An image output device inputs content information, generates a barcode by encoding input content information, and outputs print data so that a sign visually indicating a property of the content information is printed adjacent to the generated barcode or by superimposing the sign on the generated barcode.

Both one and two-dimensional (2-D) barcodes are known. The latter are used to encode relatively large amounts of information in the form of a character string. This information can then be provided to a recipient in the form of a printout or other communication means.
Information encoded in a 2-D barcode (hereinafter "content information") is decoded using a decoding device. Such a device may be a mobile station provided with a digital camera, and having a function of decoding content information encoded in a 2-D barcode. Such a system is disclosed, for example, in "J-SH010" (Sharp Corporation, http://www.sharp.co.jp/products/jsh010/text/barcode.html, May 27, 2003).
According to the disclosed Sharp mobile station a user operates the station's digital camera to read a 2-D barcode from a printed object, and content information encoded in the barcode is then decoded. When particular character strings are detected in the 2-D barcode, the mobile station is caused to execute corresponding particular processes. For example, detected content information "MEMORY:" causes the mobile station to register in its telephone directory content information present in a character string that follows "MEMORY:" such information may include, for example, a name, telephone number, Email address, and so on.
A problem exists with this system, however, in that content information are not standardized for use among different types or makes of mobile stations. Thus, depending on a format of content information encoded in a 2-D barcode, a mobile station may or may not be able to process the content information. The easiest solution to this problem would be to standardize formats of content information for use in 2-D barcodes with mobile stations. However, this is unlikely to happen since vendors of such stations wish to differentiate their products.
A further inconvenience caused by this incompatibility problem is that it is difficult for a user of a mobile station to visually distinguish a format used for content information merely by looking at a 2-D barcode. As a result, the user may waste time reading with a mobile station a 2-D barcode having encoded content information which cannot be properly processed by his/her mobile station. Moreover, the user is unable to know whether the encoded content information can be processed by his/her mobile station until the read operation of the barcode is complete. This acts as a disincentive to users attempting to obtain content information with their mobile stations utilizing the barcode system.
Further, even if content information can be successfully processed by a user's mobile station and the user is able to acquire desired information, the acquired information is sometimes not utilized by the user. For example, when a vendor posts an advertisement poster, on which a barcode is printed, a user can access general information provided by the vendor by using the information contained in the barcode, but the information may not match the user's needs. In such a case, it would be more effective if user-oriented information suited to a user's preferences could be accessed by use of information contained in a barcode. However, it is impractical to print as many barcodes as the number of variations of users' preferences on an advertisement poster or in a catalog. Further, it would be troublesome for a user to find a barcode suited to his/her preferences from among a number of printed barcodes. Thus, it has been difficult to provide information suited to the needs of a user by means of a barcode.

Apparatus and method for reading and decoding information contained in a barcode


The invention relates to novel composite materials based on a collagen matrix mineralized with silicate and calcium phosphate phases, to a method for the production thereof and use thereof as an implant material which can be shaped in a plurality of ways, a biological coating or active substance carrier. The claimed composite material comprises a collagen matrix which is mineralized with silicate and a calcium phosphate phase, said collagen being a recombinate collagen, collagen from Eumetazoa, sponge collagen from a sponge of the Demospongia class (horn sponges) or Calcarea (calcareous sponges), a synthetic collage analog, a collagen derivative or a mixture of said collagens.

The invention concerns novel composite materials on the basis of a collagen matrix mineralized with silicate and calcium phosphate phases, method for their production as well as their use as implant material designable in a plurality of ways, biologizing coating, or active ingredient carrier.
The development of novel biomaterials is driven mainly by the desire to produce technically mature tissue and bone implants for medical applications. Depending on the implantation site and function, special demands with regard to bioactivity, biocompatibility, and mechanical strength are put on them. Generally, these demands can be hardly fulfilled by single component materials. Biological components that, for functional reasons, are usually considered a prerequisite have often an excellent biocompatibility but are not capable of withstanding great mechanical loads. For this reason, strategies for reinforming such materials are being worked on increasingly. For example, this would be achievable by combining further inorganic non-metallic components that can absorb the corresponding loads but, in turn, must have satisfactory biocompatibility.

Composite material consisting of a collagen matrix mineralised with silicate and calcium phosphate phases, method for the production and use thereof


An image processing method includes acquiring a first image during a first exposure time, and a second image during a second exposure time, wherein the first exposure time is smaller than the second exposure time; acquiring the image region with the luminance greater than a first threshold in the second image as a first over-exposure region; acquiring the image region located at corresponding positions of the first over-exposure region and in the first image as a second over-exposure region; comparing the second over-exposure region and the first over-exposure region, for acquiring a first moving-object region; excluding the first moving-object region from the second over-exposure region, to generate a third over-exposure region; acquiring the image region located at corresponding positions of the third over-exposure region and in the second image as a fourth over-exposure region; and combining the third over-exposure region and the fourth over-exposure region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method of combining a plurality of images, and more particularly, to an image processing method capable of effectively eliminating the effects of moving objects when combining a plurality of images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A ratio of the highest luminance to the lowest luminance in a scene is defined as a dynamic range of the scene. Typically, the dynamic range of the real world is over 50,000:1, and the dynamic range of the human vision system (HVS) is over 10,000:1. Moreover, in some specific lighting condition, human eyes can differentiate some 10,000 colors. Thus, human eyes can detect different luminance in the real word to a fairly satisfactory degree.
Image capturing devices (such as cameras) or image display devices (such as computer displays) commonly used for processing images, however, have a dynamic range far less than the dynamic range of the real world. Therefore, those image devices are unable to capture or display details of high luminance (i.e. over-exposure) or low luminance (i.e. under-exposure) regions in a scene in some condition. For example, an image capturing device or an image display device having a dynamic range of 255:0 may treat all pixels in a high luminance region in a scene as white pixels having grayscale values of (255, 255, 255), or treat all pixels in a low luminance region in a scene as black pixels having grayscale values of (0, 0, 0). In other words, those image devices are unable to record details of high luminance or low luminance regions in a scene.
Generally, an image having a high dynamic range is called a high dynamic range (HDR) image. Presently, there is no simple and direct way to capture or display an HDR image. Therefore, an alternative method to execute multiple exposures in a scene to capture a plurality of low dynamic range (LDR) images and then combine the LDR images into an HDR image of the scene is provided.
Inevitably, there is always a time lag between the timings of capturing the plurality of LDR images. During the time lag, random objects in the captured scene may move and the positions of the random object may be different in the plurality of LDR images. When combining the plurality of LDR images to generate the HDR image, the random objects moving during the time lags may cause undesired effects (e.g. ghosts and broken objects) in the HDR image. Thus, how to eliminate the undesired effects generated by the moving objects becomes a topic to be discussed.

Image processing method for image capturing device


A bidirectional gasket providing a water-tight seal between a manhole assembly and a pipe, having a T-shaped anchoring portion for embedment in a manhole opening. An A-shaped pipe engagement portion joined to the anchoring portion by a connecting web facilitates bending of the gasket. The A-shaped portion has "legs" and recesses forming water pockets preventing water from entering between gasket and pipe. The gasket durometer enhances the water tight seal of the legs with increasing water pressure. The pipe engaging portion accommodates a greater outside pipe diameter compared with conventional connectors due to reduced volume, by providing voids within the connector. The gasket accommodates diameter deflection or ovation in rigid and flexible pipe materials. The A-shaped profile provides greater angular deflection and/or pipe misalignment allowance compared with conventional connectors. Tapered projections near the apex wipe the pipe external periphery upon insertion and further contribute to compression of the connector in the nose portion, preventing the projection from flipping over during pipe insertion. The web joining the anchoring and pipe engagement portions has a tapered cross section, increasing in thickness toward the pipe engagement portion, enhancing compression of the web against the pipe. The connecting web and interior periphery of the T-shaped portion have integral projections which eliminate profile thinning and significantly reduce water infiltration. The simplified water pocket recesses ease installation problems and prevent pull-in of the water pocket which results in connector failure.

