An apparatus for endosteal fixation of a substitute graft by screw insertion having a cannulated sheath for guiding a screw into a tunnel in a surgical site. The sheath includes a tube section which has a protrusion on a cantilevered arm formed in the tube wall. The protrusion engages the external threads of the screw to lock the screw in position at a distal end of the sheath.

During surgery to repair ligament and/or tendon damage, it is sometimes necessary to insert an interference or fixation screw into a bone. The screw provides a secure attachment for the repaired tissue or graft. However, screws may also damage the graft or the surrounding tissue during the insertion procedure. Protective devices, such as cannulated sheaths, are known which protect the surrounding tissue from undesired contact with the threads of the screw, thereby reducing collateral damage to the surgical site. The screw and a driver therefor are inserted into the hollow interior of the sheath. The screw is allowed to fall to the distal end of the sheath. The driver forces the screw out of the distal end of the sheath, however, the screw is free to move laterally and longitudinally within the distal end of the sheath. Other protective sheaths have a cut-out at the distal end exposing the threads of the screw to a graft tunnel in the surgical site and to surrounding tissue (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,211,647 and 5,425,733). This type of sheath may undesirably allow the threads of the screw extending through the cut-out to undesirably damage the graft or the surrounding tissue.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a screw sheath having a cannulated body which completely encloses the screw positioned therein until the screw exits the screw sheath and enters a tunnel in the surgical site, thereby preventing collateral damage to a graft or surrounding tissue by threads on the screw.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cannulated screw sheath, as aforesaid, with a protrusion extending into the hollow interior thereof, which protrusion engages the threads on the screw and secures the screw at a distal end of the screw sheath so as to prevent longitudinal movement of the screw therein absent rotary movement of the screw.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a screw sheath, as aforesaid, which is transparent to allow visual verification of the position of the screw within the screw sheath.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a screw sheath, as aforesaid, wherein the screw is secured at the distal end of the screw sheath without the threads thereof boring into the interior walls of the sheath to prevent the creation and deposit of shavings of the screw sheath material in the surgical site.


A vertical cavity surface emitting laser that includes a Group III-V semiconductor material substrate; a first Distributed Bragg Reflector mirror, where the first Distributed Bragg Reflector mirror includes at least seven pairs of layers, where each layer has a different index of refraction, where one of the layers is a Group III-V semiconductor material, and where the other layer is a completely oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material, where each at least one strain-compensated superlattice includes at least two monolayers of a Group III-V semiconductor material and at least two monolayers of an aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material; a first Group III-V semiconductor material layer; a first contact; a selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material, where each at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material includes at least two monolayers of a Group III-V semiconductor material and at least two monolayers of an aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material; a second Group III-V semiconductor material layer; a second contact; and a second Distributed Bragg Reflector mirror that is identical to the first Distributed Bragg Reflector mirror.

The present invention relates, in general, to a coherent light generator and to a particular current control structure.
In an article entitled xe2x80x9cIII-V Compound Semiconductor Native Oxidesxe2x80x94The Newest of the Semiconductor Device Materials,xe2x80x9d published in Compound Semiconductor, January 1997, Russell D. DuPuis chronicled the development of the semiconductor oxide. Mr. DuPuis points out that Carl Frosch, of Bell Telephone Laboratories, disclosed in 1955 that a silicon wafer could be oxidized by exposing it to high temperature (e.g., 1050 degrees Celsius) and water vapor (i.e., steam) in either oxygen or nitrogen to form a layer of silicon dioxide thereon. The oxide, or native oxide, exhibited sufficiently high insulating properties to be used as an insulator in electronic devices manufacture in silicon.
It was widely thought that an insulating oxide could not be grown on Group III-V semiconductor materials with insulating properties as good as silicon dioxide. In 1990, Nick Holonyak, Jr. et al. discovered that such an oxide could be made. The discovery was described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,360, entitled xe2x80x9cAlGaAs NATIVE OXIDExe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,522, entitled xe2x80x9cSEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES WITH NATIVE ALUMINUM OXIDE REGIONSxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,023, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF MAKING ALUMINUM GALLIUM ARSENIDE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH NATIVE OXIDE LAYERxe2x80x9d; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,980, entitled xe2x80x9cNATIVE OXIDE OF AN ALUMINUM-BEARING GROUP III-V SEMICONDUCTOR.xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,262,360; 5,373,522; 5,696,023; and 5,567,980 are hereby incorporated by reference into the specification of the present invention. The discovery was also described in an article entitled xe2x80x9cHydrolyzation oxidation of AlxGa1xe2x88x92xAsxe2x80x94AlAsxe2x80x94GaAs quantum well heterostructures and superlattices,xe2x80x9d by J. M. Dallesasse, N. Holonyak, Jr., A. R. Sugg, T. A. Richard, and N. El-Zein, published by the American Institute of Physics in Appl. Phys. Lett., 57, Dec. 24, 1990, pp. 2844-2846. The discovery is, essentially, exposing an aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material to high temperature (e.g., 375 degrees Celsius) and water vapor in nitrogen until a user-definable portion of the aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material is oxidized. Partial oxidation is useful in an electronic device for confining current flow to a user-definable path. Complete oxidation is useful in an electronic device for forming an insulator or part of a mirror.
Other relevant prior art includes an article by H. Gebretsadik et al., entitled xe2x80x9cLateral oxidation of InAlAs in InP-based heterostructures for long wavelength vertical cavity surface emitting laser application,xe2x80x9d published by the American Institute of Physics in Appl. Phys. Lett., Jan. 12, 1998, on pp. 135-137, and an article by P. Legay et al., entitled xe2x80x9cOxide confining layer on an InP substrate,xe2x80x9d published by the American Institute of Physics in the Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 85, No. 4, Feb. 15, 1999. Each article discloses a method of oxidizing a particular Group III-V semiconductor material on an InP substrate.
Most of the prior art methods of forming an oxide in a Group III-V semiconductor material involve the wet thermal oxidation of an AlxGa(1xe2x88x92x)As layer because such methods are repeatable and are very controllable. However, such oxidation methods are limited to high aluminum content Group III-V semiconductor materials such as AlxGa(1xe2x88x92x)As lattice matched to GaAs. Lattices are matched to avoid introducing any strain in the resulting structure which might reduce the reliability of the structure. Devices based on such materials are too slow and at the wrong wavelength for use in a fiber optic communication system. However, devices based on Group III-V semiconductor materials lattice matched to Indium Phosphide (InP) are fast enough and at the correct wavelength (i.e., 1.2 um to 1.6 um) for use in a fiber optic communication system. Unfortunately, the only high aluminum containing Group III-V semiconductor materials that are lattice matched to InP are AlAsxSb(1xe2x88x92x) materials with an x value near 0.5. During the oxidation process, the metallic elements (e.g., As and Sb) separate and forms conductive interfacial layers which lead to increased strain in the oxidized structure. The strain may reduce the reliability of the structure.
There is no x value for which AlxGa(1xe2x88x92x)As is lattice matched to InP. AlyIn(1xe2x88x92y)As materials are more suitable but are only lattice matched to InP for y values near 0.48, which is a relatively low aluminum content for oxidation purposes. Therefore, present oxidation methods are not easily transferred to devices based on InP substrates. The maximum aluminum composition of an arsenide-based ternary material that is lattice matched to InP is Al0.48In0.52As. Because of the relatively small aluminum content, the oxidation rate in this material is very slow (xcx9c1 um/hour at 500 degrees Celsius).
It is an object of the present invention to form a vertical cavity surface emitting (VCSEL) laser using reflective mirrors, where each reflecting mirror includes a Group III-V semiconductor material on a totally oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material that does not require lattice matching to a Group III-V semiconductor material, and a selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material.
It is another object of the present invention to form a VCSEL using a totally and selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattices of Group III-V semiconductor material that were oxidized in a timely manner and are compatible with standard Group III-V semiconductor device production methods so that the devices made therewith are not degraded during the oxidation process.
The present invention is a VCSEL that includes a Group III-V semiconductor material substrate; a first Distributed Bragg Reflector mirror (DBR); a first Group III-V semiconductor material layer; a first contact; a selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material; a second Group III-V semiconductor material layer; a second contact; and a second DBR as defined above.
The first DBR and the second DBR each includes at least seven pairs of layers, where each layer in a pair of layers has a different index of refraction, where one of the layers in a pair is a Group III-V semiconductor material, and where the other layer in a pair is a completely oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material, where each at least one strain-compensated superlattice includes at least two monolayers of a Group III-V semiconductor material and at least two monolayers of an aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material.
The selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material includes at least two monolayers of a Group III-V semiconductor material and at least two monolayers of an aluminum-bearing Group III-V semiconductor material.
In the preferred embodiment, the Group III-V semiconductor material substrate is InP of any type (i.e., n-type or p-type); one of the layers in each of the at least seven pairs of layers in the first DBR and the second DBR is comprised of InP; the other layer in each of the at least seven pairs of layers in the first DBR and the second DBR is comprised of a completely oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of InAs/AlAs, where each at least one superlattice of InAs/AlAs includes at least two monolayers of InAs and at least two monolayers of AlAs; the first Group III-V semiconductor material layer is n-type InP; the first contact is an n-type contact; the selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of Group III-V semiconductor material is a selectively oxidized at least one strain-compensated superlattice of InAs/AlAs, where each at least one superlattice of InAs/AlAs includes at least two monolayers of InAs and at least two monolayers of AlAs; the second Group III-V semiconductor material layer is p-type InP; and the second contact is a p-type contact.

