A fluid management device comprising an air filler assembly comprising a filter, a body, a mouthpiece and a flap valve, and a fluid deflector situated between the filter and the mouthpiece. The body comprises condensation collection guide channels located on an inside surface of the body behind the fluid deflector that direct condensation and saliva into a collection basin located behind the fluid deflector at a base of the fluid deflector. The first end of the flap valve is attached to the body, and the second end of the flap valve is situated directly beneath the collection basin. When the flap valve is in an open position, fluids collected in the collection basin escape from the device by dripping out of it.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of air filters, and more specifically, to a portable and lightweight fluid (air and liquid) management device that can be worn by athletes while exercising and without restricting performance. This device serves the dual function of filtering the air and expelling moisture (saliva) from the device to increase the longevity and functionality of the filter. Although specifically designed for athletes, the device can be worn by any individuals who live or work in geographic areas where the air quality is poor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Athletes often exercise in urban environments where air quality is poor. When exercising, these athletes may inhale air contaminated by vehicle, industrial and urban exhaust. An exercising body typically takes in up to thirty (30) times more air than one at rest. In situations involving athletic exertion in areas of poor air quality, the inhalation of undesirable substances may counteract any health benefits derived by the act of exercising. Furthermore, most people generate some amount of saliva during exercise. The present invention is specifically designed to ensure that the air filter remains dry by collecting and expelling ah moisture from the device.
Although, designed specifically for use by athletes, the present invention is not limited to use by such persons. In fact, many residents of urban areas wear dust masks to reduce the amount of contaminants inhaled. The present invention may be used by both athletes and non-athletes who live or work in areas with poor air quality.
The prior art includes various examples of air filters and air filtration systems, but none of these devices is designed specifically to fit into the mouth of an athlete while exercising and to collect and dispel saliva generated by the athlete during exercise. As is evident from the following discussion of the prior art, the devices already in existence are, for the most part, air intake management systems. The present invention is a significant improvement to these devices because it keeps the filter dry by collecting and expelling all moisture from the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,270 (Dolby, 1978) discloses a smoke mask comprising a mouthpiece, a face shield that covers the wearer's nose and eyes, and a replaceable air filtration cartridge system attached to the face shield. This apparatus could not be worn by an athlete while exercising because it covers the eyes, nose and mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,364 (Speshyock, 1980) provides a respiratory control system comprising a mouthpiece with a centrally located filtering cartridge and valve means for controlling the flow of air past the filtering material upon inhalation and out a separate corridor on exhalation. This particular device does not incorporate any system for managing saliva.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,385 (Futrello, 1998) describes an exercise filter that is worn in the mouth. The exercise filter comprises two filters and two one-way valves. This device does not incorporate any system for managing saliva.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,060 (Nicholson) discloses a personal air filtration device, held in the mouth, that is comprised of a cylindrical exhalation tube with a filter media housing that is arranged concentrically around the periphery of the exhalation tube. This device does not incorporate any system for managing saliva.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,397,726 (Evensson, 2013) provides a breathing protective device, also held in the mouth, that is comprised of a tubular elongated filter housing and a mouthpiece with an air canal. The filter is arranged to separate a first space from a second space, and the air canal is arranged to enable the supply of inhalation air from the first space (via the filter) and the escape of exhalation air from the second space. Like the other prior art devices referenced above, this device does not incorporate any system for managing saliva.
U.S. Pat. No. D569,499 (McCullough, 2008) and D325,780 (Policappelli, 1992) are design patents for a cough silencer and a combined respirator mouthpiece and filter, respectively. Neither of these designs is structurally similar to the present invention.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2004/0007234 (Duxbury) and 2006/0081249 (Duxbury) both describe a personal respirator, supported in the mouth, comprised of a hollow connector with an air filtration end and an air mouthpiece end and an air-permeable filter that seals the first air filtration end. The air mouthpiece end forms an airtight seal when held anterior to the teeth between the lips of the wearer. This device does not incorporate a saliva management system.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2006/0137689 (Evensson) discloses a breathing protective device comprised of a mouthpiece and a filter house with a filter house chamber and a first wall section with a number of through holes. A filter is located inside of the first wall section of the filter house chamber. The filter house is elongated and extends longitudinally. This device does not incorporate a saliva management system.

Fluid management device for exercising athletes


A device for subjecting a spatial area to acoustic oscillation in the ultrasound range or the ultrasound near range, the device provided with a housing having a plurality of irradiation surfaces wherein cylindrical cavities are formed as resonator spaces. The housing has a cylindrical inner space and is penetrated by a rotationally fixed vertical axis divided into two. The first part of the shaft is formed by an outer bearing flange and an inner bearing flange with distancing bolts screwed thereinbetween, and an electrical motor and a reduction gear arranged between the two bearing flanges. The second part of the shaft is formed by a pot-shaped sleeve to which a collector ring is fixed, a current collector lying on the collector ring in a sliding manner and connected to the rotating housing. Lines lead from the current collector through a borehole into the resonator space.

The use of ultrasonic waves for driving away small rodents, such as rats and mice is already known from CH-A 440 821. Here, the sensitive region is still specified to be very wide, namely between 15 and 100 kHz. Over the years, investigations have increasingly been carried out and in particular work has also been carried out by means of sound vibrations in the ultrasonic or in the near-ultrasonic range in order to thereby drive away birds or keep the same away from a space. According to the document DE-A-2708298 one was in this case of the opinion that a plurality of resonators which operate in various resonant frequencies would be necessary in a device to this end, wherein one has overlaid and modulated these signals. In particular, one was convinced that a habituation effect can hereby be prevented. In this device for shying away birds, the at least two sound resonators were arranged above one another in the same radiation direction in a so-called revolving tower, so that a space around the revolving tower should be reachable by means of emission which is as flat as possible and with a sphere of action which is as large as possible. Such devices have been used in particular in agriculture. The sphere of action is on the one hand determined by the sound intensity, but environmental conditions also further influence this sphere of action. These particularly include the geographic structure, planting in the region exposed to sound and also in particular the air movements present.
The high outlay in terms of device technology is only worthwhile however in the case of a bird population which is not characterised by constant alternation of large and small species. The latter necessitates a high outlay in terms of control and sweeping over relatively large frequency ranges, so that "pauses" are created, in which the bird species not affected in each case can settle.
In a later application, the same applicant has stated their earlier considerations and investigations more precisely. Here, they have determined that practically all birds react to frequencies in the range between 20 and 26 kHz. Added to this is the fact that they have determined that the modulation of the sound vibrations acts on the plumage of the bird. Today, one assumes that the perception of the low-frequency vibrations by means of the plumage is a warning system for the birds with respect to a possible attack from the air. The high-frequency sound vibrations lead to vibrations of the skull bone, so that a bird which penetrates a space exposed to sound in such a manner immediately reacts to this in flight and turns around. Practically all devices present on the market today for driving away birds operate in accordance with these principles.
Furthermore, EP-B-0037109 discloses an apparatus for driving away birds and small rodents by exposing at least one space to a first sound vibration, wherein this first sound vibration is modulated with at least one second, low frequency sound vibration, wherein the apparatus comprises a resonator for emitting the sound vibrations, which is rotatably mounted and driven about two shafts which are arranged at an angle with respect to one another. The low frequency component in particular should be perceived via the plumage as disturbing.
Preferably, the space to be exposed to sound should be passed over by the rotating apparatus in as gapless a manner as possible. At or on buildings, the space which can be passed over thereby is structurally limited however.
Since the 70s, these devices have been used much more in cities for building protection, so that the façades of buildings remain spared from bird droppings. Building façades often have a decidedly complex structure and the covering exposure of such a façade to sound is relatively complex. In order to protect such a façade such as for example of historic buildings, such as churches, train stations, castles, etc., a multiplicity of such devices is required. A purely flat emission, as was also possible with the devices according to DE-A-2708298, could in this case no longer be sufficient. Accordingly, one has built this device in accordance with the here interesting closest prior art of EP-0 037 109. Here, a single resonator on the one hand was rotated about a horizontal shaft, which one holds securely in a fork-shaped holder, whilst the fork-shaped holder itself rotates about a vertical shaft. These devices have now been in use for more than years and the maintenance thereof is relatively unproblematic, but just the drive belt has to be replaced from time to time and the devices have to be cleaned and lubricated. Depending on the installation location, one today assumes a maintenance period of approximately 3 to 5 years.
In addition to the complex façade structures, a further problem is the necessary energy supply to the installation locations of the devices. Particularly at historical buildings, one is consequently motivated to place such devices as little as possible and in as unobtrusive a manner as possible, in order to not influence the external appearance and to have a wiring outlay which is as low as possible. Thanks to the resonator, which is rotated about an x-axis on the one hand and about a y-axis on the other hand, a space in front of a façade can now be comprehensively protected. As a result, even the approach of the birds is prevented. It is however problematic that the rotation itself should not have too high a speed about the horizontal axis nor about the vertical axis, as otherwise the sound pattern is too strongly disturbed and loses its effect. In other words, one has determined that at higher rotational speed, although the spatial sound coverage is improved in that barely any birds penetrate the space exposed to sound any more, at the same time the sphere of action has as a result been reduced in size. Due to the increased rotational speed, although it has consequently been prevented that birds settle on a façade protected in such a manner even only for a short time or even also only come within a close area, on the other hand more remote areas were barely still effectively protected. Accordingly, it was necessary to increase the density of the devices on the façade, this has however led to increased costs, to aesthetic problems on listed façades and the higher rotational speed has additionally substantially shortened the maintenance interval. The faster rotating devices must in part be maintained again after one to two years.

