The invention covers the mining industry. Detection method of the occurrence zone of the mantle substance diapir finger consisting in that that geological observation are carried out in riftzones banked up by diapirs of the abnormal mantle and places of location of the mantle substance finger in the earth's crust are determined. Based on the presence of influence traces of silanes streams upon the rock and/or presence of separate ridges having the length up to 200 km by the width of up to 20 km and/or based on the blast traces of silanes and/or presence of scoria cones, differing by that that the correspondence of 3He/4He from gases sampled from sources of 10−5 order is additionally determined for determination of silicides at the small depth as physical parameters for the location of the mantle substance diapir finger in the earth's crust. The presence of high semiconductor conductivity, locality and activity of magnetic anomalies and anomalies of gravity field is additionally established. The occurrence depth of silicides is determined by magnetotelluric sounding and/or seismic reflection and refraction methods.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention covers the mining industry and can be used by ore underground mining, in particular, for mining metallic deposits including native metals. This invention relates to a method for detection of an occurrence zone of a diapir finger, a mantle substance saturated with native metals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rifting zones exist on our planet. These zones are located in the oceans (mid-ocean ridges, Iceland), on the continents (Baikal, Africa, Jordan river—Dead Sea, Suez, Western Canada et al.) and under the continents (west of USA).
All riftzones are banked up by diapirs (brows) of the abnormal mantle from below. Diapirs go up to the depth of about 35 km under the continents and at a distance of about 1.5 km from the bed of rift valleys in the oceans. Diapirs are characterized by reduced density and rates of the transmission of seismic waves as compared with a normal mantle.
In some places the diapirs penetrate by their "fingers" from the 35 km depth into the overlying rocks up to the depth of approximately 3-10 km. The "fingers" outgoing from diapirs have abnormal conductivity (105-106 times as much as the conductivity of silicate rock) and are represented by intermetallic compounds (silicides) and alloys on the basis of Si, Mg, Fe (silicon, magnesium and iron).
The reaching of fingers by any up-to-date methods (drilling, underground opening, open cut drilling) will allow for mining of native metals. Traditionally, the metals are obtained from compounds (oxides, sulfides and other) with large power inputs necessary for breaking the molecular bonds of the compounds.
In this case it is essential to locate a mining place, i.e. to detect the location of a diapir finger containing silicides and alloys. This place can be determined taking into account trendlike properties inherent in diapir fingers of the mantle substance.
A method for detection of zones in the earth's crust possessing an increased conductivity (magnetotelluric sounding method) is known. Example: "DEEP REGIONAL RESISTIVITY STRUCTURE ACROSS THE BATTLE MOUNTAIN—EUREKA AND CARLIN TRENDS, NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA" by Brian D. Rodriguez and Jackie M. Williams, Open-File Report 01-346 on-line edition, 2001.
The disadvantage of this method is expressed in the fact that the abnormal conductivity is traditionally related to the presence of graphitization zones and/or hydrothermal solutions but not to the presence of fingers of intermetallic diapirs by interpretation of data obtained by use of this method.
A method for detection of blocks in the earth's crust possessing increased rates of seismic waves (reflection method) is known by the Consortium for Continental Reflection Profiling (COCORP).
The disadvantage of this method is expressed in the fact that the high velocity blocks are not related to the presence of silicide diapirs in the higher levels of the earth's crust by interpretation of data obtained by use of this method.
The methods for detection of blocks in the earth's crust characterized by locality and high activity of magnetic anomalies and low-amplitude anomalies of a gravity field (gravimetry and magnetometry) are known. Example: "Gravity and Magnetic Study of the Pahute Mesa and Oasis Valley Region, Nye County, Nevada" by Edward A. Mankinen, Thomas G. Hildenbrand, Gary L. Dixon, Edwin H. McKee, Christopher J. Fridrich, and Randell J. Laczniak, Open-File Report 99-303.
The disadvantage of these methods is expressed in the fact that active magnetic anomalies are not related to a transitional area from silicides to silicates in apical parts of silicide diapirs, and anomalies of a gravity field are not related to the presence of silicides by interpretation of data obtained by use of these methods.

Method for detecting an occurrence zone of a mantle diapir finger location


A steam drive method for low permeability formations is described which utilizes a plurality of wellbores in an elongated pattern configuration. The wells initially undergo a cyclic steaming and production operation, wherein as each steaming cycle is initiated a fracture system is created having a heated zone surrounding each fracture. The cyclic steaming and production is repeated until thermal communication between vertical fracture planes is established, and oil recovery through the single well stimulation is significantly reduced. Thereafter, cyclic steaming is halted and new injection wells, centrally situated, are established and used to initiate a steam drive, wherein the heated zone around the fractures helps to reduce the viscosity of and mobilize the hydrocarbons not initially recovered during the cyclic steaming operation.

Continued worldwide demand for petroleum products, combined with a high level of prices for petroleum and products recovered therefrom, has sustained interest in hydrocarbon sources which are less accessible than crude oil of the Middle East and other geographic regions. Such hydrocarbonaceous deposits range from heavy oil to tar sands, found in western Canada and in the western United States. Depending on the type and depth of the deposit, recovery techniques range from steam injection to in-situ combustion to mining.
For heavy oils in the gravity range of 10 to 20 degrees API, steam injection has been a widely applied method for oil o recovery. Problems arise, however, when attempting to apply this process to subterranean oil reservoirs which even though are relatively porous and contain a significant proportion of oil, are so impermeable as to be productive of substantially no fluid in response to a conventional steam drive application. Such a reservoir is typified by the diatomite formations in the Lost Hills or Cymric Fields which are characterized by depths of about 1000 feet, with thicknesses of about 100 to 300 feet; and having a porosity of about 50%, an oil saturation of about 60%, an oil API gravity between about 13 to 30 degrees, a water saturation of about 40%, and a matrix permeability of less than about 1 millidarcy. These heavy oil formations have been found to yield only a small percentage of their oil content, such as 1% or less, in primary production processes; and have been substantially nonresponsive to conventional types of secondary or tertiary recovery processes.
The literature has seen many attempts aimed at recovering Oil from substantially impermeable types of subterranean formations, such as diatomite, through the use of steam injections techniques. One such method is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,031 to Davis, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The method involves the injection of a solvent into the diatomite, followed by injection of a surface active aqueous solution containing a diatomite/ oil-water wettability improving agent, along with a surface tension lowering agent to enhance oil recovery during steam injection.
Another method taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,276 to Rivas, also assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated specifically herein by reference, utilizes a series of short steaming cycles at sufficient pressure to induce fracturing of the adjacent formation; alternating with a production cycle which exploits the flashing of the heated formation water from a liquid to steam as wellbore pressures decrease during the transition from the injection to the production cycle. Because the low permeability and high oil viscosity characteristics associated with heavy oil diatomite formations precludes the use of conventional steam stimulation or drive processes, the Rivas method of alternating short steaming and production cycles is effective in recovering hydrocarbons from low permeability formations such as a diatomite matrix. However, the Rivas method, being a single well process, is limited to an operational area heated during the steam injection cycle, that area being adjacent to and surrounding the fractures extending from the wellbore; necessitating a large number of wells to process a given area since each single well will only recover a fraction of the original oil in place because of each well's limitation of only contacting and heating a small area away from the fracture due to the formation's extremely low permeability.
What is needed, therefore, is a steam drive method applicable to formations having low permeability and high oil viscosity, such as heavy oil diatomite formations, but not having the prohibitively large production response time inherent in conventional steam drive operations applied to such low permeability matrixes.

Oil production from diatomite formations by fracture steamdrive


A bat has an elongate tubular striking member of a first material, and an elongate handle member of a second material. The handle may be of composite material laid up in selected layers and orientation to produce selected weight distribution, strength, and stiffness and improved batting capabilities. The striking member and handle member may have juncture sections which are substantially rigidly interconnected through mating configurations.