Rubber (and/or rubber-like) connectors are utilized to provide a water-tight seal between an opening in a manhole assembly, for example, and a pipe extending into the opening. U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,829 assigned to the assignee of the present invention discloses a conventional bi-directional connector formed from an extrusion having a hollow pear-shaped head portion integrally joined to a T-shaped anchoring flange. A connector ring is formed by cutting an extruded sectional length and curling it to form a substantially tight-cylinder configuration with the mating edges being joined. The pear-shaped head portion deflects from a radially inwardly extending orientation upon insertion of a pipe. The resiliency of the head portion is improved by providing a single cavity to obtain moderate sealing pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,355, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention constitutes an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,829 by providing a gasket of similar shape having a plurality of internal cavities extending longitudinally through the head portion to provide the desired resiliency while at the same time providing improved stability of the gasket, yielding a stronger, more uniform seal about the exterior of the pipe extending therethrough, including portions of the pipe surface which may be significantly out-of-round.
The above designs have the disadvantage of providing a water-tight seal which weakens as water pressure applied to the gasket increases and which have very narrow tolerance limits with regard to the range of pipe outer diameter that can be accepted by a gasket thereby greatly increasing the number of gaskets required to cover a large range of pipe outer diameters, typically from 4" to 84".
The assignee of the present invention has further developed a gasket which is described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,787, which gasket provides water pockets that enhance the water-tight seal with increasing pressure. The gasket described therein has a T-shaped anchoring portion and a substantially A-shaped or pear-shaped pipe engaging head portion similar to those found in conventional gaskets. However, the head portion of the improved gasket is provided with a recess near its wide end defining a pair of legs extending away from the head portion which act as water seal flaps. The midpoint of the recess is joined to the anchoring portion by an integral connecting web having a thickness which is significantly reduced relative to the thickness of the adjacent anchoring portion to facilitate bending of the web and hence the gasket.
A connecting web cooperates with the legs and recess to form a pair of water pockets, one of which becomes active dependent upon the direction which the gasket is deflected, to provide a water-tight seal which seal increases in effectiveness with increasing water pressure imposed upon the gasket.
The water pockets in the gasket disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re 34,787 has been found to have certain disadvantages which include the tendency of the water pocket to flip over during insertion of a pipe. In addition, the connecting web has been found to significantly reduce the compression of the gasket against the pipe.
The gaskets of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. Re 34,787 are normally extruded and then cut to size to form a gasket of the desired diameter. During the extrusion process, the gaskets are extruded so that the axis of symmetry of the extrusion is horizontally aligned as the extrusion leaves the die in order for the extrusion to be placed on its side upon a conveyor which carries the extrusion through a curing medium. The geometry of the extrusion is such that the imbedment portion of the extrusion and specifically the web connecting the imbedment portion to the head portion deviates from the normal line of symmetry due to the fact that the extrusion is not able to retain the desired symmetrical orientation because the extrusion is sufficiently soft prior to curing, so that a bend developed as the extrusion is conveyed through the curing region becomes fixed as a result of the curing operation. Thus, when the extrusion is cured, the connecting web and embedment portion deviates from the desired symmetry and becomes misaligned within the cast member into which it is embedded thereby significantly reducing and weakening the ability of the cast member to properly retain the gasket embedded within the cast member.
The design of the water pockets in the gasket disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re 34,787 further complicate the joining of the gasket ends necessitating the employment of a plurality of inserts in order to assure proper alignment of the ends of the extruded section being joined thereby complicating the joining operation and degrading the accuracy of the alignment of the end sections of the extrusion being joined, especially in the regions of the water pocket, as well as requiring additional pin-like joining members inserted into adjacent ends of the cut length of the extruded member to assure that said ends are properly joined.
It has been found that the embedment portion of the gasket undergoes some stretching and hence thinning as a pipe is inserted into the gasket, which is disadvantageous as it severely reduces the ability to prevent infiltration of water around the waterstop, especially in drycast assemblies.

Bidirectional gasket having water energizing pockets


A semiconductor nanocrystal can have a barbell shape. The nanocrystal can include two semiconductor materials selected so that upon excitation, one charge carrier is substantially confined to the one semiconductor material and the other charge carrier is substantially confined to the other semiconductor material.

Nanocrystals having small dimensions can have properties intermediate between molecular and bulk forms of matter. For example, nanocrystals of semiconductor materials having sufficiently small dimensions can exhibit quantum confinement of excitons (excited state electron-hole pair) in all three dimensions. Quantum confinement leads to an increase in the effective band gap of the material with decreasing crystallite size. Consequently, both the optical absorption and emission of nanocrystals shift to the blue (i.e., to higher energies) as the size of the nanocrystal decreases.
The quantum efficiency of emission from nanocrystals having a core of a first semiconductor material can be enhanced by applying an overcoating of a second semiconductor material such that the conduction band of the second semiconductor material is of higher energy than that of the first semiconductor material, and the valence band of the second semiconductor material is of lower energy than that of the first semiconductor material. As a result, both charge carriers of an exciton, i.e., electrons and holes, are confined in the core of the nanocrystal.


A system and method for efficiently accessing replicas of a storage object. A first node may perform a find operation to determine a plurality of nodes that each store a replica of a first storage object. For each node in the plurality of nodes, the first node may establish a direct connection to the node. The first node may then access the replicas of the first storage object using the respective direct connections to the plurality of nodes. In one embodiment, the nodes may be nodes in a peer-to-peer network. Establishing a direct connection to each storage object replica may enable the first node to communicate with each node in a single hop without having to pass messages via intermediate nodes in the peer-to-peer network.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer networks and, more particularly, to a system and method for establishing direct network connections to a plurality of storage object replicas in a computer network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer networks are important for many different applications. One important type of networking is referred to as peer-to-peer or P2P networking. As used herein, a peer-to-peer network is generally used to describe a decentralized network of peer nodes where each node may have similar capabilities and/or responsibilities. Participating peer nodes in a P2P network may communicate directly with each other. Work may be done and information may be shared through interaction among the peers. In addition, in a P2P network, a given peer node may be equally capable of serving as either a client or a server for another peer node.
A peer-to-peer network may be created to fulfill some specific need, or it may be created as a general-purpose network. Some P2P networks are created to deliver one type of service and thus typically run one application. For example, Napster was created to enable users to share music files. Other P2P networks are intended as general purpose networks which may support a large variety of applications. Any of various kinds of distributed applications may execute on a P2P network. Exemplary peer-to-peer applications include file sharing, messaging applications, distributed data storage, distributed processing, etc.
In some peer-to-peer networks, various objects may be replicated across multiple computer systems in the network. It is often necessary to access all the replicas of a storage object together. In order for the peer-to-peer network to be able to scale efficiently, it may be important to provide a method for accessing all the replicas of an object efficiently without having to communicate with each one in a hop-by-hop manner.

Direct connections to a plurality of storage object replicas in a computer network


A multi-coordinate probe is described for use in measuring machines and machine tools for measurement of workpieces. A support system is described which is configured as a multi-point bearing or support having a plurality of support points. Each support point comprises a bushing integrated into the measuring dish by way of a counter member for a ball as a support member and which is alignable with a bushing in the probe housing base. The automatic adjustment of the ball is assured by a spherical member carrying the ball and being rotatably supported in a seat or lodgment. In case of a misalignment between the bushing and the ball, a torque acting upon the spherical member causes an alignment of the ball. In the adjusted stable position, the spherical members are fixed relative to their seat or lodgment.

A multi-coordinate probe having several support points is discussed in DE-PS 27 42 817. A V-groove is located concentrically around the probe head axis in a measuring dish which is connected with the probe pin or feeler. A V-groove, which also extends in an annularly-shaped fashion, is located so as to be opposite to the first groove in the housing of the probe. Several spheres or balls are bonded into each one of these V-grooves, wherein each bearing support is constituted by the cooperation of three spheres. The spheres are located opposite each other in such a manner, that each sphere in the measuring dish contacts two spheres in the housing of the probe.
In order to assure that the desired contact occurs between the spheres, one allows the balls to roll freely into their grooves during the set-up or adjustment process, wherein they then align themselves as a result of the spring force exerted upon the measuring dish and the curvature of the spheres. Subsequent to this adjustment, a bonding agent or adhesive, inserted into the V-groove, is cured or hardened and retains the spheres in the V-groove.
Since every sphere adjusts itself in a circumferential direction as a function of all other spheres, the frictional forces during the set-up or adjustment process are added and thus the force required for the adjustment is increased. Further, it has been seen that non-uniform relatively large bonding gaps form between the individual spheres and the V-groove whereby unequal elastic properties and rigidity of the individual bearing or support points are produced. The large bonding gaps, especially in the circumferential direction of the V-grooves, causes a displacement or migration of the spheres or balls during temperature changes as well as due to the effects of humidity.
A multi-coordinate probe is known from the DE-PS 35 08 396, wherein each bearing or support point is individually adjustable independently of the other support points. Each support point is formed by a sphere and an adjustable cylindrical member with a V-groove. Each cylindrical member is rotatable around its axis and axially displaceable, so that the V-groove can be aligned with the associated sphere. It is disadvantageous in this arrangement, however, that each bearing or support point is only formed by two points of contact between a V-groove and a sphere. This point contact results in a relatively low rigidity of the individual support points.
In order to increase the rigidity, a multi-coordinate probe was proposed in DE-PS 36 40 160, wherein each bearing or support point was formed by an axially and radially adjustable bearing and counter member. The contact zones of the respective surface regions of the support or bearing members and the surface regions of the associated counter members, respectively, form a circular line. The adjustment of a cone-shaped bore with respect to a sphere is performed by means of a double eccentric cam. The cone-shaped bore is placed externally of the rotational axis of a rotatable cylinder. This cylinder is eccentrically supported in a rotatable receiving cylinder. For adjustment, the inner cylinder and the receiving cylinder must be rotated against each other and displaced in an axial direction. This probe, however, requires greater fabrication efforts.


Disclosed herein are induction heating articles and vessels and methods for applying insulating coatings thereto. In one aspect, an induction heating vessel of the present invention includes a ferromagnetic substrate and an insulating coating layer attached to the substrate, the insulating coating layer being characterized by a thermal conductivity of less than about 1.0 W/mK and a Shore A hardness of less than about 70.

Cooktops such as electric and gas rely on thermal energy transfer as the primary means of heating cookware. The cookware, therefore, depends on conductive materials on the exterior to facilitate the energy transfer. Induction cooktops, however, use electromagnetic induction as the energy transfer means and therefore don't require thermally conductive materials on the exterior of heating vessels to facilitate directing heat to the items being heated. It would be advantageous to cover the exterior of the induction-compatible heating vessel with materials that offer alternative or additional benefits that ferromagnetic materials may not offer.
Thus, there is a need to address these problems and other shortcomings associated with inductive heating vessels. This need and other needs are satisfied by the various aspects of the present disclosure.

