Sanitizing container and display is a sealed but ventable container for removably placing demonstrable objects such as plants, cut flowers, inside the container, living creatures and the like in hospitals, home or other environments where immunocompromised or allergic patients live. This sealed container and display is provided with a ventilation system that establishes adequate air circulation to the inside the container while clearing the outflow air from any potentially harmful microbes, allergens (small particles that cause allergy) or chemical fumes that would be dangerous for those patients who lack normal immune protection or are allergic. This enclosed chamber can optionally be provided with an artificial light source for illumination of the displayed object if desired.

The world-wide rising number of severely immunocompromised patients and those who suffer allergic diseases has made the control and prevention of infections and allergic disorders a critical issue. There are several microbes and allergens in the natural habitat of human, which are not harmful in healthy individual but are potentially dangerous to that patient who lack normal immune protection or suffer from severe allergic disorders, respectively. Opportunistic infections are those infectious agents that could cause infection in those who lack normal immune system. Fungal infections and particularly Aspergillosis, one of important member of this group of infectious agents could cause life-threatening infection among immunosuppressed patients and is thought to be primarily airborne and can be transmitted from fresh cut flower or potted plants. In this regard the Center of Disease Control (CDC) in the United States of America set guidelines for preventing opportunistic infection in transplant wards and those medical floor that admit patients with severely depressed immune system. These guidelines include evidence based recommendations regarding ventilation, plants and all other health related issues to reduce the number and severity of infections in those immunocompromised patients. According to these guidelines, "Experts strongly recommend that plants and dried or fresh flowers not be allowed in hospital rooms of transplant patient or those who are candidate for this procedure. This is because Aspergillus specious have been isolated from soil of potted plants, the surface of dried flower arrangements, and fresh flowers" (Reference to CDC guidelines; Emerging Infectious Disease, by Dykewicz A, Hospital infection control in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, Vol 7, No 2, Mar.-Apr. 2001).
Bringing fresh cut flowers, potted plants or flower arrangement at bedside of an ill person has always been a pleasant tradition and it is not surprising that floral business in or near hospitals is in demand. Bringing flowers and potted plants by visitors for an ill person is not only a symbol of care and concern for the loved one, it also helps the patient to cope better with physical ailment by release of emotional stress and decrease in psychological tensions resulted from closed hospital environment. By creating more natural looking environment for patient who has to spend a lot of his/her time in this closed surroundings, one might be able to decrease the anxiety, fear, depression and other emotional ailment that are associated with physical illness.
Unfortunately, the limitation that mentioned above result in deprivation of many chronically ill patients to enjoy this very privilege and thus, they are not able to keep and enjoy flowers and potted plants in their environments. This limitation applies to both their temporary environment such as hospital and their permanent residence environment such as home or nursing home.
The object of this invention is to create a completely sealed chamber that would separate potted plants, cut flowers or flower arrangements from the surrounding environment and make it possible for immunosuppressed patients or those who suffer sever allergic disorders to enjoy the loveliness of these natural beauties in their living environment. Using an electrical exhaust system and air filter assembly and a check valve, the outgoing air from the container is cleared out of any potential harmful airborne particles including microbes, allergens or fumes that might be harmful to patients and establishing adequate ventilation for the living creature inside the chamber. This closed chamber is made totally or in part from transparent material including glass, acrylic or other artifact that makes it possible to see the inside of the container. Meantime, using mirror, and other decorative artifact could make this display more attractive for hospital environment and/or patients' house.
There are many different types of illuminated containers and the like for containing, displaying and stimulating plant growth. Neither of these devices has been made to satisfy the needs mentioned above, however. The prior art in this field is addressed below. These prior art patents mainly provide a closed environment for displaying or improving plant growth. These include:                1. "Portable Greenhouse" U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,157 by Wijbenga in 2003. This greenhouse is a modular space for plants with plurality of opening in the lid and a ventilating fan that propel air through filter into the greenhouse as forced ventilation. The green house uses filtered ventilation for promotion of plant growth. Although in the first glance this container is similar to "Sanitizing container" because it is a ventilated container for plant display. But, this container is not sealed and the air is forced into the chamber through filters while the exhausted air including plants' germ and allergen could freely enter surrounding environment through lid opening.        2. "Air filtering apparatus and method for using same" Publication No. 20020136669 by Marques in 2002. This is a plant container to be used as an air filter for cleaning the surrounding air in a closed environment. This device uses plant as the air conditioner for closed environment. Obviously, in this container, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        3. "Air-cleaning ecosystem apparatus" U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,471 by Sun in 1999 is an air-cleaning ecosystem apparatus includes: an ecosystem container having green plants, pollutant-absorbable plants and aromatic plants selectively planted in the ecosystem container with a blower and filters connected to the ecosystem container for delivering input air as primarily filtered into the ecosystem container. In this container the green plants will conduct photosynthesis for absorbing carbon dioxide from the air and giving off oxygen into the air and also the pollutant-absorbable plants will absorb some pollutants existing in the air and add some aroma by aromatic plants to create an outputting clean, fragrant air rich in oxygen beneficial for human and animal breathing for completing a gaseous cycle of ecosystem. In this container, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        4. "Modular wardian case" U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,853 by Jacobs in 1999 is a multi-section enclosure adapted to support an artificial environment for growing plants. Vertical edges of opaque and transparent wall sections interlock with one another and horizontal edges mount to formed channels at a domed cover and support base. Slide shutters mounted to vent apertures at the divider and cover cooperate with a fan at one of the divider apertures to control internal air circulation and temperature within the growing space. The spaced door and cover vent control make-up and exhaust air flow. This container is not sealed and the exhaust air is not filtered as well.        5. "Open floral display case" U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,289 by Wetzel in 1999 is a refrigerated open display case achieves a laminar flow of chilled air over flowers or produce displayed therein, and establishes a laminar flow boundary layer with the warmer ambient air. This is an open display case and germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        6. "View tank" U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,137 by Liao in 1994 is a display that including an upper section for light to illuminating the middle section that is used for display of plant. The lower section is a water storage section, and water is pumped to a fog generating box for generating fog and a fan for blowing the hot air in the upper and middle sections to the outer rim of the transparent walls of the middle section so as to remove water moisture on the walls. This is not sealed, the fan only blow warm air to clear the moisture from transparent walls and germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        7. "Environmental chamber for plant growth analysis" U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,595 by Griggs in 1994 is an environmental day-lit chamber for plant growth analysis having therein a growth chamber with a perforated or slotted plant supporting floor for allowing air to be forced vertically through the plant space. The transparent and frameless exterior of the chamber shell allows equalized distribution of sunlight with minimal impedance into the growth chamber. A vertical surface at the rear of the plant growth chamber forms a return air plenum for ducting air through the growth chamber and back to an air conditioning compartment beneath the growth chamber for reconditioning the air. A gasket door at the front of the chamber shell provides reach-in capacity for entry into the plant growth chamber and expedites the ability to sealing close the growth chamber upon completion of operations therein. This plant container is designed to perform experiment on plants in out-door but controlled conditions of temperature, gas mixture and humidity. The fan recirculate the air inside the container and an air conditioning device keep the temperature and moisture of the circulating air at determined value. There is no exchange of air with surrounding environment in this closed chamber and thus there is no unidirectional air flow of air filtration device in this chamber.        8. "Room air environment conditioner" U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,834 by Garunts in 1994 is a room air environment conditioner for conditioning and improving the air quality in a room. The apparatus includes an enclosed cabinet containing growing plants on trays filled with water to facilitate sprouting and growing of said plants without dirt or sand. The cabinet is separated into light and dark portions to permit regulated growth of said plants. The trays holding the plants have perforated covers upon which are placed a porous material to hold the seeds and the trays are first placed in the dark portion of the cabinet. Once the seeds sprout with roots they are transferred to the lighted portion of the cabinet to grow and generate oxygen. There is an air ionizer located within the cabinet and also a holder containing various chemicals or powders with curative components. A fan blows air through a wetted filter and the cabinet thus changing the oxygen and ionization content of the air in the room, cooling the air and introducing curative powders into the room. The goal of this invention is to treat the air by introduction of oxygen, absorption of carbon dioxide, ionization, dispersion of useful ingredients and smells of plants into the air, and cooling and increasing the humidity of the air. This container uses a fan and filter to clear the ingressing air into the container. Obviously, in this container, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        9. "Environmentally controlled display cabinet" U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,974 by Graf in 1994 is an environmentally controlled cabinet that provided for maintaining and displaying plants of various types indoors. A fresh water supply, cooling system and exhaust and ventilation fans are contained in the cabinet, so that the entire system is portable. The cabinet further includes a computerized control system, which is responsive to user input commands for controlling various environmental functions, such as plant watering, temperature, humidity, air circulation and lighting. The ambient conditions within the cabinet are programmable for daytime, nighttime and seasonal cycles. The ambient temperature within the growing chamber can be maintained at a relatively constant level, or alternatively, a temperature differential can be maintained within the growing chamber to accommodate various types of plants which thrive under different temperature conditions. This plant container uses exhaust fan to ventilate the container and maintain the temperature. There is no air filtration in the exhaust fan and the container is not sealed. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        10. "House plant hospital" U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,781 by Malczyk, in 1991 which is a house plant hospital comprises a closed container in which a potted plant may be positioned and covered by a hingedly-attached lid. A plurality of lights are mounted within the container, while the plant may be occasionally rotated by being positioned upon a "lazy susan" support. In an alternative embodiment, provision is made for supporting several layers of plants and a water spray system is also provided. Additionally, fertilizer and pesticides may be sprayed over the plants while they are retained within the container. The closed container positionable over the plants operates to retain heat provided by the artificial light source so as to prevent the plants from being damaged in a cold environment. Further, the interior surfaces of the container and its associated lid are completely covered with a reflective mylar material which is unaffected by the liquid spray and which operates to continually reflect the artificial light in all directions so that maximum light availability is provided for the plants. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        11. "Plant rejuvenator system" U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,099 by Nilssen in 1992 is useful particularly in wintertime. This is a wall-hung shelf that is internally covered with reflective material. Along the rear wall of the shelf, in front of the reflective material, is positioned an array of fluorescent lamps. Within the shelf, in front of the fluorescent lamps, is placed one or more potted plants; each plant positioned on an automatically rotating pot-base. A ventilation fan is arranged to maintain the temperature within the shelf at an optimum level. An automatic watering and feeding arrangement maintains the soil of each potted plant such as to promote effective plant growth. Typically, a plant would be kept in the rejuvenator for a week or so. Thereafter, the plant would be able to maintain a good state of health for perhaps two weeks or so even if kept outside of the rejuvenator in wintertime. This container is not sealed and the fan provides ventilation for control of the temperature. There is no filtration and thus, germs and allergen of the contained plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        12. "Floral Container and water reservoir" U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,381 by Walton in 1989 is a floral container that has an internal chamber which serves as a fluid reservoir. The chamber is essentially closed to the environment and receive a block of floral foam which is capable of supporting an arrangement of cut flowers. One or more ports are provided to permit facile filling of the chamber with fluid and a wick beneath the level of the fluid causing capillary action transports water along the wick and is preferably impregnated with a floral preservative. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        13. "Apparatus for stimulating plant growth under controlled condition" U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,135 by DeMarco in 1989 is an apparatus for stimulating plant growth under controlled conditions comprises a housing having a lower portion, an upper portion, a hollow interior in which plants are grown and an exterior. Fluorescent lamps mounted within the interior stimulate growth of the plants. The housing is formed with vacuum-metalized walls or panels which, when illuminated by the lamps, reflect a major proportion of light into the interior. The housing is further formed with a lower vent and an upper vent to facilitate circulation of air through the interior. This container is not sealed and there are two vents connect the interior air to surrounding air. There is no filtration and thus, germs and allergen of the contained plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        14. "Potted plant display stand" U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,550 by Rice in 1986 is a potted plant display stand for displaying a small potted plant at angles, varying from 20 to 70 degrees, to the horizontal, for fuller viewing by a bedridden patient. The base of the stand is a hollow, dome-like shell, circular in shape, for placing the stand securely on a horizontal surface. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        15. "Plant growing chamber" U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,744 by Royster in 1985 is a growing chamber defined by sidewalls and a top spanning the chamber inside the walls. The top is mounted to be vertically moveable to change the chamber height. The walls and top are coated to be ninety percent reflective. A horticultural lamp is mounted on the top and a timer turns it on and off. Carbon dioxide gas is supplied to the chamber the gas being controlled to be supplied intermittently, but only while the lamp is on. Although this container is sealed, this means is used to control the gas mixture with in the chamber for better plant growth and obviously the exhaust air is not filtered. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding.        16. "Supporting structure for plants" U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,666 by Rakestraw in 1981 is a device for supporting plants for decorative or gardening purposes. A plurality of rotatable or fixed trays or shelves are mounted on a central support, and shelves can optionally be added on the sides of the device, such as adjustable shelves for potted plants. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        17. "Hydroponic apparatus" U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,783 by Leroux in 1980 is an enclosed hydroponic apparatus comprising a free standing reinforced base housing a nutrient feed supply including a temperature control device to partially control the temperature within the hydroponic apparatus, a plant enclosure including a frame to support a plurality of partitions attached to the upper portion of the free standing reinforced base and a plurality of frosted, convex light absorbing elements mounted on the upper portion of the frame to intercept and direct light to the plants disposed within the plant enclosure. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        18. "Inflatable Terrarium assembly with controlled environment" U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,966 by Spector in 1978 is a collapsible terrarium assembly which is inflatable to assume a desired configuration for protectively housing a plant or other organic material in a controlled environment adapted to promote plant growth or to stimulate organic activity. The structure is constituted by a disc-like base and a replaceable dome attachable thereto by means of a coupling ring. The dome is formed by a flexible plastic envelope whose rim is provided with an annular skirt that is interposed between the coupling ring and the base to define a hermetically-sealed enclosure. The envelope is provided with a two-way valve, which in one position makes it possible to exhaust the air from the enclosure, and in another position to inflate the dome with an inert gas to create a controlled environment. This is a sealed container that provides exposure of the contained material to specific gases (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ethylene). It does not have a means for ventilation to preserve a living plant or air filtration to clear the exhaust from germs and allergens.        19. "Portable greenhouse" U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,626 by Trumley in 1977 is a portable, self-contained greenhouse includes a base pan having longitudinally extending troughs adjacent the sides there of and a curved bottom panel. A transparent enclosure including a plurality of slidable, transparent wall and roof panels is supported on the base pan. An automatic heating arrangement is disposed partially within the base pan for uniformly heating the soil mixture contained therein. Artificial lights and a control system are included for selectively, artificially stimulating the plants as a function of ambient lighting conditions. A moisture indicator is also provided. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        20. "Flower caddy" U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,356 by Schacht in 1993 is a caddy providing a protective enclosure for the delivery and display of house plants and cut flowers. The caddy includes a receptacle and interfitting cover. The cover is telescopically slidable over the receptacle and the height is adjustable for accommodating a range of flower sizes and stem lengths. The cover is securable at incremental heights by the cooperative action of a harness attached within the receptacle and extendible through selected registration slots in the receptacle for engagement with the cover. The harness further provides a carrying support for the caddy. The receptacle is also functional as a display vase. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for ventilation and air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.        21. "Environmental Chamber" U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,080 by Mallory in 1973 is an environmental chamber wherein conditions of temperature, humidity, and daylight are simulated to most nearly approximate conditions found in nature. The chamber uses an Xenon lamp as a light source to closely simulate natural sunlight. Within the chamber, light from the Xenon lamp is changeably filtered so as to produce light conditions that nearly approximate the varying sun conditions which exist throughout a typical normal day at a particular location. Temperature and humidity are controlled by air conditioning and heating systems that are programmed to produce atmospheric conditions within the chamber in simulation of actual environmental conditions. air conditioning means having means for heating the circulated air, means for cooling the circulated air, and means for adding moisture to the air. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants can easily enter the surrounding environment.        22. "Controlled environment apparatus and process for plant husbandry" U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,733 by Allen in 1972 is a controlled environment chamber for plant husbandry that is provided with a readily removable sealing top having therein separately sealed light source chamber containing incandescent and fluorescent lights. A control chamber is adjacent to the growing chamber and covered by the top for containing therein a fluid and electrical control circuit for energizing the lights in a timed cycle, individually manually controlling the lights, providing for the introduction of pressurized carbon dioxide into a control volume and simultaneously venting the growing chamber to the outside environment air when the lights are de-energized, discharging the carbon dioxide from the control volume into the growing chamber and simultaneously closing the vent when the lights are energized, and thermostatically controlling only the incandescent light for controlling the temperature within the growing chamber. The fresh air vent valve is spring closed and opened by means of an expansible chamber directly connected to the carbon dioxide control volume. The mixture of carbon dioxide within the growing chamber is controlled by means of a pressure regulator, and a pressure gauge determining the pressure within the control volume and indicating parts of carbon dioxide within the control volume per million parts of gas within the growing chamber. A motor drives one fan to provide circulation within the growing chamber, and another fan to circulate cooling air through the control chamber, light source chamber and through the open vent. This is a sealed container that provides exposure of the contained plants to specific gas mixture. The ventilating fan can change the air within the container without air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants can easily enter the surrounding environment.        23. "Cultivation receptacle" U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,158 by Privett in 1972 is a combined humidifier and plant apparatus for humidifying the atmosphere and for growing and/or displaying of plants. For the growing of plants, a tray provided in the cabinet supports a layer of soil. The soil is moisturized by a water absorbent material that is partly immersed in a water trough. The humidifying means includes a fan mounted in the cabinet that drives air and water vapor out through an outlet to humidify the atmosphere. This container is not sealed and does not have a mean for air filtration. Thus, germs and allergen of the displayed plants could easily enter the surrounding environment.