Tubular metallic baseball bats are well known in the art. A familiar example is a tubular aluminum bat. Such bats have the advantage of a generally good impact response, meaning that the bat effectively transfers power to a batted ball. This effective power transfer results in ball players achieving good distances with batted balls. An additional advantage is improved durability over crack-prone wooden bats.
Even though presently known bats perform well, there is a continuing quest for bats with better hitting capabilities. Accordingly, one important need is to optimize the impact response of a bat. Further, it is important to provide a bat with proper weighting so that its swing weight is apportioned to provide an appropriate center of gravity and good swing speed of impact components during use.
Generally speaking, bat performance may be a function of the weight of the bat, distribution of the weight, the size of the hitting area, the effectiveness of force transfer between the handle and the striking barrel, and the impact response of the bat. The durability of a bat relates, at least in part, to its ability to resist denting or cracking and depends on the strength and stiffness of the striking portion of the bat. An attempt to increase the durability of the bat often produces an adverse effect on the bat's performance, as by possibly increasing its overall weight and stiffness, or having less than optimum weight distribution.
It has been discovered that a hitter often can increase bat speed by using a lighter bat, thereby increasing the force transferred to the ball upon impact. Thus it would be advantageous to provide a bat having a striking portion which has sufficient durability to withstand repeated hitting, yet which has a reduced overall bat weight to permit increased bat speed through use of an overall lighter weight bat.
It also has been discovered that greater hitting, or slugging, capability may be obtained by providing a bat with a handle made of a material different from the material of the striking portion or formed in such a manner as to have different capabilities. One manner for providing such is to produce a bat with a composite handle, wherein the composite material may be structured to provide selected degrees of flexibility, stiffness, and strength. For example, in one hitting situation it may be best to have a bat with a more flexible handle, whereas for other hitting situations it is advantageous to have a handle with greater stiffness.
An example of a prior attempt to provide a bat with a handle connected to a barrel section is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,158 entitled "Shock Attenuating Ball Bat." In this patent an attempt was made to produce a bat with handle and barrel member separated by an elastomeric isolation union for reducing shock (energy) transmission from the barrel to the handle, and, inherently from the handle to the barrel. Accordingly, such a design does not allow for maximum energy transfer from the handle to the barrel during hitting. As a result, the bat produces less energy transfer or impact energy to the ball due to the elastomeric interconnection between the handle and barrel.
Therefore there is a continuing need for a bat that provides the flexibility of a separate handle member and striking member and maximizes the energy transfer between the two members.
The present invention provides an improved bat with a striking portion with good durability and striking capabilities and a handle portion with desirable weight and stiffness characteristics to permit greater bat speed during hitting.
One embodiment of the invention provides a bat having an elongate tubular striking member with a juncture section which converges inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the bat on progressing toward an end of the striking member, and an elongate handle member having an end portion thereof which is firmly joined to the converging end portion of the striking member to provide a rigid interconnection therebetween to permit substantially complete striking energy transfer between the handle member and the striking member.
In another embodiment, the bat has an elongate tubular striking member having a juncture section adjacent its proximal end, the striking member being composed of metal having a first effective mass, and an elongate handle member composed of a material having a second effective mass which is less than the first effective mass of the striking member, the handle member having a juncture section adjacent its distal end, with the juncture sections of the striking member and handle member overlapping and being joined together to provide a rigid interconnection therebetween to permit substantially complete striking energy transfer between the striking member and the handle member on hitting. Because the handle member is of a lower effective mass it will help to produce a lighter weight bat with the possibility of a greater swing speed.
The present invention provides a novel bat and method for producing the same wherein the striking portion is comprised of the most appropriate, or optimum, structure for striking and the handle is comprised of the most appropriate, or optimum, structure for swinging, and the two are joined for optimum slugging capability.
The present invention provides a bat, and method for making a bat, wherein selected materials are used in selected portions of the bat to achieve proper weight, or mass, distribution for optimum swing speed and to provide desired strength and stiffness of selected portions.
According to a principal aspect of a preferred form of the invention, a bat has a longitudinal axis and an overall first length, and is capable of being tested with a three-point bend stiffness test device having first and second supports. The bat includes an elongate tubular striking member and a separate handle member. The striking member has a distal end, a proximal end, and a striking region intermediate the distal and proximal ends. The handle member has a distal end and a proximal end, and is coupled to the striking member. The handle member has a resistance to bending along the longitudinal axis of the bat in the range of 10–1000 lbs/in a three-point bend stiffness test wherein the handle member is transversely supported in a first direction by the first and second supports spaced apart a selected distance, with the first support adjacent the distal end and the second support adjacent the proximal end, and the handle member is transversely loaded in a second direction, opposite the first direction, at a location on the handle member in a region between 30% and 40% of the selected distance from the distal end of the handle member.
According to another principal aspect of the present invention, a bat has a longitudinal axis, and is capable of being tested with a three-point bend stiffness test device having first and second supports. The bat includes a non-wooden, one-piece bat frame. The frame includes a distal end, a proximal end, an elongate tubular striking portion, and a handle portion. Either the handle portion or the striking portion includes a tapered region. The frame has a resistance to bending along the longitudinal axis in the range of 10–950 lbs/in a three-point bend stiffness test wherein the frame is transversely supported in a first direction by the first and second supports, wherein the first support is positioned at a first predetermined position, wherein the first predetermined position being the location where the tapered region has a first predetermined outer diameter, wherein the second support positioned a first predetermined distance from the first predetermined position, and wherein the frame is transversely loaded in a second direction, opposite the first direction, on the handle member at a second predetermined position that is located on the handle portion a second predetermined distance from the first predetermined position. The second predetermined distance is between 30% and 40% of the first predetermined distance.
According to another principal aspect of the present invention, a method of categorizing a plurality ball bats includes the following steps. At least two distinct bat categories are created based upon at least one bat characteristic. The at least one bat characteristic includes either the resistance to bending of the frame of the bat or the resistance to bending of the handle portion of the frame of the bat. The method further includes determining the resistance to bending of one of the frame and the handle portion for the plurality of bats. The method also includes assigning one of the at least two categories to each of the plurality of bats based, at least in part, upon either the resistance to bending of the frame or the resistance to bending of the handle portion.
The present invention contemplates producing a handle member with multiple composite layers which are appropriately oriented and joined to provide a handle which has selected strength and stiffness. By providing a bat with a handle member made of composite material which may be laid up in multiple layers with selected orientation and strength, the handle member may be structured to provide selected degrees of strength, flexibility, and vibration transfer in an assembled bat. The present invention also contemplates producing a handle member of a thermoplastic material.
In one embodiment, one of the juncture sections of the striking member or the juncture section of the handle member has projections thereon which extend radially from remainder portions of the juncture section a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a desired layer of adhesive to join the striking member and handle member. Such projections firmly engage the facing surface of the other member and this, in conjunction with the adhesive applied between the two members, provides a firm interconnection therebetween.
This invention will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings described herein below, and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A seal forming a fluid tight connection between a gas chromatography column and a sample inlet assembly is disclosed. The seal is formed by a metal injection molding process. The seal has a first surface adapted for sealing with the sample inlet assembly and a second surface adapted for sealing with the column. The seal has an aperture extending between the first and second surfaces. A method of sealing a connection between a gas chromatography sample inlet assembly and a gas chromatography column is also disclosed. The method includes providing a seal as described above, compressing the first surface of the seal against an end of the inlet assembly, positioning the column in fluid communication with the aperture, and engaging the column with the second surface.

Gas chromatography is a process by which one or more compounds from a chemical mixture may be separated and identified. A carrier gas, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen or helium, flows through a tube known as a column. Large columns may have inner diameters between about 3 mm and about 8 mm and lengths between about 1 meter and about 3 meters. Capillary columns may have inner diameters between about 0.05 mm and about 1 mm and may be 100 meters or more in length. The large column may be packed with an inert packing medium coated with an active substance that interacts with compounds in the chemical mixture being analyzed. Capillary columns are preferably coated on their inner surface with the active substance.
A sample of the chemical mixture to be analyzed is injected into the column. As the sample is swept through the column with the carrier gas, the different compounds, each one having a different affinity for the active substance lining the column or coating the packing medium, move through the column at different speeds. Those compounds having greater affinity for the active substance move more slowly through the column than those having less affinity, and this speed differential results in the compounds being separated from one another as they pass through and exit the column.
The carrier gas with the separated compounds exits the column and passes through a detector, which identifies the molecules. Various types of detectors may be used, including a thermal conductivity detector, a flame ionization detector, electron capture detector, flame photometric detector, photo-ionization detector and a Hall electrolytic conductivity detector. A two dimensional plot of the detector measurements against elution time or volume, known as a chromatogram, may be made, and from the chromatogram or the digital representation thereof the compounds may be identified.
Injection of the sample chemical mixture into the column is effected using a sample inlet assembly. The sample inlet assembly has an injection port that receives a syringe for injecting the sample into the inlet assembly. The inlet assembly is connected to the column with a seal that provides a fluid tight joint between the relatively large diameter of the inlet assembly and the small diameter of the capillary column.


A method for operating a message memory connected to a telecommunications network includes assigning a message memory to a subscriber line of an addressee, the subscriber line being selectable using an individual network indicator. Using the message memory, a message left by a sender for the addressee is stored so that the message is retrievable by the addressee. After an authenticating by the sender; the content of the stored message is changed by the sender.

