Author: claimsbot

I claim:

1. A needle guard comprising:
a base having a needle well;
a handle attached to the base by a connector; and
a needle holder capable of securing a medical needle having a pointed end,
wherein the extent to which the base can be moved away from the handle is limited by the connector, and the walls of the needle well completely surrounds the needle point when the handle is distally extended away from the base, and
wherein the connector is structured so that the handle is capable of being pushed towards the base such that the needle is guided beyond the needle well.
2. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the base and the handle are attached by two accordion connectors that fold out when the handle and the base are pushed towards each other.
3. The needle guard according to claim 1, further comprising a lock that, when locked, is capable preventing the base and the handle from being pushed towards each other.
4. The needle guard according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning gap on the base.
5. The needle guard according to claim 1, further comprising a cover capable of covering the needle well when the needle point is in the well.
6. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the holder is capable of holding a medical needle comprising a piercing section connected to a connector section by an angular section, such that the pointed end of the needle is at an end of the piercing section distal from the connector section.
7. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises a guide attached to a top portion of the base and the guide has a guide aperture therethrough in communication with and contributing to the needle well.
8. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the base further comprises a guide attached to a bottom portion of the base and the guide has a guide aperture therethrough in communication with and contributing to the needle well.
9. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the holder is capable of holding a straight needle.
10. The needle guard according to claim 1, wherein the holder has enough play such that the holder is capable of sliding up and down the needle shaft.
11. A needle assembly comprising:
a base having a needle well;
a handle attached to the base by a connector; and
a needle holder securing a medical needle,
wherein the extent to which the base can be moved away from the handle is limited by the connector, and the walls of the needle well surrounds a pointed end of the needle when the handle is distally extended away from the base, and
wherein the connector is structured so that the handle is capable of being pushed towards the base so that the needle is guided beyond the needle well into a patient.
12. The needle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the base and the handle are attached by two accordion connectors that fold out when the handle and the base are pushed towards each other.
13. The needle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the base and the handle are attached by a connector selected from the group consisting of two accordion walls, two telescoping walls, a spring and a resiliently compressible material.
14. The needle assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a lock means that, when locked, is capable preventing the base and the handle from being pushed towards each other.
15. The needle assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a positioning gap on the base.
16. The needle assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a needle cover capable of covering the needle well.
17. The needle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the needle has a piercing section, connected to a connector section by a angled section, and wherein the piercing section has the pointed end distal from the connector section, and the connector section is connected to a medical tube.
18. The needle assembly according to claim 11, wherein the base further comprises a guide attached to a bottom portion of the base and the guide has a guide aperture therethrough in communication with and contributing to the needle well.
19. The needle assembly according to claim 18, wherein a portion of the base is sufficiently resilient to deform the guide to a non-perpendicular angle.
20. A method of using a medical needle having a pointed end comprising:
providing a needle guard having a base comprising a needle well, a handle attached to the base by a connector, a locking means that, when locked, is capable of keeping the handle and the base at distal ends of the connector, a needle holder securing the needle to the guard, wherein the handle is initially extended away from the base, such that a pointed end of the needle is surrounded by the walls of the needle well;
placing the needle guard substantially against a patient so that the needle well is above an area for the needle to be inserted;
pressing the handle towards the base to insert the needle into the patient;
pulling the handle away from the base to retract the needle from the patient, such that the connectors directs the pointed end back within the needle well; and
locking the locking means.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. An initiator comprising:
a casing;
a reaction agent disposed in the casing;
an electrode; and
a plasma generating agent disposed in the casing for generating a plasma in response to energization of the electrode to thereby cause the reaction agent to initiate a reaction.
2. An initiator according to claim 1 wherein the reaction agent comprises only a single reaction agent.
3. An initiator according to claim 1 wherein the reaction agent is formed of a mixture of a first reaction agent and a second reaction agent.
4. An initiator according to claim 1 wherein the electrode is affixed to a header by an insulative fixing material.
5. An initiator according to claim 1 wherein the electrode is inserted into a header.
6. An initiator comprising:
a casing;
an electrode; and
a mixture of a reaction agent and a plasma generating agent, wherein the plasma generating agent generates a plasma in response to energization of the electrode and a reaction of the reaction agent is initiated.
7. An initiator according to claim 6 wherein a mixture of the reaction agent and the plasma generating agent is separated from a header by a gap.
8. An initiator according to claim 6 wherein a gap is formed between the reaction agent and ceiling surface of a cup; wherein the gap is filled with a metallic sleeve.
9. A gas generator comprising:
a gas generating agent; and
an initiator for initiating a gas generating reaction of the gas generating agent;
wherein the initiator comprises:
a casing;
an electrode; and
a mixture of a reaction agent and a plasma generating agent, wherein the plasma generating agent generates a plasma in response to energization of the electrode and a reaction of the reaction agent is initiated.
10. An initiator having a plasma generating agent.
11. A gas generator including an initiator having an agent that reacts in response to a plasma.

