The invention relates to treatment of aqueous streams and aqueous systems with ozone. The aqueous stream comprises a closed loop system providing transport from a production locus to a processing locus for a variety of products. The aqueous stream can contain a challenge soil load and a microbial load. A treatment zone is defined through which the aqueous stream passes. The treatment zone is contacted with a sufficient concentration of ozone to substantially reduce the microbial population and to substantially reduce the number of microorganisms that can generate slime on the interior of the system. An amount of ozone is added to the aqueous stream in the treatment zone such that once the microbial populations are reduced to a safe level, the ozone concentration is also reduced to a level substantially safe for contact with operating personnel and product. Typically, such concentration is less than one part by weight of ozone per million parts by weight of aqueous system, preferably less than 0.5 parts by weight of ozone per million parts of aqueous system. The use of a treatment zone in an aqueous system segregates the ozone from release into areas frequented by operating personnel, sensitive materials or product.

Water has been used as a transportation medium in moving a product from a production locus to a processing or use locus for many years. A variety of materials can be made to float or become suspended or dissolved in water have been transported using a moving aqueous stream. have been transported using a moving aqueous stream. Examples of such materials include products of the lumber industry, coal in a coal slurry, agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables, particulate products of aqueous polymerization, and others too numerous to mention. One consistent design characteristic of these systems is the use of a closed loop aqueous stream returning the aqueous medium to its origin. The aqueous stream that transports the material from a production locus to a processing locus is often returned, without product, to the production locus for new product for transport. Such recycled water streams that are continually reused acquire a soil load that can support the growth of microbial populations and in particular slime producing microorganisms. Such closed flow water systems can obtain and accumulate substantial concentrations of impurities from the environment and from the product transported in the closed loop system. Such a challenge soil load can pose even more substantial problems in the instance that the product is of biological origin including products such as wood, wood fiber, fruits, vegetables, etc. or other products comprising substantial quantities of carbohydrate, lipid or proteinaceous compositions that can act as a food source for microorganisms. A need for effective antimicrobial agents and processes is apparent to prevent or reduce microbial populations.
Ideally, an antimicrobial agent or compound used in such a system will have several important properties in addition to its antimicrobial efficacy. The compound or agent should have no residual antimicrobial activity on the food after processing. Residual activity implies the presence of a film of antimicrobial material which will continue to have antimicrobial effect which may require further rinsing of the food product. The antimicrobial agent preferably should also be odor free to prevent transfer of undesirable odors onto food stuffs. The antimicrobial agent should also be composed of direct food additive materials which will not effect food if contamination occurs, nor effect humans should incidental ingestion result. In addition, the antimicrobial agent should preferably be composed of, or should result in naturally occurring or innocuous ingredients, which are chemically compatible with the environment and cause no concerns for toxic residues within the flume water.
One common aqueous transport system comprises a flume system. Such systems are used in agriculture to transport an agricultural product such as fruits or vegetables from a production locus, typically a farm field or garden plot to a processing locus, for washing and packing using an aqueous stream. The fruits or vegetables are cleaned, treated and packed for distribution at the processing locus. Such flume systems can contain large volumes of water flowing at a rate of about 20 to 4000 liters per minute. Such flume systems can transport substantial quantities of fruits or vegetables from a production locus to a processing locus. Such systems can transport about 10 to 1000 pounds of fruits or vegetables per minute or more, on a continuous basis during production operations. Such flume streams inherently become contaminated with soil, fruit and vegetable fragments, plant fragments, and other agricultural by-products. Such a flume stream is a potent medium for promoting the growth of microorganisms. Untreated flume water can rapidly become contaminated with large microbial populations. As a result of the growth of slime forming microorganisms, the surfaces of the aqueous system can rapidly be coated with slime producing colonies and the slime by-product.
The challenge soil load can comprise a substantial proportion of the aqueous stream, commonly about 0.1 to 20 wt. % of the aqueous stream, most commonly about 1-15 wt. % of the aqueous stream.
The most common treatment to reduce the populations of such microorganisms comprises contacting the flume stream, at any arbitrary position in the closed loop, with chlorine (Cl.sub.2) or a chlorine containing or yielding antimicrobial composition. Such antimicrobials include chlorine gas (Cl.sub.2), chlorine dioxide (ClO.sub.2) sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), chlorinated isocyanurate compounds or other chlorinated compounds that can generate a sanitizing or antimicrobial concentration of chlorine in the aqueous stream. Chlorine is a well known antimicrobial material and is often very effective in controlling microbial growth. However, the use of such chlorinating materials often has substantial drawbacks including equipment corrosion and hazard to operating personnel. The use rate of these chlorine-based antimicrobials is very high because they tend to be rapidly consumed by the high organic load in the aqueous stream. Further, upon consumption, compounds such as chlorine gas or chlorine dioxide decompose producing byproducts such as chlorites and chlorates, while hypochlorite produces trichloromethanes which may be toxic in very low concentrations. Lastly, chlorine dioxide is a toxic gas with an acceptable air concentration limit of 0.1 ppm. Exposure to ClO.sub.2 often leads to headaches, nausea, and respiratory problems, requiring expensive and intricate safety devices and equipment when it is used.
Iodophor antimicrobial agents have also been used for various aqueous antimicrobial applications. However, iodophor compounds tend to decompose or may be lost by evaporation when used in an aqueous medium. Thus, long term activity requires a high iodophor concentration.
As a result, a substantial need exists in the food processing industry to provide a means of food transport which also controls microbial soil load without the use of high concentrations of antimicrobials such as chlorine yielding compounds or other halogenated constituents.
A number of attempts have been made to rectify the problems caused by chlorinating substances in such materials. One attempt relates to the use of peracetic materials in flume water. Lokkesmoe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,713 teach the use of peracetic acid in an antimicrobial role in treating flume water. The use of other antimicrobial agents in the control of microorganisms is well known for various applications. For example, Grosse Bowing et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,051,058 and 4,051,059 use peracetic acid as a food grade sanitizer in a variety of applications. Further, Greenspan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,512,640 teach the use of a peracetic acid composition comprising 500 ppm or more of peracetic acid for the treatment of various fruit and vegetable compositions in a spray applicator. Greenspan et al., Food Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, 1951, similarly discloses spray compositions which may be applied to fresh fruits and vegetables comprising peracetic acid. Langford, U.K. Patent Application GE 2 187 958 A discloses the use of peracetic acid and propionic acid for the treatment of fungi in microbial plant pathogens on growing plants and especially edible crops. In other publications, Baldry et al., "Disinfection of Sewage Effluent with Peracetic Acid", Wat. Sci. Tech., Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 203-206, 1989; and Poffe et al., "Disinfection of Effluents from Municipal Sewage Treatment Plants with Peroxy Acids", Zbl. Bakt. Hyg. I. Abt. Orig. B 167, 337-346 (1978) both disclose the use of peroxy acids for the treatment of effluents streams and municipal sewage applications. Hutchings et al., "Comparative Evaluation of the Bactericidal Efficiency of Peracetic Acid, Quaternaries, and Chlorine-Containing Compounds", Society of American Bacteriologists, Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 49th General Meeting, discloses the generally efficacy of peracetic acid compared to various other antimicrobial compounds. Additionally, Branner-Jorgensen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,565 discloses the reduction of the thermal stability of rennet through the use of aqueous-based aliphatic or inorganic peroxy acids. Block, "Disinfection, Sterilization, and Preservation", Fourth Edition, Chapter 9, pages 167-181, discloses the various characteristics and attributes of peroxygen compounds. However, generally the art has taught against the use of percarboxylic acids in aqueous streams due to concerns of compound stability in the presence of high concentrations of organic matter.
Hurst, U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,140 teaches a water treatment installation designed to remove solids, fat, bacteria and other impurities from water used in food processing. Bulk water is subjected to a number of purification steps including a countercurrent contact with a stream of ozone. Abiko, Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 4-145997 teaches a similar purification unit. Avvakumov et al., U.S.S.R. Inventor Certificate No. 858735 and other patents teach the addition of ozone to fresh water input, or to clean make up water, to a food processing area or directly to the flume water transport area. Such schemes maintain a relatively high concentration of ozone in the bulk transportation water during movement of product from production locus to use locus. Beuchat, "Surface Disinfection of Raw Produce", Dairy Food and Environmental Sanitation, Vol. 12, No. 1, and other references teaches the use of the direct application of gaseous or aqueous ozone to bulk water to obtain microbial population control. T. R. Bott, "Ozone as a disinfectant in process plant", Food Control, generally discusses the use of ozone in general disinfectant applications. As a whole, Bott teaches the direct application of relatively small concentrations of ozone against surfaces for disinfecting and cleaning. Bott suggests relatively clean water with reduced ozone concentrations (about 0.1 ppm) for control. Sumi, JP 60-202229 and Shieno, JP 62-206536 contact food with preozonized aqueous solutions to effect microbial control. Shieno teaches a food sterilization method using preozonated solutions to affect microbial control in a system using circulated water that has no challenge load comprising microorganisms or soil. Shieno uses ozone with organic adjuvants having a relatively corrosive 3-5 pH. Lastly, Shieno apparently does not use a circulated/recirculated system. Sumi et al. teach a food washing, sanitizing device wherein ozone is dispersed into an open tank containing bulk water, i.e. greater than 50 wt. % of the service water. The treatment of the bulk water is done in an open container. Because of the disagreeable/toxic nature of ozone, contacting any food, or contacting a processing surface or an aqueous stream with ozone can cause worker discomfort or other problems. Further, attempts to treat large volumes of aqueous streams require substantial ozone generating equipment.
Typical commercial applications described for flume systems attempt microbial control using ozone applications into relatively clean, bulk--usually potable--make-up or filling waters. Other processes involve direct food contact between food and ozone. All of these applications are based on the premise that high demand, soiled waters will generally reduce or eliminate the ozone concentration and make ozone ineffective in high demand soiled waters for microbial control. Because of this concern that large concentrations of challenged soil load will prevent microbial control using ozone, the prior art has focused on treating clean water with ozone at or near the introduction of the make-up water into the flume system. These approaches result in potential ozone off gassing which can create hazard for operating personnel or equipment corrosion. Further, ozone in direct contact with food material can degrade the appearance or nutritive quality of the food. Further, these processes require relatively large consumption of ozone in such systems to maintain a high residual ozone concentration for effective microbial kill. Typically, an ozone residual goal of between 0.1-10 ppm ozone in water is required.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for treatment systems that can effectively utilize ozone to control microbial populations without any direct contact of significant concentrates (greater than 1 ppm of ozone with large volumes of processing water, food articles, processing surfaces of the general environment surrounding the processing facilities. However, the use of ozone must successfully reduce microbial populations while not causing significant corrosion or other chemical attack on production facilities.

