The DNA and amino acid sequences are disclosed for a ligand (EDA1-II) and receptor (dl in mice and DL in humans) involved in ectodermal dysplasia. Also disclosed are variant DNA and amino acid sequences, and therapeutic applications of the ligands and receptors.

Hereditary ectodermal dysplasia is an inherited disorder that affects the development of ectodermally derived structures, such as hair, teeth and sweat glands. The hidrotic form of the disease is characterized by poorly developed teeth and hair. The anhidrotic or hypohidrotic form of the disease further affects the development of sweat glands, which interferes with the ability to sweat, and the maintenance of thermoregulatory homeostasis. Both X-linked and autosomal dominant and recessive forms of the disease have been described.
X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED; McKusick's number 305100), the most common form of the ectodermal dysplasias, results in the abnormal development of teeth, hair and eccrine sweat glands. Identification of the gene that is defective in this disease would help explain the molecular basis of XLHED, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in normal tooth, hair and eccrine sweat gland development. Identification of the gene would also permit mutation testing for XLHED in potentially affected males and carrier females.
Heterozygote carriers of XLHED may have minor or moderate degrees of hypodontia, hypotrichosis and hypohidrosis, although many show no obvious clinical manifestations. This clinical variation, presumably caused by random X-inactivation (Lyonization), makes accurate diagnosis of carrier females difficult. Although indirect testing for carrier status is possible by linkage analysis in informative families (Zonana, 1993, Semin Dermatol 12:241–6), carrier detection by this method is impossible in families with single affected individuals, male or female, whose disorder may be the result of a de novo mutation. Detection of mutations within the EDA1 gene would also be advantageous in families with only a single affected sibship, because a rarer autosomal recessive form of the disorder (ARHED) is clinically indistinguishable from XLHED in affected males.
A gene identified as EDA1 was isolated by positional cloning (Kere et al., 1996, Nature Genet. 13:409–416). A single 858 bp cDNA, representing a full length transcript composed of two exons, was identified from an adult sweat gland cDNA library. In situ analysis showed that the EDA1 gene was expressed in hair follicles and the epidermis of adult skin. The putative gene product is a 135 amino acid protein, which has no clear homology to other proteins (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,926). The protein is predicted to contain a single transmembrane domain, and fractionation studies of transfected cell lines showed that the protein product is localized to the plasma membrane (Ezer et al., 1997, Hum. Mol. Genet. 6:1581–7). Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) containing at least a portion of the human EDA1 gene were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,786.
A syndrome similar to HED, with anhidrosis and absence of sweat glands, is known in the mouse, in which the mutant gene is called Tabby (Ta). Consistent with the map position in humans, the Ta gene has been mapped in the syntenically corresponding region in the X chromosome of the mouse (Brockdorff et al., 1991, Genomics 10:17–22). The Tabby phenotype is indistinguishable from that seen for mutations in downless, another spontaneous mouse mutation identified in the late 1950s on the A/H strain (Philips, 1960, Mouse News Letter 23:29). Tabby and downless mice have abnormally shaped or absent teeth (Grüneberg, 1965, J. Embryol. Exp. Morph. 14:137–59), missing sweat glands and absence of some hair types (Sundberg. 1994. The Downless (dl) and Sleek (D1Sleek) mutations, Chromosome 10. In Maibach. H. I. (ed). Handbook of mouse mutations with skin and hair abnormalities. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla. 241–229.).

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia genes and proteins


A utility duct for elongated utility members is mountable on a wall structure and includes a retaining strip disposed on the wall structure and a capping member. Upper and lower connectors connect the capping member to the retaining strip to thereby form an internal duct passage for the utility members. The retaining strip has a plurality of supporting walls which together with the retaining strip form gutter-shaped channels for supporting the utility members. At least one of the supporting walls has an outer end formed as a seat which seats against the capping member when the capping member is mounted on the retaining strip by the upper and lower connectors.

Starting out from a baseboard of the aforementioned type, which is known from the German patent 24 58 311, it is an object of the invention to provide an installation duct, which is dimensionally stable even if it is of thin-walled construction, which has manifold uses and offers a visibly attractive surface.


A pickup mechanism for a business machine. A support shaft is disposed in the business machine. An oscillating arm includes a first end and a second end opposite thereto. The first end is fitted on the support shaft. An inner-rotor type motor is disposed on the second end of the oscillating arm and includes a central rotating shaft extending beyond the inner-rotor type motor. A pickup roller is connected to the central rotating shaft. When the inner-rotor type motor operates, the pickup roller rotates by rotation of the central rotating shaft.

The invention relates to a pickup mechanism, and in particular to a simplified pickup mechanism for a business machine.
A conventional printer or business machine often comprises an automatic print media feed device. The automatic print media feed device comprises a pickup mechanism, a separating mechanism, a feed mechanism, and an eject mechanism.
In a conventional pickup mechanism, print media sheets are picked up dynamically, wherein a pickup roller continuously provides normal force to the print media sheets, creating friction between the pickup roller and the top print media sheet. Thus, when rotating, the pickup roller can transport the top print media sheet.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional pickup mechanism 1 comprises a drive motor 11, a deceleration gear train 12, a switch 13, a first rotating shaft 14, an oscillating arm 15, a one-way device 16, a second rotating shaft 17, and two pickup rollers 18. A rotating shaft of the driving motor 11 is connected to an input end (not shown) of the deceleration gear train 12. The first rotating shaft 14 is connected to an output end (not shown) of the deceleration gear train 12. One end of the oscillating arm 15 is fitted on the first rotating shaft 14 and the other on the second rotating shaft 17. The pickup rollers 18 are respectively fixed to two ends of the second rotating shaft 17. The first rotating shaft 14 is connected to the second rotating shaft 17 through a transmission belt (not shown, disposed in the oscillating arm 15).
Accordingly, when the drive motor 11 operates, initial rotational speed therefrom is reduced to a lower rotational speed by the deceleration gear train 12. The first rotating shaft 14 connected to the deceleration gear train 12 rotates at the lower rotational speed. By the transmission belt, the second rotating shaft 17 also rotates at the lower rotational speed. At this point, the pickup rollers 18 respectively fixed to ends of the second rotating shaft 17 also rotate at the lower rotational speed, thereby transporting the print media sheets (not shown). Moreover, the oscillating arm 15 can oscillate upward and downward about the first rotating shaft 14. The pickup rollers 18 can thus provide a normal force to the print media sheets, creating friction therebetween.
Moreover, the drive motor 11 or deceleration gear train 12, in some conventional business machines, is connected to a feed roller of a feed mechanism. The switch 13, such as a solenoid, switches the operating direction of the driving motor 11.
Referring to FIG. 2, when a pickup sensor 21 in a business machine 2 detects a print media sheet P, the drive motor 11 rotates the pickup rollers 18 counterclockwise, thereby picking up the print media sheet P. When the print media sheet P passes through a feed sensor 22, the feed sensor 22 outputs a signal to the switch 13. At this point, the switch 13 reverses the drive motor 11, such that the deceleration gear train 12 performs reverse reduction output. A feed roller 23 connected to the deceleration gear train 12 rotates clockwise to feed the print media sheet P. The pickup rollers 18, however, are also connected to the decelerating gear train 12. The one-way device 16 prevents the pickup rollers 18 from rotating clockwise when the deceleration gear train 12 performs reverse reduction output. Namely, because of the one-way device 16, the pickup rollers 18 can rotate only counterclockwise. The print media sheet P can thus be ensured in the business machine 2.
Accordingly, as the deceleration gear train 12 is composed of multiple gears, the pickup mechanism 1 is large, adversely affecting application inside the business machine 2 or undesirably increasing the size of the business machine 2 itself. Moreover, because of the deceleration gear train 12, one-way device 16, and switch 13, the pickup mechanism 1 is very complex.


Exemplary methods and systems for managing media content sessions are disclosed herein. As described in more detail below, a media content access device may detect a media content session associated with the media content access device, communicate with one or more other media content access devices by way of a local area network to detect one or more other media content sessions associated with the one or more other media content access devices, and present a graphical user interface configured to facilitate user management of the media content session and the one or more other media content sessions. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Personal computers, handheld devices, mobile phones, set-top box devices, and other electronic devices are increasingly being used to access, store, download, play back, and/or otherwise process various types of media content (e.g., video, audio, photographs, and/or multimedia). In a typical scenario, a user may have multiple access devices at a common location (e.g., the user's home or office). For example, a user may have a first access device in a first room (e.g., a first set-top box device in a bedroom) of the user's home, a second access device in a second room (e.g., a second set-top box device in a kitchen) of the user's home, and a third access device in a third room (e.g., a third set-top box device in a child's bedroom). In a typical configuration such as this, each of the access devices independently accesses and processes media content in one or more media content sessions.
Conventional implementations of multiple access devices at a common location have limited functionality when it comes to enabling a user operating one of the access devices to access, manage, and/or control the processing of media content sessions by the other access devices. For example, in a conventional implementation of multiple set-top box devices in a home, a user operating one of the set-top box devices in a room of the home is provided with limited or no capability for accessing, managing, and/or controlling the processing of media content sessions by the other set-top box devices located in other rooms of the home.

