1. A system for facilitating the return of an item, the system comprising:
an item comprising an identification code, the identification code being associated with the item and information for communicating with a computing device of an owner of the item; and
a managing computing device comprising at least one processor and memory and configured to:
receive notification indicating that the item has been found; and
in response to receipt of the information indicating that the item has been found by a finder:
use the information for communicating to send the notification to a computing device of the owner; and
manage communications between the computing device of the owner and a computing device of the finder for facilitating recovery of the item by the owner.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the managing computing device comprises storage configured to record and store the communications between the computing device of the owner and a computing device of the finder.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the managing computing device is configured to:
analyze the communications between the computing device of the owner; and
scan for abusive activity by the owner and finder in the communications by watching for predetermined keywords.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the managing computing device is configured to send and receive information securely.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the managing computing device is configured to manage the communications between the computing device of the owner and a computing device of the finder in private.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the item is a case for an article.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of a mobile communication device and a tool.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the article comprises the identification code.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification code is permanently affixed to the item.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the item is affixed to an article.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification code comprises at least one of a series of alphanumeric characters and a machine readable code.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to receive a communication from the computing device of the owner that indicates that the item has been recovered.
13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device of the owner, and
the computing device of the finder,
wherein each of the computing device of the owner and the computing device of the finder is configured to send and receive communications via the managing computing device.
14. A system for facilitating the return of an item, the system comprising:
an item of an owner;
an identification code associated with the item, the identification code being associated with the item and information for communicating with a computing device of an owner of the item; and
the computing device of the owner configured to:
receive notification indicating that the item has been found; and
communicate with a computing device of a finder of the item via a managing computing device for facilitating recovery of the item by the owner.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of a keytag, a mobile computing device, a tool and a case therefore.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the identification code is permanently affixed to the item.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device of the owner is configured to send and receive secured communications with the computing device of the finder via the managing computing device.
18. A system for facilitating the return of an item, the system comprising:
an item comprising an identification code, the identification code being associated with the item and information for communicating with a computing device of an owner of the item; and
a computing device of a finder configured to:
send the identification code to a managing computing device; and
communicate with the computing device of the owner via the managing computing device for facilitating recovery of the item by the owner.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of a keytag, a mobile computing device, a tool, and a case for an article.
20. The system of claim 18, wherein the identification code is permanently affixed to the item.
21. The system of claim 18, wherein the computing device of the finder is configured to send and receive secured communications with the computing device of the owner via the managing computing device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method, comprising:
forming a first film inside at least one trough, said at least one trough integrally disposed on an energetically neutral surface layer of a substrate, said at least one trough comprising a substantially planar first sidewall and a substantially planar second sidewall opposite said first sidewall, wherein said first sidewall and said second sidewall are substantially normal to said surface layer, said first and said second sidewalls being separated by a distance corresponding to a width of a bottom surface of said at least one trough, said first film comprising a first block copolymer;
assembling line-forming microdomains of said first block copolymer within said first film, said microdomains of said first block copolymer forming first self-assembled structures within said first film, said first self-assembled structures oriented substantially normal to said first sidewall and said second sidewall and substantially parallel to said surface layer;
removing at least one microdomain from said first film such that oriented structures remain in said trough, wherein said oriented structures are oriented substantially normal to said first sidewall and said second sidewall and substantially parallel to said surface layer;
forming a second film inside said at least one trough, said second film comprising a second block copolymer; and
assembling line-forming microdomains of said second block copolymer within said second film, said line-forming microdomains of said second block copolymer forming second self-assembled structures within said second film, said second self-assembled structures oriented substantially normal to said oriented structures and substantially parallel to said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first block copolymer and said second block copolymer are different.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first block copolymer is a di-block copolymer comprising a first block of a first polymer, said first block being covalently bonded to a second block of a second polymer to form a repeating unit of said first block copolymer, said first and second polymers being different, further wherein said second block copolymer is a di-block copolymer comprising a first block of a third polymer, said first block of said third polymer being covalently bonded to a second block of a fourth polymer to form a repeating unit of said second block copolymer, said third and fourth polymers being different.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first polymer and said third polymer are selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene oxide), poly(propylene glycol), poly(alkylene oxides), poly(acrylic acids), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(dimethylamino ethylmethacrylate), poly(hydroxyalkyl methacrylates), poly(alkyleneoxide acrylates), poly(alkyleneoxide methacrylates), poly(hydroxyl styrenes), polycarbohydrates, poly(vinyl alcohols), poly(ethylene imines), polyoxazolines, polypeptides, poly(vinyl pyridines), polyacrylamides, poly(methyl vinyl ethers), poly(vinyl carboxylic acid amides), polymethylmethacrylate, and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamides), wherein said second polymer and said fourth polymer are selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, poly(a-methyl styrene), polynorbornene, polylactones, polylactides, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, polyolefins, polymethacrylates, polysiloxanes, poly(alkyl acrylates), poly(alkyl methacryaltes), polyacrylonitriles, polycarbonates, poly(vinyl acetates), poly(vinyl carbonates), and polyisobutylenes.