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Fibrin is a white insoluble fibrous protein formed from fibrinogen by the action of thrombin. In the clotting of blood, fibrin forms the structural scaffold of a thrombus, which is a clot of blood formed within a blood vessel that remains attached to its place of origin. Under normal conditions the blood clotting system is maintained in equilibrium and the fibrin deposits are dissolved by the fibrinolytic enzyme system. Unfortunately, events such as vascular damage, activation/stimulation of platelets, and activation of the coagulation cascade may disturb the equilibrium, which can result in thrombosis or the blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot.
Intravascular thrombosis is one of the most frequent pathological events accounting for greater than 50% of all deaths as well as a variety of other serious clinical problems. Most spontaneously developing vascular obstructions are due to the formation of intravascular blood clots, also known as thrombi. Small fragments of a clot may detach from the body of the clot and travel through the circulatory system to lodge in distant organs and initiate further clot formation. Myocardial infarction, occlusive stroke, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral arterial disease are well-known consequences of thromboembolic phenomena.
Plasminogen activators are currently the favored agents employed in thrombolytic therapy, all of which convert plasminogen to plasmin and promote fibrinolysis by disrupting the fibrin matrix (M. A. Creager and V. J. Dzau, Vascular Diseases of the Extremities, ppgs. 1398-1406 in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed., Fauci et al, editors, McGraw-Hill Co., New York, 1998; the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).
The most widely used plasminogen activators include a recombinant form of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), urokinase (UK) and streptokinase (SK), as well as a new generation of plasminogen activators selected for improved pharmacokinetics and fibrin-binding properties. All of these plasminogen activators, however, by virtue of their mechanism of action, act indirectly and require an adequate supply of their common substrate, plasminogen, at the site of the thrombus to effect lysis.
UK and tPA convert plasminogen to plasmin directly by cleaving the Arg560-Val561 peptide bond. The resulting two polypeptide chains of plasmin are held together by two interchain disulfide bridges. The light chain of 25 kDa carries the catalytic center and is homologous to trypsin and other serine proteases. The heavy chain (60 kDa) consists of five triple-loop kringle structures with highly similar amino acid sequences. Some of these kringles contain so-called lysine-binding sites that are responsible for plasminogen and plasmin interaction with fibrin, α2-antiplasmin or other proteins. SK and staphylokinase activate plasminogen indirectly by forming a complex with plasminogen, which subsequently behaves as a plasminogen activator to activate other plasminogen molecules by cleaving the arginyl-valine bond.
Although thrombolytic drugs, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), streptokinase, and urokinase, have been successfully employed clinically to reduce the extent of a thrombotic occlusion of a blood vessel, it appears that serious limitations persist with regard to their use in current thrombolytic therapy. For example, because the activation of plasminogen by tPA is fibrin dependent for full proteolytic activity to be realized (Haber et al. 1989), excessive bleeding may result as a side effect of its use. Other adverse sequelae associated with the use of these thrombolytic agents include myocardial infarction, occlusive stroke, deep venous thrombosis and peripheral arterial disease.
Additionally, the known plasminogen activators currently used suffer from several limitations that impact their overall usefulness in the elimination of a thrombus. For example, at best, the use of current thrombolytic therapy results in restored vascular blood flow within 90 min in approximately 50% of patients, while acute coronary re-occlusion occurs in roughly 10% of patients. Coronary recanalization requires on average 45 minutes or more, and intracerebral hemorrhage occurs in 0.3% to 0.7% of patients. Residual mortality is at least 50% of the mortality level in the absence of thrombolysis treatment.
A different approach to avoid the problems associated with the systemic administration of a plasminogen activator to generate sufficient plasmin at the site of the thrombus, is to directly administer the plasmin itself to the patient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,489, Reich et al., disclose a fibrinolytic treatment that includes parenterally introducing plasmin into the body of a patient. The concentration and time of treatment were selected to be sufficient to allow adequate active plasmin to attain a concentration at the site of an intravascular thrombus that is sufficient to lyse the thrombus or to reduce circulating fibrinogen levels. However, the necessity of generating the plasmin from plasminogen immediately prior to its introduction into the body is also disclosed.
In contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,513 to Jenson teaches that plasmin compositions may be stabilized at pH 7.0 by including a physiological non-toxic amino acid. This method dilutes stock plasmin solutions stored at low pH with the neutralizing amino acid immediately prior to administration. There are advantages, however, in maintaining low pH of the plasmin composition as long as possible to minimize autodegradation. Ideally, the plasmin will be retained at a low pH until encountering the target fibrin.
Yago et al. disclose plasmin compositions useful as a diagnostic reagent in U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,923. The compositions of Yago et al. comprise plasmin and an additional component which may be 1) an oligopeptide comprising at least two amino acids, or 2) at least two amino acids, or 3) a single amino acid and a polyhydric alcohol. However, the compositions of Yago et al. are formulated at a neutral pH to maintain the enzymatic activity of plasmin.
Plasmin as a potential thrombolytic agent has numerous technical difficulties. These difficulties include the challenge of preparing pure plasmin that is free of all functional traces of the plasminogen activator used to convert plasmin from its inactive precursor, plasminogen. Preparations of plasmin are typically extensively contaminated by plasminogen activator, streptokinase or urokinase and the thrombolytic activity was, therefore, attributed to the contaminating plasminogen activators rather than to plasmin itself. The contaminating plasminogen activators could also trigger systemic bleeding other than at the targeted site of thrombosis. A drawback of streptokinase containing plasmin preparations is that streptokinase can cause adverse immune reactions including fever and anaphylactic shock.
One of the more important technical factors limiting clinical use of plasmin is that plasmin, as a serine protease with broad specificity, is highly prone to autodegradation and loss of activity. This circumstance provides severe challenges to the production of high-quality plasmin, to the stable formulation of this active protease for prolonged periods of storage prior to use, and to safe and effective administration of plasmin to human patients suffering from occlusive thrombi. Thus, there is need for a method of producing stable plasmin. | {
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The following description relates to methods and techniques of distributing broadcast content.
Documents may be broadcast to one or more receivers on a regular basis. Broadcasting may include sending documents in email, sending alerts or notices that documents are available from a distribution source, and faxing documents. The documents are typically scheduled for regular distribution to the one or more receivers through one or more electronic distribution channels. The receivers may include subscribers to a subscription service, such as email, where subscribers receive the latest data and updates for products, research, and markets. The receivers may include managers and project planners who receive status reports, spreadsheets, and research data for one or more business goals, and may be within or outside a distributing party's organization.
The distribution schedule for the documents may include daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly distribution of reports. Generally, the same document is distributed. However, the data or content within the document may be updated with more recent data. Even though the data may be updated with data that is more recent than the last document that was broadcasted, the updated data may not be added or different data. If the updated data is not new, the receiver can get essentially the same document that was sent in the last reporting period. The receiver may spend their time and efforts searching for new data that is not in the received document. Also, if large documents are sent to multiple receivers at the same time, the large documents may increase network traffic and reduce the transmission rate of other communications on the distribution channels and/or network system.
In another aspect, the document may have the same data, but may have a different template and/or format. If the receiver is primarily concerned with receiving new data in the document, the document may not need to be distributed at the next distribution interval, even though the formatting of the data is different.
A technique of determining whether the document being sent contains data that is additional or different from the previously-distributed document is to compare the previously-distributed document with the document that is currently being prepared to be distributed. The technique may include the storing of both the previously-distributed document and the document updated with new data on the distribution system. The documents that are reported tend to be large in size. The storing of one or both of the documents can consume system resources, and a comparison of the content of those large documents may be a time-consuming task. | {
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The life and load carrying capability of journal bearings is limited by the properties of the materials used in their construction. Hydrodynamic bearings include a strong steel backing member lined on their bearing surfaces with a compliant layer of metal, typically constructed of tin and lead-tin alloys. Such bearings are commonly called bi-metal bearings indicating a metal backing having a compliant metal bearing surface lining. The compliant metal layer can accomodate wear debris accumulated in the lubricating oil but does not have sufficient fatigue strength and tensile strength to support large mechanical loads. The greater the thickness of this compliant layer, the more tolerant the bearing is to wear debris and other foreign particles in the lubricating oil. However, the load carrying capacity of these bearings decreases as the compliant layer thickness increases. As a result, bearing designs have been a com-promise between the capability to accomodate wear debris and the ability to support loads and resist mechanical degradation such as fatigue.
A wide variety of compliant metal layers have been developed in an attempt to reach an effective compromise between wear debris accomodation and strength while also maintaining good temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and resistance to scoring, while being conformable to shaft distortion and bending. For example, copper-lead and aluminum-tin compliant metals were developed to provide a harder, stronger lining material while attempting to provide sufficient compatability to accomodate wear debris, but such metal layers were found to suffer from relatively poor seizure and score resistance. Tri-metal construction then was developed by applying an overlay of metal on the bi-metal lining, such as by sintering a metal powder lining onto a steel strip or backing member and overlaying approximately 1 mil final metal layer, generally a lead-tin or lead-tin-copper alloy, such as by electroplating to increase fatigue resistance. The tri-metal bearing surfaces provide much higher load-carrying capacity for heavy duty bearings, but do not have as good embedability, capacity to accomodate wear debris, as the more compliant bi-metal bearing surfaces. Further, the tri-metal bearings are of much higher cost than the bi-metals.
Others have attempted to manufacture bearing materials having both strength and wear debris embedability by incorporating the strength characteristics of graphite fibers into soft metal linings to provide a bearing material comprising a metal matrix incorporating graphite (carbon) fibers. Such carbon fiber bearing materials have been manufactured generally in accordance with two known methods, illustrated by the Giltrow et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,981 and the Old et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,579. In accordance with the Giltrow et al. method, the carbon fibers are chopped and metal coated or mixed with powdered metal, to obtain a desired ratio of metal to carbon fiber, and the carbon fibers and metal are pressed into a desired shape to form a bearing having uniformly dispersed, randomly oriented carbon fibers.
