generally represent specific combinations of settings that are optimized for particular load types so that a user is not required to select individual values for each of the controllable settings of a laundry washing machine. These selections are also in many instances mixed with other selections associated with specific loads, soil scale, spin speed, temperature, etc., and in some instances, an estimated cycle time may also be presented to a user while the user is making selections. The number of choices that a user may be presented with may therefore be considerable and may lead to user confusion.
Laundry dryers may similarly include a wide variety of user settings that can have an appreciable effect on drying performance and/or energy consumption. Many laundry dryers also support user selection of load types.
While manual load type selection in many cases simplifies a user's interaction with a laundry treatment appliance, such manual selection still can lead to suboptimal performance due to, for example, user inattentiveness or lack of understanding of which load types are best suited for their particular loads. Therefore, a significant need continues to exist in the art for a manner of optimizing the performance of a laundry treatment appliance for different types of loads, as well as reducing the burden on users when interacting with a laundry treatment appliance.

Laundry treatment appliance slider-based user interface


In a cellular phone terminal foldable by a hinge and including upper and lower split pieces, monopole antennas are formed on a flexible printed wiring board and a printed wiring board and a lower housing is formed with a finger grip portion such that not only deterioration of characteristics is prevented but the lower housing can be held easily.

An example of a conventional foldable cellular phone terminal is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, "801" denotes an upper housing, "802" a lower housing "803" a hinge, "804" an upper printed board, "805" a lower printed board, "806" a flexible printed wiring board, "807" an external antenna, "808" a strip line antenna, "809" an upper connector, "810" a lower connector and "811" a feeding point for the strip line antenna 808.
In the upper and lower housings 801 and 802 acting as two split pieces folded on each other by the hinge 803 in the arrangement shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a portion of a conductive pattern line on the flexible printed wiring board 806 for electrically connecting the upper printed board 804 and the lower printed board 805 is used as the strip antenna 808 and a portion of the upper connector 809 acts as the feeding point 811 for the strip line antenna 808 as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10--3.08618(1998).
Meanwhile, FIGS. 9A and 9B show an example of an arrangement in which an external antenna used for both transmission and reception is provided in a lower housing. In FIGS. 9A and 9B, "901" denotes an upper housing, "902" a lower housing, "903" a hinge, "904" an upper printed board, "905" a lower printed board, "906" a flexible printed wiring board, "907" an external antenna, "908" a built-in antenna, "909" an upper connector and "910" a lower connector. In this case, the built-in antenna 908 is provided in the lower housing 902.
Furthermore, FIGS. 10A and 10B show an example of an arrangement in which one turn of a flexible printed wiring board is passed through a hinge. In FIGS. 10A and 10B, "1001" denotes an upper housing, "1001a" a front casing of the upper housing 1001, "1001b" a rear cover of the upper housing 1001, "1001c" a hinge of the upper housing 1001, "1001d" and "1001e" semicircular hinges of the upper housing 1001, "1002" a lower housing, "1002a" a front casing of the lower housing 1002, "1002b" a rear cover of the lower housing 1002, "1002c" a hinge of the lower housing 1002, "1002d" and "1002e" semicircular hinges of the lower housing 1002, "1003" an external antenna, "1004" a receiver, "1005" a display unit, "1006" dial buttons, "1007" a transmitter, "1008" a flexible printed wiring board and "1009" a coaxial cable. In this case, the upper housing 1001 provided with the external antenna 1003 and the receiver 1004 and the lower housing 1002 provided with the transmitter 1007 are rotated about an axis of the hinges 1001c and 1002c so as to be folded on each other.
The semicircular hinges 1001d and 1001e disposed at a central portion of the hinge 1001c and the semicircular hinges 1002d and 1002e disposed at a central portion of the hinge 1002c are formed hollowly. One turn of the flexible printed wiring board 1008 is passed along an inside diameter of the semicircular hinges 1001d, 1001e, 1002d and 1002e, while the coaxial cable 1009 is inserted into the turn of the flexible printed wiring board 1008 and extends along the flexible printed wiring board 1008 so as to be connected to the external antenna 1003 as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-311216 (1994).
However, in the conventional cellular phone terminal shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, such a problem arises that since shape of the strip line antenna 808 formed on the flexible printed wiring board 806 changes greatly between a folding state and an unfolding state of the conventional cellular phone terminal, its impedance characteristics change extraordinarily. In addition, in case element duration is equal to about (λ/2), such a drawback is also incurred that since electric current is concentrated at the strip line antenna 808, introduction of noise into other signal conductor lines becomes intense.
Meanwhile, in case the built-in antenna 908 is provided in the lower housing 902 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the lower housing 902 is usually gripped by a hand when the prior art cellular phone terminal is held by the hand, so that deterioration of characteristics of the built-in antenna 908 becomes heavier disadvantageously.
Moreover, in case a strip line antenna is formed on the flexible printed wiring board 1008 and element duration is not more than (λ/2) in the known arrangement of FIGS. 10A and 10B in which one turn of the flexible printed wiring board 1008 is passed along an inside diameter of the hollow formed at the central portion of the hinges 1001c and 1002c so as to be passed therethrough, electric currents flow in opposite directions on the strip line antenna wound one turn so as to cancel each other, thereby resulting in inconvenient drop of radiant efficiency.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A food-preserving agent comprising an oxygen absorbent and a compound represented by the following structural formula (I): ##STR1## , wherein n is an integer of 2 to 4 and X is H or CH.sub.3, can remove generated acetaldehyde effective, thereby preserving food without any fear of disagreeable odor for a long duration.

This invention relates to a food-preserving agent and a method for preserving food with the food-preserving agent, and more particularly to a food-preserving agent capable of removing acetaldehyde and a method for preserving food with the said food-preserving agent.
Heretofore, methods for preserving food in sealed packages, based on a vacuum treatment or replacement with an anaerobic gas such as a nitrogen gas, etc. have been developed. More recently, methods for preserving food in sealed packages, based on filling with an oxygen absorbent, ethanol vapors, or an ethanol-transpiring agent, or a combination thereof have been proposed.
Particularly, methods for preserving food in sealed packages based on simultaneous use of an oxygen absorbent and ethanol vapors or an ethanol-transpiring agent have been regarded as one of ideal methods for preserving food, because the former is effective for the control of aerobic bacteria and the latter is effective for the control of anaerobic bacteria.
However, it has been found that these methods have a problem, that is, generation of acetaldehyde by contact of ethanol vapors or liquid with an oxygen absorbent and the resulting oxidation of ethanol. Furthermore, it has been found that the generation of acetaldehyde is not only due to the simultaneous use of the oxygen absorbent and ethanol, but also due to food itself, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-open) No. 62-40273. The generated acetaldehyde itself is a substance causing a disagreeable odor, and its toxicity also is a problem.
Practical steps for removing the generated acetaldehyde rapidly have been required to develop and thus extensively investigated. As a result, the following substances have been so far proposed to remove the acetaldehyde, in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 61-285973 and 62-40273 et al.
(1) Ammonium salts such as ammonia alum, ammonium sulfate, etc. PA1 (2) Urea PA1 (3) Amino acids such as lysin, arginine, glycine, glutamine, etc. PA1 (4) Proteins such as albumen, casein, gluten, etc. PA1 (5) Peptides such as peptones, gelatin, etc. PA1 (6) Inorganic alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, etc. PA1 (7) Sulfites such as sodium sulfite, etc. PA1 (8) Bisulfites such as sodium bisulfite, etc. PA1 (9) Thiosulfates such as sodium thiosulfate, etc. PA1 (10) Sulfates such as sodium sulfate, etc. PA1 (11) Aromatic aminosulfonic acids, their alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts such as sulfanilic acid, sodium sulfanilate, etc. PA1 (12) Weakly basic ion exchange resins
The substances (1) and (2) are preferable with respect to the safety and cost, but have a problem in the ability to remove acetaldehyde. The substances (3) to (5) alone have also a problem in the ability to remove acetaldehyde, and must be used actually together with a toxic alkaline substance, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-open) No. 62-40273, and also have such a problem that they are disagreeable odor sources by themselves. The substances (6) to (11) are highly toxic by themselves and also have such a problem that they are disagreeable odor sources. The substance (12) is high in the cost and also has such a problem as an amine odor.


