The present invention measures traffic congestion by utilizing a video camera to capture images of vehicles travelling on a road and analyzing sample points that are assigned to different aspects of the images. For example, presence and movement sample points correspond to the expected location and motion of the vehicles respectively. The sample points adjacent to one another form either movement or congestion blocks. The blocks that have a ratio of movement sample points to all other sample points within the block greater than a predetermined level are movement blocks. The remaining presence sample points in the images signify congestion sample points and form congestion blocks. Congestion blocks have a ratio of congestion sample points to all other sample points within the block greater than a predetermined level. Therefore, the state of traffic congestion is measured based upon the resultant movement and congestion blocks.

There are a wide variety of systems for measuring a state of traffic congestion for the purpose of smoothing traffic on roads. Such traffic congestion measuring systems include two well known measuring systems, one of the two measuring systems being of a supersonic type and the other of the two measuring systems being of a loop-coil type. The supersonic type of traffic congestion measuring system adopts a supersonic sensor as means for sensing the presence and movement of vehicles, while the loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring system adopts a loop-coil as means for sensing the presence and the movement of the vehicles.
The supersonic type of traffic congestion measuring system uses the supersonic sensor, which is positioned above the road at a predetermined height, to detect the presence and velocity of a passing vehicle. Based on results of the detection by the supersonic sensor, the state of traffic congestion is measured. On the other hand, the loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring system uses the loop-coil, which is buried under the road, to detect the presence and the velocity of the vehicle passing above the loop-coil on the basis of the variation in magnetism above the loop-coil caused by the passing vehicle. Based on results of the detection by the loop-coil, the state of traffic congestion is measured.
In the supersonic sensor type and loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring systems thus designed, the supersonic sensor and the loop-coil are merely operated to obtain information of only the vehicles lying directly under the supersonic sensor and directly above the loop-coil, respectively. In point of fact, the supersonic sensor type and the loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring systems are merely operated to indirectly measure the state of traffic congestion on the basis of the number of the passing vehicles during a certain period or the velocities of sampled vehicles corresponding to extremely small part of the vehicles passing over the supersonic sensor and the loop-coil, respectively. For this reason, the supersonic sensor and the loop-coil of traffic congestion measuring systems have difficulty in automatically measuring, in real time, traffic congestion ranges with high accuracy. For instance, if the supersonic sensor type and loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring systems are adopted for the purpose of controlling traffic signals in accordance with the length of a traffic queue extending from an intersection, a drawback is encountered in that the supersonic sensor type and loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring systems have difficulty in controlling the traffic signals so as to quickly relieve the traffic congestion.
There are also two traffic congestion measuring systems adopting video cameras, which are superior to the supersonic sensor type and loop-coil type of traffic congestion measuring systems in that the state of traffic congestion is measured in real time with high accuracy. One of the traffic congestion measuring systems is disclosed in "INPACTS: A New TV Image Processing System for Monitoring Traffic Conditions," by Wootton Jeffreys CONSULTANTS or European Patent publication No. 0403193. In the disclosed measuring system, an image of a road taken by a video camera is divided into a plurality of blocks for each traffic lane. The size of each block is roughly equal in length to each of the vehicles represented in the image. By processing the image, the blocks are classified into three different block groups. The first block group includes blocks in which no vehicle is detected. The second block group includes blocks in which a moving vehicle is detected. The third block group includes blocks in which a stationary vehicle is detected. According to the arrangement of the three different type blocks, the state of traffic congestion is measured indicating, for instance, conditions substantially stationary, slowly moving, and smoothly moving.
Other traffic congestion measuring systems are disclosed in Kitamura et al., "Traffic Congestion Measuring System Using Image Processing", Annual Conference sponsored by The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Industry Application Society, 1991. The traffic congestion measuring system operates in a manner which comprising the steps of abstracting three different feature values representative of the density of vehicles, the movement quantities of vehicles and the brightness of a road surface, respectively, from images taken by video camera, inputting the feature values into an input layer partially forming a neural network, calculating an output value stepwise varied between "0" and "1" by 0.2, and detecting, on the basis of the output value, the state of traffic congestion. The state of traffic congestion is any of five different conditions; a first condition that there is no traffic, a second condition that the vehicles are smoothly moving, a third condition that the vehicles are moving but crowded, a fourth condition that there is produced a slight traffic congestion, and fifth condition that there is produced a serious traffic congestion.
The conventional traffic congestion measuring systems using the video camera, however, also encounter drawbacks. In the former traffic congestion measuring system adopting the video camera, a correlation of the arrangement pattern of the blocks classified into three types and the state of traffic congestion in each of measurement points is required to be previously learned. In addition, the former traffic congestion measuring system must perform a process of dividing each of the traffic lanes into the blocks. For this reason, the traffic congestion occurring over two or more traffic lanes cannot be detected and, as a result, the state of traffic congestion cannot be measured with accuracy. Furthermore, the size of the vehicle represented in the image becomes smaller as a distance from the video camera to the vehicle becomes larger. The block size is, therefore, adjusted with difficulty to the size of vehicle spaced apart from the video camera at a long distance. Consequently, the former traffic congestion measuring system adopting the video camera cannot measure the state of traffic congestion over a long distance.
In the traffic congestion measuring system adopting the video camera, the traffic congestion measuring system is limited in forming the neural network based on a large amount of data for the sake of learning. The process of forming the neural network takes much time and labor and is a difficult task. In addition, the neural network must be re-formed whenever road circumstances are changed. Furthermore, the whole image is processed in the lump in order to measure the state of traffic congestion, so that detailed traffic information for each part of the image cannot be detected. The detailed traffic information includes, for instance, information pertain to traffic queue length expressed as "there is a traffic congestion of y meter length extending from point X1 to point X2 on the road".
The above traffic congestion measuring systems which use the video cameras encounter the foregoing drawbacks and, for this reason, are put to practical use with difficulty. In the view of the foregoing surroundings, the present invention is made and has an objective of providing a traffic congestion measuring method and apparatus capable of reducing the previous learning, detecting the traffic congestion traversing two or more traffic lanes, stably measuring the state of traffic congestion independently of the changes in circumstances such as changes of measurement points and periods, weather and traffic quantity, and detecting the traffic queue length.
The present invention has another objective of providing a traffic congestion measuring method and apparatus capable of accurately measuring the state of traffic congestion produced by a group of vehicles which are moving at a speed lower than 20 km/h, and also suitable for measurement in a highway or an expressway, in addition to the foregoing capabilities of the method and apparatus provided for the purpose of attaining the first object of the present invention.
The present invention has a further objective of providing an image processing method and apparatus that utilize processing techniques adopted by the foregoing traffic congestion measuring method and apparatus provided for the purpose of attaining the first object of the present invention.

Traffic congestion measuring method and apparatus and image processing method and apparatus


Test-recording signals are recorded onto an optical disc by variously varying the intensity values of erasing power and bottom power as well as writing power of a laser light beam, in order to determine a combination of optimum intensity values of the writing power and erasing power, of the writing power and bottom power or of the writing power, erasing power and bottom power. Then, actual-recording signals are recorded in accordance with the thus-determined combination of optimum intensity values. With this arrangement, optimum recording conditions can be constantly provided irrespective of non-uniform and time-varying characteristics of various optical discs used, and it is possible to reliably prevent reproduction errors or failure of reproduction.

