A system clock generating circuit for supplying a system clock to a microproeessor, includes a first oscillator for generating a main clock, and a second oscillator for generating a sub clock which is lower in frequency than the main clock. A twin-clock control circuit receives the main clock and the sub clock and is controlled by the microprocessor. When the microprocessor is in an ordinary operating condition, the twin-clock control circuit generates a (n)-phase system clock which is composed of (n) clocks for each one instruction cycle, where "n" is a positive even number. When the microprocessor is in an electric power saving mode, the twin-clock control circuit also generates a (n/m)-phase system clock which is composed of (n/m) clocks for each one instruction cycle, where "m" is a positive even number but is smaller than "n".

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit, and more specifically to a semiconductor integrated circuit configured to generate a system clock for use in a microprocessor or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In the prior art, in order to reduce electric power consumption, this type of semiconductor integrated circuit has been constructed to selectively use and control two oscillators of different oscillation frequencies so as to generate a necessary system clock to be supplied to a microprocessor, as shown in Japanese Patent Application laid-open Publication No. JP-A-61-109126.
Referring to FIG. 1A, there is shown a block diagram illustrating the system clock generating circuit (twin-clock control circuit) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application laid-open Publication No. JP-A-61-109126. The twin-clock control circuit, generally designated by Reference Numeral 3, includes a selector 5 coupled to two oscillators 1 and 2 of different oscillation frequencies and controlled by a microprocessor 4, and a system clock generation circuit 9 coupled to an output of the selector 5 so as to receive a clock generated by a selected oscillator and to generate a system clock to the microprocessor 4.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 1A, the oscillator 1 is configured to generate system clock of a sufficiently high frequency to meet with a high speed processing of the microprocessor 4. This system clock will be called a "main clock" hereinafter. The oscillator 2 is adapted to produce a clock corresponding to a low processing speed of the microprocessor 4. This clock will be called a "sub clock" hereinafter, and is used for a low power consumption operation of the microprocessor. The main and sub clocks are supplied from the oscillators 1 and 2 to the selector 5, in which either of the main and sub clocks is selected under control of the microprocessor 4, and then, supplied to the system clock generation circuit 9. In response to the clock selected by the selector 5, the system clock generation circuit 9 generates a high or low speed system clock, which is then supplied to the microprocessor 4.
Turning to FIG. 1B. there is shown another conventional twin-clock control circut. In FIG. 1B, elements similar or corresponding to those shown in FIG. 1A are given the same Reference Numerals, and explanation thereof will be omitted for simplification of description.
As seen from a comparison between FIGS. 1A and 1B, the second conventional twin-clock control circuit is featured in that the selector 5 receives the output of the oscillator 2 through a frequency multiplying circuit 10.
Accordingly, the main clock generated by the oscillator 1, and a clock obtained by frequency-multiplying the sub clock generated by the oscillator 2 by action of the frequency multiplying circuit 10, are supplied to the selector 5, so that either of the two clocks is selected under control of the microprocessor 4, as similarly to the first conventional twin-clock control circuit. Furthermore, similarly to the first conventional twin-clock control circuit, the system clock generation circuit 9 receives the clock selected by the selector 5, and generates a system clock, which is then supplied to the microprocessor 4.
In a semicondutor integrated circuit including the above-mentioned conventional twin-clock control circuit, when the main clock is stopped and the sub clock is selected so that the microprocessor operates on the basis of the system clock generated from the sub clock, the microprocessor is set in an operating mode for saving electric power (electric power saving mode). Namely, only the oscillator of a necessary minimum frequency is caused to operate. Accordingly, the processing speed of the microprocessor based on the sub clock may become too low, namely, greatly lower than a necessary or acceptable minimum processing speed.
In addition, in the case of using the frequency multiplying circuit, since the frequency multiplying circuit is required to have extremely high precision, circuit designing becomes very difficult. A reason for this is because the frequency multiplying circuit is inherently unstable against variations in temperature.

System clock generating circuit having a power saving mode capable of maintaining a satisfactory processing speed


One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for a fluid inlet that mitigates uptake of undesired debris into fluid transport system. A fluid inlet can direct fluid toward one or more fluid inlets, and debris entrained in the fluid may bypass the fluid inlet(s). The fluid inlet can be used to mitigate uptake of debris into a fluid transport system, when placed in the path of fluid flow. A shape of the fluid inlet can be configured to direct fluid flow into the fluid inlet(s), while the shape allows debris entrained in the fluid to flow past the fluid inlet(s).

Fluids can be transported from a fluid source and dispensed at a desired location, such as using hoses, tubes, lines, etc. A fluid inlet for a fluid transport system can be disposed at or near the fluid source, and the fluid may be drawn into the fluid inlet to be transported by the system. One such fluid transport system can comprise a fluid dispensing system, such as a pump and nozzle, with one or more fluid lines therebetween. Occasionally, the fluid source can comprise undesired debris, such as sand, silt, dirt, and other debris particles and matter. Such debris can become lodged, or otherwise interact with certain portions of a fluid transport system, resulting in undesired operation characteristics, such as clogging, diminished operation, etc. Typically, screens are used to filter undesired debris; however, filters can become clogged, necessitating system shutdown and cleaning.


An end product containing iron carbide (Fe3C) is produced from an intermediate product consisting of granular, directly reduced iron. Said intermediate product is supplied by an iron ore reduction plant and is fed to a carburization reactor. Liquid hydrocarbons are conveyed to the carburization reactor at temperatures of 500 to 900xc2x0 C., at least part of the granular, directly reduced iron being subjected to a swirling movement. The end product removed from the carburization reactor consists of 5 to 90 wt. % Fe3C. A fluidization gas containing methane and hydrogen can be added to the carburization reactor in addition to the hydrocarbons.

This invention relates to a process of producing an end product containing iron carbide (Fe3C) from an intermediate product consisting of granular, directly reduced iron (DRI), which comes from an iron ore reduction plant, where the DRI is supplied to a carburizing reactor. Among experts, directly reduced iron is also referred to as DRI or as sponge iron.
From the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,527,379 and 5,603,748 the direct reduction of iron oxide is known, where in several fluidized beds granular material containing iron oxide is brought in direct contact with hot reduction gas at temperatures of 500 to 900xc2x0 C. When the reduction gas has a considerable content of carbon monoxide in addition to hydrogen, a product rich in Fe3C can be withdrawn from the last stage of the fluidized bed of the known reduction process. Practice has shown, however, that in the reduction of iron oxide to iron the resulting steam greatly impedes the simultaneous formation of iron carbide by reacting iron with CO and/or CH4.
DE-C-195 38 591 describes the carburization of DRI in a moving container, where the DRI is supplied at temperatures of 800 to 1100xc2x0 C., and for instance liquid hydrocarbons are introduced. The aim is not to achieve a high content of Fe3C in the product, but rather relatively high temperatures are employed, at which the liquid hydrocarbons in contact with the hot DRI chiefly lead to the formation of soot. The soot formed does not or hardly react to form Fe3C and is withdrawn together with the carburized product.
It is the object underlying the invention to effect the carburization of the hot, directly reduced iron outside the reduction plant in a carburizing reactor such that the formation of soot is wholly or largely suppressed. Furthermore, it should be possible to produce a product with a variable content of Fe3C. In accordance with the invention this is achieved in the above-mentioned process in that liquid hydrocarbons are supplied to the carburizing reactor at temperatures in the range from 500 to 900xc2x0 C., where at least part of the granular DRI is fluidized, and that from the carburizing reactor the end product is withdrawn, which consists of 5 to 90 wt-% Fe3C. Preferably, the end product consists of at least 10 wt-% Fe3C. The carburizing reactor can be operated continuously or discontinuously.
The liquid hydrocarbons introduced into the carburizing reactor may be of different kinds. Expediently, various types of fuel oil may be used, starting with extra light fuel oil up to heavy fuel oil. Usually, 0.005 to 0.2 kg liquid hydrocarbons per kg DRI supplied to the carburizing reactor are introduced into the lower portion of the reactor. The liquid hydrocarbons introduced into the carburizing reactor lead to an intensive formation of gas in the hot solid bed, which at least partly fluidizes the bed. When it is desired to perform the carburization in the fluidized bed, it is recommended to also introduce a fluidizing gas into the lower portion of the bed in addition to the liquid hydrocarbons. Care will be taken that the water content of the fluidizing gas is not more than 1.5 vol-%. Preferably, a methane-containing fluidizing gas will be employed, which may also have a hydrogen content. A suitable fluidizing gas is for instance the exhaust gas of the carburizing reactor, which has first been dehydrated.
In the carburizing reactor, a gas mixture containing methane and hydrogen in addition to Fe3C is formed from the liquid hydrocarbons, which gas mixture is withdrawn a s exhaust gas. Upon cooling the exhaust gas, a water-containing condensate is formed, which will be separated. At least part of the cooled exhaust gas can be reheated and be introduced into the reactor as fluidizing gas. This fluidizing gas consists of about 40 to 95 vol-% hydrogen, and the methane content lies in the range from 5 to 50 vol-%. These percentages have been calculated anhydrous and without taking into account a usually present nitrogen content. The fluidizing gas may furthermore contain carbon oxides.
The fluidizing gas introduced into the fluidized bed of the reactor, usually recirculated exhaust gas, is not or not significantly involved in the formation of carbide in the reactor. Preferably, iron carbide is chiefly produced in the reactor by the free carbon, which is briefly formed upon cracking the liquid hydrocarbon. This carbon is very reactive and at the existing temperatures intensively reacts with metallic iron to form iron carbide. From the fluidized bed, a carburized product can therefore be withdrawn, which consists of at least 30 wt-% Fe3C.
When the carbon content of the end product is stated, there is always meant the entire C content, which may be present both in the bound form (Fe3C) and as free carbon in the form of soot. The C content in the end product mostly is not more than 3 wt-%. It is, however, easily possible to produce an end product with a higher C content. With a C content of 3 wt-%, the end product contains about 50 wt-% Fe3C and possibly in addition a small amount of free carbon.
One process variant consists in that the fluidizing gas is omitted and only the liquid hydrocarbons are supplied to the carburizing reactor. The temperatures at which the desired formation of carbide takes place in this case lie in the range from 580 to 700xc2x0 C. and preferably 600 to 680xc2x0 C. When the temperatures are too high, the formation of Fe3C greatly decreases. When the temperatures in the fluidized bed are maintained at about 640 to 700xc2x0 C., an end product with a relatively low Fe3C content is produced, where the carbon content lies in the vicinity of 1 wt-%. It was found out that such product is well suited for the subsequent hot briquetting in the roller press under an inert atmosphere. If it is desired to achieve a higher Fe3C content in the end product, which corresponds to a carbon content of more than 2 wt-%, relatively low temperatures in the range from 580 to 640xc2x0 C. will be provided in the fluidized bed.
It may be advantageous to provide the solid bed in a conical carburizing reactor which is downwardly tapered. With this shape of the reactor the solid bed will be fluidized intensively by the formation of gas, so that a fluidized bed can be formed. This fluidized bed promotes the mass transfer and thus the formation of carbide. Usually, the fluidized bed in the conical carburizing reactor has a height of 1 to 4 m. It may in addition be expedient to maintain an elevated pressure up to about 10 bar in the reactor, so as to increase the reaction rate.
Advantageously, the granular, directly reduced iron (DRI) comes from a reduction plant, in which it is treated in the last reduction stage in a fluidized bed. To this fluidized bed, a gas with a H2 content of at least 90 vol-% and a temperature of 600 to 1000xc2x0 C. is supplied as fluidizing and reduction gas. Details of such reduction plant are described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,527,379 and 5,603,748. The iron ore is first heated to temperatures of 500 to 900xc2x0 C. and is then supplied to the first reduction stage. This first reduction stage is designed as circulating fluidized bed, to which a fluidizing gas with a H2 content of at least 75 vol-% is supplied. The temperatures in the first reduction stage lie in the range from 600 to 800xc2x0 C. Partly reduced ore with a degree of metallization of usually 50 to 80% is then supplied to the second (and also last) reduction stage. In this last reduction stage a stationary fluidized bed is employed, which expediently comprises several departments disposed one beside the other, which are separated from each other by overflow weirs. This is also described in the above-mentioned U.S. patents. The DRI thus produced has a degree of metallization of more than 85% and usually at least 90%.