Process for effecting microbial control and reducing slime growth on hard surfaces in food processing equipment using inline ozonation


The liquid ejection head comprises: a plurality of nozzles which eject droplets of liquid; a plurality of pressure chambers which are respectively connected to the nozzles; a common flow passage which supplies the liquid to the pressure chambers; a plurality of ejection devices which respectively cause the liquid in the pressure chambers to be ejected from the nozzles; a temperature differential generating device which generates a temperature differential between the common flow passage and each of the pressure chambers; a common flow passage temperature determining device which determines temperature of the common flow passage; a pressure chamber temperature determining device which determines temperature of each of the pressure chambers; and a control device which controls the temperature differential generating device in accordance with the temperature of the common flow passage and the temperature of each of the pressure chambers, in such a manner that the temperature differential between the common flow passage and each of the pressure chambers reaches a prescribed temperature differential.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and an image recording apparatus, and more particularly to temperature adjustment in a liquid ejection head.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet head (recording head) has a composition in which ink is supplied to pressure chambers connected to nozzles, and liquid droplets are ejected from the nozzles by applying a pressure change to the liquid inside the pressure chambers. If there is an air bubble inside a pressure chamber, the pressure required for ejection is not transmitted to the ink, and an ejection error thereby arises. In order to prevent ejection errors of this kind, an operation is performed in order to suction the ink containing air bubbles inside the pressure chambers and expel the air bubbles together with the ink (namely, a "suction operation"). However, there is a problem in that the amount of ink consumed increases when a suction operation is performed.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-146012 discloses an inkjet head, in which a thermoelectric element unit having a plurality of Peltier elements is disposed in a position opposing the pressure generating chamber, on the other side of the base plate of the pressure generating chamber. When this thermoelectric unit is operated, the base plate of the pressure generating chamber is cooled and hence the ink inside the pressure generating chamber is cooled as this base plate is cooled. By cooling the ink, it is possible to increase the solubility of the air of the air bubbles in the ink. When the thermoelectric unit is driven, heat is generated in the portion of the thermoelectric unit adjacent to the flow path unit, and this heat is transmitted successively through an ink supply port forming substrate, an ink chamber forming substrate and a nozzle plate, which are made from metallic members having more thermal conductivity than a ceramic member, and the heat is dissipated from the nozzle plate.
However, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-146012, air bubbles are generated because the common ink chamber (common flow passage) is heated during ejection recording. If the ink supply port becomes covered by an air bubble, then ink is not supplied to the pressure chamber and an ejection failure may occur. Moreover, since the viscosity of the ink in the common ink passage becomes lower than the viscosity of the ink in the pressure generating chamber (pressure chamber), when ink is ejected from the nozzle, then the ink is liable to reflux into the common ink chamber, and hence the pressure in the pressure generating chamber may not be directed effectively towards ejection.

Liquid ejection head and image recording apparatus


Systems and methods for generating status requests for units of work are disclosed. Some implementations may: manage environment state information maintaining a collaboration environment; identify one or more work unit records having potentially incorrect status values for a status parameter; generate status requests prompting user input to update the potentially incorrect status values for the one or more work unit records identified; and effectuate presentation of the status requests, such that the first status request is presented via a client computing platform associated with the first user.

Collaboration environments enable users to assign projects, tasks, or other assignments to assignees to complete. Such collaboration environments enable users to work in a more organized and efficient manner. However, upon completion, users often forget to update the projects and/or tasks to indicate they are complete. As such, project and/or task supervisors and managers are left in the dark and unaware of the true status of the project and/or task.


