Author: claimsbot

1. A pole and structure apparatus comprising:
A plurality of poles, each pole having a midsection and upper and lower ends;
A holder having an open position and a closed position, said holder being dimensioned and configured for gripping each of the plurality of poles when the holder is in a closed position, the holder being further configured to hold and orient the poles to form a structure having a plurality of legs, the legs being configured and positioned for engaging the ground and creating a standing structure, the holder being configured to release the poles when moved to the open position to enable disassembly of the structure;
A closure mechanism associated with a holder for securing the holder in a closed position to secure the poles in a desired position;
a release mechanism associated with the holder and the closure mechanism for releasing the closure mechanism and for releasing the poles from the holder to enable disassembly of the structure:
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder further comprises:
a hub including a plurality of movable hub components operable to move between a closed position and an open position;
Said hub components being configured to form cylindrical receivers when the hub components are in the closed position, the cylindrical receivers being dimensioned to receive and tightly grip the poles when the closure mechanism holds the poles in a closed position; and Said hub components being configured and dimensioned to release the poles when the hub components are moved to the open position.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder engages the midsections of the poles to form a tripod structure having three downwardly extending legs and having three upwardly extending legs.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder engages the midsections of the poles to form a tripod structure having three downwardly extending legs and having three upwardly extending legs and further comprising a triangular seat having the three comers and pockets formed in the comers to receive the upper ends of the poles and mount the seat on the poles, the seat being dimensioned to extend tightly between the upper ends of the three upwardly extending legs to form a tripod stool with a seat supported by the poles.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 where in the closure mechanism is an over-the-center clamp for applying a force to the holder urging the holder toward a closed position and thereby holding the holder in a closed position.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
a top plate, a middle plate and a bottom plate;
An axle for holding each of the plates and for allowing at least the middle plate to rotate about the axle relative to the top and bottom plates;
A plurality of semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces being formed on each of the top plate, middle plate and bottom plate, each of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces on the top plate corresponding to one of the semi-cylindrical surfaces on the bottom plate, the corresponding semi-cylindrical surfaces on the top and bottom plates being oriented to face in the same direction;
Each of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces on the middle plate corresponding to one of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces on the top or bottom plate and being oriented to face in an opposite direction, opposite from the same direction, each of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the bottom and top plates being positioned in an opposing relationship to one of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the middle plate so that when the holder is in a closed position, the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces form a plurality of inclined cylindrical receivers dimensioned to grip and hold the poles.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
a plurality of plates;
An axle for holding each of the plates and for allowing at least the one plate to rotate about the axle relative to another plate;
A plurality of semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces being formed on each of the plates, each of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces on the one plate corresponding to one of the semi-cylindrical surfaces on the other plate; and
Each of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces on the one plate being oriented to face in an opposite direction from the corresponding ones of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the other plates so that when the holder is in a closed position, the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces form a plurality of inclined cylindrical receivers dimensioned to grip and hold the poles.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
A plurality of plates dimensioned and configured for forming cylindrical inclined receivers for the poles;
A ratchet axle having a ratchet mode of operation and a freewheeling mode of operation for mounting the plates in an adjacent relationship and, in the ratchet mode of operation, allowing the plates to move in one direction relative to each other and preventing the plates from moving in the opposite direction relative to each other; and
A release mechanism associated with the ratchet axle for being actuated to release the ratchet axle and place the ratchet axle in the freewheeling mode of operation that allows the plates to move in at least said opposite direction.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
A hub for holding the poles, the hub comprising:
A core;
A plurality of the jaws and mounted on the core, said jaws and core being dimensioned and configured to form inclined cylindrical receivers for gripping and holding the poles.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
A core having a plurality of semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces formed in the core;
A plurality of the jaws, each jaw having a semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces formed in the jaw;
A plurality of hinges, each hinge mounting one jaw on the core with the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the core being a position opposite from the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the jaws, each of said jaws being moveable on one of said hinges to a closed position to form a cylindrical receiver dimensioned and configured for gripping and holding the poles, each of said jaws being movable on one of said hinges to an open position to release the poles from the cylindrical receiver.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder comprises:
A core having a plurality of semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces formed in the core;
A plurality of the jaws, each jaw having a semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces formed in the jaw;
A closure mechanism for holding in the jaws in a closed position in which the poles are gripped between the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces of the core and the jaws; and
A release mechanism for releasing the closure mechanism and allowing the jaws to move to an open position in which poles may be removed from the grip of the semi-cylindrical inclined surfaces.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said poles further comprise reinforcement along the midsection of each pole for engaging the holder and resisting forces applied by the holder to the pole so that the holder does not deform the pole.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sleeves dimensioned and configured to fit on the ends of each pole and protect the pole end during use in the standing structure.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an accessory attached to the holder when the holder and poles are formed into the standing structure.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a camera mount attached to the holder, said holder being attached to the upper ends of each leg to form a standing structure in the form of a tripod with the camera mount disposed at the top of the tripod.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a tabletop attached to the holder, said holder being attached to the upper ends of each leg to form a standing structure in the form of a tripod with the table top disposed at the top of the tripod.