Inductive heating vessels and methods of making and using same


Novel cosmetic/dermatological UV-photoprotective compositions well suited for enhanced PF photoprotection of human skin and/or hair comprise (a) an effective UV-screening amount of at least one benzylidenecamphor sunscreen compound, and/or at least one dibenzoylmethane sunscreen compound, and/or at least one triazine sunscreen compound, and (b) a PF-enhancing amount of at least one dialkyl tartrate, formulated into a topically applicable, cosmetically/dermatologically acceptable vehicle, diluent or carrier therefor.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel cosmetic and/or dermatological compositions for the photoprotection of human skin and/or hair against the damaging effects of UV radiation, in particular solar radiation. More especially, this invention relates to novel cosmetic and/or dermatological compositions comprising at least one UV screening agent of dibenzoylmethane type and/or at least one UV screening agent of the type derived from benzylidenecamphor and/or at least one UV screening agent of the type derived from triazine, these compositions having an improved sun protection factor and which also comprise, in a cosmetically and/or dermatologically acceptable support (vehicle, diluent or carrier) therefor, at least one linear or branched dialkyl tartrate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to this art that light radiation having wavelengths of between 280 nm and 400 nm permits tanning of the human epidermis, and that light radiation having wavelengths of between 280 and 320 nm, known as UV-B irradiation, causes skin burns and erythema which may be harmful to the development of a natural tan; this UV-B radiation should therefore be screened from the skin.
It is also known to this art that UV-A radiation, having wavelengths of between 320 nm and 400 nm, which causes tanning of the skin, is likely to induce an adverse change therein, especially in the case of sensitive skin or of skin which is continually exposed to solar radiation. UV-A radiation causes, in particular, a loss of elasticity of the skin and the appearance of wrinkles, resulting in premature skin aging. UV-A radiation promotes triggering of the erythemal reaction or amplifies this reaction in certain individuals and may even be the cause of phototoxic or photoallergic reactions. It is thus desirable to also screen UV-A radiation.
Many cosmetic compositions suited for the photoprotection (UV-A and/or UV-B) of the skin are known to this art.
These antisun or sunscreen compositions are commonly in the form of an emulsion of oil-in-water type (namely, a cosmetically acceptable support comprising a continuous aqueous dispersing phase and a discontinuous oily dispersed phase) which contains, in various concentrations, one or more conventional lipophilic and/or hydrophilic organic screening agents which are capable of selectively absorbing harmful UV radiation, these screening agents (and their amounts) being selected as a function of the desired protection factor (the protection factor (PF) being expressed mathematically by the ratio of the irradiation time required to reach the erythema-forming threshold with the UV screening agent to the time required to reach the erythema-forming threshold without UV screening agent).

Photoprotective/cosmetic compositions comprising UV-sunscreens/dialkyl tartrates


Methods of coating seeds with polymers and seeds coated with such polymers are disclosed herein. The polymers can be phosphonates, sulfonates, polymers of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, polyaminopolyethermethylene phosphonate, polysuccinic oligomers, acrylic acid/2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, blends of acrylic acid/2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid with polyaminopolyethermethylene phosphonate, sulfomethylated acrylic acid/acrylamide, blends of sulfomethylated acrylic acid/acrylamide with polyaminopolyethermethylene phosphonate, polymaleic acid, acrylic acid/acrylamide copolymers, polyacrylic acid, trimethylglycine hydrochloride, blends of polyaminopolyethermethylene phosphonate with trimethylglycine hydrochloride, and any combination or salt of such polymers. Methods of monitoring, determining, and controlling the concentration of scale inhibitors in an agricultural irrigation system are also disclosed herein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to the use of fertilizer enhancing compositions in agricultural applications. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to scale inhibitors used as fertilizer enhancing compositions, methods of monitoring such compositions, and seeds coated with such compositions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fertilizers are materials or combinations of materials that are added to soil to improve the growth rate of plants, the health of plants, and/or the yield of plant fruits. Fertilizers are added to soils to enrich or replenish chemical nutrients in the soil that are vital to plant growth. A soil may be naturally lacking in a needed chemical nutrient or the deficiency may be due to the removal of chemicals by crops previously grown in that location. In either case, the use of fertilizer increases productivity, as measured by ratios, such as yield per acre or yield per man hour.
Generally, plants consume all nutrients from the soil, with the exception of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Typical soil-based nutrients essential to plant growth include, but are not limited to, nitrogen, silicon, magnesium, oxides of iron and calcium, chlorides, sulfates, magnesia, phosphates, soda, and potash. These nutrients can be replenished in the soil by using certain fertilizers. In addition, secondary nutrients can be added to fertilizer compositions as required. Secondary nutrients include, but are not limited to, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc and magnesium.
It is estimated that approximately 20 percent of fertilizer added to soil becomes available to plants. For example, it is known that a major portion of phosphate fertilizers precipitate as insoluble inorganic salts, such as calcium phosphate, zinc phosphate, or salts of phosphate and other ions present in the soil. Thus, when phosphorus is added to the soil, it can form phosphate salts, which may also be referred to as non-labile phosphorus. This non-labile phosphorus is not useful to the plants and therefore, preventing formation of non-labile phosphorus is of great interest in the industry.

Polymers useful in agricultural applications


Da Splitter″ is a tool made of plastic, created to make adequate cuts in cigars and cigarillos to provide for additional material to be inserted to enhance the use of the cigar, cigarillos and other objects. Da Splitter was designed to make changing the flavor of a cigar quick and easy. With the razor to cut open the previous cigar, the pick to stuff the new one and a lighter attached to smoke your new flavored cigar this tool provides the convenience of three separate instruments in one.

Tobacco companies make several types of cigars in terms of size, type and flavor. However, all flavors are not available in all types or size. The tool was invented to cut open the cigar so that the customer of the cigar company may smoke any flavor out of any type one wishes. This invention was not designed to change, enhanced or out perform any prior invention.