Method for producing a mixture of iron carbide and granular, directly reduced iron


A display device including: a substrate configured to include a first region and a second region formed at an outer periphery of the first region; an emission layer disposed on the first region and the second region of the substrate; a polarizer disposed on the emission layer; a touch panel disposed on the polarizer; a window disposed on the touch panel; and a light blocking layer covering side surfaces of the polarizer and the touch panel and a top surface of the emission layer disposed on the second region of the substrate. The polarizer and the touch panel cover the first region of the substrate and expose the second region of the substrate.

Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof.
Discussion of the Background
Display devices that are currently known include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode device (OLED device), a field effect display (FED), an electrophoretic display device, and the like.
Particularly, the OLED device includes two electrodes and an organic emission layer positioned therebetween. An electron injected from one electrode and a hole injected from the other electrode are coupled with each other in the organic emission layer to generate an exciton, and the exciton emits energy to thereby emit light.
Because the OLED device has a self-luminance characteristic and does not require a separate light source unlike the LCD, thickness and weight thereof may be reduced. Further, because the OLED device has high-grade characteristics, such as low power consumption, high luminance, and a high response speed, the OLED device receives attention as a next-generation display device.
Such a display device is formed by laminating a display panel, a polarizer, a resin layer, and a window on a substrate in sequence. The display panel, the polarizer, the resin layer, and the window are accommodated in a supporter to be protected.
However, when light is obliquely transmitted from the outside, a dummy emission layer and the like located at a lower portion of an edge of the window may be exposed to the outside.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Display device and manufacturing method of the same


A hat-umbrella comprises a circular frame with a shade attached to a plurality of extendable and retractable radial supports that form an umbrella around the circular frame. When expanded, the radial supports extend away from the circular frame, thus a large shade is formed. When retracted, the radial supports collapses around the circular frame and the shade is folded.

A hat in summer time serves many purpose; it provides cover to the sunshine on a hot day and it is also part of the apparel. To provide a good coverage from the sunshine generally it is needed a sizeable brim. An ordinary hat does not provide much protection against the rain because lack of sizeable brim and the brim is also easily damaged by the rain. A large brim can also serve as fashion statement. However, the large brim makes the storage of the hat difficult.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a hat with a large brim and yet the hat is easily stored, and it is to this hat the present invention is primarily directed to.


A method of fabricating a lead for use in conjunction with a semiconductor device and the lead. A surface is provided which is disposed on a semiconductor substrate and has a via (5) with electrically conductive material (9) therein extending to the substrate. A lead is formed on the surface having an optional barrier layer (11) disposed on the surface and contacting the electrically conductive material (9). An electrically conductive metal layer (13) is formed which is disposed over and contacting the barrier layer (11) and has sidewalls. An anti-reflective coating (15) is formed on the electrically conductive metal layer (13) remote from the barrier layer (11). The electrically conductive metal layer (13) is encapsulated between the barrier layer (11) and the anti-reflective layer (15) with a composition taken from the class consisting of TiN, W, Ti, and Si.sub.3 N.sub.4. The composition is then removed except from the sidewalls of the electrically conductive metal layer (13) to encapsulate the electrically conductive layer. The electrically conductive metal layer (13) is indented relative to the barrier layer (11) and the anti-reflective layer (15) to form an I-shape with the barrier layer and the anti-reflective layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fully encapsulated metal lead for multi-level interconnects for semiconductor applications and to the metal lead.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, typical cross-sectional profiles of advanced multi-level metallization leads have been in the shape of an I-beam. In general, the lead is formed over an oxide layer and is connected to silicon or the like beneath the oxide layer through a via extending through the oxide layer which is filled with tungsten. This is accomplished by depositing a layer of titanium nitride into the via and over the oxide followed by a layer of chemically vapor deposited (CVD) tungsten (W) which fills the via and may extend over the titanium nitride. The tungsten is etched back in standard manner to leave tungsten only within the via as well as a layer of titanium nitride within the via and over the oxide. A layer of titanium nitride is then deposited, followed by a layer of aluminum alloy (about 0.5% copper (Cu) and then followed by a layer of titanium nitride. The upper layer of titanium nitride is then masked and an etchant is used to etch through the layers of titanium nitride, aluminum and the titanium nitride. Since the aluminum etches more rapidly than the titanium nitride, there is provided an I-shaped lead with exposed outer aluminum surfaces having an upper anti-reflective titanium nitride layer, etc., an intermediate aluminum alloy layer and a lower barrier metal layer of titanium nitride, titanium tungsten, etc.
A problem with leads having exposed surfaces is that of electromigration, though other properties of such leads can also be improved as will be discussed hereinbelow.

Fully encapsulated metal leads for multi-level metallization


A valve operating control system for an internal combustion engine is provided which includes a cam switching type first valve operating characteristic changing mechanism, and a cam-phase changing type second valve operating characteristic changing mechanism, wherein the responsiveness and the reliability of the valve operating characteristic changing control can be guaranteed, while suppressing the capacity of an oil pump used commonly for both of the valve operating characteristic changing mechanisms. If the cam phase of the cam-phase changing type second valve operating characteristic changing mechanism is set in a most-retarded state by a second hydraulic pressure control valve when the cam switching type first valve operating characteristic changing mechanism has established a high-speed valve timing by supplying hydraulic pressure from a first hydraulic pressure control valve to the mechanism, the second hydraulic pressure control valve is brought into a neutral state to cut off hydraulic pressure from the oil pump, and an advancing chamber and a retarding chamber in the second valve operating characteristic changing mechanism are closed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the consumption of hydraulic pressure in the second valve operating characteristic changing mechanism to ensure hydraulic pressure supplied to the first valve operating characteristic changing mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve operating control system for an internal combustion engine, including a cam switching type, first valve operating characteristic changing mechanism, and a cam-phase changing type, second valve operating characteristic changing mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An internal combustion engine is known from Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-43847, which includes a cam switching type valve operating characteristic changing mechanism for stepwise controlling the valve lift and the opening angle of an intake valve or an exhaust valve for an internal combustion engine, and a cam-phase changing type, valve operating characteristic changing mechanism for continuously controlling the timing of the opening and closing of the valve.
When the cam-phase changing type, valve operating characteristic changing mechanism is mounted in an internal combustion engine including a cam switching type, valve operating characteristic changing mechanism, it is desirable that a common oil pump be used for both of the valve operating characteristic changing mechanisms and the capacity or displacement of the oil pump is suppressed to the minimum, in order to reduce the number of parts and to simplify the structure.
In general, however, the cam switching type valve operating characteristic changing mechanism is constructed to establish a high-speed valve timing by supplying hydraulic pressure from the oil pump, and to establish a low-speed valve timing by cutting-off the supplying of that hydraulic pressure. The cam-phase changing type, valve operating characteristic changing mechanism is constructed to change the cam phase by supplying hydraulic pressure selectively to the advancing chamber or the retarding chamber. If the cam phase is intended to be changed when high-speed valve timing has been established, or if the high-speed valve timing is intended to be established when the cam phase has been changed, there is a possibility that the hydraulic pressure supplied from the oil pump may be insufficient, resulting in a reduction in responsiveness and reliability of the valve operating characteristic changing control.

