A system and method is provided by which players participating in a primary lottery drawing may elect to participate in a second, or derivative lottery drawing (a xe2x80x9cmeta-gamexe2x80x9d). In one embodiment, a meta-game is conducted by first registering a plurality of lottery entries to define a group. The group wins an award in the meta-game if the plurality of lottery entries of the group fail to win an award above a predetermined threshold in the primary lottery drawing.

The present invention relates generally to lotteries, and more particularly to a lottery involving a secondary or supplemental game.
Lotteries have proven to be powerful and lucrative revenue generating mechanisms. In the United States, a majority of states now conduct government-sponsored lotteries which may offer daily and/or weekly jackpots ranging from hundreds to millions of dollars. These lotteries provide a steady source of income for the state to use, for example, to fund state educational systems or provide capital for improvements to the state""s infrastructure. Recently, many states have partnered to form multi-state lotteries which typically provide even larger jackpots due to the increased number of participants in each lottery.
In a typical operation, a lottery is operated by a central authority with a government-licensed sponsor providing much of the equipment and support necessary to establish, market, and run the operation. Such a central authority typically maintains one or more centralized operations for receiving and processing lottery entries, the entries themselves being sold at remote authorized lottery outlets or terminals.
The purchase of a lottery entry typically requires a visit to an authorized lottery outlet (e.g., in person, over the telephone, or via the Internet), where the process varies depending on the type of game to be played. In a typical Lotto-style lottery game, a player selects one or more numbers, the exact format, quantity and ordinal value range of the numbers being dependent on the type of game. In a xe2x80x9c6/49xe2x80x9d game, for example, six numbers are selected, each in the range from one to forty-nine. Each set of six numbers entered in a lottery drawing is referred to as an xe2x80x9centry.xe2x80x9d The numbers of the entry may be selected individually by the purchaser. Alternatively, many lottery authorities offer a xe2x80x9cquick-pickxe2x80x9d option whereby, upon request by the purchaser, a random number generator controlled by the lottery authority is used to select the numbers of the entry. In either case, the actual entry request is typically made through the completion of a sense mark form, or xe2x80x9cbet slip,xe2x80x9d which is a machine-readable paper form having check boxes that are filled in by the purchaser or lottery agent and read by the lottery terminal. The lottery terminal typically prints a lottery xe2x80x9cticketxe2x80x9d or receipt which lists each of the numbers of an entry selected by or picked for a player. The lottery ticket also typically includes a drawing identifier indicating which lottery drawing the entries are entered in. This drawing identifier is typically a drawing date, but may also be, for example, a unique number identifying a particular drawing.
As an illustrative example, if a player purchases five xe2x80x9cquick-pickxe2x80x9d entries in a 6/49 Lotto drawing to be held on Dec. 31, 1999, the lottery terminal first randomly selects five sets of six numbers (five different xe2x80x9centriesxe2x80x9d) and then prints a ticket listing the five drawing entries of six numbers. The ticket will also typically include some form of drawing identifier such as, for example, the date of the drawing (in this example, Dec. 31, 1999). The player will retain the ticket or receipt until the drawing occurs as proof of entry in the drawing. Information regarding each entry is read by the lottery terminal and transmitted to a central lottery authority which keeps track of all entries in each lottery drawing. Each lottery entry is typically valid for one lottery drawing.
In a typical 6/49 Lotto-style lottery drawing, an entry xe2x80x9cwinsxe2x80x9d an award in the drawing if at least three of the entry numbers match three of the numbers drawn in the lottery drawing. The amount of money won increases dramatically as more numbers are matched. An entry xe2x80x9closesxe2x80x9d if, e.g., fewer than three numbers of the entry match the numbers drawn in the lottery drawing. No money is paid to the player for a xe2x80x9closingxe2x80x9d lottery drawing entry.
For a further description of Lotto-style lottery games, including the 6/49 game, reference is made to Dr. Z""s 6/49 Lotto Guidebook, by Ziemba, Dr. William T., et al., published 1986 by Dr. Z Investments, Inc., ISBN 0-9690097-2-2, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
While lotteries have enjoyed great success in the United States and around the world, many potential players are still discouraged from participating because the odds of winning are small. For example, in a typical 6/49 Lotto-style drawing where six numbers are picked randomly from a pool of forty-nine numbers, the odds against a player matching all six numbers in one entry is in excess of 13,000,000 to one. It is in the face of these daunting and staggering odds that many potential lottery participants are discouraged from playing more frequently or from ever participating.
Furthermore, the growing popularity of multi-state lotteries has lured players away from single-state lotteries, thereby lowering the revenue streams to these individual states. Thus, in an effort to combat increased competition in the lottery marketplace and bolster sagging consumer interest in the lottery, many lottery organizations have begun offering secondary lottery games associated with their lottery drawings. The secondary drawings give players a xe2x80x9csecond chancexe2x80x9d at winning should the players lose in the lottery drawing. For example, some of these lotteries allow players to mail in their losing entries for a chance in a secondary drawing. The secondary drawing is essentially a xe2x80x9cconsolation roundxe2x80x9d drawing where the losers from the lottery drawing are given another chance to win a prize. Typically, in this xe2x80x9cconsolation roundxe2x80x9d drawing, the losing entries are all pooled together and one or more losing entries are drawn randomly from the pool.
Unfortunately, these secondary lottery games do not provide the player with any instant gratification since the player still has to wait for the secondary lottery drawing to occur. Further, these secondary games suffer in that the player has a chance of losing twicexe2x80x94once in the primary drawing and once in the secondary drawing. A player""s risk of losing in the secondary drawing are similar to the player""s risk of losing in the primary drawing. Because of this risk, many players are discouraged from participating in the secondary drawing.
It is therefore desirable to provide a supplementary lottery game, or xe2x80x9cmeta-game,xe2x80x9d in which a player can be guaranteed to win an award if the player fails to qualify for an award in the primary lottery game, thereby increasing participation in the lottery and providing more revenue to the organization conducting the lottery. Preferably, this meta-game provides players with instant gratification by letting them know if they have won or lost the meta-game as soon as the primary lottery game is completed.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method by which players participating in a primary lottery drawing may elect to participate in a second, or derivative lottery drawing (hereinafter a xe2x80x9cmeta-gamexe2x80x9d). In one embodiment, a player plays a meta-game by first registering one or more primary lottery drawing entries to define a group. The player qualifies for an award in the meta-game if the primary lottery drawing entries of the group fail to win an award above a predetermined threshold in the primary lottery drawing.
In one embodiment of the invention, a player registers a group of primary lottery drawing entries for participation in a meta-game in conjunction with the purchase of entries in the primary lottery drawing. The registration and purchase are performed at a terminal which may be, for example, a lottery terminal which is in communication with a controller. Identifying information associated with each of the entries for the primary lottery drawing is used to register the group for the meta-game. The player also provides or arranges for some form of payment for the entry.
In another embodiment of the invention, registration for the meta-game is performed after purchase of entries in the primary lottery drawing. The player may register a group of primary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game by establishing communication with a controller, for example, using a computer to connect to the controller to register and pay for registration in the meta-game. As a part of the registration process, the player may be asked to provide registration information or the information may be automatically detected by the system. After receiving registration information and payment, the controller registers the group of primary lottery drawing entries for the meta-game and issues a confirmation to the player indicating registration in the meta-game.
The present invention gives players the chance to win an award for playing the meta-game. If a player has properly registered a group of primary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game, he or she will win a meta-game award if the registered lottery drawing entries lose in the primary lottery drawing. In one embodiment, a player is eligible for greater rewards if he or she registers a large group of primary lottery drawing entries in a meta-game. In an alternative embodiment, a group may win an award in the meta-game even if the group""s entries won an award in the primary lottery drawing so long as the award is below a certain threshold.

System and method for conducting and playing a supplemental lottery game


The present disclosure relates to a system for multiplexing (i.e. combining multiple signals into one signal) both a plurality of video content (live and deferred time) and multiple video access mediums (such as cable television, satellite, internet video (clips, programming and movies), video games, DVD players, etc.) in a viewer friendly manner to enhance entertainment and other entertainment possibilities. The output of a selected video content is seen in a container known as a video container. Multiple video containers can be resized and positioned on a large screen television or other display device under viewer control. Control of video containers' video content or other content viewed, audio, and a host of other properties are done via web page controls or preferably connected mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets or other devices.

