A sealer composition for a cementitious substrate, a cementitious structure sealed with the sealer composition, and a method of sealing a steel reinforced cementitious structure with the sealer composition. The sealer composition includes a substantially non-aqueous blend of a first silane, a second silane having a higher molecular weight than the first silane, and a corrosion inhibitor. The corrosion inhibitor is soluble in silane, soluble in solvent-diluted silane, and at least partially soluble in water. The cementitious structure includes a cementitious substrate and the sealer applied to the surface of the substrate and at least partially penetrating into the substrate. The method of sealing a steel reinforced cementitious structure from intrusion of corrosion-causing agents includes applying the sealer to the surface of a steel reinforced cementitious substrate and permitting the sealer composition to penetrate into the substrate to seal the substrate.

Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the deterioration of a substance (usually a metal) or its properties as a result of a reaction with its environment. Like other natural hazards such as earthquakes or severe weather disturbances, corrosion can cause dangerous and expensive damage to wastewater systems, pipelines, bridges, roadways and public buildings.
Corrosion is a tremendous problem and cost to society. In 2001, as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, the United States Congress mandated a comprehensive study to provide cost estimates and national strategies to minimize the impact of corrosion. The study was conducted by CC Technologies Laboratories, Inc. of Dublin, Ohio with support from NACE International—The Corrosion Society and the United States Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This study titled "Corrosion Cost And Preventive Strategies In The United States" is a comprehensive reference on the economic impact of corrosion, estimated at the time to be a staggering annual cost of $276 billion. According to the study, reported to the Office Of Infrastructure Research and Development, corrosion and metal wastage arising from oxidation as caused by exposure to the elements and reactivity between dissimilar materials costs many segments of the United States economy billions of dollars every year. The study covered a large number of economic sectors, including the transportation infrastructure, electric power industry, conveyance and storage. It has now been estimated that the annual cost of corrosion in the United States has grown to $400 billion. NACE International also published a study titled "International Measures of Prevention, Application and Economics of Corrosion Technologies Study" on Mar. 1, 2016. The NACE study examined the global impact of corrosion, the role of corrosion management in industry and government and, attempts to establish best practices for corrosion management through the life cycle of assets.
At the time of the study, the indirect cost of corrosion was conservatively estimated to be equal to the direct cost, giving a total direct plus indirect cost of more than $600 billion or 6 percent of GDP. It has now been estimated that the annual total direct plus indirect cost is more than $800 billion. This cost is considered to be a conservative estimate since only well-documented costs were used in the study. In addition to causing severe damage and threats to public safety, corrosion disrupts operations and requires extensive repair and replacement of failed assets.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has rated almost 200,000 bridges, or one of every three bridges in the U.S., as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Furthermore, more than one-fourth of all bridges are over 50 years old, the average design-life of a bridge.
The road and bridge infrastructure in the United States is crumbling, with thousands of bridges rated as unsafe and in need of replacement or major repairs. In many of these cases, corrosion plays a significant role in undermining safety. Corrosion protection measures could help minimize or avoid further problems. Steps are being taken to address America's aging infrastructure. For example, House bill H.R. 1682, the "Bridge Life Extension Act 2009," introduced in March 2009, would require States to submit a plan for the prevention and mitigation of damage caused by corrosion when seeking federal funds to build a new bridge or rehabilitate an existing bridge.
Many reinforced concrete structures suffer from premature degradation. Concrete embedded steel reinforcement is initially protected from corrosion by the development of a stable oxide film on its surface. This film, or passivation layer, is formed by a chemical reaction between the highly alkaline concrete pore water and the steel. The passivity provided by the alkaline conditions may be destroyed by the presence of chloride. The chloride ions locally de-passivate the metal and promote active metal dissolution. Corrosion of the steel is usually negligible until the chloride ions reach a concentration where corrosion initiates. The threshold concentration depends on a number of factors including, for example, the steel microenvironment, the pore solution pH, the interference from other ions in the pore solution, the electrical potential of the reinforcing steel, the oxygen concentration and ionic mobility. The chloride acts as a catalyst in that it does not get consumed in the corrosion reaction, but remains active to again participate in the corrosion reaction.
The presence of chloride does not have a directly adverse effect on the concrete itself, but does promote corrosion of the steel reinforcement. The corrosion products that form on the steel reinforcement occupy more space than the steel reinforcement causing pressure to be exerted on the concrete from within. This internal pressure builds over time and eventually leads to cracking and spalling of the concrete. Corrosion of the steel reinforcement also reduces the strength of the reinforcing steel and diminishes the load bearing capacity of the concrete structure.
Damage to reinforced concrete structures is caused primarily by the permeation of chloride ions and other corrosion inducing ions through the concrete to the area surrounding the steel reinforcement. There are a number of sources of chlorides including additions to the concrete mix, such as chloride-containing accelerating admixtures. The chloride may also be present in the structure's environment such as marine conditions or de-icing salts. These materials move within concrete only in the presence of liquid water. Liquid water is required for proper hydration of the hydraulic cement used as a binder in concrete. Once sufficient strength and curing have been achieved, liquid water contributes to most deterioration mechanisms of concrete such as those caused by freezing and thawing cycles, alkali aggregate reactions, sulfate attack, and corrosion of steel reinforcement. If the internal humidity of concrete can be reduced, then the rate of these deleterious reactions will decrease.
Because corrosion of steel-reinforced concrete structures presents dangers to human life and is very costly to repair, what is needed are improved systems and methods to protect infrastructure for future generations.


A laptop-type personal computer operable on power supplied from at least one of an AC adaptor and a battery pack includes a memory card loader configured to detachably load a memory card powered by at least one of the AC adaptor and the battery pack; a cover mechanism configured to cover and uncover the memory card loader; a detector configured to detect whether the memory card loader is covered by the cover mechanism; and a controller configured to control the power supply to a memory card loaded on the memory card loader when the cover mechanism uncovers the memory card loader.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laptop-type personal computer to which a memory card, such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card for example is connectible.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cellular phones have been using a scheme in which a memory card called a SIM card storing subscriber identification information is loaded in each cellular phone to enable cellular communication. Changing SIM cards allows each user to use different cellular phones. However, if this SIM card is loaded or unloaded on a particular cellular phone with the power turned on, the data stored in the SIM card may be destroyed. In order to prevent this trouble from happening, the SIM card loading/unloading slot is arranged such that the SIM card cannot be accessed unless the battery pack is removed, thereby guiding the user to load/unload the SIM card with the power to the cellular phone surely turned off.
For a patent document associated with a SIM-card based cellular phone refer to, for example Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-319038.
Recently, a laptop-type personal computer has been proposed in which a SIM card, such as mentioned above, is loaded on the laptop-type personal computer to connect it to a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) as with cellular phones.
Because the cellular phone is powered only by the battery pack, detaching this battery pack from the body of the cellular phone can surely turn off power of the cellular phone. However, the laptop-type personal computer is powered by both the battery pack and an AC adaptor, so that, if the laptop-type computer is powered also by the AC adaptor, the power to the SIM card cannot be turned off by detaching the battery pack when unloading the SIM card. Also, it would significantly detrimental to user-friendliness to power off the laptop-type personal computer only for the purpose of unloading the SIM card.


A device and method are taught for mounting an annular shaft seal between a bore and a shaft in which the shaft and bore may be subject to radial eccentricity. The device comprises an annular sealing case having a first end and a second end; a shaft sealing case having a first end and a second end; a flexible sealing linkage axially and sealingly connecting the second end of the annular sealing case to the first end of the shaft sealing case. The annular sealing case is shaped to receive a seal to seal against an interior surface of the bore, and the shaft sealing case is shaped to receive a seal to seal against an exterior surface of the shaft, and the flexible sealing linkage provides sealing between the annular sealing case and the shaft sealing case.

