The present invention uses instant messaging to effectuate structured communication. A structured communication component is used in conjunction with an instant messaging component to allow an instant messaging user to quickly formulate a structured communication for transmission to one or more recipients. The recipients are presented with the structured communications such that they provide a structured response that is transmitted back to the sender. The responses from the various recipients can then be reviewed, such as in a desired report format, by the sender.

The present invention relates to structured communication and instant messaging. More specifically, the present invention relates to utilizing instant messaging to effectuate structured communication.
Instant messaging is a well-known and documented real time communication system. Typically, instant messaging allows users to subscribe to an instant messaging service which handles substantially instantaneous communication between subscribers. In order to communicate using instant messaging, a subscriber activates an instant messaging client component and can send a text message to another member who has an activated instant messaging component. If the recipient is not "online" (i.e., if their instant messaging component is not currently on or active) then instant messages intended for that recipient are queued by the instant messaging client or by the service provider for later transmission once the intended recipient becomes active. Some instant messaging systems also allow subscribers to send images, play audio files, launch web sites, or view video information, such as through a web camera device.
Instant messaging is currently very popular. Current estimates indicate that there are approximately 600 million active instant messaging accounts, worldwide. In the next three years, this is expected to grow to approximately 1.5 billion instant messaging accounts worldwide. Adoption of instant messaging services is expected to grow very quickly in both consumer and business markets. In addition, the number of instant messaging transmissions (i.e., instant messages) sent is increasing steadily. The number of instant messages is currently estimated to be approximately 585 million messages per day and is expected to grow to approximately 1.4 billion messages per day over the next three years.
Despite its popularity, instant messaging suffers from a number of disadvantages. These disadvantages stem primarily from the fact that communication using instant messaging is unstructured. In other words, most instant messaging functionality simply allows a user to enter free form text into a text box and send it to a recipient. Although this is an effective tool for communicating simple messages and dialog between two people, it becomes highly ineffective as the number of persons involved in the communication increases. Even with a relatively small group of people, the communication becomes so unstructured and random that it is almost reduced to a noise level. Therefore, instant messaging is not an effective tool for reaching consensus in a group, or driving convergence of discussions in a group setting.
Driving such consensus, or reaching agreements in a group of people in different locations, is typically done using other known forms of communication, for example, the telephone or electronic mail. For instance, assume that the leader of a team of employees wishes to obtain a consensus on a suitable location for a meeting. Instead of using instant messaging, primarily because of the above drawbacks, the team leader will typically either call each employee to find out that employee's preference for a meeting location, or send an electronic mail transmission to all employees asking them to respond with their requested meeting locations. In either case, the leader must then follow up with all the employees once responses are received.
These forms of communication can be cumbersome. Calling each employee allows the team leader to obtain the desired information, but can take a relatively long time, because the team leader must call each individual employee. While the team leader can broadcast an electronic mail transmission to a group quite quickly, that electronic mail transmission is responded to by the recipients many times over, generating a very long electronic mail thread that is hard to consolidate into a decipherable form. Thus, both of the conventional options have proven to take an undesirable amount of time and to be highly ineffective at quickly resolving questions.
There are also known technologies for conducting structured communications, such as surveys. However, these technologies typically offer web-based solutions whereby questions in the survey are painstakingly authored, as is branching logic for determining a next appropriate question based on a previous answer. Such systems are not well suited to quick generation of a structured communication for introducing structure into group conversation contexts.

Utilizing instant messaging to effectuate structured communication


Disclosed is an array controller for controlling the transfer of data from a host system to an array of data storage devices, comprising a processor connected via a local bus to a data buffer in which data is staged during said transfer. The array controller is provided with a buffer controller for controlling the operation of the buffer and is further provided with channel hardware for manifesting a plurality of data channels, selectable by the local bus address, over which data is transferred in and out of the data buffer.

Over recent years, there has been a growth in interest in disk drive arrays for storing large amounts of data in a computer system. A disk array typically consists of a number of disk drives connectable to a using system via one or more controller elements which control the transfer of data to and from the disk drives. A disk array is designed to provide high capacity data storage, high reliability and high data transfer rates to and from the using system.
One widely adopted scheme for array architectures is known as RAID (Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks). Details of RAID can be found in a number of publications including a paper entitled `A Case for Redundant Arrays of Independent disks (RAID)` (ACM SIGMOD conference proceedings, Chicago, Ill., Jun. 1-3, 1988, pp.109-116). In this paper five levels of array (RAIDS 1 to 5) are proposed to provide different levels of data management. Each of the RAID levels permits users to increase their data storage capacity by linking together a number of inexpensive disk drives. The RAID system provides protection against loss of data through the failure of a drive by either storing two copies of the data on two drives (RAID 1) or by spreading the data across two or more drives of the array, calculating the parity for the striped data and storing the parity data on a different drive. In the event that one of the data holding drives fails, the data on the failed drive can be reconstructed using the parity data and the remaining data of the parity group (RAIDs 2 to 5). Arrays are often referred to as `N+P` where there are N data disks and P parity disks. In RAID 3, for example, the data is bit or byte-striped across the disks with the parity data being stored on a single parity disk. For RAID 3 therefore, P is equal to one. A parity group consists of the group of data on the N disks and the parity data on the P disk.
When data is stored to disk in RAID 3, parity is generated by carrying out an XOR operation on the data being stored. The parity so generated is stored to a separate disk. A logical data record is broken up and interleaved across the disks with parity stored on a separate disk. All disks are accessed concurrently for a user application access. If data stored in the array is required to be updated, then the parity data for the parity group containing that data also needs to be updated. Parity generation may be implemented in software or alternatively in the form of XOR hardware. Hardware implementation generally allows for more rapid generation of parity as data is written from the host system to the array. One example of such an implementation is described in European patent EP 508 604.

System and method for improving channel hardware performance for an array controller

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and system for evaluating the quality of voice input recognition by a voice portal is provided. An analysis interface extracts a set of current grammars from the voice portal. A test pattern generator generates a test input for each current grammar. The test input includes a test pattern and a set of active grammars corresponding to each current grammar. The system further includes a text-to-speech engine for entering each test pattern into the voice server. A results collector analyzes each test pattern entered into the voice server with the speech recognition engine against the set of active grammars corresponding to the current grammar for said test pattern. A results analyzer derives a set of statistics of a quality of recognition of each current grammar.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of computer software and speech recognition and more particularly to user-navigated dynamic voice portals that use speech recognition technology.
2. Description of The Related Art
Contrary to visual applications, voice-based applications have the problem that for input recognition no strict pattern matching can be used. The nature of speech recognition makes it very difficult to distinguish between terms having similar pronunciations. Therefore, during the design of speech applications, care should be taken to provide input choices which are pronounced as differently as possible, so as to avoid the problem of recognizing the wrong choice.
The problem of recognizing the wrong input choice in a speech recognition application occurs with voice portals, which are generally built by various parties that may not be aware of the terms used in the various applications disposed within the voice portal. Often, a voice portal will have, in addition to the current grammars (or commands) for the actual choice to be made, additional active grammars, such as certain "universal" grammars that allow a user to navigate through the portal, e.g. a command such as "go back." Thus, at any given moment, a combined set of grammars are active, and the voice recognition engine has to search in the set of combined active grammars for a match.
A problem arises if the various grammars used across the various applications on the portal are designed by different parties, as is the case for voice portals built on a general portal architecture, such as the IBM WebSphere™ Portal Server. General portal architecture allows for new applications to be added dynamically by an administrator. The new added choices created by each new application modify the available choices in a selection menu, and thereby affect the quality of recognition. Generally, the administrators are not voice technology specialists, and may further have to operate a voice portal in multiple languages. Because of this, there is always a risk that a new voice application may drastically reduce the quality of the portal.
FIG. 1 depicts an example of a sample content and organization of a voice portal. The user is generally presented with a tree 10, into which, after logging into the portal, the user starts at a home directory 11. The tree then divides into new sub-directories 12 and 14, for "Business" and "Entertainment", respectively. At home directory 11, the user would be presented with two choices, for "Business" or "Entertainment," which would be the current grammars for the choice that the portal would need to recognize. In addition to those current grammars, there may be additional active grammars, such as "go back" or "quit." As the user navigates deeper into the menu 10, the current grammars may change from one menu selection step to another. After the "Places" menu selection step 60, the user would proceed to the "Pages" step 65, and would be presented with a new set of menu options 16, 17, 81, and 19, labeled "Information," Notes, "Directory," and "Sports," respectively. The new menu options would be added to the set of active grammars.
Below these menu options are the various portlets or voice applications in the applications phase 70 at the bottom of the menu. Applications 20, 22, 24 each branch off from menu item 16, while applications 40, 42, and 44 each branch off from menu item 18. The two sets of voice applications may have been written and arranged by different parties not knowing which terms the other party used for the title of each application. Within each branch of applications additional grammars would be added to the active set which the speech recognition engine of the portal must recognize.
In menu 10, it can be seen that application 34 is titled "Directory," which is the same as menu option 18. If the grammar for selecting menu option 18 is active within the selection choice following menu option 17, then the system would have trouble distinguishing between identically pronounced terms. Similarly, if a universal grammar such as "store settings" was also active, this would present recognition problems if the user were to navigate through menu item 18, which has the application named "Stores."
Currently, the only way of testing a portal's recognition quality after setting up the portal or installing a new voice application (or portlet) is to call into the system and check manually, or by user testing with a human user, how well the system works. This can be time-consuming and expensive. It would be desirable therefore, to provide a quality evaluation tool that assesses the ability of a voice portal to recognize different terms in the various applications attached to the portal, by analyzing and measuring the similarity of the terms.

