Abstract: A powered fastener driving tool such as a powder-actuated tool including a housing assembly including a side wall having a first outer section, a raised section, and a recessed section, the raised section including a rim that extends in an outermost plane of a side wall of the housing and a spring-loaded slidable power setting switch partially positioned in and partially extending from the housing. The spring-loaded slidable power setting switch includes a depressible button movable from a resting position in which an outer surface of the button extends outwardly beyond the plane in which the outer surface of the rim lies to a depressed position in which the outer surface of the button extends in a same or substantially same plane in which the outer surface of the rim lies.

Abstract: An explosive discharge actuated tool includes a piston disposed in a barrel to be driven by a combustion gas for exerting a striking power to strike a fastener out of the barrel. A power adjusting unit is disposed to adjust an opening area of an exhaust port for the combustion gas, and includes an adjusting pin movable longitudinally to completely or partially close the exhaust port so as to adjust the striking power, and an engaging block coupled to the adjusting pin through a latch spindle to be moved transversely to allow or prevent movement of the adjusting pin relative to the exhaust port.

Abstract: A powered fastener driving tool such as a powder-actuated tool including a housing assembly including a side wall having a first outer section, a raised section, and a recessed section, the raised section including a rim that extends in an outermost plane of a side wall of the housing and a spring-loaded slidable power setting switch partially positioned in and partially extending from the housing. The spring-loaded slidable power setting switch includes a depressible button movable from a resting position in which an outer surface of the button extends outwardly beyond the plane in which the outer surface of the rim lies to a depressed position in which the outer surface of the button extends in a same or substantially same plane in which the outer surface of the rim lies.

Abstract: An explosive discharge actuated tool includes a piston disposed in a barrel to be driven by a combustion gas for exerting a striking power to strike a fastener out of the barrel. A power adjusting unit is disposed to adjust an opening area of an exhaust port for the combustion gas, and includes an adjusting pin movable longitudinally to completely or partially close the exhaust port so as to adjust the striking power, and an engaging block coupled to the adjusting pin through a latch spindle to be moved transversely to allow or prevent movement of the adjusting pin relative to the exhaust port.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a housing with a flange part and an upper part; a die part; a punch supported movably on the flange part; and two driving levers abutting against the upper part and the punch and rotatable between initial and cutting positions. Each of the driving levers has a protrusion, first and second end segments and a middle segment between the first and second segments. When the driving levers are disposed at the initial position, the middle segments overlap each other in a second direction. When the driving levers are disposed at the cutting position, the second end segment of one of the driving levers overlaps the first end segment of the other one of the driving levers in the second direction.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a base including a die part that has a top wall; an abutting member connected to the base; a punch supported on the base, movable relative to the die part and the abutting member between upper and lower positions; and an ejecting unit supported on the base and including a non-compressible ejecting element disposed above and adjacent to the top wall of the die part. The punch is movable relative to the ejecting unit at least during movement of the punch from a middle position to the lower position. The ejecting unit abuts against the abutting member at least when the punch is disposed at the upper position.

Abstract: A photomask includes a substrate having a device region and an adjacent edge region over transparent material. The device region includes spaced primary features of constant pitch at least adjacent the edge region. The edge region includes spaced sub-resolution assist features of the constant pitch of the spaced primary features at least adjacent the device region and which are off-phase by from about 30° to about 150° from +/?180°. Additional embodiments, including methods, are disclosed.

Abstract: A powder-actuated fastener-driving device includes a hollow body including a tubular portion and a handle, and an inner tube movable forwardly and rearwardly within the tubular portion and having a front end disposed outwardly of the tubular portion, and a slot. The front end of the inner tube has an outer surface formed with a position-limiting groove. A stop member is disposed within the tubular portion, and extends into the slot. A sound-absorbing sleeve is sleeved movably on a portion of the tubular portion disposed outwardly of the handle, and has an inner surface formed with a position-limiting block, which is movable forwardly and rearwardly within the position-limiting groove. When the front end of the inner tube is pressed forwardly against an object, the sound-absorbing sleeve comes into contact with the handle.

Abstract: A photomask includes a substrate having a device region and an adjacent edge region over transparent material. The device region includes spaced primary features of constant pitch at least adjacent the edge region. The edge region includes spaced sub-resolution assist features of the constant pitch of the spaced primary features at least adjacent the device region and which are off-phase by from about 30° to about 150° from +/?180°. Additional embodiments, including methods, are disclosed.

Abstract: A photomask includes a substrate having a device region and an adjacent edge region over transparent material. The device region includes spaced primary features of constant pitch at least adjacent the edge region. The edge region includes spaced sub-resolution assist features of the constant pitch of the spaced primary features at least adjacent the device region and which are off-phase by from about 30° to about 150° from +/?180°. Additional embodiments, including methods, are disclosed.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a housing with a flange part and an upper part; a die part; a punch supported movably on the flange part; and two driving levers abutting against the upper part and the punch and rotatable between initial and cutting positions. Each of the driving levers has a protrusion, first and second end segments and a middle segment between the first and second segments. When the driving levers are disposed at the initial position, the middle segments overlap each other in a second direction. When the driving levers are disposed at the cutting position, the second end segment of one of the driving levers overlaps the first end segment of the other one of the driving levers in the second direction.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a base including a die part that has a top wall; an abutting member connected to the base; a punch supported on the base, movable relative to the die part and the abutting member between upper and lower positions; and an ejecting unit supported on the base and including a non-compressible ejecting element disposed above and adjacent to the top wall of the die part. The punch is movable relative to the ejecting unit at least during movement of the punch from a middle position to the lower position. The ejecting unit abuts against the abutting member at least when the punch is disposed at the upper position.