The Old et al. method coats the carbon fibers with a metal coating, such as copper or nickel, so the fibers are wettable by the bearing metal, and the metal coated carbon fibers are directed into a trough in the form of a continuous strip. Molten bearing metal is poured into the trough at a temperature sufficiently high to wet the carbon fibers and thereafter the metal-carbon fiber matrix is cooled to solidify the metal-carbon fiber matrix bearing materials.
Graphite-metal matrix bearings manufactured in accordance with the Giltrow et al. and Old et al. methods have not achieved widespread commercial acceptance as a result of a number of problems associated with the processes. In accordance with these prior art processes, there is an insufficient degree of intimate contact, wetting and infiltration of compliant metal between and around the carbon fibers resulting in bearing materials which may include pockets of loosely held carbon fibers, at least on a microscopic scale, and also resulting in insufficient compliant metal infiltrating between the carbon fibers and the backing member to provide sufficient bonding between the bearing lining and the backing member. This insufficient bonding between lining and backing members sometimes results in delamination between the lining and the backing. Another disadvantage of the prior art Giltrow et al. and Old et al. methods is that these methods do not precisely control the fiber placement, the fiber orientation, or the fiber volume fraction in the graphite-metal matrix. All of these disadvantages are overcome in accordance with the principles of the present invention. | {
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The present invention is concerned with preparing a starch composition which, when added to a dry mix containing acid and subjected to storage conditions, is resistant to degradation of the starch by the acid. This starch composition is especially usefull in dry dessert mixes, for example, acidic dry instant pudding mixes, which contain sufficient acid to degrade the starch under storage. This invention by providing an acid resistant dry starch avoids the necessity of using expensive coated acids to prevent such starch degradation under storage conditions. When dry starch is exposed to acid under dry storage conditions the starch undergoes hydrolysis and the resultant degraded starch when hydrated, generally loses viscosity and tends to produce a softer, looser or qummier texture as compared to the starch prior to storage.
The art discloses coating acid to prevent acid from interacting with the other ingredients of a dry mix. While this method does prevent the acid from interacting and degrading the starch, it is generally not suitable for a system where fast acid release is desired upon hydrating the dry mix, since the coating on the acid must be dissolved or melted before the acid is released. Additionally, a coated acid is expensive, and a dry mix containing a coated acid requires a low moisture content to prevent the coating from being dissolved and releasing the acid prematurely during storage and degrading the starch. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,031,308, 3,434,848, 3,666,493, and 3,770,461 disclose the use of a buffer, such as sodium citrate, in an acidic product containing starch to maintain a desired pH in a final hydrated product for flavor. However, these systems do not protect the starch in that they do not provide that the buffer is co-dried with the starch or that the buffer will provide a protective environment for the starch against the acid under dry storage conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a starch which is resistant to acid degradation under dry storage conditions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a dry mix containing starch and acid in which the starch and acid do not interact to degrade the starch during storage, and upon hydration of the dry mix a tasty acidic product with a desireable fresh starch flavor, texture and viscosity is obtained.
It is still a further object of this invention to prepare a dry dessert mix containing starch and acid in which the starch is stable against acid degradation under dry storage conditions. | {
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Certain drugs or medicaments (those terms being used interchangeably herein) are preferably provided in powder or dry form (such as a lyophilized form), and require reconstitution prior to administration. Lyophilized drugs, for example, typically are supplied in a freeze-dried form that needs to be mixed with a diluent to reconstitute the substance into a form that is suitable for injection. Medicaments may also be provided in other dry or powder form that require reconstitution.
In addition, drugs may be provided as multipart systems which require mixing prior to administration. For example, one or more liquid (e.g., flowable (slurry or liquid)) components, and/or dry (e.g., powdered or granular) components may be provided in a drug container or delivery device which require mixing prior to administration. The components can be mixed and used to form various administratable drugs, such as insulin.
Prior art devices have been developed that provide a wet component (e.g., liquid) and a dry component (e.g., powder) in separate chambers of a common container with the container being configured to permit the flow of the wet component to the dry component to cause mixing thereof in preparing an administratable solution for injection. U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,381 to Vetter is directed to an injector having a barrel configured for mixing, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,299 to Ahlstrand et al. is directed to a drug cartridge having a barrel configured for mixing. Both Vetter et al. and Ahlstrand et al. disclose typical configurations for mixing where a bypass channel is formed in the barrel of the device. As such, the device must be specifically configured for mixing.
Manual force may be applied to a reconstitution device to cause the mixing of the multiple components. In addition, autoreconstitution devices have been developed in the prior art which provide a trigger-activated automated reconstitution. U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,646 to Giambattista et al. is an example of an autoreconstitution device.
In typical reconstitution configurations, it is desired to have the components mixed prior to placing a needle in communication with the reservoir. Thus, with no needle being mounted to the device, the reservoir is not vented during mixing. It has been found that some individuals inadvertently mount a needle onto a device prior to reconstitution. This may result in improper mixing and/or inadvertent wasteful discharge through the needle.
It is noted that autoinjectors are known in the prior art which may also cause reconstitution. Autoinjectors, however, are trigger-activated devices which not only cause reconstitution, but will also cause a needle to pierce a patient's skin with subsequent automated plunger drive causing fluid administration. Autoinjectors typically do not have dose settings. In addition, the needle is pre-mounted to the device. Examples of this type of device may be found in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2004/0133163 to Schiffmann and in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2007/0142769 to Griffiths et al. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biaxial pivoting mechanism, and more particularly, to a biaxial pivoting mechanism having small size volume and easy structure and an electronic device thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional biaxial pivoting mechanism is used as a central pivoting mechanism of a tablet notebook computer. A panel module of the tablet notebook computer can be unfolded relative to a host module, so that the user inputs information on a keyboard of the host module, and the information is displayed on the panel module. The above mentioned mode of the tablet notebook computer is called as a notebook computer mode. The panel module can also be rotated relative to the host module about 180 degrees and be folded to completely cover the host module, so that the user inputs information via a touch panel of the panel module, by which mode of the tablet notebook computer is called a tablet computer mode. Volume of the conventional biaxial pivoting mechanism is huge. Two ends of a connecting cable passes through a casing of the pivot to respectively connect to the panel module and the host module, so that the conventional biaxial pivoting mechanism has weak structural strength due to the imperfect casing. Besides, the casing of the pivot cannot cover the plurality of connecting cables, the connecting cables is hard to be arranged, and is abraded easily in rotation. Thus design of a pivoting mechanism having small-size volume, covering the cables preferably without abrasion, and capable of rotating in a multi-axial manner is an important issue of the mechanism industry. | {
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Spot welding is one of the most widespread methods of connecting parts. For example, a Boeing 747 plane has over 300,000 spot welds. However, the use of spot welding in vital constructions without a reliable method and apparatus for testing the parameters of the nugget in a spot weld is impossible during welding as well as under working conditions in finished articles.
Known in the art is a method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds (cf. a book by L. S. Feldman "Non-destructive Quality Testing of Glue-Welded Joints", "Tekhnika" Kiev, 1973), residing in that longitudinal ultrasonic oscillations are directed into the cast region at an angle to the surface of the test weld. Thereupon, an ultrasonic detector is displaced over the test weld. If the ultrasonic detector is situated over the zone of the test weld wherein the weld nugget is absent, in this case at the measuring device, there will appear a signal reflected from the contact surface of the welded parts. If the ultrasonic detector is situated over the zone of the test weld wherein the weld nugget is located, in this case the reflected signal will disappear. The diameter of the weld nugget is evaluated by measuring the distance between the points corresponding to disappearance and appearance of the reflected signal.
The apparatus realizing this method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds comprises a master oscillator having a pulse generator connected to one of the outputs thereof and a sweep generator connected to another output. The output of the pulse generator is connected with the ultrasonic detector through a pulse amplifier. Connected to the outputs of the sweep generator and of the ultrasonic detector is a cathode-ray tube.
The master oscillator generates oscillations energizing the pulse generator and the sweep generator. From the pulse generator, high frequency electric pulses are supplied through the pulse amplifier to the ultrasonic detector and generate therein ultrasonic oscillations. These oscillations are applied to the test weld. In the absence of a weld nugget and with an air clearance between the welded parts, ultrasonic waves are reflected from the interface of the mediums and a signal is returned to the detector which is supplied to the cathode-ray tube controlled by the sweep generator. With a weld nugget present, ultrasonic oscillations pass through the fusion zone without any reflection.
Displacing the ultrasonic detector over the test weld, an instant of disappearance and appearance of the reflected signal on the face of the cathode-ray tube is recorded. The diameter of the test weld nugget is determined by measuring the distance between the points on the face of the cathode-ray tube, corresponding to instants of disappearance and appearance of the reflected signal.
The disadvantage of the aforementioned method and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds is that, when there is an absence of a clearance between the welded parts with a poor fusion in the form of adhesion, a reflected signal is not produced. Moreover, for a number of materials using this method it is impossible to detect poor fusion in the form of adhesion which is one of the most dangerous welding defects.
For a number of materials having inhomogeneity of chemical composition in the weld nugget, poor fusion can be detected by means of a radio-graphic method.
Known in the art is a method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds, wherein X-rays non-uniformly absorbed by various nugget regions because of inhomogeneity of chemical composition of the weld nugget are directed onto the test weld. X-rays pass through the test weld and fall onto the X-ray film whereon, after development, liquation rings are formed, the diameter of the weld nugget being evaluated according to the ring dimensions.
The apparatus realizing this method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds comprises an X-ray source and a detector, such as an X-ray film, whereon the X-rays having passed through the tested weldment are recorded.