Quality evaluation tool for dynamic voice portals


A water spray subsystem apparatus and method of treating discharge gas designed for use in the gas discharge zone of a Czochralski crystal growing apparatus. The subsystem composes a structure containing or defining a water spray body, which is capable of providing a water spray into the discharge gas stream from the CZ chamber. The water is supplied into the discharge gas in the form of a spray or a mist in order to provide for intimate contact between the droplets of sprayed water and the discharge gas stream. Contacting the discharge gas stream with the water spray cools the gas stream, causes the reaction of SiO to SiO2, and causes the precipitation of cooled SiO2 and SiC out of the discharge gas stream.

The present invention relates to a discharge gas treatment apparatus and method for use with a crystal growing chamber utilizing the Czochralski method, such invention comprising a water spray apparatus capable of limiting the amount of Si compounds released into the atmosphere while avoiding safety hazards related to unwanted siphoning of water into the Czochralski chamber.
As industry drives demand for ever larger and higher quality crystals for use in microchip fabrication, crystal growers embrace an ever increasing body of technology which enables them to make crystals of increasing size and at an increasing rate. However, very real safety concerns still plague crystal growers as the techniques of today still require the control of potentially hazardous chemicals within a harsh high-temperature environment. Though hazardous waste streams produced during crystal growth are handled adequately by technology of today during its normal operation, the possibility of equipment failure mixed with the potentially extreme consequences of such an event could still be improved.
The majority of crystals today, particularly silicon crystals, are grown using the Czochralski method, known simply as the CZ method. In the CZ method, polycrystalline material is placed within a crucible along with any necessary dopants or other additives. The crucible, in turn, is placed within a closed chamber capable of being isolated from the atmosphere. Because of the extreme heat necessary for crystal production the primary components within a CZ chamber are typically graphite, with the exception of the crucible which is typical quartz.
The polycrystalline material is then heated and melted at around 1400xc2x0 C., after which a seed crystal having the desired orientation is placed just above the surface of the melted polycrystalline material, known as the melt. Because of surface tension, molten polycrystalline adheres to the lower surface of the crystal. As the molten polycrystalline along the lower surface of the crystal cools, it adopts the crystalline structure of the seed crystal. As the seed crystal is slowly raised within the Czochralski chamber, the crystal is grown as additional molten polycrystalline adheres to the crystal and solidifies with the proper crystalline orientation. The practice continues until a crystal of suitable size is achieved. Also, it must be noted that the CZ method usually involves constant rotation of the crystal and/or the crucible to counteract problems associated with non-uniform distribution of dopants and additives within the melt.
During the production of silicon crystals, various hazardous chemicals can be produced. Perhaps the most hazardous byproduct of high temperature crystal production is silicon oxide (SiO) which is believed to be produced by reaction of the polysilicon melt with the quartz crucible. The silicon oxide is violently reactive with oxygen to form SiO2. Though oxygen is normally evacuated from the CZ chamber during the crystal growing process, the mere existence of SiO within the CZ chamber or within a gas discharge stream is cause for concern since any accidental breach of the CZ chamber during the crystal growing process would result in the potentially explosive oxidation of SiO.
Other byproducts of the crystal growing process are SiO2, which is partially vaporized and may thereafter solidify above the melt, and SiC, which forms as a solid residue upon the graphite components of the CZ chamber, and may thereafter flake off into the area above and around the melt. Although SiO2 and SiC are relatively non-reactive, they are undesired components within the CZ chamber because of their ability to cause buildup within the chamber or, worse, to contaminate the melt and destroy the crystallinity of the growing crystal.
In order to minimize the adverse impact of the hazardous chemicals, and further to inhibit the production of the undesired byproducts discussed above, the CZ chamber is filled with an inert gas. Furthermore, crystal growth typically occurs under a slight vacuum.
In practice, the CZ chamber is repeatedly evacuated and supplied with inert gas as each crystal is produced. For instance, to insert a seed crystal within the CZ chamber, the chamber must necessarily be exposed to the atmosphere. After the seed crystal is put in place, the chamber is evacuated through use of a vacuum pump. Once the chamber has been evacuated, inert gas is supplied to the chamber, which is still under a slight vacuum. As the crystal growing process begins and continues, inert gas is continuously supplied to the chamber and continuously removed from the chamber through use of another vacuum pump. After the crystal has grown, the gas supply and discharge are closed, the chamber is opened to the atmosphere to allow access to the crystal, the melt is replenished if necessary, a new seed crystal is inserted, and the process is repeated.
The gas discharged from the chamber carries with it the various byproducts of the reaction, including SiO, SiO2, and SiC. As mentioned above, SiO is a potentially explosive component which is particularly dangerous when held in a hot, dry gas stream. The other components are also environmentally regulated and must be removed from the discharge stream before it is exhausted to the environment or otherwise reused.
Conventional discharge gas treatment methods often use a water bubbler to oxidize the SiO under controlled wet conditions, to solidify the SiO2 and SiC components of the gas stream, and to cool the discharge gas. Use of a water bubbler involves discharging the contaminated gas stream into a water filled tank. After the discharge gas enters the tank, the gas is rapidly cooled as the gas rises through the water. As the gas is cooled, a large percentage of the SiO2 and SiC precipitates out of the gas stream and falls to the bottom of the water bubbler, where it may be collected. The SiO within the gas stream reacts, in a controlled manner, with the oxygen present in the water to form SiO2, which precipitates to the bottom of the bubbler. The remaining gas stream is removed from the bubbler, still under slight vacuum, and either exhausted to the atmosphere or treated further.
Under normal operating conditions, the bubbler arrangement works quite well for removing contaminants from the gas stream. However, the CZ apparatus is operated at extreme temperatures and byproducts of the process, particularly SiO2, tend to solidify and readily form deposits within the discharge system which includes piping, vacuum pumps, and valves. Having SiO2 deposits throughout the gas discharge system creates a likelihood that a vacuum pump will fail or that a valve will be unable to close during crystal growth. Furthermore, the gas discharge system including the vacuum pump and the valves may fail for some other reason. Given that the crystal growing process is conducted under a vacuum, it is possible that, due to equipment failure, water from the water bubbler could be siphoned back through the gas discharge system, perhaps invading the vacuum pump or even the CZ chamber itself. The most likely cause of such siphoning would be failure of a discharge gas vacuum pump or failure of the vacuum seal between the gas discharge system and the CZ chamber during evacuation. A result of water backflow is at least destruction of the pump or the crystal being currently grown, and could perhaps result in a steam explosion caused by large quantities of water encountering the 1400xc2x0 C. chamber atmosphere.
Previous attempts to overcome the problem of water backflow have involved various methods of mechanically and physically isolating the water bubbler from the CZ chamber and vacuum pumps. Two approaches to isolating the bubbler from the chamber are found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,058, which discloses the use of a buffer tank between the CZ chamber and the bubbler. The buffer tank is a gas filled tank located in-line with the gas discharge system, between the bubbler and the CZ chamber and any vacuum pumps. In theory, any water siphoned back into the discharge system would be captured by the buffer tank before it was able to make its way into pumps or the CZ chamber. The same patent also discloses use of a vacuum breaker device which would be able to sense loss of vacuum within the gas discharge zone of the Czochralski apparatus and which would quickly bring the CZ chamber to atmospheric pressure thereby stopping any siphoning from taking place.
Conventional safety devices have lowered the possibility of catastrophic equipment failure during crystal growing using a CZ chamber. However, the safety measures related to use of the water bubbler are far from failsafe. Rapid buildup of SiO2 and SiC deposits within the gas discharge zone means that equipment failure can occur, including equipment failure of the safety equipment mentioned in the prior safety techniques.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide an apparatus and method of preventing water backflow into a CZ apparatus upon vacuum pressure disruption, wherein such apparatus is not subject to the same disabling deposits and corrosive effects of the CZ environment which typically cause the disruption. In other words, an improvement in safety during discharge gas treatment with water is desirable which does not involve exposing the safety equipment to the same disabling environment which likely caused an equipment failure in the first place.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method of treating discharge gas from a CZ chamber which dramatically reduces the risks of water backflow associated with traditional water bubblers. The reduction of risk of water backflow is achieved by replacing the traditional water bubbler with a water spray subsystem within the gas discharge system of the CZ apparatus. The water spray subsystem provides adequate interaction between the discharge gas and the cooling, reacting water, so that the SiO in the gas stream reacts to SiO2, and so that the SiO2 and SiC are cooled and precipitated out of the gas stream. But, the water spray subsystem works without the necessity of a large accumulated volume of water that is maintained in communication with the CZ chamber, thus avoiding the possibility of water backflow and of all the catastrophic consequences related thereto.
The water spray subsystem is designed for use in the gas discharge zone of a Czochralski crystal growing apparatus. The subsystem composes a structure containing or defining a water spray body, which is capable of providing a water spray into the discharge gas stream from the CZ chamber. The water is supplied into the discharge gas in the form of a spray or a mist in order to provide for intimate contact between the droplets of sprayed water and the discharge gas stream. Contacting the discharge gas stream with the water spray cools the gas stream, causes the reaction of SiO to SiO2, and causes the precipitation of cooled SiO2 and SiC out of the discharge gas stream.
In an embodiment, the subsystem is composed of a closed vessel having a discharge gas inlet for receiving discharge gas containing various waste components, from the CZ crystal growing chamber, and a discharge gas outlet which allows the wetted, cooled, and reacted discharge gas to leave the vessel and continue to another treatment process or to exhaust into the atmosphere. The spray body is preferably located within the vessel and provides a water spray to the inside of the vessel. There is at least one drain to allow for the escape of water from the vessel.
The vessel preferably has an upper region and a lower region with the upper region having a central area and a periphery, such as a cylindrical tank having a vertical axis of orientation or a conical tank having a vertical axis of orientation. The gas inlets and outlets are disposed within the upper region of the vessel, so that condensing water from the spray body naturally falls away from and is not sucked into either the inlet or outlet. The water spray body is disposed about the periphery of the upper region of the vessel so that water sprayed into the vessel is projected inward and downward into the vessel. The spray body most preferably is composed of a series of spray heads which provide a very dispersed water spray having a wide spray pattern within the vessel. The condensed water, along with the particulates condensed out of the discharge gas, are removed from the vessel through a water outlet located in the lower region of the vessel.
In operation, discharge gas is projected downwards into the main volume of the vessel where it intimately contacts water which is likewise projected downward and inward into the main volume of the vessel. Upon contact of the discharge gas with the water, SiO reacts with oxygen present in the water to form SiO2, and the SiO2 and SiC within the gas stream are cooled and solidified, after which they fall to the bottom of the vessel. The cooled and reacted gas stream leaves the vessel through the gas outlet. The condensed water and particulates within the vessel settle to the bottom of the vessel, where they are removed through a water outlet.
By utilizing the water spray of the invention, adequate cooling and reaction of waste products within the discharge gas stream from the CZ chamber are provided.
Furthermore, use of the water spray and consequent lack of any large accumulated volume of water avoids the possibility of water being siphoned back into the CZ chamber in the event of an equipment failure. By eliminating the volume of water normally present in a bubbler, the present invention provides a dramatic improvement in safety by eliminating the possibility of water backflow into the discharge gas treatment system which has previously presented a hazard of mechanical destruction or steam explosion.