Vertical cavity surface emitting laser with oxidized strain-compensated superlattice of group III-V semiconductor

The United States of America as represented by the National Security Agency


A disposable marker for use in preparation for medical procedures. The marker is made of plastic or such similar material that does not show up on an x-ray monitor. The marker includes one or more metallic elements that have an elongated aspect disposed in proximity to the marker tip. As such, a clinician may introduce the marker into an x-ray field and view it in space by following the metallic element an x-ray monitor.

When performing x-ray guided surgery (such as certain vascular surgeries), a surgeon inserts a line into an artery or similar body site through a small incision in a patient's skin. Before making the incision, however, the doctor must locate an incision point and then mark it.
In order to locate and mark the incision spot—the following is done (in the current state of the art): A doctor places a metallic device, such as a clamp, into the x-ray field. Because metal shows up on an x-ray image, the doctor uses the metallic device to determine where in space the device is located in relation to the area of interest on the patient's x-ray image. The doctor watches the metallic device on the x-ray monitor and uses it to identify an external area that is appropriately positioned as an incision area. The doctor uses the metallic device to make a "dimple" in the skin and then removes the metallic device and marks the "dimple" with ink using an appropriate marking device.
There is a need in the art for a disposable marking device that is visible in an x-ray field—thereby allowing clinicians to locate an area and mark it with a single device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Marking device with metallic element for use in x-ray guided surgery


A photodetector includes a photodiode and an optical waveguide provided adjacent to the photodiode on a common substrate, wherein the optical waveguide includes a plurality of tapered optical waveguide layers separated by an intermediate layer having a uniform thickness, the thickness of the tapered optical waveguide layers increases from a first end surface away from the photodiode toward a second end surface adjacent to the photodiode.

The present application is based on Japanese priority application No.2000-205282 filed on Jul. 6, 2000, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices and more particularly to a photodetector having an integral optical waveguide.
2. Description of the Related Art
With widespread use of information technology in human society, there is a demand for optical-fiber telecommunication systems that are capable of handling sharply increasing traffic of information.
In order to meet for this demand, there is a proposal to increase the transmission rate of the optical signals through the optical fibers from a conventional rate of 10 Gbps to a faster rate of 40 Gbps or more. When this approach is adopted, it is necessary to increase the response speed of the photodetector used in such an optical-fiber telecommunication system for detecting the optical signals.
Conventionally, PIN photodiodes have been used successfully in optical-fiber telecommunication systems as a high-speed photodetector. A PIN photodiode achieves a high response speed by providing a thin undoped semiconductor layer in a p-n junction such that the capacitance of the p-n junction is reduced.
Further, there is a proposal to increase the response speed and photosensitivity of a PIN photodiode further, by providing an integral optical waveguide adjacent to the PIN photodiode on a common semiconductor substrate.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a conventional PIN photodetector 10 having such an integral optical waveguide.
Referring to FIG. 1, the PIN photodetector 10 is constructed on a compound semiconductor substrate 11 typically of InP and includes a PIN photodiode 12, wherein the PIN photodiode 12 includes therein an optical absorption layer 12A formed on the compound semiconductor substrate 11, and an optical waveguide 13 is provided on the compound semiconductor substrate 11 adjacent to the PIN photodiode 12 in optical coupling therewith.
The optical waveguide 13 includes an optical waveguide layer 13A having a first end surface to which an optical beam from an external optical waveguide, such as an optical fiber 14, comes in and a second end adjacent to the PIN photodiode 12 for injecting the optical beam guided through the optical waveguide layer 13A into the PIN photodiode 12. Further, there is provided a cladding layer 13B on the optical waveguide layer 13A for confining the optical beam in the optical waveguide layer 13A.
Thus, the optical waveguide layer 13A is provided in optical coupling with the optical absorption layer 12A of the PIN photodiode 12, and there occurs an efficient injection of the optical beam guided through the optical waveguide layer 13A into the optical absorption layer 12A of the PIN photodiode 12. The construction of FIG. 1 is effective for reducing the thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A below about 1 xcexcm without causing degradation of optical coupling between the optical waveguide layer 13A and the optical absorption layer 12A. As a result of decreased thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A, the PIN photodiode 12 shows a high response speed.
In such a PIN photodiode, it is possible to improve the response speed by providing the undoped optical absorption layer 12A between a p-type layer and an n-type layer constituting a PN junction so as to reduce the junction capacitance. On the other hand, such a construction has to be designed such that the optical absorption layer 12A has a sufficiently small thickness so as to avoid increase of the transit time of the optically excited carriers across the optical absorption layer 12A and associated degradation of the response speed of the PIN photodiode 12. From this viewpoint, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A as much as possible.
On the other hand, there arises a problem, in such a conventional photodetector 10 having the optical waveguide 13 integrally to the PIN photodiode 12 and injection of optical signal occurs from the external optical fiber 14 into the PIN photodiode 12 via the optical waveguide 13, in that a large optical loss may occur at the first end surface of the optical waveguide 13 to which an optical signal in the optical fiber 14 is injected. It should be noted that the optical beam transmitted through the optical fiber 14 has a beam diameter of about 7.0 xcexcm in terms of full-height width, while the optical waveguide layer 13A in the optical waveguide 13 has a thickness of 1 xcexcm or less, which is substantially identical with the thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A in the PIN photodiode 12. When the thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A is increased for avoiding this problem, there arises a problem of degraded response speed of the photodiode 12.
As explained previously, it is desirable to suppress the thickness of the optical absorption layer 12A to be 1 xcexcm or less in the PIN photodiode 12 for improving the response speed. Further, it is preferable to reduce the longitudinal length of the photodiode 12A as much as possible so that the parasitic capacitance of the p-n junction is reduced. On the other hand, such a PIN photodiode having a short longitudinal length raises a problem in that the optical beam, entered into the PIN photodiode 12 at an incident end surface with offset from the optical absorption layer 12A, tends to exit from the opposite end surface before the optical beam is effectively confined into the optical absorption layer 12A by the optical confinement action.
In order to avoid these problems, there is a proposal to provide a spherical lens at an end of the optical fiber 14 such that the optical beam in the optical fiber 14 is injected efficiently into the thin optical absorption layer 12A of the PIN photodiode 12.
However, such a construction that uses a lens in the photodetector 10 is difficult to produce because of the stringent precision required for the optical system including the lens. As a result, such a construction inevitably increases the cost of the photodetector.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful photodetector wherein the foregoing problems are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a high-speed photodetector capable of minimizing optical loss with regard to an incoming optical beam having a large beam diameter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photodetector, comprising:
a substrate having a principal surface;
a photodetection part provided on a part of said principal surface of said substrate, said photodetection part comprising: an optical absorption layer of a semiconductor material extending parallel to said principal surface, said optical absorption layer causing excitation of carriers therein in response to an optical radiation supplied thereto; and
an optical waveguide provided on said principal surface of said substrate, said optical waveguide guiding an optical beam in a direction parallel to said principal surface from a first end surface to a second end surface adjacent to said photodetection part, such that said optical beam guided through said optical waveguide is injected into said optical absorption layer of said photodetection part, said optical waveguide comprising: a first tapered optical waveguide layer extending from said first end surface to said second end surface of said optical waveguide, said first tapered optical waveguide layer decreasing a thickness thereof continuously from said first end surface to said second end surface; a second tapered optical waveguide layer provided on said first tapered optical waveguide layer with a separation therefrom, said second tapered optical waveguide layer decreasing a thickness thereof continuously from said first end surface to said second end surface; and an intermediate layer having a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of any of said first and second tapered optical waveguide layers, said intermediate layer being interposed between said first and second tapered optical waveguide layers with a substantially uniform thickness.
According to the present invention, the effective refractive index of the optical waveguide, formed by the first and second tapered optical waveguide layers, increases sharply from the first end surface to the second end surface and the effect of optical confinement is enhanced sharply from the first end surface to the second end surface. As a result, a large-diameter optical beam incident to the first end surface of the optical waveguide is effectively confined into the first and second tapered optical waveguide layers as the optical beam travels from the foregoing first end surface to the second end surface and is injected into the optical absorption layer of the photodetection part effectively and efficiently. By using the two tapered optical waveguide layers, it becomes possible to increase the refractive index change between the first and second end surfaces as compared with the case of using a single tapered optical waveguide layer. Thus, the photodetector of the present invention provides a high optical coupling not achievable when a single tapered optical waveguide layer is used, while such a high efficiency of optical confinement enables use of a short longitudinal length of the photodiode constituting the photodetection part, and the response speed of the photodetector is improved.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.