17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holder engages the midsections of the poles to form a standing structure having a plurality of downwardly extending legs and having a plurality of upwardly extending legs and further comprising a seat having a plurality of comers and pockets formed in the comers to receive the upper ends of the poles and mount the seat on the poles, the seat being dimensioned to extend tightly between the upper ends of the upwardly extending legs to form a stool with a seat supported by the poles.
18. An apparatus for holding elongate members to form a structure comprising:
A first holding member having a midregion and a plurality of engagement members extending from the midregion, each of the engagement members including a first engagement surface oriented in a first direction;
A second holding member having a mid region and a plurality of engagement members extending from the midregion, each of the engagement members including a second engagement surface oriented in a second direction;
A connector for connecting the first and second holding members together in a position orienting the first and second of holding members to place at least some of the first engagement surfaces in an opposing relationship with at least some of the second engagement surfaces;
A closure mechanism for retaining the first and second holding members in a closed position in which the elongate members may be gripped between the first and second engagement surfaces, and for being released and allowing the first and second engagement surfaces to move apart enabling release of the elongate members from the grip of the first and second engagement the surfaces.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the engagement members extend generally outwardly and radially from the midregion of each of the first and second holding members and wherein the first and second engagement surfaces are each inclined semi-cylindrical surfaces dimensioned to engage and substantially conform to the elongate members.
20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the connector is an axle for mounting the first and second holding members in a side-by-side parallel relationship, said first and second holding members being mounted on the axle with at least one of said holding members being mounted on the axle for rotation relative to the other holding member.
21. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:
A third holding member having a midregion and a plurality of engagement members extending from the midregion, each of the engagement members including a third engagement surface oriented in the first direction;
The connector retaining the first second and third holding members in a side by side parallel relationship with the second holding member being positioned between the first and third holding members, the second holding member being retained by the connector for rotation relative to the first and third holding members;
The closure mechanism for retaining the first, second and third holding members in a closed position in which the first, second and third engagement surfaces form receivers dimensioned and configured to grip and hold the elongate members with the first and third engagement surfaces being disposed on one side of the elongate members and the third engagement surfaces being disposed on the opposite side of the elongate members in an opposing relationship to the first and third engagement surfaces so that the plurality of elongate members may be gripped between the plurality of first and third engagement surfaces on one side and the plurality of third engagement surfaces on the other side of the elongate members.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

We claim:

1. A method of promoting regular withdrawal bleeding in a woman undergoing cyclical progestin administration comprising cyclical vaginal delivery of progestin via a drug delivery system in an amount sufficient to cause secretory transformation of the endometrium while avoiding significant adverse side effects.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drug delivery system comprises a water-insoluble, water-swellable cross-linked polycarboxylic acid polymer.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the polymer is polycarbophil.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the progestin is progesterone.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the amount of progesterone delivered is about 45 mg to about 90 mg per dose.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the drug delivery system additionally comprises at least one adjuvant.