A semiconductor laser device for radiating a laser beam from a double heterostructure section in which injected carriers having an energy source of the laser beam are confined consists of a compound semiconductor substrate with a prescribed lattice constant for loading the double heterostructure section, a lattice mismatched active layer with a first lattice constant which is 0.5% to 2.0% larger than the lattice constant of the substrate in the double heterostructure section for radiating the laser beam, a lattice mismatched cladding layer with a second lattice constant which is 0.2% to 2.0% smaller than the lattice constant of the substrate for confining the injected carriers in the active layer, and a cladding layer for confining the injected carriers in the active layer by co-operating with the lattice mismatched cladding layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser device formed by a compound semiconductor material, and, in particular to a semiconductor laser device in which an active layer is formed by an InGaAlP type of material.
2. Description of Background
Recently, an InGaAlP type of material has been notable as the material of a luminescent semiconductor device in which laser beams with the wavelength in a range from 0.5 to 0.6 .mu.m are radiated because the material has the maximum energy band gap among mixed crystals of a III-V families type of compound semiconductor other than nitriding materials.
In particular, a double-heterostructure type of semiconductor laser device in which a substrate is formed by a GaAs type of material and an active layer and cladding layers are formed by an InGaAlP type of material on condition that lattice constants of the layers are matched with that of the substrate can be applied for many practical purposes. The reason is because a visible laser beam with 0.6 .mu.m wavelength is continuously radiated from the active layer at a room temperature in the double-heterostructure type of semiconductor laser device.
The laser beam radiated from the above semiconductor laser device can be focused on a small beam spot because the wavelength of the radiated laser beam is comparably short. Therefore, information can be stored in an optical disk in a high density by utilizing the laser beam radiated from the double-heterostructure type of semiconductor laser device. However, it is required to be stably operated at over 30 mW of the light intensity for practical use in the double-heterostructure type of semiconductor laser device.
That is, there are many causes by which the intensity of the laser beam is restrained in the semiconductor laser device. As a main cause, a kink phenomenon has been well known because the phenomenon influences the characteristics between the electric current applied to the device and the intensity of the laser beam radiated from the device. That is, the linearity of the characteristics deteriorates by the kink phenomenon.
Therefore, when the kink phenomenon is generated because the intensity of the laser beam is increased over a kink level, a lateral mode of the laser beam indicating a light intensity distribution in the active layer is deformed so that the characteristics of the laser beam deteriorate. As a result, the semiconductor laser is difficult to utilize as a light source for an optical disk and the like.
Accordingly, the semiconductor laser device is required to keep the linearity in the characteristics between the electric current and the intensity of the laser beam. In other words, the semiconductor laser device with a high kink level is required to obtain a high intensity of the laser beam.
As one of mechanisms to generate the kink phenomenon, a hole-burning effect has been well known. In detail, the induced emission of the laser beam resulting from the recombination of an electron and a positive hole is strongly generated in high intensity light regions in the active layer so that the concentration of carriers such as the electrons and the positive holes are decreased in the high intensity light regions. Therefore, the density distribution of the carriers is deformed in the active layer so that a gain distribution relating to the ratio of the intensity of the induced emission to the electric current applied to the device is deformed. That is, the lateral mode of the laser beam is deformed.
In general, the density distribution of the carriers becomes difficult to deform as a diffusion length of the carrier is increased. In case of the InGaAlP type of materials, the diffusion length of the positive hole is very short so that the kink level is decreased.
As the other main cause by which the intensity of the laser beam is restrained in the semiconductor laser device, so-called Catastrophic Optical Damage (COD) has been well known. In detail, the laser beam radiated in the active layer is absorbed by the active layer so that a pair of the electron and the positive hole is generated in the active layer. Thereafter, recombination heat is generated in the active layer when the pair of the electron and the positive hole is subjected to a non-radiative recombination so that the active layer is heated. Therefore, the energy band-gap is decreased so that the absorption of the laser beam radiated in the active layer is accelerated. As a result, the crystal of the active layer is melted in the high light intensity region so that the semiconductor laser device is destroyed.
The generation of the COD depends on the light intensity in the active layer. Therefore, in cases where a large amount of light is confined in the active layer because the device has a low gain characteristic or the width of the lateral mode of the laser beam is short, the light intensity achieves a COD level at which the COD is generated in the high light intensity region although the laser beam is radiated at the comparatively low light intensity in other regions. Accordingly, the semiconductor laser device with a high COD level is required to obtain a high intensity of laser beams.
Generally, the light intensity in the active layer is reduced by utilizing a thin active layer to raise the COD level. However, in cases where the active layer is thinned in the semiconductor laser device formed by the InGaAlP type of materials, materials with a comparatively large energy band-gap are difficult to utilize as cladding layers which are arranged to sandwich the active layer and are utilized to confine injected carriers into the active layer. The reason is as follows.
In general, as is well known, the energy band-gaps in the cladding layers are respectively larger than that in the active layer. Therefore, carriers injected in the semiconductor laser device are confined in the active layer because the injected carriers cannot move into the cladding layers by the energy barrier indicating the difference in the energy band-gap between the active layer and the cladding layer.
In cases where the active layer is thinned, a threshold value of the electric current applied to the device is increased according to a quantum theory so that the injected carriers have a high energy. Thereafter, the high energy carriers recombine to radiate the laser beam. In this case, the energy band-gap in the active layer is substantially increased because high energy electrons over a conduction band recombine with high energy positive holes under a valence band. As a result, the energy barrier between the active layer and the cladding layer is decreased so that the injected carriers leak to the cladding layers. In other words, the injected carriers cannot be efficiently confined in the active layer.
More, the energy difference between the conduction band of the active layer and the conduction band of the cladding layer in the InGaAlP type of materials is smaller than that in conventionally utilized GaAlAs type of materials. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the injected electrons from leaking to a p type cladding layer. That is, the electrons are difficult to efficiently confine in the InGaAlP type of materials. Specifically, when the operating temperature is raised, the light intensity is prominently decreased because the electrons have a large energy. Therefore, the operation is difficult when the light intensity in the active layer is high.
In general, the lattice constant of the InGaAlP type of material can be shifted depending on the composition of a mixed crystal in the material. Therefore, in cases where the InGaAlP type of materials are utilized for the semiconductor laser device, it is conventionally required to reduce the difference between the lattice constant of the substrate and the lattice constant of the active layer arranged on the substrate between a room temperature and a growing temperature of the mixed crystal. The reason is as follows.
The increase of the difference between the lattice constants results in the generation of misfit dislocations or the growth of undesirable lattice defects resulting from the generation of stress, so that characteristics of the material easily deteriorate. Specifically, the deterioration of the material characteristics is remarkable in the semiconductor laser device in which the density of the injected carriers and the light intensity in the active layer is high.
A symbol .DELTA.a/a relating to the difference between the lattice constant of the substrate and the lattice constant of the active layer is defined as a lattice mismatch as follows, EQU .DELTA.a/a =(b.sub.1 -b.sub.0)/b.sub.0
where the symbol b.sub.1 represents the lattice constant of the active layer and the symbol b.sub.0 represents the lattice constant of the substrate. The lattice mismatch .DELTA.a/a is required to be within about 0.2% in the conventional semiconductor laser device.
The influence of the kink phenomenon and the COD are further described in detail in the conventional semiconductor laser device.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of a ridge waveguide type of InGaAlP semiconductor laser device with a conventional structure for controlling the lateral mode of the laser beam radiated from the device.
As shown in FIG. 1, a ridge waveguide type of InGaAlP semiconductor laser device 301 comprises:
n type GaAs substrate 302, n type GaAs buffer layer 303, n type InGaAlP cladding layer 304, in InGaP active layer 305, p type InGaAlP cladding layer 306 with ridge shaped section 306A, p type InGaP cap layer 307, and p type GaAs contact layer 308.
The lattice constants of the layers 303 to 308 approximately agree with that of the substrate 302 because the composition of each layer is adjusted. In other words, the lattice constants of the layers 303 to 308 match with that of the substrate 302.
In the above structure of the ridge waveguide type of InGaAlP semiconductor laser device 301, radiative lights are confined in a ridge waveguide region 309 by the ridge shaped section 306A of the cladding layer 306, the cap layer 307 fabricated over the ridge waveguide region 309, the contact layer 308 functioning to absorb the radiative light. Therefore, the laser beam radiated from the device 301 is controlled in the lateral mode thereof. For example, the operation of the above device 301 is described in detail in a literature "Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 56, No. 18, 1990, page 1718-1719".
In cases where both the composition of the mixed crystal forming the active layer 305 and the composition of the mixed crystal forming the cladding layers 304, 306 are set to satisfy the lattice mismatch .DELTA.a/a within about 0.2%, the kink level is about 40 mW. That is, the lattice mismatch .DELTA.a/a determines the maximum intensity of the laser beam designated by the upper limit of the kink level.
FIG. 2 is a graphic view showing the temperature dependence of characteristics between the electric current (mA) applied to the device and the intensity (mW) of the laser beam in the semiconductor laser device shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation in the semiconductor laser device can be implemented up to the laser intensity 20 mW because the active layer 305 is thinned, for example, to 0.04 .mu.m (400 .ANG.) thick. Moreover, The COD level is a high value such as 51 mW (not shown).
However, the light intensity is remarkably decreased at high temperatures above 40.degree. C. so that the laser intensity is about 10 mW in practice at an operating temperature of about 50.degree. C. Accordingly, the COD level at the operating temperature limits the practical light intensity.
On the other hand, a laser beam with a short wavelength is superior to store information in an optical disk in a high density. The reason is as follows. In cases where the laser beam is focused to make a minute spot by utilizing an optical system, the theoretical limitation of the diameter of the minute spot is proportional to the wavelength of the laser beam.
Recently, a literature "Electronics letters 3rd, Aug. 1989, Vol. 25, No. 14, pages 905-907" has been reported. As described in the literature, an InGaAlP type of mixed crystal is fabricated on a substrate by utilizing an epitaxial growth technique. A crystal forming the substrate has a specific plane direction which leans toward a suitable direction equivalent to a <011> direction from a (100) plane. In this case, a natural superlattice structure regularly directed in a <111> direction is difficult to fabricate in the mixed crystal on the substrate. Moreover, the energy band-gap in the mixed crystal with no natural superlattice structure is larger than that in the mixed crystal with the natural superlattice structure.
Therefore, the wavelength of the laser beam can be shortened by utilizing the mixed crystal with no natural superlattice structure although the composition of the mixed crystal is not changed. However, there is a drawback that the deterioration of the temperature characteristics shown in FIG. 2 is not still solved.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, in cases where the mixed crystal with no natural superlattice structure is utilized in the conventional ridge waveguide type of InGaAlP semiconductor laser device 301, the ridge shaped section 306A of the p type cladding layer 306 becomes asymmetric because the section 306A have a (111) plane direction and the substrate 302 is leaned from the (100) plane.
Therefore, the lateral mode of the laser beam radiated from the laser device with the asymmetric ridge shaped section is unstable as compared with that of the laser beam radiated from the laser device with the symmetric section 306A. As a result, the kink phenomenon can be easily generated although the laser intensity is low.


