The present invention is a separation method for easy separation of an allover release layer with a large area. Further, the present invention is the separating method that is not subjected to restrictions in the use of substrates, such as a kind of substrate, during forming a release layer. A separation method comprising the steps of forming a metal film, a first oxide, and a semiconductor film containing hydrogen in this order; and bonding a support to a release layer containing the first oxide and the semiconductor film and separating the release layer bonded to the support from a substrate provided with the metal layer by a physical means. Through the separation method, heat treatment is carried out to diffuse hydrogen contained in the semiconductor film, a third oxide is formed by reducing a second oxide formed at a surface boundary between the metal film and the first oxide film, and a film containing the second oxide and the third oxide, a surface boundary between the film containing the second oxide and the third oxide, and the metal film, or a surface boundary between the film containing the second oxide and the third oxide, and the first oxide is split.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for separating a release layer. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method for separating a release layer including various devices. And more specifically, the present invention relates to an electric appliance including a display apparatus as typified by a liquid crystal module, an EL (electroluminescent) module, or the like, as one of components.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a technique for forming a TFT composed of a semiconductor thin film (with a thickness of approximately from several to several hundreds nm) formed over an insulating surface of a substrate has attracted attention. TFTs are used for an electric device such as IC, an electro-optic device, or the like, and are especially developed as a switching device or a driver circuit of a display apparatus.
In such a display apparatus, a glass substrate and a quartz substrate are generally used, however, they have disadvantages such as being fragile and heavy. In addition, the glass substrate and the quartz substrate are difficult to grow in size for mass-production. Hence, it is attempted that a TFT device is formed over a substrate having flexibility as typified by a flexible plastic film (a plastic substrate).
However, in case of using a high performance polysilicon film for the active layer of a TFT, a high temperature process at several hundreds degrees is required for a manufacturing process, so that a TFT cannot be directly formed on a plastic film.
Therefore it has already been proposed a separating method for separating a release layer, which is formed over a substrate via a separating layer, from the substrate. For example, a separation layer formed of amorphous silicon (or polysilicon) is formed, and hydrogen contained in the amorphous silicon is released by laser light irradiation through a substrate to produce a space, then the substrate is separated (See reference 1: Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-125929). In addition, Reference 2 (Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-125930) discloses that a liquid crystal display apparatus is completed by pasting a release layer (referred to as a transferred layer in the reference) to a plastic film by means of the technique disclosed in Reference 1.
However, the above-described method requires a substrate that is very transparent to light, and comparative large amount of laser light irradiation for energizing enough to release hydrogen contained in amorphous silicon, so that a problem becomes arisen that a release layer is damaged. In addition, according to the above described method, in case of forming a device over a separation layer and carrying out heat treatment or the like at high temperature during a manufacturing process, there is a threat that separation is inadequately carried out even if a laser light is emitted to a separation layer since hydrogen contained in the separation layer is decreased due to the heat treatment. Accordingly, processes after forming a separation layer may be restricted in order to keep the amount of hydrogen contained in the separation layer. There is the description in above references that a light-shielding layer or a reflection layer is provided in order to prevent a release layer from being damaged, in such a case, it is difficult to manufacture a transparent liquid crystal display apparatus or a light-emitting display apparatus of bottom emission type.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An LCD position determination apparatus for an LCD projector which is capable of shortening an assembling time of a projector by facilitating or enabling alignment of the red (R), green (G) and blue (B) cells by detecting the positions of the R, G and B LCDs at the same time when installing the R, G and B LCDs at or along three surfaces of a prism. The apparatus includes the red LCD, green LCD and blue LCD optically aligned with three respective surfaces of the color mixing prism, a pair of two-way splitting mirrors aligned with a fourth surface of the prism, and an automatic collimator apparatus having an ocular lens by which an image of a predetermined corner portion of each of the LCDs transmitted via the two-way mirrors is viewed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) position determination apparatus for an LCD projector, and in particular, to an improved LCD position determination apparatus for an LCD projector which is capable of shortening an assembling time of a projector by facilitating adjustment or alignment of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) cells at an identical position by measuring the positions of R, G and B LCDs during installation of the LCDs at or along three surfaces of a prism.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional prism type LCD projector includes a light source 1 generating a beam of white light, an ultraviolet and heat blocking filter 2 for blocking ultraviolet frequencies and heat from the light source 1, a micro-lens array unit 3 for uniformly concentrating light, a first color splitting filter 4 for passing red light and reflecting green and blue light, a second color splitting filter 5 for passing through blue light and reflecting green light, a condensing lens 6 for condensing or focusing light from the first color splitting filter 4, an LCD panel 7 having a plurality of cells forming a picture, a color mixing prism 8 fort red, green and blue colors, and a projection lens 9 for projecting the mixed light on a screen (not shown).
In the drawings, reference numeral 3a denotes a field lens, 3b denotes a relay lens, and 5a through 5d denote reflection mirrors.
In the conventional prism type LCD projector shown in FIG. 1, white light from the light source 1 is split into different colors. The images incident on the red, green and blue LCD panels 7 are mixed by the color mixing prism 8 and are projected on the screen using the projection lens
Here, in the LCD projection apparatus, three LCD panels 7 are used for red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light, respectively, and when the three LCD panels are correctly installed, it is possible to project a fill color image accurately on the screen.
In conventional projectors, in order to overcome the above-described problems, the positions of the R, G and B LCD panels are adjusted using the images projected on a screen by the projection lens 9 provided as a unit. However, this method has the following problems.
In order to adjust the upper and lower portions the R, G and B image, the adjustment is performed after adjustment of other systems such as a lighting system, a circuit, etc. At this time, a position adjusting terminal attached to the LCD panel(s) is blocked by a circuit unit which is assembled to the upper portion of the projector, and it becomes impossible to adjust the upper, lower, left and right portions of the R, G and B image.
In addition, since thee is a predetermined distance between the position adjusting terminal and the screen, one user checks the adjusting position while viewing the screen and another user actually adjusts the LCD cells, so that at least two persons are required for adjusting the apparatus, thus requiring increased time and manpower.
Moreover, when the performances of the projection lens is poor, since the boundary between the neighboring cells is unclear, it is impossible to correctly adjust the positions of the cells.
In another method for overcoming the above-described problems, the positions of the cells are measured or adjusted one corner at a time using a microscope or an automatic collimator. In this method, since only R, G and B image of one side is viewed through the ocular lens or eyepiece, the upper and lower right corners and the lower left corner of the cells are misaligned when adjusting the upper left corner as shown in FIG. 2. When adjusting the upper right corner as shown in FIG. 3, the upper left, lower left and lower right corners are misaligned.

LCD position determination apparatus for LCD projector

Hyundai Electronics Industries, Co., Ltd.


A multi-strobe circuit that latches a signal to be tested, an evaluation target, at each edge timing of a multi-strobe signal having a plurality of edges. An oscillator oscillates at a predetermined frequency in synchronization with a reference strobe signal. A latch circuit latches the signal to be tested at an edge timing of an output signal of the oscillator. A gate circuit is provided between a clock terminal of the latch circuit and the oscillator, and makes the output signal of the oscillator pass therethrough for a predetermined period. A clock transfer circuit loads the output signal of the latch circuit at an edge timing of the output signal of the oscillator and performs retiming on the output signal of the latch circuit by using a reference clock.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-strobe circuit that generates a multi-phase strobe signal (multi-strobe signal) to evaluate levels of a signal, an evaluation target, at a plurality of edge timings of the multi-strobe signal.
2. Description of the Relate Art
A multi-strobe circuit is used in a test apparatus for testing semiconductor devices such as memories or DSPs (Digital Signal Processors). The multi-strobe circuit generates a multi-strobe signal (also referred to as a multi-phase strobe signal) having a plurality of edges in a single cycle period of a signal to be tested (for example, a binary digital signal), and determines levels of a signal outputted from a semiconductor device at each edge timing thereof. By using the multi-strobe circuit, a timing (change-point) at which a level of a signal outputted from a semiconductor device makes a transition, can be detected, allowing the circuit to be used in evaluating the semiconductor device.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a structural example of a multi-strobe circuit 300. N pieces of first delay elements D11 to D1N (collectively referred to as a first delay element D1) are connected together in cascade. A signal S1 to be tested outputted from a DUT (Device UnderTest) is inputted to the first delay element D11 in a first stage, the signal S1 to be tested being provided with a predetermined delay Tpd when passing through each of the first delay element D1. That is, a signal S1i to be tested, which is delayed by i×Tpd in comparison with the signal S1 to be tested outputted from the DUT, is outputted from the first delay element D1i in the i-th stage.
Each of N pieces of second delay elements D21 to D2N (collectively referred to as a second delay element D2) is provided for each of N pieces of the first delay elements D11 to D1N, and connected together in cascade. A reference strobe signal STRB is inputted to the second delay element D21 in the first stage. The strobe signal STRB is provided with a predetermined delay (Tpd+Δt) when passing through each of the second delay element D2. The i-th phase strobe signal STRBi which is delayed by i×(Tpd+Δt) in comparison with the reference strobe signal STRB, is outputted from the second delay element D2 in the i-th stage.
Each of N pieces of latch circuits L1 to LN (also referred to as timing comparators) is also provided for each of N pieces of the first delay elements D11 to D1N. The i-th (where i is a natural number satisfying 1≦i≦N) latch circuit Li latches an output signal of the i-th first delay element D1i at an edge timing of the i-th phase strobe signal STRBi. It is needless to say that the latch circuit L1 illustrated by a D flip-flop in FIG. 1 can be replaced by various elements such as another flip-flop or latch circuit. Output signals SL1 to SLN of N pieces of the latch circuits L are inputted to a logic unit 310, which executes predetermined signal processing in accordance with evaluation items of the DUT. When the signal S1 to be tested makes a transition from 0 to 1 (or from 1 to 0) at an point, the output signals SL1 to SLN become thermometer codes in which 0 and 1 are varied with each other at a certain bit. Accordingly, the logic unit 310 includes a priority encoder.
A phase difference (timing) between the signal S1 to be tested to be inputted to the first delay element D1 and the strobe signal STRB to be inputted to the second delay element D2, is adjusted by a third delay element D3 provided in the preceding stage of N pieces of the second delay elements D2.
A relative time difference between the signal S1 to be tested and the strobe signal STRB is varied by Δt when passing through each of the first delay element D1 and the second delay element D2. That is, a value of the signal S1 to be tested can be determined at a timing of each of N pieces of the strobe signals (multi-strobe signals) STRB1 to STRBN, the phase between which is shifted by Δt from each other. Outline of the structure of the multi-strobe circuit 300 and performance thereof have been described above.
Because the multi-strobe circuit 300 includes a plurality of delay elements D1 and D2 and a plurality of latch circuits L, there is a problem that the circuit is large in size. In addition, if delay amounts of the first delay element D1 and the second delay element D2 are varied, timing accuracy between the signal S1 to be tested and the multi-strobe signals STRB1 to STRBN is deteriorated. In particular, as a resolution capacity Δt is smaller, variations in the delay amounts of the first delay element D1 and the second delay element D2 influence the above timing accuracy more significantly, resulting in a large skew.