The present invention relates to a method and device for recording data on rewritable or write-once optical discs, which permit optimal recording with minimized possibility of reproduction failure and reproduction errors.
Phase-change optical discs are known today as an example of rewritable optical discs and generally classified into Type 1 and Type 2 discs in terms of their behaviors and recording speeds. The so-called "overwrite recording" on the Type 1 phase-change optical disc uses a single laser light beam which is varied among three different energy or power intensity values Pw, Pe and Pb, as shown at (a) in FIG. 2. The first value Pw represents intensity of "writing power" for transforming the recording layer of the disc from its original crystallized state to an amorphous state so as to form pits in the layer. The second value Pe represents intensity of "erasing power" for restoring the amorphous state of the recording layer to the original crystallized state so as to erase (overwrite) the formed pits. The third value Pb represents intensity for "bottom power (base power)" that correspond to bottom power of pulses in the so-called "divided-pulse recording" and acts to prevent heat diffusion resulting from the laser light beam irradiation during the recording. The pulse-dividing period is typically set to the length of 1 T in the conventional CD format, although it may be set to any other suitable time length. With such a laser light beam varied among the three power intensity values Pw, Pe and Pb, each pit is formed continuously over a length corresponding to a predetermined number of divided pulses, as shown at (b) in FIG. 2.
For the overwrite-recording on the Type 2 phase-change optical disc or recording on the write-once optical disc, a single laser light beam is used which is switched between two respective intensity values of the writing power Pw and the erasing power Pe (or bottom power Pb), as shown in FIG. 3.
The optimum writing power intensity value Pwo of the laser light beam differs among various types of optical disc, and hence the writing power intensity value Pwo is typically determined by tentatively writing or test recording input signals prior to actual recording of the signals. According to the CD-Write Once (CD-WO) standards, an area to be used for the test recording, commonly known as a PCA (Power Calibration Area), is reserved along the innermost edge of each optical disc, and the optimum writing power intensity value Pwo is set through a series of operations commonly known as "OPC" (Optimum Power Control).
In the conventionally-known OPC operations, the test recording is carried out by varying the writing power intensity value Pw step by step as shown in FIG. 4, and the test-recorded area is then reproduced, and an asymmetry value (index indicating asymmetry of HF signals) .beta. is calculated, for each of the varied intensity values Pw, as a characteristic parameter representing the recording quality of the signals as shown in FIG. 5. Then, the writing power intensity value Pw resulting in an optimal asymmetry value (e.g., 0.04) is set as the optimum writing power intensity value Pwo to be used in the actual recording. Conventionally, the erasing power Pe and bottom bottom power Pb are set to fixed intensity values that were predetermined through experiments.
However, the conventionally-known techniques had the problem that the erasing power and bottom power of fixed intensity values would often result in reproduction failure or errors due to non-uniform and time-varying conditions of various discs used, different specifications of the disc makers, etc.

Method and device for recording on optical disc


The present invention relates to a diagnostic kit and more specifically to a self contained diagnostic kit providing analysis of a sample by a sample collectin element and an immunochromatography test strip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a diagnostic kit and more specifically to a self contained diagnostic kit providing analysis of a sample by a sample collecting element and an immunochromatography test strip.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Flow test strips are most commonly used for the last thirty years. The test strips are used for the specific qualitative or semi-quantitative detection of many analytes including antigens, antibodies, and even the products of nucleic acid amplification tests. One or several analytes can be tested for simultaneously on the same strip. Urine, saliva, serum, plasma, or whole blood can be used as samples. Extracts of patient exudates or fluids have also been successfully used.
Test sensitivity can be quite good. For example, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test strips have claimed a sensitivity of 1.0 ng HBsAg/ml or less. Test specificity can also be very high. The tests use colloidal gold, dye, or latex bead conjugates to generate signal. The assembled strips are dried and packaged, making them stable for months when properly protected from moisture and excessive heat.
To perform the test, a sample either used alone or with an extraction reagent or a running buffer is placed on the sample pad on one end of the strip. The signal reagent is solubilized and binds to the antigen or antibody in the sample and moves through the membrane by capillary action. If specific analyte is present, the signal reagent binds to it, and a second antibody or antigen-immobilized as a line in the nitrocellulose then captures the complex. If the test is positive, a pink/purple line develops. Once the specimen is added, the tests can be left unattended until they are read. The tests can be run individually or in limited-size batches. Results can usually be read in 5 to 15 minutes. All tests include an internal procedural control line that is used to validate the test result. Appearance of two lines, therefore, indicates a positive result, while a negative test produces only one line.
Diagnosis of certain conditions at the oral, genital and rectal cavities (i.e Candida, Bacterial Vaginosis, colon cancer, HPV) require a sample taken by a swab or other collecting applicators before testing for the analyte using test strips. Collecting a sample is followed by an action aimed to preserve the sample from being contaminated and to keep sample's qualities (e.g. stability and arrangement of all components). Preserving a sample can be secured by placing the sample in a sterile container, or alternatively, placing the sample within a preserving liquid. Preserving sample after collecting it is necessary because the diagnosis of analytes within sample is not done immediately after sample's collection. Moreover, analysis of samples using test strips is usually performed not on the site of sample collection. The next step is placing the sample on a sample pad on one end of the strip. Furthermore, analyzing a sample with a test strip often requires the placing of the sample within an extraction reagent or running buffer, which is placed on the sample pad. Placing a sample on a sample pad requires appropriate training. Consequently, sample collection is performed by personnel other than the personnel performing the analysis of the sample. Naturally, due to different causes (e.g. misplacement and swapping of samples, unsuitable conditions) the time and distance intervals jeopardize the accuracy of the diagnosis. Hence, there is a need for a diagnosis kit enabling accurate on-site analysis of the sample.
Recent prior art discloses a diagnostic kit having a diagnostic strip placed within a tubular container. The kit requires first the placing of a specimen on swab tip within the tubular container, and followed by placing a removable cap that contains a reagent. Then, adding the reagent for initiating an analysis of the specimen. The requirement to add reagent to the tubular container requires concentration and accuracy performed preferably by experienced laboratory staff for a successful diagnosis. Furthermore, adding the reagent will occur sometime after the collection of the sample and usually at remote location from the sample collecting location rather than immediately after collecting a sample. Thus the prior art does not disclose a self contained diagnostic kit due to the fact that additional action is required after the specimen is collected and inserted in tubular container.
Furthermore, there are ever increasing requirements of public health authorities worldwide aiming to provide simple and accurate test kits for self use by layman. For example, the U.S. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) law specified that laboratory requirements be based on the complexity of the test performed and established provisions for categorizing a test as waived. Tests may be waived from regulatory oversight if they meet certain requirements established by the statute. Thus, On Feb. 28, 1992, regulations were published to implement CLIA. In the regulations, waived tests were defined as simple laboratory examinations and procedures that are cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for home use; employ methodologies that are so simple and accurate as to render the likelihood of erroneous results negligible; or pose no reasonable risk of harm to the patient if the test is performed incorrectly.
Therefore there is a need to provide a completely self contained diagnostic kit. Furthermore, there is a need to provide a diagnostic kit that does not require special training for initiating analysis after insertion of sample. There is a need to provide a simple constructed self contained diagnostic kit. The above advantages as well as other are included in various embodiments of the disclosed invention.


A basic ion optical system (2) in which the temporal focusing of ions is ensured includes a plurality of sector-shaped electrodes (11, 12, 13, and 14), an ion injection slit (15), and an ion ejection slit (16), which are placed on the same plane. A plurality of basic ion optical systems (2) are placed in such a manner as to be mutually separated at predetermined intervals in the direction approximately orthogonal to their planes. The ion ejection slit (16) of the lower-stage basic ion optical system (2) and the ion injection slit (15) of the next-stage basic ion optical system (2) are connected to each other via another basic ion optical system (3) in which the temporal focusing of the ions is ensured. Accordingly, the flight distance can be elongated while assuredly achieving the temporal focusing of the ions as an entire ion optical system (1), and a three-dimensional space can be efficiently utilized to compactify the ion optical system (1).

