A process for forming cast, magnesium based alloy articles having reduced microshrinkage comprising the steps of forming a molten alloy consisting essentially of magnesium together with 4 to 10% by weight aluminum, 0 to 1% by weight manganese, and either 0 to 3% by weight zinc or 0 to 1% by weight silicon, adding to the molten alloy 0.01 to 2% by weight strontium, and molding the molten alloy and solidifying to form a cast alloy article.

The invention relates to a method of improving the performance of magnesium alloys in respect of microshrinkage.
Magnesium alloys are here understood as being all those which contain from 4 to 10% by weight of aluminium and
either up to 3% of zinc and/or up to 1% of manganese PA1 or up to 1% of silicon and/or up to 1% of manganese, PA1 concentrating microshrinkage in a relatively restricted zone of the piece, and in any case in a zone close to the mouth of the mould, that is to say, the part in the vicinity of the feed, thus enabling a sound piece to be obtained by risering that zone; PA1 very substantially reducing the difference between the minimum density and the density of the alloy where the strontium contents are highest; PA1 thereby improving the mechanical properties of the pieces obtained without harming their corrosion resistance.
the balance being magnesium.
Alloys which the ASTM standards define as follows may be mentioned more particularly:
AZ63 (alloy containing 6.0% by weight of aluminium, 3.0% of zinc, at least 0.15% of magnanese) PA0 AZ80 (alloy containing 8.5% by weight of aluminium, 0.5% of zinc, at least 0.12% of manganese) PA0 AZ91 (alloy containing 8.7% by weight of aluminium, 0.7% of zinc, at least 0.13% of manganese) PA0 AZ92 (alloy containing 9.0% by weight of aluminium, 2.0% of zinc, at least 0.1% of manganese) PA0 AM60 (alloy containing 6.0% by weight of aluminium, 0.13% of manganese) PA0 AM100 (alloy containing 10.0% by weight of aluminium, 0.1% of manganese) PA0 AS41 (alloy containing 4.2% by weight of aluminium, 0.35% of manganese).
These alloys have good mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance. However when they are moulded by gravity from liquid metal, either in a sand mould, in a sealed mould or by moulding under pressure, they generally have microshrinkages in their structure. These are due to the fact that the metal contracts during solidification, possibly to the extent of several % by volume. If no liquid metal is added in the contraction zone a void is then produced, resulting in the formation of a cavity or shrinkage.
When the solidification interval of the metal is very long, as in the case of the above-mentioned alloys, a relatively extensive pasty zone forms in the moulded piece, in which contraction takes place gradually. The liquid metal thus has to make its way between the solid dendrites over a great distance and cannot fill the voids. Microcavities are consequently formed, distributed between the grains throughout the pasty zone; these are described as microshrinkages.
Now microshrinkages tend to degrade the mechanical properties of the pieces which contain them. Furthermore, in the case of thin-walled pieces, they form open pores which make them useless for applications where they are subjected to pressure.
When one wishes to obtain moulded pieces from these alloys, which have good mechanical properties or at least are sealed, the problem thus arises of preventing the formation of the microshrinkages without thereby harming other properties such as corrosion resistance.
The problem is not of course new, and persons skilled in the art of magnesium alloy foundry have been led to seek solutions which would resolve it.
The addition of calcium has been found, for example, to reduce the presence of microporosity in the magnesium alloys listed above. British patent no. 847.992 may be quoted in this field. This states on page 2, lines 95-99, that magnesium alloys with a high aluminium and zinc content tend to form microshrinkages and that the presence of calcium greatly reduces the tendency. It may be noted however that according to claim 1 the quantities used are from 0.5 to 3%. These are relatively large quantities and create some difficulties in manufacture, particularly adhesion of the metal and/or pieces to the equipment.

Method of improving the performance of magnesium alloys in respect of microshrinkage


Light from an object such as a cell moving through an imaging system is collected and dispersed so that it can be imaged onto a time delay and integration (TDI) detector. The light can be emitted from a luminous object or can be light from a light source that has been scattered or not absorbed by the object or can include a light emission by one or more probes within or on the object. Multiple objects passing through the imaging system can be imaged, producing both scatter images and dispersed images at different locations on one or more TDI detectors.

There are a number of biological and medical applications that are currently impractical due to limitations in cell and particle analysis technology. Examples of such biological applications include battle field monitoring of known airborne toxins, as well as the monitoring of cultured cells to detect the presence of both known and unknown toxins. Medical applications include non-invasive prenatal genetic testing and routine cancer screening via the detection and analysis of rare cells (i.e., low rate of occurrence) in peripheral blood. All of these applications require an analysis system with the following principal characteristics:
1. high speed measurement; PA1 2. the ability to process very large or continuous samples; PA1 3. high spectral resolution and bandwidth; PA1 4. good spatial resolution; PA1 5. high sensitivity; and PA1 6. low measurement variation.
In prenatal testing, the target cells are fetal cells that cross the placental barrier into the mother's bloodstream. In cancer screening, the target cells are sloughed into the bloodstream from nascent cancerous tumors. In both of these applications of this technology, the target cells may be present in the blood at concentrations of one to five cells per billion. This concentration yields approximately 20-100 target cells in a typical 20 ml blood sample. The extreme rarity of the targeted cells demands that any detection and analysis system employed in these applications be capable of processing an enriched sample of approximately 100 million cells within a few hours, corresponding to a minimum throughput of 10,000 cells per second. Cell processing includes the determination of cellular morphology parameters such as overall size, nuclear size, nuclear shape, and optical density, the detection and characterization of numerous fluorescent markers and FISH probes, the quantification of the total amount of DNA in the nucleus, and the detection of other cellular components such as fetal hemoglobin. To accomplish these processing tasks, the system must be able to collect cell images with a spatial resolution of approximately 1 micron. Likewise, the system must have high spectral resolution and bandwidth to differentiate four or more fluorescent colors. Since some probes may label important cellular features with only a few thousand fluorescent molecules, the system must have high sensitivity and good measurement consistency to differentiate very weak signals.
The predominant research laboratory protocols for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis employ a complex series of process steps that include gradient centrifugation to remove unnucleated cells, high-speed cell sorting for fetal cell enrichment, and fluorescence microscopy for fetal cell identification and genetic analysis. These protocols often yield little or no fetal cells for analysis, because a fraction of the fetal cells are lost at each step of the protocol. Nevertheless, the protocols cannot be simplified because of limitations in existing analysis technology. Ideally, fetal cell identification and analysis would be performed in a few hours by a high-speed cell sorter having the necessary speed and sample handling capacity. This ideal is not possible with conventional systems, because conventional cell sorters lack the necessary imaging abilities, sensitivity, and repeatability to reliably identify fetal cells and enumerate the number and color of FISH probes used to make the diagnosis. Therefore, under current protocols, cells must be sorted onto slides and examined using fluorescence microscopy to establish their fetal origin and make a genetic diagnosis. The combination of low fetal cell yields and lengthy processing times precludes the clinical application of non-invasive fetal testing with existing technology.
No technology prior to the present invention incorporates all six of the principal characteristics of a viable fetal cell or cancer analysis system. In the prior art, there have been advances that might be applied to these applications, but significant limitations still remain.
A paper published by Ong et al. [Anal. Quant. Cytol. Histol., 9(5):375-82] describes the use of a time-delay and integration (TDI) detector in an imaging flow cytometer. A TDI detector is any pixilated device in which the signal produced in response to radiation directed at the device can be caused to move in a controlled fashion. Typically, the pixels of a TDI detector are arranged in rows and columns, and the signal is moved from row to row in synchrony with a moving image projected onto the device, allowing an extended integration time without blurring. The approach disclosed by Ong et al. advanced the art by addressing the need for spatial resolution and high sensitivity for cells in flow. However, this approach does not address the remaining principal characteristics. The authors of this paper cite an operating speed of 10 cells per second and a theoretical speed limitation of 500 cells per second, which is at least an order of magnitude slower than is required for non-invasive fetal testing. In addition, the system has no spectral resolution; laser scatter and fluorescent light are collected by the imaging system indiscriminately.
In more recent developments, U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,388 discloses an alternative approach to an imaging flow cytometer. The patent discloses the use of a frame-based image collection approach in which a video camera views cells in flow, in a freeze frame fashion. This method requires the image collection system to be synchronized with the presence of cells in the imaging area, unlike the case of TDI, wherein the detector readout rate is synchronized with the velocity of the cells. When a cell is imaged with the frame-based method, the integration period must be very short to prevent blurring. A short integration time is achieved either with a strobed light source, or a continuous light source combined with a shuttered detector. In either case, the short integration time reduces the signal-to-noise ratio and the ultimate sensitivity of the approach. Further, frame-based cameras require time to transfer data out of the camera, during which no images are acquired, and cells of interest can escape detection. Finally, like the work of Ong et al., this patent makes no provisions for acquiring data over a large spectral bandwidth and with sufficient spectral resolution to simultaneously resolve numerous and differently colored fluorescent probes and FISH spots.
Spectral discrimination is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,712, in which the spectra of particles suspended in a fluid are collected as the particles flow through a detection region. However, there is no spatial representation of the object in the system disclosed in this patent, because the object is defocussed at the detector. In this system, light is collected from the object and an image is created at an intermediate aperture. The light continues through the aperture to a spectral dispersing element, which disperses the light spectrally along the axis of flow. The dispersed light is applied to an image intensifier in which it is amplified, and the light signal output from the image intensifier is finally directed to frame-based detector. At the intermediate aperture, prior to spectral dispersion, the image represents the spatial distribution of light in object space. The spatial distribution is blurred as the light propagates past the image plane, through the spectral dispersing element and onto the image intensifier. Because there is no provision for re-imaging the intermediate aperture at the intensifier, the resulting signal distribution at the intensifier represents only the spectral distribution of the light and does not preserve the spatial distribution of the light from the object. The loss of spatial information limits the utility of the invention for applications such as fetal cell analysis. If multiple identical FISH spots are present in a cell, their spectra can be ascertained using this approach, but the number of spots cannot be determined. In addition, this approach disperses the wavelength spectrum parallel to the axis of flow. If two particles are illuminated in the flow axis, their spectra can overlap on the detector. To prevent this problem, the patent discloses that a very short illumination height in the flow axis is used. The short illumination height decreases integration time, which necessitates the use of the image intensifier. Further, the short illumination height limits throughput by preventing the simultaneous imaging of multiple cells in the flow axis.
Accordingly, it will be apparent that an improved technique is desired that resolves the limitations of the conventional approaches discussed above. It is expected that the new approach developed to address these problems in the prior art will also have application to the analysis of other types of moving objects besides cells and may be implemented in different configurations to meet the specific requirements of disparate applications of the technology.

