A fuel cell for a portable electronic device having a liquid fuel reservoir (100) wherein at least a part of the inner surface (103) and a part of an outer surface (104) of the fuel reservoir wall (102) are gas permeable, wherein said wall is adapted such that the area of the open parts of the inner surface (103) of the wall is larger than the area of the open parts of said outer surface (104) of the wall, wherein said wall is porous and adapted to allow gas to enter said wall and to be transported along said wall in a direction substantially parallel with the plane of the wall and to leave said wall, and wherein said wall is adapted such that the inner surface is hydrophobic. The invention further provides a portable electronic device and a method of manufacturing a liquid fuel reservoir.

In the context of the present disclosure a portable electronic device should be understood as a small microelectronic device designed to be worn on the human body. Especially the devices may be adapted to be at least partly worn at or in the human ear. Examples of such devices include hearing aids and some types of portable electronic sensor systems.
A variety of bearing aid types exist and a few of these are further described below. Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ear. To be more precise an electronics unit comprising a housing containing the major electronics parts thereof is worn behind the ear. An earpiece for emitting sound to the hearing aid user is worn in the ear, e.g. in the concha or the ear canal. A connector connects the earpiece to the housing. In a traditional BTE hearing aid, a sound tube is used because the output transducer, which in hearing aid terminology is normally referred to as the receiver, is located in the housing of the electronics unit. In some modern types of hearing aids a conducting member comprising electrical conductors is used, because the receiver is placed in the earpiece in the ear. Such hearing aids are commonly referred to as Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) hearing aids. In a specific type of RITE hearing aids the receiver is placed inside the ear canal. This is known as Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) hearing aids.
In-The-Ear (ITE) hearing aids are designed for arrangement in the ear, normally in the funnel-shaped outer part of the ear canal. In a specific type of ITE hearing aids the hearing aid is placed substantially inside the ear canal. This type is known as Completely-In-Canal (CIC) hearing aids. This type of hearing aid requires a very compact design in order to allow it to be arranged in the ear canal, while accommodating the components necessary for operation of the hearing aid.
Other types of hearing aids include cochlear implants and bone conducting hearing aids. Other devices that resemble hearing aids are e.g. devices for the treatment of tinnitus and devices for relieving stress and anxiety.
A great variety of portable electronic sensor systems exist that qualify as portable electronic devices in the context of the present disclosure. One variety is systems comprising means for EEG monitoring. These systems are applicable for a lot of medical purposes such as:
monitoring the users brain waves for evaluation of the result of a medical treatment;
monitoring the user's brain waves for detection of medical states, and possibly alerting the user, caretakers or relatives, wherein examples of such medical states are e.g. impending hypoglycemia and epileptic seizures;
monitoring the user's brain waves for the purpose of diagnosing medical conditions.
Examples of such conditions are epileptic conditions such as absence epilepsy, neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease and psychiatric disorders such as Schizophrenia or Anxiety disorders;
providing Audio Feedback for the purpose of treating a disease or a disorder such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), tinnitus or phantom pain sensations; and
providing a Brain-Computer Interface or Man-Machine Interface for enabling the user to control the device it-self or for controlling peripheral devices.
Other types of portable electronic devices within the context of the present disclosure further include e.g. cameras, mobile phones and remote controls.
A fuel cell for a portable electronic device is restricted with respect to operating temperature, size, duration of fuel cell operation before re-fuelling is required, magnitude of the output voltage, possible safety issues related to the general fuel cell handling and the range of allowable operating orientations.
A fuel cell for a portable electronic device is capable of functioning at room temperature and encompasses a volume of less than 50 cm3.
A number of fuel cells have the potential to fulfill the above mentioned requirement including e.g. Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells (DAFCs), wherein Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) is a particular attractive type, and Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells (DFAFCs). Further details concerning DMFCs can be found e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,638.
This category of fuel cells generally comprises cells using a polymer electrolyte membrane, also referred to as a proton exchange membrane, where the protons are supplied through a catalytic process of the fuel. In the direct alcohol fuel cell (DAFC) an alcohol is directly oxidized. The most widely used fuel in the DAFC is methanol, thus termed direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).
Pure methanol and ethanol have 17 and 20 times larger energy density by weight, respectively, than e.g. a type 312 Zn-Air battery. When comparing energy density by volume the numbers are 4 and 5 times, thus, ideally providing at least a 4-fold increase in operating time (not counting the system volume of the fuel cell). Furthermore, the fuel cell will be capable of being recharged in a matter of minutes by simply replenishing the fuel. Finally the energy required to manufacture Zn-Air batteries is typically orders of magnitude larger than the energy required to manufacture e.g. a DMFC.
Rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are also available in typical hearing aid battery sizes. These batteries have a capacity in the range between 10 and 70 mAh, which is only one tenth of the corresponding Zn-air batteries.
The technology of a DAFC can roughly be divided into three main fields; the polymer electrolyte membrane, the catalysts/electrode part and the general system/cell structuring. The latter ensures that the fuel reaches the catalyst layer where it is electrochemically oxidized to form, in the case of alcohols, electrons, protons and carbon dioxide. As the membrane ideally only allows proton conduction (strictly speaking it is H3O+ that is conducted through the membrane), the free electrons are conducted by the electrode layer through an external load and returned to the cathode side. On this side the system structuring allows a flow of air thus providing oxygen, which in term is reduced by the catalyst to form water together with the electrons from the connected load and the protons conducted through the membrane.
Reference is now made to FIG. 6 which illustrates highly schematically a fuel cell for a portable electronic device according to the prior art. The fuel cell 10 comprises a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) 11, a negative electrode (anode) 12, a positive electrode (cathode) 13, a fuel reservoir 14, an anode fuel inlet 15, an anode outlet 16 (for removal of the gas produced at the anode), a cathode inlet 17 and a cathode outlet 18 (for removal of the water produced at the cathode). The fuel cell 10 provides current to the external electrical load 20 via the electrical connectors 21a and 21b, which connects the electrical load 20 with the anode 12 and the cathode 13.
Common to all the above mentioned fuel cells is that they generate CO2 or an intermediate. It is a well known issue in any CO2 generating fuel cell that the CO2 needs to be somehow transported out of the fuel cell.
Due to the size limitations imposed on fuel cells for portable electronic devices active components for pumping of fluids in the fuel cells are not an option and the CO2 therefore has to be managed passively.
It is known in the art of fuel cells to provide passive degassing using bubble actuated pumping principles. Such systems are known from e.g. the article "Capillary-driven pumping for passive degassing and fuel supply in direct methanol fuel cells" in Micro fluidics and Nano fluidics, vol. 7, no. 5, 2009 by Paust et al.
However, even such passive systems are not suitable for fuel cells for portable electronic devices due to the size limitations.
Additionally, the use of portable electronic devices is generally characterized by the fact that the orientation of the device, and hence the fuel cell, is not known in advance and may even change during normal operation. This may be a problem since many designs rely on gravity to assist in removing the CO2 bubbles from the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) and to a gas permeable valve. Consequently passive degassing based on a gas permeable exit hole or membrane valve is not well suited for portable electronic devices, because the formed CO2 may tend to remain at, and therefore block, the fuel cell MEA instead of leaving it.
Another issue with systems based on a gas permeable exit hole or membrane valve is that liquid fuel will tend to be pressed out instead of the CO2 if the CO2 does not reach the exit hole.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide a fuel cell for a portable electronic device with improved performance.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing such fuel cell reservoir.

Fuel cell, a portable electronic device and a method of manufacturing a fuel cell reservoir


A temporary low profile intraluminal catheter for infusing agents into, or extracting fluids from, a bodily lumen featuring securement structure, wherein the securement structure allows the catheter to be placed with minimal intrusion into the bodily lumen is disclosed. With such design affording a more efficient, verifiable placement of the catheter with less complication due to infection and biofilm related issues, among other types of complications.