Methods and systems for managing media content sessions


The specification discloses a system and related method for installing seismic sensors in shallow, low-angle boreholes for obtaining conventional three-dimensional and four-dimensional seismic surveys. Installing seismic sensors in shallow, low-angle boreholes removes the sensing devices from surface anomalies that may affect seismic sensing performance. Moreover, installation of the seismic devices in this manner may be done in environmentally sensitive areas without undue environmental impact.

1. Field of the Invention
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to obtaining seismic information regarding hydrocarbon producing reservoirs. More particularly, the preferred embodiments are directed to placing sensor equipment in shallow, low angle boreholes for acquisition of seismic information.
2. Background of the Invention
The key to efficient and economical extraction of hydrocarbons from subsurface formations is information. The primary informational sources relied on in the oil and gas industry are seismic graphs of the formation at issue. Early seismic graphs (sometimes referred to as seismographs) were two-dimensional in that the information they conveyed could be represented in only two axes. With the advent and application of computer processing in the seismic arts, geophysicists were able to further refine seismic techniques to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) seismic graphs of formations at issue. Such 3-D seismic graphs aid the oil and gas industry in the location and placement of both vertical and horizontal hydrocarbon-producing wells. That is, the 3-D seismic graphs may indicate the highest point of the producing formation, the highest point being the most efficient extraction point. As an additional example, some hydrocarbon-producing layers may be substantially horizontal, narrow bands. In such circumstances, a three-dimensional seismograph allows geologists to optimally place the horizontal components of a well bore.
Once hydrocarbon producing wells are in place, the need for information does not cease. The oil and gas industry tracks the extraction of the hydrocarbons of the formation over time for many reasons, e.g. to estimate remaining reserves, to track water encroachment, and the like. Tracking formations using seismic technology over time is generally referred to as four-dimensional (4-D) seismic. The fourth dimension in 4-D seismic is, of course, the time dimension, and it is this time dimension which introduces difficulties in obtaining the information. Several methods exist for obtaining 4-D seismic information. One such technique involves obtaining multiple 3-D seismic surveys using standard surface techniques. As one of ordinary skill in the art is aware, obtaining a seismic survey using surface techniques involves placing long strands of cable across the surface of the earth, the cable having periodically spaced seismic receiving devices. Generally speaking, the seismic receiving devices are placed in a grid pattern over or proximate to the formation of interest. FIG. 1 exemplifies placement of a cable 10 having seismic sensors 12 on the surface 14 of the earth. After the seismic receiving devices are placed, a seismic event is triggered, for example by detonation of dynamite or through the use of vibrator trucks which contact the surface of the earth and impart energy. The energy, whether created by dynamite or by trucks, propagates through the various earth layers to the formation of interest, and portions of the signal reflect back to the surface receivers.
Obtaining acoustic information in this manner is very time consuming and requires extensive access to the surface. For 4-D seismic using surface techniques to be viable, the process must be performed periodically, for example on a yearly basis. However, the repeatability of data obtained in this manner is questionable. First, the earth's surface, even over the course of a year, may change due to seasonal and other "weathering" factors, such as changes in water table levels. Further, it is impractical to guarantee that seismic sensors on the cables will have the precise coupling from year to year, or even that seismic sensors will be in the same precise location. Moreover, access to the surface to perform these type surveys may be limited, especially in environmentally sensitive areas or at certain times of the year. Thus, while obtaining 4-D seismic data using surface techniques is possible, it has many difficulties.
Related art techniques exist to permanently install the seismic sensors at or near the surface. The permanent installation could be by way of burying the cables and related seismic sensing devices in a trench a few inches or feet below the ground, or by placing the sensors in periodically spaced, relatively shallow vertical wells. These methods, however, require extensive surface access and may significantly damage or impair the surface in environmentally sensitive areas. In the marine context, these sensors are typically placed by hydrojet a few inches or feet below the surface. Anchors for ships, shrimping operations, and the like damage sensors placed this way.
A second method for obtaining seismic information is to place seismic sensors within the well bores of hydrocarbon producing wells. With the advent of deep horizontal drilling, it is common to drill a single vertical well bore from the surface to several thousand feet deep, and then extend from the vertical well a series of horizontal wells into the hydrocarbon producing formation to maximize hydrocarbon extraction. The horizontal wells, however, do not make right angles to the vertical well bore, but instead have a radius of curvature such that, if they go as planned, they become substantially horizontal as they enter the formation of interest. Thus, there are locations in the curved portion of the well bores (see 16 of FIG. 1) where the prior art seismic sensing devices are placed. However, placement of seismic sensing devices in these portions of the well bores has difficulties. The first difficulty is that these well bores are usually hydrocarbon producing well bores, and thus the seismic sensors may interfere with other downhole devices, such as production tubing, valves, scaler sensors (such as pressure and temperature), and the like. Secondly, the pattern of the horizontal well bores is optimized for production, and not seismic sensing.
A third method in the oil and gas industry for placement of seismic sensors is drilling a dedicated survey well, such as the system suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,538. While the survey well suggested in the '538 patent may address the problems associated with attempting to permanently install seismic sensors in a production well bore, and also the repeatability problems of a surface seismic survey, the cost of drilling a deep survey well (on the order of 8,000 feet), with no offset in hydrocarbon production, is in many cases prohibitive.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a mechanism whereby seismic sensors can be permanently or semi-permanently installed for 3-D and 4-D seismic purposes without the surface-intensive practices of surface seismic surveys or the relatively high cost of drilling deep survey wells.

Installation of seismic survey devices in shallow, low-angle boreholes


A computer-based method for predicting vehicle component failures from a fleet of vehicles and taking corrective action. The method includes receiving maintenance data regarding a vehicle component, receiving from a vehicle's telemetry device, sensor data for the vehicle component. obtaining manufacturer's recommended service data for the vehicle component, the maintenance data, the sensor data, and the manufacturer's recommended service data collectively forming vehicle component data, comparing the stored vehicle component data to a statistical behavioral model for the vehicle component to produce vehicle component comparative data, and applying the vehicle component comparative data to a predictive maintenance algorithm for the vehicle component to predict a date of failure of the vehicle component.

Typically, vehicular maintenance is based on two of the following conditions. The first condition is the manufacturer's recommended service schedule for that vehicle. The second condition is the operator's operation of the vehicle that signals to the operator that there is a problem, or repair needed, for the vehicle. That signal may be in the form of a noticeable change in vehicle operation, such as a lack of previous capacity to perform a function, or an internal sensor (such as a "Check Engine" light) that is alerting the operator that repairs are needed. Recently, through the adoption of Global Positioning System ("GPS")-based vehicle telematics devices, a third condition has emerged that allows for preventative maintenance. Vehicles with telematics devices provide information such as exact odometer readings, engine hours, and may have additional sensors that are able to communicate a variety of data electronically.
This telematics data is available to vehicle managers and vehicle owners who are then able to make decisions regarding maintenance that would be considered preventative if it is conducted before a vehicle requires a repair. However, there is a need in the industry for a computer-based system and method that aggregates the various types of vehicular conditions described above with telematics data to provide a dynamic and manageable conditional-based maintenance system that can effectively predict vehicle component maintenance and failure, and provide a service schedule to prevent future vehicular component failure for a fleet of vehicles.

Predictive, preventative and conditional maintenance method and system for commercial vehicle fleets


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating an upgrade of a cluster of servers in the presence of one or more inaccessible nodes in the cluster. During operation, the system receives an instruction to upgrade an older version of a distributed software program installed on each of a plurality of nodes forming the cluster. The system installs and activates a newer version of software on a subset of the plurality of nodes, the subset having fewer nodes than the entire cluster. The system receives an instruction to forcibly upgrade the cluster. Subsequently, the system upgrades the cluster so that the subset of nodes operate with the newer version of software, in which each node remains a member of the cluster during the upgrade.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to distributed computing. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method and system for forcibly completing an upgrade of distributed software in the presence of the failure of one or more nodes.
2. Related Art
Clustering software brings together independent servers that cooperate as a single system. The clustering software may support rolling upgrades of distributed software in which each node can be upgraded one at a time. During a rolling upgrade, the cluster remains in operation and clients do not suffer from an outage of the cluster. An administrator brings down each node, installs a new software version, and then activates the new software version on the node.
The nodes of a cluster operate at a common level called the acting version. The acting version of the distributed software is a version that can be supported by each node in the cluster. While performing the upgrade on the individual nodes, the nodes continue to operate and communicate under a previous acting version of the distributed software. After upgrading all the individual nodes, the entire cluster can be upgraded to operate according to a new acting version supported by the new version of the software. For example, network communication protocols or disk storage formats are not changed until the acting version for the entire cluster changes.
Often, the cluster being upgraded contains a large number of nodes. As the cluster size increases, there is a higher likelihood of a node failure, causing the node to become inaccessible during an upgrade or patching process. The customer may be able to upgrade a subset of the nodes but other nodes remain inaccessible. For example, a node may become inaccessible due to a fire, hardware or software issues, or power disruption. When one or more nodes of the cluster are inaccessible, the administrator must terminate the cluster upgrade process and downgrade all the nodes. Administrators cannot remove the inaccessible nodes from the cluster during the middle of an upgrade.
Downgrading is a manual, non-rolling process and the administrator must take down the entire cluster, resulting in full cluster outage. For example, with one inaccessible node in a cluster of size n, the administrator potentially performs n-1 steps to downgrade, remove the one node, and redo the n-1 steps to upgrade. After completing the downgrade, the administrator can start up the older software version and remove the inaccessible nodes. After removing the inaccessible nodes, the upgrade process can be restarted with the reduced cluster size.
Unfortunately, downgrading the cluster and taking the entire cluster out of service can severely impact productivity and is unacceptable in most business-critical environments.