An optical pickup of a compatible type which can be switched for a DVD and a CD by a completely electrical control without the need of a mechanical moving device or the like and is suitable for the reduction in size and also has an excellent efficiency in the use of light. A liquid crystal panel of a transmission type which gives a phase difference of a 1/4 wavelength or a wavelength that is an odd number multiple of 1/4 wavelength to a transmission light and has a transparent electrode having an aperture pattern of a predetermined shape is used and the liquid crystal panel is arranged so that its plane of polarization crosses a plane of polarization of a polarization beam splitter at a predetermined angle. An applied voltage to the transparent electrode is controlled so that the whole surface of the liquid crystal panel functions as a 1/4 wavelength plate during a reproduction operation or a recording operation of the DVD and only the aperture pattern portion functions as a 1/4 wavelength plate during the reproduction operation of the CD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup for recording or reading out record information to/from an optical disc, and more particularly, to an optical pickup of a compatible type which can be used for both of a DVD (Digital Video Disc) and a CD (Compact Disc).
2. Description of Background Information
The DVD is an optical disc which is capable of recording a large amount of digital information, and its recording scheme allows the recording of digital information such as motion picture, computer information, or the like on a disc having the same diameter of 12 cm as the CD, at a recording density of six to eight times as high as that of the CD. In order to achieve such a high density recording, various devices have been developed for the DVD. For example, one kind of the DVD called SD (Super Density Disc) will now be considered. In order to increase a recording capacity, the wavelength of a laser light source to be used is 650 nm (nanometers) or 635 nm, which is much shorter than 780 nm of the CD, and a numerical aperture NA of an objective lens is set to 0.6, which is larger than the corresponding value 0.45 of the objective lens for the CD. Furthermore, the MPEG2 is used as the data compression algorithm, thereby achieving a high density recording of about 5 G bytes (about eight times as high as that of the CD) on one side of the disc. As mentioned above, the recording is performed on the DVD at a density much higher than the CD. Therefore, it is necessary to set a spot diameter of a laser beam for reading pit information to a value that is fairly smaller than that of the CD. The spot diameter of the laser beam is proportional to the wavelength .lambda. of the laser being used and is inversely proportional to the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens. In the SD, such a structure is realized by using a laser light source of a short wavelength and an objective lens having a large numerical aperture NA.
In view of the point the DVD and the CD use the same recording format, it is desired that the CD can be also reproduced by a DVD player. When the wavelength .lambda. of the laser is shortened and the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens is raised for the DVD, however, the margin for the deviation angle of the disc surface from the direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical pickups that is, the so-called tilt angle, becomes small. Since the thickness of the disc of the Cp is larger than that of the DVD (for example, the disc thickness of one side of the SD is equal to 0.6 mm, that of the CD is equal to 1.2 mm), the spot diameter of the laser beam becomes enlarged in the CD due to a difference in aberration or the like. In such a situation, therefore, there occurs a problem that information of the CD cannot be read by using the optical pickup for the DVD.
In order to solve such a problem, there conventionally have been proposed such a method that two objective lenses for DVD and CD are prepared and the lenses are switched in accordance with the type of disc, a method that a correcting lens is inserted into a collimator portion, thereby correcting the aberration due to the disc, a method that a two-focal point lens using a hologram is used as an objective lens, and the like.
In the case of the method using two objective lenses or the method using the correcting lens, however, there are drawbacks that a complicated mechanism which occupies a large space is necessary, so that it is not suitable for a reduction in size. In the case of the method of using the hologram, drawbacks are such that since a diffraction and an interference are used and there are always a plurality of spots, the efficiency in use of a light cannot be raised. Furthermore, because of its multi-beam scheme, an influence by interference can develop easily.

