Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for determining an implant position for at least one artificial component in a joint and facilitating the implantation thereof. The apparatuses and methods include creating a joint model of a patient's joint into which an artificial component is to be implanted and creating a component model of the artificial component. The joint and artificial component models are used to simulate movement in the patient's joint with the artificial component in a test position. The component model and the joint model are used to calculate a range of motion in the joint for at least one test position based on the simulated motion. An implant position, including angular orientation, in the patient's joint is determined based on a predetermined range of motion and the calculated range of motion. In a preferred embodiment, the implant position can be identified in the joint model and the joint model aligned with the joint by registering positional data from discrete points on the joint with the joint model. Such registration also allows for tracking of the joint during surgical procedures. A current preferred application of the invention is for determining the implant position and sizing of an acetabular cup and femoral implant for use in total hip replacement surgery.

The present invention is directed generally to the implantation of artificial joint components and, more particularly, to computer assisted surgical implantation of artificial acetabular and femoral components during total hip replacement and revision procedures.
Total hip replacement (THR) or arthroplasty (THA) operations have been performed since the early 1960s to repair the acetabulum and the region surrounding it and to replace the hip components, such as the femoral head, that have degenerated. Currently, approximately 200,000 THR operations are performed annually in the United States alone, of which approximately 40,000 are redo procedures, otherwise known as revisions. The revisions become necessary due to a number of problems that may arise during the lifetime of the implanted components, such as dislocation, component wear and degradation, and loosening of the implant from the bone.
Dislocation of the femoral head from the acetabular component, or cup, is considered one of the most frequent early problems associated with THR, because of the sudden physical, and emotional, hardship brought on by the dislocation. The incidence of dislocation following the primary THR surgery is approximately 2-6% and the percentage is even higher for revisions. While dislocations can result from a variety of causes, such as soft tissue laxity and loosening of the implant, the most common cause is impingement of the femoral neck with either the rim of an acetabular cup implant, or the soft tissue or bone surrounding the implant. Impingement most frequently occurs as a result of the malposition of the acetabular cup component within the pelvis.
Some clinicians and researchers have found incidence of impingement and dislocations can be lessened if the cup is oriented specifically to provide for approximately 15.degree. of anteversion and 45.degree. of abduction; however, this incidence is also related to the surgical approach. For example, McCollum et al. cited a comparison of THAs reported in the orthopaedic literature that revealed a much higher incidence of dislocation in patients who had THAs with a posterolateral approach. McCollum, D. E. and W. J. Gray, "Dislocation after total hip arthroplasty (causes and prevention)", Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Vol. 261, p.159-170 (1990). McCollum's data showed that when the patient is placed in the lateral position for a posterolateral THA approach, the lumbar lordotic curve is flattened and the pelvis may be flexed as much as 35.degree.. If the cup was oriented at 15-20.degree. of flexion with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body, when the patient stood up and the postoperative lumbar lordosis was regained, the cup could be retroverted as much as 10.degree.-15.degree. resulting in an unstable cup placement. Lewinnek et al. performed a study taking into account the surgical approach utilized and found that the cases falling in the zone of 15.degree..+-.10.degree. of anteversion and 40.degree..+-.10.degree. of abduction have an instability rate of 1.5%, compared with a 6% instability rate for the cases falling outside this zone. Lewinnek G. E., et al., "Dislocation after total hip-replacement arthroplasties", Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol. 60-A, No.2, p. 217-220 (March 1978). The Lewinnek work essentially verifies that dislocations can be correlated with the extent of malpositioning, as would be expected. The study does not address other variables, such as implant design and the anatomy of the individual, both of which are known to greatly affect the performance of the implant.
The design of the implant significantly affects stability as well. A number of researchers have found that the head-to-neck ratio of the femoral component is the key factor of the implant impingement, see Amstutz H. C., et al., "Range of Motion Studies for Total Hip Replacements", Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research Vol. 111, p. 124-130 (September 1975). Krushell et al. additionally found that certain long and extra long neck designs of modular implants can have an adverse effect on the range of motion. Krushell, R. J., Burke D. W., and Harris W. H., "Range of motion in contemporary total hip arthroplasty (the impact of modular head-neck components)", The Journal of Arthroplasty, Vol. 6, p. 97-101 (February 1991). Krushell et al. also found that an optimally oriented elevated-rim liner in an acetabular cup implant may improve the joint stability with respect to implant impingement. Krushell, R. J., Burke D. W., and Harris W. H., "Elevated-rim acetabular components: Effect on range of motion and stability in total hip arthroplasty", The Journal of Arthroplasty, Vol. 6 Supplement, p. 1-6, (October 1991). Cobb et al. have shown a statistically significant reduction of dislocations in the case of elevated-rim liners, compared to standard liners. Cobb T. K., Morrey B. F., Ilstrup D. M., "The elevated-rim acetabular liner in total hip arthroplasty: Relationship to postoperative dislocation", Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 78-A, No. 1, p. 80-86, (January 1996). The two-year probability of dislocation was 2.19% for the elevated liner, compared with 3.85% for standard liner. Initial studies by Maxian et al. using a finite element model indicate that the contact stresses and therefore the polyethylene wear are not significantly increased for elevated rim liners; however, points of impingement and subsequent angles of dislocation for different liner designs are different as would be expected. Maxian T. A., et al. "Femoral head containment in total hip arthroplasty: Standard vs. extended lip liners", 42nd Annual meeting, Orthopaedic Research society, p. 420, Atlanta, Ga. (Feb. 19-22, 1996); and Maxian T. A., et al. "Finite element modeling of dislocation propensity in total hip arthroplasty", 42nd Annual meeting, Orthopaedic Research society, p. 259-64, Atlanta, Ga. (Feb. 19-22, 1996).
An equally important concern in evaluating the dislocation propensity of an implant are variations in individual anatomies. As a result of anatomical variations, there is no single optimal design and orientation of hip replacement components and surgical procedure to minimize the dislocation propensity of the implant. For example, the pelvis can assume different positions and orientations depending or whether an individual is lying supine (as during a CT-scan or routine X-rays), in the lateral decubitis position (as during surgery) or in critical positions during activities of normal daily living (like bending over to tie shoes or during normal gait). The relative position of the pelvis and leg when defining a "neutral" plane from which the angles of movement, anteversion, abduction, etc., are calculated will significantly influence the measured amount of motion permitted before impingement and dislocation occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to uniquely define both the neutral orientation of the femur relative to the pelvis for relevant positions and activities, and the relations between the femur with respect to the pelvis of the patient during each segment of leg motion.
Currently, most planning for acetabular implant placement and size selection is performed using acetate templates and a single anterior-posterior x-ray of the pelvis. Acetabular templating is most useful for determining the approximate size of the acetabular component; however, it is only of limited utility for positioning of the implant because the x-rays provide only a two dimensional image of the pelvis. Also, the variations in pelvic orientation can not be more fully considered as discussed above.
Intra-operative positioning devices currently used by surgeons attempt to align the acetabular component with respect to the sagittal and coronal planes of the patient. B. F. Morrey, editor, "Reconstructive Surgery of the Joints", chapter Joint Replacement Arthroplasty, pages 605-608, Churchill Livingston, 1996. These devices assume that the patient's pelvis and trunk are aligned in a known orientation, and do not take into account individual variations in a patient's anatomy or pelvic position on the operating room table. These types of positioners can lead to a wide discrepancy between the desired and actual implant placement, possibly resulting in reduced range of motion, impingement and subsequent dislocation.
Several attempts have been made to more precisely prepare the acetabular region for the implant components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,936 issued to Woolson is directed to establishing a reference plane through which the acetabulum can be reamed and generally prepared to receive the acetabular cup implant. The method provides for establishing the reference plane based on selecting three reference points, preferably the 12 o'clock position on the superior rim of the acetabulum and two other reference points, such as a point in the posterior rim and the inner wall, that are a known distance from the superior rim. The location of the superior rim is determined by performing a series of computed tomography (CT) scans that are concentrated near the superior rim and other reference locations in the acetabular region.
In the Woolson method, calculations are then performed to determine a plane in which the rim of the acetabular cup should be positioned to allow for a predetermined rotation of the femoral head in the cup. The distances between the points and the plane are calculated and an orientation jig is calibrated to define the plane when the jig is mounted on the reference points. During the surgical procedure, the surgeon must identify the 12 o'clock orientation of the superior rim and the reference points. In the preferred mode, the jig is fixed to the acetabulum by drilling a hole through the reference point on the inner wall of the acetabulum and affixing the jig to the acetabulum. The jig incorporates a drill guide to provide for reaming of the acetabulum in the selected plane.
A number of difficulties exist with the Woolson method. For example, the preferred method requires drilling a hole in the acetabulum. Also, visual recognition of the reference points must be required and precision placement on the jig on reference points is performed in a surgical setting. In addition, proper alignment of the reaming device does not ensure that the implant will be properly positioned, thereby establishing a more lengthy and costly procedure with no guarantees of better results. These problems may be a reason why the Woolson method has not gained widespread acceptance in the medical community.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,251,127 and 5,305,203 issued to Raab, a computer-aided surgery apparatus is disclosed in which a reference jig is attached to a double self indexing screw, previously attached to the patient, to provide for a more consistent alignment of the cutting instruments similar to that of Woolson. However, unlike Woolson, Raab et al. employ a digitizer and a computer to determine and relate the orientation of the reference jig and the patient during surgery with the skeletal shapes determined by tomography.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,086,401, 5,299,288 and 5,408,409 issued to Glassman et al. disclose an image directed surgical robotic system for reaming a human femur to accept a femoral stem and head implant using a robot cutter system. In the system, at least three locating pins are inserted in the femur and CT scans of the femur in the region containing the locating pins are performed. During the implanting procedure, the locating pins are identified on the patient, as discussed in col. 9, lines 19-68 of Glassman's '401 patent. The location of the pins during the surgery are used by a computer to transform CT scan coordinates into the robot cutter coordinates, which are used to guide the robot cutter during reaming operations.
While the Woolson, Raab and Glassman patents provide methods and apparatuses that further offer the potential for increased accuracy and consistency in the preparation of the acetabular region to receive implant components, there remain a number of difficulties with the procedures. A significant shortcoming of the methods and apparatuses is that when used for implanting components in a joint there are underlying assumptions that the proper position for the placement of the components in the joints has been determined and provided as input to the methods and apparatuses that are used to prepare the site. As such, the utility and benefit of the methods and apparatuses are based upon the correctness and quality of the implant position provided as input to the methods.
In addition, both the Raab and Glassman methods and apparatuses require that fiducial markers be attached to the patient prior to performing tomography of the patients. Following the tomography, the markers must either remain attached to the patient until the surgical procedure is performed or the markers must be reattached at the precise locations to allow the transformation of the tomographic data to the robotic coordinate system, either of which is undesirable and/or difficult in practice.
Thus, the need exists for apparatuses and methods which overcome, among others, the above-discussed problems so as to provide for the proper placement and implantation of the joint components to provide an improved range of motion and usage of the joint following joint reconstruction, replacement and revision surgery.