Methods and systems for adjusting a plurality of fuel injections supplied to a cylinder during a cycle of the cylinder are described. In one example, fuel amounts are adjusted in response to a biodiesel concentration in fuel supplied to an engine.

Diesel fuel may be delivered to customers with varying concentrations of biodiesel. Some diesel fuel may contain no biodiesel while other diesel fuel may contain 20% biodiesel. Consequently, a concentration of biodiesel in fuel stored on board a vehicle may change depending on fuel supplied to the vehicle during refilling and fuel stored on board the vehicle before refilling.
Biodiesel has a higher concentration of oxygen that is carried within the fuel as compared to fossil based diesel fuel. Biodiesel also has a lower energy density as compared to fossil based diesel fuel so that additional biodiesel may have to be supplied to an engine to produce an equivalent amount of power as compared to when fossil based diesel fuel is combusted. Consequently, when biodiesel is combusted in an engine, an increased driver demand torque to compensate for the lower energy content of biodiesel may increase boost pressure, injection pressure, and lower EGR amount, thereby increasing NOx emissions. Therefore, engine fuel economy and emissions may degrade if biodiesel in diesel fuel is not detected and compensated.
The inventors herein have recognized the above-mentioned disadvantages and have developed a method, comprising: adjusting an amount of fuel injected in response to a biodiesel concentration in fuel supplied to an engine; and adjusting an amount of fuel injected in pilot fuel injections and an amount of fuel injected in a main fuel injection in response to the biodiesel concentration, the amount of the main fuel injection increasing at a faster rate than the amount of fuel injected during the pilot fuel injections.
By adjusting an amount of fuel that is injected to engine cylinders and amounts of fuel that are injected during pilot and main fuel injections in response to a biodiesel concentration, it may be possible to reduce engine NOx emissions and improve fuel economy. In particular, a decrease in fuel economy and NOx emission observed when combusting biodiesel may be exchanged for an increase in particulate emissions which may decrease when combusting biodiesel. Further, urea may be conserved via when the method described herein is followed.
The present description may provide several advantages. Specifically, the approach may reduce engine emissions when biodiesel is combusted. In addition, the approach may also increase fuel economy as compared to operating an engine combusting biodiesel with conditions that are similar to combusting fossil based diesel fuel.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

System and method for compensating biodiesel fuel


An image reading apparatus and an image reading method are provided by which a top face image and a back face image of a document can both have an improved reading accuracy while simplifying a circuit configuration and providing a higher processing speed. A period within which a reading operation is interrupted is set based on a relation with a free capacity of a buffer memory so as to avoid a period within which the top face image and the back face image of the document are both read.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and an image reading method for reading images on a top face and a back face of a document.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an image reading apparatus, there is an image reading apparatus in which images on a top face and a back face of a document conveyed by an ADF (auto document feeder: automatic document conveyance apparatus) are simultaneously read by two reading sensors to transfer the read image data to a host computer. In the image reading apparatus (scanner) as described above, there may be a case where the rate at which the document image is read is higher than the rate at which the image data is transferred to the host computer. In this case, the read image data is temporarily accumulated in a buffer memory (storage unit) in the reading apparatus to sequentially transfer the accumulated image data to the host computer. When an excessive amount of image data is accumulated in the buffer memory, then the image reading processing is suspended. Then, after the buffer memory is emptied, the image reading processing is resumed. The suspension of the document reading processing as described above is called a SS processing (start-stop processing).
When the SS processing as described above is carried out, the continuity of the image reading processing may be lost, thus causing the read image to have a deteriorated image quality. When the SS processing is performed during the reading of a document image by one reading sensor of two reading sensors positioned in a document conveyance path, an approach may be used, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. S60-100871 (1985), to delay the image reading processing at the resumption of the reading processing. Specifically, when the document after the stoppage of the conveyance is conveyed again and the reading processing is resumed, the image data corresponding to a predetermined number of already-read lines can be processed so as to be prevented from being read again, thus maintaining the continuity of the image reading processing. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H7-221928 (1995) discloses a configuration according to which, when the memory buffer is full, the SS processing is also performed when the two reading sensors are used to read the images on a top face and a back face of a document.
When the SS processing is performed during the reading by the two reading sensors of the images on a top face and a back face of a document, a document behavior may cause, during the resumption of the reading processing, a difference between the number of lines in the top face image and the number of lines in the back face image that should be processed so as to avoid an overlapped image data reading. On the other hand, a common correction unit may be included as a correction unit for correcting a read image by processing, at the resumption of the reading processing, the top face image data and the back face image data so as to avoid an overlapped reading of the respective pieces of data. The provision of the common correction unit is advantageous in simplifying the circuit configuration and the increase of the processing speed.
However, the provision of the common correction unit for the image data of the top face and the back face requires one number of lines to be processed by the correction unit. Thus, at least one of the images of the top face image and the back face image may be incorrectly connected, thus causing a risk of a read image having a deteriorated quality.

Image reading apparatus and image reading method


Anti-virally active pyridazinamines, compositions containing the same and methods of treating viral diseases in warm-blooded animals.

The present invention is concerned with anti-viral agents, pharmaceutical compositions containing these agents and methods of treating warm-blooded animals suffering from viral diseases.
Viral infections are generally taught to be responsible for a number of diseases of various nature such as, for example, rabies, hepatitis, herpes, common cold etc. . . . More particularly the latter disease is widely spread throughout the world and is a major cause of sickness and absence from work. An agent capable of treating said disease would be a great benefit to mankind and certainly be of great economic importance.
Up until now no such agents are available and there exists no established chemotherapeutic agent against the said disease.
The present invention discloses the useful anti-viral properties of a number of pyridazine derivatives and their use in the treatment of viral diseases. Some of the pyridazinamines of the present invention are known in the art as intermediates for the synthesis of other useful compounds or as compounds having certain pharmacological Properties. These compounds and a number of structurally closely related compounds can be found in the following references.
In J. Med. Chem. 24, 59-63 (1981) there are described a number of 1H-imidazolyl-pyridazines, while in European Patent Number 55,583, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,110,450, 4,104,385 and 2,985,657 a number of piperazinyl, pyrrolidinyl and piperidinyl substituted pyridazines are described as intermediates. In European Patent Number 9,655 3-chloro-6-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]Pyridazine and 1-chloro-4-(4-hydroxypiperidino)phtalazine are also described as intermediates. Moreover a number of substituted l-piperazinyl-pyridazines are described in J. Med. Chem. 6, 541-4 (1963). in ibid. 8, 104-107 (1965) and ibid. 15, 295-301 (1972) as compounds having adrenolytic, anti-histaminic or analgesic activity.
The compounds of the present invention differ from the cited prior-art compounds by the specific substitution on the pyridazine moiety and particularly by their useful anti-viral properties.


