An openable gas passage provides for rapid pumpout of process or bake out gases in an inductively coupled plasma source in a charged particle beam system. A valve, typically positioned in the source electrode or part of the gas inlet, increases the gas conductance when opened to pump out the plasma chamber and closes during operation of the plasma source.

Focused ion beam systems are used in a variety of applications in integrated circuit manufacturing and nanotechnology to create and alter microscopic and nanoscopic structures. Focused ion beams can use a variety of sources to produce ions. Liquid metal ion sources can provide high resolution, that is, a small spot size, but typically produce a low current and are limited in the types of ions available. The different ion species have different properties, which make some ion species more preferable than others for specific applications. For example, whereas helium ions are useful for imaging or light polishing, xenon ions provide higher milling rates that are useful for bulk processing. Plasma ion sources can produce ions of many different species and at larger currents, but often cannot be focused to as small a spot.
Plasma ion sources ionize gas in a plasma chamber and extract ions to form a beam that is focused on a work piece. Many different types of gases can be used in a plasma ion source to provide different species of ions. As ions are extracted from the plasma source to form the beam, the gas in the plasma must be replenished to maintain the plasma. Typically a gas inlet for a plasma ion source has a small opening through which gas is supplied to maintain the pressure in the plasma chamber. Because the gas is used very slowly, the small opening to replenish the gas is very small. When a user desires to change the gas in the plasma chamber to form a beam from a different ion species, it can take up to 30 minutes to remove one gas and fill the chamber with a second gas. This is an unacceptably long time for many applications that process a work piece sequentially using different process gases.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art inductively coupled plasma source 100 for use with a focused ion beam system such as the one described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/373,676 for a "Multi-source Plasma Focused Ion Beam System," which is assigned to the assignees of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. Gas is provided to a plasma chamber 102 within a source tube 103 from an external gas feed line 104 through a gas filter 106 and then to a capillary tube 108 with a flow restriction 110. Energy is fed into the plasma chamber 102 from RF power supply 113 by antenna coils 114 and ions are extracted through a source electrode aperture 116 in a source electrode 118 by extractor electrode 120. The gas conductance into and out of the plasma chamber 102 is through the flow restriction 110 in the capillary tube (at the top of the source tube 103) and the aperture 116 (typically 175 μm in diameter) in the source electrode 118. Pump 122 connected to gas supply line 104 through valve 123 removes gas from plasma chamber 102 through capillary 108 and gas supply line 104. An ion column pump (not shown) extracts gas from plasma chamber 102 through source electrode aperture 116. Multiple gas sources such as gas storage 130A, gas storage 130B, gas storage 130C and gas storage 130D supply gas into gas supply line 104. A beam voltage supply 132 supplies a high voltage to the plasma in chamber 102 and an extraction voltage supply 134 supplies a voltage to extraction electrode 120. Extracted ions or electrons are focused by focusing electrode 136. Additional details of the focusing column and sample chamber are not shown.
To remove a gas from the interior of the plasma chamber, the gas feed line 104 itself may be pumped as shown to remove gas in the source tube above the flow restriction 110 in the capillary tube 108. The volume of the FIB system below the source electrode 118 may also be adequately pumped using the main chamber vacuum pump(s) (not shown).
Because both the source electrode aperture 116 and the flow restrictor 110 have small diameters and correspondingly very low gas conductances, it is impossible to rapidly pump out the interior of the source tube 103. This is a disadvantage, especially for a production FIB system. First, it may take a much longer time to pump out a first process gas from the source tube 103 before the base pressure is low enough to introduce a second process gas. Insufficient purging of the gas can lead to contamination of the plasma through ionization
Second, it may take a long time, during bakeout, to pump away contaminants which are thermally desorbed from the interior walls of the source tube 103.
What is needed is an ion source for a focused ion beam system that provides for rapid changes of gas.

Methods and structures for rapid switching between different process gases in an inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) ion source


The invention disclosed is a new system and method for providing the mutual sharing of resources devoted to customer service. The system utilizes a telecommunications switching apparatus to rout incoming customer contacts to one or more pools of customer service agents. The system provides for a universal customer service interface that allows customer service agents to assist customers of other related companies. The automated system for sharing customer service resources includes a mutual assistance routing system in communication with requesting users of customer service agents, responding providers of customer service agents, databases containing customer information, thereby allowing customers who contact the requesting user to be served by shared agents.

The present invention generally relates to sharing of customer service resources during periods of high demand. For decades, certain public safety agencies, such as fire departments, have agreed to provide mutual assistance during emergency situations. Thus when one local fire department has a massive fire emergency, that department can call upon its neighbors to provide assistance. If the neighboring departments are willing and able to assist, then the emergency can be abated, and the assisting department can come to expect assistance if they should later experience an emergency. In the past, similar efforts at mutual assistance have been attempted in other industries, but to a less effective level. A hurdle to effective sharing of resources has previously been the need to physically deliver the needed resources to a distant location. With the expansion of telecommunications resources, effective transfer of communications between call agents can be accomplished without the necessity for the agents to physically travel.
Businesses needing to provide customer service resources must balance the projected need for those resources by customers with the cost of providing customer service resources at low demand periods, or when resources are not actually utilized by customers. A number of enterprises may be faced with occasions when demand for customer service far exceeds their ability to supply that service. Such occasions may include time of natural disaster, product recalls, or civil disruption, and the enterprises involved may be utilities, banks, transportation systems, health departments, government agencies, and non-governmental entities such as the Red Cross.
A continuing problem for electric utilities are periods containing an extremely high volume of requests for customer service agents during times of service disruption, e.g. when electric power is interrupted by storm damage. Presently, most "high volume call answering" (HVCA) is carried out using interactive voice response (IVR) systems (or an interactive call system (ICS), where the customer call is routed to an automated answering system. Such IVR systems are effective essentially for only expected types of customer requests, such as service outage reporting. When a customer has a situation requiring assistance that was not anticipated by the IVR administrators, or when the customer is unable to effectively navigate the IVR system, in most cases when HVCA systems have been activated, the customer cannot be routed to a live customer service representative (CSR) simply because no such representative is available. The customer is forced to leave a voicemail message, the response time to which may be very slow, due to the low availability of agents. Moreover, during the initial phases of an emergency, customers are known to be relatively patient, and accepting of the HVCA message systems, but as additional time passes, customers become increasingly frustrated by the perceived or actual unresponsiveness of their serving utility. For publicly regulated utilities, there may actually be regulatory standards requiring efficient response to customer inquiries, and failure to meet those standards can lead to penalties, or potentially lost customers. Similar situations where high incoming customer contacts overwhelm customer service capacity occur in other industries, such as in transportation where storms disrupt departures, or in banking where a technical problem may lead to unforeseen high call volumes.
The problem of dealing with HVCA is most pronounced in the electric utility industry, where natural disasters can severely disrupt service for the single provider of an area. Other utilities, such as telecommunications, cable television, water and natural gas may be to a lesser extent disrupted. During a service disruption, while one utility may have an extremely high volume, a utility located in another geographic region may have a relatively low volume of contacts requesting a customer service agent. Unfortunately, a number of obstacles have prevented utilities from sharing access to customer service agents with other utilities in need of assistance. One obstacle is the wide variety of interfaces that customer service agents of various utilities utilize on the computer systems that provide information about particular customers that are contacting the utility. In order for the customer service agents of one utility to assist customers of another utility, those agents would first need to be trained on how to utilize the interface of the utility being assisted. Advance preparation would be desirable, and in order to have that preparation, it would be necessary to anticipate which utility may be likely to provide assistance. In terms of emergency outages, predicting when, where, and the extent of outages is extremely difficult, and impossible to accomplish with any reliability.
Another obstacle are barriers in agreeing to terms, metering, timing, and compensation, for instance, between utilities that might wish to provide support for another utility having an emergency need. For instance, if mutual assistance is needed for only a few hours, by the time two parties might agree on the terms under which they might provide assistance in responding to customer service contacts, the emergency situation may already have been resolved. If the emergency situation continues for an extended period, presently, it is common for customer service agents to travel to the location of the emergency (or the customer service facility of the utility needing assistance), and thus added costs related to travel, housing, and inconvenience are incurred. In industries such as airlines or banking, companies with a shortage of customer service capacity may be direct competitors, and be reluctant to assist a competitor when an emergency arises. Public agencies, for instance the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local governments may not be able to immediately provide assistance because of statutory prohibitions. Thus, it would be desirable to organize an exchange system prior to an event that would allow for rapid activation of sharing of customer resources.
Yet another obstacle is the need to change call center resources on an as-needed basis. A utility may even require additional resources beyond those initially engaged in response to an emergency. For example, a utility responding to another utility experiencing a crisis by providing live agents may at some point need to retrieve those agents in order to deal with its own emergency. Current call routing systems do not enable flexible utilization of resources on a minute-to-minute basis.
Even if terms concerning mutual assistance could be agreed upon prior to the occurrence of an emergency, telecommunications connectivity issues have generally prevented one utility from directly transferring a customer service telephone call to another utility. This barrier is particularly acute when utilities seeking to provide mutual assistance are utilizing different telephone carriers. Utilities have been unable to transfer a call from an AT&T analog carrier to, for instance a responding provider that utilizes another carrier, for instance, Sprint. Even if the interface could be accomplished, yet another barrier is the need to actively allocate use of resources between a party needing assistance, and a party willing to provide assistance, while still retaining the ability to service its own customers. Existing systems for call forwarding between call center locations do not provide for unrelated operations to rapidly and in near real-time set up and activate call transfer program or campaigns. An example of an existing system with such limitations is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,134.
There exists an acute need for a system and method that would allow various providers to share capacity for addressing customer inquiries by providing mutual assistance in times of need. Of particular need is a system that allows rapid activation of mutual assistance, minimizes communications connectivity issues, and does not require a provider of mutual assistance to disrupt its own customer service activities or displace its customer service agents. If a system for providing mutual assistance between companies with trained customer service agents, particularly for utilities that experience high call volumes during certain events were available, customer service could be more efficiently provided.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mutual assistance routing system for improved utilization of customer service resources