A common requirement in the design of machines is to create a seal between a shaft and annular bore; the purpose of which varies, but could include retaining lubrication in a cavity, forming a pressure seal for hydraulic or pneumatic applications or excluding environmental contaminants. In the typical case, the shaft will often be subject to rotation or translation relative to the bore. For the purposes of the description herein, the bore will be assumed to be a "stationary" portion and the shaft will be a "moving" portion. Typically, an engineer must select a seal (or set of seals) from a vast array of different commercially available seal types that have been custom designed for specific performance under a specific set of circumstances. The selection and design of seals and seal assemblies will depend on design envelope, including the geometry limitations within which the design must fit, nature of the movement between the components, shaft and bore materials, media to be sealed against, temperature, service life, specific controlled leak rate, contaminant exposure, and other compatibility requirements. Much research and design effort continues to be done in this field and the proper selection of seals is a critical part of almost any application. For many applications characterized by high or very low pressures, high or very low temperatures, high speeds, long service life or aggressive media the available seals meeting all the requirements share the common drawback that for effective use, the shaft and bore must be concentric to within an extremely close tolerance (often on the order of 0.001 in or less).
This leads to one of the most common forms of seal failure, which is generally referred to as shaft eccentricity. Due to the result of mounting misalignments, manufacturing deviations in the shaft or bore axis, high side-loads or accumulated damage to the shaft or bore, the motion of the shaft can attain a much higher level of eccentricity with respect to the bore. The result of this eccentricity generates an uneven seal load and/or intermittent or positional separation between the shaft and seal or between seal and bore that can cause outright failure, increased leak rate, heat buildup or invasion of contaminants resulting in a great reduction of seal life, often by 90% or more.
It may also be desirable to accommodate large intentional movements of the shaft along the axis, which may or may not also be rotating. In such cases, the seal may be needed to: A) remain in position and slide along the shaft; or B) move to a large degree along the axis, which may or may not form a dynamic seal.
In light of these problems there has been some limited design work done in the creation of seals that allow for an increased degree of eccentricity in the shafts. The details of such prior designs can be found in the prior artwork:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,195 A—Floating lip seal assembly with convoluted flexible section        U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,526 B2—Pre-lubricated multi-lipped radial shaft seal with large radial offset accommodation.        EP 1,096,169 A3—Shaft seal for eccentric air brake lever in which a shaft part 38 and a bore/annular part 46 are connected by flexible piece 50 that is spaced radially from each seal component, forming a u-shape. The design is limited to a specific seal and bore geometry. Furthermore, the seal assembly, being radially stacked, results in a large radial section area required between the shaft and the bore. In this design, having a convolution across the linear axis, proper function is limited to rotational motion only, and the seal will not function appropriately in a translating (linear motion) application.
In the prior art, the specific design of the sealing element means that only a very specific set of sealing problems may be effectively solved. Additionally, the complexity of manufacture and design of the prior art prohibits their use in small section applications, where there is minimal radial space between the bore and shaft. Additionally, the specificity of and complexity of the design means that their scope of use is limited to very specific applications and cannot easily be or selected for use with small geometry, high pressure/temperature combinations, cryogenic temperatures, or highly abrasive media.
It is therefore beneficial to develop a method and device for mounting any commercially available shaft seal in a manner which would greatly increase the allowable shaft/bore eccentricity. Thus allowing the engineer far more options when selecting seal types, or setting machine design tolerances.

Method and device for mounting shaft seals permitting eccentric motion


A locking mechanism for a data resource is disclosed, which can operate across LANs and a WAN. The technique temporarily imposes an extended lock on the requested data resource. While the extended lock is in force, all lock and unlock requests issued by the same client for the resource are managed exclusively by the local server. Once the last lock has been released, or after a timeout interval, the extended lock is canceled. Traffic across the WAN is reduced to a minimum of one round trip.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to client-server communications. More particularly, this invention relates to reduction in network traffic in the management of locks on server-based resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
TABLE 1Acronyms and AbbreviationsCIFSCommon Internet File SystemFTPFile Transfer ProtocolHTTPHypertext Transfer ProtocolHTTPSHyperText Transfer Protocol Secure socketsLANLocal Area NetworkNFSNetwork File SystemNLMNetwork Lock ManagerOSIOpen System InterconnectionURLUniform Resource LocatorVFNVirtual File NetworkVPNVirtual Private NetworkWAASWide Area Application ServicesWAEWide Area Application EngineWANWide Area Network
Geographically dispersed enterprises often deploy distributed computer systems in order to enable information sharing throughout the enterprise. Such distributed systems generally comprise a number of local area networks (LANS) that are connected into one or more wide area networks (WANs). Enterprises have commonly used dedicated leased lines or permanent virtual circuits, such as frame relay links, to connect their LAN and WAN end-points. While providing generally predictable bandwidth and quality of service, such interconnections are often expensive and represent fixed costs for an enterprise. In addition, when interconnecting over wide areas, inherent latency is introduced in the network, regardless of the bandwidth. More recently, with the development of the Internet, many enterprises use virtual private networks (VPNs) operating over the public Internet, at least for a portion of their data traffic. Although VPNs are typically less expensive than dedicated lines, bandwidth and latency are often unpredictable, particularly when transmitting large files over long distances.
Many LANs include one or more dedicated file servers that receive data from other computers on the LAN via the network for storage on the file servers' hard disks, and supply data from the file servers' hard disks to the other processors via the network. Data stored on file servers is often accessed using a distributed file system, e.g., Network File System (NFS), primarily used for UNIX clients, or Common Internet File System (CIFS), primarily used for Windows clients.
While such networked arrangements are convenient for sharing of information among users throughout the enterprise, there is a significant disadvantage in that software applications that access data resources are primarily designed to access the data resources over a relatively high-speed LAN. Usually, significant latency and performance degradation are observed when a software application accesses a data resource that is located across the WAN in a remote LAN. In a typical example, an enterprise user in a branch office uses a word-processing application to access and modify files. Usually, operations on files that are in the LAN local to the user are relatively quick, while operations on files that are located across the WAN are relatively slow and sometimes unreliable.
The NFS Version 4 protocol implements leases for locks. This feature is described by Pawlowski et al., in "The NFS Version 4 protocol," published at the System Administration and Networking (SANE) Conference (May 22-25, 2000 MECC, Maastricht, The Netherlands), which is incorporated herein by reference. This paper is available at, the URL "www.nluug.nl/events/sane2000/papers/pawlowski.pdf". Leases or token-based state management also exists in several other distributed file systems.

Reducing round trips across a wide area network for resource locking by extended locking and delayed unlocking


A system, method, and computer program product for predicting failure of a vehicle system or subsystem by using statistical analysis of prior maintenance messages and vehicle failures, such that the predictions of failures may be incorporated into a vehicle monitoring and reporting system. Maintenance message data and vehicle system or subsystem failure data are collected from a central maintenance computer of a vehicle, such as an aircraft. This maintenance message and vehicle system or subsystem failure data are analyzed to discern relationships between maintenance messages and vehicle system or subsystem failures which will enable future failures to be predicted. By predicting future failures, maintenance can be performed in time to prevent the vehicle failure and thereby avoid unnecessary costs and unscheduled interruptions of vehicle operations.