Valve operating control system for internal combustion engine


Disclosed is a specific adhesive polyethylene composition comprising [1] a modified ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer resin or elastomer obtained by modifying a specific ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer resin or elastomer, each of which comprises ethylene and an .alpha.-olefin of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or anhydride, ester, amide, imide or metallic salt derivative of a unsaturated carboxylic acid thereof, [2] an unmodified ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer resin and/or an unmodified ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer elastomer and [3] a tackifier. Also disclosed is a multi-layer laminated film of 3 or more layers in which a layer of the above composition is interposed between an ethylene polymer layer and either a polyamide resin layer, an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer layer or a layer of a mixture of polyamide resin and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer. The adhesive polyethylene composition shows excellent adhesion strength to ethylene polymers, polyamide resins and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers, high heat-sealing strength and heat resistance. The multi-layer laminated film shows excellent strength, heat resistance and gas barrier properties, and besides this film has heat shrinkability, so that the film is suitably used as a shrink film.

Laminated films of ethylene polymers and polyamide resins and laminated films of ethylene polymers and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers have been conventionally known. Also, a variety of adhesive layer-forming materials used for producing the laminated films have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 165413/1982 discloses that a modified polyethylene obtained by reacting a linear low-density polyethylene with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivative thereof and a modified polyethylene composition obtained by blending the modified polyethylene with a synthetic rubber and/or a linear low-density polyethylene are employable as the adhesive layer-forming materials. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 165469/1982 discloses an adhesive resin composition obtained by modifying a mixture of a linear low-density polyethylene and a synthetic rubber with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivative thereof.
However, the adhesive layer-forming materials conventionally proposed have problems. For example, if the materials are subjected to stretching operation when preparing shrink films, the interlaminar strength between the ethylene polymer layer and the polyamide resin layer or the ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer layer may be sharply decreased, so that the resulting laminated films do not always exhibit satisfactory adhesion strength.
The shrink films are used, for example, for ham packaging various materials using an automatic packaging machine. In packaging, the film ends are heat sealed, and in the subsequent heat shrinking stage, a stress is applied to the heat sealed portions. Therefore, the shrink films are required to have high heat-sealing strength.
Moreover, in the case of food packaging, the shrink films are generally subjected to boiling sterilization treatments at temperatures as high as not lower than 80.degree. C. after the packaging, so that the shrink films are required to have resistance to high temperatures of not lower than 80.degree. C.
Accordingly, an adhesive polyethylene composition showing excellent adhesion strength to ethylene polymers, polyamide resins and ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymers, high heat-sealing strength and heat resistance is desired. Also desired is a multi-layer laminated film wherein an adhesive layer of the composition is interposed between an ethylene polymer layer and a layer of a polyamide resin and/or an ethylene/vinyl alcohol copolymer.

Adhesive polyethylene compositions and multi-layer laminated films using the same


Apparatus and methods for treating conditions such as rhinitis are disclosed herein where a distal end of a probe shaft is introduced through the nasal cavity where the distal end has an end effector with a first configuration having a low-profile which is shaped to manipulate tissue within the nasal cavity. The distal end may be positioned into proximity of a tissue region having a post nasal nerve associated with a middle or inferior nasal turbinate. Once suitably positioned, the distal end may be reconfigured from the first configuration to a second configuration which is shaped to contact and follow the tissue region and the post nasal nerve may then be ablated via the distal end. Ablation may be performed using various mechanisms, such as cryotherapy, and optionally under direct visualization.

The human nose is responsible for warming, humidifying and filtering inspired air. The nose is mainly formed of cartilage, bone, mucous membranes and skin. The right and left nasal cavities extend back to the soft palate, where they merge to form the posterior choanae. The posterior choanae opens into the nasopharynx. The roof of the nose is formed, in part, by a bone known as the cribriform plate. The cribriform plate contains numerous tiny 20 perforations through which sensory nerve fibers extend to the olfactory bulbs. The sensation for smell occurs when inhaled odors contact a small area of mucosa in the superior region of the nose, stimulating the nerve fibers that lead to the olfactory bulbs.
The nasal turbinates are three bony processes that extend inwardly from the lateral walls of the nose and are covered with mucosal tissue. These turbinates serve to increase the interior surface area of the nose and to impart warmth and moisture to air that is inhaled through the nose. The mucosal tissue that covers the turbinates is capable of becoming engorged with blood and swelling or becoming substantially devoid of blood and shrinking, in response to changes in physiologic or environmental conditions. The curved edge of each turbinate defines a passage way known as a meatus. For example, the interior meatus is a passageway that passes beneath the inferior turbinate. Ducts, knows as the nasolacrimal ducts, drain tears from the eyes into the nose through openings located within the interior meatus. The middle meatus is a passageway that extends inferior to the middle turbinate. The middle meatus contains the semilunar hiatus, with openings or Ostia leading into the maxillary, frontal, and anterior ethmoid sinuses. The superior meatus is located between the superior and medial turbinates.
The turbinates are autonomically innervated by nerves arising from the Vidian nerve which contains sympathetic and parasympathetic afferents that can modulate the function of the turbinates to either increase (parasympathetic) or decrease (sympathetic) activity of the submucosal layer. The pterygoid canal carries both parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers, namely the vidian nerve, to the sphenopalatine ganglion. Exclusive of the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) contents, additional posterolateral neurovascular rami project from the sphinopaletine ganglion via multiple individual postganglionic rams to supply the nasal mucosa. The most common locations for these rami are within 1 cm posterosuperior to the horizontal attachment of the inferior turbinate, within 5 mm anteroinferior to this attachment, and the palatine bone via a foramen distinct from the SPF. Also, Blier et al. showed that interfascicle anastomotic loops in some cases, are associated with at least 3 accessory nerves. Based on Blier et al., work each accessory nerve could be proximally traced directly to the PPG or greater palatine nerve.
Rhinitis is defined as inflammation of the membranes lining the nose, characterized by nasal symptoms, including itching, rhinorrhea, and/or nasal congestion. Chronic Rhinitis affects tens of millions of people in the US and is a leading cause for patients to seek medical care. Medical treatment has been shown to have limited effects for chronic rhinitis sufferers and requires daily medication use or onerous allergy treatments and up to 20% of patients may be refractory.
In addition to the medications turbinate reduction surgery (RF and micro-debridement) both have temporary duration of effect of 1-2 years and can result in complications including mucosal sloughing, acute pain and swelling, overtreatment and bone damage. Additionally, turbinate reduction does not treat the symptom of rhinorrhea. It is thought that parasympathetic effect of the vidian nerve predominates so that, on transecting it, the result is decreased rhinitis and congestion. This pathophysiology has been confirmed as surgical treatment of the vidian nerve has been tried with great success; however, the procedure is invasive, time consuming and potentially can result in dry eyes due to autonomic fibers in the vidian nerve that supply the lacrimal glands.
Golding-Wood, who recommended cutting the parasympathetic nerve fibers in the vidian canal to decrease the parasympathetic tone to the nasal mucosa, introduced a different approach for the treatment of hypersecretion in 1961. Various approaches to the vidian canal were subsequently developed, and the method was widely employed in the 1970s. However, the original technique was abandoned at the beginning of the 1980s because of its irreversible complications such as dry eyes.
Recent studies have shown that selectively interrupting the Post Nasal Nerves (PNN) in patients with chronic rhinitis improves their symptoms while avoiding the morbidities associated with vidian neurectomy.1 The study by Ikeda et. al suggests that the effect of an anticholinergic drug on nasal symptoms resembled that of PNN resection in patients with chronic rhinitis. Based on his study the glandular mucosal acinar cells were significantly reduced after the PNN resection. The reduction in glandular cells may be explained by decreased secretion of the nerve growth factor or epidermal growth factor regulated by acetylcholine, a major neurotransmitter of parasympathetic systems.
Posterior nasal neurectomy, initially developed by Kikawada in 1998 and later modified by Kawamura and Kubo, is an alternative method in which neural bundles are selectively cut or cauterized from the sphenopalatine foramen. Autonomic and sensory nerve fibers that pass through the foramen anatomically branch into the middle and inferior turbinate and are distributed around the mucosal layer of the nose, Therefore, selective neurectomy at this point enables physicians to theoretically avoid surgical complications such as inhibition of lacrimal secretion.