Apparatus for making cuts in cigars and method of use


A method of manufacturing a potassium niobate (KNbO3) single crystal thin film, includes the steps of maintaining the substrate under a predetermined oxygen partial pressure; maintaining the substrate within a temperature region which is equal to or higher than an eutectic temperature of KNbO3 and 3K2O.Nb2O5 and is equal to or lower than complete melting temperature of KNbO3 and 3K2O.Nb2O5 so that a solid phase of KNbO3 and a liquid phase can coexist on the substrate; depositing a vapor phase material on the substrate in a state in which a solid phase and a liquid phase coexist; and precipitating KNbO3 on the substrate from the liquid phase as a solid phase to grow a KNbO3 single crystal thin film. The composition of a starting material to be vaporized to generate the vapor phase material is from K2O.Nb2O5=50:50 to K2O.Nb2O5=65:35.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave element used in telecommunication devices, and in particular relates to a surface acoustic wave element that uses a piezoelectric thin film.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a remarkable expansion in the demand for surface acoustic wave elements with the rapid developments in the telecommunication field centered on mobile communication, which is typified by mobile telephones. Some trends in the development of surface acoustic wave elements include size reduction, increasing efficiency, and increasingly higher frequencies. In order to attain these, a larger electromechanical coupling coefficient (below, k2), more stable temperature characteristics, and a higher surface acoustic wave propagation velocity become necessary. For example, when used as a high frequency filter, a high k2 is desirable in order to obtain a pass band having a small loss and a wide bandwidth. In order to make the resonance frequency a high frequency, a material having a faster acoustic velocity is desirable in view of the limits of the design rules for the pitch of interdigital transducers (below IDT). Furthermore, in order to stabilize the characteristics of the temperature range in which surface acoustic wave elements are used, the center frequency temperature coefficient (TCF) must be small.
Conventionally, surface acoustic wave elements generally have a structure in which an IDT is formed on a single crystal piezoelectric body. Representative piezoelectric single crystals are quartz, lithium niobate (below, LiNbO3), lithium tantalite (below, LiTaO3), and the like.
For example, in an RF filter requiring a broad band and low loss in the pass band, LiNbO3, which has a large k2, is used. In contrast, in an IF filter requiring stable temperature characteristics even in a narrow band, quartz, which has a small TCF, is used. Furthermore, LiTaO3 plays an intermediate role because its k2 and TCF are each between those of LiNbO3 and quartz. However, even for LiTaO3, which has the highest k2, the k2 is about 20%.
Recently, a cut angle that exhibits a large k2 value has been discovered in the KNbO3 single crystal (a=0.5695 nm, b=0.5721 nm, c=0.3973 nm; below, the orthorhombic crystal is represented by these indices). As reported in Electron. Lett. Vol. 33 (1997) 193, it can be predicted by calculation that a 0° Y-cut X-propagation (below, 0° Y-X) KNbO3single crystal plate shows an extremely high value of k2=53%. Furthermore, as reported in Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 37 (1998) 2929, it has been experimentally confirmed that a 0° Y-X KNbO3 single crystal plate demonstrates a high value of k2 (about 50%), and it is reported that the oscillation frequency of the filter using the Y-X KNbO3 single crystal plate rotated from 45° to 75° demonstrates zero temperature properties at room temperature. A patent application has been filed for these rotated Y-X KNbO3 single crystal plates that includes 0° Y-X as Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication, No. Hei 10-65488.
In surface acoustic wave elements that use a piezoelectric single crystal substrate, characteristics such as k2, the temperature coefficient, sound velocity and the like are values intrinsic to the material, and are determined by the cut angle and the propagation direction. A 0° Y-X KNbO3 single crystal substrate has a superior k2, but the zero temperature properties like those of the Y-X KNbO3 single crystal substrate rotated from 45° to 75° are not exhibited at room temperature. In addition, the propagation velocity is slow in comparison to SrTiO3 and CaTiO3, which are also perovskite-type oxides. Thus, when only a KNbO3 single crystal substrate is used, the sound velocity, high k2, and zero temperature properties cannot all be satisfied.
Thus, a piezoelectric thin film is laminated on some sort of substrate, film thickness is controlled, and thereby it is anticipated that the sound velocity, k2, and temperature characteristics will be improved. Examples include a zinc oxide (below, ZnO) thin film formed on a sapphire substrate, as reported in Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Vol 32 (1993) 2337, or a LiNbO3 thin film formed on a sapphire substrate, as reported in Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Vol. 32 (1993) L745. Therefore, for KNbO3 as well, it is anticipated that all properties will be improved by depositing a thin film onto a substrate.
Here, it is preferable that the piezoelectric thin film be oriented in an optimal direction in order to exhibit its k2 and temperature characteristics, and it is preferable that it be a flat, compact epitaxial film in order to minimize as much as possible the loss that accompanies leaky wave propagation. Here, a Y-X KNbO3 having a k2 of about 50% corresponds to the pseudo-cubic crystal (100), and the 90° Y-X KNbO3 having a k2 of 10% corresponds to the pseudo-cubic crystal (110). Therefore, for example, by using a SrTiO3(100) or (110) single crystal substrate, it is possible to obtain a Y-X KNbO3 thin film having a k2 of about 50% or a 90° Y-X KNbO3 thin film having a k2 of about 10%.
However, the surface acoustic wave element using these KNbO3 piezoelectric thin films have the following problems.
When manufacturing a KNbO3 thin film, K vaporizes easily in comparison to Nb because the saturation vapor pressure of K is extremely high compared to Nb. Thus, there is the problem that in comparison to the starting composition, the composition of the thin film after manufacture deviates towards the Nb excess side. In order to compensate for this deviation in composition, as reported, for example, in Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 68 (1996) 1488, when manufacturing a KNbO3 thin film by using a laser ablation, a target made in advance with an excess of K is used. However, as is clear from the phase diagram of the K2O.Nb2O5 shown in FIG. 1 of J. Am. Chem. Soc. Vol. 77 (1955) 2117, on side where the composition of the KNbO3 has a K excess, a 3K2O.Nb2O5 compound is present. At or below the eutectic temperature of 845° for KNbO3 and 3K2O.Nb2O5, both KNbO3 and 3K2O.Nb2O5 coexist as a solid phase. On the side where the composition of the KNbO3 has an Nb excess, a 2K2O.3Nb2O5 compound is present, and at or below the melting point of 1039° C. of KNbO3, both the KNbO3 and the 2K2O.3Nb2O5 coexist in a solid phase. Therefore, at the point in time that the starting material that has been ablated by a laser arrives at the substrate, if the composition is not strictly K:Nb=50:50, a film manufactured either on the K excess side or the Nb excess side will include different phases, and a single phase cannot be obtained.
Here, in the case of a KNbO3 bulk single crystal, a large single crystal can be obtained, for example, by pulling up the single crystal from a liquid phase (Top-Seeded Solution Growth (TSSG)) having a composition with a slight K excess over the K:Nb=50:50 by using a seed crystal. In the K2O.Nb2O5 two dimensional system phase diagram in FIG. 1, this is obtained by placing the starting material having a composition from K2O:Nb2O5=50:50 to about K2O:Nb2O5=65:35 within the range in which the KNbO3 and the liquid phase coexist. The KNbO3 is present at or above the eutectic temperature of 845° C. of KNbO3 and 3K2O.Nb2O5. That is, in FIG. 2, when the starting material having composition C1 is cooled from the liquidus temperature T11 to the crystal growth temperature T12, the KNbO3 precipitates from the liquid phase, and the liquid phase deviates towards the K excess side up to composition C2, in which T12 serves as the liquidus temperature. Because the crystal growth rate at this time becomes higher as C1–C2 becomes larger, preferably there is slightly more K than KNbO3, and as far as possible a composition close to KNbO3 is cooled down to the region of the eutectic temperature 845° of the KNbO3 and the 3K2O.Nb2O5. The above behavior occurs in the atmosphere, and furthermore, occurs when a KNbO3 bulk single crystal is grown from a high volume liquid phase.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a crystal growth process in which a single crystal is precipitated from the liquid phase in the atmosphere, that is applied to a thin film production process using a vapor phase method under reduced pressure, thereby growing epitaxially a high quality KNbO3 single crystal thin film on any type of single crystal substrate. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a surface acoustic wave element that can be adapted to high frequencies, has a high k2, and can be expected to exhibit effects with respect to size reduction and energy savings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of manufacturing potassium niobate single crystal thin film, surface acoustic wave element, frequency filter, frequency oscillator, electric circuit, and electronic apparatus


A portable terminal apparatus with a telephone function such as a portable telephone, for efficiently emitting a voice from a speaker from both a front face and a backside of a housing. The portable terminal has: a first cover that includes a first sound outlet for emitting a sound from the speaker through the front of the portable terminal apparatus; a second cover that includes a second sound outlet for emitting a sound from the speaker through the back of the portable terminal apparatus; and a gasket accommodated at a position sandwiched between the first cover and the speaker.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal apparatus with a telephone function, such as a portable telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, portable terminal apparati such as portable telephones are remarkably developing, and it is demanded that they become further multifunctional, miniaturized and lightweight.
The portable telephone in recent years has a speaker built therein to hear a voice without putting one's ear on the portable telephone, and the speaker now has high performance to output music of sound quality. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-345084 discloses an example of the speaker built into the portable telephone. The speaker disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-345084 has a front face rim of its sound producing section surrounded by a circular gasket and a connector mounted on its backside, where assembly man-hours are reduced.
As a part of multifunctionality of a portable terminal apparatus such as a portable telephone, it is considered to provide openings for emitting a voice from a speaker on both the front face and backside of a housing of the portable telephone so that the voice from the speaker can be heard whether a folding type portable telephone is open or closed for instance.
Here, the speaker disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-345084 is intended to emit the voice only to the front face side, and has a connector mounted on its backside so that its structure is not suited to emitting a voice from the backside.
To emit the voice from both the front face and backside, the speaker of an ordinary type having a lead connected thereto is adopted rather than the speaker of a special structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-345084, and the backside of the speaker is also used. As the speaker is constituted to produce a sound from the front face, the sound from the backside has a low sound pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a method to emit the voice efficiently so that it can be heard at a sufficient volume from the backside. Here, the sound from the front face of the speaker and the sound from the backside of the speaker are mutually in opposite phases, and so they are mutually canceled to reduce the sound pressure consequently if a part of the sound from the front face of the speaker is emitted from the housing in concert with the sound from the backside of the speaker.


A monitoring system for an oxygen sensing, dual-wavelength, reflectance oximetry based, rate responsive cardiac pacemaker, is capable of automatically and continually adjusting an oxygen sensor signal comparator threshold such that the effects of noise, sensitivity and drift on oximeter output signals sent to the pacemaker are minimized. A comparator and related circuitry are configured to sample and compare supply excitations for multiple oxygen sensor light sources. The comparator threshold is adjusted as a function of supply excitation for each light source independently of one another, thereby providing an oxygen sensing pacemaker with optimal noise immunity since one of the more vulnerable portions of the pacing system is the transfer of the light source signals which are susceptible to noise.

Rate responsive cardiac pacemakers which measure a physiologic parameter indicative of metabolic demand and vary the pacing rate as a function thereof are well-known. The relationship between a parameter such as oxygen saturation of the blood and a patient's corresponding metabolic demand and desired heart rate is also well-known. Consequently, pacemakers which regulate pacing rate in response to sensed blood oxygen level and attempt to restore the desired relationship between blood oxygen level and pulse rate in order to meet a patient's physiological demands are believed particularly desirable for individuals requiring rate responsive pacemaker support.
A thorough description of demand pacemakers having such oxygen-sensing capabilities utilizing dual-wavelength, reflectance oximetry technology can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,701, issued to Moore et al., as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,495, issued to Moore et al.
While the performance of such prior devices has been generally acceptable, some concern exists that there may be undesired susceptibility to noise riding upon the signal being monitored. The problem presents itself when attempting to balance the need for maintaining adequate signal sensitivity (i.e., by setting the comparator threshold of the sensor signal comparator sufficiently "close to" the expected signal amplitude levels expected to be sensed to promptly detect appropriate signal level transitions) with the need of maintaining adequate noise immunity (i.e., by setting the comparator threshold of the sensor signal comparator sufficiently "far away from" the expected signal amplitude levels expected, together with noise riding thereon, to avoid inappropriate detection by the comparator).
Another problem is the extent to which the sensitivity of such sensor-based devices may vary from unit to unit, unless each unit's comparator threshold has been uniquely established at an amplitude which is appropriate for the particular sensor signal amplitudes generated by that particular unit's sensor circuitry.
A further problem can develop, for example, with respect to the same unit over time due to aging effects upon critical optical components required to produce light emissions and sense reflected light, such that the signal amplitudes generated by such unit may drift to an unacceptable extent with respect to what is typically a relatively fixed-level comparator threshold.
Therefore, what is needed is a monitoring system for such devices, particularly such as for the subject oxygen-sensing, dual-wavelength, reflectance oximetry based, rate responsive cardiac pacemaker disclosed herein, wherein continual and automatic adjustments are made by the monitoring system to the sensor signal comparator threshold, such that the effects of noise, sensitivity and drift on oximeter output signals sent to the pacemaker are minimized.