1. A light emission angle adjusting sheet comprising a light-input surface and a light-output surface through which light having passed through the light-input surface is let out, wherein
the sheet comprises a low-refractive-index material and a high-refractive-index material having different refractive indices,
on the light-output surface, there are spread a plurality of low-refractive-index material exposed portions, where the low-refractive-index material is exposed, and a plurality of high-refractive-index material exposed portions, where the high-refractive-index material is exposed,
the plurality of low-refractive-index material exposed portions, which have a same area, and the plurality of high-refractive-index material exposed portions, which have different areas, are arranged in a mixed fashion, and
the low-refractive-index material has a shape that monotonically narrows toward the light-input surface.
2. The light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
the low-refractive-index material is triangular-prism-shaped, with one angle of a triangular shape pointing to the light-input surface and other two angles pointing to the light-output surface, and defines, on a cross section crossing a prism axis direction, an isosceles triangle having the light-input surface-side one angle as a vertical angle and the other two angles as base angles.
3. The light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
the low-refractive-index material exposed portions and the high-refractive-index material exposed portions are arranged alternately,
there are two or more different areas that the high-refractive-index material exposed portions have, and
among the high-refractive-index material exposed portions, high-refractive-index material exposed portions having different areas are arranged alternately.
4. The light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
the low-refractive-index material comprises a transparent resin or a transparent resin containing a light-absorbing material.
5. The light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
the sheet has a two-layer structure, and
an extension direction of the low-refractive-index material exposed portions in a first layer and an extension direction of the low-refractive-index material exposed portions in a second layer cross each other.
6. The light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
the light-output surface is laid with a surface treatment film.
7. A display panel having the light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1 fitted on a display surface.
8. A display device comprising:
the display panel according to claim 7; and
an illuminating device which supplies light to the display panel.
9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein
when
a reference position of the display panel is determined with respect to a horizontal direction, and
on a plane of the display panel arranged in the reference position, a first reference direction is defined to run in a same direction as the horizontal direction and a second reference direction is defined to cross the first reference direction,
then
the low-refractive-index material exposed portions are linear, and a direction in which the low-refractive-index material exposed portions are linear coincides with the first or second reference direction.
10. A method of manufacturing the light emission angle adjusting sheet according to claim 1, wherein
a die processed to have a shape corresponding to a shape of the low-refractive-index material is used in an oxidation process involving anodic oxidation.

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.-12. (canceled)
13. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising:
measuring a first flatness of each of a plurality of substrates before formation of a light-shielding film;
predicting, on the basis of the first flatness, a second flatness of said each substrate when said each substrate is chucked on an exposure apparatus;
selecting, from the substrates, at least one substrate having a predetermined flatness on the basis of the second flatness;
predicting, for the selected at least one substrate, a desired third flatness of the at least one substrate after a light-shielding film is formed on the substrate;
forming a light-shielding film on the selected at least one substrate;
measuring a fourth flatness of the at least one substrate having the formed light-shielding film; and
manufacturing an exposure mask by forming a desired pattern on the at least one substrate when it is determined by comparing the fourth flatness with the third flatness that the at least one substrate having the light-shielding film has the desired third flatness;
chucking the exposure mask in the exposure apparatus; and
illuminating a pattern formed on the exposure mask, which is to be used to form a semiconductor element, by an illumination optical system to transfer an image of the pattern onto a predetermined substrate.
14. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 13,
wherein in predicting the third flatness after light-shielding film formation the desired flatness of the at least one substrate after the light-shielding film is formed at a predetermined coverage is predicted, the predetermined coverage being a predetermined percentage of the substrate which is covered by the light-shielding film.
15. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 13,
wherein the desired third flatness is a flatness of the at least one substrate after light-shielding film formation, which ensures that when the at least one substrate is chucked on the exposure apparatus, a flatness in a central portion of a major surface of the at least one substrate is not more than a predetermined value.
16. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 14,
wherein the desired third flatness is a flatness of the at least one substrate after light-shielding film formation, which ensures that when the at least one substrate is chucked on the exposure apparatus, a flatness in a central portion of a major surface of the at least one substrate is not more than a predetermined value.
17. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising:
measuring a first flatness of each of a plurality of substrates before formation of a light-shielding film;
predicting, on the basis of the first flatness, a second flatness of said each substrate when said each substrate is chucked on an exposure apparatus;
selecting, from the substrates, at least one first substrate having a first predetermined flatness on the basis of the second flatness;
forming a light-shielding film on the selected at least one first substrate;
measuring a third flatness of the at least one first substrate, the at least one first substrate having the formed light-shielding film;
predicting, on the basis of the third flatness, a fourth flatness of the at least one first substrate when the at least one first substrate after formation of the light-shielding film is chucked on the exposure apparatus;
selecting, from the at least one first substrate, the at least one second substrate having a predetermined second flatness on the basis of the fourth flatness; and
manufacturing an exposure mask by forming a desired pattern on the selected at least one second substrate;
chucking the exposure mask in the exposure apparatus; and
illuminating a pattern formed on the exposure mask, which is to be used to form a semiconductor element, by an illumination optical system to transfer an image of the pattern onto a predetermined substrate.
18. The semiconductor device manufacturing method of claim 17,
wherein in predicting the fourth flatness after light-shielding film formation, the flatness of the at least one first substrate after the light-shielding film is formed at a predetermined coverage is predicted, the predetermined coverage being a predetermined percentage of the substrate which is covered by the light-shielding film.