Method and apparatus for treating discharge gas from a Czochralski crystal growing chamber utilizing water spray


A telephone network interface device (NID) isolation module (NIM). The NIM is adapted to fit a telco-side modular jack of a NID bridging a telco feed to inside wiring. The NIM comprises a modular plug made of an electrically insulating material that fits securely in the modular jack. Following disconnection of the telco feed from the inside wiring, the NIM is inserted into the modular jack to prevent the reconnection of the telco feed to the inside wiring. A tag component of the NIM is used to provide instructions and warnings to a subscriber or a service technician relating to the use of the telco-side modular jack.

The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to modular jacks used in residential telephone systems.
Telephone companies (or "telcos") typically maintain telephone wiring up to a demarcation point where the telco feed interfaces with the house or premises wiring. The demarcation point is located in a network interface device (NID). The NID has two "sides"—one for the phone company and one for subscriber access. At least the telco-side of the NID terminates in a modular jack. To connect the inside wiring to the telco feed, a jumper cable terminated with a modular plug is plugged into the modular jack. The other end of the jumper is either hardwired to the subscriber-side or is plugged into a modular jack connect to the subscriber-side. This arrangement allows the telco feed and the inside wiring to be isolated for troubleshooting and maintenance.
Competition for local telephone service subscribers is growing. Broadband service providers offer digital telephone service, which turns voice calls into digital packets for dispatch over an IP network. A cable company can now offer cable TV, telephone service and broadband connections on one bill to its subscribers.
When a cable subscriber elects to convert from telco-provided local phone service to cable-provided local service, the inside wiring is connected through a cable voice interface device to the cable provider's network. Typically, a cable modem is connected to a media terminal adapter (MTA) that is connected to the inside wiring through a wall jack. To isolate the cable equipment from the telco feed, the telco feed is disconnected from the inside wiring at the demarcation point. Where a NID has been provided, this requires removal of the jumper connecting the telco side of the NID to the subscriber-side of the NID be removed.
The modular plug/modular jack arrangement makes this a simple task. However, the risk to the cable operator and to the telco is that at some point in the future, the subscriber or a service technician may reconnect jumper using at now-empty modular jack. Cable voice interface devices may be then be exposed to potentially damaging signals from the telco feed. Similarly, signals from the MTA may risk damage to telco equipment at the central office. One solution to this problem is to remove the inside wiring from the NID and provide a new cross connect from the inside wiring to the cable voice interface. However, this adds labor and equipment cost to the installation of the cable voice service.
What is needed is an inexpensive means for preventing the reconnection of inside wiring to a telco feed at a NID in a cable voice installation.


A system is described comprising: a local node to distribute multimedia content to a plurality of remote nodes; a power detection module to detect power usage of a multimedia device coupled to a first one of the remote nodes; a power analysis module to determine, based on the detected power usage, whether the multimedia device is in a first power state or a second power state; and a transmitter to transmit an indication of the detected state to the local node, the indication usable by the node to allocate multimedia processing resources across the plurality of remote nodes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of multimedia distribution. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for automatically sensing the state of a video display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
When subscribing to a cable or satellite television service, a cable or satellite receiver is typically required for each television set within the user's home. One problem with this scenario is that cable and satellite receivers, or "set-top boxes," are costly to manufacture, particularly those equipped with mass storage devices for storing television programming (commonly known as "Personal Video Recorders" or "PVRs"). As such, requiring an individual set-top box for each television set is an unreasonable solution in many cases (e.g., particularly if the user has numerous television sets).
To solve this and other problems, the assignee of the present application has developed a multimedia system and associated technologies for distributing multimedia content (e.g., cable/satellite television programming) from a primary receiver device to a plurality of secondary devices. The primary receiver device is a relatively high-powered device (i.e., relative to the secondary devices), capable of concurrently processing multiple satellite/cable channels and distributing those channels to the secondary devices. Because most of the signal processing load is handled by the primary receiver device, the secondary devices can be manufactured relatively inexpensively, resulting in a more efficient solution for the end user and the cable/satellite service provider.
Embodiments of one such multimedia system are set forth in the co-pending application entitled MULTIMEDIA AND COMPUTING SYSTEM, filed Sep. 1, 2000 (Ser. No. 09/653,964), which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and which is incorporated herein by reference. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the exemplary multimedia system, a media server 110 (e.g., a "set-top box" or game console) equipped with a processor and a mass storage device acts as a central repository for decoding and storing multimedia content and distributing the multimedia content to a plurality of nodes. More particularly, the media server 110 processes multimedia content from Internet communication channels 120 (e.g., DSL, cable modem), broadcast communication channels 130 (e.g., digital/analog cable, satellite), and/or Public Switched Telephone Network ("PSTN") communication channels 170 (i.e., standard telephone) to provide a stable, real-time home media network 140 for a plurality of network devices 150-151, 160-166.
When signal processing and storage resources from a primary device are spread across a plurality of secondary devices, as described above, it is important to allocate those resources in an intelligent manner. For example, if a television set coupled to a particular secondary device is off, it would be beneficial to communicate this information back to the primary device so that the primary device can reallocate the multimedia resources consumed by the secondary device (which is not being used) to a different secondary device, and/or to the storage device on the primary node itself.

