An interactive electronic greeting card with pop up feature includes a three-sided pocket or cavity which houses various electronic and mechanical components and a pop up element. In a first position, the pop up element is substantially contained within the greeting card pocket or cavity. When the push button is depressed, the pop up element is ejected or “pops up” out of the greeting card pocket or cavity, revealing a greeting or other printed indicia. The push button also initiates playback of a pre-loaded digital audio file, which may be a spoken message, a sound, a song, music or other such audio recording.

Traditional paper greeting cards have been widely used for celebratory occasions such as birthdays, graduations, weddings, and for other commercial purposes. More recently, the market has expanded with greeting cards that attempt to capture attention by alternate designs and other features to enhance the communicative and entertainment value of social and relational greetings. The widespread availability of compact digital electronics has made incorporation into social communication products economical. Although the prior art includes greeting cards with sound-generating features, such cards are generally available only in a fixed format wherein a sound file is played upon activation by manipulation of the card. Cards with mechanical or structural features such as three-dimensional "pop-ups" are conventionally made with multiple panels or pages which are attached at various locations to unfold in multiple planes. A particular challenge to incorporate mechanical movement in a greeting card is to do so without making the card too bulky or thick, so that it has the same general configuration and size as conventional flat panel cards.


A power-on reset circuit (28) is disclosed. The circuit includes a first stage circuit (30) and a second stage circuit (32). The first stage circuit includes an input terminal coupled to receive an input signal, a latch for detecting a power-on condition, and an output terminal for providing a first stage circuit output signal. The first stage circuit output signal remains in a first state after detection of the power-on condition. The second stage circuit includes an input terminal coupled to receive the first stage circuit output signal, a latch for detecting the power-on condition, and an output terminal for providing a second stage circuit output signal. The second stage circuit output signal remains in the first state after detection of the power-on condition. The first stage circuit output signal changes state from the first state to a second state when the input signal changes state from the second state to the first state, and the second stage circuit output signal changes state from the first state to the second state only the first time that the first stage circuit output signal changes state from the first state to the second state.

A power-on reset (POR) circuit provides a reset signal for a subsystem, or subsystems, in a computer system. More specifically, a power-on reset output signal POR*, usually an active low signal, of the POR circuit is asserted low for a period of time when the power provided to the computer system is initially switched on. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate typical timing diagrams of power provided to a computer system and the signal POR*. The power provided to the computer system, for example V.sub.dd, is represented by waveform 10 in FIG. 1A and switches on in a time period equal to (t.sub.2 -t.sub.1). The power-on reset output signal POR*, represented by waveform 12 in FIG. 1B, is necessarily asserted low in this same time period (t.sub.2 -t.sub.1). Further, the signal POR* is usually maintained in the active low state for another time period equal to (t.sub.3 -t.sub.2). In this time period (t.sub.3 -t.sub.2), a controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), initiates its internal status, and some peripheral chips, such as a direct memory access (DMA) controller or a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART), clear their registers. A typical active time period, (t.sub.3 -t.sub.1) of the signal POR* is in the range of about 10 ms to 100 ms. This time period (t.sub.3 -t.sub.1) is long compared with the switching time of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor (usually 0.0005 ms for a 0.5 .mu.m process).
Power-on reset (POR) circuits known in the art are implemented either inside or outside a chip, depending on the particular application. For example, a conventional POR circuit for a CPU chip is built outside the CPU chip, while a POR circuit for a peripheral chip may be built either inside or outside the chip.
A conventional POR circuit includes an RC network to generate the signal POR*. For example, an RC circuit with a resistor having a value of about 1 Mohm and a capacitor having a value of about 0.1 .mu.F will generate the signal POR* having an active time of about 82 ms. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating a typical POR circuit with an RC circuit fabricated in an integrated circuit. In the circuit of FIG. 2, a capacitor 20 is implemented with a p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor having its source, drain, and substrate (or body) connected to ground. The capacitance of the capacitor 20 is determined by the size of the PMOS transistor used. More specifically, a PMOS transistor occupying more area results in a capacitor having more parasitic capacitance, that dominates the total capacitance. Moreover, the parasitic capacitance of a PMOS transistor is about three times the parasitic capacitance of an n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor having the same size as the PMOS transistor. Therefore, the PMOS transistor is conventionally used as a capacitor instead of the NMOS transistor.
Still referring to FIG. 2, a resistor 22 is implemented with another PMOS transistor having its source and substrate connected to a supply line for voltage V.sub.dd, and its gate connected to ground. The PMOS transistor 22 also has its drain connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor connected as the capacitor 20. Because a PMOS transistor has a larger parasitic sheet resistance in its channel than an NMOS transistor, the resistor of an RC circuit is usually implemented by a PMOS transistor. The output signal from the drain of the PMOS transistor connected as the resistor 22 is usually connected to an input line of cascaded inverters 24, that commonly include two NOT gates 240 and 242 connected in series. The cascaded inverters 24 are used to shape the signal connected to its input line to a better form, and the required signal POR* is then provided at the output line of the cascaded inverters 24.
The POR circuit of FIG. 2 can be fabricated with a peripheral circuit (not shown in this figure) in the same chip to reduce the total count of components on a system board. However, the area occupied by the resistor 22 and the capacitor 20 is very large compared with standard devices such as logic gates or flip-flops. For example, the typical parasitic capacitance of a PMOS transistor is 0.4 pF/.mu.m.sup.2. Consequently, an area of about 250,000 .mu.m.sub.2 is required to fabricate a capacitor having a capacitance of 0.1 .mu.F. This occupied area is about the total area of 2200 two-input NAND gates for a 0.5 .mu.m process. Further, the typical sheet resistance of the PMOS transistor is 2.5.times.10.sup.4 ohms per square. Consequently, an area of about 80 .mu.m.sub.2 is required to fabricate a resistor having a resistance of 1 Mohm. Unfortunately, the area used for fabricating the capacitor will not shrink while the technology of the semiconductor industry progresses. Therefore, the area occupied by the PMOS capacitor becomes a dominant factor in determining the chip size.