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said at least one microdomain from said first film is selected from the group consisting of at least one microdomain of said first polymer block and at least one microdomain of said second polymer block.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first film further comprises a first miscible material, wherein said first miscible material is miscible with said first block copolymer, wherein presence of said first miscible material within said first block copolymer induces line-forming microdomains of said first block copolymer to align with respect to said first sidewall and said second sidewall, after said first film is formed inside said at least one trough, and wherein said second film comprises a combination of said second block copolymer and a second miscible material, wherein said second miscible material is miscible with said second block copolymer, wherein presence of said second miscible material with said second block copolymer induces line-forming microdomains of said second block copolymer to align with respect to said oriented structures, after said second film is formed inside said at least one trough.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said first miscible material and said second miscible material increase the rigidity of line-forming microdomains of said first block of said first polymer and said first block of said third polymer, respectively, wherein said first miscible material and said second miscible material are each selected from the group consisting of organic homopolymers, inorganic homopolymers, crosslinkable homopolymers, inorganic oligomers, and combinations thereof.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said first sidewall is substantially parallel to said second side wall, wherein said first sidewall and said second sidewall are separated by a distance within a range from about 20 nanometers (nm) to about 2000 nm, wherein said at least one trough has a depth within a range from about 30 nm to about 200 nm.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming first self-assembled structures and said forming second self-assembled structures are selected from the group consisting of forming said film on said substrate, thermal annealing after forming said film on said substrate, vapor annealing after forming said film on said substrate, and combinations thereof.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming said first film and said forming said second film are processes selected from the group consisting of dip coating, spray coating, spin coating, and combinations thereof.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first block copolymer and said second block copolymer are amphiphilic organic block copolymers, amphiphilic inorganic block copolymers, or combinations thereof.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein said removing at least one microdomain from said first film comprises using a process selected from the group consisting of thermolysis, UVozone processing, supercritical CO2 processing, solvent extraction, a dry etching process, a wet etching process, reactive ion etching, and combinations thereof.
13. A structure, comprising:
a substrate having a surface layer, said surface layer configured to induce a block copolymer to form line-forming microdomains, said surface having at least one trough integrally disposed thereon, said at least one trough comprising a substantially planar first sidewall and a substantially planar second sidewall opposite said first sidewall, wherein said first sidewall and said second sidewall are substantially normal to said surface layer, said first and said second sidewalls being separated by a distance corresponding to a width of a bottom surface of said at least one trough;
at least one oriented inorganic structure disposed inside said at least one trough, said at least one structure oriented substantially normal to said first sidewall and said second sidewall and substantially normal to said surface layer; and
a block copolymer film disposed in said at least one trough, wherein said block copolymer comprises a first block comprising a first polymer, said first block being covalently bonded to a second block comprising a second polymer to form a repeating unit of the block copolymer, said first and second polymers being different, wherein line-forming microdomains of said block copolymer are aligned substantially parallel to said first and second sidewalls and substantially normal to said at least one oriented inorganic structure.
14. The structure of claim 13, wherein said first block copolymer and said second block copolymer are selected from the group consisting of amphiphilic organic block copolymers, amphiphilic inorganic block copolymers, and combinations thereof.
15. The structure of claim 13, wherein a miscible material is dissolved in said first polymer of said first block, wherein said miscible material increases the rigidity of line-forming microdomains of said first block, wherein said miscible material is selected from the group consisting of an organic homopolymer, an inorganic homopolymer, a crosslinkable homopolymer, an inorganic precursor, an inorganic oligomer, and combinations thereof.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one trough has a shape selected from the group consisting of a line, an arc, an angle, and combinations thereof.
17. A method, comprising:
forming a film in at least one trough, said at least one trough having at least one first oriented structure disposed therein, said at least one trough integrally disposed on a surface layer of a substrate, said surface layer configured to induce a block copolymer to form line-forming microdomains, said at least one trough comprising a substantially planar first sidewall and a substantially planar second sidewall opposite said first sidewall, wherein said first sidewall and said second sidewall are substantially normal to said surface layer, said first and said second sidewalls being separated by a distance corresponding to a width of a bottom surface of said at least one trough, said at least one first oriented structure oriented substantially normal to said first sidewall and said second sidewall and substantially parallel to said surface layer, said film comprising a block copolymer, said block copolymer comprising line-forming microdomains of a first polymer block and lamellar microdomains of a second polymer block; and
removing at least one microdomain from said film such that at least one second oriented structure remains in said at least one trough, wherein said at least one second oriented structure is oriented substantially normal to said at least one first oriented structure and substantially parallel to said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said film further comprises a miscible material, wherein said miscible material is miscible with said block copolymer, wherein said miscible material is dissolved within said first polymer block.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said miscible material is selected from the group consisting of an organic homopolymer, an inorganic homopolymer, a crosslinkable homopolymer, inorganic oligomers, and combinations thereof, wherein said crosslinkable homopolymer, wherein said crosslinkable homopolymer is a silsesquioxane having the formula (RSiO1.5)n, wherein R is selected from the group consisting of a hydrido group and an alkyl group, wherein n is in a range from about 10 to about 500, and wherein said crosslinkable homopolymer has a molecular weight in a range from about 600 gramsmole (gmol) to about 30,000 gmol.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein said miscible material is an inorganic homopolymer, and wherein said removing at least one microdomain from said film comprises removing all organic polymer from said film by heating said film to a temperature between 350\xb0 C. and 600\xb0 C.