As is generally known, such methods are implemented by means of answering machines or by mobile boxes, which, when called, respond to a caller instead of the addressee, and which, after a recorded announcement, allow the caller to leave a message on the tape which can then be played back at any time by the addressee who the message is intended for. These systems, which are hereinafter referred to as "mobile boxes" are used not only to record voice messages, but also to record facsimiles in which the sender can leave a fax message for later retrieval. Comparable methods are implemented in the Internet, where the sender can leave e-mails for selected addressees in a specific memory area, the e-mails being retrieved by the addressee at a later time. In this context, it is also known to retrieve the stored messages from external devices such as telephone connections. Thus, the user, while away, can use the telephone to access all messages, play back received voice messages, or forward fax messages or e-mails to an arbitrary device, from where they can then be printed. In this context, the so-called "SMS messages" (short message service) are regarded as equal to e-mails.
However, the known methods have the disadvantage that the recorded voice messages sometimes have become outdated at the time they are retrieved or played back. For example, it is conceivable that a person A leaves a voice message in the mailbox of another person B indicating that he/she arrives at the train station at a certain time and would like to be picked up. Later, however, it turns out that there is a another travel option, and person A leaves another voice message on the tape, the content of which replaces the first message. However, person B plays back only the first message and immediately rushes to the train station because there is not much time left. It is only when person B returns home disappointed that he/she gets the second message which replaces the content of the first message. With the methods known today, such communication problems can occur at any time.


Embodiments of the present invention provide a touch liquid crystal grating, a manufacturing method thereof and a touch 3D display device, the touch liquid crystal grating comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer; first electrodes, disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the liquid crystal layer; an insulating layer, covering the first electrodes; second electrodes, disposed on a side of the insulating layer facing the liquid crystal layer, a spacing region being between adjacent two second electrodes; second touch electrodes, disposed in the same layer with the second electrodes, each being located in one spacing region; first touch electrodes, wherein when being powered on, the first and second touch electrodes function to realize a touch function; liquid crystal molecules under the second electrodes rotate, and liquid crystal molecules under the second touch electrodes do not rotate, forming the liquid crystal grating.

The principle for three-dimensional stereoscopic display technology is that left and right eyes receive a pair of images with parallax at the same time so as to form 3D effect by a processing using the human's brain.
The three-dimensional stereoscopic display is mainly classified into a naked eye type and a glasses type. The naked eye type stereoscopic display technology is mainly classified into a parallax barrier type and a lenticular lens type. For a liquid crystal parallax barrier, its implementation method is to produce a series of alternate light-shielding and light-transmitting stripes with a liquid crystal layer and a polarizer to form a liquid crystal grating for splitting light. With the liquid crystal parallax barrier, in a stereoscopic display mode, when a left eye image to be seen by the left eye is displayed on a display panel, the light-shielding stripes may make the left eye image not be seen by the right eye. Similarly, when a right eye image to be seen by the right eye is displayed on the display panel, the light-shielding stripes will make the right eye image not be seen by the left eye. By separating the left eye image and the right eye image, it is possible to make the viewer have a stereoscopic vision. The liquid crystal parallax barrier may be compatible with a conventional manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display panel, therefore it has advantages in terms of mass production and cost.
At present, a product with a combination of a 3D display function and a touch function attracts more and more attentions. However, at present, a structure of a touch screen plus a liquid crystal grating as shown in FIG. 1 is usually used, the structure of the touch screen plus the liquid crystal grating includes a first electrode layer 11, a second electrode layer 12 and a touch electrode layer 13, wherein the touch electrode layer includes a second touch electrode layer and a first touch electrode layer, that is, the structure has at least four layers of electrodes. Moreover, more electrode layers will decrease light transmittance of the entire liquid crystal grating and influence the display effect. Since both substrates have electrodes disposed thereon, a conductive adhesive is needed to transmit a voltage signal and it is also required to dispose alignment marks on the two substrates respectively for precise cell-assembling, which increases the complexity degree of manufacturing and the manufacturing cost. In addition, the structure of the touch screen plus the liquid crystal grating has a large thickness, which will certainly influence the transmittance and display effect of the entire 3D display device.

Touch liquid crystal grating, manufacturing method thereof and touch 3D display device

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention is premised upon a system and method for an improved photovoltaic cladding device array with an interface member (500) for use on a building structure with other non-solar cladding materials (600). The interface member is disposed under a portion of the photovoltaic cladding elements (P) and includes a photovoltaic cladding element nesting portion and a building sheatin nesting portion.

Efforts to improve PV (photovoltaic) devices, particularly those devices that are integrated into building structures (e.g. photovoltaic sheathing elements, spacer pieces, edge pieces), to be used successfully, should satisfy a number of criteria. The PV devices may be commonly known as Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). These BIPVs are typically PV devices (and associated system components) that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. The PV device and the array as installed should be durable (e.g. long lasting, sealed against moisture and other environmental conditions) and protected from mechanical abuse over the desired lifetime of the product, preferably at least 15 years, more preferably at least 25 years. The device should be easily installed into the array of devices (e.g. installation similar to conventional roofing shingles or exterior wall coverings) or replaced (e.g. if damaged).
BIPVs have increased in popularity significantly in areas that desire premium aesthetics. Having the photovoltaic material appear integral to the roof line presents challenges as it displaces the standard roofing materials which are of a very different material.
Most BIPVs sold today are designed to meet a performance warranty of at least 15 to 25 years and an expected service life beyond this. The life of the BIPVs appears to exceed the expected life of a traditional asphalt shingle (e.g. 10-16 years). When comparing the BIPVs to a premium roofing material such as concrete tile or natural state, the BIPV's life may be below that of the natural roof; suggesting the BIPVs will be replaced first.
These different life cycles may result in the different roofing materials being removed and replaced in different time intervals. If both materials are replaced together, the expense of the repair could include the cost of both. While one may believe it would be ideal if the photovoltaic material could cover the entire roof, this is unlikely due to building codes and roofing complexity. Therefore, standard roofing materials are used for safety (access areas, shaded areas, etc), ease of interface (around vent stacks, dormers, etc) and to reduce overall roofing cost.
This presents the problem of having two very different materials on the roof top at the same time, one material requiring standard roofing experience, the other requiring photovoltaic experience. This also may prevent maintenance on one or the other material without the other tradesman being present. To make this full package desirable to the consumer, and to gain wide acceptance in the marketplace, the system should be inexpensive to build and install. The present invention may help alleviate the problems discussed above and facilitate lower generated cost of energy, making PV technology more competitive relative to other means of generating electricity.
Among the literature that can pertain to this technology include the following patent documents: WO/2009/137353A3; WO/2009/137352A3; WO/2009/137348A3; and WO/2009/137347A3; all incorporated herein by reference for all purposes and particularly for teachings on photovoltaic roofing or building sheathing element, arrays, and connectors.

