In a storage system having local and remote disk systems, a system is described for selectively controlling the security of data on a volume by volume basis, for transparently exchanging encryption keys between the local and remote disk systems, and for controlling when encryption is used in the storage of data.

This invention relates to information storage and retrieval, and in particular to encryption of data in storage systems having local and remote locations. In such systems, data are stored in a local storage system, for example, an array of hard disk drives, and data are also stored in a remote storage system. The use of a remote location for a copy of the data is desirable because it prevents loss of the data from corruption of communications links, natural disasters, or other causes. The remote copy function creates and maintains mirror volumes (duplicate sets) of the local data, but with the volumes of the sets separated by a "long" distance. The two disk systems are directly connected by remote links, through which updates to the data stored on the local disk system are copied to the remote disk system.
The remote system typically is coupled to the local system using communication links or a network, for example, ESCON, FC, TI, T3, ATM, etc. or a combination thereof, while suitable protocols are ESCON, SCSI, IP or others. In such a computing environment, data is exposed to the danger of corruption, theft and alteration because the network, or parts of the network, are publicly accessible, especially when using the Internet Protocol (IP).
Some companies, often referred to as storage service providers (SSP), provide a service to assist in managing customers' data. These companies sometimes rent their storage infrastructure and provide services such as storage management, remote copy, etc. to their customers. In such situations, the customers' data is stored in the SSP's storage system, and may be exposed to access by others.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,459,857 and 5,544,347 describe remote copy technology which uses a remote link to connect two disk systems, enabling maintaining a duplicate copy, termed "a mirror," of the local system data on the remote disk system. The local disk system copies data on a local disk when duplication, termed "pair creation," is indicated. When a host updates data on the local disk, the local disk system transfers the data to the remote disk system through the remote link. Thus no host operation is required to maintain a mirror of two volumes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,653 discloses a method for transferring data between a local disk system and a remote disk system. In a synchronous mode, the local disk system transfers data to the remote disk system before completing a write request from a host. In a semi-synchronous mode, the local disk system completes a write request and then transfers the write data to the remote disk system. Succeeding write requests are not processed until the previous data transfer is completed. With adaptive copy mode, data to be sent to the remote disk system is stored in a memory and transferred to the remote disk system when the local disk system and/or remote links are available for the copy task.

Method and apparatus for encryption and decryption in remote data storage systems


Task automation by support robots for robotic process automation (RPA) is disclosed. RPA robots may be located on the computing systems of two or more users and/or remotely. The RPA robots may use an artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) model that is trained to use computer vision (CV) to recognize tasks that the respective user is performing with the computing system. The RPA robots may then determine that the respective user is performing certain tasks on a regular basis in response to a certain action, such as receiving a request via email or another application, determining that a certain task has been completed, noting that a time period has elapsed, etc., and automate the respective tasks.

Various communications and approvals are common in the workplace. For instance, an approval from a manager may be required before an employee can take a certain action, status reports may be sent periodically and/or after the completion of certain tasks, emails with certain content may be routinely sent, etc. Such correspondence may reduce employee productivity and/or delay certain actions. Accordingly, an improved approach may be beneficial.


A material flow control device for controlling flows of a plurality of work species within a production system measures the two-stage engagement amounts and the output amounts of respective work species in respective controlled units, and calculates the evaluation values for respective work species in the respective controlled units as a function of: the difference (or the ratio) of the measured engagement amount and a reference engagement amount; and the difference (or the ratio) of the measured output amount and the reference output amount. The order of dispensation from the upstream controlled units are determined in accordance with the priority determined by the evaluation values for the respective work species.

This invention relates to material flow control devices for production system for producing plural species of works or articles, by which the operation rates of the production devices within the production system are stabilized and are not susceptible to disturbing factors such as the occurrence of a failure of the production devices.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional structure of a conventional material flow control device. The material flow control device controls a plurality of controlled production units of a production system as shown in FIG. 10, using a waiting queue file shown in FIG. 9.
The amounts of works (the parts or articles which are produced in the production system) engaged in respective controlled units within the production system are measured by an engagement amount measuring unit 101. The processing order determination unit 102 determines the order of the processing of the works on the basis of the first-in first-out (FIFO) principle as described below. The status of the production system is input via a production system status input unit 103 to trigger the material flow control, and the processing instructions are output from a processing instruction output unit 104 to the respective controlled units within the production system.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the simplified structural model of the conventional production system. The production system includes a plurality of controlled production equipment units 601 through 603. The order of the processing is determined by a material flow control device 604 whose structure is shown in FIG. 8. The controlled unit 603, for example, includes a plurality of production device groups 605 and 606.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing wait queue for a production unit 603 within the production system of FIG. 10 controlled by the material flow control device of FIG. 8. The waiting queue file or processing wait accumulation file 800 is generated within the processing order determination unit 102. A plurality of processing waiting request items 801 through 805 are accumulated in a waiting queue file 800. The leading numerals within the elongated circles represent respective sources of the processing requests, and the numerals after the hyphen represent the generation order of the requests. The numbers at the right of respective encircled items represent the order of processing of the works in the controlled unit 603. Thus, the requests with the leading number 601 within the circle represent works which are to be transferred from the controlled unit 601 to the controlled unit 603. On the other hand, the requests with the leading number 602 represent works which are to be transferred from controlled unit 602 to controlled unit 603. As shown in the figure, the order of processing is determined by the simple first-in first-out (FIFO) principle, without regard to the source unit or the destination device group of the requests.
Next, the operation of the conventional material flow control device is described. It is assumed that the works are transferred from the material flow control units 601 and 602 to the controlled unit 603. Then, the requests for processing the works originating from the controlled unit 601 and those originating from the controlled unit 602 are detected by the engagement amount measuring unit 101, and are accumulated in the waiting queue file 800 within the processing order determination unit 102.
When the controlled unit 603 is ready for accepting further works, it outputs its ready status to the production system status input unit 103. Upon receiving this status signal from the controlled unit 603, the production system status input unit 103 supplies a flow control trigger signal to the processing order determination unit 102. In response thereto, the processing order determination unit 102 outputs via the processing instruction output unit 104 the processing instruction for the bottom request item (the oldest request) in the waiting queue file 800. The processing instruction is output to the controlled unit 601 or controlled unit 602 in accordance with the indication of the source in the processed item in the waiting queue file 800. As a result, the works either in the controlled unit 601 or the controlled unit 602 are dispensed and transferred to the device group 605 or the device group 606 within the controlled unit 603. The processing order is determined simply by the first-in first-out (FIFO) principle, without regard to the source (controlled unit 601 or controlled unit 602) or the destination (device group 605 or device group 606) of the request.
Thus, the above conventional material flow control device has the following disadvantage. Assume that the device group 605 within the controlled unit 603 is occupied in processing the works while the device group 606 is in an idle state (not occupied). Further assume that the oldest processing request within the waiting queue file 800 is destined for the device group 605. Then, the works are first dispensed from the controlled unit 601 and transferred to the device group 605 in spite of the fact that the device group 605 is busy and the device group 606 is idle. As a result, the device group 606 remains idle and the working rate thereof is reduced.
Further, assume that the device group 605 undergoes a failure, and that the older request items in the waiting queue file 800 are destined for the device group 605. Then, the works destined for the device group 605 are first dispensed, and if the failure of the device group 605 continues, the engagement amount of the works therefor increases continuously. The distribution of the amounts of engaged works within the whole production system thus becomes uneven, and the operation rates of the respective device groups 605 and 606 become uneven.


In one aspect, an electrical device with an I2C EEPROM as a storage medium, to which a clock line and a data line are electrically connected is provided. A first terminal and a second terminal are externally accessible and in conjunction with a capacitor for buffering the I2C EEPROM enable the data stored therein to be read out with the aid of a write/read device.