Apparatus and method for facilitating the implantation of artificial components in joints


An eye bolt, comprising a lifting eye and a supporting bolt, wherein the supporting bolt sits, rotatable, in an insertion opening of the lifting eye and comprises, a threaded shaft and a bolt head. The supporting bolt protrudes radially from the lifting eye and is supported by an underside of the lifting eye, on a bearing surface formed on the lifting eye and running around the insertion opening. The eye bolt further comprises at least one locking member which can be brought into engagement with the bolt head and by means of which, in a locking position of same, the bolt head can be rotationally blocked vis-à-vis the lifting eye. The at least one locking member is further attached to the lifting eye radially next to the bolt head and is secured there, wherein the at least one locking member can be brought into a starting position, in which it is not engaged with the bolt head, and also into the locking position rotationally blocking the supporting bolt relative to the lifting eye.

Eye bolts in which the supporting bolt in the form of a threaded stem is secured in one piece to the lifting eye and, by rotating them, can be screwed into a receiving hole of an item to be coupled are known and standardized e.g. by DIN 580. Although these known eye bolts can be installed or removed without an additional tool, they have the disadvantage that they cannot be aligned in the direction of load and thus, when they are used, either they cannot be screwed in fully or may become unscrewed. With such eye bolts designed as one piece, there is always the danger that the threaded stem will be overloaded or loosened by a torque acting on the lifting eye, which can result in the threaded bolt bending, or even breaking.
Eye bolts are also known in which the supporting bolt provided with a threaded shaft is accommodated with a little play in an insertion opening of the lifting eye and is held there rotatably (DE 93 16 475 U1). Therefore for multistrand or lateral applications only such so-called "rotatable" eye bolts are recommended. However, when they are installed or removed, it is necessary to use an additional tool (usually an Allen key) which then has to be stored again separately after installation or removal, wherein there is the danger that this key will be lost or mislaid.
An eye bolt of the type named at the beginning is known from EP 0 654 611 A1. However, this also requires the use of its own tool to turn the screw during installation or removal. In addition to a separate storage of the tool, however, this document also describes the possibility of coupling the tool with the lifting eye of the eye bolt such that a screwing movement can thus be introduced into the supporting bolt via the lifting eye, and when not in use, when it is not engaged with the supporting bolt, of suspending the tool captively on the eye bolt. However, the tools described there protrude significantly onto the outside of the lifting eye both when engaged with the supporting bolt and when not engaged with the latter, which is why there is the danger, when used in a confined space, that the outwardly projecting part of the tool catches on an item located in the confined space when the eye is rotated, and then a further rotation of the lifting eye to screw in the supporting bolt may possibly be blocked. In addition, the embodiments shown there for tools coupled with the lifting eye are not completely closed, with the result that, because of the elasticity of the material used for the tool, it is possible to widen the opening present in each case to such an extent that the screwing tool can be separated from the lifting eye or also subsequently connected to it. However, this also entails the danger that, due to the elasticity of the material, the tool and the lifting eye can unintentionally become separated as a result of an external effect on the tool.


System and method for treating a skin target. A temperature effector creates a temperature difference between the target and the skin tissue surrounding the target such that the target is at a higher temperature than the surrounding tissue by at least 5° C. One or more RF electrodes are attached to the skin and RF energy is applied.

The term "target" is used herein to denote a skin defect such as a vascular lesion, pigmented lesion, acne, unwanted hair or wrinkle. Selective thermal treatment of skin is commonly used in aesthetic medicine to remove skin targets. In order to be destroyed, the target must be raised to a temperature of about 70° C. without raising the temperature of the surrounding epidermis or dermis to damaging levels. The most popular method of thermal skin treatment is selective photo-thermolysis in which light energy produced by a laser or flash lamp is selectively absorbed by a pigmented portion of the target. However, with this method it is often not possible to heat the entire target to a temperature necessary for destroying it without heating the surrounding skin to damaging levels. The main problem is that the optical contrast between the target and the surrounding skin tissue is not high enough to obtain a significant difference in temperature between the target and the surrounding skin tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,753 discloses use of the radio-frequency (RF) range of electro-magnetic energy for skin tightening, where RF energy is applied to a pre-cooled skin surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,252 discloses treating hairs to reduce their electrical resistance and then applying RF current.


Method and apparatus are provided, for use in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine (10) and a battery (38), for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy for charging the battery, the apparatus being disposed within the engine crankcase (22). The apparatus includes a stator (14), disposed within the engine crankcase (22), having a plurality of teeth (34). Each tooth on the stator has a coil (36) wound thereabout electrically connected to the battery (38). The apparatus also includes a crankshaft (12) disposed within the engine crankcase (22) for rotation relative to the stator (14). The crankshaft (12) includes a plurality of lobes (30.sub.1-4), which periodically move into close proximity with the stator teeth (34) upon rotation of the crankshaft, thereby inducing a current in the coils (36) for charging the battery (38).

Vehicles having internal combustion engines typically include an alternator which converts the mechanical energy of the engine into electrical energy for charging the vehicle battery and providing electrical power to the various power-consuming devices, such as air conditioning compressors, power window motors, and the like. An alternator is ordinarily belt driven and, as a result, occupies valuable engine compartment space and requires periodic maintenance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,649, issued to Denso et al., discloses a crankshaft magneto system for use with a chain saw having a breakerless ignition system. The breakerless ignition system is removed from association with a flywheel and is provided on a crank cheek of the engine crankshaft. The crank cheek is generally constructed of a non-permeable material, such as aluminum, and includes a yoke or a member formed of a permeable material, such as soft iron, having two pole pieces spaced angularly with respect to the crankshaft axis. The permeable yoke rotates past a stationary magnet structure positioned outside of and supported by the crankcase. Spaced legs cooperate with the pole pieces to periodically complete and interrupt magnetic circuits as the crank cheek rotates relative to the stationary legs. A flux path from the magnet structure through the yoke is established and then discontinued as the yoke travels past the magnet structure upon every rotation of the crankshaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,669, issued to Wissmann et al., discloses an ignition arrangement for an internal combustion engine of a hand-held power tool. The ignition arrangement includes spark generating means which permits the electrical energy generated in an excitor coil to be stored and supplied to the ignition coil at the instant of ignition. A high-voltage pulse is generated in the ignition coil which causes the igniting spark of the spark plug. The ignition arrangement also includes a permanent magnet having at least one pole shoe operatively connected to the igniting spark generating means, the ignition coil being mounted on the permanent magnet or its pole shoe.
Many prior art devices require the use of a permanent magnet. Permanent magnets, however, are temperature sensitive and therefore not well suited for applications within the engine crankcase. It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus for performing the alternator function for use with an internal combustion engine which eliminates the aforementioned problems.