In a time-of-flight mass spectrometer, the mass of an ion is generally calculated from the time of flight which is obtained by measuring a period of time required for the ion to fly over a fixed distance, on the basis of the fact that an ion accelerated by a fixed energy has a flight speed corresponding to the mass of the ion. Accordingly, elongating the flight distance is particularly effective to enhance the mass resolution. However, elongation of a flight distance simply on a straight line requires unavoidable enlargement of the device, which is not practical, so that a variety of ion optical systems for forming an ion flight space have been developed.
One known type of such an ion optical system is a multi-turn optical system in which a plurality of sector-shaped electric fields are used to form a closed orbit such as a substantially elliptical orbit, substantially "8" figured orbit, etc (refer to Patent Document 1 and other documents, for example). Ions are made to fly along such a loop orbit repeatedly multiple times to elongate the flight distance.
In this type of multi-turn time-of-flight mass spectrometer, it is necessary to prevent a decrease in the sensitivity and resolution due to temporal and spatial expansion of ions having the same mass-to-charge ratio during their flight along the orbit. Therefore, in designing the ion optical system to form a loop orbit, it is required that the time-of-flight peak should not be broadened and the ion beam should not be diverged after the flight, in addition to the requirement that the orbit should be geometrically and structurally closed. In the explanations below, an ion optical system for foaming a loop orbit will be simply called an ion optical system.
To meet such demands, in the multi-turn time-of-flight mass spectrometer described in Patent Document 1, for example, it is required as a time-focusing condition that the time of flight of the ions after the flight through the loop orbit is not dependent on an initial position, initial angle, and initial energy of the ions at the moment when they start to fly. Such conditions limit the shape and arrangement of sector-shaped electric fields to configure the ion optical system, and therefore the design of the ion optical system is not always easy.
Increasing the number of turns on the loop orbit enhances the mass resolution. However, in the case where ions having different masses are mixed, ions having a smaller mass and flying faster catch and pass ions having a larger mass and flying more slowly, which makes it difficult to distinguish the ions. Given this factor, in order to enhance the mass resolution, it is desirable to elongate the distance of one cycle of the loop orbit as much as possible so that ions do not catch and pass ions having different masses. The elongation of the distance of one cycle requires an increase in the number of sector-shaped electric fields which compose the ion optical system, an increase of their curvature, and an elongation of the length of free flight spaces. In the end, this requires an enlargement of the installation area of the ion optical system.
One method for preventing ions from catching and passing other ions on the loop orbit, and moreover, for suppressing the installation area is to form a helical flight orbit. In the apparatuses described in Non-Patent Documents 1 through 3, for example, a loop orbit which is stable on a plane and capable of focusing a variety of spreads (or dispersions) that ions have is slightly deflected in the direction perpendicular to the plane to form a helical orbit. With such a configuration, even if the focusing (particularly time-focusing) condition of ions is satisfied with regard to the loop orbit on plane, the focusing condition of ions with regard to the entire helical orbit is not assured. In particular, an increase in the number of turns to elongate the flight distance might pose a problem in that some ions disperse to decrease the sensitivity or the mass accuracy and mass resolution are not increased as much as expected.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H11-297267
[Non-Patent Document 1] H. Matsuda, "Improvement of a TOF Mass Spectrometer with Helical Ion Trajectory," Journal of Spectrometry Society of Japan, 49, pp. 227-228 (2001)
[Non-Patent Document 2] H. Matsuda, "Spiral Orbit Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer," Journal of Spectrometry Society of Japan, 48, pp. 303-305 (2000)
[Non-Patent Document 3] T. Satoh and three other authors, "A New Spiral Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for High Mass Analysis," Journal of Spectrometry Society of Japan, 54, pp. 11-17 (2006)


The present invention discloses a data storage method, a data downloading method, and a related apparatus. The data storage method includes: receiving a storage request containing a uniform resource locator (URL) for a storage operation; acquiring the URL in the storage request; determining whether a URL schema corresponding to the URL is in a storage, the URL schema corresponding to different URLs for a same file under a same domain name; when the URL schema is in the storage, completing the storage operation without storing the URL; when the URL schema is not in the storage, determining a hash value of a file corresponding to the URL and a hash value of the URL schema, and storing mapping relationship information between the file hash value and the URL schema hash value in the URL index database. The storage resource usage of the URL index database is reduced.

With the wide availability of broadband networks and the increasing speed of the network transmission, it is now possible to use the Internet resources to achieve online multimedia download and playback. It has been realized to transmit and play back the audio, video and other multimedia information on the Internet.
However, in order to further improve the utilization of existing network resources, various solutions have been introduced to increase the download speed, including the P2P (Peer to Peer) mode. Such mode realizes a point-to-point network, that is, one user terminal can directly form an uploading and downloading relationship with another user terminal. The download speed is then closely related to the upload speed of the other end. Because the upload speed for most users is not fast, and the upload speed can be further limited by some users, the P2P upload often lacks enough bandwidth, slowing down P2P transmission.
The P2S (Peer to Server) mode is based on a user-to-server structure. The user directly downloads files from a large scale download website. The files are stored in the server in the download website, so the speed can be guaranteed. However, problems, such as scattered resources and difficulties on searching, etc., still exist.
The P2SP mode is based on the user-to-server-plus-user structure. Unlike the P2P and the P2S, the P2SP download mechanism is actually a further extension of the P2P technology. The P2SP mode not only supports the P2P technology, but also uses an index database to integrate the resources of the server and the resources of the P2P together. When a file is downloaded by a user, other resources will be automatically searched, and the appropriate resource is selected to accelerate the download process. This leads to a large improvement over the traditional P2P solution on the download stability and speed.
In the existing P2SP solutions, when a file is downloaded, the data may come from different sources as the original link, the P2P network, and the third-party mirrored site, and then the data is integrated to a complete file using a unique identifier of the complete file, such as MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm 5) or SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm). FIG. 1 is a specific flow chart for the existing P2SP downloading process. As shown in FIG. 1, the downloading process may include followings.
Step 101: when a downloading client terminal needs to download a file, the downloading client terminal acquires a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) link from the Internet or a resource website.
Step 102: The downloading client terminal uses the URL link as an entrance point, queries a resource index server for multiple resources and a file hash, and then downloads the data from the retrieved URL(s) after the query.
Step 103: After the downloading client terminal completes the download of the file, the downloading client terminal registers file information to a Tracker (the tracking point) server.
Step 104: Other downloading client terminals can find the peers who have completed the download process and the peers who are in the middle of the download process through the Tracker service.
Step 105: Other downloading client terminals start a multi-source P2P download, and P2P peers exchange data among other another.
Step 106: After the download process is complete, the statistics information is reported to a statistics server.
The server obtains resources through two main approaches: client terminals take the initiative to report the resources to the server, and a backend server actively crawls and collects the appropriate download links using a crawler system, and then writes the download links into the resource index database for client terminals to query. The quantity and quality of the URL index collection is essential to the overall quality of the multi-source download services.
In existing HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol) download protocol, due to the characteristics of the URL link, it is easy to technically take other's contents not in one's own server, bypassing the final page with the others' advertisements, to provide the contents to users directly on one's page with its own advertisements, such as for users' download.
When browsing, a complete web page often is not completely transmitted to the client terminal all at once. If the client terminal requests a page with many pictures and other information, the data transmitted back for the first HTTP request is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) text for this page. After the client terminal (e.g., the web browser) interprets the HTML text, the client's browser discovers that there are more files referred in the text. The client's browser then sends out one or more HTTP requests. After these requests are processed by the server, subsequence files are transmitted to the client, and then these files are put to the proper positions in the page by the client's browser. A complete page can be fully displayed only after multiple HTTP requests are sent and fulfilled.
Based on this mechanism, the hotlinking becomes possible. An Internet service provider can embed others' links into its own page, and displayed those links on its own page, which achieves the purpose of the hotlinking.
Currently, the commonly used anti-hotlinking method is to increase the threshold of the hotlinking, such as, changing the download website address based on the sources of the requests, inserting random numbers in the links requested to confuse the links, or adding timestamp information in the requested links With these methods, even if the hotlinking website contains the original link, the website cannot provide normal download services because the links will soon be expired. Because the generation of this kind of links is under the control of the original website, the threshold of hotlinking can be increased by modifying the link generation rules.
For example, the download address of a web site provided for a game file 17173_tlbb—0330580.exe for a period of time is in the following form: http://cdn1.download.17173.com/wangsu_key_XXXX00XXXXXXXXXX0059XXXXXXXX48 00XXXfXXXXXX00XXXX/t1/17173_tlbb—0330580.exe, where "XXXXXX" is a random number and, for the same file, the "XXXXXX" is different when the file is requested at different time.
From the backend download log of the P2SP download system, it may be found that a lot of download links for URL address paths with regular pattern of the random download addresses have been reported. In the current P2SP multi-source download technical solutions, when the download process is finished by the client terminal, the original download link corresponding to the task added by the client is saved in the database as a resource. When other clients start a query, the saved link is returned to the other clients as a download resource.
The multi-source download system may store the URL download links, mainly through reporting by the client terminals or obtaining by the server's web crawler. Those links are often directly written to the URL index database and the URL resource database. Therefore, a lot of links for the same file may be saved to the databases. For example, if one file is downloaded 100 thousand times, 100 thousand records of the links may be created. For popular files, one hash value may be associated to a huge URL collection, even hundreds of thousands of records, and it is also possible that hundreds of thousands of URLs are associated one hash file. Thus, when the URL resource collection or the correspondence between the hash value and the URLs, useless records may take up a lot of disk space, causing busy system disk IO and reduced resource query efficiency.
Thus, because a large number of URLs correspond to a same hash, multiple mapping records are stored in the database and in the memory for the same hash. A large amount of storage index resources are occupied, which may affect the system query efficiency and resource recording efficiency.
Further, because the original website adds random coefficients to the URL links to adjust the form of the links, when the P2SP software records download links, a large amount of same links (corresponding to the same file on the same server) are recorded. Even if only one valid download link is returned to the client terminal, a lot of storage resources are occupied in the server, reducing the system query efficiency.
The disclosed methods and systems are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems.