Interface system and method for photovoltaic cladding to standard cladding


In an active matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) device a conductor line interconnecting a drain of each thin-film transistor and a corresponding pixel electrode constructed with indium tin oxide (ITO) is formed in a three-layer structure in which an aluminum film is sandwiched between a pair of titanium films. This construction prevents poor contact and deterioration of reliability because electrical contact is established between one titanium film and semiconductor and between the other titanium film and ITO. The aluminum film has low resistance which is essential for ensuring high performance especially in large-screen LCDs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the construction of an active matrix display device such as an active matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an active matrix LCD device, thin-film transistors are arranged on a sheet of quartz or glass at a high density. It is increasingly required in recent years to raise the level of integration of the thin-film transistors. On the other hand, it is more and more required for the LCD device to provide larger display areas to meet the growing demand for large-screen displays. This is where the LCD device greatly differs from large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits which are required to provide higher integration levels and smaller physical sizes.
Besides the requirement for large-screen display, it is desired to make conductor lines of the LCD device as narrow as possible so as to provide an increased aperture ratio. If, however, narrow conductor lines are used, problems arising from their increased resistances will become evident.
The active matrix LCD device requires means for masking the thin-film transistors arranged in individual pixels as well as masking means, which is known as a black matrix, for masking edges of individual pixel electrodes. Generally, these masking means including the black matrix are separately arranged from the conductor lines. Such a construction is not preferable though because it complicates processing steps needed for the production of the active matrix LCD device.
One method for reducing conductor line resistance is to use aluminum as a wiring material. However, the use of aluminum could give rise to reliability problems because electrical contacts between aluminum and semiconductor and between aluminum and a transparent conductive coating, which is usually a thin layer of conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO), are liable to become unstable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a construction of an active matrix LCD device, by which an increased aperture ratio is obtainable with a small number of steps in the overall manufacturing process. It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction which can eliminate instability of electrical contact caused by specific wiring materials.
According to the invention, a semiconductor device comprises a conductor line for interconnecting a semiconductor element and a conductive oxide film, the conductor line having a layer structure including an aluminum film sandwiched between a pair of titanium films, wherein one of the titanium films is held in contact with the semiconductor element while the other titanium film is held in contact with the conductive oxide film.
In one specific form of implementation of this construction, a drain region of a thin-film transistor is connected to a pixel electrode constructed with ITO by the conductor line which is formed by sandwiching the aluminum film with the pair of titanium films. More particularly, the drain region made of a semiconductor material is held in contact with one titanium film while the pixel electrode constructed with ITO is held in contact with the other titanium film. This construction provides a solution to the reliability problem arising from the instability of electrical contact between aluminum and semiconductor.
This construction also serves to improve the quality of contact between ITO and the conductor line as the latter is covered by the titanium film. In general terms this means that the invention provides a solution to the reliability problem arising from the instability of electrical contact between aluminum and ITO (or a conductive oxide film in general) as well. Needless to say, an additional advantage comes from the use of aluminum of which resistance is remarkably low.
In a varied form of the invention, a semiconductor device comprises a conductive oxide film which constitutes a pixel electrode, a conductor line for interconnecting the conductive oxide film and a drain region of a thin-film transistor, a first masking film constructed with the same material as the conductor line for masking the thin-film transistor, and a second masking film constructed with the same material as the conductor line for masking edges of the pixel electrode, wherein the conductor line has a layer structure including an aluminum film sandwiched between a pair of titanium films.
As will be discussed later in greater detail, the semiconductor device thus constructed has the pixel electrode constructed with ITO. the conductor line connecting the pixel electrode to the drain region of the thin-film transistor and the first masking film for masking the thin-film transistor. The conductor line has a three-layer structure in which the aluminum film is sandwiched between the pair of titanium films. In addition, the second masking film, or the black matrix, constructed with the same material as used for producing the conductor line masks the edges of the pixel electrode.
What is significant in this construction is that the conductor line, first masking film and black matrix are obtained simultaneously by patterning the same three-layer structure. This serves to simplify the overall manufacturing process, improve production yield and reduce manufacturing costs.
The titanium films are most preferable for sandwiching aluminum from the viewpoint of electrical characteristics in this invention. Chromium films may be employed instead of the titanium films, if desired. However, titanium is more desirable since the titanium film can be more easily patterned by dry etching than the chromium film. Furthermore, a few percent by weight of appropriate impurities may be added to the titanium, to adjust their optical and/or electrical characteristics.
In yet varied form of the invention, a semiconductor device comprises a conductive oxide film which constitutes a pixel electrode, a first conductor line for interconnecting the conductive oxide film and a drain region of a thin-film transistor, a masking film constructed with the same material as the first conductor line for masking the thin-film transistor, and a masking film constructed with the same material as the first conductor line for masking edges of the pixel electrode, a second conductor line connected to a source region of the thin-film transistor, an outgoing conductor line constructed with the same material as the first conductor line, the outgoing conductor line being connected to the second conductor line, wherein the first conductor line has a layer structure including an aluminum film sandwiched between a pair of titanium films.
In one specific form of implementation of this construction, the first conductor line has a three-layer structure in which the aluminum film is sandwiched between the pair of titanium films while the second conductor line is constructed with a titanium film and an aluminum film. The first conductor line, first masking film, black matrix and outgoing conductor line can be formed by patterning the same three-layer structure.
Accordingly, the invention provides a highly reliable construction of semiconductor devices, eliminating instability of contact between wiring materials. The three-layer conductor line configuration is particularly effective in view of low resistance of the aluminum film and good electrical contact between the titanium film and semiconductor and between the titanium film and conductive oxide film.
Remarkable features of the invention can be summarized as follows:
(1) The stacked two-layer structure including the aluminum and titanium films helps reduce voltage drop in individual source lines, and this is particularly evident in large-screen LCD devices;
(2) The stacked two-layer structure including the aluminum and titanium films enhances the reliability of connections between the individual source lines and source regions;
(3) The three-layer structure of individual first conductor lines interconnecting drain regions and pixel electrodes can be used for producing the masking film for masking each thin-film transistor without requiring any additional processing step;
(4) Individual outgoing conductor lines used for connecting to surrounding circuit elements can be created at the same time with the first conductor lines, and the reliability of connections between the individual first conductor lines and source lines can be improved;
(5) The reliability of connections between the first conductor lines and drain regions and between the first conductor lines and ITO pixel electrodes can be improved; and
(6) The black matrix can be formed at the same time with the first conductor lines.
As will be recognized from the foregoing discussion, the invention makes it possible to simultaneously produce various elements of the active matrix LCD device without requiring additional processing steps. Moreover, the invention provides improvements in product performance and reliability as well as a reduction in manufacturing costs.

Thin film transister semiconductor devices

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An integrated apparatus (10) has a dicing station (14) and a rinsing/heated drying station (16). In one embodiment, the rinsing/heated drying station (16) has a heater, such as an infrared lamp (36), or uses a heated gas. The integrating apparatus (10) helps to decrease the time between dicing and heated drying, which reduces the likelihood of corrosion of C4 bumps (64).

In the semiconductor industry, semiconductor wafers are diced to extract individual integrated devices. As a dicing station dices the individual integrated circuits, a stream of water flows over the dice to cool the semiconductor wafer and rinses debris off the wafer. An operator removes the semiconductor wafer from the dicing station and places it in a separate drying machine. An infrared heating lamp within the separate drying machine evaporates the water from a semiconductor wafer. This process is inefficient and adds defects to the semiconductor wafer.
Some wafers have C4 (controlled collapse chip connection) bumps that are conductive and contain lead and tin. During the dicing and rinsing operation, the C4 bumps retain water. Drying the semiconductor wafer with an inert gas at room temperature should be performed as soon as possible after the dicing operation to reduce the likelihood of C4 bump corrosion. Therefore, each semiconductor wafer in the dicing station is typically removed one at a time and taken over to the drying machine. Typically, a dicing station can hold 25 wafers. The total dicing time for 25 wafers is approximately 200 minutes if the dicing station continuously runs without stopping.
However, stopping the dicing station for every semiconductor wafer requires the overall time for the 25 wafers to increase by approximately 50 minutes. The dicing time is dependent on semiconductor wafer size and the speed of the saw. Having one apparatus dedicated to dicing and a different apparatus dedicated to drying requires more floor space, adds more costs, and can increase bottlenecks as wafers build up at either the drying apparatus or the dicing apparatus.

Apparatus for dicing a semiconductor device substrate and a process therefor


A rewriteable diffraction grating contains first nanoparticles and second nanoparticles. Each first nanoparticle is configured and arranged to generate one or more charge carriers in response to a write beam. Each second nanoparticle is configured and arranged to substantially alter its response to light from a read beam upon receiving one or more charge carriers from the first nanoparticles. The second nanoparticles are disposed in proximity to the first nanoparticles to permit charge carriers generated by the first nanoparticles to interact with the second nanoparticles.

The concept of holography was first described in 1947. However, at the time no coherent light sources existed so holograms were of poor quality and were generally made using mercury arc lamps. With the invention of the laser, holograms improved.
In general, holographic recording generates an interference pattern between a reference wave and an object wave. Unlike two dimensional photography, holographic imaging records both the amplitude and phase of the object wave. Illumination of the hologram with coherent light can recreate both the reference wave and the object wave.
Conventionally, transmission type holography typically uses a photographic plate or photosensitive gelatin film. The plates are typically formed of glass coated with an emulsion of silver halide crystals. Upon exposure to light, the silver ions are partially converted to silver metal darkening the exposed region. As such, the holographic recording process is irreversible. In addition, photoconversion of silver ions to metallic silver generally requires strong light flux or significant exposure times. Over the exposure time, (30 seconds to several minutes), the holographic interference pattern should remain stable to within a quarter wavelength. Vibration isolation tables or short high power laser pulses can be used to achieve this objective.

Holographic display and methods of manufacture and use


A concrete anchor. The concrete anchor can be embedded within a concrete member to enhance lifting of the concrete member. The concrete anchor of the present invention can include a bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, and at least one passthrough aperture. The concrete anchor can further include a projection positioned adjacent the second side of the bar. The projection can include an upwardly projecting top face, a downwardly projecting bottom face, a forwardly projecting front face and a rearwardly projecting rear face.

At present, concrete anchors are stamped out of strip steel. Reinforcing bars for anchoring and bonding are placed through the holes or notches in the anchor and shear plates are strongly welded to the anchors when the anchors are made. Lifting hardware is connected to the top of the anchor.
Prior art anchors need a separate pin, cut out, or plate welded on the bottom to develop a shear-cone in the concrete to develop holding strength. The strength of currently manufactured anchors are commonly 2-ton, 4-ton and 8-ton with a 4:1 safety factor. Current anchors are high in weight partially because only the connecting apertures are stamped out of the metal anchor, with the rest of the anchor remaining as solid material.


A high data transmitter and a high data receiver that uses both Walsh codes and quasi orthogonal functions in spreading and despreading transmitted and received signals.