The central venous catheter is a medical device which can allow blood sampling, blood pressure monitoring, and the administration of fluid, blood and medication to a patient. A central venous catheter is percutaneously inserted, via the Seldinger technique, such that the distal catheter tip resides within a large caliber vein, and the proximal portion of the catheter lies external to the patient's body. Typically, a central venous catheter is inserted into an internal jugular vein or subclavian vein with its distal tip residing within the superior vena cava. After the placement of a central venous, a chest x-ray is obtained to identify that the distal tip of the catheter is appropriately positioned in the region of the superior vena cava prior to being used. The central venous catheter is commonly used, particularly in hospital intensive care units, due to the need for reliable venous access in the medical management of acutely ill patients.
The central venous catheter has become a staple item in helping medical personnel care for patients, but it is also associated with numerous immediate and delayed complications. Immediate complications can arise at the time of the catheter's insertion and can include, but are not limited to, hematomas or bleeding, inadvertent cannulation of an artery, pneumothorax or cardiac arrhythmias. With appropriate technique and ultrasound guidance many of the immediate complications can be avoided. The delayed complications associated with central venous catheters can present significant obstacles in managing a patient's healthcare.
When a central venous catheter is inserted into the lumen of a vein, proteins begin to deposit along the surface of the catheter creating a catheter related sheath (CRS). These sheaths can be asymptomatic, but can also result in numerous delayed complications:                When the CRS covers the catheter's opening, it can effectively occlude the central venous catheter.        If the CRS wraps around the entire length of the indwelling central venous catheter it can result in medical extravasation into the adjacent soft tissues as the medication tracks retrograde in between the catheter opening and sheath to the entry site of the catheter into the vein.        The CRS enhances central venous catheter infections and persistent bacteremia.        The CRS can lead to a stenosis or occlusion of the vein in which the catheter resides. A central venous stenosis poses significant problem to patients, particularly chronic end-stage renal dialysis patients with upper extremity arterial venous fistulas or grafts, who need adequate venous outflow to maintain patency of their fistulas or grafts.
A significant length of the central venous catheter lies within the lumen of a vein which provides a large surface area for CRS development and its subsequent complications. The distal tip of a central venous catheter is mobile within the lumen of a vein and constantly moves due to blood flow, respiration and cardiac motion. This constant motion results in repeated micro-trauma to the adjacent vein wall, which can result in thrombus formation along the catheter tip or adjacent vein wall. This thrombus can result in catheter malfunction, by obstructing the catheter lumen, or stenosis of the vein lumen.
The complications associated with central venous catheters pose significant issues with regards to managing the healthcare of acutely ill patients. The proposed catheter aims to diminish the myriad complications associated with current central venous catheters.


A method comprising: authoring a first section of a first media format, wherein the first section comprises type and length fields of the first section, wherein the type value of the first section of the first media format is such that allows parsers of the first media format ignore the first section; one or more entire sections complying with a second media format; and a section header of a bridge section complying with the second media format, wherein the section header comprises type and length fields; authoring a second section of the first media format, comprising type and length fields of the second section; and data complying with the second media format; and setting the content of the first section to be such that it allows parsers of the second media format ignore the type and length fields of the second section.

The syntax of many media file formats is based on a hierarchical list of type and length prefixed data chunks or boxes, where the naming depends on the format in question. In a container file according to ISO base media file format (ISOBMFF; ISO/IEC 14496-12), the media data and metadata is arranged in various types of boxes. Many formats are derived from ISOBMFF, including the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF, ISO/IEC 23008-12), MPEG-4 file format (ISO/IEC 14496-14, also known as the MP4 format), file format for NAL unit structured video (ISO/IEC 14496-15) and 3GPP file format (3GPP TS 26.244, also known as the 3GP format). These formats use the same box-structured basic structure.
On the other hand, Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) files consist of chunks, whereas a JPEG file consists of a sequence of segments.
While many media formats use a file structure that is based on a sequence of sections that are type and length prefixed, they differ in details, such as the number of bytes for the type and length fields and the endianness of fields. Thus, file formats of different basic structure or definitions cannot be made conforming to each other. For example, a JPEG file cannot be made compliant with HEIF by just defining marker values and box types from the same value space.

Apparatus, a method and a computer program for video coding and decoding


The device layer of a 6-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) inertial measurement system can include a single proof-mass 6-axis inertial sensor formed in an x-y plane, the inertial sensor including: a main proof-mass section suspended about a single, central anchor; a central suspension system configured to suspend the 6-axis inertial sensor from the single, central anchor; and a drive electrode including a moving portion and a stationary portion, the moving portion coupled to the radial portion. The drive electrode and the central suspension system are configured to oscillate the 6-axis inertial sensor about a z-axis normal to the x-y plane.

6-axis motion sensing applications require x, y, and z-axis accelerometers and gyroscopes for 3-axis acceleration and 3-axis angular rate measurement. Several single or multi-axis micromachined accelerometer and gyroscope structures have been reported in the literature that can be integrated into a system to form a 6-axis inertial sensor cluster. However, the size and cost of such clusters consisting of separate sensors can be excessive for certain applications. Further, existing instances of single or multi-axis gyroscopes and accelerometers fabricated on a single micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) chip require separate drive and sense electronics for each sensor, further increasing cost and complexity of the resulting single MEMS chip.

Micromachined monolithic 6-axis inertial sensor


An interface device capable of supporting an unknown I/O device comprises: a transmission module, used for receiving a control signal sent by an I/O device and sending a feedback signal to the I/O device; a signal process module, used for generating a control indicating signal according to the control signal and generating the feedback signal according to a feedback indicating signal; and a USB interface, used for sending the control indicating signal to a data process device and receiving the feedback indicating signal from the data process device; wherein, information content of the control indicating signal and information content of the feedback indicating signal both comprise the information of a first device description unit and a first interaction description unit contained in a first device index chart.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interface device, especially to an interface device used for expanding the connection capability of an I/O device of a data process device.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional data process device having a USB port, expanding I/O device through the USB port requires a corresponding driver program during the installation. For increasing the system safety and lowering the operation difficulty, many closed-type data process devices, such as a tablet computer, smart phone, smart TV and set top box are provided with a closed-type driver program installation policy, so a user is not allowed to install a driver program by himself by using the I/O device, only preset driver programs are allowed thereby small amount of I/O devices being supported. As such, the preset expansion terminals can also be used for supporting a general I/O device such as a conventional keyboard, mouse or joystick.
When a new I/O device is desired to be supported by the closed-type data process device, a corresponding driver program is required to be added by the original developer in the updated software, then the closed-type data process device is called back by the developer for updating the software. Because the cost for updating and maintaining software is enormous, the software update of many closed-type data process devices would be terminated and only very small amounts of I/O devices are supported. As such, many closed-type data process devices are formed with one or more USB ports, but an objective of freely expanding I/O device is hard to be achieved.
In a conventional opened-type data process device formed with USB expanding terminals and provided with an opened-type driver program installation policy, such as a personal computer and notebook computer, when a plurality of I/O devices are desired to be used, the quantity of USB ports are often not enough. A conventional USB hub is able to support a plurality of I/O devices, but a driver program corresponding to each I/O device has to be firstly installed. If ten different I/O devices are desired to be used, ten driver programs have to be installed thereby causing inconvenience.
For solving the above-mentioned problems, providing an interface device allowing an I/O device which is not supported to still be capable of being operated in the operation system without requiring a new driver program being updated in the data process device shall be seriously concerned.

Interface device capable of supporting unknown I/O device


A retainer locks an eyeglass sideshield to a temple of an eyeglass frame. The retainer comprises a clamp, an ann and a hook. A clamp is adapted to attach to the temple of the eyeglass frame. The arm has a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the clamp and the second end is connected to the hook. The hook comprises a lip adapted to engage the sideshield and prevents the sideshield from being removed from the temple.