Power-on reset circuit without an RC Network

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A bottom package for a PoP (package-on-package) may be formed with a reinforcement layer supporting a thin or coreless substrate. The reinforcement layer may provide stiffness and rigidity to the substrate to increase the stiffness and rigidity of the bottom package and provide better handling of the substrate. The reinforcement layer may be formed using core material, a laminate layer, and a metal layer. The substrate may be formed on the reinforcement layer. The reinforcement layer may include an opening sized to accommodate a die. The die may be coupled to an exposed surface of the substrate in the opening. Metal filled vias through the reinforcement layer may be used to couple the substrate to a top package.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor packaging and methods for packaging semiconductor devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a bottom package of a PoP (package-on-package) that accommodates an active or passive component.
2. Description of Related Art
Package-on-package ("PoP") technology has become increasingly popular as the demand for lower cost, higher performance, increased integrated circuit density, and increased package density continues in the semiconductor industry. As the push for smaller and smaller packages increases, the integration of die and package (e.g., "pre-stacking" or the integration of system on a chip ("SoC") technology with memory technology) allows for thinner packages. Such pre-stacking has become a critical component for thin and fine pitch PoP packages.
One limitation in reducing the size of a package (e.g., either the top package (the memory package) or the bottom package (the SoC package) in the PoP package) is the size of the substrate used in the package. Thin substrates and/or coreless substrates (e.g., laminate substrates) have been used to reduce the thickness of the packages to more desirable levels. The likelihood of warping, caused by the difference in thermal characteristics of materials, may increase, however, due to the use of thinner substrates in the package. Warping likelihood may increase because the thin or coreless substrates have less mechanical strength to resist the effects caused by differences in thermal characteristics between materials.
Thus, as PoP packages get thinner and pitch (e.g, spacing between contacts) gets finer, warping has an increased role in failure or reduced performance of the PoP package and/or problems in reliability of devices utilizing the PoP package. For example, the differences in warpage behavior between top and bottom packages in the PoP package may cause yield loss in the solder joints coupling the packages (e.g., either shorts or bridges between adjacent solder joints or open or disconnected opposing solder terminals depending on the warpage behavior). A large fraction of PoP structures may be thrown away (rejected) because of stringent warpage specifications placed on the top and/or bottom packages. Rejecting PoP structures contributes to low pre-stack yield, wasted materials, and increased manufacturing costs. Thus, many advancements and/or design modifications are being taken and contemplated to inhibit warping in packages using thin or coreless substrates and packages with fine ball pitches.
One solution that has been used for fine ball pitches has been the use of an encapsulant or molding material on the top surface of the bottom package. The encapsulant may be used to inhibit shorting between solder joints during solder reflow. The encapsulant may also provide electrical insulation between adjacent solder joints during use of the PoP package and/or provide mechanical support for the die (e.g., SOC) coupled to the bottom substrate. Through-mold vias (TMVs) are typically used to provide terminals on the bottom package to connect to terminals (e.g., solder balls) on the top package. One problem that arises with the use of TMVs is that during formation of the vias (typically done with laser ablation), the vias may be overablated. Overablation may create thin walls in the encapsulant between adjacent TMVs. These thin walls may allow solder to flow between adjacent TMVs during solder reflow and bridge (short) the corresponding adjacent solder joints. The use of TMVs may also lead to open defects in the PoP package. Open defects may be caused by shifting of the top package and/or bottom package, poor control of the TMV shape, and/or sticking of solder balls due to ball size. As PoP ball pitch gets smaller, problems caused by bridging or open defects may become more frequent and/or more severe.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A puncture seal device for stemming the flow of blood from a punctured blood vessel has an elongated outer sheath affixed to a generally tubular housing where the housing contains a manually actuable slide which is affixed to a rigid tubular pusher member coaxially disposed within the outer sheath. Also contained within the outer sheath in longitudinal alignment with the pusher and distally thereof is a ring-shaped plug of a hemostatic material. The assembly thus far described may be fitted over a tubular introducer or the body of a catheter and then advanced therealong until the distal end of the outer sheath is proximate a bleeding blood vessel. By actuating the pusher member, the hemostatic plug surrounding the introducer or catheter is ejected from the distal end of the outer sheath and held in abutting relationship to the bleeding blood vessel.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a surgical instrument for use in intravascular catheterization procedures, and more particularly to devices for positioning a hemostatic agent against a puncture entry wound in a blood vessel to stem the flow of blood therefrom following removal of the catheter and catheter introducer at the conclusion of the procedure.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
When performing angiography or angioplasty procedures, following the Seldinger technique, the angiography catheter or angioplasty catheter is generally introduced into the vascular system by first employing a sharpened hollow needle to penetrate the skin, the underlying muscle tissue, and to enter the selected blood vessel. Next, a guidewire is commonly inserted through the lumen of the hollow needle and made to enter the selected blood vessel. Following that, the needle is stripped off the guidewire and a combination of a dilator and an introducer (or an introducer alone) are fed over the guidewire and pushed through the skin until first the dilator and next the introducer enter the selected blood vessel. The guidewire may next be removed, and the selected catheter for carrying out the procedure is fed through the lumen of the introducer and advanced through the vascular system until the working end of the catheter is appropriately positioned. Depending upon the procedure, a dye may be injected through the catheter or a balloon expanded. Following the conclusion of the catheterization procedure, the working catheter will be withdrawn and, subsequently, the combination dilator and introducer will also be stripped out of the wound.
Because it is common practice to administer a blood thinning agent to the patient prior to many of the procedures, a problem exists in stemming the flow of blood through the puncture wound made in the vein or artery. Typically, it is necessary to maintain pressure over the region for at least 30 minutes. Even more time is required if the patient is hypertensive or anticoagulated. When human hand pressure is utilized, it is somewhat wasteful of professional time. Devices, such as pressure bandages, sand bags or clamps may be employed, but for these devices to work, the patient must be compliant and motionless for this prolonged period. Also, with obese patients, because of the significant amount of tissue between the skin and the penetrated vessel, good hemostatic pressure oftentimes cannot be obtained above the penetrated artery or vein. Thus, a need exists for a means for accelerating hemostasis.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,852,568 and 4,890,612 to Kenneth Kensey, a device and method is described for sealing puncture or incision wounds created percutaneously during a surgical procedure. In accordance with the teachings of the Kensey patents, a collagen plug having an anchoring mechanism in the form of a filament or string attached, is passed through the introducer following removal of the working catheter and is allowed to enter the blood vessel to be sealed. The introducer is then removed from the body and the string is tensioned until the collagen plug affixed to its end abuts the surgically-created opening in the blood vessel proximate its interior wall. When the collagen material is exposed to body fluids, it swells to create a block for the wound in the vessel wall while the collagen itself acts as a blood clotting agent and accelerates hemostasis.
Problems exist with the approach set out in the aforereferenced Kensey patents. More particularly, any intraluminal deposition of a collagen can result in embolization, especially as the material begins to reabsorb. Particles may break off and float downstream to the point where they may lodge in a smaller vessel, causing an infarct to occur. Not only that, but collagen material acts as a nidus for platelet aggregation which assists in blood clotting. Hence, the intraluminal deposition of a hemostatic agent can initiate a thrombosis at the site.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,838,280 and 4,936,835 to John R. Haaga teach the idea of incorporating a hemostatic material as a part of a needle biopsy device so that following the gathering of the tissue sample, a hemostatic plug can be left in the void in the tissue from which the sample had been excised. The collagen plug that is left behind serves as a hemostatic agent for more rapidly stemming blood flow from the point of injection of the biopsy needle.
Applicants are also aware of a product produced by Datascope Inc. of Montvale, N.J., and sold under the trademark "VASOSEAL". That device comprises a kit including a guidewire, a needle clip, a skin dilator, an outer syringe barrel, an inner plunger, and two cylinders of compressed collagen material. In carrying out the blood vessel sealing procedure using the VASOSEAL apparatus, two operators are required. Before the original puncture needle is removed, a clip is placed on the shaft of the needle at the skin level to mark the distance down to the artery. The needle and clip are then placed up against a card having graduations printed thereon and one of a plurality of device lengths are selected. When the catheterization procedure is completed, all devices are removed except for a guidewire. One operator is needed to maintain compression upstream while another operator works on the puncture site. A skin dilator is advanced over the guidewire into the tissue to the measured level. A syringe barrel is then advanced over the skin dilator to the same measured level. The dilator and the guidewire are then removed. Next, a plunger is loaded with one of the two plugs of collagen and this is inserted into the syringe barrel and advanced down into the wound. The plunger is removed and reloaded with a second collagen plug and this, too, is inserted down into the syringe barrel into the wound. The main operator now takes over the job of applying a compression force over the area and holds the spot for several minutes. When no bleed-back or hematoma growth is seen, the operator removes the syringe and plunger.


A riding simulation system includes a steering handle mechanism capable of being gripped by an operator for steering a front wheel of a motorcycle displayed on a display of a personal computer or the like. The system also includes a frame body for rotatably holding the steering handle mechanism, and a control unit mounted to the frame body for performing control based on the operation amounts of the steering handle mechanism, a clutch lever and a brake lever, with a circuit substrate being incorporated in the control unit and being connected to the detection units through connection cables. The riding simulation system provides a relatively small system with a control unit that is easily mounted to enhance maintenance and installation of system components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a riding simulation system for providing an operator with a pseudo-experience of a running condition of a motorcycle, and more particularly to a riding simulation system displaying scenery seen to the rider as a visual image on a display based on an operating condition of operation designated by the operator.
2. Description of the Background Art
Riding simulation systems for providing an operator with a pseudo-experience of running conditions of a motorcycle by displaying various running conditions on a display in response to various operations performed by the operator have been adopted in the background art for the purpose of entertainment, in the education of the proper operation of a motorcycle, etc.
For example, a riding simulation system for entertainment has a structure in which a steering handle shaft portion extending toward the upper side of a base member having a lower surface formed to be a roughly flat surface shape is provided, and steering handles extending leftwards and rightwards are disposed at a top portion of the steering handle shaft portion. In addition, a box-like instrument panel box having a control panel at its top face is provided at a top portion of the steering handle shaft portion, and steering handles are disposed respectively in leftward and rightward directions from side surfaces of the instrument panel box.
In addition, the steering handles are fitted respectively with a right lever functioning as a brake lever for a front wheel and a left lever for a clutch changeover operation, and an accelerating operation of the motorcycle displayed on the display is effected through a right grip for acceleration which is provided rotatably at a right end portion of the steering handles.
With the riding simulation system mounted on a flat surface such as a floor, the player of the entertainment system grips the steering handles, turns the steering handles around the steering handle shaft portion serving as a center according to the operating condition, turns the right grip as required to effect an accelerating operation of the motorcycle displayed on the display, and/or operates the right lever and the left lever to effect deceleration and perform gear change operations.
In this case, the turning amount of the steering handles, the turning amount of the right grip, the operation amounts of the right lever and the left lever, and the like are outputted as output signals to a circuit substrate provided in the inside of the instrument panel box. The output signals are subjected to data processing in the circuit substrate, and the results of the processing are displayed as the running conditions of the motorcycle on the display. By visually confirming the display, the player gets a pseudo-experience of the operation of the motorcycle.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-113264 (paragraphs [0010] to [0023]), the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides an exemplary riding simulation system of the background art. In the riding simulation system according to this reference, the circuit substrate for performing the data processing based on the operation amounts of the steering handles, the right grip, the right lever and the left lever and outputting the results of the processing to the exterior is provided in the inside of the instrument panel box.
However, the present inventor has determined that the systems of the background art suffer from the following disadvantages. The instrument panel box may be increased in size with respect to the height direction by an amount corresponding to the incorporation of the circuit substrate therein. As a result, there is a concern that the instrument panel box having an increased size in the height direction would restrict the field of view when the player visually confirms the display which is disposed on the front side of the riding simulation system. In addition, since the circuit substrate is incorporated in the instrument panel box, maintenance thereof is intricate and/or complex to perform.


