The invention provides a semiconductor apparatus provided with at least one set of buried channel type first conductive type MOS transistor and surface channel type first conductive type MOS transistor on the same substrate, in which a first conductive type impurity region is provided below a gate electrode of the buried channel type and surface channel type MOS transistors and between source drain regions. Further, the invention provides a solid state image pickup device having a photoelectric conversion portion and a pixel including a plurality of transistors formed in correspondence to the photoelectric conversion portion, in a substrate, wherein the plurality of transistors includes a buried channel type first conductive type MOS transistor and a surface channel type first conductive type MOS transistor, and a first conductive type impurity region is provided below a gate electrode of the buried channel type and surface channel type MOS transistors and between source drain regions.

As a typical solid state image pickup device, there are apparatuses called as a CCD sensor constituted by a photodiode and a CCD shift register, and a CMOS sensor such as an active pixel sensor (APS) constituted by a photodiode and a MOS transistor, and the like.
The APS includes a photodiode, a MOS switch, an amplifier circuit for amplifying a signal from the photodiode and the like within a pixel. Further, the APS has a lot of advantages such that an XY addressing can be executed and a sensor and a signal processing circuit can be formed as one chip. However, on the other hand, since a number of devices within one pixel is large, a pixel aperture ratio is small. Further, it is hard to reduce a chip size which determines a magnitude of an optical system, and the CCD accounts for a large percentage of a market.
In recent years, the CMOS sensor draws the attention on the basis of an improvement of a micro forming technique of the MOS transistor and an increase of requests for making the sensor and the signal processing circuit by one chip and making an electric power consumption low.
FIG. 5 shows an example of an equivalent circuit of the APS (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-274454 (corresponding to EP Laid-Open Publication No. 948056A2)).
Reference numeral 501 denotes a power source line, reference numeral 502 denotes a reset switch line selecting a reset transistor, reference numeral 503 denotes a select switch line selecting a select transistor, reference numeral 504 denotes a signal output line, reference numeral 505 denotes a photodiode serving as a photoelectric conversion portion, reference numeral 506 denotes a transfer switch line for selecting a transfer transistor, reference symbol Q1 denotes a transfer transistor, reference symbol Q2 denotes a reset transistor, reference symbol Q3 denotes a transistor for amplifying, and reference symbol Q4 denotes a select transistor. The photoelectric conversion portion corresponds to an embedded type photodiode used in a CMOS, CCD or the like. The embedded type photodiode is structured such that a region having a high impurity density (for example, a p-type semiconductor region) is provided in a surface. Accordingly, it is possible to restrict a dark current generated in an SiO2 surface, a junction capacitance can be provided between a storage unit (for example, an n-type semiconductor region) and the p-type semiconductor region in the surface, and it is possible to increase a saturation charge amount of the photodiode.
A light signal charge Qsig stored in the photoelectric conversion portion 505 is read in a floating diffusion area via the element Q1. The element Q2 resets an electric potential of the floating diffusion area.
The charge is voltage converted into a signal charge Qsig/CFD on the basis of a capacity CFD of the floating diffusion area, and the signal is read through the element Q3. The element Q4 is a select switch for selecting a line.
As mentioned above, a plurality of MOS transistors are provided within the pixel. As a classification of the MOS transistor structure, there is a classification obtained by a region in which a channel is formed. This is classified into a surface channel type MOS transistor in which a channel portion is formed near a substrate surface, and a buried channel type MOS transistor in which the channel portion is formed at a deep position of the substrate apart from the surface. It is often the case that the surface channel type MOS transistor is normally used as the MOS transistor within the pixel, however, there is a solid state image pickup device using the buried channel type MOS transistor as the reset transistor and the transfer transistor (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-309243 (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001-013899))
Further, there has been a problem that a noise component is included in an output voltage due to a 1/f noise generated in the transistor Q3 in a source follower portion. Accordingly, in the CCD, there has been proposed a method of forming the source follower portion in the final stage by a buried channel type pMOS transistor (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,211).
However, in the case that the surface channel type MOS transistor and the buried channel type MOS transistor of the same conductive type are arranged within the same substrate, a process becomes complicated and a cost increase is caused.
Further, not being limited to the solid state image pickup device, in the case that the surface channel type MOS transistor and the buried channel type MOS transistor of the same conductive type are both provided within the chip, there has been a problem that a manufacturing process thereof becomes complicated.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to form a semiconductor apparatus having a surface channel type MOS transistor and a buried channel type MOS transistor of the same conductive type on the same substrate in accordance with a simple process. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor apparatus having a reduced noise and a manufacturing method thereof on the basis of a simple structure.

Semiconductor apparatus, solid state image pickup device using the same, and method of manufacturing them


A hand manipulated implement including an implement head, a handle and a connector rigidly connecting the handle to the implement head. The connector includes a plug which is inserted into the handle and which includes an exposed end for inserting into a collet base defined on the implement head. The connector plug and collet base each include an aperture wherein the apertures of the plug and base are aligned by ribs cooperating with grooves and slots at the lower ends of the plug and collet base. A clip is inserted through the aligned apertures to thereby hold the handle against longitudinal movement relative to the collet base. In addition, a collet is formed at an upper end of the collet base for frictionally engaging the handle and thereby further limiting movement of the handle relative to the implement head.

The present invention is directed to implements, such as brooms and, more particularly, to a connector structure for attaching a handle to an implement head.
The typical upright broom, and in particular push brooms, includes a broom head carrying bristles and a handle attached to the broom head. Generally, the handle is removable and includes a threaded exterior end for engaging a threaded aperture in the broom head. In the past, the broom handle and/or broom head have been formed of wood, and the handle often became loose during usage due to unthreading or due to twisting of the handle relative to the head leading to distortion of the threads.
In an effort to provide an easily assembled handle having a durable connection to the implement head, various connection mechanisms have been proposed. For example, the handle may be formed of a metal or durable material such that the threads on the handle are more resistant to distortion, and the implement head may similarly be provided with threads formed of a durable material. In addition, in order to prevent relative rotation between the handle and the head, collet type locking mechanisms have been proposed wherein a threaded nut is carried on a connector body for causing a resilient portion of the connector to move radially inwardly into frictional engagement with the handle to thereby prevent rotation of the handle.
In a further construction, a non-threaded handle is inserted into a collet attached to an implement head wherein a nut threadably engages the collet to cause the collet to frictionally engage the handle. In addition, the collet and handle have an aperture therethrough wherein a clip is inserted through the aligned apertures to act with the collet to prevent longitudinal and rotational movement of the handle relative to the head. This construction has required increased assembly time in that careful alignment of the apertures relative to each other must be obtained prior to insertion of the clip therethrough. In particular, both the depth of insertion and rotational orientation of the handle within the collet must be carefully controlled inasmuch as the handle is freely rotatable within the collet prior to tightening of the collet and insertion of the clip.

Implement with E-clip handle attachment and handle alignment mechanism


A semiconductor memory device includes pillars extending upright on a substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, a stack disposed on the substrate and constituted by a first interlayer insulating layer, a first conductive layer, a second interlayer insulating layer, and a second conductive layer, a variable resistance layer interposed between the pillars and the first conductive layer, and an insulating layer interposed between the first pillars and the second conductive layer.

The inventive concept relates to a semiconductor memory device. More particularly, the inventive concept relates to a semiconductor memory device having a three-dimensional (3D) cross-point array that includes vertically stacked variable resistance memory cells.
A resistance random access memory (RRAM) is a memory device using a resistance varying property of a transition metal oxide, that is, a property in which the resistance of the material differs according to a state of the material. In the case of an RRAM, research has been actively conducted into a 3D cross-point array structure to meet the demand for a highly integrated memory device. The 3D cross-point array structure is a structure in which a plurality of upper electrodes and a plurality of lower electrodes are formed to cross each other and memory cells are disposed at cross points. The 3D cross-point array structure is advantageous in storing and reading data because random access is possible; however, a current path is formed between a memory cell that has been accessed and adjacent memory cells, and thus, a large leakage current may occur. Thus, electric characteristics may be degraded and it may be difficult to form a highly integrated memory device.

Semiconductor memory device having three-dimensional cross point array


The present invention is in the field of an improved reusable capture complex and a method of releasable capturing an additive present in a polymer material. The capture complex comprises a catalyst entity, a magnetic nanoparticle, and a bridging moiety solely between the catalyst entity and the magnetic nanoparticle The present use and method provide a high reduction of free additive of a polymer material.