Vehicles, particularly commercial air, marine and land vehicles, typically include some type of performance monitoring system that records data regarding the vehicle performance, which includes the performance of the various systems and subsystems of the vehicle. The data include a record of certain performance events that occur during the operation of the vehicle. The performance monitoring system typically conducts data collection and reports all of the data collected to the user. The user then may utilize the data in determining the type of maintenance, if any, that the vehicle may need. For example, if the data indicate that a particular component of the vehicle is malfunctioning or that the performance of one or more components may contribute to a vehicle failure in the future, then the user can perform the appropriate maintenance on the vehicle at the next opportunity.
For example, an air vehicle typically has a central maintenance computer (CMC). The CMC collects, consolidates and reports performance data for the components of the air vehicle. Certain maintenance messages (MMSGs) are associated with one or more types of performance data, and are stored in the CMC. Thus, when the CMC receives performance data, it analyzes the data to determine if the received data meets the criteria associated with the maintenance messages. If the received data meet the criteria, then the CMC presents the appropriate stored maintenance message to the user via a user interface. A CMC is further described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,919 entitled, "Central Maintenance Computer System and Fault Data Handling Method."
Certain events on an aircraft trigger Flight Deck Effects (FDEs). FDEs result when a system or subsystem failure, or other fault, causes a problem with the aircraft that may affect airworthiness. In addition to the maintenance messages collected by the CMC, as discussed above, information regarding FDEs are also collected by the CMC. Unlike maintenance messages, which are only viewed by maintenance personnel, FDEs are broadcast to the flight deck of the air vehicle to alert the flight crew. Some FDEs require immediate action by the flight crew to remedy the problem, such as returning to the origin airport (this is called an air turn-back) or diverting the flight to a different airport than the original destination (this is called a diversion) so the problem can be fixed. Some FDEs do not affect the current flight on which the FDE occurs, but rather require immediate maintenance at the destination airport. This need for immediate maintenance can therefore cause a delay or a cancellation of the next flight that the vehicle was scheduled to make. Some FDEs do not require in-flight action or immediate maintenance, but rather may merely require maintenance within a few days of the FDE first occurring. Whether an FDE requires immediate or delayed maintenance is typically dictated by the airline's Minimum Equipment List (MEL). An MEL permits operation of an aircraft under specified conditions with inoperative equipment. An MEL applies to an airline's particular aircraft configuration, operational procedures, and conditions. Whether an aircraft can operate, and for how long, with an FDE is described as MEL dispatch relief. For example, an FDE that requires immediate maintenance (i.e., the aircraft cannot fly again until the FDE is resolved) is described as having no MEL dispatch relief. Other FDEs may have varying levels of MEL dispatch relief.
While the current system(s) utilized for vehicle performance and fault monitoring provide the necessary data for a user to make an appropriate maintenance decision, it is still necessary for a user to sort through all of the data and maintenance messages to determine what type of maintenance is necessary. Thus, the user must sort and interpret the data provided by the monitoring system, such as the CMC for an air vehicle, in light of the user's knowledge of the particular maintenance plan for the vehicle. For example, one user may implement a conservative maintenance plan for its vehicles, and as such, that user may carry out a certain type of maintenance the first time a particular performance or fault event occurs during the operation of the vehicle. Another user, however, may wish to carry out a certain type of maintenance only if a particular performance or fault event occurs more than five times over a particular interval.
With the current monitoring systems, each user will be presented with the same performance and fault data, and the user must interpret it in light of their preferred maintenance plan, which is time consuming and dependent upon the user being familiar with the appropriate maintenance plan and any recent changes to the maintenance plan. For many types of vehicles, particularly commercial vehicles, the amount of time the vehicle is out of service is costly to the vehicle owner. As such, the longer it takes for a user to determine the type of maintenance that is necessary for a vehicle in accordance with the particular maintenance plan for the vehicle, the longer the vehicle will be out of service, which may be expensive to the vehicle owner if the vehicle would otherwise be in service.
Other monitoring systems include certain user customizable settings. For instance, some systems permit a user to specify alarm filtering and prioritization, and general alarm level triggers and thresholds. Thus, the data presented to the user will be associated with an alarm only if the data meet the criteria specified by the system. One example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0163427 to Eryurek et al., which was published on Nov. 7, 2002. Further systems permit management of maintenance tasks based upon operational and scheduling preferences, such that the intervals between maintenance tasks may be increased or the tasks may be organized into groups. Examples of these systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,459 to Sinex and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0143445 to Sinex, which was published on Oct. 3, 2002. While these systems permit users to customize a performance monitoring system to some extent, they do not provide for the level of customization that is necessary to allow a user to implement a particular maintenance program based upon the user preferences. As such, although a user may be permitted to specify when and how alarms associated with the data are presented and/or when and how the user is notified of certain maintenance tasks in general, the systems do not allow a user to specify how the system interprets and presents particular type(s) of data. For example, the conventional monitoring systems would not permit a user to specify the number of times a particular performance event must occur during the operation of the vehicle before the user is notified that a particular type of maintenance is recommended.
One monitoring system which addresses many of the problems mentioned above is the system disclosed in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0158367 entitled "Vehicle Monitoring and Reporting System and Method" by Basu et al., and published Aug. 12, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This monitoring system permits a user to implement a maintenance plan that fits a specific business plan for their vehicles by combining real-time vehicle performance data with specific user preferences for each potential type of data that is captured by the system. This system saves time and costs that are normally associated with a user interpreting all of the data provided by a vehicle monitoring and reporting system in light of a preferred maintenance plan, which is time consuming and dependent upon the user being familiar with the appropriate maintenance plan and any recent changes to the maintenance plan.
Current performance monitoring systems typically conduct data collection and report all of the data collected to the user. The user then may utilize the data in determining the type of maintenance that the vehicle may need. However, current systems can only wait for an FDE to occur, and then facilitate the appropriate maintenance to correct the FDE by utilizing the maintenance messages. Current systems do not allow for FDEs to be predicted and therefore avoided. If it were possible to discern a predictive relationship between the maintenance message data and the occurrence of FDEs, it may be possible to prevent FDEs by performing maintenance before the failure occurs. For example, if the maintenance message data indicate that one or more subsystems may fail in the near future, then the user can perform the appropriate maintenance on the vehicle at the next opportunity. The appropriate maintenance may include repair or replacement of the subsystem that is predicted to fail. Without the ability to predict subsystem failure, repair or replacement is not conducted until failure occurs. Waiting until failure occurs, particularly when the vehicle is an air vehicle, risks costly delays and cancellations in the scheduled use of the vehicle as well as other more serious consequences such as air turn-backs and diversions.
The system disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0158367 by Basu et al. receives data, which may be fault data and/or prognostic data, associated with operation of the vehicle, via a data gathering element. In addition, at least one user preference may be applied to the data, such as via a customization element, and at least a portion of the data may be presented, such as via a display element. The data gathering element may be located within the vehicle and the customization element may be located outside the vehicle, with a communication link between the two elements to transmit data between the data gathering element and the customization element. In other embodiments, the data gathering element may be located outside the vehicle, and a communication link between the data gathering element and the vehicle may be utilized to transmit data between the vehicle and the data gathering element. In further embodiments, the data gathering element and the customization element may be integrated.
In some embodiments of this system, the data may represent events associated with operation of the vehicle, and an alerting preference may be applied to alert the user once the data reflect that a maximum number of events have occurred. The data also may be consolidated and the probability of vehicle failure from the occurrence of an event over time may be determined, such as by a processing element. In addition, a prioritization preference may be applied to prioritize the data based upon a probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event, where data associated with a higher probability of vehicle failure has a higher priority than data associated with a lower probability of vehicle failure. Prioritization preferences also may include directions for presenting data based upon the priority of the data. In this embodiment, the alerting preferences may include directions to alert the user, and the data delivery preferences may include directions to immediately deliver the data to the user when the probability of vehicle failure after the occurrence of an event in the data is at least a predetermined value.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0158367 by Basu et al. discloses a system whereby the probability of vehicle failure from the occurrence of an event over time may be determined. However, repairing or replacing subsystems based on predictions of future failure, as this system does, requires the ability to accurately predict failure. Without accurate predictions, subsystems are replaced sooner than necessary or subsystems that were not likely to fail are replaced. In either event, inaccurate predictions of failure needlessly increase maintenance costs. Alternatively, without accurate predictions of failure, a vehicle operator cannot prevent failure by performing maintenance before the failure occurs. This results in costly unscheduled interruptions. By accurately predicting when a subsystem may fail, the appropriate maintenance can be scheduled so as to minimize or eliminate delays, while also minimizing premature or unnecessary replacement of subsystems.
As such, there is a need for a system, method, and computer program product for predicting future failure of vehicle subsystems incorporated into vehicle monitoring and reporting systems such as the one disclosed by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0158367 by Basu et al.

System, method, and computer program product for fault prediction in vehicle monitoring and reporting system


A motorcycle rider hand signal glove that promotes safe visible hand signals while riding singly or in a group and does not require any form of electrical power is disclosed. I do not know of any other item that exist that compares to my motorcycle hand signal glove.

In situations where the motorcycle rider is traveling with a group of other motorcyclists it is customary for one rider in the front of the group to provide standard vehicular hand signals to the other riders behind. The riders behind the lead motorcycle then proceed to utilize the same hand signal and provide the same information to the riders behind them. This works to provide a consistent and uniform set of instructions pertaining to the changing of lanes or the need to slow down or stop the lead motorcycle and the motorcycles behind the lead motorcycle. This is especially important when multiple motorcycles are traveling in a group and experiencing low light or dark conditions. The safety of the group depends on the successful conveyance of the proper hand signals throughout the group.
If the motorcycle rider is riding singly and in low light or dark conditions, it is often advantageous to utilize standard vehicular hand signals to indicate the intentions of the motorcycle rider to other vehicles in the area surrounding the rider.
The act of relaying hand signals is intended to allow a single rider or multiple riders to safely pilot their vehicles, namely motorcycles, in and around other vehicles along a roadway while communicating the desired operation of the lead motorcycle or the single rider.
I do not know of any other item that exist that compares to my motorcycle hand signal glove.
As far as is known there is no other motorcycle hand signal glove specifically designed for use by the motorcycle rider. It is believed that this product is unique in its design and functionality. A novelty search revealed:
A U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2020/0352264 A1 for a SPECIAL SAFETY SIGNALING GLOVES FOR A MOTORCYCLE PASSENGER and pertains to a pair of signal gloves to be used by the motorcycle passenger.
A U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,357 for a SIGNALING GLOVE which is comprised of a pair of fingerless gloves that require a dependent power source to provide the luminance.


