A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor channel region and a gate region, wherein the gate region includes at least one buried part extending under the channel region. The buried part of the gate region is formed from a cavity under the channel region. The cavity is filled with a first material. An opening is made to access the first material. In one implementation, aluminium is deposited in the opening in contact with the first material. An anneal is performed to cause the aluminium to be substituted for the first material in the cavity. In another implementation, a second material different from the first material is deposited in the opening. An anneal is performed to cause an alloy of the first and second materials to be formed in the cavity.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuits, and more particularly to buried-gate semiconductor devices, that is to say those of which at least a portion of the gate region is placed below the channel region.
2. Description of Related Art
Among the semiconductor devices with so-called buried gates are distinguished devices with a double planar gate, that it so say in which the gate region comprises two gates, one of which is situated above the channel region and the other of which is situated below the channel region, and the so-called GAA (Gate All Around) devices in which the gate region is formed from a single part and surrounds the channel region.
Buried-gate devices, whether or not they are double-gate, are particularly advantageous for channel lengths less than 50 nanometers because they make it possible to eliminate the so-called short-channel effects while making it possible to obtain a current intensity that is doubled or tripled with respect to a conventional transistor. It is recalled here that a short channel has a very short distance (length) between the source and the drain and that the "short-channel" effect results in a reduction of the threshold voltage of the transistor, which can, at the extreme limit, result in obtaining a transistor that is very difficult to control and can finish up in the "piercing" mode.
The known buried-gate devices comprise a gate made from polysilicon. However, with the reduction of the dimensions for forthcoming semiconductor devices, a gate made of polysilicon causes the appearance of many limitations such as polydepletion, an incompatibility with dielectrics having a high dielectric constant and a gate resistivity that is too high.
One solution is notably the use of a metal gate, even if the adjustment of the threshold voltage of the device can necessitate a metal whose work function is variable. One example of metal gate devices are so called TOSI (Totally Silicided) devices which are made on the basis of a polysilicon gate above which is deposited, at the end of the manufacturing process, a metal which diffuses in the polysilicon during an annealing process. Another example of metal gate devices are devices whose polysilicon gate is etched at the end of the process, in order to deposit a metal gate in that place.
In the case of buried-gate devices, when the gate material is a metal silicide, the metal is deposited on the lateral walls of the polysilicon forming the gate region or regions. However, a poor formation of the metal silicide is obtained, notably because of the limited diffusion length of the metal in the polysilicon.
When the gate material is a metal, it is deposited under the channel regions, at the end of the transistor production process, and it must therefore be possible to deposit that material in cavities. The number of metals that can be considered is limited and the production of the device remains difficult.

Method of manufacturing a buried-gate semiconductor device and corresponding integrated circuit


A semantic layer (universe), which is created on a source database (DB), is migrated to a target DB. The migration includes pre-migration steps, actual migration and post-migration steps. The pre-migration steps prepare the target DB for the actual migration by configuring the target DB and determining the differences between the source DB and the target DB. During the actual migration, data, tables and views are migrated to the target DB conforming to the target database structure, functions and configuration. A new universe is created on the target database and all consumers of the source universe such as created reports are changed to refer to the new universe.

Customers use databases from external providers to store data. There are many reasons to move from one database (DB) to another DB—better performance, change in data received from external providers, corporate policy to move to a new DB, etc.
Customers need to make a lot of changes to make an application compatible with a new DB. They have to migrate all their Business Objects content namely: universes, reports and other dependent components. It is a huge task to make all of these compatible with a new DB. A lot of time is expected to be needed for creating and tuning Universes.
Potential problems with a new DB may be that each DB has its own way of supporting Structured Query Language (SQL); tables and views are case sensitive; a qualifier added to identify the table and view varies in each DB; DB specific parameters need to be re-mapped to a new DB, etc. Another problem may be if not all tables are present in a DB. Some objects in a universe may have reference in queries and may not be part of the schema.

Universe migration from one database to another


A mobile device, method, and machine instructions for mobile device communication are provided. The mobile device includes a voice call continuity status checker to determine a voice call continuity status and use the voice call continuity status to determine whether to initiate voice call continuity related activities. The method includes determining a voice call continuity status and using the voice call continuity status to determine whether to initiate voice call continuity related activities. When executed, the machine instructions perform a method that includes determining a voice call continuity status and using the voice call continuity status for voice call continuity related activities.

Easily transportable devices with wireless telecommunications capabilities, such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, and similar devices, will be referred to herein as mobile devices. Some mobile devices communicate in a circuit switching mode, wherein a dedicated communication path may typically exist between two devices. For the duration of a call, all data exchanged between the two devices travels along the single path. An example of a telecommunications protocol that uses circuit switching is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).
Some mobile devices also have the capability to communicate in a packet switching mode. In packet switching, a data stream is divided into packets that are given unique identifiers. The packets might then be transmitted from a source to a destination along different paths and might arrive at the destination at different times. Upon reaching the destination, the packets are reassembled into their original sequence based on the identifiers. An example of a telecommunications protocol that uses packet switching is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).
Communications that take place via circuit switching can be said to occur in the circuit switching domain and communications that take place via packet switching can be said to occur in the packet switching domain. Mobile devices that can communicate in only the circuit switching domain or only the packet switching domain can be referred to as single domain devices or single mode devices. Mobile devices that can communicate in both the circuit switching domain and the packet switching domain can be referred to as dual domain devices or dual mode devices. A communications connection in the circuit switched domain or in the packet switched domain can be referred to as a call or a session. These calls or sessions may carry voice or data.

System and method to identify voice call continuity (VCC) subscriber


The detector for a ground potential rise event includes a first transistor with a first antenna connected to the base collector junction of the transistor, and a second antenna connected to the transistor such that any imbalance of electrostatic charge density existing in the antenna is equalized across the base collector junction of the first transistor. The first and second antennae are vertically polarized, with the second antenna extending downwardly into contact with the ground surface. A second transistor is connected to the first transistor to form an oscillator circuit with the second transistor connected as a reverse biased avalanche transistor to momentarily discharge a capacitor. A transmitter is connected to a power supply and a relay and to the second transistor, to periodically transmit a signal upon closing of the relay by virtue of oscillation of the oscillator circuit. A receiver physically separated from the transmitter receives the signal and includes a interrupt circuit which will interrupt an electrical conductor upon the receipt of the signal from the transmitter, by opening a switch in a relay in the electrical conductor. A timer circuit is provided between the receiver and relay to maintain the relay in the open "interrupt" condition for a predetermined period of time upon receipt of a signal from the transmitter.

In recent years a new problem has been identified in the field of surge suppression, which is a conditional commonly known as "ground potential rise" (hereinafter GPR). Ground potential rise (GPR) is described as a sudden rise of electrical potential in a specific region of the earth as a result of an exposure of that area to a high potential electrical charge, whether created by natural causes such as lightning strikes or by artificial means, such as high power lines coming into contact with the earth. With these types of occurrences, an area of the earth's surface, typically having a diameter of at least 1,000 feet from the epicenter of the imparted charge, becomes highly energized by the electrical potential. AT the moment the GPR event begins to take place, an electrical wave is radiated out from the point of the disturbance (the epicenter) in every direction. In the case of a lightning ground strike, a high current and high voltage field is then propagated outwardly from the strike point. If the GPR induced surge encounters a grounded metallic object, such as a ground rod or a buried metallic cable, a portion of the surge is then induced into that conductor. Ground loops which commonly occur in electrical power networks and especially in telecommunications are effected by the voltages and currents which develop as a result of the potential differences existing between multiple grounding points.
When such a ground loop is present, excessive currents in the circuit can cause damage to the circuit. This condition can cause severe damage to electronic equipment that is electrically connected to such circuits.
Standard practices of surge management and suppression call for a surge suppression network which attempts to shunt a surge event to ground. However, if the surge event has originated in the ground, it will then tend to flow from that point into the electrical and communication wiring and thence back through the circuit without being suppressed. All known forms of surge suppression technology attempt to clamp a surge event to ground, and therefore are helpless to cope with a surge event that originates within the earth/ground. This is because the earth is already saturated with a high potential charge that is "looking" for a return path to the atmosphere or any area where the electrical potential is less than the area where the GPR event is the strongest.