Apparatus and methods for treating rhinitis


A multizone vertical-flow electrostatic precipitator, particularly for intermittent operation, comprises collecting electrodes consisting of plate strips which extend vertically through all of a plurality of separating zones and which are entirely smooth in the direction of gas flow and have a constant shape in cross section (in planes perpendicular to the gas flow). The separating zones are each provided with separate tension frames supporting the corona-discharge electrodes, the frames being electrically insulated from one another. The system of the invention eliminates the need for double-wall electrodes and special means for preventing entrainment of collected dust by the gases traversing the spaces between the collecting electrode walls.

Increasing efforts have been made to purify the exhaust gases which become available at high rates, e.g. in refuse incinerator plants or power plant boilers, and to avoid air pollution by smaller exhaust gas sources.
In steelmaking plants, such smaller exhaust gas sources can include tipping troughs, transfer pits, casting ladles and the like as well as various grinding units and may produce exhaust gases at a rate of up to 150 m.sup.3 /sec. Even though these gases often become available only periodically, they must be cleaned before their discharge into the atmosphere because they would otherwise add substantially to the pollution of the environment.
In the design of electrostatic precipitators for such applications it must be borne in mind that dust is to be collected from gases which have a very high dust content with a large proportion of fines and that even this very fine dust must be collected if the gas is to be cleaned to the high degree which is desired and is required by law.
It is known that very fine dusts cannot be collected in electrostatic precipitators unless the latter comprise a plurality of separating zones successively traversed by the gas and in which discharge conditions can be selected to match the different dust resistivities. Thus the several high-voltage zones must be separately controlled.
A multizone design is also desirable to avoid a failure of the entire plant when a single corona-discharge wire has broken. By law, in some jurisdictions, the plant must be so designed that all dust in excess of, e.g. 150 mg/m.sup.3 is removed from the gas even when one zone has failed.
It is also desirable to minimize the capital investment. For this purpose, most electrostatic precipitators used for such purposes are arranged for a vertically rising gas flow so that no exhaust gas blowers are required in most cases because the natural draft of the hot gases is sufficient to overcome the pressure drop in the electrostatic precipitator.
However, electrostatic precipitators traversed by the gas vertically have the basic disadvantage that special structure is required to remove the collected dust from the collecting electrodes so that the collected dust is not raised and entrained by the following gas. In most cases, double-wall collecting electrode panels are used, these panels being provided with horizontally extending dust-receiving means, such as slots, pockets or the like, which deliver the dust to the space between the walls of the double-wall electrodes. From that space, which is not traversed by the gas, the dust is discharged by gravity out of the electrostatic precipitator.
The added cost of such collecting electrodes more or less offsets the decrease in capital investment resulting from the elimination of the need for a blower or from the use of only a very small blower for assisting the natural draft or the plant is even more expensive.
Reference may also be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,803,809, U.S. Pat. 4,058,377 and U.S. Pat. 4,035,886, which relate to strip-type collector electrodes and corona-discharge electrode support frames (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,620).
These patents and the literature or references cited in the files thereof demonstrate that the formation of electrode walls and corona-discharge electrode systems are known in the art.
Nevertheless, there has not been provided heretofore, to my knowledge, any vertical flow electrostatic precipitator which is of the desired high efficiency, low cost and simplicity long sought after in dust-cleaning applications in which a large proportion of fines is included in the dust to be removed from the gas.


A system for monitoring and controlling aperture etching in a complimentary phase shift mask is provided. The system includes one or more light sources, each light source directing light to one or more apertures etched on a mask. Light reflected from the apertures is collected by a measuring system, which processes the collected light. Light passing through the apertures may similarly be collected by the measuring system, which processes the collected light. The collected light is indicative of the depth and/or width of the openings on the mask. The measuring system provides depth and/or width related data to a processor that determines the acceptability of the aperture depth and/or width. The system also includes a plurality of etching devices associated with etching apertures in the mask. The processor selectively controls the etching devices so as to regulate aperture etching.