Traditionally, television entertainment has been understood to be one program being displayed on a television or display device like a personal computer (PC) or mobile device. For example, a viewer may watch a movie on a large screen television that is being aired on a television network. The viewer "tunes into" the network by changing television station or setting cable box to the network channel. The program is output out of the set top box or other device and displayed on the television with audio. If the viewer wants to see what is on another network, he changes the channel on the cable box (or other) and after a moment the television displays what is being transmitted that network.
Advertising and program structure is set up to break up the content of the movie to place other video messages, such as product advertisement, local advertisement, channel advertisement, government emergency message, and the like. The viewer watches through the interruption of the movie content and sees the advertisement or other unless the user changes the channel while the movie is at break.
This advertising and single channel viewing set up causes the behavior of the viewer with the control of the television to start "channel changing" or "flipping" or "channel surfing". Other causes of hyper channel changing are when a viewer wants to see other live events on other channels, slow or boring section in the video content stream, and a host of other reasons. Ultimately "channel surfing" is viewer experience driven in their efforts to maximize entertainment or information from the television. This behavior often results in the viewer with the television control being the only person to be able to watch or enjoy the television, often the family or those in the household or group watching the television will disband to separate display devices to "surf" to the video content of their choice, often exhibiting the same behavior.
Television viewing, and especially large screen flat panel television viewing set up is done by hooking all video input devices, such as DVD, cable box, satellite box, video game console, over the top video from the internet (OTT) box, and other inputs to the television. Then, by use of a select input button on the television, the viewer selects the video input device that takes control of the whole television picture. In some models the television allows a "picture in picture" mode where video from two devices can be displayed at one time with one small and one large. This mode offers a bit of control, but not enough to satisfy most users.
The evolving changes in viewer sophistication, especially technical sophistication, combined with significantly increased access to video content has outpaced the ability of the current television viewing and control model. To complicate the picture, often while the viewer is doing all this flipping and surfing, he/she is also on a PC, laptop or mobile device to operate applications connected to the internet for further experience.
The entertainment industry including content creators, content providers, service providers, television manufacturers, advertisers and internet companies are all currently limited in the ability to present a combined, easy to use and expandable television presentation that is outside their scope. Therefore, what is needed is a system that considers all these combined interests and creates a new user experience framework for television viewers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Skreens Entertainment Technologies, Inc.


A tablet cassette for a medicine packing machine is disclosed. The tablet cassette for a medicine packing machine includes a cassette for accommodating tablets and having a passage formed at one side of a lower end thereof, a cassette support with which the cassette is detachably coupled on the upper surface of the cassette support and which has an inclined passage communicated with the passage in one side thereof, and a discharge driver provided in the cassette and the cassette support. The discharge driver includes a conic rotating body provided in the cassette and having divisional protrusions on the outer circumference thereof, and a driving motor provided in the cassette support to rotate the rotating body in a forward direction and to rotate the rotating body in a reverse direction when tablets are lodged such that an overload is generated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tablet cassette for a medicine packing machine, and more particularly, to a tablet cassette for a medicine packing machine capable of easily releasing lodged tablets without damage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a medicine packing machine is an apparatus for receiving tablets from a tablet cassette and a tablet discharging device according to medicines and for continuously dosing the tablets.
An example of the above-described conventional tablet packing machine will now be described with reference to FIG. 12.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the medicine packing machine includes a plurality of tablet cassettes 100 in a shelf positioned in an upper portion, a tablet discharging device 200 in a lower portion, a hopper 300 below the tablet cassettes 100 and the tablet discharging device 200, and a sealing portion 500 for transferring the packing paper, printed upon by a printer 400, to seal the packing paper.
The structure and operation of the conventional tablet cassettes provided in the conventional medicine packing machine will now be described with reference to FIG. 13.
As illustrated in FIG. 13, the conventional tablet cassette includes a cassette 101 receiving tablets are received and having a passage 102 formed at a lower side thereof, a cassette support 103 in which the cassette 101 is detachably installed to the upper side of the cassette support 103 and which has an inclined passage 104 communicated with the passage 102 at one side thereof, and a discharge driver 105 provided in the cassette 101 and the cassette support 103.
The discharge driver 105 includes a rotating body 108 having a plurality of divisional protrusions 106 formed on the outer circumference thereof and step-shaped jaws 107 formed on the upper surface thereof at regular intervals, and a driving motor 109 for rotating the rotating body 108 in a forward direction. The tablets received in the cassette 101 climb over the jaws 107 due to the rotation of the rotating body 108 caused by the driving of the driving motor 109 and are received in thein spaces between the divisional protrusions 106 while sliding along the upper surface of the rotating body 108, one by one, to be discharged through the passage 102 and the inclined passage 104.
The plurality of tablets are mixed with each other to be lodged in a state where the tablets are stacked in the space between the rotating body and the inner surface of the cassette above the upper side of the divisional protrusions due to the driving of the driving motor.
Also, since the rotating body continuously rotates due to the driving of the driving motor in a state where the tablets are lodged, the tablets are sandwiched in the space between the rotating body and the inner surface of the cassette due to the rotary force such that the tablets are easily damaged.
Although the damaged tablets are discharged, the tablets' powder remains in the cassette such that the powder is mixed with other tablets. Since the tablets are lodged, the normal discharge of the tablets is interrupted.

Tablet cassette for medicine packing machine


Methods and apparatus that enable drying and curing a plurality of specimens carried by a plurality of microscope slides. Slide carriers are positioned at a first position while the slide carrier holds the microscope slides. Each of the specimens can be carried by one of the microscope slides. The slide carrier can be robotically moved to move the slide carrier into a circulation loop defined by a heater apparatus. The specimens and/or microscope slides can be convectively heated while the slide carrier is located in the circulation loop.

A wide variety of techniques may be used to analyze biological specimens. Examples of analysis techniques useful in this context include microscopy, microarray analysis (e.g., protein and nucleic acid microarray analysis), and mass spectrometry. Preparing specimens for these and other types of analysis typically includes contacting the specimens with a series of processing liquids. Some of these processing liquids (e.g., staining reagents and counterstaining reagents) may add color and contrast or otherwise change the visual characteristics of invisible or poorly visible specimen components (e.g., at least some types of cells and intracellular structures). Other processing liquids (e.g., deparaffinizing liquids) may be used to achieve other processing objectives. If a specimen is treated with multiple processing liquids, both the application and the subsequent removal of each processing liquid can be important for producing specimens suitable for analysis. In some cases, treating specimens with multiple processing liquids includes manually applying the processing liquids to microscope slides respectively carrying the specimens. This approach to processing specimens tends to be relatively labor intensive and imprecise.
"Dip and dunk" automated machines can be used as an alternative to manual specimen processing. These machines automatically process specimens by submerging racks of specimen-bearing slides in open baths of processing liquids. Unfortunately, operation of dip and dunk machines inevitably causes carryover of processing liquids from one bath to another. Over time, this carryover leads to the degradation of the processing liquids. Furthermore, when specimens are immersed in a shared bath, there is a potential for cross-contamination. For example, cells may slough off a specimen on one slide and be transported within a shared bath onto another slide, even on a slide processed much later (e.g., if the cells remain suspended in the bath). This form of contamination can adversely affect the accuracy of certain types of specimen analysis. To mitigate this issue and to address degradation of processing liquids due to carryover, baths of processing liquids in dip and dunk machines typically need to be replaced frequently. Accordingly, these machines tend to consume relatively large volumes of processing liquids, which increases the economic and environmental costs associated with operating these machines. Open baths of processing liquids are also prone to evaporative losses and oxidative degradation of some processing-liquid components. Oxidation of certain components of staining reagents, for example, can alter the staining performance of these components and thereby adversely affect the precision of staining operations.
Some example of conventional histological processing machines that avoid certain disadvantages of dip and dunk machines are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,326 (the '326 patent) to Edwards et al. describes an apparatus for delivering fresh processing liquids directly onto individual slides. The slides are expelled one at a time from a slide storage device onto a conveyor belt. Specimens carried by the slides are individually treated at various stations as the slides move along the conveyor belt. Among other drawbacks, the apparatus described in the '326 patent and similar machines tend to have throughput limitations that make them unsuitable for primary staining applications, such as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining applications. A typical laboratory that performs primary staining, for example, may process hundreds or even thousands of specimens per day. Using the apparatus described in the '326 patent and similar machines for this processing would be unacceptably slow. Furthermore, these machines do not allow for control over staining characteristics. Such control can be important in primary staining applications.

Automated processing systems and methods of thermally processing microscope slides


The invention is a telescopic bone plate for distracting osteotomically separated bone sections. In a preferred embodiment, the telescopic bone plate consists of a top bone plate and a bottom bone plate longitudinally, laterally and vertically adjustable relative to each other and including a device for fastening the telescopic bone plate to bone. A telescopic member adjusts the relative positions of the top and bottom bone plate to each other. The telescopic member is actuated internally to the patient and may be actuated intraorally in one variation.