Imaging and analyzing parameters of small moving objects such as cells


A molded polyurethane body is obtainable by reacting:

The present invention relates to a molded polyurethane body having high light fastness as well as improved temperature stability.
German Published Patent Application Nos. 26 58 136 and 42 03 307 describe thermoplastic, processable molding materials are made of mixtures of different aliphatic polyols and 1,6 hexamethylene diisocyanate having chain lengthening means such as 1,4 butane diol. The polyurethane molding materials described can be used, in particular, for manufacturing food packaging, but also for manufacturing films for decorative purposes.
However, using such polyurethane molding materials in the interior of motor vehicles is not guaranteed due to the automobile industry""s increased demands on the materials used to produce dashboard coatings, according to which these materials must possess grain stability and hot-light stability of at least 130xc2x0 C.
Also for use as food packaging or as molded bodies for hygienic or medicinal purposes, the ability to sterilize using superheated steam is not sufficient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a molded polyurethane body and a method for its manufacture and use, the molded body having high hot-light fastness as well as improved dimensional heat stability.
These and other beneficial objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a molded polyurethane body obtained by reacting: a) one or more aliphatic polyols having a molecular weight of 450 to 6000 g/mol and an hydroxyl value of 10 to 235; with b) aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic diisocyanates in an equivalent ratio of diisocyanate to polyol of 1.2:1.0 to 16.0:1.0; with c) diols as chain lengthening agents having a molecular weight of 60 to 450 g/mol, the NCO index formed from the quotient, which is multiplied by 100, of the equivalent ratio of isocyanate groups to the sum of the hydroxyl groups of polyol and chain lengthening agents lying within a range of 90 to 105; and with d) an at least bifunctional reaction component, which is suitable for subsequent cross-linking, and which reacts with the terminal hydroxyl groups of the polyurethane chain as well as with the acidic hydrogen atoms of the urethane groups and leads to branched-chain reactions, the thermoplastic polyurethane formed by conversion from the components a) through c) in a first step being homogenously mixed in a second step with 0.2 to 25 parts by weight of component d) with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, formed into a molded body, and subsequently cross-linked at temperatures from 80 to 240xc2x0 C.
It has been discovered that aliphatic, linear, long-chain, thermoplastic polyurethanes are significantly improved by adding a latently reactive cross-linking component that under processing conditions at increased temperatures results in a higher molecular, branched polyurethane. In particular, the molded polyurethane bodies according to the present invention have higher temperature stability, hot-light stability, as well as dimensional heat stability, which are mirrored in the following advantageous properties:
improved processability in thermoplastic manufacturing processes, such as injection molding, melt extrusion, melt spinning methods, sintering methods, hot-melt adhesive methods.
improved crystallization properties, particularly quick recrystallization for an economical manufacturing process in the aforementioned methods.
high tensile strength, tear initiation strength, and resistance to further tearing.
improved elastic properties.
According to the present invention, molded polyurethane bodies are manufactured in that a thermoplastic polyurethane molding material is produced from components a) through c) recited above and well homogenized in a powdered or granular form with component d) recited above, and in that the homogenized material is formed into a molded body and subsequently cross-linked at temperatures of 80 to 240xc2x0 C. The thus manufactured molded polyurethane body possesses improved physical properties and elastic properties and high light fastness. Furthermore, they are dimensionally stable up to at least 150xc2x0 C., i.e., they do not show any changes in grain stability when used as surface materials.
Preferably, the molded polyurethane bodies are produced in that component d) is applied in a liquid, paste-like, or solid form at room temperature in a tumbling mixer by tumbling on the thermoplastic, polyurethane molding material obtained from components a) through c). The shelf life of the mixture of thermoplastic, polyurethane molding material and cross-linking component d) depends on their reactivity. A mixture of a liquid, aliphatic diisocyanate or triisocyanate may, for example, be processed as a cross-linking component within 24 hours storage time at room temperature under the same processing conditions in the thermoplastic method, while mixtures having solid, dimeric isocyanates or end-group-blocked isocyanates as cross-linking components are stable in storage at room temperature for several months. The mixture of the thermoplastic, polyurethane molding material obtained from components a) through c) and from cross-linking component d) is processed in a thermoplastic method at an increased temperature. As a result of the thermoplastic polyurethane and the cross-linking component simultaneously fusing and flowing together, an additional intimate mixture of components is attained. The cross-linking component is activated at the increased temperatures, and as a result, the active hydrogen groups are subsequently cross-linked by urethane bonds such as hydroxyl groups. The transformation to the molded polyurethane body according to the present invention and having increased dimensional heat stability is completed according to the reactivity of the cross-linking component either immediately following the manufacturing process or first after several days of storage time.
The molded polyurethane bodies obtainable according to the present invention do not have any mechanical or process engineering disadvantages with respect to conventional aliphatic thermoplastically processable polyurethane molding materials, as the following examples show. In the application according to the present invention as surface materials, the molded polyurethane bodies include the following advantages:
dry, leather-like feel.
improved resistance to solvents and cleaning agents.
reduced sensitivity to scratches.
improved resistance to abrasion.
Furthermore, in their use as a hot-melt adhesive or an adhesive material for textile purposes, the molded polyurethane bodies according to the present invention exhibit:
improved fastness to washing and cleaning.
improved adhesion at higher temperatures.
During their manufacture, the molded polyurethane bodies according to the present invention may be mixed with conventional filler agents and loading materials, flameproofing agents and anti-ageing agents, as well as processing aids and pigments.
The invention is described further with reference to the following examples:

Abstract: a) one or more aliphatic polyols having a molecular weight of 450 to 6000 g/mol and a hydroxyl value of 10 to 235;

Abstract: b) with aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic diisocyanates in an equivalent ratio of diisocyanate to polyol of 1.2:1.0 to 16.0:1.0;

Abstract: c) with diols as chain lengthening agents having a molecular weight of 60 to 450 g/mol, the NCO index formed from the quotient, which is multiplied by 100, of the equivalent ratio of isocyanate groups to the sum of the hydroxyl groups of polyol and chain lengthening agents lying within a range of 90 to 105; and

Abstract: d) with an at least bifunctional reaction component, which is suitable for subsequent cross-linking.


A method and system for estimating power consumption for at least one Intellectual Property (IP) block in an integrated circuit (IC) design includes identifying at least one port in the at least one IP block. The at least one port is associated with at least one operation. A sequence of micro-operations of the at least one operation is identified. The sequence of micro-operations constitutes an operation pipeline. A set of micro-operations per cycle in the operation pipeline and energy per cycle of each cycle of the operation pipeline, based on the set of micro-operations per cycle by using one or more of, an idle energy value, a micro-operation isolated energy (MIE) value, an overlap energy (OE) value, and a micro-operation overlap energy (MOE) value, are determined. Then the power consumption of the at least one IP block is determined using the energy per cycle of each cycle of the operation pipeline.

The present invention relates generally to an Integrated Circuit (IC) design, and in particular, to a method and system for estimating the power consumption of the IC.
In recent years, power has become a key design metric for System-on-Chip (SOC) designs implemented in deep sub-micron (DSM) technologies. There are several known methods for estimating the power consumption of SOCs. Accurate power estimation is essential for minimizing the power consumption of a circuit. Power estimation is also needed for various functions, such as in the process of designing a robust power grid. Moreover, accurate power estimation of parameterized reusable circuits (also known as cores or intellectual property (IP) cores) is required at the early stages of the analyses, to analyze power versus performance trade offs among the different components.
Commonly used power estimation methodologies include both analytical and simulation methods. In the analytical method, the power consumption of the circuit is estimated from switching at different circuit nodes and the capacitances associated with those nodes. However, for this method, detailed knowledge of the internal implementation of the circuit is required in order to obtain capacitances of circuit nodes. Moreover, the method has practical application only to circuits with a very regular structure, such as memory arrays. In the simulation method, a power model of the circuit is constructed from circuit simulations, the functions of which include switching activity, circuit state and the input vectors applied to the circuit. However, with an increase in the number of inputs and the complexity of today's circuits, the complexity of the process of creating such power macro models has increased exponentially. Although clustering can be used to reduce the complexity of power macro models, clustering is practical only for small circuit structures. Further, these techniques require substantial computation and storage resources.
An exceptionally high level of integration is possible in SOCs these days. However, due to the large size of the circuit and the computational complexity of the power estimation process, power estimation of real-world applications and workloads is not feasible at the gate-level or lower levels of abstraction. Previous work on instruction-based system-level power evaluation of SOC peripheral cores is based on power characterization of instructions or operations executed by the block. However, these prior art methods are applicable only to estimate average power of the blocks and cannot be used for cycle accurate power consumption of a block. Further, these methods do not provide a clear methodology for modeling power consumption of multiple overlapping operations, which is very common on complex blocks. It would be advantageous to be able to accurately estimate the power consumption of a circuit design without the need for excessive computational power and memory.