Disclosed herein are a coil resonant coupler for short distance wireless power communication and a short distance wireless power transmitting apparatus comprising the same. The coil resonant coupler for short distance wireless power communication comprises a first coil installed perpendicularly to a first axis; a second coil installed perpendicularly to a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; and a third coil installed perpendicularly to a third axis perpendicular to each of the first and second axes. The short distance wireless power transmitting apparatus comprises a primary side core comprising the above-described coil resonant coupler, a position sensing unit which senses a position of the wireless power receiving apparatus to generate position information, and a transmission controlling unit which controls the primary side core based on the position information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coil resonant coupler for short distance wireless power communication, and a short distance wireless power transmitting apparatus comprising the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, portable apparatuses such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) terminals, MP3 players, or laptop computers may not use general household power, such that the portable apparatuses are mounted with a one-time battery or a rechargeable battery.
In a charger for charging the battery of the portable apparatus with electricity, a terminal supplying scheme of receiving the electricity from a general power supply and supplying power to a battery pack of the battery through a power supplying terminal is known in the related art. However, when the power is supplied in the terminal supplying scheme, if the charger and the battery are connected to or disconnected from each other, the respective terminals may have different potential differences and may generate an instantaneous discharge phenomenon. Therefore, foreign materials which may have collected at the terminals create a risk of a fire. In addition, self-discharge into the environment due to moisture or the like may deteriorate a lifespan and performance of the charger and the battery.
In order to solve these problems in the terminal supplying scheme, a contactless charger has been developed. In the contactless charger according to the related art, when a terminal, in which a battery to be charged is embedded, is positioned on a primary coil of the contactless charger, the battery is charged with electricity by a secondary coil of the battery. That is, the secondary coil charges electricity of an electromotive force induced by a magnetic field generated in the primary coil.
However, the contactless charger according to the related art may charge the battery only if a wireless power receiving apparatus is significantly close to the charger.
In order to solve this problem, short distance wireless power communication systems have been developed. Among these short distance wireless power communication systems, a magnetic resonance type wireless power communication system in which less or more directed electromagnetic waves are generated has been suggested, in order to increase efficiency of power transmission.

Short distance wireless power transmitting apparatus which enchances wireless power transmitting capability regardless of a relative arrangment with respect to a wireless power receiving apparatus


A tile spacing tool is disclosed herein that spans a gap between tile rows where the gap is sized to receive a decorative insert or the like. The spacing tool spans the gap and transfers the weight of the upper tile rows across the gap to the lower tile rows, which are supported by a floor or ledge. As a result, the entire wall can be built including the decorative insert without waiting for the bottom tile rows to dry to support the weight of the tile rows above the decorative insert.

Tiles are typically placed on an adhesive such as mortar to attach the tiles to the underlying surface. Spacers are used between tiles to provide a uniform spacing between the tiles. In wall applications, the bottom tiles rest on a support surface, such as a floor or ledge. The second row of tiles rests on the bottom row of tiles via spacers that are positioned on the bottom row of tiles. The stacking of rows of tiles is repeated up to the top row of tiles such that the spacers transfer the weight of all the tile rows to the bottom row, and thus to the floor or ledge. The spacers are removed after the mortar is cured or dried sufficiently to hold the tiles in place, and the gaps between the tiles are then filled with grout.
For some types of wall designs, decorative inserts are used that are not able to support the weight of additional rows of tiles above the insert, or include uneven edges or backing material that make support of the upper tile row on the decorative insert using prior art spacers impractical. For these types of designs, the wall is built up to the insert and then it is necessary to wait for the adhesive to dry or cure before installing the tile rows above the decorative insert in order to prevent these tile rows from disturbing the placement of the decorative insert. Therefore, further improvements in this area are needed.


There is provided a technique for reducing the possibility that a user loses track of how a road, etc., grasped by him/her have been changed on a map. A navigation system includes: a map display part that displays a map on a display in any of a plurality of display modes, the map including a current location; a moving image display part that displays, when the display mode changes, a moving image in which the map is rotated and the display mode before being changed gradually changes to a changed display mode, on the display; and a speed-of-change control part that increases a speed of change in the display mode after start of the change in the display mode.

Conventionally, there is known a technique for rotating a map so as to change a relationship between a specific direction on the map and a reference direction on a display. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for rotating a map so as to switch between a north-up map in which the north on the map is oriented in an upward direction on a display and a head-up map in which a vehicle's traveling direction on the map is oriented in the upward direction on the display. In addition, Patent Literature 1 discloses a configuration in which a map is gradually rotated.

Navigation system and navigation program


A method of fabricating a semiconductor memory device, comprising recess-etching a major surface of a semiconductor substrate, thereby forming a pillar that becomes a device formation region; burying an insulation film in the recess-etched region, thereby forming a device isolation region; burying a first oxide film at a side wall of the pillar on the device isolation region; forming a second oxide film on an upper part of the pillar; and removing an upper part of the first oxide film using the second oxide film as a mask, thereby exposing an upper surface and an upper part of the side wall of the pillar; and the method, comprising forming a conductive material on the exposed upper surface and the exposed upper part of the side wall of the pillar, thereby forming a surface strap that electrically connects the capacitor and the second activation region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor memory device having a surface strap, and a method of fabricating the semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) having a trench capacitor. This invention is applied to a fin-gate trench-type DRAM.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with a decrease in cell size due to reduction in design rules, a channel width, which is an important parameter for determining a current drive power of a cell transistor, has decreased and a drive power has lowered. In order to suppress such lowering in driving power of the cell transistor, a trench-type DRAM cell using a fin-gate-type double-gate transistor is proposed (e.g. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-118255).
In a prior-art fabrication process of forming the trench-type DRAM, there is a case where after a gate electrode of a cell transistor is processed, a spacer SiN film is formed on a side wall of the gate electrode to provide a source/drain region with an LDD (Lightly. Doped Drain) structure. At this time, in the case of a fin-gate cell transistor, the SiN film is also formed on a side wall of an activation region (source/drain region) at a position deeper than the major surface of the semiconductor substrate. As a result, when the trench capacitor and one of activation regions of the cell transistor are electrically connected by a surface strap, contact is made only at a substrate surface portion.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a contact area between a trench capacitor and a source region of a cell transistor in a trench-type DRAM using the conventional fin-gate-type double-gate transistor.
FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a pillar FIN formed in a major surface portion of a semiconductor substrate 111, an STI oxide film 100 serving as a device isolation region, a source region 101 formed in the pillar FIN, a surface strap 102, an SiN film 103 formed at a side wall portion of the pillar FIN, a barrier SiN film 104, and a BPSG film 105.
In a contact side-wall portion 106 encircled by a broken line, a portion of the SiN film 103, which is formed as the spacer SiN film-on the side wall of the gate electrode, is left, and the surface strap 102 is electrically connected to the source region-101 only at an upper surface thereof (i.e. an upper surface of the pillar FIN). Thus, contact resistance between the surface strap 102 and source region 101 increases.
Recently, to meet a demand for miniaturization, the width of the pillar FIN and activation region is reduced. Consequently, with the prior-art structure wherein contact is made only at the surface of the pillar, the contact area between the surface strap and source region decreases and the contact resistance increases. This may lead to a deterioration in data storage characteristics and data write speed of the DRAM.

Semiconductor memory device with surface strap and method of fabricating the same


A method for adjusting a curved swath path in a swath generation apparatus used in an automated vehicle guidance system to compensate for changes in vehicle position signals.