7. The method of either of claims 2 and 5 wherein the drug delivery system is administered daily during a set portion of every calendar month.
8. The method of claim 3 wherein the woman is also being treated with estrogen.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the woman is also being treated with estrogen.
10. A method of maintaining amenorrhea in a woman undergoing constant progestin administration comprising constant vaginal administration of progestin via a drug delivery system in an amount sufficient to cause endometrial atrophy while avoiding significant adverse side effects.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the drug delivery system comprises a water-insoluble, water-swellable cross-linked polycarboxylic acid polymer.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the polymer is polycarbophil.
13. The method of either of claims 10 and 12 wherein the progestin is progesterone.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein the progestin is administered about twice per week.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the progestin is administered about twice per week.

1. A method for enhancing the security of a transaction payment, comprising:
receiving, at a service provider, a request message from a mobile subscriber, said request message being associated with a payment portion of a transaction and including a payment amount;
extracting from the request message at least the amount of the transaction;
performing one or more processing steps using, at least in part, the amount of the transaction and a user profile comprising information previously supplied by the mobile subscriber and yielding, at least in part, an authorization code;
augmenting the user profile with data about the mobile subscriber supplied from at least one source other than the mobile subscriber;
generating a response message containing, at least in part, the authorization code and an advertisement responsive to the augmented user profile;
dispatching to said mobile subscriber said response message,
wherein prior to yielding the authorization code, triggering, based on criteria defined by the Mobile Subscriber, a further approval sequence for the transaction, and
wherein the criteria are received at the service provider from the mobile subscriber during a prior registration process with the service provider, and wherein the criteria include an aggregate dollar amount that is compared to a cumulative dollar amount resulting from multiple occurrences of received request messages each having a respective payment amount.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message is any of (a) a Short Message Service message, (b) a Multimedia Message service message, or (c) an IP Multimedia Subsystem message.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request message further includes one or more of (a) an account identifiers andor (b) a password.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing steps include one or more of (a) one or more inquiries to the mobile subscriber, (b) a low or an empty balance replenishment operation, andor (c) mobile subscriber location awareness.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mobile subscriber location awareness is derived from one or more of (a) Location-Based Services andor (b) Global Positioning System services.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is one of (a) a Short Message Service message, (b) a Multimedia Message Service message, or (c) an IP Multimedia Subsystem message.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said information is defined by a mobile subscriber during a registration process.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said information includes one or more of Identifying Information, Contact Information, Billing Information, and Account Information.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein said registration process is web-based.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein said registration process includes a billing component.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
said mobile subscriber supplying said authorization code to a merchant.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the authorization code is supplied via one or more of (a) manual means, (b) Bluetooth, (c) WiFi, (d) Near Field Communication, (e) Uniform Resource Locator, andor (f) Web cookie.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
completing one or more processing steps to generate an approval code;
generating a response message containing, at least in part, the approval code; and
dispatching said response message with said approval code to said merchant.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
said merchant supplying said approval code to said mobile subscriber.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the approval code is supplied via one or more of (a) manual means, (b) Bluetooth, (c) WiFi, (d) Near Field Communication, (e) Uniform Resource Locator, andor (f) Web cookie.
16. A method of conducting a commercial transaction, comprising:
receiving, at a service provider associated with a short code, a single, mobile subscriber-initiated, short message service (SMS) message, addressed to the short code, the SMS message including a payment amount for a commercial transaction;
retrieving, from a user profile, information received in a prior registration process, the information including criteria defined by the Mobile Subscriber for triggering a further approval sequence;
augmenting the user profile with data about the mobile subscriber supplied from at least one source other than the mobile subscriber;
communicating with a billing interface to obtain an authorization code for the payment amount;
sending a response SMS message to the mobile subscriber, the response SMS message including the authorization code and an advertisement responsive to the augmented user profile, wherein prior to sending the authorization code, triggering, based on the criteria defined by the Mobile Subscriber, the further approval sequence for the commercial transaction, wherein the criteria include an aggregate dollar amount that is compared to a cumulative dollar amount resulting from multiple occurrences of received request messages each having a respective payment amount;
receiving the authorization code from a party to the commercial transaction other than the mobile subscriber, and generating an approval code based on the authorization code, payment amount and at least one identifier; and
supplying the approval code to the party to the commercial transaction other than the mobile subscriber.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving from the mobile subscriber a SMS message including the approval code.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising confirming that the mobile subscriber is in a same location as the party to the commercial transaction other than the mobile subscriber.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of confirming comprises employing location-based services or global positioning system (GPS) services.