Disclosed herein is a printed circuit board facilitating expansion of number of memory modules and memory system including the same. The printed circuit board of the present invention includes a plurality of slots and a plurality of controller terminals. Each of slots disposed in locations ranging from a 2n−1+1th location to a 2nth location with respect to the controller terminals includes 2k−n module terminals connected to the module terminals of slots ranging from the slot disposed in the first location to a slot disposed in a 2n−1th location; wherein, in the printed circuit board and memory system including the printed circuit board according to the present invention, dummy modules are not required to expand the number of memory modules. Further, according to the printed circuit board of the present invention, the expansion of the number of memory modules is facilitated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to printed circuit boards and, more particularly, to a printed circuit board, which has a wiring structure enabling the number of memory modules mounted on the printed circuit board to be easily expanded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a memory device is used to temporarily or permanently store data or instructions used in computer systems, such as a personal computer (PC), a workstation or a server. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static RAM (SRAM), Rambus DRAM, and Extreme Date Rate (XDR) DRAM can be referred as a representative memory device. Such a memory device is actually applied to a computer system in the form of a module (hereinafter, referred to as a 'memory module'). That is, a memory module, in which a plurality of memory devices is mounted, is connected to and is installed in a panel (for example, a motherboard provided in a PC), with the memory module being inserted into a slot on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).
Meanwhile, a processor (typical chipset) and a memory module are connected to each other through various wiring schemes. In this case, wiring is implemented in a point-to-point manner. In point-to-point wiring, data or a signal generated by the processor is actually effectively provided only to a single memory device mounted in the memory module.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a memory system including a conventional PCB 100, which shows the structure existing before memory modules are inserted into slots. The PCB 100 of FIG. 1 includes two slots 110 and 120, into which memory modules, each having a plurality of memory devices mounted therein, can be inserted. In FIG. 1, wires 131 to 133 transmit data. Further, the controller terminals 141 of the wires 131 and 132 are connected to a processor 1 and are capable of transmitting or receiving data to or from the processor 1. The module terminals 142 and 143 of the wires 131 and 133 are electrically connected to a memory module inserted into the first slot 110, and are capable of transmitting or receiving data to or from the memory module. Further, the module terminals 144 and 145 of the wires 132 and 133 are electrically connected to a memory module inserted into the second slot 120 and are capable of transmitting or receiving data to from the memory module. In FIG. 1, wires 134 and 135 transmit instruction signals. The instruction signals received by the connection terminals 146 of the processor 1 are provided to the connection terminals 147 and 148 of the slots 110 and 120 through the wires 134 and 135, respectively. Further, the driving of memory devices mounted in the memory modules is controlled by the provided instruction signals.
However, in the conventional PCB 100, individual wires 133 are not connected to the controller terminals, which can be directly connected to the processor 1. In the conventional PCB 100, when a memory module is inserted only into the first slot 110, the module terminals 143 of the first slot 110 are not electrically connected to the processor 1.
Therefore, in the conventional PCB 100, as shown in FIG. 2, when only a single memory module is actually used to store valid data, the insertion of a dummy module 170 into the second slot 120 is required. Through the connecting wires 171 of the dummy module 170, the module terminals 144 of wires 132 are electrically connected to the module terminals 145 of wires 133. Furthermore, the memory devices 161 of a memory module 160 inserted into the first slot 110 can transmit or receive data through DQ pads 161b connected to module terminals 143.
Meanwhile, in order to expand the number of memory modules, two memory modules 160 and 180 are inserted into first and second slots 110 and 120, respectively, as shown in FIG. 3. In this case, data is not input/output through DQ pads 161b and 181b connected to the module terminals 143 and 145 of the wires 133.
However, in the conventional PCB 100, only a maximum of two memory modules can be mounted. Therefore, the conventional PCB 100 is problematic in that it is difficult to expand the number of memory modules.

Printed circuit board facilitating expansion of number of memory modules and memory system including the same


Provided is a cloth spreading apparatus in which a pair of feeder chucks are engaged with adjacent corners of a piece of cloth at a lowered position, and raise the cloth to a traversing position of spreading chucks; the pair of spreading chucks traverse to positions closer to each other to receive the adjacent corners of the cloth from the feeder chucks, and then traverse to positions farther away from each other to pull the adjacent corners so as to spread the cloth; an intermediate movable body receives, at an advanced position, an upper end portion of the spread cloth from the spreading chucks and retains the upper end portion, and then releases the upper end portion while moving to a retracted position so as to transfer the cloth onto a belt conveyor; and the belt conveyor carries out the cloth in a spread state, wherein the intermediate movable body has: a rear-facing surface that is a part of an upper surface between a front part and a sunken part located at a lower level than the front part, and that extends downward; a clamp that is placed opposite to the rear-facing surface; and a clamp driving device that advances and retracts the clamp to and from the rear-facing surface so as to hold an upper portion of the cloth between the clamp and the rear-facing surface and release the upper portion from therebetween.

Examples of known conventional cloth spreading apparatuses include the one described in Patent Literature 1 that has been disclosed before by the present applicant. This cloth spreading apparatus includes: a pair of feeder chucks that grasp adjacent corners of a washed piece of cloth; a raising-lowering device that raises and lowers the pair of feeder chucks; a pair of spreading chucks that receive the cloth from the pair of feeder chucks at a raised position of the feeder chucks and grasp the adjacent corners of the cloth; a traversing device that causes the pair of spreading chucks to traverse; an intermediate movable body on an upper surface of which an upper end portion of the cloth is retained; an advancing-retracting device that advances and retracts the intermediate movable body; and a belt conveyor that carries out the spread cloth.
In this conventional cloth spreading apparatus, the pair of feeder chucks are engaged with adjacent corners of a washed piece of cloth at a lowered position, directly by a worker or through a cloth supply device, and raise the cloth to a traversing position of the spreading chucks. The pair of spreading chucks traverse to positions closer to each other to receive the adjacent corners of the cloth from the feeder chucks, and then traverse to positions farther away from each other to pull the adjacent corners so as to spread the cloth. The intermediate movable body receives, at an advanced position, an upper end portion of the spread cloth from the spreading chucks onto an upper surface of a front part thereof, sucks and retains the upper end portion by a negative pressure, and then stops the negative pressure and releases the upper end portion of the cloth while moving to a retracted position, so as to transfer the cloth onto a front part of the belt conveyor. The belt conveyor carries out the received cloth in a spread state toward an iron roller.


A fire resistant plastic structure comprises a pair of parallel walls, wherein the spacing between the walls is filled with an array of mutually spaced strut elements, thereby providing a flow path for a cooling fluid throughout the spacing.

The invention relates to a fire resistant structure comprising heat sensitive or combustible plastic materials. In general plastic items of structure are made of epoxy or polyester resins or other synthetic materials, wherein the wall of the structure may be reinforced by means of one or more fibrous layers.
Plastic materials find in an increasing amount application for constructing various items of structure, such as pipe-lines, storage tanks, lulls for ships, wall elements, etc.
In spite of various desirable properties of plastic materials for use in a marine environment, such as their corrosion resistance and light weight, conventional plastic structures are generally not accepted by Classification Societies and Regulatory Authorities for use in vital services in ships and on offshore platforms. The main reason for non-acceptance is the susceptibility of conventional plastic structures to fire damage.
Numerous attempts have been made to improve the fire resistance of plastic structures such as by covering the structure with insulating layers comprising fire proof coatings or claddings. Although these provisions enhance the fire resistance of the structure satisfactorily they have the inherent disadvantage that the cost and often the weight of the structure are considerably increased and that complex installation and inspection procedures are required.

Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V.


In order to implement faster high precision milling and high resolution image observation in the structure analysis and failure analysis of the MEMS and semiconductor devices, a two-lens optical system is mounted on a focused ion beam apparatus, and in the optical system the distance from an emitter apex in an ion source to an earth electrode included in a condenser lens and disposed nearest to the ion source is in the range of 5 to 14 mm.