The disadvantage of the aforementioned method and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds is that it is impossible to determine the nugget thickness because X-raying the tested material in a single plane. Besides, for materials which do not exhibit sharply defined inhomogeneity of chemical composition in the weld nugget section, it is also impossible to determine the diameter of the weld nugget, i.e. to detect such a dangerous and popular welding defect as poor fusion.
To ensure radio-graphic quality testing of spot welds formed of the materials which do not exhibit sharply defined inhomogeneity of chemical composition in the weld nugget section, so-called X-ray contrast materials are used which are introduced between the welded parts prior to welding and make it possible to obtain a contrast image of the weld nugget on the X-ray pattern. However, the use of X-ray contrast materials complicates the testing process which in turn results in a decrease of efficiency and in an increase of a testing cost price.
It is possible to increase the efficiency of the method and to decrease the equipment cost price by the use of an eddy current testing method which depends upon the fact that the nugget of the test weld and the welded material outside the nugget region have various values of electric conductivity.
Known in the art is a method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds (cf. USSR Inventor's Certificate No. 336,587), wherein eddy currents are induced in the test weld nugget region which produce a secondary electromagnetic field in the weld zone. The electromagnetic field of eddy currents acts on the transducer varying its output signal according to the weld properties. The dimensions of the weld nugget are evaluated by measuring the output signal of the eddy current transducer.
The apparatus realizing this method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds comprises a low frequency generator, a T-shaped LCR bridge connected to the output thereof, a main eddy current transducer included in the T-shaped bridge as an L-element, an electronic indicator of the bridge output signal, a phase shifter, frequency multipliers and a phase meter which are connected between the output of the generator and the main eddy current transducer.
Fixed in the center of the main eddy current transducer is an additional eddy current transducer which forms in conjunction with a capacitor a measuring circuit intended to test the depth of indentation. The measuring circuit of the additional eddy current transducer is connected to the high frequency generator and to the indentation depth indicator.
From the low frequency generator a sinusoidal voltage is applied to the input of the T-shaped symmetric bridge and to the phase shifter. The bridge is balanced when the transducer is placed on the reference comparison weldment. Thereupon, the transducer having the parameters which vary according to the weld quality, is placed on the test weld, and an unbalance signal dependent on the weld quality appears at the bridge output. The amplitude of the unbalance signal is measured by the electronic indicator. To measure the phase, the signal is taken directly from the main eddy current transducer and applied to the phase meter through the frequency multiplier. A reference voltage is supplied from the low frequency generator to the phase meter through the phase shifter and frequency multiplier. A voltage to the measuring circuit of the depth of indentation is supplied from a high frequency generator. The signal corresponding to the depth of indentation is supplied from the measuring circuit to the indentation depth indicator. The weld quality is evaluated according to the obtained values of the signal amplitude and phase.
The disadvantage of the aforementioned method and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds is that, because of the use of two eddy current transducers disposed coaxially, overall dimensions of the detecting element are considerably increased and therefore it is impossible to test welds of small thickness.
Known in the art is a method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds (cf. U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,829) characterized in that two pulsed electromagnetic fields are produced one of which is applied to the test weld and another is applied to the reference weld. Thereupon, the depth of penetration of two pulsed electromagnetic fields into the welds is measured by dynamic impedance measurement of the effect of the induced eddy currents on their applied electromagnetic fields.
The apparatus realizing this method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds comprises eddy current transducers placed onto the reference and test welds, an impedance comparator unit having its inputs connected with the eddy current transducers, and a controlled switch having its output connected with a stored energy source. The output of the comparator unit is connected with a threshold circuit having its output connected with an information display unit wherein an information signal varying in accordance with any difference between the measured impedance values in the reference weld and the test weld is displayed in an acceptance-rejection form.
By means of this method and apparatus, it is possible to test spot welds of small thickness.
The disadvantage of the aformentioned method and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds is that they provide quality testing of spot welds only in ferromagnetic materials.
Known in the art is a method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds (cf. a paper "Apparatus for Quality Testing of Spot Welding of Aluminium Alloys" by V. S. Fastritsky, E. P. Rybalkina, and P. Sh. Fishkin in the book "Methods and Apparatus for Automatic Testing", issue 13, p.p. 18-24, Riga, 1975), characterized in that in the test weld zone a primary electromagnetic field is produced which induces in this zone eddy currents producing a secondary field, whereupon the phase value of the resultant electromagnetic field intensity is determined according to which the presence and quality of the nugget in a spot weld are evaluated.
The apparatus realizing this method of non-destructive quality testing of spot welds comprises a sinusoidal voltage generator, a reference channel connected to one of the outputs thereof and representing a phase shifter having its output connected to one of the inputs of a phase meter, and a measuring channel connected to another output of the generator and representing an unbalanced bridge circuit with a superimposed eddy current transducer included into one of its branches and with its output connected to another input of the phase meter.
The voltage from the sinusoidal voltage generator is supplied to the phase shifter which serves to set the phase of the reference voltage, and to the bridge circuit with one of its branches including the eddy current transducer placed upon the test weld. The transducer impedance resistance, and hence the output signal of the bridge circuit wherein it is included, vary according to the weld quality. The bridge circuit is adjusted so that the phase of the output voltage is not dependent upon the size of the clearance between the transducer and the weldment, but is determined only by variations in the electric conductivity of the tested zone, which in turn is dependent upon the weld quality. From the output of the phase shifter the signal is applied to one of the inputs of the phase meter, and from the output of the bridge circuit it is fed to the second input of the phase meter. Placing the transducer upon the reference weld, the phase of the reference voltage is varied by the phase shifter so that the phase shift between the reference and measured voltages in case of a quality weld should be equal to zero. Thereupon, the transducer is placed onto the test weld, and the weld quality is determined according to indications of the phase meter.
The disadvantage of the aforementioned method of and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds is that the output signal of the transducer contains only the resultant information on the dimensions of the weld nugget and on presence of defects therein with the result that in some cases wrong results of the weld quality evaluation may be obtained. For example, with the reduced dimensions of the weld nugget and with cracks present therein, the signal obtained at the output of the apparatus can be the same as for a quality weld nugget. A similar result can be obtained for a complete infusion with a clerance between welded parts. This disadvantage also restricts possible control of welding conditions because of lack of data on the weld nugget diameter and thickness.
Besides, the apparatus should be previously adjusted by placing the superimposed eddy current transducer upon the reference weld. However, for a number of materials, such as aluminium-magnesium alloys, a reference weld can not be defined by non-destructive methods.
Thus, eddy current methods of and apparatus for non-destructive quality testing of spot welds make it possible to obtain a summary characteristic of a spot weld dependent upon variations in the whole volume of the weld nugget without differentiating the effect of variations in the diameter and thickness of the spot weld.
Such characteristic of a spot weld does not allow for reliable testing of weldments with different thicknesses and of weldments formed of composite alloys. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup device and a recording and/or reproducing device, and more particularly to an optical pickup device and a recording and/or reproducing device that are capable of suitably correcting spherical aberration resulting from a thickness error of an intermediate layer (such as a protective layer) existing between a disk surface and a recording layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is possible to increase the recording density of an optical disk by shortening the wavelength of laser light or increasing a numerical aperture of an objective lens. If the numerical aperture of an objective lens is increased, however, spherical aberration occurs in laser light due to a thickness error of a protective layer existing between a disk surface and a recording layer.
When the thickness of the protective layer is set to around 0.1 mm, for instance, the thickness error is around ±10 to 20 ìm. If spherical aberration occurs in laser light converged on a recording layer due to the thickness error, the recording/reproduction characteristics with respect to the recording layer are degraded. Therefore, when an objective lens having a high numerical aperture is used, it is required to additionally provide means for detecting and correcting the spherical aberration.
It is possible to detect such spherical aberration by monitoring reflection light (returning light) from the disk.
In usual cases, laser light from a semiconductor laser is converted into parallel light by a collimator lens and then converged on a recording layer by an objective lens. Here, the objective lens is designed such that when the thickness of the protective layer is appropriate, the laser light is condensed on the recording layer.
When the thickness of the protective layer is appropriate, returning light from the recording layer is converted into parallel light while passing through the objective lens. If there exists a thickness error of the protective layer, however, the returning light having passed through the objective lens does not become parallel light and light beams in the center region of the returning light, and light beams in the outer peripheral region thereof are diffused or converged. By detecting the degree of the diffusion, it is possible to detect the degree of the thickness error or the spherical aberration.
FIG. 8 shows results of simulation of how diffusion angles of returning light (in the case of a perfect circle beam) are distributed. As shown in FIG. 8, when the thickness of the protective layer assumes an optimum value, the returning light is converted into parallel light in both of its center region and outer peripheral region. In contrast to this, when the thickness of the protective layer is greater than the optimum value, the returning light is converged in its center region (pupil radius=0 to around 0.8) and is diffused in its outer peripheral region (pupil radius=around 0.8 to 1). Conversely, when the thickness of the protective layer is smaller than the optimum value, the returning light is diffused in its center region and is converged in its outer peripheral region.
As a result of this phenomenon, light beams of the returning light are distributed in the manner shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C. That is, when the thickness of the protective layer assumes the optimum value (see FIG. 9B), the light beams of the returning light are uniformly distributed in its cross section. In contrast to this, when the thickness of the protective layer is greater than the optimum value (see FIG. 9C), more light beams of the returning light are distributed in the center region than in the outer peripheral region. Also, when the thickness of the protective layer is smaller than the optimum value (see FIG. 9A), more light beams of the returning light are distributed in the outer peripheral region than in the center region.
Therefore, by detecting the distribution state of the light beams using a photodetector element (photosensor), it is possible to detect the degree of the thickness error or the spherical aberration. However, the following problem occurs due to a difference in focus position between the light beams in the inner peripheral region and the light beams in the outer peripheral region (refer to the description of FIGS. 10A and 10C). As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, if setting has been made such that returning light is converged on the photosensor (A plane) by a convergence lens when the thickness of the protective layer is optimum, for instance, the distribution of light intensity on the sensor is uniformly changed when the thickness of the protective layer becomes greater or smaller than the optimum value (see FIGS. 11A to 11C). Therefore, it is impossible to reflect the direction and degree of the thickness error in an output signal of the photosensor (see FIG. 12).