Device for driving away birds by means of acoustic oscillation


A method of producing a multidimensional image having a special effect. A lenticular lens is provided having a plurality of equally spaced, parallel lenticular lines and a substantially planar back surface. A plurality of planar images are created, ordered, and interlaced into a desired sequence. The interlaced images are printed and arranged in a desired manner in relation to the lenticular lens. A special effect coating is then applied to a desired portion of the interlaced images to create a desired visual effect.

The present invention relates generally to multidimensional imaging using lenticular lenses, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for producing a multidimensional image having a special effect such as a "glow in the dark" feature, reflective qualities, fluorescent imaging, responsiveness to ultraviolet light, or similar special effect qualities.
Lithography is an old, well-known and well-practiced art. In its first life, lithographs were created by drawing on the surface of a limestone slab with an oily wash or greasy crayon. The surface was then washed with an acid such that the marked areas of the surfaces rejected water but retained ink. The stone was then set within a press and when brought in contact with paper, it printed the paper with the inked image. Within fifty years of its first development, metal plates began to replace the limestone slabs. Today, rotary presses have replaced flatbed presses, paper and plastic plates are in use, and the use of color inks commonplace.
As lithography grew in sophistication, so did its varied uses. Originally a technique of printing, with time it grew into a popular medium for artists. Where the first images were created by hand, today the images can be created by one or more of a wide variety of techniques, e.g., photographic, chemical etching, computer-controlled optical scanning and engraving, digital at, and the like. Modern day lithographs are ubiquitous in the print and advertising industries, as well as many others.
Historically lithographs were two dimensional creations like any other picture or photograph. Perception of depth was dependent upon the content of the picture itself. However as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,995 to Quadracci, et al., three dimensionality can be imparted to an image by first creating the image with a special stereoscopic camera and then overlaying the image with a lenticular lens sheet. Both the stereoscopic cameras and lenticular lens sheets are known in the art and are commercially available.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,223 to Sandor, et al. teaches a method of preparing three dimensional lithographs through the use and manipulation of computer images. In this technique, the images are interleaved into a predetermined number of planar images, and then printed with a high-resolution output imaging device on a spacer, and a selected edge of each interleaved image is aligned with a predetermined direction of the spacer.
Conventional imaging techniques such as lithography and screen printing have provided simple special effects such as reflective or transmission presentations. However, such special effects heretofore have not been available in connection with multidimensional images on lenticular lenses because of the complex nature of multidimensional imaging techniques and the process of arranging the multidimensional images on the lenticular lenses. Moreover, special effects have not been applied to desired portions of interlaced images to create an effect that changes depending on the viewpoint of the viewer.

Lenticular lens with multidimensional display having special effects layer


An image amplifying tube system for a day and night combined use in an observation equipment includes an image amplifying tube assembly mounted on the daytime periscope of the naked-eye sighting device, in which the image amplifying tube assembly swerves from the optical path during the daytime sighting and moves into the optical path during the nighttime sighting. Consecutively, the image amplifying tube is positioned at a specific focusing distance on the optical path by a vertical and horizontal moving mechanism. In this way, it may be possible to use the periscope both in the daytime and in the nighttime.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image amplifying tube system for a day and night combined use in an observation equipment, and more particularly to an image amplifying tube system that is usable both in the daytime and in the nighttime, in which an image amplifying tube assembly having an image amplifying tube is mounted on a naked-eye sighting periscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to observe the exterior from the interior of a vehicle, a naked-eye sighting periscope is used for the daytime sighting and, however, a separate night sighting equipment should be installed to the naked-eye sighting periscope for the nighttime sighting, thereby causing inconvenience attributable to for the frequent installation and removal of the night sighting equipment.

Image amplifying tube system for day and night combined use in observation equipment


The device serves to interconnect first and second sections of a data bus in order to provide a transparent bi-directional data transmission along the bus comprised of the two sections, irrespective of the protocol used. Basically, the device includes a first transmitter-receiver module at which terminates a first bus section, and a second transmitter-receiver module at which terminates a second bus section. Both modules are disposed face-to-face without contact and are electromagnetically coupled. Each receiver module has a circuit for supplying a transmitting coil with a signal modulated by the data to be transmitted and coming from the bus section to which the module is connected, and a detector circuit for receiving a modulated signal from the same coil to produce the data to be transmitted to the bus section to which the module is connected. In each transmitter-receiver module, the same coil used for transmission and reception is in the form of one and the same flat spiral winding, the windings of the first and second modules facing each other and having substantially aligned axes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contactless linking device for interconnecting sections of a data bus and, more particularly, to sections of a differential or non-differential bifilar EIA standard data bus.
The field of the invention covers bi-directional data transmissions between two devices, and in particular between two devices that are mutualy isolated, or mobile with respect to each other, or that must be easily separable from each other.
Typical applications for the invention include data transfer across a sealed wall between one zone confined within a hostile environment, e.g. premises inside a nuclear or chemical plant, and another zone in a non-hostile environment, or data transfer between physically separated devices that are both inside a hostile environment, for instance between two submerged devices, or again for data transfer across a non-metallic wall, such as a window or skin, without structurally altering the wall.
The invention can also be used in all instances where a contactless link can advantageouly replace a data transmission link by a connector and/or a flexible connection between two separate or relatively movable devices.
This is the case with connectors that are frequently manipulated (e.g. in medical apparatus) or that are submitted to harsh operating conditions (high humidity, corrosive atmospheres, mud, dust, vibrations . . .), as a result of which there occurs a rapid deterioration of the contacts. There is a similar problem with flexible connections between movable devices. In this case the connections restrict, and can even hinder, relative movements between the contacting portions, and are also more easily damaged.
In particular, the invention can be used in robotics for data transfer between the different movable elements of a robot employed in the car industry, or for data transfer between different parts of a vehicle, or between a towing vehicle and its trailer, or again in the field of agricultural machinery, for data transfer between a tractor and a farming tool or a towed machine.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART
There is described in document JP-A-57-132460 a linking device between a first electrical circuit receiving binary data and a second electrical circuit equipped with data processing means. A common isolation transformer is used for transmitting both the data signals and the energy necessary for powering the second circuit. The primary of the transformer receives a signal modulated by the data to be transmitted. The signal drawn from the secondary of the transformer supplies a rectifier circuit that delivers the supply voltage for the second circuit and is applied to a demodulator. The latter extracts the data and a clock for transmission to the processing means.
Such a device provides only an electrical insulation and does not constitute a contactless link, i.e. a physically separated link between the first and circuits.
Moreover, the aforementioned device introduces a phase shift that makes it quite inappropriate for linking two bus sections in a "transparent" manner, i.e. without interfering with the data transmission protocol of the bus.
Document WO-A-8910551 teaches the concept of contactless transmission by means of a lossless oscillator circuit. When the latter is in the vicinity of a receiver comprising an analog resonator, it transmits energy to the receiver and can thus also send data thereto. The coils for the transmitter and receiver circuits can be planar printed circuits. No embodiment concerning the data transmission is given. Similarly, this document makes no mention of bi-directional data transmission between two sections of a data bus.
Document EP-A-0 285 477 describes a data transmission device operating between coupled vehicles, in which each vehicle is equipped with a transmitter-receiver unit in contactless coupling relation with the corresponding unit of the other vehicle, each unit being connected to an RS 485 type bus. The units are arranged such that the transmitter of one unit faces the receiver of the other unit, the transmitters and receivers of both units consisting of ferrite cores.
With such an arrangement, the transmitter of one unit has to be aligned with the corresponding receiver of the other unit in order to ensure proper data transmission. Any relative movement between the vehicles that is not parallel to the axis of the transmitter-receiver pairs causes a mis-alignment in at least one of the pairs.
Accordingly, the device of document EP-A- 0 285 477 not only calls for a very precise positioning between the two units, but also prohibits relative movements of substantial amplitude between them.

Contactless linking device for interconnecting data bus sections

Centre National Du Machinisme Agricole, Du Genie Rural, Des Eaux Et Des Forets


A downhole apparatus can include a first lateral tubing support that comprises: a body; a first passage extending through the body; and a second passage extending through the body. The first and second passage are spaced in parallel arrangement, and the body extends continuously and uninterruptedly in a direction transverse to the parallel directions of extension of the first and second passages, from the first passage to the second passage. The lateral tubing string can also include a first tubular and a second tubular spaced in parallel arrangement. The first passage is configured to at least partially encircle the first tubular and the second passage is configured to at least partially encircle the second tubular, with the first lateral tubing support increasing a radial and/or axial compressive load rating of the lateral tubing string.