Engine crankshaft variable reluctance alternator


Magnification errors are reduced in the required range of magnification in electric charged particle beam application apparatuses and critical dimension measurement instruments. To achieve this, a first image, whose magnification for the specimen is actually measured, is recorded, a second image, whose magnification for the specimen is unknown, is recorded, and the magnification of the second image for the first image is analyzed by using image analysis. Thereby, the magnification of the second image for the specimen is actually measured. Then, magnification is actually measured in the whole range of magnification by repeating the magnification analysis described above by taking the second image as the first image. Actually measuring the magnification of images for the specimen in the whole range of magnification and calibrating the same permits a reduction of magnification errors by a digit.

As an apparatus which may be used for measuring the critical dimension of specimens to a precision in the order of a nanometer, there is, for example, an electron microscope. An electron microscope forms an image of a specimen by enlarging it from several hundreds of times to several millions of times, and it measures the critical dimension of necessary parts. However, the critical dimension measured in the enlarged image is the number of picture elements or pixels contained therein. The critical dimension of a specimen is calculated by multiplying the number of pixels by the magnification of the image for the specimen. The question of whether the critical dimension of the specimen is a real value or not depends on whether the magnification is a real value or not.
As an apparatus that is capable of determining the precision of measurement of the critical dimension of specimens, there is a SEM (scanning electron microscope) for critical dimension measurement. The SEM for critical dimension measurement is now considered to be an apparatus that is indispensable for pattern dimension management in the fabrication process used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Because of the necessity for critical dimension measurements to correspond with real values in an SEM for critical dimension measurement, the magnification is calibrated with a pitch pattern having a known cycle of repetition. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2002-15691) describes a technique for measuring variations in magnification when the acceleration voltage and the working distance (distance between objective lens and specimen) have changed by using standard specimen, such as a mesh, and of calibrating the displayed magnification and a scale bar. Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 2000-337846) describes a technique for measuring variations in magnification resulting from an increase in the acceleration voltage, from the retarding voltage and from the specimen by using a pitch pattern having a known cycle of repetition and of calibrating the magnification by multiplying the sit magnification by a calibration coefficient.
The magnification range of an electron microscope extends from manufactures of several hundreds of times to several millions of times. However, the magnification range in which a calibration is possible by using a standard specimen is very limited. Specifically, the cycle of a pitch pattern realizable by the present processing art is several hundreds of nm. In order to average the processing errors, images containing 10 or more pitch patterns are taken. The cycle (number of pixels) of pitch patterns shown in the image is acquired from the Fourier transform image of the image, which calculates the magnification that turns out to be the cycle (nm) of the pitch patterns. The magnification at which an image contains approximately 10 pitch patterns is approximately 10,000 times. The patent publication mentioned above describes the calibration of magnification based on use of an SEM. However, electron microscopes include TEM (transmission electron microscope) and STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) types in addition to the SEM type. The SEM visualizes the specimen structure by detecting an electron beam radiating from the specimen surface, while the TEM and STEM visualize the specimen structure by detecting an electron beam that has infiltrated into the specimen. For that purpose, the TEM and STEM slice the specimen into thin films for observation. Because of a limited dispersion of the electron beam within the specimen in the TEM and STEM, the space resolution of the TEM and STEM is higher by a digit than the resolution of the SEM. With the TEM and STEM, it is possible to take a lattice image, which is used together with the pitch pattern for the calibration of magnification. The lattice interval varies between the narrower limit of 0.102 nm for a gold single crystal and the wider limit of 1.0 nm for a mica single crystal. The magnification at which a lattice image can be observed is several millions of times or more. In other words, magnification calibration is possible by using specimens having a known cycle of repetition only when the magnification is 10,000 times or less or a million times or more.
Since a magnification cannot be calibrated by using a standard specimen between 10,000 times and a million times, a calculated value estimated from the control current of the electron optical system is typically used as a measure of the magnification of the image of the specimen. Specifically, in an apparatus like a SEM or STEM, wherein an image is formed by raster scanning a sharply focused electron beam on the specimen, the range of scanning or magnification of any freely chosen image is calculated on the basis of the current amplitude of the scanning deflector by assuming that the range of current of the scanning deflector and the scanning range of the incident electron beam are parallel. In an apparatus like a TEM wherein parallel beams are amplified by an electron lens, the magnification of any freely chosen image of the specimen is calculated by acquiring the optical magnification of the electron lens from the excitation current of the electron lens.
As described above, magnification is analyzed and calibrated from images actually taken only at very limited magnifications. At other magnifications, the magnification contains an error of approximately ±5% because of the use of magnifications calculated from the control current of the electron optical system. As nanotechnology continues to progress, a large number of industrial products formed in the nanometer scale are now being produced in addition to semiconductor devices. These products have a variety of dimensions, and the management of their dimensions is required at a variety of magnifications. As the device dimension decrease in semiconductor devices, it has become necessary to measure a pattern dimension at a magnification that is different from the magnification used for taking a pitch pattern.

Electric charged particle beam microscopy, electric charged particle beam microscope, critical dimension measurement and critical dimension measurement system