A single photon emission computerized tomographic (SPECT) image acquiring method in which a fan-beam collimator radiation emitted from a radio isotope (RI) supplied into a biological body under medical examination is received with employment of a gamma camera, including the steps of: acquiring first projection image data by receiving via the fan-beam collimator radiation emitted from a reference isotope source; processing the first projection image data to obtain first correction data; acquiring second projection image data by receiving via the fan-beam collimator the radiation emitted from the radio isotope injected into the biological body; correcting the second projection image data with the first correction data so as to obtain third projection image data from which an artifact component has been eliminated; and, reconstructing a SPECT image of the biological body free from the artifact component based upon the third projection image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a single photon emission computerized tomographic (SPECT) apparatus for reconstructing a SPECT image by receiving radiation emitted from a radio isotope injected into a biological body under medical examination. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method and a SPECT apparatus capable of removing a ring-shaped artifact and of correcting sensitivity with employment of a fan-beam collimator and a gamma camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a fan-beam collimator employed a single photon emission computerized tomographic apparatus (referred to as a "SPECT" apparatus hereinafter) has both spatial resolution and a sensitivity characteristic as represented in FIG. 1 and defined as follows. That is, the spatial resolution and sensitivity characteristic of such a fan-beam collimator are determined based upon a function between a distance "b" measured from a surface of this collimator and an angle ".THETA." with respect to a focal point of the fan beam. As a result, a sensitivity profile curve of the fan-beam collimator is represented in FIG. 2 in which a counted value becomes high at a center portion of the reconstructed SPECT image, and the counted values become rapidly low depending upon distances apart from the center portion along an X-direction. Also, if the fan-beam collimator owns low focusing precision, uneven or unbalanced sensitivity occurs. Further if machining precision of the collimator is lowered, a ring-shaped artifact may happen to occur in a SPECT image. Both of the uneven sensitivity and ring-shaped artifact are superimposed on the sensitivity profile curve.
Under such circumstances, in the conventional SPECT apparatus, as the reconstruction algorithm, one method for correcting only the spatial resolution has been proposed as an image reconstruction algorithm based upon a weight back-projection method for back-projecting a weight coefficient as represent in FIG. 3. Furthermore, another conventional SPECT system has been proposed in, for instance, IEEE Transaction on Nuclear Science, "TRIANGULAR SPECT SYSTEM FOR 3-D TOTAL ORGAN VOLUME IMAGING DESIGN CONCEPT AND PRELIMINARY IMAGING RESULTS" written by C. B. Lim et al., vol NS-32, No. 1, February 1985. In this SPECT system, the radio isotope is stored with a phantom having a diameter equal to an effective field and then a SPECT image is once acquired. Based upon the SPECT image containing the ring-shaped artifact component, the uneven sensitivity, and the uneven SPECT value caused by the scattering and absorption of the gamma ray, a memory table is produced by the reverse SPECT values as correction data, and the subsequent SPECT image data are corrected based on these correction data read out from the memory table.
However, there are the following problems in these conventional correcting methods for the SPECT imaging apparatuses. That is, while the sensitivity component caused by the fan-shaped collimator is not separated from the component of the ring-shaped artifact, both the sensitivity correcting and ring-shaped artifact removing operations are simultaneously carried out for the reconstructed SPECT image data. As a consequence, both the sensitivity correction for the SPECT system (especially fan-beam collimator) and ring-shaped artifact elimination may not be precisely executed because the resultant SPECT image data still contains uneveness caused by the scattering phenomenon of the gamma ray.

Method for removing artifact and for correcting sensitivity of single photon emission computerized tomography and apparatus thereof


A system includes a sensor to generate a first image having a first two-dimensional image pixel data set. A database provides a second image having a second two-dimensional image pixel data set that includes a three-dimensional positional data set describing a navigational position of each pixel in the second two-dimensional image pixel data set. A vision module includes an edge extractor to extract image edge features from the first two-dimensional pixel data set and image edge features from the second two-dimensional image pixel data set. The vision module includes a feature correlator to determine a navigational position for each pixel in the first two-dimensional data set based on an image edge feature comparison of the extracted edge features from the first and second two-dimensional image pixel data sets.

An Inertial Navigation System (INS) is employed to a provide navigation solution to guide vehicles such as aircraft and may receive input from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to generate the navigation solution. The navigation solution includes position, velocity, and attitude for example for vehicle control. A global positioning system can also be employed to correct or calibrate the navigation solution in the INS. Inertial navigation systems usually can provide an accurate solution for a short period of time. For example, INS accelerometers in the IMU produce an unknown bias signal that appears as a genuine specific force. This may be integrated twice and produces an error in position. Additionally, the INS software uses an estimate of the angular position of the accelerometers when conducting this integration. Typically, the angular position is tracked through an integration of the angular rate from the gyroscopic sensors in the IMU. These also can produce unknown biases that affect the integration to generate the position of the unit. The GPS provides an absolute drift-free position value that can be used to reset the INS solution or can be blended with it by use of a mathematical algorithm, such as a Kalman Filter. The angular orientation of the unit can be inferred from the series of position updates from the GPS. The change in the error in position relative to the GPS can be used to estimate the unknown angle error.
The benefits of using GPS with an INS are that the INS may be calibrated by the GPS signals and that the INS can provide position and angle updates at a quicker rate than GPS. For high dynamic vehicles, such as missiles and aircraft, the INS fills in the gaps between GPS positions. Additionally, GPS may lose its signal and the INS can continue to compute the position and angle during the period of lost GPS signal. The two systems are complementary and are often employed together. Even with GPS corrections to the INS, the INS position estimates can still drift with time. In some cases, the drift can account for more than one hundred meters of error in a period of 10 minutes, for example.

Cross spectral feature correlation for navigational adjustment


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that improves the reliability of a metal cap layer and productivity. The method includes an insulation layer step of superimposing an insulation layer (11) on a semiconductor substrate (2) including an element region (2b), a recess step of forming a recess (12) in the insulation layer (11), a metal layer step of embedding a metal layer (13) in the recess (12), a planarization step of planarizing a surface of the insulation layer (11) and a surface of the metal layer (13) to be substantially flush with each other, and a metal cap layer step of forming a metal cap layer (16) containing at least zirconium element and nitrogen element on the surface of the insulation layer (11) and the surface of the metal layer (13) after the planarization step.