Thousands of children world-wide exhibit cranio-facial defects, and the treatment of these deformities is challenging. Various surgical techniques are used to treat these problems. However, clinical advancements in facial bone reconstruction have been limited. Presently, we still depend largely on autogenous or autologous bone grafts for the reconstruction of the non-stress bearing as well as the stress-bearing facial skeleton. These grafts are difficult to contour, are available only in limited quantities, and can undergo significant graft resorption. Synthetic materials such as hydroxyapatite or carbon-based polymers have proved useful in aesthetic augmentation of the facial skeleton but they frequently lack the structural stability necessary for major head and neck reconstruction. Furthermore, these synthetics have proved to be uniformly inadequate for the reconstruction of stress-bearing bone such as the mandible (1,2,3,4,5,6). In addition, complications occur subsequent to surgery, such as devitalisation of teeth, partial or complete loss of an osteotomized segment and bone graft failure (7,8,9,10). Distraction of an osteogenesis has been used in recent years to overcome the problems with the surgical techniques discussed above. In this application, the term "distraction osteogenesis" is the method of growing new bone by stretching pre-existing bone. This technique, which was first described by Ilizarov et. al. (11), involves surgically fracturing the bone with minimal disruption of its periosteal and endosteal envelope. After the surgery, a waiting period of 7 to 10 days allows new bone cells to populate the area. At the end of the waiting period, the bone on each side of the fracture site is stretched by various mechanical means at a rate of 1.0 mm per day (11-16).
Currently, distraction osteogenesis has been clinically applied on a widespread basis within orthopedic surgery. It has been used for the replacement of segmental defects, the treatment of fracture non-unions and the elongation of shortened extremities. This technique has also been used within orthopedic surgery for the correction of traumatic congenital deformities in both the long bones of the extremities and the smaller bones within the hands and feet. (17-20)
Although distraction osteogenesis has been applied to orthopedic problems on a widespread basis, it has been used for facial skeletal reconstruction on an experimental basis only. Clinical experience in orthopedic surgery indicates that bone created by distraction osteogenesis is structurally stable and that it should be able to withstand the shear and torsional stresses that the mandible is subjected to during mastication. The main disadvantage of using distraction osteogenesis for facial skeletal reconstruction is that the orthopaedic mechanical devices are too large to be applied within the craniofacial systems.
In orthopedics, numerous pin and ringed fixators are available for limb lengthening, including those taught by Wagner, De Bastiani (Orthofix), Ilizarov, Monticelli-Spinelli and Acefisher. All of these mechanical devices are external to the skin (20,21,22,23). The problems reported in the literature with respect to these devices are as follows (24):
1. External mechanical devices are large and cumbersome and interfere with the patient's daily lifestyle. PA1 2. Pin loosening and pin-tract infection results in the development of soft tissue inflammation/infection at the external site and this leads to bone infection. PA1 3. Neurovascular injuries occur due to pin placement. PA1 1. Due to the fact that the activation mechanisms of these devices are outside the skin, the pins cut the skin during the activation procedure, resulting in the formation of scar tissue. PA1 2. The pins used in these devices are unstable and weak. There have been a number of reports of pin loosening, resulting in relapse. PA1 3. Pin instability increases as the amount of distraction to be carried out increases. Pin instability also increases as the length of the healing period increases. PA1 4. Because the devices are extra-oral, the pin-tract infection that has been reported in orthopedic cases has also been observed with the devices used in the craniofacial system. PA1 5. The extra-oral and cumbersome nature of these devices along with the formation of scar tissue has negative effects on patient co-operation and psychology.
The first attempt to apply the principles of distraction osteogenesis within the craniofacial system to lengthen the mandibular body was by Snyder et al. (36) in 1973. An external (outside the skin) screw-driven device attached with bicortical pins was used.
In 1990, Karp (32) and his colleagues used an external (outside the skin) bone-lengthening device at the mandibular expansion site. The device was comprised of a standard external fixator with two double-pin holders and a bolt at one end that allowed calibrated distraction or compression of the pins (Howmedica Corp., Rutherford, N.J.).
In 1992, McCarthy (30) and his co-workers used this external (outside the skin) device to lengthen the mandible on children with congenital growth defects.
Also in 1992, Luhr et al. described an extendable bone plate to fix the fracture of small bones (U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,903). The Luhr device exhibits a lack of sectional modulus to support compressive load and the self-locking feature is questionable. Testing with respect to technical specifications and animal or clinical studies has not been disclosed.
In 1995 Molina and Monasterio (40) in Mexico City reported on clinical applications of external pin distraction osteogenesis in the mandible in 106 patients. The mean age of patients was 8 years of age and surgical technique utilized was intra oral corticotomy with placement of two percutaneous pins. The distraction appliance was activated extra orally. The mean follow up was 19 months and x-rays were taken at selected intervals. In their patient group all patients received bite back orthodontic therapy post operatively.
These authors report temporomandibular joint pain in the unaffected side with evidence of bony remodelling of the non-treated temporomandibular joint. Skin scars were noted for all patients but the authors claim no infection, fractures, but did relate skin inflammation and three patients requiring antibiotic therapy. These authors did accomplish distraction osteogenesis in the mandible with no reported relapse. There is poor documentation regarding long term radiographic follow up. There is no comment on neuro sensory changes in the inferior alveolar nerve or discussion regarding devitalization of tooth roots and tooth buds due to pin placement. Additionally all patients received orthodontic bit block therapy which may have contributed significantly to long term stability of the distracted bony segments.
In 1995 McCarthy et al. (41) reported on experimental development of an intra oral mandibular distraction appliance. This was applied to ten mongrel dogs with distraction osteogenesis. Pins were placed percutaneously but stabilized to an intra oral appliance. The appliance was bulky and crude and had minimal stabilization with two pins per segment of the mandible. Additionally the appliance did not have the multi directional capacity of adjustment in many vectors required for distraction osteogenesis of the mandible.
In 1996 Chin and Toth (42) reported on distraction osteogenesis utilizing internal devices in patients. An internal device was fastened to the mandible via screws and was distracted via trans oral activation. This technique was utilized in three patients. Premature consolidation of bone was noted in two patients and one patient had significant relapse. The authors comment that improved stability of attachment on the device to bone was needed. This appliance also did not have multi directional capabilities of controlling the vector of distraction of the mandible. The authors also report of breakage of one of their expansion screws which required further surgery to remove and replace this. Bilateral appliance was also used to advance the mid face and maxilla but was activated through a percutaneous screw which would leave an unsightly scar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,396 to Robinson et al discloses an implantable distraction device which is proposed to permit gradual bone distraction between osteotomically separated bone sections. This device is made up of welded components and permits direct control of the bony segments. It is proposed to have a low profile, although its size and other specifications are not disclosed. It is not telescopic. The device has one force vector and there is no disclosure with respect to testing.
The Robinson et al device is implanted subcutaneously, however, actuation is extraorally via a percutaneous (through unbroken skin) port projecting outward through the skin. The percutaneous site would be subject to pin-tract infection and scar formation as the actuation port would project through the skin during the actuation and retention periods. As parts of Robinson's device are welded together, the device lacks the compressive strength needed for an effective distractor. Furthermore, as Robinson's device is not telescopic, it lacks a double displacement path and results in a larger device.
Tschakaloff (39) and his colleagues used a subperiosteal calvarial distractor for the correction of craniosynostosis in rabbits in 1994 (Medicorn Micro Systems, Tuttligen, Germany).
All the extra-oral devices used to date to conduct distraction osteogenesis is the craniofacial system have the following problems, as reported in the literature: (25-37).
Thus, a need exists for a distraction device that is stable, easy to activate and completely tissue-covered.

Telescopic bone plate for use in bone lengthening by distraction osteogenesis


A method, system, and/or computer program product presents product recommendations based on input derived from a user's social network. A description of a product selected for purchase by a user is received. A social networking site is searched for information relevant to a characterization the product. The relevant information is characterized according to a social relationship between the user and an other member of the social networking site, a product family of the product, and a product expertise of the other member about the product. Characterized information about the product is then presented to the user.

The present disclosure relates to the field of computers, and specifically to the use of social groups on computers. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to the use of social groups to make product recommendations.
When a user is in the process of using, purchasing, leasing, or otherwise obtaining a particular product, that user relies heavily on product reviews from an unknown community. However, such reviews are often untrustworthy, since the product reviewers often 1) have different needs and expectations than the user, and/or 2) have hidden motivations for recommending a particular product, in order to influence the user's purchase.

Presentation of product recommendations based on social informatics

International Business Machines Corporation


Provided are a tube that has high inner-surface smoothness and outer-surface smoothness and a thickness distribution with a small variation, and a method for manufacturing the tube. The tube includes points a, b, c, and d that satisfy the following conditions (1) and (2): (1) 0.9<Rea/Rec<1.1 and 0.9<Reb/Red<1.1; and (2) Rea/Reb≤0.9 or Rea/Reb≥1.1. The points a, b, c, and d are four random points that are located on the circumference of the tube on any cross section in the axial direction of the tube, and are aligned in the stated order in a circumferential direction. Rea, Reb, Rec, and Red respectively indicate retardations at the points a, b, c, and d. The tube satisfies the following condition (3): (3) (10-point standard deviation/10-point average)×100≤2 in the respective sets A, B, C, and D. Each of the sets A, B, C, and D includes retardations at ten random points present in a range between the point a, b, c, or d and a point 5 mm away from that point in the axial direction.