Method and system for estimating power consumption of integrated circuit design


A frame provided with a plurality of inwardly extending arcuate members for having conductors coiled therearound and for storing the conductors in a generally circular shape. The frame may be mounted intermediate a faceplate and a conductor box, and upon such intermediate mounting the frame may include passageways for receiving screws which mount the faceplate and the frame to the box.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for coiling and storing electrical distribution and communication conductors, such as copper conductors, optical fibers and cables of each, in a generally circular shape, and more particularly relates to a frame for being mounted intermediate a faceplate and a conductor box and which frame is for coiling and storing such conductors in a generally circular shape to reduce the tendency of such stored conductors to be bent and broken.
Faceplates and conductor boxes are well known to the electrical distribution and communication conductor arts. Typically the faceplate is mounted to the conductor box and the conductor box is typically mounted suitably to a support surface such as a dry wall, and connectors or adapters are typically provided on or mounted to the faceplate for interconnecting incoming conductors to outgoing conductors connected to the connectors or adapters provided on the faceplate. The outgoing conductors typically enter the conductor box through openings provided in the box, typically the box bottom or rear, and excess portions of the outgoing conductors are stored in the conductor box to provide slack and fresh outgoing conductor lengths for reconnection to the connectors or adapters provided in the faceplate. Typically, the excess portions of the outgoing conductors are stored in the conductor box and are typically stuffed, jammed or wadded into the box in a random, haphazard, and most usually non-circular shape. Such non-circular storage as is well known to the art, can result in the stored conductors being bent and broken which interrupts the conductivity of the conductors rendering them useless and necessitating their replacement. Copper electrical distribution and communication conductors can tolerate some non-circular storage and can accept some bending before breaking. However, as is well known, optical fibers can tolerate less bending than copper conductors before breaking or loss of performance occurs.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for new and improved apparatus or coiling and storing such conductors in a circular shape or fashion and particularly there exists a need in the art for apparatus which may be mounted intermediate a faceplate and a conductor box and which apparatus coils and stores such conductors in a circular shape.

Apparatus for coiling and storing conductors in a circular shape


A method of fabricating shallow trench isolation. A liner silicon nitride layer and a liner silicon oxide layer are used as a hard mask to etch a semiconductor substrate, forming a shallow trench. Then, after forming a thermal oxide film on the inner wall of the shallow trench, a silicon rich oxide is formed using HDPCVD with no bias application. A silicon oxide layer is then formed to fill the shallow trench using HDPCVD with bias application.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to integrated circuit fabrication technology and, in particular, to a method of fabricating STI (shallow trench isolation) that can prevent corner erosion of the STI, thus improving the performance of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Formed by filling insulating materials, such as silicon oxide (SiO2), into the trench in the semiconductor substrate using HDPCVD (high-density plasma-chemical vapor deposition), the STI (shallow trench isolation) has gradually taken the place of conventional LOCOS (Local-Oxidation of Silicon).
Since HDPCVD has the advantage of good gap-filling capability, insulating materials filling the trench can be planarized. However, due to the effect of plasma during the trench-filling process, accompanying processes such as bombardment etching, sputtering, and deposition may damage the exposed semiconductor substrate. To solve this problem, a shallow trench isolation manufacturing method has been proposed. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,974 for xe2x80x9cMethod of fabricating shallow trench isolation (STI)xe2x80x9d discloses a method of fabricating STI, in which a first HDPCVD is performed to form a conformal oxide layer on the liner oxide layer without applying bias to the substrate. Then, a second HDPCVD is performed on the conformal oxide layer to form an oxide layer that fills the trench and covers the conformal oxide layer. After the second HDPCVD step, CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) is performed to planarize the oxide layer.
However, to remove silicon oxide formed by natural oxidation from the hard mask, before peeling the hard mask including silicon nitride, HF etchant performs deglazing. Section views FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 are referenced hereinbelow to explain the fabrication process of the shallow trench isolation in the related art.
As shown in FIG. 1, a hard mask HM constituting a liner silicon nitride layer 14 and a liner silicon oxide layer 12 is used to etch a semiconductor substrate 10 to form a trench 16. 18 is a thermal oxide film formed by thermal oxidation, 20 is a liner nitride film, and 22 is the silicon oxide layer formed by HDPCVD (no bias application) with the flow ratio of O2 to SiH4 being about 2xcx9c4:1. 24 is the trench-filling silicon oxide layer formed by HDPCVD (with bias application) with the flow ratio of O2 to SiH4 being about 2xcx9c4:1. The upper surface of the silicon oxide layer 22 is lower than the trench-filling silicon oxide layer 24. This is because during deglazing, the etching rate of the silicon oxide layer 22 (for example, about 690 angstroms per minute) is higher than that of the trench-filling silicon oxide layer 24 (for example, about 300 angstroms per minute). A recess 25 is formed between the liner nitride film 20 and the trench-filling silicon oxide layer 24, and is stopped at the corner of the liner nitride film 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, etchants such as phosphoric acid are used to remove the liner silicon nitride layer 14 from the hard mask HM. The liner nitride film 20 is etched to form a small channel 26, and leaves a portion 20a.
As shown in FIG. 3, etchants such as HF acid are used to remove the liner silicon oxide layer 12 of the hard mask HM. At this time, enchants etch the thermal oxide film 18 via the small channel 26. Thus, a recess 28 is formed at the corner of the shallow trench isolation, and the oxide denoted by reference number 18a is left. This affects the performance of the MOS transistors subsequently formed.
In view of the above, an objective of the invention is to provide a method of fabricating a shallow trench isolation, which can avoid the formation of recesses at the corner of the shallow trench, thus enhancing the performance of the subsequently formed MOS.
To achieve this objective, the method of fabricating a shallow trench isolation according to the invention includes the following steps.
A semiconductor substrate is provided, a liner silicon oxide layer is formed thereon, and a liner silicon nitride layer is formed on the liner silicon oxide layer. Then, the liner silicon nitride layer and the liner silicon oxide layer are used as a hard mask to etch a semiconductor substrate to form a shallow trench.
Then, after a thermal oxide film is formed on the inner wall of the shallow trench, a silicon rich oxide layer covering the surface of the thermal oxide film is formed by HDPCVD (high density plasma-chemical vapor deposition) with no bias application. The thickness of the silicon rich oxide may be about 50xcx9c150 angstrom. SiH4 and O2 may be used as reaction gases, and the ratio of the flow rate of O2 to SiH4 may be about 1:1 to 1:2.
A silicon oxide layer filling the shallow trench is then formed by HDPCVD with bias application. SiH4 and O2 may be used as reaction gases, and the ratio of the flow rate of O2 and SiH4 may be about 1:1 to 1:2.
The layers above the hard mask are then removed for planarization by CMP with the liner silicon nitride layer as a stop layer. Then, deglazing is performed to remove a portion of the silicon oxide layer, a portion of the silicon rich oxide, and a portion of the thermal oxide film.
After removing the liner silicon nitride layer to expose the liner silicon oxide layer, the liner silicon oxide layer, a portion of the silicon rich oxide, a portion of the thermal oxide layer, and a portion of the silicon oxide layer are removed to expose the semiconductor substrate. Then, a sacrifice oxide film is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate to avoid the corner erosion of the shallow trench isolation. The sacrifice oxide film may be formed by thermal oxidation, and may have a thickness about 50xcx9c100 angstrom. A portion of the sacrifice oxide film is then removed using HF as the etchant, and a portion of the silicon rich oxide is reserved to avoid the corner erosion of the shallow trench isolation.