Apparatus and method of automatically adjusting a sensor signal comparator threshold for an oxygen sensing pacemaker


A system and method determines a Line-of-Sight volume for a specified point within a three dimensional model. Each data file includes data about geometric entities that make-up a geographic feature that may impact a Line-of-Sight from a focus. A processor is operative for processing the data files and creating a series of polygons that represent a shell of a Line-of-Sight volume to the focus at a specified resolution based on the process data files.

When working within a three-dimensional model for applications such as personnel or camera placements, or for example, determining a Line-of-Sight for target acquisition or laser sighting in weapons delivery, a planner must verify that there is a clear Line-of-Sight from a specific position or target to any other point within the area of operation. This information is important to determine flight parameters for aircraft in target acquisition or planning or determine blind spots in ground operations for camera or personnel placement, for example.
Traditional two-dimensional maps cannot provide this information because the heights of relative objects is an unknown quantity. Additionally, placing a camera within a three-dimensional scene at a selected point does not provide this information because a camera cannot always be accurately placed and camera imaging does not provide intuitive confirmation across large distances.
A true, three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment requires the generation of an accurate Line-of-Sight (LOS) volume based upon a specific point referred to as the focus. By definition, a Line-of-Sight volume, when integrated into a three-dimensional environment, will give a user the ability to determine instantly a clear Line-of-Sight to the designated focus by observing the camera placement inside or outside of the rendered Line-of-Sight volume. A rendering of a Line-of-Sight volume will also allow its use outside of traditional data visualization where three-dimensional data analysis is performed.
Currently, there are no known applications that produce true three-dimensional Line-of-Sight volumes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,298 to Goto et al., the disclosure which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a method and apparatus that determines visual points and direction of Line-of-Sight in three-dimensional image construction. The system and apparatus of Goto et al. primarily determines a visual point and direction for a Line-of-Sight in a three-dimensional image construction used for imaging blood vessels and similar pathways. A viewpoint is set on an intersection of two arbitrary multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) images. A Line-of-Sight is displayed on a plane, including either one of the two MPR images. The geometric positional relationship of the two MPR images, their intersection and viewpoint, and Line-of-Sight, are designated with a positional input device, for example, a computer mouse, to enable rearrangement of the geometric positional relationship. By outputting an instruction to move the position and direction of a marker on the plane, including a first sectional image, and updating the viewpoint and Line-of-Sight, it is possible to set an estimated viewpoint and Line-of-Sight. Goto et al. is limited, however, in its applicability for generating an accurate Line-of-Sight volume based upon a specific point as a focus in a three-dimensional environment.
In another application for generating a Line-of-Sight, ESRI Company of Redlands, Calif., has developed a software program that produces multi-colored lines radiating out from ground based points along a terrain surface. These multi-colored lines indicate those areas that have Line-of-Sight to a point, but only along a surface. This program, however, does not have sufficient resolution for some end-use applications. This program is perhaps advantageous from a point out across the scene, but it is not sufficiently adequate for scenarios that determine Line-of-Sight capabilities for antenna placement, blind spots across a radar sweep, or similar applications requiring a Line-of-Sight volume for a specified point in a three-dimensional model.

System and method for determining line-of-sight volume for a specified point


A ring-shaped permanent magnet comprising a Nd—Fe—B magnetic material is integrally insert-molded within a distal part of an inner periphery of a cylindrical supporting member. By employing this structure, a coaxial alignment accuracy of the permanent magnet relative to the supporting member depends on only an accuracy of a die for insert-molding. Accordingly, the coaxial alignment accuracy improves, Moreover, the ring-shaped permanent magnet comprising the Nd—Fe—B magnetic material expands in its radial direction when cooled down, while the supporting member comprising a resin contracts, thus the permanent magnet is firmly held by the supporting member. Indeed, a pore space is not created between a bonded surface of the supporting member and that of the permanent magnet. Therefore, the coaxial alignment accuracy will not go wrong.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixation framework for a ring-shaped permanent magnet which includes a permanent magnet integrated with a supporting member, and applied to a driving mechanism of a linear motor, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional Stirling cycle engine employing a fixation framework for a ring-shaped permanent magnet is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-355513. The disclosed Stirling cycle engine has a piston and a displacer sidably inserted into a cylinder provided within a casing, the piston being reciprocated by a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism for reciprocating the piston comprises: a ring-shaped permanent magnet fixed to one end of a short cylindrical-shaped supporting member, the supporting member being connected to a proximal end of the piston; a magnetism introducing member placed opposite around the inner periphery of the permanent magnet with a magnetic gap; and an electromagnetic coil wound around a core, the core being placed opposite around the outer periphery of the permanent magnet with a magnetic gap. When the piston is operated by the driving mechanism so that it travels in the cylinder and comes close to the displacer, a gas which is in a compression chamber provided between the piston and the displacer is compressed and flows into an expansion chamber provided between the distal end of the displacer and the distal portion of the casing, through a heat dissipating fin, a regenerator and a heat absorbing fin. Accordingly, the displacer is pushed downwardly with a predetermined phase difference relative to the piston. On the other hand, when the piston travels away from the displacer, the inside of the compression chamber is subjected to negative pressure, and the gas in the expansion chamber flows back to the compression chamber through the heat absorbing fin, the regenerator and the heat dissipating fin. Accordingly, the displacer is pressed upwardly with the predetermined phase difference relative to the piston. Throughout these processes, a reversible cycle consisting of two changes: an isothermal change; and an isovolumetric change is carried out, thus a part adjacent to the expansion chamber is brought into a low-temperature state and a part adjacent to the compression chamber is brought into a high-temperature state.
In the driving mechanism of this type included in the Stirling cycle engine generates an alternate magnetic field from the electromagnetic coil when an alternate current is applied thereto. The ring-shaped permanent magnet fixed to the supporting member is reciprocated in the axial direction of the cylinder by the generated alternate magnetic field, while the piston connected to the supporting member fixing the permanent magnet is reciprocated in the cylinder along the axial direction.
Conventionally, the permanent magnet used in such driving mechanism is secured to the cylindrical supporting member by an adhesive. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the permanent magnet M is secured to the supporting member B by an adhesive according to a following method. That is, the permanent magnet M is set to a fixation jig A. An adhesive is then applied to the permanent magnet M, and the supporting member B is set to the fixation jig A so as to contact the permanent magnet M. In this method for fixing the permanent magnet M to the supporting member B while using the fixation jig A, however, a clearance between the outer periphery of the fixation jig A and the inner periphery of the supporting member B as well as that of the permanent magnet M is required in order to remove the supporting member B and the permanent magnet M from the fixation jig A. Moreover, a clearance between the supporting member B and the permanent magnet M as illustrated is required for filling the adhesion when the supporting member B is radially stacked onto the permanent magnet M in order to secure the permanent magnet M to the supporting member B by the adhesive. Because of the clearance of the supporting member B and the permanent magnet M relative to the fixation jig A, or the clearance of the supporting member B and the permanent magnet M, the permanent magnet M may be subjected to decentering relative to the piston connected to the supporting member B. Due to this, a coaxial alignment accuracy of the piston relative to the supporting member B tends to go wrong, thus there is a problem such that it is difficult to accurately keep a precision thereof. Further, in a case where the ring-shaped permanent magnet M expands and contracts in accordance with influences from conditions such as a temperature condition, it may easily break away from the supporting member B due to a thermal expansion coefficient difference thereof. Therefore, it is difficult to stabilize a quality of a product. Still further, applying an adhesive takes labor hours for controlling a hardening process or the like, thus an assembling workability is inferior.

Fixation framework for ring-shaped permanent magnet


The invention pertains to a rotary vane vacuum pump (1) with a high vacuum stage (9, 22), with a fore-vacuum stage (8, 21), with a substantially cylindrical rotor (3) which has bearing and anchor segments (11 and 21, 22), a bearing segment (11) being situated between two anchor segments (21, 22) and the anchor segments (21, 22) having vane slots (25, 26), and with a roughly pot-shaped housing (2) which contains the pump chambers (8, 9) and whose base is designed as a bearing piece (13) with a passage (35) for the rotor drive. To provide for a simple manufacture, the invention proposes that the operational rotor (3) is of one piece, that both anchor sections (21, 22) of the rotor (3) are arranged on the face side, that the bearing segment (11) between the anchor segments (21, 22) is the only bearing segment and that both vane slots (25, 26) are open from their respective front sides. (Drawing FIG. 2)

The invention pertains to a rotary vane vacuum pump with a high vacuum stage, with a fore-vacuum stage, with a substantially cylindrical rotor which has bearing and anchor segments, a bearing segment being situated between two anchor segments and the anchor segments having vane slots, and with a roughly pot-shaped housing which contains the pump chambers and whose base is designed as a bearing piece with a passage for the rotor drive.
High vacuum pumps require that the individual parts which effect the pumping of the gas be manufactured with the utmost precision. If, for example, in the case of a rotary vane vacuum pump, the slots between the vanes and the related vane slots in the rotor, the slots in the area of the anchor systems, or in the case of a two-stage rotary vane pump--the slots in the sealing area between the high vacuum stage and the fore-vacuum stage are too large, then flows occur which oppose the intended direction of flow (backstreaming) and which significantly impair the pumping characteristics, pumping speed, compression, ultimate pressure characteristic etc.
From FIG. 3 of DE-A-2354039 a two stage rotary vane vacuum pump of the aforementioned kind is known. Besides the bearing segment being situated between two anchor segments, the rotor has on one of its two face sides, (on the side of the fore-vacuum stage) a further bearing segment. Both vane slots must therefore be milled from the direction of the other face side--(the high vacuum side)--into the rotor. This has the disadvantage that a milling disc having a relatively large radius, greater than the sum of the lengths of the two vanes and the length of the bearing segment in the middle, must be employed. Moreover, after milling of the vane slots and for the purpose of manufacturing an operational rotor, a filling piece must be inserted again at the level of the middle bearing segment, so that a leak-tight mutual separation between the two stages of the vacuum pump is ensured. The manufacture of a rotor of this kind is involved. Milling of the vane slots is only possible with limited tolerances owing to the necessity of having to employ a milling disc of a relatively large diameter.