WO 2017/043317 (Patent Literature 1) discloses a fluororesin tube having tearability. Longitudinal tearability is imparted to this tube by forming a weld line in the tube. This tube is used to manufacture a catheter and the like, and therefore, high inner-surface smoothness is realized in this tube (see Patent Literature 1).
WO 2017/043317 is an example of related art.


A lens includes a center-of-gravity adjusting section in order to prevent the center of gravity of the lens from shifting due to removal of a gate portion formed during molding, thereby providing an optical lens which is easily handled and a method of making the optical lens. An optical lens having a flange at the outer periphery of an optically functioning portion includes a gate-cut section formed by cutting off a part of the flange together with a gate portion, continuously with the flange, and a center-of-axis adjusting section, formed by removing a part of the flange, for positioning the center of gravity in alignment with the optical axis of the optically functioning portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical lens used for an optical instrument or the like; and a method of making the optical lens.
2. Related Background Art
As shown in FIG. 17, conventionally known is an optical lens A in which a flange C is formed at the outer periphery of an optically functioning portion B. The flange C is used for attaching the optical lens A to a holder or the like. When the optical lens A is manufactured by molding of a resin and the like, a gate, i.e., resin-injecting port, is disposed at the flange C. As a consequence, in the optical lens A immediately after molding, a gate portion D is continuous with the flange C. Then, in order to finish the optical lens A as a product, the gate portion D is cut off. As a method of cutting, a part of the flange C is cut off together with the gate portion D as shown in FIG. 17.

Optical lens and method of making the same


A semiconductor device includes semiconductor substrate, a trench capacitor formed in the semiconductor substrate, a cell transistor formed so as to the trench capacitor and having a gate electrode formed on the semiconductor substrate and a source/drain region formed in a surface of the semiconductor substrate, an impurity diffusion region formed in the semiconductor substrate so as to be electrically connected between the trench capacitor and the source/drain region, and a Ge inclusion region formed between the impurity diffusion region and the trench capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory with a trench capacitor, such as DRAM array, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Performance of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) arrays has been improved with reduction in their size. However, short-channel effects of transistors have become intense with reduction in the size of the DRAM arrays, whereupon the performance of DRAM arrays has been reduced. In view of this problem, an acceptor impurity such as boron (B) has been implanted into a channel region of a cell transistor to adjust a cutoff characteristic of the cell transistor. The foregoing problem has been overcome by adjusting an amount of the impurity.
However, when the density of impurity implanted to the channel region of the cell transistor is increased in order that the short-channel effects may be suppressed, the impurity density in a source/drain region of the cell transistor is also increased, whereupon a data-hold time of the memory cell is rendered shorter as the result of the increase in the impurity density in the source/drain region. Accordingly, JP-A-2000-31412 discloses a method of suppressing reduction in the data-hold time of the memory cell while the threshold voltage is suppressed from drop due to the short-channel effects.
In JP-A-2000-31412, impurity is implanted into the channel region in a direction oblique to the cell transistor so that the impurity density is increased in the channel region of the cell transistor and further so that no impurity is implanted into the source/drain region which becomes the shadow of the cell transistor, whereby the impurity density is suppressed from being increased in the source/drain region.
In DRAM with the trench capacitor structure, however, leak current (junction leak current) is increased in a junction of the capacitor side diffusion layer of the cell capacitor when the density of impurity diffused to the channel region of the cell transistor. As a result, a discharging speed of the trench capacitor is increased. Further, when the trench capacitor is brought into electrical contact with the transistor at a location lower than the upper side of the silicon semiconductor substrate, occurrence of punch-through at a deeper location is a matter of concern. The above-mentioned document discloses nothing about these respects.

Semiconductor memory with trench capacitor and method of fabricating the same


A device for connection of a wireline (2) provided with a conductor (10), the wireline (2) being intended particularly for a wireline tool (4), wherein the wireline is provided with a wireline connector (6) in which each wireline strand layer (12, 14) is biased and clamped between an inner sleeve (16, 26) and an outer sleeve (18, 28), and wherein the tensile load of the wireline (2) is transmitted to a fastening element (38) via the outer sleeves (18, 28), the wireline connector (6) being connected to the wireline tool (4) by means of a releasable disconnection device (8).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a device for disconnecting a wireline. More specifically, it concerns a device that is particularly suitable for disconnecting a wireline from a wireline tool, for example after having stuck the wireline tool and possibly having damaged the wireline.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The wireline tool may become stuck during wireline operations in a borehole. Subsequently, when the wireline tool is to be released or otherwise during unfavourable conditions and when maneuvering erroneously, the wireline may be torn off, and a portion of the damaged wireline may be left in the borehole.
In order to access the wireline tool with a fishing tool, the wireline portion located in the borehole must first be removed. The operation of removing a wireline portion of this type may be time-consuming and costly.
According to prior art, a wireline, which is to be used in wireline operations, is provided with a weakened portion near its point of connection in the wireline tool. Normally, the weakening is provided by means of removing a portion of the wireline strands. The purpose of the weakening is to attribute a potential wireline breakage to the weakened portion, thereby allowing substantially all of the wireline to be retrieved to surface after breakage. Then, the wireline tool may be retrieved by means of a so-called fishing tool.
Obviously, said method considerably reduces the carrying capacity of the wireline and therefore may cause unnecessary wireline breakages.
The object of the invention is to remedy the disadvantages of prior art.


A plurality of classifiers is identified. A set of test cases is selected based on time. The set of test cases are grouped into a plurality of datasets based on time where each of the plurality of datasets is associated with a corresponding interval of time. Each of the plurality of classifiers is applied to each of the plurality of datasets to generate classifications for test cases in each of the plurality of datasets. For each of the plurality of classifiers, a classification performance score is determined for each of the plurality of datasets based on the classifications generated for the test cases of each dataset. A classifier is selected from among the plurality of classifiers for production based on the classification performance scores of each of the plurality of classifiers across the plurality of datasets.

1. Technical Field
The following disclosure pertains in general to computer security and particularly to identifying predictive security models that are resistant to concept drift.
2. Description of the Related Art
In predictive analytics and machine learning, classification systems are trained to identify a target property. For example, these classification systems may be trained to identify a wide variety of malicious software (malware) that can attack modern computers. These malware threats include computer viruses, worms, Trojan horse programs, spyware, adware, crimeware, and phishing websites.
However, the target property that the classification systems are trained to classify are typically time dependent. That is, the target property that the classification systems are trained to identify may change over time; this is referred to as concept drift. As the target property changes, the predictions of the classification systems become less accurate over time. Furthermore, as updates to the classification system are made, it is difficult to determine how the updates impact the predictions of the classification systems. Accordingly, it is difficult to determine how changes to classification systems that are sensitive to concept drift impact the classification performance of the classification systems.

Identifying predictive models resistant to concept drift


A spring manufacturing machine enhances an efficiency of operation. A desired one of wire passages in wire feeding rollers is aligned with a wire passage in an auxiliary wire guide and a wire passage in a final wire guide by adjusting a position of a forward and rearward movable table with respect to a front wall of a machine frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spring manufacturing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, as a spring manufacturing machine of this kind, there has been known the following structure. That is, there has been known a structure comprising a machine frame having a vertical front wall, a wire processing space formed in front of the front wall of the machine frame, a final wire guide having a wire passage for guiding a wire fed out toward the wire processing space and detachably provided in the front wall, at least a pair of wire feeding roller rotatably provided in the front wall at an opposite side of the final wire guide to the wire processing space and feeding out the wire by holding it therebetween, at least one slide for a bending die opposing to the wire guide with respect to the wire processing space, provided in the front wall so as to freely move forward and backward with respect to the wire processing space and mounting the bending die, at least one cutter mounting slide provided in the front wall so as to freely move forward and backward with respect to the wire processing space and mounting a cutter, at least one forming tool mounting slide provided in the front wall so as to freely move forward and backward with respect to the wire processing space and mounting a forming tool, and a pitch tool mounting rod provided near the wire processing space of the final wire guide so as to freely move forward and backward with respect to the front wall and mounting a pitch tool, in which an annular groove for a wire is formed around an outer peripheral surface of the wire feeding roller (refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 4858/1989).


An apparatus (10) suitable to process sheets (13), in particular comprised of an validating machine (10) for the validation of documents (13) such as cheques or similar documents, comprising a vertical guide (11), and a pair of arms (22a, 22b) suitable to hold and support a cheque (13) along a respective lower edge (13a) in a first hold position (Pi), when the cheque (13) is inserted into the vertical guide (11), wherein in response to the presence and alignment of the cheque (13) in said first position (Pi), two pairs of rotating rollers (42a, 42b, 44a, 44b) automatically engage the cheque (13) from opposite sides, the arms (22a, 22b) are moved out of contact with the lower edge (13a) of the cheque (13), in order to free the feeding path of the cheque towards the interior of the validating machine, and the cheque is also fed vertically, in a downward direction, by means of the two pairs of rollers from the said first position (P1) to a second processing position (P2) in the validation zone for being validated. The cheque (13) inserted into the validating machine (10) can also be moved in a horizontal direction, for example, in order to perform the detection of data recorded on the cheque (13) by means of a magnetic detection unit (76). The validating machine (10) permits easy and practical manual insertion of the document to be validated from above, in a vertical direction, still at the same time ensuring correct and safe alignment of said document in the vertical guide, whereupon it activates and controls in a completely automatic manner the related validation cycle.