This invention relates to the field of spread spectrum communications and, in particular, to communications at enhanced data rates. This invention is applicable and useful for both forward as well as reverse links when the total peak instantaneous throughput from the transmitting spread spectrum system is less than the chipping rate as well as when the instantaneous throughput from the transmitting spread spectrum system is more than the chipping rate. For convenience in exposition, this disclosure will emphasize the method as applicable to the forward link.
Numerous proposals have been made to support high data rate services in various spread spectrum communication technologies. As an evolution of IS-2000-1X, a proposal commonly referred to as HDR (high data rate) has been standardized to support high data rate services within the 1.25 MHz spectrum. In addition, proposals including the 1xEV-DV proposal have been put forward to support high data rate services as well as low data rate services within the same 1.25 MHz band. The high peak data rates in the above proposals are achieved using a combination of Walsh code aggregation, Walsh variable spreading factor method, and the use of higher order constellations such as 8-PSK, 16-QAM and 64-QAM.
FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative transmitter 100 in such a system. The transmitter comprises an encoder 110, an interleaver 120, a M-ary modulator 130, a serial-to-parallel converter 140, an array 150 of multipliers, a combiner 160, a multiplier 165 and an adaptation unit 170. Encoder 110 and interleaver 120 are conventional. Modulator 130 can be any one of a variety of M-ary modulators that encode a plurality of input bits using a higher order constellation such as QPSK, 8-PSK, 16-QAM or 64-QAM. The array of multipliers 150 code the modulated data from modulator 130 and converter 140 using Walsh codes W1 through WN where N is the number of parallel streams from serial-to-parallel converter 140. Multiplier 165 spreads the data from combiner 160 using a pseudorandom noise (PN) code. Adaptation unit 170 adjusts the encoder 110, the modulator 130, and the serial-to-parallel converter 140 in accordance with the transmission characteristics of the transmission channel. In particular, adaptation unit 170 adjusts these elements so as to maximize the data transmission through the channel for the conditions then prevailing in the channel.
In operation, a data stream having a bit rate of R bits/second is received at an input to encoder 110 and is encoded as a bit stream of RS bits/second. The bit stream of RS bits/second is provided to interleaver 120 which scrambles the order of the bits so as to provide protection against transmission errors. The interleaved bit stream is then provided to M-ary modulator 130 which converts a plurality of input bits into an output symbol in accordance with the particular modulation technology used by the modulator. The serial stream of output symbols from M-ary modulator 130 is then converted to a parallel stream by serial-to-parallel converter 140 and the individual symbols in the parallel stream are then multiplied with Walsh codes W1 through WN. Finally, an output signal is formed by combining the Walsh-coded signals at combiner 160, spreading the signals by multiplying them with a pseudorandom noise signal and providing the spread signals to a transmitting antenna (not shown). Thus, a plurality of Walsh-encoded modulated symbols are transmitted simultaneously.
At the receiver, the symbols received at any time are separated by despreading the signals and multiplying them with Walsh codes and the separated signals are then demodulated in conventional fashion.
The use of higher order modulation techniques to achieve high data rates has several disadvantages. It requires a more complex and expensive RF front end arising from such requirements as the use of A/D converters having more bits, high rho-values to reduce the radio noise floor, and higher backoff for the power amplifier and results in lower ICI for the pulse shaping waveform, a lower noise figure, and greater sensitivity to inner receiver errors.
Code aggregation has certain advantages over the other two techniques depending on the operational scenario. However, if the code signals that are aggregated are only Walsh codes, the size of the set of Walsh codes limits the number of code signals that may be aggregated. In particular, the number of different Walsh codes, or of any set of orthogonal functions, of length N is only N. If any more code signals are to be aggregated, these would need to be non-orthogonal to the set of N Walsh codes.
In certain prior art operational scenarios in which the system is Walsh code-limited, alternative sets of orthogonal functions called quasi-orthogonal functions (QOF) have been included in the IS-2000 standard to accommodate more users. QOF's are functions that are generated by applying certain masks to each codevector in the Walsh code. A mask is simply a vector with 4-phase symbols (i.e., from the set {±1; ±j}) of length N. If the set of Walsh codes of length N is denoted as WN, applying a mask m to a codevector wεWN refers to the componentwise multiplication of the vectors m and w to give the new vector wm=w·m of length N, where · denotes componentwise multiplication. For further information on QOF's see U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,143 which is incorporated herein by reference.
Applying the mask m to all the codevectors in WN (denoted as WNm), one obtains N additional codevectors. Thus, using a total of M masks on WN, the size of the code signal set will be MN. Three masks in addition to the trivial mask, have been defined in IS-2000 such that the QOF's from different QOF sets have minimal cross correlation with each other as well as with the set of Walsh functions. See Tables 22.214.171.124.12-2 and 188.8.131.52.12-3 of the IS-2000 Standard.
The QOF's have minimal mini-max cross-correlation with the set of Walsh functions and therefore are optimal in this regard. Further, the QOF's have equal cross-correlation with every Walsh function of the same length. Further, the QOF's have certain optimal cross-correlation properties with Walsh functions of shorter length as would be needed with the use of shorter spreading factor Walsh functions for higher data rates.

Method and apparatus for enhancing data rates in spread spectrum communication systems


An electromotive drive mechanism for a piece of furniture, includes a gearmotor having a rotor rotating about a rotational axis, an adjusting spindle for operation of a piece of furniture, and a gear unit connecting the spindle to the rotor of the gearmotor for rotating the spindle about a rotational axis, with the rotational axis of the rotor extending parallel and at a distance to the rotational axis of the spindle. The gear unit includes a nut placed on the spindle for movement in longitudinal direction of the spindle when the spindle rotates, and a first pair of helical gears which are in mesh with one another for reducing the output speed of the gearmotor as transmitted to the spindle.

The present invention refers generally to an electromotive drive mechanism for a piece of furniture, and in particular to an electromotive drive mechanism of a type having a gearmotor in driving connection with a gearing having an output member for rotating an adjusting spindle and thereby moving a nut, disposed on the spindle, in longitudinal direction of the spindle.
Drives for furniture are utilized in a variety of application, e.g. for adjusting swingable parts of a slat frame bed for hospital beds, for treatment chairs, TV chairs or similar pieces of furniture. The furniture drive can be configured as single drive with one gearmotor and one adjusting spindle, or as twin drive with two gearmotors and two adjusting spindles. Conventionally, the gearing positioned between the gearmotor and the spindle is designed as worm drive, with the worm being mounted on the driven pin of the gearmotor for reducing the relatively great speed of the gearmotor, and with the wormgear being mounted on a shaft oriented at a right angle thereto and linked to the adjusting spindle. This type of electromotive drive is applicable only for smallest outputs with a power of a few 100 watts. The speed of the adjusting spindle should be relative small to enable a slow adjustment of the piece of furniture.
There is a desire to provide drives of this type of compact design to fit the limited space available in the piece of furniture for which these drive are used. While compact designs for furniture drives have been proposed, their dimensions are still too bulky. Moreover, efforts are made to keep the power being drawn as small as possible in order to reduce the energy consumption. This objective is however difficult to reconcile with the need to provide the furniture drive with a self-locking gear unit because the efficiency of conventional self-locking gear units is in the range of 0.5 so that the energy loss is respectively high.

Electromotive drive mechanism for a piece of furniture

Dewert Antriebs- und Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG


In the multilayered interconnect structure, an upper-layer interconnect is formed in an interlayer dielectric film formed on a lower-layer interconnect of copper, and the lower-layer interconnect and the upper-layer interconnect of copper are connected to each other through a via formed in the interlayer dielectric film. A layer of the interlayer dielectric film in contact with the lower-layer interconnect is made of a layer including, as a principal component, an aromatic compound containing a nitrogen atom having a lone pair of electrons in an aromatic ring.

As insulating films to be used as a copper diffusion barrier film in a VLSI (very large scale integration) having copper interconnects, a SiN film, a SiON film, a SiC film, a SiCO film and the like are conventionally known, and all of these films have a high dielectric constant of 4 or more. Therefore, in a multilayered interconnect structure, even when a low dielectric constant film is used as an interlayer dielectric film, the influence of the dielectric constant of the insulating film used as the copper diffusion barrier film is dominant. Accordingly, the effect to lower the dielectric constant by an interlayer dielectric film made of a low dielectric constant film in a multilayered interconnect structure is canceled by the dielectric constant of an insulating film used as the copper diffusion barrier film, and hence, a sufficiently low value has not been realized as the effective dielectric constant of the whole multilayered interconnect structure.
In order to cope with such a problem, it is necessary to lower the dielectric constant of an insulating film used as the copper diffusion barrier film or to provide an interlayer dielectric film made of a low dielectric constant film with a function as a copper diffusion barrier film.
As conventional technique to lower the dielectric constant of a copper diffusion barrier film, a method for forming a SiCN film through plasma CVD using trimethyl vinylsilane has been reported, and this SiCN film has a dielectric constant of 4. Alternatively, a method for forming a low dielectric constant interlayer dielectric film having a function as a copper diffusion barrier film through plasma CVD using divinylsiloxane bis-benzocyclobutene has been reported, and this interlayer dielectric film has a dielectric constant of approximately 2.7 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3190886

Multilayered interconnect structure and method for fabricating the same


A cutting module to sever a tubing in a well includes a piston and shear blade. The piston includes at least two moveable telescoping elements, which are adapted to expand the first piston from a retracted length to an expanded length. The shear blade is connected to the piston to sever the tubing in response to the piston expanding from the retracted length to the expanded length. The cutting module may be located below a safety valve in the well.