Optical pickup used with both DVD and CD


A ghost signal removal apparatus for a broadcasting reception system, includes an analog/digital converter for converting a video signal of a received broadcasting signal into a digital signal. A first filtering circuit is adaptive to a reference signal contained in the digital signal from the analog/digital converter, to remove from the digital signal a ghost signal component appearing at the front of a main video signal. A second filtering circuit is adaptive to a reference signal contained in an output signal from the first filtering circuit, to remove from a fed-back final video signal a ghost signal component appearing at the rear of the main video signal. A subtractor subtracts an output signal from the second filtering circuit from the output signal from the first filtering circuit to obtain the final video signal in which the ghost signal has been removed. A digital/analog converter converts an output signal from the subtractor into an analog signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a system for receiving a broadcast signal such as a television signal, and more particularly to a broadcasting reception system which is capable of removing a ghost signal from a broadcast video signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a ghost signal is contained in a broadcast signal received by a television receiver. For this reason, a broadcast signal is normally transmitted from a broadcasting station, with a reference signal being contained in a main video signal of the broadcast signal for the purpose of removal of the ghost signal. The reference signal is, typically, contained in the video signal at the rate of one line per field. Alternatively, the reference signal may be contained in the video signal at the rate of one line every eight lines or at the rate of one line per frame. In an NTSC television broadcasting system, each screen is referred to as a frame, which consists of two fields and has 525 scanning lines.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a conventional ghost signal removal apparatus for a broadcast reception system such as a television receiver. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional ghost signal removal apparatus includes an analog/digital (A/D) converter 1 for converting a main video signal x(t) of a received television signal into a corresponding digital signal x(n).
A transversal filter 2 is provided for removing from the digital signal x(n) a ghost signal component appearing at the front of a main video signal, and a transversal filter 3 is provided for removing a ghost signal component appearing at the rear of the main video signal. A digital/analog (D/A) converter 4 converts a final video signal y(n), already processed for ghost signal removal into an analog signal. A subtracter 5 subtracts an output signal from the transversal filter 3 from an output signal from the transversal filter 2, and outputs the resulting signal as the final video signal y(n), processed for ghost signals removal, to the D/A converter 4.
A memory 6 stores a reference signal x'(n) which is contained in the digital video signal x(n) from the A/D converter 1. A memory 9 stores the final video signal y(n) from the subtracter 5. Additionally, a memory 12 stores an error signal e(n).
A filter coefficient generator 7 executes a least mean square (LMS) algorithm using the reference signal x'(n) stored in the memory 6 and the error signal e(n) stored in the memory 12 to obtain a filter coefficient A(n) for the transversal filter 2. A filter coefficient generator 8 executes a least mean square (LMS) algorithm using the final video signal y(n) stored in the memory 9 and the error signal e(n) stored in the memory 12 to obtain a filter coefficient B(n) for the transversal filter 3.
A memory 10 stores a predetermined ghost removal reference signal r(n) which is the same as a ghost removal reference signal transmitted from a broadcasting station. A subtracter 11 subtracts the predetermined reference signal r(n) from the final video signal y(n) and outputs the resulting signal as the error signal e(n).
The operation of the conventional ghost signal removal apparatus with the above-mentioned construction will hereinafter be described.
The broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcasting station through an antenna is reflected by objects such as buildings, mountains, etc., and the original and reflected signals are received by television receivers with time differences among them. The video signal x(t) component of the received broadcast signal can be defined by the following equation (1) with respect to time t: EQU x(t)=. . . a.sub.-2 u(t-2)+a.sub.-1 u(t-1)+u(t)+a.sub.1 u(t+1)+a.sub.2 u(t+2)+. . . (EQUATION 1)
where, a<1.
Herein, the u(t) term represents the main video signal component as shown in a diagram in FIG. 2. The diagram illustrates a screen which contains the main video signal component and ghost signal components of a received broadcast signal. The terms positioned in the equation to the left of the u(t) term represent the ghost signal components appearing at the front of the main video signal, and the equation terms positioned to the right of the u(t) term represent the ghost signal components appearing at the rear of the main video signal.
The video signal x(t) of the received television signal is converted into the digital signal x(n) (where, n is the sample number) by the A/D converter 1, which then applies the digital signal x(n) to the transversal filter 2.
At this time, only the reference signal x'(n) component of in the digital signal x(n) from the A/D converter 1 is stored in the memory 6. The filter coefficient generator 7 generates the filter coefficient A(n) for the transversal filter 2 by performing the LMS algorithm using the reference signal x'(n) stored in the memory 6 and the error signal e(n) stored in the memory 12. The transversal filter 2 adjusts its filter coefficient in accordance with the filter coefficient A(n) from the filter coefficient generator 7 and filters the digital signal x(n) from the A/D converter 1 on the basis of the adjusted filter coefficient. The transversal filter 2 outputs a video signal with the ghost signal component at the front of the main video signal removed. The video signal from the transversal filter 2 is fed to the subtracter 5.
The transversal filter 3 receives the final video signal y(n) as an input and adjusts its filter coefficient in accordance with the filter coefficient B(n) from the filter coefficient generator 8. The transversal filter 3 then filters the final video signal y(n) on the basis of the adjusted filter coefficient, thereby to output the video signal in which has been removed the ghost signal component at the rear of the main video signal. The video signal from the transversal filter 3 is also fed to the subtracter 5.
The filter coefficient generator 8 obtains the filter coefficient B(n) for the transversal filter 3 by executing the LMS algorithm using the final video signal y(n) stored in the memory 9 and the error signal e(n) stored in the memory 12.
The subtracter 5 subtracts the output signal from the transversal filter 3 from the output signal from the transversal filter 2 and outputs the subtracted signal as the final video signal y(n), processed for ghost signal removal, to the D/A converter 4, which then converts the final video signal y(n) into the analog signal y(t).
The memory 6 stores the reference signal x'(n) for removal of the ghost signal, which is contained in the video signal transmitted from the broadcasting station, and then feeds the stored reference signal x'(n) to the filter coefficient generator 7 as a signal for use in execution of the LMS algorithm. The memory 9 stores the final video signal y(n) from the subtracter 5 and then feeds the stored final video signal y(n) to the filter coefficient generator 8 as a signal for use in execution of the LMS algorithm.
The subtracter 11 receives the final video signal y(n) from the subtracter 5 and the ghost signal removal reference signal r(n) from the memory 10 and generates the error signal e(n) for storage in the memory 12.
The memory 12 feeds the stored error signal e(n) to the filter coefficient generators 7 and 8 as a signal for use in execution of the LMS algorithm. The transversal filters 2 and 3 are a kind of adaptive digital filter.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a block diagram of the transversal filters 2 and 3. As shown in this drawing, the transversal filter 2 includes a delay element 2a for delaying and storing the digital signal x'(n) inputted therein by a plurality of steps. Each of a plurality of gain adjustment taps 2b, adjusts a gain of a corresponding one of the signals stored by the plurality of steps in accordance with a corresponding one of elements of the filter coefficient A(n) from the filter coefficient generator 7. An adder 2c adds output signals from the plurality of gain adjustment taps 2b.
Similarly, the transversal filter 3 includes a delay element 3a for delaying and storing the digital signal inputted therein by a plurality of steps. Each of a plurality of gain adjustment taps 3b adjusts a gain of a corresponding one of the signals stored by the plurality of steps in accordance with a corresponding one of elements of the filter coefficient B(n) from the filter coefficient generator 8. An adder 3c adds the output signals from the plurality of gain adjustment taps 3b.
In the transversal filter 2, the delay element 2a delays the inputted digital signal or the video signal x(n) by n-1 to n-NF steps and sequentially stores the delayed NF samples. Each of the NF gain adjustment taps 2b reads a corresponding one of the stored NF samples and adjusts the gain of the read sample in accordance with a corresponding one of the elements a.sub.1 to a.sub.NF of the filter coefficient A(n) which are generated by the filter coefficient generator 7 as a result of the execution of the LMS algorithm. The adder 2c adds the output signals from the gain adjustment taps 2b and outputs the added signal as the video signal from which the ghost signal component at the front of the main video signal has been processed for removal.
In the transversal filter 2, the delay element 3a delays the inputted digital signal or the fed-back final video signal y(n) by n-1 to n-NB steps and sequentially stores the delayed NB samples. Each of the NB gain adjustment taps 3b reads a corresponding one of the stored NB samples and adjusts the gain of the read sample in accordance with a corresponding one of the elements b.sub.1 to b.sub.NB of the filter coefficient B(n) which are generated by the filter coefficient generator 8 as a result of the execution of the LMS algorithm. The adder 3c adds the output signals from the gain adjustment taps 3b and outputs the added signal as the video signal from which the ghost signal component at the rear of the main video signal has been processed for removal.
The subtracter 5 subtracts the output signal from the transversal filter 3 from the output signal from the transversal filter 2 and outputs the resulting signal as the ghost signal-removed final video signal y(n), which can be defined by the following equation: ##EQU1## where, the ai and bj terms are the filter coefficients or gain adjustment coefficients which are adjusted as a result of the execution of the LMS algorithm, i and j are progression variables, and N is a positive integer.
The video signal in FIG. 1 can be expressed as the sample values as follows:
Namely, the reference signal x'(n) which is fed from the memory 6 to the filter coefficient generator 7 can be expressed by the following equation: EQU x'(n)=[x'(n)x'(n-1) . . . x'(n-NF)] (EQUATION 3)
The final video signal y(n) which is fed from the memory 9 to the filter coefficient generator 8 can be expressed by the following equation: EQU y(n)=[y(n-1) . . . y(n-NB)] (EQUATION 4)
The ghost signal removal reference signal r(n) which is stored in the memory 10 can be expressed by the following equation: EQU r(n)=[r(n)r(n-1)r(n-2) . . . r(n-NB)] (EQUATION 5)
The error signal e(n) which is outputted from the subtracter can be expressed by the following equation: EQU e(n)-r(n)-y(n) (EQUATION 6)
The filter coefficient generator 7 executes the LMS algorithm with respect to the inputted signals x'(n) and e(n) as follows: EQU A(n)=A(n-1)+2K.sub.1 e(n-1)x'(n-1) (EQUATION 7)
The filter coefficient generator 7 obtains the filter coefficient A(n) of the transversal filter 2 by executing the LMS algorithm defined by EQUATION 7. The elements a.sub.1 -a.sub.NF of the filter coefficient A(n) from the filter coefficient generator 7 are applied to the gain adjustment taps 2b in the transversal filter 2, respectively, and can be expressed by the following equation: EQU A(n)=[a.sub.0 (n)a.sub.1 (n)a.sub.2 (n) . . . a.sub.NF (n)].sup.T (EQUATION 8)
The filter coefficient A(n) is repeatedly obtained such that it is adaptive to the reference signals which are contained in the successively inputted video signals, for removal of the ghost signal components at the front of the main video signals in the transversal filter 2.
The filter coefficient generator 8 executes the LMS algorithm with respect to the inputted signals y(n) and e(n) as follows: EQU B(n)=B(n-1)+2K.sub.2 e(n-1)y(n-1) (EQUATION 9)
The filter coefficient generator 8 obtains the filter coefficient B(n) of the transversal filter 3 by executing the LMS algorithm defined by EQUATION 9. The elements b.sub.1 -b.sub.NF of the filter coefficient B(n) from the filter coefficient generator 8 are applied to the gain adjustment taps 3b in the transversal filter 3, respectively, and can be defined by the following equation: EQU B(n)=[b.sub.0 (n)b.sub.1 (n)b.sub.2 (n) . . . b.sub.NB (n)].sup.T (EQUATION 10)
The filter coefficient B(n) is repeatedly obtained such that it is adaptive to the reference signals which are contained in the successively inputted video signals, for removal of the ghost signal components at the rear of the main video signals in the transversal filter 3. In the LMS algorithms for the filter coefficients A(n) and B(n), K.sub.1 and K.sub.2 are inherent constants of the transversal filters 2 and 3 which are determined suitably to convergence speeds and stabilities of the transversal filters 2 and 3, respectively.
As indicated above, the conventional ghost signal removal apparatus comprises the transversal filters 2 and 3, which are adaptive digital filters, and the filter coefficient generators 7 and 8 which execute the LMS algorithm to obtain the filter coefficients A(n) and B(n) for the transversal filters 2 and 3, respectively, thereby providing for removal of the ghost signal components at the front and rear of the main video signal.
However, the conventional ghost signal removal apparatus has the following disadvantages:
First, since the LMS algorithms for removal of the ghost signal components at the front and rear of the main video signal are not performed, the ghost signal removal process is reduced in speed due to the resulting sequential executions.
Second, as connected for feedback operation, the transversal filter has an effect on the generation of the filter coefficient B(n), and the stability of the ghost signal removal operation accordingly cannot be assured.