A hookless bait holder apparatus includes a flexible substrate which has a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side. A loop is connected to the flexible substrate adjacent to the first end of the flexible substrate. A quantity of first hook-or-loop material is connected to the first side of the flexible substrate adjacent to the first end of the flexible substrate, and a quantity of second hook-or-loop material is connected to the second side of the flexible substrate adjacent to the second end of the flexible substrate. The second hook-or-loop material is complementary to the first hook-or-loop material. The first hook-or-loop material is in a form of a first patch of first hook-or-loop material attached to the flexible substrate. The second hook-or-loop material is in a form of a second patch of second hook-or-loop material attached to the flexible substrate. The loop is formed from a portion of the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate may be made from a stretchable material. A specimen of live bait is encompassed by the flexible substrate and is secured to the flexible substrate by connecting the first hook-or-loop material to the second hook-or-loop material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for holding bait for fishing and, more particularly, to devices especially adapted for positioning bait near a fishing hook.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishermen have an option between using non-living bait and live bait when fishing. Live bait may have certain advantages, but there are also certain disadvantages associated with the use of live bait. For example, most often, when live bait, such as worms, minnows, and grasshoppers, is employed, the live bait is skewered by a fishing hook. Pushing a fishing hook through a live creature may impact great trauma on the creature and may in fact kill the bait so that it is no longer alive. Even if the live bait is not killed by a fishing hook, it can be sufficiently injured so that it is not active on the hook and may not readily attract a fish. Moreover, in the process of placing live bait on a hook, it is a common result that the bait shifts or wiggles, and the fishing hook accidentally cuts into the fisherman's skin causing pain, injury, and the risk of infection. Moreover, there are some fishermen who are squeamish about pushing a fishing hook through a living creature. For the numerous reasons set forth above, it would be desirable if a device were provided that retains live bait near a fishing hook without requiring the fishing hook to penetrate into the live bait.
In the prior, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,575 discloses a bait positioning and attachment device which positions live bait near a fishing hook without requiring the fishing hook to penetrate the live bait. However, with the device in this patent, a flexible strip must penetrate the live bait in order to secure the live bait near the hook. As stated above, penetration into live bait may kill or disable the live bait. Therefore, it would be desirable if a device were provided which permitted live bait to be positioned near a fishing hook without requiring that the live bait be penetrated by any device.
The following patents may be of interest for their disclosure of devices for securing bait to a fishing hook by penetrating the bait with the fishing hook: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,216,829; 5,301,452; and 5,339,559. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,989 may be of interest for its disclosure of a fish handling net.
Still other features would be desirable in a live bait holding and positioning device. Different types of live bait come in different sizes and different shapes. In this respect, it would be desirable if a live bait holding and positioning device were provided which is adjustable to live bait of different sizes and different shapes.
The environment in which a live bait holding and positioning device is employed is generally a wet environment. In this respect, it would be desirable for a live bait holding and positioning device to be easily operated in a wet environment. When a live bait holding and positioning device is placed near a fishing hook, it is important that it not get in the way of the hook; that is, when a fish strikes at the live bait, the fishing hook should be in a direct line of the strike so that the fish is hooked when attempting to get at the live bait.
To avoid complexity of manufacturing and use, it would be desirable if a live bait holding and positioning device were made of one-piece construction. Since the live bait holding and positioning device is exposed to aqueous environments, it would be desirable for the live bait holding and positioning device to be made from materials that are not corroded in an aqueous environment.
The live bait holding and positioning device is an adjunct to a conventional fishing hook and fishing line. As such, the live bait holding and positioning device should be readily attachable to a conventional fishing line for positioning adjacent to a conventional fishing hook.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use a live bait holding and positioning device, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a live bait holding and positioning device which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) retains live bait near a fishing hook without requiring the fishing hook to penetrate into the live bait; (2) permits live bait to be positioned near a fishing hook without requiring the live bait to be penetrated by any device; (3) is adjustable to live bait of different sizes and different shapes; (4) is easily operated in a wet environment; (5) is located in a direct line of strike with a fishing hook when a fish strikes so that the fish is hooked when attempting to get at the live bait; (6) is made of one-piece construction; (7) is made from materials that are not corroded in an aqueous environment; and (8) is readily attachable to a conventional fishing line for positioning adjacent to a conventional fishing hook. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique hookless bait holder apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.


A magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus whereby the movements of various parts of a deck are fast and a very stabilized operation is attained. The apparatus includes a deck having a rotating head drum, a capstan motor and a pinch roller disposed adjacent to the head drum, and two reel driving tables onto which a tape reel of a tape cassette is seated. A motor is installed in the deck for generating power. A cassette loading device is provided for loading/unloading the tape cassette onto/from the reel driving tables. A master gear member rotated by the motor, a main slide member having a rack gear connected to the master gear member, a tape loading device interlocked with the main slide member for loading a tape of the tape cassette toward the head drum, a pinch roller driving device interlocked with the main slide member and pressed/separated against/from a shaft of the capstan motor for driving the pinch roller so that the tape is pressingly transferred are provided. A reel driving device is interlocked with the main slide member for selectively driving the two reel driving tables. A brake device is interlocked with the main slide member for selectively braking the two reel driving tables, and a mode identifying device is interlocked with the cassette loading device for determining the recording feasibility of the tape.

The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus and, more particularly, to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus for performing a recording/reproducing operation of information by loading a tape cassette onto a reel driving table, winding the tape around a rotary drum at a predetermined winding angle and traveling or moving the tape with a capstan and a pinch roller. In particular, the present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus comprising a master gear rotated more than one revolution, a slide member interlocking with the master gear, and a switch provided around the slide member, so that the operation mode of the apparatus is selected according to the movement of the slide member.
Deck mechanisms for performing a recording/reproducing operation for a magnetic tape with a rotary head drum are employed in video cassette tape recorders (VCRs), camcorders, and digital audio tape (DAT) recorders. Deck mechanisms installed in such devices are equipped with a cassette loading device for carrying a cassette to a predetermined position of the deck, two reel driving tables on which two tape reels of the carried cassette are seated, for selectively driving one of the two tape reels, a brake for selectively braking the two reel driving tables, a tape loading device for loading a tape onto a head drum, a tension pole device for maintaining tension of the tape by applying pressure to the loaded tape, pinch roller driving means for pressing the tape between a capstan and a pinch roller, and at least one guiding means for guiding the traveling tape.
Such a deck mechanism executes various functions such as basic recording/playback and fast forward winding/rewinding, or functions such as reproduction, fast search or reverse reproduction of a still picture or slow-mode picture, according to a conventional control program.
In order to simplify the structure of the deck mechanism and stabilize the operation thereof, it is necessary to improve the driving relationship of various parts of the deck.
Typically, the cassette loading device and the deck are driven by separate motors, and move independently of the various parts of the deck. Thus, the system is very complicated and the productivity thereof is low at a high cost.
To overcome such problems, Korean Patent Publication No. 93-8495 discloses a cassette loading device and deck which are driven with a single motor. Also, a cam gear having a plurality of spiral cam grooves for transmitting power to various parts of the deck is used therein. However, in this device, since interlocking pins of the various parts are inserted into and moved along the plurality of cam grooves formed in the cam gear, mode conversion is not fast. Moreover, the interlocking pins are easily detached from the cam grooves, which frequently causes malfunction. Also, intermediate components for connecting various parts of the deck with the cam gear must be added, which impedes the attainment of a simplified device and reduced costs.

Recording/reproducing apparatus with single motor for operating tape loading mechanism, pinch roller driving mechanism, reel driving mechanism, brake mechanism, and mode identifying mechanism


A portable, hand-held fluid tester for testing and analyzing process fluids is provided with a volume controlled fluid reservoir. The test fluid reservoir is connected by a spillway to an overflow reservoir to provide more consistent and accurate fluid volumes for measurement. Improved mounting of electrodes in the test reservoir and connection to a testing printed circuit substrate provides for ease of assembly. A special temperature probe arrangement is also provided in a preferred embodiment.

The present invention generally relates to portable, hand-held fluid testers for measuring the properties of a test fluid in the field. More particularly, it relates to a new and improved portable, hand-held fluid tester having improved sealing and assembly, electrical connection and fluid volume control features.
Hand-held fluid testers are currently available for measuring electrical conductivity of a process fluid such as boiler fluids or coolant fluids. These fluid testers include a fluid reservoir which contains electrodes to measure the electrical conductivity of the fluid in the reservoir. The electrodes are connected to a circuit board via jumper wires. Some models also include a thermistor to provide temperature compensation for more accurate measurement. If employed, the thermistor is typically mounted in a hole adjacent the fluid reservoir with a thin wall separation which sometimes breaks into the reservoir. These thermistors are usually connected to the printed circuit board via jumper wires. In some models, the thermistor is potted into place with a potting compound to both assemble the thermistor to the fluid reservoir and to insure sealing of any thin wall imperfections. With these conventional hand-held fluid testers, testing is performed by filling the fluid reservoir to a marked volume. This is typically done by line of sight and therefore the volume of test fluid introduced to the fluid reservoir may not be the same for all tests and may vary depending on the person doing the testing.
These conventional hand-held fluid testers have a number of important shortcomings. For example, the assembly of the electrodes and the thermistor to the reservoir wall is cumbersome and frequently requires the use of additional potting compounds or adhesives which are difficult to handle. The electrical connections between these devices and a testing circuit on a printed circuit board are typically provided via jumper wire leads which also must be individually handled and connected which increases labor associated with the assembly. Moreover, these devices do not provide any inherent test fluid volume controls so that wide variations in test results of and a lack of any meaningful calibration leads to unreliable results.