The present invention relates to eyeglasses having sideshields and retainers fo those sideshields in place.
Conventional eyeglass frames may include sideshields which are removably mounted on the temple of the frames. This convenience, whereby the sideshields may be removed, enhances the versatility of the glasses. In other words, the glasses may be cosmetically or stylishly appealing to an individual's taste. In an environment that requires sideshields, the removable sideshields can be merely snapped in place or otherwise easily attached. The problem with this versatility is that individual users may forget to affix the sideshields to the glasses when necessary or they may lose the sideshields when they are not in use. When a sideshield serves a primarily safety purpose, the lack of a sideshield may result in a potentially dangerous situation where an eye could possibly be exposed to damage in a given work environment.
Consequently, there are situations where, for instance, an employer running a manufacturing facility prefers that sideshields be permanently affixed to an individual's eyeglasses. The primary methods of this attachment have been rivets, screws, lock nuts or adhesives. In at least some of the prior art systems, the use of screws have required that holes be drilled in the temples of the glasses. Other solutions include lock washers that press the sideshield into the temple and cause a permanent force fit between the two. All of these prior solutions have drawbacks.

Retainer for eyeglass frames having sideshields


An interposer for mechanically and electrically connecting two circuit boards is described. The interposer can be bent to enclose an area of a circuit board. The interposer can include a first layer external to the enclosed area. The first layer can be conductive and can serve as an EMI shield. The interposer can also include a second layer internal to the enclosed area. The second layer can be non-conductive but can carry multiple discrete pins that can electrically couple the first and second circuit boards and provide signal transmission pathways between the circuit boards. The interposer can be formed by folding a sheet of conductive material having different cutout regions that forms a comb pattern into multiple stacked layers. Then, the bent regions that connect the stacked layers can be removed so that the conductive bars in the comb patterns can be separated and isolated to form discrete pins.

Rigid circuit boards such as those used as main logic boards in electronic devices have become successively more densely packed with components as increasingly complex feature sets are provided by such electronic devices. Increasing the footprint area of a circuit board sometimes requires system-level tradeoffs, for example, by reducing the sizes of other system modules such as batteries, speakers, or cameras. Such tradeoffs can often be sufficiently disadvantageous to make them unacceptable to system performance. Hence, it may be more preferable to stack one or more circuit boards above the footprint of the first circuit board to effectively multiply the area available for electronic component placement on circuit boards without requiring a footprint size reduction in another system module. However, providing an interposer that serves as an interface structure that mechanically and electrically connects a circuit board positioned above another circuit board can be expensive and challenging.


A compact ion beam injection apparatus for tandem accelerators wherein the outputs from two independent ion sources, that may be operated continuously, can be selectively chosen and mass analyzed so that the output from any one of the sources can be rapidly selected and efficiently directed to the input point of a tandem accelerator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ion injection arrangements for tandem accelerators, wherein it is possible to select the individual outputs from either one of a pair of continuously operating ion sources to allow the mass analyzed output from either source to be efficiently directed to the injection point of an electrostatic tandem accelerator. Although limitations in scope are not intended, this invention has particular relevance to the fields of MeV Implantation and MeV analysis of thin films.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As the requirements by researchers for reductions of surface contamination become more demanding, there are increasing requests for thin film processing sequences that are followed by a subsequent analysis, all of which to be carried out rapidly and without breaking vacuum. Thus, in researches involving MeV implantation followed by RBS or PIXE analysis it is useful if the individual ion species needed for fabrication and analysis be readily available from the same accelerator. If beam changeover between implantation ions and analysis ions can be made in times of the order of seconds, rather than minutes or hours, the possibility presents itself of analyzing film properties at intermediate points within the production cycle, rather than just at the end.
FIG. 1 shows the basic optical arrangement of a tandem acceleration system for both implantation and analysis. The ion optical arrangement is usually such that the injection point remains at a fixed location conjugate to the waist which must be present at the center of the stripper canal within the high voltage terminal. To achieve efficient injection, negative ions from a suitable source must be focussed to produce a beam waist at the injection point which is external to the accelerator.
A typical arrangement of the components which have been previously used to couple two independent ion sources to a tandem system has consisted of a multiplicity of optical elements arrayed along two input channels connected to a reversible inflection magnet. Such a system suffers from several disadvantages: First, the system tends to be large and occupies a substantial amount of laboratory floor space. Secondly, because of size several vacuum systems are needed to maintain adequate vacuum pressures, and so the fabrication costs for producing the system tend to be high. Thirdly, the inflection magnet provides poor momentum resolution because the deflection angle is small. Fourthly, the direction of the inflecting magnetic field must reverse when the output is switched from one ion source to the other, so that the power supply must provide dual polarity or some polarity reversing switch must be included.

Dual ion injector for tandem accelerators


A planar light emitting device includes a light-emitting element having a light-transmitting substrate on one side; and a front film in contact with the light-emitting element on the side of the light-transmitting substrate, the front film includes at least three layers including a substrate film and particle-containing resin layers on both surfaces of the substrate film; wherein the resin layer (a first particle-containing layer) on the light incidence side of the front film contains 1 to 50% by weight of the particles and the resin layer (a second particle-containing layer) on the light exiting side of the front film contains 20 to 80% by weight of the particles.

Planar light emitting devices are drawing attention including those using an organic electroluminescence element (The "electroluminescence" may be hereinafter referred to as EL). Since the organic EL element is capable of emitting a light which is white or near white, the planar light emitting device prepared by using such organic EL element can be used for the light source of lighting apparatus and backlight of displays.
Known organic EL elements are composed of components including an organic EL layer, a transparent electrode, and a light-transmitting substrate made of a glass or polymer film, and those elements suffer from non-negligible loss of light when the light emitted by the organic EL layer is extracted to the exterior through the light-transmitting substrate. The efficiency of extracting the emitted light to the exterior (hereinafter referred to as light extraction efficiency) is currently as low as about 20%. In addition, since a white organic EL element is commonly provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements each emitting red, green, and blue colors or yellow and blue colors and refraction and reflection behaviors of the light in each component are different by the wavelength, change in the color due to the difference in the viewing angle (hereinafter referred to as color deviation) is an issue to be solved.
In addition, glass is mainly used for the light-transmitting substrate of the current organic EL element, and the glass has the risk that broken pieces of the glass scatter by the impact at the breaking of the glass.
Exemplary methods employed to improve the light extraction efficiency of the organic EL element include provision of a resin layer containing a light-scattering material (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-109747) and provision of a light-scattering pressure sensitive adhesive layer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-218738) on the surface of the light-transmitting substrate opposite to the side of the light emitter. For the improvement of the light extraction efficiency and reduction of the color deviation as well as prevention of the scattering of the broken light-transmitting substrate, the methods proposed include provision of a particle-containing resin layer between the transparent electrode and the light-transmitting substrate simultaneously with the provision of a lens sheet on the light exiting surface (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-86527).
However, in the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-109747, the function of preventing the scattering of the broken pieces of the light-transmitting substrate was lacking, or prevention of the color deviation was insufficient.
In the method of using the light-scattering pressure sensitive adhesive layer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-218738, the light extraction efficiency was insufficient and prevention of the color deviation was also insufficient.
In the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-86527, a transparent electrode having a thickness of several dozen nm was formed on the resin layer which was already provided with a large surface irregularity due to the light scattering particles, and such formation of the electrode was unrealistic considering the current production technology.
It could therefore be helpful to provide a planar light emitting device with a high light extraction efficiency, a small color change by the viewing angle and, also, with a less scattering of broken pieces when the light-transmitting substrate is broken. It could also be helpful to provide a front film used for the planar light emitting device.

Planar light emitting device and front film


A hybrid radial gas turbine engine component comprises an inner hub portion joined to an outer ring portion. The inner hub portion is a first alloy and operates at temperatures less than 1200° F. The outer ring portion is a second alloy and is designed to withstand extended periods at temperatures greater than 1200° F.