Forcibly completing upgrade of distributed software in presence of failures


Isolated protein complexes are provided comprising keratinocyte growth factor and vitronectin, or at least domains thereof that enable binding to and activation of both a keratinocyte growth factor receptor and an integrin receptor for vitronectin. These protein complexes include synthetic proteins where the keratinocyte growth factor and vitronectin sequences are joined by a linker sequence. In particular forms, vitronectin sequences do not include a C-terminal heparin binding domain. Also provided are uses of these protein complexes for stimulating or inducing cell migration and/or proliferation in wound healing, tissue engineering, cosmetic and therapeutic treatments such as skin replacement, skin replenishment and treatment of burns where epithelial cell migration is required. In other embodiments, the invention provides inhibition of cancer cell metastasis, particularly in relation to breast cancer.

Keratinocyte growth factor is a mitogenic peptide growth factor involved in a broad range of cellular processes including hyperplasia, DNA synthesis, differentiation, cell cycle progression, and inhibition of apoptosis (Marchese et al., 1990, J. Cell Physiol. 144:326-32). These effects are mediated through binding to its tyrosine-kinase linked cell surface receptor, the KGF receptor.
Vitronectin is a glycoprotein that is highly abundant in the blood and in the extra cellular matrix (ECM). Primarily synthesized in the liver, but expressed by many other cell types, VN circulates in the blood in a closed conformation and is deposited in the ECM in an open, or extended, conformation (Schvartz et al., 1999, Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 31:531-44). Both conformations are believed to bind IGF-II (Upton et al., 1999, Endocrinology 140:2928-31; International Publication WO 02/24219; McMurty et al., 1996, Endocrinology 150:149-60) and also bind multiple other ligands including collagen (Morris et al., 1994, J. Bio. Chem. 269:23845-52), glycosaminoglycans (Francois et al., 1999, J. Bio. Chem. 274:37611-19), many other ECM proteins, and a wide variety of integrins, particularly the αv integrins. Indeed, the primary role of vitronectin is as an ECM organization molecule that provides adhesive links to these cell surface integrin receptors via an RGD binding motif. The VN receptors (αv integrins) have been shown to regulate the actin cytoskeleton rearrangement required for growth and invasion, hence, VN binding coordinates cell adhesion and movement (DePasquale, 1998, Histochemistry and Cell Biology 110:485-94; Huang, 2000, Oncogene 19:1915-23).
However, the relative contributions of KGF and VN, and their respective domains, present in protein complexes, in terms of stimulating biological responses such as cell migration and/or proliferation, have remained elusive.

Vitronectin:keratinocyte growth factor chimeras


In a high voltage detection circuit, a high voltage detection portion 10 constituted with, for instance, two constant voltage circuits 10a and 10c and a current mirror portion 10b, a strobe input 20 and an output communication device 30 are provided. This high voltage detection circuit outputs a high voltage detection signal S30 if an input voltage Vin, which is equal to or greater than a voltage value set by the constant voltage circuits 10a and 10c is supplied while a strobe control signal ST is provided. When high voltage detection on telephone lines is performed by such a high voltage detection circuit by inputting the results of the detection of a polarity inversion at telephone lines as a strobe control signal ST, only reception of bell signal can be detected. In addition, by resetting the results of polarity inversion detection using the results of high voltage detection, it is possible to identify a non-ringing reception that is not accompanied by a bell signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high voltage detection circuit and a bell signal detection circuit and a non-ringing reception detection circuit for a telephone line terminal employing the high voltage detection circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a non-ringing terminal in the prior art that is connected to a pair of telephone lines, non-ringing call with a telephone station is implemented after identifying whether an incoming call is a normal call or a non-ringing call. Since non-ringing call is implemented by utilizing idle time on a telephone line when there are no normal calls, it is necessary to distinguish between the reception of a non-ringing call and the reception of a normal call. The telephone station makes this distinction based upon a change in the polarity inversion speed in a pair of telephone lines and the presence/absence of a bell signal.
In the case of a normal call, the polarity inversion is implemented at high speed from a standby state and then a bell signal with a high voltage amplitude is provided. In the case of non-ringing call, polarity inversion takes place at low speed with no bell signal provided.
A non-ringing terminal in the prior art is provided with a bell signal detection circuit that detects a bell signal by employing a high voltage detection circuit to selectively perform detection over a voltage range that is higher than the voltage between the lines in a standby state and lower than the voltage between the lines that will be used in an insulation test, a circuit that detects polarity inversion and the presence/absence of a bell signal thereafter, a slow polarity inversion detection circuit that detects the reception of a non-ringing call (non-ringing reception) by detecting a slow polarity inversion and the like, in order to differentiate between the reception of a normal call and the reception of a non-ringing call.
However, bell signal detection circuits employing a high voltage detection circuit, circuits for detecting non-ringing receptions, slow polarity inversion detection circuits and the like in the prior art have yet to address the following problems.
Since, in a bell signal detection circuit employing a high voltage detection circuit, the high voltage detection circuit detects an applied voltage that is equal to or greater than a preset voltage, if high voltage noise enters the telephone lines during a standby state, the circuit detects this noise as a bell signal. In addition, there is a problem in that it becomes impossible to implement an insulation test because during such a test, a current runs through the high voltage detection circuit.
While it is conceivable that a circuit capable of preventing high voltage detection during an insulation test could be constituted by employing a constant current circuit in which a constant current runs only within a preset voltage range, its structure would be complicated and, at any rate, if high voltage noise enters the telephone lines during a standby state, such noise would still be detected as a bell signal.
A circuit that detects a non-ringing reception by detecting polarity inversion and the presence/absence of a bell signal requires two or more photocouplers and the like that independently output the results of various detection. In addition, there is a problem with a slow polarity inversion detection circuit in that, since it employs both a polarity inversion detector in telephone lines and a holding circuit, its circuit structure becomes complicated and in that it always requires capacitors.

High voltage detection circuit, bell signal detection circuit and non-ringing reception detection circuit


A user authentication system and method includes a network of guardian nodes and gatekeeper nodes configured to securely communicate with one another. The gatekeeper nodes are connected to service providers and the guardian nodes are associated with UAS customers. The guardian nodes and gatekeeper nodes are configured to generate tokens that are passed between the guardian nodes, gatekeeper nodes, service providers and UAS customers to authenticate UAS customers requesting access to service providers.

Typically, online service providers build, support and/or manage their own user authentication functionality for providing online services to users. As a result, users have to use different authentication methods and manage different information (e.g., usernames, passwords, etc.) to access online services provided by different service providers. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that provides universal authentication of users for different online services across system boundaries.
Additionally, existing systems are subject to predictable failures. For example, password-based authentication systems run the risk that the passwords can be stolen from the user's device or the online service to which the password grants access. This becomes a major problem because most users re-use the same passwords for numerous services where they have accounts.
Systems with more advanced security, such as those based on single use passwords or tokens sent via text message or generated by an authenticator application (also known as 2nd factor authentication) create a distinct set of problems themselves. For instance, when a user has accounts with many services, each might require a different 2nd factor authentication protocol. This can be an extreme burden on the user because it requires the user to keep track of all the different ways they need to authenticate with different services. Additionally, if a user loses their device or changes their phone number, the authentication protocols may no longer work. Resetting them for a plurality of services can be a difficult or insurmountable burden.
Existing systems are also vulnerable to Sybil attacks, where bad actors create multiple accounts with a service and uses the multiple accounts for anti-social activities, such as posting fake reviews, vote stacking, or repeated violation of service policies, including even criminal activity.