Ghost signal removal apparatus for broadcasting reception system


A fluid-storing portion 4 includes an external container (110), an internal container (120), and a coupling material (140) which forms an internal space (130) shielded from the outside between the internal container (120) and the external container (110). When the volume of the internal container (120) is decreased, the internal space (130) is depressurized and receives force in a direction toward the internal space (130) from outside. Consequently, air flows into the internal space (130) from the outside by the action of a runoff prevention mechanism (144 and 147) of the coupling material (140).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fluid-storing container comprising an external container and an internal container which stores a fluid.
2. Description of the Related Art
A double-wall fluid storing container is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-335087, for example. In the publication, a fluid-storing container comprises an internal container incorporated in an external container, wherein the internal container can be filled with a fluid and is made of a material which changes the shape inward as the inside of the internal container is depressurized, and a fluid discharge pump is installed at an opening portion of the internal container. The opening portion of the internal container and the fluid discharge pump in this fluid-storing container are installed air-tightly inside the internal container. Further, a space shielded from the outside by a lid is formed between the external container and the internal container. A small air hole is provided in the external container to prevent pressure inside the space from remaining low as the volume of the internal container decreases. This enables the fluid stored to be dispensed by applying pressure on the external container regardless of the remaining amount of the fluid stored, while maintaining the outer shape of the external container. The air hole is small enough to support pressure in the space while pressing the external container to press the internal container.
However, this fluid-storing container has problems: When the fluid stored leaks into the space formed between the external container and the internal container due to damage made to the internal container, etc., the fluid leaking into the space leaks outside the external container through the air hole provided in the external container. Additionally, it is difficult to use containers available on the market as the external containers without modifications, because providing the air hole in the external containers is required.


A new and distinct cultivar of Buddleia plant named ‘PIIBD-I’, characterized by its compact, rounded to upright growth habit, dark green foliage, dark violet-purple flowers with an orange center, and long flowering season, with flowers produced from summer to the first frost.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Buddleia plant, botanically known as Buddleia davidii Franch., commonly known as butterfly-bush, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'PIIBD-I'. 'PIIBD-I' is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.
'PIIBD-I' originated from an open-pollination of the cultivar 'Griffin Blue' (unpatented) growing in Watkinsville, Ga. in 2010. The cultivar 'PIIBD-I' originated and was selected in a cultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga. from the progeny of this open-pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit, foliage and flower characteristics.
Asexual reproduction of 'PIIBD-I' by stem cuttings in Watkinsville, Ga. since 2011 has shown that all the unique features of this new Buddleia, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.


Banding has been prone to take place as regards black ink. Nozzle columns for color inks are arranged side by side in a direction in which a medium is conveyed, and are allocated to each color, and an amount of the medium equivalent to the length of the nozzle columns of each of the colors among the nozzle columns for the color inks is fed, to print on a forward path and return path from the nozzle columns for the color inks. As such, by repeatedly printing 100% of the total number of dots on every single scan for the color inks, the corresponding print region is covered.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus for ejecting ink droplets, as well as to a print method and a print system; in particular, the invention relates to a vertical array liquid ejection apparatus in which nozzle columns for color inks are allocated for each color and are arranged side by side in a direction in which a medium is conveyed, as well as to a print method and print system.
Background Technology
There is known a so-called vertical array liquid ejection apparatus having nozzle columns for a plurality of color inks and a nozzle column for black ink, the nozzle columns for the color inks and the nozzle column for the black ink being disposed side by side in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which a medium is conveyed, and the nozzle columns for the color inks being allocated for each color and being arranged side by side in the direction in which the medium is conveyed. Patent Document 1 discloses such a vertical array liquid ejection apparatus.
During printing in the vertical array liquid ejection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, an amount of the medium commensurate with the nozzle column for the color inks is fed, and in a single scan, 100% of a total number of dots is printed for each of the color inks. On the other hand, as regards the black ink, the nozzle column for the black ink is divided into groups for each of the colors of the color inks; 50% of the total number of dots is printed in a single scan, and 100% of the total number of dots is printed in two scans of reciprocating motion.
There are three of the color inks, namely, CMY (where cyan is denoted by C, magenta is denoted by M, and yellow is denoted by Y), and therefore a control is carried out as regards the black ink so that 50% of the printing is carried out together with the C, and subsequently 50% of the printing is carried out together with the M, while no printing is (believed to be) carried out during the printing of the Y.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-237346 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art.

Liquid ejection apparatus, print method, and print system


A low-noise amplifier is provided that includes an input amplifier stage coupled to a plurality of independently switchable output amplifier stages. The input amplifier stage is operative to amplify an input communications signal, and it provides both an amplified communications signal and a feedforward signal. The amplified communications signal and the feedforward signal both include a distortion component. Each of the switchable output stages is operative to provide an output that combines the feedforward signal with the amplified communications signal in such a way that the distortion components of the signals at least partially cancel one another. In some embodiments, the switching of the output amplifier stages is performed by circuitry that also serves to improve reverse isolation of the separate output amplifier stages.

A Low-noise amplifier is typically the first active electronic component to process a radio-frequency signal received by a wireless communication device, such as a mobile telephone or two-way radio. Any noise and distortion introduced at this early stage of signal processing is likely to propagate through the receiving equipment, so it is important to select a low-noise amplifier with a low noise figure (NF) and high linearity.
There are several known design constraints that make it difficult to achieve low noise figure and high linearity while also satisfying requirements for input and output impedance matching, reverse isolation, stability, and low current consumption. These constraints are particularly difficult to satisfy where a receiver is required to have the capability of monitoring more than one wireless channel at a time, as in the case of a dual-watch radio. In such cases, it is possible to passively split the input signal and to amplify the split signal with two separate low-noise amplifiers. Alternatively, it is possible to use a single low-noise amplifier and to passively split the outputs. Both of these solutions require additional current consumption due to the need to increase gain to account for passive loss at the splitter.
Accordingly, there is a need for a switchable multi-output low-noise amplifier with distortion cancellation.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Switchable multi-output low-noise amplifier with distortion cancellation


Disclosed is a method for replacing a process instrument in a processing apparatus, in which a target object is loaded by transfer mechanism into a processing unit and is subjected to a process by use of the process instrument. The method includes confirming that a process on the target object is finished in a processing unit designated as a process instrument replacement target, and providing information that a process instrument replacing operation is permitted to start. The method further includes, when a shutter of the processing unit designated as the process instrument replacement target is closed to perform a process instrument replacing operation and an operation prohibition state is thereby applied to the transfer mechanism, canceling the operation prohibition state to allow the transfer mechanism to perform a load/unload operation relative to a processing unit not designated as a process instrument replacement target.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for replacing a process instrument in a processing apparatus used for processing a target object, such as a semiconductor wafer, and a storage medium that stores a program for replacement.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in the steps for manufacturing semiconductor devices or the like, a photolithography technique is utilized to form a resist pattern on the surface of a substrate to be processed (which will be referred to as a target object), such as a semiconductor wafer or LCD substrate. This photolithography technique includes a resist coating process for applying a resist liquid onto the surface of the target object; a light exposure process for subjecting the resist film thus formed to light exposure with a circuit pattern; and a developing process for supplying a developing solution onto the target object treated by the light exposure process. These processes are performed by use of a coating/developing apparatus.
In general, a coating/developing apparatus includes a carry-in section and a carry-out section for transferring target objects into and out of the apparatus; processing units for performing processes of various types, such as the resist coating process, light exposure process, and developing process, described above; and an interface section for transferring target objects between these areas. The interface section includes transfer means, such as a transfer arm, by which target objects are sequentially transferred from the carry-in section to selected ones of the processing units. Each of the processing units has a transfer port provided with a shutter, through which a target object is loaded into the processing unit. The target object thus loaded is subjected to a process, such as the coating process, in the processing unit. Thereafter, the processed target object is transferred by the transfer means to another processing unit or the carry-out section.
Each of the processing units has an opening provided with a cover door on the side (outer side) opposite to the transfer port provided with the shutter. Where a maintenance operation is performed on each of the processing units, the cover door of the opening is opened by an operator. When the cover door is opened, an interlock mechanism is activated to stop the entire operation of the coating/developing apparatus, thereby satisfying a safety standard.
For example, a coating unit includes a spin chuck located therein for holding a target object or substrate, and a process cup serving as a process instrument for surrounding the spin chuck and target object. A process liquid is supplied onto the surface of the substrate set in a state described above, while the substrate is being rotated. Currently, the process cup needs to be replaced twice a week. When the cover door of the coating unit is opened to perform this cup replacing operation in the middle of processes, the interlock mechanism is activated to stop the transfer means or transfer mechanism. In light of this, conventionally, the process cup replacing operation is performed after the light exposure process and developing process in processing units are finished and all the target objects are collected into a carrier.
However, while the interlock mechanism is in an activated state for maintenance of one of the processing units, the coating/developing apparatus is entirely stopped until the maintenance is finished. This means that the operation rate of the apparatus is decreased.
In light of this, there is proposed a substrate processing apparatus to improve the apparatus operation rate (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-12912). According to this apparatus, an interlock mechanism is set disabled on the condition that the shutter of the transfer port of a processing unit is closed by an operator. This makes it possible to prevent the processing apparatus from being undesirably entirely stopped when the cover door is opened.
However, depending on the type of a processing unit, unsolved problems remain when an operator simply closes the shutter by a switching operation to set the interlock mechanism disabled.
For example, where a processing apparatus includes only one coating unit as a whole, a replacing operation of the process cup of this coating unit brings about a state where no usable coating unit is present in the apparatus. In this case, it is necessary to set takeoff suspension of the next lot and/or to stop the processing apparatus entirely. Further, even where a processing apparatus includes a plurality of coating units, the program needs to be modified to bypass the processing unit designated as a cup replacement target.
Further, where a cup replacing operation is performed on a coating unit, it is preferable that the process cup can be replaced immediately after the process in the coating unit is finished. However, the conventional technique is arranged such that an operator closes the shutter of the transfer port of an objective processing unit by a switching operation, without an automatic judgment as to whether the process in the processing unit is finished. In this case, the operator is required to make a judgment as to when the shutter should be closed while processes are sequentially performed. Accordingly, a time delay tends to be caused after the process in the processing unit is finished and before the shutter is closed and the cover door is opened.
Such a problem may be also caused in replacement or inspection of another process instrument that constitutes a processing unit, such as a nozzle or spin chuck, besides a process cup.