Method and apparatus for data storage and downloading

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A carriage of the types commonly used in skyline logging operations. The invention facilitates moving logs along a suspended skyline by means of a hoisting system built into the carriage comprised of a radio controlled electronics system, an internal combustion power plant, proportional controlled hydraulically driven skidline sheave, a skidline clamp and skyline clamp. A novel method of pump control keeps the internal combustion engine operating within its power band. The volume output of the pump is controlled by engine RPM to adjust the pump's load on the engine. Combined operation of the various controls on the carriage, in conjunction with the controlled operations of the yarder winch at the end of the skyline, result in a system well suited for efficient logging operation. The choker/setter (ground crew) and the yarder are able to remotely control the carriage operation as a team. The carriage controls of the present invention are primarily hydraulic, actuated by means of electrical solenoid valves.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to logging equipment, more particularly to a radio-controlled, slack-pulling skyline carriage.
2. Related Art
In reviewing the body of patents and commercial products that incorporate controls to skyline carriage type vehicles, none of the information reveals a similar closed-loop method of controlling the position of the carriage, nor providing controls that facilitate the types of operations of which this invention is capable.
A distinct advantage of the closed-loop operation method of the present invention lies in its ability to control the effective load and speed (RPM) of the driving engine under differing conditions to best make use of its engine braking, power and torque characteristics. As will be made evident in the description that follows, based upon monitoring engine RPM, the control system proportionally controls the main hydraulic pump output volume to keep the engine running within its optimal RPM band. Due to the utility of the closed-loop control system, as set forth in the present invention, the general carriage operation in timber harvesting via remote control is far easier compared to other carriages presently known in the art.
In earlier inventions, a variety of skyline carriages were patented; each of them different in various key aspects from the present invention. Gauthier in U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,443 teaches about a radio-controlled carriage that houses an internal combustion motor and a drive system that provides a driving method and hoist method that is fundamentally different than the current invention in that it has a driven set of mainline pulleys, whereas the mainline pulleys of the present invention are free rolling.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,109, Davis describes a carriage that uses batteries, motors and a skyline powered recharging method to move and brake the carriage. This approach, versus the current invention, is fundamentally different in providing only a limited ability to pull large loads with the skidline. It relies upon an electrical power source that charges/stores energy from movement of the carriage along the skyline.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,281, Maki teaches about a system whereby the movement of the carriage along the skyline drives two on-board hydraulic pumps and a large accumulator that power the skidline sheave. This approach requires multiple pumps, clutches and mechanisms to realize motive power for the skidline sheave, and relies on the energy that is provided by movement of the carriage along the skyline. There are multiple shortcomings to the invention as it is described, all of which are overcome with the present invention. The primary problem with Maki's invention is its reliance upon carriage motion for operation of the skidline sheave. Pump selection and drive ratios are problematic in that the slope of the cable, which varies from site to site, must be considered in selecting the configuration of the pump drivetrain components.
As will be seen in the description that follows, the present invention is a more efficient and useful device than all prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention utilizes the integrated circuit manufacturing process to produce integrated circuits including bias circuits which implement active devices having uniform gain and gate threshold characteristics. The uniformity of these active devices increases when they are tightly clustered in an integrated circuit chip. Precise linear control of constant current output to a load is realized by maintaining a gate voltage in the linear operating region for a plurality of similarly configured, uniformly fabricated and doped current mirrors.

Most digital circuits require undriven inputs to be biased to a valid high or low voltage level. Conventional bias circuitry typically utilizes a fixed pull-up or pull-down resistor or latch that biases an input to its last driven state.
In the case of a fixed bias circuit for a synchronous or clocked system having an intermittent undriven state, e.g., multiple bidirectional cells connected together as a bus, the bias circuit may repeatedly charge a net (an unbroken, conductive medium connecting active and passive devices into a single circuit) from its driven state to a biased state. When the driven and biased states are at opposite logic levels, the transition from the driven state to the biased state exhibits the exponential time response of a simple RC circuit. As the net charges, the current through and voltage across a bias resistor exponentially decreases toward zero. A bias circuit using passive bias resistors may require as many as three time constants to charge a net through the opposite logic threshold, e.g., from a low to a high voltage level.
Pull-up or pull-down biasing functions are often integrated into the input/output (I/O) cells (I/O drivers of an IC on which the bias circuit resides) of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). However, on-chip resistors used in typical bias circuits have poor tolerances and require more silicon area than transistors. Although transistors can be switched "ON" and "OFF" and use much less silicon area, saturated transistors present an even worse tolerance problem over process, voltage, and temperature.
Therefore, conventional bias circuits present several disadvantages when applied to integrated circuit design. As previously discussed, the time required for a bias circuit to transition from one digital logic state to another is one of the impediments to meeting faster integrated circuit clock speed specifications. Additionally, conventional bias circuits use components which do not promote efficient use of valuable silicon wafer surface area. Further, due to the integrated circuit manufacturing process, the tolerances of conventional bias circuit components are not predictably consistent for close tolerance applications.

Integrated circuit having programmable bias circuits


A phase change memory cell is disclosed, including a first electrode and a second electrode, and a plurality of recording layers disposed between the first and second electrodes. The phase of an active region of each of the recording layers can be changed to a crystalline state or an amorphous state by current pulse control and hence respectively has crystalline resistance or amorphous resistance. At least two of the recording layers have different dimensions such that different combinations of the crystalline and amorphous resistance result in at least three different effective resistance values between the first and second electrodes. The phase change memory cell can be realized with the same material of the recording layers and thus can be fabricated with simple and currently developed CMOS fabrication process technologies. Furthermore, the phase change memory is easy to control due to large current programming intervals.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a phase change memory, and in particular to a multilevel phase change memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Phase change memories with competitive advantages of speed, low power consumption, high capacity, CMOS fabrication process compatibility and low costs, are suitable for use as high density stand-alone or embedded memories. Phase change memories are thus considered to have potentiality to replace currently commercial and competitive volatile memories such as SRAM and DRAM and non-volatile memories such as Flash. Bottlenecks in development of phase change memory mainly result from high writing current of the memory elements, since high writing current dictates increased area of connected driving transistors, leading to large memory cell area and low memory density. One method of increasing the phase change memory density is to decrease contact area between heater electrode and phase change recording layer so that the writing current can be reduced. However, this method is restricted by lithography and fabrication process technologies and thus harder to be implemented. Another method develops multilevel phase change memories with the same memory cells. However, this makes it difficult to control programming current and complicate process integration of various materials.
Multilevel phase change memories are proposed by Ovonyx in Elec_Memory_Research_Report in 1999, as shown in FIG. 1, by the relationship of memory state with writing current interval. Lateral axis represents writing current and vertical axis represents cell resistance resulting from the corresponding writing current. Different values of cell resistance are representative of different memory states. While an advantage of the multilevel operation can increase memory states, current programming intervals (1.42-1.51-1.51, 1.51-1.60, . . . , and 2.73-2.82 mA) corresponding to different memory states (or cell resistance) are extremely small and thus difficult to define and control, resulting in data storage errors. Additionally, resistance uniformity of respective states in different memory cells cannot be controlled precisely due to the possible deviation of fabrication process.
Japanese Matsushita Electronics Cooperation discloses another multilevel memory cell having various recording materials in U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,401. FIG. 2 is a cross section of a multilevel memory cell 200 disclosed therein. As shown, the multilevel phase change memory cell 200 comprises a substrate 21, a bottom electrode 22 and a top electrode 23, first to Nth recording layers 241-24N of different materials, and first to (N-1)th interlayers 251-25N-1 respectively disposed between two adjacent recording layers 241-24N. Although the multilevel phase change memory cell 200 provides multilevel operation, different properties of the recording layers 241-24N of different materials result in high control difficulty and fabrication process complexity.
Accordingly, a multilevel phase change memory cell having larger current programming intervals, recording layers of the same materials and simple fabrication process is called for.


Methods of the present invention allow a user to be enabled to create a metadata tag associated with a product on an ecommerce site. Using the metadata tag, a product category associated with the product may be dynamically created.