This invention relates generally to radial structural components in gas turbine engines, and specifically to components with portions operating at temperatures exceeding 1200° F. In particular, the invention concerns replacing selected portions of a component with materials resistant to high temperature degradation.
Gas turbine engines are configured around a core comprising a compressor, a combustor and a turbine, which are arranged in flow series with a forward (upstream) inlet and an aft (downstream) exhaust. The compressor compresses air from the inlet, which is mixed with fuel in the combustor and ignited to produce hot combustion gas. The combustion gas drives the turbine, and is exhausted downstream. Typically, compressed air is also utilized to cool downstream engine components, particularly turbine parts exposed to hot working fluid flow.
The turbine section may be coupled to the compressor via a common shaft, or using a series of coaxially nested shaft spools, which rotate independently. Each spool includes one or more compressor and turbine stages, which are formed by alternating rows of blades and vanes. The working surfaces of the blades and vanes are formed into airfoils, which are configured to compress air from the inlet (in the compressor), or to extract energy from combustion gas (in the turbine).
In ground-based industrial gas turbines, power output is typically provided in the form of rotational energy, which is transferred to a shaft and used to drive a mechanical load such as a generator. Weight is not as great a factor in ground-based applications, and industrial gas turbines can utilize complex spooling systems for increased efficiency. Ground-based turbines are also commonly configured for combined-cycle operations, in which additional energy is extracted from the partially-cooled exhaust gas stream, for example by driving a steam turbine.
In gas turbine engine design, there is a constant need to balance the benefits of increased pressure and combustion temperature, which tend to improve engine performance, with accompanying wear and tear on the engine components, which tend to decrease service life. In particular, there is a need for materials that resist the increased thermal exposure in the compressor or turbine section of modern gas turbine engines.


The impedance of a variable load is matched to the output resistance of an HF generator by performing a first impedance matching for a first load impedance and by performing a second impedance matching for a second load impedance. The first impedance matching is carried out at a first frequency and the second impedance matching is carried out at a second frequency.

A load impedance, such as, for example, a plasma impedance, can be influenced by many parameters and therefore can vary over time. Thus, it can be difficult to match such a variable load impedance to an HF source. Automatic tuning circuits are sometimes used to improve matching of the load impedance in plasma thin-film technology for surface treatments. The automatic tuning circuits continuously follow changes in the load impedance in the plasma process.
Load impedances of laser excitation plasmas tend to fluctuate less than load impedances for plasma thin-film technologies Thus, fix match circuits can be used for load impedances of laser excitation plasmas. These fix match circuits are fixedly set for an acceptable load matching under standard burning (or ignited) conditions.
If the HF power from the source is supplied in a pulsed mode and the power is regulated by influencing the pulse duty factor, the load impedance fluctuation problem can be exacerbated since a periodic change between the impedance during the burning state and the impedance during ignition of the plasma also exists in the switched-on state.
Consequently, a compromise between optimization of the load matching and the ignition behavior is frequently set as matching. In addition, an ignition auxiliary circuit is usually used.


Described are medical devices useful for applying a bolster material to a surgical fastening device such as a stapler, and related methods of manufacture and use. The devices include an applicator element for receipt between arms of the stapler, and a bolster material, desirably a remodelable extracellular matrix material, coupled to the applicator element. In certain embodiments, the bolster material is held by the applicator element, for example having at least a portion looped around or received through or over a portion of the applicator element. Also described are unique implantable materials including coatings of dried, reversible adhesive.

The present invention resides generally in the field of medicine and in particular aspects to devices and methods that are useful for applying a bolster material to a device for inserting surgical fasteners, e.g. a surgical stapler.
As further background, surgical stapler devices are designed to seal or simultaneously cut and seal an extended segment of tissue in a patient. Some surgical staplers include two stapler arms, a first arm including two or more lines of multiple staples (also called a "cartridge" or "jaw") and a second arm including an anvil or other feature adapted to bend each of the staples into a closed position upon operation of the stapler. So-called "anastomotic" staplers include a surgical blade in the device to sever tissue between the lines of staples. Those without such a cutting blade have been referred to as "non-anastomotic" staplers.
For some medical procedures, the use of bare staples, with the staples in direct contact with the patient's tissue, is generally acceptable. The integrity of the patient's tissue itself will normally serve to prevent the staples from tearing out of the tissue and compromising the seam before healing has occurred. However, in other procedures, the patient's tissue to be sealed is too fragile to securely hold the staples in place. For example, in the case of lung tissue, and in particular diseased lung tissue, the tissue to be stapled is fragile and, in extreme cases, will easily tear through unprotected staple lines. With the growing use of surgical staplers in operations on diseased lung tissues such as bullectomies and volume reduction procedures, it has become increasingly important to take measures to protect fragile tissue from tissue tears due to surgical staples or surgical stapling procedures.
One known protective measure involves the use of a reinforcement or bolster material, wherein the staples are inserted both through the bolster material and the patient's tissue. In many cases, as a preliminary step, the reinforcement material is in some manner applied to the arms of the surgical stapler, e.g. with portions applied to each arm, and the stapler thereafter used to secure tissue of the patient. The present invention provides medical devices and methods that are useful for applying bolster material to surgical staplers or other similar surgical fastening devices.

Medical devices and methods useful for applying bolster material


A multi faceted graphic user interface with multiple shells or layers may be provided for interaction with a user to speech enable interaction with applications and processes that do not necessarily have native support for speech input. The shells may be components of an operating system or of a parent application which supports such shells. Each shell has multiple facets for displaying applications and processes, and typically speech and other input is directed the application or process in the facet which has focus within the active shell. These multiple shells lend themselves to grouping of input or grouping of related applications and processes. For example, input from a speech recognizer, a mouse and a keyboard may each be directed at different shells; or a user may group related windows within various shells, such that all documents are displayed in one shell and all windows of an instant messaging application are displayed in another, thereby enabling better organization of work and work flow.

1.1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling computer applications and/or processes using voice input. More precisely, the present invention relates to integrating a plurality of applications and/or processes into a common user interface which is controlled mostly by voice activated commands, which allows hands-free control of each process within a common environment.
1.2 Discussion of Prior Art
Speech input user interfaces are well known. This specification expressly incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,599 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,972, which provide a method for integrating computing processes with an interface controlled by voice actuated grammars.
Typical speech driven software technology has traditionally been useful for little more than a dictation system which types what is spoken on a computer display, and has limited command and control capability. Although many applications have attempted to initiate command sequences, this may involve an extensive training session to teach the computer how to handle specific words. Since those words are not maintained in a context based model that simulates intelligence, it is easy to confuse such speech command systems and cause them to malfunction. In addition, the systems are limited in capability to the few applications that support the speech interface.
It is conventionally known that an application window can spawn another window when the application calls for specific user input. When that happens, we call the first window a "parent window", and the spawned window a "child window". This presents certain problems in that the child window generally overlaps its parent window.
Some child windows have to be satiated or terminated before releasing control (active focus) and returning I/O access back to the main application window. Examples of Child Windows are i) a Document window in an application like Word, ii) another foreground, monopolizing (aka Modal) window like File Open, iii) another foreground, non-monopolizing (aka Non-Modal) window.
Every speech-initiated application maintains its own operating window as a "child window" of the system. The child/parent window scheme does not allow for complex command processing. A complex command may require more than one application to be put to contribution in a specific order based on a single spoken command phrase. For example, the spoken command phrase "add Bob to address book" is a multiple-step/multiple-application command. The appropriate commands required by the prior art are: "open address book", "new entry" and "name Bob". In the prior art, each operation is required to be completed one by one in a sequential order. Although this methodology works to a minimum satisfaction level, it does not use natural language speech. The prior art is typically not capable of performing multiple step operations with a single spoken command phrase. In addition, the prior art does not enable a single spoken phrase to process commands that require the application to perform multiple steps without first training the application on the sequence of steps that the command must invoke (much like programming a macro). For example, the spoken command phrase "Write a letter to Bob" requires multiple applications to be used sequentially, and if those applications are not running, they must be launched in order to execute the command. The prior art would typically have the user say: "open address book", "select Bob", "copy address", "open editor", "new letter" and "paste address"—or would require the user to train the application to perform these steps every time it hears this command. The address book and text editor/word processor are generally different applications. Since these programs require the data to be organized in a specific order, the voice commands must be performed in a specific order to achieve the desired result. The prior art is not capable of performing operations across multiple applications entirely on its own with a single spoken command phrase.
In each Windowed Operating System it is common for each executing application window to "pop-up" a new "child window" when a secondary type of interaction is required by the user. When an application is executing a request, focus (an active attention within its window) is granted to it. Windowed operating systems running on personal computers are generally limited to a single active focus to a single window at any given time.
Current computer technology allows application programs to execute their procedures within individual application oriented graphical user interfaces (i.e. "windows"). Each application window program is encapsulated in such a manner that most services available to the user are generally contained within the window. Thus each window is an entity unto itself.
When an application window requires I/O, such as a keyboard input, mouse input or the like, the operating system passes the input data to the application.
Typical computer technologies are not well suited for use with a speech driven interface. The use of parent and child windows creates a multitude of problems since natural language modeling is best suited for complex command processing. Child windows receive active focus as a single window, and because they are sequentially activated by the operating system (single action), and as stated above, prior art speech command applications are not suited for natural language processing of complex commands.