System and method for automatically sensing the state of a video display device


A thin film deposition apparatus has at least two vacuum chambers, one of which is an etching vacuum chamber for cleaning wafer surfaces. The etching vacuum chamber includes a first gas introduction system for introducing an etching gas, and a second gas introduction system for introducing a reactive gas for use in the cleaning whereby silicon deposited films will be removed. A thin film deposition method which may be carried out by the apparatus includes a cleaning process performed in advance of thin film deposition process for depositing a thin film on the wafer surfaces. In the cleaning process, the wafer surfaces are etched with the etching gas, the wafers are thereafter taken out of the chamber, a simulation wafer for particle checking is transferred into the chamber, and the degree to which particles have been generated is checked with the simulation wafer. When required, the reactive gas is introduced thereafter to gasify the deposited films and the particles. The resultant gas is evacuated to the outside of the vacuum chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film deposition method and a thin film deposition apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a thin film deposition method adapted to check and determine the number of particles generated in an etching process for the purpose of wafer surface cleaning, which is performed in advance of a thin film deposition process, and to remove undesirably deposited films from which the particles may generate, the method thereby enabling appropriate and easy removal of the particles. Furthermore, it relates to a thin film deposition apparatus having an arrangement for the removal of the particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A sputtering apparatus for mass-production performs the processing of a plurality of wafers by employing a multi-chamber structure which mainly comprises a plurality of processing chambers. The sputtering apparatus having the multi-chamber structure has arrangements for preventing air in the atmosphere from entering the inside of the apparatus, and for preventing target materials in the individual processing chambers from being contaminated with substances introduced from other chambers. With such arrangements, therefore, the apparatus is able to perform sputtering which allows thin films having stable quality levels to be formed. Conventionally, in general, with a view to removing oxide films or contamination naturally generated on the surfaces of wafers, an etching process has been performed before the sputtering process, in which the wafer surfaces are subjected to etching. In the etching process, discharge is caused in, primarily, an argon (Ar) gas, so as to etch the wafer surfaces (as disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-183531). In general, the etching process is referred to as "a pretreatment process" for fabricating a semiconductor circuit. The etching process is generally performed in a vacuum chamber which is, in the sputtering apparatus, used exclusively for this purpose.
A conventional thin film deposition method including the etching process as the pretreatment process in advance of the sputtering process, has the following problem in relation to particles.
A phenomenon caused by the etching of the conventional method will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Referring to FIG. 7, in a vacuum chamber 71 in which etching is to be performed, a wafer 73 (for example, a silicon substrate) held by a wafer holder 72 is disposed at an upper position. A counter electrode 75 housing a magnet 74 for magnetron discharge is disposed at a lower position in the vacuum chamber 71. The vacuum chamber 71 is equipped with a main pump 76, and an Ar gas introducing system 77. The main pump 76 is comprised of a high vacuum pump such as a cryopump or a turbo-molecular pump. A high-frequency power source 79 is connected between the wafer holder 72 and the counter electrode 75. After a predetermined pressure has been attained and set in the chamber 71 by the main pump 76, Ar gas is introduced into the chamber 71 by the Ar gas introducing system 77. Thereafter, when a high-frequency power is applied by the high-frequency power source 79, magnetron discharge is caused by crossed electric and magnetic fields. When the magnetron discharge occurs, its self-bias effect causes argon ions 80 to be impinged onto the surface (facing the counter electrode 75) of the wafer 73, thereby etching the surface of the wafer 73.
FIG. 8 shows a state in the above-described etching (i.e., etching process as the pretreatment process). Referring to FIG. 8, when the surface of the wafer 73 is etched with the argon ions 80, silicon atoms 81 are ejected by the etching, and deposit on the counter electrode 75 and the inner wall of the vacuum chamber 71, etc., thereby forming silicon films. When the silicon films have grown to have a certain film thickness, they exfoliate due to internal stress, thereby causing the generation of a great number of particles in the vacuum chamber 71. When a great number of particles are thus generated, some of them may adhere to the surface of the wafer 73, thereby entailing the risk of a serious adverse influence on fine wiring structures. In consequence, the above-described phenomenon results in the problem of a reduction in the yield of products.
A conventional method directed to preventing the generation of particles is basically a method which copes with the silicon films formed on the inner wall of the vacuum chamber 71 by arranging shield plates 82 in the vicinity of the inner wall surfaces, and replacing the shield plates 82 when the silicon films have grown to have a predetermined thickness. The conventional method copes with the film formation on the counter electrode 75 by directly replacing the counter electrode itself when the thickness of the silicon films has become a predetermined value. However, these operations of the conventional method are performed by interrupting the successive process, and rendering the inside of the vacuum chamber exposed to air. The conventional method is disadvantageous in that the production efficiency of the thin film deposition, and hence, that of the semiconductor device fabrication, drops. For instance, when fifty wafers are etched and, thereafter, the shield plates as well as the counter electrode are replaced, the entire process requires a period of about six hours.
Other methods have been proposed to remove undesirably deposited films from the inner wall of the vacuum chamber (or vessel) and the counter electrode, as well as the particles generated from the films or the same. In these methods, a gas for cleaning is introduced into the vacuum vessel, and dry etching, or plasma etching, is performed in order to remove the undesired deposited films on the inner wall of the vacuum vessel, etc. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2-94522, 1-315137, 2-214118, and 2-250325). With these methods for the removal of the deposited films on the vacuum vessel inner wall, etc. disclosed in the above-identified documents, it is possible to perform a removing operation while the inside of the vacuum vessel is maintained in a vacuum condition. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the speed of the removing operation while keeping the vacuum chamber vacuum. However, the documents do not specifically describe the conditions under which and the timing at which the removing operation should be performed, thus making it necessary for the methods to be further improved when they are to be actually put into practice.
Other related arts are respectively described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2-39530, 2-89313, and Japanese Patent Post Exam Publin No. 63-39676.
The above-described problem that the sputtering apparatus for mass-production meets, may also arise in other similar thin film deposition apparatuses.

Thin film deposition method and apparatus


Digital signal samples X in a floating-point format, each of which is composed of 1 bit of sign, 8 bits of exponent E and 23 bits of mantissa M, are converted through rounding by an integer formatting part 12 into digital signal samples Y in an integer format, the sequence of the digital signal samples Y is losslessly compression-coded by a compressing part 13 into a code sequence Ca, and the code sequence Ca is output. The digital signal samples Y are converted by a floating point formatting part 15 into digital signal samples X′ in the floating-point format, a difference signal ΔX indicating the difference between the digital signal sample X′ and the digital signal sample X is determined by a subtraction part 16, the difference signal ΔX is losslessly coded, and the resulting code sequence Cb is output.

As a method for compressing sound or image information, there is known a lossless coding method that involves no distortion.
Highly compressive lossless data compression can be achieved by combining a highly compressive lossy coding and a lossless compression of the difference between the reproduced signal and the original signal that appear in the lossy coding. Such a combined compression method has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2001-44847. This method, which is described in detail in the patent literature, will be described briefly below.
In a coder, a frame forming part successively separates digital input signals (referred to also as an input signal sample sequence) into frames, each of which is composed of 1024 input signal samples, for example, and the digital signals are lossily compression-coded on the frame basis. This coding can be based on any format that is suitable for the input digital signal and can reproduce the original digital input signal with a certain fidelity by decoding. For example, if the digital input signal is a sound signal, a speech coding recommended according to ITU-T recommendation G.729 can be used. If the digital input signal is a music signal, a transform-domain weighted interleaved vector quantization (Twin VQ) coding used in MPEG-4 can be used. The codes resulting from the lossy compression coding are locally decoded, and a difference signal that represents the difference between the locally decoded signal and the original digital signal is produced. Actually, however, there is no need of local decoding, and the difference between the original digital signal and a quantized signal resulting during the lossy compression coding can be determined. The amplitude of the difference signal is typically much smaller than that of the original digital signal. Thus, the quantity of information can be reduced by the lossless compression coding of the difference signal, compared with the lossless compression coding of the original digital signal.
To enhance the efficiency of the lossless compression coding, from each of the samples in the sample sequence frame of the difference signal in the sign and magnitude notation (a binary number of sign and magnitude), the MSB, the second MSB, . . . , and the LSB are extracted, and the MSBs, the second MSBs, . . . , and the LSBs are each linked along the sample sequence (that is, the time series), thereby forming the respective bit sequences. In other words, the bit arrangement is changed. For convenience, the bit sequence composed of linked 1024 bits at the equal bit position is referred to as a "coordinate bit sequence". On the other hand, a one-word bit sequence representing the amplitude value including the sign of each sample is referred to as an "amplitude bit sequence", for convenience. The difference signal has a small amplitude, and therefore, the most significant bit is, or the most significant bit and the following plural bits are, often all "0". The coordinate bit sequence formed by linking the bits at such a bit position is a bit sequence of "0". Therefore, the coordinate bit sequence can be represented by a predetermined short code, and thus, the efficiency of the lossless compression coding of the difference signal can be enhanced.
The coordinate bit sequence is losslessly compression-coded. As the lossless compression coding, an entropy coding, such as Huffman coding and arithmetic coding, can be used which takes advantage of the occurrence or frequent occurrence of a sequence in which the same sign (1 or 0) successively appears.
When decoding, the codes resulting from the lossless compression coding are decoded, and the inverse transformation of bit arrangement is performed on the decoded signal. That is, the coordinate bit sequences are converted into the amplitude bit sequences for each frame, and the resulting difference signals are reproduced sequentially. In addition, the codes resulting from the lossy compression coding are decoded, the decoded signal and the reproduced difference signal are summed together, and then, the sum signals for each frame are linked together sequentially, thereby reproducing the original digital signal sequence.
Besides, there are known a variety of lossless coding methods for audio or visual information that permit no distortion. For example, a lossless coding method for music information is disclosed in "Lossless Compression of Digital Audio" by Mat Hans, Ronald W. Schafer et al., IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE, July 2001, pp. 21–32. Any conventional methods are compression coding methods that use a signal waveform directly as a PCM signal.
However, in music recording studios, a waveform is sometimes recorded and retained in the floating-point format. Any value in the floating-point format is separated into a sign, an exponent and a mantissa. For example, in the IEEE 754 standard floating-point format shown in FIG. 1, any value consists of 32 bits including 1 bit for sign, 8 bits for exponent and 23 bits for mantissa in the descending order of significance. Denoting the sign by S, the value represented by the 8 bits for exponent by a decimal number E and the binary number for mantissa by M, the value in the floating-point format can be represented in the sign and magnitude binary notation as:(−1)S×1.M×2E-E0  (1)According to the IEEE 754 standard, E0 is defined as E0=27−1=127, so that the "E–E0" in the expression (1) can assume any value falling within the range:−127≦E–E0≦128.
In the case where sound, music or image information is represented by a digital signal sequence in the floating-point format, the bit sequence composed of "0"s and "1"s is likely to be random because of the characteristics of the floating-point format. Thus, even if the bit arrangement transformation described above is performed, the entropy compression coding or the like cannot be expected to provide a high compression ratio. Furthermore, the sample sequence in the floating-point format significantly differs from the original analog waveform, so that there is no redundancy due to correlation between samples. Therefore, even if the lossless predictive coding method disclosed in the above-described literature by Mat Hans, Ronald W. Schafer et al. is applied, a higher compression ratio cannot be expected.
Patent literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2001-44847