Electrical devices of this type of higher protection class are known, with the station name and if necessary also still other data such as the name plate and maintenance information typically being stored in the storage medium, i.e. the I2C EEPROM. In order to be able to transmit the station name to a new device in the event of a defect, a changeable storage medium has previously been used, which is removed from the faulty device and is plugged into the new device. The data stored in the faulty device can generally no longer be read out.
A changeable storage medium increases the manufacturing costs, in which additional plug-in connectors, an additional module chamber, and if necessary an additional printed circuit board and a storage medium are necessary with a housing. The customer must buy this type of storage medium for each device.

Electric device with readable storage data


A lip-type seal shaft seal device equipped with a lip seal for sealing a rotary member and a stationary member concentrically disposed to the inside and outside in a radial direction, has a plurality of aeration-creating parts for creating aeration through relative rotational sliding of the lip seal and the rotary member, formed in separated fashion in the circumferential direction on the outside peripheral surface of the rotary member. The aeration-creating parts are configured from a plurality of fine grooves arranged in the circumferential direction, extending along the axial direction of the rotary member. The lip of the lip seal extends towards the outside atmosphere side, leaving a portion of the aeration-creating parts at the sealed fluid side in the axial direction.

In a conventional lip-type seal installed in a stationary housing and creating a sliding tight seal at the surface of a rotary shaft, in order to address environmental issues, it has been attempted to reduce friction through optimization of the lip shape and dimensions and of the lip material; through coating of the lip sliding surface or of the surface of the shaft paired therewith; or through optimization of the surface roughness of the paired shaft.
A problem encountered with a seal in which the lip sliding surface or the surface of the paired shaft is coated, or with one in which surface roughness of the paired shaft is optimized, is that the effect is obtained only initially, and with the passage of time, reduced friction cannot be sustained due to wear.
The sealing means shown in FIG. 10 (hereinafter "Prior Art 1." See Patent Document 1, for example) is a known shaft seal device affording satisfactory lubricating characteristics. In Prior Art 1, the design incorporates a lip type seal 51 attached to a housing 50, the lip seal 51 having a sealing edge part 53 arranged so as to contact a rotary shaft 52. A contact zone 54 on the rotary shaft surface contacted by the sealing edge part 53 is equipped with an arrow-shaped grooved part 55 furnished with alternating grooves 56 and ridge parts 57, and as the rotary shaft 52 rotates inside the housing 50, the arrow-shaped grooved part 55 creates a pumping effect, which repels foreign matter infiltrating from the outside atmosphere side, as well as pushing back fluid from the sealed fluid side to maintain a sealing function.
Also known is a shaft seal device furnished with a helical groove in place of the arrow-shaped grooved part of Prior Art 1 (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Furthermore, the sealing means shown in FIG. 11 (hereinafter "Prior Art 2." See Patent Document 3, for example) is a known shaft seal device for achieving both low torque and sealing properties.
Prior Art 2 has a seal lip 60 for sealing in a sealed fluid, and a screw pump mechanism 64 disposed to the outside atmosphere side from the seal lip 60, and comprising a screw 62 formed on the surface of a rotary shaft 61, and a cylindrical part 63. The screw pump mechanism 64 creates a fluid pumping action towards the seal lip 60, substantially depressing the strained force of the seal lip 60, thereby ensuring sealing properties by the seal lip 60, as well as realizing lower torque of the seal lip 60 through the screw pump mechanism 64.
However, because the structure of the shaft seal device of Prior Art 1 shown in FIG. 10 is such that the sealing edge part 53 of the lip-type seal 51 contacts the arrow-shaped grooved part 55 formed of a high-hardness material furnished in the contact zone 54 on the rotary shaft surface, the sealing edge part 53 wears down quickly. Moreover, the grooves 56 of the arrow-shaped grooved part 55 have a "V" shape through which the sealed fluid side and the outside atmosphere side communicate directly in the axial direction, and the distal end part of the sealing edge part 53 does not contact the "V" shaped grooves 56, whereby the sealed fluid side and the outside atmosphere side are in a state of constant communication, thereby making it possible for the sealed fluid to leak out into the outside atmosphere side when the device is at rest. It is known that in a typical oil seal, shaft surface roughness of 2.5 μm or greater may result in leakage when at rest, and in the case of Prior Art 1, when the depth of the grooves 56 is 2.5 μm or greater, severe leaking will occur when at rest.
In the shaft seal device furnished with a helical groove in place of the arrow-shaped grooved part of Prior Art 1, the shape of the helical groove is such that the outside atmosphere side and the sealed fluid side are in direct contact therethrough, and therefore the design has the same problem as Prior Art 1.
Furthermore, in the shaft seal device of Prior Art 2 shown in FIG. 11, because the strained force of the seal lip 60 is depressed in order to lower the torque of the seal lip 60, the problem of depressed sealing properties of the seal lip 60, and of outside air becoming entrained to the sealed fluid side due to the fluid pumping action of the screw pump mechanism 64, were encountered.


A facility for efficiently storing and querying snapshot measures from a relational data warehouse is provided. The facility allows for the efficient query of measures at any given point in time by efficiently modeling snapshot measures. In one technique, the facility stores periodic snapshots of a metric at longer time intervals, and computes intermediate snapshots of the metric as necessary in between these time intervals. Under this technique, the facility can compute an intermediate snapshot measure of a metric for any specified time by determining the last snapshot measure of the metric from the most recent periodic snapshot, and adding to the last snapshot measure the value of the changes to the metric that happened since the time of the most recent periodic snapshot and the specified time.

A database is a collection of data. A user typically stores, retrieves and modifies the data in a database using a computer program, such as a database management system (DBMS).
One type of DBMS is a relational data base management system, which stores information in tables. A table is a series of intersecting rows and columns. The rows of a table typically represent records, which are collections of information about particular items, and the columns typically represent fields, which specify particular attributes of a record—e.g., a particular type of data that is contained in each field of the record. Each field contains the data having the particular attribute for the intersecting row and column.
The data stored in the tables of a relational database is commonly accessed and retrieved using a query and analysis tool. For example, a user can use the tool to perform specific operations on the tables, rows, and on individual data elements. One type of operation is an aggregation operation, and one such aggregation function is called a distinct count.
Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) generally refers to a category of software tools that provides analysis of data stored in a database. Users use the OLAP tools to analyze different dimensions of multimedia data, such as time series and trend analysis. In the business domain, OLAP is typically used to analyze transactional metrics, which are those metrics measured over an interval of time, and snapshot metrics, which are those metrics measured at a particular point of time. Common examples of these metrics can be found in the financial statements of companies, such as a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet. Other examples of snapshot measures include (1) number of open accounts by date for a bank, (2) number of open bugs by date for a quality application, (3) inventory by part for a supply chain application, (4) traditional interval measures with a known start date—e.g., revenue to date—can also be modeled as snapshot measures, etc.
These measures present unique challenges in data modeling. First, these measures are typically voluminous if stored completely, and its size can grow very rapidly. For example, even though the number of transactions for an organization that does no business for a year will not grow, its snapshots will continue to have records added to them with the passing of time. Second, the added size of the number of records usually adds to query time, as well as to extract, transform and load (ETL) times. ETL is a process in data warehousing that involves extracting data from outside resources, transforming it to fit business needs, and loading it into a data warehouse. Third, the measures are not typically cumulative. Although databases suitably handle sum, counts and averages, non-cumulative measures require special handling by the OLAP tools.
Conventional approaches are not yet able to efficiently model snapshots.

Efficient storing and querying of snapshot measures


A digital logic unit can be reconfigured and includes: a plurality of logic cells (19, 26) that have configurable properties; a memory (13) with a plurality of microprograms (14, 16) that contains information on the functionality of a plurality of logic cells (19, 26), at least one of the microprograms (14, 16) being reprogrammable depending on a certain application at least during the current operation of the logic unit; elements for selecting at least one microprogram (14, 16); and elements for configuring logic cells corresponding to the functionality information of the selected microprogram (14, 16) at least during the current operation of the logic unit.