In view of this problem, JP 2001-507463 A discloses an optical pickup with which returning light is split by a beam splitter into light beams in a center region and light beams in an outer peripheral region, and the split light beams are respectively received by a pair of photosensors.
According to this conventional technique, however, it is required to provide a beam splitter for splitting the returning light and a pair of photosensors for receiving light beams generated by the beam splitter, which leads to a problem in that it becomes necessary to provide many additional optical components to detect spherical aberration. Also, it is required to arrange the photosensors on a beam splitting path, so that it becomes necessary to secure a space for arranging the photosensors and a space for securing the beam splitting path. This causes another problem in that the outer dimensions of a pickup device main body is increased. | {
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This invention pertains generally to steam turbine condenser arrangements and more particularly to such arrangements that generate large vacuum loads which act upon the turbine support.
Basically a steam turbine system converts steam under pressure in a turbine to mechanical energy which is commonly employed to drive electrical generators. The steam exhausted from the turbine is usually communicated to a condenser where it is liquified and returned to the feedwater system of a steam generator to complete a closed loop cycle. Normally, the condenser and turbine are arranged in a multi-level facility with the condenser supported rigidly at a lower level below the turbine, which is independently supported. The turbine exhaust and condenser inlet are usually hermetically connected through an expandable coupling designed to accommodate thermal gradients and the relative movement of components. In operation, the change of state of steam within the condenser creates a large vacuum within the condensate chamber which can place large loads on the turbine housing and support. In large turbine facilities the vacuum loading may reach proportions which require turbine supports with increased load bearing capability to meet turbine deflection limitations. Such an increase in turbine support regidity provides a corresponding increase in weight and cost to the facility.
The foregoing condition can have a greater adverse effect in a turbine arrangement which employs a spring loaded support. The vacuum loading of the condenser in such an arrangement will result in excessive deflections for turbine operation.
One proposed modification to compensate for the vacuum load on the turbine support is to fixedly couple the turbine exhaust to the condenser inlet and mount the condenser on spring supports capable of accommodating thermal expansions and contractions experienced in operation. While this proposed solution may accommodate the vacuum load on a rigidly mounted turbine, it increases the potential for excessive movement in resilient systems, which is unacceptable in a floating barge mounted turbine facility, where the roll and pitch of the barge can further affect the movement of operating components.
Accordingly, a new type of condenser vacuum load compensating system is desired that will relieve the vacuum load on the turbine support without introducing additional flexibility into the turbine condenser arrangement. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a magnetoresistive (MR) read head and, more particularly, to an orthogonal MR sensor for a read head which has improved sensitivity due to (1) substantial elimination of sense current shunting, and (2) increased control of transverse biasing of the MR stripe.
2. Description of the Related Art
When used herein, the term "MR read head" is intended to refer to a read head that includes a magnetoresistive sensor. An actual read head includes many details of packaging which are necessary for providing a completed commercially usable unit. These details are considered to be known to the skilled artisan.
An MR read head sensor employs an MR thin film layer, hereinafter referred to as an MR stripe, which changes resistance in response to a magnetic field from a moving magnetic medium, such as a rotating magnetic disk. The response of the MR stripe is based on how well the resistance change follows the change in magnetic field flux density. In a typical MR read head the MR stripe is sandwiched between bottom and top insulation gap layers G1 and G2 which, in turn, are sandwiched between bottom and top shield layers S1 and S2. The distance between the shield layers is called the "read gap". The smaller the read gap, the greater the resolution of the MR read head. The MR read head has considerable promise for handling high data rates (1.3 Gb/sec.) required by recent technological advances.
A merged MR head is a combined MR read head and an inductive write head. The merged head is typically mounted on or is part of a slider which has a bottom air bearing surface, hereafter referred to as ABS. When a magnetic disk is rotated with respect to the slider, the slider is supported by an air bearing slightly above (0.075 .mu.m) the rotating magnetic disk.
There are two configurations of an MR read head. In one configuration, a sense current is conducted parallel to the ABS and in the other configuration, the sense current is conducted perpendicular to the ABS, the latter configuration being known as an orthogonal MR read head. The orthogonal read head has several advantages, namely: the amplitude of its readback signal is substantially independent of its track width and the tip of the head at the ABS can be easily grounded to protect the head from electrical shorting. However, the orthogonal read head has several basic problems.
One problem with the orthogonal MR read head is that it has very poor readback sensitivity. In order to accomplish longitudinal biasing, prior art orthogonal MR read heads employ a pair of MR stripes. Each of the MR stripes conducts a sense current which causes them to induce a longitudinal biasing field across one another. This field magnetizes both of the MR stripes into a closed flux state for the purpose of achieving domain noise-free operation. The problem with this arrangement is that the longitudinal biasing is larger than desired and it reduces the permeability of the MR stripes, causing them to be less sensitive to induced signals. A single orthogonal MR stripe could be stabilized with longitudinal biasing by overlapping antiferromagnetic layers, such as NiMn, FeMn, or NiO, near the lateral edges of the MR stripe. The problem with this arrangement is that the region where the exchange material overlaps the MR stripe will shunt the sense current, thereby degrading sensitivity of the read head. This problem is especially troublesome in orthogonal read heads because the passive exchange-coupled regions are electrically in parallel with the active track whereas in the conventional MR head these regions are electrically in series with the active track.
Another problem is when a merged MR head is employed which is a combination of an orthogonal MR read head and an inductive write head. The merged MR head is constructed using thin film technology. After depositing the thin film layers for the orthogonal MR read head, thin film layers for the inductive write head are laid on top of the MR read head. A problem in the prior art is that the MR read head is non-planar in the area of the track width of the write head. This non-planar condition results from thick conductor leads (typically 1000 to 2000 .ANG.) deposited at top and bottom edges of the MR stripe for providing the sense current and for detecting read voltage. The steps in height created by the conductor leads introduce curvature into the pole tip of the inductive write head. A curved pole tip of a write head will write distorted magnetic bits thereby degrading performance. An attempted solution to this problem is to reduce the thickness of the conductors leads so as to reduce the height of the step created at the top and the bottom of the MR stripe. The problem with this approach is that thinner leads increase the lead resistance which is undesirable for achieving a high sensitivity MR read head. | {
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1. Technical Field
This application relates generally to relaying communications between end user devices.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The establishment of a peer-to-peer connection between mobile devices to enable the devices to communicate with one another (e.g., over a video calling application) is complicated by the use of Network Address Traversal (NAT) devices. If one or both peers are located behind NAT devices that provide connectivity using address-mapping or address-and-port-mapping techniques, then it might not be possible for the peers to establish direct end-to-end connectivity. Protocols exist that allow peers to overcome the problem of NAT traversal through the use of public packet relays, the most common of which is “Traversal Using Relays around NAT” (TURN). Use of a public TURN relay service has some drawbacks for performance, most notably the penalty that may be associated with the location of the relay server.
It would be desirable to provide a NAT traversal relay service that does not have the same performance drawbacks associated with a more centralized TURN relay service.
This disclosure addresses this need in the art. | {
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The present invention relates to an improved attachment air inlet configuration for highly loaded single crystal turbine blades.
High turbine blades in modern turbojet engines are usually made of cast alloys of nickel which are specially formulated to be solidified as a single crystal. These alloys have a crystal structure which has very directional properties. The modulus of elasticity can vary more than 2 to 1 depending on the direction. The highest is across the corners of the crystallographic cube, the lowest is parallel to the edges of the crystallographic cube. Other properties such as Poisson""s ratio vary dramatically as well.
These blades require considerable cooling air to survive because the gaspath temperatures are well above the melting point of the blade material. Cooling air must be supplied through the attachment area which is typically a firtree shape to retain the blade within the disk broach slots which have a mating firtree shape. As the size and weight of the airfoil increases, the crushing load of the retention forces apply high compressive forces across the air passages which must be resisted by compressive stress in the ribs which separate the individual air passages.
The highly directional properties of the single crystal alloy cause very high concentrated stresses in the ribs between the air passages. The concentrated stress at a point in a part made of a single crystal alloy may be described as follows:
Concentrated stress at a point=[P/A +/xe2x88x92 Mc/I] *Kt*kc where:
[P/A +/xe2x88x92 Mc/I]=nominal section stresses at a point;
Kt=local stress multiplier due to local geometry for equiax materials; and
Kc=local stress multiplier due to overall part geometry and crystallographic orientation relative to that geometry.
Conventional flow passages and rib geometry produce very high concentrated stresses in modern blades which have both high radial loads and high crushing loads on the attachment. These high stresses cause plastic compressive redistribution of stress which results in tensile stresses on parts of the compressive ribs and rib cracking. Conventional attachments prove to be very sensitive to Kc effects.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved attachment air inlet configuration having an attachment area with a core/rib configuration which reduces the concentrated stresses while maintaining required flow and pressure loss parameters in cooling passages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved attachment air inlet configuration which solves the rib stress problem without increasing the overall size and weight of the attachment and the supporting disk.
The foregoing objects are achieved by the attachment air inlet configuration of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, an attachment air inlet configuration for a turbine blade comprises an attachment having a root portion with a center plane and a plurality of inlets in the root portion of the attachment communicating with at least two flow passageways in the blade. Each of the inlets communicates with a feed cavity and receives a cooling fluid such as cooling air. Each of the inlets has a non-circular shape with a major axis, which major axis is substantially normal to a central axis of the root portion center plane.