Validating machines are known which are comprised of printers suitable to apply on a document a written text, a symbol, or in general any other type of mark suitable to indicate that the document has been correctly validated in the context of a more general processing system of the said document.
For example, said written text or phrase applied on a cheque can indicate that the cheque has been validly entered, or actually registered by the bank where the validating machine is installed.
A validating machine as above is described for example in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,620.
These validating machine are typically equipped with an opening through which the operator, such as a bank employee for example, inserts the document to be validated.
The document received in this manner is processed by the validating machine in cooperation with the management system within which the validating machine is installed, and is thus validated.
Considering the enormous number of documents requiring validation in rapid succession such as can practically occur, it is important for the validating machines to be able to minimize the onus of manual operations, and in particular, that their interface with the respective operator is such as to create working and use conditions that are as easy and practical as possible for the latter.
In particular, the Applicant has felt that in the field of validating machines, there is a need for these apparatuses to be constructed in a manner to enable the operator to insert the documents to be validated in very comfortable, rapid and safe conditions, and in particular, providing a good control of the document during the insertion step, in order to minimize the risk of insertion errors that could compromise or simply delay the validation operation.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,204 a printer is known, intended to validate cheques or similar documents, wherein the cheques are inserted manually from above, or simply dropped inside a vertical guide of the said printer.
Upon the insertion or dropping in the vertical guide, the cheque comes to rest along its respective lower edge on a support base facing a print head, and in this position the cheque is printed by the print head, thus receiving a first printed line.
During this step, an interline device, comprising a plurality of rotating rollers arranged on the opposite sides with respect the vertical guide, is immediately activated to press the rollers against the cheque in order to retain it, and to rotate the rollers in such a manner that the cheque is raised with respect to the print head, thus allowing it to be printed with a second line just below the first printed line.
The Applicant noted that although the printer described and shown in this patent has the advantage of having a very compact structure, it has the drawback that the vertical guide is rather deep, at least when compared to the height of the cheque, and thus only a very small part of the cheque still protrudes from the top of the guide once it has been inserted thereinto.
This vertical guide configuration appears, overall, to limit the operator's possibility of maintaining good manual control and a correct grip on the cheque during the step of insertion into the vertical guide, or at least, it appears to force the operator to pay special care and attention to ensure that the manual insertion of the cheque occurs without problems and ends with a correct alignment of the cheque with the bottom of the guide.
Moreover, the walls of this vertical guide, because of the considerable depth, can cause excessive friction on the cheque, and in particular can disturb its dropping motion in the vertical guide, thus causing an incorrect alignment of the cheque on the bottom of the guide.
Printers intended to receive documents to be validated from the top along a vertical guide, in a manner similar to that of the printer in the previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,204, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,620 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,038.
Also, a printer is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,513, for printing data both on a sheet and on a tape from a roll, wherein the sheet is intended to be inserted along a vertical guide of the printer in front of the tape, and a printing unit of the printer is provided for printing data on the sheet during a first step, and during a subsequent second step, after the sheet has been removed from in front of the tape, in order to print the data on the tape itself as well.
Moreover, in the field of validating machines, and more in general, in the field of document or sheet processing apparatuses, devices are known which act to receive and preliminary align the documents or sheets, before proceeding with feeding them towards another processing station or zone, where they are actually processed, e.g. printed or put into an envelope.
A device such as above is for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,699.
In particular, with reference to this field, the Applicant observed that many of these known aligning devices, such as that described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,699, are of a construction that is rather complex and expensive, and in contrast thereto have a rather simplified system to check the correct alignment of the received document or sheet, for this reason, sometimes responsible for errors.

Apparatus for processing sheets inserted vertically, in particular an automatic validating machine for documents, such as cheques


A system for decomposing a waste material in an unlined landfill including a landfill site having at least one waste disposal zone for receiving the waste material. The system also includes a remediation system configured for extracting a mixture of leachate and groundwater from groundwater within or adjacent to the landfill site and feeding the mixture into the at least one waste disposal zone along with air and other nutrients to enhance a rate of decay of the waste material within the at least one waste disposal zone.