A network is a collection of links and nodes (e.g., multiple computers and/or other devices connected together) arranged so that information may be passed from one part of the network to another over multiple links and through various nodes. Examples of networks include the Internet, the public switched telephone network, the global Telex network, computer networks (e.g., an intranet, an extranet, a local-area network, or a wide-area network), wired networks, and wireless networks.
The Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networks arranged to allow the easy and robust exchange of information between computer users. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have access to computers connected to the Internet via Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Content providers place multimedia information (e.g., text, graphics, audio, video, animation, and other forms of data) at specific locations on the Internet referred to as websites. The combination of all the websites and their corresponding web pages on the Internet is generally known as the World Wide Web (WWW) or simply the Web.
For Internet users and businesses alike, the Internet continues to be increasingly valuable. More people use the Web for everyday tasks, from social networking, shopping, banking, and paying bills to consuming media and entertainment. Ecommerce (i.e., buying and selling products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet) is growing, with businesses delivering more services and content across the Internet, communicating and collaborating online, and inventing new ways to connect with each other.

Method of generating product categories from a metadata tag


A computer-implemented system and method receive information regarding a funds transfer from a payor to a payee. The information is received by a depository computer system. The depository computer system forwards the information regarding the funds transfer to an account verification service computer system. The depository receives an indication of a real time account status of an account of the payor. The account status information is received from a paying bank computer system that maintains the account of the payor via the account verification service computer system. Release of the funds to the payee is authorized based on the account status information received via the account verification service computer system. The authorization occurs in real time relative to when the funds transfer information is initially received.

Payments made between individuals and businesses are often made from accounts held at financial institutions such as banks, e.g., from a checking account via a check or ACH transfer. In situations in which a payor (i.e., the paying individual or business) and a payee (i.e., the receiving individual or business) initiate a transaction between two different financial institutions, the transaction may take a few days to clear. For example, if the payor writes a check from a first financial institution to the payee for deposit in a second financial institution, the second financial institution may hold the transaction as pending for a number of days until the transaction is verified and approved by both the first and second financial institutions. During the time the transaction is pending, the payee may not have access to the funds provided by the payor. While these payment mechanisms have worked well, enhanced systems and methods of facilitating such payments would be desirable.

Interbank account verification and funds transfer system and method


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a device manufactured using the same are provided. According to the embodiment, substrate with a dielectric layer formed thereon is provided. Plural trenches are defined in the dielectric layer, and the trenches are isolated by the dielectric layer. A first barrier layer is formed in the trenches as barrier liners of the trenches, followed by filling the trenches with a conductor. Then, the conductor in the trenches is partially removed to form a plurality of recesses, wherein remained conductor has a flat surface. Next, a second barrier layer is formed in the recesses as barrier caps of the trenches.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates in general to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and device manufactured using the same, and more particularly to the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device by forming barriers for improving the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Size of semiconductor device has been decreased for these years. Reduction of feature size, improvements of the rate, the efficiency, the density and the cost per integrated circuit unit are the important goals in the semiconductor technology. The electrical properties of the device have to be maintained even improved with the decrease of the size, to meet the requirements of the commercial products in applications. For example, the layers and components with damages, which have considerable effects on the electrical properties, would be one of the important issues of the device for the manufacturers.
Generally, a semiconductor device with good electrical performance requires the conductive lines with complete profiles and stacking layers with great evenness. Unwanted conductive bridges forming between the conductive lines would lead to the device failure. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a method for forming the conductive lines with complete profiles and flat surfaces, so that solves the problem of unwanted conductive bridge and improves the electrical characteristics of the device.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device and device manufactured using the same


An embedded security system for an environment-controlled trailer including a transportation refrigeration unit. The security system includes a plurality of sensors mounted to the trailer and a communication device embedded in the transportation refrigeration unit of the trailer, the communication device being configured to receive data from the plurality of sensors, and to send the received data to a controller being remote from the trailer. The controller is configured to monitor the security status of the trailer and to determine a security risk at the trailer based, at least in part, on the received data.

Environment-controlled transportation containers, such as refrigerated trailers, refrigerated containers, and other environment-controlled trucks, are used for transporting goods that are to be kept in an environment range to prevent spoiling (e.g., below or above a certain temperature). Sometimes, the refrigerated transported cargo has a very high value measured in tens, and sometime in hundreds of thousands of dollars (e.g., pharmaceutical products). Generally, the logistics companies assume the risk of theft of the cargo when these companies are hired to transport the cargo. Therefore, the logistics companies must monitor the security status of the container and communicate the status to a remote location along with other information, such as the location of the container and the status of the environmental conditions of the container.

Embedded security system for environment-controlled transportation containers and method for detecting a security risk for environment-controlled transportation containers


A test method for Internet-Protocol packet networks that verifies the proper functioning of a dynamic pinhole filtering implementation as well as quantifying network vulnerability statistically, as pinholes are opened and closed is described. Specific potential security vulnerabilities that may be addressed through testing include: 1) excessive delay in opening pinholes, resulting in an unintentional denial of service; 2) excessive delay in closing pinholes, creating a closing delay window of vulnerability; 3) measurement of the length of various windows of vulnerability; 4) setting a threshold on a window of vulnerability such that it triggers an alert when a predetermined value is exceeded; 5) determination of incorrectly allocated pinholes, resulting in a denial of service; 6) determining the opening of extraneous pinhole/IP address combinations through a firewall which increase the network vulnerability through unrecognized backdoors; and 7) determining the inability to correlate call state information with dynamically established rules in the firewall.

The transmission of voice signals over a packet network offers economies of scale which make it likely that common carriers will, over time, evolve their circuit switched voice networks into converged services packet switched networks that will transport voice traffic in packets. The full realization of this voice over packet network paradigm, however, will likely be delayed until the security of the voice traffic carried over the packet network is improved to the point at which it rivals that of present day circuit switched networks.
A likely protocol to be employed in a voice over packet network is Internet Protocol, or more conveniently, IP. Accordingly, such networks are oftentimes referred to as voice over Internet Protocol networks (VoIP).
IP has become attractive for such applications, in part, because of its ubiquity. Unfortunately however, IP and networks designed thereon suffer from a lack of security as a legacy of how IP networks were originally designed with little or no security functions built in. Recent attempts to remedy the security deficiencies of IP have focused on protocol enhancements such as those which include the incorporation of IPSecurity (IPSec) at the Network Layer, and other schemes at the Application Layer (e.g., application security protocols).
In VoIP networks, these new security enhancements can be difficult to implement, either because of the distributed nature of VoIP networks (many hops), or because they frequently utilize digital certificate-based key systems which are difficult to manage—especially for large, common carrier size networks. One alternative is to protect crucial network assets, such as server farms of media gateways, signaling gateways, and softswitches by employing network perimeter protection devices that block unwanted and/or potentially nefarious traffic from reaching those assets. Unfortunately however, VoIP networks have specific requirements that make using traditional perimeter protection devices, such as firewalls, not practical as such devices, and in particular firewalls, typically block unwanted traffic on a specific IP port in a static manner, i.e., specific ports are allowed/excluded independent of time.
In a VoIP network, ports used to carry the media part of a call are normally dynamically assigned through signaling, released upon call termination, and reused for subsequent call(s) later. As a result, a scheme was designed that permitted firewalls to open and close ports dynamically, for a specific call, from signaling information obtained from a signaling channel at call setup and call termination. This scheme and related method(s) are sometimes referred to as "dynamic pinhole filtering", as the firewalls filter traffic dynamically by opening/closing ports (pinholes) depending upon the state and progress of a call. When implemented correctly at the network perimeter, dynamic pinhole filtering advantageously provides protection at a level of granularity not realizable through other current security technologies.
As can be appreciated, strict verification of the correctness of a dynamic pinhole filtering implementation is of paramount importance as a defective implementation could result in "windows of vulnerability" which could be maliciously exploited to invade the very assets being protected. Worse still, a partially correct implementation may contribute to a false sense of security, while leaving network assets exposed to malicious attack or takeover. Such windows of vulnerability can, in turn, be used by a malicious attacker for Denial of Service Attacks in simple cases. In more complex cases, such windows of vulnerability can be used by a malicious attacker to takeover network assets that can be used to control and disrupt other parts of the network.
Accordingly, a continuing need exists for methods that provide or otherwise facilitate the strict verification of security measures employed in VoIP networks, and in particular networks utilizing dynamic pinhole filtering. In particular, there is a need for methods of verifying firewall operation prior to deployment, a need for methods of determining the maximum loading that is possible on a firewall prior to an unacceptable degradation in security and/or service, and there is also a need for methods of monitoring a firewall while deployed in an active system to insure that it is operating properly with port opening and closing delays remaining within preselected limits.