The present invention relates to a focused ion beam (FIB) apparatus.
At present, focused ion beam apparatuses are used in many fields. In particular, a fine focused beam can be applied to a micro area of devices and materials. Furthermore, this apparatus focuses an ion beam from an ion source through a lens and irradiates the beam onto a specimen, and the apparatus is used for milling and observing a specimen in a micro area. For example, it is possible to use the apparatus for observation of a specimen by irradiating an ion beam of a relative low current onto the specimen and detecting secondary particles generated from the specimen. Furthermore, it is possible to mill a specimen by irradiating an ion beam of a relatively high current onto the specimen.
In addition, the focused ion beam is used for structure analysis and failure analysis of microelectrical mechanical systems (MEMS) and semiconductor devices. These elements have been integrated in recent years. In general, therefore, they have a layered structure. For this reason, to inspect them, it is necessary to conduct cross-sectioning up to a specified layer and inspect the cross-section structure. As the MEMS and semiconductor devices become finer, their structures also become gradually complicated. Therefore, the number of cross sections to be inspected increases more and more, and the time which can be used for inspection per cross section becomes shorter and shorter. Since the focused ion beam is applicable to both milling and observation, it is effective to the structure analysis and failure analysis of the MEMS and semiconductor devices. First, the current of the ion beam is increased and milling is conducted from the surface down to a specified layer. Then, the current of the ion beam is decreased and the specified layer is inspected.
For example, a conventional apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,297 has an optical system in which a total optical length from apex of an ion emitter of an ion source to a specimen is in the range of 300 to 450 mm. The distance between the ion emitter and the center of a condenser lens center is 45 mm or less. The distance between the objective lens center and the specimen is 40 mm or less. A FIB formed by this optical system has a maximum current density Jmax of at least 15 A/cm2. As for a fine milling beam in a milling mode, a beam current Ip is Ip≧several tens pA and a beam diameter d is d≦40 nm. As for an observation beam in an observation mode, Ip≧several pA and d≦15 nm.
In the focused ion beam apparatus, the milling position precision substantially depends on the beam diameter d in the milling mode. This results in a problem that, if d is not small enough, the apparatus cannot be suited for the fine structure and features in the structure analysis and failure analysis of the MEMS and semiconductor devices. On the other hand, the milling speed is substantially proportionate to the beam current Ip. If Ip is not large enough, the milling speed becomes slow. For meeting the needs of still higher throughput of the FIB milling in the structure analysis and failure analysis, therefore, it has become a subject to increase the beam current density, i.e., increase the beam current without making the beam diameter of the milling beam large. In the observation mode, on the other hand, the focused ion beam apparatus has a problem that, if the ion beam is not fine enough, it is not possible to observe the structure and features of fine MEMS and semiconductor devices in the structure analysis and failure analysis. Another problem in the observation mode is that, if the current of the ion beam is not large enough, the obtained signal is too small to detect an image with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio. As semiconductors become finer, it has become a subject to make the observation beam still finer.
The above-described conventional apparatus example does not meet the needs of still higher throughput in FIB milling especially on the high current side. For example, in 30-kV Ga-FIB in the conventional apparatus, a beam having d≈1 μm is associated with Ip≈16 nA. It is now supposed that box milling with a length 20 μm, a width 20 μm and a depth 20 μm is conducted on the surface of a Si specimen by using this beam. The milling yield Y of a Si specimen using 30 kV Ga-FIB depends on the scanning velocity of the FIB, and it is the range of 0.2 to 0.8 μm3/nA·s. Under the condition Y=0.25 μm3/nA·s, the time taken for box milling amounts to approximately 17 minutes. Therefore, it is not possible to meet the needs of higher throughput in the structure analysis and failure analysis of the MEMS and semiconductor devices for conducting a lot of milling of this kind in a short time.


A glitch-free digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) code update may be achieved by synchronizing the transfer of the DCO code update to a logic state transition of a pulse in the DCO clock output signal such that the code update may be achieved while the DCO delay chain remains in the same logic state. A state machine may provide the DCO code update and a pulsed update signal to a timing circuit. The DCO code update may be aligned with a pulse in the pulsed update signal. The timing circuit may generate a DCO code update enabled signal upon alignment of the pulse in the pulsed update signal with a state transition of a pulse in the pulsed DCO clock output. The DCO code update enabled signal may be aligned with a state transition in the pulsed DCO clock output to permit a glitch-free DCO code update.

Clock frequencies and data transfer rates continue to increase in many microprocessor based devices. In the past, analog phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits were frequently employed for frequency synthesis, clocking, and data transfer. With a growing trend toward smaller, portable microprocessor based devices the relatively high power draw of PLL circuitry proved detrimental. Digitally controlled PLLs provide a generally more robust construction, consumer less power than analog PLLs, and require less real estate on increasingly packed integrated circuits. Within a digitally controlled PLL, a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) replaces the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) found in earlier analog PLL systems. Similar to their analog counterpart, changes within the system (e.g., temperature changes, voltage changes, changes in component resistance or impedance, and similar) may cause the output provided by a digitally controlled oscillator to drift over time. To correct such drift, a state machine may provide DCO code updates to tune the output of the DCO based on current system parameters. Typically, these code updates are provided by the state machine without synchronization to the clocking of the DCO itself. Such asynchronous updates may occur at times when the DCO delay chain has different logic states at the switching points, increasing the possibility of transient glitches in the DCO clock output. Such glitches in the DCO clock output may lead to unfavorable system behaviors such as limiting the ability to tune a clock generator during memory operations.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Glitch-free digitally controlled oscillator code update


A method for processing a time code including the steps of generating information, indicating whether or not a location is proper for editing when converting picture information of a predetermined system into picture information of another system, and writing the information to the time code data accompanied with the picture information of the second system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for processing a time code used for an editing operation involving converting picture information of a predetermined system into that of another system.
2. Description of the Related Art
For broadcasting or producing a video software package of picture information originally imaged on cinema film for release to the public in a theater, the picture information is frequently converted into a standard video signal of an NTSC (National Television System Committee) system or a
(Phase Alternating by Line) system.
For this purpose, a system arranged to use a telecine apparatus serving as a picture scanning device has been considered. Such a device is illustrated in FIG. 1. As an example, the following description will be directed to the conversion of picture information captured on cinema film into a video signal of the NTSC system.
Normally, cinema film 1 is imaged at a rate of 24 frames per second. To obtain a video signal of the NTSC system, that is, a video signal having 525 scan lines and field frequency of 59.94 Hz, the telecine apparatus 2 operates to reproduce the picture information imaged on the cinema film 1 at a rate of 24 frames per second (precisely, 24/1.001=23.97602398), which is the same as the imaging speed. Then, a field frequency converting unit 3 operates to perform a so-called 3:2 pull-down process.
As shown in FIG.2, the so-called 3:2 pull-down process is a process that is executed to perform interlaced scanning of the cinema film for converting an even field of the film into an even field of a video signal and an odd field of the film into an odd field of the video signal. Since one frame of the cinema film is composed of two of the same fields with no time lag, the field frequency converting unit 3 operates to output the video signal of the NTSC system without any unfavorable time lag. Four frames on the input side are converted into one frame on the output side. Since no undesirable arrangement of the field order inside of the frame takes place, an observer feels no unnatural reproduction of the picture.
When reproducing a still frame video signal of the NTSC system in the fashion described above, the reproduced picture can be created in an undesirable fashion because the picture of a field of a given frame of the video signal is different from the picture of its adjacent field of the same frame unless a reproducing start point is properly selected.
In FIG. 2, when setting a reproducing start point to the 02 frame (F) of the video signal, the 02 frame of the video signal is produced from fields of the 01 frame and 02 frame of the cinema film. Between the two fields a time lag exists. As a result, an observer senses an unnatural reproduction of the still frame video signal. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system overcoming these prior art shortcomings.

Method and apparatus for processing time code


In one embodiment, a pivot assembly includes a component including a top surface and a post that extends upward from the top surface, a pivot member that can be pivoted about a pivot axis defined by the post, the pivot member having a top surface, and a retaining collar that secures the pivot member to the component, the retaining collar being positioned between the post and the pivot member.

It is occasionally necessary to attach a pivot member, such as a pull handle, to a piece of sheet metal. There are various methods for achieving such attachment. In one such method, a handle can be secured to a piece of sheet metal using separate attachment hardware, such as a threaded fastener that threads into a nut that has been press fit into or otherwise attached to the sheet metal.
Although the use of such attachment hardware is acceptable in some applications, it may not be in others. For example, in a limited clearance application, in which the handle must be very thin due to lack of space, there simply may not be space for a nut. In such circumstances, the handle can instead be attached to the sheet metal using a swaging process. In such a process, a post is extruded from the sheet metal so as to extend from a top surface of the sheet metal. The handle can then be placed over the post and the post can be swaged down on top of the handle to secure the handle to the sheet metal.
While such a solution results in a low profile assembly, it also typically results in a handle that is either too tight or too loose due to difficulty in controlling the swaging process. In addition, the handle may bind in certain angular positions during use, resulting in a handle that cannot be smoothly operated. Although the handle may be functional in such situations, it may create the perception of poor quality for the user.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An apparatus for exercising abdominal muscles in a sitting position, the apparatus including an elastic belt that constrains the abdomen by exerting tensile force and is moved by the user by active muscular exertion, and to a system for detachably fastening the belt to a backrest of a chair, car seat, or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an apparatus for exercising the abdominal muscles in a sitting position, comprising an at least regionally elastic belt that constrains the abdomen by exerting tensile force and is moved by the user by active muscular exertion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known from DE OS [Offenlegungsschrift; Unexamined Laid-Open Patent Application] 100 06 588 A1 is a girdle-type belt for improving the posture and for exercising the abdominal muscles, which is worn around the waist and comprises a tensile force sensor which on excessive relaxation of the abdominal muscles triggers an alarm to remind the wearer of the belt to contract the abdominal muscles.
This girdle-type belt is preferably worn under an article of clothing by the person concerned and is therefore intended to remain continually on the body. It is optimized for this specific application and cannot be used to exercise other muscles, especially since only a comparatively short segment of the belt is actually elastic and greater expansion is therefore not possible.
Furthermore, in the unused state there is no defined way of keeping the belt at a specific location where it could quickly be retrieved.