A forceps having a closed loop defined by the ends of beveled grasping tips attached to a pair of jaws of locking forceps in a closed position, a series of mating serrations on the jaws ending proximate the loop, and having an hourglass shape when viewed in profile. The forceps reduces slippage of the vagus by a raised bevelled ridge on the closed loop facing inward towards the aperture. The oval-shaped and hourglass profiled aperture defined by the closed loop is shaped and sized to permit a surgeon to firmly grasp the vagus nerve, and to elevate it up and out of the incision area, in order to facilitate the remaining procedure. The preferred aperture opening is defined by the loop having a 3 mm transverse inner diameter and 4 mm longitudinal inner diameter. The hourglass profile allows the vagus nerve to rest in a transverse groove of the tip, defining the constriction found in the hourglass profile. The mating serrations, which form a line following the lengthwise extension of the instrument, provide a continuous, firmly closed line behind the loop and define the longitudinal axis of the forceps. The arms of the forceps are approximately 11 centimeters long, thereby providing additional reach necessary in surgical interventions in the lower esophagus and stomach where the vagus is present.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surgical implements for griping tissue, and more particularly to forceps used to grasp the vagus nerve while conducting surgical interventions in the lower esophagus or stomach.
2. Description of Related Art
A commonly used instrument in performing surgical interventions is a standard forceps, such as Allis forceps. The standard forceps comprises a scissor-like construction that includes a locking mechanism for the two arms at the handle end. The grasping tips, at the ends of the arms opposite the handles, have mating sawtooth extensions, which meet in a line perpendicular to the lengthwise extension of the instrument and are used to clamp onto tissue.
Because of the large, flattened area defined by the tips of standard forceps, additional tissue is often grasped during a surgical operation and elevated along with the target tissue to be grasped. For example, the vagus nerve, like many other nerves, lies in close proximity to vascular tissue such as veins and arteries, and is, along with such other tissues, cloaked in mesenteric tissue. Moreover, a nerve, although having moderate resilience to stretching thereby allowing an instrument to be placed loosely beneath the nerve to retract it from a surgical site, is particularly vulnerable to crushing, the consequence of which may include faulty neurological transmission due to an interruption of electrical conduction caused by irreparably crushing of cells. Because the vagus nerve has a large diameter, exceeding 4 mm in places, to pull it up and out of an incision area with the larger, flattened areas of the tips of the closed jaws of the a standard forceps would likely cause crushing, and at best pinching as a result of the nerve bending over the edged surfaces of the jaws. Thus, the large ends and clamping structure defined by the standard forceps is particularly unsuited for use to grasp and retract the vagus nerve. Moreover, due to the open ends of the grasping tips, tissue often slips out of the grasp of the instrument when the nerve is lifted clear. In each case, the surgeon is required to recapture the tissue, and recommence this part of the procedure. Such imprecision and slippage renders the procedure longer, and more difficult to conduct than if a forceps with a design more specific to the procedure were used.
Another common instrument is the rod clamp used with a threaded rod in orthopedic surgery. The clamp has a blunt, widened tip, defining an aperture for passage and clamping of the rod. Whereas the aperture may allow passage of any tubular item, the blunt, wide tip and short jaws prevent the rod clamp from use for fine manipulations in a wound site, such as finding a nerve in an already occluded area. The short, wide, blunt jaws would act to block the view of the wound site. Moreover, because the end of the jaws are very near the pivot stud joining the two arms of the clamp to allow a scissoring action of the clamp, the arms must be widely spread apart for open the jaws to open sufficiently at the opposite end to accept the vagus nerve. This would require a surgeon to have a very large hand span in order to operate with difficulty at best.
Several attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with the use of standard forceps in procedures requiring manipulation of stranded or tubular tissues. U.S. Pat. No. 2,397,823, issued to Carl W. Walter, on Apr. 2, 1946, discloses a forceps intended to be capable of grasping a wide variety of objects. This forceps has a elongated "pistol-grip" handle. It is oriented at an angle of at least 45 degrees relative to a gripping portion of the device. The forceps of Manual V. Santos shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,791 issued Aug. 13, 1974 utilizes a similar functional design. Consequently, minute manipulations of tissue during a surgical procedure would be cumbersome at best, and dangerous at worst.
Moreover, the Walter forceps is shown to have serrations on the very tip. Such serrations, while providing additional gripping friction, would necessarily cause destruction of surrounding tissue. Also, the presence of these serrations clearly indicate that this forceps has a clamping hole substantially recessed from the end of the device, in stark contrast with applicant's own invention. Use of such a device in a retraction of the vagus nerve would require a larger incision than necessary to pass the device into the wound site sufficiently far for the clamping hole to engage the vagus nerve; moreover, it would cause tissue damage when the device is closed and clamped around the nerve. It would also make the lifting of the vagus nerve impossible without substantial destruction of surrounding, additional tissue caught in the large extension of the forceps' tips beyond the clamping hole, in turn resulting in additional, unwarranted procedure length, trauma, and danger.
Both the Santos and Walters devices fail to have a beveled rim around the edge of the hole nearer its grasping end to provide effective gripping for lifting stranded tissue such as the vagus nerve. Instead, the Walters device has "arcs of different curvature" disposed around the rims of recesses in the jaws, which are described as including an "almost blade-like inner edge." Such bladed arcs would tend to cut tissue held, making holding of tissue impractical and dangerous. In fact, the forceps is intended for use with objects other than tissue, such as needles and swabs. Importantly, the literature describing the use of this device does not even mention its use for vagus retraction and lifting.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,871, issued to Joseph Theurig, on Jun. 23, 1953, discloses a forceps suitable for grasping tubular objects, such as syringes. The forceps has a clamping aperture described and depicted as comprising "transverse inverted obtuse angular meeting faces." The difficulty concomitant of using such a device in lifting the vagus nerve is substantial. Because the aperture is not curved to the shape of a tubular strand such as the vagus nerve, the vagus nerve would tend to both slide laterally and rotate within the aperture, if not be pinched during full closure with the tips contacting one another. Making the device smaller, so that the device would immovably hold the vagus, would result in failure of the device to close completely, as shown in FIG. 4 of the Theurig patent. Without complete closure, the device would tend to allow undesired release of the vas deferens during required lifting. The Theurig forceps also lacks a beveled rim around the edge of the hole nearer its grasping end to provide effective gripping of tubular tissue. Notably, the literature referring to the use of this device does not even mention use for retracting the vagus nerve.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,958, issued to Jeffrey J. Sandhaus, on Nov. 26, 1991, demonstrates a complicated apparatus intended to be used in procedures for implanting locking clips for clamping and occluding tubular vessels, such as the vas deferens during a vasectomy. Whereas the device includes a curved clamping hole appropriate for immovably holding a tublar vessel with the tips contacting one another, the clamping hole is relatively far removed (in comparison with applicant's own invention) from the end of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 45 of the Sandhaus patent. Use of such a device in a vagus lifting procedure would cause tissue damage while the device is passed sufficiently far into the wound site for the clamping hole to engage the vagus; cause tissue damage when the device is closed and clamped around the vagus nerve; and, make the procedure's lifting of the vagus impossible without substantial destruction of surrounding tissue, because of additional tissue caught in the large extension of the forceps' tips beyond the clamping hole. The Sandaus forceps also fails to provide a beveled rim around the edge of the hole nearer its grasping end to provide effective grasping during lifting of a tubular tissue to prevent lateral slippage of the instrument along the tubular tissue.
British Patent No. 2,227,200, issued to Malcolm Charles Holbrook, on Jul. 25, 1990, discloses a forceps used for holding a catheter or organ duct during the course of a surgical procedure. This forceps has a three-millimeter clamping hole centered five millimeters from the end of the forceps, a relatively large distance (many times as large as the applicant's own invention) that makes the device unusable for the vagus retracting procedure. This forceps was designed for its invisibility to X-rays used during a surgical procedure, and not for use in vagus retractions. The Holbrook forceps also lacks a beveled rim around the edge of the hole nearer its grasping end to provide effective gripping a vagus nerve. The large end design of the Holbrook patent has a clasping, rather than grasping function, and is unsuitable for use with nerve tissue due to the risk of crushing.
Other inventions have similar disadvantages. UK Patent Application No. 2 210 574 to James Richard Smith describes a forceps with triangular head, including a bridge defining an aperture for gripping a suture needle. None of the devices shown therein can grasp a vagus nerve without clamping down upon it, causing crushing. This disadvantage is likewise true of the surgical forces with notches for accommodating suture needles as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,26,241 issued Oct. 7, 1980 to William E. Walker, Jr. USSR Patent No. 145,976 shows a pair of forceps, having serated teeth provided along a substantial portion of the tip before an aperture is provided. Like the previously mentioned devices, the serated tip increases the risk of crushing and increased trauma due to insertion of the tip into surrounding tissue. USSR Patent No. 1321409 shows a pair of forceps, having semi-circular jaws with intermittant sets of serated teeth. USSR Patent No. 219095 shows a pair of forceps, having open-ended tipped jaws moulded to the same shape as a prosthesis for the long branch of the anvil in the ear; the open-ended tips are unsuitable for retracting a tubular tissue, allowing it to slip from the open-ends.
Finally, European Patent Application by applicant Fritz Lolagne published Jan. 25, 1995, contemplates forceps generally sized to closely conform to the cross-sectional shape of the vas deferens and vagus nerve, providing preferred diameters of the enclosing aperture at the tip of the forceps to be 0.40 centimeters in length and 0.30 centimeters in width. The application fails to disclose the crested ridge or the hourglass profile of the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a forceps solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A protective system includes a protective multi-layered body portion for protecting an instrument from debris, wind, temperature extremes, and visual observation. The body portion encapsulates the instrument fully assembled, so that a user has to remove the cover to utilize the instrument. The body portion minimizes contact with instrument. The body portion includes multiple layers. Each layer provides a unique, novel function for protection of the instrument. An inner layer engages the instrument. An intermediate layer contours to the shape of the instrument and provides insulation. An exterior layer forms the exterior protective surface and includes a pouch and a handle. Outside the body portion, a fastener regulates access to the inside. Inside the body portion, an instrument enhancing device, such as silica packs help protect the instrument. At least one wire carries a current along the body portion to provide heat for the instrument from an external source.