Conventional programmable logic modules such as processors run programs which are loaded from a memory. These memories may be in the form of discrete modules (for example a hard disk, a memory chip), or may be integrated in the processor. One known example of the former is the known IBM-compatible PCs, and an example of the latter is so-called flash microprocessors. The software to be run is stored in the form of command words as a machine command in the memory. The command words are loaded, analyzed and carried out in a processing unit. The processing of a single command word initiates a large number of individual actions in the logic unit.
One critical characterizing feature of conventional programmable logic modules is that the processing unit is reprogrammed for a number of clock cycles by each new command word. The information relating to the previous command word is overwritten in the processing unit, apart from register contents. The processing unit in modern microprocessors is highly complex in design, owing to the large number of possible operations. More than 30 million transistors are required for fewer than 500 possible command words, which leads to a correspondingly high power consumption since each transistor consumes energy even when it is not being used and is in the "waiting state". It has already been proposed that the operating voltage be adapted, that is to say reduced, in order to save energy. The clock frequency can likewise be reduced, although this reduces the overall performance of the logic unit.
The complexity for the design, manufacture and testing of these transistors is immense. Once the functionality has been designed, it cannot be changed. Only one task can be processed at a specific time.
Particularly when running through program loops, only a small portion of the processor is active. Most applications contain a large number of program loops, with each loop containing only a relatively small number of commands embedded in the loop. These may be counting loops, for example in order to count the number of rinsing processes in a washing machine. Conditional loops are likewise very frequent, in which the number of repetitions is not known when the loop is entered, since the loop is left as a function of a result. If the event does not occur, the previous commands in the loop are repeated.
Known digital logic units, in particular computers with microprocessors, are based on the concept of the von-Neumann computer. The central processing unit, that is to say the computer core, comprises the major components formed by the main memory, the control unit and the processing unit (arithmetic unit). The main memory stores command words (program data) and processing data (operand words), and makes them available on request. The main memory also holds intermediate results and final results from the processing. Main memories may be formed by volatile or non-volatile memories. The control unit organizes the sequence in which command words are processed. It requests command words from the main memory, and causes the command word to be carried out in the processing unit. It analyzes command words, and causes processing data to be supplied to the processing unit. The processing unit carries out the operation on the processing data, and supplies the results to the main memory. The processing unit contains a microprogram for each operation, which releases the required transmission lines. The processing unit is set by the control unit for the respective operation, that is to say for the command to be processed. This central processing unit has associated peripherals, which may be the abovementioned external memories, input and output appliances. The described main components of the central processing unit may be physically separated, but they are generally on a common processor chip with a cache, or, for example, on an embedded ROM.
Particularly in the case of frequently recurring actions, for example when running through program loops, the known digital logic units have the disadvantage that command words are loaded and carried out which were actually available a number of processor clock cycles previously in a command register. One example of a loop such as this is a keyboard check. When no key is depressed, all the loop commands are repeated at a short interval, in which case the command words have to be reloaded on each occasion, as if they were completely new. The vast majority of the processor is not required during this waiting time, but it cannot carry out any other tasks during this time.
The utilization level of a logic unit such as this is extremely poor since less than one thousand of the available hardware is used. The majority of the chip area remains unused, but power must nevertheless be supplied continuously for operation.
The matching of processors to different circumstances has already been implemented at a low complexity level. One example of this is the switching of memory banks for a processor, which contain different programs. Memory banks which are not in use at any given time can be changed. This technique is referred to as IAP (in application programming). The improvement that is achieved by this measure is comparatively minor, since nothing to do with the processor hardware has been changed, but only the programs to be run being loaded at the same time as other processes.
Programmable logic modules (PLD) are frequently used for less complex tasks. Logic modules such as these are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,302 or from the publication "Ranmuthu, I. W., et al.; Magneto-resistive elements—An Alternative to Floating Gate Technology; In: Proceedings of the Midwest Symposiums on Circuits and Systems, 1992, pages 134–136 vol. 1". The entire application program in logic modules such as these is translated to suitable commands in a specific compiler (so-called fitter). The PLD is defined with this program data only once, generally on booting up: a program is read from a program memory, and configurable areas are configured. The configurable areas have the following characteristics: they either define links between predetermined points (routing areas) or process logic input signals to form logic output signals (logic cell areas) However, if connections are required which differ from the technical PLD presets implemented by the manufacturer, two or more connection blocks must be cascaded, and this results in increases in the delay times and in throughput delays. In consequence, the actual speed at which the application program is run cannot be predicted. In many cases, adaptations are required in the program in order, for example, to make it possible to achieve a minimum speed requirement or synchronization of signals in a PLD. If characteristics other than those available are required while processing logic signals (for example a greater bit length), then they must likewise be cascaded. The linking areas in the PLD thus occupy a larger area than the logic areas. Despite the configurability of the modules, the flexibility for different tasks is thus low. Thus, in general, a different chip with a different chip architecture is chosen for practical problems, whose resources are better matched to the problem (for example bit length, throughput delay requirements).
The architecture concept of the PLDs provides for the programming information to be distributed by the fitter to a large number of identical logic cells on the PLD chip. These are linked by a large number of identical routing areas. The programming information is thus distributed over the area. The configurability of the PLDs is restricted to a small number of configurable parameters, which are permanently set on booting up. In this case, two memories are required: an external boot memory chip (discrete chip, for example an EEPROM 113 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,302) and internal memory cells distributed over an area (for example as shown in FIGS. 3a and 10a in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,302 of FIG. 5 in the publication from Ranmuthu et al. After booting up, the local memory cells contain the information for the links and for the logic functions for the cells. The area and line loss efficiency of the distributed memory cells is approximately two orders of magnitude poorer than that of discrete memory chips of the same performance. However, if less performance is required by the application program than that provided by the chip, then the unused areas likewise unavoidably result in power losses. Typical utilization levels of the resources of PLDs are about 30% to 70%. Only small proportions of them are actively involved in the processing of logic information at any given time.

Reprogrammable microprogram based reconfigurable multi-cell logic concurrently processing configuration and data signals


A swivel hinge has a base plate, a first loop, a first rotating board, a second loop, a mounting member, a second rotating board, a pivot member, a third loop, a third rotating board, and a locking ring. When the display panel rotates relative to the main board in a same plane, the third rotating board will not rotate, only the first and second rotating boards rotate relative to the base plate and provide an anchor and limitation function. When a direction of a camera on the display is to be adjusted, the third rotating board rotates with the second rotating board, thus the camera can rotate according to the shooting angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a swivel hinge, and particularly relates to a swivel hinge applied in cell phone, whereby the display panel and the camera can rotate respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cell phones with cover and base is opened by lifting the cover, sliding the cover and rotating the cover nowadays. The conventional swivel hinge mounted in the cell phone can be pivoted to open the cover relative to the base. However, if the cell phone has a camera on the cover, the camera can not rotate to adjust the shooting direction. An additional hinge may probably solve the problem, but increase the complexity of fabrication and the cost.
Therefore, the invention provides a swivel hinge to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


A hand held ultrasound system is disclosed. By use of a curved reflector for focusing sound energy reflected by a structure being imaged a simple, lightweight, and power efficient device is presented. A transmitter directs a sound wave into a patients body, a structure to be imaged reflects some of the sound wave, a curved reflector focuses that sound energy onto one or more receivers. If more than one receiver is used they do not need to be phased since this function is performed by the curved reflector. The reflector may be spherically shaped or ellipsoidal. The device can function in either mono-static mode or bi-static mode depending on the depth of focus required, e.g., for imaging structures close to the skin surface (blood vessels and the like) an ellipsoidal shaped reflector is used since it provides a very short or close-up depth of focus. The device provides good resolution while using relatively little power making the device light in weight and small in size.