Security management system for monitoring firewall operation


A method and apparatus for a recirculating system with single feed that incorporates a liquid transfer vessel that helps prevent the vessels in the system from flooding, provides easy displacement of liquid refrigerant from the flooded vessels while economizing refrigerant liquid lines with insulation, pumps, and valves in the refrigeration system.

One of the common events during the start up of a refrigeration facility is the failure of control valves. These failures are usually associated with the amount of dirt collected during construction and before the first operation of the control valves. The end result is the flooding of the recirculator's vessels. When a recirculator vessel is flooded a series of events are initiated, that are potentially dangerous to the plant safety and performance, such as compressor failure due to a liquid "slug," relief of liquid refrigerant through relief lines vented to the atmosphere, overpressurizing of flanged and sealed lines; and excessive amount of time to return to operational conditions since the liquid refrigerant has to be evaporated and compressed to return to the high side of the system.
It is a therefore a desire to provide a recirculating system with single feed that decreases flash vapor at closer lower temperature recirculators, incorporates a liquid transfer vessel that helps prevent the vessels in the system from flooding, provides easy displacement of liquid refrigerant from the flooded vessels while economizing refrigerant liquid lines with insulation, pumps, and valves in the refrigeration system.

Multiple stage recirculating single feed refrigeration system with automatic pump down


A plurality of gate structures are formed on a substrate. Each of the gate structures includes a first gate electrode and source and drain regions. The first gate electrode is removed from each of the gate structures. A first photoresist is applied to block gate structures having source regions in a source-down direction. A first halo implantation is performed in gate structures having source regions in a source-up direction at a first angle. The first photoresist is removed. A second photoresist is applied to block gate structures having source regions in a source-up direction. A second halo implantation is performed in gate structures having source regions in a source-down direction at a second angle. The second photoresist is removed. Replacement gate electrodes are formed in each of the gate structures.

The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of semiconductor integrated circuits (IC's), and particularly to the formation of field effect transistors (FETs) and, more particularly, to the formation of asymmetric halo implants in sub-45 nm technology FETs.
The current process for the formation of asymmetric devices in sub-45 nm technology ground rules is limited by shadowing and adjacency effects. Each asymmetric halo implant is shadowed by a block photoresist. An edge of the photoresist blocks the halo implant. Shadowing lowers the halo pocket doping concentration. This results in low threshold voltage and leaky transistor devices. Also, the electrical properties of asymmetric devices are perturbed due to the implantation steps necessary to enable adjacent devices. Each halo implant penetrates into the adjacent device.

Structure and method for manufacturing asymmetric devices

International Business Machines Corporation


A fuel cell stack includes a first separator. The first separator includes a sandwiching section for sandwiching an electrolyte electrode assembly, a fuel gas supply section in which a fuel gas supply passage is formed, and a first load absorbing mechanism. The first load absorbing mechanism includes coupling members and seal members. The coupling members couple fuel gas supply sections of a pair of the first separators together, and have spring property. The seal members seal the fuel gas supply section.

Typically, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) employs an electrolyte of ion-conductive solid oxide such as stabilized zirconia. The electrolyte is interposed between an anode and a cathode to form an electrolyte electrode assembly (MEA). The electrolyte electrode assembly is interposed between separators (bipolar plates). In use, predetermined numbers of the electrolyte electrode assemblies and the separators are stacked together to form a fuel cell stack.
In the fuel cell, it is required to supply a fuel gas (e.g., hydrogen-gas) to the anode of the electrolyte electrode assembly and an oxygen-containing gas (e.g., the air) to the cathode of the electrolyte electrode assembly. The fuel gas and the oxygen-containing gas also need to be supplied to each of the fuel cells.
As the fuel cell of this type, for example, a flat plate type solid oxide fuel cell as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4291299 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Technique 1) is known. The fuel cell includes, as shown in FIG. 13, a cell stack 1a, and four manifolds M1 to M4 provided around the cell stack 1a. The manifolds M1 to M4 supply, and discharge the fuel gas and the oxygen-containing gas to and from each of unit cells 2a. In the fuel cell, a pressure is applied to the cell stack 1a by a first pressure applying mechanism 3a, and a pressure is applied to each of the manifolds M1 to M4 by a second pressure applying mechanism 4a.
The cell stack 1a is formed by stacking the unit cells 2a and interconnectors 5a alternately. The manifold M1 serves as a fuel gas supply manifold for supplying the fuel gas to the cell stack 1a, and the manifold M2 serves as a discharge manifold for discharging the fuel gas from the cell stack 1a. The manifold M3 serves as an oxygen-containing gas supply manifold for supplying the oxygen-containing gas to the cell stack 1a, and the manifold M4 serves as a discharge manifold for discharging the oxygen-containing gas from the cell stack 1a.
The first pressure applying mechanism 3a includes a holder plate 6a and a compression spring 7a provided on the cell stack 1a. The second pressure applying mechanism 4a includes compression springs 8a provided on the manifolds M1 to M4.
Further, as shown in FIG. 14, a solid oxide fuel cell stack disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-317490 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Technique 2) includes a stack body 2b formed by stacking a plurality of solid oxide fuel cells 1b in a stacking direction, and a pair of outer support members 3b, 4b provided on both sides of the stack body 2b in the stacking direction.
The fuel cell stack has a fuel gas supply hole 5b for supplying the fuel gas, a fuel gas discharge hole 6b for discharging the fuel gas, an air supply hole 7b for supplying the air, and an air discharge hole 8b for discharging the air. The holes 5b to 8b in the fuel cell stack make up an internal manifold.
Bolts 9b are tightly screwed into nuts (not shown) to tighten the outer support members 3b, 4b inwardly in the stacking direction. Thus, the stack body 2b is pressed inwardly by the outer support members 3b, 4b, and components of the fuel cell stack are fixed together.
Further, a seal structure body disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4087216 (hereinafter referred to as Conventional Technique 3) is known. In the conventional technique 3, an electrolyte membrane and an air electrode are successively stacked on a fuel electrode made of ceramic material containing metal, and a stainless steel separator is provided on the outer peripheral region of the electrolyte membrane to form the seal structure body for a low-temperature operation type solid oxide fuel cell. By grinding the circumferential side surface of the fuel electrode, at the circumferential side surface of the fuel electrode, the metal is expanded and exposed from the material forming the fuel electrode itself. The circumferential side surface of the fuel electrode where the metal is expanded and exposed, the circumferential side surface of the electrolyte membrane, and the lower surface of the separator are brazed to each other using metal brazing material.


A display apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a main body including a display panel and a sound generation section; a stand that supports, with respect to an installation surface, the main body from a rear surface side of the main body; and a receiving member that is attached to a lower portion of the main body and supports the main body to allow a gap to be provided between the installation surface and the main body.

A display apparatus for television use or the like often includes a speaker in a lower portion of a main body including a display section. In general, in a case of being placed on an installation surface such as a floor surface, such a display apparatus includes a stand attached to the lower portion of the main body.


A knife blade is locked by selectively moving a blade locking mechanism into and out of alignment with the end surface of the blade. The blade locking mechanism is replaceably mounted on the free end of a spring formed as a part of one of the side panels. The blade locking mechanism is preferably a disc which seats into a conical recess in the end of the blade.