One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming first, second and third fins that are arranged side-by-side, forming a recessed layer of insulating material in a plurality of trenches, after recessing the layer of insulating material, masking the first and second fins while exposing a portion of the axial length of the second fin, removing the exposed portion of the second fin so as to thereby define a cavity in the recessed layer of insulating material, forming an SDB isolation structure in the cavity, wherein the SDB isolation structure has an upper surface that is positioned above the recessed upper surface of the recessed layer of insulating material, removing the masking layer, and forming a gate structure for a transistor above the SDB isolation structure.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to various examples of an integrated circuit product comprised of FinFET devices with single diffusion break isolation structures, and various methods of making such products.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an illustrative prior art FinFET semiconductor device 10 that is formed above a semiconductor substrate 12 that will be referenced so as to explain, at a very high level, some basic features of a FinFET device. In this example, the FinFET device 10 includes a plurality of trenches 14 that define three illustrative fins 16, a gate structure 18, sidewall spacers 20 and a gate cap layer 22. The fins 16 have a three-dimensional configuration: a height H, a width W and an axial length L. The axial length L of the fins 16 corresponds to the direction of current travel in the device 10 when it is operational. The portions of the fins 16 covered by the gate structure 18 are the channel regions of the FinFET device 10
A shallow trench isolation structure (not shown) is formed in the semiconducting substrate 12 around the FinFET device 10 so as to electrically isolate the FinFET device. Traditionally, isolation structures were always the first structures that were formed when manufacturing semiconductor devices. The isolation structures were formed by etching the trenches for the isolation structures and thereafter filling the trenches with the desired insulating material, e.g., silicon dioxide. Thereafter, the isolation structures were masked and the trenches 14 were etched into the substrate 12 so as to define the fins 16. However, as the dimensions of the fins became smaller, problems arose with manufacturing the isolation structures before the fins were formed. As one example, trying to accurately define very small fins in regions that were separated by relatively large isolation regions was difficult due to the non-uniform spacing between various structures on the substrate. One manufacturing technique that is employed in manufacturing FinFET devices is to initially form the trenches 14 in the substrate 12 to define multiple "fins" that extend across the entire wafer or substrate 12, and thereafter remove some of the fins 16 where isolation structures will be formed. Using this type of manufacturing approach, better accuracy and repeatability may be achieved in forming the fins 16 to very small dimensions due to the more uniform environment in which the etching process that forms the trenches 14 is performed.
The size or "footprint" of the fins 16 that are removed so that an isolation structure can be formed may vary in size, i.e., it may be very large (in a relative sense) or very small. In many applications, a section of several adjacent fins, positioned side-by-side, may be removed to make room for a portion of a relatively large isolation structure. In some product designs, only a portion of one single fin may be removed between two adjacent "active" fins to make room for an isolation structure that is to be formed between the two active fins. That is, considering three fins that are formed side-by-side with a uniform gate pitch for all three, a portion of the middle fin may be removed, thereby cutting the middle fin into two active fins. The amount of the middle fin removed in such a situation corresponds approximately to the gate length of a "dummy" gate structure that will be formed in and above the area of the removed portion of the middle fin. Such a configuration is sometimes referred to as a Single Diffusion Break (SDB), since the isolation material that will be formed where the portion of the middle fin is removed is the only means of preventing undesirable current flow between the two active fins that abut the SDB isolation structure.
One prior art fin removal process that is typically referred to as "Fins-cut-First," will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B-1J. FIG. 1B depicts the device 10 after several process operations were performed. First, an etching process was performed through a patterned masking layer (not shown) so as to define the trenches 14 in the substrate 12 that define the fins 16. Then, a layer of insulating material 24, such as silicon dioxide, was formed so as to overfill the trenches 14. Thereafter, one or more chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes, mixed with one or more wet clean processes, were performed to planarize the upper surface of the insulating material 24 such that the process(es) stops on the top of the fins 16. Performing such operations results in the removal of the patterned hard mask and exposing the upper surface of the fins 16.
FIGS. 1C and 1D depict the device 10 after a patterned mask layer 26, e.g., a patterned photoresist mask, was formed above device 10. The patterned mask layer 26 has a plurality of openings 26A, each of which exposes a portion of the axial length of fins 16 that will be removed, i.e., the dimension 16AL, to form SDB isolation regions. The axial length 16AL of the fins 16 that are removed is normally kept as small as possible so as not to unnecessarily consume valuable plot space on the substrate 12 and it will normally be approximately equal to the gate length of a gate structure that will be formed above the area where the exposed portions of the fins are removed.
FIG. 1E depicts the device 10 after a timed etching process was performed through the patterned etch mask 26 to remove the exposed fins 16 and thereby define cavities 17 in the area formerly occupied by the removed fin portions. Typically, substantially the entire vertical height of the exposed fins is removed.
FIG. 1F depicts the device 10 after several process operations were performed. First, the patterned etch mask 26 was removed. Then, another layer of insulating material 19 was deposited so as to overfill the cavities 17. A CMP process was then performed to remove excess amounts of the insulating material 19 positioned outside of the fin cavities 17. In the drawings, the material 19 is provided with a different shading just to make clear that it is formed at a different point in time than the insulating material 24. In practice, the materials 24 and 19 are typically made of the same material, e.g., silicon dioxide.
FIG. 1G depicts the device 10 after a so-called "fin-reveal" etch-back process was performed to recess the layers of insulating material 19, 24 between the fins 16 and thereby expose the upper portions of the fins 16, which corresponds to the final fin height of the fins 16.
An alternative method to achieve the prior art device 10 depicted in FIG. 1G is to apply a two-times lithography technique on the etch mask 26 that, when combined with a corresponding etch process, opens the trench area and SDB isolation regions in the etch mask, respectively. Then, an etching process may be performed to form the shallow trenches and the SDB open areas between fins in the substrate 12. After overfilling the trenches 14 in FIG. 1A and the SDB open areas 17 in FIG. 1E with insulating material, such as silicon dioxide, one or more CMP processes, or wet clean processes, may be performed to remove the silicon dioxide above the mask layer 26, so as to finally obtain the substantially planar surface depicted in FIG. 1F. As shown, the top surface of the fin 16 is exposed such that it is approximately level with the upper surface of the insulating layer 24. Ultimately, the device 10 depicted in FIG. 1G may be obtained by performing a so called "fin-reveal" recess etch-back process, where the SDB isolation structures 19 and the insulating material 24 were recessed to approximately the same height level.
FIGS. 1H-1J depict the device after an illustrative dummy gate structure 30 was formed above the fins 16. In general, the gate structure 30 is comprised of a gate insulation layer 30A and a gate electrode 30B. The gate structure 30 may be made using either so-called gate-first manufacturing techniques or so-called replacement gate manufacturing techniques. Also depicted are an illustrative gate cap layer 32 and sidewall spacers 34. The dashed-circled regions 25 in FIG. 1H depict the locations where the portion of the fins was removed. As depicted for the middle region 25, the removal of the portion of the fin separates the fin 16 into a first active fin 16X and a second active fin 16Y. The dummy gate structure 30 is a "dummy" relative to the active fins 16X, 16Y in the sense that it is not the gate structure that controls the operation of either of the fins 16X, 16Y. The gate structures that control the operation of the devices that include the fins 16X, 16Y are not depicted in FIG. 1H. However, the gate structure 30 may be an operational gate structure for the fins 16 that have remaining portions positioned under the gate structure 30, as depicted by the dashed lines. FIG. 1J is a cross-sectional view that is taken through the long-axis of the fins 16X, 16Y. As depicted, given the relatively short height of the isolation region 19, due to it being formed after the fin cut process was performed and commonly recessed along with the layer of insulating material 24, there is a relatively short path 36 where undesirable diffusion may occur between the fins 16X and 16Y during operations.
One prior art technique that has been employed in an attempt to increase the height of the isolation material under the dummy gate structure 30 between the fins 16X, 16Y is simplistically depicted in FIG. 1K. As shown therein, this prior art method involved forming additional insulating material 40 in the area where the dummy gate structure 30 will be formed. However, this prior art method involved the use of a separate masking layer that permitted formation of the additional isolation material 40 selectively only in regions where such SDB situations were present. As is well known in the art, each additional masking layer that is required when forming an integrated circuit product results in increased manufacturing costs and time, both of which are undesirable.
The present disclosure is directed to various examples of an integrated circuit product comprised of FinFET devices with single diffusion break isolation structures, and various methods of making such products, that may solve or reduce one or more of the problems identified above.

Product comprised of FinFET devices with single diffusion break isolation structures, and methods of making such a product


Kits, apparatus, assemblies, and methods for mounting sighting devices are disclosed. A sighting device includes a base for coupling the sighting device to an object at a first interface, a mounting element connected to the base at a second interface, and a sighting element connected to the mounting element. A channel disposed in the bottom of the base is aligned with a channel disposed in the surface of the object and a channel insert is secured within both channels to securely couple the sighting device to the object. The secure coupling can resist movement of the sighting device relative to the object in at least one direction. The sighting element has a non-opaque body displaying a reticle. An illuminating element backlights the reticle from a first vantage point. The device optionally includes an opaque mounting body and a magnifying optic aligned with the sighting element in an open sight configuration.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to sighting devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to sighting devices making use of an optical element. More particularly still, sighting devices of the present disclosure may include a partial or incomplete optical element and be used to sight any number of different objects or in a diverse set of applications.
2. Relevant Technology
A variety of different types of gun sights have been widely used. Such sights have included, for instance, open sights, aperture sights, scopes, red dot sights, and laser sights. A common type of open sight is a post-and-notch type sight. Such an open sight may, for instance, include a post that projects upwardly a small distance near the distal end of a gun barrel. To make use of the open sight, the post may be aligned with a notch near the proximal end of the gun. The aligned post and notch can then be placed on or pointed at the target in the field of view.
Aperture sights are available in various varieties. One common aperture sight is a peep sight, and is particularly common on rifles. In its basic form, a peep sight generally includes two openings or holes. One opening is typically mounted near the proximal end of the rifle, and the other opening is mounted towards the distal end of the rifle. The shooter may then make use of the peep sight by aligning the two apertures so as to sight through them at the target. In some cases, an aperture sight may also include a post or blade near the distal end of the gun barrel, and the post or blade may be aligned in the aperture at the proximal end of the gun.
Unlike open sights or aperture sights, a scope makes use of magnification to magnify the target, whereas open sights and aperture sights typically do not magnify the target. Scopes are available in a wide variety of forms, and may include different features for magnification, focus, day/night use, and the like.
In a basic form, a scope makes use of an ocular lens and an objective lens. The objective lens is positioned near the distal end of the gun and controls the amount of light that can be transmitted to the ocular lens. The ocular lens is located nearer the proximal end of the gun, and is the eyepiece through which the user will look through the scope. The scope operates in essentially the same manner as a telescope, and as light passes through the objective ends it will focus on a point inside the scope. The ocular lens magnifies the light from a focal point. In viewing the image through the scope, the light is shown as an image. The scope also typically includes a crosshair reticle that can be aligned on the reflected, magnified image.
Red dot sights and laser sights are also available, and are most common in connection with governmental and military firearms. A red dot sight projects an image of the target, along with a red or other colored dot on top of the projected image. The red dot can then be aligned on a particular location of the projected image to aim the firearm. The red dot on the image is maintained within the housing of the sight, and is not projected outside the end of the sight. In contrast, a laser sight will project one or more laser beams towards a target. The red or other colored laser beam will illuminate the targeted location.
The above discussion relates generally to sights for firearms, but sights may also be used in other applications. For instance, sights may be used in archery or other firearms, or with transits, theodolites, or other types of equipment. In traditional archery bow sights, for instance, multiple aiming points may be mounted to the bow handle. A peephole or other aperture may be mounted on the bowstring. To sight the target, the archer may align the desired aiming point with the target and the peephole.
Regardless of the type of sight that has previously been employed, each sight offers various benefits and drawbacks. Open and aperture sights, for instance, are inexpensive and generally lightweight. Open and aperture sights can also resist, to some degree, undesirable movement or misalignment. While such sights are often suitable for targets at a short distance, existing open and aperture sights are widely considered to lack accuracy at large distances. In addition, precision and/or consistency are often a problem with open and aperture sights, especially for inexperienced shooters, as alignment of proximal and distal sighting elements is required in each instance. Furthermore, such sights often lack a quality illuminating features. For instance, while open sights may use a "glow-in-the-dark" paint dot on one or more of the post or notch tips, such illumination does not solve the drawbacks of such sights, and aperture sights do not typically include an illuminating feature.
Increased accuracy, precision, and/or consistency can, however, be accommodated with a laser sight, red dot sight, or scope. Such accuracy comes at a significant cost, however, as the sights can be very expensive. For instance, sights having an ocular lens and an objective lens can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. In addition to being expensive, sights having increased accuracy (e.g., as compared to open or aperture sights) may also be heavy, use an external power source, or be highly sensitive to lighting conditions. For instance, red dot and laser sights require are often battery-powered, which can be inconvenient and difficult to change, especially in a unexpected shooting situation.
Closed sights, such as red dot sights or scopes, also require a shooter to view the target through an artificial viewing frame of reference. Accordingly, a shooter cannot simultaneously view the surrounding/peripheral environment while looking through the closed lens sight. Such loss of peripheral vision during shooting with a closed sight can be dangerous and can even reduce accuracy, precision, and/or consistency of shot. Furthermore, closed sights can often be laborious to mount and/or may easily become misaligned (e.g., as the gun is shot and/or as the scope is impacted).
Accordingly, what is desired is a sighting device that is lightweight, relatively cost-effective, accurate at small or large distances, effectively illuminated, and/or easily mountable and/or securable to the gun so as to avoid undesirable movement or misalignment.