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. By way of educational background, another aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that covers are used to overlay an object and inhibit access by elements, such as wind, moisture, debris, and even visual access.
In many instances, a cover is a material or fabric used to protect, conceal, and enhance an object. The cover is fabricated from materials useful for the purpose. Often, a thick, multilayer cover provides insulation to protect an object from cold. A thin, transparent cover can display a silhouette of the object.
An instrument is often sensitive due to its functionality of providing more refined operation. For example, a musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. The musical instrument contains keys, valves, and channels that may be susceptible to exterior elements that damage these components.
Additionally, it is advantageous to protect the musical instrument from visual observation. Human nature has a proclivity to practice or work when the instrument for performing the job is visibly observable. A musical instrument, though covered, may provide incentive for a user to practice.
Typically, instrument cases serve as essential protection and covering for instruments during transportation and/or storage. Some cases provide protection from weather changes or environments that may be hazardous to the instrument. However, the instrument must often be disassembled prior to compacting into the instrument case.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.


According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bonding method, comprising disposing on a first body a second body with a bump interposed therebetween; and electrically and mechanically bonding the first body and the second body with the bump by passing a heating element between the first body and the second body to melt the bump by the heating element, the heating element being heated to a melting point or more of a material configuring the bump.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bonding method and a bonding apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a method of bonding a semiconductor chip and a package substrate with bumps is being watched with interest as a method of high-density mounting of the semiconductor chip on the package substrate. Where the above method is used to produce a semiconductor device, a semiconductor chip and a package substrate are bonded with bumps by, for example, disposing the semiconductor chip, on which bumps are formed, on the package substrate as opposed to the package substrate and melting the bumps by heating the semiconductor chip and the package substrate.
Meanwhile, the semiconductor chip with an LSI which is highly sophisticated when miniaturized has a multilayer wiring structure, and an interlayer insulating film having a low dielectric constant and low resistance metal wiring of, for example, copper are used for the semiconductor chip. But, the interlayer insulating film having a low dielectric constant is soft with a mechanical strength (a modulus of elasticity) of 1/10 or less in comparison with that of a conventionally used Si oxide film and poor in adhesiveness with another insulating film material or metal material.
Therefore, when a semiconductor chip having a high-performance LSI is bonded to a package substrate with bumps by the above-described method, there are problems that high thermal distortion occurs at the bases of the bumps and their peripheries, and a crack or peeling of the film occurs by multilayer wiring.
Especially, a low dielectric constant interlayer insulating film material having a specific inductive capacity of less than 4.0 is also poor in adhesiveness, and the metal configuring the bumps is changed from a lead (Pb) based material to a tin (Sn) based material considering environmental problems, so that the melting point of the bump material is increased from 120 to 225° C., and the above-described problems tend to occur.
Therefore, it is essential to reduce the thermal distortion in bonding a semiconductor chip having multilayer wiring comprising a low dielectric constant interlayer insulating film and a package substrate. There is also a known method that a semiconductor chip and a package substrate are bonded with bumps by placing the semiconductor chip, on which the bumps are formed, on the heated package substrate to melt the bumps. But, it does not provide effective measures to decrease thermal distortion because the above-described large thermal distortion is caused at the bases of the bumps and their peripheries because of contraction in a package substrate cooling process.
There is also disclosed a method of bonding a semiconductor chip and a package substrate with bumps by heating contact portions between the bumps and the package substrate with infrared rays or light such as laser beams to melt the bumps while preventing heat generated from a semiconductor chip heating device from escaping to the package substrate. But, this method has a problem that it greatly depends on the layout of the bumps because light becomes difficult to reach toward the center of the semiconductor chip.

Heating element movement bonding method for semiconductor components


Disclosed are methods and apparatus for handling data sent from a first public network to a second or same public network via a private network. In general terms, network translation address mechanisms are provided within the edge routers of the private network. When a first processing node sends a request to an edge router to access another processing node which resides in a public network, the edge router forms a binding based on two addresses associated with the first processing node. A first private address is initially associated with the first processing node, and the first processing node uses this private address to communicate with the private network. A second public address is also allocated to the first processing node based on the first processing node's request to communicate with a public node. The first processing node uses the allocated second public address to communicate with the requested public node.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for processing data within a computer network. More specifically, this invention relates to mechanisms for forwarding data sent from a first processing node within a public network via a private network to a second processing node in a same of different public network.
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a network having typical private wireless network which utilizes both a private interior address space and an exterior public address space. A first customer device 102a initially connects with the wireless network 104 (e.g., by logging onto wireless network), such as AT &T Wireless®. The first customer 102b may then wish to access a first type of service provider 108a on a public network, such as America On-line (AOL)®, via the initial connection to the private network 104. The customer device 102a is then assigned a public address from the same address space as the customer's chosen service provider. In the illustrated example, customer 102a obtains address 126.96.36.199 which is part of the address space 184.108.40.206/24 used by the public network that includes service provider 108a. Each customer device which accesses the wireless network may select from a number of public service providers. For instance, a second customer device 102b may wish to access a second type of service provider 108b. This customer device 102b is assigned address 220.127.116.11 since this customer's selected service provider 108b is within address space 184.108.40.206/24.
When a customer device wishes to then communicate with its selected service provider via the wireless network 104, the customer device uses the allocated public address (instead of its private address). The customer device 102b can only communicate with its selected service provider 208b through private wireless network 104. Unfortunately, the customer device's public address is not recognizable by the private network 104 since the private network uses private address space 10.1.1.1/24.
Two approaches are typically used to handle such traffic through the wireless network. The first approach is tunneling. When data reaches the wireless network, it is encapsulated with the customer device's private addresses which is then recognizable within the private network 104. Before the data leaves the wireless network, the data is decapsulated. This approach requires significant overhead for encapsulating and decapsulating the data, effectively reducing the usable bandwidth through the wireless network 104. A second approach is referred to as "route inject." In this approach, each router within the private wireless network populates routing tables based on traffic sent throughout the private wireless network. In other words, the routes learned by the edge routers (e.g., 103 or 106) for outside public nodes must be propagated to all of the routers which form part of private wireless network 104. Since private networks include an increasingly large number of internal routers, this approach may require significant overhead in the task of populating each router's routing tables.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved mechanisms for handling data sent from a public network to a same or other public network via a private network.

Apparatus and methods for forwarding data between public networks via a private network


An apparatus for focusing and for storage of ions and an apparatus for separation of a first pressure area from a second pressure area are disclosed, in particular for an analysis apparatus for ions. A particle beam device may have at least one of the abovementioned apparatuses. A container for holding ions and at least one multipole unit are provided. The multipole unit has a through-opening with a longitudinal axis as well as a multiplicity of electrodes. A first set of the electrodes is at a first radial distance from the longitudinal axis. A second set of the electrodes is in each case at a second radial distance from the longitudinal axis. The first radial distance is less than the second radial distance. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus may have an elongated opening with a radial extent. The opening has a longitudinal extent which is greater than the radial extent.