1. Technical field
The present invention relates to ultrasound imaging devices for medical diagnostics and in particular to a hand held apparatus for producing two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of structures within a patient's body such as organs and blood vessels.
2. Background Information
It is well know to use sound waves in the two to ten megahertz range for producing images of internal structures, especially of a medical patient's organs. A device transmits a sound wave, receives, and processes reflected sound wave energy to produce an image. Such devices may use one transducer or a plurality of transducers arranged in an array. A transducer can either transmit a signal, receive a signal, or perform both tasks. As sound waves produced by one or more transducers travel through soft tissue some of the sound waves are reflected back toward the source. A receiver(s) senses this sound energy and creates a signal that can be electronically translated into a viewable image, usually on a monitor.
Devices of this type for use in the medical field are generally referred to as ultrasound systems. Modern ultrasound systems generally use a plurality of transducers arranged in a linear or circular array. By suitably adjusting the phase on each transducer, sound energy is focused on a small region of an object being imaged. This focusing procedure is generally referred to as beam forming. In the receive mode, transducers can also be phased to receive energy from a selected region within the object being imaged. By repeating this process a high resolution image of the object is obtained by adding all of the individual images together.
Since ultrasound systems are so useful as a diagnostic tool, there is a great need to provide a simple to use and relatively inexpensive device for imaging internal human structures. The device needs to be small enough to be hand held and have reasonably small power requirements. This type of device would be invaluable in a clinic or doctor's office setting where larger and/or more expensive devices are not feasible. The bulk, weight and size of ultrasound systems results from the amount of electronics needed to perform beam-forming operations. Developmental efforts are being directed at the design of specialized micro-chips to perform the beam forming operations. It is hoped that incorporation of these micro-chips will reduce the over all weight and size of the systems.
An alternative approach is to avoid the use of an array by using a single transducer that acts as both a transmitter and receiver, referred to as mono-static. These transducers are shaped to focus sound. In order to image an object, the transducer is rotated mechanically by a stepper motor or the like. The echo signals are arranged to give an image of the object. The disadvantages of this approach are the limitations on resolution imposed by the depth of focus of the transducer and the scanning rate, and the power requirements for a mechanical sector scanner. These devices only produce two-dimensional images. The present invention solves these problems by improving the image quality, or resolution, and by using less power, thereby prolonging battery life which reduces the cost of the device.
It is also known to use a two-dimensional receiver matrix to produce a three-dimensional image. A limiting factor on the design of systems for three-dimensional imaging is the required resolution of the resulting images. Current systems use a phased array scheme to form a scan beam and to receive the signal reflected by the structures to be imaged. Three-dimensional systems currently use planar arrays. Systems can vary by the number of elements in an array and are directly related to the image resolution. In a system having an array of 64.times.64 elements the total number of elements is 4, 096. The electronics associated with the phasing of this number of elements requires increased size, weight, and cost of the system. The medical field would greatly benefit from a device that alleviates the foregoing problems. The currently available hand held systems do not provide three-dimensional imaging.
The present invention does not require any mechanical scanning or the electronics for beam-forming operations. The scan beams are formed simultaneously through the use of a curved reflector, thereby reducing the time required to produce an image. This also reduces the power consumption of the unit, which in turn reduces the size and weight of a battery pack. The scan beams of the present invention can be focused both in a transmit mode and receive mode by selection of a suitably shaped acoustic reflector (lens). This provides increased resolution without penalty of greater size or weight. By utilizing a two-dimensional array of signal receivers a three-dimensional image is possible. Scan beam forming of the present invention is done with inexpensive components compared to phased array systems making it a breakthrough development in three-dimensional imaging and hand-held devices.

Ultrasound imaging apparatus for medical diagnostics


In order to make it more difficult to alter the recorded data in an event data recorder, a plurality of electric control devices may each have a memory device and may each play a respective role in the vehicle. A data assignment device may be connected to the plurality of electric control devices and the data assignment device may assign a part of drive record data to one of the plurality of electric control devices to store the part of drive record data. The data assignment device may also assign the rest of the drive record data to the rest of the plurality of electric control devices to store the rest of the drive record data.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art. Pre-crash and post-crash vehicle drive record data, generally known as drive record data, may be recorded by an event data recorder (EDR). Such drive record data is often used to reconstruct the scene of an accident, such as an accident involving one or more vehicles. Data stored in an EDR may be used as evidence in a court of law or may be inquired by an insurance company to compile crash or event data. Thus, the public availability of the drive record data is one of many important functions of an EDR. If it were possible to alter the drive record data recorded in an EDR easily, the reliability of the drive record data may be compromised. Thus, ensuring the integrity of data within an event data recorder may be important to various entities.


A sliding assembly for a keypad protection cover of a telephone handset including at least one slide spring to urge the keypad protection cover in either the open or the closed position.

Telephone handsets comprise slidably disposed components such as keypad protection covers. An exemplary slide assembly is disclosed by EP 1 075 125. This document discloses the Nokia 7110® mobile phone, which is provided with a sliding cover construction that protects the keypad. The sliding cover is used in either of two extreme positions, namely, in the closed or in the open position. Intermediate positions between the two extreme positions are only passed when moving from the one extreme position to the other, whilst it is undesirable for the cover to remain at any intermediate position. The Nokia 7110® phone is retained in the closed position by a snap lock and urged by resilient means to the open position. A cover ejection key on the rear side of the phone releases the keypad protection cover to slide to the open position. The keypad protection cover is manually pushed back to the closed position and retained there by the snap lock.
Hinges which are biased to both open and closed positions by a resiliently-biasing over-center mechanism have been used in handsets with hinged keypad protection covers. Over-center mechanisms are however less suitable for sliding elements.


The invention relates to a method for controlling a braking unit of a rope transport installation and braking unit. The command signals of a first brake are modulated, until the installation is stopped, by a first modulation circuit integrated in the control unit to automatically regulate the running speed of the rope according to a first predetermined deceleration setpoint curve activated by a braking order. The command signals of a second brake are simultaneously modulated by a second modulation circuit integrated in the control unit to automatically regulate the running speed of the rope according to a second predetermined deceleration setpoint curve activated by the braking order, the instantaneous value of the second setpoint curve being at all times greater than the value of the first setpoint curve.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a braking unit of a rope transport installation, the braking unit comprising a speed sensor delivering an acquisition signal representative of the running speed of the rope and transmitting said acquisition signal to a control unit that is able, after receipt of an external braking order, to transmit first command signals and second command signals respectively to distinct first and second braking means individually able to generate a braking force of the rope according to the corresponding command signals, wherein the command signals of the braking means are modulated by means of a first modulation circuit integrated in the control unit to automatically regulate the speed of the rope according to a first predetermined deceleration setpoint curve activated by said braking order.
The invention also relates to a braking unit of a rope transport installation, comprising:                a speed sensor delivering an acquisition signal representative of the running speed of the rope,        a control unit that is able, after receipt of an external braking order, to transmit first command signals and second command signals respectively to distinct first and second braking means each having a mechanical brake for slowing down the running of the rope and an actuating circuit of the brake according to the corresponding command signals,        a first modulation circuit integrated in the control unit to modulate the command signals of the first braking means to automatically regulate the running speed of the rope according to a first predetermined deceleration setpoint curve recorded in a memory of the control unit and activated by said braking order.

Method for controlling a braking unit of a rope transport installation and braking unit


A Punch Assembly and the method of use thereof is disclosed. Also disclosed is. The device is designed to be accepted within the chuck of a powder-actuated tool. The device can create a hole in steel decking when the device is shot into the decking by a powder-actuated tool. The device is defined by a mandrel and a detachable punch attached to it. The outer diameter of the mandrel is greater than the outer diameter of the punch so that when the mandrel prevents the device from passing through the hole created by the punch. The punch has a generally cylindrical shape and a cutting edge forming a pair of tips on opposing sides of the cylinder in order to improve the quality of the hole formed in the decking.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cutting tools and, more specifically, to a Punch Assembly and Method for the use thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional method for building commercial building structures is to erect each floor of the building by first creating a steel deck structure. Each floor structure is finished by pouring concrete over the top of the steel deck. In advance of pouring the concrete, inserts must be installed in the steel decking so that cables, piping and ducting can route to locations on that level. Electrical conduit and cabling in these commercial buildings is typically supported on racks or laid in cable trays supported by rod inserts installed at intervals along the bottom surface of a particular floor structure (i.e. the ceiling of the floor below). These rod inserts are put in place by inserting them through holes created in the steel decking. The tradespersons must first cut holes in the appropriate locations in the steel decking and then place rod inserts through the holes (the rod inserts also plug the holes). Once all of the rod inserts are in place, the concrete can be poured over the steel decking.
As one can imagine, the wiring complexity of today's commercial buildings mandates that many of these rod inserts are needed to adequately support the cable tray or pipe that is installed. As such, hundreds and even thousands of holes must be punched around every floor of the building. Historically, these holes have been created by one of two methods: (1) the tradesperson uses a weighted, pointed spike or bar to slam down onto the decking; or (2) using a drill motor and a hole saw.
The problems with the spike method are that is dangerous, it requires extreme effort, and it is not a very precise way of locating the holes in the decking. The problems with the drill and hole saw is that it is time consuming, and requires either a AC power source (which is frequently unavailable at this construction stage), or a ready supply of recharged batteries (due to the large number of holes that typically need to be cut).
What is needed, therefore, is a punch device and method of use that permits the tradespersons to quickly and safely punch insitu holes in steel decking.