An improved cable feeder uses tractor type drive belts and compressed air to propel cable through a conduit. The axial force applied to the cable is sensed with a strain gauge near the conduit or a pressure detector in a hydraulic system powering the drive belts. If excessive force is applied, hydraulic fluid is diverted from the drive belts. The radial force applied to the cable is limited by a calibrated spring. The feeder can also be arranged in a mid-assist configuration. Conduits and the cable are sealed to maintain air pressure. A by-pass pipe is provided to convey pressurized air from a first conduit to a succeeding conduit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of cable installation and specifically to an apparatus for feeding cable into a conduit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cables are continually being installed to replace or supplement existing cables. For instance, fiber optic cables are installed to support growing communications networks. The fiber optic cables are installed in new locations or to replace electrical cables in existing locations.
The cables are commonly installed in passages, such as conduits or ducts, by applying an axial force to the cable. The axial force may be a tensile force applied at a leading part of the cable to pull the cable through the conduit. Alternatively, the axial force may be a compressive force applied to a trailing part of the cable to push the cable into the conduit. A preferred method utilizes both tensile and compressive forces.
Conduits or ducts are commonly plastic, metal, or concrete tubes defining an elongated passage in an aerial, submerged, underground, or other installation. A conduit may extend for several kilometers and includes curves and slopes. The interior surface of the conduit is preferably a low friction material or is provided with a low friction coating. The passage in the conduit should be free from obstructions to permit the cable to pass therethrough without interference.
Different apparatus and methods are known for applying the tensile and/or compressive axial forces on the cable for installation in the conduit. In some configurations, a fluid, such as air, is forced along the outer surface of the cable to create a drag force. The drag force tends to propel the cable through the conduit. In other configurations, the leading end of the cable is provided with a dart, also known as a pig, plug, drogue, etc. The dart is pushed by the fluid and pulls the cable. Some configurations are also provided with a driver, such as rotating wheels or belts, that engages the outer surface of the cable and pushes the cable into the conduit. Examples of these configurations and related components are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,756,510, 4,850,569, 4,934,662, 5,121,644, 5,156,376, 5,163,657, 5,197,715, 5,211,377, and 5,308,041, all incorporated herein by reference.
According to some prior art systems for installing cables, low pushing forces are utilized with high volumes of compressed air (350 cubic feet per minute or more). Such systems require large compressors to propel the cable through the conduit. Even with high volumes of air, inflexibility of the cable, obstructions, or curved conduit paths limit the effectiveness of the installation. In practice, these systems are limited to installing cables of about 2000 to 3500 feet in length and additional compressors are required along the installation path. Smaller compressors can be used when a more powerful pushing tractor is used. However, such tractors increase the risk of damaging the cable, which is designed to endure tensile and radial loads, not axial compressive loads. The resulting damage involves redistribution of the fibers, as well as excessive bending or kinking. In addition, the tractor belts are prone to slipping on the cable, thereby damaging the cable jacket.
It is desirable to maximize the length of cable that can be installed without interruption, and to reduce the size and number of air compressors required. As the length increases, the force required to continue installation increases. Fiber optic cables are often more delicate than metal cables. Therefore, the method and apparatus used for installation of fiber optics must not damage the cable while providing the necessary installation forces. In addition, the installation should be automatically controlled and use a minimum amount of equipment to improve efficiency.
These problems are largely solved in the present invention by using a lower air volume and a greater pushing force. Damage to the cable from the greater force is prevented by sensing the force applied to the cable. A feed back system controls the pushing force based on the force sensed. Pushing is also controlled based on the velocity of the cable. Damage is further prevented by limiting the radial force applied.
The number of compressors required is reduced by providing a "mid-assist" cable feeder with a by-pass pipe to convey pressurized air from one conduit or duct to a succeeding conduit or duct. With the present invention, distances exceeding 5,000 feet between cable feeders can be achieved and compressors are not required at mid-assist locations.


A method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture provide the ability to utilize fingertip tracking technology during the course of a medical examination. A sensor is mounted on a fingertip of a finger of a first person. Such a sensor is communicatively coupled to a computer to record measurements. The sensor is calibrated using a known target. The finger having the sensor is then engaged to perform a medical examination directly on a second person. Measurements are obtained from the sensor on the fingertip during the medical examination. Data is obtained (e.g., via calculations or interpolation) based on the measurements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tracking fingertip movement, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for precisely tracking the location of fingertips during a medical examination. More specifically, the location is tracked while the fingertips palpate physical structures or manipulate appendages during medical exams or therapies.
2. Description of the Related Art
(Note: This application references a number of different publications as indicated throughout the specification by reference numbers enclosed in brackets, e.g., [x]. A list of these different publications ordered according to these reference numbers can be found below in the section entitled "References." Each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein.)
During the course of medical examinations, therapies, or surgeries, medical doctors in a very wide variety of medical specialties palpate physical structures or manipulate joints, bones, or appendages. For example, recognizable points of a human skeleton may be palpated, range-of-motion measurements may be conducted, and fractured bones may be reduced using a physician's fingers. Further, many areas of medicine require a physician or medical specialist to measure the size and depth of physical structures for the purposes of diagnosis of injury or disease, planning therapeutic interventions, or monitoring the patient recovery process. Despite the fact that such measures are made and recorded literally millions of time per day, it is current practice for physicians to estimate or guesstimate the size of critical dimensions based on fingertip placements. Such measurements are often only accurate to 30%. Nonetheless, such measurements are routinely used for diagnosis, treatment planning, assessing treatment outcomes, and as the basis for clinical trials that assess the validity of new treatments. Moreover, such data is often the basis for disability insurance reimbursements legal remuneration for injury.
These problems may be better understood with an explanation of prior art medical examination techniques and computer-assisted tracking methodologies.
Medical Examination Techniques
In the practice of orthopedics, the ability to palpate recognizable points of the human skeleton is an essential skill for diagnosis and treatment. Skeletal bones have consistent protrusions that aid the examiner in localizing the bone in order to frame the rest of the examination. For example, the medial and lateral epincondyles of the knee, along with the perimeter of the patella and the tibial tubercle create a framework from which the examiner can palpate adjacent ligamentous structures such as the medial collateral ligament and the knee menisci. FIG. 1 illustrates the prominent bony landmarks around the knee and up to the hip. Similarly, the medial and lateral epicondyles of the elbow, and radial and ulnar styloids of the forearm are prominent points that define the distal humerus and forearm. FIG. 2 illustrates the prominent bony landmarks around the elbow. In the shoulder as illustrated in FIG. 3, the posterior corner of the acromion, the coracoid, the inferior angle and the scapular spine can easily be accessed to generate a representation of this bone.
The cluster of points that represent a given bone are informative in their own right but can also form a foundation that can be used in a variety of ways. For example, accurate representation of the skeleton provides the basis for defining the relative motion between any adjacent skeletal segments. If the two segments are connected, the range of motion so measured defines the range of motion of the interposed joint. Thus, on its own, skeletal information provides a three dimensional representation of size and proportion of each skeletal segment. Taken together, data of multiple bones begins to define the size and proportion characteristics that distinguish one individual from another. Precise information of these individual differences has great application to many fields and is largely inaccessible in other ways with the exception of radiography. This information has import not only to clinical medicine, but also to fields as disparate as clothes manufacturing and game development using motion capture technology.
As described above, measuring joint range-of-motion is an integral part of clinical orthopedics. Range of motion measurements are a standard part of nearly every orthopedic exam. FIG. 4 illustrates skeletal landmarks used to construct a local coordinate system to define the range of motion with precision. In FIG. 4A, planes of elevation for a scapular based coordinate system are shown from a superior view. In FIG. 4B, the angle of elevation is shown with respect to a scapular reference. FIG. 4C illustrates a global diagram based on a scapular coordinate system showing rotation (45°) referenced to the latitude. Typically, the examiner moves a joint through its range of motion and makes a visual estimate of the angular changes observed. For more precise measurements, it is customary to lay a transparent goniometer next to the joint to determine this angle. However, problems with accuracy, intra and inter observer variability, are widely known and discussed in the medical literature.
Accurate skeletal information is also vital in performing computer-assisted reduction of fractured bones. The clinical practice of fracture reduction involves the identification of a fracture by X-ray, then the application of reduction principles, some form of fixation to the aligned skeletal segment, and finally, post-reduction X-rays to confirm fracture reduction. The principles of fracture reduction consistently recommend longitudinal traction of the fractured segment while applying corrective forces to recreate the normal alignment of the segment. FIG. 5 illustrates the manipulation of broken bones: femur in FIG. 5A and elbow in FIG. 5B, that can be guided by re-establishing relative alignment of bony landmarks above and below the fracture (by comparing to the other side for example). The normal alignment of the segment is estimated by the clinician, in part by his or her knowledge of anatomy, and to a much greater extent by comparison to the patient's unaffected, opposite side. For some applications, this reduction process is performed under fluoroscopy.
Computer Assisted Tracking Methodologies
The human fingertip (FT) typically has the discriminative tactile ability to distinguish points as near as 2-5 millimeters, depending on the individual, (innate capabilities, degree of training, callous formation, etc.). Various tracking technologies (electromagnetic, optical, or other) exist in the prior art. Examples of such prior art technologies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,868,565, 3,983,474, 4,017,858, 4,988,981, 5,047,942, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0198472, which patents and applications are incorporated by reference herein. Further devices that provide tracking of movements may also be available in the prior art (e.g., the electromagnetic measurement system from Ascension Technology described at www.ascension-tech.com, a measurement system from Polhemus described at www.polhemus.com, and/or the skeleton builder from Motion Analysis Corporation described at www.motionanalysis.com, which information is incorporated by reference herein).
Various types of computer-assisted methodologies may be used in the medical field. For example, references [1]-[31] describe some of the various medical fields that utilize some form of computer-assisted tracking.
However, such prior art methodologies lack numerous beneficial attributes, are not flexible, and have many disadvantages. For example, many prior art devices merely utilize a wand to track movements. Alternatively, prior art devices may not provide the level of granularity necessary in the medical context, and/or fail to allow the flexibility to conduct measurements using real-world movements of an examiner. In this regard, none of the prior art technologies enable or utilize a human user's ability to localize points through touch, position, and pressure sense. In addition, the prior art devices commonly merely deliver tactile information to the fingertip to mimic tactile experience, a field known as haptics in virtual reality technologies. Such mimicking fails to allow the user to freely navigate the real world around them using their own perceptual abilities to assess their surroundings.
Accordingly, what is needed is a device and methodology for tracking an examiner's real-world movements during a medical examination, procedure, and/or therapy.