Exuding of a interconnecting material to a substrate, which occurs because of a thinned state of and a beak in a barrier metal layer is prevented, irrespective of a laminated state of the barrier metal layer. In the present invention, a protective layer is formed on a side wall by using an insulating film or the like after the deposition of the barrier metal layer, whereby the interconnecting material can be prevented from exuding to the substrate due to influence of heat treatment such as alloying, irrespective of the laminated state of the side wall of the contact hole and the barrier metal layer. Further, the formation of the protective layer allows the side wall to be smoother to thereby improve coverage of the interconnecting material at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent progress in high integration of semiconductor devices has generalized the utilization of multi-layered interconnect in the semiconductor devices. In addition, interconnects and connection holes (contact holes and via holes) are increasingly downsized along with miniaturization of the semiconductor devices, making it more difficult to sufficiently fill interconnecting material into the connection holes. Insufficient filling of connection holes causes bad effects such as a break in interconnection and occurrence of a contact pit. Hence, a conductive barrier metal layer is formed before deposition of an interconnecting material such as Al—Si or Al—Si—Cu. The barrier metal layer is generally formed by depositing Ti or both Ti and TiN by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) Because Ti has better heat resistance and auto-flatness than Al and the like described above, Ti is effective in eliminating the negative effects described above.
The procedure for manufacturing interconnection and connection holes in a conventional semiconductor device is described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D.
A first interlayer insulating film 102 and a second interlayer insulating film 101 are formed on a semiconductor substrate 103 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A TEOS, a silicon oxide film (BPSG film) including boron and phosphorus, or the like is used for these interlayer insulating films (FIG. 2A).
Next, a contact hole is formed in these interlayer insulating films. Herein, a method of improving coverage of an interconnecting material is described from among several methods of forming a contact hole. First, a resist film 107 is used as a mask and isotropic etching is performed up to a certain depth to expand an opening of a contact hole, and then anisotropic etching is performed to form the contact hole (FIG. 2B).
Subsequently, a barrier metal layer 104 is formed in the connection hole, and an interconnecting material 106 is deposited thereon. Further, a mask pattern is formed on the interconnecting material 106 by a photolithography process to form an interconnect pattern by etching (FIGS. 2C and 2D). (See, for example, JP08-330252 A.)

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device


The present invention concerns a wind power installation and in particular the identification of a wind power installation as an aviation obstruction. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple daytime identification which can be easily modified and which avoids the disadvantages of the blades identified by color marking. Apparatus for temporary signal identification of a wind power installation wherein the apparatus comprises a sheath which is of a predetermined colored configuration and also has releasable fixing means for releasably fixing the sheath to a rotor blade of the wind power installation, wherein during fixing the sheath at least partially encloses the rotor blade.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a wind power installation and in particular the identification of a wind power installation as an aviation obstruction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such an identification has been previously described and is basically distinguished on the basis of daytime identification and nighttime identification. While nighttime identification is always lighting with red light, the daytime identification can be effected selectively with white light or alternatively with colored (red/white) markings on the rotor blade. Those color markings (signal markings) are usually red-white-red from the rotor blade tip and each of those portions must be of a length of about 6 meters or more, in accordance with the current construction requirements.
While the nighttime identification can be ensured with energy storage devices which are charged up during the day even during the building phase when the installation cannot yet be supplied with power from the mains network, that is possible for a daytime identification with white light, only with disproportionately high complication and expenditure. In addition however fitting blades identified in red-white-red would admittedly make a daytime identification with white light obsolete, but that signifies a considerable increase in expense in production of the rotor blades.
As general state of the art, reference is to be made to the documents DE 2004 006 595 U1 and DE 101 60 360 B4.


A fixing composition for processing a silver halide photographic material comprises a fixing agent, a sulfite stabilizer, an acid and a buffer. The composition has a pH greater than 5.4 and the buffer comprises at least 2.0 mol/l ammonium acetate.

Exposed photographic materials, for example black-and-white photographic materials, are developed in a solution which reduces the exposed silver halide. The unexposed silver halide is then removed by treating the film or paper with a second solution known as a fixer which comprises a silver halide complexing agent, e.g., a thiosulfate. The fixer solution is acidic to ensure that any developer which is carried over from the development stage does not remain active. If the fixer solution is insufficiently acidic, the silver complexes formed on fixing can be reduced by the active developer to form dichroic fog.
It is essential that the pH of the photographic material is reduced rapidly throughout the emulsion layer when fixing takes place. In order to achieve this, a fixer which is buffered between pH 4 and 5 may be used. If the fixer is not buffered then either it will not be able to neutralize the alkali quickly in the emulsion or it will require a very low pH making it unsafe and unstable.
It is known to use an organic aliphatic acid as a buffer at a concentration between 1 and 3% in the working strength fixer solution as it will buffer in the region of pH 3 to 5. The acid most commonly used is acetic acid but other weak acids have also been used, particularly when they have less odor, e.g., tartaric, succinic and citric acids.
JP-A-5127323 describes a fixing composition having reduced odor comprising a fixing agent, e.g., ammonium thiosulfate, a stabilizer, e.g., sodium sulfite, a hardening agent, e.g., aluminum sulfate and acids including succinic or maleic acid.
The odor associated with fixers also appears to be due to the evolution of sulfur dioxide produced by the disproportionation of sulfite and the fixing agent in acid. The odor problem caused by the evolution of sulfur dioxide needs to be overcome.
Although it has been found that sufficiently raising the pH of the fixer can substantially reduce or eliminate the evolution of sulfur dioxide, the fixer loses its ability to effectively neutralize the alkaline solution carried over by the photographic material during processing. A typical fixer concentrate has a pH drop of about 0.1 unit on dilution with water to the working strength fixer. If the odor problem of the fixer concentrate is to be overcome by increasing pH, a much greater drop in pH is required on dilution with water.


The present invention relates to personal wash bar compositions, particuly compositions comprising (1) lathering anionic surfactants (e.g., sodium acyl isethionate or fatty acid soap); (2) specific solid, less hygroscopic amphoteric surfactants (e.g., disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate). The invention relates to the incorporation of significant levels of said solid amphoteric surfactant into the specific bar compositions to achieve superior skin mildness and bar user properties. The invention especially addresses the advantages of using solid, less hygroscopic amphoteric surfactants to reduce the processing difficulties in extrusion and modified extrusion processes.