Apparatus for exercising the abdominal muscles in a sitting position


A cosmetic carrier for a cosmetic container is designed so that the carrier may be top-filled or bottom-filled. The cosmetic carrier includes a cosmetic receiving cup defined by sidewalls and a base. The base of the cosmetic carrier includes a plurality of displaceable members which may be displaced upward permitting the cosmetic carrier to be bottom-filled but wherein downward displacement of the members is limited to permit the cosmetic carrier to be top-filled. A stop associated with the base limits downward movement and a hinge line on the upper surface of the base permits upward displacement of the displaceable members of the base.

Conventional lipstick containers include a cosmetic carrier, a tubular inner sleeve, a tubular outer sleeve and a decorative outermost sleeve. The cosmetic carrier supports the lipstick and is generally configured as a sleeve having radially extending lugs on opposing sides and is received within the inner sleeve. The inner sleeve defines longitudinally extending channels on opposing sides wherein the lugs of the cosmetic carrier extend therethrough. A spiral sleeve defining a continuous helical channel is positioned about the intermediate sleeve wherein the lugs of the cosmetic carrier are configured to be received in and to traverse along the length of the helical channel. This results in the cosmetic carrier being moved upwardly as the lugs traverse the length of the helical channel when a bottom portion of the intermediate sleeve is rotated. A decorative outermost sleeve is often provided for aesthetic purposes. In operation, a bottom portion of the inner sleeve extends beyond the bottom of the outer decorative sleeve. The user rotates the bottom portion to cause the cosmetic carrier and hence, the lipstick, to extend from the case for applying the lipstick and to retract into the case for storage.
Prior art cosmetic carriers are usually either top-fillable or bottom-fillable. According to conventional prior art methods of top-filling a cosmetic carrier, a pre-formed pomade is molded, cooled, and then manually or mechanically inserted into the cosmetic carrier, stopping on a solid base defining the bottom of the carrier. According to an exemplary prior art method of bottom-filling a cosmetic carrier, the cosmetic carrier does not include a bottom and is inverted and the liquid pomade is poured through the open end of the cosmetic carrier and is formed in a mold and solidified. Prior art methods thereby require that cosmetic companies have the capability to fill the cosmetic carriers from both the top and the bottom to facilitate customers varied requirements. This involves large inventories of cosmetic carriers which must be stored and specifically ordered by the customers. This also requires production changeovers resulting in inefficient use of production machinery. However, prior art attempts of providing a versatile cosmetic carrier require complicated cosmetic containers and do not provide an adequate solution to the aforementioned problem.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,801 to Cardia is directed to a complicated case for lipstick including a cosmetic holder which may either be top-filled or bottom-filled. The cosmetic container includes a cap, an external body, an intermediate body, and a stick holder. The stick holder is a tubular sleeve having an upper open extremity and a lower open extremity. The cosmetic container can be bottom-filled by disconnecting the external body, turning the case upside down and pouring a melted product into the intermediate body and through the lower portion of the stick holder. The fluid cosmetic mass enters the lower portion of the stick holder and completely fills the closed hollow upper portion forming the mold for the cosmetic stick. The method of top-filling the stick holder according to the prior patent includes pouring the melted product from the top of the cosmetic container when the cap and the closing capsule are disconnected and the stick holder is in a retracted position within the cosmetic container. Once a certain level is attained in the intermediate body, the cosmetic container is turned upside down. Accordingly, the cosmetic mass falls from the lower portion of the holder through the opening and into the upper hollow closed recipient forming the mold for the cosmetic stick. The prior patent discloses a complicated structure wherein the cosmetic stick holder is open on its bottom edge and the cosmetic is not supported by a base. The stick holder according to that patent is dissimilar to the type of cosmetic carriers typically demanded.

Top-fill/bottom-fill cosmetic carrier for a lipstick container


Speculative history forwarding in overriding branch predictors, and related circuits, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed. In one embodiment, a branch prediction circuit including a first branch predictor and a second branch predictor is provided. The first branch predictor generates a first branch prediction for a conditional branch instruction, and the first branch prediction is stored in a first branch prediction history. The first branch prediction is also speculatively forwarded to a second branch prediction history. The second branch predictor subsequently generates a second branch prediction based on the second branch prediction history, including the speculatively forwarded first branch prediction. By enabling the second branch predictor to base its branch prediction on the speculatively forwarded first branch prediction, an accuracy of the second branch predictor may be improved.

I. Field of the Disclosure
The technology of the disclosure relates generally to branch prediction in computer systems.
II. Background
Instruction pipelining is a processing technique whereby the throughput of computer instructions being executed by a processor may be increased by splitting the handling of each instruction into a series of steps. These steps are executed in an execution pipeline composed of multiple stages. Optimal processor performance may be achieved if all stages in an execution pipeline are able to process instructions concurrently. However, concurrent execution of instructions in an execution pipeline may be hampered by the presence of conditional branch instructions. Conditional branch instructions may redirect the flow of a program based on conditions evaluated when the conditional branch instructions are executed. As a result, the processor may have to stall the fetching of additional instructions until a conditional branch instruction has executed, resulting in reduced processor performance and increased power consumption.
One approach for maximizing processor performance involves utilizing a branch prediction circuit to predict whether a conditional branch instruction will be taken. The prediction of whether a conditional branch instruction will be taken can be based on a branch prediction history of previous conditional branch instructions. Instructions corresponding to the predicted branch may then be fetched and speculatively executed by the processor. In the event of a mispredicted branch, the processor may incur a delay while the fetched instructions corresponding to the mispredicted branch are flushed from the execution pipeline, and the instructions corresponding to the taken branch are fetched. Accordingly, an accurate branch predictor is required to minimize the penalties (in terms of both decreased processor performance and unnecessary power consumption) of branch mispredictions.
Accuracy of conventional branch predictors may generally correspond to a number of processor clock cycles required to generate a branch prediction. For example, a relatively simple branch predictor may require only a single processor clock cycle to provide a branch prediction, but the resulting branch prediction may be less accurate. Conversely, a more complex branch predictor may provide a higher degree of accuracy, but may suffer from a multi-cycle latency (i.e., may require multiple processor clock cycles to generate a branch prediction).
To mitigate the tradeoff between accuracy and speed, an "overriding branch predictor" may employ a faster, less accurate first branch predictor in conjunction with a slower, more accurate second branch predictor. Both branch predictors provide predictions for each conditional branch instruction, with the second branch predictor providing its prediction a few processor clock cycles later than the first branch predictor. The processor initially fetches instructions based on the branch prediction of the first branch predictor. When the branch prediction of the second branch predictor is generated, the processor compares it to the first branch prediction. If the predictions differ, the second prediction is used to overwrite the first prediction in the branch prediction history for the first branch predictor, and the proper instructions are re-fetched based on the second branch prediction. Even though the re-fetching of instructions may incur a performance penalty, the processor still achieves a net performance improvement compared to the penalty incurred by waiting until the instructions reach the execution stage before re-fetching. This is particularly the case with processors having a large number of pipeline stages between instruction fetching and instruction execution.
However, because of the multi-cycle latency of the second branch predictor of the overriding branch predictor, the second branch predictor must base its branch predictions on a branch prediction history that is "stale" (i.e., does not contain branch predictions for the most recently encountered conditional branch instructions). As a result, the accuracy and performance of the second branch predictor may be less than optimal.