The present invention relates generally to operations performed and equipment utilized in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in an embodiment described herein, more particularly provides a multi-lateral junction assembly and methods of using same.
Cross-sectional area in a wellbore is a limited commodity. The wellbore must accommodate equipment and tubing strings passing therethrough, and must provide sufficient flow area for efficient production or injection of fluids therethrough. Often, where multiple tubing strings are used in a single wellbore, conventional circular cross-section tubing strings have merely been positioned side-by-side in the wellbore. Although this may be the easiest solution, it is also very inefficient in utilizing the available cross-sectional area in the wellbore. One solution is to manufacture the tubing strings so that at least one of the tubing strings has a generally D-shaped cross-section. When positioned side-by-side in the wellbore, the two tubing strings together have a smaller cross-section than two tubing strings having circulator cross-sections, but together occupy a substantial portion of the cross-sectional area of the wellbore, and are therefore able to utilize more of this area for fluid flow, access, etc. However, D-shaped tubes have a relatively low burst and collapse strength as compared to a circular tube having equivalent cross-sectional area and wall thickness.
Therefore, it may be seen that it would be desirable to provide a multi-lateral junction assembly that efficiently utilizes the available cross-sectional area in a wellbore, which accommodates additional lines therein, and that has increased burst and collapse strength.

Lateral tubing support of a multi-lateral junction assembly


An electronic device includes a display configured to display a panorama image and a processor. The processor controls to extract at least one focus by analyzing at least one object included in the panorama image and to display an area including the extracted at least one focus in the display by determining the area as a play viewpoint of the panorama image.

Portable terminals are continuously evolving according to the development of mobile communication and processor technology and a user's needs for new and various functions. Accordingly, such portable terminals (or electronic devices) have to output multimedia contents in various forms besides general communication functions such as voice communication and message transmission.
Further, multimedia contents are evolving to contain a full actual scene according to the development of photographic equipment and image processing technology, and a panorama image having 360° viewpoints can be provided so that a larger space can be included in an image format according to the related art. Such a panorama image can be produced by a method of moving a photographing viewpoint slowly and synthesizing images at each viewpoint or by using a recently developed virtual reality (VR) equipment that can photograph all the space simultaneously in 360° and generate a panorama image according to the related art. Further, the panorama image can be produced not only in a still image form but also in a moving image form, and the panorama image in a content can be played simultaneously at 360° viewpoints.
The panorama image can have 360° viewpoints as shown by FIGS. 1A and 1B. For convenience in description, the panorama image can be converted to a flat form as shown by FIG. 1C, where the left and right end viewpoints are connected together.
Meanwhile, a portable terminal can play only the partial area of the panorama image because of a limited screen size. Further, even a device having a large screen such as a television (TV) or a monitor cannot output 360° play viewpoints simultaneously. Therefore, in case of playing a panorama image in an electronic device having a flat display that does not support 360° viewpoints, it is important to decide a viewpoint of the panorama image that should be displayed in the flat display.
Some meaningful play viewpoints desired by a user may exist in the panorama image, and they may change according to the play time of the panorama image; however, the method cannot extract a meaningful play viewpoint and provide a corresponding scene for a user according to the related art.
Hereinabove, the background of the present disclosure has been described for easier understanding; however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the well-known technology according to the related art.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Electronic device and method for controlling display of panorama image


Various ways of storing data in tabular form such that some records are stored in a row oriented manner and some data is stored in a column oriented manner. The records respectively stored in the row and column oriented manners may, or may not, overlap (in whole or in part. Some embodiments accomplish this dual orientation of data by: (i) using a range partition; (ii) using a union all view command; and/or (iii) using a first table, a staging table and a materialized query table.

The present invention relates generally to the field of table data structures (or, simply "tables"), and more particularly to certain ways of combining multiple tables into a single "hybrid table." A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) that is based on a certain relational model. RDBMSes are typically used for the storage of information in new databases used for financial records, manufacturing and logistical information, personnel data, and so on. Relational databases are sometimes used instead of other types of databases, such as legacy hierarchical databases, network databases and object databases.
Relational databases are herein defined to be databases that present a view of data as a collection of rows and columns, whether or not the underlying machine logic is entirely and strictly based upon every tenet of traditional "relational theory."
Query languages are used to "query" databases so that end users (such as database administrators and others) can find selected, relevant data within the context of an (often quite large) database. Most commercial RDBMSes use SQL for their associated "query language." The table(s) of an RDBMS may be stored in either of: (i) a row oriented manner (also sometimes herein referred to as "row based"); or (ii) a column oriented manner (also sometimes herein referred to as "column based"). Row oriented tables are generally used for OLTP (Online transaction processing) applications because row oriented tables are better suited for point queries and updates that add or change only a small amount of data. A single row inserted has one I/O to place the entire row on a single page on disk. On the other hand, column oriented tables are understood to be able to run business intelligence queries faster than on a comparable row oriented table. Unfortunately, inserting or updating a small amount of data in a column oriented table generally takes longer than a comparable change in data would take to be made to a comparable row oriented table. This is mainly because each column is stored separately in a column oriented table and therefore requires separate I/O (input/output addressing) in order to insert or update each column object.
In some known RDBMS products, all the data in a table is separately stored as both of the following: (i) a row oriented table; and (ii) a column oriented table. In this way: (i) types of table accesses that are optimally performed on a row oriented table can be performed on the row oriented version of the table; and (ii) types of table accesses that are optimally performed on a column oriented version of the table can be performed on the column oriented version of the table. It is understood that this type of RMBMS takes significantly more storage space than a comparable RDBMS where only a single version of each table is maintained.
"Hybrid tables" are also known. In a hybrid table, some of the data is stored in a row oriented fashion and some of the data is stored in a column oriented fashion. Here is an example of a conventional hybrid table:
NAMEAGEFAVORITE GUMAble20bubbleBaker35nicotineCharlie50mintNAMEDarlaEdgarFrankAGE224546FVT GUMfruitlicoricetea berryIn this example: (i) data associated with Able, Baker and Charlie is stored in a row oriented manner; and (ii) data associated with Darla, Edgar and Frank is stored in a column oriented fashion; and (iii) the table is "hybrid" because there is both row oriented and column oriented data in a single "hybrid table" that is made up of a row table and a column table, with both tables being made up of records having the same attribute fields. The term "hybrid table, as used in this document, will be further explained, below, in the Detailed Description section.

Combining row based and column based tables to form mixed-mode tables

International Business Machines Corporation


A voltage regulator uses a digital feedback technique to regulate the voltage at an output of the regulator. The voltage level of an output signal is measured. The voltage level of the output signal is compared to a first reference voltage. A programmable digital control logic block regulates the voltage level of the output signal and operates in a first mode if the voltage level of the output signal is above a first reference voltage and in a second mode if the voltage level of the output signal is below the first reference voltage. Depending on the mode of operation, the programmable digital control logic block provides digital control signals to other elements of the feedback loop.

Voltage regulator circuits can serve numerous purposes in integrated circuit devices. Voltage regulators can be utilized to provide a controlled voltage or current to a load in accordance with desired regulation characteristics. Another application can be to regulate an internal power supply voltage for certain sections of an integrated circuit device. In one particular application, voltage regulators can supply a power supply voltage to memory cell arrays within memory devices, such as, for example, static random access memories (SRAMs), among many other possible applications.

Digital feedback technique for regulators


Provided are a thin film transistor and a method for manufacturing the same. The thin film transistor manufacturing method includes forming a gate electrode on a substrate, forming an active layer that is adjacent to the gate electrode and includes an oxide semiconductor, forming an oxygen providing layer on the active layer, forming a gate dielectric between the gate electrode and the active layer, forming source and drain electrodes coupled to the active layer, forming a planarizing layer covering the gate electrode and the gate dielectric, forming a hole exposing the active layer, and performing a heat treatment process onto the planarizing layer in an atmosphere of oxygen.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a thin film transistor and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor and a method for manufacturing the same.
As the information society advances, a display device for displaying information is more actively developed. The display device includes a liquid crystal display device, an organic electro-luminescence display device, a plasma display panel, and a field emission display device.
These display devices are widely applied to mobile phones, navigators, monitors, and televisions. The display devices include pixels arranged in matrix forms and thin film transistors for turning on/off the pixels. By the turning on/off operations of the thin film transistors, the pixels are controlled.
The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode for receiving a gate signal, a source electrode for receiving data voltage, and a drain electrode for outputting the data voltage. The thin film transistor also includes an active layer for forming a channel. Recently, researches have been actively carried out to improve functions and performance of the thin film transistors.

Thin film transistor and method for manufacturing the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


The present invention discloses a method for checking MA integrity, including: creating an MEP a; determining, by an MEP c in an MA, whether an MEP b with the same source port information as the MEP a exists in the MA; if there exists an MEP b with the same source port information as the MEP a in the MA, no isolated and unmated MEP exists in the MA; if an MEP b with the same source information as the MEP a does not exist in the MA, an isolated MEP exists in the MA. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for checking an MA integrity and a method and an apparatus for adding an MEP. The present invention enables a user to know whether an MA is integral and ensures MA integrity.