Detector circuit and automatic electrical interrupt apparatus


A glass substrate of a display panel onto which an organic electroluminescence (EL) element or the like is formed is sealed by affixing the glass substrate and a sealing glass via an adhesive therebetween. During this process, a pressure is applied between the glass substrate and the sealing glass so that a gap between the affixing surfaces achieves a target value and the adhesive is cured. The pressure is changed over time based on conditions such as the viscosity of the adhesive so that quick and precise sealing by the adhesive can be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a display panel used in a display device for displaying text, images, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, display panels used in electroluminescence (EL) display devices and in liquid crystal display devices are constructed to include display substrates onto which display elements such as, for example, a light emitting element, liquid crystal, and a driving element for driving the light emitting element or liquid crystal are provided. Normally, in order to maintain the function and quality of the display substrate, the display substrate is sealed with a suitable sealing member. Examples of materials used for such a sealing member include metal and glass. The display substrate is affixed to the sealing member by an adhesive and sealed. The quality of sealing of the display substrate in the display panel is an important factor for determining the quality and lifetime of the display device.
FIG. 1 schematically shows how a display substrate is sealed by a sealing member.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), element layers 32 which will become the display regions are formed through a thin film formation process on one side of a glass substrate 31 which is a type of display substrate 33. FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) show an example configuration in which a plurality of (twelve) element layers 32 and a plurality of (twelve) display substrates 33 are simultaneously formed on a glass substrate 31 for simultaneously manufacturing a plurality of (twelve) display panels. The position of the glass substrate 31 relative to a sealing glass 34 which is the sealing member placed to oppose the element layers 32 is determined by an image processor or the like which recognizes one or more positioning marks 39 on the sealing glass 34. Then, the glass substrate 31 is moved in the Z direction shown in FIG. 1(a) and is affixed to the sealing glass 34. On the sealing glass 34, an adhesive 35 is applied in advance in a manner to surround the display regions along the shape to be sealed of the display substrates 33 (more specifically, their element layers 32). The surface of the sealing glass 34 opposing the display substrate 33 is engraved through etching or the like to correspond to the shapes and arrangement of the element layers 32. The engraved section 36 of the sealing glass 34 is provided for applying an absorbent or the like for maintaining the characteristics of the display substrate 33 to be sealed. In FIG. 1(b), the glass substrate 31 is not shown.
FIG. 2 schematically shows the cross section of the structure when the glass substrate 31 and the sealing glass 34 are affixed. The glass substrate 31 is held to a supporting member 37 using vacuum suction and affixed to the sealing glass 34 which is placed on a base (not shown). During this process, as shown in FIG. 2, the glass substrate 31 and the sealing glass 34 are pressed towards each other so that a predetermined gap G is formed between the glass substrate 31 and the sealing glass 34. After the gap G is adjusted to the predetermined value, a curing process for the adhesive 35 is applied and the display substrate 33 is sealed by the sealing glass 34. During this sealing process, the width of the portion of the glass substrate 31 and of the sealing glass 34 in contact with the adhesive 35, that is, the seal line width W, is determined by the amount and viscosity of the adhesive 35, the gap G, the magnitude and duration of the applied pressure, etc. Also, a spacer 38 having a cylindrical or a spherical shape with a predetermined diameter, for example, is provided within the adhesive 35 (schematically shown in FIG. 2) so that a predetermined gap G can be obtained using the spacer 38 as a stopper for the pressure application.
Normally, a resinous adhesive is used as the adhesive 35. When a resinous adhesive is used, the material of the resin is selected based on the type of display substrate 33, the object of sealing, etc. However, for some of these resins, the viscosity cannot be adjusted.
For example, for a display substrate used in a display panel of an EL display device, that is, a display substrate 33 onto which an EL element is formed at the element layer 32, because an EL element has characteristics that its heat endurance is low and an EL element is easily degraded by moisture, an ultraviolet curable epoxy resin which has low permeability for water and, in addition, which does not require heating for curing is used as the adhesive 35. Because the ultraviolet curable epoxy resin is not diluted by any solvent, in general, the ultraviolet curable epoxy resin has a high viscosity and cannot be adjusted to a viscosity at which the resin can be easily used. In addition, if the viscosity is adjustedby changing the constitution of the ultraviolet curable epoxy resin, it is difficult to maintain the low water permeability characteristic of the resin.
When a resin having a high viscosity as described above is used as the adhesive 35, it is necessary, during the affixing of the glass substrate 31 to the sealing glass 34 as described above, to apply a higher pressure on the affixing surfaces of the substrate 31 and the sealing glass 34 to allow the gap G to reach a desired value and, at the same time, secure the seal line width W. However, if the magnitude of the applied pressure is rapidly increased, the adhesive 35 having a high viscosity cannot change its shape to respond to the change in the pressure, and affixing defects such as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3 which is a plan view of the sealing glass 34 may be generated.
More specifically, when the adhesive 35 does not follow the change in the applied pressure and the gap G does not uniformly reach a desired value, defects such as (A) creation of a seal path through which the gas remaining in the inner space to be sealed can escape, (B) instability of the seal line width W, and (C) deviation of the adhesive 35 from the predetermined sealing position, may be generated. These are marked with the respective labels A, B, and C in FIG. 3. These affixing defects not only cause shape defects, but may also adversely affect the quality and lifetime of the EL display device by, for example, creating a sealing defect, causing the pressurized gas to remain inside, or increasing water permeability.
In addition to affecting the above described display substrate onto which an EL element is formed, the above-described disadvantages are common when sealing any display panel, such as, for example, a liquid crystal display substrate and a plasma display substrate, when the display substrate is sealed using a suitable sealing member and a highly viscous resin adhesive.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The routing of signals in a telecommunication network 100' comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes 102, 103, 104, 104', 105, 106, 106' and 107, such as a SONET ring network, is modified through use of a controller 160. The controller 160 maintains a mapping between the telephone numbers of subscriber locations 132, 138, and the network nodes 104', 106' to Which the subscriber locations are attached The ring controller 160 permits a subscriber location to change the node to which it is attached without changing its telephone number. Utilizing the ring controller, new services such as ISDN, can be offered to a large body of potential subscribers while only a limited number of central offices are actually upgraded.