Other details of the attachment air inlet configuration of the present invention, as well as other objects and advantages attendant thereto, are set forth in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals depict like elements. | {
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Video services have become increasingly important in today's society. Enterprises of various sizes and types can collaborate through video conference tools. A video conference allows people at two or more locations to interact with each other via two-way video and audio transmissions. Such video conference technology can allow enterprises to cut costs, while boosting productivity. Video conference architectures can simulate face-to-face interactions between people using advanced visual, audio, and collaboration technologies. While video conferencing performance has steadily increased, component manufacturers, service providers, and engineering developers continue to be challenged to offer a lifelike meeting experiences for their end users. | {
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As a heating device for easily heating drinks such as coffee, tea and so forth or cooked foods, there have been provided heating devices which use by heat of hydration reaction between an exothermic material and water.
However, in these conventional heating devices, as seen in, for example, Japanese patent publication (kokai) No. 62-16371 and 61-259974, and Japanese utility model publication (kaukoku) No. 62-32500, European patent publication No. 3231513, Japanese utility model publication (koukai) No. 61-35, a portion for containing a material to be heated and a exothermic part are parted by a partion wall or walls of container and the material to be heated is heated only by conductive heat transferred therethrough. As a result, therefore, a part of the material to be heated contacting with the wall is heated to a high temperature, while other parts distant from tile wall can not be heated until they reach a sufficient temperature. Especially, in the case when a material to be heated is a solid, this tendency becomes remarkable; that is, the part in contact with the wall is scorched but an inner temperature is not raised sufficiently.
The heating devices, described in Japanese utility model publication (koukai) Nos. 62-123742 and 61-137318, have an aperture at a bottom wall. The vapor produced by heat of hydration reaction can heat the materials to be heated without causing uneveness of temperature, as described above.
In the heating devices described in Japanese utility publication (koukai) Nos. 62-123742 and 61-137318, it is a problem that small pieces of the exothermic material may be attached to the material to be heated together with the vapor of high temperature through apertures of the portion for containing the material to be heated.
The object of the present invention is to provide heating device in which small pieces of the exothermic materials spattered by reaction of the exothermic material and water does not tend to attach to the material to be heated.
Then, the heating device described above is one in which the exothermic material and water after hydration reaction are mounted with unremoved off, as disclosed in Japanese patent publication (koukai) No. 62-16371, and one in which exothermic materials or a bag containing the exothermic materials is directly included, as Japanese utility model (koukai) No. 61-137318, the device, after having made hydration reaction of the exothermic materials could not be re-used.
The other object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge-type heating device comprising portion a for containing the exothermic materials, which is applied to different styles of the heat devices, and also the heating devices are reusable. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to operation handles, and more generally to operation handles for electrocautery.
2. Related Art
During surgical operations, it is common to use surgical instruments such as scissors and jaw members to cut or clamp a patient's tissues. It is also common to use surgical instruments such as electrosurgical instruments for cutting, sealing or stopping bleeding of an affected part or a wound. Currently, there are many surgical instruments, such as electrocautery, with handles for doctors to operate intuitively when cutting or clamping.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show surgical instruments with jaw members. When a doctor wants to use jaw members a20 to clamp something, they may pull the second handle a30 close to the handle all. Meanwhile, the positioning cogs a321 and the locking cogs a61 are engaged with each other, so the second handle a30 may be locked at a fix position for the jaw members a20 to clamp something. At the same time, even if the doctor's hand is away from the second handle a30 and the handle all, the jaw members a20 continue clamping by the engagement of the positioning cogs a321 and the locking cogs a61.
When the doctor wants to release the clamping, they must press a pressing part a51 of a controlling element a50, so the locking cogs a61 may be released from the positioning cogs a321. At the same time, the doctor must move the second handle a30 away from the handle all. During an operation, four fingers of the doctor may be located at the handle all and the thumb may be located at the second handle a30 for the engagement by pulling the second handle a30. However, under the engagement release, one forefinger or one middle finger must press the pressing part a51. That is, the pressing part a51 is pressed toward to the second handle a30. However, the other three fingers remain located at the handle all to hold the handle all. At the same time, the thumb, located at the second handle a30, must move the second handle a30 backward away from the handle all.
As a result, the doctor must use one finger pressing forward and the other finger moving backward. Mastering such a release procedure requires repeated practice. Consequently, when the doctor first uses this kind of instrument, the learning curve required to develop skill with the instrument is high. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to freeze drying method and apparatus suitable for the treatment of material such as liquid solutions, emulsions, suspensions of solids in liquids, slurries and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional freeze drying method for the material to be dried, there is employed a tray/shelf system. In this system, the material having been frozen and received in containers such as trays and the like is disposed on or between shelves in a vacuum chamber, from which shelves a certain amount of heat is supplied to such frozen material so that sublimation of at least one of constituents of the frozen material occurs. After completion of such sublimation, clean air or nitrogen gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber. Then, the material having been dried through such sublimation is taken out of the vacuum chamber together with the containers.
In such conventional method, a mass-produced product, for example, a coffee extract liquid is first concentrated and then frozen. The thus frozen coffee extract is granulated to have a particle-size of from 1 to 3 mm. After that, the trays are filled with the thus granulated coffee extract. As for another mass-produced product, for example, a drug liquid, the bulk drying thereof is hitherto employed. In such bulk drying, the drug liquid is pressed out in a fine spray directed to a liquid of "Freon 12" which is one of trade names of dichlorodifluoromethane (CCl.sub.2 F.sub.2) so as to form a fine particle-size frozen matter with which the trays are filled. The above-mentioned conventional method will be hereinafter referred to as the prior art 1.
In another conventional freeze drying method for the liquid material to be dried, the material is first poured into the trays and then disposed on cooling shelves or disposed in a freezing chamber so that the material is frozen as is in cases of most bulk drying operations of the drugs and a few foods. Such another conventional freeze drying method will be hereinafter referred to as the prior art 2.
In any of the prior arts 1 and 2, the material to be dried is first spread on plate-like trays widely and thinly, and then subjected to a preliminary freezing operation and a freeze drying operation. After that, the trays are upset to collect the product. Consequently, in any case, it is necessary to handle a plurality of the trays each of which has a wide surface area, in a wide space by means of a complex handling mechanism of at the expense of considerable labors. In case that the material to be dried must be treated in a high-level hygienic environment, such treatment must be conducted in a bio-clean room.
Especially, in the prior art 2 in which the liquid material is first poured into the trays and then frozen in the trays, the material frozen in the trays can not be separated from the trays by simply upsetting the trays. Consequently, in this case, it is necessary to scrape the frozen material off the trays manually or by means of an automatic scraping mechanism. Such manual or automatic scraping operation of the material frozen in the trays makes the process of the prior art 2 complex. These are disadvantages inherent in the prior arts 1 and 2.
In order to eliminate these disadvantages inherent in the prior arts 1 and 2 or the tray/shelf system, there has been provided another conventional freeze drying method as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,956 (prior art 3) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,745 (prior art 4), in which: a space defined between upright cylinders is filled with the liquid material being dried, and then the surfaces of such cylinders are cooled to form a desired-thickness frozen layer of the liquid material on each of the surfaces of the cylinders. After completion of formation of such frozen layer of the liquid material, the remaining part of the liquid material is removed from the space defined between the cylinders. After that, the frozen layer of the material is subjected to a vacuum environment while heated through the surfaces of the cylinders to obtain from the surfaces the heat required for sublimation, so that sublimation of at least one of constituents of the materials occurs. After completion of such sublimation, the layers of the material dried on the surfaces of the cylinders through such sublimation are scraped from the surfaces of the cylinders and collected by a product receiver disposed below the cylinders. The conventional method disclosed in the above U.S. Patents will be hereinafter referred to as the prior art 3. More particularly, in the prior art 3, a heat-transfer medium is circulated through the cylinders so that the liquid material received in the space defined between these cylinders are frozen in positions adjacent to the surfaces of the cylinders to form the desired-thickness frozen layers of the material in such positions. Then, the remaining part of the liquid material still not frozen in the space is removed from the space, and thereafter the frozen layers of the material is subjected to the vacuum environment while gradually heated by means of the heat-transfer medium circulated in the cylinders. The thus obtained product having been dried on the surfaces of the cylinders are scraped from the surfaces of the cylinders by means of a scraper which rests at a position above the cylinders and is driven downward by a threaded rod in such scraping operation. Thus scraped product or dried material is collected by the product receiver.
As described above, in the prior art 3, the layers of material frozen on the surfaces of the cylinders adhere to the surfaces of the cylinders. Consequently, in order to separate the frozen layers of the material from the cylinders, in the prior art 3, there is employed a scraping mechanism comprising a disk-like scraper having a plurality of circular holes each of which has a diameter slightly larger than an outer diameter of each of the cylinders. In the scraping operation of the frozen material or product, the cylinders pass through the circular holes of the disk-like scraper in a sliding manner so as to scrape the product off the surfaces of the cylinders. Consequently, due to clearances between the circular holes of the scraper and the cylinders, thin layers of the product or frozen material remain on the surfaces of the cylinders, while a metal powder is produced due to a slidable contact established between the surfaces of the cylinders and the scraper, both of which are made of metal. These are disadvantages inherent in the prior art 3.
On the other hand, further another conventional method for freeze drying is disclosed in the prior art 4, in which: a heat-transfer medium for the cooling purpose is circulated through an outer space defined between a plurality of upright cylinders filled with the material being dried, so that a frozen layer of the material is formed on an inner surface of each of the cylinders in contrast with the prior art 3 in which the frozen layer of the material is formed on an outer surface of each of the cylinders. In the prior art 4, there is described that: any scraping mechanism is not employed, and, therefore, in order to facilitate separation of the product or dried material from the inner surfaces of the cylinders, any of the cylinders must be straight in shape and must be free from any deformation even when the temperatures of the cylinders vary.
