All The Claims

1. A method of conducting flow through microwave assisted chemistry comprising:
directing a flow of fluid between a reservoir and a reaction vessel;
exposing a portion of the flowing fluid to microwave radiation to thereby initiate or accelerate chemical reactions in the fluid;
measuring the pressure of the flowing fluid between the reservoir and the reaction vessel; and
conditionally reversing the flow of fluid based upon the measured fluid pressure.
2. A method according to claim 1 comprising directing the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the reaction vessel and reversing the flow of fluid when the pressure increases beyond an upper set point pressure.
3. A method according to claim 1 comprising directing the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the reaction vessel and reversing the flow of fluid when the pressure decreases below a desired set point pressure.
4. A method according to claim 1 comprising directing the flow of fluid from the reaction vessel to the reservoir and reversing the flow of fluid when the pressure increases beyond an upper set point pressure.
5. A method according to claim 1 comprising directing the flow of fluid from the reaction vessel to the reservoir and reversing the flow of fluid when the pressure decreases below a desired set point pressure.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of conditionally reversing the flow of fluid comprises signaling a processor based upon the measured pressure and reversing a pump based upon a signal from the processor.
7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of conditionally reversing the flow of fluid comprises adding additional fluid as the flow is reversed.

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. Manufacturing method of a membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactator comprising the steps of:
providing a chamber plate;
forming a chamber in said chamber plate;
forming a piezoelectricelectrostrictive film separately;
forming a lower electrode under said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film;
bonding said chamber plate and said lower electrode using a bonding layer; and
forming an upper electrode on said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film.
2. The method in claim 1 further comprising the step of etching said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film in a desired pattern before forming said upper electrode.
3. The method in claim 1, wherein said chamber plate is made of metal.
4. The method in claim 3, wherein said metal is stainless steel or nickel.
5. The method in claim 3, wherein the method for forming said chamber in said chamber plate is a punching method, or a full etching method through wet etching.
6. The method in claim 1, wherein said chamber plate is made of ceramic.
7. The method in claim 6, wherein said ceramic is metal oxide or silicon.
8. The method in claim 1, wherein said chamber plate is made of engineering plastic.
9. The method in claim 6, wherein the method said chamber in said chamber plate is punching method.
10. The method in claim 8, wherein the method said chamber in said chamber plate is punching method.
11. The method in claim 1, wherein said bonding layer is formed on said chamber plate.
12. The method in claim 1, wherein said bonding layer is formed under said lower electrode.
13. The method in claim 12 further comprising the step of removing said bonding layer which is exposed after bonding.
14. The method in claim 1, wherein the material of said bonding layer is conductive adhesive.
15. The method in claim 14, wherein said conductive adhesive is silver paste or conductive resin such as conductive epoxy or polymers.
16. The method in claim 1, wherein said bonding layer is formed 1-30 m thick.
17. The method in claim 16, wherein said bonding layer is formed 1-10 m thick.
18. The method in claim 1, wherein the material of said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film is piezoelectricelectrostrictive ceramic, polyvinylidene fluoride, or a mixture of said piezoelectricelectrostrictive ceramic and polyvinylidene fluoride.
19. The method in claim 1, wherein piezoelectricelectrostrictive film is formed 15-300 m thick.
20. The method in claim 1, wherein said lower electrode is formed 1-5 m thick.
21. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator comprising:
a chamber;
a chamber plate in which said chamber is formed;
a lower electrode formed on said chamber plate and covering said chamber;
a bonding layer formed between said chamber plate and said lower electrode and bonding said chamber plate and said lower electrode;
a piezoelectricelectrostrictive film formed on said lower electrode and vibrating when electrified; and
an upper electrode formed on said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film.
22. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said chamber plate is made of metal.
23. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator claim 22, wherein said metal is stainless steel or nickel.
24. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said chamber plate is made of ceramic.
25. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 24, wherein said ceramic is metal oxide or silicon.
26. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said chamber plate is made of engineering plastic.
27. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said boding layer is made of conductive adhesive.
28. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 27, wherein said conductive adhesive is silver paste, or conductive resin such as conductive epoxy or polymers.
29. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said bonding layer is 1-30 m thick.
30. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 29, wherein said bonding layer is 1-10 m thick.
31. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein the material of said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film is piezoelectricelectrostrictive ceramic, polyvinylidene fluoride, or a mixture of substance of said piezoelectricelectrostrictive ceramic and polyvinylidene fluoride.
32. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said piezoelectricelectrostrictive film is 15-300 m thick.
33. Membraneless piezoelectricelectrostrictive microactuator in claim 21, wherein said lower electrode is 1-5 m thick.

1. An image sensor comprising a substrate and one or more of pixels thereon, wherein each of the pixels comprises a first subpixel and a second subpixel; the first subpixel comprises a first nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a first wavelength; the second subpixel comprises a second nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength; the first and second nanowires extend essentially perpendicularly from the substrate, wherein the first nanowire andor the second nanowire has a transistor therein or thereon.
2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each pixel of the image sensor further comprises one or more photodiodes located between the substrate and the first and second nanowires.
3. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, sapphire, diamond, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, germanium, indium gallium arsenide, lead sulfide andor a combination thereof.
4. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein at least one pixel comprises a clad; the first subpixel and the second subpixel of the at least one pixel are embedded in the clad.
5. The image sensor of claim 4, further comprising a material in space between the pixels.
6. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the clad comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxide, andor a combination thereof.
7. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the clad is substantially transparent to visible light.
8. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the first and second nanowires have refractive indexes equal to or greater than a refractive index of the clad.
9. The image sensor of claim 5, wherein the material has a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of the clad.
10. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first nanowire and the second nanowire have different absorption spectra.
11. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first nanowire and the second nanowire have a distance of at least 100 nm.
12. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second nanowires has a p-n or p-i-n junction therein.
13. The image sensor of the claim 1, wherein the electrical signal comprise an electrical voltage, an electrical current, an electrical conductance or resistance, andor a change thereof.
14. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first nanowire andor the second nanowire has a surface passivation layer.
15. The image sensor of claim 1, being operable to absorb at least 50% of all visible light impinged thereon.
16. The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising electronic circuitry operable to detect electrical signals generated by the first and second nanowires.
17. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first and second nanowires comprise silicon.
18. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first nanowire has a radius of about 25 nm and the second nanowire has a radius of about 40 nm.
19. The image sensor of claim 4, wherein the clad has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of about 300 nm.
20. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the pixels have different orientations.
21. The image sensor of claim 2, wherein the photodiodes have absorption spectra different from absorption spectra of the first and second nanowires.
22. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the pixels further comprises a third subpixel and the third subpixel comprises a third nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a third wavelength different from the first and second wavelengths, wherein the third nanowire extends essentially perpendicularly from the substrate.
23. The image sensor of claim 22, wherein the third nanowire comprises silicon.
24. The image sensor of claim 22, wherein the third nanowire has a radius of about 45 nm.
25. The image sensor of claim 22, wherein each of the pixels further comprises a fourth subpixel and the fourth subpixel comprises a fourth nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a fourth wavelength different from the first, second and third wavelengths, wherein the fourth nanowire extends essentially perpendicularly from the substrate.
26. The image sensor of claim 25, wherein the fourth nanowire comprises silicon.
27. The image sensor of claim 25, wherein the fourth nanowire has a radius of about 40 nm.
28. The image sensor of claim 4, further comprising couplers above each of the pixels, each of the couplers having a convex surface and being effective to focus substantially all visible light impinged thereon into the clad.
29. The image sensor of claim 28, wherein each of the couplers has substantially the same footprint as the pixel underneath.
30. The image sensor of claim 1, further comprising an infrared filter operable to prevent infrared light from reaching the pixels.
31. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the image sensor does not comprise an infrared filter.
32. The image sensor of claim 2, further comprising electronic circuitry operable to detect electrical signals from the photodiodes.
33. A method of manufacturing an image sensor, comprising dry etching or VLS growth, wherein the image sensor comprises a substrate and one or more of pixels thereon, wherein each of the pixels comprises at a first subpixel and a second subpixel, the first subpixel comprises a first nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a first wavelength, the second subpixel comprises a second nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, wherein the first and second nanowires extend essentially perpendicularly from the substrate, wherein the first nanowire andor the second nanowire has a transistor therein or thereon.
34. A method of sensing an image comprises:
projecting the image onto an image sensor, wherein the image sensor comprises a substrate and one or more of pixels thereon, wherein each of the pixels comprises at a first subpixel and a second subpixel, the first subpixel comprises a first nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a first wavelength, the second subpixel comprises a second nanowire operable to generate an electrical signal upon exposure to light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, wherein the first and second nanowires extend essentially perpendicularly from the substrate, wherein the first nanowire andor the second nanowire has a transistor therein or hereon;
detecting the electrical signals from the first nanowire and the second nanowire; and
calculating a color of each pixel from the electrical signals.
35. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first nanowire and the second nanowire are embedded in a same clad.
36. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein at least one pixel comprises a clad; wherein the clad covers substantially an entire sidewall of the first nanowire.
37. The image sensor of claim 22, color-matching functions of the first, second and third subpixels are substantially the same as the color matching functions of the CIE 1931 2\xb0 Standard Observer or the CIE 196410\xb0 Standard Observer.
38. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein different pixels of the one or more of pixels comprise spatially separated clads.

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 network server for providing continuous laundry services for articles of wear to a customer on a client computer, the server comprising:
a plurality of article identifiers, each of the article identifiers attaching to each of the articles;
a customer database for associating the customer with a customer identification;
a message server for sending a message to the customer;
a service catalog for indicating available article-related services to the customer;
an order database for tracking a process status of an article according to the corresponding article identifier; and
a last-serviced database for tracking a regular service requirement of the article and tracking whether a service time for the article to be serviced is exceeded or not according to the article identifier, the last-serviced database comprising a last service field for holding the time when the article last obtained a specific servicing, and an interval field for holding a time interval after which the article must again obtain the specific servicing, the last service field and the interval field together comprising the service time for the article to be next serviced to enable the last-serviced database to track whether the service time is exceed or not;
wherein the network server uses the last-serviced database and the message server to send a message to the customer when the service time for the article is exceeded, and uses the order database to enable the customer to track the process status of the article.
2. The network server of claim 1 further comprising a login system; wherein the login system obtains a login name and a login password from the customer, the login system uses the customer database, the login name, and the login password to obtain the customer identification, and after obtaining the customer identification, the server sends a laundry service page to the client computer.
3. The network server of claim 2 wherein the customer database comprises at least an entry for the customer, and the entry comprises a login name field for identifying the login name of the customer, a customer identification field for obtaining the customer identification of the customer, a password verification field for verifying the login password from the customer, and an address of the customer, the message server sending the message to the address.
4. The, network server of claim 3 further comprising a reminder system for sending the reminder message to the customer when the service time for the article is exceeded, the reminder system using the last-serviced database to generate the message, and the customer database to obtain the address for the message.
5. The network server of claim 4 wherein the last-serviced database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a serviced article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification of the serviced article, and service time data to enable the reminder system to determine when a servicing time for the serviced article is exceeded.
6. The network server of claim 3 wherein if the login system identifies a new customer, the login system sends a customer information entry form to the client computer to obtain customer information from the new customer, and the login system uses the customer information to create a new entry in the customer database.
7. The network server of claim 2 further comprising an ordering system, and the laundry service page enables the customer to access the ordering system; wherein the ordering system uses the service catalog and generates a service order form that is sent to the client computer to enable the customer to place a service order.