Most telephone networks in use today utilize hierarchical call routing. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional hierarchical telephone network 10. The hierarchical network 10 comprises a plurality of nodes in the form of the central offices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I. These central offices may be implemented by switches such as the #1A ESS. The central offices A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I are connected by the trunks 11. Individual units of customer premises equipment at individual subscriber locations are connected to particular central offices via a subscriber loop. For example, the customer premises equipment at the subscriber location 12 is connected via the subscriber loop 14 to the central office A. Similarly, the customer premises equipment at the subscriber location 16 is connected to the central office I via the subscriber loop 18.
Consider the case where the subscriber location 12 desires to place a call to the subscriber location 16. The best route through the network 10 is determined, e.g., a route through the central offices A, E, F, and I, and the call is completed.
In the United States, each subscriber location has a telephone number comprising an area code (three digits) a local exchange or NNX number (three digits) and a subscriber line number (four digits). Consider the case where the subscriber location 16 of FIG. 1 has the area code "abc", the NNX number "ghi" and the subscriber line number "uvxy". In a telephone network such as the network 10 of FIG. 1, the routing is hierarchical. A call originating at the subscriber location 12 and destined for the subscriber location 16 is transmitted to the local central office A via the subscriber loop 14. The central office A routes all calls it receives with the area code "abc" to the central office E so that the central office A is transparent to everything in a called telephone number that follows the area code "abc". Similarly, the central office E routes all calls with the area code "abc" to the central office F so that the central office E is also transparent to everything in a called telephone number which follows the area code "abc". The central office F routes all calls with an NNX number "ghi" to the central office I so that the central office F is transparent to the subscriber line number which follows the NNX number "ghi". Then, the central office I routes the call via the subscriber loop 18 which has the line number "uvxy" to the subscriber location 16. Because of this hierarchical routing, all of the telephone numbers with a particular NNX number (i.e., all of the telephone numbers of a particular local exchange) are connected to the same local central office. If telephones having the same NNX were connected to different central offices, a hierarchical routing scheme could not be utilized.
The hierarchical network 10 of FIG. 1 has a large number of central offices. In the past approximately fifteen years, transmission costs in telecommunication networks have been reduced by about three orders of magnitude. On the other hand, reductions in switching costs have been much more limited. Switching costs have been reduced by about a factor of four, i.e, less than one order of magnitude. In view of the large drop in transmission costs and the much more modest drop in switching costs, the efficiency of the conventional hierarchical telephone network is not optimal because a large number of central office switches is utilized to minimize the transmission distances for particular connections. Presently, in the United States there are about 10,000 central office switches and the number of lines on a switch is about 20,000.
In the conventional hierarchical network, telephone number retention is generally impractical. If a subscriber location with a specific NNX number in its telephone number were to be moved from the central office normally associated with the specific NNX number to a new central office, it would be necessary to update the routing tables of all central offices located within one hop of the original central office and within one hop of the new central office.
The lack of telephone number retention impacts the introduction of new services into the conventional hierarchical network. New services include for example digital voice, video and real time data transfer. Such services can be provided by upgrading a network to ISDN. In order to make ISDN available for all subscriber locations attached to a hierarchical network, it is necessary to upgrade simultaneously a large number of central offices to ISDN standards. If only a few of the central offices in the network are upgraded, only subscriber locations having local exchanges (i.e. having NNX numbers) belonging to the upgraded central offices will be able to take advantage of ISDN. Other subscriber locations with other NNX numbers will either have to change the central office to which they are connected and, therefore, also, change their telephone numbers, or else forego the use of the new telecommunication services. The changing of a telephone number can be quite costly to a business and is something both businesses and individuals will strive to avoid.
When a new service is first offered to the public, demand for the new service will generally be low, and the revenue that the new service will generate for the telephone companies is limited. On the other hand, there is a need for the telephone companies to spend large amounts of money to upgrade numerous central offices to make the new service widely available. If only a few central offices are upgraded, a new service may never be successful because it cannot be offered to a large enough body of potential customers. In addition, customers who do subscribe will be able to use the new service to communicate only with other customers who are also connected to an upgraded central office.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a telecommunication network in which a subscriber location can change the node or central office to which it is connected without changing its telephone number, i.e., it is an object of the invention to provide a network with telephone number retention. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a telecommunication network which permits new services, such as ISDN, to be introduced to a large number of subscribers, but wherein only a limited number of nodes or central offices need to be upgraded to offer the new service. It is also an object of the invention to provide an architecture for a telecommunication network wherein subscribers not directly connected to an upgraded central office can access the upgraded central office and take advantage of new services without changing their telephone numbers.
One prior art network architecture which takes advantage of the large reductions in transmission costs by utilizing a relatively small number of well-placed switches is a ring network which makes use of the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) signal transmission techniques. Another network which utilizes a small number of switches is a linear add/drop network which makes use of the SONET signal transmission techniques. Before discussing these networks, it will be helpful to briefly review the SONET signal transmission techniques. As used herein, the term SONET refers to a family of digital signals whose bit rates are integer multiples of a basic module signal. (See, e.g., R. Ballart and Yau-Chau Ching, "SONET: Now It's the Standard Optical Network," IEEE Comm. Magazine, March 1989, pp. 8-15; H. Sabit Say and R. Young, "SONET: Optical Highway of the 1990s and Beyond," Bellcore Exchange, July/August 1988, pp. 3-7;J. E. Jakubson, "Managing SONET Networks," IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 5-13; H. Shirakawa, K. Maki, and H. Miura, "Japan's Network Evolution Relies on SDH-Based Systems," IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 14-18; Michael To and James McEachern, "Planning and Deploying a SONET-based Metro Network," IEEE LTS, November 1991/Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 19-23; T. R. Eames and G. T. Hawley, "The Synchronous Optical Network and Fiber in the Loop," IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 24-29; Izaz Haque, W. Kremer and K. Raychaudhuri, "Self-Healing Rings in a Synchronous Environment" IEEE LTS November 1991, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 30-37; P. Passeri, F. Balena, G. Bars, N. Vogt, and T. Wright, "Introducing SDH Systems in Europe," IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 38-43; Yau-Chau Ching and Grant W. Cyboron, "Where is SONET?" IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 44-51; C. N. Day and Chi-Ho Lin, "SONET and OSI: Making a Connection," IEEE LTS, November 1991, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 52-59.)
The basic module or first level of the SONET signal is called the Synchronous Transport Signal-Level 1 (STS-1). The STS-1 has a bit rate of 51.84 Mb/sec and is synchronous. The STS-1 signal is formed from a sequence of repeating frames. The STS-1 frame structure is illustrated in FIG. 2. The STS-1 frame structure can be drawn as 90 columns by 9 rows of 8-bit bytes. The order of transmission of the bytes is row by row, from left to right across the columns, with one entire frame being transmitted every 125 .mu.s. The 125 .mu.s frame period supports digital voice signal transport encoded using 1 byte/125 .mu.s=64 kb/s. The first three columns of the STS-1 frame contain section and line overhead bytes. The remaining 87 columns form the STS-1 Synchronous Payload Envelope (SPE). The SPE carries SONET payloads including 9 bytes of path overhead. The STS-1 can carry a clear channel DS3 signal (44.736 Mb/s) or, alternatively, a plurality of lower-rate signals such as DS0, DS1, DS1C, and DS2 by dividing the Synchronous Payload Envelope into a plurality of fixed time slots. For example, 648 DS0 signals fit into the SPE of an STS-1 signal.
Higher rate SONET signals are obtained by byte interleaving N frame aligned STS-1 signals to form an STS-N signal in accordance with conventional SONET technology. An STS-N signal may be viewed as having a repetitive frame structure, wherein each frame comprises the overhead bits of N STS-1 frames and N synchronous payload envelopes. For example, three STS-1 signals may be multiplexed by a multiplexer into an STS-3 signal. The bit rate of the STS-3 signal is three times the bit rate of an STS-1 signal and the structure of each frame of the STS-3 signal comprises three synchronous payload envelopes and three fields of overhead bits from the three original STS-1 signals. When transmitted using optical fibers, the STS-N signal is converted to optical form and is designated as the OC-N signal.
FIG. 3 shows a ring network which utilizes the SONET signal transmission technique. The ring network 100 of FIG. 3 comprises a plurality of nodes 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107. Each node 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 comprises an add/drop (A/D) multiplexer 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117. The central offices 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127 are connected to the A/D multiplexers 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, respectively.
Illustratively, the central offices 122, 123, 124, 125, 126 are local central offices and a large number of subscriber locations are connected to these central offices. For example, a unit of customer premises equipment at the subscriber location 130 is connected to the central office 123 via the subscriber loop 131. Similarly, the units of customer premises equipment at the subscriber locations 132 and 133 are connected to the central office 124 via the subscriber loops 134 and 135. In addition, a unit of customer premises equipment at the subscriber location 138 is connected to the central office 126 via the subscriber loop 139. The central office 127 is a tandem central office for switching calls between the ring network 100 and the hierarchical network 150. The hierarchical network 150 comprises the central offices 127, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155. Illustratively, a unit of customer premises equipment at a subscriber location 160 is connected to the central office 151 via the subscriber loop 161.
The operation of the ring network 100 of FIG. 3 is as follows. A SONET signal comprising frames divided into time slots circulates around the ring 110. Typically, the SONET signal on the ring network 100 of FIG. 3 is a 3.2 Gigabit/sec STS-64 signal which contains 32,000 DS0 slots in each frame. In some cases the SONET ring network is bidirectional, in which case a SONET signal circulates in both directions around the ring 110.
The frames are received at an input of each A/D multiplexer (e.g. the input 129 of the A/D multiplexer 112) and regenerated at the output of each A/D multiplexer unit (e.g. the output 130 of the A/D multiplexer 112). Each A/D multiplexer can write data received from a subscriber location via central offices into particular time slots for transmission to a remote A/D multiplexer. For example, the central office 122 inputs data into the A/D multiplexer 112 via the input 128 and the A/D multiplexer 112 in turn writes this data into particular time slots in the SONET signal circulating around the ring. Each A/D multiplexer can also read data out of particular time slots originating from a remote A/D multiplexer and destined for an associated unit of customer premises equipment. In each SONET frame, particular time slots can be permanently dedicated to logical connections between particular pairs of nodes. For example, slot #1, slot #3 and slot #17 in each frame may be dedicated to logical connections between node 102 and node 104. Similarly, slot #2, slot #4 and slot #18 of each frame may be dedicated to logical connections between the node 103 and the node 107. The use of the dedicated time slots in the SONET ring network is utilized to achieve logical connections between pairs of nodes and between pairs of central offices. In contrast, in a hierarchical network, central office pairs are physically connected by trunks.
When the subscriber location 130 wishes to connect to the subscriber location 132, the call is routed via the subscriber loop 131 to the central office 123. The central office 123 looks at a prefix (i.e. area code and/or exchange number) contained in the called telephone number and determines that the call is to be routed to a specific node on the ring, in this case the node 104. The central office 123 maintains a table which indicates which slots in the SONET frame are dedicated to logical connections between the node 103 and the node 104. The A/D multiplexer 113 writes data to be transmitted from the node 103 to the node 104 into time slots in the SONET frames dedicated for a logical connection between this pair of nodes. This data is read out of the dedicated time slots by the A/D multiplexer 114 at the node 104 and transmitted to the central office 124. The data is then routed by the central office 124 via the subscriber loop 134 to the subscriber location 132. Through use of the dedicated time slots, the network may be viewed as forming a "logical trunk" between the node 103 and the node 104.
In another example, consider a call originating at the subscriber location 160 in the hierarchical network 150 and destined for the subscriber location 138 in the SONET ring network 100. The call is routed through the hierarchical network 150 and is received at the central office 127. The central office 127 looks at a prefix in the called telephone number to determine that it needs to utilize a time slot dedicated for transmitting from the node 107 to the node 106. The A/D multiplexer 117 writes data into the appropriate time slot in the SONET frame to establish the call connection to the node 106 and its central office 126.
Instead of utilizing a ring configuration, the A/D multiplexers may be arranged in a linear add/drop network and a SONET signal can be synchronously transmitted in both directions from one end of the linear network to the other.
While a conventional SONET ring or linear add/drop network may be utilized to reduce the number of central office switches, a conventional SONET network, such as the network 100 of FIG. 3, does not provide a practical way of implementing telephone number retention. In a SONET network calls are routed to destination nodes and destination central offices based on a prefix (i.e., area code or NNX) contained in a called telephone number. Therefore, the only way to provide telephone number retention in the conventional SONET ring network is to update simultaneously the routing tables of all of the central offices, an approach which is not practical. As a result, it is still necessary to upgrade all of the central offices to provide new services to all subscriber locations. If only some of the central offices are upgraded, subscribers who are not connected to an upgraded central office and who desire the new services will have to be reconnected to an upgraded office and, therefore, will have to change their telephone numbers.
In view of the foregoing, it is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved SONET network which has telephone number retention. In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved SONET network in which new services can be made available to a subscriber who is not directly connected to an upgraded node or central office, without the subscriber having to change its telephone number. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved SONET network wherein new services can be offered to a large body of potential subscribers, while only upgrading a limited number of central offices.