The present invention relates generally to GPS-based vehicle guidance systems and more particularly to a method for adjusting a curved swath path to compensate for changes in vehicle position signals.
Tractors and other off-road work vehicles in the agricultural, mining and construction industries have typically operated with manual steering by the operator. Recent changes in control systems and the development of satellite-based navigation (GPS) systems, including those incorporating differential correction systems, have allowed tractors to operate in semi-automatic or fully automatic steering modes. Combining satellite navigation and ground-based navigation input signals precisely identifying vehicle position and speed with sophisticated on-board vehicle electronic control systems allow the tractor to steer itself with a high degree of accuracy when traversing terrain. The result is that precision farming practices are transitioning from a luxury to a necessity, capable of improving efficiency and yield in common farming operations, such as tilling, seeding, fertilizing, spraying and harvesting.
To provide this control, the prior art teaches using satellite positioning information by an on-board vehicle navigation control system to accurately determine and control a vehicle's position while operating in a field. The operator will typically enter the planned route of the tractor, or let the control system determine the most efficient route. The control methods are well known in the art, and may involve multiple position transmitters or receivers, with various signals used to derive vehicle location, elevation, direction of travel (vehicle heading), attitude, and speed.
The task of precision guidance of an agricultural vehicle involves not only accurately determining vehicle position in a field, but also defining an efficient array of paths to be followed by the vehicle that will, in conjunction with the swath of an associated implement, create an overall swath pattern that efficiently and effectively covers the crop area of a field. The pattern must be located and oriented on the field, and the physical characteristics and limitations of the vehicle and coupled implement must be identified and provided to the navigation system. Implement or header width, location of the implement or header with respect to the vehicle, and limitations on vehicle and associated implement movement, such as minimum turning radius, must also be considered. With this information it is possible to define a series of swath paths for the vehicle to travel in an attempt to cover all cultivatable portions of a field without unnecessary gaps or overlaps.
Calculating the series of paths needed to cover an area without substantial gaps or overlaps is relatively straightforward when straight paths can be used, however, not all fields can be covered in this manner. Many fields require the use of paths having a curvature that varies along at least some portion of its length, whether to follow irregularly shaped boundaries, avoid obstacles within the field, follow topographic contours of the ground, implement agronomic farming practices, or to contour the ground for irrigation. Such conditions preclude a complete reliance on geometrically predefined paths, such as straight lines or constant radius curves. In order to provide generally equally spaced swaths, the path of each adjacent swath must change slightly compared to the prior swath path as the vehicle moves generally transversely across the field (i.e., from one swath to the next) the radius of each curved portion of the swath path varies slightly from the adjacent swath path.
Vehicle guidance systems must be able to store and retrieve swath path information as well as determine new adjacent swath paths from a baseline swath path or create new swath paths from defined starting and ending positions. The number of swath paths to be stored and/or determined increases as the size of the field increases. For swath paths that include variable curvature along their length, the number of positional data points necessary to fully define the swath path between starting and ending points is significantly increased compared to using only starting and ending position points to create straight-line paths. The systems must also quickly present swath path and control information to the operator in an easily understood and useful manner, which requires computational efficiency. As the vehicle operator positions the vehicle near the start of a swath path and prepares to engage the vehicle navigation system, the system must quickly determine if a swath path has been stored in system memory or can be calculated from a swath path stored in system memory and then direct the vehicle to the closest, presumably most appropriate path. If no swath paths are stored in the system memory data exists, then the system must alert the operator and direct the recording of a new swath path or allow the operator to provide a stored swath path from another memory source (i.e., change the removable memory media to one having stored swath path information).
Satellite-based vehicle guidance systems may periodically experience signal drift. Vehicle position signal drift introduces differences between the actual vehicle position and the vehicle position sensed by the vehicle guidance system. In precision farming applications, even slight discrepancies can have significant impact on the swath pattern in a field. As a result, vehicle guidance systems must be able to compensate for signal drift, adjusting the vehicle position sensed by the guidance system to match actual vehicle and implement position in the field.
It would be a great advantage to provide a method and apparatus for creating curved swath patterns for use by a vehicle navigation system that streamlines data storage requirements to reduce demands on the storage and computational elements of the navigation system thereby reducing hardware expense of the vehicle guidance system. Further advantages would be realized if the method and apparatus for creating curved swath patterns for use by a vehicle navigation system was capable of storing path positional data for new paths while the system was engaged in other activities, such as automatic guidance along existing paths so that additional, unproductive travel to memorize points on another path is minimized. Still further advantages would be realized if the method and apparatus recognized vehicle/implement limitations in following a defined path and adjusted such paths accordingly. Still further advantages would be realized if the apparatus were capable of receiving periodic adjustments to the vehicle position signal and accurately altering generated paths to account for signal drift. These and other advantages are provided by the method and vehicle guidance system described below.

Nudge compensation for curved swath paths


The present invention is directed to chemoprotectant precursor compositions provided from crucifer seeds and sprouts and methods for their preparation. Treatment of aqueous extracts from crucifer seeds or sprouts with adsorbents substantially increases the ratio of certain highly chemoprotectant precursor compounds (alkyl glucosinolates such as glucoraphanin, a.k.a. sulforaphane glucosinolate) to undesirable compounds such as indole glucosinolates (for example 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin). The method provides an extract which has a ratio of glucoraphanin to 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin of about 70 or greater. The resulting extract has improved color and odor and may be dried or used directly as an additive in a variety of foodstuffs.

It is generally agreed that diet plays a large role in controlling the risk of developing cancers and that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer incidences in humans. The presence of certain minor chemical components in plants may provide a major protection mechanism when delivered to mammalian cells.
Cruciferious vegetables contain phytochemical precursors to potent chemoprotectants especially glucoraphanin and its associated conversion product sulforaphane, that when delivered to mammalian cells trigger carcinogen detoxification mechanisms. In addition to reducing the risk of getting certain cancers, glucoraphanin through its bioactive conversion product sulforphane has recently been shown effective in destroying the organism responsible for causing the majority of stomach ulcers and may provide novel approaches for reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular and ocular diseases. Efforts are being undertaken to gain approval for making label claims on food products either naturally high in these agents or for foods containing added crucifer chemoprotectants. Products containing chemoprotectant additives, although without claims, are already on the market.
Cruciferous vegetables also contain other compounds, such as indole glucosinolates, which are problematic for maintaining good health. Not only are these compounds weak inducers of the carcinogen detoxification system, but also they can induce systems which may bioactivate certain pro-carcinogens. In addition, the breakdown products of indole glucosinolates formed in the stomach during digestion may act in a similar manner to dioxin, a very potent toxin. Therefore, it is advantageous to produce glucoraphanin-containing preparations containing as little residual indole glucosinolates, or other adverse compounds, as possible.
Several patents describe the development of highly chemoprotecant crucifer germplasm with a significantly improved ratio of glucoraphanin to indole glucosinolates (increasing the ratio from about 0.2 to ˜30). See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,521,818, 6,242,018, 6,177,122, 5,968,567, 5,968,505 and 5,725,895; however, developing the germplasm from laboratory to field trials to market will require considerable time, upwards of up to 5 years, and with no guarantee of success. Hence, there is a need to provide alternative methods for producing high yields of glucoraphanin with a high ratio of glucoraphanin to indole glucosinolates.

Chemoprotectants from crucifer seeds and sprouts


The object to provide a child safety seat for a vehicle with a harness that can be tightened and clamped at a predetermined tension is solved by the child safety seat for a vehicle according to the invention with a harness for restraining a passenger in said seat, whereas said harness is to be tightened and clamped at a predetermined tension when in use and at least one adjuster strap of said harness is guided through a spring loaded element enabled to maintain the predetermined tension in the at least one adjuster strap of said harness and whereas that adjuster strap runs then through a clamping device to avoid slip.

It is known from the art to use child safety seats for a vehicle with a harness for restraining a passenger. The harness is to be tightened and clamped at a predetermined tension whereby the level of tension is determined by means of indicators, e.g. such as tension indicators as described in EP 1896302.
A child safety seat for a vehicle can only guarantee a maximum of safety if the person restrained in the seat is tightened by a harness under very specific conditions. Besides the location of the harness on the child's body the tension of the harness is of paramount importance. While it is obvious that a harness which is loose can not maintain its function to restrain a passenger, a harness that is tightened too much will be very uncomfortable for the passenger and hence not suitable for a longer journey.


Example systems and methods for dynamic identity decisioning include: receiving a request, from a third-party server, to confirm an identity of a user attempting a transaction through a third-party website displayed in a first application window on a user device of the user; causing the user device to display a second application window for presenting an identity decisioning application and at least partially overlapping the first window; assessing a risk level associated with the transaction based on identity verification data retrieved from the user device; and if the risk level exceeds a predetermined threshold, selecting at least one identity authentication exam for presentation to the user via the second window, determining an outcome of the at least one identity authentication exam based on a user response thereto, and determining an identity decisioning result based on the outcome; and presenting the result to the user via the second application window.

Identity theft is a growing concern, particularly in today's digital age. For example, many transactions, including commercial, financial, insurance-related, healthcare-related, and credit-related transactions, can now be completed online, with little to no personal interaction between the customer and an agent of the service provider or other transacting entity. For example, a user may be able to open a new bank account and/or a new credit card through a bank's website. As another example, a user may be able to set up an insurance policy (e.g., for auto, home, health, etc.) through the insurance company's website. In yet another example, a user may be able to request his/her credit-rating scores through a credit-rating agency's website. Such online transactions can be susceptible to identity theft because the service provider typically relies wholly on the information provided by the user in order to complete the transaction.
Many service providers and other transacting entities have adopted techniques for confirming the identity of a customer during a transaction, particularly when the customer is transacting from a remote location and/or using a remote device. However, commercially available techniques for identity verification and/or authentication can be time-consuming, costly, and cumbersome, at least because these techniques require large amounts of man hours for implementation and maintenance. For example, most existing techniques involve complicated programming code that a software programmer manually integrates into the service provider's existing website. And each time changes are made to the programming code, the software programmer manually updates the service provider's web site accordingly.

Systems and methods for dynamic identity decisioning


A method for controlling secure access to user requested data includes retrieving information related to potential unauthorized access to user requested data. The information is collected by a plurality of sensors of user's mobile device. A trained statistical model representing an environment surrounding a user is generated based on the retrieved information. A first data security value is determined using the generated trained statistical model. The first data security value indicates a degree of information security based on user's environment. A second data security value is determined using the generated trained statistical model. The second data security value indicates a degree of confidentiality of the user requested data. The user requested data is filtered based on a ratio of the determined first data security value and the second data security value.