Antibodies that catalyze the aldol reaction are generated by immunization with a reactive compound that covalently traps a Lysine (Lys) residue in the binding pocket of the antibody by formation of a stable vinylogous amide, i.e., a covalent antibody/hapten complex. The resultant catalytic antibodies employ a catalytic mechanism which mimics the catalytic mechanism employed by natural class I aldolase enzymes.

The aldol addition reaction is a reversible reaction involving the combination of two reactant molecules and the formation of a product having a new carbon-carbon bond. Each of the reactants contains a carbonyl group, i.e., either an aldehyde or ketone. During the reaction, one of the reactants loses a proton from the carbon atom next to its carbonyl group, thereby becoming nucleophilic. The nucleophilic carbon of the first reactant then attacks the carbonyl group of the second reactant. The reverse of this condensation reaction can also occur and entails the cleavage of a carbon-carbon bond and the dissociation of a molecule into two components. The aldol addition reaction is important in the glycolytic pathway and is catalyzed by aldolase enzymes. The aldol addition reaction is also fundamental to organic chemistry for the formation and dissociation of carbon-carbon bonds. In organic chemistry, the reaction may be catalyzed by base.
Two mechanistic classes of aldolase enzymes have evolved, viz., Class I and Class II aldolases. (W. J. Rutter, Fed. Proc. Amer. Soc. Exp. Biol. (1964): vol. 23, p 1248.) Class I aldolases utilize the .epsilon.-amino group of a Lys in the active site to form a Schiff base with one of the substrates, which activates the substrate as an aldol donor.
The mechanism for class I aldolases is illustrated in FIG. 1. The reaction is bimolecular and proceeds through covalent catalysis through multiple intermediates. An iminium ion or Schiff base forms that acts as an electron sink, which lowers the activation energy (E.sub.a) for proton abstraction from C.alpha. and subsequent enamine formation. The enamine acts as the carbon nucleophile, or aldol donor, which reacts with an aldehyde electrophile, the aldol acceptor, to form a new C--C bond. The Schiff base is then hydrolyzed and the product is released. The essence of the mechanism is the formation of the enamine which is the nascent carbon nucleophile.
Class II aldolases are metalloenzymes that facilitate enolate formation by coordination to the substrate's carbonyl oxygen. Transition state models have also been disclosed for aldol reactions involving metals. (H. E. Zimmerman et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1957): vol. 79, p 1920.) However, the mechanism for Class II aldolases remains to be fully characterized.
A number of enzymes catalyze the aldol condensation. The mechanisms of these enzymes have been well characterized. (C. Y. Lai, et al., Science (1974): vol. 183, p 1204; and A. J. Morris et al., Biochemistry (1994) vol. 33, p 12291.) However, aldolase enzymes accept a relatively limited range of substrates (C. -H. Wong et al., Enzymes in Synthetic Organic Chemistry (Permagon, Oxford, 1994); M. D. Bednarski in Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, B. M. Trost, Ed.(Pergamon, Oxford, 1991), vol 2, pp. 455-473; C. F. Barbas III, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1990): vol 112, p 2013; H. J. M. Gijsen et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1995): vol. 117, p 2947; C. -H. Wong et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1995): vol. 117, p. 3333; L. Chen, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc (1992): vol. 114, p 741.) Although natural aldolase enzymes display broad specificity with respect to the aldol acceptor, the aldol donor is usually limited to the natural substrate. The art of organic synthesis would benefit significantly if catalysts having the desired substrate specificity could be produced to order for catalyzing desired aldol addition reactions.
Non-enzymic base catalyzed aldol addition reactions are employed widely in organic chemistry to form new carbon-carbon bonds. Also, a variety of effective reagents have been developed to control the stereochemistry of the aldol. However, these reagents are stoichiometric and require pre-formed enolates and extensive protecting group chemistry. (C. H. Heathcock, Aldrichim. Acta (1990): vol. 23, p 99; C. H. Heathcock, Science (1981): vol. 214, p 395; D. A. Evans, Science (1988): vol. 240, p 420; S. Masamune, et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. (1985): vol. 24, p 1; D. A. Evans, et al., Top. Stereochem. (1982): vol. 13, p 1; C. H. Heathcocket et al., in Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, B. M. Trost, Ed. (Pergamon, Oxford, 1991), vol. 2, pp. 133-319 (1991); and I. Paterson, Pure & Appl. Chem. (1992): vol. 64, 1821.) Recently catalytic aldol reactions that use pre-formed enolates have been developed, including the Mukaiyama cross-coupling aldol. (S. Kobayashi, et al., Tetrahedron (1993): vol. 49, p 1761; K. Furuta, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1991): vol. 113, p 1041; T. Bach, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. (1994): vol. 33, p 417 and references therein; and E. M. Carreira, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (1995): vol. 117, p 3649.)
For some reactions, the problem of complex intermediates may be solved by using relatively reactive compounds rather than the more usual inert antigens to immunize animals or select antibodies from libraries such that the process of antibody induction involves an actual chemical reaction in the binding site. (C. F. Barbas III, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1991): vol. 88, p 7978 (1991); K. D. Janda et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1994): vol. 191, p 2532.) This same reaction then becomes part of the catalytic mechanism when the antibody interacts with a substrate that shares chemical reactivity with the antigen used to induce it.
One of the major goals of organic chemistry is to use the understanding of reaction mechanisms to design new catalysts. This is often not easy because one must address intermediates that are of high energy and complex structure. Antibody catalysts offer one potential solution to this problem in that they can be programmed by the experimenter to interact with the rate limiting transition state of a chemical reaction thereby lowering its energy and increasing the reaction rate. (R. A. Lerner, et al., Science (1991): vol. 252, p 659.) However, even here the ability of the experimenter to program the catalyst is usually limited to the more global aspects of the transition state rather than the detailed reaction mechanism. Thus, while one can deal with high energy charges, stereoelectronic, and geometrical features that appear along the reaction coordinate, the organization of multiple complex reaction intermediates remains difficult.
What is needed is a method for inducing antibodies that use the reaction mechanisms that give aldolases their efficiency but that take advantage of the range of substrates and stereochemical specificities available with antibodies. What is need is a strategy which would amalgamate the best features of the simple chemical and enzymatic approaches to the problem of forming carbon-carbon bonds via the aldol condensation which is, arguably, the most basic C--C bond forming reaction in chemistry and biology.