A problem with many chemical processes is interference of contaminants with the process. Therefore these contaminants are preferably removed before the process starts, i.e. it is a goal to start with as pure as possible sources. However, if the contaminants are present in one of the source products to be processed, such as in a polymer material, removal is at least complicated and in certain cases even virtually impossible, such as in the case of additives being present in polymers. Upon degradation of such polymers in the polymer material the additives are released and may interfere with e.g. the degradation process and may cause side reactions to occur. In such cases the additives are preferably removed during the degradation process, and preferably are removed continuously.
An interference of additives considered relates to interference with a catalyst. Typically catalysts, and especially complexes, and function of a catalyst are sensitive to contaminants being present; in other words they function only properly under relative pure and clean conditions. As a result of contamination catalysts need to be replaced regularly, and extreme care is typically taken not to introduce contaminants. That may also be a reason why catalyst are typically not considered for degradation processes, such as of polymers, as these processes almost inherently introduce contaminants, e.g. in the form of additives being present in the polymer material, such as curing agents, plasticizers, property modifiers, stabilizers, surfactants, fillers, colorants, pigments, antioxidants, antistatic, anti-fungi, anti-bactericides, UV-blockers, UV-stabilizers, and lubricants. These additives form a serious obstacle in finding a method for degrading polymers.
It is known to use finely divided materials, such as carbon black and nanoparticles, to remove contaminants from aqueous systems, such as waste water. Such small materials can typically not be used in non-aqueous systems, and typically also are not compatible with polymer degradation processes, e.g. because of interference with the process, because of inadequate mixing properties, and non-dispersibility in solvents typically used.
Therefore there still is a need for adequate removal of contaminants, in particular in polymer degradation processes, which removal does not interfere with the process itself.
The present invention provides an improved method of removing additives from polymer materials and an additive capturer e.g. for degrading polymers which overcomes at least one of the above disadvantages, without jeopardizing functionality and advantages.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for discovering P2P service capabilities of peer devices in a Wi-Fi network is disclosed. A client device scans one or more channels of the P2P network to discover peer devices, and receives one or more data frames from a set of peer devices. Each of the data frames includes management information to enable the client device to establish a connection with a corresponding peer device. Each data frame further includes a first set of service information, which includes data indicating whether the corresponding peer device is configured to provide a P2P service. The client device then selectively establishes a P2P connection with a peer device from the set based, at least in part, on the first set of service information.

The Wi-Fi Alliance Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Specification, also known as "Wi-Fi Direct," allows for pre-association service discovery among peer devices. This protocol enables a client device or station (STA) to query peer STAs within Wi-Fi range to determine what services, if any, are provided by the peer STAs. Examples of such services may include: printing, gaming, file sharing, and/or Internet gateway services. Determining the services provided by peer STAs typically requires at least two phases of communications: a device discovery phase, followed by a service discovery phase.
During the device discovery phase, a client STA (e.g., a STA requesting a particular P2P service) determines the identity and/or availability of other STAs within Wi-Fi communication range. The client STA typically does this by "scanning" the 3 social channels (e.g., channels 1, 6, and 11 in the 2.4 GHz band) for incoming beacon frames and/or by broadcasting probe request frames to any STAs that may be listening on those channels. Thereafter, during the service discovery phase, the client STA queries the available peer STAs (discovered during the device discovery phase) about the services they provide. The client STA typically transmits service discovery requests to each peer STA that supports the service discovery operation, one at a time, until the client STA identifies a peer STA that provides the requested service.
Thus, during the service discovery phase, the client STA often queries several peer STAs (some of which may not provide any P2P services) before identifying a peer STA that provides the requested service. This is because the client STA is typically unaware of which services (if any) each of the peer STAs provides until after the service discovery phase. Furthermore, the client STA typically has no knowledge of whether the services provided by previously discovered peer STAs have changed unless it periodically repeats the service discovery operation (and device discovery operation) with each peer STA. Thus, a substantial amount of time and resources may be consumed in finding a peer STA that provides a desired service.

Peer-to-peer pre-association discovery operations


The present invention relates to a filter unit, and a filtering system using the filter unit. The filter unit includes a housing having a longitudinal axis and an inlet and outlet for fluid containing solid contaminants and a back-flush inlet and back-flush outlet for cleansing fluid. This housing contains a substantially cylindrical filter element which has a longitudinal axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the housing. The filter element has disposed within it a conduit, adapted to be opened to atmospheric discharge, having a longitudinal axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the filter element. The conduit also has disposed along its surface cleansing members, which extend from the conduit to the filter element and have apertures to allow the cleansing fluid to flow through the members and into the conduit. The filter unit rotates the conduit and/or the filter element about its longitudinal axis and detects when the degree of contamination of the filter unit in service reaches a level at which the flow of fluid containing solid contaminants through the filter unit drops below an effective level. The filter unit also closes the inlet and outlet for fluid containing solid contaminants and opens the inlet and outlet for cleansing fluid to atmospheric discharge when the degree of contamination reaches that level.

The present invention relates to a high volume self-cleaning filter which may be preferably used to filter fluids containing solid contaminants.
Fluid filtering systems are known in which two filter units are arranged in parallel such that when one unit is in service the other unit is out of service. This arrangement allows the latter unit to be cleaned or maintained while the system remains in service.
Cleaning of the out-of-service unit may be affected by back-flushing of the filter element, i.e., causing a flow of fluid through the filter in the direction opposite the normal filtering flow, by means of a rotary member having nozzles through which high pressure fluid is discharged. In this way foreign matter adhering to the surface of the filter element is washed off and out of the filter unit.
On completion of the back-flushing, the unit is then ready to be brought back into service. Thus, when the other unit becomes sufficiently contaminated, the newly cleaned unit may be brought back on line and the contaminated filter taken out of service for cleaning. Continuous filtration by the system can therefore proceed unhindered.
A problem in many such filtering systems, however, is with materials which tend to plasticize and blind the filter element. This problem is particularly evident in filtering operations involving fluids containing biological contaminants, such as fats and proteins. For example, in processing apparatus for carcasses, such as poultry carcasses, fluids such as coolant liquids (for storage and transportation) or heating liquids such as scalding water (to facilitate removal of feathers) are contaminated by fats from the carcass. Fats and similar biological contaminants have a tendency to agglomerate and form sheets which can quickly foul most filter systems. Accordingly, there is a particular need in the art for a filtering system which can provide continuous filtering of fluids containing solid contaminants.

High volume self-cleaning filter and method of cleaning same


A system and method for detecting, monitoring and analyzing physiological characteristics. Signals from a subject are acquired from a suite of sensors, such as temperature, carbon dioxide, humidity, light, movement, electromagnetic and vibration sensors, in a passive, non-invasive manner. The signals are processed, and physiological characteristics are isolated for analysis. The system and method are to analyze sleep patterns, as well as to prevent bed sores or detect conditions such as illness, restless leg syndrome, periodic leg movement, sleep walking, or sleep apnea. However, numerous other applications of the invention are also disclosed.

There are large amount of people affected by sleep related conditions who could benefit from knowing more about their sleep habits. Some research indicates that 40% of all American adults suffer from some kind of sleep disorder, while about 70 million Americans are chronically sleep deprived. Many feel that little substantial improvement can be made to correct their problems, since sufferers often do not discuss the problem with their physician.
The current gold standard for sleep research is known as polysomnography (PSG), which involves at least the recording of an electroencephalogram (EEG), a measurement of brain waves, an electrooculogram (EOG), a measurement of muscle activity in the eye area, and an electromyogram (EMG), a measurement of muscle activity in specific areas such as the arm or leg. These waveforms allow a doctor to assess a patient's sleep quality. All of these electrode hook-ups prove valuable in obtaining relevant information used to assess sleep quality, but require patients to have electrodes attached to their bodies.
In an effort to provide a less intrusive way to study sleep on a longer-term basis, actigraphs have been developed. These devices can be attached to any of the limbs and provide movement data based on the same principles behind accelerometers. They are also used in activity studies and can provide twenty-four hour monitoring of the subject. This type of sensor, however, has its limitations in acquiring data that can be interpreted definitively to provide a good assessment of sleep quality. Researchers are dependent on patient journals to help correlate the data recorded on the actigraph and it is hard to distinguish different events that can occur throughout the night. Patient non-compliance in journaling adds to the confusion. In addition, many of the problems researchers have interpreting results from actigraphs are a direct result of the one-dimensional nature of the data recorded. For example, if a patient places their hand on their chest or under their head, the motion data recorded by the actigraph can be misinterpreted or could potentially hide important events.
To provide an even less intrusive approach that does not involve equipment attached to the subject, different physiological parameters must be examined. One way to look at cardiologic and respiratory events is through a technique called ballistocardiography (BCG). BCG involves the study of the cardiac system by measuring forces related to the contraction and relaxation of the heart, along with forces propagated throughout the vascular system. It has been shown that cardiac forces correlate to life duration and susceptibility to ischemic heart disease. Additionally, it has been shown that the average force seen in the BCG reduces as a person ages. Unfortunately, initial high expectations and hopes set forth in the mid-20th century for this technology simply resulted in disappointments because inadequate analysis tools were available. In addition, the electrocardiogram (ECG) quickly usurped this technology as a more practical way to measure cardiac function.
Now that data acquisition systems are commonplace and the cost of personal computers have been greatly reduced in the last decade, analysis of the BCG data is no longer an insurmountable hurdle. In fact, a team from Stanford University designed a system called "SleepSmart" that uses an array of pressure and temperature sensors to acquire physiological data. These sensors are embedded in a mattress and can detect position, temperature, sound, vibration and movement, with other sensors optional for additional information. They determined that a sheet of piezoelectric film was best for implementation of their design. However, they were only able to obtain results similar to a static charge sensitive bed in that they were able to obtain good measures of breathing waveforms, but unable to obtain reliable heart rate measures, thus deeming the technology insufficient for medical application.
Previous efforts to passively, i.e., without the active involvement of the subject and without direct connection of sensors to the subject, collect physiological data have been expensive, as processing ability for analysis sufficient for medical applications was inefficient and expensive. Isolating the appropriate components from a signal required complicated circuitry and processing. This complexity added expense without a proportional increase in accuracy and reliability of the outputs. Due to the number of people that suffer from sleep related disorders, as well as the need for non-invasive collection of medical and other data in applications such as, monitoring the conditions of sick, old or bedridden patients and prenatal infants, there is need for a more efficient and accurate passive data collection and analysis system to monitor various conditions of subjects. In particular, there is a need for such a passive system in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, sleep labs or home sleep study centers, doctors' offices, health monitoring stations and the like.