The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method and device for transmitting and receiving a downlink control channel for controlling inter-cell interference in a wireless communication system. An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for transmitting a downlink control channel from a base station to a terminal, and the method may comprise: a step of determining whether a downlink subframe is of a first type or a second type; and a step in which if the downlink subframe is of the first type, the number of OFDM symbols for transmitting the downlink control channel is set to a preset value (N), and the downlink control channel is transmitted using N OFDM symbols.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for a heterogeneous network wireless communication system 100 including a macro base station and a micro base station. In this disclosure, a terminology named a heterogeneous network means a network having a macro base station 110 and micro base stations 121 and 122 coexist therein despite using the same RAT (radio access technology).
The macro base station 110 has a wide coverage and a high transmission power and means a general base station in a wireless communication system. The macro base station 110 may be called a macro cell.
Each of the micro base stations 121 and 122 may be called such a name as a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, a home eNB (HeNB), a relay and the like. Each of the micro base stations 121 and 122 is a small-scale version of the macro base station 110 and can independently operate by performing most of the functions of the macro base station 110. And, each of the micro base stations 121 and 122 may include a base station of an overlay type that is installed within an area covered by the macro base station. Moreover, each of the micro base stations 121 and 122 may include a base station of a non-overlay type that can be installed in a radio shadow area not covered by the macro base station. Each of the micro base stations 121 and 122 can accommodate a smaller number of user equipments with a coverage and transmission power smaller than those of the macro base station 110.
One user equipment 131 may be directly served by the macro base station 110 [hereinafter such a user equipment shall be called a macro user equipment (macro-UE)]. Another user equipment 132 may be served by the micro base station 122 [hereinafter such a user equipment shall be called a micro user equipment (micro-UE)]. Occasionally, the user equipment 132 existing within the coverage of the micro base station 122 may be served by the macro base station 110.
Micro base stations may be classified into two kinds of types depending on whether restriction is put on an access by a user equipment. A firstfirst type corresponds to a CSG (closed subscriber group) micro base station. And, a second type corresponds to an OSC (open subscriber group) micro base station. The CSG micro base station can serve specific access-granted user equipments only, while the OSG micro base station can serve all user equipments without separate access restriction.
Meanwhile, PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) is the channel that carries control information provided to a user equipment by a base station. Information indicating that PDCCH is carried on a prescribed number of time units (e.g., OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) symbol(s), etc.) in a downlink subframe can be provided to a user equipment by a base station through PCFICH (physical control format indicator channel).

Method and device for transmitting and receiving downlink control channel for controlling inter-cell interference in wireless communication system


A unit dose package dispenser (1) including a drawer (13) and ramp (7) such that unit dose packages are urged through an aperture ( 10) and into the drawer ( 13). The ramp ( 7) is elevated from the bottom region (6) of the container (1) so as to isolate the contents of the container from moisture. A cover (14) formed integrally with the container front wall (4) tends to protect the contents of the drawer (13) from moisture in the surrounding environment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and device for dispensing moisture-sensitive unit dose packages. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a method of and a device for storing and dispensing multiple unit dose packages from a central location in a humid or moist environment over a period of one to four weeks.
2. Description of Related Technology
Unit dose packages are packages containing a single premeasured amount of a product which is used in some subsequent process, such as cleaning. In that case, a package of detergent, formed into a tablet, a packet of powder or granules, or perhaps a gelatin material is added to a given amount of water to create a cleaning solution having the appropriate concentration of active cleaning ingredient.
Unit dose packages must be protected from their environment and kept dry in order to be functional. The product must be kept chemically functional and physically usable during its shelf life. If unit dose, moisture-sensitive products absorb an unacceptable amount of moisture, which is typically a very small amount of moisture, the product may not meet functional claims and may not be removable from the package. A unit dose package dispensing device which permits moisture to be introduced into the package may spoil or render useless a large percentage of the package's contents, thus discouraging a customer from buying a similar product in the future. Thus, the marketability of moisture-sensitive unit dose products is protected and enhanced by a storage and dispensing device that preserves a dry environment for the product even when the package is stored in moist surroundings, such as in a kitchen or bathroom.
Moisture can also be introduced into a package by the wet hands of a user attempting to withdraw one of the unit dose containers. Also, since the user's hands may be wet, it is impractical for them to unscrew or manipulate a complicated packaging device in order to obtain the unit dose package, since their hands are slippery and cannot grip a complicated container easily.
Ideally, the container should be made of an inexpensive material, such as cardboard, and should provide some protection for the contents when not in use. The dispenser should not present a serious impediment to obtaining the product when desired so as to waste time or require undue manual dexterity.
Cardboard cartons bearing some similarity to the present invention are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,000,624, issued to Pexton, discloses a cardboard carton having a trough that extends outwardly from a bottom portion of the carton. The Pexton device, however, does not disclose any method of protecting the contents of the trough from moisture once the trough is extended into a dispensing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,645,771, issued to Pillsbury, discloses a combined container and dispenser having an outwardly extending trough near a bottom portion of the container. However, the Pillsbury device does not disclose a method of protecting the contents to be dispensed from moisture when the dispensing trough is extended into its dispensing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,556,707, issued to Rendall et al., discloses a convertible shipping carton and self-feeder which contains a plurality of troughs near a bottom region of the container. However, the Rendall et al. disclosure does not teach or suggest a method of protecting the contents of the trough from moisture when the troughs are extended into a dispensing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,153, issued to Guyer et al., discloses a dispenser box having a lower trough extending across the width of the container. However, Guyer et al. does not disclose a means of protecting the contents of the trough from moisture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,052, issued to Torigian, discloses a multi-layer tray dispensing package, which includes a series of trays stacked vertically, and which may be removed from the dispenser package by removing a portion of the end panel itself, thereby forming a sort of lid. However, the Torigian disclosure assumes that the product to be dispensed is already in a waterproof container, and so the lid formed by the end panel is in a horizontal or higher position whenever a tray is removed far enough to allow the product to be accessible. The horizontal position of the end panel lid does not encourage the efficient runoff of moisture should it impinge the surface of the box, and similarly, the Torigian device requires both the lifting of the lid and the removal of the tray in order to gain access to the product being dispensed.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,866, issued to Zicko, discloses a dispenser container with a cover. Zicko discloses a trough having a hinged lid, but the trough is located at the extreme bottom of the container, thereby providing no protection against a moist surface upon which the container may rest, should water seep through the cardboard bottom. Similarly, Zicko does not anticipate protection from a moist environment insofar as apertures are included in the sides of the box for viewing its contents. Zicko also does not anticipate the need for insertion and withdrawing of the trough itself, since no means is provided for easily gripping the trough lip to withdraw it from the container housing.