Floating point type digital signal reversible encoding method, decoding method, devices for them, and programs for them

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


The corrugated tube includes a body in which a plurality of peaks and a plurality of valleys are continuously alternated in a longitudinal direction of the body. A slit is formed in the body along the longitudinal direction. Both end portions of the body between which the slit is interposed are overlapped. A mark is provided to only one peak of the plurality of peaks at the one end portion of the body, and another mark is also provided to corresponding only one peak of the plurality of peak disposed at the other end portion of the body and brought into a fitting engagement with the marked peak disposed at the one end portion of the body.

Conventionally, a wiring harness disposed in a vehicle has been often covered by a corrugated tube formed of synthetic resin to protect the wiring harness from any damage due to hindrance of, for example, any projection present in the location in which the wiring harness is disposed.
A conventional corrugated tube which has been proposed is shown in FIG. 11. Referring to FIG. 11, the corrugated tube 1 includes a body 2 in which a plurality of peaks 2a and a plurality of valleys 2b are continuously alternated in a longitudinal direction Y1 of the body 2, and a slit 3 formed in the body 2 in the longitudinal direction Y1. The corrugated tube 1 is configured to receive a wiring harness (not shown) through the slit 3 and cover the whole wiring harness.
Referring to FIG. 11B, after the corrugated tube 1 receives the wiring harness through the slit 3, the both end portions of the body 2 between which the slit 3 of the body 2 is interposed are overlapped to close the slit 3. In this state, the both end portions of the body 2 can overlap together by fitting engagements between the peak 2a disposed in one end portion of the body 2 and the corresponding mating or counterpart peak 2a disposed in the other end portion of the body 2, and between the valley 2b disposed in one end portion of the body 2 and the corresponding mating or counterpart peak 2b disposed in the other end portion of the body 2.
However, in the case of the afore-mentioned conventional corrugated tube 1, the engagement of the both end portions between which the slit 3 is interposed is not easy. This is because the peak 2a disposed in the one end portion and the corresponding mating peak 2a disposed in the other end portion and the valley 2b disposed in the one end portion and the corresponding mating valley 2b disposed in the other end portion may be misaligned during the engagement. For example, the peak 2a disposed in the one end portion may be brought into a fitting engagement with other peak 2a adjacent to the corresponding mating peak 2a disposed in the other end portion.
Due to the afore-mentioned misaligned engagement, the slit 3 disposed inside the corrugated tube 1 has a tendency to outwardly protrude, thereby causing greater likelihood of compromising the insulator of the wiring harness received inside the corrugated tube 1. This would cause quality degradation of a final product. For the reasons, after the completion of the engagement, the corrugated tube 1 is visually inspected. If there is a misaligned engagement, the operation of the engagement would be performed once again for correction. There is no doubt the inspection and re-engagement are cost- and time-consuming jobs.


An inflatable bouncer includes an inflatable bottom section, an inflatable inner column coupled to a center of the bottom section, and a plurality of inflatable columns around a periphery of the bottom section. An uninflated roof extends between the inner column and the outer columns.

Inflatables, such as inflatable bouncers, are air-inflated devices that are typically used for children's amusement as well as advertising purposes. Inflatables have been designed to resemble real-life objects, such as ships, fire trucks, and animals. Inflatable bouncers include a bottom, inflated bouncing section. Some bouncers include a roof. However, when designing such bouncers to look like a real-life object, present designs do not provide for a realistic appearance in all cases. What is needed is an inflatable bouncer structure allowing for a roofed-type bouncer having a realistic appearance.


A cooling system with super heating control for a vapor degreasing apparatus is provided. The cooling system consists of a single condenser receiving a substantially gaseous refrigerant and producing a substantially liquid refrigerant. A first chilling coil evaporates at least a portion of the substantially liquid refrigerant which results in heat absorption by the first chilling coil at a first absorption rate. A second chilling coil evaporates at least a portion of the substantially liquid refrigerant resulting in heat absorption by the second chilling coil at a second absorption rate, and a desuperheating system, connected to the first and second chilling coils and the condenser, controlling the temperature of the substantially gaseous refrigerant generated by the first and second chilling coils and received by the condenser.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to vapor degreasing systems, and is more particularly directed to a cooling apparatus and methodology for use in a vapor degreaser which utilizes multiple chilling coils.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic solvents/cleaning agents are used in various types of vapor degreasing/defluxing equipment to clean articles of manufacture, deflux electronic circuit boards, and the like. The organic solvents generally used are volatile organic solvents and fluorinated compounds using CFCs.
CFCs have been recognized to contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer and to contribute to the global warming phenomena. In view of these damaging effects to the environment, the ozone-depleting solvents were replaced with hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The HCFC and HFC alternatives are generally more expensive and more physiologically active. Therefore, the traditional incentives to reduce vapor losses because of cost and safety were enhanced with the adoption of the HFC or HCFC solvents. Furthermore, with the use of these new cleaning agents, new parameters were required for various regions in the upper portion of degreaser tanks.
In view of the foregoing concerns, methods were developed in order to reduce vapor losses to the atmosphere and provide the tank conditions necessary for proper operation. This included the use of multiple cooling coil or heat exchanger configurations, also using non-CFC refrigerants.
In a multiple evaporator cooling configuration, the evaporators must operate at different temperatures. Currently, this is accomplished by providing each evaporator with its own condensing unit. However, this increases the number of cooling system components, thereby driving up the overall cost of the degreasing apparatus. In addition, the increase in the number of components results in an apparatus that is bulky and cumbersome and also impedes efforts to reduce degreaser sizes.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide a cooling system with multiple evaporators for cooling various zones of the degreaser tank at different temperatures without using a dedicated condensing unit for each heat exchanger. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


According to one embodiment, a semiconductor chip mounting body, with an enhanced shock-resistance at portions of the bonding member corresponding to the corners of a semiconductor chip, is provided. The semiconductor chip mounting body includes a circuit board having a circuit pattern formed on a mounting surface thereof, a semiconductor chip mounted on the circuit pattern of the circuit board, and a bonding member arranged at least between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip, and on the sides of the semiconductor chip to fix the semiconductor chip on the circuit board. The bonding member contains thermosetting resin and magnetic powder dispersed in the thermosetting resin. The magnetic powder is locally disposed in portions of the bonding member which is located the corners of the semiconductor chip.

1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to a semiconductor chip mounting body, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor chip mounting body and an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, semiconductor chip mounting bodies, which are mounted through face-down methods such as ball grid array (BGA) or chip scale package (CSP), are known. The face-down method is carried out by connecting electrodes of semiconductor chips to circuit patterns of circuit boards via solder bumps. The advantage of the mounting technique by face-down method is that the mounting area occupied can be made small. However, in the mounting technique by face-down method, there is a risk that the bonding part (solder) will be destroyed due to the stress brought about by the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the circuit board (e.g. glass epoxy resin) and of the chip (silicon).
Based on the above condition, a technique for filling a thermosetting resin solution between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip after the face-down mounting process of connecting electrodes of the semiconductor chip to the circuit pattern of the circuit board via solder bumps, and for forming a hard bonding member is attempted. By fixing the semiconductor chip on the circuit board, the reliability of the connection between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip, with regards to thermal stress caused by processes like heat cycle, is enhanced.
On the other hand, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication 2000-294601 discloses a mounting body of a semiconductor device wherein a sealing material is filled between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip. This sealing material contains thermosetting resin and filler (e.g. silica filler), whose dielectric constant is smaller than that of the thermosetting resin. The silica filler is disposed in a portion of the sealing material that lies on the circuit board side. The mounting body can be used to reduce crosstalk between interconnections. Further, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication 2000-294601, it is disclosed that a filler previously containing a magnetic material is included in a resin composition, for example, metal powder coated with Teflon (registered trademark). In the above document, it is disclosed that the above composition is supplied between the circuit board and the semiconductor device and the filler in the resin composition structure is set on an interface with respect to the circuit board or on an interface with respect to the semiconductor device by utilizing the pulling the filler through the use of a magnet.

