Abstract: An apparatus for electroplating a metal on a semiconductor substrate with high control over plated thickness on a die-level includes an ionically resistive ionically permeable element (e.g., a plate with channels), where the element allows for flow of ionic current through the element towards the substrate during electroplating, where the element includes a plurality of regions, each region having a pattern of varied local resistance, and where the pattern of varied local resistance repeats in at least two regions. An electroplating method includes providing a semiconductor substrate to an electroplating apparatus having an ionically resistive ionically permeable element or a grid-like shield having a pattern correlating with a pattern of features on the substrate, and plating metal, while the pattern on the substrate remains spatially aligned with the pattern of the element or the grid-like shield for at least a portion of the total electroplating time.

Abstract: A system and method comprising RF tags, RFID readers, voice input devices, and voice recognition software may capture even characteristics associated with a workflow. Workflow characteristics, such as JobId, OperatorID, StationId and EventId may be stored in RF tags and may be captured along with a timestamp, when brought together in the close proximity of a RFID reader. Next node information may be captured to construct detailed workflow diagrams based upon captured data. Quantity information, as well as other information, may be entered verbally and converted to computer readable form using voice recognition software.

Abstract: A method for use with a printing system of a type in which one or more clients communicate with a plurality of printers by way of a network and print server is provided. The print server includes a communications layer with a plurality of connectivity modules, and each of the connectivity modules communicates with at least one of the plurality of printers. The method includes the steps of generating a document processing function call in the print server, in response to a request from one of the one or more clients, and selecting one of the plurality of connectivity modules. In turn, the document processing function call is transmitted to the selected one of the plurality of connectivity modules; and, in response to analyzing the document processing function call with the communications interface, a set of information is obtained with the selected connectivity module.

Abstract: A printing system in which one or more clients communicate with a plurality of printers by way of a print server, whose architecture is characterized by a plurality of layers, is provided. In practice, one of the plurality of layers receives a request from one of the one or more clients and the request designates an operation to be performed with respect to one of the plurality of printers. The printing system includes an application layer, communicating with the one of the plurality of layers, for developing a command expression based on the request received by the one or the plurality of layers, and a communications interface including a first connectivity module and a second connectivity module, with the first connectivity module communicating with a first one of the plurality of printers and the second connectivity module communicating with a second one of the plurality of printers.

Abstract: A device is disclosed to enable the safe insertion and removal of a container of solid or powdered detergent cleaner into a detergent dispenser such as for a dishwasher. The device includes a bowl portion and a central, upstanding water spray outlet near the bottom of the bowl which ejects water into the container to remove the detergent from the container, or from bulk powder fed into the bowl.The spray outlet is occluded by a cover plate which is mounted on a screen which retains the powdered detergent, and the cover plate functions to occlude the spray outlet and horizontally deflect the water spray. This prevents the ejection from the dispenser of water, steam, detergents and chemical solution.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for safely inserting and removing a container of solid or powder detergent cleaner into a detergent dispenser such as for a dishwasher. The device includes a bowl portion and a central, upstanding water spray outlet near the bottom of the bowl which ejects water into the container to remove the detergent from the container, or from bulk powder fed into the bowl.One or more fingers is attached to the inside of the bowl and is biased inwardly by a spring to occlude the spray outlet. When the container of detergent is inserted into the bowl, it biases the finger outwardly and exposes the spray outlet to the detergent. Upon removal of the container from the bowl, it will move out of contact with the finger, which is again biased inwardly by the spring to occlude the spray outlet and protect the operator.Dissolved detergent and wet powder and particles are deposited on, and seep through, a perforated plate or screen adjacent the spray outlet.