With the rapid development of computer technologies various electronic devices (such as personal computers) and various portable devices (such as notebooks, tablets, mobile phones, and the like) are now in widespread use. Now, such devices are the major means of communication in business, industry, government and social intercourse. For example, mobile phones provide various functionalities for people, such as short message services, communications, games, calendars, music, etc.
Significant progress in fields such as voice recognition, machine learning, and the like has made it possible to simplify the interaction of a user with computer systems. One of the results of such simplification is the appearance of personal assistants—applications performing tasks (or utilizing services) based on information obtained from the user (verbally or manually), by manual interaction with the personal assistant.
The specific character of the interaction with a personal assistant through voice commands, the access to the requested information through an audio channel (i.e., by voice), and the possibility (and sometimes even the necessity) of using the personal assistant at any given place and time, introduced numerous problems with respect to ensuring the security of the data being transmitted. One solution to these problems involves the complete refusal to use an audio channel for the exchange of data between the user and the personal assistant. However, such limitation significantly lowers the effectiveness and convenience of personal assistants and may often be unacceptable to ordinary users. At present, there exist other solutions which typically limit the interaction between a user and a personal assistant, depending on various external factors.
Although conventional technology solutions handle the tasks of providing users with requested information (or a certain limitation on providing it), these solutions typically do not directly analyze security concerns associated with a provision of the requested information. Accordingly, the conventional technology solutions are not enabled to analyze risks associated with the provision of the requested information and not enabled to mitigate such risks, let alone mitigate such risks depending on dynamically changing user environment.
Thus, there is a need to ensure the security of the information provided to a user in order to lower risks associated with various security threats.

System and method for filtering user requested information


A single crystalline silicon carbide layer can be grown on a single crystalline sapphire substrate. Subsequently, a graphene layer can be formed by conversion of a surface layer of the single crystalline silicon layer during an anneal at an elevated temperature in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Alternately, a graphene layer can be deposited on an exposed surface of the single crystalline silicon carbide layer. A graphene layer can also be formed directly on a surface of a sapphire substrate or directly on a surface of a silicon carbide substrate. Still alternately, a graphene layer can be formed on a silicon carbide layer on a semiconductor substrate. The commercial availability of sapphire substrates and semiconductor substrates with a diameter of six inches or more allows formation of a graphene layer on a commercially scalable substrate for low cost manufacturing of devices employing a graphene layer.

The present invention relates to methods of forming a graphene layer on commercially available large substrates, and structures obtained by the same.
Graphene is a structure consisting of carbon as a two-dimensional sheet. A graphene monolayer has a thickness of about 0.34 nm, i.e., which is approximately the van der Waals atomic diameter of a single carbon atom. As defined by IUPAC, graphene is a one-atom thick, two-dimensional (2D) sheet of C atoms arranged in a hexagonal configuration. As used herein, a graphene layer can be a single two-dimensional sheet (one monolayer) of graphene, or alternately, a graphene layer can be a stack of a plurality of two-dimensional monolayers of graphene, which do not exceed more than 10 monolayers and is typically limited to less than 5 monolayers. Graphene provides excellent in-plane carrier mobility. Semiconductor devices employing graphene have been suggested in the art to provide high-switching-speed semiconductor circuits. Carbon atoms are arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb crystal lattice in which each carbon-carbon bond has a length of about 0.142 nm.
A graphene layer may be grown by direct epitaxial deposition of carbon atoms on, i.e., addition of carbon atoms onto the surface of, a surface of a single crystalline silicon carbide (SiC) substrate having a hexagonal symmetry such as a (0001) surface of alpha silicon carbide. Alternately, graphene can be grown by heating a hexagonal surface of a single-crystalline silicon carbide material at a temperature greater than 1,100° C. The process of forming graphene by such a high temperature anneal is subtractive epitaxy, i.e. it is actually a reduction process in which silicon atoms on a hexagonal surface of a silicon carbide crystal sublime during the anneal and the remaining carbon atoms reassemble to form graphene that usually has an epitaxial relation to the substrate crystal.
Alpha silicon carbide has a hexagonal crystal structure, and beta silicon carbide has a cubic crystal structure of zinc blende type. FIG. 1 schematically shows the crystallographic structure of alpha silicon carbide. A (0001) surface is perpendicular to the c-axis and atoms in the (0001) surface are arranged in a pattern having a hexagonal symmetry. The plane in which the (0001) surface is located is referred to as a C plane. A (1102) surface of alpha silicon carbide crystal has a cubic symmetry, and does not have a hexagonal symmetry.
Silicon carbide substrates having a (0001) surface orientation are not commercially available at a diameter greater than 4 (or 5) inches at the present time. Such unavailability of silicon carbide (SiC) substrates currently makes it impossible to provide a 200 mm substrate or a 300 mm substrate containing a graphene layer. Thus, formation of graphene by epitaxy on a hexagonal surface of a silicon carbide crystal is limited to epitaxial deposition process performed directly on commercially available silicon carbide substrates having a hexagonal symmetry, but cannot be performed on substrates having a diameter of 6 inches or greater.
Prior art methods for forming a graphene layer on a single crystalline silicon carbide (SiC) substrate either by deposition or by subtraction of silicon has required a surface having a hexagonal lattice symmetry, which is the same type of lattice symmetry as the in-plane symmetry of the graphene layer. In other words, formation of a graphene layer on a silicon carbide single crystal as known in the art has required a (0001) surface of alpha silicon carbide having a hexagonal crystal structure. The (0001) surface of alpha silicon carbide has a hexagonal symmetry. Growing high quality graphene on SiC grown on Si by subtractive epitaxy is complicated, due to the fact that the Si substrate melts around 1400° C., and high quality graphene is preferably formed at a temperature greater than 1400° C. Furthermore, even if graphene is formed below 1400° C., there will be a quite substantial Si vapor pressure in the vicinity of SiC, due to the presence of the Si substrate, which may suppress the sublimation of Si from SiC needed to form graphene (see for example Tromp and Hannon Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 106104 (2009)). Thus working with a substrate that does not contain Si, is very advantageous for the formation of graphene at T>1400° C.

Formation of a graphene layer on a large substrate


Catalytic dewaxing of distillate feedstock is carried out concurrently with upgrading of olefins by oligomerization to produce fuel products.