A combination pillow and tote bag for holding a pillow and other items for easy carrying and transportation. The combination pillow and tote bag includes a tote portion. The tote portion comprises a back panel and a front panel. The front and back panels each have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. The bottom edge of the front panel is securely attached to the bottom edge of the back panel. Each of a pair of side panels is securely attached to one of side edges of each of the front and back panels such that a bag is defined. A carrying means for carrying the tote portion comprises a strap having a pair of ends each securely attached to the tote portion. A pillow portion may be removably inserted in the tote portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tote bags and more particularly pertains to a new combination pillow and tote bag for holding a pillow and other items for easy carrying and transportation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of tote bags is known in the prior art. More specifically, tote bags heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,519; U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,003; U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,878; U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,468; U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,605; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 366,800.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new combination pillow and tote bag. The inventive device includes a tote portion. The tote portion comprises a back panel and a front panel. The front and back panels each have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. The bottom edge of the front panel is securely attached to the bottom edge of the back panel. Each of a pair of side panels is securely attached to one of side edges of each of the front and back panels such that a bag is defined. A carrying means for carrying the tote portion comprises a strap having a pair of ends each securely attached to the tote portion. A pillow portion may be removably inserted in the tote portion.
In these respects, the combination pillow and tote bag according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of holding a pillow and other items for easy carrying and transportation.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of tote bags now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new combination pillow and tote bag construction wherein the same can be utilized for holding a pillow and other items for easy carrying and transportation.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the tote bags mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new combination pillow and tote bag which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art tote bags, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a tote portion. The tote portion comprises a back panel and a front panel. The front and back panels each have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. The bottom edge of the front panel is securely attached to the bottom edge of the back panel. Each of a pair of side panels is securely attached to one of side edges of each of the front and back panels such that a bag is defined. A carrying means for carrying the tote portion comprises a strap having a pair of ends each securely attached to the tote portion. A pillow portion may be removably inserted in the tote portion.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the tote bags mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new combination pillow and tote bag which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art tote bags, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such combination pillow and tote bag economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag for holding a pillow and other items for easy carrying and transportation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag which includes a tote portion. The tote portion comprises a back panel and a front panel. The front and back panels each have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. The bottom edge of the front panel is securely attached to the bottom edge of the back panel. Each of a pair of side panels is securely attached to one of side edges of each of the front and back panels such that a bag is defined. A carrying means for carrying the tote portion comprises a strap having a pair of ends each securely attached to the tote portion. A pillow portion may be removably inserted in the tote portion.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new combination pillow and tote bag that allows a user to conveniently carry a pillow and a covering.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.


A data record method using a touch panel is disclosed. The touch panel can be separated from a computer. The computer and the touch panel store data having plural records respectively. The method includes the steps: (A) determining if the touch panel is connected with the computer at work; (B) executing a synchronization procedure for data synchronization between the computer and the touch panel when connecting; and (C) displaying data stored in the touch panel when not connecting.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data record method using a touch panel and, more particularly, to a data record method for keeping data synchronization between a touch panel and a computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, notebooks and table PCs increasingly become necessary in human living. Every one almost has a notebook or computer to work and store data. Computers accordingly play an important role in living, for example, storing important information including a calendar, an address book, and the like. Using computer makes human living easy but it is still not convenient in somewhere. For example, when a person suddenly needs to refer his or her address book or calendar, he or she has to power on a computer and wastes time on waiting for computer booting or re-booting, especially when data inquiry time is less than booting.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved method to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.


The present invention relates to a three-stage foldable mobile terminal having a flexible display, and can provide a mobile terminal comprising: a body portion which comprises first to third bodies rotatably connected to each other and which implements a first state in which the first to third bodies are arranged side by side in one direction and a second state in which the first to third bodies overlap each other by the at least one hinge unit, respectively; and a flexible display unit which is mounted on the body portion, wherein the body portion comprises: a main circuit board which is disposed on the first body; a flexible circuit board which electrically connects the first and second bodies in the first state; and a connection member which is disposed on the second body so that the main circuit board and the third body are electrically connected to each other in the second state.

Terminals may be divided into mobile/portable terminals and stationary terminals according to mobility. Also, the mobile terminals may be classified into handheld types and vehicle mount types according to whether or not a user can directly carry.
Mobile terminals have become increasingly more functional. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display unit. Some mobile terminals include additional functionality which supports electronic game playing, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players. Specifically, in recent time, mobile terminals can receive broadcast and multicast signals to allow viewing of video or television programs
As it becomes multifunctional, a mobile terminal can be allowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or video files, play games, receive broadcast and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player.
Such mobile terminals are evolving into various types of designs and efforts are being made to develop more novel types of mobile terminals in order to meet the needs of users who desire newer and more various designs. The novel types include structural changes and improvements for the users to use the mobile terminals more conveniently. As one of such structural changes and improvements, mobile terminals in which at least part of a display unit can be bent or curved are attracting attention.
However, a deformable structure is required for stable implementation of a display unit capable of being curved at a specific curvature. In recent years, studies on mobile terminals which are foldable into three stages have been carried out. However, there is a lack of structure to stably maintain a deformed state, and configurations and structures required for such mobile terminals to operate normally in a state folded into three stages have not been sufficiently studied.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes preparing a projection exposure apparatus and a photomask, the photomask having a transparent substrate and a light shield film arranged in patterns to be transferred to a resist film on a wafer. The patterns include a circuit mask pattern, and first and second mark mask patterns having dimensions which change in accordance with exposure of the resist film. The method further includes forming first and second exposure monitor marks by causing phasing differences of 180 degrees and zero degrees, respectively, of light passing through the corresponding first and second mark mask patterns; measuring the first and second exposure monitor marks; calculating first and second effective exposures based on measured dimensions of the first and second exposure monitor marks; comparing variations of the first and second effective exposures; and changing at least one of a deposit condition of a front-end film formed under the resist film or a resist film coating condition if a variation of the first effective exposure differs from a variation of the second effective exposure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor lithography technique. In particular, the present invention relates to an exposure monitor mask for highly accurately monitoring an effective exposure value to obtain the maximum exposure margin. Further, the present invention relates to an exposure control method, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the foregoing exposure monitor mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
Short wavelength of exposure wavelength and high NA of projection lens have been required with the scale down of patterns, and simultaneously, the process improvement has been made. However, the requirements of the scale down of device patterns are becoming recently stricter. It is difficult to sufficiently obtain a degree of freedom of exposure and an exposure margin of the depth of focus; as a result, the yield is reduced. In order to effectively use less exposure margin to prevent the reduction of the yield, it is required to high-accurately control exposure and focus.
The exposure control method is usually determined by measuring a line width of pattern. However, the pattern line width varies depending on not only exposure but also focus. The scale down of patterns further advances, and thereby, focus error largely affects the pattern line width. For this reason, it is difficult to determine whether the variation of the pattern line width result from variations of proper exposure value or focus position. Thus, the method of high accurately controlling the exposure is required.
Contrary, Starikov discloses the method of measuring an effective exposure receiving no influence by focus variations (Alexander Starikov, SPIE Vol. 1261 Integrated Circuit Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control IV (1990) p. 315). Starikov proposes a mask pattern for the exposure monitor mark such that the focus error gives no influence to the line width. According to the Starikov proposal, a block having a pattern width that is not resolved in a projection exposure apparatus (aligner) is used. The block is arranged to continuously vary a dimension ratio (duty ratio) of light transmission and shield portions of the pattern. By doing so, a mark having an irradiation gradient distribution, which does not depend on a focus state, is formed on a wafer. In other words, only zero-order diffracted light passing the vicinity of the center of the lens within the NA is focused in a diffracted light image of the mask pattern for the exposure monitor mark. By doing so, effective exposure is monitored without receiving the influence by defocus.
The scale down further advances, and in addition, a process of using an alternating phase shift mask increases. For this reason, when the mask pattern for the exposure monitor mark is formed in the alternating phase shift mask, there are new problems, which do not so far arise in normal binary mask or half-tone phase shift mask.
When the normal binary mask or half-tone phase shift mask is used, diffracted light is generated from mask pattern corresponding to device pattern to be monitored on the mask. In the diffracted light, zero-order and± first-order diffracted light contributes to image formation (imaging) on the wafer. The diffracted light strength has a relation of zero order ≧± first order. The± first-order diffracted light has shading portions at the edge portion of pupil. For this reason, the zero-order diffracted light largely contributes as exposure. The exposure monitor mark is formed by the mask pattern for the exposure monitor mark in which only zero-order diffracted light is projected on the wafer. Thus, the dimension of the exposure monitor mark is measured to calculate variations of the effective exposure. From the calculated variations, the variations described below are high accurately monitored. One is an exposure apparatus dose variation. Another is post exposure bake (PEB) temperature variation and PEB time variation. Another is a resist sensitivity variation. Another is an effective exposure variation by the change of resist or front-end film thickness resulting from standing wave effect.
However, in the alternating phase shift mask, no zero-order diffracted light of the lens of actual device mask pattern is generated due to alternating phase shift effect. The foregoing± first-order diffracted light forms a latent image of the actual device pattern. A conventional exposure monitor mark is formed by only zero-order diffracted light passing the vicinity of the center of the projection lens. The incident angle onto the resist film is different between diffracted light for forming the latent image of the exposure monitor mark and the latent image of the actual device pattern.
As a result, if the effective exposure variation is monitored using the exposure mask mark, it is possible to monitor variations resulting from of the foregoing exposure apparatus dose, PEB temperature and PEB time. However, in the variation resulting from the foregoing resist or front-end film thickness variation, the incident angle onto the resist is largely different in formation between the mask pattern for the exposure monitor mark and actual pattern. For this reason, the influence by standing wave effect is different; therefore, the effective exposure with respect to the actual pattern is not monitored highly accurately.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Exposure control method and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device