System and process for non-invasive collection and analysis of physiological signals


A microwave oven including: a control panel; a scanner guide in the control panel; a scanner drawable into the scanner guide and pushable out of the scanner guide; and a driving section drawing the scanner into and pushing the scanner out of the scanner guide. The bar code scanner reads a bar code when in the scanner guide and when out of the scanner guide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven with a bar code scanner, and more particularly to a bar code scanner installing structure of the microwave oven with a bar code scanner.
2. Description of Related Art
A microwave oven is a cooking device for heating food by using microwaves, and uses high frequency electric waves of 2,450 MHz. A conventional microwave oven is provided with selection buttons so that a user can select a general cooking process and a cooking method corresponding to the kind of food to be cooked. However, since a large variety of foods exist, the user can only cook the food by selecting a cooking process roughly (approximately) proper for various foods instead of selecting a cooking process exactly proper for various foods.
In order to improve this problem, recently, as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-0074607, a microwave oven for reading a bar code attached to a food package, for determining food type, and for cooking the food by automatically setting the optimal cooking time according to the determined kind of food, has been developed.
The microwave oven disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-0074607 includes a bar code reader (or a bar code scanner) for reading a bar code attached to the food in addition to other components of the microwave oven, such as a cooking chamber, and a high frequency oscillator. The bar code reader is fixed inside the cooking chamber, or connected with a main body of the microwave oven. In the event that the bar code reader is fixed inside the cooking chamber, since the bar code attached to the food package must face the bar code reader in order to be read, it is inconvenient to use. Moreover, when the bar code reader is connected to the main body of the microwave oven, the bar code reader may fall from the main body and be damaged.


A tag game kit of parts comprising of a plurality of tag units. Each tag unit has a clothing attachment clip to which is rotatably connected, via a connecting ring, a colored, strip-like, fabric pennant. The tag game kit of parts is provided with at least three groups of tag units, each tag unit group being provided with pennants of a distinctive color, with each distinctive color being different from the colors of the other groups' pennants. For game play, at least two players divide into at least two groups, with each group being represented by the color of the groups' tag unit pennants. Each player, using the clips, attaches a number of tag units to the player's clothing. Then, the players chase after each other with the members of each team attempting to obtain the tag units of the other teams' members by grabbing and pulling the pennants and thus detaching the clips from the clothing. Once a player loses all of his or her tag units, that player is out of the game. If there are two teams, play ends when there is only one tag left, with the winning group being the player having the remaining attached tag unit. If there are more than two teams, play still ends when there is only one tag left, but the group with the highest number of captured tag units wins.

"Tag", as it is commonly called, has long been an easy, active and fun game for two or more people, typically children, to play. A first person is chosen at random to be "it". Then, that person runs after the other players and attempts to touch, e.g. "tag", one of the other players who, at the same time, is trying to keep his or her distance from the person who is "it". If a player is tagged, the person who is currently "it" exclaims "Tag, you're it!" or "You're it!", or some other similar expression, and the newly tagged person now is "it" and has to chase the others players. Since the game is open ended (i.e. there is no set ending point or goal), the game continues until the players become tired or bored. Sometimes, if a player who is slower than the other players is tagged, that player may quickly lose interest in the game if he or she cannot successfully tag someone else in a relatively short period of time.
One variant of tag is touch football. Touch football is played like conventional football, except that instead of tackling the player carrying the football, in order to stop play, another player has to touch the ball-carrying player with both hands. This results in fewer injuries and allows players to play football without any gear whatsoever except, of course, a football. However, one problem with touch football is that it is often difficult to determine whether or not a player carrying the football has actually been touched with both the hands of an opposing player. Disagreements over this can often arise, especially if there is no referee to mediate the game.
Flag football is a more accurate version of touch football. Each player affixes a belt around his or her waist carrying two (2) or more "flags" detachably connected thereto, e.g. one "flag" is detachably affixed on the player's right side and the other "flag" is detachably affixed on the player's left side. Each flag is generally a strip of flexible plastic or laminated fabric, typically ten to fourteen inches long and one to three inches wide, and hangs down the side of the player's leg. Numerous means have been devised to detachably connect the "flags" to the belt. One popular means is to use VELCRO.TM. brand hook/loop fasteners. Another means is to have a pair of ball joint receptacles on the belt, with one end of each "flag" being outfitted with a corresponding ball joint member.
Every player of each flag football team is provided with a flag belt, with the flags of each team being generally one of two (2) colors (flag football sets are sold with a number of belts, and a number of flags of one color and a number of flags of another color). During play, if one of the "flags" of a ball-carrying player is detached (i.e. grabbed and yanked off) by an opposing player, the ball-carrying player is considered tagged or tackled, play stops, and the players regroup for another "play". The tagged player reattaches the detached flag and the game resumes.

Apparatus and method for improved tag game


A cover for a baby stroller is disclosed. The cover includes thermally insulated panels for retaining warmth for use in cold weather. The front panel includes an umbrella-shaped window with zipper access to allow the baby to be removed from or replaced into the baby stroller. The use of a rear zipper and top and bottom pull strings allows the cover to be attached to a range of baby strollers. By varying the manufactured dimensions of the panels of the cover, covers can be supplied for a very broad range of baby strollers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a thermally insulated, waterproof and breathable cover for a baby stroller. This allows the stroller to be used during cold weather while protecting the baby.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, it is well known to provide covers for baby strollers in order to shield the child from sun, rain and insects. Examples of such prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,225 entitled "Canopy Windshield of Stroller"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,073 entitled "Wind Screen Assembly for a Baby Stroller"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,099 entitled "Multi-Layer Protective Shield for Stroller"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,756 entitled "UV50+ Protector-Pram/Stroller/Capsule Covers"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,613 entitled "Stroller Shading Device"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,558 entitled "Adjustable Shade for a Stroller"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,732 entitled "Combined Supplemental Shading and Carrier Apparatus for a Canopied Stroller"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,865 entitled "Insect Netting for Baby Stroller": U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,355 entitled "Retractable Weather Guard for Child Stroller or Carriage Vehicle"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,170 entitled "Stroller Cover and Support Frame Therefor"; International Publication No. WO 02/090168 A1 entitled "Stroller Weather Shield Having See-Through Window"; European Patent EP 0 913 312 A2; and Japanese Patent P2003-54416A.
However, these references do not appear to disclose thermal insulation for the protection of a child in cold weather. Moreover, while these references may be satisfactory in some respects, these references do not disclose baby strollers with many integrated features, such as an umbrella shaped window with a zipper to provide access to the child without having to remove the cover; mesh sections in the insulated material to provide for circulation of air; luminescent or glow-in-the-dark safety strips; and a music box to entertain the child.