Anionic surfactants have been utilized as the major actives in many skin cleansers. Notwithstanding their many advantages (e.g., having good lathering properties), they tend to irritate skin. For example, irritated and cracked skin often result from the use of fatty acid soap, especially in colder climates. One method of reducing the harshness of anionic surfactants in general (including fatty acid soap) is to utilize other surfactants, such as amphoteric surfactants, as coactives to partially replace anionic surfactants in skin cleansing products. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that amphoterics reduce the skin irritation by forming colloid aggregates (micelles, vesicles and liquid crystals) with the skin-irritating anionics in aqueous personal washing liquor, which hinders the penetration and binding of the anionic surfactants to the skin proteins.
The use of amphoteric surfactants in solid, skin cleansing bars, however, can introduce problems in bar processing and user properties. For example, introducing 10% to 15% wt. of cocoamidopropyl betaine (a commonly used amphoteric surfactant) to an extruded synthetic surfactant bar results in a formulation which is sticky and thereby severely slows down the extrusion throughput. Including the same level of cocoamidopropyl betaine in a fatty acid soap based bar increases time cycles in mixing and drying. Most amphoteric surfactants are sticky (gelish) and sensitive to work (e.g., thinning/gelling in response to shear). These properties slow down or even stop the extrusion/plodding, cause stickiness to the stamping die, and tend to give undesired mushiness and softness to bars. Further, many of these amphoteric surfactants are difficult to dry into low moisture solids (e.g., powders or pellets). Therefore they are commercially supplied in the form of diluted aqueous solutions, which brings in extra amount of water into the mixer and lengthens the mixing-drying time.
There is thus a need in the art for amphoteric surfactants that are non-sticky, have a low moisture solid state, can be used to reduce the mixing/drying cycle, and can be continuously processed by the extrusion/plodding technology at high throughput. High levels of said amphoteric surfactant should be able to be incorporated into extruded bars (containing either synthetic surfactants or fatty acid soap or mixtures thereof) without causing processing difficulties and negatively affecting bar user properties such as lather and bar hardness. Preferably, bar user properties (e.g., lather) should be enhanced by the inclusion of said amphoteric surfactant.
It is also desirable to identify amphoteric surfactants which may be more efficient than other amphoterics in reducing skin irritation caused by the anionic surfactants or fatty acid soap in bars.
It should be noted that bars containing synthetic surfactants have a different formulation space when compared with fatty acid soap bars. While bars containing synthetic surfactants require additional structurants such as fatty acids and waxes, fatty acid soap bars do not. The processing procedures for synthetic surfactant bars and fatty acid soap bars also have many differences, as described in many patents covering the field.
Therefore, identifying an amphoteric surfactant that simultaneously meets the needs listed above for both synthetic and fatty acid soap bars is extremely technically challenging. Unexpectedly, however, applicants have found that amphoterics defined by certain physical parameters meet these needs.
The use of solid amphoteric surfactants (e.g., disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate) in bar and liquid compositions is not itself new. This amphoteric surfactant, for example, has been incorporated in acidic, low pH bars containing synthetic anionic surfactants. The disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate was applied to elastic, rubbery bars prepared using a cast melt process. It has also generally been used as a mild detergent in liquid cleansers (e.g., shampoos and liquid body washes).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,812 to J. Barnhurst et al. (assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Co.) teaches a non-soap, synthetic detergent bar with an acidic lather having skin conditioning effects. The bar lather has to be acidic with pH less than 6 (i.e., pH at 5 or below as described in column 2, line 42-68, and claim 1, 12, 13 of said patent). Disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate is cited as one of the amphoteric surfactants used. The patent did not recognize the criticality of using a solid amphoteric surfactant in bar formulations to improve the processing. Further, it does not recognize the superiority of disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate (or other amphoterics having physical parameters defined by the subject invention) when compared with other amphoterics in reducing the skin irritation caused by anionics. The requirement for low pH also prevents the use of fatty acid soap (pH>7) as the bar ingredients in this application. By contrast, the amphoterics defined by the subject invention (e.g., disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate) can be used as solid coactives in both fatty acid soap and synthetic surfactant based extrusion bars. The bars of the invention must have a neutral or basic pH (i.e., between 6 and 12, preferably between 6 and 10, and most preferably between 6.5 and 9). The subject application teaches the use of these solid amphoteric surfactant to (1) achieve processing improvements; (2) achieve superior skin mildness as compared with other amphoteric surfactants. These attributes are neither taught nor suggested in the referred patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,310 to L. Ng et al. (assigned to Beecham Group, Ltd.) teaches an amphoteric conditioning shampoo, which contains 5 to 50% w/w of amphoteric detergent as sole detergent and 0.5 to 3.0% w/w of cationic or quaternary resin. The pH is from 3 to 9, preferably 4 to 7. The amphoteric detergent may be, for example, an N-alkyl-.beta.-aminopropionate or N-alkyl-.beta.-iminodipropionate. Suitable resins are cationic polyamide polymers or a cationic starch or cellulose derivatives. Said patent does not teach the use of solid amphoterics as defined (e.g., disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate) in skin cleansing bars for the advantages of processing and simultaneously reducing the anionic irritation. In contrast, in the subject application, disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate is incorporated in synthetic surfactant and/or fatty acid soap based extrusion bars to (1) facilitate the bar processing; (2) enhance the mildness of the bar formulation; and (3) enhance the creaminess of the bar lather performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,198 to D. Kenkare (assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Company) teaches an elastic detergent bar of improved form-retaining ability during elevated temperature storage and of improved foaming power. The bar comprises an organic detergent, which is an ammonium or lower alkanol-ammonium anionic organic detergent salt, or a mixture of such anionic detergent with amphoteric synthetic organic detergent, gelatin and a lower di- or polyhydric alcohol. The amphoteric detergents claimed include N-alkyl-.beta.-iminodipropionate. The bars are prepared by a cast-melt method and display an extensive degree of elasticity. The rubbery bar is described in the claim 1 as "2 cm thickness thereof can be pressed between a thumb and forefinger to a 1 cm thickness and upon release of such pressure will return within five seconds to within 1 mm of the 2 cm thickness". In contrast, the amphoterics of the subject invention (e.g., disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate) are used in bars prepared by the extrusion method, which requires extrudate having rigidity and solid nature. Most importantly, incorporating the solid amphoteric surfactant in the extrusion bars help reduce the bar softness and elasticity. Therefore the referred patent teaches away from the art of the subject application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,131 to J. Carson et al. (assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Company) teaches an elastic, rubber-like detergent bar (described as "2 cm thickness thereof can be pressed between a thumb and forefinger to a 1 cm thickness and upon release of such pressure will return within five seconds to within 1 mm of the 2 cm thickness" in the claim 1) of improved elevated temperature stability, so that it better maintains its shape on storage at temperatures somewhat higher than normal, includes an amphoteric synthetic organic detergent in mixture with an anionic synthetic organic detergent, gelatin, water and insoluble gas in very small bubble form distributed throughout the bar. The amphoteric surfactants used include disodium N-alkyl-.beta.-iminodipropionate. Bars are prepared by the cast-melt method. In contrast, disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate is used by the subject application in bars prepared by the extrusion method, which requires extrudate having rigidity and solid nature. Most importantly, incorporating the solid amphoteric surfactant in the extrusion bars is for reducing the bar softness and elasticity. Therefore the referred patent teaches away from the art of the subject application.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,418 filed to R. Birkofer teaches a mild, thickened liquid shampoo composition with conditioning properties comprising 4-8% anionic surfactants, zwitterionic and amphoteric surfactants, polyethoxylated nonionic surfactants and a cationic cellulose ether thickening and conditioning agent. The amphoteric surfactants used include disodium N-alkyl-.beta.-iminodipropionate. However, said patent does not teach the use of solid disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate in solid skin cleansing bars for the advantages of bar processing and simultaneously reducing the skin irritation. In contrast, in the subject application, disodium N-lauryl iminodipropionate is incorporated in synthetic surfactant and/or fatty acid soap based extrusion bars to simultaneously facilitate the bar processing, enhance the mildness of the bar formulation, and enhance the creaminess of the bar lather performance.
In brief, the patents mentioned above, alone or in combination, fail to teach or suggest identifying and incorporating a specific type of solid amphoteric surfactants in personal washing bars, which simultaneously accomplishes the following when compared with incorporating other types of amphoteric surfactants:
(1) dramatically improves the mixing-drying and extrusion processes; PA1 (2) significantly improve the bar mildness when compared to other types of amphoterics incorporated in bars; PA1 (3) improve the bar lather without negatively affecting the bar firmness. PA1 (1) bars containing high levels of the amphoteric surfactant can be processed using the current extrusion-stamping technology as described in the Methodology section; PA1 (2) mixing/drying cycle is significantly reduced; PA1 (3) skin irritation is significantly reduced when compared to formulations containing other types of amphoteric surfactants; PA1 (4) bar hardness is not negatively affected, and lather is improved. PA1 (1) bars containing high levels of said amphoteric surfactants can be processed using the current extrusion-stamping technology, which is in contrast to the processing difficulties encountered when comparable levels of other types of amphoteric surfactants are included in the bars; PA1 (2) mixing/drying cycle is significantly reduced; PA1 (3) skin irritation is significantly reduced when compared to formulations containing other types of amphoteric surfactants; PA1 (4) bar hardness is not negatively affected, and lather is improved. PA1 (1) about 15-97% of lathering anionic surfactants; PA1 (2) 0-70% organic and inorganic structurants and fillers; PA1 (3) 0-30% skin emollients and moisturizers; PA1 (4) 0-5% hygroscopic amphoteric surfactants outside the definition of (5); and PA1 (5) 3 to 25% of a specific amphoteric surfactant which is in a solid form at a temperature range between 18.degree. C. and 60.degree. C.
Surprisingly and unexpectedly, applicants have found that all these goals can be simultaneously achieved by including a specific type of solid amphoteric surfactants in extruded bars. That is, by carefully selecting a solid amphoteric surfactant (i.e, with specific melting temperature or glass transition temperature ranges in the solid regime, something which is rare in the amphoteric surfactant class) and by incorporating a significant level of said amphoteric surfactant in personal washing bars, four goals are simultaneously achieved:

Bar compositions containing solid amphoteric surfactants

Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, Division of Conopco, Inc.