The present invention relates generally to safety shut-in systems employed during testing or other operations in subsea wells. More specifically, the invention relates to a coiled tubing cutter for use with a safety shut-in system in a subsea well.
Offshore systems which are employed in relatively deep water for well operations generally include a riser which connects a surface vessel's equipment to a blowout preventer stack on a subsea wellhead. The marine riser provides a conduit through which tools and fluid can be communicated between the surface vessel and the subsea well.
Offshore systems which are employed for well testing operations also typically include a safety shut-in system which automatically prevents fluid communication between the well and the surface vessel in the event of an emergency, such as loss of vessel positioning capability. Typically, the safety shut-in system includes a subsea test tree which is landed inside the blowout preventer stack on a pipe string.
The subsea test tree generally includes a valve portion which has one or more normally closed valves that can automatically shut-in the well. The subsea test tree also includes a latch portion which enables the portion of the pipe string above the subsea test tree to be disconnected from the subsea test tree.
If an emergency condition arises during the deployment of tools on coiled tubing, for example, the safety shut-in system is first used to sever the coiled tubing. In a typical safety shut-in system, a ball valve performs both the function of severing the coiled tubing and the function of shutting off flow.
Although somewhat effective, the use of ball valves to sever the coiled tubing has proven difficult with larger sizes of coiled tubing. Additionally, use of the ball valves to perform cutting operations can have detrimental sealing effects on the sealing surfaces of the valve. Specifically, the sealing surfaces can become scarred, reducing the sealing efficiency.
There exists, therefore, a need for an efficient coiled tubing cutter.


An oxidized olefin wax useful as a pour point depressant for hydrocarbon compositions and/or additive to reduce the wax particle size of wax precipitates in hydrocarbon compositions is described. Method for reducing the pour point and/or wax particle size of hydrocarbon composition with an oxidized olefin wax are described.

Crude oils, crude distillates (e.g. gas oil, petroleum fuel, diesel oil, heating oil, kerosene, etc. . . . ), residual fuels and/or residual oils often contain waxy constituents which can precipitate when the crude oil, crude distillate, residual fuel and/or residual oil are subjected to lower temperatures. Depending upon the particular composition, crude oil, crude oil distillates, residual fuels and/or residual oils can lose their fluidity as the waxy constituents precipitate from the bulk solution. The precipitation of the waxy constitutes can cause problems during the recovery, transport, storage and/or use of the crude oils, crude oil distillates, and/or residual oils. In crude oil recovery and transport, the wax precipitates can deposit on pipeline walls causing difficulty in pumping and in some cases complete blockage of the pipeline which can be a particular concern for the transport of crude oil in areas having low temperatures (e.g. sub arctic areas). In storage and further processing of crude oils, the precipitates can necessitate heated storage for the crude oils, crude oil distillates, residual fuels, and residual oils to limit settling and agglomeration of the wax precipitates. In use, the waxy constituents can result in formation of precipitates in storage tanks, cause plugged transport or fuel lines, and/or block filters in engines and furnaces, preventing reliable metering of the fuels and in some cases causing complete interruption of the supply of the fuel or heating medium.
The problems associated with the loss of fluidity of hydrocarbon oils and wax precipitate formation in crude oils, crude oil distillates, residual fuels, and/or residual oils at low temperatures are of considerable concern. Parameters such as pour point, and cloud point are often used to measure the flowability and wax precipitate formation properties of crude oils, crude oil distillates, residual fuels, and/or residual oils. Pour point (ASTM D97-47) is defined as the lowest temperature at which a material will flow when chilled without disturbance under specified conditions while the cloud point (ASTM D 2500) is the temperature at which a precipitates first appear as a haze in a material upon cooling. A material's pour point indicates the temperature at which (if not before) the formation of solid or semi-solid precipitate particles can begin to affect the flowability and/or pumpability of these materials under low temperature conditions making the transport and pumping of the material difficult if not near impossible. A material's cloud point (ASTM D 2500) indicates the temperature at which the waxy constituents having the lowest solubility (typically those having the highest molecular weight) begin to precipitate and can begin create problems in filtering the material.
In order to avoid difficulties with the precipitation of waxy constituents during production, storage, transport, processing, and use, additives are often added to crude oil, crude oil distillates, residual fuel, and/or residual oils to decrease the wax precipitate particle size, change wax precipitate particle structure, reduce settling and/or agglomeration of the wax precipitate particles, and/or maintain or improve their low temperature flow properties. These additives can modify the size, number, and/or growth of the precipitated wax particles in the crude oil, crude oil distillate, residual fuel, and/or residual oil in a way that imparts improved low temperature handling, transport, storage, pumpability, and/or use. In some instances, the additive or combination of additives reduce the pour point of the crude oil, crude oil distillate, residual fuel and/or residual oil. The additive or combinations of additives that reduce pour point are accordingly called pour point depressants.
Generally, pour point depressants do not make the wax constituents more soluble in oil. Rather pour point depressants function by reducing wax particle size, changing wax particle shape, and/or disrupting or preventing the formation of a waxy precipitate network by interacting physically with the precipitating wax. This interaction results in the size, shape, and/or adhesion properties changes in the wax precipitates. Thus, the addition of pour point depressant can ease the pumping, filtering, processing or use of a material at a particular set of conditions or alternatively enable the pumping, filtering, processing or use of a material at conditions under which the material alone cannot.
Many different types of compounds have been used as different pour point depressants including alkylated aromatic compounds, phenol/aldehyde condensation products, olefin oligomers, copolymers of ethylene and alpha olefins, ethylene/propylene polymers that have been oxidized and hydrogenated, ethylene/vinyl acetate based polymers, acrylate based polymers, maleic anhydride/alpha olefin based copolymer, and maleic anhydride/alpha olefin Diels-Alder adduct based compounds, among others. However, many of these materials are polymers and/or high molecular weight materials. Herein is described a simple non-polymeric material which can function as a pour point depressant.

Oxidized olefin wax pour point depressants


A rain collecting wall system comprising a plurality of interlocking wall components each with a chamber for storing water; sets of teeth disposed on either side of the wall components, the sets of teeth allow the wall components to be arranged to form a structure wherein the first set of teeth of a first wall component engages the second set of teeth of a second wall component; an aperture disposed in each set of teeth adapted to receive an anchor for supporting the wall component in an upright position; structural supports for helping the wall components resist bowing; at least one water access point disposed; and a mounting system for attaching building materials or shelving systems to the wall components.

Collecting rainwater and saving it for a time of need can help save an individual money as well as help conserve valuable water resources. Some individuals place large bins throughout their yards for collecting rainwater. However, these bins can be cumbersome and unsightly. Some rainwater collecting devices are not freestanding and require that they be mounted to walls of houses or already existing garages and sheds. The present invention features a rain collecting wall system for collecting rainwater to be saved for later use. The system of the present invention can be used for creating an aesthetically appealing structure, for example a yard enclosure, a garage, a shed, and/or the like.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.


A method for monitoring a wind turbine. A monitoring signal, including an audio signal and/or an image signal, is received from a monitoring device. Operating data are calculated based on the received monitoring signal. An operating condition and/or a deviation is determined by comparing the operating data to baseline data.

The subject matter described herein relates generally to monitoring a wind turbine and, more particularly, to automated monitoring of a wind turbine using acoustic and/or visual data.
A wind farm includes one or more wind turbines which utilize wind energy to generate or produce electrical power. Wind turbines are generally subjected to operational detriments from environmental elements, such as wind shear, extreme temperatures, icing, and oceanic waves, other external elements, internal friction, and general mechanical wear. Operational detriments may eventually cause suboptimal performance, whether temporarily (e.g., rotor blade icing) or indefinitely (e.g., structural damage to a rotor blade).
At least some known methods of monitoring wind turbines detect operational detriments indirectly by detecting symptoms, such as decreased power output and/or inoperability, of a wind turbine. Moreover, because many potential causes exist for such symptoms, determining the root cause of a symptom requires manual inspection by a service technician, introducing undesirable delay and expense before the root cause can be addressed.

System, device, and method for acoustic and visual monitoring of a wind turbine


A subdermal injection port may include a housing, a first chamber within the housing, and a second chamber within the housing. The subdermal injection port may also include a needle stop between the first chamber and the second chamber. The subdermal injection port may further include an outlet in the housing, with the outlet being in fluid communication with the first chamber and the second chamber.

Subdermal injection ports have been used in conjunction with tissue expanders. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,889 to Radovan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,704 to Frisch, U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,717 to Jakubczak, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,334 to Jordan may disclose single-sided subdermal injection ports in fluid communication with an inflatable tissue expander.
Other references have alternate configurations such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,878 to Bark et al. which may disclose a subdermal tissue expander having a shell defining a chamber. In this reference, a self-sealing layer may line the chamber and a needle stop may be positioned within the chamber.
Another configuration is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,637 to Hillegass et al. which may teach a subdermal injection port having a round smooth needle stop floating in a spherical housing. Yet another configuration is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,465 to Tse which may teach a single-sided injection port having multiple passageways for filling a tissue expander.