Thermally insulated cover for baby stroller


A stage cementer and inflation packer apparatus. The apparatus comprises a mandrel with an external closing sleeve and an operating sleeve interlocked therewith. Below the operating sleeve is an opening sleeve. The opening sleeve is mechanically acutated by a pump-down plug in a plug-operated embodiment or by a differential pressure acting on the opening sleeve in a hydraulically operated embodiment, to actuate the opening sleeve to allow inflation of the packer element. A back check valve prevents the packer from deflating. After the packer is inflated, additional pressure is applied which ruptures a rupture disc to open a port to the well annulus above the set packer element. Cementing may be carried out through this port, and after the cementing operating, a plug engages the operating sleeve to move the operating sleeve in the external closure sleeve, thereby closing the cementing port. After cementing is complete, the center components of the apparatus may be drilled out, leaving the external closure sleeve to permanently seal the cementing port.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to apparatus used in downhole cementing of well casing, and more particularly, to a stage cementer and inflation packer combination which allows cementing above the packer after setting thereof.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
In preparing oil well boreholes for oil and/or gas production, a most important step involves the process of cementing. Basically, oil well cementing is the process of mixing a cement-water slurry and pumping it down through steel casing to critical points located in the annulus around the casing, in the open hole below, or in fractured formations.
Cementing a well protects possible production zones behind the casing against salt water flow and protects the casing against corrosion from subsurface mineral waters and electrolysis from outside. Cementing also eliminates the danger of fresh drinking water and recreational water supply strata from being contaminated by oil or salt water flow through the borehole from formations containing these substances. It further prevents oil well blowouts and fires caused by high pressure gas zones behind the casing and prevents collapse of the casing from high external pressures which can build up under ground.
A cementing operation for protection against the abovedescribed downhole condition is called primary cementing. Secondary cementing includes the cementing processes used in a well during its productive life, such as remedial cementing and repairs to existing cemented areas. The present invention is generally useful in both primary and secondary or remedial cementing. In the early days of oil field production, when wells were all relatively shallow, cementing was accomplished by flowing the cement slurry down the casing and back up the outside of the casing in the annulus between the casing and the borehole wall.
As wells were drilled deeper and deeper to locate petroleum reservoirs, it became difficult to successfully cement the entire well from the bottom of the casing, and, therefore, multiple stage cementing was developed to allow the annulus to be cemented in separate stages, beginning at the bottom of the well and working upwardly.
Multiple stage cementing is achieved by placing cementing tools, which are primarily valved ports, in the casing or between joints of casing at one or more locations in the borehole; flowing cement through the bottom of the casing, up the annulus to the lowest cementing tool in the well; closing off the bottom and opening the cementing tool; and then flowing cement through the cement tool up the annulus to the next upper stage, and repeating this process until all of the stages of cementing are completed.
Some prior art cementing tools used for multi-stage cementing have two internal sleeves, both of which are shear-pinned initially in an upper position, closing the cementing ports in the tool. To open the cementing ports, a plug is flowed down the casing and seated on the lower sleeve. Fluid pressure is then increased in the casing until sufficient force is developed on the plug and sleeve to shear the shear pins and move the lower sleeve to the position uncovering the cementing ports. Cement is then flowed down the casing and out the ports into the annulus. When the predetermined desired amount of cement has been flowed into the annulus, another plug is placed in the casing behind the cement and flowed down the casing to seat on the upper sleeve. The pressure is increased on the second plug until the shear pins holding it are severed and the upper sleeve is moved down to close the cementing ports. One such cementing tool of this type is disclosed in Baker U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,556, assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
One improvement on the Baker '556 device is found in Jessup et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,968, and also assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The Jessup et al. '968 patent discloses a device similar to that of the Baker '556 patent, except it has added a protective sleeve which covers some of the internal areas of the tool which are otherwise exposed when the internal sleeve is moved downward to close the port. This protective sleeve prevents other tools, which may be later run through the cementing tool, from hanging up on the inner bore of the cementing tool.
Another approach which has been utilized for cementing tools is to locate the closure sleeve outside the housing of the tool. One such line of tools is distributed by the Bakerline Division of Baker Oil Tools, Inc., known as the Bakerline Model "J" and Model "G" stage cementing collars. These closure sleeves have a differential area defined thereon and are hydraulically actuated in response to internal casing pressure which is communicated with the sleeves by movement of an internal operating sleeve to uncover a fluid pressure communication port.
An external sleeve cementing tool which uses a mechanical inner locking means between an inner operating sleeve and an outer closure sleeve is disclosed in Giroux et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,862, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This external sleeve cementing tool is particularly useful in completing stage cementing of slim hole oil and gas wells. Slim hole completions involve using casing inside relatively small hole sizes to reduce the cost of drilling the well. In other words, the well annulus between the borehole and the casing is relatively small.
There are cementing applications which necessitate the sealing off of the annulus between the casing string and the wall of the borehole at one or more positions along the length of the casing string. An example of such an application is when it is desired to achieve cementing between a high pressure gas zone and a lost circulation zone penetrated by the borehole. Another application is when it is desired to achieve cementing above a lost circulation zone penetrated by the borehole. A third application occurs when the formation pressure of an intermediate zone penetrated by the borehole is greater than the hydrostatic head of the cement to be placed in the annulus thereabove. Still another application occurs when a second stage of cement is to be placed at a distant point up the hole from the top of the first stage of cement, and a packer is required to further support the cement column in the annulus. A further example of an application for employment of the cementing packer occurs when it is desired to achieve full hole cementing of slotted or perforated liners.
An example of such an inflatable packer for cementing is the multi-stage inflatable packer disclosed in Baker U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,322, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In this device, an opening plug is dropped into the casing string and pumped down to actuate an opening sleeve to allow inflation of the packer element. A back check valve prevents the packer from deflating. After the packer is inflated, additional pressure is applied which moves an annular valve member to open a port in the well annulus above the inflated packer element. In a later version of this apparatus, a thin-walled secondary opening sleeve is sheared to open this port.
The secondary opening sleeve, being essentially a thin-walled mandrel, is difficult to manufacture. Further, when the tool is positioned in the well bore, there may be some bending of the tool which can cause the annular valve member or secondary opening sleeve to bind and not open as desired. This problem is addressed Stepp et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,925, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, in which the annular valve member or secondary opening sleeve is replaced by a secondary rupture disc which is designed to burst or rupture at the predetermined pressure.
The present invention combines the advantages of the external sleeve cementing tool of Giroux et al. '862 with the inflation packer of Stepp et al. '925. Copies of these two patents are incorporated herein by reference. Thus, the present invention is well adapted for use in slim hole completions in those applications which necessitate the sealing off of the annulus between the casing string and the borehole, as described above.

Stage cementer and inflation packer apparatus


Methods and systems for conducting a secure transaction over a network using one or more gateway servers. The methods include receiving a request from a consumer, sending the request to a merchant, and receiving, from the merchant, a payment order associated with the request. The payment order is received via a merchant programmable user interface. The methods also include confirming the payment order to transform the payment order to a confirmed payment order, sending the confirmed payment order to a user, and receiving, from the user, a payment authorization associated with the confirmed payment order, and the payment authorization being received via a consumer programmable user interface. The payment authorization from the user includes a secure, encrypted, Internet Protocol (IP) message using encryption hashed with public and private key management. The methods also include performing a transaction in accordance with the payment authorization.

The use of currency (cash) has been rapidly decreasing, as consumers and merchants rely increasingly on credit and debit accounts. Further, mobile phones, tablets, and/or laptops are increasingly prevalent. Mobile phones have been used for payments, though typically they require special chips, for instance Near Field Communication (NFC) chips. Merchants are using mobile devices to accept payments, though likewise these systems require special hardware, for instance card readers.

Switch server system interoperable with mobile devices providing secure communications


Aspects of the invention relates to a system and method for determining the efficacy of the catalyst comprising means to detect any temperature change in the catalyst when oxygen is present in the anaerobic workstation and determine the efficacy of the catalyst in accordance with the temperature change. A detectable rise in the temperature of the catalyst is indicative of a catalytic reaction to remove oxygen from the anaerobic work station. Thus, the system determines the catalyst is an active catalyst if the temperature of the catalyst rises when oxygen is present in the anaerobic workstation. The system determines the catalyst is an inactive catalyst if the temperature of the catalyst does not rise when oxygen is present in the anaerobic workstation. Further aspect of the invention relate to a system and method for determining the atmosphere of an anaerobic workstation in accordance with the efficacy of the catalyst of the anaerobic workstation.