In an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standard document for connection fault management (IEEE802.1ag), the maintenance domain (MD) and MA are described as follows: an MD is a network or a part of a network where failed connections can be managed, and all MEPs in an MD are on the same maintenance level; an MA is a subset of an MD and a set of MEPs that may communicate with each other in a certain service flow.
The existing IEEE802.1ag standard provides an explicit definition of an MA and specifies that all operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) tests must be carried out among MEPs in a certain MA. The MA integrity refers to: an MA must include necessary MEPs, and all MEPs in an MA are mated and may be OAM tested normally, i.e., no isolated and unmated MEP exists in an MA. If an isolated MEP exists in an MA, or an isolated MEP occurs because an MEP exits the MA which is integral, the OAM tests can not be performed for the isolated MEP, and the MA is not integral. Each MEP in an MA locally maintains an information table for all MEPs in the MA; the table is referred to as a local MEP table, which includes the following information: an MEP ID (identifier) and a corresponding source port of the MEP. However, the existing IEEE802.1ag standard does not provide the description or the solution on how to know whether an MA is integral and how to ensure MA integrity.

Method and apparatus for checking maintenance association integrity and method and apparatus for adding maintenance end point


A knock-down hang-on storage unit for portable partition systems includes first and second end members with shelf support flanges having inwardly protruding horizontal support legs and vertical support legs that define narrow vertical slots. Forward edges of the end members have rearwardly opening notches that capture the forward edge of a shelf that extends horizontally between the end members. The shelf includes first and second depending attachment flanges along opposite sides thereof that are inserted into the slots. The rear portion of the shelf is supported on the horizontal support legs adjacent upstanding tabs on the shelf support brackets to horizontally capture the shelf member between the end members and provide a fastenerless interconnection therebetween.

The present invention relates to a storage unit for portable partition systems and the like, and in particular to a knock-down hang-on storage unit that may be quickly and easily assembled for installation on a partition, and also may be removed from the partition in an assembled condition.
The efficient use of building floor space is an ever-growing concern, particularly as building costs continue to escalate. Open office plans have been developed to reduce overall officing costs and generally incorporate large, open floor spaces in buildings that are equipped with modular furniture systems which are readily reconfigurable to accommodate the ever-changing needs of a specific user, as well as the divergent requirements of different tenants. One arrangement used for furnishing open plans includes movable or portable partition panels that are detachably interconnected to partition off the open spaces into individual work stations and/or offices. Such partition panels are configured to receive hang-on accessory units, such as overhead cabinets, shelves, and similar storage units.
Numerous overhead cabinets, shelves, and related storage units have been developed for use with partition panel systems. Although these storage units generally serve their intended function of providing storage areas for books, files, and similar items, these storage units are fabricated and shipped as an assembled unit, thereby requiring additional cargo space during shipping. Other storage units have been developed that may be disassembled; however, these storage units are not removable in an assembled condition and must be disassembled for removal from an associated partition.
Thus, there is a need for a storage unit that may be shipped in a disassembled condition and quickly and easily assembled on site. In addition, there is a need for a knock-down hang-on storage unit that may be removed from an associated panel in an assembled condition for ease of subsequent relocation.

Knock-down hang-on storage unit for portable partition systems


Systems, methods and computer program products for providing a nested two-bit symbol bus error correcting code. Methods include constructing a nested error correcting code (ECC) scheme. The method includes receiving a Hamming distance n code. A symbol correcting code H-matrix is created by iteratively adding rows of H-matrix bits on a symbol column basis such that the symbol correcting code H-matrix describes a symbol correcting code, and the Hamming distance n code is preserved as a subset of the symbol correcting code H-matrix.

This invention relates to transferring data across computer, communications, or storage device buses, and particularly to protecting the data by means of a nested error correcting code (ECC) scheme.
In the past, it was very common for computer systems to use wide parallel buses with many bits or bitlanes in a parallel configuration. These buses would deliver a dataword from a source to a receiver in one transfer. Thus, for example, a commonly used bus would deliver 64 databits to its destination every transfer cycle. Such a bus could be found both on-chip, on-module, and on-board. Also in the past, it was very common for communications systems to use a narrow, single wire bus with only one bitlane used per bus. These buses would deliver their dataword from a single source to a single (or multiple) receivers over many transfer cycles, i.e., one bit after another would be sent down the bitlane until the entire payload or dataword was delivered.
In order to insure that the data arrives safely at the receiver, some kind of error checking or correcting on the bus may be employed. In high-reliability computers, the parallel buses are typically protected with an ECC. In high-reliability communications links, cyclical redundancy checking (CRC) is often employed. Generally speaking, ECC is usually used to provide "real-time" correction of a bad databit(s), and CRC is usually used to provide "real-time" detection of a bad databit(s). In the ECC scheme, the data is manipulated by the logic of the ECC to adjust the data received by the receiver such that "good" data will be passed along downstream. In the CRC scheme, the data source is required to resend the bad dataword when signaled by the CRC that bad data was received. In such systems, ECC tends to be more effective when the nature of the errors is permanent (e.g., hard errors), and CRC tends to be more effective when the nature of the errors is transient (e.g., soft errors).
In future electronic systems, the traditional boundaries between computers and communication systems is blurring. Data is often transferred along a parallel, high-speed bus over several transfer cycles. This scheme provides very high bandwidth, but it also makes it necessary to deal with both hard and soft errors. Hard errors occur when the physical medium experiences a fault, such as a burned-out driver. Soft errors occur when noise, skew and jitter flip a bit along a single bitlane. It would be desirable to have a fault-tolerant high-speed parallel bus that is resilient to both hard and soft errors.
The industry is moving in the direction of using CRC across the multiple bitlanes of a high-speed, parallel bus that signals for a retry whenever an error is present. These schemes have strong error detection, which is effective for soft errors, they but cannot correct an error, which makes them less useful for hard errors. In systems where hard error protection is necessary, an extension to the CRC has been proposed which includes a spare bitlane in the bus such that when a hard error is encountered, the bus will re-configure itself to replace the failing bitlane with the presumably-good spare bitlane. Another alternative to provide protection for both hard and soft errors is a symbol-protecting bus ECC structure, where the symbols are defined along the bitlanes, rather than the traditional, across-word structure. This has been described in United States Patent Publication No. US20060107175A1, of common assignment herewith, filed Oct. 29, 2004, entitled: "System, Method and Storage Medium for Providing Fault Detection and Correction in a Memory Subsystem."
Finally, while the previously disclosed base structure provides advantages over the CRC/spare approach, it is not always an obvious or non-trivial task to create an ECC that meets the needs of the system. One such need that is becoming more and more frequent is the case where one ECC word is sent across a bus using a second, different, nested ECC scheme for protection on the bus. For example, data stored in memory may best be served by a Single Error Correcting (SEC) and Double Error Detecting (DED) code, often shortened to "SEC/DED." However, if this ECC word is sent across a high-speed parallel bus in two transfers, a different code is required to protect against bitlane failures. Thus for the bus transfer, a single 2-bit-symbol error correcting and double 2-bit-symbol error detecting (S2EC/D2ED) code is appropriate, where the symbols are aligned along the bitlanes. However, the construction of such a nested code is neither obvious nor non-trivial, especially for the 2-bit-symbol case. It would be desirable to have a scheme to generate such nested, 2-bit-symbol codes, which maintain and/or reuse part of the original SEC/DED code.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing a two-bit symbol bus error correcting code


A system may include detection of a direction of transistor body current flow, and control of a regulator transistor to regulate a transistor body voltage based on the detected direction. In some aspects, a first regulator transistor is controlled if the direction of current flow is into a transistor body and a second regulator transistor is controlled if the direction of current flow is out of the transistor body.

Body bias refers to the application of a non-zero voltage between the body and source terminals of a transistor. Since these terminals form a p-n junction, a voltage that forward biases the p-n junction is said to apply a forward body bias to the transistor. Similarly, a reverse body bias may be applied to the transistor by reverse biasing the p-n junction. Generally, body bias may be used to modulate the threshold voltage of a transistor to provide increased performance or reduced power consumption. A forward body bias may be used to increase an operational frequency of a transistor during an active mode, while a reverse (or zero) body bias may be used to reduce leakage currents during a standby mode.
Body bias may be controlled by controlling a bias voltage that is applied to a transistor body. A body bias generator typically regulates this bias voltage. A conventional body bias generator is suitable for regulating the bias voltage in a case that current flows in a single direction (i.e., in or out) with respect to the transistor body. Since a direction of current within a transistor body may differ based on whether a forward or reverse (or zero) body bias is applied to the transistor, a conventional body bias generator may be unsuitable for systems in which forward body bias or reverse body bias may be selectively applied.