Hand-held fluid tester for process fluids


An electronic circuit includes: a circuit generating first and second balanced differential input signals; a first envelope detection circuit including a first output terminal and first and second input terminals receiving the first and second input signals, respectively, via first and second impedance elements, respectively, and outputs from the first output terminal a first output signal that is the sum of the squares of the first and second input signals; a second envelope detection circuit including a second output terminal and third and fourth input terminals receiving the first and second input signals, respectively, via third and fourth impedance elements, respectively, and outputs from the second output terminal a second output signal that is twice the value obtained by squaring the average of the first and second input signals; and a differential circuit generating a differential signal from the first and second output signals.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic circuit and an electronic device including an electronic circuit, more particularly, an electronic device that receives a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signal.
2. Related Art
Circuits that detect an envelope of a received signal to demodulate a baseband signal have been used since a long time ago, and various kinds of the circuits have been devised. An envelope is a curve connecting peak value of a signal and can be obtained by smoothing the absolute value of the AC component. Instead of the envelope detection, there has also been a method of squaring and smoothing a signal since a long time ago, which is called "square-law detection" or the like. For example, JP-A-4-170807 describes a square-law detector circuit that obtains the square value of a signal and an amplitude detection method using the square-law detector circuit.
In a UWB communication through UWB signals, especially through IR (Impulse Radio) not using a carrier wave (hereinafter referred to as "UWB-IR" communication), there is a receiver using the envelope detection. For example, JP-A-2004-320083 or JP-A-2005-252740 describes the effectiveness of the envelope detection. In JP-A-2004-320083 or JP-A-2005-252740, a rectifier circuit and an integrator circuit are used for smoothing the absolute value of the AC component of a signal to determine the envelope. Hereinafter, an operation detecting the envelope of a modulated carrier wave (high-frequency signal that changes in amplitude with the lapse of time) is referred to as "envelope detection". An example of using the square-law detection in a UWB-IR receiver cannot be found.
"A CMOS IMPULSE RADIO ULTRA-WIDEBAND TRANCEIVER FOR 1 Mb/s DATA COMMUNICATION AND ±2.5 cm RANGE FINDINGS" T. Terada et. al, 2005 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Digest of Technical Papers, PP. 30-33, discloses a technique for reducing the power consumption of a device by cutting off a power supply in a transmitting and receiving circuit when there is no signal because a UWB-IR signal is intermittent.
However, when attempting to reduce the power consumption of equipment by utilizing the intermittency of the signal in a UWB-IR receiver, there arises a considerable difficulty. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram for explaining a problem in the related-art. FIG. 8 is a timing diagram for explaining the problem in the related-art.
As shown in FIG. 7, a related-art electronic circuit 7 includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) 100 that can perform switching operation and an envelope detection circuit 200.
The LNA 100 includes a cascode amplifier circuit composed of an inductor 107, a resistance 105, and NMOS transistors 103 and 101 connected in series between a power supply voltage line vdd and a ground potential line, and an inductor 108, a resistance 106, and NMOS transistors 104 and 102 connected in series between the power supply voltage line vdd and the ground potential line. The LNA 100 further includes a capacitor 109 and an inductor 110 connected in series between an input terminal In1 and the gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 101, a capacitor 112 and an inductor 113 connected in series between an input terminal In2 and the gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 102, a resistance 111 connected between a bias voltage terminal bs1 and the connecting line of the capacitor 109 and the inductor 110, and a resistance 114 connected between the bias voltage terminal bs1 and the connecting line of the capacitor 112 and the inductor 113. The gate terminals of the NMOS transistors 103 and 104 are connected to an input terminal bs0.
The LNA 100 amplifies balanced differential signals a1 and a2 input to the input terminals In1 and In2 and outputs differential signals c1 and c2 respectively from an output line 115 connected to the connecting line of the inductor 108 and the resistance 106 and from an output line 116 connected to the connecting line of the inductor 107 and the resistance 105.
The LNA 100 can control current flowing into the LNA 100 by controlling a voltage Vb applied to the input terminal bs0. That is, when the voltage Vb is set to a voltage value (L level) lower than the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistors 103 and 104, the NMOS transistors 103 and 104 are cut off. Therefore, the current flowing into the LNA 100 is zero. On the other hand, when the voltage Vb is set to a bias voltage value (H level) that is higher than the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistors 103 and 104 and at which the NMOS transistors 103 and 104 start to operate as a cascode stage, the LNA 100 starts to operate as a cascode amplifier circuit. The resistances 105 and 106 are used for stabilizing the LNA 100. Current signals amplified by the cascode stage are converted to voltages by the inductors 107 and 108 and output as differential outputs from the output lines 115 and 116 as the differential signals c1 and c2.
The envelope detection circuit 200 includes a cascode amplifier circuit composed of PMOS transistors 211 and 213 connected in series between the power supply voltage line vdd and the ground potential via a NMOS transistor 216 and PMOS transistors 212 and 214 connected in series between the power supply voltage line vdd and the ground potential via the NMOS transistor 216.
The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 216 is connected to a bias voltage terminal bs2 and outputs a square sum signal e=c12+c22 of the differential signals c1 and c2 output from the output lines 115 and 116 of the LNA 100 from the output line 215 connected to the drain terminal of the NMOS transistor 216 and the drain terminals of the PMOS transistors 213 and 214 and an output terminal Out. The gate terminals of the PMOS transistors 213 and 214 are connected to a bias voltage terminal bs3. The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 211 is connected to the output line 115 via a capacitor 121. The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 212 is connected to the output line 116 via a capacitor 122. The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 211 is connected to a bias voltage terminal bs4 via a resistance 217. The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 212 is connected to the bias voltage terminal bs4 via a resistance 218.
When the PMOS transistors 213 and 214 are biased by a voltage applied to the bias voltage terminal bs3 and are operating in the saturated region, drain currents Id1 and Id2 respectively flowing into the PMOS transistors 211 and 212 are as follows:Id1=(½)β(Vbs4+v1−Vt)2  (1)Id2=(½)β(Vbs4+v2−Vt)2  (2)where v1 and v2 are the AC components of voltages of the differential signals c1 and c2, respectively; Vbs4 is the bias voltage applied by the bias voltage terminal bs4; Vt is the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistors 211 and 212; W is the channel width; L is the channel length; μ is the carrier mobility; C is the gate capacitance per unit area; and β=μC (W/L) is the proportional constant. The total current of Id1 and Id2 flows into a current source load as the transistor 216 and can be converted to a large voltage signal to be extracted.
When v1=v0 and v2=−v0 on the assumption that the differential signals c1 and c2 are ideal balanced signals having no in-phase component, the following equation is given.I0=Id1+Id2=β{v02+(Vbs4−Vt)2}  (3)
The PMOS transistors 213 and 214 decrease the change of drain voltage of the PMOS transistors 211 and 212 and prevent the decrease of drain current (drain current looks like decreasing in terms of equivalence) of the PMOS transistors 211 and 212 by a phenomenon called channel length modulation, thereby acting to enhance the accuracy of Equation (3).
Since (Vbs4−Vt)2 on the right side of Equation (3) is the DC component, when only the amount of change is extracted, the square value of the input signal v0 input to the envelope detection circuit 200 can be extracted. The DC component of (Vbs4−Vt)2 can be easily removed by the capacitors 121 and 122. Only the DC component that can be easily removed is left as an error term even if any bias voltage Vbs4 is selected. Therefore, the PMOS transistors 211 and 212 can be set in a region where they can stably operate.
However, when attempting to cause the LNA 100 to perform the switching operation with the voltage Vb applied to the input terminal bs0, the differential signals c1 and c2 output by the LNA 100 do not become ideal balanced signals, and a large in-phase component is mixed thereto as noise. Therefore, noise cannot be removed.
With reference to FIG. 8, the case where the LNA 100 performs switching operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, differential signals a1 and a2 indicating data "1" (with pulses) are first input during time points t0 to t1. When the voltage Vb to be applied to the input terminal bs0 is changed from the L level to the H level at the time point to, a noise n0 occurs in the differential signals c1 and c2 output by the LNA 100. The noise n0 also occurs in the square sum signal e. Next, when the voltage Vb is changed from the H level to the L level for bringing the LNA 100 into a resting state during the time point t1 to a time point t2, a noise n1 occurs in the differential signals c1 and c2. The noise n1 also occurs in the square sum signal e. Next, the differential signals a1 and a2 indicating data "0" (no pulse) is input during the time point t2 to a time point t3. When the voltage Vb to be applied to the input terminal bs0 is changed from the H level to the L level at the time point t2, a noise n2 occurs in the differential signals c1 and c2 output by the LNA 100. The noise n2 also occurs in the square sum signal e.
In this manner, every time the LNA 100 performs the switching operation with the voltage Vb, the noise occurs. Therefore, the data of the differential signals a1 and a2 cannot be read correctly. That is, there is a problem that the switching operation of the LNA 100 for reducing the power consumption of the electronic circuit 7 leads to deterioration of sensitivity for signal reading.

Electronic circuit and electronic device


A method and Resource Allocation Manager Entity for obtaining an improved resource allocation plan for the network. Traffic requests currently exist in a network, each of which having a source, a destination and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) requirement being represented by a QoS value. For each traffic request, at least one potential path consisting of a plurality of links is computed. An iteration matrix is generated having the potential path on first axis, the links on second axis and the QoS requirement on third axis. The iteration matrix is filled by, for each of potential path, distributing the QoS value of the QoS requirement over the links for enabling a gradient space calculation method on the iteration matrix. The gradient space calculation method is applied to the iteration matrix until an iteration marker thereof indicates that the iteration matrix contains the improved resource allocation plan.

Traffic engineering mainly refers to attempts made at improving traditional best effort routing to get better performance from the network while optimizing its resource allocation. Traffic engineering may also take into account Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.
On a different front, work has been initiated to develop the necessary framework for what is sometimes referred to as Next Generation Networks (NGN). NGN provides separation of transport functions, services and applications as well as support for several access technologies with different types of services. NGN is also designed to support end to end QoS constraints. NGN aims at using packet switched technology (whereas circuit switching is still commonly used at that level).
What NGN imposes in terms of traffic engineering is to accommodate much more diverse needs and characteristics. The existing multi-constraints routing mechanism, likewise, are not able to support the expected requirements while keeping a manageable level of complexity. Furthermore, the current traffic engineering solutions are focused on admission control and initial reservation setup, which leads to long term sub-optimization of network utilization.
The present invention targets the needs for a flexible yet manageable resource allocation mechanism that takes into account longer term network resource allocation.