Particle beam devices have already been in use for a very long time, in order to obtain knowledge about the characteristics and behavior of samples in specific conditions. One of these particle beam devices is an electron beam device, in particular a scanning electron microscope (also referred to in the following text as an SEM).
In the case of an SEM, an electron beam (also referred to in the following text as the primary electron beam) is generated by a beam generator, and is focused by a beam guidance system, in particular an objective lens, onto a sample to be examined. The primary electron beam is passed over a surface of the sample to be examined, in the form of a raster, by a deflection device. The electrons in the primary electron beam in this case interact with the material of the sample to be examined. The interaction results in particular in interaction particles. In particular, electrons are emitted from the surface of the sample to be examined (so-called secondary electrons), and electrons are scattered back from the primary electron beam (so-called back-scattered electrons). The secondary electrons and back-scattered electrons are detected, and are used for image production. This therefore results in an image of the surface of the sample to be examined.
It is also known from the prior art for combination devices to be used to examine samples, in which both electrons and ions can be passed to a sample to be examined. By way of example, it is known for an SEM to additionally be equipped with an ion beam column. An ion beam generator which is arranged in the ion beam column is used to produce ions, which are used for preparation of a sample, (for example removal of a surface of the sample or application of material to the sample), or else for imaging. In this case, the SEM is used in particular to observe the preparation, or else for further examination of the prepared or unprepared sample.
In addition to the already mentioned image production, it is also possible to analyze the energy and/or the mass of interaction particles in more detail. For example, a method is known from mass spectrometry in which secondary ions are examined in more detail. The method is known by the abbreviation SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry). In this method, the surface of a sample to be examined is irradiated with a focused primary ion beam. The interaction particles produced in the process, and which are in the form of secondary ions emitted from the surface of the sample, are detected in an analysis unit, and are examined by mass spectrometry. In the process, the secondary ions are selected and identified on the basis of their ion mass and their ion charge, thus allowing conclusions to be drawn about the composition of the sample.
The sample to be examined is irradiated with the focused primary ion beam in known particle beam devices in vacuum conditions (10−3 mbar (10−1 Pa) to 10−7 mbar (10−5 Pa)), generally using a hard vacuum of 10−6 mbar (10−4 Pa). The secondary ions are also examined in a hard vacuum in the analysis unit. Since the secondary ions have a broad kinetic-energy distribution, it is, however, disadvantageous for the secondary ions to be injected directly into the analysis unit. An intermediate unit is required, which transmits the secondary ions to the analysis unit and which reduces the width of the kinetic-energy distribution before the secondary ions are injected into the analysis unit.
An apparatus for transmission of energy of a secondary ion to gas particles is known from the prior art. This apparatus has a container with an internal area in which a damping gas is located. The container is provided with a longitudinal axis, along which a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode and a fourth electrode extend. The first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode are each formed from a metal bar. They form a quadrupole unit, which produces a quadrupole alternating field in the container.
The secondary ions generated by an ion beam are introduced into the container and transmit a portion of their kinetic energy to the gas particles by impacts. In order to achieve a sufficiently high impact rate for energy reduction, there is a soft vacuum in the region of 5×10−3 mbar (5×10−1 Pa) in the container. The mean free path length of the secondary ions in the soft vacuum is in the millimeter range. The higher the partial pressure of the gas is in the container, the greater is the impact rate, and accordingly also the capability to transmit energy from the secondary ions to the gas particles. After passing through the container, the secondary ions should have only thermal energy.
The kinetic energy of the secondary ions can be subdivided on the one hand into a radial component and on the other hand into an axial component. The radial component causes the secondary ions to diverge from one another radially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container. This divergence is reduced in the prior art by the abovementioned quadrupole unit. The quadrupole unit causes the secondary ions to be stored radially in an alternating field along the longitudinal axis of the container. The quadrupole alternating field is therefore a storage field. In principle, the quadrupole unit acts like a Paul trap, in which restoring forces act on the secondary ions.
It is likewise known for the secondary ions not to be stored statically within the container which is provided with the quadrupole unit, but to oscillate harmonically, and this is referred to in the following text as macro-oscillation. In order to store the secondary ions securely in the quadrupole unit, a suitable storage force (FStore) should be provided by the quadrupole alternating field, which is proportional to the ratio of the amplitude of the quadrupole alternating field (UQuad) to a frequency of the quadrupole alternating field (fQuad). Therefore:
                              F          Store                ∼                              U            Quad                                f            Quad                                              [        1        ]
It is also known for the macro-oscillation to have a further oscillation in the form of a micro-oscillation superimposed on it, at the frequency of the quadrupole alternating field. The micro-oscillation has an amplitude (ZMicro) which is proportional to the ratio, of the amplitude of the quadrupole alternating field (UQuad) to the square of the frequency of the quadrupole alternating field (fQuad).
                              Z          Micro                ∼                              U            Quad                                              (                              f                Quad                            )                        2                                              [        2        ]
In order to avoid secondary ions being lost by the secondary ions striking one of the abovementioned electrodes of the quadrupole unit, an overall oscillation amplitude, which is the sum of the amplitude of the macro-oscillation and the amplitude of the micro-oscillation, should remain less than the radius of the internal area of the container into which the secondary ions have been introduced.
The amplitude of the macro-oscillation can be reduced by transmitting a sufficiently large amount of energy from the secondary ions to the gas particles. In contrast, the amplitude of the micro-oscillation can be reduced by increasing the frequency of the quadrupole alternating field. However, this reduces the restoring forces acting on the secondary ions in the container, as a result of which a greater quadrupole alternating field amplitude is required in order to store the secondary ions securely in the container.
The impacts of the secondary ions with the gas particles reduce the radial component of the kinetic energy, as a result of which the amplitude of the macro-oscillation is reduced, and the secondary ions are focused on the longitudinal axis of the container.
The axial component of the kinetic energy ensures that the secondary ions pass through the container along the longitudinal axis of the container in the direction of the analysis unit. The abovementioned impacts also reduce the axial component of the kinetic energy, however, as a result of which the energy of some secondary ions will no longer be sufficient to pass through the container completely as far as the analysis unit. In the prior art, a potential gradient is therefore provided on the container, wherein a potential associated with that point is provided at each point on the longitudinal axis. The secondary ions are moved axially in the direction of the analysis unit by the potential gradient. The potential gradient is configured such that the potential decreases continuously in the direction of the analysis unit, and has a potential well in the area of one end of the container, which is directed at the analysis unit. The secondary ions pass through the container and in the process transmit their energy to the gas particles, until they rest in the potential well.
The known quadrupole unit is subdivided into segments in order to produce the potential gradient. Expressed in other words, the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode are each subdivided into segments. Each segment has a segment length which is sufficiently short that the field punch-through of the potential is also still sufficiently effective in the center of the individual segments. It has been found that the abovementioned occurs when the segment length corresponds substantially to the core radius of the container. The expression core radius may refer to the radius of the internal area of the container within which the secondary ions can move without striking the abovementioned electrodes.
The abovementioned container has a first end and a second end. An inlet is arranged at the first end, through-which the secondary ions enter the internal area of the container from the area in which the secondary ions are generated, and which area is kept in hard-vacuum conditions. A pressure stage is arranged at the inlet. This means an apparatus which separates a first pressure area (in this case a hard vacuum, for example in a sample chamber) from a second pressure area (in this case a soft vacuum in the internal area of the container), such that the vacuum in the first pressure area does not substantially deteriorate. An outlet is provided at the second end of the container, through which the secondary ions leave the container in the direction of the analysis unit. A further pressure stage is arranged at the outlet, which separates the second pressure area (in this case the soft vacuum in the internal area of the container) from a third pressure area (in this case the hard vacuum in the analysis unit), such that the vacuum in the third pressure area does not deteriorate substantially.
With regard to the abovementioned prior art, reference is made, for example, to DE 10 2006 059 162 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,473,892 B2, EP 1 185 857 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,537, U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,791 and WO 01/04611, which are all incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, reference is made to US 2009/0294641 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,540, which are also incorporated herein by reference.
Analyses have shown that, the configuration of the further pressure stage arranged at the outlet is not trivial. A number of preconditions must be observed. In order to have a good effect as a pressure stage, the terminating plate should have a through-opening which is as small as possible and as long as possible (generally formed by a small core hole), which connects the container to the analysis unit and through which the secondary ions can pass in the direction of the analysis unit. By way of example, if the terminating plate is formed from a conductive material, then the terminating plate acts as an electrostatic lens. It is probable that the secondary ions will be reflected on the terminating plate, attracted to it or neutralized by the terminating plate such that the secondary ions do not pass through the small through-opening to the analysis unit. The radial extent of the through-opening could admittedly be enlarged in order in this way to transfer more secondary ions from the container to the analysis unit. However, this would result in the characteristics of the terminating plate as a pressure stage becoming worse, because the larger the radial extent of the small through-opening is, the greater the extent to which the hard vacuum in the analysis unit deteriorates as a result of the ingress of gas particles from the container into the analysis unit.
It is also unsuitable for the terminating plate to be formed from a non-conductive material, because the terminating plate could become charged when secondary ions strike it and would accordingly produce disturbance fields which would disturb the quadruple alternating field in the container, or would deflect secondary ions. In this case, the effects achieved by the quadruple alternating field would be partially cancelled out again. This is undoubtedly undesirable.
Consideration has also been given to providing the internal area of the container with an axially conically converging structure, with the smallest diameter of this conically converging structure being arranged in the area of the second end of the container. This would reduce the core radius in the container to a very small extent. However, this solution is also disadvantageous, because the conically converging structure is such that the axial component of the kinetic energy of the secondary ions could once again be converted into a radial component of the kinetic energy of the secondary ions, as a result of which the secondary ions would once again carry out macro-oscillations with a greater amplitude. The amplitude of the macro-oscillation and the amplitude of the micro-oscillation can be designed such that the secondary ions are not able to pass through a through-opening in a terminating plate in the form of a pressure stage. Furthermore, analyses have shown that the mechanical embodiment and electrical embodiment of the conically converging structure can be produced only with a large amount of effort.
It is also disadvantageous for the pressure stage to be in the form of a conductive, tubular, relatively long container with a relatively large core diameter. A container such as this has an area in which there is no field, as a result of which the radial component of the kinetic energy can lead to defocusing of the secondary ions.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to specify an apparatus for storage and for focusing of ions, and an apparatus for separation of two pressure areas, which are of simple design, on the one hand allow the ions to be focused as well as possible onto a small radius, and on the other hand have good pressure stage characteristics.