The progress in miniaturization and multi-layering of semiconductor devices has increased current density, which has resulted in serious electromigration (EM). Multilayer wiring techniques using copper (Cu), which has a high EM resistance, is thus essential for higher integration of semiconductor devices.
A process for manufacturing Cu wires uses a so-called Damascene process, which preforms trenches in an insulation layer in correspondence with a wiring pattern and then forms wires by filling the trenches with Cu. The process for manufacturing Cu wires also uses a so-called Dual-Damascene process, which preforms via holes in wiring trenches and then simultaneously forms wires and via contacts by filling Cu into both of the trenches and the via holes.
On the Cu wires subsequent to the Damascene process, a cap layer SiC, SiN, or the like is arranged between the Cu wires and the insulation layer (e.g., low permittivity film: Low-k film), which is arranged on the Cu wires. The cap layer functions as an oxidation resistant film on surfaces of the Cu wires, a diffusion resistant film for Cu, and an etching stop film for the via holes. The adhesion of the cap layer including the insulation film of SiC, SiN, or the like with the Cu wires is weak. This lowers the reliability of the Cu wires. Furthermore, the cap layer causes the etching of the via holes to become complicated and thereby lowers the productivity of the semiconductor device.
To solve this problem, in the prior art, a Cu multilayer wiring technique using a metal material for the cap layer on Cu wires has been proposed. The cap layer formed from a metal material (hereinafter simply referred to as a metal cap layer) must have a high adhesiveness with respect to the Cu wires, a low specific resistance, and high barrier properties (high barrier properties with respect to moisture from the Low-k film and Cu atoms from the Cu wires), and selectivity so that the cap layer is formed on only the Cu wires.
Patent document 1 uses an electroless plating process to selectively deposit cobalt-tungsten phosphide (CoWPi) on a Cu wire surface and form a metal cap layer on the surface of the CoWP layer through a salicide process. This satisfies the adhesiveness, conductivity, barrier properties, and film-formation selectivity required for the metal cap layer and improves the oxidation resistance of the metal cap layer.
Patent document 2 forms a metal cap layer on the entire surface of a substrate including Cu wires by using zirconium nitride, zirconium nitride compounds, or the like for the material of the metal cap layer. Zirconium nitride and zirconium nitride compound selectively provide conductivity only on the Cu wiring. This produces the functions of a metal cap layer without the need for film-formation selectivity.
However, patent document 1 uses an electroless plating process to obtain the film-formation selectivity. In the electroless plating process, the shape and film thickness of the CoWP layer are greatly affected by the concentration of chemicals, the oxidation-reduction atmosphere, and the like. As a result, the deposition state of CoWP greatly fluctuates in accordance with the coarseness/denseness, surface area, shape, etc. of the Cu wires. This leads to short-circuiting between adjacent CoWP layers and covering failures of the Cu wires.
Further, in the electroless plating process, the surface that is immersed in chemicals, such as the surface of the Cu wires subsequent to the Damascenes process and the surface of the Low-k film, must be extremely clean to realize film-formation selectivity. This increases the number of surface treatment steps involved in cleaning and thereby lowers the productivity of the semiconductor device.
Patent document 2 only discloses a manufacturing method related to zirconium nitride (ZrN) using tetrakis-diethylamino-zirconium (TDEAZ) and does not disclose the raw materials, conditions, and the like for a manufacturing method related to zirconium nitride compound. Moreover, the inventors of the present application has conducted experiments and have found that in a ZrN film formation process using TDEAZ, a large amount of powder-like ZrN and by-products are simultaneously generated and a sufficient particle level is difficult to obtain when manufacturing semiconductor devices. The powder-like ZrN and by-products accumulate in a supply system and discharge system for raw material gas and thereby interfere with stable operation of the manufacturing apparatus. Therefore, there is a demand for a manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for semiconductor devices that improve the reliability and productivity of the metal cap layer.
Furthermore, the demand has recently been increasing for microfabrication is accelerating in for thin film manufacturing techniques in the semiconductor field. This has raised various problems.
For example, copper is often used as wiring material due to reasons such as the resistivity being small and electromigration being less likely to occur. However, copper is difficult to etch and has a property of easily diffusing in an underlayer (silicon dioxide film). This lowers the reliability of the device.
In order to solve such problem, a barrier film is formed through CVD process or the like on an inner wall surface of an inter-multilayer connection hole in a multilayer wiring structure, and a copper thin film is formed thereon as a wiring layer. As a result, the copper thin film and the underlayer (silicon dioxide film) do not come into direct contact. This prevents the diffusion of copper. Ta (tantalum) film is known as such a barrier film (see e.g., patent document 3).
FIGS. 18(a) to 18(e) are cross-sectional views showing one example of a process for forming a multilayer wiring structure using a Ta film as the barrier film.
Referring to FIG. 18(a), elements such as a transistor are formed on a substrate 200, which is a film formation subject. On the substrate 200, a first wire Cu film 251, a cap layer 252 formed to have a film thickness of about 10 to 30 nm, a first silicon dioxide film 253 functioning as an interlayer insulation film formed to have a film thickness of about 300 to 1000 nm, a tantalum nitride film 254 functioning as an etching stop film when a wire groove is etched and formed to a have a film thickness of about 30 to 200 nm, and a second silicon dioxide film 255 functioning as a second interlayer insulation film and formed to have a film thickness of about 300 to 1000 nm are sequentially superimposed.
Each of these films is formed through known methods. For example, the Cu film 251 is formed through electroplating etc., and the cap layer 252, first silicon dioxide film 253, and second silicon dioxide film 255 are formed through a CVD process.
A photoresist pattern is formed in these superimposed films through a normal exposure process and include a hole 256 and a wire groove 257 formed by anisotropic etching. A Ta film 258 serving as the barrier film is formed in the hole 256 and the wire groove 257 and on the second silicon dioxide film 255 through sputtering, as shown in FIG. 18(b).
Next, as shown in FIG. 18(c), a second Cu film 259 is formed on the entire surface of the Ta film 258 so as to fill the hole 256 and the wire groove 257. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18(d), the Cu film 259 formed on the Ta film 258 at a flat portion 551 of the second silicon dioxide film 255 is polished and removed through a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. Then, as shown in FIG. 18(e), the Ta layer 58 exposed on the flat portion 551 is polished and removed through the CMP process. The Cu film 259 is thus filled only in the hole 256 and the wire groove 257.
The multilayer wiring structure is obtained by repeating the formation of copper wires and the formation of vias as described above.
However, if the Ta film 258 is used as the barrier film, the Ta film 258 remains on the second silicon dioxide film 255 when removing the Ta film 258 from the flat portion 551 (see FIG. 18(e)) and causes a characteristic defect of the semiconductor device.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-43315
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-17496
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-6856 (Claims etc.)

Semiconductor device manufacturing method and semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus


A uniquely configurated splint designed to effect intrinsic muscle stretching includes a splint base and a splint tower. The splint base is secured to the arm of the person using the same. A palmar arch support is securable to the palm of the user and an end portion of the splint. The end portion of the splint has an upwardly projecting tower to which a finger supporting structure is secured. In use, the proximal and interphalangeal joints of the fingers are maintained in flexion and a force is exerted toward metacarpal phalangeal joint extension. This serves to stretch the intrinsic muscles of the hand. In order to accomplish this without also translating the flexor digitorum profundus tendon anteriorly, a palmar arch support is provided. The tower preferably generally overlies the palmar arch support. An associated method is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and an associated method for applying a stretching force to the intrinsic muscles of a person in order to provide a prophylactic or therapeutic benefit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, carpal tunnel syndrome is the number one cause of occupational cumulative trauma injury in the United States. It is also the fastest growing cumulative trauma injury with over 200,000 new cases reported each year in the United States. According to the National Institute of Safety and Health, carpal tunnel syndrome costs are about at $3,000 per case in employee benefits and up to $40,000 per case in direct medical costs. The median job time lost is from a case of carpal tunnel syndrome is 20 days according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Numerous strategies have been proposed to treat or prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. Prevention efforts have consisted of modification of work, home, or avocational activities (Ergonomics). Currently, the most widely accepted non-surgical treatments include wrist splinting, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication and local steroid injection. The use of ice, massage, acupuncture and electromodalities have also been employed. When conservative treatment is not effective, surgical division of the transverse carpal ligament is typically recommended. Although statistics are not available, the success rate of conservative treatment is not perceived to be great. Surgical treatment is not always effective and can lead to post-surgical problems, such as reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
Examples of known specific devices that have been designed to prevent or treat carpal tunnel syndrome are various gloves, padding, splints and bandages. Davini U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,137 discloses a splint system consisting of rigid and elastic components applied circumferentially around the wrist. In theory, the device exerts a force to move the radius and ulna closer to each other and, therefore, reduce tension in the transverse carpal ligament to reduce compression of the median nerve.
Downes U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,553 describes a carpal tunnel mitt that is worn like a glove and through a strapping arrangement attempts to approximate the medial and lateral ends of the transverse carpal ligament and thereby reduce tension in the ligament and decompress the median nerve. It is questionable whether either of these devices can overcome the connective tissue forces to accomplish decompression.
Nirsch U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,490, Sebastian et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,763, Nelson U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,993 and Meanchen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,689 all disclose splints that by various means immobilize the wrist. Maintaining the wrist in a neutral position and restricting movement is thought to minimize pressure in the carpal canal. This type of immobilization has not met with a high success rate and has the further disadvantage of limiting the user's mobility for work or other activities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,640 discloses a pad for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome. This device consists of a padded surface that is interposed between a tool and the user's hand. While this device may lessen point pressure over the median nerve during tool use, it does not represent a device that can provide long term relief of carpal tunnel syndrome.
There remains, therefore, a very real and substantial need for improved means for stretching of the intrinsic muscles so as to prevent or treat carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as for other purposes wherein such stretching action can have a valuable preventative or treating function.

Apparatus for effecting stretching of intrinsic muscles and an associated method


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with speculating whether a read request will cause an access to a memory are described. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, in a memory, a read request from a processor and speculating whether the read request will cause an access to a memory bank in the memory based, at least in part, on an address identified by the read request. The method selectively enables power to the memory bank in the memory based, at least in part, on speculating whether the read request will cause an access to the memory bank.