Method and storage medium for replacing process instrument in processing apparatus


A substantially planar insulating sheet of high temperature printed circuit board material (11) is used to form a leadframe strip (18, 19, 21) for a semiconductor package (20). The leadframe strip (18, 19, 21) includes a die attach opening (12) through the insulating sheet (11). A plurality of metallized areas (13, 22, 23) on the insulating sheet (11) form bonding pads (13) and package leads (22). Conductive holes (14) electrically connect the bonding pads (13) and the package leads (22).

The present invention relates, in general, to semiconductor packages, and more particularly, to leadframes for semiconductor packages.
A variety of package styles and leadframes have previously been utilized in packaging semiconductor devices. In order to obtain high thermal dissipation capability, generally greater than 1 watt, previous packages usually employ an insulated leadframe that is formed from a number of individual piece parts. One particular insulated package includes a plurality of individual leads that are attached to a heatsink by a plurality of small ceramic insulators that electrically insulate the leads from the heatsink.
Assembling an insulated leadframe from individual piece parts requires several assembly steps that result in a high leadframe cost. During assembly, components are often misaligned thereby destroying the leadframe and adding to the overall cost of good leadframes. Also, several precision assembly operations typically are required to assemble the piece parts into a package which further adds to the package's cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an insulated leadframe that has low cost components, that does not require precision alignments to assemble the leadframe; and to have a low cost high thermal conductivity package using the leadframe.

Leadframe strip for semiconductor packages and method


A method and system for feeding a lubricating or releasing agent from a dosing station to one or more pressing tools arranged in a pressing chamber of a tablet press. The tablet press is configured with a feed pipe for feeding the lubricating or release agent from the dosing station to the one or more pressing tools of a pressing chamber of the tablet press and the feed pipe is configured with a shut-off valve disposed in-line with the feed pip for controlling the flow of the lubricating or release agent to the pressing chamber. The method comprises the steps of: producing a negative pressure with respect to the surroundings of the pressing chamber of the tablet press, measuring a pressure in one of the feed pipe and the pressing chamber, and issuing a signal indicative of the measured pressure and issuing an enable signal to open a valve in response to the pressure signal.

EP Patent 0676280 B1 discloses pressing tools like press plungers or die bores of tablet presses which dust the working components with magnesium stearate (MgSt) or similar materials to improve the yield of tablets and to avoid tableting errors, in particular when products having a propensity to stick to a surface are to be compacted. Feeding the lubricating or releasing agent is usually performed by continuous dosing combined with a pneumatic overpressure for the purpose of transporting the lubricating or releasing agent (fed by air as a carrier medium) to the working area. Clocked dosings are known from EP 0 336 197 A2 and dosing of the liquid or suspended lubricating agents is known from DE 39 022 93 A1 or EP 1 179 414 A1. Moreover, stearate dosings with process-dependent control of the dosing amount along with the additional action of introducing pressurised gas or air directly before the exit of the lubricating agent is described in DE 196 47 089 A1. In all the aforementioned cases, the connection to the tablet press is performed via an open hose line.
Certain tablet presses have an active protection function which is configured to withhold or filter toxic dusts from the surroundings. Such tablet presses are also considered to be containment presses. In order to reach the small expositions required for such containment presses, the pressing chamber is tightly sealed and exposed to a controlled negative pressure with respect to the surroundings. Even with these constraints, it has not been possible to feed a lubricating or releasing agent into the controlled surroundings inasmuch as any opening for feeding the lubricating or releasing agent cannot be performed safely even under the conditions of the containment press.
A need, therefore, exists for a method and a system for feeding a lubricating or releasing agent safely into containment tablet presses.
The foregoing background describes some, but not necessarily all, of the problems, disadvantages and shortcomings related to archery release devices and methods of the prior art

Method and system for feeding a lubricating or releasing agent to pressing tools of a tablet press


Compounds of general formula (II),

U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,869 discloses the purification of impure cefdinir through the preparation of N,N-dicyclohexylamine salt of 7-[2-aminothiazol-4-yl-2-(z)-hydroxyimino acetamido]-3-vinyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid and subsequent hydrolysis to get pure cefdinir. This process requires the preparation of crude cefdinir, conversion to N,N-dicyclohexylamine salt and then hydrolysis of the salt to get pure cefdinir, and therefore the overall yield is not attractive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,496 discloses a process for preparing the benzathine salt of Cefonicid which comprises treating an aqueous solution or suspension of Cefonicid with an organic solvent and N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,843 discloses the process for the preparation of Ceftriaxone disodium hemiheptahydrate involving condensing 7-ACT with MAEM. The product formed is precipitated by using dibenzylethylenediamine and subsequently is treated with sodium ethylhexanoate in acetone.
In order to get rid of impurities and isolating the product from aqueous medium, all these prior art references used different kind of amine salt with cephem-4-carboxylic acid derivatives. But none of the processes gave desired yield and quantity.
In continuation of our research, for developing new and efficient processes for making cephlosporins, we have found new salts of formula (II) and its use in the preparation of cephalosporin antibiotics of the formula (I) with minimum impurities in high yield.

Salts in the preparation of cephalosporin antibiotics

Abstract: Compounds of general formula (II),

Abstract: wherein R1 represents

Abstract: R4 represents hydrogen or —CHO group, R5 represents hydrogen or trityl,    R2 represents hydrogen or methoxy group,    R3 represents —CH═CH2 or

Abstract: and M represents a dialkyl or dicycloalkyl ethylenediamine group selected from N,N′-diisobutylethylenediamine, N,N′-dicyclohexylethylenediamine, and N,N′-dicyclopentylethylenediamine, are useful in a process to make cephalosporin antibiotics of formula (I)

Abstract: wherein R represents hydrogen or pharmaceutically acceptable esters or alkali metals salts.

Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited


A metamaterial high-power microwave source relates to the fields of vacuum electronic technology, particle physics, and accelerators, including: a cathode, a metamaterial slow-wave structure (SWS), a waveguide and coaxial line coupler located at one end of the metamaterial SWS and a collector component located at the other end of the metamaterial SWS. The metamaterial SWS provided by the present invention is greatly smaller than a rectangular waveguide having the same frequency, so as to realize a miniaturization of devices and facilitate integration with semiconductor devices. The waveguide and coaxial line coupler has a good transmission characteristic and a low reflection in a relatively wide frequency band, which guarantees a high-efficient coupling output of a signal. Moreover, the metamaterial high-power microwave source has a high-power output and a pulsed output power reaching a megawatt level.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the fields of vacuum electronic technology, particle physics, and accelerators, and more particularly to a sheet electron beam/multi-electron beam metamaterial high-power microwave source, which is high-powered, high-efficient, miniaturized, easy to be manufactured, and liable to integrate with semiconductor devices.
Description of Related Arts
In the microwave frequency band, compared with the semiconductor devices, although vacuum electron devices have the high power and the high efficiency, the vacuum electron devices have the large volume, the heavy weight, and the poor consistency. With the rapid development of the semiconductor devices, the vacuum electron devices, such as the traveling-wave tube, the backward wave oscillator, the klystrons, and the magnetrons, are facing great challenges in the fields of communication, radar, guidance, electronic countermeasures, microwave heating, accelerators, and controlled thermonuclear fusions. Thus, the vacuum electron devices are urgently required to develop toward the miniaturization while further improving the output power, so as to meet the challenges from the semiconductor devices. Compared with the conventional vacuum electron devices, the sheet beam metamaterial high-power microwave source has the advantages of both the metamaterial and the sheet electron beam. Firstly, the resonance characteristic of the metamaterial leads to the high interaction impedance of the metamaterial slow-wave structure (SWS), so the sheet beam metamaterial high-power microwave source has the high power and the high efficiency. Secondly, the square metallic waveguide loaded with the metamaterial is able to work under the cut-off frequency of the empty waveguide, so the structure size of the sheet beam metamaterial high-power microwave source is greatly decreased, which contributes to the miniaturization of the vacuum electron devices. Thirdly, the sheet electron beam is able to transmit the high current with the small size, which further contributes to increasing the output power of the vacuum electron devices. Fourthly, the sheet electron beam is beneficial to expand the interaction area, so as to further increase the efficiency of the vacuum electron devices. Because the sheet electron beam/multi-electron beam metamaterial high-power microwave source has the advantages of both the metamaterial and the sheet electron beam, the sheet electron beam/multi-electron beam metamaterial high-power microwave source has the obvious advantages over the semiconductor devices in the competition of the higher frequency band (millimeter wave frequency band and terahertz frequency band). Thus, the sheet electron beam/multi-electron beam metamaterial high-power microwave source has attracted more and more attention of the scholars.
In 2005, the Spanish scholars, including Esteban, proposed a rectangular waveguide loaded with a two-dimensional metal rod array (one of the metamaterials) and illustrated that the rectangular waveguide is able to propagate the quasi transverse magnetic (TM) wave in principle (J. Esteban, et al., IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory Tech., 53 (4), 1506-1514, 2005). However, the structure of the rectangular waveguide has no natural electron beam channel and has the low interaction efficiency. Thus, the rectangular waveguide is not applicable in the vacuum electron devices. In 2014, the Chinese scholar Zhaoyun Duan and his American colleagues proposed a single-negative metamaterial built by a Complementary Electric Split Ring Resonator (CeSRR), as shown in FIG. 1. This metamaterial-loaded waveguide is able to propagate the quasi-TM wave and has the natural sheet electron beam channel (Z. Y. Duan, et al., Phys. Plasmas, 21 (10), 103301, 2014). Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the metamaterial-loaded waveguide can be regarded as a novel SWS with the high interaction impedance (more than 750 ohms), larger than the interaction impedance of the helix in the S band (about 100-200 ohms) and the interaction impedance of the coupled cavity in the S band (about 300-400 ohms). However, this work merely theoretically analyzes the high-frequency characteristics of the metamaterial SWS, not involving the nonlinear effect of the beam-wave interaction and the related components, such as the energy output devices, the cathode, and the collector. Hence, the work merely theoretically predicts that the CeSRR is able to serve as the high-power microwave source, and thus mainly focuses on the metamaterial SWS which is merely one of the components of the high-power microwave radiation source.

Metamaterial high-power microwave source

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China


A contactless switch includes an angularly and/or axially adjustable rotor, by which at least one main magnet is directly or indirectly adjustable. The magnetic field of the at least one main magnet influences at least two magnetic field sensors, which issue signals that correlate with a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, and/or an alteration in the magnetic field strength and/or a polarization of the magnetic field.

Standard switches with contacts, such as ignition locks in automobiles, are subject to wear on their contacts when used frequently, due to friction, elastic deformation, current flow and break sparks. Ignition locks generally comprise devices which detect whether an ignition key has been inserted or removed. This detection is usually made mechanically and leads to a blockage of the steering or a removal of this blockage. With regard to electronic systems present in modern automobiles, an improved drive authorisation control and the drive-by-wire systems which can be anticipated in the future, in which a mechanical steering may be omitted, it is desirable that the detection as to whether the key has been inserted or removed be conducted electronically and also without contacts.


A lifter and a method for handling of a rotor blade of a wind turbine are provided. Furthermore, a rotor blade for a wind generator and a method for marking the rotor blade and a system comprising a rotor blade and a lifter are provided. The lifter comprises at least one grabbing jaw having a pair of arms carrying pads for contacting an outer surface of the rotor blade in predetermined grabbing areas. Furthermore, the lifter comprises a detector for visual inspection of an invisible mark on a surface of the rotor blade. The at least one mark indicates a position of the at least one grabbing area.

A rotor blade of a wind turbine, also referred to as a wind power plant or a wind energy converter, is a hollow structure having structural reinforcement members which are arranged inside the rotor blade. An outer surface of the rotor blade, which is mainly represented by a pressure side and a suction side, is not entirely supported by the structural reinforcement inside the rotor blade. Handling of a rotor blade has to be performed carefully to prevent the risk for damage of the rotor blade under its own weight. The rotor blade has to be grabbed at certain points or in certain area of the surface which are supported by the structural reinforcement members inside the rotor blade. In particular during installation of a rotor blade on a rotor hub of a wind generator, the rotor blade must be grabbed in these predetermined grabbing areas which are designed to support the weight of the rotor blade.
Two textile bands which are attached to a crane hook may be applied and represent the simplest tool for handling of the rotor blade. More complex handling devices allow a more flexible and convenient handling and positioning of the rotor blade. Such a device for handling of a rotor blade of a wind turbine is for example known from WO 2012/095112 A1. This rotor blade lifter comprises two grabbing jaws each having an antagonistic pair of arms carrying a plurality of pads for supporting the rotor blade. The pads contact a surface of the rotor blade in the predetermined grabbing areas.
Positioning of the handling device has to be performed precisely in order for the pads to grab the rotor blade exactly in the predetermined grabbing areas only. Today, the alignment of the lifter with respect to the rotor blade is performed by help of geometric measurements and/or by permanently visible positioning marks. A distance from the fixing flange of the rotor blade and a distance from the geometrical center of the rotor blade to a respective one of the grabbing areas is known from the manufacture of the rotor blades. The handling tool is adjusted with respect to the fixing flange and the geometrical center, for example by help of optical distance measurements of the permanently visible marks. This is however a rather complex procedure representing a time consuming step during handling of the rotor blade. Furthermore, a marking system comprising permanently visible marks, depending on the size of the marks, is not always in accordance with the blade marking standards, mainly related to air flight regulations.
The situation becomes even more complicated if a rotor blade should be removed from a wind generator. In particular for offshore wind generators, positioning of the handling tool may be hardly possible due to wind and motion of the sea even under ordinary weather conditions.

Lifter and method for handling a rotor blade, rotor blade for a wind generator and method for marking a rotor blade, system comprising a lifter and a rotor blade


Maltol and ethyl maltol can be produced from a haloenone intermediate by reacting the intermediate with acid in a reaction medium comprising an aprotic solvent.

Maltol is a naturally occurring substance found in the bark of young larch trees, pine needles and chicory. Maltol has the structure ##STR1## Maltol is one of a family of compounds called gamma pyrones which enhance the flavor and aroma of a variety of food products and which, in general, have the formula ##STR2## wherein R is hydrogen, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.6)alkyl, (C.sub.2 -C.sub.6)alkenyl, phenyl, or benzyl. The compounds wherein R is methyl (maltol) or ethyl (ethyl maltol) are regulated for use as flavor enhancers in foods. In addition, these materials are used as ingredients in perfumes and essences. Pyromeconic acid (formula II, R.dbd.H) derivatives such as the 2-alkenylpyromeconic acids reported in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,469 inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi and are useful as flavor and aroma enhancers in foods and beverages and aroma enhancers in perfumes.
Many processes for producing maltol have been reported. Early commercial production was from the destructive distillation of wood. Synthesis of maltol from 3-hydroxy-2-(1-piperidylmethyl)-1,4-pyrone was reported by Spielman and Freifelder in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 69, 2908 (1947). Schenck and Spielman, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 67, 2276 (1945), obtained maltol by alkaline hydrolysis of streptomycin salts. Chawla and McGonigal, J. Org. Chem., 39, 3281 (1974) and Lichtenthaler and Heidel, Angew. Chem., 81, 998 (1969), reported the synthesis of maltol from protected carbohydrate derivatives. Shono and Matsumura, Tetrahedron Letters No. 17, 1363 (1976), described a five step synthesis of maltol starting with methyl furfuryl alcohol.
Syntheses of gamma-pyrones such as pyromeconic acid, maltol, ethyl maltol and other 2-substituted-3-hydroxy-gamma-pyrones are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,130,204; 3,133,089; 3,140,239; 3,159,652; 3,365,469; 3,376,317; 3,468,915; 3,440,183; 3,446,629; 4,082,717; 4,147,705; 4,323,506; 4,342,697; 4,387,235; 4,390,709; 4,435,584; and 4,451,661. A typical process for making gamma pyrones is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,584 to Brennan et al. This patent describes a one pot, furfuryl alcohol based synthesis wherein all reactions are conducted in aqueous/protic media. The present invention is based on chemistry which can employ a furfuryl alcohol precursor, but which, by contrast, employs a reaction medium comprising an aprotic solvent to effect the conversion of a haloenone to the desired gamma pyrone product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,624 discloses preparation of gamma-pyrones from 3-substituted furans by procedures which can employ isolation of various components by extraction with various organic solvents.