In the prior art 4, it is described that the product dried on the inner surfaces of the cylinders can be easily separated from the inner surfaces of the cylinders, and therefore any scraping mechanism is not employed. In general, the frozen material is slightly contracted when dried, so as to facilitate separation of the thus dried material from the inner surfaces of the cylinders. However, in most cases, depending on the properties of the material being dried and conditions of the freezing and drying operations, the material having been received in the cylinders in a liquid state and then frozen therein tends to adhere to the inner surfaces of the cylinders except that the material is an extremely dilute solution. As a result, it is not possible to completely separate the died material from the inner surfaces of the vertical cylinders, and, therefore, a part of the dried material rests on the inner surfaces of the cylinders. This is a defect inherent in the prior art 4.
In any of the prior arts 3 and 4, such remaining part of the dried material resting on the surfaces of the cylinders is subjected to the following cycle of the freeze drying operation of the liquid material, and thereafter repeatedly subjected to the further following cycles in the same manner. If the liquid material to be received in the cylinders during the next cycle of the operation is heated and the surfaces of the cylinders carrying the remaining part of the dried material are also heated, it is possible to dissolve the remaining part of the dried material adhering to the surface of the cylinders so as to remove the same from the surfaces of the cylinders. However, in any of the prior arts 3 and 4, heating of the liquid material deteriorates the quality of the product.
In this connection, in the following cycle of the freeze drying operation, in case that the cylinders are kept at a temperature below 0.degree. C. at their surfaces while filled with the liquid material having a temperature of approximately 0.degree. C., the remaining part of the dried material formed on the surfaces of the cylinders during the previous cycle of the freeze drying operation remains as it is in the following cycle of the operation. The more the material is concentrated, the more the material adheres to the surfaces of the cylinders. This is another defect inherent in the prior arts 3 and 4.
Under the circumstances, a countermeasure as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,286 to the present inventors (prior art 5) has been proposed to eliminate the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior arts 3 and 4. The prior art 5 solves the problem of the prior arts 3 and 4, that is, adherence of the dried material to the cylinder surface and especially, the apparatus of upright surface construction as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, . . . 7 and 8 of the prior art 5 succeed in continuously conducting all processes for the material in an air tightly sealed system.
However, with the apparatus of the prior art 5, another disadvantage of the prior arts 3 and 4, that is, the problem that part of product liquid poured into the drying chamber, not being small in amount to measure, for example, 60 to 30%, is not subjected to the freeze drying operation but is drained in the form of liquid is still remains unsolved.
As a countermeasure against this problem, the prior art 5 describes a method shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,286, according to which method a great number N of drying chambers are juxtaposed and individual drying chambers are sequentially operated at an equal time delay of .nu./N (hr) when cycle time required for freeze drying is .theta. (hr) whereby liquid drained from the preceding drying chamber is charged into the succeeding drying chamber together with new product liquid so that the N drying chambers are reiteratively and circulatively used during continuous operation period. The system shown in FIG. 7 of the prior art 5 is suited for only a product liquid not prone to quality deterioration and a product for which a large volume of same material is processed through one cycle of continuous processing. But, in order to decrease the ultimate drain amount sufficiently as compared to the yield obtained during continuous operation, the number of freeze drying operations over the period for one cycle of continuous operation, that is, (the number of drying chambers N) X (the number of reiterations n) must be set to about 50 (nN=50). In general, the cycle time for freeze drying .theta. is 10 to 20 hours or more and even for the number of freeze drying chambers being N=5, the product material liquid stays in the system for a time amounting up to about 100 to 200 or more hours. In order to reduce the stay time, the number of drying chambers must be increased further. Considering biologically original material and drug material, many kinds of materials, even when maintained at a low temperature of about 0.degree. C., are desired to be transferred to the freeze drying process within a few hours to about 10 hours for the sake of preventing quality deterioration, and in many cases, products are handled in unit of lot of small volume and therefore quality control must be conducted lot by lot and products of one lot are not permitted to mix in another lot. As far as such products are concerned, the disadvantage of the prior arts 3 and 4 that substantial part, 60 to 30%, of product material liquid charged into the freeze drying chamber is not processed and is inevitably drained is not solved by the system shown in FIG. 7 of the prior art 5. | {
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This invention relates to multi-speed power transmissions and more particularly to power transmissions having a compound planetary gear set controllable to provide six forward ratios and one reverse ratio.
Multi-speed power transmissions are incorporated into powertrains to provide an extended operating range for the internal combustion engine that supplies the power for the powertrain. The number of ratios that are incorporated into automatic transmissions, especially for passenger car and small truck usage, has increased from two forward speed ratios to five forward speed ratios. Currently some manufacturers are considering transmissions incorporating six forward speed ratios. Examples of such proposals can be seen in the United States Patents issued to Liu and Malloy (U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,999) on Sep. 10, 1991 and Haka (U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,976) on Nov. 26, 1996.
These transmissions generally employ a Ravigneaux gear arrangement comprised of a long pinion and two or more short pinions that are intermeshing. The pinions interconnect two sun gears and two ring gears. By combining at least six selectively operable torque transmitting mechanisms (clutches and brakes), six forward speed ratios and one reverse ratio is available. The gears of these planetary arrangements are aligned in two axial planes. However the overdrive ratios achieved with these arrangements have a large step and the sixth ratio has a low numerical value.
Other six speed transmissions, having three axial planes of gears, have been proposed. One such mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,927 issued to Polak on Jan. 1, 1978. This arrangement uses three simple interconnected planetary gear sets and five torque transmitting mechanisms. The transmission described in the Polak patent has been used extensively in large trucks.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved multi-speed power transmission.
In one aspect of the present invention, a compound planetary gear set has three sun gear members, one ring gear member and a planet carrier assembly member. In another aspect of the present invention, the planet carrier assembly member has a pair of intermeshing long pinion gear members that interconnect two of the sun gear members and the ring gear member, and a short pinion gear member that interconnects the other sun gear member with one of the long pinion gear members. In yet another aspect of the present invention, the ring gear member is continuously connected with a transmission output shaft.
In still another aspect of the present invention, six selectively operable torque transmitting mechanisms are provided and engageable in combinations of two to establish six forward ratios and one reverse ratio. In yet still another aspect of the invention, the three sun gear members define the axial location of three gear planes with one of the gear planes containing one sun gear member, two long pinion members and the ring gear member. In a further aspect of the present invention, a second of the gear planes contains a second sun gear member, the short pinion gear member and the two long pinion gear members. In a yet further aspect of the present invention, a third of the gear planes contains the third sun gear member, and one of the long pinion gear members. In still a further aspect of the present invention, one of the long pinion gear members is engaged with other members in at least the first and third of the gear planes. | {
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Stretching devices for disabled users generally are known, but tend to be complicated, expensive and take up much room. In using such devices, the exerciser typically requires assistance from an attendant for proper use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,195 (Chavanne) relates to a body exercising device having a vertical or horizontal surface to support the user's back and a pad opposing the surface and rotatable about a screw for pressing against the user's abdomen. The pad can be moved toward or away from the user by one of two handles provided on the screw. One handle is positioned for operation by an assistant, and the other handle is positioned for operation by the user.
Other more compact or collapsible exercise devices may be difficult to use by handicapped or disabled individuals. U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,646 (Klein), for example, shows a stretching device for ballet dancers. The device includes a cross-piece threaded at its center on a threaded pole. The threaded pole has a base at its bottom and a handle at its top. The dancer's feet are drawn close to the body and engage the base. The dancer's knees are spread apart and the cross-piece is positioned over the knees. The handle is rotated to displace the cross-piece vertically to press the knees downward. The device appears subject to toppling, and appears to require significant effort to turn the handle while maintaining balance. Some users may not have the strength or coordination to maintain the apparatus in proper position.
There is therefore a continuing need for a stretching and exercise apparatus which is structurally stable and relatively simple to use with minimal or no assistance. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle that directs steerable wheels in response to operator input in which the steerable wheels are not mechanically coupled to the manually steerable member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical automotive vehicle is steered by transmitting operations of a manually steerable member, such as a steering wheel, to a steering mechanism for directing steerable wheels for steering. Generally, the manually steerable member is located inside the vehicle passenger compartment, and the steerable wheels are located at the front of the vehicle. Thus, a suitable steering mechanism is necessary to couple the manually steerable member and the steerable wheels.
A representative steering mechanism is a rack-and-pinion type steering mechanism. In a rack-and-pinion steering mechanism, the rotational motion of the steering wheel is communicated through a steering column to a pinion gear at its distal end. The pinion gear is engaged with a rack gear disposed laterally between the steerable wheels, which in turn are coupled to the rack gear by knuckle arms and tie rods. In this manner, rotation of the steering wheel is translated into the lateral movement of the rack gear, which causes the steerable wheels to pivot in the desired direction. In general, mechanical steering mechanisms are power-assisted by hydraulic or electrical assist units.
In order to overcome limitations presented by mechanical steering systems, it has been proposed to utilize a steering system in which the manually steerable member is not mechanically coupled to the steerable wheels and steering movement is achieved by an electrically controlled motor, a so-called steer-by-wire system. In a steer-by-wire system, a road wheel actuator operates in response to detected values of various steering parameters, such as for example steering wheel angle, vehicle speed, vehicle lateral acceleration, and road wheel angle. The detected values are communicated electronically to the road wheel actuator from sensors, or alternatively, from a centralized controller. Upon receipt and processing of the steering command, the road wheel actuator orients the steerable wheels in the desired direction in accordance with the vehicle steering parameters.
In order to provide a steering xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d to the vehicle operator, a typical steer-by-wire vehicle will also utilize a reaction torque generator that synthesizes and generates a reaction torque in the manually steerable member. For example, if the manually steerable member is a steering wheel, then the reaction torque generator will generally rotate a shaft coupled to the steering wheel in order to give the vehicle operator a resistive or assisting torque. In general, the magnitude and direction of the reaction torque will be determined by a control system cooperating between the reaction torque generator, the road wheel actuator, and the various vehicle sensing systems.