A method for sharing Bluetooth pairs across multiple operating system partitions. The method includes the steps of pairing a first operating system partition with a Bluetooth enabled device; determining when a memory of an information handling system includes an additional operating system partition; and, pairing the additional operating system partition with the Bluetooth enabled device when the additional operating system partition is present.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information handling systems and more particularly to providing Bluetooth support across multiple operating system partitions of an information handling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
It is often desirable to couple devices with an information handling system. One known method of coupling devices is via a Bluetooth type connection. Bluetooth is an industrial specification for creating wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a method to connect and exchange information between devices such as information handling systems, mobile phones, printers, digital cameras and video game consoles via a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. The Bluetooth specification is developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group
One issue of a Bluetooth type connection relates to pairing. Pairing is how two devices (e.g., a phone and a headset) associate themselves with one another to create a Bluetooth type connection. The two devices generate a shared secret code that is used for all future communication between the devices. When two devices are paired, the devices can be sure about the identity of the other party. Pairing usually occurs one time between two devices. After pairing, connections between the two devices are authenticated automatically. According to the Bluetooth specification, the shared secret code (or PIN) can be between 8 and 128 bits long.
FIG. 1, labeled Prior Art, shows a flow chart of a Bluetooth pairing operation. The Master device is typically the Bluetooth device installed in within an information handling system while the Slave device is typically a hard coded device such as a headset or mouse.
There are five phases of involved in a pairing operation. A public key exchange phase (Phase 1); an authentication Stage 1 phase (Phase 2); an authentication Stage 2 phase (Phase 3); a link key calculation phase (Phase 4); and, a link manager protocol (LMP) authentication and encryption phase (Phase 5). Phases 1, 3, 4 and 5 are the same for all protocols whereas phase 2 (Authentication Stage 1) may differ depending on the protocol used. The Bluetooth Simple Pairing Whitepaper (2006) published by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group discusses the Bluetooth pairing operation in more detail.
More specifically, when initiating a pairing operation, an initiating device 100 (Device A, the master device) and a non-initiating device 102 (Device B, the slave device) start in a standby mode 110, 112, respectively. The initiating device is for example a primary operating system of an information handling system. The non-initiating device 102 is for example a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse. The initiating device 100 initiates an inquiry at step 120 and the non-initiating device 102 performs an inquiry scan and generates a response at step 122. With the inquiry and the response, the initiating device 100 and the non-initiating device 102 exchange a public key.
Next, the initiating device selects a pseudo-random nonce value Ra at step 130 and the non-initiating device 102 selects a pseudo-random nonce value Rb at step 132. The nonce value Ra is a unique random value from the initiating device 100 and the nonce value Rb is a unique random value from the non-initiating device 102. Next, the initiating device 100 sets the nonce value Ra to 0 at step 134 and the non-initiating device 102 sets the nonce value Rb to 0 at step 136. The nonce values Ra and Rb are for example, 128 bit values.
Next, the non-initiating device 102 computers a commitment value Cb at step 140. This commitment value is provided to the initiating device 100, which in reply provides the non-initiating device 102 with the nonce value Na. The non-initiating device 102 then provides the nonce value Nb to the initiating device 100, which then confirms the commitment value Cb at step 142. Next, the initiating device 100 computes a confirmation value Va at step 150 and the non-initiating device computes a confirmation value Vb at step 152 and a user confirms whether the confirmation values Va and Vb are equal on each device. The commitment values Ca, Cb, Va and Vb may be for example 6 digit values.
Next, the initiating device 100 computes a new confirmation value Ea (i.e., a check value) and provides this value to the non-initiating device at step 160 and the non-initiating device 102 computes a new confirmation value Eb (i.e., a check value) at step 162. Next, the non-initiating device 102 checks the confirmation value Ea and provides the confirmation value Eb to the initiating device at step 164. Next, the initiating device 100 checks the confirmation value Eb at step 166.
If the confirmation values Ea and Eb match, then the initiating device 100 and the non-initiating device 102 perform a link key calculation (Lr) at step 170 and then set up an encrypted communication session at step 172.
When a Bluetooth pair is formed between an operating system (OS) of an information handling system and a Bluetooth (BT) device, the information handling system OS is treated as a unique BT device to establish the pairing.
According to the current pairing process if there is a secondary OS present on the same system then the secondary OS will not be able to pair with the Slave device that was already paired with the Primary OS. So, for example, if a secondary initiating device 180 attempts to communicate with the non-initiating device at step 182, another public key exchange would be initiated. Each OS is identified as a new device and the Bluetooth secret key associated between one operating system and Bluetooth device does not work on the other OS.
This situation can lead to a bad customer experience, especially if a user desires to use a Bluetooth device on more than one operating system shipped on the same information handling system. For example, if a user purchases a Bluetooth enabled headset for use with an information handling system that includes a main operating system partition as well as a MediaDirect operating system partition, the user might not be able to use the headset when the information handling system is operating in a MediaDirect partition, even if the same BT drivers are installed on that partition.
In certain information handling systems, this issue has been addressed by switching from a Host Controller Interface (HCI) mode of operation to a Human Interface Device (HID) mode of operation when a user boots into the secondary OS partition for MediaDirect. Thus, a customer can continue to use a Keyboard and Mouse as a conventional USB device. The HID mode of operation is a universal serial bus (USB) protocol used by conventional USB mice and keyboards, and implemented in the basic input output system (BIOS) of many information handling system motherboards. However, many Bluetooth enabled peripherals do not have the ability to store multiple pairing data for reasons of cost, power and implementation complexity.

Enabling bluetooth support within a secondary and/or across multiple operating system partitions


A material placement head for dispensing and compacting a plurality of strips of a material onto a surface with a plurality of independently movable roller assemblies. Each roller assembly of the placement head comprises a compacting roller and may be rotatably and linearly moved in six-degrees of freedom independent of the other roller assemblies of the placement head. The roller assemblies may be arranged in a staggered configuration and substantially simultaneously apply the plurality of strips of the material to the surface, such that the strips of the material are applied to adjacent paths on the surface. Each compacting roller may be malleable and substantially crowned around its outer circumferential surface to provide even compaction to the strips of the material.

1. Field
The present invention relates to structural and aerodynamic aircraft parts. More particularly, the present invention relates to material dispensing and compaction, such as composite tape automated fiber placement (AFP).
2. Related Art
Fiber placement is a method of compacting a resin-impregnated composite material, also referred to as prepreg tow, onto a surface of an item such as a tool surface, mold, mandrel, or any surface used to form composite parts. In a typical fiber placement method, multiple layers of the composite material are compacted together and cured to form a strong, light-weight component of a pre-determined shape for use in the construction of aircrafts, missiles, satellites, automobiles, etc.
According to traditional fiber placement methods, multiple pieces of composite material are typically compacted simultaneously to the surface using one larger roller or segmented roller which rotates on a single shaft. However, since the roller or roller segments rotate around a single shaft, compacting material onto the surface over sharp angles or complex contours is challenging. For example, as a wide roller or a segmented roller rolls over certain complex contours, a portion of the roller makes no contact against the surface, and a portion of the tape is not compacted. The portion of the material that is not compacted can result in delamination or porosity of the cured part formed by the material.
After dispensing and compacting material onto the surface in one direction, traditional fiber placement machines reverse directions by rotating an entire material placement head 180°. For example, in a typical application, a material placement head dispenses and compacts material onto a surface in one direction, then cuts the material. After this, the material placement head continues traveling a specified roll-off distance and then retracts from the surface. Then the material placement head rotates 180°, reapproaches the surface, engages the surface, and dispenses and compacts the material to the surface, traveling in the opposite direction. Because of the many thousands of strands required for a typical composite part, this retract-rotate-reapproach method can add a significant amount of time to the material application process.
Current rollers known in the art for compacting composite material are flat from edge to edge. Therefore, in order to apply an equal amount of pressure to an entire strip of tape during compaction, the roller must remain perpendicular to the surface. This can be challenging or sometimes impossible to achieve depending on the complexity of the contours required for a given part.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of dispensing and compacting material to a surface that does not suffer from the problems and limitations of the prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A metallic container end closure is provided that generally comprises a dispensing opening and a vent opening. The vent opening improves pourability through the dispensing opening and provides an alternative option for consuming the contents of the container. The end closure may include features to ease opening of the vent opening, such as stiffeners and/or vent form features. Additionally, the end closure may include various safety features, such as a safety fold. In some configurations, the container end closure does not include a pull tab for opening.

Generally, the configuration of a container end closure affects the level to which end consumers, as well as bottlers, manufacturers, distributors, shippers, and retailers, are satisfied with a container. One factor believed to be of some importance to consumers is the pour characteristics of the container. In general, it is believed that consumers prefer to use containers capable of providing a relatively high pour rate. Additionally, it is believed consumers prefer containers that provide a smooth or substantially laminar pour, i.e. a pour which is not characterized by a series of surges or "glugging".
Many container configurations exist to enhance flow through a container end closure aperture. For example, some containers utilize a single large hole to admit air for venting the dispensed liquid. Examples are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,210,257; 5,007,554; 4,416,389; 4,148,410; 4,465,204; and 4,361,251; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Unfortunately, such larger openings tend to be associated with a higher rate of problems such as bursting, buckling, leakage, opening failures and the like, particularly when the contents are pressurized. Additionally, in configurations of large openings coupled with relatively small hinge regions, container leakage and/or separation of the panel and/or other components can be a problem upon opening. In some instances, components have been expelled from the container end closure. Furthermore, such larger openings are difficult or infeasible to provide in container ends which are relatively small.
In order to produce a more efficient, controlled flow rate, some containers utilize a tab to open two or more pour openings. This increases the flow rate of the beverage and provides better control of the liquid stream. Additionally, a second vent hole may be utilized to depressurize a container, and thus allow for easier opening of the dispensing port. This is especially advantageous for carbonated and malt beverages such as beer. Examples are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,205,760; 5,307,947; 5,397,014; 6,024,239; 6,079,583; 7,513,383; 7,748,557; 8,245,866 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010/0294771, 2011/0056946 and 2002/0139800; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, many prior art end closures with a vent opening may be opened with finger pressure alone and utilize a score residual with a thickness which is prone to prematurely severing, and thus causing leaks or failures during stacking.
Thus, there is a need to provide a container end closure that provides enhanced pour characteristics while minimizing the likelihood of problems such as bursting, buckling, leakage, opening failures, and the like.