by Ellen E. Swenarton, legal representative


Methods and apparatus for delivering radiation therapy to patients during suspended ventilation are provided. The apparatus includes a ventilator assembly having first and second selectively operable valves that independently control inhalation and exhalation of the patient. Both valves are shut to suspend patient ventilation for a period of time. In the methods of the present invention, radiation therapy is administered during this period of suspended patient ventilation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for delivering radiation therapy. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for delivering radiation therapy during suspended ventilation.
2. Discussion
Radiation for the treatment of cancer embodies a variety of risks related to overexposure to healthy tissue. A major concern in increasing the dose to treat cancer is the potential increase in life-threatening complications. This is particularly the case for treatment in the thoracic and upper abdominal regions. Because of respiratory motion, a large margin is needed to ensure proper tumor coverage, which in turn leads to a large volume of healthy tissue being irradiated. For lung treatment, there is a risk of five percent pneumonitis in five years if the whole lung receives more than 1,750 cGy, two-thirds of the lung receives more than 3,000 cGy, and one-third of the lung receives 4,500 cGy. Similar observations have been made for other sites, such as the treatment of focal lesions in the liver.
There are rather difficult tolerances to satisfy if one wants to increase dose. Take, for example, the traditional radiation treatment using AP/PA (anterior to posterior/posterior to anterior) beam arrangements for lung treatment. Given, for example, a modest lung thickness of 15 cm. Assuming a total lung capacity of 5.0 liters, the total irradiated lung volume is calculated by taking the lung volume around the tumor and subtracting tumor volume. Given a margin of 3 cm around the tumor that is 7 cm in diameter, 45% of the lung will initially be irradiated. Given a margin of 2 cm, 30% of the lung will be irradiated. Given a margin of 1 cm, 18% of the lung will be irradiated. Given a margin of 0.5 cm, 13% of the lung will be irradiated.
In response to concerns regarding over-exposure, there have been intense efforts over the past decade to implement high dose conformal radiation therapy which have led to the development of many new advanced technologies. These advanced technologies include computed tomographic (CT) simulation, three dimensional (3D) treatment planning, computer controlled medical accelerators, multileaf collimators (MLCs), and electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs). These technologies are becoming increasingly more common, making possible the implementation of new treatment techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy. The success of high dose conformal therapy depends critically on treatment accuracy. With more accurate information about the position of a tumor, a tighter treatment margin can be prescribed such that a higher dose can be delivered to the tumor without increasing deleterious complications.
In practice, the treatment margin must account for the width of the beam penumbra, the daily variation in patient setup, and the variation in organ positions between fractions and during a single fraction. Recent advances have been made to sharpen beam penumbra, reduce daily setup variation and compensate for inter-fraction variation of organ position. (Intra-fraction organ motion associated with breathing, however, remains problematic.) Intra-fraction variations pertain to the changes in the organ shapes and positions during a single treatment fraction. These include the motion of tumors and organs in the thoracic and abdominal regions. In certain procedures for radiotherapy of the thorax, patient breathing has an effect on the procedure. Motion of the lungs and diaphragm can cause displacement of organs and a tumor being treated. Organs and tumors in the thorax and abdomen are known to move by more than 2 cm during the breathing cycle. At present, the 3D imagings used for treatment planning are "static". They do not contain information about the changing tumor positions while the patient breathes. Consequently, a wide margin is used, irradiating a large volume of critical tissue. As a result, limits are placed upon the dose that can be delivered to the tumor. Concern for pulmonary complications has constrained radiation therapy of lung cancer, despite the dismal prognosis of the disease. High dose conformal therapy in the thorax and abdomen is more effective when organ motion due to breathing can be minimized.
There have been different approaches to minimizing respiratory motion. One approach is to have the patient shallowly breathe pure oxygen. Another approach has been through a technique known as "triggering" or "gating" in which the respiration cycle is monitored using an external device such as a spirometer or a string-gauge to turn on the beam only at a certain point in the respiration cycle. A possible component of this technique is to train the patient to exercise the breath-holding at the appropriate lung volume in order to extend the duty cycle of the beam. A further approach is to use deep inspiration breath holding, during which time the beam is activated.
The optimal delivery of gated or "breath-hold" therapy requires the 3D characterization of dynamic organ and tumor motion such that both beam geometry and "gate" can be optimized. However, this optional approach is not possible with most gated therapy proposals which rely on 2D fluoroscopy. It is also difficult to obtain gated 3D CT scans because of the complexity in machine control. Deep inspiration breath hold can be applied, but the 3D CT scan can only be made in one respiratory position. It is possible that dynamic 3D tomographic images can be made with the Immatron (an ultrafast CT specifically built for cardiac scanning) or using a fast MRI. However, the former approach is prohibitively expensive, while the latter approach produces distortions and complex image fusion is required to provide 3D images.
Accordingly, current approaches to gated therapy rely exclusively on the passive monitoring of respiration, followed by electronic or manual triggering of the beam. However, electronic triggering requires control of the medical accelerator to coordinate with passive respiratory monitoring. This is not readily achieved. On the other hand, manual gating requires the patient to reproducibly get to the same respiratory position. Inevitable variability means that a wider tolerance would need to be set. In addition, the radiation needs to be turned off immediately when the breath-hold creeps out of tolerance. Failure to do so can be serious since gated therapy is likely to employ higher dose rates.
While the above techniques represent various advances in the art, all known methods and devices for the delivery of radiation therapy during suspended ventilation are subject to improvement.

Method and apparatus for delivering radiation therapy during suspended ventilation


To provide a method for producing a toner in which at least monomers are polymerized in at least one of a supercritical fluid and a subcritical fluid to thereby produce toner particles, wherein at least one of the supercritical fluid and the subcritical fluid contains a fluorine-containing surfactant, and a polymer resulted from polymerization of the monomers is insoluble in at least one of the supercritical fluid and the subcritical fluid, and provide a toner produced by the method for producing the toner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner suitable for electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing and the like, to a producing method for the same, and to an image-forming method using the toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming based on electrophotography generally involves a series of the following individual steps: a latent electrostatic image-forming step in which using a variety of means a latent electrostatic image is formed on a photoconductor (hereinafter referred to as a latent electrostatic image bearing member, an image bearing member, and an electrophotographic photoconductor); a developing step in which the formed latent electrostatic image is developed by application of a toner to form a toner image; a transferring step in which the toner image is transferred to a recording member such as a paper; a fixing step in which the toner image transferred to the recording member is fixed thereto by applying heat, pressure, heat and pressure, or vapor of a solvent; and a cleaning step in which toner particles remained on the photoconductor are removed, for example.
It is required that toners for electrophotography be produced by more energy-saving, environment friendly processes. The conventional method of pulverization is employed in the method for producing the toner. However, in recent years, media-based chemical methods such as an emulsion aggregation method, a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion dispersion method, a dissolution and suspension method, and a dissolution, suspension and extension method have been used in most cases for producing the toners.
In the suspension polymerization method, toner materials containing monomers, a polymerization initiator and the like are dispersed in an aqueous medium to form oil droplets, followed by heat treatment to cause a polymerization reaction to take place for producing the toner.
In the emulsion dispersion method, toner materials containing polymers and the like are mixed with an aqueous medium to form oil droplets by allowing the toner materials to be dispersed or emulsified in or with the aqueous medium for producing the toner (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 05-66600 and 08-211655). The dissolution and suspension method consists of the suspension preparing step in which an oil component produced by adding a binder resin in an organic solvent in which the binder resin is resolvable is suspended in an aqueous component to be particulate, and the step of removing the organic solvent from the suspension (see Japanese Patent (JP-B) No. 3141783).
In view of recent environmental problems, as chemical toners produced through these chemical methods, chemical toners such as capsule toner, core shell toner, etc. are available, and such toners have a form that enables efficient provision of desired functions.
In such methods for producing toners, which use the pulverization method, how uniformly each constituent material is dispersed and pulverized is important to ensure that the resultant toner particles have uniform shapes. In general, toner particles have amorphous shapes with randomly-sized cross sections, and control of the shape or structure of toner particles become very difficult. Moreover, when a large amount of coloring agents, releasing agents, charge-controlling agents and the like are added to the toner, these additives tend to migrate to the surfaces of toner particles during a pulverization process because they cleavage along the crystal plane of the additives, resulting in a problem that toner characteristics such as flowability and charging properties may be reduced, e.g., variations may occur in the charging properties among individual toner particles.
The methods for producing toners which involve chemical methods can produce toner particles that have smaller diameters and a narrower particle size distribution than those produced by the method for producing the toners involving the pulverization method. However, the toner surface becomes hydrophilic because toner is produced either in water or hydrophilic medium, and then the charging properties of toner particles reduce, the temporal stability and environmental characteristics become unstable. This may cause such problems as abnormal development and transfer operations, toner scatterings, or poor image quality. Moreover, the methods for producing the toner which involve chemical methods entail generation of a large amount of waste solution and require a large amount of energy for drying of produced toner particles. This is not preferred in terms of environmental impact. Therefore, the methods for producing a toner using a supercritical fluid have been developed.
As a method for producing a toner using a supercritical fluid, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-312098 proposes a method for producing toner particles using RESS (Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions) technique. This technique, however, is applicable to only resin that can be dissolved in supercritical fluids, and provides a narrow range of choice of applicable resins. For example, the solubilities of high-molecular mass ingredients or gels (called H body) needed in the toner are of extremely low solubility. In addition, a supercritical fluid, for example, inexpensive and potent styrene-acrylic resins and polyester resins that are generally used in the toner field are also of extremely low solubility. Thus, there is a problem that they cannot be used as they are.
To solve the foregoing problems Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2004-161824, 2004-144778 and 2005-107405 propose a technique in which rather than dissolving resin in a supercritical fluid, colored resin that has been previously melted and kneaded is granulated by application of shearing force using a dispersing agent in a insoluble condition. This technology has a problem that it broadens the particle size distribution, though a wide range is ensured for the choice of materials. In particular, broader particle distributions are a critical drawback for obtaining high-resolution images as required by recent toners.
No method for producing a toner has been provided that ensures a sharp particle size distribution and excellent toner characteristics such as charging properties, environmental impact, and temporal stability, creates little waste solution, produces toner containing no monomers left over, requires no drying process and is low cost. Likewise, neither a toner produced by this method for producing the toner nor an image-forming apparatus using the toner has been provided.

