Abstract: An apparatus and method of manufacturing a wire mesh laminate includes wrapping a central core with multiple layers of mesh screen and a barrier layer having a higher melting point than the mesh screen to form a spool assembly. The spool assembly is then surrounded by an outer cover and is heated to sinter or fuse together the layers of mesh screen.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for software implemented timers configured to account for purposeful or desired program stoppage. Such program stoppage is a common occurrence in debugging environments. Because such program stoppage is not indicative of an error condition, it is undesirable to include the stoppage time with the elapsed timer value. Accordingly, a process counter is implemented which is incremented only while a process of the application being debugged is executing.

Abstract: A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for identifying bookmark features either on a local browser or generated from a remote browser and sent to the local browser. Specifically, a method for managing bookmark information in a data structure residing on a computer, comprising receiving the bookmark information from a plurality of sources networked to the computer, the bookmark information comprising source identifier information and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), and storing the bookmark information in the data structure.

Abstract: An optical package comprises an optical element (e.g., a filter), a reflective surface, an input optical fiber and an output optical fiber. A light signal travels through the input fiber and through the element where it is shaped or modified a first time. The shaped light signal is reflected by the reflective surface and is again transmitted through the element where it is shaped or modified a second time. The twice-shaped light signal then travels out through the output fiber. The package thereby utilizes the element two times. The package is useful in wavelength division multiplex (WDM) telecommunication systems and other light processing systems.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for creating and manipulating universal disk format (UDF) data structures having variable amounts of data. For some embodiments, a UDF data structure is formatted with a freespace bitmap field large enough to represent a first amount of data and an area adjacent the freespace bitmap field reserved to allow the freespace bitmap field to expand to represent a second amount of data greater than the first amount of data. The freespace bitmap field may be expanded to represent the second amount of data by increasing a freespace bitmap size field to represent an expanded freespace bitmap field and initializing the expanded portion of the freespace bitmap size field.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and article manufacture of debugging code. One embodiment provides a method of debugging code, comprising displaying a user interface screen of a debugging program; and in response to an event, displaying the value of the variable and a comment associated with the variable in the user interface screen in a location other than in an original location of the comment. In one embodiment, the comment associated with the variable comprises at least one of a user-drafted comment embedded in the code being debugged, an external comment retrieved from a data source external to the code being debugged, and a machine-generated comment indicative of a manner in which the variable is used. In one embodiment, the value and the comment are displayed as fly-over text.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of forming a titanium silicon nitride barrier layer on a semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of depositing a titanium nitride layer on the semiconductor wafer; plasma-treating the titanium nitride layer in a N2/H2 plasma; and exposing the plasma-treated titanium nitride layer to a silane ambient, wherein silicon is incorporated into the titanium nitride layer as silicon nitride thereby forming a titanium silicon nitride barrier layer. Additionally, there is provided a method of improving the barrier performance of a titanium nitride layer comprising the step of introducing silicon into the titanium nitride layer such that the silicon is incorporated into the titanium nitride layer as silicon nitride. Also provided is a method of integrating copper into a semiconductor device and a method of improving copper wettability at a copper/titanium nitride interface in a semiconductor device.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for adjusting acquisition assistance data received by a mobile receiver from a server is described. In one example, pseudoranges are measured from the mobile receiver to a set of satellites. Line-of-sight data is obtained with respect to the mobile receiver and the set of satellites. The pseudoranges and the line-of-sight data are processed to compute updates for an initial position associated with the acquisition assistance data and a correlator clock bias associated with the pseudoranges. The acquisition assistance data is then adjusted using the updates and the line-of-sight data.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are various embodiments, including but not limited to a bicycle that includes, among other features, an elongated down tube and a single elongated seat tube, the longitudinal axis of the seat tube intersecting the longitudinal axis of the down tube at a location substantially intermediate between the first and second ends of the down tube, wherein the distance between the spaced apart side outer surfaces of each of the down tube and the seat tube are less than the distance between the upper and lower outer surfaces of each of the down tube and seat tube; additionally including a seat tube, a seat tube sleeve, a crank assembly and a bottom bracket sleeve for mounting the crank assembly, wherein the seat tube sleeve has an upper end, a lower end, and a longitudinal axis extending from the upper end to the lower end; the seat tube being disposed within the seat tube sleeve, the longitudinal axis of the seat tube sleeve intersecting the bottom bracket sleeve.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided in which a method is described for transferring data in a digital system including a first bus, a second bus, a PCI-X bridge coupling the first and second buses, and a first device and a second device residing on the first and second buses, respectively. The first bus has the same or higher bandwidth than that of the second bus. According to the method, the PCI-X bridge immediately starts or resumes forwarding split completion data from the first device to the second device if the first device starts or resumes split completion data transfer to the PCI-X bridge at the beginning of a block (i.e., the start or resume byte address has the form of 128N). If the first device starts transfer to the PCI-X bridge not at the beginning of a block, the PCI-X bridge refrains from forwarding split completion data until (a) the first device sends the data byte at the beginning of the next block to the PCI-X bridge or (b) the byte transfer count is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of at least one gas flowing into a processing chamber is provided. In one embodiment, a gas temperature control apparatus for semiconductor processing includes a gas delivery line coupled between a processing chamber and a gas source. An enclosure substantially encloses the gas delivery line and is adapted to flow a heat transfer fluid away from the processing chamber.