Semiconductor chip mounting body, method of manufacturing semiconductor chip mounting body and electronic device


In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, by an automated program, an attempt by a recipient of an email addressed to a plurality of addressees that includes the recipient to send a reply-all email. The automated program rejecting the reply-all email based on a pre-set policy rule that limits a number of reply-all email in a thread. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.

Most computer systems and networks have an electronic mail system that enables a user to send an electronic message (email) to one or more recipients located anywhere in the world. Email messages typically comprise text notes entered from the keyboard or electronic files stored on disk. Most email systems allow a user to send an email to a number of individuals (i.e., a mailing list) simply by specifying their email addresses in a "To:" or "Cc:" field or box of a user interface window. Similarly, an individual recipient of an email sent to multiple persons (addressees) may send a reply email to all of the recipients addressed in the original email simply by "clicking" on a "reply-all" icon or button of a graphical user interface (GUI) window. In other words, a reply-all email is delivered to everyone addressed in the original email. A series of email messages posted as back-and-forth replies to each other is commonly known as an email "thread". By reading each email message in a thread, one after the other, it is possible to trace the history of the discussion.
A problem can arise when multiple email recipients engage in back-and-forth discussions using the reply-all email feature. For instance, what happens sometimes is that several recipients of a reply-all email (to which they have no interest in) will send a responsive reply-all email asking the other recipients to refrain from sending any more reply-all emails. When there are numerous recipients listed in an on-going email discussion or thread, the number of reply-all email transmissions can multiply quickly. This problem is referred to as a "runaway email thread" which consumes valuable resources and is a source of irritation and aggravation for recipients of reply-all emails.


High performance optical edge and notch filters and methods of making the same are disclosed. The multi-layer, thin-film optical edge filters have an edge steepness greater than about 0.8% as measured by dividing (a) the edge width from the 50% transmission wavelength to the optical density 6 (“OD6”) wavelength by (b) the 50% transmission wavelength. The optical edge filters also have an average transmission above about 95%. The notch filters exhibit a blocking of OD>6, very high transmission (>90%) outside the notch(es), and a narrow notch bandwidth comparable to that of holographic notch filters. The methods for making such filters accurately determine when deposition of each layer of the filter should terminate.

A. Optical Edge Filters, Optical Notch Filters, and Their use
Optical edge filters and thin-film notch filters are important components in systems for optical measurement and analysis including Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Optical edge filters and/or notch filters are used in such systems to block unwanted light that would otherwise constitute or generate spurious optical signals and swamp the signals to be detected and analyzed.
Optical edge filters block unwanted light having wavelengths above or, alternatively, below a chosen "transition" wavelength λT while transmitting light on the unblocked side of λT. Edge filters which transmit optical wavelengths longer than λT are called long-wave-pass filters (LWP filters), and edge filters which transmit wavelengths shorter than λT are short-wave-pass or SWP filters.
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate the spectral transmission of idealized long-wave-pass and short-wave-pass filters respectively. As can be seen from FIG. 1A, a LWP filter blocks light with wavelengths below λT and transmits light with wavelengths above λT. As shown in FIG. 1B, a SWP filter transmits light with wavelengths below λT and blocks light with wavelengths above λT. λT is the wavelength at which the filter "transitions" from blocking to transmission, or vice versa.
While an ideal edge filter has a precise transition wavelength λT represented by a vertical line at λT, real edge filters change from blocking to transmission over a small range of wavelengths and are more accurately represented by a non-vertical but steeply sloped line near λT. Similarly, while an ideal edge filter transmits all light in the transmission region (transmission T=1), real filters invariably block a small portion of the light to be transmitted (T<1). The steepness of the line and the proportion of the light transmitted are important parameters in many applications.
Turning now to FIGS. 1C and 1D, the spectral transmission of an ideal and a realistic notch filter are illustrated respectively. Notch filters block a specific and narrow range of wavelengths (ideally a single laser "line" λL) and pass light with high transmission on both sides of the narrow blocking range. Because lasers emit a very small, but non-zero, bandwidth of light, an ideal notch filter blocks light at wavelengths within this bandwidth ((λL−(BW/2)) to (λL+(BW/2))) with no ripple and perfectly steep (vertical) transition edges, as shown in FIG. 1C. The ideal notch filter passes light at wavelengths longer than the blocking band (λ>(λL+(BW/2))) and passes light at wavelengths shorter than the blocking band (λ<(λL−(BW/2))). A realistic notch filter does not have complete transmission outside of the blocking band ((λL−(BW/2)) to (λL+(BW/2))), does not completely block radiation within the blocking band, and has non-vertical transition edges, thereby changing from blocking to transmission over a small range of wavelengths, as shown in FIG. 1D. Accordingly, the steepness of the edges, the transmission amount outside of the blocking band, and the blocking effectiveness within the blocking band are important parameters of notch filters in many applications.
Edge filters and notch filters are particularly useful in optical measurement and analysis systems that use laser light to excite a sample at one wavelength (or a small band of wavelengths) λL and measure or view an optical response of the excited sample at other wavelengths. The excitation light λL is delivered to the sample by an excitation light path, and the optical response of the sample is delivered to the eye or measuring instrument by a collection path. Edge filters can be used to block spurious light from the excitation path. Edge filters and/or notch filters can be used to block excitation light from entry into the collection path. The steeper the filter edge(s), the more effectively spurious signals are blocked. In the case of both edge filters and notch filters, the lower the transmission loss, the more light from the sample reaches the measuring instrument.
Raman spectroscopy is one such optical analysis system. It is based on the fact that when molecular material is irradiated with high intensity light of a given wavelength (or series of wavelengths) λL, a small portion of the incident light scattered by the material will be shifted in wavelength above and below λL. This Raman shifting is attributed to the interaction of the light with resonant molecular structures within the material, and the spectral distribution of the Raman-shifted light provides a spectral "fingerprint" characteristic of the composition of the material. As a practical example, a Raman probe can identify the contents of a bottle without opening the bottle.
FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of a Raman probe 20. In essence, the probe 20 comprises an optical excitation path 22, and a collection path 23. These paths advantageously comprise optical fiber. In operation, excitation light λL from a laser 24 passes through the fiber path 22 and one or more edge filters or a narrowband laser-line filter 22A to illuminate a portion of the sample 21 with high intensity light. The edge filter(s)/laser-line filter 22A act(s) to block light outside of λL from the sample 21. Light scattered from the sample 21 passes through a notch filter (or one or more edge filters) 23A and then through fiber collection path 23 to a spectral analyzer 25 where the "fingerprint" of the sample is determined.
The light scattered from the sample 21 is a mixture of unshifted scattered excitation light λL Rayleigh scattering) and Raman-shifted light at wavelengths longer and shorter than λL. The scattered excitation light λL would not only swamp the analyzer, it would also excite spurious Raman scattering in a collection fiber. Thus the unshifted excitation light λL should be removed from the collection path. This can be accomplished by disposing a notch filter (or one or more edge filters) 23A between the sample 21 and the collection fiber 23, the notch filter (or edge filter(s)) 23A blocking the unshifted scattered excitation light λL.
Edge filters and notch filters also are useful in fluorescence spectroscopy. Here, laser excitation light λL is used to excite longer wavelength emissions from fluorescent markers. The markers can be fluorescent atoms chemically bonded to a biological molecule to track the molecule in a body or cell. Edge filters may be used to reject spurious light from an excitation path and to reject excitation light from a collection path. Notch filters may be used to reject excitation light from the collection path.
In the case of edge filters, it should now be clear that the steeper the filter slope at the transition wavelength λT, the greater the amount of spurious light that can be filtered out. In addition, the steeper the slope, the greater the amount of shifted light from the sample that will reach the analyzer. Similarly, higher levels of transmission of the shifted light through the filters provide more light for analysis. Higher edge filter blocking provides better rejection of the laser excitation light from the spectrum analyzer, thus decreasing the noise and improving both specificity and sensitivity of the measurement. Higher edge-filter transmission enables the maximum signal to reach the analyzer, further improving the signal-to-noise ratio and hence the measurement or image fidelity. A steeper filter edge also permits shifts to be resolved much closer to the excitation wavelength, thus increasing the amount of information from the measurement.
In the case of notch filters, the steeper the edges of the notch filter at the laser wavelength λL, the greater the amount of unshifted excitation light λL that can be filtered out before reaching an analyzer. Similarly, the higher the levels of transmission outside of the blocking band, the more information there is for measurement.
B. Edge Filter and Notch Filter Structure and Conventional Fabrication
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic illustration of an optical filter 30, which may be either an edge filter or a notch filter. The optical filter 30 comprises a transparent substrate 31 having a flat major surface 32 supporting many thin coatings 33A, 33B. The thickness of the coatings is exaggerated and the number is reduced for purposes of illustration. Coatings 33A and 33B are typically alternating and of different respective materials chosen to present markedly different indices of refraction (index contrast). The coating indices and thicknesses are chosen and dimensioned to filter impinging light by interference effects in a desired manner. Specifically, if a light beam 34 impinges on the filter, a first wavelength portion 34T of a beam is transmitted and a second wavelength portion 34R is reflected and thus rejected by the filter. What is transmitted and what is reflected depends on the precise thicknesses and indices of the thin coatings.
Two basic types of thin-film edge filters and thin-film notch filters exist: those based on "soft coatings" and those based on "hard coatings," both of which are typically manufactured by an evaporation technique (either thermal evaporation or electron-beam evaporation). Hard coating filters, however, may also be manufactured by non-evaporative techniques such as ion-beam sputtering.
Soft coatings imply literally what the name suggests-they are physically soft and can be readily scratched or damaged. They are fairly porous, which also means they tend to be hygroscopic (absorb water vapor) leading to dynamic changes in the film index and hence the resulting filter spectrum in correlation to local humidity. There are two main reasons soft coatings are used. First, an advantageous larger index contrast can be realized with soft coatings. (The index contrast is the relative difference between the index of refraction of the low-index material and that of the high-index material.) For example, many high-performance soft-coated filters are made using sodium aluminum fluoride ("cryolite"), with a chemical composition of Na3AlF6 and an index of about 1.35 for visible wavelengths, and zinc sulfide, with a chemical composition of ZnS and an index of about 2.35. The second reason for using these materials is that the evaporation process can be controlled well for these materials, largely because they have relatively low melting temperatures. Hence it is possible to maintain fairly accurate control over the layer thicknesses even for filter structures with many tens of layers and perhaps even up to 100 layers. As described above, edge filter performance is measured by edge steepness, depth of blocking, and high transmission with low ripple. A larger index contrast and a larger number of layers both yield more steepness and more blocking. High transmission with low ripple is improved with more layers and higher layer thickness accuracy. For these reasons the highest performance conventional thin-film edge filters have been made with soft-coating technology.
Hard coatings are made with tougher materials (generally oxides), and result from "energetic" deposition processes, in which energy is explicitly supplied to the film itself during the deposition process. This is accomplished with a beam of ions impinging directly on the coating surface. The ion bombardment acts to "hammer" the atoms into place in a more dense, less porous film structure. Such processes are usually called ion-assisted deposition (IAD) processes. High-performance edge filters have been made with ion-assisted electron-beam evaporation. Typically the index contrast available with hard-coating (oxide) thin-film materials is not as high as that of the soft-coating materials, and consequently more layers must be deposited to achieve a comparable level of performance. This problem, coupled with the more difficult to control deposition rates and overall processes of high-melting-temperature oxides, leads to much more stringent requirements on the layer-thickness control techniques to achieve a reasonable level of layer thickness accuracy for good edge steepness and high, low-ripple transmission.
For the best filters, some kind of "optical monitoring" (direct measurement of filter transmission or reflection during deposition) is necessary to determine when to terminate the deposition of each layer. Optical monitoring can be performed on the actual filters of interest or on "witness pieces" often positioned in the center of the deposition chamber. There are three basic types of optical monitoring algorithms. The first is often called "drop-chip" monitoring, and is based on measuring the transmission (or reflection) vs. time through a new witness piece for each new layer. Since the theoretical transmission vs. time can be calculated accurately for each layer deposited on a blank piece of glass, then a good comparison between the measured and theory curves can be made independent of the history of the deposition (thickness errors in previous layers). This technique is accurate and useful for layers of arbitrary thickness, but it is cumbersome, especially for filters comprised of at least many 10's of layers.
The second type of monitoring is called "turning-point" monitoring, and is used for depositing layers that are precisely a quarter of a wavelength in thickness (or multiples thereof). The technique is based on the fact that the transmission vs. time reaches a turning point (or extremum) at each multiple of a quarter wave of thickness, so an algorithm is developed to cut layers precisely at the turning points. The elegant feature of this method is that there is inherent compensation for layer thickness errors from previous layers, so long as one adheres to the rule of cutting exactly at turning points. It thus works extremely well even for very thick coatings with even hundreds layers (it is the basis for manufacturing very high-performance filters for DWDM telecom applications, which can have as many as 200–400 quarter-wave layers).
The third type of monitoring is called "level monitoring," and is applicable for non-quarter-wave thick layers. Monitoring can be done through the actual filters or through witness piece(s). The concept is to cut layers at predetermined transmission levels, based on a calculated prediction of transmission vs. time for the entire structure. However, because small layer errors lead to large variations in the absolute transmission values, one must instead rely on cutting at the correct transmission level relative to the local maximum and minimum values. Hence the method works well only for non-quarter-wave thick layers that are more than a half-wave thick, so that there is both a maximum and a minimum transmission value in the transmission vs. time curve for that layer. Even in this case, this method does not contain inherent compensation for errors in the thickness of previously deposited layers, and thus is not as forgiving as the turning-point method. However, to obtain an edge filter with high transmission and low ripple requires primarily non-quarter-wave thick layers, and hence turning-point monitoring is not applicable for edge filters.
Besides thin-film filters, the other predominant type of optical filter used for the applications described herein is the volume holographic filter. These filters accomplish blocking of unwanted excitation light with a "notch" of very low transmission over a relatively narrow bandwidth, and hence are often called "holographic notch filters." The non-transmitted light is diffracted at an acute angle relative to the direction of the transmitted light. The holograms are exposed and developed in a thick gelatinous film that is typically sandwiched between two glass substrates. Because the film can be relatively thick, allowing a very large number of fringes in the holographic grating, such filters can achieve a narrow notch bandwidth with accordingly steep edges.
A need in the art exists for an improved method of making optical edge filters and notch filters and for improved edge filters and notch filters having increased edge steepness and increased transmission.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of making high performance optical edge and notch filters and resulting products