The present invention is directed to fused [d]pyridazin-7-ones. The invention is also directed to methods for making and using the fused [d]pyridazin-7-ones. In particular, the compounds of the present invention may be effective in the treatment of diseases or disease states related to the activity of VEGFR2, MLK1 and CDK5 enzymes, including, for example, angiogenic disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Protein kinases play a critical role in the control of cell growth and differentiation. Aberrant expression or mutations in protein kinases have been shown to lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation, such as malignant tumour growth, and various defects in developmental processes, including cell migration and invasion, and angiogenesis. Protein kinases are therefore critical to the control, regulation, and modulation of cell proliferation in diseases and disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation. Protein kinases have also been implicated as targets in central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis, bone diseases such as osteoporosis, atheroscleroses, restenosis, thrombosis, metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and infectious diseases such as viral and fungal infections.
One of the most commonly studied pathways involving kinase regulation is cellular signaling from receptors at the cell surface to the nucleus. Generally, the function of each receptor is determined by its pattern of expression, ligand availability, and the array of downstream signal transduction pathways that are activated by a particular receptor. One example of this pathway includes a cascade of kinases in which members of the Growth Factor receptor Tyrosine Kinases deliver signals via phosphorylation to other kinases such as Src Tyrosine kinase, and the Raf, Mek and Erk serine/threonine kinase families. Each of these kinases is represented by several family members which play related, but functionally distinct roles. The loss of regulation of the growth factor signaling pathway is a frequent occurrence in cancer as well as other disease states. Fearon, Genetic Lesions in Human Cancer, Molecular Oncology, 1996, 143-178.
One receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathway includes the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor kinase. It has been shown that binding of VEGF to the receptor VEGFR2 affects cell proliferation. For instance, binding of VEGF to the VEGFR-2/flt-1 receptor, which is expressed primarily on endothelial cells, results in receptor dimerization and initiation of a complex cascade which results in growth of new blood vessels (Korpelainen and Alitalo, Curr. Opin. Cell. Biol. 1998, 10, 159). Suppression of formation of new blood vessels by inhibition of the VEGFR tyrosine kinases would have utility in a variety of diseases, including treatment of solid tumors, diabetic retinopathy and other intraocular neovascular syndromes, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and endometriosis.
The signals mediated by kinases have also been shown to control cell growth, cell death and differentiation in the cell by regulating the processes of the cell cycle. Progression through the eukaryotic cell cycle is controlled by a family of kinases called cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). The loss of control of CDK regulation is a frequent event in hyperproliferative diseases and cancer.
Inhibitors of kinases involved in mediating or maintaining particular disease states represent novel therapies for these disorders. Examples of such kinases include inhibition of Src, raf, and the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 1, 2, and 4 in cancer, CDK2 or PDGF-R kinase in restenosis, CDK5 and GSK3 kinases in Alzheimers, c-Src kinase in osteoporosis, GSK-3 kinase in type-2 diabetes, p38 kinase in inflammation, VEGF-R 1-3 and TIE-1 and -2 kinases in angiogenesis, UL97 kinase in viral infections, CSF-1R kinase in bone and hematopoietic diseases, and Lck kinase in autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection.
An additional kinase signal transduction is the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway (Ip and Davis Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 1998, 10, 205). In response to stimuli such as cytokines, osmotic shock, heat shock, or other environmental stress, the pathway is activated and dual phosphorylation of Thr and Tyr residues within a Thr-Pro-Tyr motif of the c-jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) is observed. Phosphorylation activates the JNKs for subsequent phosphorylation and activation of various transcription factors, including c-Jun, ATF2 and ELK-1.
The JNKs are mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that are encoded by three distinct genes, jnk1, jnk2 and jnk3, which can be alternatively spliced to yield a variety of different JNK isoforms (Gupta et al., EMBO J 1996, 15, 2760). The isoforms differ in their ability to interact with and phosphorylate their target substrates. Activation of JNK is performed by two MAPK kinases (MAPKK), MKK4 and MKK7. MKK4 is an activator of JNK as well as an additional MAPK, p38, while MKK7 is a selective activator of JNK. A number of MAPKK kinases are responsible for activation of MKK4 and MKK7, including the MEKK family and the mixed lineage kinase, or MLK family. The MLK family is comprised of six members, including MLK1, MLK2, MLK3, MLK6, dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) and leucine zipper-bearing kinase (LZK). MLK2 is also known as MST Katoh, et al. Oncogene, 1994, 10, 1447). Multiple kinases are proposed to be upstream of the MAPKKKs, including but not restricted to germinal center kinase (GCK), hematopoietic progenitor kinase (HPK), and Rac/cdc42. Specificity within the pathway is contributed, at least in part, by scaffolding proteins that bind selected members of the cascade. For example the JNK interacting protein-1 (JIP-1) binds HPK1, DLK or MLK3, MKK7 and JNK, resulting in a module which enhances JNK activation (Dickens et al. Science 1997, 277, 693).
Manipulation of the activity of the SAPK pathway can have a wide range of effects, including promotion of both cell death and cell survival in response to various pro-apoptotic stimuli. For example, down-regulation of the pathway by genetic disruption of the gene encoding JNK3 in the mouse provided protection against kainic acid-induced seizures and prevented apoptosis of hippocampal neurons (Yang et al. Nature 1997, 389, 865). Similarly, inhibitors of the JNK pathway such as JIP-1 inhibit apoptosis (Dickens, supra). In contrast, the activity of the JNK pathway appears to be protective in some instances. Thymocytes in which MKK4 has been deleted display increased sensitivity to CD95- and CD3 mediated apoptosis (Nishina et al. Nature 1997, 385, 350). Overexpression of MLK3 leads to transformation of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts (Hartkamp et al. Cancer Res. 1999, 59, 2195).
An area the present invention is directed toward is identification of compounds that modulate the MLK members of the SAPK pathway and promote either cell death or cell survival. Inhibitors of MLK family members would be anticipated to lead to cell survival and demonstrate therapeutic activity in a variety of diseases, including chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and acute neurological conditions such as cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury and spinal injury. Inhibitors of MLK members leading to inhibition of the SAPK pathway (JNK activity) would also display activity in inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Thus, there is a need for novel classes of compounds which demonstrate activity toward receptor and non-receptor types of protein kinases. It has been discovered that a class of compounds, referred to herein as fused [d]pyridazin-7-ones, are useful as agents for the regulation of protein kinases. The present invention is therefore directed to, inter alia, their use as therapeutic agents for the treatment of the foregoing disorders.


A re-usable, compact automated external defibrillator (AED) having a proximate electrode and a distal electrode for use in delivering an electrical charge to a person in cardiac distress. The components of the AED are packed together in a low-profile device body. The distal electrode may be easily unpacked from the device body and deployed. A circuit board within the device body controls the AED. The proximate electrode is part of the device body such that the device body is attached to the skin of the person when in use. The distal electrode is wired to the device body and also attached to the skin of the person when in use. The circuit board may be used to deliver a biphasic electrical charge to the person. The adhesive pads on the electrodes may be peeled off and replaced for reuse. Also, the electrodes may be replaced, if needed.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international co-operation on questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. The IEC publishes a standard for Medical electrical equipment at Part 2-4: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of cardiac defibrillators IEC 60601-2-4, which discusses requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of cardiac defibrillators. Among other things, it specifies requirements for the defibrillator electrodes. This governing standard is used to develop and package pads for defibrillators.
The compact automated external defibrillator disclosed herein is a unique and improved way to implement and package electrodes that are compliant with this standard (with the possible exception of cord length, which may be less than the standard but such new length is justified by the fact that the improvements discussed herein enable the automated external defibrillator (AED) pads to be in closer proximity to the device body when used as compared to other AEDs).
An AED uses two electrodes, each with a conductive gel to help transfer an AED shock to a patient. The standard calls for the minimum active gel area of self-adhesive electrodes to measure a total of 150 square centimeters, with each area being at least 50 square centimeters for adults. Pediatric pads are required to total 45 square centimeters, with each area being at least 15 square centimeters (when pediatric electrodes are used).
Most AEDs today have electrodes that are the same size and package these pads either in the AED or the AED carrying case. The electrodes are typically in a pouch but there are other packaging methods. When the AED is used, the pouch is removed from the AED or AED case and opened. A protective layer is peeled from the electrode, revealing an adhesive layer. The adhesive is conductive and typically a hydrogel formula. The electrodes are adhered to the patient in specified locations. Because there are two electrodes, there are typically two cords (this is not the case in the present compact automated external defibrillator).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Memory cell, method for operating the memory cell and method of forming the memory cell are disclosed. The memory cell includes a first selector having a first select transistor with a first gate coupled to a first wordline and first and second source/drain (S/D) regions, and a second selector having at least a second select transistor with a second gate coupled to a second wordline and first and second S/D regions. The memory cell includes a first magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element coupled between a first bit line and the first S/D region of the first select transistor, and a second MTJ element coupled between a second bit line and the first S/D region of the second select transistor.

A magnetic memory cell stores information by changing electrical resistance of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) element. The MTJ element typically includes a fixed (pinned) magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer. The fixed (pinned) magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer are laminated such that a tunnel barrier film is formed between the two layers. The magnetic orientation of the free layer flips by a direction or an opposite direction of electric currents exceeding a critical select current. The electrical resistance of the MTJ element changes corresponding to that of the magnetic orientation of the free layer relating to the fixed magnetic layer, which may be in either a parallel state or an anti-parallel state.
However, conventional magnetic memory cells require high currents for programming. This results in high power consumption. Additionally, magnetic memory cells suffer from low sensing margin. Low sensing margin creates reliability issues.
From the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to provide low power memory cells with high sensing margin.

Low power memory cell with high sensing margin


An input device and a driving device able to be made thin and secure sufficiently large vibration amplitude are provided. The input device comprises an input panel, a current conducting element for conducting a driving current, and a magnetic field application unit for applying a magnetic field on the current conducting element. Both of the current conducting element and the magnetic field application unit are arranged in the peripheral region of the input panel. The magnetic field applied by the magnetic field application unit is parallel to the input panel and intersects the current conducting element. When the input panel is touched, a driving current is fed into the current conducting element, and a force is imposed on the current conducting element and the magnetic field application unit, making them move. This movement further drives the input panel to vibrate. Consequently, input operations can be recognized by feeling the vibration of the input panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input device for inputting coordinates and a driving device thereof, more specifically, to an input device that vibrates an operational panel thereof in input operations, and a driving device thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
When inputting data from a touch panel (or a touch pad) using a pen or fingers, because there is not feeling of operations, like clicking a mouse or pressing a key of a keyboard, the operator cannot clearly recognize if the panel or the pad is surely pressed with the pen or fingers and if data input is surely performed, and this causes errors in the input operation. In order for the operator to recognize the operation of pressing the touch panel or pad with the pen or fingers, it has been proposed to make the touch panel vibrate. The proposed devices are introduced below.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open, No. 11-85400 (for example, FIG. 1) discloses a device for vibrating the touch panel by using a piezoelectric element. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3085481 (paragraph number 0037) discloses a device in which an actuator including coils and magnets is arranged below the touch pad of a portable personal computer. International Patent Publication WO00/078095 (from line 24 in page 38 to line 5 in page 42) discloses a planar acoustic conversion device in which the actuator for vibrating a plane includes a pair of magnets having opposite polarities and a pair of coils facing the magnets respectively. The pair of magnets and the pair of coils interact with each other magnetically, and thereby vibrate the object plane in a direction perpendicular to the plane.
In the device of the related art for vibrating the touch panel by using a piezoelectric element, because the vibration amplitude of the piezoelectric element is small, a multi-layer structure including multiple piezoelectric elements has to be used to obtain a large enough vibration amplitude. Consequently, the piezoelectric element becomes thick and expensive, and a high voltage is required to drive the piezoelectric element.
In the device of the related art in which an actuator including coils and magnets is arranged below the touch pad, it is difficult to make the device thin because of the existence of the actuator below the pad.
In the device of the related art in which the actuator for vibrating a plane includes a pair of magnets and a pair of coils, the magnets and the coils have to be arranged over the vibrating plane, and as a result, when applying this device to a touch panel in which the vibrating plane serves as a display screen, image displaying on the vibrating touch panel may be hampered.