Apparatus for dispensing moisture-sensitive unit dose packages


A new and distinct June-bearing strawberry cultivar named ‘Orléans’ is primarily adapted to the growing conditions of Eastern Central Canada and shows resistance to soil born diseases. Its upright growing habit, its small flowers with as-long-as-broad petals, its firm light-red fruit with same-sized calyx, its fruit sweetness, long shelf life and high levels of antioxidants essentially characterize ‘Orléans’.

The new cultivar, tested as FIO9623-55, is the progeny of a cross made in 1996 by Shahrokh Khanizadeh between 'L'Acadie' (U.S. Plant patent application Publication No. 2003/0009799) and 'Joliette' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,460). 'L'Acadie' is a June bearing strawberry cultivar (Fragaria×ananassa Duch) bred for Eastern Central Canada and more specifically for Quebec growing conditions. 'L'Acadie' is noted for large, firm fruit, moderate resistance to leaf diseases, partial resistance to red stele (Phytophthora fragariae Hickman), and keeping quality of several days after picking or maturity in the field. 'Joliette' has high yields of large, moderately firm fruit and is resistant to leaf spot (Mycosphaerella fragariae Tul.) and to six North American eastern (NAE) races of red stele (Phytophthora fragariae Hickman).
The 'Orléans' strawberry was asexually propagated by runners at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada sub-station in L'Acadie, Québec and extensively tested at the same location (where it has been tested since 1997). It was reselected by Les Fraises de L'île d'Orléans Inc. in St Laurent, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada in 1999. The new variety was then further evaluated from 1999 to 2001 in controlled semi-commercial sites by our private partners, Meiosis Ltd (Kent, UK). It is presently evaluated in other provinces of Canada, in the United States, and in Europe. Clones of the claimed plant are identical to the original plant. 'Orléans' is now an established and stable cultivar.


A bakery tray according to one embodiment includes a base a front wall and a rear wall. A pair of opposed side walls extend upward from side edges of the base. Each side wall including a pair of stacking feet and a center projection. Each side wall includes an upper support surface between an inner rail and an outer wall. The inner rail is interrupted by a plurality of pockets arranged to receive the stacking feet and the center projection of an identical tray stacked thereon in a high stack position and in a low stack position. The outer wall includes a plurality of recesses aligned with the plurality of pockets. The tray may provide a substantially constant height support surface between the pockets. Further, stops may be provided at front and rear ends of the upper support surface.

Trays for delivering and displaying baked goods often include a base, front and rear walls extending upward from front and rear edges of the base and the side walls extending upward from side edges of the base. One or both of the front and rear walls are significantly shorter in height than the side walls to provide visibility to the products in the tray. Further, the products may be removed from the tray through the windows formed by the shorter front and rear walls.
Some trays are able to be stacked with one another at variable heights. For example when one tray is stacked on a lower tray in the same orientation as the lower tray, the trays are stacked at one height, while rotating the upper tray 180 degrees relative to the lower tray will stack the trays at a different height. At the higher stacking height, larger (or more) goods can be stacked in the trays. At the lower height smaller (or fewer) goods can be more efficiently stored in the trays. Some trays do not provide the possibility of multiple stacking heights.


A method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor is disclosed, to decrease a dark current, which includes the steps of forming a photodiode area in a semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of gates including a first gate on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the first gate has one side aligned to the edge of the photodiode area; sequentially forming a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer on an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate; forming a first photoresist, wherein the firs photoresist is patterned so as to expose the upper side of the first gate and the other side of the gate being opposite to one side of the gate; forming a spacer at the other side of the first gate by dry-etching the second insulating layer in state of using the first photoresist as a mask, and forming a silicide blocking layer above the photodiode area; and removing the first photoresist.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensor, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor suitable for decreasing a dark current.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a CMOS image sensor is suitable for a SoC (System on Chip). As the CMOS image sensor is scaled down to a deep sub micron below 0.18 μm, the CMOS image sensor has more competitive power than CCD.
With the demands for a technology of the CMOS image sensor below 0.18 μm, the CMOS image sensor has the various problems in fabrication of pixel array, for example, the limit in size of pixel, the non-silicide process, and the uniformity of color filter array.
Among the various problems, the non-silicide (NASL) process is an essential element for a pixel since it has the great effects on a dark current. Also, the technology of the CMOS image sensor is developed to a high-integration design below 0.18 μm. Accordingly, it is very important to control the non-silicide process.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of showing a unit pixel of a 4-T (transistor) CMOS image sensor according to the related art. FIG. 2 is a layout of showing a unit pixel of a CMOS image sensor according to the related art.
As shown in the drawings, a unit pixel of a 4-T CMOS image sensor is comprised of one photodiode PD and four transistors. The four transistors are formed of a transfer transistor Tx, a reset transistor Rx, a drive transistor Dx and a select transistor Sx. At this time, the transfer transistor Tx transfers optical charges generated in the photodiode PD to a floating diffusion area (FD). The reset transistor Rx sets the electric potential of the floating diffusion area at the predetermined value, and discharges the optical charges to reset the floating diffusion area. Also, the drive transistor Dx functions as a source follow buffer amplifier, and the select transistor Sx is provided for switching and addressing. In addition, a load transistor is provided outside the unit pixel, to read output signals.
In the area of forming the transistors, a silicide layer is formed to improve the speed of the transistors Tx, Rx, Dx and Sx by decreasing a parasitic resistance. However, in case of the photodiode area PD, the silicide layer is not formed due to the optical sensing and dark current leakage. Accordingly, the silicide process is progressed in state of covering the photodiode area with a silicide blocking mask as shown in FIG. 2.
Hereinafter, a method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to the related art will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 3A to FIG. 3F are cross sectional views of showing the process for fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to the related art, which mainly show a photodiode area PD and an adjacent transfer transistor Tx.
First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a photodiode area PD is formed in a semiconductor substrate 11, and a plurality of gates are formed on the semiconductor substrate 11 by interposing a gate oxide layer. The plurality of gates are formed in a transfer transistor Tx, a reset transistor Rx, a drive transistor Dx and a select transistor Sx. At this time, one side of the gate 12 in the transfer transistor Tx is aligned to the edge of the photodiode area PD.
After that, a TEOS layer 13 is formed on an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11 including the gate 12. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3B, a nitride layer 14 is formed on the TEOS layer 13. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, a spacer 14a is formed by etching-back the nitride layer 14.
Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, a TEOS layer 15 is formed on the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 11, wherein the TEOS layer 15 functions as a silicide blocking layer. Then, as shown in FIG. 3E, a photoresist PR is coated on the TEOS layer 15 for the silicide blocking layer, and is then patterned to remain on the photodiode area PD by exposure and development. At this time, the photoresist PR is larger at a range of 'W' than the photodiode area PD, in due consideration of the layout margin of wet-etching process.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3F, the TEOS layer 15 is wet-etched in state of using the patterned photoresist PR as a mask, thereby forming the silicide blocking layer 15a.
Although not shown, the silicide blocking layer 15a has a tapered edge profile due to the wet-etching process, the isotropic etching process. The silicide blocking layer 15a of the tapered edge profile has the problem in that it can not perform the blocking function in the silicide process.
The silicide blocking layer 15a is formed by the wet-etching process. The wet-etching process is advantageous in that it can decrease the surface damage of silicon. However, in case of the wet-etching process, it is difficult to control the process. Also, with the scale-down on chip, it is impossible to obtain the uniform chip efficiency.
FIG. 4 is a graph of measuring a dark current by an integration time of the CMOS image sensor according to the related art, in which a high dark current level is shown.
FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C are capture images when having an integration time of 1 ms, 20 ms and 100 ms in the CMOS image sensor according to the related art. In this case, a micro white defect is serious, so that it is difficult to recognize the image after the long integration time.
As the integration time increases, more pairs of electron and hole are generated. That is, the image becomes brighter, whereby it is difficult to recognize the image after the integration time.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are SEM photographs of the CMOS image sensor according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the photodiode area PD is not covered with the silicide blocking layer 15a since the silicide blocking layer 15a has the tapered edge profile. Accordingly, the defects may be generated in the edge of the photodiode area PD and the edge of the spacer adjacent to the photodiode area PD by stress.