A novel class of antibiotics, designated bravomicins, is obtained by fermentation of a strain of Micromonospora polytrota. Six bioactive compounds, designated bravomicins A, B, C, D, E and F, are obtained and found to be useful in the treatment of a wide variety of bacterial diseases.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel class of antibiotics, designated by the present inventors as bravomicins, which may be obtained by cultivation of a strain of Micromonospora polytrota. The present invention also provides O- and N-acylated derivatives of the novel bravomicins. The compounds of the present invention are useful in the treatment of bacterial diseases.
2. Background Art
Emergence of bacterial resistance to a number of antimicrobial agents such as beta-lactam antibiotics, macrolides, quinolones, and vancomycin is becoming a major worldwide health problem. (Cohen, M. L. Antimicrobial resistance: prognosis for public health. Trends Microbiol. 1994, 2, 422-425). The most significant problem in clinical practice is the increase in the isolation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. In the United States, by the early 1990s MRSA was detected in 20-40% of all S. aureus hospital isolates reported to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System and is also a major problem in long-term care facilities. Other than the United States, the occurrence of epidemic strains of MRSA has also been reported in many countries such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. In addition to resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, multiply resistant MRSA are also resistant to macrolides, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. At present, the only effective treatment for multiply resistant MRSA infections is vancomycin. However, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for vancomycin against some MRSA isolates has been increasing recently, leading to a situation where standard doses of vancomycin may not be effective for severe infections. (Major Unmet Needs in Bacterial Infection Therapy. Infectious Disease, A Pharmacor Service, August, 1992.)
Enterococci are another group of bacteria which are generally resistant to antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides. Current treatment for enterococcal infection is the use either of a combination of two antibiotics or of vancomycin alone. However, with the recent increased use of vancomycin in MRSA infections and colitis due to Clostridium difficile, multiply resistant Enterococcus faecium has emerged. In a recent report to the Center of Disease Control's NNIS, the percentage of nosocomial enterococci resistant to vancomycin increased from 0.3% in 1989 to 7.9% in 1993. Because of the fact that only a few drugs can be used effectively to treat enterococcal infections, treatment options for patients infected with vancomycin-resistant enterococci are very limited. Furthermore, the Gram-negative organisms such as Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter species were the important antibiotic resistant pathogens in the 1970s; they remain a highly risky problem in some hospitals today.
Apart from the nosocomial pathogens described above, the resistance of the important community-acquired pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae to penicillin and other antibacterials is becoming a worldwide problem. Multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have emerged in several countries including the United States. The emergence and spread of resistant nosocomial and community-acquired pathogens is generating a great threat to public health worldwide. There is an urgent need to discover new agents to treat patients infected with these multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The present invention provides what appears to be a new class of antibiotics. They were produced by fermentation of a strain of Micromonospora polytrota previously disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,085 as being used to prepare a different class of antibiotics described as the AR-5 antibiotic complex.


Device for connecting two rotating shafts (10, 12), one driving and the other driven, comprising rectilinear splines (20) formed on the driving shaft (10) and engaged in complementary rectilinear splines (22) of the driven shaft (12), the splined region of the driven shaft having, in the vicinity of one of its longitudinal ends, at least one cylindrical portion (26) having a greater torsional flexibility.

The present invention relates to a device for connecting two rotating shafts, in particular in a turbomachine, between a turbine shaft and a compressor shaft of the turbomachine.
In a turbomachine such as an aircraft turbofan or turboprop, the shaft of the low-pressure turbine rotationally drives the shaft of the low-pressure compressor, these two shafts being rotationally connected by a system of rectilinear splines which are formed, for example, on the outer cylindrical surface of the turbine shaft and which are engaged in complementary rectilinear splines of an inner cylindrical surface of the compressor shaft.
In operation, the splines of the two shafts are elastically deformed in torsion, and it is found that the stresses are maximum at the longitudinal ends of the splines of the male shaft, which is the turbine shaft, this concentration of stresses limiting the service life of this shaft.

Device for connecting two rotating shafts, in particular in a turbomachine


A motorized hand tool such as a cordless ratchet wrench that has a motor, and a housing that encloses or houses the motor. The motor includes one or more exhaust ports that expel exhaust air out of the motor. The housing includes one or more exhaust ports and inwardly projecting protrusions or deflectors that extend around the exhaust ports. The inwardly projecting protrusions/deflectors extend in a direction towards the motor exhaust ports, and/or are at least partially disposed in the motor exhaust ports to direct exhaust air out of the housing and prevent exhaust air from recirculating near the motor and electronic components of the tool.

Power hand tools, such as, for example, motorized ratchet wrenches and drivers, are commonly used in automotive, industrial and household applications to install and remove threaded fasteners and apply a torque and/or angular displacement to a work piece, such as a threaded fastener, for example. Power hand tools such as cordless power ratchets and drivers generally include an electric motor contained in a clamshell type housing along with other electronic components and batteries. The clamshell housing generally includes two or more housing portions fastened together by fasteners such as screws or rivets.
Cooling the motor and other electronic components is important, but can be difficult. The motor pulls external air into the motor, which is then heated by the motor during operation, in order to cool the motor. This heated air is then expelled out of the motor as exhaust air. Current solutions for handling the exhaust air include placing slots in the housing of the tool in a vicinity of the motor to allow the exhaust air to be expelled out of the housing.
However, improper or inefficient direction of the exhaust air out of the housing of the tool can cause the exhaust air to recirculate within the tool housing near the motor and other electronic components, and add heat, instead of removing heat, from the motor and other components. Other components in the housing of the tool may also generate heat and cause air in the tool housing to be heat saturated and unable to absorb heat. Thus, recirculated exhaust air can be problematic if allowed to recirculate in the housing. For example, improper or inefficient handling of exhaust air can cause the motor and/or other components to overheat and fail, rendering the tool inoperable.