Printed circuit board multipole for ion focusing


A unique method and apparatus automatically switches between a voice mode and a data mode in a wireless communication device. In particular, a communication device (200) adapted to voice and data signals monitors a data network for data traffic for a first predetermined period of time (506), then monitors a cellular control channel (516) for cellular traffic during a sleep mode of the data network before establishing normal cellular operation. The method and apparatus increases efficient use of channel capacity by selectively switching between systems during periods of nonuse. Finally, according to other novel aspects of the present invention, user prompts (606, 618) enable efficient use of a communication device capable of transmitting and receiving both voice and data.

The use of wireless communication devices has increased dramatically in recent years. With the increased number of subscribers for wireless communication services, channel availability has become scarce. Considerable effort has been made to increase channel capacity to meet the increased demand. While channel availability has reached capacity at peak periods during which many subscribers occupy channels, excess channel capacity typically exists at off-peak periods, or during other periods of non-use, such as during a handoff.
In response to the excess channel capacity during offpeak periods, systems have been considered for transmitting packet data. One such system is the Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) network contemplated by a number of cellular service providers as set forth in the Cellular Digital Packet Data System Specification, Release 1.0, Jul. 19, 1993 or Release 1.1, Jan. 19, 1995, available from the CDPD Industry Input Coordinator, 650 Town Center Drive, Suite 820, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.
Presently, data packets transmitted on a CDPD network are transmitted by way dedicated data equipment, such a stand alone CDPD equipment. While conventional communication devices, such as cellular subscriber equipment, could be modified to include circuitry for transmitting data packets, such communication devices must have a means for switching between the two modes of operation. This could be achieved by having a physical switch or a user selectable mode of operation in the communication device for communicating on a cellular network or transmitting data on a data network. However, such manual switching or selection by the user is not only inconvenient, but also has performance limitations. That is, manual switching does not take advantage of dormant periods of operation in a data network.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for selectively switching between systems of the communication device to efficiently utilize channel capacity. There is a further need for a method and apparatus which automatically switches between the transmission of data packets and transmission of voice signals in cellular communication. Finally, there is a need for providing user prompts to enable efficient use of a communication device capable of transmitting and receiving both voice and data.

Method of and apparatus for operating a cellular phone in one of two modes


A method and system for maintaining a uniform volume of powder in a powder feeder provided. The system includes a supply hopper that is spared from a powder feeder. The powder includes a receiving opening and a discharge opening. A rotatable brush is in communication with the supply hopper for causing powder withdrawn from the supply hopper to be transported to the powder feeder and disposed uniformly across the receiving opening of the powder feeder. The brush is immersed within the powder and extends across the receiving opening of the powder feeder, and maintains a filled level powder feeder.

Electrostatic coating processes have been used to modify the surface characteristics of a substrate. In order to coat the substrate, a powder atomizer is combined with a feeder to deliver measured amounts of powder into an air stream. The air stream is directed to a coating apparatus, which electrically charges the powder particles so that they become attracted to the substrate. The powder is sometimes chemically highly reactive, and typically small in size. Strong electrostatic forces charge the powder particles and thereby cause them to be attached to the substrate. The substrate frequently is in continuous strip or web form, and advances continuously across through the coating apparatus.
Electrostatic forces can be extremely strong on small particles, equaling perhaps 10 to 1000 times their weight. The electrode is often placed 4 to 6 inches away from the substrate to permit the vast majority of the generated powder cloud to be diffused within that bound and thus beneficially influenced by the electrostatic effects. These include the electric field, ions created by the corona discharge energetically propelled by that field toward the strip, charge transfer by some of these ions colliding with the interspersed powder, and collision and momentum transfer between the energetic ions and the interspersed powder.
The powder dispensed from the powder feeder must be dispensed at uniform rates of flow, otherwise discontinuities or lack of uniformity may develop in the coating. The height of the powder within the powder feeder should be kept level, in order to maintain a uniform head pressure at the feeder inlet. Should the substrate be disposed above the powder feeder inlet, then the substrate cannot be more widely spaced therefrom because of the electrode placement. Maintaining and controlling the volume of powder within the powder feeder has been difficult because of the resulting limited and available height between the substrate and the feeder.
In order to evenly distribute the powder onto the substrate, the powder should be evenly distributed across the powder feeder. The discharge rate is determined by the amount of powder that must be provided per unit time to coat the substrate throughout its width to the desired thickness. Should the powder be non-uniformly distributed within the powder feeder, then the discharge rate from the powder feeder discharge will not be uniform. Non-uniform powder discharge from the feeder will result in discontinuous or non-uniform coatings. Thus, there is need in the art for an apparatus and method which functions to maintain a constant volume of powder throughout a powder feeder during operation of the electrostatic powder coater.
The inventors' attempts to solve the problem included shaking, blowing, levitating, and pushing the powder into the feeder. Shaking the powder along a transport path is disadvantageous, because an appropriate angle can not be achieved for adequate feeding of the powder along the range of discharge rates required to be attained and the strong tendency to agglomerate the powder. Blowing the powder into the powder feeder caused control over the amount of powder fed to the powder feeder to be lost, with the powder being non-uniformly distributed. Pushing the powder into the powder feeder may cause reactive powder to begin to onset chemical changes, so that the powder will agglomerate or sinter prior to discharge and/or prior to application to the substrate. The inventors also attempted to use a fluidization method to levitate powder in a slightly inclined trough through which the powder would flow laterally. This was not successful because of the required inclination angle, and the inability to place the powder uniformly across the relatively wide brush feeder hopper. Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method for maintaining a power feeder uniformly filled, while minimizing the tendency of the powder to react.