A method for safeguarding confidential information during a screen share between two computing devices each having a screen. The method includes receiving, from a first computer, a request to share content of one or more applications displayable on a screen of a second computer. The method further includes summarizing the content to be displayed by the one or more applications, and transmitting, by the first computer, the summarized content to be shared by the one or more applications with the second computer. In exemplary embodiments, the summarized content may be password protected. The method may further include prompting, by the second computer, a password entry and displaying, by the second computer, the summarized content based on a password match.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field of computing and more particularly to data processing and protecting confidential information during a screen sharing session between multiple users.
Screen sharing is a common way for two or more users to work collaboratively with each other or to communicate interactively. The availability of instant messenger chat programs and web-conferencing, together with document sharing, has led to closer working relationships between employees, even if those employees may be sitting in offices on opposite ends of the world. In many work environments, two or more employees currently have the option to share a computer screen with another member of their team, thereby fostering a closer working relationship as well as increasing the chances of revealing confidential documents, emails, or other private information that may be open during a screen sharing session.
Oftentimes, a user may not pay close attention to content they are sharing, or perhaps not even realize that confidential information is contained within the content they are sharing. This may be due to a user being in a rush, or simply being careless.
Currently, there is no mechanism to automatically hide confidential or private information that a user is sharing during a screen sharing session.

Safeguarding confidential information during a screen share session

International Business Machines Corporation


A system for deploying and retrieving hose used in fluid transportation in hydraulic fracturing operations that is easy to operate. The system for deploying and retrieving hose used in fluid transportation in hydraulic fracturing operations includes a mounting plate configured to move about a slide rail system secured to a support structure and an apparatus for loading and unloading hose that is secured to a top of the mounting plate. The apparatus can rotate 360 degrees.

A need exists for a system for deploying and retrieving hose used in fluid transportation in hydraulic fracturing operations that is easy to use.
A further need exists for a system for deploying and retrieving hose used in fluid transportation in hydraulic fracturing operations that can be adjusted about rail positions to allow hose on either side of a support structure to be retrieved.
The present embodiments meet these needs.
The present embodiments are detailed below with reference to the listed Figures.

System for deploying and retrieving hose used in fluid transportation in hydraulic fracturing operations


An impression tray for fixed dental prosthesis has a first and second opposed recesses containing the material to be impressed, through which both the impressions of the upper and lower side of the dental arcade of a patient can be taken simultaneously.