An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is an organism that does not require oxygen to grow, may react adversely to the presence of oxygen and, if particularly sensitive, may die if exposed to a small amount of oxygen.
Since air consists of approximately 20% oxygen and 80% nitrogen, it is essential to cultivate anaerobes in a sealed vessel whose environmental conditions are controlled.
An anaerobic workstation is typically used to cultivate anaerobes. Anaerobic workstations comprise a sealed chamber and means to regulate the atmosphere, temperature and humidity as required. Anaerobe samples or cultures can be introduced, manipulated, incubated and examined in an anaerobic workstation without disturbing the environmental conditions and without exposing the anaerobes to atmospheric oxygen until they are removed from the anaerobic workstation.
Anaerobic workstations are suitable for use in a number of different industries and applications. For example, anaerobic culture stations are used in microbiology laboratories where there is a need to easily process, culture and examine microbiological samples without exposure to atmospheric oxygen.
An anaerobic workstation is supplied with an anaerobic gas mixture so as to provide an anaerobic atmosphere. The anaerobic gas mixture includes hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is provided to help to create and maintain the anaerobic conditions by combining with any oxygen in the atmosphere of the workstation. The hydrogen combines with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst. During the catalytic reaction, the hydrogen and oxygen combine in a ratio of 2:1 so as to form water vapour. The catalytic reaction is an exothermic reaction.
An anaerobe sample stored within an anaerobic workstation may be irreplaceably lost if the anaerobic atmosphere of the workstation is compromised. So as to maintain the stringent anaerobic conditions, it is necessary to ensure the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen is at least 2:1 and the catalyst is an active catalyst; i.e. a catalyst that has the efficacy (capacity) to initiate a catalytic reaction that is sufficient to remove any oxygen present in the workstation.
It is known and understood that the catalyst of an anaerobic workstation may degrade during use. This has the effect of slowing the rate of catalytic reaction and thereby the rate at which oxygen is removed from the workstation. The rate at which heat is generated during the sluggish catalytic reaction is also correspondingly reduced. If the catalyst fails during use then no catalytic reaction can occur to remove oxygen and the anaerobic conditions of the anaerobic workstation are therefore comprised. Accordingly, the catalyst is regularly replaced in anaerobic workstations so as to try and avoid degradation or failure of the catalyst.
So as to determine if the anaerobic condition is being maintained, anaerobic workstations may additionally comprise means to sense the presence or absence of oxygen. For example, control organisms may be utilized to confirm whether or not appropriate anaerobic conditions exist in an anaerobic workstation. Sensitive organism that will only grow in the absence of oxygen may be used as a positive control. Conversely, organisms that require the presence of oxygen to flourish may be used as a negative control. Control organisms provide an accurate and consistent confirmation that appropriate anaerobic conditions exist or have been compromised. However, there is often an undesirable time lag between a detectable result to alert a workstation user that the anaerobic atmosphere has been lost and this time lag may lead to the loss of samples. Moreover, the use of control organisms is labour intensive and can be expensive.
Others methods of detecting the atmosphere of an anaerobic workstation include the use of gas sensing means. For example, an anaerobic workstation may be provided with an oxygen sensor. Gas sensors are capable of reliable operation and rapidly detect the presence or absence of a gas. However, oxygen sensors that are capable of detecting the presence or absence of very low levels of oxygen can be expensive, can be adversely affected by the presence of other gases and/or compounds present in anaerobic environments, or experience unacceptable levels of drift thereby affecting accuracy over time.

System and method for monitoring the atmosphere of an anaerobic workstation


The present invention economically recovers wide range polymer blends and waste thermoset material. A first method of thermosetting a wide range polymer blend forms a homogenous and adaptable first method material. This material has a melt index of zero and a relatively predictable density. Very high levels of fibrous non-polymers may be added to the first method material.