This invention relates to techniques, equipment and process unit operations for production of hydrocarbon fuels and low pour point distillate. The invention involves concurrent catalytic oligomerization of C.sub.5 + olefinic hydrocarbons with cracking and/or isomerization of lightly branched or normal paraffins in a waxy distillate to produce C.sub.5 + gasoline and low pour point distillate. More particularly, the invention involves the advantageous system integration of process units for simultaneous olefin oligomerization and distillate dewaxing into catalytic hydrocarbon cracking processes to permit the common utilization of product separation operations.
Reactor systems and processes for dewaxing petroleum distillates have been known for a long time. Dewaxing is, as is well known, required when highly paraffinic oils are to be used in products which need to remain mobile at low temperatures e.g., lubricating oils, heating oils, jet fuels. The higher molecular weight straight chain normal and slightly branched paraffins which are present in oils of this kind are waxes which are the cause of high pour points in the oils and if adequately low pour points are to be obtained, these waxes must be wholly or partly removed. Catalytic dewaxing processes are employed to selectively crack the longer chain n-paraffins to produce lower molecular weight products which may be removed by distillation. Processes of this kind are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,113. (7.ANG.+), such as ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, ZSM-23, ZSM-34, ZSM-35, ZSM-48 and Zeolite Beta may be employed for this purpose. Medium pore zeolites, especially ZSM-5 (sometimes called "MFI"), have the preferred property of selectivity and their use forms the basis of the Mobil Distillate Dewaxing process ("MDDW"). The MDDW process is usually a fixed bed process that typically operates at 20 to 55 atm (2058 kPa to 5660 kPa), 260-430.degree. C. reactor temperature, and 40-70 m.sup.3 /b of hydrogen circulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,670 (Antal) discloses catalytic dewaxing of FCC light oil with ZSM-5 employing hydrogen recycle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,760 (Tabak et al) describes sequential fixed bed dewaxing of middle distillate with flash separation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,220 (LaPierre et al.) discloses fluidized bed dewaxing-isomerization of distillate fuel oil over zeolite Beta. U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,919 (LaPierre et al. discloses fluidized bed hydrodewaxing with ZSM-5. U. S. Pat. No. 3,891,540 (Demmel et al) discloses a combined process for catalytic cracking and distillate dewaxing using ZSM-5 catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,598 (Gillespie et al) U.S. Pat Nos. 4,283,271 and 4,283,272 (Garwood et al) also describe the Mobil Lube and Distillate Dewaxing Process ("MLDW") using zeolite catalyst. The foregoing patents, of common assignee, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Conversion of olefins to gasoline and/or distillate product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,960,978 and 4,021,502 (Givens, Plank and Rosinski) wherein gaseous olefins in the range of ethylene to pentene, either alone or in admixture with paraffins, are converted into a gasoline blending stock by contacting the olefins with a catalyst bed made up of ZSM-5 or related zeolite. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,150,062 and 4,227,992 (Garwood et al) discloses the operating conditions for the Mobil Olefin to Gasoline/Distillate ("MOGD") process for selective conversion of C.sub.3 + olefins. A fluidized bed process for converting ethene-containing C.sub.5 + olefinic hydrocarbonic streams, sometimes referred to as the Mobil Olefin to Gasoline ("MOG") process is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,477; 4,873,385; '389 (Avidan et al); 4,855,524 and 4,859,308 (Harandi et al). The reaction phenomena of shape-selective polymerization are discussed by Garwood in ACS Symposium Series No. 218,Intrazeolite Chemistry, "Conversion of C.sub.2 -C.sub.10 to Higher Olefins over Synthetic Zerolite ZSM-5", 1983 American Chemical Society.
The olefins contained in an FCC gas plant are an advantageous feed for oligomerization. U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,949 discloses upgrading olefinic gasoline by conversion in the presence of carbon hydrogen-contributing fragments including olefins and a zeolite catalyst and where the contributing olefins may be obtained from a gas plant. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,456,781, 4,831,203, '204, '205 (Owen, Tabak et al), disclose aspects of related oligomerization processes using an olefinic feedstock derived from FCC effluent.
The conventional MOG process design is concerned with converting light olefins (e.g., ethylene) in a fuel gas stream, such as an FCC off-gas, to gasoline. Motor octane of the gasoline produced is generally about 80-85. Typically, paraffins conversion under MOG process conditions is not significant.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel integrated reactor system for the simultaneous dewaxing of distillate fuel oil and the oligomerization of C.sub.5 + olefinic hydrocarbon to fuel products. Another object of the invention is to provide this system employing zeolite catalyst in a common conversion reaction zone. Yet another object of the invention is to integrate the foregoing process invention with catalytic or thermal cracking unit operations in order to utilize C.sub.5 + olefinic hydrocarbon and may utilize common FCC plant separation vessels.
Another object of this invention is to upgrade simultaneously a light olefinic FCC gas stream and waxy heavier distillate stream along with one or more of the following intermediate hydrocarbon streams: 1) benzene-rich streams, such as reformate C.sub.6 -rich heart cut; hydrotreated FCC or coker heavy naphtha; pyrolysis gasoline; and light straight run naphtha.

Distillate dewaxing reactor system integrated with olefin upgrading


A boom mechanism that is cooperable with a lift vehicle or base structure includes a tower boom and an upper boom liftable in a dependent relationship by a single lifting mechanism. The tower boom and the upper boom are respectively pivotally secured to an upright having a fixed orientation by a tower link or the like. A timing link is secured between the tower boom and the upper boom, and a lifting mechanism is secured between the upright and the upper boom. As the upper boom is driven by the lifting mechanism, the timing link secured to the tower boom causes the tower boom to pivot about a tower boom nose pivot, thereby raising both the upper boom and the tower boom in a dependent relationship. The construction helps to minimize the need for tail and frame counterweight by controlling a position of the platform in configurations of both forward and rearward instability. As a consequence, the gross vehicle weight can be considerably reduced.

The present invention relates to a boom mechanism cooperable with a lift vehicle or base structure and, more particularly, to a boom mechanism including two pivoting boom members liftable in a dependent relationship by a single lifting mechanism.
A conventional straight boom lift typically includes a single telescopic boom by which the platform can be positioned from low angles (usually below horizontal) to high angles (such as around 75xc2x0 above horizontal). Boom angles near horizontal create a situation of forward instability in which the machine may tend to tip toward the platform due to the overhung load created by the platform load and boom assembly. Counterweight is usually added to the tail of the vehicle turntable to counterbalance the destabilizing moment created by the boom and platform load.
Maximum boom angles, on the other hand, tend to create a situation of backward instability in which the weight of the boom and the counterweight in the tail of the turntable tend to cause the machine to tip in the direction opposite the platform. A counterweight added to the frame of the machine helps to counterbalance the destabilizing moment caused by the boom and tail counterweight. The total weight of the machine is then dependent on the compromise made for the placement of weight required to satisfy both conditions of instability.
A conventional single tower articulated boom lift typically includes two booms connected by an upright. The upright is held in a vertical (plumb) orientation as the lower boom or tower is raised in angle. Maintaining the upright in its vertical orientation is usually achieved by a master and slave hydraulic circuit or a parallelogram linkage with the tower boom. The upper boom is typically pinned to the upright with its own lift cylinder, which can be raised or lowered in angle through its full range of motion regardless of the position of the tower boom. As a consequence, the two booms can be independently positioned to allow the machine to be xe2x80x9carticulatedxe2x80x9d into work positions or positioned up and over obstacles. The total maximum height of the platform is achieved by the contribution of the tower and the upper boom lengths. Each boom is typically shorter than the boom of a comparable height straight boom lift; therefore, the maximum horizontal outreach provided by the upper boom is typically less than the single boom of a comparable height straight boom lift.
A position of maximum forward instability for this type of boom lift is encountered when the tower is raised to its full angle with the upper boom near the horizontal angle. This position creates the maximum horizontal outreach of the platform as well as positioning the boom structure weight in the most detrimental position to the forward stability of the machine. Just as in the straight boom designs, counterweight is added to the tail of the turntable to counterbalance the destabilizing moment of the upper boom and the platform load.
A position of maximum backward instability for an articulated boom lift occurs when the tower is lowered to a near horizontal angle while the upper boom is raised to its maximum angle. In this position, the weight of the boom structure has moved to the most detrimental position to the backward stability of the machine. As in the case of the straight boom lifts, the backward instability is made worse by the presence of the tail counterweight added to reduce forward instability. Consequently, similar to the straight boom design, frame counterweight is added to counterbalance the destabilizing moment caused by the boom and tail counterweight.
The boom mechanism according to the present invention does not fall into the category of a straight boom lift or an articulated boom lift. That is, the construction according to the invention is not a straight boom lift as it incorporates the tower boom, upright and upper boom found on a single tower articulated boom lift. Additionally, the construction according to the invention is not an articulated boom lift as the booms cannot be independently positioned with respect to each other. The arrangement incorporates a linkage that mechanically ties the tower boom and the upper boom to each other allowing one lift cylinder to lift the entire boom structure. Thus, one boom cannot be raised without the other also being raised, creating forward and backward instability characteristics that greatly differ from the conventional straight or articulated boom lifts.
A condition of maximum forward instability with the construction according to the invention is forced to occur when the tower is near horizontal rather than at its full angle as in the conventional articulated boom lift. See FIG. 6xe2x80x94the arrow indicating the direction of instability. This construction reduces the horizontal outreach of the upper boom and therefore the degree of destabilizing moment of the upper boom and the platform load. It also allows the weight of the boom structure to be in the most favorable position to aid in the counterbalancing of the upper boom and platform load destabilizing moment. Both of these factors result in less tail counterweight required to counterbalance the boom and platform.
The condition of maximum backward instability for the conventional articulated boom is eliminated (i.e., when the tower is down while the upper boom is at its maximum angle). With the present construction, a position of maximum backward instability occurs when the upper boom is fully raised and, by default, when the tower is fully raised. See FIG. 7xe2x80x94the arrow indicating the direction of instability. This puts the weight of the boom structure in the best possible position to aid in counterbalancing the destabilizing moment caused by the boom and the already reduced weight tail counterweight. The result is a dramatic reduction in the need for counterweight in the frame.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a boom mechanism cooperable with a lift vehicle or base structure includes a tower boom pivotally securable at a base end to the lift vehicle or base structure. An upright pivotally secures an upright end of the tower boom. An upper boom is pivotally secured at one end to the upright, and a timing link is connected between the upper boom and the tower boom. A lift cylinder is connected between the upright and the upper boom. The upright may have a fixed orientation relative to the vehicle or base structure. In this context, the boom mechanism may also include a tower link pivotally attached at one end to the lift vehicle or base structure and pivotally attached at an opposite end to the upright, wherein the tower link fixes the orientation of the upright relative to the lift vehicle or base structure. The upright end of the tower boom may be secured to the upright at a tower boom nose pivot, wherein the timing link is secured to the tower boom at a position spaced from the tower boom nose pivot such that the timing link generates a moment about the tower boom nose pivot.
The upper boom is preferably pivotally secured to the upright at an upper boom pivot, wherein an extension axis of the lift cylinder is spaced from the upper boom pivot such that the lift cylinder generates a moment about the upper boom pivot. The timing link is preferably secured to the upper boom at a position spaced from the upper boom pivot such that a linking force is generated in the timing link as the upper boom is pivoted about the upper boom pivot. The space between the timing link and the tower boom nose pivot may be larger than the space between the timing link and the upper boom pivot, thereby creating a mechanical advantage to assist in lifting the tower.
The timing link is preferably secured to the upper boom in a position that effects displacement in one direction relative to an orientation of the timing link at low angles with a component in a substantially perpendicular direction that increases with increasing extension of the lift cylinder. On the other hand, the timing link is preferably secured to the tower boom in a position that effects displacement in the substantially perpendicular direction relative to the orientation of the timing link at low angles. In a preferred arrangement, the lift cylinder is the only motive force of the boom mechanism.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a lift vehicle includes a vehicle chassis supporting a plurality of wheels, a drive system operable for driving the wheels, a base structure supported by the vehicle chassis, and the boom mechanism according to the invention secured to the base structure.
In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a boom mechanism includes a tower boom and an upper boom liftable in a dependent relationship by a single lifting mechanism. The tower boom and the upper boom are respectively pivotally secured to an upright. A timing link is secured between the tower boom and the upper boom, and the lifting mechanism is secured between the upright and the upper boom.
In accordance with still another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of constructing a boom mechanism cooperable with a lift vehicle or base structure includes the steps of providing a tower boom pivotally securable at a base end to the lift vehicle or base structure, pivotally securing an upright end of the tower boom to an upright, pivotally securing an upper boom at one end to the upright, connecting a timing link between the upper boom and the tower boom, and connecting a lift cylinder between the upright and the upper boom.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a boom mechanism includes a tower boom and an upper boom liftable in a dependent relationship by a single lifting mechanism, with the tower boom and the upper boom being respectively pivotally secured to an upright. A timing link is secured between the tower boom and the upper boom, and the tower boom is shorter than the upper boom. The tower boom and the upper boom are preferably the only booms of the boom mechanism. The upper boom may be a telescopic boom.