Improved gas flow systems and methods for use with powder bed-based laser additive manufacturing chambers are described. The disclosed gas flow configurations and associated build chamber designs enhance the removability of laser melting emissions. In accordance with various configurations, the clear rate of generated-spatter contamination is improved by employing system designs in which the gas flow outlet is lowered toward the substrate, the gas flow inlet channel length is increased, uniform gas flow is enabled using multi-channeled pumps, and/or one or more supplementary gas inlet flows are introduced to the chamber design.

Among metal additive manufacturing processes, selective laser melting (SLM) has attracted significant interest due to its potential to produce high-resolution and high-density parts from a variety of different metals and metallic alloys. In the SLM process, a high-energy laser beam is utilized to melt and fuse metallic powder materials. Often, high local temperatures associated with the SLM process environment can exceed the material evaporation point and cause evaporation. This vaporization process can cause a "vapor-jet" effect, which leads to the generation of emissions from the melt pool. Such emissions can include vaporization gases, powder particles within the vapor jet, and liquid droplets ejected from melt pool as a result of strong surface tension effects.
The ejected particles within the emissions—i.e., the vapor-jet powder particles and the liquid droplets from the melt pool are commonly referred to as "spatter." Such spatter can be re-deposited on the powder bed contaminating the build area of the SLM build chamber and thereby poses a risk of adversely affecting the build quality of the resultant part. Accordingly, to reduce the build-quality risks associated with ejected particles and droplets, effective design and implementation of spatter control and removal processes are necessary.

Build chamber for use in powder bed-based laser additive manufacturing processes


A clock control circuit for use in a multi-channel baud-rate timing recovery loop includes a control circuit responsive to a phase error signal from at least one phase detector for generating at least one clock control signal, wherein said control circuit propagates adjustments required for frequency correction in a synchronous fashion across all of the N-channels.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to clock synchronization, and more particularly, to clock synchronization between transmitters and receivers within a multi-channel baud-rate timing recovery system
2. Description of the Related Art
The process of baud-rate timing recovery involves determining a frequency and phase of incoming signals through the use of samples (normally provided by an A/D converter) acquired at the same rate as the incoming data is transmitted. Traditional single channel baud-rate timing recovery systems use a phase detector which drives a loop filter as shown in FIG. 1. The incoming signal 10 is provided to an A/D converter 15, which generates samples of the input signal 10 that are provided to a phase detector 20. The phase detector operates in conjunction with other signal processing elements 22 such as Feed-forward and Decision-Feedback Equalizers and a data slicer in order to provide a phase error signal. The phase error signal is forwarded from the phase detector 20 to a loop filter 25. The output of the loop filter 25 is used to control the output of a voltage-controlled oscillator 30. The output signal of the voltage-controlled oscillator 30 is used as a clock signal to control the sample rate of the A/D converter 15. The goal of the timing recovery loop is to lock on to a remote signal and through acquiring the frequency and phase of the remote signal provide baud-rate A/D converter samples at the optimum sampling period.
In a loop-timed system such as that described above, there exists a master and a slave device as shown in FIG. 2. The master provides the reference timing for the system and the slave must synchronize itself to the master's frequency and phase on one or a plurality of channels. In the case of duplex systems, such as those described by the IEEE 802.3ab 1000Base-T standard, the slave must transmit back to the Master using the acquired timing on one or a plurality of channels. A typical master or slave system will have ECHO cancellers which mitigate the effects of the local transmit signal on the local receive signal. Multi-channel master or slave systems will additionally have Near End Crosstalk (NEXT) Cancellers and Far End Crosstalk (FEXT) Cancellers which mitigate the effects of adjacent transmitters on the local receivers.
In a single channel baud type slave system, the synchronization of the local Receive (Rx) and Transmit (Tx) clock is required so that frequency synchronization (i.e., loop timing) is achieved between the master and slave. The synchronization of the Receive and Transmit clocks also mitigates the problem of ECHO/NEXT canceller misadjustment. This canceller misadjustment occurs when the Rx and Tx clock phases change relative to each other requiring the canceller taps to be readapted. Canceller misadjustment causes a short term increase in the noise of the receiver system and hence results in a poorer quality of data reception.
In a multi-channel slave system, the issue of Receive and Transmit clock synchronization is much more difficult. Each slave Receive/Transmit pair could be synchronized to each other (i.e., TXCLK1=RSCLK1, TXCLK2=RXCLK2, etc.), or an alternative method can be devised wherein all Transmit clocks are synchronous and are in turn synchronized with the frequency of the Receive clocks. The IEEE 802.3ab specification dictates that the latter of these two methods be used in a Phy receiver. This specification creates difficulties for baud-rate timing recovery systems as the synchronization of the four Transmit clocks to each other rather than to each Receive channel causes ECHO/NEXT canceller misadjustment Thus, an improved method of synchronization within multi-channel slave systems would be desirable.

System and method for clock synchronization of multi-channel baud-rate timing recovery systems


Process for the hydroformylation of an optionally substituted ethylenically unsaturated compound by reaction thereof with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a specific catalyst system which includes a source of Group VIII metal cations; a diphosphine ligand having the general formula (I):X1—R—X2   (I)wherein X1 and X2 each independently represent an optionally substituted cyclic group with at least 5 ring atoms, of which one is a phosphorus atom, and R represents a bivalent optionally substituted bridging group which is connected to each phosphorus atom by a sp2 hybridized carbon atom; an acid having a pKa<3; and a source of halide anions.

Such processes are known in the art from for example WO-A-9505354, EP-A-0495547 and WOA-01/67899. Although good activities towards a hydroformylation product are obtained, there is still room for improvement, especially when larger ethylenically unsaturated compounds are hydroformylated. It is furthermore desirable to provide such a hydroformylation process where high activities towards a hydroformylation product can be obtained when the process is carried out under acidic conditions.
WO-A-01/87899 relates amongst others to the carbonylation of ethylenically unsaturated compounds. It describes a specific class of bidentate diphosphines. The phosphorus atoms in these diphosphines are connected by a bridging group. A wide range of bridging groups is described. Cyclopentene is mentioned in passing as a possible bridging group. However, no bidentate diphosphines comprising a cyclopentene bridge are mentioned. Furthermore it is not indicated how such a cyclopentene bridge should be connected to the phosphorus atoms.
WO-A-0226690 relates to a process for the carbonylation of conjugated dienes. The examples describe the reaction of 1,3-butadiene and methanol to methyl-pentenoate in the presence of a catalyst comprising palladium acetate, a bidentate diphosphine and a carboxylic acid. Several bidentate diphosphines are exemplified. The examples show that, for the exemplified reaction with methanol, a catalyst system comprising 1,2-P,P′bis(9-phosphabicyclononyl) benzene as a bidentate diphosphine has only a moderate activity (400 mol/mol/hr), much lower than a catalyst system comprising R, S-meso-2,3-P,P′bis(9-phosphabicyclononyl)butane as a bidentate diphosphine (560 mol/mol/hr).

Process for the hydroformylation of an ethylenically unsaturated compound


A Public Switched Broadband Network (PSBN) and method of operation permits high-speed, broadband, simultaneous, bi-directional data transfer over the infrastructure of conventional public switched telephone network. In addition, the PSBN provides a high-speed broadband public switched network that utilizes a common data transmission protocol from a broadband or internet service provider, through inter-office facilities, through a serving central office and to the end user, thereby providing a substantially “flat” network and reducing latency problems associated with protocol conversions. Still further, the PSBN provides expanded capacity throughout the network without requiring the implementation of new infrastructure.