Balzers Und Leybold Deutschland Holding AG


A video display module comprises a circuit board having a front face, a plurality of light-emitting elements electrically coupled to the front face of the circuit board, and a polymer encapsulating member adhered to the front face of the circuit board, the polymer encapsulating member substantially covering at least a portion of the circuit board and a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements, the polymer encapsulating member substantially sealing the portion of the circuit board and the portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements.

Some examples of video display modules incorporate an arrangement of different colored light-emitting elements, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for example red-green-blue element pixel packages. The pixel packages or other light-emitting element arrangements can be coupled to a circuit board. It can be desirable to protect the circuit board and electronics mounted thereto from the surrounding environment, particularly for video displays that are to be used outdoors such as sporting venue video displays.

Encapsulation of light-emitting elements on a display module


The invention relates to a display arrangement and the mounting thereof.

The invention relates to a display arrangement and the mounting thereof.
It is known from the prior art how to position a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) display in relation to a carrier part by means of positioning elements in the form of screw boss/positioning pin combinations and to fix it by screw-fastening to the carrier part. A front cover subsequently mounted with a carrier part must then be positioned at a certain distance from the TFT display, in order to balance a thickness tolerance of the TFT display (approx. 0.3 mm) and prevent pressure from being exerted on the front of the TFT display. This crucial gap ultimately leads to difficulties in relation to the parallax, because although no pixels on the display are to be concealed, the frame of the TFT display should at the same time be out of sight from all observational angles.
The problem addressed by the invention is that of proposing a display arrangement and mounting thereof, which does not require a front pressure loading of the display unit and overcomes the previously described disadvantages of the prior art.
The problem is solved by a display arrangement with a display and a front part, wherein an intermediate part is provided between the front part and the display and the intermediate part is connected to the display in a frictionally engaged manner.

Display arrangement and the mounting thereof


This invention provides carbon composite materials, which comprise metal carbide particles, at least the particle surfaces or the entirety of which are metal carbides, synthesized in situ from a metal source, i.e., at least one member selected from the group comprising metal particles, metal oxide particles, and composite metal oxide particles, and a carbon source, i.e., a thermosetting resin, dispersed in a carbon, carbon fiber, or carbon/carbon fiber matrix, and contain no free metal particles. This invention also provides a method for producing such composite carbon materials, which enables the production of carbon composite materials having a high coefficient of friction, high thermostability, and abrasion resistance.

Carbon materials are combined with carbon fibers to prepare composite materials. Such process is known to be effective in order to improve the performance of such materials. For example, carbon fiber/carbon composite materials comprising high-strength carbon fibers are known as CC composite materials. Such materials are superior in specific strength (i.e., strength/density) to conventional metal materials, and thus, the applications of such composite materials are being expanded in various fields. For example, such CC composite materials are used for brake pad materials of automobiles or aircraft.
A variety of techniques for preparing reinforced carbon composite materials have been attempted via dispersion of second-phase particles in carbon materials. While the addition of dispersed particles results in the improved abrasion resistance of composite materials, the added particles sometimes become fracture origins in the materials and disadvantageously deteriorate the strength of the materials. In order to improve both the strength and the abrasion resistance of carbon materials via incorporation of second-phase particles, accordingly, it is necessary that fine second-phase particles be added in an amount required so as to result in a lack of deterioration of the strength of the material. It is necessary to add fine second-phase particles having an average particle diameter of 1 μm or smaller in order to realize satisfactory strength. It is deduced that the second-phase particles with the carbon matrix phase are suitable. Examples of such particles include high-purity metal carbides, such as tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, and silicon carbide, which remain stable without denaturing during the process of producing given members.
Production of fine particles of high-purity metal carbides in a cost-effective manner, however, involves serious technical difficulties. As the diameters of particles of metal carbides become small, dispersion of particles in a material with a carbon matrix phase becomes difficult due to aggregation or other activities. Accordingly, it is technically difficult to homogeneously incorporate such particles in a material with a carbon matrix phase. During the process for producing fine particles with very large specific surface areas, the surfaces of such particles are easily oxidized. Thus, it is practically impossible to prepare composite materials composed of carbon materials and fine particles of high-purity metal carbides.
JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-130537A (1999) discloses a method for producing a carbon composite material comprising particles of reinforcing metal carbides each with an average particle diameter of 1 μm or smaller dispersed therein, wherein starting powder materials having carbon matrix phases are mixed with at least one kind of metal oxide in advance, the mixture is molded and then calcined, and the calcination product is impregnated with pitch, followed by recalcination. This method is intended to produce carbon composite materials comprising particles of reinforcing, high-purity, and fine metal carbides dispersed therein in efficient and cost-effective manners.
JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-217267 A (1999) discloses a method for producing two-dimensional fiber-reinforced silicon carbide-carbon composite ceramics comprising forming a formed product comprising silicon powder, a resin as a carbon source, and a two-dimensional fiber-reinforced material into a desired shape, carbonizing the formed product at 900° C. to 1,300° C. in an inert gas atmosphere, impregnating the resultant with a resin, re-sintering the impregnated material at 900° C. to 1,300° C. in an inert gas atmosphere, iterating the resin impregnation and sintering, and finally sintering the material at about 1,350° C. to 1,500° C. in an inert gas atmosphere. This method is intended to readily produce two-dimensional fiber-reinforced silicon carbide-carbon composite ceramics having high strength and complicated shape regardless of high open porosity via impregnation of the ceramics with a resin and the reaction sintering method.

Carbon composite materials comprising particles of metal carbides dispersed therein and method for producing the same


A fishing lure wherein a hook is retracted within the body of the lure during casting and retrieving and is released and extended to an extended hooking position in response to the strike of a fish. The lure including a plunger slidably received within a plunger cavity which extends through the lure body, and a nose assembly, which inserts into the housing so as to receive the plunger between two diametrically opposed resilient fingers. The resilient fingers having inwardly extending projections which seat within corresponding notches in the plunger so as to lock the plunger and the attached hook in the retracted position and release the plunger upon forward movement of the nose assembly relative to the housing. The fingers being disposed in a locking chamber when the plunger is in the retracted position so that a wall of the locking chamber prevents the fingers from releasing the plunger until the fingers are moved out of the locking chamber by the displacement of the nose assembly.

Anglers appreciate that the likelihood of success when fishing can be increased by fishing areas which provide cover for fish and in particular, appreciate that the likelihood of success is increased by fishing such areas of cover as beds of weeds and grass or underwater brush. These areas, however, can be difficult to fish with conventional lures having exposed hooks, typically treble hooks, since the hooks are prone to snagging of weeds, grass, branches or the like which may require cleaning snagged material from the hooks after each cast or if the lure has become snagged upon a fixed structure, the lure may even be lost.
To facilitate fishing in such areas, various lures have been developed which enclose the hook within the lure when casting and retrieving to prevent the occurrence of undesirable snags. Such lures are commonly referred to as "weedless" fishing lures which lures thereby expose the hook upon the strike of a fish.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,355 discloses a "weedless" lure having a slidable shaft to which deformable hooks are secured. The shaft is forwardly slidable within the body of the lure which causes deformation of the hooks as they are retracted into the lure body. The shaft thereafter is restrained in position by two elongated strips oriented transverse to the slidable shaft and disposed on opposite sides thereof so as to seat within corresponding notches on the shaft and prevent movement of the slidable shaft. To spread the elongated strips apart and release the shaft, a mechanism is disposed sidewardly from the shaft which mechanism includes a cone-shaped wedge which moves between the strips to bias the strips apart upon an increase in tension in the fishing line.
Such an arrangement, however, uses a separate mechanism for spreading the strips which mechanism is disposed sidewardly of the shaft. In addition, the mechanism includes a short length of line extending between the main fishing line and the actuating mechanism to pull the wedge between the strips which length of line is exposed outside the body of the lure and may be prone to snagging. Still further, this lure also requires flexibility within the hooks to permit their retraction into the body of the lure which flexibility is an undesirable feature in a fish hook.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a "weedless" fishing lure wherein the locking mechanism for holding the hook in a retracted position has a limited number of component parts which are contained entirely within the body of the lure. It is further desirable that the locking mechanism lock the hook in a retracted position while at the same time being itself positively restrained in the locking condition. Preferably, both the hook and the locking mechanism are released in response to an increase in tension in the fishing line. Still further, it is desirable that such a "weedless" fishing lure use conventional hooks, typically treble hooks, having a relatively high rigidity to facilitate embedding of the hook within the mouth of a potentially trophy size fish being caught thereby.