Impressions are obtained by means of impression trays having different configurations according to the kind of impression to be taken, i.e. suitable either for the impression of the complete upper or lower dental arcade or for a section of the upper or lower dental arcade.
The impression trays are generally made of metal, namely aluminium or stainless steel or plastic and have a "U"-shaped section. The impression trays are filled with plastic material, and then they are introduced into the mouth and pressed down on the dental arcade whose impression has to be taken. Thus the plastic material is impressed and takes the configuration of the dental arcade.
When the impression has to be taken for both the upper arcade and lower arcade two single separate impressions are needed with a consequent loss of time and the risk of jeopardizing their precision when coupling both parts together. Usually, the impression tray is maintained in position though a finger pressure by the patient or by the dentist till the plastic material filling it has set. However, such a method is not safe as the pressure exerted by the fingers is not steady over the whole impression tray during the setting time of the impressing material and not be strong enough so that the result of the operation may be jeopardized.
After the plastic material has set, the impression tray is removed from the patient's mouth by pulling it off the dental arcade with manual movements which, in turn may cause deformations to the impression, jeopardizing the subsequent work.
Moreover, to avoid that the plastic material may remain stuck to the dental wall when removing the impression tray, impression trays are provided with a set of holes arranged on several rows, both on the side walls and on the bottom of the "U"-shaped section, over the whole extension of the impression trays Thus, the plastic material in the impression tray exceeding the quantity required for the purposes of the impression can run out of the holes and cause a retention along with the impression tray.
Therefore, this method requires the use of more plastic material than actually needed for the impression alone, with consequent higher costs.

Impression tray for fixed dental prosthesis


The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method for predicting the learning curve of an SMT system. A set of anchor points are selected. The set of anchor points correspond to a size of a corpus. Thereafter, a gold curve or a benchmark curve is fitted based on the set of anchor points to determine the BLEU score. Based on the BLEU score and a set of parameters associated with the first set of anchor points, a confidence score is computed.

Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) system corresponds to a machine translation system that enables a user to translate linguistic sentences from a first language to a second language. The SMT system is generally trained using a sample corpus prior to using the SMT system for translating the sentences. The sample corpus may include a plurality of sentences in a first language and corresponding translated sentences in a second language. Size of the sample corpus (i.e. number of sentences in the sample corpus) may be deterministic of an efficiency of the SMT system.

Methods and systems for predicting learning curve for statistical machine translation system


The present invention includes a process for enhancing the ability to separate adjacent stacked food slices such as cheese slices. The process includes forming elevated surfaces or depressed surfaces on adjacent slices that are to be placed in a stack.

The present invention relates generally to a method for enhancing the ability to separate adjacent food slices such as cheese slices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of producing raised areas or depressions on food slices to enhance the separation of adjacent slices in a stack of slices.
Cheese has played an important role in satisfying the dietary needs of many persons in our society. As used herein, the term "cheese" refers to all types of cheese products that are derived from natural cheese and are typically produced from a molten state and formed into a web. Such products include processed cheese, processed cheese food and processed cheese spread. Typically, such products are sold in stacks of discrete slices.
As used herein, the term "process cheese" refers to cheese that is made by grinding one or more varieties of natural cheese. The ground cheese is then heated and mixed with an emulsifying agent. The ground cheese mixture is then processed until it is homogeneous and exhibits a plastic consistency.
As used herein, the term "process cheese food" refers to a cheese product that is generally formed using the same components and procedure as process cheese. However, cheese food may include additional dairy ingredients, such as cream, milk, or whey. The fat concentration in process cheese food is typically between 23 and 50 percent by weight and the moisture level is up to 44 percent by weight.
As used herein, the term "process cheese spread" refers to a cheese product that is generally similar to process cheese food. However, process cheese spread has a fat level of between 20 and 50 percent by weight and a moisture level of up to 60 percent by weight.
It has been found that packaging cheese in the form of slices makes cheese more convenient for many types of consumption. The ability to produce and market cheese slices has been limited to relatively few types of cheese because of problems relating to adjacent cheese slices sticking together. When the cheese slices stick together, it becomes difficult or impossible for a consumer to separate adjacent cheese slices without damaging the cheese slices.
The ability to package stacks of cheese slices has been found to depend on the concentration of aged cheese used to formulate the ground cheese mixture. As the level of aged cheese is increased, it becomes increasingly more difficult to separate adjacent process cheese slices because the cheese slices tend to stick together to a greater extent. The ability to separate adjacent cheese slices has also been found to decrease when the cheese contains lower levels of fat.
Various methods have been used to prevent undesirable sticking between adjacent cheese slices. For example, separating adjacent cheese slices with a piece of paper or individually wrapping the cheese slices prevents adhesion of adjacent cheese slices. However, these methods increase the cost of manufacturing the cheese slices and necessitate the use of additional materials that must be disposed of after the cheese slices are consumed.
It is also known that applying a coating on the surface of cheese slices reduces adhesion between adjacent cheese slices. One such method is disclosed in Warwick U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,574. Warwick describes applying a thin coating of starch or a mixture of starch and gum to the cheese slices. It is also known that applying a thin layer of oil to the cheese slice enhances the ability to separate adjacent cheese slices. A drawback of applying substances to the cheese slices is that it is difficult to find substances that do not detrimentally affect the taste or other characteristics of the cheese slices.
Yet another technique, which is disclosed in Goldbach U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,518, includes using a corrugated knife to slice natural cheese into corrugated slices. Goldbach indicates that the natural cheese slices are preferably stacked with the corrugations on adjacent natural cheese slices oriented in a transverse relationship. The transverse corrugation arrangement reduces contact between adjacent natural cheese slices and thereby enhances the ability to separate adjacent natural cheese slices.