A short film generation/reproduction apparatus for generating video of a short film using at least one still picture and reproducing such video is comprised of: a picture feature extraction unit 1107 for extracting picture features from an input picture; a picture-to-style feature conversion unit 1115 for converting the picture features into style features; a picture-to-musical feature conversion unit 1118 for converting the picture features into musical features; a style determination unit 1116 for determining a style based on the style features; a music determination unit 1119 for determining a piece of music based on the musical features; and a scenario generation unit 1117 for generating a scenario by using the still picture, music and style.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a short film generation/reproduction apparatus for generating video of a short film using at least one still picture and reproducing such video, as well as a method thereof.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the domestic camera market in Japan in 2001, the number of shipments of digital still cameras exceeded that of film cameras, and the disparity between them will expectedly be wider in 2002. Furthermore, a great many number of digital camera-equipped mobile phones have been released in the recent mobile phone market, enjoying great popularity. Against this backdrop, there are an increased number of users of digital still cameras, who possess a large number of digital still pictures (to be referred to as "DSP" hereinafter).
Generally, DSPs are stored in the disk drive of a personal computer. In order to enable a user to view and manage such a large number of DSPs, application software packages, so-called "image browsing software" for viewing and managing pictures are on sale. Such applications is capable of realizing a conventionally-used paper photo album on a personal computer, as well as enabling the user to view the whole pictures in the form of thumbnails and carrying out hierarchical management of pictures by the use of directories.
Moreover, the above applications have a capability known as "slide show" as one of the capabilities of viewing DSPs stored in the disk drive (Refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent application No. 01-92875, for example). Slide show can be likened to "digital picture card show" in which a DSP to be displayed is switched to another one at certain time intervals or according to a trigger such as a user instruction, as in the case of a slide projector. Some of the image browsing software applications are further capable of increasing a degree of entertainment by adding, to pictures, BGM and transitions such as "fade", "wipe" and "rotation" when a DSP is switched to another one.
However, the above applications are nothing but virtual embodiments of conventional paper photo albums on personal computers, indicating that slide show is basically the same as a picture card show in which pictures need to be flipped through one by one. Therefore, although the existing applications are well utilizing features of digital data, they are not capable of providing users with such enjoyment as can be provided only by the use of digital data.
In order to provide users with digital-specific enjoyment, there is application software for generating a cinema-like video (short film) from input still pictures (DIGITALSTAGE INC., LIFE with PhotoCinema). This application is capable of automatically generating a short film in response to the user's selections of still pictures, BGM (music) and a style set as film materials. Style set defines an outline (color tone and effect) of a short film to be generated and visual effects that match such image. This application, which is capable of giving moving picture-like motions to still pictures in a short film it generates, deserves being called a breakthrough in the field in that it has added a new dimension to the world of entertainment by utilizing digital still pictures.
However, the above application has the following problems.
Firstly, when selecting still pictures, music and a style, the user sometimes selects BGM and DSPs not suitable for such selected style (effect), giving a strange impression to a viewer of the short film.
Secondly, the user is required to select still pictures, music and a style all on his/her own, which is highly troublesome. For example, it may not be troublesome for the user to select DSPs which s/he wishes to use, but it is complex for him/her to select music and a style suited to the selected pictures. Meanwhile, even if the user wishes to select summery DSPs and a lively style after selecting summery music, it is not easy for him/her to select a set of appropriate pictures and music from among a library storing an enormous number of DSPs.
Thirdly, the above application software does not recognize an object in the DSPs (e.g. a face) and does not take into account the position of such object before applying an effect to DSPs in a short film. Therefore, undesirable motions frequently occur such as that an unimportant portion of a DSP is cut out and inserted into a pictorial cut, that a portion of a person's face is gone out of a DSP frame and that a picture is zoomed in with the focus on an unimportant portion.
Fourthly, since the application is intended for the use on a personal computer, the user is required to operate the application by the keyboard, which is complex and troublesome. Also, although there is an increasing demand for reproducing a short film by such a home appliance as a television with the computerization of home appliances, current home appliances are not capable of reproducing short films yet.
Fifthly, the application is not capable of recognizing the type of an object (e.g. a facial part) and then applying a visual effect to DSPs. Because of this reason, a facial part is gone out of a DSP frame and the order of applying slide in/slide out is not determined on the basis of the importance of facial parts, giving a strange impression to the viewer of the short film.
Lastly, the application is not capable of recognizing the name of an object before applying a visual effect. As a result, all objects are handled equally, making it impossible to generate a short film in which an arbitrary person, for example, is put into focus. Therefore, when a short film generated by the above application is reproduced at a wedding reception or a birthday party where specific people are gathering, it is not possible to identify the main person in the short film because such object is out of focus. Thus, a short film generated by the existing application software does not serve the intended purpose, depending on a place where such short film is reproduced.

Short film generation/reproduction apparatus and method thereof


A method includes modulating a first voltage level of a first processor and a second voltage level of a second processor within a multi-processor computer system. The first processor operates at a first performance level and the second processor operates at a second performance level. The first performance level is higher than said second performance level. A system includes means for modulating a first voltage level of a first processor, which operates at a first performance level, and means for modulating a second voltage level of a second processor, which operates at a second performance level, with a multi-processor computer system.

Multi-processor systems include many types of processors. The processors of a server are often housed together in a single structure, creating high-density systems with a modular architecture that ensures flexibility and scalability. Thus, this modular architecture reduces space requirements. Server processors, along with storage, networking and other types of processors, are typically installed in a common enclosure, or chassis, that hosts multiple processors that share common resources such as cabling, power supplies, and cooling fans.
Multi-processor systems create challenging engineering problems, due largely in part to heat produced by the processors and limited space in the chassis. Typically, multi-processor systems are limited by an underlying power and thermal envelope. For example, a chassis that hosts a multi-processor system may only be designed to utilize a limited number of watts. That is, the chassis can only consume so much power and is limited in the amount of airflow that is available to cool the processors in the chassis.
Engineering challenges occur in optimizing the tradeoff between performance and thermal and power requirements. In a multi-processor system multiple processors, each representing a separate system, are present in the same chassis. Associated with the chassis are a specific set of power and thermal requirements. Specifically, these requirements put a limit on the amount of power that can be consumed by the respective processors. Known power limiting strategies include powering down a CPU functional unit, e.g., a floating-point unit or an on-die cache, or trading off speed for reduced power consumption in a hard drive.
This power limitation puts a constraint on the frequency that the processors can run, and thus, limits the performance. In addition, the processors in a system are usually all configured to operate at the same frequency. This further limits the ability for the individual processors to operate at optimal performance and capacity.
Prior solutions run all the processors at a performance level less than their maximum in order to meet the overall chassis power and thermal cooling budget. A disadvantage associated with this solution is that the performance of each processor is degraded or diminished to fall within these budgets. For example, if the ability of the chassis to cool is limited to X and there are Y processors, each processor can only contribute approximately X/Y to the dissipated power in the chassis. Thus, each processor is limited to the performance associated with an X/Y power level.
Another solution has been to add a plurality of loud, space-consuming fans that require expensive control circuitry. These cooling systems increase the cost of the multi-processor system, leave less space for other features within the chassis for other features, and run a higher risk for failures and increased downtime. Other solutions have included limiting the number of I/O cards in the multi-processor system, as well as restricting the number of other use features. A further solution has been to reduce the power budget available for other features in the multi-processor system.
What is needed is a method for optimizing the performance of a multi-processor system by modulating the voltage of the processors within the system in conjunction with the frequency of the processors to increase the thermal and power benefit of the multi-processor system.

System and method for managing processor voltage in a multi-processor computer system for optimized performance

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A computer receives a reservation for a location. The computer detects if a user is present in the location. The computer then determines if the user is allowed to be present in the location by comparing identification information of the user with identification information of the reservation.

Companies are always looking for creative ways to save money. One method companies are undertaking to reduce overhead is to encourage employees to work from home in order to save on costs associated with renting and maintaining office space. That is not to say that companies have gone completely virtual. Companies still typically prefer to keep office space in order to maintain an official presence. However, a company may lease or buy a smaller amount of office space to help reduce some of the aforementioned overhead costs. This in turn creates an issue where the office space is not large enough to accommodate all of a company's employees at a given time. While many employees may be able to perform most of their tasks from home, an office may still be necessary in certain cases, such as, when meeting a client face to face. To resolve this issue, many companies designate some offices as "shared" offices. Telecommuting employees reserve the office ahead of time and are given full use of the office for the reserved period of time. This can lead to complications, however, if, for example, an employee reserves a shared office only to find out that it is being used by a "squatting" employee, i.e., an employee who has not made a reservation.

Detection, identification and integration of office squatters

International Business Machines Corporation