The present invention generally relates to semiconductor processing, and in particular to a system for monitoring and controlling the etching of openings in a phase shift mask.
In the semiconductor industry, there is a continuing trend toward higher device densities. To achieve these high densities there have been, and continue to be, efforts toward scaling down device dimensions (e.g., at sub-micron levels) on semiconductor wafers. In order to accomplish such high device packing densities, smaller features sizes and more precise feature shapes are required. This may include the width and spacing of interconnecting lines, spacing and diameter of contact holes, and the surface geometry, such as corners and edges, of various features. When feature sizes become so small that they approach the wavelength of the exposure light used in semiconductor manufacturing, complex exposure techniques including complimentary phase shift masking may be employed. In complimentary phase shift masking, light passing through one or more masks may be phase shifted to facilitate selective interference and cancellation of light waves. The ability to control the phase shift of the light passing through a mask is important to achieving the desired critical dimensions on the chip.
The masks employed in semiconductor fabrication that utilize complimentary phase shift masking may include a quartz layer coated with a chrome layer. The quartz layer allows light waves to pass through, while the chrome layer prevents light waves from passing through the mask. Thus, either a positive or negative of the pattern to be projected onto a chip being fabricated is processed into the chrome layer on a complimentary phase shift mask. The depth and/or width of the openings (apertures) in the complimentary phase shift mask enable light passing through the apertures to be phase shifted.
The process of manufacturing masks may consist of hundreds of steps. One such step is depositing a chrome layer on a clean quartz layer (substrate). Once deposited, openings (apertures) are etched into the chrome layer. Controlling the width and depth of the openings etched into the chrome layer and controlling the width and depth of trenches carved into the substrate is required to enable controlled phase shifting of light that will pass through the mask. Conventional mask fabrication methods may not provide fine enough control of the aperture etching process and thus desired phase shifting may not be achieved. Thus, a system and method for controlling the aperture etching process is required.
The process of manufacturing semiconductors, (integrated circuits, ICs, chips), employing complimentary phase shift masks typically consists of more than a hundred steps, during which hundreds of copies of an integrated circuit may be formed on a single wafer. Generally, the process involves creating several patterned layers on and into the substrate that ultimately forms the complete integrated circuit. The patterned layers are created, in part, by the light that passes through complimentary phase shift masks. Thus, processing the positive or negative of the pattern into the mask is important in fabricating the chips.
The requirement of small features with close spacing between adjacent features requires sophisticated manufacturing techniques, including high-resolution photolithographic processes such as complimentary phase shift masking. Fabricating a semiconductor using such sophisticated techniques may involve a series of steps including exposing the photo resist one or more times to one or more light sources (where the phase of the light may be shifted). In conventional lithography, an exposure is performed using a single mask where the photo resist is exposed by a single radiation source. The resolution, which is typically defined as the smallest distance two features can be spaced apart while removing all photo resist between the features, is equal to:
D=k1*(lambda/NA)
where d is the resolution, lambda is the wavelength of the exposing radiation, NA is the numerical aperture of the lens, and k1 is a process dependent constant typically having a value of approximately 0.7. While resolution may be improved by decreasing the wavelength or by using a lens with a larger NA, decreasing the wavelength and increasing the numerical aperture decreases the depth of focus (since depth of focus is proportional to lambda/NA), which creates additional problems. Thus, several techniques have been developed to enhance the resolution of conventional lithography to enable formation of patterned resist layers with smaller dimensions than those achievable with conventional methods. For example, phase-shifted masks (PSM) have been developed. In a PSM mask, features are surrounded by light transmitting regions that shift the phase of the transmitted light compared to the feature. Masks may be constructed to shift the phase of the light varying amounts, including, but not limited to, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees. In this way, the diffraction fringes at the edges of the features can be effectively cancelled, resulting in a better image contrast.
The resolution of both conventional and enhanced resolution lithographic processes is better for periodic features, such as those found in memory devices (e.g. DRAMs) because a greater percentage of the exposing radiation is contained in the diffraction nodes of the periodic structures compared to that contained in the diffraction nodes of isolated features. For example, prior art FIG. 15 illustrates an aerial plot of intensity under a mask 800 having an isolated feature 802 and periodic features 810, 812, and 814 having a dimension near the resolution limit of the process. The contrast (difference in intensity) between masked and unmasked regions is much greater for the periodic features 810, 812 and 814 (curve 806) than for the isolated feature 802 (curve 808). Thus, for a given combination of exposing conditions, at some dimension, isolated feature 802 cannot be resolved simultaneously with the periodic features 810, 812 and 814 that are within the resolution limit of the process.
To alleviate the problems associated with isolated features in complimentary phase shift masking, complementary features are added around the isolated device features on a first mask to produce a periodic structure that allows for improved resolution of the lithographic process. The effects created by the complementary features may require the light passing through the features to have its phase shifted. Such a shift may be accomplished by varying the width and/or the depth of the opening through which the light passes.
In a positive photo resist method, the complementary features are then obliterated by exposure to light passing through a second mask prior to forming the patterned resist layer. The second mask also provides for improved contrast that enables more precise feature shapes. To take advantage of complimentary phase shift masking, and removal of unwanted complimentary structures, precise control of the depth and/or width of the openings in the complimentary phase shift masks is required. If the depth and/or width of the opening is not precisely controlled, then the phase shifting, diffraction and cancellation processes employed in complimentary phase shift masking will not lead to a desired cancellation of light and the isolated features will not benefit from the improved contrast and resulting improved quality.
The complimentary phase shift masking discussed above is possible because light passing through one or more apertures (apertures) on a mask employed in chip manufacturing is diffracted. Diffraction is a property of wave motion, in which waves spread and bend when passed through small apertures or around barriers. A mask may have many such apertures and barriers. The bending and/or spreading of the light waves is more pronounced when the size of the aperture or the barrier approximates or is smaller than the wavelength of the incoming wave. With feature sizes approaching and becoming smaller than the wavelength of the exposing light, the apertures and/or barriers on the mask have thus become closer to the wavelength of the exposing light. Thus diffraction in chip manufacturing has become more pronounced, which can lead, for example, to rounded features and features that do not have a desired size and/or shape. For example, in prior art FIG. 16, a light source is directing light waves 1620 at a mask 1622. Some of the light waves 1620 pass through an aperture 1626 that is close to the size of the wavelength of the light waves 1620. The mask 1622 has been designed to develop a region 1638 on a photo resist layer 1624, so that two desired features 1642 and 1644 can be formed. The features 1642 and 1644 are desired to be rectangular, with substantially square edges. The aperture 1626 is small because the desired features 1642 and 1644 are correspondingly small.
With conventional lithography, the light waves 1620 may pass directly through the aperture 1626, exposing the region 1638, but the light waves 1620 may also be diffracted as illustrated by light waves 1628, 1630 and 1632. The diffracted wave 1628 has exposed a region 1634 and the diffracted wave 1630 has exposed a region 1636. Neither region 1634 nor region 1636 were intended to be exposed. Further, diffracted wave 1632 has exposed a triangular area 1640. Thus the desired feature 1644 may not have a substantially square edge due to the undesired region 1640 being exposed by the diffracted wave 1632. Complimentary phase shift masking mitigates the diffraction problems described above by accounting for and counter-acting the diffraction effects noted above.
A theory explaining diffraction is that each point of a wave on a flat wave front may be a source of secondary, spherical wavelets. Before reaching a barrier or aperture, the secondary wavelets may add to the original wave front. When the wave front approaches an aperture or barrier, the wavelets approaching the unobstructed region pass through the barrier, while other wavelets do not pass. When the size of the aperture approaches the wavelength of or is smaller than the wavelength of the incoming wave, only a few wavelets may pass through the aperture. The wavelets that pass through the aperture or around the barrier may then be a source of more wavelets that expand in all directions from the point of the obstruction, and the shape of the new wave front is curved. The wavelets of these diffracted, or bent, waves can now travel different paths and subsequently interfere with each other, producing interference patterns. The shape of these patterns depends on the wavelength and the size of the aperture or barrier. Diffraction can be thought of as the interference of a large number of coherent wave sources, and thus, diffraction and interference are substantially similar phenomenon.
To achieve desired interference, which leads to cancellation of undesired light waves, complimentary phase shift masks, which are well known in the art, are employed in manufacturing chips. Similarly, to enable smaller isolated feature sizes, complimentary phase shift masks are employed in manufacturing chips. Precise control of the depth and/or width of the openings in a mask employed in complimentary phase shift masking is required to enable the control of the phase shifting and resulting cancellation and interference that enables the smaller feature sizes with improved feature shapes. Thus, an efficient system and/or method to monitor and control the fabrication of the openings in complimentary phase shift masks is desired to increase fidelity in image transfer.
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description presented later.
The present invention provides a system that facilitates monitoring and controlling the fabrication of openings (apertures) in complimentary phase shift masks employed in semiconductor manufacturing. Controlling the mask fabrication process with runtime feedback provides superior mask fabrication as compared to conventional systems and thus facilitates achieving smaller feature sizes with improved shapes via more precise control of phase shifting of light passing through the complimentary phase shift mask. An exemplary system may employ one or more light sources arranged to project light onto one or more apertures on a mask being fabricated and one or more light sensing devices (e.g., photo detector, photodiode) for detecting light reflected by the one or more apertures. The light reflected from the one or more apertures is indicative of at least one parameter of the mask fabrication process (e.g., depth of opening, width of opening). The depth and/or width of the apertures are important to the fidelity of the image transfer process due to effects on phase shifting and diffraction, and thus monitoring the depth and/or width of the apertures in the masks enables fabricating higher quality complimentary phase shift masks as compared to conventional systems.
A diffraction grating is an optical device that is used to determine the different wavelengths or colors contained in a beam of light. The apertures in a complimentary phase shift mask may operate, at least in part, similarly to a diffraction grating in that light will be reflected and dispersed when directed onto an aperture. A diffraction grating may include a reflecting surface, on which numerous narrow parallel grooves have been etched close together. A mask may contain numerous apertures etched closely together, which similarly will reflect and diffract light. A beam of light directed at such a surface is scattered, or diffracted, in all directions at each such aperture. Such scattering will be affected by the depth and the width of the apertures etched in the mask. The light waves reinforce each other in certain directions and cancel out in other directions, creating unique signatures for different wavelengths and/or angles of incidence of the light directed onto the mask.
One or more etching components may be employed in fabricating a particular mask. It is to be appreciated by one skilled in the art that any suitable etching components may be employed with the present invention. The etching components are selectively driven by the system to etch the openings in the mask to a desired depth, shape and/or width. The etching process is monitored by the system by comparing signatures generated by the light reflected by the mask to desired signatures. By comparing desired signatures to measured signatures, runtime feedback may be employed to more precisely control the aperture etching and as a result more optimal aperture etching is achieved, which in turn increases fidelity of image transfer, because more precise phase shifting and the resulting interference and cancellation may be enabled.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system for monitoring and controlling aperture etching in a complimentary phase shift mask is provided. The system includes etching components operative to etch apertures in the mask and an etching component driving system for driving the one or more etching components. The system also includes components for directing light on to the apertures being etched in the mask and a measuring system for measuring aperture parameters based on light reflected from the apertures. The measuring system includes a scatterometry system for processing the light reflected from the one or more apertures and a processor operatively coupled to the measuring system and the etching component driving system. The processor receives aperture data from the measuring system and uses the data to at least partially control the etching components to regulate the etching of the one or more apertures.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for monitoring and controlling aperture etching in a complimentary phase shift mask. The method includes etching apertures on the mask and while such apertures are being etched, directing light onto at least one of the apertures and collecting light reflected from the apertures. The reflected light is analyzed to determine parameters like the depth and/or width of the aperture via scatterometry means. In response to the analysis of the reflected light, the etching performed by the etching component is controlled to improve the etching of the apertures in the mask.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a method for monitoring and controlling aperture etching in a complimentary phase shift mask. The method includes using etching components to etch apertures in the mask, determining the acceptability of the apertures etched in the mask and using coordinating control of the etching components to more optimally etch the apertures in the mask.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a system for monitoring and controlling a process for etching openings in a complimentary phase shift mask. The system includes means for sensing the depth and/or width of apertures on the mask, means for etching apertures on the mask and means for selectively controlling the means for etching.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

Active control of phase shift mask etching process


Cap and vest components of an animate body heat exchanger designed to apply a controlled temperature to parts of a human body are described. The cap and vest components are often used in combination, and the interior side edges of the cap are curvilinear and intermesh lengthwise to assure that the portion of the head underlying the junction between such edges is subjected to the controlled temperature. The vest includes not only a zipper for application and removal, but also separate lacing for close fitting adjustment.

This present invention relates to temperature control apparatus for parts of a human or other animate body and, more particularly, to thermal contact components of an animate body heat exchanger that assure quite good thermal contact with associated body parts.
Active cooling arrangements for humans and other animate bodies (live bodies, except for the live bodies of plants) are known. They either are used, or contemplated for use, in physical therapy, pre-game conditioning, minor injury care, etc. In general, the body heat exchanging component(s) of such an apparatus has a pair of layers defining a flexible bladder through which a liquid is circulated. This liquid is maintained at a desired temperature. Generally, the desired temperature is lower than the temperature expected for the body part, and typically is achieved, at least in part, by passing the liquid through a "passive" heat exchanging medium, such as by passing the same through an ice bath.
It is quite important in many arrangements of this nature that the amount of heat exchange be carefully controlled. This means that the temperature to which the body part is subjected must be kept constant. Moreover, for some uses it is important that all of the surface area covered by a heat exchange component be subjected to the temperature control.
Various improvements have been made in the past in an effort to obtain the desired known temperature control. For example, units are made which are quite thin and flexible to facilitate conforming to the complex shape of a body part to be subjected to temperature control. Pressurized air bladders are also used to press a flexible fluid bladder into intimate contact with an associated body part. Matrices of point (dot) connections and fences (flow directing devices) are also included in many fluid bladders to provide the fluid mixing and flow pattern needed to obtain the desired constant flow of liquid having a constant temperature through a heat exchange component.
The above measures have been taken to assure that a heat exchange component design remains quite thin and does not buckle when it conforms to complex shapes, so as to remain in good thermal contact with a body part. Moreover, the shape of the fences and bladder edge contours are selected to inhibit the formation of eddies, again in an effort to assure proper flow for a constant and controlled temperature differential with a body part.