A security system includes a display tray, header panel, hook, hook base cover, and hook end cover. The display tray is to display an item. The display tray includes a slot. The header panel has a tab portion and a head portion. The tab portion is configured to mate with the slot. The head portion has one or more prong receiving holes. The hook has one or more prongs. The hook is to receive the item. The one or more prongs are configured to mate with the one or more prong receiving holes. The hook base cover is to secure the hook to the head portion. The hook end cover is configured to lock to an end of the hook. The item received on the hook is secured by locking the hook end cover to the hook.

Goods for sale are often set out for display in stores so that customers may view and select the goods for purchase. In order to increase sales, the goods may be displayed within easy reach of the customers. Unfortunately, increased visibility and/or availability may also increase the opportunities for theft. Depending upon a number of factors, the goods may include a variety of security measures to reduce theft. For example, relatively small and valuable items may be kept behind a counter and/or in a locked security cabinet. However, these and other deterrents may reduce visibility of the goods and result in lower sales.
Electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags may be used in conjunction with detectors for some goods to deter theft without reducing visibility. A variety of EAS systems are available such as, for example: magneto-harmonic; acousto-magnetic; radio frequency; microwave; and the like. However, these tags increase the cost of each article and may not be appropriate for some venues.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a security device and method of securing goods for sale that is capable of overcoming the disadvantages described herein at least to some extent.


Subject matter includes systems and methods for presence-based messaging. In one implementation an engine detects the real-time presence of a potential message recipient who can be reached via a communications medium that a sender composing a message is not currently using. The engine can either transition to an environment for composing and sending the message using the detected presence-based communications medium or offer the sender a choice of switching to the presence-based communication medium.

Expansion of network infrastructures for computers and telephones has increased opportunities for personal connectivity. Email, voice mail, instant messaging (IM), short messaging service (SMS), wireless telephony, paging, facsimile (fax), and voice-over-IP (VoIP), to name a few, are communications "media" that offer a person numerous avenues for contacting and conversing with another.
Message format can be distinguished from transport mechanisms for sending a message and this distinction is accentuated by transposition engines that can turn text content into speech and vice versa. A message can be transported to a recipient by any number of communications media. Thus, message format does not automatically specify or limit the message to a particular transport medium.
Often, a person composing and preparing to send a message via one communications medium selects another more efficacious communications medium if the process of switching between media is easy and the sender knows for certain that the recipient is "present" to the new medium. For example, a sender might place a telephone call instead of spending extra time composing an email message, if the sender somehow knows that the recipient is near the phone. Conversely, a sender writing an email might have resources at hand to ascertain that an intended "buddy" recipient is online for exchange of real-time instant messaging instead of email, but may not want to go to the trouble of finding the system's list of buddies, ascertaining whether the intended buddy recipient is online, leaving the email application, opening the instant messaging application, and initiating an instant messaging conversation. The effort of manually performing these multiple steps of changing communications media, including waiting for a computing device to load software, tends to break the sender's workflow momentum, and may be avoided as not worth the effort.


Methods and systems generate trending search magazines. Trending topics may be identified from news servers. A search magazine edition may be generated for a trending topic. The edition has a search magazine format, including a news section, a user-generated media section and an about section. News and article servers are searched for articles on the trending topic. Media is searched for on the trending topic. Descriptive information is searched for on the trending topic. The search results of these automatic searches are transformed into the search magazine format of the edition and provided for display in a current display view of a mobile device.

Magazines are printed publications that provide readers articles and print media in a layout format designed by the publisher. The design of each magazine edition requires time, effort and planning. Some magazines are directed to news and current topics, but are usually published at weekly or monthly intervals. In today's 24-hour news cycle, such news may be old news. Users may visit online versions of a magazine, some of which may update some content. However, publisher processes of design, presentation and publication of an online magazine are far from trivial and the layout of the material is not tailored for different mobile devices.
News and related media content may be downloaded and displayed on mobile devices. Some media applications allow a user to specify what news websites should be referenced in a single view. However, this combined view is rather static and not topic specific. Such applications are insufficient for collecting and displaying the latest news and media available for a hot topic or a topic that is trending hot.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An IC protective in a memory card operating electronic apparatus comprising a plurality contacts arranged in a front and a rear row such that they come in contact with a corresponding plurality of electrode pads arranged in a front and a rear row on a memory card when the memory card is inserted into an electronic apparatus, in order to prevent an electrical charge of a charged part held by an electronic circuit within the electronic apparatus from flowing to an IC within the memory card or IC of an electronic circuit within the electronic apparatus when the contacts in the front and the rear row slide on surfaces of the electrode pads in the front and the rear row at the same time during a process for inserting and withdrawing the memory card into and from the electronic apparatus, wherein a discharge circuit for the charge part is formed in operative connection with the inserting and withdrawing movement of the memory card.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an IC protective device in a memory card operating electronic apparatus in which a memory card is inserted into an electronic apparatus such as a computer, word processor, and the like.
2. Related Art
A memory card 1 is a card for inputting data to an electronic apparatus when inserted therein. The card 1 comprises, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a card body 2 composed of a planar insulative plate and having an IC 3 as a memory element. As shown in FIG. 2A, the memory card 1 is inserted into a card receiving slot of the electronic apparatus so that electrode pads 4a, 4b of the IC 3, arranged in such a manner to expose themselves on a surface of the memory card 1, are brought into contact with contacts 5a, 5b, arranged within the electronic apparatus, so that the memory card 1 is electrically connected to an electronic circuit (wiring circuit board 7) within the electronic apparatus. By doing so, the IC card 1 renders a new memory function to the electronic apparatus through the IC memory element.
In the memory card 1, it is necessary to effectively arrange a plurality of electrode pads 4a, 4b on the surface of the memory card 1 having a limited area. Therefore, it is necessary for such a memory card 1 that the electrode pads are arranged side by side in a parallel relation not only in a short direction of the card 1 (i.e., perpendicular direction to a direction of insertion of the card 1) but also in a long direction of the card 1(direction of insertion of the card 1).
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2A, the contacts 5a, 5b, which are designed to come in contact with the electrode pads 4a, 4b, are also arranged such that contact points 6a, 6b disposed on distal ends of the contacts 5a, 5b are offset in the direction of insertion of the card 1, so that when the card insertion is completed, the contact points 6a, 6b are in contact with the electrode pads 4a in the front row and the electrode pads 4b in the rear row.
In the above memory card operating electronic apparatus, it occurs that, as shown in FIG. 2B, during a process for inserting and withdrawing the memory card 1 to and from the electronic apparatus, the contact points 6b of the contacts 5b in the rear row, which are arranged to contact the electrode pads 4b in the rear row on the IC card 1, are slidingly passed on surfaces of the electrode pads 4a in the front row which the contact points 6a of the contacts 5a in the front row are intended to contact.
That, is, during a process for inserting and withdrawing the memory card 1 to and from the electronic apparatus, it occurs that both the contact points 6a, 6b of the contacts 5a, 5b in the front and rear rows are slidingly passed on the surfaces of the electrode pads 4a in the front row simultaneously. This occurrence brings about the problem of damaging the IC due to the electrical charge, which is stored in the charged part 9 within the electronic circuit while the charged part 9 is in use, incurred to the IC within the electronic apparatus or IC within the memory card 1 formed on the wiring circuit board 7 through the contacts 5a, 5b which are designed to contact the electrode pads 4a in the front row, especially during a process for withdrawing the memory card 1 from the electronic apparatus. The memory card 1 is repeatedly inserted and withdrawn in use. Therefore, each time the memory card 1 is inserted in and withdrawn from the electronic apparatus, the charge stored in the charged part 9 is incurred to the IC. This increases the chances of damaging to the IC.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show a control circuit 8, which is to be contacted with the IC 3 within the memory card 1 through the contacts 5a, 5b and electrode pads 4a, 4b, respectively. This control circuit 8 is a circuit having the functions of providing data held by the IC 3 within the memory card 1 to a data processing circuit within the apparatus or recording the data of the data processing circuit within the apparatus on the IC 3 within the memory card 1.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above.

IC protective device in memory card operating electronic apparatus


This invention relates to the combination of an aeration system and flexible diffuser assembly, especially for use in a sewage treatment tank, where the system includes a plurality of fluid medium transmission conduits, with each conduit provided with at least one flange projecting therefrom, where the flange includes a base plate mounted thereto and a central opening communicating with said conduit. The diffuser assembly comprises a first member having a flat continuous annular face portion and a central recess with a bore aligned with the central opening. A locking bolt member is provided to threadably engage the bore and central opening, where the bolt member includes a central, through orifice communicating with the conduit through which the fluid medium may pass. Finally a porous elastomeric cover is provided to lie contiguous with the annular face portion and engage the periphery of the first member, where the cover includes a plurality of perforations, preferably in the form of through slits arranged in plural concentric circles.