An agitator mill comprises an annular cylindrical exterior grinding chamber which is defined by an inner wall of a grinding receptacle and an outer wall of a rotor; and an interior grinding chamber which is defined by an inner wall of the rotor and an outer casing of an interior stator. The grinding chambers are interconnected by a deflection chamber. A grinding-stock supply area, which is upstream of the exterior grinding chamber, and a separator device, which is disposed approximately on the same side of the grinding receptacle, serving for grinding-stock discharge, are interconnected by auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits. These conduits are arranged in an independent auxiliary-grinding-body return module and are open towards a front of the module.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an agitator mill for treating free-flowing grinding stock, comprising a grinding receptacle which defines a substantially closed grinding chamber by means of an inner wall; and an agitator which is rotarily drivably disposed therein and which is cup-shaped in relation to a common central longitudinal axis, having an annular cylindrical rotor which has a closed wall; and an interior stator which is disposed within the rotor and fixedly joined to the grinding receptacle; wherein an annular cylindrical exterior grinding chamber is formed between the inner wall of the grinding receptacle and an outer wall of the rotor; and an annular cylindrical interior grinding chamber is formed between an inner wall of the rotor and an outer casing of the interior stator, the interior grinding chamber being arranged coaxially within the exterior grinding chamber and connected thereto via a deflection chamber; wherein the exterior grinding chamber, the deflection chamber and the interior grinding chamber constitute the grinding chamber which is partially filled with auxiliary grinding bodies; wherein a grinding-stock supply area, which is disposed upstream of the exterior grinding chamber and opens into it in the direction of flow of the grinding stock, and a separator device, which is disposed downstream of the interior grinding chamber in the direction of flow, are disposed approximately on the same side of the grinding receptacle for the grinding stock to pass through; wherein auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits are provided in the agitator in an independent auxiliary-grinding-body return module, returning the auxiliary grinding bodies from the vicinity of the separator device into the grinding-stock supply area, the return conduits connecting the end of the interior grinding chamber to the beginning of the exterior grinding chamber; and wherein the inner wall of the grinding receptacle and the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotor are free of interruptions.
2. Background Art
In an agitator mill of the generic type known from DE 41 42 213 A1, the auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits are provided within a stepped annular section which can be formed in one piece together with the rotor bottom, but can also be mounted thereon by screwing. The auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits are straight, having a constant width throughout their length from the inlet to the outlet. Seen from inside outwards, they are set counter to the direction of rotation of the rotor. So as to achieve that the auxiliary grinding bodies are catapulted into the auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits, the separator device is made rotatable. It is further provided with entrainer elements which stand out radially and are intended to catapult, outwards into the auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits, the auxiliary grinding bodies which arrive along with the grinding stock, coming from the interior grinding chamber. This is meant to accomplish that grinding-stock particles that have not been ground do not take a short-cut from the exterior grinding chamber through the auxiliary-grinding-body return conduits towards the separator device. That kind of grinding-stock shooting flows lead to a very rough and thus undesired distribution in particle size of the grinding stock. The described purpose requires considerable constructional implementation in the known agitator mill.