Cap and vest garment components of an animate body heat exchanger


A wire harness connection structure includes a connector housing having a plurality of terminal cavities, each of which is equipped with a groove 4 for guiding a reverse inversion preventing projection 6 provided on the terminal when the terminal is inserted in the normal fashion and a tapered guide surface 5 for guiding the projection 6 when the terminal is reversely inserted. When the terminal is reversely inserted, the projection 6 is prevented from moving forwards, thus making the insertion of the terminal impossible.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention primarily relates to a connector used to connect a wire harness for automobiles and, in particular, to an improvement in a structure for preventing reverse insertion of metallic terminal members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Each terminal cavity of a connector housing is provided with a flexible engagement member formed integrally therewith, which locks a metallic terminal member when it is inserted in the normal manner. The metallic terminal member is equipped with a stabilizer for stabilizing the inserting posture, which stabilizer is adapted to be fitted into a groove and, at the same time, abut against the base section of the flexible engagement member.
If the metallic terminal member is reversely inserted into the terminal cavity, the stabilizer engages with an engagement section formed on the wall surface opposed to the groove, thereby preventing further insertion. However, if its wall thickness is small, the engagement section will be scraped off, leaving the connector open to such reverse insertion. Further, due to limitations in design, it is impossible in some cases for the connector housing to be provided with an engagement section whose wall thickness is large enough to protect it against the reverse insertion preventing projection, such as a stabilizer.


An apparatus for the preparation of granulate from hot-melting mixes comprises a pourer connected by a filter-containing conduit to at least one mixing and melting device. The strip pourer is disposed above a cooling conveyor which feeds to a crushing device. The pourer comprises a heated tubular body provided on its under side with discharge nozzles arranged in at least one row. A filter is disposed within the tubular body across the discharge nozzles to prevent unwanted particles from reaching the nozzles.

The invention concerns an apparatus for preparing granular material from hot, melted mixes and especially of the type in which a pourer is connected, via filter-containing conduits, with at least one mixing and melting device, the pourer positioned above a cooling conveyor which feeds to a crushing device, wherein the pourer comprises a heated tubular body provided on its underside with discharge nozzles arranged in one or several rows.
By means of such an apparatus, it is possible to process waxes, fusion adhesives, resins, aliphatic alcohols or the like into granular material and fill and package same.
The melt is transferred from the melting device to the pourer, or strip coster by means of the filter containing conduit. The pourer deposits the melt in strip-form onto the conveyor, whereupon it is cooled and carried to the crusher for a crushing treatment. The filter arranged within the conduit upstream of the strip caster ensures that foreign bodies are extensively kept out of the material which is delivered to the strip caster for discharge from the latter. It has been shown with practical installations that certain difficulties arise because, in the area of tube bends or cross section junctions or in the area of valves, there occur points at which the melted material transported to the pourer or strip caster from the mixing and melting devices can become clogged slightly. These clogs can be released from time to time and over to the pourer as clumps or fragments. This can lead to blockage of the discharge nozzles so that the production performance drops. Since the valves and pipelines are heated, it can also occur that the clumps of material become overheated and burn or harden and are no longer able to fulfill their purpose. There then exists the danger that the parts may become loose, are discharged and become worked into the granular material. This can lead to adverse effects on the quality of the material produced with respect to optical appearance and for function.
The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the initially mentioned type so that clumps and/or material damaged by temperature or the like are prevented from being discharged through the discharge nozzles.

Apparatus for preparing granular material by means of a strip caster


A hard mask stack for etching a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) structure is described. An electrode layer is deposited on a stack of MTJ layers on a bottom electrode. A photoresist mask is formed on the electrode layer. The electrode layer is etched away where it is not covered by the photoresist mask to form a metal hard mask. The metal hard mask is passivated during or after etching to form a smooth hard mask profile. Thereafter, the photoresist mask is removed and the MTJ structure is etched using the metal hard mask wherein the metal hard mask remaining acts as a top electrode. The resulting MTJ device has smooth sidewalls and uniform device shape.

Tantalum (Ta) is one of the best hard masks for MTJ reactive ion etching (RIE) due to a very low etching rate using Methanol and high etching selectivity to MTJ materials. Usually, a Ta hard mask is patterned by a dielectric hard mask, for example silicon dioxide (SiO2) or silicon nitride (SiNx), and the dielectric hard mask is patterned by photoresist (PR). This is because there will be a fencing issue if PR is used directly to pattern Ta. However, SiO2 etching by high SiO2/PR selectivity chemical etching, e.g. C4F8, will generate severe striations around the SiO2 sidewall which will transfer to the Ta and even to the MTJ sidewall and lead to rough sidewalls and poor uniformity within the chip. Etching SiO2 by CF4 usually has much less sidewall striation; however, the poor SiO2/PR selectivity will limit the thickness of SiO2 and also Ta that can be etched with the same thickness PR.
Several patents show the use of various hard masks in etching MTJ stacks. These include U.S. Pat. No. 8,722,543 (Belen et al), U.S. Pat. No. 8,450,119 (Torng et al), U.S. Pat. No. 7,593,193 (Inomata et al), and U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,783 (Costrini et al). Other patents show passivating processes: U.S. Pat. No. 7,169,654 (Zia et al), U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,621 (Mizushima et al), U.S. Pat. No. 8,716,072 (Bangsaruntip et al), and U.S. Pat. No. 7,471,445 (Pan). The process of the present disclosure is not taught or suggested by any of these references.

MTJ etching with improved uniformity and profile by adding passivation step


A method includes receiving in a mobile communication terminal from a base station a precoded Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) signal, which includes a first signal component transmitted by one or more first antennas of the base station at a first polarization, and further comprises a second signal component transmitted by one or more second antennas of the base station at a second polarization, different from the first polarization. A difference between respective signal magnitudes of the first signal component having the first polarization and the second signal component having the second polarization that have been received in the terminal is estimated in the terminal. Feedback information, which requests the base station to precode subsequent MIMO signals with a precoding matrix that is specified as a function of the difference between the signal magnitudes, is calculated and transmitted from the terminal.

Various communication systems communicate using multiple transmit and/or receive antennas. Such communication schemes are referred to as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) schemes. MIMO configurations are used, for example, in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), also referred to as Lone Term Evolution (LTE), and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems. MIMO communication typically involves feeding back communication channel information from the receiver to the transmitter.
Some MIMO feedback schemes use precoding codebooks, i.e., predefined sets of precoding matrices that are agreed upon between the transmitter and the receiver. The use of codebooks enables the receiver to report its estimated channel or request a preferable precoding scheme with small signaling overhead. Codebook-based feedback schemes are described, for example, in 3GPP Technical Specification 36.213, entitled "Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical Layer Procedures (Release 8)," (3GPP TS 36.213), version 8.6.0, March, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.

Precoding feedback for cross-polarized antennas based on signal-component magnitude difference