A network includes a first MANET subnet including a first collector node and first client nodes sending first resource status messages to the first collector node. The first collector node maintains a first DNS database based upon the first resource status messages. The network includes a second MANET subnet including a second collector node and second client nodes sending second resource status messages to the second collector node. The second collector node maintains a second DNS database based upon the second resource status messages. The network includes a transit router node sending updates from the first DNS database to the second collector node, and sending updates from the second DNS database to the first collector node. The first and second collector nodes each maintain and synchronize a combined DNS database from the first and second DNS databases, providing resource availability and status throughout the combined network to their respective clients.

Wireless networks have experienced increased development in the past decade. One of the most rapidly developing areas is mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Physically, a MANET includes a number of potentially geographically distributed, potentially mobile nodes sharing one or more common radio channels. Compared with other types of networks, such as, cellular networks or satellite networks, MANETs have two distinctive features. First, MANETs lack any fixed infrastructure. Second, each node can act as a router to forward an upstream node's traffic to an ultimate destination, potentially many hops distant. The network is formed of mobile (and potentially stationary) nodes, and is created on the fly as the nodes communicate with each other. The network does not depend on any particular node and dynamically adjusts as some nodes join or others leave the network.
MANETs typically use dynamic routing capabilities. A routing algorithm ensures that data takes an appropriate, and hopefully the fastest, route to a destination node. Some MANETs could include multiple fixed base stations with "cut through" high bandwidth terrestrial links operating as gateways to fixed base stations or other services, including the Internet. It is possible to extend the MANET with only a minimal base station infrastructure. There are also many different types of routing protocols that can be used in a MANET, for example, an Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Optimized Link State Routing protocol (OLSR) and Temporally-Ordered Routing Algorithm (TORA).
In more robust networks, nodes may be organized in one or more MANET clusters. For example, nodes in a certain geographic region or echelon may be assigned a cluster, or subnet designation. In some instances, a MANET cluster may include a subnet master node that organizes routing and communications within the cluster. More specifically, the master node may maintain a table having routing paths between other clusters, and current statuses of the nodes within the cluster.
Nevertheless, one drawback to this approach is a node in one cluster may be aware of other services available in the cluster via the master node, but may not be aware of other services in another cluster. In particular, in resource sharing applications, a resource need for a node could be filled by a node in another cluster, but the node may not be aware of such node's services, again because it is in another cluster. Moreover, another drawback to the clustering approach may be that the robustness of the MANET can be substantially altered when the master node is unavailable.
One approach is disclosed in the article titled, "Planning and Management of Dynamic Publish-Subscribe Communications In Tactical Networks Using Multicast Groups," to Gadgil et al. This approach includes assigning multiple publication-subscription topics to each multicast group so that members of each group have similar information and service needs. The approach includes organizing the nodes into a two-tier hierarchy, i.e. including a central planner node and a plurality of dissemination nodes.
In one approach, a non-ad hoc static enterprise communication network is provided and comprises a plurality of permanent, i.e. nailed up, communication conduits. This approach provides current services that are subnet bound, or rely on statically designated proxy (i.e. "Application Level Gateways"). This approach may rely upon wired, stable, high bandwidth, hierarchical network connectivity, and may also rely on network routers and switches to support multicast traffic and static peering mechanisms. This approach may not be robust in a network comprised of MANETs since MANETs are inherently dynamic and typically have less bandwidth available.

MANET with DNS database resource management and related methods


An apparatus and method of generating downlink power information for a multi-sector base transceiver site in which power can be shared between existing amplifiers includes a first step of gathering (S10) downlink power information for each sector. When the total power required by the sectors is less than the total power available from the base transceiver site, a next step includes modifying (S20) the information to pre-empt traffic loading such that a more heavily loaded sector will be disproportionately allocated more power than a less heavily loaded sector. A next step includes forwarding (S30, S40) the information to controllers of the base transceiver site. A next step includes determining a loading of each sector using thresholds to determine an overload in sectors depending on the information, wherein the power to each sector is adjusted disproportional to the degree with which the sector is loaded.

The present invention relates generally to radio resource management in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating downlink power information for a multi-sector base transceiver site in which power can be shared between the sectors. Such information can be used in radio resource management in a wireless communication system.
In wireless communication systems, a user device, which is typically mobile, is in wireless communication with a base transceiver station, which generally provides a communication connection to other user devices in wireless communication with the base transceiver station, or with other user devices attached to a communication system to which the base transceiver station belongs, such as a cellular communication system, or with an external network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or the Internet for example. The direction from the user device to the base transceiver station is called uplink and the direction from the base transceiver station to the user device is called downlink.
In general, a base transceiver station has a receive section and a transmit section. The receive section receives uplink radio frequency signals from the user device via an antenna, mixes the received radio frequency signal to obtain a base band signal and demodulates/decodes the resulting base band signal to obtain the received data, for example signaling or message data or user data for onward transmission to a destination, for example via a cellular communication system to which the base transceiver station belongs to another user device.
The transmit section receives data for transmitting to a user device in contact with the base transceiver station, modulates/codes the data to obtain a base band signal for the user, and then mixes the base band signal to receive an radio frequency signal for the user. The radio frequency signal for the base transceiver station, i.e. the cumulative radio frequency signal for all user devices, is then amplified by a power amplifier prior to being transmitted via the base transceiver station antenna.
In order to increase capacity in the communication system, a base transceiver station site may be sub-divided into separate sectors or cells, each of the sectors or cells being provided with a separate power amplifier and antenna. In this situation it has been found to be advantageous to pool the power amplifier resources of the sectors of a multi-sector base transceiver station.
This can be achieved by sharing signals to be amplified for each sector across all of the power amplifiers i.e. N input signals are split and are then recombined into N new signals after amplification by the power amplifiers.
This arrangement enables the required dynamic range of each of the power amplifiers to be reduced, as the signal amplification is shared across a pooled resource of power amplifiers, leading to a reduction in cost of the power amplifiers. This is particularly important in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems due to the inherently large dynamic range of the resulting aggregate signal, which requires linear amplification. In addition, this arrangement provides automatic power amplifier redundancy, since failure of one of the power amplifiers will not result in a sector losing all power amplification. Finally, this arrangement can enable power sharing between different systems, e.g. AMPS and IS95 systems, where the base transceiver stations are co-located.
In general, the radio resources available to a base site are finite, and are divided by frequency and/or time and/or codes into a number of physical and logical channels, according to the wireless technology employed. A base transceiver station typically supports a number of user devices, and therefore the radio resources i.e. the different channels available to the base station must be allocated to the different user devices. In general, this allocation is handled by a Radio Resource Management function.
In many systems, some Radio Resource Management functions may depend at least partially on the total power available per cell. This is particularly true of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, in which downlink Radio Resource Management functions such as admission control and scheduling of users is generally based on the number of code channels available and on the total transmit power available per cell. In most CDMA systems, the number of orthogonal codes available is sufficient and does not generally impose a limitation. Therefore, the system capacity is limited by the maximum transmit power capability of the cell, which in turn is governed by the rated power of the base transceiver station power amplifier.
The Radio Resource Management function generally relies on power measurements from the base transceiver station, in particular the per user code power and the total transmit carrier power to determine how close each individual cell is to the maximum capacity of the cell i.e. the rated power of the amplifier.


A turbine blade designing method is for designing a turbine blade formed using a metal material in which creep including diffusion creep and dislocation creep occurs by heating. The turbine blade designing method includes: acquiring temperature distribution data relating to temperature distribution in the turbine blade to be heated; acquiring creep strength distribution data relating to distribution of the creep strength required for the turbine blade to be heated; from the correlation data, based on the temperature distribution data and the creep strength distribution data, setting the crystal grain size of a high-temperature portion that is the diffusion creep temperature range of the turbine blade to a size coarser than the reference crystal grain size, and setting the crystal grain size of a low-temperature portion that is the dislocation creep temperature range of the turbine blade to a size finer than the reference crystal grain size.