The adaptability of steer-by-wire systems to myriad situations provides a great number of advantages not apparent in a mechanically steered vehicle. In spite of these advantages, steer-by-wire vehicles are not dominating the current automotive marketplace. It is believed that a hybrid-type steering system is in order to ease the transition in the automotive market from mechanically coupled steering systems to steer-by-wire steering systems.
Accordingly, the present invention comprises a steering system selectively operable in one of three modes: steer-by-wire, electronic power assist steering (EPAS), and manual steering. The steer-by-wire system includes a driver interface system (DIS), a road wheel actuator system (RWAS), and a controller for monitoring and implementing the preferred control strategy. The control architecture of the present invention reduces the total number of sensors necessary to operate a steer-by-wire vehicle, consequently reducing the overall cost of the vehicle steering system.
The DIS includes a steerable member that is rotatable about a shaft. The rotation of the steerable member and the shaft is measured by a steering wheel angle sensor, disposed about the shaft. The shaft is coupled to a reaction torque generator for generating a steering feel based upon the applicable steering parameters, such as the vehicle speed, steering wheel angle, yaw rate, rack load, and lateral acceleration.
The RWAS includes a road wheel actuator responsive to control commands from the controller. The road wheel actuator is operatively coupled to a rack and pinion type steering system. Through the controller, the road wheel actuator rotates the pinion gear, which in turn causes the lateral motion of the rack gear thereby steering the road wheels. Like the DIS, the performance of the RWAS is monitored by a plurality of sensors.
The steering system of the present invention operates normally in a steer-by-wire mode, in which information regarding the angular position of the steerable member is combined with other pertinent information to compute a control signal, which the controller directs to the road wheel actuator. As noted, the road wheel actuator then mechanically steers the road wheels through the rack and pinion mechanism of the RWAS. However, the steering system is also adapted for operation in an electronic power assist steering (EPAS) mode and a manual mode in response to a malfunction in any part component of the DIS or RWAS subsystems.
In each of the EPAS mode and manual mode, the controller causes a clutch mechanism to engage, thus creating a mechanical linkage between the steerable member and the rack and pinion system. In the EPAS mode, one of the road wheel actuator or the reaction torque generator is available to assist in the steering operation. Alternatively, in the manual mode, both the DIS and the RWAS are deactivated and the vehicle is steerable through entirely mechanical means. In the event that the system power is cut off or the vehicle is not running, the steering system of the present invention is operable in the manual mode. | {
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The invention relates generally to network engineering. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and methods that manage routing information in an IP network using extensible indexing to control the network.
Historically, Internet Protocol (IP) networks managed routes at an aggregate level or at very large subnetworks and could only apply broad-gauge network controls. Today, IP networks operate in data and control planes.
The data plane is the path which IP packets follow as they traverse an IP network. This includes routers and links between routers which carry data traffic. The data plane is organized around paths which are established with the goal of sending a data packet out of any given router on a path that will take it toward the interface(s) that are associated with the destination address of that packet. At any point in time, an IP network's data plane has an understanding of where to forward any packet it receives based primarily on the destination address of that packet.
The control plane is used to exchange routing messages. The routing messages enable the data plane to organize itself in an optimal manner. The control plane allows the data plane to be organized around paths which carry packets from a source to a destination. These paths are composed of numerous forwarding decisions made at each router based on routing messages received from the control plane.
Routers typically contain input ports, output ports, a specialized operating system, memory, and one or more processors. Distributed routers require memory for two purposes besides the operating system itself: storing a routing table which is used to perform routing decisions and program a forwarding table, and storing the forwarding table which is used when making forwarding decisions to forward packets out on particular interfaces. These two functions are critical to the operation of any router employed on an IP network.
For a network router to have complete routing information, every router would have to couple their control plane to every other router (peer with other routers). This is impracticable but in very small networks. This is due to the scalability limits of routers. To compensate, most IP networks use Route Reflectors (RRs) to manage the size of the control plane.
Route reflectors are routers which are dedicated to route exchange only, i.e., they do not pass any customer data packets. Route reflectors operate in the control plane. The route reflectors learn routes by exchanging routing messages from router to router which become route reflector clients. Route reflectors peer with all of the routers in a defined network domain so each has reachability within that defined domain and act as the only gateway for routing information exchange between network domains. FIG. 1 shows a network 101 having data links (solid lines) in the data plane 103 coupling routers R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 (collectively R) and control messages (broken lines) between the routers R and a route reflector RR in the control plane 105. In this network scheme all routing decisions are made based upon route updates exchanged using the route reflector RR.
The challenge for network operators is to improve routing efficiency. In order to achieve this, a system and method is needed that allows for the dynamic management of routes by applying network controls to subnets based on dynamic network conditions. | {
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A step down DC-to-DC converter is an electronic circuit that converts a source of direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another. Step down DC-DC converters are important components in many electronic devices such as cellular phones, computers, etc, that contain one or more sub-circuits, each requiring its own lower DC voltage level.
Step down DC-DC converters are often non-isolated, which means they do not employ a transformer in generating a lower output voltage. The present invention will be described with reference to non-isolated, step down DC-DC converters, it being understood the present invention should not be limited thereto. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Switched mode power converters (switched mode power supplies, SMPS) are widely used for power conversion in automotive, industrial, or consumer electronic applications. A flyback converter is a specific type of switched mode voltage converter which includes a transformer with a primary winding and a secondary winding that have opposite winding senses. A first electronic switch is connected in series with the primary winding on a primary side of the power converter, and a rectifier circuit is coupled to the secondary winding on a secondary side of the power converter. The transformer is magnetized when the electronic switch is closed and demagnetized when the electronic switch is opened. Magnetizing the transformer includes storing energy in the transformer, and demagnetizing the transformer includes transferring the stored energy to the secondary winding, the rectifier circuit and a load coupled to the rectifier circuit.
The rectifier circuit may include an active rectifier element, which is often referred to as synchronous rectifier (SR). This active rectifier element includes a second electronic switch which switches on when a voltage across the electronic switch has a first polarity and switches off when the voltage has a second polarity opposite the first polarity. The rectifier circuit may further include a capacitor. Switching on the first electronic on the primary side and the second electronic switch on the secondary side may cause the capacitor to be rapidly discharged, which is highly undesirable as this may damage the power converter. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to communication systems. More particularly, the invention generally relates to controlling the signal-to-interference ratio (“SIR”) in a multi-data-rate communication system.
2. Background Information
Wireless communication systems (e.g., cellular telephone systems) may suffer from various channel impairments, such as fading, dropped calls, etc. To ameliorate the effects of such impairments, in the face of such impairments some communication systems strive to guarantee a prescribed quality of service (“QoS”). At least one metric directly related to QoS is the received signal-to-interference ratio (“SIR”). A high SIR value means that the power of the data signal is relatively high as compared to the average power of interference. Interference may stem from nearby cell phone transmissions and other sources. A low SIR value means that the average power of interference is relatively high compared to the power of the data signal.
A high SIR is generally desirable to transmit data error-free across a wireless medium. A high SIR, however, requires a higher transmit power level associated with the data to be transmitted than would be the case for a low SIR. That is, increasing transmission power leads to an increase in SIR. Increasing the transmission power of a cell phone may disadvantageously cause that phone's transmission to interfere with the transmissions of nearby cell phones. In general, therefore, it is desirable to have a cell phone transmit at a power level that is minimally sufficient to support the desired SIR. In some conventional cell phone systems, this power control may be implemented by each phone determining the number of transmission errors it is experiencing per unit of time. If the phone is experiencing too many errors, the phone may submit a request to the base station (i.e., cell tower) to which it is currently associated to step up transmission power. The cell tower may contain the centralized logic to balance the power load of its associated cell phones. If acceptable, the cell tower may grant a phone's request for more power. In response, the tower may step up the transmitted power level. On the other hand, if the phone is not experiencing too many errors, the phone may request permission from its tower to step down its transmission power. In this manner, a control loop is formed in an attempt to control the power level of each phone.
The aforementioned system generally works well when the communication data rate is constant. A problem may occur in communication systems in which the data rate may vary. Some systems employ variable block sizes and thus variable data rates. That is, the number of bits comprising each data block may vary, thereby resulting in variable data rates. The transmission power required to maintain a minimally sufficient SIR may be different between the different data rates. If the cell phone is currently transmitting at a particular data rate, the power level will automatically be stepped down to a minimum level as described above. However, the phone may then suddenly desire to jump to a higher data rate (e.g., the user may start speaking after a prolonged period of silence). At that point, the transmission power level of the phone may be too low to support the higher needed data rate for a minimally acceptable SIR. As a result, data may not be received correctly and/or the call may be dropped altogether. A solution to this problem is desirable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to novel use of small molecules, particularly indolyl and indolinyl hydroxamates. The indolyl and indolinyl hydroxamates are useful as lead compounds for manufacturing a medicament or a pharmaceutical composition for treating a patient suffering from heart failure or neuronal injury.
2. Description of Related Art
Heart failure is a common cardiovascular condition where the heart fails to circulate enough blood and oxygen to meet the needs of other body organs. In developed countries, around 2% of the population suffers from heart failure, with its prevalence increases with age. Heat failure is now the leading cause of hospitalization for individuals older than 65 and is a major contributor to the escalation of heath care costs. Current treatments of heart failure are dedicated to restore the function of the heart by using pharmacological agents, such as the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), diuretics, digitalis glycosides, and beta blockers to improve contractile performance. However, common adverse side effects, such as hypotension, renal dysfunction, and impaired physical activity, accompanied by the use of these drugs limit their applications. For terminal heart failure, heart transplantation is an alternative to drug. Yet, the number of available heart donors is limited.