The present disclosure provides a footwear technology system including a multilayer shoe sole system. The multilayer shoe sole insert can include a lower outsole layer, a midsole layer, and an upper insole layer, wherein the midsole layer includes a plurality of pins extending from the bottom surface of the midsole layer, wherein the pins engage with the pin holes in the outsole layer. The system can include a dynamic upper foot retention system that moves in harmony with the foot's optimal natural movement. The dynamic upper foot retention system can include a top component connecting the lace area to the sole system, and back component that connects the upper heel area to the sole system, wherein when the laces are tightened, the force is directed towards the heel securing the foot to the shoe without forcing the arch down or constricting the raising of the foot arch.

The present subject matter relates generally to footwear technology that promotes optimal neuromusculoskeletal function in the feet, legs, hips, and back.
Mass production of footwear began in the mid to late 1980's. Since then, there has been an ever-increasing percentage of shoe-wearing populations who experience foot-related problems. Since mass production of footwear began, those conversant in the art of footwear design and manufacture have relied on the erroneous hypotheses that the vast majority of people's feet are inherently unstable or their low limbs poorly aligned due to a genetic predisposition, and that this instability and poor alignment are the cause of the vast majority of foot-related problems and pain commonly observed. As a result, footwear designers and manufacturers have tried to develop products or footwear designs that are designed to mitigate the symptoms of these problems. To this end, virtually all historical and modern footwear designers have focused on developing technologies and products which artificially control, support, and or cushion the feet to "correct" alignment and improve comfort. Due to the limitations of historical science, what the conventional footwear designers and manufacturers have failed to understand is that the problems that they are observing are actually caused by conventional footwear, especially footwear that artificially supports, cushions, and restricts foot movement.
Advancements in science have identified that long-term support and cushioning of the body are outdated concepts and no longer recommended by healthcare professionals because they cause the body to become weaker and less capable. Yet surprisingly, modern footwear, insole, and orthotic products are still influenced by support and cushioning design theories that were first introduced over 100 years ago. While footwear and footwear products that incorporate such support and cushioning may provide some temporary benefit, over the long-term the products actually cause the body to weaken, become more prone to injury, and increasingly dependent on support and cushioning.
Recent scientific advancements have identified that the body's neuromusculoskeletal functional capabilities are constantly adapting to, and are determined by, how the body is used on a daily basis. With respect to gait-related activities, the body's skeletal system, soft tissue systems, and neurological systems synergistically adapt in response to everyday use in accordance with the laws of physiology. The neuromusculoskeletal systems' functional robustness adapts towards "optimal health" when the systems are challenged to do their job. An example of this adaptive dynamic is observed in people who engage in regular exercise and experience an overall benefit to their physical health. This healthy adaptive concept is the foundation of virtually all modern rehabilitation and sports training programs. Conversely, the neuromusculoskeletal systems' functional robustness adapts towards "poor health" when the systems are not challenged to do their job and or there is a lack of use. In this instance, over time, the systems' functional maladaptation can become the conditioned norm. An example of this maladaptive dynamic is observed in people who fail to engage in regular exercise and experience an overall decrease in their physical health, and a predisposition of illness and injury.
Every moment that a person wears shoes, they are training lower limb and back neuromusculoskeletal function, either positively or negatively. Therefore, to appreciate the novelty of the invention described herein, the physiological processes that are critical to "healthy" optimal neuromusculoskeletal gait mechanics must be understood.
Optimal "healthy" neuromusculoskeletal gait-related mechanics are typically and almost exclusively observed within habitually barefoot populations who walk and run on natural terrain. This is because, when walking or running barefoot on natural terrain, the nerve endings in the soles of the feet provide the brain with the critical sensory information that is required to trigger "healthy" protective reflex muscle activations throughout the feet, legs, hips and back.
The soles of the feet contain a vast number of specialized sensory receptors called nociceptors which are activated by potentially noxious stimuli. Nociception refers to processes by which the central nervous system (brain) receives and responds to the signals from the nociceptors. Nociception is critical to the physiological process by which the body tissues are protected from harm. During optimal neuromusculoskeletal barefoot gait on natural terrain, nociceptor nerve endings in the soles of the feet pick up the subtle variations in terrain (texture and orientation) as undampened nociceptive stimulus and transmit this information to the brain. The brain synergistically uses this nociceptive stimuli, in concert with proprioceptive (spatial orientation) stimuli received from throughout the feet, ankles, legs, hips, and back, and stimuli received from the other senses (such as sight and balance) to initiate protective reflex muscle activations throughout the lower limbs and back such that they are capable of safely and efficiently managing the three-dimensional forces generated during every day and athletic gait-related activities. During barefoot gait, from step-to-step, there are different nociceptive sensory experiences, which inform the brain on the relative intensity of the activity-related forces encountered during ground contact, and that the terrain encountered during each step is varied from step-to-step. As a result, the brain remains "alert" to potential terrain variances and must anticipate them and forces that will be experienced during each progressive next step's "unknown" ground contact. To protect the lower limbs and back from harm at and during ground contact, the brain initiates lower limb and back protective reflex muscle activations, before each foot contacts the ground. These protective reflex muscle activations ensure that the lower limbs and back are capable of safely and efficiently managing the activity and terrain-related forces and stresses created during ground contact. When barefoot, the foot is unfettered and thus there is no restriction to this protective reflex activated optimal musculoskeletal movement, which requires the synergistic rising and falling of the arches and toes.
In addition, in natural barefoot gait, the soft tissue of the sole of the foot encompasses the foot's dense boney structure. When the foot is on the ground the soft tissue conforms with the ground surface, producing a contact patch sufficient to maintain traction on a wide range of surfaces. Stimuli to the soles of the feet during natural barefoot gait also cause the soft tissue of the soles of the feet to adapt to become more robust. This adaptive, robust, soft tissue padding protects the soles of the feet from the terrain and the more sensitive internal tissues of the feet from harmful stress.
Therefore, optimal healthy neuromusculoskeletal gait-related mechanics is observed in barefoot populations because their soles of their feet receive undampened sensory stimulus ("Right Stimulus") and, their feet are unencumbered which allows for uninhibited movement ("Right Movement").
Maladapted neuromusculoskeletal mechanics are typically observed within individuals who habitually wear conventional footwear, and or use products that support or cushion the feet. When shod, cushioned, and or supported the nociceptors in the soles of the feet aren't sufficiently activated because they are unable to pick up the subtle variations in terrain (texture and orientation) and thus tactile nociceptive stimulus from the ground is dampened. As a result, the brain fails to receive the sensory information required to initiate the protective muscle activations throughout the lower limbs that are required to safely manage the dynamic forces generated by the demands of three-dimensional activities. Furthermore, most conventional footwear also fetters optimal healthy dynamic musculoskeletal movement by restricting the natural synergistic rising and falling of the arches and toes. In addition, when cushioned, the soft tissues of the soles of the feet aren't challenged to produce robust protective tissue padding. Cushioning not only causes a cessation of robust soft tissue production, it causes the existing soft tissue to atrophy. As a result, the soles of the feet become increasing more sensitive and, when barefoot, incapable of effectively protecting the soles of the feet from the terrain and the more sensitive internal tissues of the feet from harmful stress.
When a shod, cushioned, supported, and restricted foot receives "poor stimulus" and or "right movement" is inhibited, the body's neuromusculoskeletal function will maladapt. Over time, this maladapted "unhealthy" neuromusculoskeletal function will become the norm and predispose the lower limb and back to injury, and it is the leading cause of most foot-related pathologies and pain.
Conventional footwear products have been promoted in the marketplace with claims that their products mimic "barefoot" like gait dynamics, by incorporating thinner or more flexible cushioning midsoles/outsoles/uppers and or by providing "static" stimulus to the soles of the feet. Note: anything that contacts the sole of the foot during gait will produce a stimulus which, depending upon the quality of the stimulus, will positively or negatively affect the muscle activity that controls the alignment of the body's skeletal system. Unfortunately, the designers of these so-called "barefoot-like" products have failed to understand and/or integrate the Right Stimulus and Right Movement principles of optimal neuromuscular gait mechanics. Most significantly, these products inhibit optimal neuromuscular gait because they still create repetitive unvaried attenuated stimulus, step after step, which, as per the laws of physiology, the brain ultimately tunes out and stops responding to, and they restrict the pre ground contact "Right Movement" raising of the toes and arches.
Footwear manufacturers commonly make "barefoot-like" shoes with thin non-cushioning midsole/outsoles made from dense rubber or rubber-like materials. While these products facilitate a greater range of variable stimulus, the dense materials don't conform with the terrain like the skin and soft tissue of the bare foot, resulting in a stiffer contact patch with the ground. The stiffer contact patch causes the shoes to lose traction on slippery surfaces. In addition, the denser materials have little or no insulating properties and transfer heat and cold to the feet easily. Furthermore, while the midsole/outsoles of these types of shoes provide more varied stimuli, most of their upper designs still restrict "Right Movement", as noted above and, therefore, inhibit optimal neuromuscular gait mechanics.
Accordingly, there is a need for a footwear technology that creates "Right Stimulus" and facilitates "Right Movement."