Method for fabricating CMOS image sensor


The embodiments of the invention provide a method, program storage device, etc. for automated and dynamic management of query views for database workloads. More specifically, a method begins by executing queries, which includes accessing a set of data tables for each of the queries. During the executing of the queries, the method accesses a required data table from a cache if the required data table is present in the cache and creates the required data table if the required data table is not present in the cache. The accessing of the required data table from the cache has a lower processing cost than accessing the required data table from a base table. Also during the executing of the queries, created data tables are stored in the cache, wherein one or more of the created data tables are removed from the cache when the cache becomes full.

1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments of the invention provide a method, program storage device, etc. for automated and dynamic management of query views for database workloads.
2. Description of the Related Art
Within this application several publications are referenced by arabic numerals within parentheses. Full citations for these, and other, publications may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclosures of all these publications in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application for the purposes of indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.
A materialized view, or materialized query table (also referred to herein as "MQT" or "data table"), is an auxiliary table with precomputed data that can be used to significantly improve the performance of a database query. With its MQT matching capability, a database query optimizer can explore the possibility of reducing the query processing cost by appropriately replacing parts of a query with existing and matched MQTs.
A query rewritten to utilize the MQT has one join operation instead of two, thus allowing its query processing cost to be reduced significantly. Since the creation of MQTs can be expensive compared to the benefit of the MQTs to a single query, MQTs are usually created for the whole batch query workload so that the accumulated benefits exceed the cost of their materialization.

Automated and dynamic management of query views for database workloads

International Business Machines Corporation


An improved method for producing human antibodies in SCID mice is provided. The improvement includes the use of dendritic cells pulsed with antigen-antibody complexes and antigen-antibody complexes as immunizing agents.

Antibodies (Ab) that recognize and adhere to proteins on the surface of bacteria, virus or parasites help immune system cells identify, attack and remove them from the body. Similarly, monoclonal Ab (MoAb) that adhere to cancer cells but not to normal cells can be an effective therapy for human cancers. Such MoAbs are generally murine Abs genetically modified to contain human constant regions ("humanized"). However, fully human MoAb are potentially superior to humanized murine MoAb as therapies for human cancer because of their absence of immunogenicity in humans. Human B cells can be stimulated to produce Abs that recognize specific human target proteins. However, previous methods are typically very complex and yield inconsistent results. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for improved methods for producing human monoclonal antibodies.

Method for producing human antibodies in SCID mice which uses dendritic cells pulsed with antigen-antibody complexes and antigen-antibody complexes as immunizing agents


A method performed by a computing device, of configuring a new design of a new data storage system (DSS) having initial configuration parameters is provided. The new design includes an initial plurality of storage drives. The method includes (a) collecting operational information from a plurality of remote DSSs in operation, the operational information including numbers of writes of various write sizes received by respective remote DSSs of the plurality of remote DSSs over time; (b) modeling a number of drive writes per day (DWPD) of the initial plurality of storage drives of the new DSS based on the collected operational information from the plurality of remote DSSs and the initial configuration parameters; (c) comparing the modeled number of DWPD to a threshold value; and (d) in response to the modeled number of DWPD exceeding the threshold value, reconfiguring the new DSS with an updated design.

Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software in which storage processors are coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, electronic flash drives, and/or optical drives. The storage processors service storage requests arriving from host machines ("hosts"), which specify blocks, files, and/or other data elements to be written, read, created, deleted, etc. Software running on the storage processors manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data elements on the non-volatile storage devices.
Large numbers of data storage systems are deployed around the world. Some of these data storage systems may periodically report telemetry to a monitoring server. For example, a manufacturer of data storage systems may configure its systems to periodically report to a monitoring server with various metrics so that the manufacturer can perform quality assessment and control.

Configuring new storage systems based on write endurance


A retention assembly for securing a main rotor shaft in a wind turbine relative to a pillow block is provided. A main rotor shaft extends through a pillow block, and a ring groove is defined in an outer circumferential surface of the main rotor shaft axially offset from the pillow block. A snap ring is engaged within the ring groove, wherein the snap ring and ring groove are designed to achieve a design axial load capacity.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, generator, gearbox, nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known foil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
Various components of the wind turbine that are disposed in the nacelle must be supported. Thus, a bed plate is provided in the nacelle to support, for example, the shaft and, optionally, the gearbox if present, and the generator. In particular, the shaft must be supported as it extends from the rotor blades and the hub to the gearbox and/or generator. Typical prior art devices for supporting the shafts include pillow blocks. For example, in a typical configuration, the main rotor shaft is pressed fit and held in place in the main bearing housing with a relatively tight fitting inner ring. A locknut is provided as a separate, backup retention device and is engaged with threads defined in the main rotor shaft.
For example, referring to FIG. 3, a prior art configuration is illustrated for retaining the main bearing around rotor shaft 20 in position relative to the pillow block 30. With this configuration, a lock nut 38 is threaded onto threads defined in the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 20, with the lock nut 38 advancing axially so as to engage against an inner ring 48. The main bearing is pressed onto the main shaft 20 and is housed by the pillowblock. The lock nut 38 configuration serves primarily as a secondary or backup retention means.
The threaded locknut assembly can, however, be disadvantageous. For example, the costs and time associated with machining the threads on the main rotor shaft can be significant. An annual inspection of the locknut requires manual loosening and re-tightening of the nut with a spanner wrench, which is cumbersome to use and has resulted in injury to technicians due to the high torque required to adequately tighten the locknut to design specifications.
Thus, an improved retention assembly that eliminates at least certain of the drawbacks of the conventional locknut assembly would be an advantageous advancement in the industry.

Snap ring retention assembly for a main shaft in a wind turbine


A convertible roof system employs a convertible roof assembly and a cover assembly which operably covers at least a portion of a vehicular area within which the convertible roof is stowed. In a further aspect of the present invention, the cover assembly includes a dual-acting deck lid. Another aspect of the present invention employs a movable main pivot bracket for the convertible roof assembly. Furthermore, an additional aspect of the present invention allows a stowed and collapsed convertible roof assembly to at least partially move with a stowage area cover when the cover is opened to allow rearward access into the stowage area.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In some automotive vehicles, it is desirable to retract a convertible roof into a stowed position in a trunk. Traditionally, this has rendered the trunk unusable for miscellaneous article storage when the roof is stowed therein. Various recent attempts have been made to resolve this problem by employing dual-acting deck lids (also known as trunk lids). For example, reference should be made to the following U.S. patent Nos.: 2004/0222658 entitled "Retractable Roof Structural System" which published to Dilluvio on Nov. 11, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,788 entitled "Decklid Mechanism for Vehicle with Retractable Top" which issued to Plesternings on Oct. 5, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,606 entitled "Hard-Top Vehicle" which issued to Schenk et al. on Oct. 20, 1998; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,766 entitled "Convertible Hardtop Vehicle" which issued to Schaible et al. on Jul. 7, 1998; all of which are incorporated by reference herein. While some of these conventional constructions have improved the field, it is noteworthy that the deck lid movement is mechanically unrelated to the convertible roof top-stack movement and the stowed convertible roof may still be difficult to circumvent when a vehicle operator is trying to access the trunk.


The invention provides an image device with improved chrominance quality. The image device includes a plurality of RGBW pixels, a plurality of RGBY pixels, and a plurality of RBGB pixels. Each RGBW pixel includes a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel and a white sub-pixel. Each RGBY pixel includes a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, a blue sub-pixel and a yellow sub-pixel. Each RBGB pixel includes a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, and two blue sub-pixels. The RGBW pixels, RGBY pixels, and RBGB pixels are mixed in the image device. The image device of the present invention can solve the problem of dark yellow in the conventional RGBW display while achieving a white balance status. As a result the chrominance quality is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image device with improved chrominance quality by the utilization of RGBW pixels, RGBY pixels, and RBGB pixels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 61, it shows a conventional RGBW display. The conventional RGBW display 10 includes a plurality of RGBW pixels 11. Each RGBW pixel 11 includes a green sub-pixel 111, a red sub-pixel 112, a blue sub-pixel 113 and a white sub-pixel 114 arranged in a 2×2 matrix. The conventional RGBW display 10 has the merit of enhanced color space and improved brightness and contrast, compared with traditional RGB display. U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,391, U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,452, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,286,136, 7,742,205, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,583,279 teach RGBW displays. However, the conventional RGBW display 10 has the deficiency of dark yellow. U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,375, U.S. Pat. No. 7,864,271, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,749,727 teach RGBY displays which claim to have better yellow color. However, RGBY display lacks the merits of RGBW displays. U.S. Pat. No. 7,248,314, U.S. Pat. No. 7,995,019, U.S. Pat. No. 8,248,440, U.S. Pat. No. 8,441,601 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,558,857 teach displays with five color sub-pixels. However five color displays have the deficiency of high display manufacturing complexity and cost. Moreover, the color conversion from RGB to five colors is also more difficult.