Output currents from a superconducting quantum interference device which corresponds to magnetic flux guided thereto are compared with a predetermined value which corresponds to a magnetic flux locking point so as to detect a direction of shift with respect to the magnetic flux locking point. A shift quantity is judged to determine whether or not it is large based upon a history of the shift direction. A variation value component of an estimate feedback quantity is varied by taking this history into consideration. The estimate feedback quantity is used to guide magnetic flux for compensating for variation in the magnetic flux which is guided to the superconducting quantum interference device.

The present invention relates to magnetic flux locking methods and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for supplying a feedback signal to a feedback coil so as to compensate for variations in the magnetic flux which is guided to a superconductive loop of a superconducting quantum interference device (hereinafter referred to as a SQUID) by an input coil when the SQUID is operated and housed in a casing which is cooled by a refrigerator to a temperature below the critical temperature for superconductivity.
It is known that a SQUID is capable of detecting magnetic flux with extremely high sensitivity. With attention to this characteristic, a SQUID is applied to various apparatus which are used in various technical fields. A SQUID is classified as an rf-SQUID if it has only one Josephson junction (hereinafter referred to as a JJ) and as a dc-SQUID if it has two JJs. The rf-SQUID was generally used in the past years, while the dc-SQUID is being widely used in recent years because two JJs having similar characteristics can be obtained due to improvements in thin film manufacturing engineering in recent years.
FIG. 12 is an electric diagram for explaining the principle of a dc-SQUID flux meter.
The dc-SQUID includes a superconductive loop 71 and two JJs 72 which are provided at predetermined positions on the superconductive loop 71. A bias current is supplied to the opposite positions on the superconductive loop 71 with respect to the JJs 72 by a constant current source 70. An input coil 73, which is interconnected with a pickup coil 74 for detecting the magnetic flux of an object under measurement, is provided at a closed position on the superconductive loop 71. A voltage is output from the opposite positions on the superconductive loop 71 with respect to the JJs 72, the output voltage is transformed by a voltage transformation transformer 75 and then is amplified by an amplifier 76. The amplified voltage is demodulated by a synchronous detector 78 based on the modulated signal output from an oscillator 77, then the demodulated signal is integrated by an integrator 79 so as to output a voltage which is proportional to the exterior magnetic flux. Further, the output signal output from the integrator 79 and the modulated signal output from the oscillator 77 are added by an adder 80. The added signal is converted into a feedback current by a voltage-current converter 81, and the feedback current is supplied to a feedback coil 82 so as to eliminate the exterior magnetic flux detected by the pickup coil 74.
When the dc-SQUID is integrated into a magnetic flux locked loop (hereinafter referred to as a FLL) having the arrangement shown in FIG. 12, the interlinkage magnetic flux of the superconductive loop 71 can be measured by maintaining the magnetic flux at a point having the highest transformation rate of magnetic flux to voltage, because the FLL distinguishes the disadvantage that the interlinkage magnetic flux cannot be measured as it is due to the cyclic alteration of the transformation coefficient of the magnetic flux to the voltage based on the size of the interlinkage magnetic flux (refer to FIG. 6). More particularly, the magnetic flux which has the same size, and polarity which is the reverse of the externally supplied magnetic flux to the superconductive loop 71 through the pickup coil 74 and input coil 73, is fed back by the feedback coil 82 so as to cancel the external magnetic flux. The external magnetic flux can be measured by monitoring the feedback current supplied to the feedback coil 82.
When the FLL having the arrangement above-mentioned is employed, disadvantages arise in that the circuitry scale is enlarged, expensive electrical devices are needed in use, demands for minimizing, and multichannel application are greatly difficult to achieve. Further disadvantages arise in that operability is incorrect and working efficiency is reduced because adjusting operations such as gain adjustment, phase adjustment and the like are needed and the adjusting operations need a fairly long time. Especially, when SQUIDs and FLLs are provided for multichannel application, a disadvantage arises in that multichannel application which is actually achievable is suppressed because the time necessary for adjustment operations is lengthened in proportion to the number of channels. Furthermore, when SQUIDs and FLLs are applied to magnetic flux measurement for living organisms, a computer must receive measured magnetic flux for multichannel performed processings such as estimating a position singled out for an operation and the like. The computer must receive analog values output from corresponding FLLs in a parallel multichannel arrangement for a long time with high speed. The quantity of data which are processed by the computer accordingly becomes extremely great and expensive analog to digital converters (hereinafter referred to as A/D converters) which have high resolution are accordingly employed, thereby a great load is applied to the computer. As a result, disadvantages arise in that multichannel application which is actually achievable is suppressed and a measurement system including SQUIDs and FLLs is expensive.

Method and apparatus for magnetic flux locking based upon a history of plural comparisons of the SQUID output signal and a predetermined signal


A cooking utensil includes a container having a peripheral wall at its upper end outwardly circumscribing its open top and defining therewith an annular reservoir for receiving a quantity of water. A lid overlies the container open top and includes a depending skirt dimensioned to become partially immersed in the reservoir water and to divide the upper part of the reservoir into an inner section, and an outer section communicating with the inner section via the bottoms of the two sections The open top of the container is formed with a triangular slot permitting a small quantity of liquid to be automatically drawn from the reservoir into the interior of the container upon cooling of the container.

The present invention relates to a cooking utensil for cooking various articles of food. The invention is particularly useful with respect to the cooking utensil described in WO 9103972 published Apr. 14, 1991, and is therefore described below with respect to that type of cooking utensil.
WO 9103972 discloses a cooking utensil comprising a container for receiving articles of food to be cooked, and a lid attachable to the container and defining therewith an annular water reservoir surrounding the open top of the container for receiving a liquid. The liquid seals the interior of the container against the entry of air from the atmosphere and also filter out any smoke or other particles produced in the container during the cooking. Since the liquid seal prevents the entry of air into the container, the food articles to be cooked, as well as additive material (e.g., wood chips, or other substances, to provide color flavor or aroma) introduced at the bottom of the container, may be heated to a very high temperature without ignition. The high temperature within the container causes the food articles to be cooked in a relative short time. It also causes the volatile ingredients of the additive material to be readily evaporated, thereby adding color, flavor and/or aroma to the food product.
However, in the cooking utensil described in that document the lid must be locked to the container, and the interior of the container should be substantially cooled and depressurized to near atmospheric pressure, before the lid is removed; otherwise, removal of the lid while the interior of the container is still very hot, and under a relatively high vacuum, may draw a large quantity of the liquid from the annular reservoir into the interior of the container, instantly vaporizing the liquid and producing a high pressure which could be dangerous. For this reason, the cooking utensil described in that document includes a locking device for locking the lid to the container, and one version also includes a valve to permit only a small quantity of the water to be introduced into the reservoir during the cooling process


A printing apparatus for printing workpieces comprises a rotary table supporting first and second platens rotatable between a loading position located in-line between input and output lines. The transfer apparatus is operable to cyclically perform first and second movement operations, in which the rotary table rotates to move the first platen from a loading position to a printing position and vice versa. The platens may be rotatable relative to each other.

Workpieces such as semiconductor wafers or substrates are typically printed with conductive paste to form, for example, printed circuit boards (PCBs) or solar cells by a printing assembly. In conventional printing assemblies, the workpieces are conveyed on one or two production lines, such as conveyor belts, to a printing unit or station, and from there back to the production line or lines for conveyance to other equipment. Inspection of the workpieces, for example using optical inspection equipment, may be conducted at various points along the production lines of the assembly, and such inspection may be used for example to check the alignment of the workpieces both going to and leaving the printing station. Typically, conventional semiconductor or wafer printers, such as those used for printing circuit boards or solar cells, use rotary tables fitted with four platens to deliver workpieces to and from a printing station. An example of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,473 B2 (Applied Materials, Inc). Some alternative designs use an in-line feed. This latter is more compact but is generally slower, since less of the cycle can be run in parallel.
One particular solar cell printing machine, the "Eclipse" produced by ASM Assembly Systems, can operate parallel print engines to increase the output per print cell. However, due to the in-line feed to each print engine the Eclipse is limited to producing around 1,500 wafers per hour.
A key market trend is for dual-lane lines which are operated from a single side. The main benefit of this is that fewer operators are needed to run the line, and a reduction in overall cost is achieved when compared to two independent lines. The line footprint is also reduced by using the dual-lane architecture, thus allowing a greater wafer output per square metre of factory floor space.
It is clearly advantageous to increase the production of a printing machine, while using the preferred dual-lane line architecture. However, there are two main problems to be overcome:
i) Cycle Time Limitations:
One of the limits to printer cycle time is the speed with which wafers can be fed and replaced between printing.
ii) Inspection Limitations:
In printing systems which require a degree of accuracy, a vision system is employed to correct the wafer alignment before printing takes place. High accuracy systems generally require 5 to 10 micron alignment. Rotary table and in-line systems use a second vision system at an inspection station for checking quality and alignment of print. This increases complexity, line length and cost, and may also result in a number of wafers located between the printing station and inspection station potentially having undetected faults.
It is an aim of the present invention to increase the production of a printing machine, while retaining the dual lane line architecture. More particularly, the present invention has as its primary object an appreciable increase in the number of wafers produced per day, as compared with the throughput which is currently achievable.
In accordance with the present invention, this aim is achieved by the use of an improved rotary table workpiece transfer apparatus.
The present workpiece transfer apparatus provides for a compact "T-stub" configuration, which is very compact when compared to known feed systems. The configuration works well with a dual-lane (i.e. two parallel production lines) configuration, thus permitting single-sided operation. The production lines may be placed closely together and accessible by an operator.
The present transfer apparatus provides for a simplified belt component transfer system as opposed to conventional rotary table arrangements.
The present transfer apparatus allows a printed workpiece, such as a wafer, to return to its alignment position thus allowing the same inspection system to check the printed wafer. This makes it possible to employ closely-coupled closed loop print alignment and quality checking. These operations can be available at every print step at no extra increase in line length. No additional module is needed for inspection purposes.
The present transfer apparatus is more efficient than a standard rotary table, having less mass and less inertia.
The present transfer apparatus can operate at high speeds, achieving its move in about 300 ms, with a repeatability of <1 μm.
The present transfer apparatus can provide an optimised cycle time with resulting daily improvement in printed workpiece output.