A local oscillator for use in an optoelectronic distance measurement system for generating a narrow-band HF signal for direct signal mixing with a reception signal generated by an avalanche photodiode (2) from a light signal impinging on the latter, with the depletion layer capacitance (CAPD) of the avalanche photodiode (2), which varies due to different influences and specimen scatter, is incorporated, as an element which (co-)determines the oscillator frequency, in a controllable HF resonant circuit whose HF resonant frequency is determined, for example, by the adjustable divider ratio of a PLL-circuit (1) which is acted upon by a phase-locked reference oscillator (6) and which controls the capacitance (C) of a capacitance diode (3) connected in parallel with the depletion layer capacitance.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a local oscillator for generating a narrow-band high-frequency signal (HF signal) for direct signal mixing with a reception signal generated by a reverse-biased avalanche photodiode (APD) from a light signal impinging on the APD.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are used in sensitive optoelectronic measurement systems, among others. For example, optoelectronic measurement of distances up to 100 m with accuracies of a few millimeters has great importance for numerous applications, particularly in the construction industry and in plants engineering. Distance measuring systems of this kind should be as highly dynamic as possible so that very weak, as well as very strong, light reception signals can be processed. This renders superfluous the use of defined target marks on the object whose distance from a reference point is to be determined. The possibility of direct distance measurement at determined surfaces, i.e., without the use of target marks, makes it possible, particularly in the technical fields and industries mentioned above, to reduce manufacturing time and to cut costs while simultaneously reducing manufacturing tolerances.
In order to ensure the required high dynamics and in order to detect very weak measurement signals, the use of sensitive APDs is often unavoidable and is also known in principle in methods and arrangements for high-precision optoelectronic distance measurement. In distance measuring arrangements, in most cases, a preferably sinusoidal intensity-modulated beam of a light source, particularly a laser diode, is directed to a measurement object (EP 0 701 702 B1, DE 196 43 287 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,857). The intensity-modulated light which is reflected or backscattered from the measurement object is detected by a photodiode. The distance to be measured is given by the phase displacement—relative to the emitted light intensity of the light source—of the light intensity which is modulated in sinusoidal manner and backsctattered from the measurement object. For successful elimination of phase errors depending on temperature, aging and reception power in high-precision distance-measuring and phase-measuring systems, it was suggested in German Patent Application 100 06 493.0, as an improvement of the measurement arrangement according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,857, to modulate the light intensities of a main emitter and reference emitter simultaneously with different modulation frequencies and to generate a signal mixture which is based on the use of APDs as main receiver and reference receiver and which contains a signal with the intensity modulation frequency of the main emitter and a signal with the intensity modulation frequency of the reference emitter and a signal with the intensity modulation frequency of the reference emitter. A trouble-free distance measurement with definite distance information is made possible by means of simultaneous measurement of the phases of the two signals generated in this way and the separation of the two phases in an intermediate frequency range.
Since very weak signals must be taken into account with large distances and in technical measurement object surfaces, i.e., without the use of target marks, it is necessary to use sensitive APDs which, for example, in comparison to the PIN photodiodes, cause an additional internal amplification of the photocurrent generated by the incident light power. This inner amplification results from a charge carrier multiplication in the avalanche zone of the APD in which a high electric field strength exists. The charge carriers generated by the incident light are highly accelerated by this field strength, so that, as a result of their high energy state, they release additional charge carriers from the semiconductor material of the APD resulting in an additional amplification of the photocurrent.
A high voltage is required in the blocking direction in order to generate the high electric field strengths in the avalanche zone of the APD. Depending on the type of APD, this voltage ranges from 40 V to 500 V. Typical gain factors of the photocurrents are between 10 and 200. They are highly dependent on the semiconductor material (e.g., Si, InGaAs), the construction of the photodiode, the blocking voltage and the temperature.
A problem, already mentioned, with the type of optoelectronic distance measurement described above, especially on technical or engineering surfaces, is the detection of very weak signals. In this connection, only very slight interference noise and very weak electric crosstalk (e.g., <110 dB) from the light transmitter (laser) to the photodiode receiver may exist in the measuring system.
In order to ensure very weak crosstalk and the least possible in-coupling of external interference fields (radio fields, digital interference), a method of direct signal mixing may be applied in the receiver as is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,857, cited above, and from a scientific paper by K. Seta, T. Oh'Ishi, "Distance Measurement Using a Pulse Train Emitted from a Laser Diode", Japanese J. of Appl. Physics, Volume 26, No. 10, pages L1690-L1692, October 1987, and as also has been suggested in an especially advantageous modification in German Patent Application 100 06 493.0, also cited above. With this kind of direct mixing, the (preferably) sinusoidal signal of frequency fLO of a local oscillator and an amplitude of >1 V are superimposed on the APD blocking voltage, so that along with the blocking voltage the gain factor M of the APD, i.e., its internal current source, is also modulated. The following equation in a first approximation applies to the APD output current: iAPD(t)=M(t)·iFOTO(t), where M(t) is the modulated APD gain depending on time t and iFOTO(t) is the internal photocurrent generated by the light incidence. Because of the nonlinear relationship between the APD gain and the internal photocurrent, a mix product results, i.e., an intermediate frequency signal (IF signal), which oscillates with the frequency difference between the frequency fLO of the local oscillator and the frequency fMESS of the modulated detected light output. The frequency conversion accordingly takes place in the internal current source of the APD. By means of low-pass filtering, higher-frequency components are eliminated. The output signal of the APD, i.e., the IF signal, is (comparatively) low-frequency and can accordingly be further processed without difficulty. Since the mixing process takes place within the chip of the APD, the structural sizes of the mixing arrangement are typically smaller than the utilized modulation wavelength by three or four orders of magnitude. Consequently, external electromagnetic interference and electrical crosstalk are negligible to a great extent. Interference output also leads, in principle, to increased noise. By means of the described step, the noise characteristics are also clearly improved. It is also advantageous that the IF signal arising from the direct mixing is, as a rule, comparatively very low-frequency; e.g., 10 kHz to 100 kHz. No interference is to be expected in this frequency range. Also, parasitic characteristics of other electronic components are negligible at these low frequencies. Since the output signal of the APD is in the IF range, no other high-frequency components are needed in the reception part aside from the local oscillator. Accordingly, production costs as well as power consumption of an optoelectronic distance measuring system outfitted with APDs of this type can also be drastically reduced.
However, this results in a problem which is the object upon which the invention is based: due to the desired—and, in principle, also achievable—low power consumption of the distance measurement device which, in general, is to be operated from a battery which is as small as possible, it is not possible to use known commercially available PLL (Phase Locked Loop) oscillators followed by a 50-ohm HF amplifier for generating the local oscillator signal for frequency mixing or, if so, only with unsatisfactory results. Since an avalanche photodiode is a purely capacitive load but this HF amplifier requires a low-impedance 50-ohm signal termination for stable operation, the amplifier must be provided with compulsory adaptation involving power consumption. At a desired amplitude of, e.g., 2 V, an HF output of 40 mW, for example, would be needed for this purpose. But this can not be achieved with the desired low power consumption.
According to the scientific paper cited above, K. Seta et al., a high-frequency transformer is to be used for signal termination matching of the necessary HF amplifier. In practice, however, this has also turned out to be problematic because only voltage ratios of 1:2 are available for the required high frequencies of the local oscillator signal (e.g., 1 GHz) and, in addition, considerable EMI problems occur due to the use of the transformer.

Local oscillator for generating an HF signal for direct mixing by using avalanche photodiodes


A printing ink concentrate in the form of coated non-tacky and/or uncoated non-tacky pellets, a method for producing the same and a method of making a printing ink by using the concentrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a printing ink concentrate and a method for its production.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Printing inks are usually produced by combining the starting materials pigment, vehicles, additives and liquids and subsequent dispersion. The dispersion method is used to break up the pigment agglomerates into the necessary pigment particle size. The properties necessary for the printing ink, such as, e.g., sufficient coloring power and good printability, are thus achieved.
For a more rational and more economic manufacture of printing inks it is also customary to produce an intermediate in the above-mentioned production process. This intermediate is a printing ink concentrate that differs from the customary printing ink in that the pigment concentration is noticeably higher. The proportion of vehicles and liquids is therefore naturally lower. Printing ink concentrates are used to both produce finished printing inks and to increase the coloring material concentration of a printing ink of the same shade and for nuancing printing inks.
Vehicles and liquids are added to the printing ink concentrate for dilution, and the final printing ink is produced by a mixing method. A dispersion method is no longer necessary in the dilution stage, since the printing ink concentrate was produced through a dispersion step from the starting materials pigment, vehicles, additives and liquids.
Concentrates of printing inks therefore differ substantially from pigment preparations in that in a printing ink concentrate the pigments are already present in a dispersed form.
Printing ink concentrates are usually produced by dispersing solids, such as coloring pigments, and solid additives in vehicles and liquids with the aid of dispersion units such as triple-roll mills, kneaders, extruders or ball mills in several stages or in a single-stage process, as described in EP 0 807 670 A1.
With this method, viscous to highly viscous printing ink concentrates result that exhibit a tackiness.
The solids used are pigments, such as Phthalocyanine (CI 15), Pigment Red (CI 57:1), Diaryl Yellow (CI 12/13) and decorative ink pigments and other achromatic solids, also often called fillers, such as chalk, kaolin, butylated hydroxytoluene or dispersion additives. These are used in the form of powders or granules. The vehicles used can be varnishes for printing inks produced by boiling printing ink resins, printing ink oils and alkyds. Alkyds such as linseed oil alkyd, soybean oil alkyd are also used as vehicles. Special mineral oils for printing inks with a boiling range between 230-370° C., such as Printosol® C 800, and vegetable oils, such as linseed oil, soybean oil, are used as liquid components.
Flush pastes represent a form of printing ink concentrates produced in a different manner. They are likewise viscous to highly viscous and exhibit tackiness. Also in flush pastes the pigment is present in the ground fineness necessary for an application as printing ink and does not need to be further dispersed or finish-ground.
After manufacture, these printing ink concentrates are filled into transport containers, such as cans, buckets, drums, hobbocks or production containers. These are used for storing, transporting and for removing the printing ink concentrates.
To produce a finished printing ink, one or more printing ink concentrates are removed, weighed out and mixed, usually with the addition of additives, vehicles or liquid components, such as oils.
Weighing is usually carried out by the manual removal of the printing ink concentrates, e.g., with a spatula, and placement in a weighing container. Another method is represented by the use of so-called metering stations in which the printing ink concentrates are present in storage containers such as hobbocks or drums and are conveyed by means of pumps or hydraulic presses and are metered volumetrically or gravimetrically via metering valves. Such automatic installations are customary in the trade.
The weighed components are subsequently mixed to form the finished ink in mixers such as dissolvers, kneaders, blade mixers or other mixer units with the addition of additives, vehicles and oils. The mixing process serves to homogenize the product. A dispersion of the pigment is no longer necessary here, since this has already taken place during the production of the printing ink concentrate.
The high viscosity and tackiness of the printing ink concentrates represent a problem, especially depending on the pigment quantity used. The higher the proportion of pigment, i.e., the proportion of solids of the concentrate, the more viscous the product. Accordingly, handling, i.e., the manual removal or the pumpability of the printing ink concentrates, becomes more difficult.
A manual removal is often no longer possible. A product removal can only be carried out with considerable technical expense, e.g., by means of high-pressure presses, often assisted by heating the product.
While liquid printing inks can be pumped and conveyed and metered with relatively low expenditure, with pasty printing ink concentrates, complex and expensive suction pumps, such as helicoidal gear pumps or compressed air piston pumps, already have to be used. Due to the number of different shades that are necessary for producing special colors, usually 20 to 60 pump units are required for an automatic mixing plant, which represents a considerable expenditure.
At still higher viscosities of the printing ink concentrates hydraulic presses have to be used in order to achieve a still adequate conveying of the product. This high-pressure technique increases the expense by a multiple. As a rule, a manual removal, e.g., of such concentrates of offset printing inks is no longer possible at all.
It is desirable to overcome the described disadvantages of the prior art and at the same time provide a printing ink concentrate that can be easily transported and easily mixed with additional components.