A method for creating a tapered profile insulator shape, on an underlying silicon nitride layer, using a photoresist shape as a mask, has been developed. A two step dry etching procedure is used, featuring a first dry etching phase, using an etching chemistry comprised of argon, CHF.sub.3 and CF.sub.4, resulting in a tapered profile insulator shape, underlying the photoresist shape. A second dry etching phase, exhibiting high etch rate selectivity between insulator layer and underlying silicon nitride, via use of an etching chemistry comprised of argon, CHF.sub.3, CH.sub.2 F.sub.2, and CH.sub.3 F, is used to remove residual insulator layer from the underlying silicon nitride layer, without significant attack of the underlying silicon nitride layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process used to fabricate semiconductor devices, and more specifically to a dry etching procedure, used to form an insulator shape with a tapered profile.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The semiconductor industry is continually striving to improve device performance, while still attempting to reduce the manufacturing cost of specific metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, (MOSFET), devices. The ability to create MOSFET devices with sub-micron features, or micro-miniaturization, has allowed these objectives to be realized. Devices with sub-micron features exhibit less performance degrading resistances and capacitances, thus improving device performance. In addition devices with sub-micron features, allow smaller semiconductor chips to be obtained, still possessing equal, or greater, circuit densities than counterparts, fabricated using larger features. The use of smaller chips allow a greater number of chips to be realized from a specific size starting semiconductor substrate, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of a specific chip.
The realization of semiconductor devices, with sub-micron features, has been mainly attributed to advances in specific semiconductor fabrication disciplines, used in the manufacture of sub-micron MOSFET devices, such as photolithography and dry etching. The use of more advanced exposure cameras, as well as the use of more sensitive photoresist materials, have allowed sub-micron features to be routinely obtained in photoresist layers. In addition the development of advanced dry etching tools and procedures, have allowed the sub-micron images in overlying photoresist layers, to be successfully transferred to underlying materials, used in the manufacture of sub-micron MOSFET devices. However for specific cases, a specific shape or profile, in a material used for the sub-micron MOSFET device, is desired. Therefore for specific applications, specific dry etching procedures are needed for successful fabrication of the sub-micron MOSFET device.
For example in the process used to create insulator filled shallow trenches, a dry etch procedure is initially used to remove excess insulator from regions external to the shallow trench, prior to a final chemical mechanical polishing procedure, used to leave planarized insulator material only in the shallow trench. If the dry etch process is performed without protecting the insulator in the shallow trench, the insulator in the shallow trench may be removed. For this case a photoresist shape is used to mask a region of insulator directly over the insulator filled shallow trench, to protect this region during a dry etching procedure. Two critical aspects of the dry etching procedure are the ability to align the protecting photoresist shape, directly over the shallow trench, and the selectivity of the dry etching procedure, or the ability of the dry etching procedures to stop on the material underlying the insulator layer, in regions external to the shallow trench. This invention will describe a process in which a tapered, or sloped insulator profile, is obtained, thus reducing the critical photoresist alignment requirement. In addition this invention will offer a dry etch chemistry, with selectivity between overlying insulator, silicon oxide in this case, and underlying silicon nitride, allowing complete insulator removal with a minimal attack of underlying silicon nitride. Prior art, such as Hijikata, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,214, describe a method of plasma taper etching, however that invention does not offer the detailed process needed to create the tapered profile needed in this invention.

Method for forming a tapered profile insulator shape

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An apparatus for hanging a rechargeable electric shaver (24) on a wall or door of a cabinet during recharging and other periods of non-use. The apparatus includes a receptacle (22) into which the lower end of the electric shaver (24) is inserted and supported in a generally vertical orientation, and further includes a hood (20) which covers the shaving head portion (40) of the electric shaver (24) in order to protect the shaving head from dirt, dust, water or damage. The receptacle (22) may include a battery charging unit for charging electric shavers which do not have built-in chargers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to storage of electric shavers and, more particularly, to a wall-mounted device for conveniently holding and charging rechargeable electric shavers.
2. Description of the Background Art
Electric shavers are commonly used on a daily basis as an alternative to a blade razor. The inconvenience of having to make a connection to a source of electrical power during use of an electric shaver, however, has resulted in the development of rechargeable shavers. Still, rechargeable shavers must periodically be connected to a source of electrical power in order to maintain a charge level sufficient for proper operation.
Generally, when a rechargeable shaver is not being used it is stored in a drawer. During the recharging cycle, however, the shaver must be connected to a source of electrical power. For shavers with built-in chargers, the connection is made directly to a wall outlet. For shavers with external chargers, the shaver is typically inserted into a charging stand. In either case, the shaver is generally placed on a countertop or shelf during recharging. Not only does this add to clutter and unsightliness, but there is a risk of the shaver falling onto the floor thereby damaging the shaver. Also, the power connecting cord can become entangled in a drawer or knob in a vanity or pullman on which the shaver is placed. And, the shaver could fall into a sink or bathtub while recharging and cause serious injury to a person.
Various wall-mounted holder devices for electric shavers have been heretofore developed. For example, U.S Pat. No. 2,474,899 issued to Hutt on Jul. 5, 1949, discloses a wall mounted shaver holder that is connected to a source of electricity that allows for convenient plug in use. A spring loaded switch automatically turns the power on when the shaver is removed, and off when the shaver is returned to the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,825 issued to Long on May 31, 1949, discloses a wall mounted holder with a receptacle for an electric razor, a notch for holding the cord, and a notch for holding a cleaning brush. U.S. Pat. No. 2,181,065 issued to Pfeiffer et al. on Nov. 21, 1939, discloses an electric shaver holder which has a receptacle for the razor as well as supports around which the cord can be wrapped. A hinged door covers the enclosure when not in use. U.S. Pat. No. 2,845,245 issued to Gray et al. on Jul. 29, 1958, discloses a wall holder for an electric shaver in which curved projecting side arms hold the shaver in position and interior disposed ribs adapt the holder to shavers of different sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,862 issued to Takagi et al. on Jun. 30, 1981, discloses a wall mounted electric shaver holder that folds flat against the wall when not in use. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 123,488 issued to Remy on Nov. 12, 1940, discloses a wall mounted holder for an electric razor which has a pedestal base and a domed shape cover. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 175,001 issued to Young on Jun. 21, 1955, discloses an electric shaver holder having a cupped receptacle and a rounded face plate. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 145,084 issued to Hutt on Jun. 25, 1946, discloses a wall mounted electric shaver holder of an oblong design.
None of the foregoing patents, however, discloses a wall mounted electric shaver holder which can be used to house and charge an electric shaver. Therefore, a need exists for a holder which can charge an electric shaver in addition to supporting the shaver against a wall to free a countertop or shelf from clutter. The present invention fills that need.
The foregoing patents reflect the state of the art of which the applicant is aware and are tendered with the view toward discharging applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information which may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, applicant's claimed invention.

Charger/shelter apparatus for electric shaver


A method for processing information and an electronic device are provided. The method includes: sending a first instruction to a second electronic device through a radio frequency identification unit to inquire identification information of the second electronic device; acquiring the identification information of the second electronic device; and obtaining position information of the second electronic device according to the identification information of the second electronic device. With the disclosure, a more enriched usage scene for man-machine interaction is provided, and user experience is improved.

In an electronic device including a capacitive touch screen, a direct interaction between a man and a machine is more and more widely adopted, such as operation of a finger on a touch screen. However, it is necessary for the electronic device to provide more enriched interaction scene sometimes, so that the electronic device can sense a type and a location of an entity on a capacitive touch screen. For example, a user can control a screen of the electronic device to display a chessboard, and then place a chessman on the chessboard, and thus the electronic device can sense the location and the type of the chessman.

Method for processing information and electronic device


An apparatus for disease prevention includes a face covering shaped to fit under a facemask of a user. The facemask fits over the nose and the mouth of the user. An ultraviolet (“UV”) emitter is coupled to the face covering and the UV emitter is positioned to expose particles between the face covering and the facemask to UV light. The face covering is positioned between the UV emitter and the face of the user.

Facemasks are used to prevent the spread of bacterial and/or viral respiratory infection. People may wear facemasks to avoid becoming infected or to avoid spreading an infection to other people. Surgical masks may block large droplets such as from coughs or sneezes. Filtering facemasks or respirators may block smaller particles. For example, a respirator or dust filtering mask classified or certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the "N95" classification may be at least 95% efficient at blocking particles of 0.3 microns when used and fitted correctly.
However, some particles such as smaller bacteria or viruses may still pass through a filtering mask to spread infection. Additionally, particle filtration depends on respirator fit. A poorly-fitting facemask will allow infectious particles in or out around the edges.


A method of rectifying drowsiness of a vehicle driver includes capturing a sequence of images of the driver. It is determined, based in the images, whether a head of the driver is tilting away from a vertical orientation in a substantially lateral direction toward a shoulder of the driver. The driver is awakened with sensory stimuli only if it is determined that the head of the driver is tilting away from a vertical orientation in a substantially lateral direction toward a shoulder of the driver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for sensing when a person is about to fall asleep, and, more particularly, to methods for sensing when a vehicle operator is about to fall asleep.
2. Description of the Related Art
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes annually, about 1.5% of all crashes, involve drowsiness or fatigue as a principal factor. Drowsiness/fatigue may play a role in crashes attributed to other causes. About one million crashes annually (one-sixth of all crashes) are thought to be produced by driver inattention or lapses.
Systems for detecting driver sleepiness and alerting the drowsy driver have been developed. One such system works only if the driver's head falls forward and requires wearing a device on the driver's ear. In the case of the head falling sideways, the fluid-based mercury switch sensors of these known systems fail to trigger an alarm.
Another problem with these known driver sleepiness detection systems is that they trigger false alarms in the event that the driver intentionally tilts his head forward, such as if the driver looks at the floor in front of the driver's seat. That is, there is no second criterion used to verify the drowsiness of the driver.
Other known driver sleepiness detection systems determine a degree of driver drowsiness based upon a frequency and/or duration of the closure of the driver's eyelids. These systems sense eyelid closure based on a change in pixel color of given areas within a camera's field of view. A problem with such systems is that they may often erroneously decide that they have detected eye closure in response to changing lighting conditions within the passenger compartment of the vehicle or in response to the driver moving his head.
Accordingly, what is neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is a method of detecting driver drowsiness in response to the driver's head falling sideways. What is also neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is a method of detecting driver drowsiness based on both head movement and a second criterion that confirms the driver's drowsiness. What is further neither anticipated nor obvious in view of the prior art is a method of detecting driver drowsiness based on detected eye closure that is less likely to trigger false alarms in response to a change in passenger compartment lighting or to movement of the driver's head.