As a continuous length of plastic film is supplied from a roll, a first type of fish meat paste is continuously applied onto the film so as to form thereon a continuous stripe of the first type of fish meat paste, on which a second type of fish meat paste is continuously applied with a certain pressure so that the two types of fish meat paste, one of which is colored red while the other is uncolored, are intermingled to form on the plastic film a membrane closely resembling the membrane covering real crab leg meat. A core comprising a bundle of fibers made of coagulated fish meat paste is placed on the membrane and wrapped therein by means of the plastic film. Heating coagulates the membrane thereby to form the membrane and the core wrapped therein into an integral body closely resembling real crab leg meat in appearance and texture.

This invention relates to a method of producing an edible product of fish meat paste simulating crab leg meat and the edible product produced by the method. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of producing an improved substitute for crab leg meat which not only gives a particular oral sensation as if real crab leg meat were being eaten but also has an appearance closely resembling real crab leg meat and consequently has a high commercial value.
There are known various methods of making an edible product of fish meat paste simulating crab leg meat from fish meat paste mixed with suitable additives. The products obtained by the known methods are colored red so as to make them appear like natural crab leg meat, and there are known various methods of coloring the products. In one of them, which will be referred to as method I, one surface of a heat-coagulated mass of fish meat paste containing additives is colored red before it is cut into fiber-like pieces. In another method, which will be referred to as method II, such heat-coagulated mass is cut into fiber-like pieces, which are bundled into a rod-like core, the surface of which is colored by means of a brush. In a third method, which will be referred to as method III, a membrane of colored fish meat paste is formed on a plastic film by spraying, and a core is wrapped in the plastic film and consequently in the colored membrane. Method III is described in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 53-31938. In a fourth method, which will be referred to as method IV, a membrane of fish meat paste mottled with white and red is formed on a plastic film by a double-spraying method, and a core is wrapped in the membrane. Method IV is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-58970. Although the products made by methods I, II and III are colored, they do not resemble natural crab leg meat.
In method I, since the fiber-like pieces obtained by cutting a colored, heat-coagulated mass are bundled into a rod-like body, the uncolored surfaces of the fiber-like pieces are likely to appear in the surface of the rod-like body, so that the final product has an appearance quite different from real crab leg meat.
In method II, since a single color or a mixture of different colors are merely applied onto the surface of the core by a brush, the color and pattern produced are so monotonous that the final product looks different from actual crab leg meat.
In method III, the membrane in which the core is wrapped consists of a single layer, so that the color of the final product is monotonous. To obtain a product having a complex color, a mixture of colors, red and white for example, may be added to fish meat paste. The membrane made of the paste, however, becomes rosy or pink color, a mixed color or red and white, which is utterly different from the color of natural crab leg meat.
In method IV, the membrane is merely mottled with red and white, so that it is impossible to simulate the color tone and contour of natural crab leg meat.
In methods III and IV, since coloring is conducted by spraying only, it is likely that fish meat paste containing a coloring agent is sprayed beyond both sides of the plastic film, so that a considerable amount of fish meat paste is lost and the machine and its surrounding are stained with spray of the paste. With the spraying method, it is impossible to obtain a membrane of fish meat paste having a suitable width to wrap a core therein. If the width of the membrane is shorter than the circumference of the core, the membrane cannot cover the whole surface of the core, but some portion of the core is left exposed with resulting decrease of the commercial value of the product. On the contrary, if the width of the membrane is longer than the circumference of the core, the membrane extends to both side edges of the plastic film, so that the membrane is likely to be contaminated by the ambient atmosphere. This poses a problem from a sanitary viewpoint.

Edible product of fish meat paste simulating crab leg meat


A system and method for operating an electric heater to determine heater functionality is based on actual heater power consumption relative to expected heater power consumption during operating conditions where electrical power consumption by other system components can be accurately estimated. One or more components, including a second heating source, may be controlled based on the heater functionality. The system may include a hybrid vehicle having an engine, an electric heater and heater core, a valve positioned to route coolant through the engine and/or the electric heater, and a controller configured to store a diagnostic code and/or start the engine when the electric heater is commanded on and when the actual energy consumption of the electric heater is below a corresponding threshold.

Electrical heating systems may be utilized to supplement the heat provided by an engine and to heat the passenger compartment of a vehicle. While often used in electric vehicles powered solely by a traction battery and hybrid electric vehicles having an internal combustion engine in combination with a fraction battery, such heating systems may also be found in other applications. For example, electric heating systems may be utilized in air conditioners, dehumidifiers, dryers, portable heaters and other electrical appliances.
To provide passenger comfort in vehicle applications, vehicles have the capability to heat or cool the passenger compartment. Conventional vehicles use waste heat from the engine as the sole source of heating for the passenger compartment. With the advent of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), there is little or no waste heat available for use in heating the vehicle cabin. As such, BEVs may use an electric heater to warm the passenger compartment. Similarly, although Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) include a small internal combustion engine that may provide some waste heat for heating the vehicle cabin, these vehicles are designed to minimize the use of the engine to maximize fuel economy. As such, these vehicles pose different heating challenges because the engine may not always be running and generating waste heat for use by the heating system. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) compound this issue by running with the engine off for significant periods of time. To provide optimal fuel economy benefits, it is desired to heat the passenger compartment without having to rely solely on engine waste heat.
As such, various alternatives have been developed to heat the passenger compartment of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. One such solution uses an electric heater as a heat source to provide heat for electric vehicles or supplement heat from the engine in hybrid vehicles when engine waste heat is insufficient to meet a heating demand for the vehicle cabin. An electric heater generally contains one or more heating elements that function as electrical resistors that convert electricity to heat. Electric heaters may include a thermostat to regulate the heat output. Alternatively, electric heaters may include Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heating elements. PTC heating elements are made of small ceramic stones that have an increasing electrical resistance as temperature increases to provide self-limiting temperature properties such that a thermostat is not required. In addition, PTC heaters have fast heating response times and the ability to automatically vary resistance and associated current/power to maintain a pre-defined temperature.
Various commercially available component electric heaters may include some integrated diagnostic or self-test functions to determine heater operating state. However, these diagnostics may not be sufficient or suitable for some applications. In particular, integrated heater diagnostics may not provide sufficient or timely feedback to determine whether the heater is functioning as desired for a particular application. In vehicle applications, these diagnostics may take several key cycles to detect or report various operating conditions, may be unable to detect some operating anomalies, and/or may not have desired accuracy or granularity in detecting various conditions.

System and method for controlling a vehicle having an electric heater


A conveyor construction for a continuous belt conveyor. The conveyor includes a conveyor frame assembly constructed from a plurality of separate extruded and joined frame sections. The frame assembly can include a pair of side frame extrusions joined to a center frame extrusion by a pair of attachment rails. The conveyor construction further includes a series of spindle mounting assemblies that support a tensioning spindle on opposite ends of the conveyor frame. Each of the spindle mounting assemblies includes a gear rack and a pinion head that is rotatable to move the gear racks. The gear racks contact one of a pair of head plates that support the tensioning spindle relative to the frame.