A steel wire of pearlite structure containing 0.8-1.0 mass % of C and 0.8-1.5 mass % of Si is disclosed. In the cross section of the steel wire the difference in average hardness between a region up to 100 μm from the surface thereof and a deeper region is within 50 in micro-Vickers hardness. The steel wire is manufactured by working a wire rod having the abovementioned chemical composition through shaving, patenting and drawing processes, then strain-relief annealing the resultant wire, and thereafter subjecting the thus annealed to a shot peening process. The steel wire has a high heat resistance and a high fatigue strength, and can be produced through a drawing process without applying a quenching and tempering process.

Spring steel wires containing 0.6-0.8 mass % of C, 0.15-0.35 mass % of Si, and 0.3-0.9 mass % of Mn are known in the art. Such a steel wire is manufactured by being processed through steps of rolling→patenting (heating for γ-phase transition→isothermal transformation)→wire drawing→(coiling)→strain relief annealing (for example, at 300±30° C.).
However, it is a well-known fact that such a type of steel wire obtained by drawing a pearlite steel (generally called a piano wire or hard drawn steel wire: hereinafter shall be generically referred to as a piano wire) has a relatively low heat resistance.
Therefore, in high temperature environments where a permanent set resistance is required, quenched and tempered steel wires such as heat-resistant piano wires having a high Si content and oil tempered wires of Si—Cr steel (hereinafter shall be referred to as OT wire) have been used. Working environments requiring a heat resistance include a case of galvanizing a steel wire, for example, and it is customary to add Si to the steel in order to prevent or retard a decrease in strength in the course of the galvanization process.
In addition, it has been proposed that a steel wire having a high strength and toughness can be obtained by finely dividing cementite into microcrystals of a nano-order size. (Japanese Provisional Publication NO. 120407/96.)
However, the aforementioned prior arts have had a number of problems as follows:                (1) While important properties for steel wires include: a) high tensile strength, b) high toughness, and c) high fatigue strength, a high tensile strength is not necessarily compatible with a high fatigue strength in those steel wires to be processed through drawing. Generally, the tensile strength of a steel wire increases with its working ratio of drawing (reduction ratio). In addition, a fatigue strength cannot be increased without a comparatively high tensile strength. However, increasing the working ratio will result in increased micro defects of the material through plastic working, and such micro defects, when concentrated, will act as origins of earlier occurring fatigue fractures.        (2) A heat-resistant piano wire generally has a high Cr content and takes a longer time for its heat treatment (patenting), resulting in a lower productivity.        (3) The use of a heat-resistant piano wire as a steel wire to be galvanized or otherwise exposed to heat (at about 450° C. for about 30 seconds) is intended to limit or retard a decrease in strength, but not to provide a thermal permanent set resistance at about 200° C. or so. It is known in a parallel wire and the like steel wires that heat resistance is improved by increasing the Si content. In this respect, however, the purpose of using steel wires having a good heat resistance varies with their specific uses, the heat resistance for the case of parallel wire fundamentally aims at limiting the change in tensile strength of the wire small when subjected to galvanization. On the other hand, in the case of automobile engine valve springs exposed to intense heat in operation or automobile torsion bars heated to at about 200° C. when car bodies are bake-finished, important considerations include keeping the permanent set in the temperature range of about 100-200° C. small and at the same time providing desired fatigue properties. Thus, simply applying a chemical composition of such a parallel wire to a spring wire cannot bring forth satisfactory properties sufficient for a spring material. That is to say, while the Si addition in a parallel wire is reportedly said to be effective in improving its fatigue properties, this is mere a story of fatigue under repeated tension, which differs essentially from the fatigue properties required for a spring material. A decrease in surface hardness greatly affects the fatigue properties in a spring steel wire having a high Si content, although its influence on the fatigue properties is small in a parallel wire.        (4) As for a heat-resistant piano wire, even the delayed fracture properties important for a spring are not usually taken into consideration. Steel wire may sometimes be subjected to cationic coating and the like processing for an anticorrosion purpose, and delayed fracture may be caused then if hydrogen gets into it the steel wire. Especially, in a spring steel wire, delayed fracture properties to torsion stress are important, but such delayed fracture properties has hardly been taken account of so far.        (5) OT wire is expensive. While a steel wire superior in both heat resistance and fatigue strength can be obtained by applying quenching and tempering in the final stage of the steel wire manufacture, such a quenching and tempering process adds to the cost.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a steel wire having a high heat resistance (particularly at around 200° C.) and a high fatigue strength that can be produced without applying a quenching and tempering process, namely, produced through a drawing process and a method of manufacturing such a steel wire.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a steel wire having superior delayed fracture properties in addition to the heat resistance.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a steel wire having superior fatigue properties that can be achieved by improving its material strength and at the same time by optimally minimizing the origins of fatigue fracture and a method of manufacturing such a steel wire.

Steel wire and method of manufacturing the same


A semiconductor device including a minute transistor with a short channel length is provided. A gate insulating layer is formed over a gate electrode layer; an oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the gate insulating layer; a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer are formed over the oxide semiconductor layer; a conductive film is formed over the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; a resist mask is formed over the conductive film by performing electron beam exposure; and then a third conductive layer and a fourth conductive layer are formed over and in contact with the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, respectively, by selectively etching the conductive film.

As semiconductor memory devices, dynamic RAMs (DRAMs) formed using a silicon substrate are well-known products and currently used in a variety of electronic devices. A memory cell which is a key component in a DRAM includes a reading and writing transistor and a capacitor.
DRAMs are an example of volatile memory devices, and another example of volatile memory devices is static random access memories (SRAMs). An SRAM holds stored data by using a circuit such as a flip-flop and thus does not need refresh operation, which is an advantage over a DRAM. However, cost per storage capacity is high because a circuit such as a flip-flop is used. Moreover, as in a DRAM, stored data in an SRAM is lost when power supply stops.
An example of nonvolatile memory devices is flash memories. A flash memory includes a floating gate between a gate electrode and a channel formation region in a transistor and stores data by holding charge in the floating gate. Therefore, a flash memory has advantages in that the data holding period is extremely long (semi-permanent) and refresh operation which is necessary to volatile memory devices is not needed.
However, in a flash memory, there is a problem in that a memory element becomes incapable of functioning after a large number of repeated write operations because a gate insulating layer included in the memory element deteriorates due to tunneling current generated in the write operations. In order to avoid this problem, a method in which the number of write operations is equalized among memory elements can be employed, for example, but a complex peripheral circuit is needed to realize this method. Moreover, even when such a method is employed, the fundamental problem of lifetime cannot be resolved. In other words, a flash memory is not suitable for applications in which data is frequently rewritten.
In addition, high voltage is necessary in order to inject charge into the floating gate or remove the charge. Moreover, it takes a relatively long time to inject or remove charge, and it is not easy to increase the speed of writing or erasing data.
Volatile memory devices typified by DRAMs are formed using a silicon substrate, and their circuit patterns, like those for other semiconductor integrated circuits, have been miniaturized in accordance with the scaling law. There was a time when it was considered difficult to achieve a design rule of 100 nm or less. One of the reasons is that in a transistor having a channel length of 100 nm or less, a punch-through current is likely to flow due to a short-channel effect and the transistor becomes incapable of functioning as a switching element, which has been considered to be a problem. In order to prevent a punch-through current, a silicon substrate may be doped with an impurity at high concentration. However, this is not an appropriate solution to the problem because it makes a junction leakage current likely to flow between a source and the substrate or between a drain and the substrate and eventually causes a deterioration of memory retention characteristics.
Reference 1 discloses a technique in which a transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor layer is used as a memory.
Reference 2 discloses a transistor formed using amorphous IGZO and having a channel length of 50 nm.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device using oxide semiconductor

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A high performance, high pin fin density heat sink (10) has mating first and second opposing base members (22, 24) having first and second pin fins (18, 20) extending generally perpendicularly therefrom. The pin fins (18, 20) are generally cylindrical and each bonded into recesses (30,32) formed on the opposing base member (22, 24). The spaces between nearest adjacent first and second pin fins (18, 20) form narrow fluid passageways (12) having a gas inlet in (14) for communicating with a heat generating body and gas out let end (16).