Toner, method for producing the same, and image-forming method using the same


The disclosure generally relates to an apparatus for securing and adjusting a watch strap. In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosure relates to a wrist watch having a watch strap closing system that allows a watch strap with saw teeth to be locked and secured in place by a locking mechanism having complimentary saw teeth. The watch strap can move in one direction in order to tighten the watch strap around the user's wrist, but is prevented from moving in an opposite direction. To release or loosen the watch strap, the user can apply pressure to disengage the locking mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for securing and adjusting a free end of a strap, bracelet, band, collar, and the like. More particularly, the invention involves an adjustable locking system for wristwatch straps and bands.
2. Related Art
Typically, straps of wristwatches are opened and fastened by using devices such as buckles or clasps. The application of one of these fastener devices depends often on the material from which the watch strap is made. For example, a watch strap made from soft material like leather is fastened by actuating a buckle. By contrast, a watch strap made from a rigid or metallic material is often fastened by snapping a clasp.
A watch strap having a buckle is fastened in several stages. First, an end portion of the watch strap is inserted into a first loop, then a tongue of the buckle is engaged in a strap hole and finally the buckle is fixed by inserting the end portion of the watch strap into a second loop of the buckle. The end portion is secured by sliding its end in a guide loop of the watch strap.
One disadvantage of a watch strap with a buckle is that the soft strap material, such as leather, may become damaged over time from the stress and pressure of inserting and removing the strap holes into the tongue of the buckle. This can affect the visual qualities of the watch strap, as well as cause the watch strap to eventually tear or break.
A watch strap having a clasp, by contrast, is snapped in one or two stages by fixing the clasp to a stud of the watch strap. Some clasps are quite secure when closed properly; however, they are not easily manipulated into the proper closed configuration, or readily opened intentionally. Others clasps, which are handled readily with one hand, as a watch strap clasps must be, do not provide a high degree of security when closed. Furthermore, to adjust watches having a clasp, a watch specialist is typically required to remove links in the strap.
Therefore, a need exists for a watch strap device that is adjustable and securable and that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional methods and devices.

Apparatus for securing and adjusting a watch strap


A molded container and closure latch mechanism include a top portion and bottom portion which are connected by a hinge which biases the top away from the bottom unless the latch mechanism is engaged. The latch mechanism is pivotally connected to the top. It engages a molded contoured segment on the bottom to secure the container in a closed position. Anomalies on the top surface of the latch mechanism provide a convenience to the user in locating pressure points for opening and closing the container. A separator can be used internal to the container to create two separate compartments. In one adaptation the interior surface can include raised protrusions which permit contents such as a soap bar to be raised off from the surface. Other modifications too the interior can be effected to accommodate a wide variety of products. The containers can be provided in a grouping with relative dimensions suitable to store a wide variety of personal effects.

We are all constantly on the go. Whether it is to the office, or overnight or extended vacation, most of the time, one or more personal care items will also make the trip. We will be accompanied by one or more of the following: our eye-glasses, tooth brush, personal hygiene items, medicines, our own special soap, or the like, the assortment and quantity depending on the length of the trip away from home.
Various solutions exist. We may use a single pouch or overnight personal care kit into which we place the various personal items we plan to bring. This implies that our trip is at least overnight and obviously this type container is not appropriate for short, daytime trips from home. Further, individual items are oft times just placed in the carrying container with other personal care articles with minimal regard for the possible deleterious effect of one contacting another. Many times the carrying container is difficult to open or lacks a suitable closure fastener to keep it closed while in transit.
Various cases, containers and boxes have been developed that provide different solutions for the needs of the traveler. Representative examples are shown in the following United States Patents or published applications: 2005/0051454; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,926,135; 6,726,004; 5,351,818; 5,082,114; 5,035,319; 4,948,303; 3,709,538; 3,286,829; 2,797,015; 2,251,138; 1,358,540; and, RE 30,882.
It is therefore a principal object to provide a container which is molded in its entirety except for the closure mechanism which is separately molded and installed on the container.
It is a further object to provide an integral container which includes a top and bottom portion and plastic hinge between the two, which are molded together in one continuous piece.
It is still another object to provide a hinge member which is dimensioned to provide an inherent bias for urging the top portion away from the bottom portion when the closure member is released from the closed position.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a means for generating an audible click when the container is opened or closed.
Towards the accomplishment of these and other objects and advantages which will become more apparent after a consideration of the accompanying drawings and the following description, there is disclosed a molded container which comprises a top portion having a front and rear edge and a bottom portion having a front and rear edge. The front and rear edges are coextensive with each other when the container is in a closed position. The top and bottom portions are joined by a hinge portion of predetermined thickness. The hinge portion connects together at least a portion of the coextensive rear edges of the top and bottom portions. The top and bottom portions and the hinge portion are molded together from a predetermined type of plastic to form an integral one-piece unit. A latch mechanism includes an arcuately shaped molded latch member which has a rearward portion and a front portion and includes pivot means and a latch engagement portion as molded.
Each of the top and bottom portions have respective partially arcuately shaped sections beginning at their respective front edge and extending back towards their respective rear edge. Each of the top and bottom portions further includes a respective molded recess area formed in their respective partially arcuately shaped section. The molded recess areas extend from the front edge of the respective top and bottom portions back towards the respective rear edges.
The molded recess area of the top portion includes molded complementing pivot means for providing a pivotal connection when engaged by the pivot means of the latch member. The molded recess area of the bottom portion includes a molded contoured segment of predetermined design so as to engage the latch engagement portion of the latch member when the front edge of the top portion is brought contiguous to the front edge of the bottom portion and an operator applies pressure to a portion of the latch member disposed between the pivotal connection and the front edge.
The latch engagement portion is disengaged from the molded contoured segment when an operator applies pressure to a second portion of the latch member disposed between the pivotal connection and the rear edge of the top portion.
The latch member is dimensioned and contoured to nest in the molded recess area at assembly. The latch member includes a top surface which is contoured so as to provide a continuous smooth surface with the respective partially arcuately shaped section of the top portion.
The top surface of the latch member can include at least one surface anomaly which typically is a depression or a raised portion. This is disposed on the top surface between the pivotal connection and the rear edge of the top portion. The surface anomaly is intended to facilitate the locating of a point on the top surface in the blind, so that the operator can apply pressure to thereby disengage the latch engagement portion from the molded contoured segment.
The top surface of the latch member may include a second anomaly other than the one used to open the container, which is disposed on the top surface between the pivotal connection and the front edge of the top portion so as to facilitate the locating of a point on the top surface where the operator can apply pressure to engage the latch engagement portion and the molded contoured segment when it is desired to close the container.
The hinge portion is dimensioned and adapted to have an inherent bias such that when the latch engagement portion is disengaged from the molded contoured segment, the inherent bias moves the top portion away from the bottom portion.
For certain usages the bottom portion of the container can have an interior surface which is molded to include a plurality of raised portions interior to the bottom portion which are arranged and adapted so as to support any contents, for example, a soap bar, within the container off from the interior surface.
Still for other uses, a separator member will be pivotally connected to a portion of the interior surface of the container. The separator member functions to provide at least two separate compartments interior to the container. The separator member typically, as molded, includes pivoting means for pivotally connecting the separator member to one or the other of the top or bottom portions to form the two separate compartments. The separator member includes means for disengaging the separator member from one or the other of the top or bottom portions to thereby permit access to contents contained in the sealed-off compartment. The respective volume of at least one of the two compartments can be subdivided into a plurality of smaller volumes by a corresponding number of partition members.
The rearward portion of the latch member and the molded recess area of the top portion can include complementing segments juxtaposed to each other and configured so as to result in an audible click when there is relative movement between the two as the latch mechanism is engaged during the opening and closing operations.
The molded containers can have varying respective lengths, heights and widths to accommodate different contents.
The interior of the molded containers can be modified to accommodate any number of products which may be placed therein.