Conventionally, a steam turbine blade manufacturing method for manufacturing a steam turbine blade having erosion resistance in which a high-hardness portion is locally formed, by locally heating the blade tip end portion of the steam turbine blade and locally refining a plurality of crystal grains has been known (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2013-170558

Turbine blade designing method, turbine blade manufacturing method, and turbine blade


A high-volume low pressure hand operated air pump comprised of a tube body with a plunger shaft inserted into one end thereof and a check valve at the other end thereof with a floating seal secured to the internal end of the plunger shaft comprised of a captured double sided annular disk having a closed cell foam plastic seal on one side thereof and a plastic stiffener of the same plastic material integrated thereto for supporting the foam sealing side thereof

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical apparatus for pumping air into closed containers. More particularly it relates to a hand powered portable lightweight industrial type air pump for high-volume low pressure air transfer to air inflatable structures. Specifically, it relates to a high-volume low pressure hand operated air pump for large size multiple person white water/river rafts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a hand pump in one configuration or another for the purpose of pumping air into an inflatable object is well established in the prior art. However, despite the numerous designs, structures, and forms disclosed by the prior art, which have been developed for the accomplishment of the various related objectives, purposes and requirements, the use of hand actuated air pumps heretofore devised and utilized consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious, configurations, combinations, and arrangements which are too numerous to consider. The two most universally utilized examples of these types of pumps are the ubiquitous T-handled bicycle pump and the step-on squeeze pumps.
The high-volume low pressure air pump contemplated according to the present invention departs substantially from the conventional concepts and designs taught by the prior art, and in doing so, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of inflating relatively large collapsible structures such as white water/river rafts as described above, but it accomplishes the result with a new, improved, and specifically unique apparatus.
There are numerous and obvious inefficiencies and disadvantages inherent in the known types of hand or foot operated air pumps presently existing in the prior art such as the fact that the bicycle pumps are heavy and corrode, while plastic foot powered pumps easily break or disintegrate, and both are low volume air pumps. The present invention provides a new lightweight, compact, durable, inexpensive construction wherein the same can be utilized to inflate relatively large collapsible structures while requiring only minimum storage space where such space is at a premium such as when packed on-board a white water/river raft.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described hereafter in greater detail, is to provide a new high-volume low pressure hand-operated air pump apparatus and mechanism which has many of the advantages of the old-style reliable air pumps mentioned above and specific novel features that result in a new lightweight high-volume low pressure air pump which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art of hand operated air pumps, either alone or in any combination thereof.
The present invention is a high volume, low pressure air pump comprising an elongated tube body having a guide hole located proximate to a first end thereof and disposed on the cylindrical axis of the tube for surrounding the shaft of a plunger and allowing the intake of air into the tube through the guide hole. The body forms an air chamber between the internal end of the plunger shaft and a second end of the tube.
A plunger shaft is disposed partially internally of the tube body and extends through the guide hole of the body and is formed to reciprocate therein. The shaft includes a handle secured at a first externally exposed end thereof. The length of the shaft is longer than the length of the body.
An air intake floating seal is secured to the internally disposed second opposite end of the shaft. The air intake seal includes a piston secured to the second end of the plunger. The piston has its longest cross-wise dimension shorter than the internal diameter of the tube body whereby the plunger can freely reciprocate in the tube and air can bypass around the edges of the piston as the plunger is withdrawn from the body.
A circular seal is engaged in a restrained floating relation to the piston on the air chamber side thereof and has a first side comprised of closed cell polyethylene plastic foam. The first side is larger in diameter than the internal diameter of the tube body. The foam side of the seal is disposed in facing relation to the piston on the air chamber side thereof and is frictionally engaged in sealing relation with the internal wall of the tube body. The circular seal has a second plastic stiffener side smaller in diameter than the internal diameter of the body and forms a backing to the foam side of the seal on the air chamber side thereof. The stiffener side of the seal is comprised of the same material as the closed cell foam and is integral thereto. The circular seal has air passages formed there through which are closed when the seal is pressed against the piston,
A circular seal cage is secured to the piston on the air chamber side thereof. The cage has at least one central pedestal forming at least three radially outward projecting cantilevered bridge ring seal retainers disposed at equally spaced positions from each other. The retainers are each also equally spaced from the piston a distance greater than the thickness of the circular seal to permit movement of the seal away from the piston a predetermined distance parallel to the cylindrical axis of the tube. The circular seal is captured between the outward projecting cantilevered cantilevered bridges on the air chamber side of the piston and encircle the outer periphery of the central pedestal.
A check valve is disposed proximate to the second end of the tube and has an air flow block side and an air flow discharge side. The air block side is disposed to communicate with the air chamber of the body. A flexible air delivery tube connected to the air flow discharge side of the check valve.
The more important features of the invention have been broadly outlined above in order that the detailed description thereof which follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to an improvement in the art may be better appreciated. There are additional specific features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
With respect to the claims hereof, and before describing at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components which are set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of being created in other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed here are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other forms, structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions in so far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the appended abstract is to enable the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the public generally, and especially scientists, engineers, and practitioners of the art who are not familiar with the patent and legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the specification, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a high-volume low pressure hand operated air pump.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a high-volume low pressure hand operated lightweight air pump made from low-cost commonly available materials and utilizing simple construction techniques.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a high-volume low pressure hand operated air pump which is of simple construction, reliable, durable, and corrosion proof.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a high-volume low pressure hand operated air pump using a double density polyethylene plastic air valve seal having a closed cell plastic foam sealing surface which seals with the air tube and requires no lubrication.
And it is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a high-volume low pressure air pump which can be assembled almost exclusively by the use of room temperature curing glue.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the method and apparatus of the present invention are considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Firmware authentication in Information Handling Systems (IHSs) are disclosed. In some embodiments, an IHS may include a controller having a memory, the memory configured to store a plurality of firmware volumes, each of the plurality of firmware volumes including a plurality of firmware files. The IHS may also include a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) operably coupled to the controller, the BIOS having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the BIOS to authenticate two or more firmware files within a given one of the plurality of firmware volumes using a single digital signature. In another embodiment, a method may include creating a firmware volume, adding a plurality of firmware files to the firmware volume, and creating a digital signature based upon at least one of the plurality of firmware files, where the digital signature, upon being authenticated, allows a BIOS to load any of the plurality of firmware files.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, global communications, etc. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
In some implementations, an IHS may include an electronic component known as a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). When the IHS is powered on (or reset), a process referred to as "bootstrapping," "booting up," or simply "boot," takes place. During that process, the IHS' BIOS' firmware interface is used to initialize and test other hardware components and/or to load an Operating System (OS) or other programs from a memory.
During bootstrapping, the IHS' Central Processing Unit (CPU)—or, in a multi-processor or multi-core system, a selected one of the available CPUs—acts as a bootstrap processor that runs the BIOS' initialization code. When the CPU starts executing the BIOS' code, it initializes some of the hardware in the machine. Once initialized, the BIOS begins a Power-on Self-Test (POST) procedure, which tests numerous electronic components of the IHS.
Some BIOSs are compliant with the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification. In general terms, the UEFI specification is managed by a forum that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. Recent versions of the UEFI specification include a protocol known as "Secure Boot," which is designed to secure the boot process by preventing the loading of drivers or OS loaders that are not signed with a proper digital signature.


The present invention provides an apparatus and method for applying preselected dye images to three dimensional objects, having plastic outer surfaces, utilizing flexible carrier sheets bearing dyes in the mirror images of the preselected images, where the sheets are overlaid in registration with the objects and maintained in pressurized engagement therewith while the sheets and the objects are heated. The present invention includes a bed for receiving at least one three-dimensional object member thereon with a flexible dye bearing carrier sheet placed in registration on the object and a resiliently flexible membrane, which is positionable over the sheet on the member. A vacuum assembly of the apparatus is operable to evacuate the area between the membrane and the bed in order to draw the membrane into pressurized engagement with the flexible sheet on the member thereby drawing the flexible sheet around the various surfaces of the three dimensional object. Radiant heating elements are operable both to preheat the carrier sheet, improving its flexibility and to heat the membrane after the vacuum assembly has been actuated, whereby the dye on the sheet is applied to the surfaces of the object to produce the preselected image thereon.