The present invention relates to a produce container which includes lid and a receptacle associated with the lid. The receptacle has four wall portions and a base. Each wall portion is connected to the base by a transition portion with one or more elongate apertures. The or each elongate aperture is configured and orientated such that its length is parallel to a longitudinal length of the transition portion in which the or each aperture is located.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to packaging containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a produce container with ventilation apertures.
Description of Related Art
There is a need for produce growers and traders to use produce containers, to transport fresh produce from farms to distributors or wholesalers who would then on-sell the produce to retailers for selling to the general public. Typically, the produce is packed in a large number of containers arranged in stacks which are fitted into a plastic tray for transportation.
It is generally desired in the produce packaging industry to provide a container which allows the produce to be aerated before consumption in order to prevent any premature deterioration of the produce within the container.
It is commonplace to provide apertures in produce containers so as to facilitate ventilation. Existing apertures, such as those shown in Australian innovation patent number 2010100641, however have the disadvantage in that they can easily cause damage to the produce which unavoidably rubs against them during transportation. Also, as shown in the drawings of Australian innovation patent number 2010100641, the apertures are typically provided along a portion joining the side wall and floor of a produce container. Such apertures are so configured and orientated that they have the disadvantage of somewhat weakening the integrity of the portion joining the wall and floor of a container.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a produce container which may overcome or ameliorate the above shortcomings, or which will at least provide a useful alternative.

Produce container with ventilation apertures


A liquid crystal device comprising a pair of substrates each having an electrode layer at least one of which is transparent, one or both of said substrates having formed thereon a network layer having a three-dimensional network structure which comprises a transparent solid substance, or one of said substrates having formed thereon said network layer with the other substrate having formed thereon an alignment layer, said pair of substrates being assembled in such a manner that said network layer of one substrate faces to the other network layer or the other substrate with or without an alignment layer in contact or with a small gap therebetween, and a liquid crystal material filled between said pair of substrates.

Liquid crystal devices for practical use include TN (twisted nematic) or STN (super-twisted nematic) mode displays using nematic liquid crystals. Those utilizing ferroelectric liquid crystals have also been proposed.
These conventional devices require a polarizer and are therefore limited in brightness of the display.
It is known that use of a polymer film having dispersed therein microencapsulated liquid crystals makes it possible to produce large-sized and still inexpensive and high-contrast liquid crystal devices requiring neither a polarizer nor an alignment layer. Encapsulating materials proposed to date include gelatin, gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol, etc. as disclosed in JP-W-58-501631 (the term "JP-W" as used herein means an "unexamined published International patent application") and as U.S. Pat. No 4,435,047 proposed. Such polymer-dispesed liquid crystal systems also include a dispersion of liquid crystals in an epoxy resin matrix (JP-W-61-502128), a film in which phase separation between liquid crystals and a polymer is fixed on exposure to light (JP-A-61-305528; the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"), a dispersion of liquid crystals in a special ultraviolet-curing polymer (JP-A-62-2231), and a process for filming a mixture of polyester, liquid crystals, and a solvent (JP-A-63-144321).
However, the liquid crystal devices obtained by the techniques disclosed in JP-W-58-501631, JP-W-61-502128, and JP-A-61-2231 need a high driving voltage of at least 25 V and, in most cases, from 50 to 200 V for obtaining sufficient transparency. Further, the contrast ratio achieved with the liquid crystal devices disclosed in JP-A-61-305528 and JP-A-1-62615 is 10 at the highest and, in most cases, 8 or less, which is below the level required for practical use.
In order to satisfy the above-described characteristics of liquid crystal devices which are important for practical use, i.e., low power driving properties, high contrast, and multiplex driving properties, JP-A-1-198725 discloses a liquid crystal device having such a structure that a liquid crystal material forms a continuous phase in which a polymer forms a three-dimensional network.
On the other hand, it has been proposed to control transmission and absorption of light in liquid crystal color displays by using a guest-host liquid crystal material comprising a dichroic dye having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more and a liquid crystal material having positive dielectric anisotropy as described in G. H. Heilmeir, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 13, p. 91 (1968). This technique has been practically applied to TN or STN mode nematic liquid crystal displays.
The dichroic dyes used in these color displays, though excellent in light and chemical stability, are limited to those having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more, the displays using them are negative displays, composed of a colorless pattern on a colored background, and are therefore poor in visual appreciation. Hence, many attempts to achieve positive displays have hitherto been made. Such attempts include a method of using a liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy and an alignment layer for vertical (homeotropic) alignment of the liquid cystal molecules as disclosed in IEEE Trans. Elect. Dev., ED-26, p. 1373 (1979); a method of using a tetrazine type dichroic dye having a negative dichroic ratio (the dichroic dye was not put into practical use due to its chemical instability) as disclosed in Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. Lett., Vol. 56, p. 115 (1979); and a method utilizing a special technique for obtaining parallel (homogeneous) alignment in the display portion and homeotropic alignment in the non-display portion, i.e., the background, as disclosed in Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., Vol. 74, p. 227 (1981).
However, because any of the devices obtained by these methods still requires a polarizer, capability of obtaining a bright image area was limited as discussed above. In particular, when the device is applied to high-density projection displays, strong back light enough to compensate for a reduction in opening ratio is needed, leading to an increased cost. In addition, a special technique for liquid crystal alignment is required, resulting in a reduction in yield of production of displays.
In connection to the above-described light scattering type liquid crystal color displays as disclosed in JP-W-58-501631, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,047, JP-W-61-502128, JP-A-61-305528, JP-A-62-2231, and JP-A-63-144321, there have been proposed a display system in which a non-dichroic dye is added to a polymer layer, and a dichroic dye having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more is added to an encapsulated liquid crystal, or dichroic dyes differing in color tone are added to the respective light controlling liquid crystal layers to form a double-layered structure as disclosed in SID' 86 Digest, p. 126 (1986); a display system in which a light controlling layer comprising a liquid crystal layer containing a dichroic dye having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more and a colored light-transmitting film are laminated as disclosed in SID' 90 Digest, p. 210 (1990); and a display system in which a dichroic dye having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more is added to a liquid crystal material whose dielectric anisotropy changes from positive to negative depending on the driving frequency as disclosed in SID' 90 Digest, p. 128 (1990). All the devices obtained by these techniques, however, require a high driving voltage of at least 40 V and have poor steepness in responding as demanded for multiplex driving. Moreover, there is involved such complexity that matching of refractive index between a liquid crystal material and a transparent solid substance must be optimized or that a special liquid crystal material for two-frequency driving must be used.
In addition to the above-mentioned performance requirements, such as low power driving properties, high contrast, multiplexibility, and a bright image, the conventional liquid crystal devices have the following problems.
The devices reveal hysteresis in their electro-optical characteristics, that is, a difference between a transmittance at an increasing voltage and that at a decreasing voltage. As a result, the margin of multiplexing is reduced, giving rise to a problem in making a display with grey scale level. Further, resistivity of liquid crystal devices is reduced by the influences of light, heat, etc. during production of the devices, leading to an increase in power consumption, a reduction in life, and flicker of the displayed image due to insufficient voltage holding ratio. Furthermore, in order to produce liquid crystal devices suited to conditions of use such as a driving voltage and a temperature range, it has been necessary to sufficiently examine optimum conditions of production so as to control compatibility between a liquid crystal material and a polymer, dispersibility or phase separation of a liquid crystal material in a polymer, etc. In other words, a liquid crystal material and a polymer to be combined should be properly selected so as to optimize the electro-optical properties.
Further, the above-mentioned devices using dichroic dyes having a dichroic ratio of 1 or more provide a negative display on voltage application, which comprises a colorless transparent pattern on a background which is colored by light scattering. That is, such devices cannot be applied to projection color displays. When the devices are applied to displays of direct view type, the image area is not distinguished from the background color, making it difficult to obtain a clear hue, and an extra means such as back light must therefore be added.
Furthermore, achievement of a useful positive display requires a choice of a special liquid crystal material and a special alignment technique.