Tool housing and motor exhaust management


A semiconductor device and a fabrication method thereof are provided. The semiconductor device includes a local silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate in which a portion of a line-shaped active region is connected to a semiconductor substrate, and a remaining portion thereof is insulated from the semiconductor substrate, gate structures formed in a line shape to be substantially perpendicular to the active region on the active region insulated from the semiconductor substrate, and to surround a side and an upper surface of the active region, and having a stacking structure of a gate insulating layer, a liner conductive layer, a gate conductive layer, and a hard mask layer, a source region formed in the active region connected to the semiconductor substrate, and a drain region formed in the active region insulated from the semiconductor substrate between the gate structures.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an integrated circuit device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device and a fabrication method thereof.
2. Related Art
Semiconductor devices need to be more highly integrated, and various studies on the semiconductor devices with high integration and high density have been made,
Even in the phase-change random access memory devices (PCRAMs) that have received attention as memory devices for replacing flash memories, the first priority is to improve integration density. Thus, studies on reduction in a chip area have been increasingly made. However, there are limits to reduce a minimum feature size due to limitation of a light source.
To overcome the limits, a method of fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) PCRAM by fabricating a switching diode in a vertical pillar shape or fabricating a switching transistor using a vertical pillar and a vertical gate, is suggested. However, there are difficulties in fabricating the vertical pillar of the 3D PCRAM. In particular, a height of the vertical pillar needs to be increased to improve off current characteristics of a switching diode using the vertical pillar. However, an aspect ratio is increased due to the increase in the height of the vertical pillar, which creates difficulties in the process and causes diode leaning. Further, the height of the vertical pillar needs to be increased to ensure an effective channel length even in a switching transistor using the vertical pillar. In the switching transistor, similar to the switching diode described above, an aspect ratio is also increased due to the increase in the height of the vertical pillar, which creates difficulties in the process and causes leaning.
A switching device having a horizontal channel structure is suggested to overcome the limits of the vertical switching device.
FIGS. 1 and 2A to 2C are views illustrating a structure of a general switching device having a horizontal channel structure.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a general switching device 10 having a horizontal channel structure. FIG. 2A is a side view of the part shown in FIG. 1 when viewed in an X-direction. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the part taken along line X11-X12 of FIG. 1. FIG. 2C is a side view of the part shown in FIG. 1 when viewed in a Y-direction.
An active region 105 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 101 in which a common source region (not shown) is formed. The active region 105 may be a line pattern extending to a first direction. A predetermined portion of the active region 105 is connected to the semiconductor substrate 101, and a remaining portion of the active region 105 is insulated from the semiconductor substrate 101 by an insulating layer 103. The remaining portion of the active region 105 disposed on the insulating layer 103 serves as a drain region D, and the predetermined portion of the active region 105 connected to the common source region serves as a source region S.
A gate structure 107, extending to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and surrounding a side and an upper surface of the active region 105, is formed on the active region 105. The gate structures 107 having a line shape are formed on the drain region D in a predetermined interval. A spacer 109 is formed on the source region S between the gate structures 107 and on sidewalls of the gate structures 107. A space between the gate structures 107 is buried with an interlayer insulating layer 111.
In the switching device 107 having the horizontal channel structure, the gate structure 107 is formed to have a stacking structure of a gate insulating layer 1071, a gate conductive layer 1073, a barrier metal layer 1075, and a hard mask layer 1077. The gate conductive layer 1073 may be a polysilicon layer doped with impurities, the barrier metal layer 1075 may be a tungsten (W) layer, and the hard mask layer 1077 may be a silicon nitride layer.
That is, in the general switching device having the horizontal channel structure, a gate electrode (a word line) is formed of a polysilicon layer and a W layer. A height of the gate structure 107 is increased by the gate electrode, and thus an aspect ratio increases accordingly. The increase in the aspect ratio causes leaning during an etching and cleaning process for gate formation, and the gate structure may be collapsed. Therefore, fabrication yield may be reduced.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method thereof


The present disclosure provides cyclic silyl ethers of the formula:

Bottlebrush polymers have found widespread applications in fields ranging from drug delivery and molecular imaging to novel materials and stimuli responsive networks (ACS Macro Letters 2012, 1, 1146. Progress in Polymer Science 2008, 33, 759. Progress in Polymer Science 2010, 35, 24.). Graft-through ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) offers distinct advantages over other bottlebrush synthesis methods (Journal of the American Chemical Society 2009, 131, 18525. Macromolecules 2009, 42, 3761.). The fast-initiating Grubb's 3rd generation catalyst has been shown to sustain propagation of polymer chain reactions with exceptionally high tolerance towards a wide range of sterically-hindered multivalent macromonomers, reaching high degrees of polymerization and low dispersity values, even at low millimolar concentrations (Chemical Society Reviews 2015, 44, 2405. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2012, 51, 11246.). Furthermore, it is possible to control composition, morphology, and size of final macromolecules, allowing the preparation of remarkable polymeric architectures, such as bottlebrush polymers and star polymers (Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2012, 51, 11246. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138, 12494. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138, 11501. Chemical Reviews 2016, 116, 6743. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2014, 136, 5896.). Due to the high packing density of their side-chains, the backbones of bottlebrush polymers are very rigid and adopt extended morphologies with minimal side-chain entanglement (Chemical Society Reviews 2015, 44, 2405.). Recently, self-assembly behaviors of bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCPs) have become an active area of research (Chemical Society Reviews 2015, 44, 2405. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2012, 109, 14332.).
Polymeric star nanoarchitectures, on the other hand, offer several different valuable features, such as tunable nanoscale sizes and shapes that mimic globular biomacromolecules, allowing for extended blood circulation and efficient biodistribution and/or tumor accumulation (Accounts of Chemical Research 2009, 42, 1141. Nat Nano 2007, 2, 751. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 2009, 71, 409.). These properties make star polymers particularly well-suited for biological applications (Chemical Reviews 2016, 116, 6743.).
The development of bottlebrush and star polymeric structures (e.g., brush-arm star polymers (BASPs) (see FIG. 2)) is a growing field of research as these polymeric structures have broad applications. Previous work has reported preparation of multi-component MMs that can be used in graft-through ROMP; these MMs contain side-chains with a multitude of functions and properties, which can either be on different MMs, or branching off the same MM (Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138, 11501. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2014, 136, 5896. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2012, 109, 14332. Nat Nano 2007, 2, 751. ACS Macro Letters 2014, 3, 854. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2003, 2, 347.). In particular, the branched platform consists of a ROMP-compatible norbornene group on a molecule that also contains two orthogonally functionalizable sites: an alkyne, for which copper (I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) can be applied (Coordination Chemistry Reviews 2011, 255, 2933. Chemical Society Reviews 2010, 39, 1302. Science 2013, 340, 457.), and a carboxylic acid group, compatible with carbodiimide coupling chemistry (Tetrahedron 2004, 60, 2447. Chemical Society Reviews 2009, 38, 606. Organic Process Research & Development 2016, 20, 140. Chemical Reviews 2011, 111, 6557. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 978, 17, 522.), both of which are efficient, and known modes of conjugations. The side-chains can be functionalized with two dissimilar polymers that self-assemble into various morphologies or a polymer chain containing an agent (e.g., a therapeutic agent (e.g., drug), a diagnostic agent (e.g., imaging agent), a prophylactic agent, or a biological ligand); resulting polymers are reported to demonstrate interesting characteristics across multiple applications, including self-assembly, drug delivery, and molecular imaging (Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138, 12494. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016, 138, 11501. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2014, 136, 5896. Photochemistry and Photobiology 2014, 90, 380. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2012, 134, 16337. Nature Communications 2014, 5, 5460.).
Even though ROMP has found utility in many applications (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1998, 120, 10579; Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2014, 136, 15422), one disadvantage of previous polymers synthesized from ROMP is their poor degradability, thus limiting their utility in certain fields. A reported polymer synthesized via ROMP was degradable only at a pH of 4.5 or less (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2013, 52, 5061). Another example required multi-step syntheses for each monomer in order to generate a polymer (Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2015, 137, 8038). Therefore, there is a need for degradable brush polymers and degradable BASPs.
Tough and highly crosslinked materials are typically associated with a lack of degradability. As an example, poly-dicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) is a produced on industrial scale and valued for its high impact resistance and compatibility with injection molding processes. Owing to its crosslinked all-carbon backbone, however, these materials are considered non-degradable and thus cannot be reused or remolded after formation. Degradable versions of this material, which maintain all of their desirable mechanical properties but enable mild strategies to break down the material, may open the door to myriad applications for both this material and its degraded fragments.

Degradable polymers of a cyclic silyl ether and uses thereof

Abstract: and salts thereof. The cyclic silyl ethers may be useful as monomers for preparing polymers. Also described herein are polymers prepared by polymerizing a cyclic silyl ether and optionally one or more additional monomers. The polymers may be degradable (e.g., biodegradable). One or more O—Si bonds of the polymers may be the degradation sites. Also described herein are compositions and kits including the cyclic silyl ethers or polymers; methods of preparing the polymers; and methods of using the polymers, compositions, and kits.