Method of detecting drowsiness of a vehicle operator

Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America division of Panasonic Corporation of North America


The present invention provides methods for identifying bacteria by analysis of lipid A and/or lipoteichoic acid structure and/or mass spectrometry ionization patterns.

Rapid and accurate pathogen identification is needed to allow physicians to react and respond appropriately to infections, including those that are potentially life threatening. Currently, pathogen identification requires culture on solid medium (agar-based plate), followed by diagnostic analysis that normally requires additional rounds of replication in culture or purification of a specific bacterial product. At best, microbe identification requires multiple days during which additional levels of biosafety containment may be required depending on the overall classification of the pathogen. Thus, improved methods for bacterial identification are needed.


A method for training a trainable module for evaluating radar signals. The method includes feeding actual radar signals and/or actual representations derived therefrom of a scene observed using the actual radar signals to the trainable module and conversion thereof by this trainable module to processed radar signals and/or to processed representations of the respective scene, and using a cost function to assess to what extent the processed radar signals are suited for reconstructing a movement of objects or to what extent the processed representations contain artifacts of moving objects in the scene. Parameters, which characterize the performance characteristics of a trainable module, are optimized with regard to the cost function. A method is also provided for evaluating moving objects from radar signals.

An at least partially automated movement of a vehicle in road traffic requires sensing the driving environment of the vehicle and initiating countermeasures if a collision with an object in the driving environment of the vehicle is imminent. Safe automated driving also requires generating a driving environment representation and localization.
Detecting objects by radar is independent of the light conditions and is even possible at a great distance without the oncoming traffic being subject to the glare of high beams. Analogously to optical images, the spatial and angular resolution is naturally diffraction-limited, however, by the interplay of the wavelength used and the physical size of the aperture from which the radar radiation emerges.
To improve resolution, UK Patent Application No. GB 2 564 648 A describes that the radar signals measured on the basis of the vehicle movement at different observation angles be combined during radar observation of the driving environment of a moving vehicle. The effect of combining the radar signals is similar to the driving environment being observed through a long aperture. For that reason, this technique is also referred to as synthetic aperture radar, SAR.

Processing of radar signals including suppression of motion artifacts


Disclosed herein are methods of forming SiC/SiCN film layers on surfaces of semiconductor substrates. The methods may include introducing a silicon-containing film-precursor and an organometallic ligand transfer reagent into a processing chamber, adsorbing the silicon-containing film-precursor, the organometallic ligand transfer reagent, or both onto a surface of a semiconductor substrate under conditions whereby either or both form an adsorption-limited layer, and reacting the silicon-containing film-precursor with the organometallic ligand transfer reagent, after either or both have formed the adsorption-limited layer. The reaction results in the forming of the film layer. In some embodiments, a byproduct is also formed which contains substantially all of the metal of the organometallic ligand transfer reagent, and the methods may further include removing the byproduct from the processing chamber. Also disclosed herein are semiconductor processing apparatuses for forming SiC/SiCN film layers.

Various thin film layers of semiconductor devices may be deposited with atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. However, some ALD processes produce unwanted byproducts such as ammonium chloride. Some ALD processes are too time-consuming to deposit the desired film. This is oftentimes the case when forming films of silicon carbides and/or nitrogen containing silicon carbides, generally identified as SiC and SiCN, respectively. Some of these approaches employ long dosing times in order to ensure complete reaction of the film precursors on the wafer surface. However, extended dosing times may waste valuable precursor during film nucleation phases. Furthermore, the additive effect of extending processing time may diminish process tool throughput, requiring the installation and maintenance of additional process tools to support a production line. On the other hand, silicon carbide and nitride films produced by conventional approaches foregoing ALD processes may have physical, chemical, or electrical characteristics that provide inadequate device performance. Accordingly, potential improvements in the fabrication of integrated circuitry may be realized through the development of improved methods and apparatuses for depositing SiC and SiCN films, and particular depositing such films through improved ALD type processes.

Apparatuses and methods for depositing SiC/SiCN films via cross-metathesis reactions with organometallic co-reactants


A method for information processing and an electronic device thereof are provided. The method includes: obtaining, in the case that a first application runs, a first control operation for the first application; during a process for establishing a group in response to the first control operation, controlling a first wireless communication module to serve as a wireless access point and naming the wireless access point with parameter information for the first group; establishing, after response information is obtained, a communication path directly connected to at least one second electronic device, the response information being response information generated in the case that the at least one second electronic device scans and selects the wireless access point; and obtaining, via the communication path, information indicating that the at least one second electronic device joins the first group.

With the fast development of the electronic technology, people's life is increasingly closely connected with the network and various electronic products with different functions. With the improving of the life standard, notebook computers, PADs, smart phones and so on are widely popular, in which, a handheld mobile device such as a smart phone and a PAD are popular fastest in particular.
With the popularity of the mobile device, smart phones, tablets etc increasingly become an essential entertainment device for people. People establish interconnection with other users by utilizing Bluetooth of these mobile devices so as to participate in an entertainment action together such as a game.
However, when the user is during a trip or participates in an outdoor activity, a case that no external network is available will often appear. Presently, in the case of no external network, the user often firstly establishes Bluetooth connection with electronic apparatus of other users by using the Bluetooth function of the electronic apparatus, and then enters the same game application to establish a group for playing the game.
However, during the process for achieving the technical solutions of the embodiments of the disclosure, technology described above at least exists the following technical problems:
The case of firstly establishing connection with Bluetooth and then entering the application to establish a group for playing the game needs to meet the following condition: only two electronic apparatus within a close distance may join the group, and after the communication connection is established between the two electronic apparatus, the application may be entered and the same group may be joined.
That is to say, there is a technical problem in the conventional technology that after an electronic apparatus enters an application and establishes a group, the electronic apparatus may not automatically establish connection with electronic apparatus selecting to join the group in the case of no external network.

Method for information processing and electronic apparatus thereof


The present invention discloses new and novel bisanthracyclines linked through the saccharide portions. These compounds show high activity against two clinically relevant mechanisms of resistance. A novel approach of the invention produces compounds that are as active or more so than the parent compounds. Furthermore, the inventor's discovery is also for the design of effective DNA-binding bisanthracyclines as well as anthracyclines mixed with other intercalators and groove binders.