Liquid crystal device employing polymer network on one substrate and alignment layer or polymer network on other substrate


A ring interface is coupled to a current node in a ring network having a plurality of nodes and corresponding ring interface for each of said nodes. The ring interface includes a ring input port operative to conduct upstream message packets from a previous node to the ring interface, a ring output port operative to conduct message packets to a next node of the ring network, and a bypass queue operative to buffer message packets. A receive queue buffers message packets before passing them on to the current node. An address filter is coupled to the ring input port to receive the upstream message packets, read their destination addresses and pass them to the bypass queue if the addresses correspond to another node and pass them to the receive queue if their addresses are that of the current node. A transmit queue buffers message packets from the current node and a bypass-transmit queue arbiter is coupled to outputs of the bypass queue and the transmit queue and is operative to select message packets from one of the bypass queue and the transmit queue in accordance with predetermined selection criterion and transmits the selected message packets to the ring output port.

The present invention relates to a ring interface and network flow control system for passing message packets between source and destination pairs in the ring.
Modern computer communications networks, particularly ethernet systems, employ multiple access communications methods to share their communications resources. A multiple-access communications channel is a network system whose communications media are shared among distributed stations (terminals, computers). Different classes of computer communications networks, include wired and wireless local and metropolitan area networks, satellite communications networks, and local area optical communications networks. The various topologies for shared-medium communications networks include star, bus, ring, mesh and broadcast radio, crossbar, trees, hypercubes and hypercycles. These network topologies have been proposed in the past for designing parallel computers and computer communication networks. A given topology or structure has nodes connected by point-to-point links which form a static interconnection network. One such structure is the ring structure shown in FIG. 1. In this structure stations or nodes 11 are connected by point-to-point links in, typically, a closed-loop bus 13. In the physical ring implementation, each station 11 connects to the ring through an active ring interface 15 so that transmissions across the ring pass through and are delayed in the register of the ring interface units 15 they traverse. The architectural features of an interconnection network play a major role in its performance. Some of these desirable features include a small number of ports incident on each node, i.e., a low degree, a smaller average distance for lower network latency, fault-tolerance, scalability and reduced cost of implementation.
A scalable coherent interface (SCI) uses a ring based topology with point-to-point unidirectional links that use a packet based communication protocol for sharing message packets between source-destination nodes. The SCI uses a flow control method to prevent node starvation and reduce the ability of the nodes to unfairly consume ring bandwidth. However, the implementation of this algorithm is not very robust and the method suffers from low utilization.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved interface architecture with accompanying packet based communication protocol that permits transmission of data from each node of a network under all network conditions.
According to the invention there is provided a ring interface coupled to a current node in a ring network having a plurality of nodes and corresponding ring interface for each of said nodes. The ring interface includes a ring input port operative to conduct upstream message packets from a previous node to the ring interface, a ring output port operative to conduct message packets to a next node of the ring network, and a bypass queue operative to buffer message packets. A receive queue buffers message packets before passing them on to the current node. An address filter is coupled to the ring input port to receive the upstream message packets, read their destination addresses and pass them to the bypass queue if the addresses correspond to another node and pass them to the receive queue if their addresses are that of the current node. A transmit queue buffers message packets from the current node and a bypass-transmit queue arbiter is coupled to outputs of the bypass queue and the transmit queue and is operative to select message packets from one of the bypass queue and the transmit queue in accordance with predetermined selection criterion and transmits the selected message packets to the ring output port.
The output arbiter may give the bypass queue a 100% priority over the transmit queue for selecting and passing message packets on to the ring output port.
The transmit queue may back-pressure the current node to stop injecting new message packets if the transmit queue is full.
The address filter may discard a message packet if an address of a source address of the message packet is the current node.
In another aspect of the invention there is provided a ring network having a ring bus interconnecting a plurality of nodes including a ring interface positioned between each node and the ring bus. The ring interface includes coupled to a current node in a ring network having a plurality of nodes and corresponding ring interface for each of said nodes. The ring interface includes a ring input port operative to conduct upstream message packets from a previous node to the ring interface, a ring output port operative to conduct message packets to a next node of the ring network, and a bypass queue operative to buffer message packets. A receive queue buffers message packets before passing them on to the current node. An address filter is coupled to the ring input port to receive the upstream message packets, read their destination addresses and pass them to the bypass queue if the addresses correspond to another node and pass them to the receive queue if their addresses are that of the current node. A transmit queue buffers message packets from the current node and a bypass-transmit queue arbiter is coupled to outputs of the bypass queue and the transmit queue and is operative to select message packets from one of the bypass queue and the transmit queue in accordance with predetermined selection criterion and transmits the selected message packets to the ring output port.
The ring interface may include a Flow_Control_State_Manipulator coupled to the ring input, the Flow_Control_State_Manipulator being operative to determine a current flow control state of the ring network and to communicate to the bypass-transmit queue arbiter a status of the current flow control state of the ring network.
The message packets may preferably be encoded using 8B/10B code for encoding data and control characters. The data and control characters may be in the form of binary-coded symbols with a delimiter signal being used to distinguish between the data and control characters. The delimiter signal may be a BUSY or IDLE control character which precedes and terminates every message. An odd number of characters may be inserted between every pair of the BUSY or IDLE characters.
A FILL character may be appended to a message before a terminating BUSY or IDLE character in the event there are an even number of characters in the message. An IDLE state on said ring network may be indicated by a repeated sequence of IDLE or BUSY and FILL characters. The FILL characters may include a FILLN character and a FILLP character, the FILLN character being inserted when a running disparity computed over all of characters that have been transmitted previously on a given link joining two nodes at an end of a previous transmission is negative and the FILLP character being inserted when a running disparity computed over all of characters that have been transmitted previously on a given link joining two nodes at an end of a previous transmission is positive. The term xe2x80x9cdisparityxe2x80x9d refers to the number of xe2x80x9c1""sxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c0""sxe2x80x9d in the stream of data.

Ring interface and ring network bus flow control system


A content processing device is provided. Media content is selectively provided to the content processing device. A profile is used to determine the media content. A software application is included on the content processing device and is configured to receive a message from a remote computer, receive user inputs in response to the message, and update the profile based on the user inputs.

Media providers such as broadband, satellite, and cable companies provide access to many media channels. Users generally are able to control access to such channels through a content processing device such as a set top box (STB) that allows users to select channels for viewing. Further, access to media channels may be controlled by mechanisms such as user profiles that are downloaded to a content processing device when a particular user is identified. For example, an STB may transmit an identifier to a remote server to obtain a profile used to determine programming channels that may be made available through the STB. To take another example, a child may be required to enter a user identifier or the like using a remote control associated with an STB. This user identifier may then be associated with a user profile that specifies particular media channels that the child may access, and/or times when the child may access these media channels. However, establishing and modifying a profile that governs a user's access to media channels generally requires direct access to the STB, e.g., accessing a menu or the like that is provided by the STB and displayed on a media playback device such as a television, and providing input to establish or modify the profile. Users presently lack mechanisms for remotely modifying their own or other users' profiles that govern access to media channels.
Further, users responsible for profiles of other users presently lack mechanisms for allowing such profiles to be modified in response to conditions or events that may arise. For example, a parent may wish to allow a child's profile to be modified if the child satisfies certain conditions such as performing chores. However, at present, a user profile governing access to media channels can generally only be modified by accessing an STB and providing manual inputs, as described above.