Indicators of a memory's performance can include the amount of power consumed by the memory and the speed at which a processor can access data in the memory. Typically, a first level cache memory has the lowest possible latency as compared to other levels of memory. In general, lower latency means that less time is used to provide access to data stored in the memory. This in turn helps to improve performance of a processor. Higher level cache memory (e.g., Level 3—L3) may have higher access latencies due to their design configuration relative to the processor. As such, the processor will access the higher level cache less frequency. However, when accessing higher level cache, there is a greater possibility of a read request having no corresponding entry in the memory (i.e., a miss). When there is no entry in the memory, the memory is still activated (e.g., powered) because qualifying the miss takes an extra clock cycle from when the read request is detected and the memory is enabled.
Thus, the memory dissipates power even though a read operation is not performed in the memory. When the memory is part of a mobile device such as a cellular phone or tablet computer, the power dissipation limits battery life, which is undesirable.

Speculation to selectively enable power in a memory


Biostable, multipurpose, microbicidal intravaginal devices in the form of rings, ringed-meshes, sponges, or diaphragms for use by women and condoms for use by male partners are provided, wherein each of the devices contains a drug effective in treating a particular vaginal infection, while further exhibiting at least one additional function selected from the group dealing with non-hormonal contraception, management of sexually transmitted diseases, viral infections, and retroviral infections as well as the treatment of cervical cancer.

Intravaginal drug delivery can be utilized for topical, local, or systemic effects. Topical administration has been used to treat various bacterial or fungal infections, atrophic vaginitis, and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia. The most relevant prior art to the instant invention was the subject of a few patent applications by one of the present inventors. The most recent application, U.S. Ser. No. 11/974,140 (filed on Oct. 11, 2007) is directed with a ring device having multicomponent drug releasing substrates loaded with at least one bioactive agent and designed to effect contraception and/or provide means to treat and/or prevent diseases caused by infectious bacteria, fungi, virus, and retroviruses, without compromising the primary function of normally occurring, useful vaginal microflora in female patients. This application was a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 11/667,933, filed on May 16, 2007, and entitled "Intravaginal Ringed-mesh Device and Applicator Therefor." The tenets of the prior art that preceded U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/974,140, and related disclosures which are also relevant to this invention are outlined below.
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/860,677, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a controlled drug release device comprising a partially or fully absorbable, fiber-reinforced composite ring system comprising an absorbable or non-absorbable matrix, an absorbable, reinforcing fibrous construct and an absorbable coating to provide three modes of controlling the release of bioactive agents and one mode for modulating the mechanical property of the ring in a body cavity during device functional use. For partially absorbable ring systems, the drug release is dependent initially on the diffusion rate of the drug through the matrix and the absorbable coating. As the latter degrades with time, the diffusion through the matrix prevails. Meanwhile, as the absorbable fibrous reinforcing construct undergoes degradation with time, the mechanical strength of the composite ring decreases to provide the desired mechanical strength retention profile. For a fully absorbable composite ring system, the degradation of the matrix offers an additional mode of controlling the release profile as compared with the partially absorbable counterpart. In effect, the invention of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/860,677 deals with a fiber-reinforced composite ring system for the controlled release of at least one bioactive agent comprising a biocompatible matrix reinforced with an absorbable/biodegradable fibrous construct capable of providing the mechanical properties needed for inserting and maintaining said ring in a body cavity for the desired period of time, wherein the absorbable/biodegradable reinforcing fibers are made primarily from at least one cyclic monomer such as glycolide, l-lactide, ε-caprolactone, p-dioxanone, and trimethylene carbonate.
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/935,808 was filed on Sep. 8, 2004 as a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 10/860,677, described above, and dealt with a partially absorbable, fiber-reinforced composite for the controlled delivery of at least one bioactive agent. The composite included an absorbable fiber construct capable of providing time-dependent mechanical properties of a biostable elastomeric copolymeric matrix containing an absorbable microparticulate ion-exchanging polymer to modulate the release of the bioactive agent for the desired period of time at a specific biological site. In accordance with that invention (1) the absorbable reinforcing fibers were formed from at least one cyclic monomer selected from glycolide, l-lactide, ε-caprolactone, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, and a morpholine-2,5-dione; and (2) the biostable matrix was made of a polyether urethane elastomer or a silicone elastomer, such as a copolymer polysiloxane, including dimethyl siloxane sequences, which can be one of the Silastic® family of silicone elastomers.
Obviously, application Ser. Nos. 10/860,677 and 10/935,808 and related teachings did not disclose (1) the use of a non-absorbable reinforcing construct in the composite ring; (2) a novel cross-sectional geometry of the ring and associated clinical benefits in terms of ease of placement and minimized vaginal tissue trauma; (3) use of a novel feature entailing the presence of a mesh encircled by the composite ring, wherein such mesh can be used as a spermiostatic net in a contraceptive device and/or a depot for the release of bioactive agents including antimicrobials and antivirals; and (4) a ring applicator that can be used as needed by the patient without physician intervention. This led to a series of related applications, namely U.S. provisional application No. 60/635,887, filed on Dec. 14, 2004, PCT Application No. U.S. 05/45190, filed on Dec. 14, 2005, and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/667,933, filed on May 16, 2007, hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/667,933 is directed in general to an intravaginal device which is a ringed, flat mesh encircled with a fiber-reinforced composite ring, the composite ring providing for the controlled delivery of at least one bioactive agent, the ring being formed of a fibrous construct contained within a compliant, elastomeric copolymeric matrix, the fibrous construct providing adequate stiffness and resilience for in-use biomechanical stability, the copolymeric matrix further containing solid excipients to modulate the pH about the ring and the concentration of the at least one bioactive agent. More specifically, this case is directed to an intravaginal device comprising a ringed, flat mesh encircled with a fiber-reinforced composite ring for the controlled delivery of at least one bioactive agent. The ring is a fibrous construct that is capable of imparting needed stiffness, resilience, and in-use biomechanical stability to the compliant elastomeric copolymeric matrix thereof containing solid excipients to modulate the pH of the aqueous eluates and concentration of the bioactive agent or agents released therein. The mesh is a biostable, non-woven, melt-blown, porous polyolefin fabric, such as those made of polyethylene or polypropylene, having an average pore diameter of less than 100 microns and preferably less than 20 microns and more preferably less than 7 microns and the encircling ring is made of a crosslinked silicone elastomeric copolymer reinforced with a circular band of high-melting multifilament yarn sized with a low-melting polymer. In a specific situation, the flat fabric mesh is made of melt-blown fabric comprising polypropylene microdenier fibers and the fiber-reinforced composite ring is a crosslinked silicone elastomer reinforced with polyethylene terephthalate multifilament band sized with poly-ε-caprolactone wherein the matrix contains ferrous gluconate or ferrous ascorbate as a spermiostatic/spermicidal agent and at least one excipient selected from the group represented by ascorbic acid, carboxyl-bearing polyglycolide, glycine, citric acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and glycolic acid. Because of its composition and design, the intravaginal device is conceived as a multifaceted, biomechanically, biochemically, and pharmacologically active device for securing contraception in humans and animals. A key feature of such device and particularly the flat mesh is that the polypropylene fibers of the mesh are surface sulfonated to repel approaching negatively charged sperms. This is associated with the fact that the sperms have a negatively charged surface that will be repelled by the negatively charged sulfonate-bearing surface of the mesh. This and the limited porosity of the mesh, which can be associated with a pore diameter of less than 7 microns, will prevent the sperm diffusion through the mesh as the sperm has a head diameter of about 7 microns. Another key feature of the polyolefin or more specifically polypropylene flat mesh is that its fibers may contain an antimicrobial agent or agents such as triclosan. Obviously, these applications did not deal with certain aspects of the intravaginal ring system which include the use of surface-activated, knitted, ringed-mesh having an average pore diameter exceeding 100 micron—this is well beyond an order-of-magnitude difference from the sperm head diameter of about 7 micron and higher than the previously disclosed mesh pore diameter described as being less than 100 micron.
Collectively, the prior art discussed above dealt with (1) totally absorbable or partially absorbable intravaginal ring constructs and was silent on new intravaginal rings that are biostable as is the case for the instant invention; (2) intravaginal, non-hormonal spermiostatic/spermicidal agents, but was silent on the use of simple non-hormonal organic drugs that are not prescribed as effective contraceptive agents, which was surprisingly found to be the case in parts of the instant invention; (3) intravaginal non-hormonal contraceptive rings, which also exhibit antifungal or antibacterial activities due to the incorporation of an antifungal or antibacterial agent along with the non-hormonal spermiostatic/spermicidal agent, ferrous gluconate, but silent on the use of one agent that is antifungal or antibacterial and that is also spermiostatic, as is uniquely the case of the instant invention; and (4) intravaginal rings that have either antimicrobial or antiviral activity through the independent effect of at least two separate agents, but silent on the use of one particular agent to achieve, simultaneously, both antimicrobial and antiviral (or retroviral) activities as is the case of the instant invention. Additionally, the prior art was silent on the use of one particular drug of known efficacy for one indication and yet, it exhibits activity for two additional functions as in the case of the present invention. These facts and recent findings in our laboratory on unique properties of antifungal, antibacterial, and antineoplastic agents prompted the pursuit of the study, subject of the present invention.