The instant invention relates to the application of dye images to various types of three dimensional objects, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for applying dye images to three dimensional objects utilizing a sheet or sheets bearing dyes in the mirror images of the desired images, wherein the dyes are of the type which require heat for the application thereof.
Processes for applying disperse dye images to various types of members, wherein dyes are transferred from carrier sheets bearing the dyes in the mirror images of the desired images, are generally known in the printing art. Other processes that are generally related to the art of the present invention are also generally known in the dye sublimation printing field. In general, processes of this type are carried out by first printing an image to be transferred onto a carrier sheet in the reverse orientation from the desired resultant image. The carrier sheet bearing the dye image is placed over an object so that the image is in the desired registration thereon. After the image is placed, heat and pressure are simultaneously applied to the sheet to transfer the dye image from the sheet to the object so that the desired image is permanently produced thereon.
Currently, three-dimensional printing is accomplished as discussed above, using the same techniques and technology developed originally for two-dimensional printing. While this process is generally well known in the prior art, it produces generally unacceptable results when applied to three-dimensional objects. For example, many cellular telephones have replaceable covers and it is desirable to provide replacement covers that bear printed images over the entire surface (front and sides) of the cover. However, when an image is applied using the two dimensional printing technique of the prior art, the image can easily be applied to the front surface of the object, but when the carrier sheet is bent around the contours of the cover it tends to gather and crease resulting in a poor quality transfer image. The drawback in the current technology is that while the paper carrier worked well for flat two-dimensional objects, it does not provide a great degree of flexibility necessary to mold to the required three-dimensional shapes. This arrangement results in uneven and often wrinkled image transfer, as the paper does not firmly and uniformly contact the substrate object as the carrier sheet will bunch and gather at the corners and edges of the object. Further, because of the relative lack of flexibility exhibited by the carrier sheets, it makes the simultaneous application and transfer of a dye image from a carrier sheet to the top and sides of a three-dimensional object very difficult.
In addition, another drawback to the prior art technique is that the infrared heating array used to effect the transfer consists of a flat array of infrared heat lamps. This configuration creates further problems when transferring images onto three dimensional objects because it does not provide uniform heating along the top and sides of the three dimensional object resulting in uneven image transfer along the sides of the object.

Apparatus with multi-directional radiation emitters for printing a dye image onto a three dimensional object


An exposure mask and a method for divisional exposure are provided to advantageously reduce or eliminate stitch defects in displays. In one embodiment, an exposure mask comprises a masking panel and a slit for selectively transmitting light from a light source, the slit including a taper portion such that an area proximate the taper portion transmits less than full light intensity onto a substrate to be masked. In one example, the area proximate the taper portion is bounded between an inner corner and an outer corner of the taper portion. In a further example, the area proximate the taper portion transmits substantially one-half the light intensity onto the substrate to be masked. A method of divisional exposure utilizing the advantageous exposure mask is also disclosed.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure mask and a method of divisional exposure.
(b) Description of Related Art
A display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, and each pixel includes a transparent pixel electrode for displaying images. The pixel electrodes are driven by signals from signal lines, including gate lines and data lines, that intersect each other to define pixel areas and are connected to the pixel electrodes through switching elements such as thin film transistors (TFTs). The switching elements control data signals from the data lines in response to scanning signals from the gate lines.
The LCD includes a TFT array panel including the signal lines, the pixel electrodes, and the TFTs, and a common electrode panel including a common electrode facing the pixel electrodes and a black matrix having openings facing the pixel areas.
When an active area on a backplane for LCDs is too large to use an exposure mask, the entire exposure is accomplished by repeating a divisional exposure called a "step-and-repeat" process. One divisional exposure unit or area is called a "shot". Since transition, rotation, distortion, and other problems are generated during light exposure, the shots may not be aligned accurately. Accordingly, parasitic capacitances generated between wires and pixel electrodes can differ depending on the shots, thereby causing a brightness difference between the shots which is recognizable at the pixels located proximate a boundary between the shots. Therefore, a "stitch" defect is generated on the screen of the LCD due to brightness discontinuity between the shots.
It has been suggested that boundaries of the shots be made saw-toothed or that several unit stitch areas be selectively subjected to light exposure simultaneously in order to reduce the stitch defect. However, the misalignment between adjacent shots is not effectively removed, and in addition, the misalignment in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of an exposure mask is not solved.

Exposure mask and method for divisional exposure


A method of measuring phase includes receiving an analog signal; converting the analog signal into a digital signal; representing the digital signal as N sets of samples; aligning the N sets of samples to a common time frame; removing zero bias drift from the digital signal; and calculating a phase of the analog signal based on the digital signal with the zero bias drift removed. The phase can have a time resolution substantially equal to a time between adjacent samples.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital phase measurement, and, more particularly, to measurement of phase in signals with high dynamic range in both amplitude and phase, and with a high degree of modulation.
2. Background Art
Conventional phase meters have difficulty handling signals that have a high dynamic range in amplitude, and a high dynamic range in phase. Most phase meters work in the phase range between −π and +π, or, more commonly, in the range between
            -              π        2                                    and    +            π      2        .  For most conventional phase meters, a phase in the hundreds of π, or millions of π, presents an insurmountable problem.
Another problem afflicting conventional phase meters is the dynamic range of the amplitude of the signal. For example, many conventional phase meters can handle a signal between, e.g., 0.5 volts and 5 volts. However, a signal that ranges between a few microvolts and a few volts (in other words, ranges over 40 dB in amplitude) is very difficult for conventional phase meters to handle accurately. Yet another problem is the change in the sign of the input signal, which often triggers "glitches" in conventional phase meter output.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a way to accurately measure phase of an input signal that has a high dynamic range (on the order of 40–50 dB) in amplitude with a high degree of modulation (for example, on the order of 50%), as well as optionally a high resolution in phase (for example, on the order of 2π·10−5 radian) and with no phase range limitation.