Multiple shell multi faceted graphical user interface


Methods, systems, and apparatus for remotely piloting a vehicle. In one aspect, a system includes a transmitter capable to receive vehicle control signals and transmit the vehicle control signals to a vehicle including at least one receiver; one or more modules; and at least one power supply; wherein the at least one receiver receives the transmitted vehicle control signals and transmits the vehicle control signals in a CAN message format to all of the one or more modules; and each of the one or more modules selectively chooses which of the vehicle control signals in a CAN message format the module will respond to.

This specification relates to the remote control of model vehicles and more specifically to the remote control of vehicles utilizing controller area network enabled control devices.
Remote control systems such as systems that can be found in remote control models (RC model), can be thought of as consisting of three major parts, a transmitter, one or more receivers and one or more actuators (servos). The transmitter transmits the control signals while the one or more receivers receive the control signals and relay the signals to servos accordingly. The servos, in response to a signal, perform some action. For example, a transmitter used to control a RC model plane may transmit a control signal that contains the information to increase the angle of elevation of an aileron on the RC model plane. In this example a receiver would receive the control signal and then relay the signal to the appropriate servo. The servo would then actuate to increase the angle of the aileron.
In some implementations, the transmitter has a microcomputer by which input signals from input devices, such as joysticks, pushbuttons, potentiometers, computing devices, and the like, can be mixed and manipulated. For example, linear input signals can be translated into non-linear signals, input signals can be thresholded, and the like. Similarly, in some implementations, one or more receivers can also have a microcomputer by which received control signals are translated into control signals appropriate for a specific servo. For example, a received control signal may be translated and thresholded into a control signal less than or equal to the maximum value permitted by the controlled servo. In some implementations, signal translation, either by the transmitter or the receiver, is based upon data derived from specific models. For example, control signals transformed based upon data from one size of a scale model may be transformed differently for another size of scale for the same model. The selection of the wrong model is often the cause of a crash of a RC model plane. This is common problem with model specific data stored in the transmitter is known as the Wrong Model Syndrome or WMS by RC model enthusiasts. That is, a Before controlling a vehicle, the pilot has to select the right model from a list of the stored ones in the transmitter. Selecting the wrong one usually results in a crash. The problem is even greater for some existing technologies where similar data can be stored both in the transmitter and the receiver. In this case, a mismatch can lead to a crash even if the selected model at the transmitter is correct.
As the complexity of the remotely controlled vehicle increases, so does the number of servos. This can create a situation where complex wiring and communication schemes are needed. RC model vehicles with 50 or more servos are not unheard of. If the servos are digitally addressed, the bus for communication between the receiver and servos likely has eight signal paths just for addressing the servos. Similarly, transmitters holding the specifications for 50 different models are also not unheard of, leading to complexities in management of model information. Thus, there is a need for a system to remotely control vehicles utilizing controller area network enabled control devices. The present invention addresses this need.


A motor vehicle lock with a latch, a ratchet, an optional preliminary catch and a closing aid, the closing aid having an auxiliary closing drive with a pivoting driving element and an auxiliary closing lever which is pivotably coupled to the driving element. The latch can be moved by means of the auxiliary closing drive via the driving element and via the auxiliary closing lever into the fully latched position—closing process—and for this purpose, the auxiliary closing lever can be coupled to the latch. The driving element can be caused to engage the auxiliary closing lever such that the cycle of movements of the driving element, after the latch moves into the fully latched position, causes decoupling of the auxiliary closing lever from the latch.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a motor vehicle lock with a latch, a ratchet which keeps the latch in a main catch, and an optionally present preliminary catch, and also having a closing aid, the closing aid having a drive—auxiliary closing drive—with a pivoting driving element and an auxiliary closing lever which is pivotably coupled to the driving element. The latch can be moved by means of the auxiliary closing drive via the driving element and via the auxiliary closing lever into a fully latched position—closing process—and for this purpose, the auxiliary closing lever can be coupled to the latch, and the closing process comprising a cycle of movements of the driving element. The motor vehicle lock is especially well suited to be a side door lock, but can also be used as a sliding door lock, rear door lock, rear hatch lock or a hood lock.
2. Description of Related Art
To increase ease of operation and to be able to reproducibly ensure an optimum closing process, motor vehicle locks are being increasingly equipped with an auxiliary closing function. The auxiliary closing function provides for the motor vehicle lock being transferred out of an intermediate position by a motor into the fully closed position. The intermediate position in a motor vehicle lock with a latch and ratchet corresponds generally to the half-latched position of the latch.
In a known motor vehicle lock (U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,164), to implement the auxiliary closing function, there are an auxiliary closing drive and an auxiliary closing lever in order to move the latch of the motor vehicle lock from the half-latched position into the fully latched position. In this closing process, the auxiliary closing lever engages a recess which is located on the latch, presses the latch into the fully latched position, and finally remains in a position in which the auxiliary closing lever blocks the resetting of the latch. Only when the ratchet is lifted, therefore when the motor vehicle door is to be opened, does the auxiliary closing lever disengage from the latch. The lifting of the auxiliary closing lever, therefore the decoupling of the auxiliary closing lever from the latch, is directly associated here with the lifting of the ratchet. This is implemented by an additional lever mechanism which requires high construction input.
Furthermore, a motor vehicle lock is known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,496) in which the ratchet itself is used as the auxiliary closing lever. Here, there is a lever mechanism which, on the one hand, enables movement of the latch into the fully latched position by means of the ratchet, and on the other hand, the raising of the ratchet itself. This design is complex and has disadvantages with respect to a flexible arrangement of the diverse parts in the motor vehicle lock.
The known motor vehicle lock underlying the invention (WO 03/071064 A1) is, likewise, equipped with a motorized closing aid. The closing aid has an auxiliary closing drive with a pivoting driving element and an auxiliary closing lever which is coupled with a pivoting capacity to the driving element. The auxiliary closing lever has a crank guide which can be engaged to an intermediate element. The crank guide thus causes guidance of the motion of the auxiliary closing lever such that the auxiliary closing lever is coupled to the latch at the start of the closing process and at the end of the closing process is decoupled from the latch.
In the motor vehicle lock which forms the starting point, the disadvantage is the fundamental fault susceptibility of the described crank guide. Here frictional losses or sticking can occur. Furthermore, it is disadvantageous that the components required here, especially the crank guide itself, are complex to fabricate. Finally it should be pointed out that basically the necessary coupling between the auxiliary closing lever and the intermediate element must be considered in the design; this leads to unwanted construction limitations.