A cage system for laboratory animal care has a plastic cage with a molded perforated-bottom, a snap-on plenum cage top, a cage top feeder lid and a snap on waste tray. The floor of the cage is shaped with rounded perforations and domed protrusions to deflect both liquid and solid waste down to the attached waste tray. A filtered air supply is introduced into the lid of the cage and passes through orifices in the bottom of the lid, flowing laminarly through the body of the cage and out perforations in the floor over the waste tray. A water supply system for the cage is provided. No bedding is required in the cage. The system is air tight and air in any one cage is isolated from air in all other cages in the system which can be mounted on a rack. A drain for liquids is provided in the waste tray. In an alternate embodiment, the cage has an imperforate floor. A plurality of cages are supported in a rack. Several configurations to support the cage within the rack are provided.

The present invention relates to caging systems for laboratory animal care and more particularly to a cage and system which has controlled ventilation, waste containment and does not require bedding.
Most all existing ventilated rodent cage systems are made with plastic solid-bottom cages. Clear cages are used so it is possible to inspect the condition of the inside of the cage without disturbing the animals. The cage ensemble generally consists of a metal wire bar lid containing a feed hopper and water bottle capabilities and a plastic top that holds a piece of filter media. The wire bar lid is convenient to use because feed and water bottles in a cage can be moved to a clean cage in one motion. The cages are contained in a rack that holds a plurality of cages either single or double sided. An automatic water system introduces water into the cage for the rodent using lixits or water valves located either outside or inside the cage. It must be monitored for proper water pressure and must be flushed periodically. Problems of leakage, high intracage humidity levels and cage flooding are associated with automatic watering systems. A plenum, either a separate duct system or made up of components of the rack (i.e. the shelves or the tubing uprights), supply the cage with filtered air through a cage mounted air supply diffuser. The front of the cage, perimeter of the cage lid and the cage body (where the leakage occurs) is open to the environment of the animal room. The air flow is either transversely across the cage or from an inlet in the side or top of the cage to an outlet in the junction of the top and body or top of the cage. A removable bottom portion for animal waste has been disclosed but air flow through the waste tray has not been reported.
Exhausted air is drawn either through a plenum system or into a "U" shaped metal exhaust collar surrounding three sides of each cage or a metal or plastic canopy. It is drawn into a horizontal exhaust manifold on each shelf, travels up the vertical exhaust plenum, then finally into a filtered exhaust system. This system, designed for limited capture of exhausted cage air, allows contaminated air to escape into the room from the cage lid perimeter and may present health problems for personnel. The systems scavenge room air and introduce air into the room, thus disturbing the macroenvironment. Present systems allow the pressurized air to blow any contaminants on the filter media into the room. Another type allows contaminants on the filter media to blow into the cage.
The applicant is aware of the following U.S. patents which are related to cages for laboratory animals:
______________________________________ Inventor(s) U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Fricke 2,467,525 Fuller et al 3,063,413 Barney 3,397,676 Holinan 3,924,571 Gland et al 4,085,705 Gass 4,154,196 Nace 4,201,153 Thomas 4,402,280 Picard et al 4,435,194 Sedlacek 4,480,587 LoMaglio 4,526,133 Spengler 4,528,941 Peters et al 4,798,171 Niki 4,844,018 Spina 4,869,206 Niki et al 4,940,017 Sheaffer 4,989,545 Niki et al 5,003,022 Niki et al 5,048,453 Coiro, Sr. et al 5,148,766 Coiro, Sr. et al 5,307,757 Sheaffer et al 5,311,836 Harr Re 32,113 Semenuk D 351,259 Semenuk D 383,253 ______________________________________
Current ventilated caging systems, of which the applicant is aware, for laboratory animal care and use in biomedical research/testing is suboptimal because of the lack of environmental control. Also, animal activity over contact bedding material, husbandry techniques and laboratory procedures generate aerosols and allergens that spread through cage leakage into the work area and pose a risk of contamination to the animals and to the workers. In addition to suspension of particulates, chilling and dehydration of neonates, hairless and nude strains, existing ventilated racks have provoked animal losses due to hypothermia. While the systems currently in use may provide some biological exclusion and save labor, the use of bedding material, the lack of animal comfort, the leakage problem, and the high cost of maintenance pose serious problems in research.
In present systems, bedding and nesting materials are placed directly on the floor of the solid-bottom cages, since rodents are nesting and burrowing animals. The primary requirements of bedding materials are: (1) the material must not be harmful to the animal; (2) it must be capable of absorbing moisture without causing dehydration of newborn animals, (3) it must not create excessive dust, (4) it must be economical to use and dispose of. So far, existing bedding materials fail to achieve these standards. A major goal is eliminating the cost of bedding and bedding-related activities including bedding ordering, receiving, storage, dispensing, autoclaving, dust removal, bedding dumping, cage-scraping, bagging, disposal and finally removal of soiled bedding. Dispensing of used bedding can engender both problems of storage and aerosol contamination including allergen exposure. Expensive engineering and operation systems are required to prevent these problems. Modern bedding disposal systems are basically vacuums, which prevent contaminated particles from getting into the air that workers breathe. The location of such systems throughout a facility and the transportation of waste bedding are major operational expenses. Moreover as greater demands are put on available space, clean bedding storage add a burden to husbandry-related costs. Thus, there is a need for a laboratory animal cage and a system of cages which solve these problems.


A device for hand-driven operation of a guided wheel arranged on a steering gear is pivotable about a steering axis perpendicular to the wheel's axis of rotation. The device includes first and second handles, first and second coupling devices respectively arranged thereon, and a power transmission train coupled to transmit traction power to the second coupling device via coupling points for transmitting handle movement to a drive device cooperating with the guided wheel's hub. The power transmission train extends from the first coupling device via deflecting elements, thereby modifying the extension direction of the train, in a second power transmission section to the second coupling device such that the coupling devices move the coupling points of the train on substantially linear drive paths approaching and absenting of a symmetrical plane of guidance which is oriented in a perpendicular manner in relation to the axis of rotation of the guided wheel.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for hand-driven operation of a guided wheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multiplicity of hand-driven devices are known from the prior art, which, particularly in the case of bicycles, ensure, in addition to the known foot-pedal drive, an additional hand-operated auxiliary drive of one of the wheels.
DE 101 06 283 A1 discloses a device for hand-driven operation of a guided wheel which is arranged on a steering gear and which is pivotable about a steering axis oriented perpendicularly with respect to the axis of rotation of the guided wheel.
This device comprises a first handle with a first coupling means arranged on the first handle and a second handle with a second coupling means arranged on the second handle. The first and the second coupling means are coupled via coupling points, so as to transmit tractive force, to a force transmission train for transmitting a movement of the handles to a drive means cooperating with the hub of the guided wheel. The drive means converts the movement of the handles into a rotational movement of the guided wheel with the aid of the force transmission train.
Furthermore, a guide means is provided, which is pivotable about the steering axis and cooperates mechanically with the steering gear. The guide means ensures, furthermore, that the handles are mounted movably. For this purpose, the guide means has a mechanical positive guide such that the handles can be moved symmetrically with respect to a steering plane of symmetry in which the steering axis lies and which is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the guided wheel.
The coupling means of the device known from DE 101 06 283 A1 are designed as two chain wheels spaced axially apart from one another. These have drive levers arranged radially on the gearwheels and having the handles. On each of the two sides of the hub of the guided wheel, a toothed drive pinion having a freewheel is arranged, the force transmission train in the form of a link chain being guided between the toothed drive pinions and the chain wheels of the coupling means. In order to provide a handy step-up of the drive device, it is necessary to design the diameter of the chain wheels of the coupling means so as to be markedly larger than the diameter of the toothed drive pinions. To actuate the drive, it is necessary to set the chain wheels of the coupling means in an alternating rotational movement by means of the radial drive levers. On account of the abovementioned size ratios of the diameters, the result of this is that the moved parts of the hand-operated drive have comparatively high moments of inertia and the device as a whole possesses an appreciable weight.