Waste management is a challenge faced by all communities globally regardless of their size, location or affluence. Most waste from urban populations throughout the world ends up in landfills. Although landfills or solid waste dumps are a better solution than having waste untreated and spread throughout the community, they still suffer from significant problems. For example, they are unsightly, odorous, and a breeding ground for disease and pests. Furthermore, rotting waste material also produces greenhouse gases such as methane, and toxic leachate that often pollutes surrounding groundwater.
To address these issues, modern landfills are designed with composite bottom liner systems made of plastic and compacted soils to help prevent the downward migration of leachate and other liquids into the groundwater. Moreover, these liner systems include a leachate collection/recovery system which captures the leachate that is produced by the waste. This leachate is pumped from the leachate collection/recovery system into holding tanks or ponds that are used as temporary leachate storage until they can be emptied into transport trucks and hauled away for off-site treatment or sent directly by discharge piping to offsite treatment plants.
While modern landfills provide a needed benefit, generate biogas for use as renewable energy and can store billions of tons of waste for years, there are many non-sustainable factors associated with them, including the long-term production and management of strong leachate, Greenhouse gases, and odors, costly PCC, and public opposition to new locations and/or construction. Moreover, agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognize that landfill liner systems provide no guarantees of protection to human health and the environment (HHE). Although leachate strength can reduce naturally over time, it is uncertain when the liner system might fail and thus release contaminants to the groundwater. Therefore, liner systems may only provide temporary protection to HHE.
Natural processes can decay many of the degradable solid wastes within a modern landfill. Referred to as "natural attenuation" (NA), the rate of this decay is slow, possibly lasting up to 100 years or more after the waste is buried. Under these anaerobic conditions (without air), chemical and biological processes produce high-strength compounds and contaminants, such as high BOD, volatile organic compounds, and persistent compounds such as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) which can become entrained in the leachate. Concentrations of these contaminants can remain above regulatory limits for years. If concentrations remain elevated and there is a consistent exposure or contact with the liner, the integrity of the liner could be compromised and possibly lead to a release to groundwater. Further, there are sites where the strength of the leachate and integrity of the liner systems is unknown due to poor record keeping.
To address these issues, both anaerobic and aerobic landfill bioreactors began to emerge in the 1990's wherein liquids were added to the waste, in part, to help increase organic waste decay. By adding liquids to waste (rather than allowing it to remain in a conventional "dry-tomb" setting), microorganisms in the waste were able to mineralize organic compounds faster and more effectively. While this approach is counter-current to existing EPA regulations, which still require cap landfills to keep liquids out of the waste mass, many of these projects were performed under research permits.
In addition to increased decay rates, adding liquids under anaerobic conditions to the landfill also increased the production of landfill gas. However, "aerobic" bioreactor landfills where air was added to the waste, increased the waste decay rate 20 to 30 times faster than under anaerobic conditions. This was significant. Instead of slow anaerobic decay, aerobic systems proved that landfills can sooner reach "functional stability" (FS)—the point at where the landfill reaches, either naturally or anthropogenically, a condition where future threats and risk from landfills are acceptable. With these data, landfill owners can best decide on whether to allow nature to slowly decay waste via NA or to use a bioreactor as a long-term leachate and landfill management strategy.
Today, models are being developed to assess the efforts needed to reach FS and in terms of their potential impact to leachate, groundwater, landfill gas, and cap settlement. For example, if FS is reached sooner using an aerobic system, perhaps in 20 more years versus 30, it may be possible for the owner to request relief of certain aspects of the post-closure care (PCC) requirement and lower the PCC duration to 20 years, for example. More importantly, should the liner become compromised, as described, the concentration of toxic contaminants will have been reduced (within 36 to 48 months) and thus there hypothetically would be a lesser risk. Last, if the risks are reduced sooner, site redevelopment or reuse could occur sooner as well.
To this end, reaching FS sooner before a liner might fail has become the focus of many of the US's 1,600-plus lined, operating landfill owners. As such, the number of bioreactor projects have grown, mostly operating within lined sites with leachate collection/recovery system systems. However, as the nation has over 50,000 unlined lined sites, many of which currently are or are threats to groundwater, the present system was developed not only to obtain the same benefits observed in aerobic landfills operated in lined landfills but, more important than producing landfill gas, the preferred embodiment of the present system is to reduce risk to HHE by achieving FS in an accelerated manner at unlined and/or leaking sites, especially where recovery of leachate is more difficult. Moreover, as lined sites may leak, an embodiment of the present system is appropriate for this subset category. In either case, performing aerobic landfill bioreactors using recovered groundwater mixed with leachate will not only help protect HHE priority sites, but also lower long-term risks and landfill post-closure care (PCC) efforts, and improve groundwater quality at hundreds of unlined sites.
As mentioned, many of the bioreactor projects performed in the US were permitted as research projects. Further, they were conducted primarily in lined landfills (RCRA Subtitle D). While there is no direct evidence, there are concerns that a bioreactor demonstration or operation which injected liquids into an unlined or leaking landfill would increase the potential to impact groundwater quality, due to flushing liquids into the surrounding soils and groundwater.
However, since the 1980's there have been numerous below-grade remediation projects conducted which use similar or the same configurations of wells, blowers, and pumps as aerobic bioreactors. They are used to remediate both impacted soils and groundwater, and in some cases, dozens of feet below the ground into both soils and groundwater, over large areas. Depending on their application, the remediation industry uses these "airsparging", "biosparging," or "bioventing" systems to inject and/or extract air, liquids, nutrients, and other compounds, and do so directly into soils and groundwater, either under anaerobic or aerobic conditions and without a protective liner. In these cases, such systems are designed to stimulate or augment, while in-situ, indigenous bacteria in degrading the toxic liquid- and vapor-phase chemicals and/or compounds that are present in both soils and groundwater. These compounds included a multitude of petroleum compounds, VOCs, BOD, COD, and some chlorinated compounds. Through treatment treated, more benign by-products remain.
As seen in many airsparging, biosparging and bioventing systems, various nutrients and oxidizers, including air, are used to mineralize or decay these compounds into less toxic forms, as does the present system. Therefore, bioreactors in unlined or leaking, lined landfills should be readily permitted for should groundwater be present either inside or outside the landfill boundary or occur within the unlined or leaking landfill, the present system will lower the concentrations in the waste, and thus in the leachate and groundwater, as observed and allowed in airsparging, biosparging and bioventing systems. Instead of a leachate collection system, the down-gradient wells will collect the impacted groundwater and reduce the potential for offsite contaminant migration as also observed and allowed for airsparging, biosparging and bioventing systems. Regarding the potential to increase risks or difficultly in managing the liquids, it should evident to those experienced in this art that the levels of contaminants present in the injected liquids will be no more toxic (since it treated) than what is already present in the groundwater. Therefore, using the bioreactor and down-gradient wells, no net increase in concentration or offsite migration of contaminants would be expected.
Also, large volumes of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, mostly from human waste flushed down the toilet, are exiting municipal wastewater treatment plants intact and, by some estimates, contaminating almost 25% of the world's rivers and lakes. About 10,000 drugs are on the market in Western countries. Many have been detected in the environment in concentrations ranging from nanograms to micrograms per liter. All are biologically active by design; many are bioaccumulative and persistent. An embodiment of the system is also applicable in the management of these persistent compounds as well compounds such as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which are found in many disposed Teflon and non-stick products. These compounds are recovered and treated ex-situ, if possible. An embodiment of the system is to re-inject these recovered compounds that have been mixed with groundwater as part of the bioreactor process. While biological treatment may not occur, as per organic compounds, these persistent compounds, pharmaceuticals and metabolites, are nevertheless contained or "sequestered," at the landfill instead of being sent offsite for disposal at municipal wastewater treatment plants where treatment might be ineffective and thus a future source of release to the environment. As each cycle of liquid injection is followed by recovery, another embodiment of the system is to conduct research on the effects of aerobic bioreactor on some of these persistent compounds.
In both developing and undeveloped nations, the legacy of past dumping practices remains largely un-addressed. In particular, the issue of groundwater contamination in areas surrounding landfill sites has been largely ignored or inadequately dealt with in the past. Such contamination of groundwater necessarily creates undesirable risks to human health and the local environment. Further, the need for workable landfill space is critical.
Some landfills (although contaminated) are located on properties having a potentially high intrinsic value, such as older industrial sites which are being encroached upon through rapid urbanization, provided the risk can be reduced. Thus, it may be desirable to reach FS sooner in order to leverage subsequent development into commercial or residential property. If the waste needs to be mined or excavated, the system will have removed such worker hazards beforehand. After mining, new landfills could be built and lined in the older, unlined excavations. Following the refilling of the cell with waste, the bioreactor system is applied again, yet over a liner. Such embodiments not only address urbanization opportunities and impacts to groundwater, but set the stage for sustainable landfilling (repeated use of the landfill cell and footprint)
It is an object of the present system to overcome or substantially ameliorate the deficiencies of the prior systems, or at least to provide a useful alternative. Specifically, a need exists to assist landfills in reaching "functional stability," i.e., the point at where the landfill waste is degraded, either naturally or anthropogenically, to a condition where future threats and risk from landfills, e.g. the presence of toxic compounds and contaminants, are acceptable; reach FS faster than natural, conventional systems do, and remediate local soils and groundwater.

System and method for accelerated waste decomposition in an unsecured landfill


Disclosed is an information processing system having a print preview function for displaying a preview of the printed state of a document before the document is printed. If a double-sided printing function has been set by a user interface for setting various print functions for a document, a preview of front and back pages is displayed with the spacing between the front and back pages narrowed or the display positions thereof made different from each other in such a manner that pairs of front and back pages may be recognized at a glance.

When types of data differ, as when dealing with characters, tables and images, the structures that define the data and the operation for editing the data also differ. For this reason, various application programs that conform to particular types of data are available. The user employs these application programs selectively depending upon the type of data to be edited. For example, the user employs a word processing program to edit text, a spreadsheet program to edit tables and an image editing program to edit images.
Thus, the general practice is for the user to choose an application program for each type of data to be edited. Usually, however, a document to be created by the user is more likely to be composed of various types of data, such as text and tables or text and images, than of only a single type of data, such as text only, tables only or images only. Accordingly, in order to create a target document that contains data of a plurality of types, the user is required to print out the data on an application-by-application basis utilizing the print function with which each application is equipped, and then combine the printouts in a desired order.
Alternatively, a program referred to as a so-called "office suite" that forms a single, integrated application by various applications is provided with a function through which a single document is constructed by combining data generated by each of the various applications. When such an integrated application is used, the user is capable of gathering data created in each of the applications into a single target document by a specific application included in the integrated application.
Further, a print preview function is well known in the art. When data that is a document or image that has been edited by an application program for editing documents or images is to be printed, the print preview function displays the image to be printed on a display screen in the print layout so that the user may preview the image before it is actually printed on paper. The print preview function is provided in the application program and is a function solely for displaying a preview image.
By utilizing the print preview function to check an image that will be printed, the user can re-edit the image by the application program until the ideal layout is achieved.
However, in a case where the user creates a single target document by combining printouts using various applications, the user, in order to, say, assign a page number to each page, is required to first print out all of the necessary data, assemble the printouts as a document and then decide the page number to be assigned. The page numbers decided are then written in by each application for every page of the manuscript created by the application (the page is referred to as a "logical page" or "manuscript page"). Even if an application program has a function for assigning page numbers, any discontinuous portions that may exist will still require that the user designate the page numbers for these portions. Further, if pages of a target document are rearranged, then the page numbers of these pages must be reassigned accordingly. Alternatively, even in a case where the format of a document is simply altered but the content of data is not changed, as when a plurality of manuscript pages are collected together on one page (referred to as a "physical page" or "printed page") serving as a printout or a change is made from single-sided printing to double-sided printing, re-editing or re-printing by the application is required.
Thus, because the applications that are capable of managing data differ for each type of data, the user must supply his/her own manpower to interface the applications. This requires a great amount of labor on the part of the user and invites a decline in productivity. Furthermore, too much human intervention tends to produce errors.
On the other hand, in a case where a target document is created utilizing the aforementioned integrated application, various data can be laid out while still in the form of data without being printed out. As a result, less labor is required in comparison with the case where the target document is created by combining printouts. However, applications for editing and creating various data that are capable of being included in an integrated application are limited, and the user may not always be capable of using the application desired. In addition, a target document that has been created by an integrated application is a single document file, and management such as editing and output is carried out on a file-by-file basis. Even if it is attempted to set a format with regard to part of a document file, therefore, limitations imposed by the functions of the application are many, and altering format setting with regard to a portion whose format is to be changed necessitates re-printing. This is no different from the above-described method in that considerable labor is required and productivity suffers.
Furthermore, the print preview function possessed by conventional applications cannot display an image that reflects various types of printing setups, such as double-sided printing or bookbinding printing, as a preview image. Further, with recent printer drivers, consideration has been given to the provision of a print preview function that takes into account print settings that have been configured via the GUI of the printer driver. However, even if double-sided printing has been specified by the print settings, the front and back sides are displayed in order on the same plane and it is difficult for the user to distinguish which are the front and back sides. In addition, space may be wasted, depending upon the display area.