Image device with improved chrominance quality


A method for processing backup in the invention calculates a necessary capacity of a second storage medium when backing up in a plurality of divided sessions backup target data stored on a first storage medium, decides the number of dividing into the sessions based on the calculated necessary capacity and an available capacity of the second storage medium, and copies the backup target data from the first storage medium to the second storage medium, the backup target data being divided according to the number of dividing into the sessions.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods for processing backup, backup processing devices, and storage media storing a program.
2. Related Art
Image data taken by an electronic still camera (a so-called digital camera), a digital video camera, etc. is initially stored on a semiconductor memory, etc. that is accommodated by the cameras. A user backs up the image data onto another recording medium such as a CD or a DVD before deleting the image data stored on this semiconductor memory, and uses this semiconductor memory repeatedly.
Accordingly, due to proliferation of electronic still cameras and digital video cameras, the opportunity that general users back up large-capacity data is increasing rapidly.
For example, if data is backed up onto a CD, etc. and its original data is deleted from a storage medium on which the original data is stored, when the backup process is not completed successfully due to the occurrence of errors during the backup process, all data written onto the CD is lost.
Accordingly, JP-A-9-305974 discloses a system which is for automatically continuing a backup process to ensure the logical consistency of data under such a circumstance.
In recent years, portable terminal devices that can be battery-powered and can process backup are in actual use. Use of these terminal devices increases the probability of errors caused by battery power outage during a backup process, impacts from the outside, and the like. In such a case, it is impossible to continue a backup process as disclosed in JP-A-9-305974.

Method for processing backup, devices for backup processing, and storage mediums for storing a program for operating a backup processing device


A reversible system for housing a battery-operated device includes a first case member and a second case member. The first case member includes a first alignment member and the second case member includes a second alignment member complimenting the first alignment member such that the orientation of the first case member to the second case member can be altered in at least two orientations. In certain embodiments, the reversible system additionally includes a photovoltaic module for powering the battery-operated device.

Battery-operated electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, tablet computers, and laptop computers, etc., have become very popular. Cases for these electronic devices typically surround the back of the device, and incorporate a clear plastic sheet that sticks to the screen of the electronic device to protect from scratching. However, these sheets often become dirty and/or scratched, delaminate from the screen, and have bubbles that impede viewing of the content on the screen. Further, the battery-operated device typically must be inserted within the case in a specific orientation. For example, a conventional mobile phone case surrounds the back of the phone and provides little to no protection of the phone's screen.
Almost all of these devices rely on rechargeable batteries, such as lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries, for electric power. Due to the desire to minimize battery-operated device size, weight, and cost, as well as limitations of conventional battery technology, device batteries typically have a small capacity and therefore must be frequently recharged. For example, batteries of some mobile telephones, such as mobile telephones with advanced processors designed to run a wide variety of applications, may need to be recharged more than once per day during periods of extensive device use. Recharging a battery typically requires that the battery be electrically coupled to a fixed electrical power source, such as a building's electrical outlet, via a power converter commonly referred to as a "charger" or an "adaptor," thereby impairing the device's mobility. Accordingly, it is desirable to minimize battery-operated device battery charging from a fixed power source.
One possible way of reducing the need to charge a battery-operated device's battery from a fixed power source is to couple an external power source to the electronic device. In certain instances, the external power source contains an additional battery, a photovoltaic assembly, or both. The photovoltaic assembly generates an electric current in response to incident light, and the electric current charges the additional battery, and/or directly provides power to the device. Accordingly, coupling a photovoltaic assembly to an electronic mobile device may reduce, or even eliminate, the need to recharge the battery from a fixed power source.
Protective cases including photovoltaic assemblies have been proposed, for example, for use with mobile telephones and tablet computers. However, conventional photovoltaic assemblies are typically large and inflexible. Thus, cases incorporating these photovoltaic assemblies are typically bulky, thereby impairing the mobility, industrial design, and/or aesthetic properties of the mobile device that they are coupled to. For instance, one conventional mobile telephone case including a photovoltaic assembly is almost as thick as the mobile telephone itself, thereby significantly increasing the effective size and drastically changing industrial design of the telephone coupled to it.
Existing protective cases including a photovoltaic assembly are typically charged using either a USB cable or the onboard photovoltaic assembly. Charging via a USB cable requires that the mobile device be tethered by the cable, thereby restricting mobility, unless the device is removed from the protective case. Charging via the integrated photovoltaic assembly, on the other hand, typically requires removal of the mobile device from the case, before placing the case in sunlight for charging. If the battery-operated device is not removed from the case prior to photovoltaic charging, excessive temperature from sunlight exposure may cause the battery-operated device to shutdown, to prevent device damage.

System for housing and powering a battery-operated device and associated methods


A cement slurry suitable for use in the presence of high salt concentrations may include a base fluid and dry components that include: a cementitious material, a pozzolanic material, a salt additive, and a salt-tolerant fluid loss additive. The salt-tolerant fluid loss additive may be at least one of the following zwitterionic polymers: (1) a copolymer of at least one anionic monomer and at least one cationic monomer, (2) a copolymer of at least one anionic monomer, at least one cationic monomer, and at least one zwitterionic monomer, (3) a homopolymer of a zwitterionic monomer, or (4) a copolymer of at least one zwitterionic monomer.

The embodiments described herein relate to methods and compositions for use in cementing operations.
Hydraulic cement compositions are commonly used in subterranean operations, particularly completion and remedial operations. For example, hydraulic cement compositions are used in primary cementing operations whereby pipe strings such as casings and liners are cemented in wellbores. For example, in performing primary cementing, cement slurries that include hydraulic cement may be pumped into the annular space between the walls of a wellbore and the exterior surface of the pipe string disposed therein. The cement slurry is then permitted to set in the annular space, thereby forming a cement sheath that aids in supporting and positioning the pipe string in the wellbore and bonds the exterior surfaces of the pipe string to the walls of the wellbore. In another example, cement slurries that include hydraulic cement may also be used in remedial cementing operations such as plugging highly permeable zones or fractures in wellbores, plugging cracks and holes in pipe strings, and the like.
In many instances, a cement slurry may include a fluid loss control additive. As used herein, the term "fluid loss" refers to the undesirable migration or loss of fluids from the wellbore into a subterranean formation. Relative to a cement slurry, excessive fluid loss may, inter alia, cause the cement slurry to prematurely dehydrate, which may limit the amount of cement composition that can be pumped, decrease the compressive strength of the cement composition, and negatively impact bond strength between the set cement composition and a subterranean formation, the walls of the pipe string, and/or the walls of the wellbore.
However, the efficacy of traditional fluid loss additives, like copolymers of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, can be greatly reduced with increasing salt concentration, especially magnesium salts. Salt is encountered in many oil-producing regions as, for example, salt domes in the formation and salt water in the formation. To counteract the efficacy reduction of a traditional fluid loss additive, the concentration of the fluid loss additive is usually increased. However, such increased amounts of the fluid loss additive may adversely affect cement slurry properties since these additives can also act as retarders and viscosifiers.

Cement slurries with salt-tolerant fluid loss additives and methods relating thereto


An electronic mail (email) communications system may include a mobile wireless communications device, a wireless communications network connected to the Internet, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP) server connected to the Internet for receiving emails for a given user. The system may further include an email proxy server connected to the Internet for pushing emails from the ISP server to the mobile wireless communications device via the wireless communications network. A user computer may be connected to the Internet and may include a client email application for periodically polling the ISP server to detect new emails. The client email application may also send new email notifications to the email proxy server upon detection of new emails to cause the email proxy server to push the new emails to the mobile wireless communications device.