The editors of "Mechanical Engineering" (Feb. 1992, p. 20) report that "Unsorted plastic waste poses a difficult problem for recyclers, because the polymer materials recovered from these heterogeneous batches of plastics are too low-quality to reuse in high-performance products. For real utility, the various polymer compositions must be separated into pure form." The article then describes two methods of degrading shredded plastics and causing chemical separation into monomers by gas or solvent. These are the alternatives to preliminary extensive physical separation of polymer resin products presented by two prestigious groups, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Battelle Memorial Institute.
The Modern Plastics Encyclopedia (R. Martino, ed., Vol. 69, No. 13, December 1992, McGraw-Hill, hereafter referred to as MPE '92) presented an industry overview of plastic recycling techniques and the scope of the recycling problem in the U.S., Japan, and Europe (pp. 33-63, several authors). This exhaustive overview, divided into two sections, "Plastics Solid-Waste Advisory" and "Recycling Technology Update", is part of a product guide for plastics and additives made by the world's major manufacturers.
Information in this type of publication has been closely examined and well-researched by research and industry experts. On page 33, R. Lowman states that, "Plastics were immediately branded as a waste-management villain, largely on the basis of non-degradability even though modern sanitary landfills are designed to retard biodegradation. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) report on characteristics of the municipal solid-waste (MSW) stream, in 1988 plastics accounted for 19.9% vs. 34.1% for paper, universally recognized as a biodegradable material." The table entitled "Plastics sales recycled by selected resins" on page 33 reports that in 1991 only 5% of about 12.5 billion pounds of PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, LLDPE, PP and PS was recycled. The rest ended up in dumps and landfills, along with the hundreds of other polymers produced to meet the needs of industry and consumers. The evolution of new plastics to more efficiently meet those needs means that few generalizations can be made about any class of polymers for any length of time. Recycling methods must incorporate the ability to process the diverse formulations of the past, the present, and the future. Listings of engineering and consumer polymers and their additives are typically presented in several volumes of thick books with small type.
In MPE '92, roughly half the pages in the Recycling Technology Update describe systems of physical separation of polymer products to isolate specific polymer resins. Relatively high purity polymer resins must be produced by the separation processes before recycling can be contemplated. Note that on page 49, 8 of the 11 products with post-consumer resins contain no more than 25% of such resins, even though high purity separation has been performed.
On page 54 of MPE '92 begins a section entitled "Chemical Recycling". Chemical or tertiary recycling is a recent innovation, i.e. ". . . was a development welcomed by both suppliers and consumers in 1992." (p. 54). But it then reports that ". . . Existing reclaim and re-use methods are not capable of handling complex waste streams that include wire and cable, medical disposables, blended and compounded plastics, and auto-shredder residues. Other factors influencing the move to alternative recycling procedures have been the quality and performance of recycled plastics." (p. 54) Consistent with the article from Mechanical Engineering above, this section of MPE '92 describes several routes to get crude or pure monomer gases and liquids from reclaimed plastics. The methods include pyrolysis or hydrolysis brought about through high temperature or chemical treatment.
In "Polymer Chemistry" (M. Stevens, Oxford Press, 1990) on page 101 is a Table 3.6 entitled "Types of polyblends" that lists eight technologies to prepare polyblends. Polyblends are defined on page 100 as ". . . any physical mixture of two or more different polymers or copolymers that are not linked by covalent bonds. " In addition to the technologies of Table 3.6, topological bonding, interfacial compatiblizers, and natural affinity interphase bonding are described on page 104 as ways to prepare polyblends. For a compatiblizer polyblend such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), the styrene-butadiene and the styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers develop into different crystalline regions held together by grafts. "The number of grafts is small, but is sufficient to provide the necessary interfacial adhesion. ABS polymers are widely used as engineering plastics." (p. 104) Thus, such an important part of plastics technology is maintained on the strength of only a few grafts "to provide the necessary interfacial adhesion".
Polymer Chemistry describes methods for chemical and physical crosslinking on pages 98-100. "Elastomers are characterized by having a very low crosslink density--about one crosslink per 100 monomer units--together with highly flexible main chains to allow large deformations. Elastomeric behavior depends, of course, on polymer structure and crosslink density; but it also depends on morphology and molecular weight." (p. 99). But, in contrast, ". . . Very high crosslink densities lead to embrittlement." (p. 99) Physical crosslinking involves reversible methods of forming hard, solid objects, as opposed to the results obtained with covalently crosslinked resins. "Once crosslinked, a polymer cannot be dissolved or molded." (P. 99)
In "Crosslinking and Scission in Polymers" (O. Guven, ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990) on page 1, in the article entitled "Molecular Weight Changes and Network Formation by Scission and Crosslinking" (pp. 1-13), A. Charlesby states, "Main chain scission of long chain polymers (degradation . . . ) is to be distinguished from depolymerization . . . (and) involve a random distribution along molecular length, so that whatever the initial molecular weight distribution, it rapidly tends towards a random molecular weight distribution . . ." And on page 2, he adds that, "Fracture of the main chain leaves two radicals at the side of the scission. Which chemical changes occur to stabilize these highly reactive ends?"
In the Charlesby article, crosslinking is discussed on pages 4-5--"The effect of such bonds (crosslinks) depends not only on their density and on the chemical structure of the individual bonds, or even on the molecular mobility and morphology, but also on the distribution of the crosslinks . . . Many of these physical properties dependent on crosslink density are also influenced by chain entanglements, which can behave for limited periods as equivalent to permanent crosslinks. The mechanical behavior of a crosslinked and entangled network will be a composite of permanent elongation plus flow, the latter being due largely to the changes in entanglements under stress."
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,616 (Wallace '616) describes using ". . . an unpyrolyzed, unincinerated, comminuted fraction from a front end recovery system including glass, cellulose and its derivatives, inorganic oxides, and mixed polymer resins." (col. 2, ll. 6-9) as a filler for ". . . flowable, castable thermoplastic or elastomeric polymer." (col. 2, ll. 5-6). A glass-rich fraction must be used to overcome inherent incompatibility of mixed polymers. Wallace '616 states that, "One reason why the shredded polymer-rich residue from a front-end system would form a poor material by itself is that it contains a number of mixed polymers which are incompatible with each other, for example, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. When these polymers are melt blended, the product appears striated or layered, is fibrillated and has inferior physical properties and poor structural integrity. When blends of these polymers are mixed without segregation, they have poor elongation properties and are cheesy and brittle." (col. 1, ll. 44-54). The solution offered by Wallace '616 is to dilute incompatible filler and binding resin with ground glass so that ". . . it can form an interface with the binder of sufficient length to provide a significant weakened fault line in the composition." (col. 2, ll. 35-36) In other words, the solution is dilution instead of establishing compatibility. The apparent amounts of mixed polymeric resin used in the final product appears to be no higher than about 2-8 weight percent with virgin resin binder at some higher percentage. There appears to be no general indication that higher levels of mixed polymeric resin would be achievable by prior art methods.
German Patent Application 4102235--A requires that a floatable portion of domestic waste be further separated to remove all polymers but thermoplastic polyolefins, such that a thermoplastic elastomer is made therefrom. There is no teaching that any fiber or mineral filler be used in the final product. There is no teaching that extruder processing is used. A natural rubber must be used with dynamic vulcanization to produce a usable product. Both German Patent Application 4102235--A and Wallace '616 require specific separations of the waste portions to be used. A floatable portion of waste as described in those references is not amenable to use without specific direction concerning its separation and subsequent processing. One reference process produces a glass and fiber filled product with low mixed resin content, while the other reference process produces a thermoplastic elastomer with no contamination from other polymers permitted. This combination of information would hardly lead the skilled person to select a general floatable portion, of which Wallace '616 identifies at least 3 different portions obtainable from floatation, as a standard commodity in combining with other polymers.
An abstract of a Japanese patent publication, JP 5 6106-939 (25.08.81), to Nisshin Kogyo KK (Kogyo '939) discloses a "low fluidity" and "crosslinked" polyethylene. "Low fluidity" polyethylene must be distinguished from "no fluidity" polyethylene. Thermoset material, by definition, has no fluidity, is not flowable and is generally known by its ability to recover its original shape after heating, compression or deformation. "Low fluidity" at "low temperature", as used in Kogyo '939, describes polyethylene not completely thermoset--either the melt index of the material is not zero or it contains substantial amounts of polyethylene with a melt index above zero. The essential nature of a thermoset material is that of a single, large macromolecule which will not become fluidized unless substantial breaking of its covalent bonds is effected. The disclosure of Kogyo '939 is insufficient to discern whether a useful product is made or how to proceed to obtain the indicated product. The abstract does not inform the skilled person of the "low" temperature range, relative amounts of polyethylene (I) and polyolefin (II) and the length of the "short" retention time. Kogyo '939 is an invitation to expend considerable time and experimentation in determining how to actually use the material in injection molding, blow molding or rotomolding. Polyolefin (II)'s are used in the alternate "or" for individual mixing with the "low fluidity", "crosslinked", waste polyethylene, so that only a mixture of "low fluidity" polyethylene with polyethylene or polypropylene is mentioned. The broadest blend of polymers described in Kogyo '939 is that of polyethylene and polypropylene, a well know composite in the prior art.
The editors of the Economist (Oct. 1, 1994, p. 109) in an article entitled "The go-betweens" state that, "Plastics are prime candidates for recycling, but that often means making do with a mixture of different polymers, some of which do not fit well together well. These re-melted mixes have a tendency to harden in brittle, weak solids with unpredictable properties." They then describe a recent polyblending innovation using polystyrene-enhanced PEA and PMMA in a new alloy-type polymer. The attraction of the PS portions permit separate crystalline regions of PEA and PMMA to interfacially mesh and bond to create a new polymer with properties that would have been unpredictable from the properties of either PEA, PMMA or their PS-enhanced derivatives. There is no indication that the enhancing moieties, the potential polyblending candidates, or the properties of the resulting polyblend could be further predicted from the innovation described in this reference.
As noted above, the potential for reclaiming plastics from landfills means that the outdated formulations of the past, the bewildering array of additive-enhanced formulations of the present, and the certainty that plastics will continue to become more complex in the future means that a process with broader application that those of the prior art must be found to improve the profitability of such reclaiming.
An abstract of a German patent publication, DE 3239-526-A (26.04.84) to RXS Schrumpftechnik (RXS '526) describes a "crosslinked" polymer as being 90 percent or less of "granules" used in a mixture in which those "granules" will comprise 50 percent or less of the mixture. The "granules" will not have thermoset properties whether or not the "crosslinked" polymer is actually thermoset. Addition of 10-90 percent of non-crosslinked polymer will give the mixture a flowable quality uncharacteristic of thermosets and necessarily infers some non-standard process step to obtain those "granules". The origin or processing of the 10-90 percent non-crosslinked polymer in relation to the "crosslinked" polymer is not disclosed in RXS '526. It would cause the skilled person to refrain from using the process of RXS '526 as a teaching until the nature of that non-crosslinked polymer and the processing steps to get it were disclosed. In addition, RXS '526 merely indicates that a "non crosslinked polymer" is suitable for mixture with the "crosslinked polymer". Although those skilled in the art of polymers have some ability to discern direction from the way language is used in a reference, the failure of RXS '526 to tell what a "non crosslinked polymer" is at the point of asserted novelty renders the reference of little use as a teaching. In RXS '526, the "crosslinked" polymer will thus always be less than or equal to 45 percent of the mixture.
In addition, in RXS '526, "crosslinked" polymer must be mixed with "non crosslinked polymer" granules, injection molded and then irradiated to cause sufficient crosslinking so that the properties of the mixture are the same as those of the "non crosslinked polymer" material. A usable product is obtained only as a fully crosslinked (by irradiation) polymer. As demonstrated by the above prior art, incompatibility of polymer resins mixed by melting generally results in a useless material. The wide range of formulations of additive-enhanced products from even a single type of polymer resin mean that such information as presented in RXS '526 is not useful other than to invite a fairly long and expensive course of experimentation to establish compatibility of crosslinked polyolefin waste with whatever might be meant by the term "non crosslinked polymer". There is no description in RXS '526 concerning crosslinked polyolefin waste. Virtually every polyolefin resin is crosslinked to some degree. Crystalline, semi-crystalline and amorphous structures are found in thermoplastics, elastomerics and thermosets. Without indication concerning the degree of crosslinking and at least the category of crosslinked polymer resin, RXS '526 leads the skilled person to contemplate undue experimentation to establish its usefulness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,372 (Kuhnel et al '372) describes making a ". . . `homogenous foamed article`. . . understood to mean a foamed article which again exhibits closed cells of uniform structure." (col. 1, ll. 45-47). A crosslinking agent is used on foam scraps such that the ". . . bulk density of the shaped article produced from the foam scraps, though, is increased over that of the original foam material. One explanation for the invention could be seen in that there are residues of blowing agent and residues of crosslinking agent in the foam scraps stemming from the original manufacturing process, which agents have not as yet been decomposed and are activated during the renewed expanding and crosslinking process." (col. 1, ll. 52-60) "Crosslinked polyolefin foam chips" (col. 5, ll. 48) are described as being processed with pure high pressure polyethylene with a melt index of 4 g./10 min. or pure ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers at less than 25 weight percent foam chips. A first mixing in a hot mixer, rolling mill or extruder must take place at less than the decomposition temperature of a crosslinking agent. Only polyolefin foam scraps containing elastomer or synthetic resin and having been made with a peroxide crosslinking agent and a blowing agent can by processed by the method of this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,562 (Lamort et al '562) appropriately states that a ". . . difficulty in the reuse of scrap plastics arises from the fact that these latter, like any other material being recovered, originated from batches of variable composition from which is necessary to obtain a product of substantially constant characteristics." (col. 1, ll. 62-66) The process of Lamort et al '562 uses a mixture of low softening temperature thermoplastic polymer resin and other "non-softened particles" (col. 2, ll. 9-10) in a melt blended paste, into which mineral fillers could also be added. There are no specific examples of the low softening point polymer resins to be used. There is no mention or indication that compatibilizing, as defined in the selection from Polymer Chemistry, has occurred, nor is there any teaching concerning the melt blending of dissimilar polymer resins, as warned of in Wallace '616. Mere dilution of low softening point thermoplastic polymer resin with non-reactive, non-polymer particles may be effective up to the point that mechanical integrity of the crystalline structure is affected. But that is not true of particles of polymer resins--all such particles have strong or weak affinities and/or repulsions for other polymer resins. Even though greatly diluted, certain end groups and a small number of grafts and branches of a polymer molecule dramatically influence its compatibility with other melt blended polymer resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,649 (Redker '649) describes a method for volatilizing organic matter, i.e. paper, wood, plastic and vegetable matter, in the absence of oxygen. This is a continuous destructive distillation method analogous to pyrolytic monomer recovery and is not directed to any melt blending or compatibilization of polymer resins.
Two publications disclose using homogenous, 0.962 density HDPE with a narrow melt index (5-8) ground to from 35 to 100 mesh in a melt blend with virgin HDPE for compression molding and injection molding. The two publications are (1) a paper titled "Recycling Cross-Linked Polyethylene" by Elmer Good, presented to the Association of Rotational Molders on Oct. 7, 1991 and (2) a report of that presentation in Technology News for June 1992, pp. 43-44, by J. Ogando. The Good paper discloses that the above previously processed (blow molded) HDPE was "crosslinked". Prior art methods of crosslinking HDPE include rotomolding or reaction molding with a crosslinking agent, although there is no disclosure concerning either the process or the degree of crosslinking achieved for "crosslinked" material. It is further disclosed that the homogenous, "crosslinked" material was used for injection molding and rotomolding when combined with 65-75 weight percent virgin HDPE with closely matching densities and melt indices of the blowmolded HDPE before it was "crosslinked". It was an essential requirement of the process in the Good paper that the "crosslinked" material be pulverized to between 35 and 100 mesh at considerable cost before mixing with the virgin HDPE.
The Ogando paper shows a microphotograph (improperly labeled as an injection molded product) of the blend of the "crosslinked" HDPE with the virgin, density-matched HDPE in a rotomolded product. Proper rotomolding processing will produce a HDPE product whose melt index is zero, i.e., a thermoset. It appears that the photograph in the Ogando article shows a product using the Gyron compound, which in the Good paper is described as being used only in rotomolded samples.
For the Good and Ogando papers, it is critical to note that in none of the samples where HDPE is "recycled" was "scrap" from rotomolding or reaction molding used. The assertion of the Good paper that "scrap" from the operations that typically produce unusable, thermoset scrap, i.e., rotomolding and reaction molding, could be injection or rotomolded was not demonstrated. It was asserted in the Good paper that 0.962 HDPE solely from blow molded products with a low and narrow melt index range (typical of blow molding polymers) with an undisclosed degree of crosslinking would blend with virgin HDPE with a matching density and melt index range for use in injection molding or rotomolding.
The results reported by the Good paper appear to be consistent with the requirements (1) in RXS '526 that "granules" that will later be used with "non crosslinked polymer granules" have less than 90 percent of some undescribed "crosslinked" polyolefin and (2) in Kogyo '939 that (in two places in the short abstract) "low fluidity" polyethylene which has been to some degree "crosslinked" can be extruded with LDPE, HDPE or polypropylene at a low temperature. The sum of the teachings of the prior art contain no suggestion that a material which is thermoset can be blended with a thermoplastic without first melt blending a non-thermoset polymer with it unless the mixture is diluted with mineral fillers or fibers.
In addition, the consistent teaching of the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,695, German Patent Application 4105285-A, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,616 is that when thermosets are mixed with thermoplastics, a mineral filler or fiber must be added with it. The person making skilled choices in selection of processes for using thermosets with thermoplastics is nowhere in the prior art clearly given a suggestion to use thermosets with thermoplastics unless something else is added with them. Instead, in each case in the prior art, the "crosslinked" material was in some sense diluted with thermoplastic or was not clearly thermoset prior to mixing with thermoplastics, or the "crosslinked" material was diluted with an inert filler such as mineral filler or fibers during the melt blending process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,695 describes shredding a cellulose-backed laminate whose aminoplastic resins are not fully condensed to form a laminate scrap powder mixture. The aminoplastic resins are not thermoset before they are powdered. The aminoplastic resins do not become part of a thermoset product. The aminoplastic resins become further condensed upon mixing with thermoplastic, although it is not possible to discern whether the aminoplastic resin portion becomes thermoset in the final product. The cellulose portion of the scrap powder is about 63 weight percent. Phenolic and melamine resins make up the balance. A set of thermoplastic polymers described in col. 4, ll.9-14 are added to an extruder where additional condensation takes place. An extruder is described as a preferable place for mixing and melting the resins for this process of this patent. There is no indication that mixing and melting resins other than those described in the patent for the process described therein would be effective or useful for those other processes or resins. Only a single, short sentence in the patent refers to the operation of the extruder specifically. The requirement of a cellulose content of at least about 30% in the final blend indicates that the teaching of using an extruder for mixing and melting in the art is very limited.
German Patent Application 4102235-A describes using a mixer for thermoplastics, thermosets and "particularly" mineral and natural fibers prior to feeding to a heated extruder. Consistent with the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,695, the extruder is used only in conjunction with high fiber content in relation to the polymer component. It nowhere indicates other uses of the extruder. Used car parts are proposed to be "disintegrated" and then the particles are separated by origin into separate bins, i.e., "according the car component being utilized". The use of each car component is not on an unsorted basis and is effectively controlled by variable mixing of portions from four different bins. German Patent Application 4102235-A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,695 teach careful control over materials being fed to a heated extruder. There is no generalized invitation to use heated extruders to perform any sort of polymer blending, whatever the type of polymer or product to be made.