Process for improved separation of stacked food slices


A computer system (100) and method detect computer viruses spanning multiple data streams. A virus signature is written in the form of a Boolean expression, where the operands of the Boolean expression are signatures of components of the virus. A processor (110) identifies data streams to be scanned and scans the identified data streams for components of viruses. Using the scan results, the processor (110) then evaluates the virus signatures, and, for any Boolean expression satisfied, the processor (110) determines that the virus corresponding to the expression exists in the scanned data streams.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer virus detection, and, more specifically, to a system and method for detecting computer viruses that span multiple data streams.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer viruses attach themselves to data streams. Examples of data streams include executable program files, data files, and boot sectors, such as those on floppy and hard disks. A virus replicates when the data stream to which it is attached is accessed, allowing the virus to infect additional data streams. Such infections can severely damage a computer system. Consequently, many virus detection programs have been developed to detect viruses.
To detect viruses, known virus detection technologies develop a signature for each known virus. Each data stream to be scanned for viruses is then examined to determine whether the data stream contains a known virus signature. If a virus signature is found in a data stream, the virus detection technology will conclude that the virus corresponding to the found signature exists in that data stream.
Traditionally, the entire body of a virus has been wholly contained within one data stream. As a result, current virus detection technologies scan each data stream for an entire virus signature and examine each data stream for viruses independently of other data streams.
Recently developed operating systems and file formats include data entities that are a collection of data streams. Examples of these entities are Apple Macintosh files that consist of code and resource forks, Microsoft Windows executable files that consist of multiple code and data sections, and Microsoft Word or Excel documents that are stored as a collection of data streams in an OLE 2 compound storage file. Although physically these examples are single files, logically they comprise two or more data streams.
Since these various entities can comprise two or more data streams, viruses have been developed that have components spread out over several data streams. Consequently, known virus detection techniques, which examine each data stream independently of the other data streams, will often fail to correctly identify a virus whose components span multiple data streams.
For instance, known virus detection technologies will often fail to correctly identify Microsoft Word macro viruses. Macro viruses are composed of one or more macros, with each macro residing in a separate data stream.
Consider a macro virus consisting of two macros. One of the macros, call it A, includes the code that performs the replication. The other macro, call it P1, is the payload of the virus. If the virus A/P1 was the only one including either macro A or macro P1, then the virus A/P1 can be detected and identified by just detecting the signature for either macro A or macro P1. In this situation, where A/P1 can be uniquely identified by one of its components, the signature for A/P1 can be just the signature for one of its components. If the signature for A/P1 is just the signature for one of its components, current virus detection methods may be sufficient, assuming the whole of the component is found in a single data stream.
Consider a new macro virus that is also comprised of a macro A, but has a different payload macro, call it P2. This situation may arise when a virus writer decides to copy an existing virus to reduce extra work and then modifies the payload of the virus. Now, simply detecting the signature for macro A is insufficient because the signature does not differentiate the two viruses. However, it would be sufficient to have signatures just for the payloads, P1 and P2, since each of the viruses has a different payload. In other words, if one signature is developed for macro P1 and if one is developed for macro P2, the two viruses can be detected and differentiated from one another. In this case, known virus detection methods may also be sufficient.
If a virus writer creates virus B/P1, viruses A/P1, A/P2, and B/P1 will exist. Now, neither the signature for macro A nor the signature for macro P1 alone uniquely identifies virus A/P1. The virus can be uniquely identified only by the combination of the signatures for macros A and P1. However, since macro A may exist in a different data stream than macro P1, known virus detection systems that operate only in the context of a single data stream are insufficient to uniquely identify virus A/P1.
To further illustrate the point, assume the virus writer decides to combine viruses A/P1 and A/P2 so that this newly created virus, call it A/P1/P2, comprises macro A and the two payloads P1 and P2. None of A/P1, A/P2, and A/P1/P2 can be uniquely identified by only one of their components. They can be identified only by a combination of components, and therefore, if the components of each virus are spread out over multiple data streams, it is not possible to detect these viruses by known detection means that scan data streams independently of each other. Thus, it is desirable to have a virus detection technology that can detect and correctly identify viruses whose components span multiple data streams.

Detection of computer viruses spanning multiple data streams


The vacuum properties of a cryogenic NMR probe maintained at a desired operating temperature by a cold head heat exchanger are improved by a separate heat exchanger operating below the temperature of the cold head heat exchanger for maintaining cryo-pumping surfaces at a temperature below said selected operating temperature.

The present work is in the field of NMR apparatus and relates particularly to an NMR probe operating at cryogenic temperatures
An NMR probe coil couples an RF transmitter/receiver to sample nuclei. Operation of the RF coil at cryogenic temperatures contributes a very high efficiency through enhanced Q of the resonant circuit and significant reduction of Johnson noise. These factors provide enhanced sensitivity for NMR spectra and have motivated considerable effort to realize improved cryogenic NMR probe.
A central component within the cryogenic probe is the "cold head" (that portion within the probe structure providing thermal, and often, structural support for the RF coil). The cold head is desirably regulated at a selected operating temperature. A heat exchanger comprising a part of the cold head cools the cold head to somewhat below the operating temperature, while the application of RF power to the coil adds heat to the environment and increases the thermal load on the heat exchanger with a resulting temperature rise. Often it is desired to operate the heat exchanger for operation slightly below the desired operating temperature in order to permit temperature regulation. To avoid operating below the design temperature, a coolant heater is provided to raise the temperature of the coolant inflow to the heat exchanger at the cold head. By adjustment of heater power in this manner, regulated thermal equilibrium is achieved. Regulation of the temperature of the cold head within a narrow range is necessitated for a number of reasons. Salient of these is variation with temperature of magnetic susceptibility of materials employed in the environs of the cold head resulting in magnetic field disturbance in the neighborhood of the sample; temporal variation of temperature over lengthy data acquisition, and the stability of various parameters of the equipment. To the extent of such disturbance, the precision of NMR data is degraded. NMR is necessarily practiced in a time varying regime of RF power as applied in pulse sequences and often with substantial RF power application from a (second) decoupler coil. Thermal dependence of magnetic field inhomogeneities results in a broadening of the resonant lineshape.
Certain other considerations arise for cryogenic probes. For the purposes of this work, cryogenic temperatures refers to a range below 77 K. Thermal isolation of probe components for operation at cryogenic temperatures requires an evacuated environment. It is known that the residual gas (mainly hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures) within the probe cryostat (in combination with high voltages present at RF coils in the probe) is subject to ionization. This results in significant increase in noise and consequent reduction of the signal to noise parameter, as disclosed in the US publication US 2006/0045754A1.
It is also recognized that the mechanism of cryogenic pumping is operative within the cryostat to stabilize residual gasses by adsorption on cold surfaces. Utility of the cryo-pumping mechanism is known in prior art where the accumulation of residual gas on "cold plates" provides at least temporary stabilization and removal from the excitation/de-excitation process. This process is saturable and the cold plate pumping surfaces are allowed to warm at maintenance intervals to liberate these gasses for pumping by other pumping modalities. It is common to provide turbomolecular pumps, chemical getters or ion pumping apparatus to remove these residual gasses. The effectiveness of cryo-pumping depends upon the residual gasses and the nature of the cryo-pumping surfaces among other critical particulars. Such matters are outside the scope of the present work.
One prior art apparatus, exemplary of the above description, is schematically described in its essentials at FIG. 2a. Cold head 70 comprises a thermally regulated support structure and RF coil 71, coil former (not shown) and mounting flange 70a. The cold head 70 is cooled to (T1−ΔT) K, somewhat below a nominal desired operating temperature of T1 K (for example, 25 K) by heat exchanger 78. Details of the coupling of the RF coil 71 to the RF circuit is not shown. It should be understood that the probe cryostat housing 80 has an annular geometry defining a well or bore 82 wherein a sample is introduced at room temperature.
Coolant inflow conduit 84 provides coolant to heat exchanger 78 and warmed coolant is removed through outflow conduit 85. In order to thermally regulate the cold head, it was known in prior art to drive coolant flow at a rate sufficient to maintain the heat exchanger at a temperature slightly lower than T1K and to provide a heater 88 disposed between a portion of the inflow conduit 84 and the heat exchanger 78 to warm the inflowing coolant sufficiently to raise the operating temperature of the heat exchanger to T1. In this manner, heat developed from RF power dissipation is transported away from the cold head 70 and the operating temperature restored by heating the coolant (or alternatively, reducing the coolant flow rate) in response to an appropriate thermal sensor. One example of this prior art is the US publication US 2005/0046423A1.
In cryogenic probes of the above description the coolant inflow conduit 84 must exhibit a very high thermal impedance and stainless steel tubing is a typical choice of suitable material. The present work has detected a degree of cryo-pumping functionality at the outer surface of this inflow conduit. Heat is applied to the inflowing coolant prior to receipt of coolant by the heat exchanger 78. This acts adversely on the cryo-pumping occurring on the outer surface of conduit 84. The cryo-pumped vapors (principally hydrogen) are in some degree released with consequent deleterious effect of increased RF noise. The present work is directed to amelioration of these undesirable characteristics.