Printing ink concentrate and method for its production


A machine permits an end of a thick-walled, high-pressure tubing to be chucked in a collet one time, coned, faced and threaded, using a coning head and threading head which are mounted on a carriage which can be translated laterally between three positions and the coning and threading heads parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece to complete the coning and threading operations.

The present invention is directed to a device used in threading thick-walled tubing. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a machine for coning and threading the end of a length of high-pressure (>10,000 psi) tubing to enable it to be joined to an adjacent length of tubing or fittings including tees, crosses, elbows, and valves.
The present invention relates to preparing high-pressure tubing (generally stainless steel) for connection using a collar by coning and affixing, by way of example and not limitation, a left-handed thread. High-pressure tubing is used in support equipment for the oil and gas drilling industry, and is also utilized in water jet, water blast, and other industries as well. While coning and threading is fairly easy for ¼″ OD tube stock, a machine is needed for tube OD's from ⅜″ though 1″. The coning and threading machine of the present invention provides for coning, facing, and threading from one end of the machine in one setup operation. Existing coning and threading machines feature a coning head on one end and a threading end on the other. This requires significant manipulation of the high-pressure tubing being machined which is particularly problematic when the attempt is being made in a crowded machine shop with 20′ lengths of tube.
The present invention permits the length of tube to be chucked once, coned and threaded without the need for extensive (or actually, any) repositioning of the workpiece. The machine of the present invention comprises a) a collet for receiving a first end of the length of the high-pressure tubing and holding the workpiece aligned with a first axis; b) a coning head for forming a taper on the first end of the tubing; c) a threading head for creating a thread length on the outside diameter on the first end; whereby the first end of the tubing can receive the taper from said coning head, and the thread length from said threading head while engaged in said collet. In the first embodiment, the coning head and the threading head are co-planar and, in fact, ride on a common carriage.
The machine of the present invention includes a first displacement means to move the carriage laterally between a plurality of positions and a second displacement means to move the carriage longitudinally along the first axis. A fixed stop on the machine controls a longitudinal distance the carriage can move. The invention can accommodate a plurality of sized coning blades which are installed in the coning head to accommodate a plurality of diameters of high-pressure tubing. In point of fact, 9 sizes of coning blades are available for each machine. A thread control knob adjusts to one of a plurality of thread lengths for particular diameters of high-pressure tubing. A large removable chip bucket catches metal chips removed during coning and threading operations. Coolant is supplied through the shafts supporting the coning and threading heads. Coolant is also captured in the chip bucket and recirculated to the shafts via a submersible pump.
Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description.

Coning and threading machine for high-pressure tubing


A storage tree, including a rotatable base, a center post attached to a center portion of the base, a plurality of outer posts attached to the base at outer portions of the base, and a plurality of panels disposed between each of the plurality of outer posts and the center post.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a rotatable and portable storage tree (e.g., craft tree) having a plurality of panels for storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Artists (e.g., painters, sculptors, stained glass workers, sketchers, etc.), craftsmen (e.g., crafters, woodworkers, carvers, etc.), mechanics, seamstresses, engineers, and chefs all share a commonality of requiring various tools and/or utensils to properly and successfully perform their work. For example, in order for a painter to paint a portrait, the painter may require materials such as paper, pencils, erasers, paint, brushes, a stapler, a camera, gloves, charcoal, glitter, etc. However, the aforementioned materials are typically not stored in a single location. More specifically, most people would store paper in a cabinet, erasers in a desk drawer, pencils in a pencil holder on a desktop, paint on a shelf, brushes in a brush-case, a stapler on a desktop, a camera in a closet, gloves in a dresser-drawer, charcoal in a box, and glitter in a jar. Therefore, when the painter desires to paint the portrait, he/she is required to collect the aforementioned materials from each of the different locations, and place the materials on a table, for example. This results in inconvenience and an inefficient use of time for the painter, as the painter must first go to each location to collect the required materials, and then organize the materials on the table for use. Moreover, this waste of time may cause added stress, fatigue, and frustration for the painter, thereby distracting and clouding the painter's mind, and accordingly, affecting his/her capacity for artistic creativity. Therefore, it would be convenient for the painter to have an art-supply storage system that allows for convenient storage and easy access of all art-supplies needed to produce a work of art. Also, it would be convenient if the art-supply storage system included an organizational system that allowed the painter to quickly locate a tool, utensil, material, etc., which is needed to perform a particular task at a particular moment.
Similarly, a mechanic working on a car engine may require various tools to fix the engine, including, for example, a screwdriver, a wrench, nuts/bolts, a power drill, motor oil, a saw, etc. The aforementioned tools may be stored in various places, such as toolboxes, shelves, drawers, etc., thereby again, making it inconvenient and inefficient for the mechanic to properly and quickly fix the car engine. Also, tools such as the power drill may be too large to fit inside a drawer or toolbox, and accordingly must be stored elsewhere, such as a wall-hook, peg-board, or shelf. Although the peg-board solution, for example, allows the mechanic to easily find the tools hung thereon, the peg-board is an unaesthetic and inefficient use of wall-space. Moreover, tools placed within a toolbox are typically mixed up inside the box, making it difficult for the mechanic to locate a particular tool, and can even get damaged as a result of being mixed together. Therefore, it would be convenient for the mechanic to have a tool storage system that allows for convenient storage of all tools needed to perform mechanic-related tasks. Also, it would be convenient if the tool storage system included an organizational system that allowed the mechanic to quickly locate a tool that is needed to perform a particular task at a particular moment.
Since the time when human beings first developed tools, a convenient way to organize and store the tools needed to perform a specific task has been a necessity. Prior art methods of organizing and storing tools are numerous including bags, belts, pails, etc. Some tool users keep their tools in boxes. Early tool boxes were made of wood. While these wooden tool boxes enabled tools to be kept in a single location and protected, wooden tool boxes did not present a convenient way to organize tools so that the tool required at a particular time could be easily identified and located. Many tools were simply dumped into a box and the person needing a specific tool had to rummage through all of the tools in the box or selectively remove tools one by one until the right tool was found for the job at hand.
The development of sophisticated manufacturing techniques has enabled low cost tools of all shapes and sizes to be made available to users. However, with more tools available to users the problem of storing and organizing all of the tools in a user's possession is exacerbated.
To this day, many conventional tool boxes simply include a removable tray sized to fit into the top of a tool box. By using the removable tray, smaller hand tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers can be separated from larger, less frequently used tools such as hammers and pipe wrenches. These larger tools are typically stored in the bottom of the tool box. For the sophisticated builder, car mechanic or repairman, a tool box with a simple tray insert is insufficient to organize all the different types of tools that might be necessary to complete a job. Moreover, a mechanic with a large collection of different tools will have a difficult time finding the right tool for the job in a tool box having only a top tray, thereby wasting valuable time and energy.
To organize and hold the many tools used by a mechanic, builder or repairman, chest-type metal tool boxes were developed. These prior art chest-type tool boxes can be from three feet to six feet in height. In each chest-type tool box are a number of different sized drawers into which even the heaviest tools can be placed for storage and protection. Some of these prior art tool boxes are made to be movable by the use of casters. However, large prior art chest-type tool boxes are too big to fit into tight spaces and cannot be rolled into spaces with a low overhead such as underneath a car or a truck. Moreover, the tools in chest-type tool boxes are stored inside the drawers, out of sight from the mechanic. Unless the mechanic has memorized the drawer location for each tool, the mechanic must open each drawer and then examine the contents of each drawer to find the right tool. This effort to find the right tool for a job requires the mechanic to leave a job in progress, walk over to the tool box and locate the right tool.
What is needed in the art is a tool organizing system which can be moved alongside a workman to the job site that will provide easy access to a large selection of tools. In addition, the tool organizing system should be able to fit in tight spaces as well as spaces with a low overhead and still present needed tools to the mechanic so that the mechanic does not have to dig through an unorganized pile of tools to find the right tool for the task at hand.
Furthermore, for a user with mobility problems and who can't keep getting up and down, it would be convenient to have all tools, utensils, items, and materials disposed in one storage area to limit the amount of times the user needs to get up and/or move to different locations to obtain the necessary tools, utensils, items, and materials.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a compact, portable, changeable, and aesthetically-pleasing organizing system that allows a user to conveniently store, categorize, locate, and access tools, utensils, items, equipment, and materials based on the user's preference.