Abstract: Methods and systems for handling physical device placement requests are provided. In general, a physical device placement request is any request for information pertaining to placement of a physical device (e.g., a direct access storage device and a PCI card) in a computer system. Illustratively, a request may specify machine specific information, base system information or purchase order information. The user-supplied request information is then combined with configuration information according to predefined rules. The resulting output is placement information which may be returned to the requester.

Abstract: An optical filter composed of a concatenation of elementary filters consisting of chirped slanted Bragg gratings written on a continuous portion of an optical waveguide, characterized in that the various gratings in the concatenation have the same angle, identical lengths and a linear chirp.

Abstract: The present invention generally is directed to a system, method and article of manufacture for accessing data independent of the particular manner in which the data is physically represented. In one embodiment, a data repository abstraction layer provides a logical view of the underlying data repository that is independent of the particular manner of data representation. In one embodiment, the data repository abstraction layer specifies a location of data in a repository and a method for accessing the data. A query abstraction layer is also provided and is based on the data repository abstraction layer. A runtime component performs translation of an abstract query into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation.

Abstract: For regenerating a binary optical signal (sd, sE2) a monolithic semiconductor component (100) comprises: a saturable absorber structure (3) having a saturable absorber section (31), a first optical waveguide (1, 11 to 16) defining a first guide axis (X) disposed on either side of the section (31), a second optical waveguide (2, 21 to 24) defining a second guide axis (Y) crossing the first axis (X) in the section (31) and disposed on either side of the section (31). The saturable absorber structure has a dimension along the first guide axis greater than its dimension along the second guide axis. The first and second waveguides respectively inject an optical clock signal (c1) and the binary optical signal (sd, sE2). Application to optical transmission systems for regenerating signals in accordance with two different regeneration regimes.

Abstract: The present invention generally an apparatus and a method for filling tanks with acetylene gas. The invention includes filling a first tank to a first level, thereafter filling a second tank while continuing to fill the first tank. The invention further includes restricting the flow of gas to the second tank while continuing to fill the first tank. The invention also includes a first and a second transportable source of compressed acetylene.

Abstract: A traction apparatus (1) for propulsion along a bore comprises first and second traction members (6) having outwardly extending legs (14). A propulsion system for operating the traction members (6) comprises a turbine-driven shaft (7) which drives the traction members (6) by way of bearing members (15). In a first phase, one of the legs of the first traction member is moved in one direction whilst in contact with the traction surface to impart the propulsion force at the same time as one of the legs of the second traction member is moved in opposite direction whilst out of contact. In a second phase one of the legs of the second traction member is moved in said one direction whilst in contact with the traction surface to impart the propulsion force at the same time as one of the legs of the first traction member is moved in opposite direction whilst out of contact.

Abstract: A programmable graphics system and method for processing high precision graphics data represented in one or more data formats in one or more passes. Graphics program instructions executed by the system control the processing and format conversion of the data. The program instructions and the data are stored in a memory accessible by the system. Within the memory, contiguous memory entries can contain program instructions or data represented in different formats. The format used to represent a particular data element within the data, is specified in the state information maintained in the system and is used to configure format conversion units within the system. High precision data, such as floating color, is processed by the programmable graphics system and output via a digital to analog converter (DAC) for display.

Abstract: An optical device including a laser with a laser cavity having a gain curve with a maximum at a wavelength ?max; and an optical carrier coupled to the cavity. The optical carrier includes a grating that defines a reflection peak coefficient at a wavelength ? that is less than the wavelength ?max by at least 10 nanometers at ambient temperature.

Abstract: A method of forming a tantalum-nitride layer (204) for integrated circuit fabrication is disclosed. Alternating or co-reacting pulses of a tantalum containing precursor and a nitrogen containing precursor are provided to a chamber (100) to form layers (305, 307) of tantalum and nitrogen. The nitrogen precursor may be a plasma gas source. The resultant tantalum-nitride layer (204) may be used, for example, as a barrier layer. As barrier layers may be used with metal interconnect structures (206), at least one plasma anneal on the tantalum-nitride layer may be performed to reduce its resistivity and to improve film property.