8. The network server of claim 7 wherein the ordering system obtains service information from the customer using the service order form, uses the service catalog and the service information to generate a charges page, the charges page having a service charge for the order, and sends the charges page to the client computer; wherein the charges page enables the customer to accept the order or to cancel the order, and the ordering system adds a new entry to the order database if the customer accepts the order.
9. The network server of claim 8 wherein the order database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for an article to be serviced and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the article to be serviced, and a process status field for indicating a current process status of the article to be serviced.
10. The network server of claim 2 further comprising:
a tracking system; and
an article database for cataloging an article according to the article identifier on the article, and associating the article with the customer identification;
wherein the service page enables the customer to access the tracking system, and the tracking system uses the customer identification and the article database to obtain a list of article identifications associated with the customer identification, uses the list of article identifications and the order database to obtain process status information, and uses the process status information to send a tracking page to the client computer.
11. The network server of claim 10 wherein the article database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a service article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the service article, and an article owner identification field for holding a customer identification for the service article.
12. The network server of claim 1 wherein the service catalog includes a contamination analysis service for the article; wherein contamination results from the contamination analysis service are delivered to the customer.
13. The network server of claim 1 wherein the message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message.
14. A method for providing continuous laundry services for articles of wear, the method comprising:
tagging each article with a unique article identifier; and
providing a network server for accepting a service order for an article from a client computer, for tracking a process status of the service order, for tracking service time data when the article last obtained a specific servicing, for tracking a servicing time interval after which the article must again obtain the specific servicing, and for sending a message to the client computer when a service time for the article determined by the tracked service time data and the tracked servicing time interval is approaching or is overdue.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the server comprises:
a customer database for associating a customer on the client computer with a customer identification;
a message server for sending the message to the client computer;
a service catalog for indicating available article-related services to the customer;
an order database for tracking the process status of the article according to the article identifier; and
a last-serviced database for tracking a regular service requirement of the article according to the article identifier.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the customer database comprises at least an entry for the customer, and the entry comprises a login name field for identifying a login name of the customer, a customer identification field for obtaining the customer identification of the customer, a password verification field for verifying a login password from the customer, and an address of the customer, the message server sending the message to the address.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising using the last-serviced database to generate the message, and the customer database to obtain the address for the message, and sending the message to the client computer when the service time for the article is approaching or is overdue.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the last-serviced database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a serviced article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification of the serviced article, and the service time data to enable determination of when the service time for the serviced article is exceeded.
19. The method of claim 15 further comprising detecting a new customer, sending a customer information entry form to the client computer to obtain customer information from the new customer, and using the customer information to create a new entry in the customer database.
20. The method of claim 15 further comprising using the service catalog to generate a service order form that is sent to the client computer to enable the customer to place an order.
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:
obtaining service information from the customer using the service order form;
using the service catalog and the service information to generate a charges page, the charges page having a service charge for the order;
sending the charges page to the client computer, the charges page enabling the customer to accept the order or to cancel the order; and
adding a new entry to the order database if the customer accepts the order.
22. The method of claim 15 wherein the order database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for an article to be serviced and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the article to be serviced, and a process status field for indicating a current process status of the article to be serviced.
23. The method of claim 15 wherein the server further comprises an article database for cataloging an article according to the article identifier on the article, and associating the article with the customer identification, the method further comprising:
using the customer identification and the article database to obtain a list of article identifications associated with the customer identification;
using the list of article identifications and the order database to obtain process status information; and
using the process status information to send a tracking page to the client computer.
24. The method of claim 23 wherein the article database comprises a plurality of entries, each entry for a service article and comprising an article identification field for holding an article identification for the service article, and an article owner identification field for holding a customer identification for the service article.
25. The method of claim 15 wherein the service catalog includes a contamination analysis service for the article, the method further comprising delivering contamination results from the contamination analysis service in a message to the customer.
26. The method of claim 14 wherein the message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message.