20. A method for enhancing the security of a transaction payment, comprising:
receiving, at a service provider, a request message from a mobile subscriber, said request message being associated with a payment portion of a transaction and including a payment amount;
extracting from the request message at least the amount of the transaction;
performing one or more processing steps using, at least in part, the amount of the transaction and information previously supplied by the mobile subscriber and yielding, at least in part, an authorization code;
generating a first response message containing, at least in part, the authorization code and an advertisement responsive to an augmented user profile;
dispatching to said mobile subscriber said first response message;
supplying the authorization code from the mobile subscriber to a merchant;
completing one or more additional processing steps to generate an approval code;
generating a second response message containing, at least in part, the approval code;
dispatching the second response message with the approval code to the merchant;
supplying the approval code from the merchant to the mobile subscriber; and
receiving, at the service provider, a confirmation message from the mobile subscriber, the confirmation message comprising the approval code,
wherein prior to yielding the authorization code, triggering, based on criteria defined by the Mobile Subscriber, a further approval sequence for the transaction,
wherein the criteria are received at the service provider from the mobile subscriber during a prior registration process with the service provider, and wherein the criteria include an aggregate dollar amount that is compared to a cumulative dollar amount resulting from multiple occurrences of received request messages each having a respective payment amount.
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 for fabricating substrate of a semiconductor device, comprising:
providing a first silicon layer;
forming a dielectric layer on the first silicon layer;
bonding a second silicon layer to the dielectric layer;
removing part of the second silicon layer and part of the dielectric layer to define a first region and a second region on the first silicon layer, wherein the remaining of the second silicon layer and the dielectric layer are on the second region; and
forming an epitaxial layer on the first region of the first silicon layer, wherein the epitaxial layer and the second silicon layer comprise same crystalline orientation.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
rotating the second silicon layer by 45 degrees; and
bonding the second silicon layer to the dielectric layer so that the second silicon layer and the first silicon layer comprise different channel direction.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
forming a patterned hard mask on the second silicon layer after bonding the second silicon layer to the dielectric layer;
using the patterned hard mask to remove part of the second silicon layer and part of the dielectric layer for defining the first region and the second region on the first silicon layer; and
using the patterned hard mask for forming the epitaxial layer in the first region of the first silicon layer.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the patterned hard mask comprises silicon nitride.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, or silicon nitride.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial layer comprises silicon carbide or silicon germanium.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial layer, the first silicon layer, and the second silicon layer comprise same crystalline orientation.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial layer and the second silicon layer comprise different channel direction.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial layer and the first silicon layer comprise same channel direction.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
removing part of the epitaxial layer and part of the second silicon layer and the dielectric layer for forming a plurality of fin-shaped structures in the first region and the second region;
forming a plurality of gate structures on the fin-shaped structures; and
forming a spacer around each of the gate structures.
11. A substrate of semiconductor device, comprising:
a first silicon layer, wherein the first silicon layer comprises a first region and a second region;
an epitaxial layer on the first region;
a dielectric on the second region; and
a second silicon layer on the dielectric layer, wherein the second silicon layer and the epitaxial layer comprise a same crystalline orientation, and the epitaxial layer and the second silicon layer comprise different channel directions.
12. The substrate of semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, or silicon nitride.
13. The substrate of semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the epitaxial layer comprises silicon carbide or silicon germanium.
14. The substrate of semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the epitaxial layer, the first silicon layer, and the second silicon layer comprise the same crystalline orientation.
15. (canceled)
16. The substrate of semiconductor device of claim 11, wherein the epitaxial layer and the first silicon layer comprise a same channel direction.