A control device is configured to be attached to the handlebar of a bicycle for controlling a brake mechanism and change speed mechanism. The control device comprises a bracket fixed to the handlebar, a brake lever pivotally coupled crosswise relative to the bracket and a release lever. The brake mechanism is controlled by fore and aft pivotal movement of the brake lever, while the change speed mechanism is controlled by sideways pivotal movement of the brake lever and the release lever. The brake lever and the release lever are further configured relative to the bracket for smooth easy operation by the rider.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a bicycle control device for shifting gears to change the speed of the bicycle. More specifically, the present invention in a preferred embodiment relates to a bicycle control device that includes both braking and/or speed changing functions.
2. Background Information
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle as well as the frame of the bicycle. Control devices for braking and/or shifting have been extensively redesigned in recent years.
In the past, brake levers and shifting devices were separate devices that were attached to the handlebar and/or frame of the bicycle. More recently, control devices have been developed the combine both the braking and shifting functions into a single unit. Examples of such control devices of this type are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,241,878; 5,257,683; 5,400,675; and 6,073,730. For effecting braking and speed change, some of these known control devices have a brake lever that also acts as a shift lever that winds a takeup element and a release lever located behind a brake/shift lever. While other known control devices have a shift lever that winds a takeup element located behind a brake lever and a release lever that is located laterally of the brake lever. Thus, the rider can carry out braking and speed change operations without the rider changing from one lever to another and without the possibility of rider injuring a finger. In particular, these control devices have a support member with a mounting portion configured to be coupled to the handlebar of the bicycle and a control lever that is pivotally coupled to the support member to move between a rest position and a shifting position about a shift pivot axis.
However, the control devices illustrated in these patents have a large angle between the shift pivot axis and the operating portion of the shift lever used to wind the shift cable. This arrangement results in the rider having to push the shift lever along a path that can be difficult for some riders. Likewise, the release levers of the control devices illustrated in these patents are not arranged in the most advantageous position for the rider to operate. Thus, the release lever of the control devices illustrated in these patents can be difficult for some riders to operate.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved control device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


Disclosed herein is a method comprised of providing a wafer comprised of a bulk substrate, an insulating layer positioned above the bulk substrate, and a semiconducting layer positioned above the insulating layer, forming an opening in the semiconducting layer and the insulating layer to thereby expose a surface area of the bulk substrate, forming an alignment mark in the bulk substrate within the exposed surface area of the bulk substrate, and forming a layer of material above the alignment mark and in the opening. A wafer is also disclosed herein that is comprised of a bulk substrate, an insulating layer positioned above the bulk substrate, a semiconducting layer positioned above the insulating layer, an opening formed in the semiconducting layer and the insulating layer, an alignment mark formed in the bulk substrate within an area defined by the opening, and a layer of material positioned above the alignment mark and within the opening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication technology, and, more particularly, to a method of forming an alignment mark on a wafer, and a wafer comprising same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a constant drive within the semiconductor industry to increase the operating speed of integrated circuit devices, e.g., microprocessors, memory devices, and the like. This drive is fueled by consumer demands for computers and electronic devices that operate at increasingly greater speeds. This demand for increased speed has resulted in a continual reduction in the size of semiconductor devices, e.g., transistors. That is, many components of a typical field effect transistor (FET), e.g., channel length, junction depths, gate dielectric thickness, and the like, are reduced. For example, all other things being equal, the smaller the channel length of the FET, the faster the transistor will operate. Thus, there is a constant drive to reduce the size, or scale, of the components of a typical transistor to increase the overall speed of the transistor, as well as integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors. Additionally, reducing the size, or scale, of the components of a typical transistor also increases the density, and number, of the transistors that can be produced on a given amount of wafer real estate, lowering the overall cost per transistor as well as the cost of integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors.
Conventional complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) semiconductor devices may be referred to as "bulk" CMOS devices, because bulk CMOS devices include a substantially monocrystalline semiconducting bulk substrate in which the active and/or passive CMOS circuit elements are disposed. More recently, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices have been introduced that consume less power than do bulk CMOS devices, an important advantage in many applications such as battery-powered mobile telephones and battery-powered laptop computers. Also, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices advantageously operate at higher speeds than do bulk CMOS devices.
Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices may be characterized by having a thin layer of insulating dielectric material (for example, a buried oxide or nitride or other suitable insulating layer) sandwiched between a bulk semiconducting substrate and a relatively thin semiconducting layer in which the circuit elements of the device will be formed. Typically, no other layers of material are interposed between the buried dielectric layer and the bulk substrate.
In a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device, the circuit elements of the device are formed in regions of the relatively thin, e.g., 500-1500 Å, semiconducting layer. The circuit elements are typically separated from each other by insulating dielectric regions (of field oxide, for example). The semiconducting layer may be n-doped or p-doped as appropriate with N-type or P-type conductivity dopants. A variety of semiconductor devices may be formed in the thin semiconducting layer. For example, devices such as NMOS transistors, PMOS transistors, NPN bipolar transistors, and/or PNP bipolar transistors may be formed in the thin semiconducting layer.
Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology offers a number of advantages relative to traditional transistor formation in a bulk silicon wafer. For example, bulk silicon transistors have their active terminals disposed adjacent the bulk silicon wafer. As a result, parasitic capacitance is present at the junction between the source/drain regions of an MOS transistor and the well or bulk silicon substrate. Other problems with bulk silicon transistors include the possibility of junction breakdown between the source/drain regions and the wafer, together with the formation of undesired parasitic bipolar transistors giving rise to device latch-up problems.
In contrast, in silicon-on-insulator (SOD technology, the transistors have active regions (for example, the source/drain and channel regions of an MOS transistor) that are formed in the thin semiconducting layer that is positioned above the underlying insulating layer. As such, formation of undesired parasitic elements in such transistors is reduced or eliminated. The silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology also significantly reduces junction capacitance and junction leakage due to the reduced exposed junction area. This reduced parasitic capacitance leads to increased performance and higher density integrated circuits. Also, transistors formed using silicon-on-insulator technology exhibit inherent radiation hardness, better high temperature performance, higher current driving ability, and lower leakage currents.
Additionally, in some cases, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) techniques use simpler fabrication sequences as compared to circuits fabricated in bulk silicon. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) techniques also provide reduced capacitive coupling between various circuit elements over the entire integrated circuit (IC) chip, and, in CMOS circuits, latchup is substantially reduced. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) techniques reduce chip size and/or increase packing density, and minimum device separation is determined only by the limitations of photolithography. Moreover, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) techniques provide increased circuit speed, due in part to reductions in parasitic capacitance and chip size.
During semiconductor manufacturing processes, layers of various materials are deposited and/or spun-on and/or grown on a workpiece, such as a semiconducting wafer or die, one after the other. After many of the layers are deposited and/or spun-on and/or grown, photolithographic and etching process techniques are used to transfer patterns to the under-lying layer or layers. For the finished product to operate properly, the pattern of each layer should be precisely aligned to the patterns of the other layers on the workpiece, since misalignment of one layer with respect to a previous layer may adversely impact device performance or, in some cases, result in complete device failure. One photolithographic system commonly used is a step-and-scan pattern transfer system (using a "scanner" such as the ASM® Lithography scanner) that involves repetitively transferring a series of image patterns, often with multiple exposures for each portion of a workpiece, to cover the entire workpiece surface.
To achieve acceptable alignment, alignment marks may be formed on the workpiece. The number of alignment marks employed per wafer may vary, e.g., 2-8 per wafer. The previously formed alignment marks may then be used by the stepper tool to properly align the wafer prior to performing photolithography processes on the wafer.
In some embodiments, the alignment marks are typically a pattern of trenches formed by an etching process. The alignment marks desirably have relatively sharp edges, and depths that allows the alignment marks to be recognized by the stepper to make the alignment mark useful as an alignment tool. A typical depth of the alignment mark required by conventional steppers manufactured by ASM® Lithography is in a range of about 1000-2100 Å, although as technology continues to advance, this depth may decrease. Alignment marks used by steppers of other stepper manufacturers may need a different mark depth.
In silicon-on-insulator devices, the alignment marks are formed in the relatively thin semiconducting layer positioned above the insulating layer. However, as device dimensions continue to shrink, locating the alignment marks in the relatively thin semiconducting layer may be problematic for a variety of reasons. For example, as the thickness of the thin semi-conducting layer is reduced, there may be insufficient material to allow formation of the alignment marks in that layer. Additionally, since the layer in which the alignment marks are formed is very thin, the marks may not be as stable as would otherwise be desired. That is, even small movements in the thin semiconducting layer due to, for example, thermal variations, may introduce errors in patterning operations that are aligned by referencing alignment marks formed in such a thin layer. Moreover, during normal processing operations, the upper surface of the semiconducting layer may be exposed to processes that degrade or erode the surface of that layer. For example, the surface of the thin semiconducting layer may be subjected to a variety of heating operations that may tend to convert part of the semiconducting layer to silicon dioxide, thereby consuming part of the semiconducting layer. Additionally, the surface of the semiconducting layer may also be subjected to various cleaning operations during the course of manufacturing, e.g., a dilute acid rinse to remove unwanted native oxide. All of the processes tend to degrade the alignment mark formed in the semiconducting layer. In some cases, the degradation may adversely impact the ability to use the alignment mark in various alignment procedures.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

Method of forming an alignment mark on a wafer, and a wafer comprising same


A method for excavating solid materials within a pressurized storage tank by inserting a flexible lance under pressure within an outlet of the tank, the lance sealed off so that pressure is maintained in the tank, and flowing a pressurized fluid into the storage tank to excavate the solid material from the tank by allowing the material to be sucked out of the outlet port of the tank for collection. The method also includes flowing water under pressure adjacent the exit port for affecting a greater suction on the solids and providing a fluid medium for the solids to easily flow from the tank. The system which undertakes the method of the present invention may be utilized on a skid so as to make the system occupy less space when utilized on the rig floor.