The present application is a continuation in part of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60/013,869 filed Mar. 22, 1996.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the treatment of cancer. More particularly, it concerns novel compounds useful for chemotherapy, methods of synthesis of these compounds and methods of treatment employing these compounds. The novel compounds are bis-anthracyclines related to anthracyclines such as doxorubicin which is known to have anti-tumor activity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Resistance of tumor cells to the killing effects of chemotherapy is one of the central problems in the management of cancer. It is now apparent that at diagnosis many human tumors already contain cancer cells that are resistant to standard chemotherapeutic agents. Spontaneous mutation toward drug resistance is estimated to occur in one of every 10.sup.6 to 10.sup.7 cancer cells; this mutation rate appears to be independent of any selective pressure from drug therapy, although radiation therapy and chemotherapy may give rise to additional mutations and contribute to tumor progression within cancer cell populations (Goldie et al., 1979; Goldie et al., 1984; Nowell, 1986). The cancer cell burden at diagnosis is therefore of paramount importance because even tumors as small as 1 cm (10.sup.9 cells) could contain as many as 100 to 1,000 drug-resistant cells prior to the start of therapy.
Selective killing of only the tumor cells sensitive to the drugs leads to an overgrowth of tumor cells that are resistant to the chemotherapy. Mechanisms of drug resistance include decreased drug accumulation (particularly in multi-drug resistance), accelerated metabolism of the drug and other alterations of drug metabolism, and an increase in the ability of the cell to repair drug-induced damage (Curt et al., 1984; and Kolate, 1986). The cells that overgrow the tumor population not only are resistant to the agents used but also tend to be resistant to other drugs, many of which have dissimilar mechanisms of action. This phenomenon, called pleiotropic drug resistance or multi-drug resistance (MDR), may account for much of the drug resistance that occurs in previously treated cancer patients.
Gene amplification (i.e., the production of extra copies of genes within a cell) is one of the mechanisms that can lead to drug resistance. Gene amplification is involved in the phenomenon of multi-drug resistance. Multi-drug resistance appears to be linked to over-expression of a cell membrane glycoprotein, termed P-glycoprotein, on the surface of cancer cells (Bell et al., 1985; and Bertino, 1985). The action of this glycoprotein is unknown, but its over-expression is associated with decreased accumulation of multiple chemotherapeutic drugs within the resistant cells. A multi-drug-resistance gene that encodes the P-glycoprotein has been isolated and sequenced, and when it is transferred, this gene confers drug resistance on previously drug-sensitive cells (Gros et al., 1986). The multi-drug-resistance gene termed mdrl is expressed in several normal tissues, and its expression is increased in some human tumors (Fojo et al., 1987). Various human tumors are now being analyzed to determine whether they express this gene. Because many heavily treated patients who are in relapse harbor tumors that do not show over-expression of the mdrl gene, it appears that other mechanisms are probably also involved in causing resistance to chemotherapy.
The commonly used chemotherapeutic agents are classified by their mode of action, origin, or structure, although some drugs do not fit clearly into any single group. The categories include alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, antibiotics, alkaloids, and miscellaneous agents (including hormones); agents in the different categories have different sites of action.
Antibiotics are biologic products of bacteria or fungi. They do not share a single mechanism of action. The anthracyclines daunorubicin and doxorubicin (DOX) are some of the more commonly used chemotherapeutic antibiotics. The anthracyclines achieve their cytotoxic effect by several mechanism, including intercalation between DNA strands, thereby interfering with DNA and RNA synthesis; production of free radicals that react with and damage intracellular proteins and nucleic acids; chelation of divalent cations; and reaction with cell membranes. The wide range of potential sites of action may account for the broad efficacy as well as the toxicity of the anthracyclines (Young et al., 1985).
The anthracycline antibiotics are produced by the fungus Streptomyces peuceitius var. caesius. Although they differ only slightly in chemical structure, daunorubicin has been used primarily in the acute leukemias, whereas doxorubicin displays broader activity against human neoplasms, including a variety of solid tumors. The clinical value of both agents is limited by an unusual cardiomyopathy, the occurrence of which is related to the total dose of the drug; it is often irreversible. In a search for agents with high antitumor activity but reduced cardiac toxicity, anthracycline derivatives and related compounds have been prepared. Several of these have shown promise in the early stages of clinical study, including epirubicin and the synthetic compound mitoxantrone, which is an amino anthracenedione.
The anthracycline antibiotics have tetracycline ring structures with an unusual sugar, daunosamine, attached by glycosidic linkage. Cytotoxic agents of this class all have quinone and hydroquinone moieties on adjacent rings that permit them to function as electron-accepting and donating agents. Although there are marked differences in the clinical use of daunorubicin and doxorubicin, their chemical structures differ only by a single hydroxyl group on C14. The chemical structures of daunorubicin and doxorubicin are shown in FIG. 1.
Unfortunately, concomitant with its anti-tumor activity, DOX can produce adverse systemic effects, including acute myelosuppression, cumulative cardiotoxicity, and gastrointestinal toxicity (Young et al., 1985). At the cellular level, in both cultured mammalian cells and primary tumor cells, DOX can select for multiple mechanisms of drug resistance that decrease its chemotherapeutic efficacy. These mechanisms include P-gp-mediated MDR, characterized by the energy-dependent transport of drugs from the cell (Bradley et al., 1988), and resistance conferred by decreased topoisomerase II activity, resulting in the decreased anthracycline-induced DNA strand scission (Danks et al., 1987; Pommier et al., 1986; Moscow et al., 1988.
Among the potential avenues of circumvention of systemic toxicity and cellular drug resistance of the natural anthracyclines is the development of semi-synthetic anthracycline analogues which demonstrate greater tumor-specific toxicity and less susceptibility to various forms of resistance.
The development of drug resistance is one of the major obstacles in the management of cancer. There are various types of drug resistance, for example, classic MDR as opposed to AD 198 resistance. Furthermore, different cell lines can establish resistance to the same drug in different ways, as seen in the case of the differences in AD 198 resistance in AD 198.sup.R cells as opposed to A300 cells. One of the traditional ways to attempt to circumvent this problem of drug resistance has been combination chemotherapy.
Combination drug therapy is the basis for most chemotherapy employed to treat breast, lung, and ovarian cancers as well as Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, acute leukemias, and carcinoma of the testes.
Combination chemotherapy uses the differing mechanisms of action and cytotoxic potentials of multiple drugs. Although all chemotherapeutic drugs are most effective on cells that are active in DNA synthesis, many agents--particularly the alkylating agents--can kill cells that are not cycling. Such agents are termed non-cell proliferation-dependent agents can shrink tumor mass by reducing cell numbers; the surviving cells will then move into the cycling compartment, where they are more susceptible to cell proliferation-dependent drugs. The combined use of agents less dependent on the cell cycle followed by those dependent on cell proliferation is effective in enhancing tumor cell death. Each cycle of treatment kills a fixed fraction of cells, so repetitive cycles are required for cure. For example, a drug combination that kills 99.9 percent of cancer cells per treatment cycle would have to be repeated at least six times to eliminate an average tumor burden (if tumor cells did not re-grow between cycles).
Although combination chemotherapy has been successful in many cases, the need still exists for new anti-cancer drugs. These new drugs could be such that they are useful in conjunction with standard combination chemotherapy requires. Or, these new drugs could attack drug resistant tumors by having the ability to kill cells of multiple resistance phenotypes.
A drug that exhibits the ability to overcome multiple drug resistance could be employed as a chemotherapeutic agent either alone or in combination with other drugs. The potential advantages of using such a drug in combination with chemotherapy would be the need to employ fewer toxic compounds in the combination, cost savings, and a synergistic effect leading to a treatment regime involving fewer treatments.
Doxorubicin's broad spectrum of activity against most hematological malignancies as well as carcinomas of the lung, breast, and ovary has made it a leading agent in the treatment of neoplastic disease (Arcamone, 1981; Lown, 1988; Priebe, 1995). Since the discovery of daunorubicin and doxorubicin (FIG. 1), the mechanistic details of the antitumor activity of anthracycline antibiotics have been actively investigated (Priebe, 1995; Priebe, 1995; Booser, 1994).
Although the exact mechanism or mechanisms by which doxorubicin kills cancer cells is still not totally clear, a variety of biochemical evidence implicates nuclear targets in anthracycline-mediated anti-cancer action, those targets being DNA and the DNA-processing enzyme topoisomerase II. Intercalation of anthracyclines into free DNA as well as nucleosomal DNA has been the subjects of numerous reports. In fact, doxorubicin and daunorubicin are now considered to be among the best characterized intercalators, (Chaires, 1990; Chaires, 1990) and the DNA binding affinity of a series of anthracycline antibiotics and their biological activity have been correlated (Valentini et al., 1985). Interference with topoisomerase II activity resulting in protein-linked DNA strand breaks has been linked to anthracycline-induced cell damage. Furthermore, DNA binding has been shown to be necessary for the inhibition of topoisomerase II by anthracyclines (Bodley et al., 1989; Capranico et al., 1990).
Recent studies of anthracycline-DNA interactions have led to a better understanding of the nature of daunorubicin-DNA binding. Investigation of site and sequence specificities revealed that daunorubicin shows preference for binding dGdC-rich regions of DNA that are flanked by A:T base pairs and that the triplet sequences 5'-A/TCG and 5'-A/TGC are preferred binding sites (Chaires et al., 1990; Chaires, 1991; Pullman, 1989; Pullman, 1991; Wang et al., 1990). Interaction of daunorubicin with DNA is probably the best understood of intercalation reactions, thus offering important clues for the rational design of new DNA binding compounds with enhanced binding affinity and sequence selectivity. In this invention the inventors exploit this information to design novel bis-intercalating anthracyclines.
Bifunctional DNA intercalating agents have attracted considerable interest (Wakelin, 1986). Bis-intercalators, both naturally occurring and synthetic, have generally been found to bind more tightly to DNA than mono-intercalators. Bis-intercalators usually have DNA binding constants that are several orders of magnitude larger than those observed for mono-intercalators. The rate of dissociation is generally slower, and consequently, the lifetime of the bis-intercalator-DNA complex is longer than that of a mono-intercalator. Perhaps more importantly, bis-intercalators have larger site sizes than do mono-intercalators. Since the number of DNA base pairs bound to any ligand dictates the possible absolute specificity of the ligand-DNA interaction (Dervan, 1986), a larger site could possibly result in an enhanced sequence selectivity. Still despite the potential of bis-intercalators, the currently known compounds have certain drawbacks
All currently known bisanthracyclines have monomers linked through their C-13 carbonyl functions by a dicarboxylic acid hydrazine bridge (FIG. 2) (Apple et al., 1981; Dawson, 1983; Henry and Tong, 1978; Phillips et al., 1992). However, the carbonyl function at the C-13 position participates in hydrogen bonding interactions that stabilize the drug-DNA complex. Therefore, derivatization at that position should interfere with such interactions so that the monomer units within the bis-intercalator will not retain their optimal binding potential. Thus, previous attempts to synthesize anthracycline bis-intercalators were flawed by a design strategy that used ketone at the C-13 as a linking function, which makes compounds with such a link less active than the parent compound.

Bis-anthracyclines with high activity against doxorubicin resistant tumors