To provide a press-fit terminal and a terminal press-fit structure that enable shortening of a press-fit portion in its longitudinal direction and miniaturization of a connector. A press-fit terminal has insertion stoppers that are projectingly provided on respective flanks of a press-fit portion and that have respective engagement surfaces oriented orthogonally to a press-fit direction; and holding projections that are projectingly provided on respective protruding leading-end faces of the insertion stoppers and that bite into interior side walls of a press-fit hole of a housing which receives the press-fit portion. Each of the holding projections is projectingly formed in a portion of the protruding leading-end face of the insertion stopper along its thicknesswise direction.

A terminal press-fit structure that enables augmentation of strength to hold a terminal without increasing a developed length of a terminal is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal press-fit structure has a plurality of barbs 505 that are projectingly formed on both side edges of a press-fit main body 503 of a terminal 501, and the barbs 505 bite into an interior wall of a press-fit hole 511 of a housing 509 that receives a press-fit portion 507 of the terminal 501, thereby fixedly press fitting the press-fit portion 507 into the housing 509. The press-fit portion 507 is formed into a flat monolayer structure, and the plurality of barbs 505 are configured such that their leading ends are situated on one side and the other side, one after the other, of a principle opposing surface of the press-fit portion 507.
In the terminal press-fit structure, the press-fit portion 507 is formed into a flat monolayer structure, and hence an exploded length of the terminal can be made smaller when compared with a case where the press-fit portion is made up of a double layer structure. Moreover, the plurality of barbs 505 are configured so as to be situated on one side and the other side, one after the other, of the principal opposing surface of the press-fit portion 507. Hence, when the barbs 505 bite into the interior wall of the press-fit hole 511, and the barbs 505 on one side and the barbs 505 on the other side bite to different depths in a thicknesswise direction of a plate. Thus, strength to hold the housing 509 can be augmented.

Press-fit terminal and terminal press-fit structure


Means for dispensing a powdery coloring substance onto the surface of a mix comprising stone, stone-like, glass or ceramic material. The means comprise at least one dispensing device for containing and dispensing a powdery coloring substance and at least one spreading device. The spreading device comprises at least one moving perforated plate which receives a metered amount of said coloring substance from the dispensing device and distributes it over the surface of the mix.