Device for hand-driven operation of a guided wheel


A print head cleaning member allowing simplification of the structure and downsizing is obtained. This print head cleaning member comprises a spent ink cartridge and a cleaning component including a mounting portion of resin for mounting the cleaning component on the ink cartridge and a cleaning portion. The ink cartridge is used as a guide portion for bringing the cleaning component into contact with the print head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print head cleaning member, and more particularly, it relates to a print head cleaning member comprising a cleaning component for cleaning a print head.
2. Description of the Background Art
A cleaning member disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672 or 10-6491 (1998), for example, is generally known in relation to an image generating apparatus.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672 discloses a method of cleaning a head wiper for cleaning an ink nozzle (printing portion) with a head wiper cleaning plate mounted on an ink cartridge of an ink jet printer (image generating apparatus).
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus (image generating apparatus) so formed as to clean the outer peripheral surface of a roller member provided on gap holding means keeping a printing medium and ink discharge means at a constant distance.
On the other hand, a thermal transfer printer employing a thermal head (print head) for printing is generally known as an exemplary image generating apparatus. In this conventional thermal transfer printer, the print head is cleaned with a cleaning member. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a printing state of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 12 is a perspective view for illustrating the overall structure of a print head cleaning component of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a print head cleaning state of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. The structures of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer and the cleaning component are now described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.
In the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer, an ink cartridge 102 is inserted into an ink cartridge receiving hole 101a provided on a side portion of a printer body 101. An engaging member 103 is also provided on the side portion of the printer body 101 for fixing the ink cartridge 102 inserted into the ink cartridge receiving hole 101a. The ink cartridge 102 includes a pair of ink ribbon storage portions 102a and 102b each storing an ink ribbon (ink sheet) 109 (see FIG. 11), a pair of coupling portions 102c and 102d for coupling the pair of ink ribbon storage portions 102a and 102b with each other and a concave engaging portion 102e provided on the coupling portion 102d for engaging with the engaging member 103. The printer body 101 is provided therein with a thermal head (print head) 104 for printing, a platen roller 105 opposed to the thermal head 104, a feed roller 106 for carrying a paper 110 and a press roller 107 pressed against the feed roller 106 with prescribed pressing force, as shown in FIG. 11.
The thermal head 104 has a support shaft 104a, an arm 104b and a print head 104c. The thermal head 104 is mounted on the printer body 101 to be rotatable about the support shaft 104a.
FIG. 12 shows a cleaning component 108 employed for cleaning the print head 104c of the thermal head 104 in the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. This cleaning component 108 has a cleaning portion 108a of felt or the like and a pair of resin guide portions 108b and 108c.
A printing operation of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer is now described with reference to FIG. 11. The feed roller 106 rotates along arrow F2 in FIG. 11, thereby carrying the paper 110 in a paper carrying direction (along arrow E2 in FIG. 11). At this time, the ink ribbon storage portion 102b of the ink cartridge 102 feeds the ink ribbon 109. The thermal transfer printer presses the print head 104c against the platen roller 105 through the paper 110 and the ink ribbon 109 while carrying the paper 110 and the ink ribbon 109, thereby performing printing.
An operation of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer for cleaning the print head 104c is described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. In general, the print head 104c is cleaned with the cleaning component 108 shown in FIG. 12. More specifically, the cleaning component 108 is inserted into the ink cartridge receiving hole 101a provided on the side portion of the printer body 101 so that the pair of guide portions 108b and 180c of the cleaning component 108 function as guides for bringing the cleaning portion 108a into contact with the print head 104c, as shown in FIG. 13. Then, the cleaning component 108 is reciprocated along arrow D in FIG. 12 in the state shown in FIG. 13, thereby wiping off foreign matter adhering to the print head 104c with the cleaning portion 108a. The print head 104d is cleaned in this manner.
In the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, however, the cleaning component 108 for the print head 104c requires the pair of guide portions 108b and 108c, in order to bring the cleaning portion 108a into contact with the print head 104c. Consequently, the cleaning component 108 is disadvantageously complicated in structure and increased in size.
The head wiper cleaning plate disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672, which is a member for cleaning the head wiper for cleaning the ink nozzle, must disadvantageously be provided independently of the head wiper cleaning the ink nozzle (printing portion). Therefore, the structure of a cleaning portion is complicated, and the number of components is increased.
The cleaning member disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 is not a member cleaning a printing portion of the ink jet printer but a member for cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the roller member provided on the gap holding means keeping the printing medium and the ink discharge means at the constant distance. Therefore, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 neither discloses nor suggests a member cleaning the printing portion.


Pulsations which falsify an output signal of an air mass meter occur at low and medium rotational speeds in a unit that supplies air to an internal combustion engine. A method for adjusting the load of the internal combustion engine limits an opening angle of an electromotively adjustable throttle valve to a rotational speed-dependent opening value which includes an opening base value that is between a lower and an upper limit value. In the case of the lower limit value, the full load of the engine is reached. In the case of the upper limit value, pulsations of the air in an intake duct upstream of the throttle valve do not yet occur.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for adjusting the load of an internal combustion engine, in particular for a motor vehicle, in which an opening angle of an electromotively adjustable throttle valve in an intake duct is derived from a position of an accelerator pedal, and the opening angle is limited to a rotational speed-dependent opening value.
The invention is based on a throttle valve controller in accordance with German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 42 23 253 A1. In that publication, a control unit (electronic engine power controller) is described which forms a setpoint value for the opening angle of the throttle valve, at least as a position of the accelerator pedal. The value serves as a reference variable for a position controller which actuates an electromotive actuator for setting the opening angle of the throttle valve.
In order to condition a mixture correctly, fuel-metering systems require precise information on the air mass sucked in per stroke by the internal combustion engine. They receive that information through a quick-reacting air mass sensor which operates, for example, according to the hot film principle. Due to its high response speed, the output signal of the air mass sensor follows each pulsation in the air stream. Even air masses which are flowing back are sensed, but with a negative sign.
Alternating forward flows and backward flows of the air in an intake duct of an internal combustion engine are referred to as pulsations.
As soon as such pulsations occur, the air mass sensor therefore no longer supplies any correct measured values which could be used for conditioning the mixture.
A method for reducing the pulsations in the region of the intake duct in which the air mass sensor is disposed is known from German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 42 39 842 A1. That method is based on the discovery that the backward flow has a fixed chronological relationship with the position of the crankshaft. Thus, the frequency of the backward flow of the air masses corresponds to the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine. In that method, the opening angle of the throttle valve is changed at every reversal in flow. Thus, it moves in the direction of "closing" in the case of backward flowing air masses and in the direction of "opening" in the case of forward flowing air masses.
The backward flow in the region of the intake tract which lies upstream of the throttle valve is thus damped. The disadvantage of that method is the very high actuation expenditure for the adjustment of the throttle valve directed counter to the backward flowing air masses.
In a system known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,162 for controlling the throttle valve of an internal combustion engine, a maximum opening angle is determined as a function of the rotational speed. The opening angle of the throttle valve is regulated so as to achieve minimum fuel consumption with the stipulation that the maximum opening angle is not exceeded. Abrupt changes in the power emission of the internal combustion engine are thus prevented.

Method for adjusting the load of an internal combustion engine, in particular for a motor vehicle


X-ray or vacuum-ultraviolet-ray transmissive mask membrane is constituted by a laminated film. The laminated film is obtained by continuously forming a SiCN film on one of or each of sides of a SiC film. Thereby, a membrane, which is superior in physical or mechanical strength and in surface conditions and optical transmittance, is provided. Moreover, there is provided a mask using the membrane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technical field of a mask to be used in performing lithography to produce devices such as semiconductors.
2. Related Background Art
A method of manufacturing various kinds of products by partly changing the quality of a surface portion of material to be worked through lithography techniques has been widely utilized industrially, especially in the electronic industry. In accordance with this method, products having surface alteration portions of the same pattern can be manufactured in large quantities. Alteration of a surface portion of material to be worked is performed by irradiating the surface portion with various kinds of energy beam radiation. In order to form a pattern, a mask having an energy intercepting member partly disposed, is used. When the irradiated energy beam radiation is visible light or ultraviolet light, a mask is used in which a black opaque pattern made of silver, chrome or the like is provided on a transparent substrate made of glass, quartz or the like.
However, as the formation of a finer pattern is demanded, vacuum ultraviolet rays and X-rays, which are of shorter wavelength, have attracted attention. Such energy beam radiation cannot be transmitted through glass or quartz plate, such as those used as mask substrate members when using visible or ultraviolet light. Thus, glass and quartz are not suitable materials for a mask substrate when using vacuum ultraviolet rays or X-rays.
Thus, in lithography when using vacuum ultraviolet rays or X-rays, a mask is formed by using various kinds of inorganic films, for example, a ceramic film made of silicon, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, diamond or the like, or organic high-polymer thin films made of polyimide, polyamide, polyester or the like, or multi-layered thin films of such films, as an energy beam radiation transmitting element, and by then forming metal such as gold, platinum, tungsten and tantalum on the surfaces of these films, as an energy beam radiation absorbing element.
Among candidates for materials for a mask membrane, Si, BN, SiN and SiC are inorganic materials, which are appropriate for practical use. Among them, much attention has recently been focused on SiC.
Among ceramic materials, SiC is most chemically stable and is superior in mechanical strength. Moreover, the coefficient of thermal expansion of SiC is close to that of Si. Also, SiC is superior in thermal conductivity.
The typical process for forming a SiC membrane film is a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process. When the formed film, however, is examined, there are various problems. Despite efforts to improve the film by devising production methods and taking additional measures, a solution to basic problems has not been found.
Problems with the conventional SiC membrane films are enumerated below:
(1) The conventional SiC membrane films have poor surface conditions (due to abnormal crystal growth). PA1 (2) The conventional SiC membrane films have low alignment-light transmittance (owing to the inherent absorption and to the scattering in the films and on the surfaces thereof). PA1 (3) Each of the conventional SiC membrane films has nonuniform thickness (it is difficult to control the thickness in each film, in each lot and among lots).
Japanese Patent Appln. Publication Nos. 4-332115 and 7-12017 Official Gazettes have proposed a SiC/Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 film as a countermeasure against these problems. However, a single SiC/Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 film has compressive stress which causes deflection and is thus unsuitable for a membrane for X-ray lithography. It is, therefore, necessary to perform an annealing process or the like for changing the compressive stress into a tensile stress. Further, Japanese Patent Appln. Laid-Open No. 56-140629 Official Gazette also has proposed a SiC/Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 film. However, in this case, two kinds of targets are needed as sputtering targets to laminate a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 film on a SiC film. Thus, what is called a dual sputtering system has to be prepared as an apparatus for sputtering. Alternatively, it is necessary to perform a complex operation including the steps of breaking a vacuum once and replacing a target with another target.