According to certain embodiments, an apparatus for applying negative pressure to a wound can include a negative pressure source, a sensor, and a controller. The negative pressure source can be configured to couple via a fluid flow path to a wound dressing and provide negative pressure to the wound dressing. The sensor can be configured to monitor a magnitude or frequency of pressure in the fluid flow path generated by the negative pressure source. The controller can be configured to determine an activity classification, such as breathing, changing positions while lying, sitting, walking, standing, jumping, traversing stairs, leg extending, leg bending, and performing chair squats, based on a change in the magnitude of pressure over time while the negative pressure source maintains the magnitude of pressure in the fluid flow path below a negative pressure threshold. The controller can output an indication of the activity classification.

Many different types of wound dressings are known for aiding in the healing process of a human or animal. These different types of wound dressings include many different types of materials and layers, for example, gauze, pads, foam pads or multi-layer wound dressings. Topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy, sometimes referred to as vacuum assisted closure, negative pressure wound therapy, or reduced pressure wound therapy, is widely recognized as a beneficial mechanism for improving the healing rate of a wound. Such therapy is applicable to a broad range of wounds such as incisional wounds, open wounds and abdominal wounds or the like.
However, prior art dressings for use in negative pressure wound therapy or other wound therapy provide little visualization or information of the condition of the wound site beneath the dressing. This can require the dressing to be changed prematurely before the desired level of wound healing has occurred or, for absorbent dressings, prior to the full absorbent capacity of the dressing being reached to allow the clinician to inspect the healing and status of the wound. Some current dressings have limited or unsatisfactory methods or features of providing information of conditions of the wound.

Reduced pressure therapy systems and methods for monitoring patient movement


A method for enhancing a formation property image may include taking at least one set of formation property measurements with a borehole imaging device, arranging the at least one set of formation property measurements into a two-dimensional image with a buffer, feeding the two-dimensional image into a deep-learning neural network (DNN), and forming a corrected formation property image from the two-dimensional image. The method may further include inverting the at least one set of formation property measurements to form at least one set of inverted formation property measurements and arranging the at least one set of inverted formation property measurements into a two-dimensional image with a buffer.

Boreholes drilled into subterranean formations may enable recovery of desirable fluids (e.g., hydrocarbons) using a number of different techniques. A downhole tool may be employed in subterranean operations to determine borehole and/or formation properties.
Traditionally, borehole imager tools may be used in obtaining a detailed characterization of reservoirs. These borehole imager tools may provide a formation property image of the formation immediately surrounding the borehole. Borehole imaging tools may be used to determine formation stratigraphy, formation resistivity, dips of the formation layers as well as, borehole and formation stress. During drilling operations borehole imaging tools may be particularly important in learning about and detecting thin beds, fracture locations, and low resistivity formations.
Borehole imaging tools may also be referred to as a High Fidelity Borehole Imager (HFBI) tool, which is a high-resolution imaging tool that functions and operates to acquire high-resolution images of the formation property. Unfortunately, the resolution and accuracy of the HFBI borehole image may not be accurate or reliable due to a standoff effect and existing inversion schemes that are based on simplified models.

Deep learning methods for enhancing borehole images


Nano-fibrous microspheres and methods for forming them are disclosed herein. In one embodiment the microsphere includes a plurality of nano-fibers aggregated together in a spherical shape; and a plurality of pores formed between at least some of the plurality of nano-fibers. The nano-fibers are formed of star-shaped polymers.

The present disclosure relates generally to nano-fibrous microspheres.
Biomaterials have been shown to be useful for engineering tissue regeneration and repair. In many instances (e.g., fabricating an entire organ or a large piece of tissue for transplant), it is desirable or even necessary to utilize biomaterial scaffolds that are designed specifically for the patient's anatomy. Designing such scaffolds may be difficult, due to irregular shaped defects and wounds. Hydrogels or other fluid-like injectable materials are often used in such instances. While such materials may be readily manipulated and minimally invasive, they do have limitations. Some fluid-like injectable materials do not possess a desired level of biodegradability, do not include large pores (which may be ideal for cell migration and proliferation), and/or do not have suitable adhesive properties.

Nano-fibrous microspheres and methods for making the same

The Regents of The University of Michigan


The present invention relates to a device, system and method for less obtrusively determining a tissue characteristic of a subject, the device comprises a first control unit (11) configured to control an electromechanical transducer (31) by a first control signal (21) to transfer mechanical waves varying in a frequency range or with varying frequency content to an exposed tissue area of the subject; a second control unit (12) configured to control an electromagnetic radiation emitter (32) by a second control signal (22) to emit electromagnetic radiation towards the exposed tissue area of the subject; a radiation signal input (13) configured to obtain a radiation signal (23) indicative of electromagnetic radiation reflected from the exposed tissue area of the subject; and a processor (14) configured to determine a tissue characteristic signal (24) indicative of a tissue characteristic of the exposed tissue area of the subject derived from a frequency response or a frequency transfer function obtained from the obtained radiation signal in said frequency range or for said varying frequency content.

G. N. Kawchuk et al., "Structural health monitoring (vibration) as a tool for identifying structural alterations of the lumbar spine: a twin control study", Nature Scientific Reports, 11 Mar. 2016, shows how possible damage to the spine of a subject can be classified with mechanical means applying a vibration to the spine and measuring, with accelerometers, the frequency response of the spine. This method is, however, obtrusive and has limited applicability.
Hence, there is a need to provide a less obtrusive way of classifying possible damage to the spine of a subject, which may also have a broader applicability.
US 2016/0045115 A1 discloses a method for an optical elastography system that converts digital images of an actuated breast into a description of surface motion. The surface motion can subsequently be used to ascertain whether the breast has regions of abnormal stiffness, e.g., indicating a significant likelihood of breast cancer. The steps of the method use a model based segmentation to identify profile of the breast in each image, and for each pair of images computing skin surface motion using an optical flow algorithm. This method eliminates a preliminary step of placing fiducial markers on the subject.

Device, system and method for determining a tissue characteristic of a subject


A building wall includes an exterior surface and an interior surface. The exterior surface faces the exterior of the building and the interior surface faces an interior room of the building. The wall has a total wall thermal resistance between the exterior surface and the interior surface. The wall includes a structural member positioned between the exterior surface and the interior surface, and the structural member is configured to bear at least a portion of a vertical load of the wall. An insulated composite wall panel is positioned between the structural member and the interior surface. The insulated composite wall panel includes a skin layer including glass fibers and a cellulose fiber insulation board attached with a resin to a first surface of the skin layer. The thermal resistance of the cellulose fiber insulation board comprises the greatest component of the total wall thermal resistance.

Thermal insulation is a fundamental factor in building construction. Effective thermal insulation for wall construction for residential, commercial, or other purposes can assure a comfortable indoor environment, reduce energy costs, and preserve building structures against mold and other damage.
Cellulose insulation boasts great energy-saving potential. Manufacture of cellulose insulation requires a relatively low amount of energy and may utilize recycled content.


Disclosed is a high-temperature resistant nano composite mining additive for mining heavy oil and super heavy oil, which is prepared from 3-8 wt. % of a modified nano-inorganic additive, 3-8 wt. % of petroleum sulfonate, 10-40 wt. % of a viscosity depressant, 5-15 wt. % of an emulsifier, 2-10 wt. % of a surface wetting agent, 2-10 wt. % of a penetrant, 5-10 wt. % of a polymer modifier, and 1-8 wt. % of a catalyst, with a balance being water. Also disclosed is a preparation process for the above-mentioned high-temperature resistant nano composite mining additive for mining heavy oil and super heavy oil. The mining additive of the present invention has the advantages of a good high-temperature resistant performance, and an excellent emulsification performance and anti-salt performance, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of production and reducing the cost of mining.

Since crude oil around the world is in short supply, the abundant heavy oil and super heavy oil increasingly attracted much attention. In the process of crude oil production, the crude oil in an oil layer penetrates into the well bottom through a porous media and then is lifted up to the ground by a lifting system. In the process of the heavy oil and the super heavy oil penetrating from the oil layer into the well bottom, some colloid, asphaltene, paraffin and other heavy components contained in the heavy oil and the super heavy oil are easily adhered to and accumulated on the surface near the wellhole due to their high content, high viscosity and slow flow velocity, which reduces the well yield, and the lifting process in the wellbore has high resistance and lifting difficulty, which brings great difficulty. Reducing the viscosity of the heavy oil and the super heavy oil and improving the flowability of the heavy oil and the super heavy oil are critical to solving mining, gathering and transportation issues of the heavy oil and the super heavy oil.
The viscosity reduction process commonly used in production of the heavy oil and the super heavy oil has reducing viscosity by heating, reducing viscosity by light oil blending and chemically reducing viscosity. Reducing viscosity by emulsifying the heavy oil and the super heavy oil exhibits significant advantage due to its low cost and high viscosity reduction rate and is widely applied.
Numerous examples of applying a heavy oil emulsifying viscosity depressant at home and abroad are the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,488 reports a process for emulsifying heavy oil with an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymer, which has a viscosity reduction rate of 80% for loco heavy oil with a viscosity of 340 cp at 21° C., wherein the appropriate mineralized water has a total ion concentration of 12,000 mg/L (in which the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions is 730 mg/L). CN1414058A discloses a viscosity reduction paraffin inhibitor for an oilfield polymer flooding well, which reduces the viscosity through chain scission caused by polymer oxidation.
CN88105018A discloses a process for reducing viscosity by emulsifying heavy oil, which emulsifies the heavy oil with polyxyethylated alkylphenol.
The above-mentioned prior art has the following disadvantages: 1) the employed heavy oil viscosity depressant is viscosity depressant with single performance, which has wide application range and is generally applied only to low viscosity heavy oil; 2) the high temperature resistant performance is poor and requirements for heavy oil quality is high; 3) the viscosity depressant has large dosage when in use and high cost; and 4) the viscosity depressant has a mineral salt resistance less than 3,000 mg/L and cannot be used when the calcium and magnesium ions in the formation water has high concentration.