The development of the Internet has led to an increasing demand for high-speed broadband access. In the case of larger commercial and government organizations, the requirement for high-speed broadband access has been obtained through the use of various technologies including private lines (for example T1 lines), private networks and satellite links. These types of technologies, however, are neither economically nor technically feasible for residential homes and small businesses.
A large unfulfilled demand remains for a high-speed broadband internet access in the area of residential homes and small business. This segment of the commercial market also has the greatest potential for growth in the future, and the development of this market is also critical to the development of electronic commerce. The ultimate success of many potential commercial Internet applications including, for example, on demand movies, video conferencing, real-time online gaming, online shopping, etc. depends on the expansion of high-speed broadband access on a large scale into the average residential home and small business.
While new technologies have been developed that would permit the extension of broadband capability into the residential home and small business environment, they are limited in practical application. Cable television companies, for example, have recently introduced cable modem technology that permits broadband access using coaxial cable lines. Many communities, however, still lack basic cable service let alone broadband cable access. High speed broadband access via a satellite link is also now possible for residential homes and small business, but such systems generally only provide broadband capability on the downlink side. In other words, downlink from the satellite to the end user is a broadband connection, but the uplink from the end user to the internet service provider is usually provided over conventional telephone lines using conventional modems. The inability for such systems to provide bi-directional broadband makes them useless for applications such as real-time video conferencing.
The one network that is already coupled to almost every home and small business is the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The PSTN, however, was originally developed using copper technology that was never intended to provide the broadband capability now in demand. Traditional plain old telephone service (sometimes referred to as POTS) connects to a home or small business using a twisted pair of copper wires originally designed to carry voice information in the form of an analog signal. In order to enable digital data transfer between computers over the POTS, a modem has conventionally be used at the transmission end to convert digital data from the transmitting computer to an analog signal that can be switched over the POTS, and at the receiving end converts the analog signal back into digital data. Data transmission rates with conventional dial-up modems, however, are limited to about 56 Kbps (thousands of bits per second).
Accordingly, attempts have been made to provide technology that can upgrade and expand the capability of the conventional PSTN to increase data transfer rates above those possible with conventional dial-up modem services. One technology that has been developed to provide broadband capability to homes and small businesses is Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). In fact, there are a number of different versions of DSL, and the designation "xDSL" is sometimes utilized to generalize the different versions of DSL such as ADSL, HDSL and RADSL. Regardless of the specific version, DSL basically depends upon advanced digital signal processing methods to transfer as much data as possible through a conventional twisted copper pair of the PSTN. Downstream data transfer rates as high as 8 Mbps (megabits per second) are possible with some versions of DSL.
While DSL is a great improvement over conventional dial-up modems, the technology has a number of limitations. One of the more significant limitations is the maximum transmission range of DSL. Depending on the gauge of wire used, the end user must be located no more than just 5.5 km (using 24 gauge wire) from a central office of the telephone company. Further, in practice, line attenuation increases with line length. Thus, utilization of the maximum range of 5.5 km causes a corresponding drop in data transfer rates to just around 1.5–2.0 Mbps. While it may be possible to extend the range of DSL, such an extension would require a large capital investment to install optical fiber communication lines between the central office of the PSTN and DSL subscribers. Accordingly, a wholesale reconstruction of the PSTN would be required.
Moreover, the DSL architecture does nothing to improve the overall capacity of the PSTN. In a DSL system, data received from an end user is separated in a serving central office of the PSTN into conventional voice data and multimedia data. The conventional voice data is transmitted through the PSTN using synchronous transmission in a conventional manner. The multimedia data is transmitted over a separate line from the conventional voice data also through the use of a synchronous transmission protocol. The DSL architecture does nothing to increase the bandwidth capability of the existing copper or optical transmission lines. Accordingly, the implementation of DSL causes a corresponding drop in the number of conventional voice communications that can be handled by the PSTN.
Still further, the DSL architecture requires a number of different data transfer protocols to be utilized. For example, a computer at a user's location is normally connected to a DSL modem. Communication between the modem and the computer is normally accomplished using a Local Area Network (LAN) protocol such as Ethernet. A DSL protocol is then utilized to communication between the DSL modem and the serving central office of the PSTN. A separate synchronous transmission protocol is then utilized within the PSTN for data transfer. Finally, a further optical transmission protocol is utilized if optical transmission lines are provided within the PSTN. Accordingly, the resulting architecture requires a large number of protocol layers resulting in latency in the network and complexity in the overall system.
As will be readily appreciated from the disadvantages described above, it would be desirable to provide a high-speed broadband capability between the PSTN and an end user over a conventional copper twisted pair without the range limitations of DSL.
It would also be desirable to provide a high-speed broadband public switched network that utilized a single protocol from a broadband service provider, through the inter-office facilities, through the serving central office and to the end user, thereby providing a substantially "flat" network and reducing latency problems associated with protocol conversions.
Still further, it would also be desirable to provide the above features while expanding the capacity of the PSTN without requiring a change in infrastructure, thereby allowing a public switched broadband network to be implemented using conventional copper and optical fiber transmission lines.


The present invention relates to a decorative film to be attached to an outside surface of a home appliance and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a decorative film to be attached to an outside surface of a home appliance which is to be attached to an outside of a home appliance, such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner or a washing machine, replacing stainless steel panel etched to form a pattern to have metal feeling; and a method for manufacturing the same. The decorative film to be attached to an outside surface of a home appliance comprises a base layer, a pattern layer on a back side of the base layer, the pattern layer having a micro pattern, a metal layer on a back side of the pattern layer, and a protective layer of synthetic resin attached to a back side of the metal layer for protecting the metal layer.

In general, a panel having an elegant design is attached to an outside of the home appliance, such as the refrigerator, the air conditioner or the washing machine. Recently, as demands on a design which has metal feeling or can produce different colors increase sharply, by forming a pattern on a surface of a stainless steel panel by photolithography, metal feeling and different colors unique to the stainless steel are produced.
FIGS. 1(a)˜1(d) illustrate a prior art process for manufacturing a decorative panel including the steps of forming a pattern on a stainless steel panel and attaching the stainless steel panel to a glass plate.
Referring to FIG. 1(a), photoresist is applied to an outside of a stainless steel panel, and a UV beam is projected to the stainless steel panel through a glass plate having a mask with pattern attached thereto. According to this, the pattern of the mask is transcribed to the photoresist on the surface of the panel, temporarily. Then, referring to FIG. 1(b), an etching solution is applied to etch the stainless steel panel, to form the pattern of the design on the surface of the stainless steel panel. Then, referring to FIG. 1(c), a PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) is coated to one side of the glass plate, and a sheet of release paper is attached thereto and passed through rollers, for lamination of the adhesive. Finally, referring to FIG. 1(d), the sheet of release paper is peeled off the glass plate, the stainless steel panel is aligned with the glass plate such that the surface of the stainless steel panel having the pattern formed thereon is in contact with the surface of the glass plate having the adhesive coated thereto, and the stainless steel panel and the glass plate aligned thus are passed through rollers to laminate, to complete a decorative panel of the stainless steel panel and the glass plate attached to the stainless steel panel.
However, a decorative panel according to the prior art is expensive more than a plastic film due to the stainless steel panel. And the photolithography costs high. Moreover, in manufacturing the decorative panel, an individual process is required for each product due to the stainless steel plate, which results in poor productivity.

Decorative film to be attached to outside surface of home appliance and method for manufacturing the same


A method of production of an SiC semiconductor device, which can form an ohmic electrode while preventing electrode metal from diffusing in the SiC single crystal substrate, includes a step of forming an ohmic electrode on an SiC substrate, characterized by forming a gettering layer with a defect density higher than the SiC substrate on that substrate to be parallel with the substrate surface, then forming the ohmic electrode the gettering layer outward from the substrate.

In the past, in Si and other semiconductor crystals, the practice has been to prevent the drop in device characteristics due to metal impurities by using ion implantation, laser irradiation, formation of a film of different materials, etc. to form strain regions and thereby form gettering sites of impurities.
As opposed to this, in the case of an SiC crystal, the coefficient of diffusion of impurities is extremely small, so at the heat treatment temperature (at the maximum, 1200° C. or so) which is normally used with Si crystals, it has been believed that heat diffusion substantially does not occur (NPLT 1). For this reason, the art of gettering of SiC has not been considered much at all.
When forming an ohmic electrode at an SiC semiconductor device, it is necessary to form an n+ layer at the surface of the SiC substrate, use vapor deposition or sputtering etc. to form a metal film for electrode use, then perform heat treatment (800 to 1000° C. or so) for alloying. This heat treatment is performed for alloying the SiC surface and lowering the φs for achieving the ohmic contact conditions of the electrode (φm<φs:φm=work function of metal, φ=work function of semiconductor). Further, this is sometimes performed for adjusting the barrier height of a Schottky contact.
That is, it is essential to form a reaction layer of the electrode metal and SiC (alloyed layer), but the inventors newly discovered that through the formation of this reaction layer, the electrode metal diffuses into the SiC crystal. The metal, in particular a transition metal, among these Ni with the largest atomic number etc., freely diffuses in the SiC crystal. In particular, they newly discovered the problem that when forming a high doping layer for forming an ohmic electrode by epitaxial growth, the electrode metal which is taken into the crystal ends up freely diffusing without obstruction.