Efficiently cryo-pumped NMR cryogenic probe


In order to provide rolling bearings of high performance using case hardened stainless steels that are superior to the conventional martensite base stainless steels in terms of corrosion resistance, rolling fatigue strength and wear resistance and which also have high core toughness, at least one member of the rolling bearing selected from among the inner race, the outer race and the rolling elements is made of an alloy steel consisting essentially of less than 0.5 wt % C, 8.0 to 20.0 wt % Cr, 0.1 to 1.5 wt % Mn, 0.1 to 2.0 wt % Si and the balance of Fe and incidental impurity elements; the relationship between the C and Cr contents satisfies 0.04 Cr (wt %)-0.39.ltoreq.C (wt %).ltoreq.-0.05 Cr (wt %)+1.41; the bearing also has a surface layer that is formed by nitriding or carbonitriding at a temperature below Ac.sub.1, subsequent heating at a temperature of 900.degree. to 1,200.degree. C., hardening, a subzero treatment and tempering.

The present invention relates to rolling bearings for use in aircraft, food processing machines and other applications where high corrosion resistance is required. The invention particularly concerns efforts to upgrade the performance of such rolling bearings.
Rolling bearings are usually made of steel materials equivalent to SUJ2 (bearing steel) or SCR420 (case hardening steel) but if they are used in the presence of water or under humid conditions or in other corrosive environments, they will experience premature rust formation and become no longer suitable for subsequent use.
Under the circumstances, SUS440C and other martensite-base steels have been substituted as high chromium bearing stainless steels that have not only high corrosion resistance but also the hardness of HRC 58 and above which is required for bearings.
Rolling bearings made of stainless steels are in most cases used in severer conditions than those experienced by rolling bearings made of plain steels and particularly in the presence of water or under moist conditions or in other corrosive environments, wear resistance with the potential for poor lubrication being also taken into account is an extremely important factor, to say nothing of corrosion resistance. The carbon in steels is an indispensable element for providing increased hardness by the strengthening of martensite and the formation of carbides contributes to a further improvement in wear resistance.
With aircraft bearings which are to be used at high temperatures and speeds, high core strength under hoop stress is required in addition to high corrosion resistance and fatigue strength.
The martensite-base high chromium stainless steels typified by SUS440C have a problem in that if the carbon level increases, the high C and Cr content of the steel causes many coarse (>10 .mu.m) eutectic carbides to form, thereby deteriorating not only the steel's corrosion resistance, rolling life and toughness but also its forgeability and machinability.
If simply hardened, the conventional martensite-base stainless steels have large amounts of retained austenite, so they are usually subjected to a subzero treatment after the hardening operation. In the case of aircraft bearings which are to be used in comparatively high temperatures or with which dimensional stability is particularly important, the subzero treatment is occasionally followed by tempering at elevated temperatures of 400.degree. to 600.degree. C. However, if the conventional martensite-base stainless steels are tempered at 400.degree. to 600.degree. C., their hardness will drop to HRC 55 to 57 or even below, thereby causing deterioration in fatigue strength and wear resistance.
Another problem with the conventional high carbon martensite-base stainless steels is that the secondary precipitation of Cr carbides occurs during tempering and that if tempering is done at high temperatures, the corrosion resistance of the steels will drop markedly.
With a view to solving the aforementioned problems, Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Sho 61-163244 proposed that the C and Cr content be reduced to retard the formation of eutectic carbides, thereby providing improved fatigue strength and toughness without sacrificing the wear resistance. However, the proposed attempt is unsatisfactory in the improvements of resistance and to wear corrosion and, what is more, no consideration is given to the dimensional stability problem resulting from the retained austenite and the effects on fatigue strength, corrosion resistance and wear resistance that may be imposed by the high-temperature tempering which is performed in order to decompose the retained austenite.
According to Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application Hei 1-205063, there is provided a wear-resistant stainless steel part that is improved in core toughness by limiting the carbon level to 0.6 wt % and below and which has been carburized to impart high surface hardness. The part, however, is not satisfactorily improved in corrosion resistance.
Speaking of bearings that are specifically intended for use in aircraft jet engines and gas turbines, they are subjected to high temperatures and speeds during service as already mentioned and, hence, require not only high core strength under hoop stress but also sufficient hardness at elevated temperatures. Conventionally, these bearings are made of semi-high-speed materials such as AISIM50 and M5ONiL; however, these materials are so low in corrosion resistance that they tend to experience premature rust formation due to salt damage in unfavorable locations such as airports adjoining the sea. Since safety is of utmost importance to aircraft bearings, their life may be recognized to have ended no matter how limited the rust formation is. Therefore, from a corrosion resistance viewpoint, aircraft bearings are preferably made of stainless steels materials.
However, the conventional stainless steel materials such as SUS440C do not have satisfactory hardness under elevated temperatures and hence are not suitable for use as bearing materials in aircraft engines. A further problem with the stated type of high-carbon martensite-base stainless steels is that if they are tempered at high temperature, the chromium in the matrix will precipitate as carbides, thereby damaging its corrosion resistance considerably.


An object of the present invention is to make it possible to accurately and simply manage the performance deterioration and life duration of sealing rings and other various information about each sealing ring. As a means of achieving this object, a sealing ring according to the present invention is a sealing ring 30 to be fitted to a face-to-face part of members 12, 14 to thus seal a space between both members, comprising: a main body part 32 that is ring-shaped and is capable of becoming elastically deformed; and a circuit chip 40 that is attached unitedly to the main body part 32 and has an information-transmitting means 42 for transmitting the information with the outside of the sealing ring 30.