Information processing system and display method


Copper diffusion barrier films having a boron-doped silicon carbide layer with at least 25% boron by atomic weight of the layer composition have advantages for semiconductor device integration schemes. The films have an integration worthy etch selectivity to carbon doped oxide of at least 10 to 1, can adhere to copper with an adhesion energy of at least 20 J/m2, and can maintain an effective dielectric constant of less than 4.5 in the presence of atmospheric moisture. The films are suitable for use in a wide range of VLSI and ULSI structures and devices.

This invention relates to copper diffusion barrier film layers with advantageous physical and electrical properties for use in various applications, in particular as barrier films having high etch selectivity, good copper adherence and low dielectric constant for a wide range of VLSI and ULSI structures and devices.
As the features of microelectronic integrated circuits devices are reduced to smaller sizes, the electrical properties of the materials that constitute the devices will require change and improvement. One material that must be improved is the electrical insulator ("dielectric") used between the wires, metal lines, and other elements of the circuit. Without improvement in the insulator material, there will be increased problems due to capacitive effects such as coupling (crosstalk) and propagation delay. The speed at which future circuits will operate will be limited by RC delay in the interconnect.
These difficulties can be mitigated by preparing the circuit using an inter-layer dielectric ("ILD"), for example an inter-metal dielectric ("IMD"), having a dielectric constant that is as low as possible. The integration of Cu metal and IMD with a low dielectric constant continues to challenge the integrated circuit industry as device size and wiring dimensions are scaled down. Low dielectric constant (k) ("low-k"), insulators, with k significantly lower than that of presently used SiO2 (3.9), are needed for reducing capacitive coupling and improving switching performance of future ULSI circuits. In this regard, the effective dielectric constant (keff) encountered by the signal in the interconnect structure is the most important parameter.
Cu/IMD integration schemes typically involve the incorporation of other materials along with the bulk inter-metal dielectric material, forming a stack. These other materials may include copper diffusion barrier, copper capping layer and hardmask (e.g., CMP and etch stop) materials needed to prevent copper poisoning of the bulk low-k dielectric, to protect the relatively soft low-k dielectric, and to facilitate the Damascene processing used in the device fabrication. These materials have a substantial impact on the effective k and overall performance of the IMD stack. Thus, the IMD must meet the dual challenges of minimizing the effective k of the stack while providing material selectivity with the use of reduced k etch stop, barrier and capping materials in a robust structure.
Silicon nitride (SiN) provides a film having satisfactory properties as a copper diffusion barrier, but its dielectric constant is relatively high. A recently developed PECVD SiC dielectric barrier is a promising candidate to replace SiN in many copper barrier applications because of its relatively low dielectric constant (k<4.5). However, existing PECVD SiC technology has shown limitations in achieving dielectric constants lower than 4.5 while continuing to maintain other integration requirements relating to line to line leakage, via poisoning, etch selectivity, Cu hillock formation and atmospheric moisture uptake. Improved materials and processing are required.

Boron-doped SIC copper diffusion barrier films


A data communication system has a combiner circuit that combines a set of information symbols with error correction codes and that generates a set of product codes that are at least three dimensional. A communication channel receives the set of product codes and provides the set of product codes with errors after a channel delay. A channel detector receives the set of product codes with the errors and generates a channel detector output. An error correction circuit receives the channel detector output and iteratively removes the errors to provide a set of reproduced information symbols with a reduced number of the errors.

With the increasing demand for high data rate communications systems, there is an need for improved error detection and correction. In this area of technology, iterative error-correction codes (ECC) such as convolutional turbo codes (CTC), low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, and turbo product codes (TPC) are being considered for various communication applications. The main advantage of these types of codes is that they enable very low bit-error rates (BER) for storage devices or communication links at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). However, as density and speed increases, higher error rates are encountered that are difficult to lower in real time using these techniques.
Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these and other problems, and offer other advantages over the prior art.

Data communication system with multi-dimensional error-correction product codes


Provided is a method of controlling multiple beams directed to a structure in a workpiece, the method comprising generating a first illumination beam with a first light source and a second illumination beam with a second light source, projecting the first and second illumination beams onto a separate illumination secondary mirror, reflecting the first and second illumination beams onto an illumination primary mirror, the reflected first and second illumination beams projected onto the structure at a first and second angle of incidence respectively, the reflected first and second illumination beams generating a first and second detection beams respectively. The separate illumination secondary mirror is positioned relative to the illumination primary mirror so as make the first angle of incidence substantially the same or close to a calculated optimum first angle of incidence and make the second angle of incidence substantially the same or close to a calculated optimum second angle of incidence. The first and second detection beams are diffracted off the structure at the corresponding angle of incidence to a detection primary mirror, reflected onto a separate secondary detection mirror and other optical components on the detection path, and onto spectroscopic detectors.

1. Field of Invention
The present application generally relates to the design of an optical metrology tool to measure a structure formed on a workpiece, and, more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for controlling angles of incidence (AOI) of multiple illumination beams in an objective lens assembly and a method of optimizing optical metrology measurement sensitivity.
2. Related Art
Optical metrology involves directing an incident beam at a structure on a workpiece, measuring the resulting diffraction signal, and analyzing the measured diffraction signal to determine various characteristics of the structure. The workpiece can be a wafer, a substrate, photomask or a magnetic medium. In manufacturing of the workpieces, periodic gratings are typically used for quality assurance. For example, one typical use of periodic gratings includes fabricating a periodic grating in proximity to the operating structure of a semiconductor chip. The periodic grating is then illuminated with an electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation that deflects off of the periodic grating are collected as a diffraction signal. The diffraction signal is then analyzed to determine whether the periodic grating, and by extension whether the operating structure of the semiconductor chip, has been fabricated according to specifications.
In one conventional system, the diffraction signal collected from illuminating the periodic grating (the measured diffraction signal) is compared to a library of simulated diffraction signals. Each simulated diffraction signal in the library is associated with a hypothetical profile. When a best match is made between the measured diffraction signal and one of the simulated diffraction signals in the library, the hypothetical profile associated with the simulated diffraction signal is presumed to represent the actual profile of the periodic grating. The hypothetical profiles, which are used to generate the simulated diffraction signals, are generated based on a profile model that characterizes the structure to be examined. Thus, in order to accurately determine the profile of the structure using optical metrology a profile model that accurately characterizes the structure should be used.
With increased requirement for increasing the measurement accuracy and sensitivity, throughput, decreasing size of the test structures, smaller spot sizes, and lower cost of ownership, there is greater need to optimize design of optical metrology systems to meet several design goals. Characteristics of the optical metrology system including throughput, range of measurement capabilities, accuracy and repeatability of diffraction signal measurements are essential to meeting the increased requirement for measurement sensitivity, smaller spot size and lower cost of ownership of the optical metrology system. Selection of number of illumination beams, light sources, angle of incidence, and optimization of other optical design parameters, such as wavelength range contribute to the above objectives.

Controlling angle of incidence of multiple-beam optical metrology tools


This invention relates to radiation curable ink compositions comprising one or more mono-functional monomers, optionally one or more oligomers, one or more antioxidants capable to react with peroxy radicals to generate radicals to propagate polymerization, and one or more photoinitiators comprising at least an acylphosphine oxide, wherein the ratio of the antioxidants to acylphpsphine is 1:1 to 1:20 by weight. The ink composition provides tack-free surface cure without requiring nitrogen or other inert gas during curing.

In inkjet printing, oxygen inhibition occurs during the curing step; if there is oxygen present at the surface, the oxygen can penetrate into the surface and interfere with the radical polymerization, leaving unreacted monomers and oligomers at the surface. This is the tack that some people feel as they rub a finger across the surface, and may get traces of wet residue on their gloved hand, which is undesirable.
One practice for formulating UV curable inks for inkjet printers is to use photoinitiators with a free radical initiation wavelength range of 250-350 nm in order to overcome oxygen inhibition on the surface of ink films and to achieve good surface curing.
Ultra-violet light-emitting-diode (UV LED) technology offers a number of advantages compared with traditional mercury arc lamps in the curable ink printing environment. However, most cost effective UV LED lamps with adequate power for UV inkjet printing systems are in the range of 375-405 nm in wavelength. Currently, UV LED curing lamp systems lack wavelengths in the range of 250-350 nm and thus do not have the ability to initiate reaction by photoinitiators that require 250-350 nm for photoinitiation. Therefore, UV curable inkjet inks cured with UV LED lamps have poor surface curing due to oxygen inhibition. A current UV LED curable inkjet ink system suffers poor surface cure unless inert gas is used to displace oxygen prior to curing.
Several methods are used to obtain good surface cure for a UV LED lamp with wavelengths of 375-405 nm. Nitrogen inerting or blanketing on the printing areas is an effective way to achieve good surface curing by mitigating oxygen inhibition. However, such approach requires costly and bulky nitrogen generators as well as compressed air, which increases printer cost and adds cost to customers in terms of compressor capacity.
Inkjet inks have very low viscosity, which makes them susceptible to oxygen inhibition due to oxygen diffusion. Thus, one common practice in UV LED ink formulations is to use the combination of multifunctional monomers and additives, such as amine, thiol, ether, etc., to improve the surface curing. Increasing the amount of multi-functional monomers or oligomers can promote crosslinking to reduce the surface tack. However, this approach results in a hard and brittle ink film, which is not suitable for many applications that require flexible ink film. Increasing photoinitiator concentration or LED lamp power have also been used to reduce the surface tack.
The current available technology cannot completely overcome oxygen inhibition and cannot achieve tack-free surface curing, without nitrogen blanketing.
There is a need for a radiation curable ink composition that provides flexible ink film and achieves tack-free surface cure without a need of nitrogen blanketing or expensive LED lamps.