Messaging with instructions for media playback


An implantable device for analyzing a high frequency (HF) electrogram signal including an implantable electrode, a signal pickup configured to pick up an electrogram signal including a HF component, a signal filter connected to the signal pickup and configured to measure a HF component from the signal only during a specific portion of a cardiac cycle, and an analyzer for analyzing the HF component, wherein the signal pickup, the signal filter and the analyzer are included within an implantable container, and the analyzer is configured to analyze at least one time-varying parameter of the HF component, and the signal filter is configured to measure the signal by using a signal picked up from at least one electrode selected from a group consisting of (a) intracardiac, (b) subcutaneous, (c) a can of the implanted device, (d) a combination of two of the above. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to an apparatus and method for detecting myocardial ischemia using analysis of high frequency components of an electrocardiogram and/or of a cardiac electrogram, and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to an implantable such apparatus and method.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is used to measure rate and regularity of heartbeats, as well as a size and position of heart chambers, presence of damage to the heart, and effects of drugs or devices used to regulate the heart.
Usually two or more electrodes are used for electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement. The electrodes can be combined into a number of pairs. Output from a pair of electrodes is known as a lead.
An ECG is a common way to measure and diagnose abnormalities in electrical activity of the cardiac muscle and abnormal rhythms of the heart, particularly abnormalities caused by damage to conductive tissue that carries electrical signals, or abnormal rhythms caused by electrolyte imbalances. In a condition of myocardial infarction (MI), the ECG can identify if the heart muscle has been damaged and sometime also indicate the location of damage, though not all areas of the heart are covered.
A typical ECG device detects and amplifies tiny electrical changes on a subject's skin which are caused when a heart muscle depolarizes and subsequently repolarizes during each heartbeat. At rest, each cardiac muscle cell is negatively charged, causing a membrane potential across its cell membrane. A cell's activation phase commences with depolarization, initiated by an influx of positive cations, Na+ and Ca++, and decreasing the absolute value of the negative charge towards zero. The depolarization activates mechanical mechanisms in the cardiac muscle cell which causes contraction in the cardiac muscle. During each heart cycle, a healthy heart has an orderly progression as a wave of depolarization which is triggered by cells in the sinoatrial node spreads out through the atrium, then passes through the atrioventricular node and finally spreads over the ventricles. The progression is detected as waveforms in the recorded potential difference (or voltage) between electrodes placed on either side of the heart and may be displayed as a graph either on screen or on paper. The produced signal reflects the electrical activity of the heart, and different leads express more clearly different parts of the heart muscle.
A typical ECG trace of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) consists of a P wave, a QRS complex, a T wave, and a U wave which is normally visible in 50% to 75% of ECG traces. A baseline voltage of the electrocardiogram is known as the isoelectric line. Typically, the isoelectric line is measured as the portion of the ECG trace following the T wave and preceding the next P wave.
A standard ECG traces usually filters out high frequency (HF) components, typically above 100 Hz. In some commercial implementations, lower thresholds such as 75 Hz or even 50 Hz are used for the low-pass filtering process. In general, the noise level is such that high frequency components, above 150 Hz, which are typically measured in micro-volts, are not reliably isolated from a single ECG trace and identified or measured. In order to measure and process high frequency components, one typically needs to use signal-to-noise enhancement schemes such as filtering and averaging.
An article by George B. Moody, Roger G. Mark, Andrea Zoccola and Sara Mantero titled "Derivation of Respiratory Signals from Multi-lead ECGs", published in Computers in Cardiology 1985, vol. 12, pp. 113-116, Washington, D.C.: IEEE Computer Society Press, describes a signal-processing technique which derives respiratory waveforms from ordinary ECGs, permitting detection of respiratory efforts.
Additional background art includes:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,706,201 to Beker et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,626,275 to Amit et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,538,510 to Toledo et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,539,535 to Schlegel et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,283 to Ginzburg et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,340 to Schlegel et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,239,988 to Hasson et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,151,957 to Beker et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,820 to Schlegel et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,949 to Turcott.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,526 to Stadler et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,664 to Seegobin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,540 to Seegobin et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,877 to Nolan el al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,020 to Hutson.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,833 to Albert et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,504 to Albert et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,459 to Simpson.
U.S. Patent Publication number 2005/0177049 to Hardahl et al.
U.S. Patent Publication number 2006/0074451 to Chen et al.
PCT Patent Application Publication WO 2005/104937.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the present specification, as well as the disclosures of all references mentioned in those references, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Detection and monitoring using high frequency electrogram analysis


Methods and apparatus include an expandable packer having a tubing expanded to create a seal in an annulus surrounding the tubing. The tubing includes a non-uniform outer surface configured to cause formation of undulations in a diameter of the tubing upon expansion of the tubing. A plurality of expandable packers may be connected to a tubular string to isolate multiple zones in a wellbore. A production tubular equipped with multiple expandable packers may be installed in the tubular string. The expandable packers may also include non-uniform outer surfaces configured to form undulations upon expansion. The combination of tubular string and production tubular may be used in an enhanced oil recovery application such as injecting steam into a formation to enhance production.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to expandable tubing assemblies and expanding such assemblies to seal a surrounding annulus.
Description of the Related Art
Drilling a bore into the earth enables access to hydrocarbons in subsurface formations. The process of drilling a borehole and of subsequently completing the borehole in order to form a wellbore requires the use of various tubular strings. Methods and apparatus utilized in the oil and gas industry enable placing tubular strings in a borehole and then expanding the circumference of the strings in order increase a fluid path through the tubing and in some cases to line the walls of the borehole. Some of the advantages of expanding tubing in a borehole include relative ease and lower expense of handling smaller diameter tubing and ability to mitigate or eliminate formation of a restriction caused by the tubing.
Many applications require creating a seal around one of the tubular strings in the wellbore such that fluid flow through a surrounding annulus is blocked. Various types of conventional packers exist that may be set for this purpose without expanding an inside diameter of the tubing. Further, expandable tubing may include a band of elastomeric material disposed on its outer surface to facilitate sealing. However, these bands produce sealing that is localized only at the band and often unreliable due to spring back effect resulting in low seal pressure being achieved.
Therefore, there exists a need for apparatus and methods to improve sealing around tubing that has been expanded.


A tire prepared by using a rubber composition compounded with a modified conjugated diene base polymer obtained by reacting an active site of a conjugated diene base polymer with a hydrocarbyloxysilane compound which may have a functional group to introduce a functional group having high affinity with precipitated silica and precipitated silica in which a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-adsorbing specific surface area (CTAB) (m2/g) and the mode Aac in diameters (nm) of primary aggregates determined by acoustic measurement of particle size distribution satisfy equation (A) shown below:Aac≧−0.76×(CTAB)+274  (A).

In recent years, requirement for low fuel consumption is becoming severer in connection with a movement of global emission control of carbon dioxide which follows social requirement for energy saving and a rise in concern about environmental problems. In order to meet the above requirement, tires which are reduced in rolling resistance and have a low heat build-up as a tire performance have come to be demanded. While a method for optimizing a tire structure has so far been studied as a method for reducing rolling resistance of a tire, it is carried out as the most usual method to use a material exhibiting a lower heat build-up as a rubber composition.
It has so far been carried out as a method for obtaining the above rubber composition having a low heat build-up to improve reinforcing fillers and rubber components.
Carbon black has so far been used as a reinforcing filler for rubber. This is because carbon black can provide rubber compositions with high abrasion resistance. When a low heat build-up is to be achieved by using carbon black alone, it is considered that a compounding amount of carbon black is reduced or that carbon black having a large particle diameter is used, but in both cases, it is known that abrasion resistance and grip on a wet road are not prevented from being reduced. On the other hand, it is known to use silica as a filler in order to enhance a low heat build-up (for example, patent documents 1 to 4). However, particles of silica tend to be aggregated by virtue of a hydrogen bond of a silanol group which is a surface functional group of silica, and silica is inferior in wettability with rubber molecules, so that dispersion of silica into rubber is not good. The kneading time has to be extended in order to improve the above problem. Also, if silica is insufficiently dispersed into rubber, a rubber composition is elevated in a Mooney viscosity and inferior in processability such as extrusion. Further, since a surface of a silica particle is acidic, silica adsorbs a basic substance used as a vulcanization accelerator in vulcanizing a rubber composition to prevent the rubber composition from being sufficiently vulcanized, so that the defect that the elastic modulus is not enhanced has been involved therein.
A silane coupling agent has been developed in order to improve the above defects, but dispersion of silica has not yet reached a sufficiently high level, and particularly it has been difficult to obtain industrially good dispersion of silica particles. Accordingly, it is tried to mix silica treated a surface thereof with a hydrophobicity-providing agent to accelerate reaction of a silane coupling agent (patent document 5).
Further, it is disclosed in a patent document 6 to use hydrophobic precipitated silica. However, since precipitated silica subjected to complete hydrophobicity treatment is used, surface silanol groups to react with a silane coupling agent disappear, and therefore the defect that rubber is not sufficiently reinforced has been involved therein. Further, silica having an increased particle diameter is used in order to improve a low heat build-up, but in that case, silica is reduced in a specific surface area by increasing a particle diameter to deteriorate a reinforcing property thereof. It is disclosed in patent document 7 to use silica having a specific form, but a low heat build-up and abrasion resistance of the rubber composition are not sufficiently high.
On the other hand, many modified rubbers interacting with fillers such as silica, carbon black have been developed as methods for improving rubber components. Among them, particularly a method in which a polymerization-active end of a conjugated diene base polymer obtained by anionic polymerization using an organolithium compound is modified with an alkoxysilane derivative having a functional group interacting with fillers is proposed as the effective method (for example, patent documents 8 and 9).
However, many of them are applied to polymers in which a living property of a polymer end can readily be secured, and methods in which a modification effect in a rubber composition compounded with silica and carbon black is sufficiently exerted are not necessarily obtained. Also, in many of conventional modifying methods, principal chains can not sufficiently be provided with branches, and therefore they have involved therein the problems that cold flow is a large obstacle when they are put into actual use and that when partial coupling is carried out in order to deal with the obstacle, the modification effect is inevitably reduced.
Accordingly, a method in which a condensation accelerating agent is added to a reaction system in order to further enhance a modification effect in modifying an active end of a conjugated diene base polymer with an alkoxysilane is proposed (for example, patent document 10). In the rubber composition, a low loss effect thereof to silica base fillers is enhanced to a large extent, but the low loss effect to carbon black is not necessarily satisfactory.