Method of production of SiC semiconductor device


A hole cover for covering and sealing the main pulley hole of a lawn and garden tractor mower belt housing. The cover includes a central hole adapted to receive the main pulley therein. A radial opening of the hole cover provides a passageway through which the main pulley may pass when the hole cover is placed around the main pulley. A fastener is used to secure the hole cover to the belt housing. The belt housing includes a bellows surrounding the central hole that provides better sealing and an adjustable central hole size making the hole cover universally acceptable to a wide variety of main pulley sizes. The radial opening defines facing sides of the hole cover that overlap one another to better provide sealing of the main pulley hole. An alternative interlocking mechanism attaches the facing sides to one another.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of machine covers and more specifically to a mower belt housing hole cover that prevents debris and moisture from entering the belt housing and causing deterioration of the belts and other components housed therein.
Lawn and garden tractor mowers, typically utilize belts to transmit the rotational motion of the motor into the required rotational motion of the cutting blades. This is particularly true for larger lawn and garden tractor mowers that use a plurality of offset rotating blades to effect the cutting over a relatively wide area. In many of these tractor mowers, the belts are housed in a belt housing designed to protect the belts from the elements and to enclose the rotating and moving parts for safety purposes. A shaft for each of the rotating blades extends through a relatively small hole in the floor of the belt housing and is attached to a pulley associated with each of the blades and housed within the belt housing. The pulleys are interconnected by the pulley drive belt. One of the pulleys, the main pulley, extends upward through a relatively large main pulley hole in the top of the housing where it is attached to a main drive belt of the tractor mower that transmits the power from the tractor engine motor to the main pulley. This system of drive belts and pulleys transmits the engine power of the tractor mower to the individual blades creating the necessary blade motion.
One problem associated with this system is that, during operation of the mower, the cut grass, dirt, and moisture enters the main pulley hole and deposits on the belt and the pulley components. Typically, after only a few weeks of operation the dirt, moisture, and grass that has entered the housing causes sufficient deterioration to the belts that they must be replaced. Accordingly, frequent replacement of the belts is required. When the belts break, the mower is unusable and changing the belts is relatively expensive. Likewise, the debris entering the housing causes accelerated deterioration of the pulley bearings, the other pulley components, and the housing itself. Damage to these components may require expensive repairs to the mower. Thus, a cover adapted to fit over the hole in the belt housing is needed to prevent the debris and moisture from entering the belt housing and causing deterioration of the belts, pulleys, and other components housed therein.
2. Related Art
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,848 that issued to Anthony on Oct. 31, 1995, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, the use of machine covers is known in the prior art. However, while the prior art references are useful for their intended purposes, none of the prior art references disclosed therein show a mower belt housing hole cover for a lawn and garden tractor mower that is adapted for simple, retrofit application to the tractor mower and provides for sealing of the housing to prevent debris and moisture from entering the housing during operation.


An exposure method capable of performing accurate exposure without using a large photomask. The exposure method performs exposure while relatively moving a photomask above a substrate and includes a step of performing position correction of the photomask by performing, on a front side of the photomask relatively moved in a moving direction, image recognition of a pattern prearranged on the substrate such as a line and a black matrix and by correcting deviation of the photomask with respect to the pattern, and a step of checking the position correction of the photomask by performing image recognition of a reference mark arranged on the photomask and by determining whether or not the position correction of the photomask is accurately performed in the step of performing the position correction of the photomask.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure method and an exposure device, and in particular relates to an exposure method and an exposure device which perform exposure while relatively moving a substrate and a photomask.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid crystal display panel, a pair of substrates are arranged opposing to each other at a predetermined gap, and liquid crystals are filled therebetween. On one of the substrates, constituents are stacked such as pixel electrodes which apply voltage to the liquid crystals, switching elements such as thin film transistors which drive the pixel electrodes, various lines such as gate bus lines and source bus lines, and an alignment layer which provides a pretilt angle to the liquid crystals. On the other substrate, constituents are stacked such as a black matrix, color filter layers having predetermined colors, common electrodes, and an alignment layer.
An alignment process for aligning the liquid crystals toward a predetermined direction is applied to the alignment layers arranged on the substrates. Conventionally, a rubbing process using a material such as a textile material is used as the alignment process. However, a photoalignment process has recently been used alternatively as the alignment process. The photoalignment process is a process that provides predetermined alignment characteristics on a surface of an alignment layer through a step to project light energy onto the surface of the alignment layer at a predetermined incident angle.
Constituents such as the switching element, the various lines, the black matrix, and the color filter layers are arranged using a photolithographic process. For example. The color filter layer is formed through a step to coat the substrate surface with a photoresist material having a predetermined color, a step to project light energy onto a predetermined pattern region on the photoresist material using a photomask, and a step to remove an unnecessary portion of the photoresist material (e.g. a portion onto which the light energy is not projected).
As prior art literatures relating to the present invention, Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publications Nos. 2005-024649 and Hei 11-133429 are cited.
An exposure step to project light energy onto a predetermined region on a surface of a substrate is indispensable in manufacturing of liquid crystal display panels. If deviation in an exposure position and/or an exposure range occurs, conditions such as of alignment of liquid crystals and of lines arranged on the substrate may become different from the designed conditions, causing the substrate to fail to have designed alignment or characteristics. For example, if deviation in a position and/or a range of light energy projection occurs in the exposure step to provide the photoalignment process to the alignment layer, it becomes impossible to provide the designed pretilt angle to the liquid crystals.
In addition, when projecting light energy onto the surface to be irradiated of the substrate using a photomask, the accuracy regarding the position and/or the range of light energy projection is significantly influenced by the dimensional accuracy of a pattern of light shielding portions and light transmitting portions which are arranged on the photomask, thereby rendering the photomask to be expensive. Moreover, the size of photomasks has been increased along with recent upsizing of substrates, resulting in even more expensive photomasks.
Further, when a large photomask is used, problems tend to occur such as change in the sizes of light shielding portions and light transmitting portions and deviation in alignment with the substrate, due to factors such as deformation and thermal expansion. Countermeasures against the problems are performed for example by suppressing the change in the sizes by managing the temperatures of the substrate and the photomask and by improving the accuracy of the mechanism for alignment and the control thereof, but such countermeasures result in complicated processes and increased running costs. Hence, the present invention aims to provide an exposure method and an exposure device capable of performing accurate exposure without using a large photomask.


The present invention provides a method and system for treating an ostium of a side-branch vessel. The system includes a catheter, a first inflatable member, a stent disposed on the first inflatable member, and a second inflatable member. The first inflatable member is disposed on a distal portion of the catheter, while the second inflatable member is disposed on a proximal portion of the catheter. The first inflatable member is inflated a first time to expand the stent within the side branch. The first inflatable member is then deflated, advanced, and inflated a second time to anchor the system while the second inflatable member is inflated to conform a portion of the stent to the ostium of the side-branch vessel.

Heart disease, specifically coronary artery disease, is a major cause of death, disability, and healthcare expense in the United States and other industrialized countries. A number of methods and devices for treating coronary heart disease have been developed, some of which are specifically designed to treat the complications resulting from atherosclerosis and other forms of coronary arterial narrowing.
One method for treating such conditions is percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). During PTCA, a balloon catheter device is inflated to dilate a stenotic blood vessel. The stenosis may be the result of a lesion such as a plaque or thrombus. When inflated, the pressurized balloon exerts a compressive force on the lesion, thereby increasing the inner diameter of the affected vessel. The increased interior vessel diameter facilitates improved blood flow. Soon after the procedure, however, a significant proportion of treated vessels restenose.
To prevent restenosis, stents, constructed of a metal or polymer and generally cylindrical in shape and hollow, are implanted within the vessel to maintain lumen size. The stent acts as a scaffold to support the lumen in an open position. Configurations of stents include a cylindrical sleeve defined by a mesh, interconnected stents, or like segments. Exemplary stents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,331 to Boneau, U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,127 to Globerman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,732 to Wiktor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,762 to Palmaz and U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,955 to Lau.
Stent insertion may cause undesirable reactions such as inflammation, infection, thrombosis, and proliferation of cell growth that occludes the passageway. To assist in preventing these conditions, stents have been used with coatings to deliver drugs or other therapeutic agents at the site of the stent.
The efficacy of a stent may be reduced when repairing a vessel affected by stenosis at the point at which the vessel originates, branching off from an adjoining vessel. This point of origin is referred to as the ostium of the vessel. A lesion located at this point is termed an ostial lesion.
To repair an ostial lesion, a stent must cover the entire affected area without occluding blood flow in the adjoining vessel. However, when a conventional stent overlies the entire ostium of the affected vessel, it may also extend into the adjoining vessel, occluding blood flow to some degree. Furthermore, when the stent extends into the adjoining vessel, the stent may block access to portions of the adjoining vessel that require further intervention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,890 to Shaknovich discloses a method and system for stent placement in an ostial lesion that ensures the stent does not extend into the adjoining vessel. However, the method and system do not ensure coverage of the affected area where it extends into the junction with the adjoining vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,444 to Lam describes an ostial stent having a flaring portion that provides coverage of at least a portion of a lesion at the junction of the two vessels. This invention, however, describes no means for actively conforming the stent to the shape of the specific ostium being treated.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and system for treating an ostium of a side-branch vessel that overcomes the aforementioned and other disadvantages.

Method and system for treating an ostium of a side-branch vessel


An integrated platform assembled with different electrical cabinets and components mounted on a framework in order to provide a complete datacenter critical power distribution package. The integrated platform supports the weight of cabinet enclosures and UPSs mounted onto a skeletal framework, which acts as an equipment support structure and a cable routing support system. Main and redundant power supply wiring is routed along the skeletal framework to and between the cabinet enclosures and the UPSs mounted thereon. Electrical connections between the cabinets are internally connected via bus bars as switchgear cabinets. The skeletal framework has top and bottom rails run substantially parallel to each other with cross bars connecting the top and bottom rails and a top horizontal surface to which one or more of the cabinet enclosures are mounted. The skeletal framework and cabinet enclosures are fabricated prior to installation and installed as a monolithic pre-wired pre-assembled integrated platform.