Membrane and mask, and exposure apparatus using the mask, and device producing method using the mask


A gallery view or a virtual space view is provided in an online meeting user interface associated with a videoconferencing system. The gallery view or virtual space view displays video feeds of meeting participants on their respective participant computers. The video feeds are camera-captured views of each of the meeting participants. The videoconferencing system receives an electronic request from one or more meeting participants via the meeting participant's respective participant computer to either display a mirrored view of the video feed of the meeting participant to all meeting participants in the online meeting, or display an unmirrored view of the video feed of the meeting participant to all meeting participants in the online meeting. A video processor associated with the videoconferencing system creates the respective mirrored or unmirrored view of the video feed of each of the meeting participants whose participant computer sent the electronic request. The videoconferencing system then generates instructions for a gallery view or virtual space view in the online meeting user interface using the mirrored or unmirrored view of the video feeds created by the video processor, and transmits instructions to display the gallery view or virtual space view to all meeting participants on their respective participant computers.

The general field of the present invention is the display of video feeds in videoconferencing systems, as well as their software, hardware, and related physical spaces. These systems are used so that people in different locations, physically remote from each other, can hold meetings in real time, both seeing and hearing each other during the meeting. The invention disclosed herein can make these online meetings more like in-person meetings, by preserving the relative inter-personal focal point of participant gaze and gesture, and making participant presence feel more immediate.
Recent years have seen an increase in the use of videoconferencing systems and software such as Zoom, Microsoft Team, Intermedia Unite and AnyMeeting, Cisco Webex Meetings, ClickMeeting, Google Meet, Slack, Zoho Meeting, Click Meeting, and JoinMe. Use has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, with the accompanying shelter-in-place orders, demonstrating both their utility and their limitations on person-to-person interaction.
Such videoconferencing and teleconferencing systems employ the Internet to connect people at physically separate (and distant) locations, by way of each person's computing device at that location. A typical computing device used in a videoconferencing system can include, but is not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a workstation, computer server, a smart phone, a tablet computing device, or a specially engineered computing hardware for physical conferencing rooms. In the discussions and descriptions below, mention of a computer or computing device is intended to include any and all of the above, and any similar electronic device which performs similar audio-visual and computational functions.
One of the ways of connecting people is for each computing device to send a live video feed of the person(s) situated at (or in front of) that computing device to the videoconferencing system, using a video camera, referred to herein as a webcam. The webcam may be built into the device (such as with a smartphone or many laptops) or might be a peripheral device connected to the computing device, either physically via cable or wirelessly via WiFi or Bluetooth.
Interestingly, on some videoconferencing platforms, when a user sees his or her own image on that user's computer screen, it may appear to the user as a mirror view (flipped left to right) of the camera feed, while every other camera feed the user sees is presented in the original orientation. This system choice may be because most people see others the way the camera does, but are used to seeing themselves only in a mirror. Nonetheless, while the user may see his or her own image in his or her computer screen as a mirror view, in some systems, such as Zoom, the video feed sent to others is in the original orientation. Zoom permits the individual user to turn mirror view on or off, on his or her own computer screen.
An advantage of mirror view is that when a person is watching the screen, certain self-referential actions (like combing his or her own hair, or reaching for a pen in his or her own pocket) will not confuse the user if the user looks at the user's own image in the computer screen. Turning off mirror view can make some ordinary user actions look confusing to the user when he or she sees himself or herself on the screen with other participants as in gallery view. On the other hand, a mirror view has a disadvantage. Words on a sign that the user holds up to the webcam will display backwards to the user and be unreadable by the user, even though the words will appear correctly in an unmirrored camera feed sent to everyone else. This can confuse a teacher presenting a lesson in front of a blackboard filled with writing.
One of the ways that these video feeds are displayed to participants on their computer screens is via a "gallery view" which shows a number of smaller video rectangles of many of the individual video feeds from the people participating in the online meeting—most often composing a rectilinear grid with the rectangles attached to each other. (The look is similar to the old "Hollywood Squares" television program.) The gallery view of other videoconferencing platforms (such as Flymachine) may show the smaller video feeds as hexagons or other non-rectilinear shapes that can also be attached or linked into a chain or mesh rather than a rectilinear grid. The term "thumbnail" will be used to refer to one of these smaller video rectangles (or non-rectilinear shapes) which share the computer screen space with at least one more other video feeds. Putting many or all of the participants' faces on the screen at the same time, attempts to approximate the feeling which a speaking participant has when speaking to a live audience, large or small. It can also create aspects of the ambience of conversing with others at a conference table or in a classroom.
Note, in contrast to "gallery view", a "speaker view" refers to when the screen only shows the feed of the person speaking. Although the videoconferencing software may permit the host to specify several panelists in a panel discussion as speakers (e.g. Zoom meeting software permits the host to spotlight up to nine speakers), the discussion in this disclosure below will refer to all views that show more than one video feed as a "gallery view".
There are many ways prior art in videoconferencing systems have arranged and organized a gallery view of multiple video feeds on the computer screen.
One set of constraints depends upon factors such as the physical size, shape, and resolution of the participant's computer monitor, well as the shape and the pixel count of the virtual window on the screen within which the videoconferencing software "operates" and its video feeds are displayed.
For example, based upon the position of a phone's webcam, those who use a smartphone to participate in a videoconference often hold the smartphone in "portrait" mode (that is, the longer side is vertical and the shorter side is horizontal). This affects both the size and shape of the video feed created by the webcam (i.e. in "portrait" mode), as well as the configuration of screen "real estate" available for showing the video feeds of others. In contrast, most laptop and desktop computers deploy a screen in "landscape" mode (that is, the longer side is horizontal and the shorter side is vertical), and their built-in webcams produce video feeds in "landscape" mode sized to fill up the built-in or default-sized screen.
The maximum number of video feeds that can be displayed on the screen may also depend not only on the screen space upon which they are to be displayed, but also on the processing power of the computer displaying them. (Processing power may include processor speeds, auxiliary video processing chips, multiple processing cores, etc.) An additional concern is making sure that video thumbnails will not be so tiny that all sense of recognition and personal connection is lost. This will depend upon the size of the physical screen and how far it is usually held from the user's eye. For an example of the interplay of these two constraints, Zoom currently is designed to simultaneously display up to 4 video feeds on the screen of a smart phone, 9 video feeds on the larger physical screen of a tablet computer, 25 video feeds on the screen of a laptop or desktop computer, and up to 49 video feeds on some higher-powered computers (such as those using Intel i5-4 core, gen 4 processors).
Note that when there are more video feeds than can be displayed on the screen at one time, the software may produce multiple virtual pages to accommodate additional video feeds or thumbnails, of which the viewer can see only one virtual page at a time. The viewer advances from one page to another by clicking on directional arrows, or (at least with Zoom) sliding a finger along a touch screen in a side-ways scrolling motion. In such situations, the videoconferencing software may include an algorithm to always show hosts, co-hosts, panelists, and speakers at the top of the "first" page. The algorithm may also choose to show the viewer's thumbnail on that first page as well, so that the viewer identifies more with the event.
Generally, as more participants join the videoconference using their respective participant computers, thumbnails of their feeds are added to the gallery view and the videoconferencing software re-arranges the size and position of the video thumbnails—at least until the maximum number of thumbnails (as determined by the algorithm) is displayed. When a participant/user changes the size and shape of the window in which the thumbnail videos are displayed, the videoconferencing software may then re-arrange and/or resize the video thumbnails. For example, in a videoconference with 8 feeds, if one user has a narrow window in "landscape" mode, the videoconferencing software might display a 2 by 4 array (or grid or matrix) of thumbnail videos, consisting of 2 rows of 4 columns each; whereas if that user were to resize the window to be a narrow one in "portrait" mode, the video conferencing software might rearrange the thumbnail display into a 4 by 2 array of thumbnail videos consisting of 4 rows of 2 columns each.
The videoconferencing system may give a participant control over some aspects of display the video thumbnails. For example, if a participant has no webcam (or has turned off the webcam's video feed), a black rectangle labeled with that participant's screen name may be shown instead of a video feed. (Alternatively, a pre-loaded still photograph of the participant may be substituted.) In Zoom, participants can decide not to show thumbnails for those without video feeds. This can be particularly useful, if there are more participants than fit on the screen, but some are joining the conference by telephone, or without video feed.
The arrangement of video thumbnails in gallery view may be determined by an algorithm built into the videoconferencing software. This was the only option with Zoom as recently summer as 2020.
More recently (as of Fall 2020), Zoom allows a viewer/participant to re-arrange the video thumbnails using drag-and-drop. This re-arrangement affects only that participant's view. However, Zoom also allows the host to override this and force everyone's gallery view to follow the host's video order. In Zoom, this feature is called "Follow Host's Video Order."
This latter feature ("Follow Host's Video Order") can be important for the social dynamics of a meeting. When people meet in-person, around a conference table, it is natural to take turns speaking by "going around the table". Before this feature, everyone saw a different gallery view, so was not seated "next" to any particular person. To make sure everyone gave input in the meeting required more intentional moderation by a skilled facilitator, who had to call on participants individually and specifically. With the "Follow Host's Video Order" feature, a meeting can be more self-organized by the participants. In an educational setting, the "Follow Host's Video Order" permits a teacher to have a "seating" chart for the class. Seating charts help teachers run the class and help both teachers and students, recognize everyone attending.
Nonetheless, despite these various features in current and prior art videoconferencing systems, when a participant looks or gestures toward one of the other faces which that participant sees in gallery view, it will look to all other users as if the first participant is pointing towards a different person than the participant intends—in fact, it will look like the participant is pointing in the opposite direction. This is true whether or not a participant uses the mirroring feature described above, and whether or not the "follow host's video order" feature described above is employed. That's because the gesture (as the webcam "sees", records and transmits it) is oriented in a different direction relative to the camera than the gesture is with respect to the screen image to which the user is gesticulating or gazing. (This may seem confusing, but this disclosure will discuss and illustrate it at length.)
This becomes particularly important for using videoconferencing systems to produce live theater or dance with different actors logging in from different computers. It may also enhance online social gatherings via videoconferencing systems, where social gestures towards specific others (such as greetings and toasts) are key.
Until Fall 2021, Microsoft did not employ mirroring in any aspect of its implementations of gallery view. However, Microsoft has used mirroring in its development of the distinct Together Mode—another videoconferencing interface used in Microsoft Teams and Skype. During the pandemic, Microsoft researchers considered how to use its videoconferencing system to create a live remote audience which could provide spontaneous, contemporaneous, on-air reactions to a presenter, teacher, or entertainer (such as a comedian), whose presentations and performances typically feed on connections with and reactions (such as laughter) among the audience. Microsoft currently suggests Together Mode for other types videoconferencing sessions as well.
Microsoft's Together Mode interface is based on (a) showing all participants as being "in the same place" or "in one room" as part of a single video environment—as opposed to the distinct video cells with their differing backgrounds in gallery view—and (b) placing the participants' video streams in pre-determined seats designed and fixed by the scene creator—as opposed to positioning participants "on the fly" such as via Follow Host's Video Order (https://docs-.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/apps-in-teams-meetings/teams-together-mode).
Together Mode does this by using software to isolate from each individual participant's video, the head, shoulders and upper torso of that participant (as if that participant was sitting in front of a green screen), and overlaying each participant video rectangle (with head, shoulders and upper torso, over a transparent background) at a specific fixed location within a common background or scene: https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-teams-together-mode/. Published descriptions of Microsoft scenes range from another person's background to a conference table, from a section of auditorium style seating to a fanciful snow fort. The participant video rectangles can overlap within the scene, so that two participants can appear to a viewer as if the participants can "touch" each other, as in a high-five or first bump. All participant videos are shown as mirrored, in order to preserve the direction of gaze and gesture. See for example, discussion by Jason Lanier about why Microsoft flips participant video feeds in their Together Mode: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-teams-this-new-mode-makes-your-video-meetings-less-exhausting-and-more-productive/.
(Zoom's Immersive View has many features in common with Microsoft's Together Mode, however, Zoom's Immersive View does not mirror participant video feeds. Instead, Zoom uses the original participant video feeds orientations, while overlaying all participants' videos onto a common background scene.)
Aspects of current videoconferencing systems are programmable by those knowledgeable in the art, who use these systems to develop novel products and experiences. See for example Zoom's SDK (Software Developer Kit) at https://marketplace.zoom.us/docs/sdk/custom/introduction, which makes raw video and audio data available to the developer. See also the Zoom OSC (Open Sound Control) developed by Liminal Entertainment Technologies https://www.liminalet.com/zoomosc. For more general information on OSC see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Sound_Control.