1. Field of the Invention
The system and method of the present invention relates to cleaning of tanks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system of cleaning solids and liquids which have accumulated in tanks, particularly of the type for collection of residue from a downhole drilling operation, wherein the solids in the tank care excavated through high pressure/high volume fluid injection, and are retrieved from the tank while the tank continues to be in operation under high pressure or low pressure (1440 psi--ambient) while the tank remains closed and sealed.
2. General Background
In the drilling and production of oil, the production platform includes all offshore or land production vessels, which receive the salt water, oil and gas condensate and sand, from the downhole production, for collection in the tank. However, during collection, the tank, over time, will accumulate a great quantity of solid materials such as sand, paraffin and other solids, which collect within the tank, and although the fluids such as the oil and water may be siphoned from the tank, the solids which accumulate often fill the entire tank, which after awhile, must be cleaned from the tank in order for the tank to be usable or function at full capacity. Currently, in order to do this, production must be shut off to the vessel or vessels to be cleaned on a platform, and the platform must be shut down, perhaps for days at a time, while the solids are being removed from the tank, to return it into use. If, for example, a platform is producing 10,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil a day, one can imagine the considerable cost of having to shut the platform down and the loss of revenues involved while this operation is going forward, even if there is a temporary loss of production. Also, current methods of cleaning involve cleaning manually with trained personnel making a "confined space entry" which can be dangerous, considering toxic components sometimes are present in the vessels. Most of the time, the vessel is entered through a man-way hatch, but cannot be entered in any other opening to the vessel. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a system and a method for cleaning the tanks on a platform, whereby the solid materials which have accumulated in the tank can be cleaned while the tank continues to be in operation under high pressure, and there is little or no time lost during the cleaning process.

Method and apparatus for cleaning pressure vessels while under operation


A balloon tying station for production of a balloon bouquet, having a rack with spaced-apart axles for spools of ribbon for selectively dispensing longitudinally and a balloon tying device having an elongated cantilever extending in the dispensing direction, so that a ribbon being dispensed longitudinally across the cantilever in the dispensing direction underlies a neck portion of a balloon, which neck portion extends stretchingly around the cantilever and looping over and under for pulling off the cantilever and catching the ribbon to tie the knot and secure the ribbon therein, and having a balloon holding device for receiving the ribbon for collecting together a group of balloons.

The events services industry provides a wide range of products for parties, celebrations, and event gatherings including table settings, ornaments, center pieces, and other decorative appointments. Casual, party, and promotional events often include decorative balloons for ornamentation. The inflated balloons are used, for example, balloon arches (balloons positioned in a group for an arch), balloon drops (gathered inflated balloons held in an overhead net for release to persons below), balloon releases (gathered floatable balloons inflated with helium and held in a net for simultaneous release), and balloon bouquets having a plurality of helium inflated floating balloons (a number of balloons secured with elongated colorful ribbons to a weighted base).
Balloons inflated with helium float upwardly, and thus are typically secured with colorful elongated ribbons to a weight. The ribbon lengths may vary, such that a plurality of the balloons gathered together form a bunch of colorful balloons. Generally, the balloons are inflated and connected to the ribbon in a manual process. The ribbon is selected from various colors typically supplied as an elongated strand on a spool from which a length is unwound and cut to length. Assembly involves inflating one of the balloons with helium supplied through a gas supply nozzle connected to a helium cylinder, which gas supply nozzle inserts into a neck portion of the balloon. Upon inflating, the balloon is then knotted by tying a knot in the neck portion to prevent escape of the helium through the neck portion. One of several spools of ribbon is selected and a free end tied to the neck portion. The ribbon is pulled and cut to selected length to provide a knotted ribboned balloon. With the colorful elongated ribbon tied to the neck portion, the inflated knotted ribboned balloon floats upwardly to collect in a holding pen suspended or mounted to a ceiling. Holding pens typically have grid-like or fence walls that restrict lateral movement of the balloons from the holding pen. The ribbons hang downwardly, and a balloon bouquet may be assembled by gathering a plurality of the balloons from the holding pen and attaching the distal free ends of the ribbons to a weight.
While such assembly and collecting of knotted ribboned balloons provides balloons that may be selected and gathered together for a balloon bouquet, there remains a need for an improved apparatus to assist the production of inflated balloons knotted with colorful ribbons for collecting together as a bouquet of inflated balloons. It is to such that the present invention is directed.


A machine learning engine for fraud detection related to cross-location online transaction processing may be trained using artificial intelligence techniques and used according to techniques discussed herein. An account may be used to electronically process a transaction for an item in a foreign location, such as a new city or country. The transaction may be identified as potentially fraudulent based on the item and/or location of purchase. A service provider may identify a vertical, such as an item type, for the transaction, and may determine the account's propensity to purchase within that vertical in the new location and the merchant's propensity to sell within that vertical to the account's location or shipping address. Based on the propensities, the service provider may utilize one or more risk rules with a risk assessment engine to determine transaction processing risk and whether to proceed with transaction processing.

Various types of service providers may provide electronic transaction processing services to different entities. These service providers may provide online accounts to users for use in processing transactions electronically. In order to secure accounts, users may establish authentication credentials (e.g., a username, password, etc.) used to authenticate user identity and authorize account use. However, misappropriation of authentication credentials and other fraud may introduce the risk of unauthorized transactions.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

Machine learning engine for fraud detection during cross-location online transaction processing


A carrier, such as an autonomous surface treatment device, e.g., a robotic vacuum cleaner, has motive units, such as wheels, for transporting the carrier over a field of operation. The state of the carrier, which can be its position on the field of operation, is determined based, at least in part, on the actual track width of the motive units which will change depending on the carrier's driving mode. For example, when the carrier is operating in a driving mode where it is turning, the actual track width of the motive units will be different from the actual track width of those units when the carrier is proceeding straight ahead. A determination is made of the driving mode in which the carrier is operating at the time its state is to be determined, and the actual track width of the motive units that corresponds to that driving mode is employed in determining the state of the carrier.