This invention is directed to an improved flexible diffuser assembly that has particular application in the aeration of a sewage medium. A unique advantage hereof is the ability of the diffuser assembly to be retrofitted to existing aeration systems, specifically the porous ceramic dome, a commercial system sold under the name, SANITAIRE, a registered trademark of Water Pollution Control Corporation of Milwaukee, Wis.
For a number of years one of the methods of introducing air bubbles into a waste water treatment tank, for the express purpose of aerating the waste water, has been through the use of domed porous ceramic diffusers that emit fine bubbles, where such diffusers are secured to an air supply manifold along the bottom of a sewage treatment tank. While these diffusers have worked satisfactorily when new, over a period of time there is a tendency for them to become clogged and thus less efficient. In time the entire plant operation has to be closed down and the domed ceramic diffusers laboriously cleaned to thereby restore the porosity of the ceramic domes to a condition approaching that of new diffusers; a very labor intensive operation. The original design of these domed ceramic diffusers provided for their being bolted to a base plate that in turn had been permanently fixed to an air distribution pipe. This allowed the domed diffuser to be removed and cleaned, or replaced if one had become too clogged to restore, or replaced if one had become damaged. While this method of cleaning the domed diffusers has worked, the down-time for this type of maintenance has proven to be a detriment in the continuity of the operation of the waste water treatment plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,634, to the inventor of this invention, teaches a diffuser assembly that has gained commercial acceptance since its introduction. Briefly, such assembly comprises a base consisting of a T shaped member formed of "delrin", or similar material, having a central bore therethrough. It is through said bore that the aerating fluid, such as gas, passes for treatment of the surrounding fluid medium. Overlying and contiguous with an annular portion of the top of said T shaped member is a flexible cap or cover, i.e., neoprene or the like, which engages or wraps around the peripheral edge thereof. Plural through holes are provided in the annular portion to permit the release of gas from the diffuser into the treatment medium.
While such diffuser assembly represented a departure from existing treatment systems, it was limited to new construction and it could not be adapted to be retrofitted to existing systems, i.e. existing piping and support mechanism. Not only is the diffuser assembly of this invention, utilizing a flexible diffuser membrane, ideal for in-system replacement of the ceramic dome assembly, it offers comparable performance. That is, the assembly according to this invention will provide an improved oxygen transfer efficiency and pressure headloss without the need to constantly drain the sewage treatment tank to allow cleaning of the diffusers. This will save considerable maintenance costs and reduce the additional energy costs required to deliver air to the ceramic diffusers when they begin to clog.
The advantages hereof will become more apparent in the description which follows, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Flexible diffuser assembly for aeration applications


The present invention provides a final drive assembly having a differential driven by a planetary gear set having two inputs. The ring gear of the planetary gear set is stationary. One of the inputs is coupled to and drives the planet gear carrier which, in turn, is coupled to and drives the cage of the differential. The other input is coupled to and drives the sun gear of the planetary gear set. Incorporated into a suitable powertrain, for example, one having a dual clutch transmission (DCT) with two outputs, one associated with higher ratio (lower speed) gears and another associated with lower ratio (higher speed) gears, the sun gear carries power in the lower speed gears and provides torque multiplication. In the higher speed gears, power is carried by the planet gear carrier directly to the differential cage, bypassing the speed reduction, torque multiplication and gear mesh losses of the planetary gear set.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
The final drive assembly of the majority of passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and trucks includes a differential having two opposed pairs of bevel gears disposed in a cage which is secured to and rotates with a gear driven by the output of the transmission or transfer case. One pair of the gears are idler gears which each engage both of the other pair of gears which are coupled to and drive the axles.
While the primary purpose of the differential is to allow side-to-side variation in the rotational speed of the axles during cornering, a hypoid gear set which drives the differential typically provides an approximately three-to-one to four-to-one speed reduction and corresponding torque increase. So located, components of the transmission and propshaft may be somewhat less robust as they transmit lower torque levels than they would if such final drive speed reduction and torque multiplication did not occur proximate the axles.
Clearly, therefore, greater speed reduction and torque multiplication in the final drive assembly can achieve weight savings by permitting smaller and thus lighter weight components in a vehicle powertrain. However, as in all things engineering, there are limits to this approach. To achieve significant speed reductions and torque multiplications beyond that achieved by a typical hypoid gear set, an additional gear set will be required. This additional gear set introduces an energy loss and reduction in efficiency during all operating conditions. Furthermore, while the torque multiplication is desirable at lower speeds, it becomes less so at higher speeds. In fact, during many higher speed operating conditions, it would be desirable to directly drive the differential assembly and eliminate the speed reduction and energy loss of the final drive gear set.
In heavy duty trucks having eight, ten and twelve speed transmissions, these choices of gears are often augmented by two speed rear axles (differentials) which effectively double the choice of gears. Unfortunately, the cost and complexity of such devices renders them unsuitable for use or adaptation in lighter weight and duty vehicles such as passenger cars, sport utility vehicles and consumer trucks. For example, a two speed truck axle will have one and more typically two clutches which selectively couple an input to one of two gear assemblies or components that provide the two drive ratios to the rear differential.


A weather strip has a trim portion and a seal portion. The trim portion has a vehicle interior side wall, a vehicle exterior side wall, and a connecting portion. A metal insert is embedded in the trim portion. The insert has piece portions and a center bond portion which connects the piece portions to one another. The thickness of each of parts of the insert, which are other than both curved parts, is set to be thinner than the thickness of each of both the curved parts. Thus, the thickness of the insert, except for the curved parts, is small. Consequently, the entire insert, thus, the entire weather strip can be lightened. On the other hand, both the curved parts are relatively thick. Accordingly, the weather strip can assure predetermined strength and stiffness and can easily maintain an initial shape.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weather strip configured so that an insert is embedded in a trim portion.
2. Related Art
Generally, a weather strip having a trim portion is provided on a flange formed along the peripheral part of a door opening of a vehicle, such as an automobile. The weather strip has a trim portion, which has a holding lip held by being fit into the flange formed along the peripheral part of the door opening, and also has a hollow seal portion provided to protrude from the trim portion. The trim portion has a connecting portion, which connects a vehicle interior side wall, a vehicle exterior side wall, and both side walls, and is substantially-U-shaped in cross section.
Also, a metal insert is embedded in the trim portion. As illustrated in FIG. 8, an insert 90 has a plurality of strip-like piece portions 91 disposed substantially parallel to one another and bond portions 92 (e.g., a center bond portion placed in the connecting portion) that connect the piece portions 91 to one another. Incidentally, FIG. 8 illustrates the insert 90 that is in a state before each of the piece portions 91 is subjected to bending-work and is formed into a substantially U-shape.
When a weather strip is mounted on the flange, the trim portion is fit thereinto. A mounted state, in which the weather strip is mounted thereon, is maintained basically by an elastic force of the holding lip portion or a bonding force of the insert. Additionally, when a door is closed, an edge portion of the door abuts against the seal portion. Thus, the seal portion is crush-deformed to seal between the door and a body of the vehicle.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for lightening the weather strip. Because the ratio in weight of the metal insert to the weather strip is high, the weight of the insert is reduced to thereby lighten the weather strip. A technique of lightening the insert is to form the center bond portion to be thin, as compared with the piece portions (see, for example, JP-A-11-48879).
However, according to the above technique, only the center bond portion is formed to be thin. Thus, the weather strip cannot always sufficiently be lightened. On the other hand, when even the piece portions are formed to be thin to fit to the center bond portion, a desired strength (or shape holding performance) cannot be assured. Consequently, the bonding force is insufficient.


A system for performing a minimally invasive surgical procedure comprises a cannula, a bone filler material delivery nozzle for performing the procedure through the cannula, and a retainer for securing the delivery nozzle relative to the cannula. The retainer eliminates the need to manually stabilize and position the delivery nozzle during the procedure, thereby allowing the physician to perform the procedure outside of the fluoroscopic radiation field used to visualize the procedure location. The retainer can be attached to the cannula, and can provide either selective or constant clamping force onto the delivery nozzle.