Existing high performance heat sinks are characterized by a high fin density design, i.e., a fin population about twice that which can be normally produced in a standard production process. In this case, the surface area has a major influence on the overall heat transfer capability of the heat sink. Additionally for existing heat sinks having tightly spaced fins, the heat transfer coefficient is determined by the hydraulic diameter of the heat sink design. Hydraulic diameter is generally defined in the art as four times the area of the channel (i.e., space or distance between adjacent fins) divided by the perimeter of the channel. Thus, the smaller the hydraulic diameter, the higher both the heat transfer coefficient and the heat transfer of the heat sink.
One such design is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,560 by Herrell et al in which a high performance, high fin density heat sink is described. According to Herrell et al., various alternative heat sink construction techniques are described that produce high fin density design. An inherent disadvantage of the design is the inability to maximize the surface area of each individual fin. Approximately 25% to 33% of the potential individual fin surface area is not available, as this area is in contact with the adjacent fin (See for instance Herrell et al, FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4). In addition, heat sinks based on FIGS. 1 and 2 in Herrell et al have an internal plenum that further decreases available surface area for a given volume of a heat sink design. Thus, Herrell et al do not teach maximizing heat sink surface area, for a given heat sink volume.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,846 to Azar et al, a heat sink design is disclosed that maximizes fin surface area in a high performance, high fin density heat sink. According to Azar et al., the manufacturing techniques disclosed are crystal-orientation-dependent etching , precision sawing, electric discharge machining, or numerically controlled machining. A major shortcoming of the Azar et. al. heat sink design is that they are generally difficult to manufacture. Additionally, the Azar et. al. heat sink requires enormously high production cycle time to manufacture which, of course, makes them cost ineffective.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,331 by Hinshaw, a method of manufacturing a pin-finned heat sink from an extrusion is described. According to the cross cut machine method disclosed in Hinshaw, the maximum pin fin density that can be achieved is limited to what is obtainable by an extrusion process. This latter limitation clearly would not be acceptable in the heat sink design of the present invention. Another shortcoming of Hinshaw is that only square or rectangular pin fins can be manufactured, no round or elliptical profiles are available.
Moreover, various heat sink manufacturers exist that offer bonded fin heat sink assemblies in which each fin in the assembly is individually bonded into a heat sink base. (See for instance, catalogue material on Augmented surface Bonded Heat Sinks published by AAVID.TM. Thermal Technologies, Inc. (March 1996). A major shortcoming, however of the AAVID.TM. heat sinks is their enormously high cost. This cost is related directly to the labor required to individually arrange each fin on some sort of support or substrate and high production cycle time.
Therefore, a need persists for a high performance, high fin density heat sink that maximizes heat sink surface area and is cost effective and simple to manufacture.

Bonded cast, pin-finned heat sink and method of manufacture


A thin board-to-board connector with high density in which there is no connection between three-dimensional complex metal springs. The board-to-board connector includes a connector having a bump for electrical connection having an umbrella shape on a board and connected to a circuit board and a connector having an elastic electrically conductive section having a through hole made in a conductive pattern on an elastic insulating board and connected to a circuit board electrically connected to the elastic conductive section. When a bump is inserted into the through hole, the elastic conductive section is electrically connected to the bump, and the side surface of the through hole is pressed against to the bump and elastically deformed and dented. Consequently, the bump is press-fit into the through hole. With this, the bump can be inserted into the elastic conductive section and engaged with it, and thereby electrical and mechanical connection between circuit boards can be simultaneously achieved in a two-dimensional manner, realizing a low-height connector.

The board-to-board connector for connecting electronic circuits on two opposed printed circuit boards to each other is used as a connector used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras which have been reduced in size and weight. In the board-to-board connector, one of the connected printed circuit board has a socket and the other of the connected printed circuit board has a header. By connecting the socket to the header, electronic circuits formed on both the printed circuit boards are connected to each other.
In this type of conventional board-to-board connector, as disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-055464, a contact obtained by bending a strip conductor in the shape of a dead end is provided at the socket as one connector, and a post having a conductor protruding from the header as the other connector is inserted into and engaged with the dead end portion of the contact, thereby bringing the inner side surface of the dead end portion of the contact into spring contact with the outer side surface of the post for electrical connection.
However, from the perspective of further reduction in size and thickness, since the connector disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent document 1 has the structure that the inner side surface of the dead end portion of the contact is brought into contact with the outer side surface of the post for electrical connection, when one attempts to make the structure thinner, bending of the contact becomes difficult. In addition, when the contact portion is shortened, sufficient contact area is hard to be ensured and binding strength between the contact and the post due to engagement is decreased. Thus, disadvantageously, the engagement is easy to be released.
For narrower pitch and higher density, it is necessary to narrow the pitch of the contact and the post which are fixed to a housing of the connector as well as their press-fit grooves. However, since the housing, into where the contact and the post are press-fit, is made of synthetic resin, there is a limitation in reducing the size of the housing due to workability and strength, making it more difficult to reduce the pitch. Furthermore, since minimum thickness of the housing is needed to stand press-fitting of the contact and the post, it is difficult to reduce the height of the connector.
As described above, the conventional board-to-board connector is formed of moldings and metallic components and both electronic and mechanical connection is performed by elastically deforming mechanically-processed metallic springs having complicated and three-dimensional structure. Thus, obviously, there is a limitation in lower height (thinner size) and higher density.


An object of the present invention is to provide: a binder for a lithium ion secondary battery electrode, which is water-dispersible type and has favorable adhesion between active materials and between the active material and current collectors, along with charge-discharge high-temperature cycle characteristics; a slurry using the binder; an electrode using the slurry; and a lithium ion secondary battery using the electrode. The present invention relates to a binder composition for a lithium ion secondary battery electrode, which is obtained by emulsion polymerization of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer in the presence of a surfactant, the ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing, as essential constituents, 15 to 70 mass % of styrene with respect to the total mass of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and an internal cross-linking agent.

In recent years, lithium ion secondary batteries have attracted attention in terms of reduction in size and weight for laptop computers, cellular phones, electric power tools, and electronic and communication devices, and recently, from the standpoint of application to environmentally-friendly vehicles, there has been strong demand for lithium ion secondary batteries for electric cars and hybrid cars, and in particular, for lithium ion secondary batteries with high voltage, high capacity, and high energy density.
A lithium ion secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode including a metal oxide such as a lithium cobalt oxide as an active material, a negative electrode including a carbon material such as graphite as an active material, and an electrolytic solution solvent mainly including carbonates, and is a secondary battery which is charged and discharged by the movement of lithium ions between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. More specifically, a lithium ion second battery is obtained by forming a positive electrode layer on the surface of a positive electrode current collector such as aluminum foil from slurry composed of the metal oxide and a binder with the positive electrode, and by forming a negative electrode layer on the surface of a negative electrode current collector such as copper foil from slurry composed of graphite and a binder with the negative electrode. Therefore, each binder has a role in adhesion between the active materials each other and between the active materials and the current collectors to prevent the active materials from peeling from the current collectors.
Conventionally, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with an organic solvent, N-methylolpyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent has been used as a binder for adhesion of an active material to a current collector because of the high swelling resistance of the resin itself to the electrolytic solution, and used industrially for a number of models. However, this binder has the disadvantages of having poor adhesion between active materials each other and between the active materials and current collectors, requiring a large amount of binder for practical use, and as a result, decreasing the capacity and energy density of the lithium ion secondary battery. In addition, because of the use, for the binder, of NMP that is an expensive organic solvent, there have been problems with the price of a final product and with working environment conservation in the preparation of slurry or a current collector.
As a method for solving these problems, water-dispersible styrene-butadiene rubbers (SBR) combined with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a thickener have been proposed (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 3). This type of water-dispersible SBR has been used as a aqueous binder for an lithium ion secondary battery electrode in a wide range of application, because the SBR type dispersing element is inexpensive because of its water dispersibility, and advantageous from the standpoint of working environment conservation, and has favorable adhesion between active materials each other and between the active materials and current collectors. However, this binder has the problems of low mechanical stability, and of low swelling resistance to an electrolytic solvent. Furthermore, this binder has the problem of decreasing charge-discharge cycle characteristics in the case of a lithium ion secondary battery for use at high temperatures.
In order to prevent this decrease in charge-discharge cycle characteristics at high temperatures, Patent Literature 4 proposes a binder composed of a monomer derived from an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid ester and an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid. However, this binder is inferior in adhesion between active materials, and has the problem of significantly decreasing the adhesion between the active materials and current collectors. In addition, Patent Literature 5 proposes a binder obtained by mixing a binder composed of a monomer derived from an α,β-unsaturated nitrile compound and a (meth)acrylic acid ester with a binder composed of a monomer derived from a conjugated diene. However, this binder composition has a problem with adhesion between active materials while the binder composition has high charge-discharge high-temperature cycle characteristics.
Among water-dispersible type binders obtained by the previously studied methods as described above, any binder for a lithium ion secondary battery electrode has not been found which has favorable adhesion between active materials each other and between the active materials and current collectors, along with charge-discharge high-temperature cycle characteristics, and currently, PVDF and SBR with CMC as a thickener have been mainly used respectively in spite of having environmental problems and in spite of having problems in terms of charge-discharge high-temperature cycle characteristics.

Binder for lithium ion secondary battery electrode, slurry obtained using the binder for electrode, electrode obtained using the slurry, and lithium ion secondary battery using the electrode