The term modular has been used to describe a variety of approaches to datacenter design. An initial commercially available modular design was a Sun Microsystems' container-based product called the Black Box. Today, the term describes products that range from shipping containers and simple repeated designs to fully manufactured IT spaces and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems built in factories and shipped to various sites. However, current shipping containers, on their own, lack the ability to create a truly interconnected facility and do not withstand weather very well.

Modular power skid assembled with different electrical cabinets and components mounted on the skid


Provided is a method for producing a difluorophosphate, which can simply and easily produce a high-purity difluorophosphate in an industrially advantageous manner. The method includes steps of: reacting an aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution with an oxyhalide of phosphorous (except phosphoric trifluoride) to produce a crude difluorophosphoric acid; reacting the crude difluorophosphoric acid with a halide of an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, aluminum or an onium to produce a difluorophosphate in the crude difluorophosphoric acid; and heating and drying the crude difluorophosphoric acid containing the difluorophosphate to distill away the crude difluorophosphoric acid, or precipitating the difluorophosphate in the crude difluorophosphoric acid by crystallization, subsequently separating the difluorophosphate by solid-liquid separation, and further distilling away the crude difluorophosphoric acid contained in the difluorophosphate after solid-liquid separation.

In recent years, investigations have been actively advanced for applying an ionic liquid as an electrolytic solution for batteries or electric double layer capacitors, and for using an ionic liquid as a plating bath. In conventional batteries or electric double layer capacitors, an aqueous electrolytic solution or an organic electrolytic solution has been used as an electrolytic solution. However, the aqueous electrolytic solution has the problem of being restricted about the decomposition voltage of water. The organic electrolytic solution has problems about heat resistance and safety. By contrast, an ionic liquid has characteristics preferable for safety, such as flame resistance and nonvolatility, and is also high in electrochemical stability. The ionic liquid is therefore suitable, in particular, for an electrolytic solution for batteries or electric double layer capacitors used in a high-temperature environment.
In order to use an ionic liquid as an electrolytic solution for batteries or electric double layer capacitors, investigations have been advanced about various types of ionic liquids each composed of a cation and an anion. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 reports properties of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium difluorophosphate, which has a difluorophosphate as an anion, as an ionic liquid. Non-Patent Document 2 reports that the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium difluorophosphate has electroconductivity and voltage resistance equivalent to those of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, which is known as a typical ionic liquid, and can be suitably used for an electrolyte for electric double layer capacitors.
According to Non-Patent Document 1, in a method for producing the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium difluorophosphate, the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium difluorophosphate can be produced by reacting 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride with potassium difluorophosphate in acetone, filtering off potassium chloride produced as a by-product from the solution in acetone, allowing the remaining solution to act onto an alumina column, and then distilling away acetone therefrom. Impurities in an electrolytic solution remarkably affect performances of batteries or electric double layer capacitors; thus, when an ionic liquid is used as an electrolytic solution, it is preferred to reduce impurities as much as possible. The ionic liquid is hardly volatile, and is also in a liquid state within a broad temperature range, so that the impurities are not easily reduced by a purifying method such as distillation or recrystallization. It is therefore necessary for synthesizing a high-purity ionic liquid to use a high-purity raw material. Thus, it is desired in the production method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 that the amount of impurities contained in potassium difluorophosphate to be used is as small as possible.
Methods for producing a difluorophosphate such as potassium difluorophosphate are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 8 and Non-Patent Documents 3 to 7 listed below.
Non-Patent Documents 3 and 4 each disclose a method of allowing ammonium fluoride or acidic sodium fluoride to act onto diphosphorous pentaoxide to provide a difluorophosphate. However, in the respective production methods disclosed in these documents, besides the difluorophosphate, a monofluorophosphate, a phosphate, and water are produced as by-products in large amounts. Accordingly, a large burden is imposed on a subsequent purifying step. Thus, it is not easily mentioned that these methods are effective methods.
Non-Patent Document 5 discloses a method of allowing P2O3F4 (difluorophosphoric anhydride) to act onto, for example, an oxide or hydroxide such as Li2O or LiOH to produce a difluorophosphate. However, difluorophosphoric anhydride is very expensive, and high-purity difluorophosphoric anhydride is not easily available. Thus, this production method is disadvantageous for industrial production.
Patent Document 1 discloses a method of mixing potassium hexafluorophosphate with potassium metaphosphate, and melting the mixture to provide potassium difluorophosphate. However, this production method has the following problem: potassium difluorophosphate is contaminated by a crucible used at the time of melting potassium hexafluorophosphate and potassium metaphosphate. For the melting, it is also necessary to realize an environment of a high temperature such as 700° C. From the viewpoints of product purity and productivity, the production method disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot be said to be a preferable method.
Non-Patent Document 6 discloses a method of melting urea, potassium dihydrogenphosphate, and ammonium fluoride to react these compounds with one another, thereby producing potassium difluorophosphate. In this production method, the reaction temperature can be lowered to about 170° C. In light of a comparison of this condition with reaction conditions in Patent Document 1, this production method makes it possible to realize industrial production. However, there remain the following problems: it is necessary to dispose of a large amount of ammonia gas produced as a by-product, and a large amount of ammonium fluoride also remains. Thus, from the viewpoints of production efficiency and product purity, the production method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 6 is not preferable, either.
Non-Patent Document 7 discloses a method of: reacting an alkali metal chloride with excessive difluorophosphoric acid; heating and drying hydrogen chloride, which is produced as a by-product, and a surplus of difluorophosphoric acid under reduced pressure to be distilled away; and then obtaining a difluorophosphate. However, even when difluorophosphoric acid sufficiently high in purity is used, a monofluorophosphate and a fluoride salt remain as impurities in large amounts in the difluorophosphate obtained by this method. It is therefore also difficult that the production method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 7 provides a high-purity difluorophosphate.
Patent Documents 2 to 4 each disclose a method of reacting lithium hexafluorophosphate with a borate, silicon dioxide and a carbonate in a nonaqueous solvent to provide lithium difluorophosphate. Moreover, Patent Document 5 discloses a method of bringing a carbonate or borate into contact with a gas such as phosphorous pentafluoride to provide lithium difluorophosphate. However, the production methods disclosed in these documents require a process over a long time of, for example, 40 to 170 hours for providing a difluorophosphate. Thus, these methods are unsuitable for industrial production.
Patent Document 6 describes a method of reacting an oxoacid or oxyhalide of phosphorous with a hexafluorophosphate, a halide of an alkali metal, and the like in the presence of hydrogen fluoride to provide a difluorophosphate. According to this method, the hexafluorophosphate acts, through the presence thereof, effectively onto contaminated water so that a high-purity difluorophosphate can be obtained. However, the hexafluorophosphate, which is expensive, is used in a relatively large amount, and further according to methods described in Examples therein, an exhaust gas or waste fluid containing a large amount of phosphorous and fluorine is generated to cause the following problem: the separation and recovery of useful substances, and waste disposal are complicated.
Patent Document 7 discloses a method of reacting a halide of an alkali metal or the like with difluorophosphoric acid in the presence of a hexafluorophosphate to produce a difluorophosphate. Patent Document 8 discloses a method of reacting difluorophosphoric acid with a halide or the like of an alkali metal in difluorophosphoric acid, and providing a difluorophosphate in difluorophosphoric acid by a crystallizing operation. In these production methods, it is necessary to use a high-purity difluorophosphoric acid. However, difluorophosphoric acid is high in corrosive property; thus, reduced pressure distillation or the like is required, and further facilities for the production are complicated. There is also caused the following problem: it is difficult to industrially gain difluorophosphoric acid regardless of the purity thereof.
In the meantime, a high-purity difluorophosphate can be used not only as a raw material of an ionic liquid but also as an additive for an electrolytic solution for lithium secondary batteries. In recent years, as a field to which lithium secondary batteries are applied enlarges from that of electronic instruments such as portable phones, personal computers and digital cameras to that of articles mounted on automobiles, a further rise in performances thereof has been advanced, for example, the power density and the energy density are improved, and a loss in the capacity is restrained. Lithium secondary batteries used, particularly, in articles mounted in automobiles may be exposed to a severer environment than ones used in consumer products; accordingly, the batteries are required to have a high reliability in terms of cycle life and storage performance. An electrolytic solution used in lithium secondary batteries is a nonaqueous electrolytic solution in which a lithium salt is dissolved in an organic solvent. The decomposition of such a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, and a side reaction thereof affect the performance of the lithium secondary batteries. Consequently, attempts have been made for improving the batteries in cycle life and storage performance by mixing various additives with the nonaqueous electrolytic solution.
For example, Patent Document 9 discloses that an organic solvent, as a nonaqueous electrolytic solution for lithium secondary batteries, contains at least one of lithium monofluorophosphate and lithium difluorophosphate as an additive. Patent Document 9 states that the use of such a nonaqueous electrolytic solution makes it possible to form a film onto a positive electrode and a negative electrode, respectively, thereby restraining the electrolytic solution from being decomposed by contact between the nonaqueous electrolytic solution, and a positive active material and a negative active material. Thus, the battery can be restrained from undergoing self-discharge and be improved in storage performance.