A system and method for determining, planning, and/or administering a therapy of a selected material from a catheter to a selected specific region of an anatomy is disclosed. The catheter can be used to deliver a drug to the patient to achieve a volume of efficacy (VOE) within a selected target, region, or volume. The drug delivered can be used for treating at least a symptom in the patient.

In various therapy applications, a selected therapy can be applied to a patient to achieve a selected result or therapeutic effect. The therapeutic effect can include orally administering a pharmaceutical, such as a pain inhibitor, to reduce pain felt by a patient. Other pharmacological treatments can include delivery intravenously of selected drugs, such as chemotherapy drugs and other selected pharmacological agents. Generally, a pharmaceutical can be delivered orally or intravenously to the anatomy of the patient but are not delivered directly to the area of interest within the patient.
Various procedures, however, may be selected for efficiency or specific regions of activation. For example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) probes can be introduced into a patient to stimulate selected and specific regions of a brain. In patients diagnosed with Parkinson's, DBS probes can be implanted into the brain to stimulate a selected region of the brain to reduce Parkinson's symptoms. A region of activation can be determined based on electrical properties introduced through the DBS probe. The electrical properties, however, are dependent upon the input of electrical parameters, such as pulse width and voltage, into the tissue of the brain. Such therapies do not deliver a material from the probe, but rather only stimulate the neurological tissue with an electrical signal.
In some instances, intrathecal delivery catheters are known to deliver a drug, such as the muscle relaxant and antispastic sold as LIORESAL®, with a drug pump. Drug pumps include the SYNCHROMED® II pump sold by Medtronic, Inc. The drug can be delivered by a catheter to a patient.


A companion multi-tool that includes an elongated body, a blade sharpening cavity, a sharpening element, a tinder material, a flint material, a noise generating material and a clip. The elongated body has a first end and a second end. The blade sharpening cavity is formed in the elongated body proximate the first end thereof. The sharpening element is attached to the elongated body in the blade sharpening cavity. The tinder material is attached to the elongated body. The flint material is attached to the elongated body. The noise generating device is formed in the elongated body proximate the second end thereof. The clip is attached to the elongated body intermediate the first and second ends.

When performing various recreational activities such as hiking and camping, it is often necessary to perform certain tasks that require tools such as cutting objects, starting a fire and identifying a direction of travel. However, when hiking and camping, it is often necessary to the person to carry such tools with him or her. As such, it is desired for the tools carried while hiking and camping to have as many functions as possible while being as light and easy to transport as possible.


A backed panel comprising a facing panel and a backing panel. The backing panel has a groove, recessed portion, or any other suitable type of relief channel adapted to receive a side edge portion of a facing panel of an adjacent backed panel. By providing a space to receive a side edge portion of an adjacent facing panel, the relief channel may enable an improved lap joint to be established between adjacent backed panels.

The present invention relates generally to panels and, more particularly, to a backed panel and a backed panel assembly. Examples of panels that may benefit from the present invention include siding panels, wall panels, and other similar, suitable, or conventional types of panels or components. U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,500 is hereby incorporated by reference as just one example of a panel that may benefit from the present invention. Although the present invention may be described herein primarily with regard to siding panels and wall panels, it is not intended to limit the present invention to any particular type of panel or component, unless expressly claimed otherwise.
In order to enhance the thermal insulation of building structures, one or more layers or panels of insulating material may be provided between a facing panel and a building structure. Known insulated siding systems exist in many different forms. A common problem with known insulated siding systems is the joint between the sides of adjacent siding units. Simply abutting siding units that are situated side-by-side may leave an unsightly gap that may be infiltrated by wind, rain, and insects. On the other hand, overlapping the siding panels of adjacent backed siding units may result in an uneven or raised seam as a result of the presence of the backing panels. A raised or uneven seam may also detract from the appearance of the siding and create a passage for the undesired transfer of air, moisture, and insects. In addition, a raised or uneven seam may increase the risk of oil canning of the siding panels as well as delamination of the siding units. Furthermore, overlapping the siding panels may cause breakage or other damage to the underlying backing panel, which compromises the functionality of the backing panel. Thus, to achieve the desired level of integration between adjoined backed paneling units, an improved system and method of forming a lapped joint between backed panels without interference of the backing panels is needed.
The present invention provides a backed panel and a system for connecting backed panels. An exemplary embodiment of the backed panel comprises a facing panel and a backing panel, wherein the backing panel has a groove, recessed portion, or any other suitable type of relief channel. An exemplary embodiment of the relief channel may be adapted to receive a side edge portion of a facing panel of an adjacent backed panel. By providing a space to receive a side edge portion of an adjacent facing panel, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may enable an improved lap joint to be established between adjacent backed panels.
In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments.

Backed panel and system for connecting backed panels


A sensor unit for a bearing includes a main body, a sensor holder and a mounting bracket. The sensor holder has a measurement surface in a first plane on which at least one sensor is provided for measuring an operating parameter of the bearing. Each mounting bracket has an attachment portion having an attachment surface. The sensor unit is configured to contact the bearing ring that forms part of an assembly in which the bearing is mounted. The sensor holder has one or more extendable legs that are extendable in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the first plane, such that the measurement surface is adjustable in longitudinal direction relative to the main body. The mounting brackets are linearly movable and pivotable relative to the main body. The sensor unit has a first attachment position and a second attachment position.

The main shaft bearings of a wind turbine are critical components, which are expensive to replace if early failure occurs. Consequently, condition monitoring is often applied, whereby operating parameters of the bearing, such as temperature and vibration, are measured in order to send a maintenance alert if the measured values exceed predefined thresholds.
An example of a bearing assembly comprising a sensor unit embedded in a bearing ring of the assembly is disclosed in US 2016/0047715. A recess is machined into the bearing ring, which recess is sufficiently large to accommodate a housing of the sensor unit which, in addition to multiple sensors, includes electronics for processing and transmitting signals received from the sensors.
In some applications, however, it may not be possible or advisable to machine a recess of the requisite depth into the bearing ring. Consequently, there is room for improvement in terms of providing a sensor unit that is suitable for different types of bearings and bearing arrangements which support the main shaft of a wind turbine.


A device for refreshing fabrics by reducing malodors and/or wrinkles without requiring that the fabrics to be put through an entire standard laundry process. The device comprises an extractable drawer which is pulled out of the device to allow for loading of a fabric into a receiving region. The extractable drawer can then be closed transporting the fabric into the interior of the device. A fabric treatment composition is sprayed or otherwise dispensed onto the fabrics when the device is operated. The device comprises an air flow path and a heating element which allows for the fabrics to be treated during use. The extractable drawer of the present invention can be positioned to extract laterally or vertically out of the shell of the device.

Fabric treatment devices which are used to remove odors and wrinkles from clothing are known. These devices can generally be split into two categories, steam generating devices and fluid dispensing devices which wet the fabrics with water, chemical compositions, or combinations thereof. Devices of both categories typically wet the fabric with steam or the fluid, then subject the wetted fabric with heat and circulating air to allow the fabric to be dried, thereby decreasing any odors and wrinkles. Despite the many attempts to provide convenient stand alone devices for deodorizing and dewrinkling clothing, there remains a need to make devices which are time efficient, consume less space, and are easy to use.
The use of steam to deodorize and dewrinkle clothing is well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,961 discloses a clothing treating machine comprising a steam generator located in the lower region of the fabrics housing; a fan and heating means are also provided to deliver hot air and/or ambient air into the interior of the device. Furthermore, weighted clamps and inflatable hangers can be used to assist in the removal of wrinkles. Devices of this type, however, have been found to have many drawbacks. The device typically heats a volume of water to boiling point, thereby generating steam. Heating the water to boiling point requires a considerable amount of energy and heat. Further, the heating device used by the apparatus requires a certain amount of time to reach the temperature required to heat the water to boiling temperature. Typically, the device does not activate the heating element until the user inserts clothing and turns the device on. This process typically takes an unacceptable amount of time. If the device were to continually heat a volume of water at or near boiling point, the amount of time needed to generate and circulate the steam within the device could be reduced. This option, however, is costly in terms of energy consumption. Additional techniques of using steam to deliver a fabric care composition onto the fabrics have also been attempted. Many fabric care compositions, however, are not suitable for being delivered onto fabrics via steam for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to difficulty in being vaporized into the steam, long evaporation times, and low rate of deposition onto the fabrics.
Another type of fabric treating device which distributes fluids, such as water and/or chemical compositions, onto the fabrics by misting within the device or distributing the fluid directly onto the fabrics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,346 to Chen et al. distributes a chemical composition onto the fabrics in an allegedly "controlled manner" by generating a mist from a reservoir containing said chemical composition and circulating it within the device such that the fabric becomes purportedly "uniformly distributed". The chemical composition is dispensed within the cabinet interior region by combining it with the air stream under pressure provided by the compressor and passing it through the atomization nozzle. One known problem with this approach is that the mist may undesirably collect unevenly at certain portions of the fabrics depending on the flow of air within the device. Another problem is that the device may take an undesirably long amount of time to sufficiently wet the fabrics as the mist circulating within the device is difficult to control and direct onto the fabrics within the device.
Yet another type of fabric treating device involves the use of ultrasonic nebulizers to distribute the fluids onto the fabrics are known. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,186 to Gaaloul et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,137 Jonsson et al. One problem with the use of ultrasonic nebulizers is that the ultrasonic nebulizers can become contaminated from contact with the treatment composition, thereby causing buildup on the spraying or misting portion of the ultrasonic nebulizer. Solutions to this problem include protective liquid or gel medium and a covering membrane but membranes are prone to be soft and easy to break making the approach using ultrasonic nebulizers has been found to offer limited usefulness. Another drawback to ultrasonic nebulizers is that the ultrasonic nebulizers are typically designed for low flow rates, such as low as 2 grams of fluid I minute per nebulizer head. Increasing the flow rates has been found to be problematic as increased flow through the nebulizer could result in insufficient fluid distribution. Further, the known techniques of distributing fluid via ultrasonic nebulizer have provided limited control. Also, these devices frequently have droplet coalescence which can impede the distribution when the ultrasonic nebulizer is positioned at the top of the device dispensing down onto the fabrics, and/or at the bottom of the device to dispense and/or mist upwards onto the fabrics. Another problem with top down and bottom up techniques is that they tend not to uniformly wet the fabrics, instead focusing mainly on the top or bottoms of the fabrics. Additional complex air circulation techniques are typically necessary to address these problems. The placement of sprayer heads in a perpendicular orientation to the plane of the fabrics has also been attempted. One problem with this approach is that the fabrics should be a certain distance away from the sprayer heads such that the fluid can be properly dispersed and not excessively concentrated on one spot as the spray occurs. Excessively wide devices raise a new set of problems as space efficiency is an important factor when the device is used in a domestic setting. One approach has been to position the sprayer heads on only one wall of the device such that they spray one side of the fabrics. The distribution of fluid, however, will be undesirably rich on one side of the fabrics where the sprayer is and poor on the opposite side.
Another problem related to these devices is that the way the device is opened to allow the user to access the area to hang or place the clothing. Devices which include a swinging door opening have a wide footprint and also require a large amount of space to allow the device to be accessed and used.
Despite these and other attempts to provide fabric refreshing devices, there remains a need for a device which addresses one or more of the above problems mentioned herein, yet is sufficiently time and energy efficient, minimizes space consumption, and is user friendly.