An assistive dining device for automatic switch-operated self-feeding has a concave food receptacle having a predetermined depth below an upwardly projecting lip. A rod having an end rotatable about an axis and linearly moveable along the axis is positioned, substantially parallel to and above the upward projecting food receptacle lip. A feeding utensil having a food collection face, is affixed to the end of the rod for rotation and linear movement therewith, which utensil is angularly disposed from the axis of the rod such that food collection face is substantially horizontal downward in a first rotary position and substantially horizontal upward in a second rotary position rotated approximately one-half of a revolution about the axis of the rod, so that the radius of the arc defined by the distal end of the utensil during rotation corresponds to the predetermined depth of the receptacle. A motor is operatively associated with the rod and utensil for rotating the utensil from the first rotary position to the second to collect food from the receptacle onto the utensil and also for rotating the utensil from the second rotary position to the first position. A motor is also operatively associated with the rod for linearly moving the rod and utensil when in its second rotary position from a retracted linear position to an outward position past the lip of the receptacle for presenting the food on the utensil for consumption by the user and for returning the utensil to the retracted position.

There has long been a need for self-feeding apparatuses for use by individuals having physical limitations or disabilities, but who are otherwise perfectly capable of selecting and orally consuming desired foods. Without such devices, individuals must rely on nurses, guardians or other caretaker assistants through the entire course of a meal.
The self-feeding devices previously known have not been entirely satisfactory. Some devices require the user to be fitted with a headband and a scraping utensil to push food into a spoon, a chute, or a mouthpiece with head and neck motions activating the scraper attached to the headband. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,734,306; 4,398,857; and 4,364,699. These devices have various drawbacks, especially where the control of head and neck motion of the user may be restricted or otherwise not capable of the type of fine motor coordination required to scrape food from a larger receptacle to a smaller dispensing utensil. Similar drawbacks are associated with feeding devices as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,885,681 and 4,218,167, which require the user to exert sufficient head and neck control to operate the spoon, fork or other eating appliance with the handle in the user's mouth, placing the utensil in a stationary position and releasing the handle or control mechanism to consume the food previously placed on the utensil.
One feeding device, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,868 applies measured quantities of food from selectable receptacles by means of pressurizing the receptacles. Essentially, this device provides premeasured slugs of semifluid foodstuffs into a linearly reciprocating spoon for presentation to the user for consumption. Such a device is not well-suited for many normal types of food, such as chopped vegetables, meat and the like, which are not pureed to a liquid form. Further, the pressurized receptacles can obscure the view of the food from the user, making personal selection of the type of food difficult and unappetizing.
Another self-service apparatus for serving food and drinks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,613, in which a horizontal carousel rotating about a vertical axis is rotatable in predetermined steps about a horizontal axis so that solid foods can be pushed radially toward the user through an opening in the carousel on individual serving trays. This device requires independent loading of each serving tray with small portions of food or drink to be presented to the user.
Another self-serving feeding apparatus, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,950, provides a spoon carried by a pivot arm which is permitted to fall by gravity about its pivot point to lower it across a plate, which plate turns incrementally toward the spoon, thereby filling the spoon. Subsequently, the spoon is lifted above the plate for consumption. The plate can be selectably positioned to scoop different varieties variously placed at differing locations on the plate, thereby allowing the user to select the food desired. This device has drawbacks in that controlling the dropping of the spoon onto the plate at the desired position is difficult, the foods become mixed together as the plate is turned and the presentation of the spoon upwardly over the plate in many instances does not allow the user adequate clearance to access the spoon for consumption.
Another device for feeding physically-impaired persons, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,543, includes a spoon supported for orbital and rectilinear movement in a predetermined path with one or more receptacles being moveable into the path of movement of the moving spoon. This device requires a large mechanism to accomplish the appropriate orbital and rectilinear motion. It has a further drawback, that it does not permit the spoon to be emptied of its content between feeding cycles, such that if the food from one receptacle is initially selected and then rejected, the quantity remaining on the spoon cannot be removed by the user without eating it or mixing it with food in other receptacles.
Thus, the previously known self-feeding devices are generally cumbersome, bulky, awkward or otherwise at variance from the style of eating generally adopted by individuals without physical disabilities. Users of such devices are often embarrassed by the awkwardness and obvious differences in the style of eating which they must endure.

Assistive dining device, system and method

Association for Retarded Citizens of the U.S.


In a single device for controlling electro-injectors and electrovalves in an internal-combustion engine, a first control circuit for each electro-injector, a second control circuit for each electrovalve, and a timing circuit, supplying timing signals to the first and second control circuits. In the second control circuit, switches selectively connect the respective electrovalve to a first voltage source in certain given operating conditions, and to a boosted voltage source, constituted by a capacitor for accumulation of energy, in certain other given operating conditions. In this way, part of the electrical energy accumulated in the electrovalve during its normal actuation is transferred to the capacitor, thus causing the latter to be recharged.

For control of electro-injectors it is known to supply each of them with a current, whose time plot comprises a rise portion increasing up to a first hold value, an amplitude oscillating portion about the first hold value, a fall portion decreasing down to a second hold value, an amplitude oscillating portion about the second hold value, and a fall portion down to an approximately zero value.
For control of electrovalves, for example electrovalves for controlling intake and exhaust valves, it is known to supply each of them with a current, whose time plot comprises a rise portion increasing up to a first hold value, an amplitude oscillating portion about the first hold value, a rise portion increasing up to a second hold value, an amplitude oscillating portion about the second hold value, a fall portion decreasing down to a third hold value, an amplitude oscillating portion about the third hold value, and finally a fall portion decreasing down to an approximately zero value.
Driving of the electrovalves is obtained via a control device comprising, for each electrovalve, a pair of controlled switches, which are arranged in series to the electrovalve, one of which connects the electrovalve to a supply line and the other connects the electrovalve to a ground line; and a free-wheeling diode connected between one of the terminals of the electrovalve and the ground line.
During the decrease of the current from the third hold value to a substantially zero value, both of the controlled switches are simultaneously open and the current circulating in the electrovalve is discharged towards the ground line, through the free-wheeling diode and the controlled switch connected to the ground line. The latter operates in the breakdown region, and dissipated thereon by the avalanche effect is the energy stored in the electrovalve, which is equal to:
  E  =            1      2        ·          L      ev        ·          I      ev_h      2      where Iev—h is the initial value of the current circulating in the electrovalve, equal to the value reached in the previous step, and Lev is the equivalent inductance of the electrovalve.
By substituting typical numerical values, it is possible to verify immediately that the energy dissipated on the controlled switch is equal to approximately 10 mJ, a value such as to cause a considerable overheating of the controlled switch.
Given that the controlled switches are normally MOSFET transistors, it is thus necessary to use transistors having packages of sufficiently large dimensions as to be able to dissipate the high energy values involved.
Considering a four-cylinder engine, of which at least the two intake valves of each cylinder are controlled, and operating at 3500 r.p.m. with a dual actuation of the electrovalves for each engine rev, a dissipation of power equal to approximately 4.7 W is obtained on the basis of the previously calculated value, only due to the avalanche effect in the controlled switches. To said value the power dissipated by conduction during actuation of the electrovalves is then to be summed.
Driving of the electro-injectors is obtained via a control device having a circuit architecture similar to the one used for driving the electrovalves, so that the integration in the same engine control unit of both of the devices for controlling the electrovalves and the electro-injectors leads to considerable problems linked principally to the dissipation of the high powers involved and to the integration in reduced dimensions of all the electronic components.
Currently, the problems linked to the high dissipation of power in the engine control unit are overcome by resorting to costly technologies, which envisage, among other things, the use of ceramic substrates or hybrid circuits.
The purpose of the present invention is thus to provide a single device for controlling electro-injectors and electrovalves that will enable the above drawbacks to be overcome.
According to the present invention, a single device for controlling electro-injectors and electrovalves, and a method of operating the same are consequently provided, as defined in claims 1 and 11, respectively.

Single device for controlling fuel electro-injectors and electrovalves in an internal-combustion engine, and method of operating the same