ASM ASSEMBLY SYSTEMS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.


A SONET demapper includes three desynchronizers, each of which includes a RAM-based, shared digital phase locked loop, shared elastic storage, and twenty-eight divide-by 33/34/44/45 counters. Unlike a conventional desynchronizer which uses separate FIFOs for each of the twenty-eight T1/E1 channels, the elastic storage for each channel is an addressed portion of a shared block of RAM. Each desynchronizer generates a clock for each of the twenty-eight T1/E1 channels based on a FIFO depth count for each channel which is derived from a read pointer, an “effective write pointer”, and the divide-by clock for the channel. Each desynchronizer can desynchronize both T1/E1 signals as well as a combination of these signals. In addition, the invention combines the leak FIFO and desynchronizer FIFO into a single FIFO with an effective write pointer. This eliminates the need to maintain separate counters and pointers for separate FIFOs.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telecommunications. More particularly, the invention relates to desynchronizers utilized in a high density demapper for a SONET network component.
2. State of the Art
The Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), as it is known in Europe, is a common transport scheme which is designed to accommodate both DS-1 (T1) and E1 traffic as well as multiples (DS-3 and E-3) thereof. A DS-1 signal consists of up to twenty-four time division multiplexed DS-0 signals plus an overhead bit. Each DS-0 signal is a 64 kb/s signal and is the smallest allocation of bandwidth in the digital network, i.e. sufficient for a single telephone connection. An E1 signal consists of up to thirty-two time division multiplexed DS-0 signals with at least one of the DS-0s carrying overhead information. Developed in the early 1980s, SONET has a base (STS-1) rate of 51.84 Mbit/sec in North America. The STS-1 signal can accommodate 28 DS-1 signals or 21 E1 signals or a combination of both. In Europe, the base (STM-1) rate is 155.520 Mbit/sec, equivalent to the North American STS-3 rate (3*51.84=155.520). The STS-3 (STM-1) signals can accommodate 63 E1 signals or 84 DS-1 signals, or a combination of both. When combined in an STS-3 (STM-1) signal, the individual E1 and/or T1 signals are referred to as tributary units (TUs) or channels. The abbreviation STS stands for Synchronous Transport Signal and the abbreviation STM stands for Synchronous Transport Module. STS-n signals are also referred to as Optical Carrier (OC-n) signals when transported optically rather than electrically.
Within the synchronous optical network structure, traffic consisting of continuous signals (e.g. T1 and E1 signals) are transported between network elements by "mapping" the signals into "containers" or "tributaries" of different sizes. Payload mapping in SONET or SDH is not uniform, resulting in payload bits being assigned to complete bytes. Some of these bytes contain overhead information or reserved bits. This generates "mapping jitter". As the payloads of the containers are passed from the originating point through network elements to the terminating point, they are remapped into other containers that may be timed by different clocks. Clock differences are compensated by the use of pointers that identify the start of the virtual container carrying a T1 or E1 signal. Periodic pointer increments and decrements indicate payload movement and result in "pointer jitter". When the signals are eventually restored from the last container, by "demapping", there are instantaneous periods where the restored data may burst or carry no information. This irregularity in signals is referred to generally as "jitter". When the signal is returned to its original form, i.e. a plurality of T1/E1 signals, desynchronizers are used to create a continuous stream of bits at the average originating clock rate with little or no jitter and with no loss of data. Current desynchronizers remove mapping and pointer jitter by the use of elastic storage of information where the storage level of the elastic store device defines the output of a phase locked loop used to regenerate the average originating clock.
In a conventional demapper/desynchronizer, a separate phase locked loop and elastic storage (FIFO) is provided for each T1/E1 signal. Each phase locked loop includes circuitry for desynchronizing a T1 signal or an E1 signal, but not both. Consequently, in order to provide sufficient desynchronizers for a completely de-mapped STS-3 signal, conventional equipment provides 63 E1 desynchronizers or 84 T1 desynchronizers or a combination of both. In order to be assured of the capability of desynchronizing any combination of T1 and E1 signals, the equipment must include 63 E1 desynchronizers and 84 T1 desynchronizers. This results in a relatively large number of unused desynchronizers at any given time.
The modern practice in SONET technology is to provide switch components on chips which, when linked together, form "path", "section", and "line" terminating equipment. Signals are treated differently at path, section, and line terminating equipment. At line and section terminating equipment, some or all signals may be remapped without demapping or desynchronizing. At path terminating equipment all signals are demapped and desynchronized. Thus, it is desirable to provide a demapper/desynchronizer on a separate chip or set of chips because some terminating equipment will not need any demapper/desynchronizer. However, it is not practical to provide 63+84 desynchronizers on a single chip.

Desynchronizer having ram based shared digital phase locked loops and sonet high density demapper incorporating same


A flash memory device can include a semiconductor fin protruding from a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type to extend in one direction, a first doped layer and a second doped layer provided to an upper portion and a lower portion of the semiconductor fin, respectively, to be vertically spaced apart from each other, the first and second doped layers having a second conductive type, and a plurality of word lines extending over a top and a sidewall of the semiconductor fin to intersect the direction. The word lines overlap the first doped layer and the second doped layer to have vertical channels.

Recently, as mobile and multi-media industries have been developed, a demand on a flash memory device has increase. The flash memory device can be extensively used in devices capable of storing and occasionally updating system BIOSs of a networking device (e.g., a router, a hub, etc.), a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. The flash memory device also can be utilized in a memory card, a digital camera, a sound/image storage device, a solid state memory (SSD), a portable computer, etc.
Flash memory devices can be NAND type or NOR type. The NAND type has a disadvantageous random access characteristic during a read operation, but is advantageous for the high degree of integration and also is capable of performing a write operation through F-N tunneling. Therefore, the NAND type has low power consumption and is mainly used for a high capacity memory. The NOR type has the less degree of integration compared to the NAND type, and makes use of channel hot electron (CHE) injection during a write operation. Therefore, the NOR type has high power consumption, but performs a fast read operation through better random access characteristics. Thus, the NOR type may be used in a code memory of a mobile device.
To overcome the above limitations of the NAND and NOR flash memory device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,722 discusses an AND type in another form of a flash memory device. In a typical AND memory device, since memory cells are connected in parallel between a local bit line LBL and a local source line LSL, a write operation is possible through F—N tunneling. Therefore, the typical AND memory device has low power consumption during a write operation and performs a fast read operation. However, since the typical AND flash memory device arranges the local bit line LBL and the local source line LSL in a plane, a high degree of integration may be difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the AND flash memory device needs to apply a high write prohibit voltage to all bit lines not in use to reduce the likelihood of disturbing memory cells that shares a word line during a write operation.

Non-volatile memory devices including vertical channels, methods of operating, and methods of fabricating the same


A floatable fish tank comprising: a hull having a lower part with side and bottom walls, the lower part forming an enclosure for fish; a deck arranged at an upper part of the hull; a central column fixed within the hull, wherein the central column is closed at its lower end section and extends from the bottom wall to the deck.

Fish farming has grown rapidly over the recent decades and now forms a significant industry with substantial economic value in many countries. Along with the growth of this industry, there has been a development in the regulatory framework for the industry, in relation to, among other things, animal welfare, work safety and environmental impact. One such issue relates to the local environmental impact of fish farms, with continuously increasing production volumes. Another often debated aspect is the prevention of animal disease and spreading of parasites (such as sea lice).
One solution which has been proposed to address these issues is closed offshore fish farms, i.e. pens which are not open towards, and thus do not freely exchange water with, the surrounding seawater. Despite a variety of concepts having been proposed, such closed fish farms are not currently commercially used to any notable extent. Some examples and other documents which can be useful for understanding the background include: WO 2017/026899 A1 EP 1969925 A1 CN 100512635 C; U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,962 A; GB 2031251 A; NO 312873 B1; WO 2015/099540 A1 WO 2012/092380 A2; JP H0624458 B; FR 2596613 A; US 2013284105 A1 and NO 340712.
There is consequently a need for improved technology to enable safe and sustainable fish farming. The present inventors are involved in the development of such technology, and the present invention has the objective to provide a fish farm which provides advantages over known solutions and techniques in the abovementioned or other areas.

Floatable fish tank having working floor