As a typical sealing ring, an O-ring is known. The O-ring is molded in a ring shape with an elastic material such as rubber, and its section is O-shaped. Depending on a required performance and a use, various sealing rings having sectional shapes different from that of the O-ring are also proposed.
The sealing ring typified by the O-ring is used in places where a sealing function such as air tightness or water tightness is required in various industrial equipments and devices.
Under general use conditions of the sealing ring, it is inevitable that an elastic material composing the sealing ring changes in material property or deteriorates in physical property with the passage of time. The sealing ring having deteriorated in property is exchanged with a new sealing ring. An exchange timing of the sealing ring varies with use conditions such as a load and an environment when using it. Some sealing rings may be used for several years, and other sealing rings must be exchanged in a short period not more than several months.
For example, a sealing ring to be attached to a valve of a semiconductor-producing device and its opening-and-closing cover is used under severe conditions such that: high air tightness is required, a load applied upon using is large, and further, the sealing ring has a possibility of contacting with a plasma gas or a corrosive gas. Under such use environments, it is necessary to detect deterioration of a performance of the sealing ring surely and quickly or to surely exchange the sealing ring before its performance is deteriorated. If the use of the sealing ring with the deteriorated performance is continued, a quality performance of a semiconductor product is damaged to thus deteriorate the product yield.
Conventionally, in order to judge whether or not the sealing ring needs to be exchanged, it is necessary that a device fitted with the sealing ring is decomposed to expose the sealing ring and observe it, or that the sealing ring is fetched out to inspect it by an inspection apparatus.
Patent document 1 below proposes a technology in which an inner signal member of a color different from the surface of the O-ring is embedded in the inside of the O-ring. This patent document states that: if the surface of the O-ring is deteriorated, then the inner signal member is exposed to the surface, so it is possible to judge the deterioration of the O-ring from the difference in color.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-168348/2002 (Kokai)
As to conventional methods to judge the exchange of the sealing ring or to manage the sealing ring, it is difficult to appropriately judge the exchange or make strict management about individual sealing rings when they are used.
For example, as to the art described in the above patent document 1, unless the O-ring is fetched out from its fitting part to observe its surface, it is not possible to judge the deterioration of the O-ring from whether the inner signal member is exposed or not. In order to fetch out the O-ring from its fitting part, it is necessary as a matter of course that the working of the device including the fitting part is stopped to decompose a peripheral device including the fitting part of the O-ring. If the O-ring is not deteriorated, the reworking of the device will be performed after fitting the O-ring again and reassembling the device. During this time, a time loss is large and a human burden is also heavy.
A method is also carried out in which: there are beforehand collected the data with relation to a degree of progress in a deterioration of a performance and a life duration about the sealing ring in a specific fitting place, and therefrom the exchange timing of the sealing ring is estimated. However, unless there is any past data such that the load and environmental conditions, acting on the sealing ring, conform completely to those of the present sealing ring, it is difficult to accurately estimate the exchanging timing. The progress of the performance deterioration may be different due to an individual difference between the sealing rings.
It has a limitation to estimate a degree of progress in a deterioration of a performance and a life duration about each of the sealing rings by only the data collected in the past.
On the scene using a conventional sealing ring, the sealing ring is exchanged if there has passed a definite period during which it is, from such as past experiences, considered possible to sufficiently maintain the performance of the sealing rings regardless of a usage environment and an individual difference. However, this results in also exchanging the sealing ring having a sufficient sealing function, so this leads to much waste of money. The number of times of the exchanging of the sealing ring increases more than necessary, so that unfavorably the operation rate of the apparatus to which the sealing ring is attached decreases largely.
In order to record a history (e.g. a production period and a use-start period) and other managing information with respect to each sealing ring and exchange a sealing ring to be exchanged on the basis of this managing information, it is necessary to strictly manage each sealing ring and its managing information while making their one-to-one correspondence. This is very troublesome. It is very troublesome to give an identification number to each sealing ring and record it every time the sealing ring is attached or exchanged on the scene using the sealing ring. As to a sealing ring in use incorporated within the equipment and apparatus, it is difficult to check, from the outside, which identification number this sealing ring has.


In a method for address table cache management, a first logical address associated with a first read command may be received. The first logical address may be associated with a first segment of an address mapping table. A second logical address associated with a second read command may then be received. The second logical address may be associated with a second segment of the address mapping table. A correlation metric associating the first segment to the second segment may be increased in response to receiving the first logical address before the second logical address. The first logical address and second logical address may each map to a physical address within the address mapping table, and a mapping table cache may be configured to store two or more segments. The mapping table cache may then be managed based on the correlation metric.

Mapping table cache management is an important part of FLASH management. A mapping table cache is typically used to improve read latency by avoiding the need to perform two read operations from the NAND Flash for every host read request, due to the need to perform first the logical to physical address translation. However, due to the limited size of the cache, the cache needs to be managed to maximize the cache hit rate and minimize the cache miss rate. In conventional systems, data may be brought into the cache upon need, and a least-recently used (LRU) eviction policy may be implemented. However, these methods are sub-optimal.
Optimization of a mapping table cache use is complicated by the fact that the relevant decisions of the FLASH management (e.g., cache eviction) affect not only the immediate point of time when the decision is made, but also may have long-term effects that are harder to optimize. It is desired to manage the cache content of a mapping table cache to improve longer term performance.

Method and system for address table cache management based on correlation metric of first logical address and second logical address, wherein the correlation metric is incremented and decremented based on receive order of the first logical address and the second logical address


The present invention provides a dimensioning system for determining the minimum size box necessary to enclose an object traveling on a moving conveyor. The dimensioning system is comprised of a light source which generates a scan beam that is moved by a mirrored wheel. A line scan camera whose field of view tracks the moving scan beam receives images of the scan beam and outputs a signal which is processed to compute a three dimensional box structure of the scanned object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the dimensions of an object. More particularly, it relates to a dimensioning apparatus for determining the minimum size box necessary to enclose an object. Most particularly, the invention is directed to an automatic dimensioning system which accurately determines the dimensions of an object on a moving conveyor for package sorting and handling applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to reduce costs and increase the volume of packages handled, the shipping industry has pressed automated package handling. This has been accomplished through automated package identification by bar code labeling and automated sortation by scanners identifying the labels and routing the packages. Package sorting is typically done based on the package size. In the shipping industry, shipping fees are directly related to the package size, weight and shipping destination. Determining the correct package size in an efficient manner is therefore especially significant for both throughput and fee calculation.
While some progress has been made to provide automated systems for creating a three dimensional rendering of the package, the known systems are both complex and costly. There are several known systems for obtaining package dimensions. One system, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,120, utilizes a light source which projects collimated lines of light onto the object to be measured. An imaging system, utilizing a video camera, views the object at an angle with respect to the structured light so that the profile of the object can be visualized. The video signal is processed to calculate the three dimensional rendering of the object based on the lines of light.
Another system, shown in International Publication Number WO 94/27166, uses a laser beam which is reflected in a fan shaped form and directed using mirrors to a flat surface. The laser beam is oscillated at a high frequency where the difference in phase between the originating beam and the reflected light off of the surface of an object yields the height of the object. The system calculates the time it takes for the light beam to travel to and from the object. The system is mounted in a moveable carriage which passes over the object and after a multiplicity of height measurements determines the dimensions of the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,093 discloses a three-dimensional measurement system which uses a holographic scanning mechanism. Triangulation based upon the projector to camera and relative angles provides the foundation for computing the surface coordinates.
An apparatus which determines an object's height is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,843. This system utilizes a laser beam which is rastered across a conveyor surface creating a light stripe. A television camera, having a defined field of view, views the object at an angle causing the apparent location of the light stripe to move based on the object height.
Although the known systems can be used to obtain an object's height or to provide a three dimensional rendering, both systems view the object area at an angle, then produce a large analog video signal which must be filtered and processed. In order to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of a dimensioning system, it is desirable to have a low cost, automated means for providing an accurate, high speed rendering of an article as it is carried on a conveyor. This object can be accomplished by reducing the amount of visual data processed.


A power-saving packet forwarding device realizing electric power that accords to the number of lines in which communication is performed and a traffic volume inputted from the lines. A header processing unit with which the packet forwarding device is equipped has a plurality of packet processing circuits for performing a packet processing. A line number decision circuit monitors the number of lines in which communication is performed and a traffic volume inputted from the line, and decides presence or absence of an operation of a packet processing circuit. Based on this decision result, a power supply and a clock of the packet processing circuit that does not need to operate are interrupted, and accordingly power saving of the packet forwarding device is realized.