Tire prepared by using rubber composition containing modified polymer


The invention is directed to a method for alleviating respiratory depression in a subject as a result of disease of pharmacological agents such as opiates, opioids or barbiturates. The invention also discloses pharmaceutical compositions for use with the method, the composition containing in combination, an analgesic, anaesthetic, or a sedative and a positive allosteric AMPA receptor modulator in an amount sufficient to reduce or inhibit respiratory depression caused by the analgesic, anaesthetic, or sedative.

There is a concerted effort by medical research toward understanding the neurochemical control of respiratory rhythm generating networks as well as the premotor and motoneuron circuits that determine activity patterns of respiratory muscles. Insights derived from experimental work are important for developing pharmacological interventions to alleviate respiratory depression in a variety of medical conditions. In this regard, a specific region within the ventrolateral medulla, the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) is a major region of investigative focus as playing a critical role in generating rhythmic inspiratory drive (reviewed in Feldman et al. (2006) Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 7(3):232-241).
Within the preBötC, glutamatergic synaptic signaling mediated by non-NMDA receptors (primarily α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors) is particularly important for maintaining respiratory rhythm. See, Greer J. J., et al. (1991)J. Physiol. 437:727-749; Funk, G. D., et al. (1993)J. Neurophysiol. 70(4):1497-1515. Block of non-NMDA receptors with the antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) causes a dose-dependent decline, and eventual cessation, of respiratory frequency and inspiratory drive to cranial and spinal motoneurons. Elevation of endogenously released glutamate levels with glutarnatergic uptake inhibitors (Funk, G. D., et al. (1993)) or reduction of AMPA receptor desensitization (see, Funk, G. D., et al. (1995) J. Neurosci. 15:4046-4056) leads to increases in respiratory frequency in vitro.
Opiates have long been known to disrupt respiratory rhythm and to depress breathing and respiratory sensitivity to CO2 (reviewed in Shook et al., (1990) Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 142(4):895-909). The pons and medulla are known to be the primary sites where opiate drugs produce these respiratory effects (Id.). Endogenous opioids as well as μ- and δ-subtypes of opioid receptors are present in essentially all respiratory regions of the pons and medulla (Yeadon and Kitchen, (1989) Prog Neurobiol. 33(1):1-16). In vivo and in vitro investigations have shown that exogenous opioids depress inspiratory and expiratory neuronal activity postsynaptically (Denavit-Saubie', Champagnat and Zieglgansberger, (1978) Brain Res. 155(1):55-67.) as well as presynaptically (Johnson, Smith and Feldman, (1996) J. Appl. Physiol. 80(6):2120-33). The underlying cellular mechanisms responsible for the opiate effects on respiration have not, however, been elucidated.
Opiate agents are widely used in medicine. Because they depress breathing, however, their use is contraindicated in many instances, especially in patients with compromised cardiovascular and pulmonary function. Thus, there has been a long-felt need to harness the analgesic power of the opiates and opioids, without depressing the respiratory function of the patient.
The present invention addresses this and other needs by disclosing that positive allosteric AMPA receptor modulators provide a novel pharmacological means of countering respiratory depression. The present invention demonstrates that a positive allosteric AMPA receptor modulator, which can potentiate AMPA receptor-mediated currents (Nagarajan, N., et al. (2001) Neuropharmacol. 41:650-663) is an effective means of countering respiratory depression.

Method of inhibition of respiratory depression using positive allosteric AMPA receptor modulators

The Governors of the University of Alberta


An automatic net wrap remover is shown and described. The automatic net wrap remover includes a housing constructed of a base and a plurality of sidewalls. The housing has an interior volume. The base supports a belt system that will support a round hay bale and help to rotate the bale. A spindle is attached to the top of one of the plurality of sidewalls that will engage the hay bale. A blade is attached adjacent to the spindle that will cut the net wrapping of the hay bale.

The present invention relates to aiding in farming. More particularly, the present invention provides a device to enable farmers to better use a round hay bale.
Hay bales have gotten larger and harder to handle. One form of hay bales is a round bale. These bales are usually 4 or 5 feet in diameter and 4 or 5 feet long. This creates a very heavy and hard to work with object. These bales are wrapped in a plastic netting to hold the strand of grass in the bale. It can be difficult to remove this netting to get to the hay.
First, if a farmer decides to remove the net wrap pieces he or she must enter and exit a tractor several times for each bale to remove the net wrap, which can be problematic in inclement weather. If the farmer decides not to remove the netting the problems can be even worse. The net wrapping can be discharged into feed rows and be consumed by cattle. If the hay is used in bedding for animals, the net wrapping can be mixed in with fecal matter of the animals. This can cause discomfort for animals and further could get mixed into manure.
If mixed into manure it will most likely be spread over a field. This can lead to the wrapping being caught up in bearings and tight places on farm equipment. This causes problems for farmers and other agricultural professionals. This netting if stuck in machinery can lead to lengthy repairs of the machinery. In addition, accumulation of net wrap on a drum of a bale processor can result in a longer grinding time required by the bale processor to complete a cycle. These problems can cause wear and tear on the bale processor and the tractor. Keeping the drum of the bale processor free of net wrap ensures accurate and efficient processing of each bale in a timely manner.
Consequently, there is a need for an improvement in the art of farming using large round hay bales. The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art while at the same time solves a problem many people face when unwrapping a round hay bale. In this regard the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.


A toner cartridge is described. The toner cartridge may include: a first frame storing a developing agent and having a first opening for passing the developing agent therethrough; a second frame relatively movable with respect to the first frame in a direction orthogonal to a direction of passage of the developing agent through the first opening, and opening/closing the first opening; and a seal member provided on either one of the first frame and the second frame for coming into contact with the other frame to prevent leakage of the developing agent from the first opening. A first edge of the seal member and an edge of the other frame, coming into contact with each other when the second frame opens/closes the first opening, intersect with each other as viewed from the direction of passage.

A toner cartridge provided on an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer for storing a developing agent is known in general.
For example, a double-structure toner box including a container body storing a toner and an outer casing receiving and pivotably supporting the container body is known as such a toner cartridge.
The container body is provided with a toner discharging port, and the outer casing is provided with an opening opposable to the toner discharging port. In this toner box, the toner can be discharged from the container body by pivoting the container body to oppose the discharging port and the opening to each other and open the discharging port. On the other hand, discharge of the toner from the discharging port can be regulated by pivoting the container body to shift the discharging port and the opening from each other and close the discharging port.
A seal member is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the container body, to surround the discharging port. This seal member is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer casing to block the clearance between the container body and the outer casing, thereby preventing leakage of a developing agent from the discharging port.
In this toner box, the seal member is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer casing. When the container body is pivoted for opening/closing the discharging port, therefore, the seal member may be caught by an edge of the opening provided on the outer casing and separated from the container body.
In this toner box, further, the seal member must be regularly in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer casing, in order to prevent leakage of the developing agent. If the container body is pivoted in this state, resistance is caused in the pivot of the container body due to friction between the seal member and the inner peripheral surface of the outer casing, and hence the operability related to opening/closing of the discharging port may be reduced.

Toner cartridge and developing apparatus


The present invention relates to an impact-resistant olefin polymer composition including a polypropylene matrix having a weight average molecular weight and an ethylene-containing polymer including an ethylene-propylene copolymer having a molecular weight higher than the weight average molecular weight of the polypropylene matrix, the composition containing about 20 to 35 percent xylene solubles, and the xylene solubles fraction of the composition containing less than about 39 weight percent ethylene units, based on the combined weight of olefin monomers in the copolymer. The present invention further relates to impact copolymer compositions with a melt flow rate greater than about 8 that meet or exceed all pallet testing requirements. The compositions have superior stiffness-impact balance performance and excellent gloss and are useful for a number of applications including, but not limited to pallets, water-storm chambers, automotive compounding, septic tanks, bins, pales, crates, totes and plastic containers.