Method and apparatus for self-selection by participant to display a mirrored or unmirrored video feed of the participant in a videoconferencing platform


The object of the present invention is to implement an enhancement in a noise eliminating characteristic of a wiring compatibly with promotion of microfabrication and simplification of a manufacturing process. Upper and side surfaces of a wiring (6) for transmitting a signal are continuously covered by a conductor layer (12) with insulators (7), (8) and (9) interposed therebetween in a section crossing a direction of extension thereof, and the conductor layer (12) is connected to a semiconductor substrate (1). Moreover, a periphery of a wiring (15) for transmitting a signal is continuously covered by the conductor layer (12) and a conductor layer (19) with insulators (14), (16), (17) and (18) interposed therebeween in a section crossing a direction of extension thereof. The wiring (15) is electrically connected to the semiconductor substrate (1) through a conductive plug (13) filled in a contact hole (24) formed in the conductor layer (12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, and more particularly to an improvement for implementing an enhancement in a noise eliminating characteristic of a wiring compatibly with promotion of microfabrication and simplification of a manufacturing process.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIGS. 31 and 32 are sectional views showing a wiring structure for a high frequency used in a conventional semiconductor device which has been described in the document (Y. Odate, T. Usami, K. Otsuka, T. Suga, "A measurement and simulation study of transmission lines on micro-strip and stacked-pair structure for high speed signals," Proc. Electronic Components & technology Conference, pp. 526–529, May 2000.), illustrating a micro-strip line and a stacked pair line which are provided over a semiconductor substrate, respectively. In the micro-strip line, a grounding conductor 203 is formed under a transmission line 201. Consequently, an electromagnetic field is collected into the grounding conductor 203. For this reason, a characteristic for eliminating the influence of a noise between the transmission line 201 and another transmission line 202 (that is, a noise eliminating characteristic) can be enhanced.
However, there has been a problem in that the noise eliminating characteristic is deteriorated if the transmission line 202 excessively approaches the transmission line 201, and therefore instead, a stacked pair line structure has been proposed. In the stacked pair line structure, the transmission line 201 and a grounding conductor 204 which have widths and thicknesses equal to each other are provided to make a pair so that an electromagnetic field is caused to converge. Consequently, the noise eliminating characteristic can be enhanced.
Also in the stacked pair line, however, there has been a problem in that the noise eliminating characteristic cannot be sufficiently obtained between the transmission line 201 and another transmission line arranged at the side thereof. In order to solve such a problem, a coaxial shield wiring structure has been proposed. FIG. 33 is a sectional view showing a coaxial shield wiring structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-216343 (1994). In the coaxial shield wiring structure, grounding conductors 211, 212, 213 and 214 are provided through an insulating film 215 vertically and horizontally with respect to a transmission line 210.
In the coaxial shield wiring structure, however, the grounding conductors 213 and 214 are provided on the left and right of the transmission line 210. In addition, these wirings are formed through transfer using a mask pattern. Therefore, the degree of integration is the same as that of an element formed according to a design rule which is twice as much as a currently used design rule (a design rule means a threshold value of a lithography resolution). Thus, there has been a problem in that microfabrication is inhibited. According to a wiring rule with microfabrication of 0.1 μm or less, furthermore, there has been a problem in that the noise eliminating characteristic is deteriorated between transmission lines arranged at the sides thereof In addition, it is necessary to form a special contact hole in order to electrically connect the grounding conductors 211, 212, 213 and 214 to a semiconductor substrate. Therefore, there has been a problem in that a process for manufacturing a semiconductor device is complicated.

High-Frequency semiconductor device with noise elimination characteristic