Abstract: A position-limiting device forms a portion of a magazine assembly of a powder-actuated fastener-driving gun, and includes a nail-guiding pipe and a clamping unit. The nail-guiding pipe extends through a sleeve of a magazine assembly such that an end of the nail-guiding pipe is disposed outwardly of the sleeve. The nail-guiding pipe includes a tubular body, a nail passage hole formed in the tubular body and in spatial communication with the nail-receiving space in the magazine housing so as to allow one of the nails to be moved from the magazine housing into the nail-guiding pipe therethrough, and two aligned apertures formed respectively in two opposite sides of the tubular body. The clamping unit is disposed on the nail-guiding pipe, and extends through the apertures for clamping the one of the nails disposed within the nail-guiding pipe.

Abstract: A resilient returning device for a power operated piston tool comprises a one piece elastic bellow-shaped body including a plurality of repeating pleats, each of which has two pleat halves that cooperatively define a first elbow therebetween. Each of the pleat halves of each of the pleats cooperates with an adjacent one of the pleat halves of an adjacent one of the pleats to define a second elbow therebetween. Each of the first and second elbows has a bulging side. The bellow-shaped body is formed with a plurality of loop-shaped grooves that are indented from the bulging sides of the first elbows of the pleats or the bulging sides of the second elbows of the pleats, respectively.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a base including a die part that has a top wall; an abutting member connected to the base; a punch supported on the base, movable relative to the die part and the abutting member between upper and lower positions; and an ejecting unit supported on the base and including a non-compressible ejecting element disposed above and adjacent to the top wall of the die part. The punch is movable relative to the ejecting unit at least during movement of the punch from a middle position to the lower position. The ejecting unit abuts against the abutting member at least when the punch is disposed at the upper position.

Abstract: A photomask includes a substrate having a device region and an adjacent edge region over transparent material. The device region includes spaced primary features of constant pitch at least adjacent the edge region. The edge region includes spaced sub-resolution assist features of the constant pitch of the spaced primary features at least adjacent the device region and which are off-phase by from about 30° to about 150° from +/?180°. Additional embodiments, including methods, are disclosed.

Abstract: A resilient returning device for a power operated piston tool comprises a one piece elastic bellow-shaped body including a plurality of repeating pleats, each of which has two pleat halves that cooperatively define a first elbow therebetween. Each of the pleat halves of each of the pleats cooperates with an adjacent one of the pleat halves of an adjacent one of the pleats to define a second elbow therebetween. Each of the first and second elbows has a bulging side. The bellow-shaped body is formed with a plurality of loop-shaped grooves that are indented from the bulging sides of the first elbows of the pleats or the bulging sides of the second elbows of the pleats, respectively.

Abstract: A position-limiting device forms a portion of a magazine assembly of a powder-actuated fastener-driving gun, and includes a nail-guiding pipe and a clamping unit. The nail-guiding pipe extends through a sleeve of a magazine assembly such that an end of the nail-guiding pipe is disposed outwardly of the sleeve. The nail-guiding pipe includes a tubular body, a nail passage hole formed in the tubular body and in spatial communication with the nail-receiving space in the magazine housing so as to allow one of the nails to be moved from the magazine housing into the nail-guiding pipe therethrough, and two aligned apertures formed respectively in two opposite sides of the tubular body. The clamping unit is disposed on the nail-guiding pipe, and extends through the apertures for clamping the one of the nails disposed within the nail-guiding pipe.

Abstract: A punching device includes: a lower part including a die; an upper part including a punch support attached magnetically to the die; a punch supported movably on the punch support; and a separating mechanism including a driving unit mounted rotatably on one of the upper and lower parts and rotatable relative to the upper and lower parts, and a pressing unit mounted movably on the one of the upper and lower parts and associated with the driving unit in such a manner that when an external force is applied to the driving unit for rotating the driving unit relative to the upper and lower parts, the external force can be transferred from the driving unit to the pressing unit to allow the pressing unit to press against the other of the upper and lower parts.

Abstract: Several embodiments of photolithography devices and associated methods of focal calibration are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method for determining a focus shift in a photolithography system include placing a microelectronic substrate on a substrate support of the photolithography system and producing first and second refraction patterns on the photoresist layer corresponding to first and second grating patterns, respectively, of a single reticle by illuminating the first and second grating patterns with an asymmetric monopole source perpendicular to the first and second grating patterns. The method further includes measuring an image shift between the first and second refraction patterns on the photoresist layer and determining a defocus shift of the illumination source based on the image shift.