This invention relates to a folding knife and, more particularly, to a locking mechanism for a folding knife.
Locking mechanisms for knife blades have been around almost as long as knives themselves. Most use a spring element, or spring biased element, moving in the plane of the knife as a locking element. Hallverson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,365,487, and Guttzeit, U.S. Pat. No. 1,734,126, are examples.
Another type of known locking mechanism moves laterally to the plane of the knife. Examples include: McLay, U.S. Pat. No. 1,521,778; Walker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,424; and Chen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,615. McLay provides a three-piece side panel, one piece of which is a spring-biased lever having a locking flange at one end. The flange is moved into and out of apertures in the tang of the blade to effect locking. Such movement is produced by a plate on the opposite end of the lever. Inadvertent squeezing of the plate could cause closure of the blade, perhaps on the fingers of the user. Walker and Chen both provide a deflectable spring lock internally of the knife handle. Both also require an extra element for the locking mechanism in addition to their side panels. And, in each, the tip of the spring coacts directly with the blade to effect locking.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a blade lock for a folding knife that is easy and safe to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a blade lock for a folding knife which securely locks the knife blade in an open position even as the blade lock wears from use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a blade lock having replaceable parts, thereby further prolonging the useful life of the folding knife.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a blade lock for a folding knife that is simple and economical to manufacture.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with one aspect of the present invention by providing a blade lock for a folding knife wherein the spring which biases the lock into locking engagement with the blade is a part of one of the side panels of the folding knife.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blade lock for a folding knife wherein the locking element is replaceably mounted on the free end of the spring.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blade lock for a folding knife wherein the locking element is more wear-resistant than the side panels, substantially reducing the production costs of the knife.
Finally, in accordance with a more specific aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blade lock for a folding knife wherein the locking element comprises a disc coacting with a conical recess provided in the end face of the blade, so that as the disc wears, it will maintain an efficacious lock merely by seating deeper into the recess.


Systems, servers, methods, media, and programs for managing meeting ratings in a distributed system are provided. A feedback application generates a calendar invitation for a meeting to a meeting leader and meeting attendees, hosts the meeting, provides a request for feedback to the meeting attendees, generates a summary of the feedback or a recommendation for the meeting leader based on the feedback and provides the meeting leader with the summary of the feedback or the recommendation. The feedback application can also determine that the meeting leader is eligible for a reward.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The specification generally relates to a distributed method and system that provide for evaluating meetings and meeting leaders, and to systems and methods for facilitating the collection of feedback from events via a shared online application.
2. Background Information
It is often times desirable to evaluate meetings and/or meeting leaders based on feedback solicited from attendees of a meeting or event. Such evaluation information is useful to meeting leaders in that they may review the information and learn what areas of the meeting were well-received and what areas of the evaluated meeting were not. Further, meeting leaders can review evaluations of their own meeting performance, in order to learn from them and identify respective strengths and weaknesses.

System and method for aggregating feedback


A false path detection program whereby passing points of signal lines constituting false paths are directly detected, thereby shortening the processing time necessary for the false path detection and the processing time of tools utilizing false path information. A storing section stores, in a storage device, circuit information about a circuit designed by a designer. A signal value generating section generates an impossible signal value with respect to a signal line in the circuit. A signal propagation inspecting section assigns the signal value generated by the signal value generating section to an input of a gate connected to the signal line with respect to which the signal value has been generated, and examines whether signal is propagated through the other input of the gate only when accompanied by the signal value. If signal is propagated through the other input of the gate, a passing point acquiring section acquires a passing point of the other signal line connected to the other input of the gate. A false path specifying section specifies a false path by the passing point acquired by the passing point acquiring section.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a false path detection program, and more particularly, to a false path detection program used for the timing analysis and verification of a digital circuit.
(2) Description of the Related Art
When designing semiconductor devices such as LSI circuits, CAD (Computer Aided Design) is used. Semiconductor circuits designed by CAD often include false paths that are not used in their functions.
CAD has the function of false path detection and timing analysis. With this function, where the maximum delay time from the input to the output of a certain circuit involves a delay time attributable to a false path, for example, the maximum delay time can be shortened so that the circuit can operate in a time shorter than the maximum delay time.
The following three methods are known as conventional methods for false path detection and timing analysis: The first method is to determine whether each of paths from the input to the output of a circuit is a false path or not (see, e.g., Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H08-180098 (paragraph nos. [0014]-[0031]; FIGS. 2-11), and H.-C. Chen and D. H.-C. Du, Path sensitization in critical path problem, IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits, 12(2): 196-207, February 1993). There has also been proposed a method of using higher-level operation description information in determining whether each path is a false path or not (see, e.g., Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-342403 (paragraph nos. [0019]-[0032]; FIGS. 1-3)). The second method is to obtain the shortest possible delay time while decreasing the value of delay time by degrees from a certain upper limit value (see, e.g., S. Devadas, K. Keutzer, and S. Malik, Computation of floating mode delay in combinational circuits: Theory and algorithms, IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits, 12(12): 1913-1923, December 1993). In this method, the shortest possible delay time is obtained while ignoring a delay time attributable to a false path. The third method is a method (called dynamic timing analysis) in which delay times of input vectors (several input signals) are calculated by simulation (see, e.g., D. Brand and V. S. Iyengar, Timing analysis using functional analysis, IEEE Transactions on Computer, 37(10): 1309-1314, October 1988). There has also been proposed a method based on the third method and improved in efficiency (see, e.g., Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-67383 (paragraph nos. [0053]-[0069]; FIG. 1)). As seen from these publications, circuit design using CAD requires false path analysis.
However, in cases where the conventional false path analysis techniques are applied to large-scale, complex circuit design, considerable time is required for the analysis. In the first method in which the analysis is performed path by path, in extreme cases the number of paths exponentially increases with scale of circuit, requiring much time for the false path analysis. In the second method in which the value of delay time is decreased by degrees from a certain upper limit value, the number of times the false path analysis needs to be performed increases if the set range in which the delay time is decreased is narrow. In the third method in which input vectors are simulated, for n inputs, the false path analysis needs to be performed 2n times, requiring impractically long computation time.
In the timing analysis, only false paths with critical timing or timing error may be detected to reduce the processing time needed for the false path analysis. In recent years, however, circuits with higher performance are demanded, and when such circuits are designed, there exist innumerable false paths with critical timing or timing error, making the detection of such false paths impractical.
Also, since innumerable false paths need to be automatically detected, a problem arises in that tools utilizing the false path information require increased processing time.


The invented Sander with Orbiting Platen and Abrasive includes a platen, an abrasive secured to the platen, and a motor connected to the platen to move the platen and abrasive in an orbit or circular pattern. The motor is connected to the platen by a belt that extends around at least one drive shaft, where the shaft includes two ends with a step between the ends so that when the shaft is rotated around one end's longitudinal axis, the step causes a potion of the shaft and the platen to orbit around that axis. The preferred embodiment of the invented sander includes a frame, a conveyor, first and second drive shafts that support a brace and that cause the brace to move in a first orbit, second and third drive shafts that are supported by the brace and connected to an orbit so that when the second and third drive shafts are rotated, the platen moves in a second orbit, and a plurality of neoprene, rubber or synthetic rubber stabilizers positioned between the brace and platen. The invented sander also includes a conveyor to feed a product toward the platen and a rotating brush to abrade and polish the product after it has been sanded by the platen.

A sander is machine that uses an abrasive such as sandpaper to smooth or polish wood. Typically, the abrasive is moved back and forth across the product, abrading its surface and thereby smoothing it. Different abrasives can be used to achieve different results. For example, a coarse grit abrasive is used to abrade quickly and deeply. A fine grit abrasive is used to produce the final, desired smoothness.
However, even sanding machines that use a fine grit abrasive can leave sanding patterns in the product. A sanding pattern is simply a collection of scratches in the product's surface. For wood products, cross-grain sanding patters, or scratches running across the wood's grain can results. To remove sanding patterns, finish sanding is often done by hand with a hand-held sander or with steel wool.
The invented sander provides an alternative to hand-held finishing sanders while removing sanding patterns. In other words, the invented sander eliminates the need for finish sanding to be done by hand.