The present disclosure relates to conveyors having a conveyor frame, a pair of spindles and an endless conveyor belt. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to conveyors having an extended width and a tensioning spindle that is movable relative to the frame to adjust conveyor belt tension.
Known construction of an endless belt conveyor typically includes a frame assembly, a pair of head plates located at each end of the frame assembly, a spindle extending between each pair of head plates, and a conveyor belt engaged with the spindles. One of the spindles is drivingly interconnected with a motor, for rotating the spindle thereby to impart movement to the endless conveyor belt. The head plates are movably mounted to the frame assembly so as to provide selective adjustment of the position of the spindles, for providing proper belt tensioning and tracking. Such construction is illustrated in Dorner et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,435 and 6,422,382, the disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The conveyor constructions shown in the referenced prior art is a ladder-type construction consisting of a pair of side frame members interconnected together via a series of transversely extending cross members, each of which is connected at its ends to the side frame members. While this construction has been found to be highly satisfactory for both manufacturing and operational purposes, it involves certain drawbacks in overall part count and in assembly, in that the ladder-type frame construction is essentially a different subassembly for each available length of the conveyor frame assembly.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an endless belt conveyor construction which replaces the prior art ladder-type frame construction with a modular frame construction in which extruded frame elements are joined to each other to define the width of the conveyor frame, which lends itself to a reduced number of parts required for manufacturing conveyors of various lengths and which simplifies overall construction of the conveyor. It is a further object of the disclosure to provide a conveyor frame construction in which common components can be employed to manufacture conveyors of varying lengths in a relatively simple assembly process.

Conveyor including modular frame and spindle adjustment mechanism


A method and device for sending information are disclosed in the present disclosure. The method comprises the steps of: receiving the current updated message of an information source; deriving the message which satisfies a preset condition from the current updated message; when the message satisfying the preset condition is non-subject message, deriving the user information and subject message correlated to the non-subject message from a server; and sending the information context, identification or link address corresponding to the non-subject message, the correlated user information and subject message to a third party. By sending the non-subject message satisfying a preset condition, and the user information and the subject message correlated to the non-subject message satisfying the preset condition derived from a server to a third party, the third party can know in time the correlated users, the correlated information issued by the users, and so on.

Information source such as microblog, blog is an open platform. It cooperates with many third parties, such as People's Daily Online, Zhejiang Online, etc. After the information source cooperates with the third party, the third party may post microblog or called microblog message, blog, etc. via the information source. A microblog user may view, comment, or forward the microblog posted by the third party, or opens a website corresponding to the third party to browse information. During this cooperation procedure, the information source acts more like a single directional bridge between the user and the third party. Microblog user information and posted microblog message may be reported to a server through the information source. However, the third party cannot know activities of the user on its corresponding website, i.e., after the user enters the website corresponding to the third party through clicking a link in the microblog posted by the third party, the third party cannot know information of the user which is active on the website. Therefore, it cannot obtain much feedback information for providing better service.

Method and device for pushing information

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A mobile diagnosis device comprised of an ECG unit (1) to record an ECG signal (55), with the ECG unit (1) being connected or connectible to two or more ECG electrodes (27, 28) to dissipate electrical signals from a patient's body, and comprised of a pulsoximetry unit (2) for simultaneous recording of a volume pulse signal (56), with the pulsoximetry unit (2) comprising at least one light source (17, 18) and at least one light sensor (20) for optical measurement of blood perfusion in the vascular system of a patient's body tissue, and comprised of a program-controlled evaluation unit (4) to evaluate the ECG signal (55) and the volume pulse signal (56). To provide such a diagnosis device that is suitable for auto-diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, the device proposes that the evaluation unit (4) be appropriately equipped to allow for automatic recognition of R peaks (57) in the ECG signal (55), automatic recognition of extreme levels (58) in the volume pulse signal (56), and for determination of the time difference (60) between an R peak (57) and a successive extreme level (58) in the volume pulse signal (56). Furthermore, the evaluation unit (4) can be appropriately equipped to allow for determination of the time difference (61) between the main and secondary peak values (58, 59) in the volume pulse signal (56).

The present invention relates to a mobile diagnosis device comprised of an ECG unit to record an ECG signal, with the ECG unit being connected or connectible to two or more ECG electrodes to dissipate electrical signals from a patient's body, and comprised of a pulsoximetry unit for simultaneous recording of a volume pulse signal, with the pulsoximetry unit comprising at least one light source and at least one light sensor for optical measurement of blood perfusion in the vascular system of a patient's body tissue, and comprised of a program-controlled evaluation unit to evaluate the ECG signal and the volume pulse signal.
Cardio-vascular diseases are the main cause of death in nearly all industrialized countries, as is well known. A special rank is taken by arteriosclerosis, i.e. the pathological stenosis of blood vessels. Approx. 50% of patients suffering from ateriosclerosis are also affected by coronary heart disease. On account of the clearly recognizable progression of cardio-vascular diseases and the restricted therapeutical possibilities in the late stages of these diseases, it is intended to strive for the earliest possible diagnosis. To this effect it is necessary to realize and evaluate complex correlations in a cardio-vascular system. Both the heart and the blood vessels must be evaluated equally in their functional status to permit early diagnosis. A healthy vascular system can offset minor heart insufficiencies for years, as is well known, while a vascular system already affected by arteriosclerosis advances circulatory decompensation.
The ECG (electrocardiogram) might be the most frequently applied examination modality for diagnosis of cardio-vascular diseases. By means of an ECG device, electrical signals are dissipated with two or more ECG electrodes from the body of a patient to be examined. The ECG thus obtained reflects the bioelectrical voltages that occur during excitation spread and regression at the heart. The ECG contains numerous parameters that can be diagnostically evaluated. At the moment when the heart muscle contracts during a heart beat, the ECG shows an evident peak which is also designated as R peak. Furthermore, the ECG contains the so-called P wave which precedes the R peak. The R peak, in turn, is followed by what is called a T wave. The minimum levels in the ECG immediately before and immediately after the R peak are designated by Q and S, respectively. Those parameters of interest for cardio-vascular diagnostics are the duration of the P wave as well as the amplitude of the P wave, the duration of the PQ interval, the duration of the QRS complex, the duration of the QT interval as well as the amplitude of the T wave. Both from the absolute values of the a.m. parameters and from the ratios of these parameters, it is possible to draw conclusions on the health status of the cardiovascular system.
Capturing and recording of peripheral cardio-vascular parameters is feasible by what is called plethysmography. In plethysmography, blood-flow conditioned volume fluctuations of a peripheral blood vessel are measured. Nowadays, the NIRP method (near infrared photo plethysmography) has won its way. The diagnostic modalities applied therein are briefly called pulsoximeters. Such pulsoximeters typically comprise two light sources which radiate red and/or infrared light of a different wavelength into the human body tissue of a patient. The light is scattered in a patient's body tissue and partly absorbed. The scattered light is detected by means of a light sensor in form of an appropriate photocell. Commercial pulsoximeters, on the one hand, typically use light in a wavelength range of 660 nm. Within this range, the light absorption of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin differs substantially. The intensity of the scattered light detected by means of the light sensor varies accordingly, dependent upon how strongly the examined body tissue is supplied with blood rich in oxygen or poor in oxygen, respectively. On the other hand, light in a wavelength range of 810 nm is commonly used. This light wavelength lies in what is called near infrared spectral range. The light absorption of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin within this spectral range is essentially equal. Prior art pulsoximeters are capable of generating a volume pulse signal that reflects the blood volume which is variable during a heart beat and which passed by the micro-vessel system captured by the pulsoximeter. When different light wavelengths are employed in the afore-mentioned spectral ranges, it is possible to draw conclusions from the different light absorption to evaluate the oxygen content of blood (oxygen saturation). Commonly applied pulsoximeters are either employed at the patient's finger tip or at the lobe of the ear. The volume pulse signal is then generated from the blood perfusion of the micro-vessel system in these regions of the body tissue.
A prior art disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,126 is an ECG-synchronized pulsoximeter. The prior art equipment is comprised of an ECG unit and a pulsoximetry unit. With the prior art diagnosis device, the ECG unit is utilized to determine the heart beat cycle by detection of R peaks in the ECG signal. The duration of the heart beat cycle is then taken as the basis in determining the oxygen saturation by means of the pulsoximetry unit. Thereby, it is intended to improve signal averaging and reduce motion-induced artefacts. On the whole, a more reliable determination of the value of oxygen saturation of blood is achieved thereby as compared with conventional pulsoximeters.
Known combined ECG and pulsoximetry devices allow for determining a plurality of cardiovascular parameters. Based upon these data, a practicing doctor can make a comprehensive cardio-vascular diagnosis, to be true. But prior art devices have a drawback in that they do not allow for an automatic establishment of a preliminary diagnosis of imminent or already existing cardio-vascular diseases. For this reason, prior art devices cannot be readily employed by patients for auto-diagnosis either.
Against this background, it is the object of the present invention to provide a diagnosis device that allows for an (at least coarse) status and trend diagnosis of the cardio-vascular system. This device is intended to be capable of indicating to a patient an early auto-diagnosis of a cardio-vascular disease without posing excessive demands on a patient in terms of evaluating a plurality of diagnostic parameters.