An adaptor for use with a flash suppressor on a gun barrel in order to allow the gun to repeatedly fire blank rounds of ammunition. The adaptor has a stem that chokes the flow of gases from an exploding round in order to create a back pressure. A body is used to couple the stem to the flash suppressor and permit a cap to be threaded to the body. The cap urges the stem into the throat of the flash suppressor when tightened to the body while the body grips the flash suppressor to hold the stem and cap in place. Belleville washers in the cap pre-loaded and urge the stem into the throat and hold it there securely during repeating firing of the gun.

So-called "blank" ammunition consists of shell casings loaded with gun power or other explosive but without projectiles. When fired, a blank round sounds much like "live" ammunition but, unlike live ammunition, no projectile leaves the barrel of the gun in which the blank was fired. Blank ammunition is used extensively in military training for safety reasons.
In the case of a gas operated automatic rifle or machine gun a portion of the gas pressure created inside a gun's barrel by the ignition of a cartridge is diverted through a small hole in the barrel to be utilized for the operation of the gun's mechanism that ejects the spent cartridge case and loads a live one from the gun's magazine. In the case of the firing of a "blank" there is less gas pressure built up in the barrel because there is no projectile being forced through the barrel. The lower gas pressure in the barrel causes the diverted gas to be of too low a pressure to properly operate the gun's ejection and loading mechanism. Typically, an adapter is fitted onto the end of the barrel that restricts the flow of gas and increases the pressure in the barrel to a level that equals the pressure created when a "live" cartridge is fired. Thus the adapter allows a gun firing blank ammunition to operate in the same way as the gun would when firing "live" ammunition.
Existing blank adapters were designed to work with older model machine guns such as the M240, which normally operate under moderate firing schedules. There is a significant and adverse impact on the life of the older design of the blank firing adapter when used on newer, shorter and lighter weight machine guns, such as the Mark 48. The newer, lighter guns operate at accelerated firing schedules and are configured with shorter and lighter barrels, which create increased temperatures. The increased temperatures seen at the muzzle of newer lightweight guns damage the blank adapter made to the older design. The temperatures developed at the muzzle end of the barrel exceed the design parameters for the older blank firing adapter and consequentially reduce its life from 7,000 rounds to 500 rounds. This diminution of blank firing adapter life is unacceptable for its use on a new type machine gun.
Another problem with blank firing adapters is that as the muzzle end of the barrel heats up, the blank firing adapter heats unevenly, causing the adapter to loosen. When the adapter loosens, gas escapes around the tapered end of the stem, causing a reduction in pressure inside the barrel and damage to the adapter. The reduction in pressure consequently reduces the amount of diverted gas below the level required for the proper operation of the gun's mechanism. When it loosens the operator must stop and re-tighten the adapter using a special tool. Typically, re-tightening the existing adapter on an older style gun is required around 1,000 rounds. For a new style gun it is required almost immediately.


A right angle adapter with an auxiliary handle includes a main body, an adjusting sleeve, a retaining member, a spring member and the auxiliary handle. Upon completion of angular adjustment between the auxiliary handle and the main body, and when the auxiliary handle has not pressed against the main body, the polygonal positioning recess of the adjusting sleeve is mounted and engaged with the polygonal positioning portion of the main body, so that the adjusting sleeve and the auxiliary handle are both prevented from rotating with respect to the main body, meaning that all the components are preliminarily positioned. When the auxiliary handle is screwed tight to make the abutting portion press against the driving portion of the main body, the possibility of angular change between the auxiliary handle and the main body is eliminated, thereby ensuring accurate adjustment and making angular adjustment of the auxiliary handle more convenient.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to adapters for power tools, and more particularly to a right angle adapter with an auxiliary handle that is configured to work with a driving tool and a screwdriver bit.
2. Description of Related Art
For rapid screwing and unscrewing, driving tools (i.e. pneumatic or electric screwdrivers) are often used. However, when such operations have to be performed in narrow space, such as an interval between walls or where an operator may have difficulty in stretching his/her arms, there is a further need for a right angle adapter that facilitates efficient work. Moreover, in order to ensure safe operation and stable use of right angle adapters, they are always equipped with an auxiliary handle.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional handle-equipped right angle adapter, which comprises a main body 11, an adjusting sleeve 12, and an auxiliary handle 13. The main body 11 has its adapting portion 111 provided with a working unit 15 for a screwdriver bit 14 to be inserted therein. A driving portion 112 connected to and driven by the adapting portion 111 has a driving unit 17 for a driving tool 16 to connect and drive, so as to drive the screwdriver bit 14 to rotate in either direction. The adjusting sleeve 12 is rotatably mounted around the main body 11. The auxiliary handle 13 has a grip portion 131 for a user's hand 18 to hold. Furthermore, a positioning portion 132 is connected to the grip portion 131 and comes apart from or presses against the main body 11. By controlling the auxiliary handle 13 to become loose or tight, the adjusting sleeve 12 is allowed to rotate freely or is driven to rotate and then be positioned. In the latter case, the relative angle between the auxiliary handle 13 and the main body 11 varies to adapt to different site requirements, thereby improving working efficiency.
Adjustment of the auxiliary handle 13 involves first unscrewing the auxiliary handle 13, aligning a positioning mark 121 on the adjusting sleeve 12 to a positioning mark 113 on the main body 11, and then screwing the auxiliary handle 13 to make a positioning portion 132 on the auxiliary handle 13 well positioned in a notch (not shown) formed on the main body 11, thereby having the adjusted angle fixed. However, when the positioning mark 121 of the adjusting sleeve 12 and the positioning mark 113 of the main body 11 come to align with each other, there is a lack of a means that preliminarily positions the adjusting sleeve 12 with respect to the main body 11. In other words, the foregoing alignment is unstable. As a result, when screwed to tight, the auxiliary handle 13 may fail to be secured on the main body 11 and bring about an angular offset between the adjusting sleeve 12 and the main body 11. For this reason, the angular adjustment of the conventional auxiliary handle 13 is somehow inconvenient and unreliable.

Right angle adapter with an auxiliary handle


A multiple-input Josephson AND gate having a plurality of input ports comprises a plurality of Josephson logic gate elements of a number corresponding to the number of said input ports and cascaded with each other from a first stage to a final stage, each of the Josephson logic gate elements of said first through final stages including: a superconducting quantum interferometer for producing an output signal in response to a transition from a superconducting state to a finite voltage state, an input line connected to a corresponding input port and receiving therefrom an input current, the input line being coupled magnetically to the superconducting quantum interferometer and transferring the input current to said superconducting quantum interferometer; and a biasing part for supplying a bias current to the superconducting quantum interferometer at a level such that the superconducting quantum interferometer undergoes the transition to the finite voltage stage in response to the input current supplied to the input line, wherein each of the respective biasing parts of the second through final stages is supplied with the output signal of the superconducting quantum interferometer of the respective, next previous stage as a trigger signal and produces the bias current in response to the trigger signal.