Autonomous apparatuses, such as robotic vacuum cleaners and other self-propelled devices, are well known in the prior art as, for example, disclosed in International Patent Applications WO 97/41451 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,179) and WO 00/38028. These autonomous apparatuses, generally, have a main body, supported on or by a number of motor-driven wheels or rollers and include means for surface treatment, such as a rotating brush in combination with a vacuum cleaning device. Typically, they are provided with systems for guidance and navigation, together with a sensing system for obstacle detection. The sensing system generally sweeps around the horizon in a manner similar, for example, to a ship's radar. The autonomous devices usually include microprocessors, together with appropriate software, for controlling the functioning of the devices. Normally, a microprocessor receives input data from the motor driven wheels and the sensing system for the purpose of determining the position of the device and the locations of wall limitations and potential obstacles. This input data is then used as the basis for navigating the autonomous device so that it will be able, for instance, to perform a cleaning function or other surface treatment function on a field of operation according to some predetermined strategy while at the same time avoiding collisions with any obstacles or barriers such as walls, tables, bookcases or the like.
Typically, an autonomous apparatus orients itself at any time within a field of operation defined by a map that is generated on the basis of information obtained from a sensing system. Furthermore, the map, typically, is updated by the autonomous apparatus during its movements. It is important that as accurate a map as possible be generated. It is also important that the exact position and orientation of the apparatus within the field of operation defined by the map be determined in order for the apparatus to satisfactorily perform its functions. Although several types of systems for the self-determination by an autonomous apparatus of its position have been developed, systems having distance sensors that take their input information from the rotation of the wheels on which the autonomous apparatus is transported, have proven to be most cost-effective.
Cost-effective, internal, position-determination systems, usually, comprise wheel sensors that register the number of times the wheels have rotated. In order to determine the distance the apparatus has traveled since a previous registration, the number of wheel rotations is applied to the diameters of the wheels. This distance calculation can be made with reasonably good accuracy when the surface of the field of operation is not too soft and the effective wheel diameter can be assumed to be constant. However, when the surface is slippery or soft, the apparatus may skid and/or the wheels may spin. In those instances, the calculated distance traveled, based on the number of wheel rotations, is incorrect. In order to correct for such circumstances, a position calibration method has to be carried out. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,166.
The method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,166 includes predicting the cumulative overall slippage of the apparatus that occurs when the apparatus travels from a starting point to a destination point along an imaginary path. The creation of the imaginary path includes a first step of rotating the apparatus at the starting point so that the apparatus is directed toward the point of destination. The apparatus is assumed to then travel forward from the staring point to the destination point. Finally, a rotation of the apparatus at the destination point to align it in a predetermined position is assumed to occur. An overall slippage component for each wheel is calculated, based on at least one distance-dependent slippage factor.
To perform the method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,166, the track width of the autonomous apparatus must be known. The track width is the distance that separates the effective contact points between the two driving wheels and the surface over which the apparatus operates. The track width is also utilized for calculating the angles through which the autonomous apparatus would be required to turn along the imaginary path.
A difficulty with the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,166 is that the actual track width of the autonomous apparatus will vary, depending on the type of surface over which the apparatus is to travel and the nature and direction of any turns the apparatus makes. This is because the locations of the effective contact points between the wheels and the surface will vary, so as to vary the actual track width, and because the suspensions of the wheels are not totally rigid. As the effective contact points are displaced during turning of the apparatus, the actual track width will change, and the slippage calculation made in accordance with the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,166 will prove to be erroneous.

Method and device for determining position of an autonomous apparatus


A hand tool is disclosed for extracting a fastener from a material. The hand tool includes a pair of elongate members joined by a pivot to form a pair of jaws and a pair of handles. The pair of jaws are operated by moving the pair of handles relative to one another, and have teeth adapted for gripping a portion of the fastener. Each of the elongate members is curved longitudinally in a plane including an axis of the pivot such that when the fastener is gripped in the pair of jaws, a force applied to the handles tends to extract the fastener from the material while minimizing damage to the material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hand tools, and more particularly to hand tools with pivoting jaws for extracting nails.
2. Description of Related Art
Fasteners such as nails are commonly used to fasten objects to materials such as wood. Finish nails and brads are generally relatively small, thin nails with small heads at one end. Finish nails and brads are typically used in lighter applications where appearance is important.
The common hammer is often used to drive nails into materials such as wood. A typical hammer has a head attached to one end of a handle. The head of the hammer has a flat face on one side for striking nails, and a pair of claws on an opposite side for removing nails. However, powered nail guns are increasingly being used instead of hammers, especially by professional installers, and a typical nail gun does not have features for removing nails. Further, the claws of most hammers do not grip heads of finish nails and brads well. Further still, the heads of finish nails and brads are typically driven slightly below surface levels of materials being attached so the fasteners are less visible. In order to extract such fasteners (e.g., using the claws of a hammer), the heads must first be raised above the surface levels.
The current state of the art is disclosed in Foley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,560 B2, which teaches a nail-pulling tool that has a two-piece proximal handle pivotally joined with a two-piece distal jaw by a pivoting means. The distal jaw is operated like a standard hand tool with compression of the handle causing the jaw to close, and vice-versa. The distal jaw has an elliptical surface so that with the distal jaw resting on a work surface and closed about a nail protruding from the work surface, and with the handle laying adjacent the work surface, raising the handle away from the work surface in an arc, causes the nail to be pulled from the work surface at an ever increasing rate. Axially oriented jaw teeth provide improved gripping and a pair of tongue and groove opposing surfaces enable cutting and further improved gripping. A hammer surface enables driving of a nail into the work surface rather than pulling it out, and a claw element enables pulling a nail head up so as to be better gripped by the tool. The tool is ideally designed for pulling a bent nail partially upward, straightening it, and then hammering it back into the surface in a more correct and improved manner for accomplishing its fastening task.
It would be beneficial to have a hand tool specially adapted to extract a fastener from a material. Such a hand tool would ideally be capable of easily accessing a fastener having a head located below a surface level of a material.

Hand tool for extracting a fastener from a material


Providing a task-aware recommendation of hyperparameter configurations for a neural network architecture. First, a joint space of tasks and hyperparameter configurations are constructed using a plurality of tasks (each of which corresponds to a dataset) and a plurality of hyperparameter configurations. The joint space is used as training data to train and optimize a performance prediction network, such that for a given unseen task corresponding to one of the plurality of tasks and a given hyperparameter configuration corresponding to one of the plurality of hyperparameter configurations, the performance prediction network is configured to predict performance that is to be achieved for the unseen task using the hyperparameter configuration.

Using models pre-trained on large datasets such as ImageNet for transfer learning on a new task has become a de-facto practice to push the performance boundary on several computer vision tasks, most notably image classification. While deep neural networks excel in solving visual recognition tasks, they require significant effort to find hyperparameters that make them work optimally. A hyperparameter (e.g., learning rate, layers to fine-tune, optimizer, etc.) is a parameter whose value is set before the learning process begins.
Transfer learning (TL) is a research problem in machine learning (ML) that focuses on storing knowledge gained while solving one problem and applying it to a different but related problem. Although transfer learning improves performance on new tasks, it requires ML experts spending hours finding the right hyperparameters.
Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) is a machine learning paradigm which automates the process of searching neural network architectures, via Neural Architecture Search (NAS) and associated hyperparameters, via Hyperparameter Optimization systems (HPO), with little or no manual intervention. AutoML enables deep learning to be used in systems/applications without requiring expert knowledge. It helps democratize the use of Deep Learning by reducing the need for Deep Learning expertise in application development.
Researchers have relied on HPO, ranging from simple random search to sophisticated Bayesian Optimization (BO), Hyperband (BB) and BOBB to reduce manual effort and automate the process of finding the optimal hyperparameters. Though more effective than manual search, these approaches are still slow since most of them trigger the same procedure for any new task and do not leverage any information from past experiences on related tasks.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Task-aware recommendation of hyperparameter configurations


A switching power supply unit is provided, in which widening of the input voltage range can be achieved while suppressing production of a surge current. A transformer having two primary windings having the number of turns equal to each other, and two inductors are provided correspondingly to two switching circuits. By using an input voltage detection circuit, a control section, and connection changeover switches, when an input DC voltage is lower than a threshold voltage, a first current path and a second current path are connected in parallel to each other, and when the input DC voltage is higher than a threshold voltage, they are connected in series to each other. A turn ratio between the primary windings and secondary windings is large in a case of series connection compared with a case of parallel connection. Moreover, current is gently changes in the circuits by an effect of the inductors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching power supply unit configured such that switching output obtained by switching an input DC voltage is drawn out from an output winding of a power conversion transformer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, various types of switching power supply units have been proposed and provided for practical use. Most of them are in a type where an input DC voltage is switched by switching operation of a switching circuit connected to an input winding of a power conversion transformer, and switching output is drawn out from an output winding of the power conversion transformer. A voltage induced on the output winding in association with such switching operation of the switching circuit is rectified by a rectifier circuit, the rectified voltage is converted to a DC voltage by a smoothing circuit, and the smoothed voltage is outputted.
In a switching power supply unit of this type, it is desirable to widen an input voltage range in which an output voltage can be kept constant. Thus, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-136939 proposes a switching power supply unit in which two windings having the same number of turns are provided at a primary side of a transformer correspondingly to two switching elements (switching circuits), and the two primary windings are connected in series or parallel to each other depending on a level of an input voltage.