Hitherto various methods for manufacturing such a material are known, including for example the so-called Bretonstone technology used to manufacture slabs.
These slabs are manufactured using a special technology which involves the preparation of a starting mix comprising a stone and/or stone-like material and a binder, together with any additives.
Generally the binder may be of an inorganic nature, such as cement, or a synthetic resin which can be hardened by means of heat and/or a catalyst.
The starting mix is normally spread over a temporary support which may be a conveyor belt or a tray-like mould.
As is known, natural stone materials (such as marble and granite, to name the most common types) normally have irregular veining, mainly with a colour which contrasts or in any case is different from the basic colour of stone.
In the Bretonstone method hitherto a colouring substance is added after the mix has been deposited on the temporary support.
Said substance is distributed on the surface of the mix in an irregular manner. Then the mix is treated using a spiking apparatus so as to ensure that the colouring agent penetrates inside the mix.
This stage is preceded by a step involving vacuum vibrocompression of the mix. During this step the mix is subject for a given period of time and at a given vacuum value to the action of a press, while a vibratory movement at a predetermined frequency is imparted to the press ram.
The rough-formed slab thus obtained then undergoes a hardening step which depends on the type of binder used.
However, this method is unable to ensure veining throughout the thickness of the slab and is therefore suitable for applications where the edge (or thickness of the article) is not visible.
In fact the action of the spiking apparatus on the mix, following distribution of the colouring agent, is able to achieve the veining effect only over a depth of a few millimeters from the surface, equal to no more than half the thickness of the finished slab.
Alternatively, it is possible to envisage the use of a weighing distributor of the type described in the international patent application WO-A-2004/039547.
According to this production method the starting mix, before being loaded inside a metering device, is subject to the action of devices which apply liquid or powder colouring pigments onto its surface.
The mix comprising the colouring agent is conveyed to the distributor and reaches it by means of a free-falling action so that it undergoes further mixing which, on the one hand, ensures shortening of the veining and, on the other hand, diffusion of the pigment within the mass of the mix which is therefore at least partly coloured en masse.
Another type of technology which is known is Lapitech technology, a term which is understood as referring in general to the technology, the associated method and the resultant slabs. Lapitech technology is used for the manufacture of slabs similar to ceramic articles intended for the internal and external cladding of buildings.
In this case also a starting mix is prepared using a granulated stone, stone-like or ceramic material, preferably in the form of sand of suitable dimensions. The granulated product is mixed with the components which are normally used for the manufacture of ceramic materials, usually in powdery form and consisting mainly of kaolin or clay. A binder, for example sodium silicate in aqueous form or silicasol is then added to the mixture so as to make the mixture moist.
The mix is then extended over a temporary support with a given thickness and then undergoes a vibrocompression step, resulting in a rough-formed slab. Subsequently the rough-formed slab thus obtained undergoes drying in order to remove the water and then firing in an oven at a temperature of about 1200° C.
This technology, as regards the veining effect obtained, is also subject to limitations and drawbacks similar to those mentioned in connection with Bretonstone technology.
The industrial patent application WO-A-2009/010406 describes a method and apparatus for manufacturing slabs with a veined effect.
The procedure and method described are applicable both to Bretonstone technology and to Lapitech technology and the apparatus used is substantially that described in the international patent application No. WO-A-2006/045728.
In the application WO-A-2009/010406 the method is substantially the same as that described above except for a step involving the non-uniform distribution of the colouring agent on the surface of the mix. The distribution of the colouring agent is performed by means of at least one dispensing device which is positioned at the downstream end of an extractor belt which forms the bottom of the apparatus, so as to dispense the colouring agent onto the surface of the layer of mix conveyed by said extractor belt towards the position where it falls freely onto said temporary moulding support.
The colouring or pigmenting agent used may be in solid form (dry powder) or liquid form and may be supplemented or replaced with coloured or reflective granules.
By means of this method it is possible to obtain slabs and articles which have a veined effect throughout their thickness.
However this method is also not without drawbacks.
Firstly, performing addition of the colouring agents before the vibrocompression step has the effect that the liquid colouring agent is diffused lightly within the mass of the mix.
This diffusion results in blurred veining which is not clear and well-defined like the veining present in natural stone.
Moreover, still with reference to the liquid colouring agent, cleaning of the plant is particularly complex since each nozzle must be disassembled and cleaned and each individual pipe supplying the colouring liquid to the nozzles must be cleaned.
The same procedure must also be performed in the case where it is required to change the veining effect to be performed on the slab, both in terms of different colouring and in terms of a different effect associated with the arrangement of the veining.
The use of the powdery colouring agent would result in a more pronounced veining, similar to that of natural stone, but considerable difficulties exist with regard to distribution of the powdery colouring agent, both in terms of the random nature of the distribution and in terms of suitable distribution of the colouring agent.
The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

Apparatus and method for manufacturing slabs with a veined effect


The present invention relates to an indoleacetic acid derivative and a preparation method and pharmaceutical use thereof. In particular, the present invention relates to a compound shown in general formula (I), a preparation method thereof, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same, and a use thereof as a cough suppressant in treating a disease such as a cough. The definition of each substituent in the general formula (I) is the same as the definition in the specification.

Cough and bronchial asthma are the two most common diseases of the respiratory system, which seriously affect people's life quality. Thus the development of antitussive and antiasthmatic drugs has received much attention.
At present, clinical antitussives can be classified into two main types: central and peripheral antitussives. Central cough medicines include methadone, codeine, morphine and the like, which are mostly used for reflexive dry cough, but have side effects clinically such as nausea, constipation, lethargy and addiction. Peripheral antitussives include lung-reducing drugs such as lupus, honey and syrup, or respiratory tract inhalation drugs such as compound tincture of benzoin, sodium chloride or eucalyptol.
According to the mechanism of action, asthma drugs can be divided into bronchodilators, anti-inflammatory asthma drugs and anti-allergic antiasthmatic drugs. Bronchodilators include theophyllines, inhaled anticholinergic and β2 receptor agonist. Theophyllines inhibit phosphodiesterase, directly increase the level of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cAMP/cGMP), and relaxe smooth muscle. However, the safe range of theophylline is narrow, and blood concentration must be monitored, which brings certain difficulties to the clinical treatment. Inhaled anticholinergic drugs have a selective effect on airway smooth muscle, but the effect is slow. Non-selective β2 receptor agonist has a strong antiasthmatic effect. However, it has multiple side effects such as cardiac responses including tachycardia, palpitation and the like, which are related to the stimulation of cardiac β2 receptor, and can result in severe cardiac adverse reactions. Selective β2 receptor drugs such as salbutamol have side effects such as abnormal heartbeat, increased heart rate, and dizziness. Anti-inflammatory antiasthmatic has become the first-line drug among antiasthmatic drugs, and achieves a long-term prevention of asthma attacks by inhibiting airway inflammation. Glucocorticoid such as dexamethasone is currently the most common anti-inflammatory antiasthmatic. However, long-term administration of glucocorticoid can lead to osteoporosis and severe withdrawal reactions. Antiallergic antiasthmatic drugs include HI receptor blockers such as ketotifen; cell membrane stabilizers such as sodium cromoglycate; and leukotriene blockers, cysteinyl leukotrienes, and the like. The mechanism of action of these drugs is to block the mediators of mast cell release mediators by inhibiting immunoglobulin IgE, and to inhibit the increase of inflammatory cells such as eosinophils, macrophages and monocytes, and to exert anti-allergic effects and lightness degree of anti-inflammatory effect. However, its onset is slow and cannot be used in acute asthma attacks. It is only used to prevent asthma.
Therefore, there is still a need to develop a new and effective antitussive and antiasthmatic drug that can be effectively used in the treatment of diseases such as cough and bronchial asthma, as well as overcome the side effects existing in the prior art.

Indoleacetic acid derivative and preparation method and pharmaceutical use thereof

Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences


An integrated circuit system includes a first device wafer bonded to a second device wafer at a bonding interface of dielectrics. Each wafer includes a plurality of dies, where each die includes a device, a metal stack, and a seal ring that is formed at an edge region of the die. Seal rings included in dies of the second device wafer each include a first conductive path provided with metal formed in a first opening that extends from a backside of the second device wafer, through the second device wafer, and through the bonding interface to the seal ring of a corresponding die in the first device wafer.

A semiconductor chip, or die (such as an image sensor chip) is fabricated on a single semiconductor wafer, along with hundreds and in some cases thousands of copies of the same die. Separating a semiconductor wafer into individual dies can be done with a die saw (such as a diamond saw). Cuts are made along areas of non-functional semiconductor material separating each die known as scribe lines. However, using a diamond saw introduces mechanical stress to the semiconductor wafer and can result in cracking at the die edge and compromising the integrity and reliability of the integrated circuit. One structure used to make a die less susceptible to the mechanical stress of die saws are seal rings. A die seal ring is formed in or on an outer edge region of one or more dielectric layers of a semiconductor substrate to protect the integrated circuit from contaminants (e.g. sodium) and make a die less susceptible to the mechanical stress caused by the die saw.
As integrated circuit technologies continue to advance, there are continuing efforts to increase performance and density, improve form factor, and reduce costs. The implementation of stacked three dimensional integrated circuits have been one approach that designers sometimes use to realize these benefits. Some examples of where three dimensional integrated circuits are a suitable consideration include stacking memory on top of image sensors or processor chips, stacking memory on top of processor chips, stacking processor chips on top of image sensors, stacking chips that are fabricated with different fabrication processes, stacking two small integrated circuit chips whose separate yield may be higher than one large one, or stacking chips to reduce the integrated circuit system footprint.
However, the mechanical stresses caused by die saws when separating dies out of a stacked three dimensional integrated circuit remains a factor to be addressed. Furthermore, there is an additional weakness created at the bonding interface between the stacked wafers.

Die seal ring for integrated circuit system with stacked device wafers