The present invention generally relates to Josephson devices and more particularly to a Josephson logic gate having a multiple-input construction. The present invention is related also to a Josephson logic circuit wherein such a Josephson logic gate is used.
The Josephson devices are characterized by extremely fast operational speed and low power consumption. Thus, the device is suitable for super-fast computers or processors, and intensive efforts have been made to construct various digital circuits based upon a Josephson integrated circuit. In the Josephson integrated circuits, the logic gates are generally constructed in the form of AND gate and OR gate elements.
Conventionally, these Josephson logic gates have been constructed to have one or two input ports for the input logic signals. Hereinafter, the problem associated with the Josephson logic gates having multiple input ports will be examined briefly.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the simplest Josephson gate having a single input port A.
Referring to FIG. 1, the Josephson gate includes two Josephson junctions J11 and J12 that are arranged, together with first and second superconducting windings La and Lb, to form a closed loop 1 that acts as a superconducting interferometer. At a node where the windings La and Lb are connected, an a.c. bias current I.sub.g is supplied from a bias terminal 20 via a resistor R, and the bias current thus supplied is caused to flow to a superconducting ground plane GND via a first current path including the winding La and the Josephson junction J.sub.1 and further via a second current path including the winding Lb and the Josephson junction J.sub.2. The input logic signal is supplied to an input line 21 via an input port A, wherein the input line 21 includes inductances La' and Lb' that cause a magnetic coupling respectively with the windings La and Lb of the superconducting loop 1. Thereby, the Josephson junctions J11 and J12 experience a transition to a finite voltage state according to a characteristic curve shown in FIG. 2. In the device of FIG. 1, the output is obtained at the node where the resistor R is connected to the superconducting loop 1.
Referring to FIG. 2 showing the relationship between the input current I.sub.c and the bias current I.sub.g, the Josephson junctions J11 and J12 undergo the transition to the finite voltage state in the region designated in FIG. 2 by hatching. Thus, when the bias current I.sub.g is held constant, the increase in the current I.sub.c causes the switching by crossing the characteristic curve, wherein the threshold value of the current I.sub.c at which the foregoing transition occurs increases with decreasing current I.sub.g. In the Josephson gate of the two-junction construction described above, however, there exists a problem in that the region of the finite voltage state is relatively limited. Associated therewith, the operational (i.e., operating) margin of the device is limited. This problem becomes particularly conspicuous when the number of the input lines is increased.
FIG. 3 shows another typical Josephson logic gate that uses a superconducting interferometer loop 2 wherein three Josephson junctions J11, J12 and J13 are included together with superconducting windings La and Lb. In this case, too, the input logic signal supplied to the line 21 via an input port A is transferred to the loop 2 as a result of the magnetic coupling of inductances La' and Lb' included in the line 21 with the corresponding superconducting windings La and Lb of the loop 2. In the gate of this example, the bias current I.sub.g is supplied from the bias terminal 20 to respective midpoints of the windings La and Lb via the resistor R, and the bias current thus supplied is caused to flow to the superconducting ground plane GND via the Josephson junctions J11, J12 and J13. Thereby, the device shows an operational characteristic as represented in FIG. 4. There, the output of the gate is obtained at the node where the resistor R is connected to the superconducting windings La and Lb.
In the characteristic curve shown in FIG. 4, too, the region of the finite voltage state of the Josephson junctions J11-J13 is indicated by the hatching. In this case, the region of the finite voltage state is expanded as compared with the characteristic curve shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the device of FIG. 3 shows an improved operational margin as compared with the device of FIG. 1.
Using the improved operational margin, the device of FIG. 3 is used successfully to construct the dual input AND gate. There, another input line is provided in magnetic coupling with the interferometer loop 2, and the bias current I.sub.g is set such that the transition occurs only when the input current is supplied to both input lines simultaneously. Further, there is an attempt to construct a Josephson AND gate that has three or more input ports based upon the device of FIG. 3 (Hatano, Y. et al. IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol.sc-22, No.4, Aug. 1987).
FIG. 5 shows such a three-input Josephson AND gate constructed based upon the superconducting interferometer 2 of FIG. 3, wherein there are provided three input lines 21-23 respectively connected to input ports A-C. There, the bias current I.sub.g is set to a magnitude such that the transition of the Josephson junctions J11-J13 occurs only when the input current is caused to flow simultaneously through the input lines 21-23 in correspondence to the logic state wherein the logic data "1" is supplied simultaneously to the input ports A-C.
In the multiple-input Josephson AND gate that is constructed based on the superconducting interferometer loop 2 of FIG. 3, however, it will be easily understood that there exists a problem of the operational margin becoming increasingly smaller with an increasing number of input lines. More specifically, the tolerance in the variation of the input current becomes increasingly stringent, as it is the sum of the input currents that cause the transition of the Josephson junctions. Thereby, the logic gate becomes increasingly vulnerable to noises and the risk of erroneous operation increases substantially.

Josephson logic gate having a plurality of input ports and a Josephson logic circuit that uses such a Josephson logic gate


Methods and devices for rendering graphics in a computer device include receiving, at a graphics processing unit (GPU), a memory location address of a portion of a primitive to be rendered along with an indication of one or more values of one or more pixel shader parameters for the portion of the primitive, selecting, by the GPU, a pixel shader from a plurality of possible pixel shaders based on the indication of the one or more values of the one or more pixel shader parameters, and generating, by the GPU, at least one output of a render target of the portion of the primitive based on applying the pixel shader to the portion of the primitive.

The following descriptions relate to a computer device, and more particularly, to using shaders in rendering graphics on a computer device.
Computer graphics systems, which can render two-dimensional (2D) objects or objects from a three-dimensional (3D) world (real or imaginary) onto a 2D display screen, are currently used in a wide variety of applications. For example, 3D computer graphics can be used for real-time interactive applications, such as video games, virtual reality, scientific research, etc., as well as off-line applications, such as the creation of high resolution movies, graphic art, etc. Typically, the graphics system includes a graphics processing unit (GPU). A GPU may be implemented as a co-processor component to a central processing unit (CPU) of the computer, and may be provided in the form of an add-in card (e.g., video card), co-processor, or as functionality that is integrated directly into the motherboard of the computer or into other devices, such as a gaming device.
Typically, the GPU has a "logical graphics pipeline," which may accept as input some representation of a 2D or 3D scene and output a bitmap that defines a 2D image for display. For example, the DIRECTX collection of application programming interfaces by MICROSOFT CORPORATION, including the DIRECT3D application programming interface (API), is an example of APIs that have graphic pipeline models. Another example includes the Open Graphics Library (OPENGL) API. The graphics pipeline typically includes a number of stages to convert a group of vertices, textures, buffers, and state information into an image frame on the screen. For instance, one of the stages of the graphics pipeline is a shader. A shader is a piece of code running on a specialized processing unit, also referred to as a shader unit or shader processor, usually executing multiple data threads at once, programmed to generate appropriate levels of color and/or special effects to fragments being rendered. In particular, for example, a vertex shader processes traits (position, texture coordinates, color, etc.) of a vertex, and a pixel shader processes traits (texture values, color, z-depth and alpha value) of a pixel. Typically, a constant sampling rate within the graphics pipeline is used for rendering an entire frame. Because of the desire for high-fidelity images, pixel shading is typically performed at a per-pixel rate. Thus, the computer device operates the graphics pipeline to convert information about 3D objects into a bitmap that can be displayed, and this process requires considerable memory and processing power.
There are continuing increases in pixel density and display resolution, and a continuing desire for power reduction in display devices capable of displaying 3D objects in this regard.

Multiple shader processes in graphics processing


A gravity-fed spray gun assembly of the type having a nozzle assembly, a spray gun body assembly and a nozzle nut for adjusting the relative angular orientation of the nozzle assembly relative to the spray gun body assembly. The gravity-fed spray gun assembly includes a spray gun body assembly, a fluid delivery assembly and a friction-induced locking element. The fluid delivery assembly includes a rotatable element, a nozzle assembly and a fluid cup. The rotatable element is rotatively connected to the spray gun body assembly. The nozzle assembly is securely attached to the rotatable element. The nozzle assembly is maintained unable to rotate relative to the rotatable element unless a nozzle nut is adjusted. The nozzle assembly has a nozzle opening defining a nozzle axis. The rotatable element is rotatable about the nozzle axis. The fluid cup is securely attached to the rotatable element. The friction-induced locking element utilizes a predetermined preload cooperatively engages the spray gun body assembly and the fluid delivery assembly to securely maintain the spray gun body assembly relative to the fluid delivery assembly at the desired relative angular orientation. The present invention obviates any requirement for loosening the nozzle nut to rotate the nozzle assembly relative to the spray gun body assembly when the fluid cup is rotated relative to the spray gun body assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gravity-fed spray guns and more particularly to an apparatus for providing enhanced spray capabilities for such gravity-fed spray guns.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spray guns are commonly used to apply paint, primer or any other liquid substance to a surface. The most common handicap a painter encounters, regardless of whether he is using a gravity or suction spray gun is the inability to go low enough to paint upward. For example, in the auto body industry, the rocker panel (below the door line) is seldom painted on the lower surfaces. The reason for this deficiency is that the car is too low to the ground and the spray gun assembly is too long to provide for proper access. A gravity-fed spray gun, excluding regulator and hose connection is generally 11 to 13 inches long. A suction spray gun is generally 13 inches long excluding regulator and hose connection. The spray gun cannot be tilted sideways without the possibility of spilling paint from the cup or having the smooth flow of paint to the gun being interrupted.
Similar problems exist in the paint industry, generally. For example, in spraying overhead, the painter cannot always conveniently tilt the spray at the proper angle for proper application of the paint, or other surface treatments.
As one solution to these problems, the present applicant has invented an improved spray gun, disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,360 entitled "Apparatus for Providing Enhanced Spray Gun Capabilities for a Gravity-Fed Spray Gun." That invention utilizes a swivel joint assembly that provides rotation of the fluid cup along a fluid cup offset axis, which is perpendicular to the fluid cup axis. After rotation of the fluid cup relative to the spray gun body the nozzle has to be rotated to obtain the previous spray pattern.

Gravity-fed spray gun assembly using friction-induced locking element