An insulating layer is provided on a semiconductor substrate, a contact hole is formed in the insulating layer, and an underlying metal film is provided on a whole surface of the substrate including inner walls of the contact hole. A surface condition of the underlying metal film is adjusted by a hydrogen plasma treatment. By the hydrogen plasma treatment, a surface of the underlying metal film is hydrogenated and is sputter-etched, so that a disordered film and contaminants adsorbed on the surface of the underlying metal film are removed. Next, aluminum is deposited on the underlying metal film by a chemical vapor deposition process using an organic aluminum compound such as DMAH. The contact hole can be effectively filled with aluminum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including a wiring member provided in an opening or depression such as a contact hole formed in an insulating layer provided between lower and upper wiring metal layers or between a diffusion region formed in a surface of a semiconductor substrate and a metal wiring layer and a recess or groove formed in a surface of an insulating layer. Particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for improving a filling property of a metal deposited by a chemical vapor deposition within a contact hole or groove formed in an insulting layer by controlling a deposition property on a flat surface portion of the insulating layer and a deposition property on an inner surface of the contact hole or groove. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out such a semiconductor device manufacturing method.
2. Related Art Statement
Recently a semiconductor device has been miniaturized and a size of a contact hole formed in an insulating layer provided between a diffusion region and a wiring layer or between successive metal wiring layers has become smaller and smaller. Therefore, an aspect ratio of the contact hole has been increased. In order to establish an electrical connection by providing a wiring member, i.e. plug within the contact hole, a sputtering method has been widely used, in which a wiring metal is deposited within the contact hole. However, it is rather difficult to deposit the wiring metal in the contact hole having a large aspect ratio. In order to deposit a wiring metal in a contact hole, it has been proposed to utilize a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD method).
The CVD method may be classified into a selective deposition type CVD method and a blanket deposition type CVD method. In the selective deposition type CVD method, there are formed on a substrate surface a non-conductive area (e.g. a surface of an insulating layer formed on a lower wiring metal layer) and a conductive area (e.g. a surface of a lower wiring layer exposed in a bottom of a contact hole) and a wiring metal is deposited selectively on the conductive area. In the blanket deposition type CVD method, an underlying metal film such as a titanium nitride film is first formed on a whole surface of the substrate and then a wiring metal is deposited on the titanium nitride film by the CVD method. In the blanket deposition type CVD method, a sensitivity to a surface condition is low, so that the wiring metal film can be manufactured stably in a mass production. Furthermore, in the blanket deposition type CVD method, a metal wiring layer may be simply formed by patterning wiring metal film and the underlying metal film deposited on the flat surface of the insulating layer surrounding the contact hole.
A typical wiring metal used in the CVD method is tungsten and aluminum. In case of forming a tungsten film by the CVD method, tungsten hexafluoride is used as a source material, and in case of depositing aluminum, an organic aluminum compound is used as a source material. Aluminum is superior to tungsten, because an electric resistance of aluminum is lower than tungsten by about three times so that a wiring member having a lower resistance can be obtained. It should be noted that copper and gold having a lower resistance than aluminum may be also deposited by the CVD method.
As the method of depositing aluminum in a contact hole by means of the blanket deposition type CVD method, the following methods have been proposed.
(1) Use is made of a deposition apparatus including a sputter chamber and a CVD reaction chamber which are connected with each other by means of a central wafer handling chamber. At first, on a surface of a substrate in which a contact hole is formed, a titanium nitride film is formed within the sputter chamber. Then, the substrate is transferred into the CVD reaction chamber via the central wafer handling chamber without exposing the substrate to the atmosphere, and an aluminum film is formed on the titanium nitride film by the CVD method using triisobutylaluminum as a source organic aluminum compound material. This known method has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,217 to Case et al.
The sputter chamber and CVD reaction chamber use different gases at different pressures, so that the deposition apparatus having the sputter chamber and CVD reaction chamber connected with each other via the central wafer handling chamber could not be easily realized. Further, even if such an apparatus is realized, mass production with the deposition apparatus would be difficult.
(2) A titanium nit ride film is first formed by the sputtering method on a surface of a substrate, and then the substrate is introduced into a CVD apparatus in which an aluminum film is deposited by the CVD method using dimethylaluminum hydride as a source material. This method has been proposed by Sugai et al in VLSI International Conference, page 463, 1993.
In this known method, when a substrate temperature is set to such a value that a high deposition rate or speed is obtained, an opening or mouth portion of a contact hole is clogged with aluminum deposited on a flat surface portion of the insulating layer surrounding the contact hole mouth before aluminum is sufficiently deposited in the contact hole. Therefore, in order to fill the contact hole with aluminum sufficiently, it is necessary to decrease the deposition rate by lowering the substrate temperature. Therefore, this method is not suitable for a mass production.
In the above mentioned thesis, there has been proposed to perform a sputter cleaning for the titanium nitride film surface prior to the CVD deposition in order to remove contaminants which are adsorbed on the titanium nitride film in the atmosphere.
(3) A substrate having a titanium nitride film deposited on a surface by the sputtering method is first placed into an etching chamber and a surface of the titanium nitride film is cleaned by using a plasma including chlorine. Then the substrate is transported into a CVD chamber without being exposed to the atmosphere and an aluminum film is formed by a CVD method using dimethylaluminum hydride as a source material. This known method has been described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication Kokai Hei 7-226387.
In this publication, it has been described that a deposition of aluminum in a contact hole is improved by the cleaning process using chloride, and a surface flatness of the aluminum film deposited on the flat surface surrounding the contact hole is also improved.
The method of depositing tungsten within a contact hole by the selective deposition type CVD method has been described in the following publication.
(4) Use is made of a deposition apparatus including a cleaning chamber and a CVD chamber connected with each other by means of an air-tight passageway. At first, a substrate is placed in the cleaning chamber and a metal surface exposed at a bottom of a contact hole is cleaned by means of plasma containing hydrogen or halogen gas. Then the substrate is transferred into the CVD chamber via the air-tight passageway without being exposed to the atmosphere, and after that tungsten is deposited selectively within the contact hole by the CVD method using tungsten hexafluoride as a source material. This known method has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,299 to Chang et al.
In this method, the plasma cleaning can remove water vapor, oxides and other contaminants that have been deposited in the atmosphere and might prevent the deposition of tungsten.
In case of forming a wiring metal layer, a wiring metal film such as an aluminum alloy film is formed on a whole surface of an underlying insulating layer, and then the metal film is changed into a desired pattern by removing selectively a part of the metal film by means of photolithography and dry etching. However, recently a width of a wiring pattern has become thinner and thinner, so that it has become difficult to perform the dry etching for the wiring metal film. In order to solve such a problem, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,648 there has been proposed another known method, in which a thin recess or groove is formed in a surface of an insulating layer and a wiring member is selectively formed within the groove. Also in this case, the CVD method could be advantageously utilized for filling the thin groove with a wiring metal.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device and an apparatus for manufacturing the same


A solid-state imaging apparatus comprises: a solid-state imaging device having pixels that image light originating from a subject, by dividing the light into color signals; and a signal processor that subjects photographed image data output from the device to white balance correction at a gain corresponding to light source type(s). The device further comprises a sensor that detects light in a wavelength range which induces a difference having a predetermined value or more between radiant energy of a first light source and that of a second light source on the surface of the device. The processor comprises: a mixing ratio estimation unit that determines a mixing ratio between illumination light originating from the first light source and that originating from the second one, through use of a detection signal output from the sensor; and a gain computation unit that computes a gain where the white balance correction is to be effected, according to the mixing ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus and a digital camera, and more particularly, to a solid-state imaging apparatus and a digital camera which achieve superior white balance when imaging a subject under a plurality of types of light sources, to thus produce an image with little color fogging.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a digital camera, such as a digital still camera (including one embedded in a portable cellular phone) or a digital video camera, a solid-state imaging device, such as a CCD or a CMOS image sensor, images a subject, corrects white balance of the thus-obtained image data in accordance with the type of illumination light radiated on the subject, and outputs the corrected white balance.
Previously-expected light sources include various typical light sources such as sun light (a D65 light source, a D75 light source or the like), a normal type white fluorescent lamp (an F6 light source), a three-band fluorescent lamp (including an F10 light source, an F11 light source, an F12 light source, or the like), and flash light. When automatically performing correction of white balance, the digital camera analyzes imaged image data and determines the type of the light source, to thus use correction values conforming to the type of the light source.
However, when photographing is performed, there may be a case where a subject is illuminated by only one type of light source and a case where there is photographed a scene of a subject being illuminated by a plurality of types of light sources. For instance, there is a case where an indoor scene is photographed with sunlight streaming through panes and in the interior of a room illuminated by a fluorescent lamp.
When image data—which have been imaged by means of photographing a subject illuminated by a plurality of types of light sources—are subjected to white balance correction, only one principal type of light source has hitherto been determined, and the entire image is corrected on the basis of the type of that light source. A remaining portion of the image outside the principal subject; that is, a portion of the image chiefly illuminated by other types of light sources, is susceptible to color fogging, to thus assume a strong yellowish or greenish tinge. This raises a problem of deterioration of color reproducibility (particularly reproducibility of gray or flesh color).
To solve the problem, the related-art technique described in, e.g., paragraph number [0026] of JP-A-8-340542 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,681), proposes the following processing. Specifically, when a principal subject is photographed with a flash within a room illuminated by an F6 light source, the amount of influence of flash light is determined for each image area of a photographed image from image data obtained by a solid-state imaging device before emission of the flash and image data obtained by the solid-state imaging device after emission of the flash. In accordance with the amount of influence, the amount of correction on white balance is determined on a per-image-region basis, thereby generating an image having a superior white balance over the entirety thereof.
However, the related-art technique of JP-A-8-340542 is directed solely toward the case of emission of flash light and is configured such that two image data sets; that is, image data obtained before emission of a flash and image data obtained after emission of the flash, must be used.
For this reason, the technique described in JP-A-8-340542 cannot be applied to correction of white balance achieved when a subject under a plurality of types of light sources other than flash light has been photographed. The reason for this is that, when an indoor scene with sunlight streaming in through panes of a room illuminated with fluorescent lamps is photographed, only a single image data is obtained and image data to be obtained before being irradiated with sunlight or fluorescent lamps cannot be acquired.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and digital camera for white balance correction


A furrow opener on an agricultural ground working implement has an opener body supported on a tool supporting shank of the implement and a replaceable furrowing tip body on the opener body. A delivery passage extends through the opener body and the tip body to deposit granular material in a furrow formed in the ground by the furrow opener. The tip body has a vertical knife portion and laterally protruding wings. Each wing further includes a soil shield portion projecting upwardly from the inner edge of the respective wing alongside the corresponding side surface of the opener body so as to resist penetration of soil into the chamber through a seam between the inner edge of the wing and the corresponding side surface of the opener body.

Soil openers that have replaceable tips which feature a passageway through the tip body for seed or other granular products to exit can have problems with soil entering through the interface between the tip and the body and plugging of the product passageway. If the product passageway gets blocked, seed or fertilizer will not be placed in the soil, or at minimum, the product will not be placed where it was intended or at the desired quantity. When this happens, the producer may be fortunate and notice the blockage shortly after it occurs, in which case the operator can stop seeding and remove the soil from inside the tip. If the operator does not notice right away, they may seed for hours without any seed coming out of the plugged openers resulting in unseeded areas being left for weeds to grow and a less productive crop.
Current openers are designed so that the gap between the tip and the opener body is as small as possible so that the maximum amount of soil is blocked from getting inside the tip and affecting the flow of granular product. In many cases the tip and/or body are manufactured by casting, so without further machining processes to achieve a more accurate part, the gap has to be designed with casting tolerances in mind. This results in a gap that is not small enough to block enough soil in many cases. Even when the parts are machined for a tighter fit with only a 0.02 inch gap, there are still cases where enough soil still gets through the gap to plug off the product passageway.

Furrow opener with wings overlapping opener body