Sander with orbiting platen and abrasive


A method of preparing a solution for forming a doped gel monolith includes providing a first substance including a metal alkoxide. The method further includes providing a second substance including a catalyst. The method further includes providing a chemical including a dopant. The method further includes forming a solution including the dopant, said forming including mixing the first substance and the second substance together. The method further includes cooling the solution to a mixture temperature which is at or below zero degrees Celsius, wherein the solution has a significantly longer gelation time at the mixture temperature than at room temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pure and doped sol-gel materials and processes for fabricating glass and ceramic monoliths with selected properties (e.g., chemical purity, homogeneity) compatible with a variety of applications, including high-performance optical systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
High-performance oxide-based materials are increasingly in demand for use in a variety of optical applications. For example, silica glass has the optical transmittance, mechanical hardness, chemical durability, thermal stability, low thermal expansion, and high laser damage threshold which make it an optimal material for applications such as optoelectronic laser diodes, fiber optic telecommunications, medical laser delivery systems, and military optical sensors. There is significant pressure on manufacturers to find materials and fabrication techniques which can satisfy the increasingly stringent performance requirements of these and other high-performance optical systems.
Numerous techniques are currently in use for the fabrication of glasses or ceramics. For example, silica glasses have traditionally been manufactured by melting natural quartz or synthetic silica in crucibles at high temperatures (typically about 1700° C.–2000° C.). However, the resultant materials have limited utility for various optical applications, primarily due to structural inhomogeneities as well as impurity concentrations (e.g., from intrinsic impurities in the raw materials, incomplete chemical reactions of components, and contamination by the crucible). Such high-temperature processes are also unsuitable for manufacturing products with certain compositions, tailored dopant or additive gradients, organic or high vapor pressure additives, or additives in their metallic or partially reduced states.
Another more recent technique for manufacturing silica glasses has been chemical vapor deposition (CVD), in which silicon-containing chemical vapors are combined with oxygen under high temperature conditions to deposit silica onto a substrate. However, the resultant materials are relatively expensive due to low material collection efficiencies, slow processing rates, and complex processing and pollution control equipment. Furthermore, CVD processes lack the versatility for fabricating more compositionally complex glasses.
Sol-gel technology has been used to fabricate products which satisfy some or all of the desired performance requirements without the difficulties or limitations found in more conventional fabrication techniques. A typical sol-gel silica process involves the transition of a liquid colloidal solution "sol" phase into a solid porous "gel" phase, followed by drying and consolidating (i.e., sintering) the resulting gel monolith at elevated temperatures to form silica glass. One method of preparing a silica porous gel monolith is to pour into a mold a solution of silica-forming compounds (e.g., silicon alkoxides), solvents, and catalysts, which then undergoes hydrolysis and polymerization, resulting in a wet porous gel monolith or matrix. After drying the wet gel monolith in a controlled environment to remove the fluid from the pores, the dry gel monolith is densified into a solid glass-phase monolith.
Sol-gel technology can yield products with the desired chemical purity, homogeneity, and flexibility in compositions, dopants, and dopant profiles. However, the potential for sol-gel processes for fabricating large monoliths has been limited by various problems. Large gel monoliths can take a long time to dry, thereby limiting the product throughput. But even more importantly, shrinkage of the gel monolith during the drying process often results in cracking, especially in larger gel monoliths.
As outlined by Pope, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,208 and Wang, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,197, both of which are incorporated by reference herein, this resultant cracking of gel monoliths during the drying step of the fabrication process is believed to result from stresses due to capillary forces in the gel pores. Numerous techniques for reducing this cracking have been proposed, and many of these efforts have focused on increasing the pore sizes of the gel monolith to reduce the capillary stresses generated during drying. Pope, et al. discloses subjecting the gel to a hydrothermal aging treatment which causes silica monomers to migrate from small pores to silica particle surfaces in the porous gel matrix, thereby increasing the average pore diameter. Wang, et al. discloses adjusting the relative concentrations of an alcohol diluent and/or one or more catalysts such as HCl or HF, which has the effect of increasing the average pore radius of the resulting dry gel. HF catalyzed gels generally have larger pore sizes than gels catalyzed by other catalysts such as HCl, HNO3, H2SO4, or oxalic acid.

Doped sol-gel materials and method of manufacture utilizing reduced mixing temperatures


Dithiocarbamate and phosphite containing fertilizers, as well as methods of making and methods of using these fertilizers, are disclosed.

In the past, compositions of dithiocarbamate and phosphorous have been utilized as fungicides. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,334 to Horriere et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,445 to Horriere et al. propose fungicidal compositions based on alkyl phosphites in combination with various contact fungicides such as mancozeb. U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,616 to Ducret et al. describes fungicidal compositions based on alkyl phosphites. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,661 to Lucas et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,672 to Lucas et al. describe fungicidal compositions based on monoester salts of phosphorous acid or alkyl phosphites and dithiocarbamates. None of these references describe compositions containing phosphite without alkyl substituents. Furthermore, none of these references describe the use of these compositions as fertilizers.
Water-dispersible granules of phosphite fungicial products have been described in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,281 to Hytte et al. discloses concentrated fungicidal compositions with phosphite, dithiocarbamates and wetting agents or dispersing agents. All of the compositions in Hytte contain wetting agents or dispersing agents. Furthermore, Hytte does not describe the use of these compositions as fertilizers.
Phosphite has been known for its fertilizer properties since at least the 1990s through Lovatt (U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,200, which issued May 7, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,255, which issued Nov. 3, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,665, which issued Sep. 5, 2000; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,268 B2, which issued Nov. 11, 2003) (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/637,621, filed Aug. 11, 2000; Ser. No. 10/686,411, filed Oct. 14, 2003). Prior to this discovery, phosphite was relegated for use only as a fungicide (U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,324) and as a food preservative.
There still remains a need in the art for improved fertilizer and fungicide compositions that can efficiently provide phosphorous as well as other nutrients such as zinc and magnesium to a plant. These compositions should be easy to pour from a container and should be free of dispersants or wetting agents. The present invention fulfills this need, as well as others.

Dithiocarbamates and phosphite formulations


A substrate support assembly for supporting a substrate during processing is provided. In one embodiment, a support assembly includes a top ceramic plate having a first side, a bottom ceramic plate having a first side and an embedded electrode, the first side of the bottom plate fused to the first side of the top plate defining a channel therebetween. In another embodiment, a support assembly includes a first plate having a first side and second side. A ring is disposed on the first side. A stepped surface is formed on the first side radially inward of the ring. A second plate is connected to the second side of the first plate.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for supporting a substrate in a semiconductor processing chamber.
2. Background of the Invention
Integrated circuits have evolved into complex devices that can include millions of transistors, capacitors and resistors on a single chip. The evolution of chip designs continually requires faster circuitry and greater circuit density that demand increasingly precise fabrication processes. One fabrication process frequently used is chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Chemical vapor deposition is generally employed to deposit a thin film on a substrate or semiconductor wafer. Chemical vapor deposition is generally accomplished by introducing a precursor gas in to a vacuum chamber. The precursor gas is typically directed through a showerhead situated near the top of the chamber. The precursor gas reacts to form a layer of material on a surface of the substrate that is positioned on a heated substrate support. Purge gas is routed through holes in the support to the edge of the substrate to prevent deposition at the substrate""s edge that may cause the substrate to adhere to the support. Volatile by-products produced during the reaction are pumped from the chamber through an exhaust system.
One material frequently formed on substrates using a chemical vapor deposition process is tungsten. A precursor gas that may be used to form tungsten generally includes tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) and silane. As the silane and tungsten hexafluoride mix, some xe2x80x9cstrayxe2x80x9d tungsten (i.e., tungsten that does not deposit on the substrate) deposits on the showerhead and other chamber components. The stray tungsten film builds on the showerhead and may become a source of contamination in the chamber. Eventually, the stray tungsten may clog the holes in the showerhead that facilitate the passage of the precursor gas therethrough necessitating the showerhead be removed and cleaned or replaced.
To extend the interval in time between the routine maintenance of the showerhead, fluorine based chemistries are generally used to clean (i.e., etch away) the stray tungsten film. However, the use of fluorine, while advantageous for removing tungsten, reacts to form a layer of aluminum fluoride on the heated support that is commonly made of aluminum. The aluminum fluoride layer has a generally rough surface topography. The rough surface creates a leak path that impairs the vacuum used to chuck or hold the substrate to the heated support. Additionally, the aluminum fluoride layer is a potential source of particulate contamination.
Substrate supports fabricated from ceramic materials provide an improvement over aluminum supports due to ceramic""s resistance to fluorine. However, ceramic supports are difficult to fabricate. For example, the holes in ceramic support used to provide purge gas to the perimeter of the support are typically drilled from the perimeter of the support to a depth generally equal to the radius of the support. Drilling such a deep hole in ceramic is difficult. The tools used to make these holes are frequently broken during the fabrication (e.g., drilling) process. Broken tools disposed within the support must be removed or the support must be scrapped. These fabrication difficulties result in costly supports and an undesirable high scrap rate.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved heated support for chemical vapor deposition processes.
One aspect of the present invention generally provides a substrate support assembly for supporting a substrate during processing. In one embodiment, a support assembly comprising a top ceramic plate having a first side, a bottom ceramic plate having a first side and an embedded electrode, the first side of the bottom plate fused to the first side of the top plate defining a channel therebetween is provided.
In another embodiment, a support assembly includes a first plate having a first side and second side. A ring is disposed on the first side. A stepped surface is formed on the first side radially inward of the ring. A second plate is connected to the second side of the first plate.