In industrial applications such as the manufacture of polypropylene (PP) pallets, a highly demanding balance of stiffness (rigidity) and impact strength is required. For example, the pallet needs to respond in a ductile fashion (i.e., no brittle failures) when impacted by a heavy object, e.g., three orders of magnitude heavier than the pallet (sled) at a defined speed (referred to as the "sled impact test") so that the pallet can be reused. At the same time, no cracking (brittle failure) is acceptable, when the pallet is dropped from a relatively high height (e.g., 5-20 feet) on one of its corners (referred to as the "corner drop impact test"). In addition, the ICP composition needs to possess enhanced creep resistance, so that a pallet having a weight of e.g., about two orders of magnitude higher than the pallet weight layered on top of it for an extended period of time (e.g., 20-40 days) at a relatively high temperature (e.g., 40-50° C.) does not deflect above a certain strain level (e.g., deflection less than a certain pre-defined amount).
The latter may be referred to as a "pallet deflection test." Alternatively, pallet tests related conceptually to the tests noted above are described in ASTM D1185-98A. ASTM D1185-98A does not disclose specific values/requirements for creep deflection, as they can be application dependent.
In addition, the melt rheology of the material should be such that reduced cycle times and reduced injection pressures can be achieved during the injection molding process. Therefore, a higher melt flow rate (MFR) ICP is desired from a process performance viewpoint to reduce cycle time and increase productivity.
In order to meet such demanding product requirements, a proper molecular design of the ICP material is important. Typically, when the material has increased rigidity (e.g., passes the deflection test), it decreases in impact resistance (e.g., fails the drop impact and/or sled impact tests), since rigidity and impact strength normally work against each other. While a higher MFR material (i.e., one with a lower molecular weight) favors processability, it hurts the impact strength leading to brittle failures associated with the drop impact and/or sled impact tests. Therefore, designing the molecular architecture of a high MFR ICP that meets both rigidity and impact requirements is counterintuitive by nature.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,833 discloses reactor olefin polymer compositions comprising isotactic polypropylene as a continuous phase and an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) copolymer as a discontinuous phase having good paintability, and that are particularly attractive for use in the production of automotive trim and fascia. However, the disclosed EPR composition is C2(ethylene)-rich, comprising of 40-55% wt. C2. Such a composition may be detrimental for passing severe impact situations such as the sled impact test for the pallets (e.g., see comparative example IV in Tables 1 and 2, below). The compositions of the present invention are vastly different from these compositions, in that the rubber is C3(propylene)-rich (as approximated by the percent C2 in xylene soluble fraction (XS) of less than about 39%); this is an important element in combination with other molecular design characteristics in achieving optimum stiffness-impact balance, especially in the case of the pallet application and water-storm chambers.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,482,406 relates to a polypropylene impact copolymer-type composition, which requires a highly isotactic/crystalline matrix with percent mmmm (meso-pentads) homopolypropylene (HPP) xylene insolubles (XIS) greater than 98% to achieve good stiffness-impact balance. This is in contrast to the present invention, which preferably and surprisingly utilizes a less isotactic matrix (e.g., % mmmm XIS of about 96.4-97.8%) to achieve superior stiffness-impact balance performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,147 discloses an embrittlement-resistant polyolefin composition which is a blend of at least 80% by weight of a crystalline polymer, comprising either a propylene homopolymer or a random copolymer of propylene and either ethylene or C4-C10 1-olefins and less than 20% of an elastomeric copolymer. This is in contrast to the compositions of the present invention which contain at least 20% elastomeric component and are opaque (haze is typically greater than 70%).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,381 relates to compositions comprising a polypropylene homopolymer portion and an ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) portion interspersed therein. The reference states that reduced molecular weight (with low intrinsic viscosity) of the elastomer modifier adversely affects the impact strength of the thermoplastic olefin composition (column 3, lines 3-8), contrary to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,415 discloses propylene compositions comprising a propylene (PP) and a propylene-ethylene copolymer (RC) where the intrinsic viscosity ratio of the RC over that of the PP is in the range of 0.7 to 1.2. The composition of this invention comprises an intrinsic viscosity ratio of greater than 1.2. This reference also discloses the mathematical quantity defined as the product of the ratio of weight percent PP over weight percent RC times the ratio of the intrinsic viscosity of RC over the intrinsic viscosity of PP to be in the range 1-3; this quantity exceeds a value of 3 for the composition of this invention (Table 1). The compositions of U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,415 exhibit transparency, while the compositions of the present invention typically are opaque with haze values typically well above 70%.
Compositions of U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,078 are blends of olefin polymers, where one component is a high molecular weight branched polymer and the other component can comprise a heterophasic propylene-based polymer. Such compositions are suitable for producing high tenacity fibers and are unrelated to the making of molded articles with enhanced stiffness-impact balance, such as pallets and water-storm chambers. This is in contrast to the present invention, where no branched polymer is used as a blending component, with the polymer structure being substantially linear.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,943,215 relates to an impact-resistant polymer blend comprising (a) a crystalline polypropylene matrix having a weight average molecular weight, and (b) an at least partially crystalline copolymer impact modifier having a molecular weight lower than the weight average molecular weight of the crystalline polypropylene matrix, the impact modifier comprising propylene and ethylene and/or one or more unsaturated co-monomers, the modifier prepared using a non-metallocene, metal-centered, heteroaryl ligand catalyst. Such compositions are in contrast to the present invention wherein the weight average molecular weight of the EPR phase is higher than that of the HPP matrix, as reflected in the constraint Mw XS/Mw XIS of 1.05-1.5, as described below.
Increasing the MFR of the ICP resin to reduce injection molding process cycle time normally has a negative effect on the stiffness-impact balance of the material, causing it not to meet the final product requirements. Therefore, increasing the MFR typically sacrifices impact resistance, leading to undesirable brittle failures.
Conventional products for pallet applications are ICPs of less than about 7.5 MFR, suffering from high cycle time and high injection pressures that are detrimental for the injection molding tools from a mechanical point of view. Therefore, the low MFR ICPs (less than about 7.5) used in the prior art for pallet applications have a negative impact on cycle time and process efficiency, due to their high melt viscosity.

Polypropylene impact copolymer compositions


A tailgate ramp extends the tailgate with three hinged panels (13, 14, 15) able to fold out to a co-planar position whereat each hinge (51, 55) is braced by a system of struts (21, 26) and cables (22, 25) against opening past 180.degree.. The cables (22, 25) and struts (21, 26) are arranged to permit the outermost panel (15) to fold into between the other two (13, 14) to collapse into a pack against the inner face of the tailgate. The system of cables (21, 26) at each hinge (51, 55) can be passed around sheaves (29-32, 37-40) at each side of the ramp in a single length to balance loads on the ramp.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ramps and, in particular, to collapsible ramps capable of attaching to or folding into or onto the tailgate of a pickup truck.
(2) Prior Art
Various types of collapsible ramps are developed for use with motor vehicles and the like. It is known to provide ramps which can be collapsed down to a pack which is able to be attached to or nest within the volume of a pickup truck tailgate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,941, a lazy tong mechanism is used to enable a number of planks or panels to be collapsed into a pack at the rear of the vehicle for extension therefrom. The lazy tong structure is not readily adapted for load bearing and the collapsed pack it establishes has a substantial width. U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,144 is another lazy tong structure but this time mounted to the tailgate rather than to the vehicle floor as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,941. Again, this structure is not readily strengthened and it is not adapted for collapsing into a thin pack which does not add substantially to the volume of the tailgate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,673, a telescoped deck is extended out over a foldable support. Strength under load is achieved through the foldable support. Load bearing is essentially achieved by a simple beam which will bend under load unless considerable cross-sectional dimensions are used which adds to weight. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,546, the panels are hinged to one another to be folded into a pack which in its extended position extends legs to provide for load support. Good load support might be achieved this way but the ramp is only useful on level ground able to support the legs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,847 is shown a portable ramp comprised of hinged panels which are supported under load by a system of cables holding the panels at 180.degree. against further folding downwards with the load at the hinges. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,847 does not describe how a multiple hinged ramp would be strengthened this way and collapsed into a compact pack useful as a tailgate ramp.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,209 to Burton, there is described a two panel ramp (three if the tailgate panel is counted) with hinges enabling collapse into a vehicle tailgate. At one hinge, a system of struts equivalent to the cables of U.S. Pat. No. 4,61,847 provides load bearing support. At the other hinge, support is achieved from the tailgate sides by angular displacement limiting ties. U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,209 is limited to three panels and as these have a length equal to the tailgate height, the length of the ramp is determined.


A method and an apparatus for checking a mask pattern including a plurality of mask pattern regions formed based on different design pattern rules. The method includes the steps of: defining each of the mask pattern regions as a check object region; setting a defect detection reference corresponding to a respective design pattern rule of the mask pattern regions for each of the check object regions; and detecting presence or absence of defects in the mask pattern based on the respective defect detection reference for each of the check object regions. By these steps, it is possible to realize reduction in check time of the mask pattern and improvement in throughput of the checking apparatus, without necessitating discrimination processing of pseudo defects in the mask pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of checking a mask pattern. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for checking a mask pattern formed based on two or more design rules in accordance with functional contents of a semiconductor element.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent ultra-fine fabrication and increased functions of semiconductor integrated circuit devices, a single mask pattern has included a plurality of mask pattern regions formed based on two or more design pattern rules.
Conventionally, defects in a mask pattern formed based on different design pattern rules have been detected by changing a defect detection reference for each of the mask pattern regions and in turn checking the entire mask pattern repeatedly.
Therefore, where a certain mask pattern region is checked according to a defect detection reference which is not adapted to the mask pattern region, a process must be carried out to discriminate whether a detected defect is a real one or a pseudo one. This causes a problem in that checking takes a long time resulting in a lowering of throughput of the checking apparatus.
In view of the problem, a technique capable of checking a mask pattern efficiently and in a short time has been demanded.

Method and apparatus for checking a mask pattern