Electronic mail (email) has become an integral part of business and personal communications. As such, many users have multiple email accounts for work and home use. Moreover, with the increased availability of mobile cellular and wireless local area network (LAN) devices that can send and receive emails, many users wirelessly access emails stored in source mailboxes of different email storage servers (e.g., corporate email storage server, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc.).
One approach for delivering emails to a user's mobile wireless communications device is to use an email proxy server to retrieve new emails from an email storage server(s) (e,g., an ISP server) associated with the user's email account, and then forward the emails to the user's wireless handheld device. One challenge of doing so is knowing when to check the email storage server for new messages. Typically, this is done periodically because the email proxy server will not otherwise know when a new message arrives. Yet, if the period of polling is too short, this may place a significant burden on the email proxy server, particularly if it has to check multiple email servers for numerous users.
Another approach to forwarding emails to wireless handheld devices is provided by a client application called SMS4Mail. This program checks and filters email accounts and sends Short Message Service (SMS) messages to a user's mobile phone. The program can handle up to twenty POP3 e-mail accounts, and it may also send the SMS messages to multiple mobile phones at the same time. Various criteria may be used for filtering incoming e-mails to be sent to the mobile phone, such as From and Subject fields. Users also have the option to limit the maximum number of SMS messages for one day. Moreover, an SMS message is only to be sent once for each email which meets the specified filtering criteria.
While such systems may be advantageous for notifying users on their mobile phone when new messages are available, SMS messages are limited to a relatively small number of characters, so while a user will receive an indication of a new email, if the email is fairly long the user will only be able to see the very first part of the message. Moreover, many wireless network (i.e., cellular) carriers charge for each SMS message, which may make such an approach undesirably expensive for some users.

Electronic mail communications system with client email internet service provider (ISP) polling application and related methods


A Fe—Ni based permalloy comprises Ni: 30-85 wt %, C: not more than 0.015 wt %, Si: not more than 1.0 wt %, Mn: not more than 1.0 wt %, P: not more than 0.01 wt %, S: not more than 0.005 wt %, O: not more than 0.0060 wt %, Al: not more than 0.02 wt % and, if necessary, not more than 15 wt % of at least one selected from the group consisting of Mo, Cu, Co and Nb within a range of not more than 20 wt % in total.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a Fe—Ni based permalloy suitable for use in a magnetic head, a magnetic shielding material, an iron core of a transformer or the like and having excellent magnetic properties and a method of producing the same as well as a cast slab.
2. Description of Related Art
As the Fe—Ni based high magnetic permeability alloy or so-called permalloy, there are usually typified PB material (40-50 wt % Ni), PC material (70-85 wt % Ni—Mo—Cu), PD material (35-40 wt %-Ni—Fe) and the like, which are defined according to JIS C2531. Among these alloys, the PB material is mainly used in applications utilizing the characteristic that saturated magnetic flux density is large, such as stator in a watch, pole piece in an electromagnetic lens and the like, while the PC material is used as a high sensitivity transformer or a magnetic shielding material at a high frequency zone utilizing an excellent permeability. Among these alloys, it is designed to cope with applications such as a magnetic head, a shield case and the like by adding an additional element such as Nb, Cr or the like to provide the abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance (for example, JP-A-60-2651).
As another example of improving the properties of these alloys, JP-A-62-142749 and the like disclose that the permeability and the punching property are improved by adjusting impurity elements such as S, O and the like. Recently, the movement from PC material to PB material or from PB material to PD material is observed for reducing the cost, or there is adopted a method of supplementing for the lack of material properties by designing a fabricator.
In the material makers, therefore, it is strongly noticed to develop materials such as PB material having properties corresponding to those of PC material or PD material having properties corresponding to those of PB material, This increases a degree of freedom in the design of fabricator and hence is effective to give products having higher performances to markets.

Fe-Ni based permalloy and method of producing the same and cast slab


A system for sensing the manner of operation of an automotive vehicle and for generating feedback signals to the vehicle operator as a function of the manner of operation includes a pressure sensor connected to the brake pedal so as to generate a multi-state output signal as a function of the instantaneous pressure applied to the brake, and a plurality of acceleration sensors supported so as to sense the rate of change of the motion about different axes. The sensor output signals are all provided to a controller which compares their outputs to values stored in a table to generate one of a stored set of output values. An audio signal generator receives the output values and generates an audio feedback signal to the vehicle operator as a function of the status of the sensors. The system may also provide a signal to the vehicle engine to prevent operation of the vehicle when excessively erratic operation is detected.

Certain driving patterns such as repeated hard braking, riding the brake, tailgating, fast acceleration, and hard cornering can be hazardous to the driver, the passengers of other vehicles and pedestrians. Novice drivers are often unaware that their driving habits are improper, and even skilled drivers occasionally revert to poor driving practices without being aware of it.
The present invention is accordingly directed toward a system which may be installed on an automotive vehicle to detect various operating parameters, to analyze these parameters to detect specific hazardous practices and to provide feedback signals to the operator indicative of the improper driving practices. Certain embodiments of the invention could also disable operation of the vehicle when extremely erratic driving indicative of possible inebriation is detected.
A preferred embodiment of the invention, which will subsequently be disclosed in detail, employs a plurality of sensors disposed on the automotive vehicle, each of which provides a multi-value output signal to a controller. The controller has access to a memory storing a table of preset operating parameters. The controller compares the received signals from the sensors with the values stored in the memory to generate an output signal as a function of the comparison. The output signal is provided to a signal generator for providing an audio and/or visual signal for the vehicle operator. The feedback device preferably specifies the nature of the improper driving practice, such as tailgating, by the nature of the feedback signal.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention the driving pattern monitor may be applied to vehicles in the aftermarket by attaching a pressure sensor to the brake pedal and supporting the balance of the system, including an audio feedback device, on the brake pedal flange arm. An alternative embodiment of the invention employs a visual feedback device adapted to be supported on the vehicle dashboard. This unit incorporates the operator controls for the system as well as a visual display of the specific nature of operation detected.
Other aspects of the invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment.


A teaching aid for instructing proper finger position on a “fret-less” stringed instrument (for example, violin, viola, cello, bass) comprises a template that is positioned along the fingerboard at the proper finger position location (i.e., “first position”) for the first four half-steps associated with each string. A set of raised, “Braille-like” features is formed as a grid pattern on the surface of the template, with each row of features associated with each tone half step. Each “row” contains a set of three raised features—a separate feature located between an adjacent pair of strings. Once the template is properly positioned, the raised features are pressed out of the template and transferred to adhere to the fingerboard. By locating the raised features between the strings, the teaching aid does not interfere with sound quality or the ability to induce vibrato to the playing, while still providing a tactile clue for the proper note location for intonation purposes. Once the student has mastered proper finger placement, the raised features may be removed.

When playing instruments of the violin family (e.g., violin, viola, cello, stringed bass), the actual tonal values created by the individual are determined by the placement of one's fingers upon the strings along the fingerboard of the instrument. As a result, misplacement of one or more fingers on the strings results in poor tonal quality or, worse, the playing of wrong notes. The process of learning to play a "fretless" instrument of the violin family is very challenging, especially for young children, as students need to learn the actual mechanics of bowing and reading music, while also remaining concerned about finger placement and tonal quality.
Various aids have been developed in the past to assist beginning players in learning the proper finger positions for the violin family of instruments. One such aid is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,460, issued to Horst F. Kuhnke on May 17, 1977, which describes a molded member that includes integral ridges and is affixed to the fingerboard. The ridges form an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the fingerboard and as a result account for the difference in thickness, tension and elasticity of the lower strings as compared to these qualities of the (relatively thin) higher strings. However, as particularly illustrated in FIG. 5 of the '460 patent, the formation of such integral ridges (in the same manner as guitar frets) will necessarily interfere with the quality of sound produced and may particularly interfere with the ability to create a vibrato quality in the note. Another teaching aid, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Publication 2002/0096036, published on Jul. 25, 2002, involves the use of a visual aid of various finger patterns associated with different notes that is affixed to the fingerboard. A problem with this approach, however, is that the student must continuously look at the fingerboard to adjust his finger positions.
A preferred teaching aid would not require the need to constantly look at the fingerboard, while also not interfering with tone production, as is the case in including fret-like structures on the stringed instrument.

Intonation aid and position locator for violin family of instruments


An electronic device includes a package structure, a first lead and a second lead. The first lead has a first portion extending outward from a side of the package structure and downward, and a second portion extending outward from the first portion away from the package side. The second lead has a first portion extending outward from the package side and downward, and a second portion extending inward from the first portion toward the package side, and a distal end of the second lead is spaced from the package side.

Integrated circuit (IC) packages for surface mount technology, such as small outline integrated circuit (SOIC) and plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) packages have J-type leads that are bent inward under the package bottom or gullwing-type leads that are bent outward. J-type leads can help reduce the footprint of an IC on a printed circuit board (PCB) but inhibit the use of bottom side thermal pads. Moreover, trends toward lowering IC manufacturing cost and reducing package sizes. Reducing the pitch spacing between adjacent leads helps reduce package cost but some design requirements have minim pitch spacing limits.

Interdigitated outward and inward bent leads for packaged electronic device