High-temperature resistant nano composite mining additive for mining heavy oil and super heavy oil and preparation process thereof

GUNGHO CHARGE (TIANJIN) REFINED PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD


A method for producing a liquid discharging recording head including an ink discharge opening, an ink supply opening, an ink channel communicating with the ink discharge opening and the ink supply opening, and an energy generating element provided corresponding to the ink channel and adapted for generating energy to be utilized for ink discharge comprises the steps of:. forming a first photosensitive material layer for ink channel formation, on a substrate bearing thereon the energy generating element; PA0 pattern exposing the first photosensitive material layer for forming the ink channel; PA0 forming a second photosensitive material layer on the first photosensitive material layer; PA0 pattern exposing the second photosensitive material layer for forming the ink discharge opening and the ink supply opening; and PA0 developing the first and the second layers of photosensitive materials.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing a liquid-discharging recording head for recording liquid discharge for use in an ink jet recording method, a liquid-discharging recording head produced by the method, and a recording apparatus equipped with the recording head.
2. Related Background Art
The liquid-discharging recording head adapted for use in an ink jet recording method (hereinafter also called a liquid discharge recording method) is generally provided with a fine liquid discharge opening, an ink channel, and an energy generating element provided corresponding to the ink channel and used for generating energy to be utilized for ink discharge, and, at the recording operation, an ink droplet is discharged from the opening by the function of the energy generating element and is deposited on a recording sheet, thereby forming a record. A conventionally known method for producing such liquid-discharging recording head comprises forming a fine groove or grooves on a glass or metal plate by mechanical working or etching, and adhering such grooved plate with another suitable plate to form the ink channel or channels.
However, the liquid-discharging recording head produced by such conventional method has been associated with a drawback of frequent fluctuation in the recording characteristics because of the lack of consistency in the flow resistance in the ink channel, resulting from the insufficient smoothness of the mechanical finishing of the internal walls of the ink channel, or from the distortion in the ink channel caused by locally different etching rate. Also the mechanical working has been associated with a low production yield because of frequent chipping or cracking of the plate. On the other hand, the etching process is unfavorable in production cost, because of a large number of process steps. Also these conventional methods have been associated with a drawback of difficulty in the alignment of the plate bearing grooves as the ink channels with the substrate bearing piezoelectric elements or electrothermal converting elements for generating the energy for ink discharge, whereby such methods lack adaptability for mass production.
Furthermore, such liquid-discharging recording head is constantly in contact, in the state of use thereof, with the ink liquid, which is generally aqueous and often non-neutral, or is based on organic solvent. For this reason the materials constituting the liquid-discharging recording head are preferably free from deterioration in the strength by the influence from the ink liquid, and are free from undesirable components which deteriorate the performance of the ink liquid upon migration thereinto. However, in the above-mentioned conventional methods, it is often not possible to select the materials meeting these objectives, because of certain limitations in the working steps of these methods.

Method for producing liquid-discharging recording head, liquid-discharging recording head produced by said method, and recording apparatus utilizing said recording head


A process of producing a partially hardened metallic formed part comprises: heating a semi-finished product of hardenable hot-formable steel sheet to a hardening temperature; hot-forming the heated semi-finished product in a combined hot-forming cutting device into a three-dimensional formed part; cutting the formed part in the combined hot-forming cutting device; pressure-hardening the formed part in the hot-forming cutting device into a hardened formed part such that a first partial region is hardened by rapid cooling and that a second partial region of the formed part is heat-treated so as to comprise a greater ductility and a lower strength than the first partial region, wherein the operation of cutting the formed part takes place at least in one of the first and second partial region. A combined hot-forming cutting device can be used to produce a metallic formed part.

From DE 10 2005 032 113 B3 there is known a process of and a device for hot-forming and partially hardening a component between two tool halves in a press. The tool halves are each divided into a plurality of segments which are separated from one another by a thermal insulation. The two segments can be heated or cooled by controlling the temperature, so that temperatures and cooling curves can be set in different regions of the component.
EP 1 715 066 A1 proposes a device for forming and pressure hardening sheet metal. Heating elements are integrated into a forming tool in order to heat the sheet metal in certain regions in the forming tool and to influence the material structure by specific tempering operations. The heating elements are heat-protected relative to the adjoining walls of the forming tool by an insulating layer.
From DE 10 2006 015 666 A1 there is known a process of producing a metallic formed component by hot-forming combined with a simultaneous cutting operation. For this purpose, use is made of a combination tool with an upper tool fixed to a pressure ram, a die supported via force elements on the table of a press and a cutting tool fixed on a cutting punch. The cutting punch is arranged at the edge or in a recess of the die. Cutting takes place at a temperature ranging between 400° C. and 700° C.
Formed parts, more particularly if used as structural components of motor vehicles, have to have different, sometimes contradictory, technical features. Thus, in some regions, formed parts have to feature a high degree of hardness and strength and low ductility values, whereas, in other regions they have to comprise low hardness and strength values and high ductility values. This results in the requirement of producing formed parts with a near-net-shape and specific material characteristics.

Producing a partially hardened formed part


This invention is regarding to a fast connection joint for pipe fitting, particularly for those applications where prevention of water spraying in large quantity is required. Its structural design allows connecting or disconnecting an external pipe or faucet, without the need to shut off the water automatically opens when a pipe or faucet is inserted into the connection joint and automatically closes when the pipe or faucet is withdrawn.

Known connection joints for common fittings comprise simply tapped threads or joints wrapped with tape seal, or seal oil at their outlet to assemble and connect external pipes or faucets. A water valve or manifold valve must shut off during assembly procedures, otherwise, water flow running in the pipe will spray out all over the ground. Also, water pressure inside the pipe might cause failure of the connection if the parts of the assembly are not tightly fastened. This phenomena may result in future water seeping or leaking problems.


A composite floor covering having an upper layer of a decorative fabric, a dimensionally stabilizing intermediate layer, and an optional lower cushioning layer has at least the upper surface of the decorative fabric coated with a protective polymeric coating in a manner such that the hand of the decorative fabric layer is substantially retained. The materials of the fabric layer, stabilizing layer, and cushioning layer (if provided) as well as the form of attachment therebetween, cooperate to render the floor covering substantially impervious to liquid.

Decorative floor coverings such as carpets and vinyl flooring are well known. Carpets offer greater comfort than vinyl flooring due to their soft, cushioning feel and better warmth. Vinyl flooring, owing to its protective surface layer, is more stain-resistant and is easier to clean than carpet. Although vinyl flooring is available in a wider variety of decorative designs than is carpet, the surface of vinyl flooring lacks the aesthetic appearance and the pleasing tactile qualities usually associated with decorative textile fabric. The tactile qualities of a fabric (such as softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, smoothness, or other qualities perceptible by touch) are usually collectively referred to as the "hand" of the fabric.
It is believed that there exists a need for a composite floor covering which combines the advantages of carpet and vinyl flooring. The present invention is believed to provide such a composite floor covering.


A test source that combines infrared energy and visible light to produce a uniform output of energy in the visible and infrared spectra is disclosed. The test source includes an infrared energy source and a visible light source. The infrared energy source has a white coating thereon. The visible light source emits visible light onto the infrared light source, which generates a combination of infrared energy and visible light outwardly into the surrounding atmosphere.

Various approaches have been taken in order to combine the outputs of an infrared energy source and a visible light source for use as a test source. One approach is to mount a blackbody that is an infrared energy source along side an integrating sphere that provides a visible light source and to laterally move these sources on a linear slide in order to direct the light from either path into the optical path toward a focal plane. Another approach is taken when these sources are oriented perpendicularly with respect to one another. In this instance, the outputs from these sources contact a beam combiner, which directs the resulting combined energy toward the optical path. Each of these approaches has inherent disadvantages with respect to spectral fidelity, ease of use, and resulting cost.
In view of the foregoing, it has become desirable to develop a test source that combines the outputs of an infrared energy source and a visible light source to produce a fused, uniform output of energy in the visible and infrared spectra while providing independent control of the visible and infrared energy levels.