With a backdrop of the spread of the Internet, enhancement in the speed of packet forwarding devices, such as a router and a switch constituting the Internet communication systems, is sought for. The router and the switch are provided with a plurality of input lines and output lines, and when a packet is inputted thereinto from the input line, they decide an output line from a destination address in its header and forward the packet into the output line. Further, the router and the switch identify a flow that is a series of packet flows to which the packet belongs, and execute filtering processing of deciding passing/discarding of the packet, decision processing of priority in a network (in the present application, this processing is called a flow processing), etc. for each flow.
For enhancement in the speed of a packet forwarding device, since it is necessary to increase the number of devices, such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or to increase the frequency, power consumption increases along with enhancement in the speed of the router and the switch. For this reason, it is required to reduce the power consumption and thereby minimize the increase in electric power accompanying the speed enhancement.
A method for realizing reduction in the power consumption of the packet forwarding device is described, for example, in JP-A-Hei11 (1999)-88458. The document describes that the packet forwarding device thereof monitors the presence of link connections with a plurality of lines that the packet forwarding device is equipped with, and turns on a power supply of a port control circuit for performing the packet processing when the link connection is found to exist. By turning off the power supply of the port control circuit that is not required to perform the processing, reduction in the power consumption of the packet forwarding device is realized.
Another method for realizing the reduction in the power consumption of the packet forwarding device is described, for example, in JP-A-Hei11 (1999)-234344. The packet forwarding device of this document has an access state monitoring unit that monitors a plurality of interface ports for accommodating the lines and access states of the interface ports, and a power supply control unit that decides whether currents are made to pass the respective interface ports according to respective monitoring states of the access state monitoring unit. By turning off the power supply of the interface port to which no access is made, the reduction in the power consumption is realized.
In addition, as a technology of suppressing the power consumption without sacrificing performance of network relay devices, there is JP-A-2007-228491.


The elimination of noise can be positively achieved by a simpler arrangement. For this reason, a capacitor holds a difference between a level at a first time point of an input signal and a reference potential of a given level. A capacitor holds a difference between a level at a second time point of the input signal and a threshold value of an inverter serving as a comparator. The first and second capacitors are switched to a series-connected state. With a combined voltage of holding voltages on the first and second capacitors as an input-side voltage to the inverter, a reference voltage Vref varies as a bias through the input-side voltage. When the output of the inverter is inverted during a portion of a time in which the reference voltage varies, a controller enables the holding of a measurement value corresponding to the reference voltage, the measurement value being used as a variation corresponding to the input signal.

The present invention relates to a noise reducing circuit for pixel signals and an image pickup device using this noise reducing circuit which, in the case where, as in a pixel output signal in a solid-state image pickup device, a signal component is multiplexed on a varying DC component, can cancel the DC component to derive the signal component accurately or can be less affected by an extraneous signal and, by doing so, can achieve a compact unit.
The CCD type solid-state image pickup device using a charge coupled device (CCD) and a CMOS type solid-state image pickup device have been known as a solid-state image pickup device for use in a video camera and electronic still camera.
For the CCD type solid-state image pickup device, a read-out signal is taken out as an amplified form through one amplifier provided in an output stage of a horizontal transfer section. Further, the amplifier can be constructed as a low input capacity on-chip amplifier. It is, therefore, possible to obtain a low-noise, high-quality video signal almost without involving a level variation for each pixel. Since, however, a signal charge sequentially transferred in the solid-state image pickup device is, as viewed as a signal current, very small on the order of 100 nA, it is susceptible to the extraneous noise and is adversely affected in its S/N ratio simply because the solid state image pickup device is located near a timing generator and digital signal processing circuit. It is, also, necessary to have a high mounting technique, as well as a proper arrangement of component parts, in the achievement of a compact camera. This, in addition to the ready susceptibility of the device to the extraneous noise, provides a bar to achieving a small-sized camera.
In the CMOS type solid-state image pickup device, on the other hand, amplifiers for deriving outputs of a respective plurality of photodiodes are incorporated, and a very weak signal current amplified thereby. The output of each amplifier is taken out as an image pickup signal through the scannings of corresponding vertical and horizontal scanning switches.
Since this kind of solid-state image pickup device uses a plurality of amplifiers for each pixel, if there occurs a variation, in a DC component, between the output voltages, then fixed-pattern noise is produced even at a light shutting time at an image pickup section.

Noise cancelling circuit for pixel signals and an image pickup device using the noise cancelling circuit


Methods and devices generating and processing update packages containing multiple updates for updating compressed firmware and file systems in an electronic device.

Non-volatile memory is employed in a wide variety of electronic devices such as, for example, mobile handsets, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), pagers and handheld personal computers. The non-volatile memory in these devices typically contains firmware, application software, data, and configuration information that makes the devices operational, and may be provided by the manufacturers of the electronic devices, by system operators of telecommunication carrier networks, or by third party developers. If defects are found in such firmware/software, or if new features are to be added to such devices, the software and/or firmware in the affected electronic devices may need to be updated. Errors and/or interruptions that may occur during the updating of such operational code may leave the electronic device in a partly or completely non-functional state. To avoid this problem, present methods of updating such software and/or firmware typically involve returning the electronic device to the manufacturer, to the system operator, or to the third party, so that an update of memory contents may be performed using a direct connection to the electronic device. This is both costly and inconvenient to both the user of the electronic device, and to one performing the update.
Firmware, software, data, and configuration information is sometimes stored in compressed form in electronic devices such as those mentioned above, to save the cost of additional memory devices. File systems supported by operating systems in such electronic device may also employ compression/decompression techniques, to enable them to store content at a lower cost per byte.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method for updating a mobile device using an update package obtained from a remote server

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A cutting apparatus includes a cutting unit including a cutting blade, a holding member having an adhesive layer on which an object to be cut is removably held, a wireless tag containing cutting information, a reading unit reading the cutting information from the wireless tag when the holding member has been set on the apparatus, and a control unit controlling the cutting unit based on the cutting information the reading unit has read from the wireless tag. The cutting information includes at least one of a relative moving speed between the blade and the object, a pressing force of the blade against the object and a correction amount which corrects a relative movement amount of the blade relative to the object. The cutting unit includes a pressing unit which presses the object held by the holding member, and the cutting information includes a pressing force of the pressing unit.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a cutting apparatus in which a cutting blade and an object to be cut are moved relative to each other so that the object is cut by the cutting blade, a holding member which is fed into the cutting apparatus while holding the object and a computer-readable storage medium storing a control program used to cut a desired pattern out of the object.
2. Related Art
There has conventionally been known a cutting plotter which automatically cuts a sheet such as paper, for example. In the cutting plotter, an object to be cut is inserted between a driving roller and a pinch roller of a drive mechanism from above and below thereby to be held therebetween. The object is then moved in a first direction while being held in the aforementioned manner and a carriage with a cutting blade is moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, thereby cutting the object.
The aforementioned cutting plotter includes a type that an operating condition is settable according to a type of the cutting blade. The operating condition includes a relative moving speed of the cutting blade relative to the object, a pressing force applied to the cutting blade and the like. More specifically, a bar code indicative of a type of the object is attached to an upper surface of the object. The carriage is provided with a sensor which reads the bar code of the object set on the cutting plotter. Before the set object is cut, the sensor reads the bar code to detect the type of the object. The operating condition is set according to the detected type.
Furthermore, another cutting plotter is also known in which an object to be cut is applied to a sheet-like member (corresponding to a holding member) having an upper surface with an adhesive layer formed by application of an adhesive agent. The sheet-like member is moved in the first direction so that the object is cut.
The above-described former cutting plotter detects the type of the object thereby to be capable of executing the cutting on the basis of the operating condition according to the object type.
It is considered whether or not the holding member of the above-described latter cutting plotter can be used with the former cutting plotter. In this case, too, the type of the object is detected such that the object can be cut on the basis of the operating condition according to the type of the object. However, the object cannot reliably be held by the holding member when the adhesive layer of the holding member has an adhesion unsuitable to the type of the object, whereupon there is a possibility that the object may be displaced from the holding member. The object cannot be cut accurately when not being reliably held by the holding member.

Cutting apparatus, holding member for holding object to be cut and storage medium storing cutting control program