A minimally invasive procedure is a medical procedure that is performed through the skin or an anatomical opening. In contrast to an open procedure for the same purpose, a minimally invasive procedure will generally be less traumatic to the patient and result in a shortened recovery period.
However, there are numerous challenges that minimally invasive procedures present. For example, minimally invasive procedures are typically more time-consuming than their open procedure analogues due to the challenges of working within a constrained operative pathway. In addition, as minimally invasive procedures have evolved, unique challenges have arisen that require new solutions.
For example, for many individuals in our aging world population, undiagnosed and/or untreatable bone strength losses have weakened these individuals' bones to a point that even normal daily activities pose a significant threat of fracture. In one common scenario, when the bones of the spine are sufficiently weakened, the compressive forces in the spine can cause fracture and/or deformation of the vertebral bodies. For sufficiently weakened bone, even normal daily activities like walking down steps or carrying groceries can cause a collapse of one or more spinal bones. A fracture of the vertebral body in this manner is typically referred to as a vertebral compression fracture. Other commonly occurring fractures resulting from weakened bones can include hip, wrist, knee and ankle fractures, to name a few.
Fractures such as vertebral compression fractures often result in episodes of pain that are chronic and intense. Aside from the pain caused by the fracture itself, the involvement of the spinal column can result in pinched and/or damaged nerves, causing paralysis, loss of function, and intense pain which radiates throughout the patient's body. Even where nerves are not affected, however, the intense pain associated with all types of fractures is debilitating, resulting in a great deal of stress, impaired mobility and other long-term consequences. For example, progressive spinal fractures can, over time, cause serious deformation of the spine ("kyphosis"), giving an individual a hunched-back appearance, and can also result in significantly reduced lung capacity and increased mortality.
Until recently, treatment options for vertebral compression fractures, as well as other serious fractures and/or losses in bone strength, were extremely limited—mainly pain management with strong oral or intravenous medications, reduced activity, bracing and/or radiation therapy, all with mediocre results. Because patients with these problems are typically older, and often suffer from various other significant health complications, many of these individuals are unable to tolerate invasive surgery. In addition, to curb further loss of bone strength, many patients are given hormones and/or vitamin/mineral supplements—again with mediocre results and often with significant side effects.
In an effort to more effectively and directly treat vertebral compression fractures, minimally invasive techniques such as vertebroplasty and, subsequently, kyphoplasty, have been developed. Vertebroplasty involves the injection of a flowable reinforcing material, usually polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA—commonly known as bone cement), into a fractured, weakened, or diseased vertebral body. Shortly after injection, the liquid filling material hardens or polymerizes, beneficially supporting the vertebral body internally, alleviating pain and preventing further collapse of the injected vertebral body.
Because the liquid bone cement naturally follows the path of least resistance within bone, and because the small-diameter needles used to deliver bone cement in vertebroplasty procedure require either high delivery pressures and/or less viscous bone cements, ensuring that the bone cement remains within the already compromised vertebral body is a significant concern in vertebroplasty procedures. Kyphoplasty addresses this issue by first creating a cavity within the vertebral body (e.g., with an inflatable balloon) and then filling that cavity with bone filler material. The cavity provides a natural containment region that minimizes the risk of bone filler material escape from the vertebral body. An additional benefit of kyphoplasty is that the creation of the cavity can also restore the original height of the vertebral body, further enhancing the benefit of the procedure.
In both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, as with most minimally invasive procedures, x-ray fluoroscopy is used to allow the surgeon to visualize the procedural actions being performed within the patient. Unfortunately, efforts to move the physician out of the fluoroscopic field are often hampered by the nature of traditional minimally invasive instruments. Specifically, the devices used to deliver bone filler material during minimally invasive procedures have typically been designed to be manipulated and held from just outside the working cannula (or plunged directly into the vertebral body without the use of a cannula). Therefore, adding remote operation capabilities (e.g., via flexible tubing or hydraulic lines) can be difficult due to the tendencies of the tubing or other connection/control lines to cause unintended movement of the instrument within the working cannula.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide surgical tools and techniques that enable the stable and secure operation of a bone filler material delivery device through a cannula.

Minimally invasive cement delivery system retainer


A widely tunable, mode-hop-free semiconductor laser operating in the mid-IR comprises a QCL laser chip having an effective QCL cavity length, a diffraction grating defining a grating angle and an external cavity length with respect to said chip, and means for controlling the QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle. The laser of claim 1 wherein said chip may be tuned over a range of frequencies even in the absence of an anti-reflective coating. The diffraction grating is controllably pivotable and translatable relative to said chip and the effective QCL cavity length can be adjusted by varying the injection current to the chip. The laser can be used for high resolution spectroscopic applications and multi species trace-gas detection. Mode-hopping is avoided by controlling the effective QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle so as to replicate a virtual pivot point.

Infrared laser absorption spectroscopy is an extremely effective tool for detecting trace gases. Presently, however, the usefulness of laser spectroscopy is limited by the lack of broadly tunable, mode-hop-free sources in the spectroscopically important mid-IR region, defined herein as wavelengths between ˜3 and 30 μm.
Quantum cascade (QC) and Interband Cascade (IC) lasers are excellent light sources for spectroscopic applications in the mid-IR. The high power of QC and IC lasers permits the use of advanced detection techniques that improve S/N ratio of trace gas spectra and decrease the apparatus size. In addition, the large wavelength coverage available with QC and IC lasers allows numerous molecular trace gas species to be monitored.
Spectroscopic applications require single mode operation, which can be achieved by introducing a distributed feedback (DFB) structure into the QCL active region. Experiments using distributed feedback (QC-DFB) lasers have demonstrated the efficacy of these devices for sensitive, highly selective real time trace gas concentration measurements based on absorption spectroscopy, with sensitivities of several parts per billion (See e.g. K. Namjou et al., "Sensitive absorption spectroscopy with a room-temperature distributed-feedback quantum-cascade laser," Optics Letters, V. 23, n. 3, Feb. 1, 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference).
Although QC-DFB lasers show high performance and reliability, they are useful only over narrow wavelength ranges. This is because the range of wavelength tuning of the emitted laser radiation is limited by the tuning range of the DFB structures. Typically the maximum tuning range of DFB-QCLs is of ˜10 cm−1 and is achieved by varying either the temperature of the chip or the laser injection current. One of the disadvantages of thermal tuning is that it affects the effective gain of the QCL, which in turn causes the output laser power to decrease with increasing temperature of the QCL chip.
Thus, to take full advantage of the wavelength tunability potential of a QCL, an external cavity (EC) configuration must be applied. However, high quality AR coatings, which are necessary for mode-hop-free EC laser operation are not available for the mid-IR spectrum. The lack of effective anti-reflective coatings in the mid-IR range means that it is impossible to achieve tuning across the wavelengths within the gain curve without experiencing mode-hopping. When mode-hopping occurs, the laser changes its frequency discontinuously. A laser that exhibits discontinuous tuning is not useful in high resolution spectroscopic applications such as spectral measurements of ro-vibrational molecular transitions.
One known approach to avoiding mode-hopping is to change the external cavity length synchronously with the grating angle, which is usually realized by appropriate selection of the grating pivot point. This approach works when an effective AR coating is available, such as in the visible and near-IR spectral regions, but cannot be used in the absence of an effective AR coating, such as in the mid-IR range.
Hence, it is desirable to provide a widely tunable, mode-hop-free external cavity laser that is functional in the mid-IR wavelengths.

Piezo activated mode tracking system for widely tunable mode-hop-free external cavity mid-IR semiconductor lasers


A folding saw accessory comprising an elongated body portion, a longitudinal passageway extending into the body portion from one end thereof for receiving the handle of a folding saw therein, the passageway including a cutout formed in one longitudinal side of the body portion and forming a supporting portion, a securing bolt passing through the body portion and through the handle of a saw for retaining the saw in the passageway, a strap for encircling the body portion and the handle of a saw for securing the saw in the passageway, and an axial threaded passageway extending into the other end of the body portion for receiving an extension pole.

Hand saws are quite common accessory items for campers, hunters, farmers, gardeners, and for many different outdoor activities. A variety of folding hand saws are available which makes the saws easily carried without danger, and yet enables them to be opened for use with great ease. Typically such saws are used for trimming tree limbs and branches. For example, hunters carry these saws in order to clear branches from a hunting stand, and create a clear, unobstructed line of sight.
Many such saws are shown in the prior art, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. D-357,166 to Concari, D-307,702 to Hsu, D-307,383 to Huang, D-359,672 to Gardiner and D-306,817 to McMorrough.
Hand saws such as these may be folded much like a pocketknife and carried in the user's pocket. Alternatively most of these folding saws also have a hole passing through the handle to which a carrying strap or the like may be attached, for carrying the saw hanging from one's belt. Also, such a strap serves to help the user hold onto the saw when it is being used.
One of the disadvantages of these folding saws, however, has been the fact that they are rather short and thus the user is limited by his own reach to tree limbs which can be removed with the saw. Occasionally this leads to dangerous situations wherein a user will try to overextend and reach a branch just slightly out of his ordinary reach. If he is a hunter in a tree stand, for example, the consequences can be very serious. But even on the ground one can underestimate the size or falling direction of a tree limb with obvious consequences. A few prior patents have provided saws with a way of attaching an extension handle but have met with little success because of limitations in the structural configurations. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,068 relates to a saw having a band-saw type of blade in a tubular handle, with a coupling for attaching an extension, but the saw is a special purpose saw. Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,407 teaches a hand saw with an extension pole attached, but the special nature of the saw and the single attaching point limits general utility of the saw.
Accordingly a primary object of the present invention is to provide an accessory for a folding hand saw for adapting the saw to an extended reach capability.
Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory which enables a variety of folding hand saws to be extended by means of common extension handles.
A further object of the invention is to provide an accessory for a folding hand saw which serves to connect the handle of a hand saw to an extension pole.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an accessory for a folding saw which can itself serve as an auxiliary handle for the saw.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an accessory of the type described which can be produced to adapt a number of different models of saws to readily available extension handles or can be made to fit specific, commercially available saws.


A process for fabricating a semiconductor device using an etching stopper film which does not increase the number of photo-etching steps and does not cause a deterioration in device characteristics comprises the steps of: forming an impurity region at the surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a first insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate; forming a first hole in the first insulating layer and thereby exposing the impurity region; forming a first metal layer on the first insulating layer and the inner surface of the first hole; forming a second metal layer on the region of the first metal layer formed on the inner surface of the first hole and filling the first hole with the second metal layer; oxidizing the first metal layer with the second metal layer as a mask; forming a second insulating layer on the first metal layer and the second metal layer; forming a second hole in the second insulating layer exposing the second metal layer by etching the second insulating layer with the first metal layer and the second metal layer as etching stoppers; and filling the second hole with a metal and thereby forming a third metal layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of fabricating a new semiconductor device using an etching stopper layer formed by oxidation, and to a new semiconductor device fabricated by this method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the micro-miniaturization of interconnection patterns of semiconductor integrated circuits progresses, increased difficulty of processing due to problems of positional misalignment in photolithography steps has been becoming marked. For example when an interlayer connection hole or an interconnector channel connecting to a contact electrode formed in an insulating film is formed by photo-etching, it sometimes happens that a necessary underlying film is unintentionally etched as a result of misalignment of a photomask and a semiconductor substrate. Also, when the shape of an interlayer connection hole or an interconnector channel is different from the shape of an underlying interlayer connection hole or interconnector channel it sometimes happens that a necessary underlying film is unintentionally etched by over-etching. Consequently, to carry out minute working it is essential to form on the underlying film an etching stopper film having an opening above the contact electrode, to protect the underlying film. Conventionally the etching stopper film has been formed on the underlying film by photo-etching each time a fine interlayer connection hole or interconnector channel is formed. In consideration of etching selectivity with respect to silicon oxide of interlayer insulating films, silicon nitride has been used for etching stopper films.
This kind of semiconductor device and its manufacturing method will now be described with reference to the sectional views of FIG. 1 through FIG. 6, taking as an example the case of a MOS type semiconductor device.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, a field oxide film 303 is formed on the surface of a semiconductor substrate 301, and on the semiconductor substrate 301 in a device formation region bounded by the field oxide film 303 are successively formed a gate insulating film 305, a polycrystalline silicon film 307 of a lower gate electrode, and an aluminum film 309 of an upper electrode. Then, a gate side wall insulating film 311 is formed on the side walls of the gate electrode by photo-etching. Also, high-concentration source and drain regions 313 and low-concentration source and drain regions 315 are formed in the semiconductor substrate 301 by ion implantation. Next, an interlayer insulating film 317 of for example boron phosphorus silicate glass (BPSG) or phosphorus silicate glass (PSG) is formed on the semiconductor substrate 301, the gate electrode 309 and the device separation region 303 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the interlayer insulating film 317 is flattened by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Contact holes 319 are then formed above the source and drain regions 313 by photo-etching.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a barrier metal 321 consisting of titanium is formed on only the inner surfaces of the contact holes 319 by sputtering. An aluminum film to constitute interconnection metal is then deposited on the barrier metal 321 by sputtering, and contact electrodes 323 are formed completely filling the contact holes 319 with aluminum film using CVD or the like. Next, a silicon nitride film 351 having openings above the contact electrodes 323 is formed on the interlayer insulating film 317. The silicon nitride film 351 is formed by chemical dry etching. This state is shown in three-dimensional cross-section in FIG. 3. The silicon nitride film 351 has openings only over the contact electrodes 323.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a silicon oxide film 327 is formed as an interlayer insulating film on the silicon nitride film 351 and the contact electrodes 323 by for example CVD. Then, a photoresist film 329 having openings above the contact electrodes 323 is formed on the silicon oxide film 327.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5, with the photoresist film 329 as a mask, the interlayer insulating film 327 is etched using the silicon nitride film 351 and the contact electrodes 323 as etching stoppers to form interconnection channels 331. The photoresist film 329 is then removed. At this time, it sometimes happens that due to positional misalignment in the formation of the photoresist film 329 the positions of the openings in the photoresist film 329 and the contact electrodes 323 are misaligned. However, because the silicon nitride film 351 was formed on the interlayer insulating film 317, the silicon nitride film 351 serves as an etching stopper film at the time of formation of the interconnection channels 331 and prevents over-etching of the underlying interlayer insulating film 317. This state is shown in three-dimensional cross-section in FIG. 6.
An interconnection layer and a passivation film and so on are then formed to complete the semiconductor device.
Conventionally, when forming contact holes and via holes, an etching stopper film formed by photo-etching has been necessary to protect underlying films. In the method described above, at the time of formation of a connection hole such as a contact hole or a via hole, a nitride film is formed as an etching stopper film by photo-etching. However, as semiconductor devices become more highly integrated the number of steps of forming connection holes or interconnection channels or the like increases and it is necessary to form an etching stopper film by photo-etching for each of these steps, and the problem arises that the number of photo-etching steps increases as a result.

Semiconductor device having etching stopper layer formed by oxidation and method of fabricating the same


Disclosed are a reclosable tape that can be manufactured easily and stably, exhibit excellent adhesion strength regardless of a material type of a sealant layer (innermost layer) of a base material film of a bag body and good formability of an engaging portion in manufacturing; and a packaging bag with the reclosable tape. The reclosable tape 1 includes a male member 11 and a female member 12 and the packaging bag with the reclosable tape are so arranged that: a belt-shaped base 13 of the reclosable tape 1 includes a seal portion 14 and a base portion 15; a resin forming the base portion 15 has a melting point higher than that of a resin forming the seal portion 14; and the resin forming the seal portion 14 contains 50 mass % or more of a metallocene-type linear-low-density polyethylene having density of 920 kg/m3 or lower, melt flow rate of 5.0 g/l 10 min or lower.

A packaging bag with a reclosable tape typically used as a packaging material for packaging various articles such as foods and medical products is provided with a reclosable tape (engaging member) having a belt-like shape at an opening of the bag, the reclosable tape including a pair of a male member and a female member that are engaged with each other in a manner openable and reclosable.
As a typical method for manufacturing such packaging bag with the reclosable tape that allows opening and resealing of the opening of the bag, there is typically and widely used a method including making the reclosable tape in advance and heat-sealing the reclosable tape to a base material film as a component material of a bag body.
In an arrangement of such reclosable tape, the reclosable tape has been formed from a resin that is the same as that forms an innermost layer (sealant layer) of the base material film so that the reclosable tape can be heat-sealed to the base material film with ease. The innermost layer of the base material film has been typically formed from a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or a propylene (PP), and in such case, the low-density polypropylene (LDPE) or the polypropylene (PP) has also been used as a component material of the reclosable tape, the reclosable tape heat-sealed to the sealant layer (the innermost layer) of the base material film.
Meanwhile, there has also been proposed another arrangement of a reclosable tape in which an engaging portion including a male member and a female member and a seal portion that is welded to a sealant layer (innermost layer) of a bag body are formed from different resins (see, for instance, Patent Document 1). In the reclosable tape with such arrangement, the male member and the female member are formed from a resin having a melting point higher than a resin that forms the seal portion, so that the male member and the female member can be prevented from being deformed when the reclosable tape is heat-sealed to the bag body.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-10-297652 (claim 1 and FIGS. 1 and 4)

Chuck tape and packaging bag with chuck tape


A CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof enable enhanced photo-response characteristics and protect a microlens in packaging by embedding the microlens in a passivation layer pattern. The image sensor may include a semiconductor substrate, a photodiode, a metal line, an insulating layer, a passivation layer pattern, and a microlens formed to be embedded in the passivation layer pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for enhancing photo-response characteristics and protecting a microlens in packaging by embedding the microlens in a passivation layer pattern.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
An image sensor is a semiconductor device that converts an optical image to an electric signal. Image sensors can be classified into charge coupled devices (CCD) and CMOS (complementary metal oxide silicon) image sensors. In a CCD image sensor, a plurality of MOS (metal-oxide-metal) capacitors are arranged close to one another to transfer and store electric charge carriers. In a CMOS (complementary MOS) image sensor, a plurality of MOS transistors corresponding to the number of pixels are fabricated by CMOS technology using a control circuit and a signal processing circuit as peripheral circuits. A switching system of sequentially detecting outputs using the MOS transistors is also adopted.
Microlenses of the related art CMOS image sensor are formed on a passivation layer; thus, the microlenses are vulnerable to packaging. Hence, photo-response characteristics of the CMOS image sensor are degraded and overall process throughput is lowered.
A CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof according to a related art are explained with reference to the attached drawing as follows.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a CMOS image sensor according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a photodiode 11 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 10. A first insulating layer 12 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 10 including the photodiode 11. A via hole 13 is formed by selectively etching the first insulating layer 12. A metal layer is deposited on the first insulating layer 12 including the via hole 13 and is then patterned to form a metal line 16 in a pixel area 14 and a pad 17 in a peripheral area 15. A second insulating layer 18 is formed of a material for interlayer insulation, such as oxide, etc., on the first insulating layer 12 including the metal line 16 and the pad 17. The second insulating layer 18 is then planarized.
A passivation insulating layer 19 may be formed of nitride. The passivation insulating layer 19 is planarized by CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) and is then selectively etched to form an opening 21 on the pad 17. A microlens material layer (not shown) is formed on the passivation insulating layer 19. A photoresist layer (not shown) is coated on the microlens material layer. The photoresist layer is patterned to form a photoresist pattern (not shown). The microlens material layer is selectively etched to form a microlens material layer pattern (not shown) using the photoresist pattern as a mask. Reflowing is carried out on the microlens material layer pattern by baking to form a spherical microlens 20.
However, the related art CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof have disadvantages. Since the microlens is formed on the passivation layer, the microlens can be damaged in subsequent packaging. Hence, a photo-response characteristic of a device is degraded and process throughput is lowered.