Brain and spinal cord injury caused by stroke, trauma or hypoxia often result in lifelong disability and premature death; accordingly, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischemic stroke are two serious public health issues in most countries. An estimated 1.7 million TBI-related deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits occur in the U.S. each year; TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. or about 52,000 deaths annually. As to ischemic stroke, it is currently the No. 4 killer and a leading cause of long term disability in the U.S. Each year, about 795,000 people suffers a stroke and is the primary cause of about one in every 18 deaths in 2008. Deaths from ischemic stroke are predicted to double between 2000 to 2032. The number of people living with stroke is projected to increase by 25% by 2030, translating into an additional 4 million people with stroke in U.S. alone.
In view of the foregoing, there exist in the related art a need for an agent or a compound that may improve or restore the cardiac functions or reduce or prevent neuronal dysfunction and death after ischemic, hypoxia or traumatic brain injury. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved spindle motor for driving optical media such as MDs, CDs or DVDs, and more particularly, to a spindle motor having a disc mounting portion in which a disc can be mounted on a rotor itself without an additional turntable.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a turntable on which an optical medium is mounted is installed on an output shaft protruding from a main body of a spindle motor for driving the optical media. The motor and the turntable are installed separately. A spindle motor including an automatic balancer installed under the turntable for automatically correcting imbalance has been suggested to prevent vibrations due to imbalance in a rotation system of a motor for high speed rotation including a medium.
Referring to in FIG. 4, which shows one of the various types of automatic balancers, a turntable T and a thin cylindrical case E installed at the bottom surface of the turntable T are installed at an output shaft of a motor portion M. A plurality of small balls B are accommodated within the cylindrical case E. Imbalance in a centrifugal force generated during rotation is corrected by using the free movement of these balls B.
However, since the conventional automatic balancer needs such a turntable or an imbalance correcting member, when a motor is to be designed to have a low profile, the features of a motor are sacrificed. Accordingly, to maintain the features of a motor, use of an expensive magnet is necessary.
Furthermore, since a stator base SB typically arranged at the lower portion of the motor is used as a support of the shaft, the height of the shaft up to the turntable greatly affects vibrations of the shaft. Thus, each member is required to have a very fine tolerance, which increases the manufacturing cost of the turntable or imbalance correcting member, and thus increases the cost of the motor.
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spindle motor having a disc mounting portion which reduces the number of parts by improving a rotor case to have a simple structure and function as a turntable
It is another object of the present invention to provide a spindle motor which has a low profile even though it has a disc mounting portion which has an automatic unbalance correcting function.
Accordingly, to achieve the above object, there is provided a spindle motor comprising a rotor case in which a shaft support portion is installed at the center of the rotor and a plurality of disc mounting guides are formed by being lifted from the upper surface around the shaft support portion at a predetermined interval, a shaft installed at the shaft support portion, a disc chuck spring having at least one disc inner hold chucking portion and arranged at the rotor case such that the chucking portion slightly protrudes radially between the disc mounting guides, a magnet arranged inside the rotor case, an armature stator facing the magnet via a gap, and a stator base where the armature stator is arranged, the stator base supporting the shaft inside the armature stator.
It is preferred in the present invention that a disc slippage prevention sheet is provided at the outer circumferential portion of the rotor case.
It is preferred in the present invention that a bulge portion is formed along the outer circumferential portion of the rotor case so that the outer circumferential portion of the rotor case bulges and a plurality of balls are arranged in the bulge portion to be used for unbalance correction.
It is preferred in the present invention that holes formed when the disc mounting guides are integrally lifted are covered by the disc chuck spring.
It is preferred in the present invention that the disc chuck spring is pressed by a magnetic body for attraction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Human motion capture and analysis has applications in different fields such as kinesiology, bio-mechanics, surveillance, human-computer interaction, animation and video games. Motion capture for humans describes the activity of analyzing and expressing human motion in mathematical terms. The task of motion capture may be divided into a number of systematically distinct groups, e.g. initialization, tracking, pose estimation, and gesture recognition.
There is a correspondingly large body of developments on human motion analysis and pose estimation from video data. However, the requirements in terms of the detail of pose parameters and accuracy in estimation vary from application to application as does the form of the available input data. Surveillance applications, for instance, usually require just the location of the subject or an approximate estimate of human pose from a single video stream, whereas bio-mechanical applications require detailed pose estimation, including different joint angles, from images obtained using multiple video cameras. Bio-mechanical and clinical applications require accurate capture of normal and pathological human movement without the artifacts associated with current state of the art marker-based motion capture techniques.
The most common methods to accurate capture of 3-D human movement, such as optical, magnetic, and elective mechanical, require attachment of markers, fixtures, or sensors to body segments. These methods are invasive, i.e., they encumber the subject, and require subject preparation time. They may also hinder or influence the movement of the subject due to their invasive nature. Marker-based motion capture systems, although widely used, are not very accurate due to the relative motion between muscle and skin tissue and the underlying skeletal structure. A passive or non-invasive motion capture system composed of video cameras, therefore, possesses several advantages over marker-based systems and is highly desirable.
There exist a number of techniques to estimate the pose of human subjects from both single and multiple cameras. Some of these methods are applied directly to images, while others are applied to 3-D volumetric data (or voxels), which can be computed from image silhouettes. Most methods, however, address applications such as surveillance, human computer interaction, or animation, where accurate joint angle estimation is not necessary or important.
Most approaches use a human body model to guide the pose estimation process, as the use of a model greatly increases the accuracy and robustness of the algorithm. It is therefore necessary to estimate the parameters of the human body model as well. Estimating 3-D pose of an articulated object using images from a single camera is an inherently difficult task due to ill-posed nature of estimating 3-D structure and motion from 2-D images as well as self-occlusion. In order to accurately estimate the 3-D joint angle parameters required in bio-mechanical and clinical applications, it is necessary to use 3-D input data such as voxels in the estimation algorithm. Voxels can be computed from 3-D mesh data obtained from laser scanners as well as images obtained from multiple calibrated cameras.
A large number of pose estimation algorithms use a single image or single image stream to estimate the pose of the subject or use simplified models. Several pose tracking algorithms also assume that the initial pose is known, and use either motion or silhouettes, or alternatively voxels. But few tracking algorithms combine both motion and static cues. The accuracy and the robustness of these algorithms vary as does the suitability of the techniques for different applications. Cedras and Shah in “Motion-based recognition: A survey,” Image and Vision Computing, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 129-155, March 1995, provide a survey of motion-based recognition methods which require the use of motion data that the markerless motion capture methods can provide. There are several methods (K. Rohr, Human Movement Analysis Based on Explicit Motion Models, Kluwer Academic, 1997; D. Ramanan and D. A. Forsyth “Finding and tracking people from the bottom up.” in CVPR (2), 2003, pp. 467-474; X. Ren, A. C. Berg, and J. Malik, “Recovering human body configurations using pairwise constraints between parts,” in International Conference on Computer Vision, 2005; and G. Mori and J. Malik, “Estimating human body configurations using shape context matching,” in ECCV, 2002, pp. 666-680) to estimate pose from a single view, while I. A. Kakadiaris and D. Metaxas, “3D human body model acquisition from multiple views,” in Fifth International Conference on Computer Vision, 1995, p. 61; I. Mikic, M. Trivedi, E. Hunter, and P. Cosman, “Human body model acquisition and tracking using voxel data,” International Journal of Computer Vision, vol. 53, no. 3, 2003; C. W. Chu, O. C. Jenkins, and M. J. Mataric, “Markerless kinematic model and motion capture from volume sequences: in CVPR (2), 2003, pp. 475-482; K. Cheung, S. Baker, and T. Kanade, “Shape-from-silhouette of articulated objects and its use for human body kinematics estimation and motion capture,” in IEEE CVPR, June 2003; and J. Carranza, C. Theobalt, M. Magnor, and H. Seidel, “Freeviewpoint video of human actors,” ACM Transactions on Graphics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 569-577, 2003) estimate the pose from multiple views. Specifically the algorithms presented in I. Mikic, et al., C. W. Chu, et al., K. Cheung, et al., J. Carranza, et al., estimate the pose from voxel representations. Carranza, et al. describe a system that uses multi-view synchronized video footage of an actor's performance to estimate the motion parameters and to interactively re-render the actor's appearance from any viewpoint.
Chu, et al. describes a method for pose estimation using Isomaps (J. B. Tenebaum, V. de Silva, and J. C. Langford, “A global geometric framework for nonlinear dimensionality reduction,” Science, vol. 290, no. 5500, pp. 2319-2323, 2000) to transform the voxels to its pose-invariant intrinsic space representation and obtain a skeleton representation. Cheung, et al. extend shapes-from-silhouette methods to articulated objects. Given silhouettes of a moving articulated object, they propose an iterative algorithm to solve the simultaneous assignment of silhouette points to a body part and alignment of the body part. These methods work well with simple poses, but they are usually unable to handle complex poses where there is self-contact, i.e., one or more of the limbs touches the others.
Anguelov, et al. (“Recovering articulated object models from 3-D range data”, Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence Conference, 2004) describe an algorithm that automatically decomposes an object into approximately rigid parts, their location, and the underlying articulated structure given a set of meshes describing the object in different poses. They use an unsupervised non-rigid technique to register the meshes and perform segmentation using the EM algorithm. Krahnstoever, et al. (“Articulated models from video,” in Computer vision and Pattern Recognition, 2004, pp. 894-901) address the issue of acquiring articulated models directly from a monocular video. Structure, shape and appearance of articulated models are estimated, but this method is limited in its application as well as in accuracy in extracting complete 3-D human body models as it uses a single camera.
Algorithms that estimate the complete human body model from multiple views are presented in Mikic, et al. and Kakadiaris, et al. For example, the Mikic, et al. propose a model acquisition algorithm using voxels, which starts with a simple body part localization procedure based on fitting and growing template and uses prior knowledge of shapes and dimensions of average body parts. Kakadiaris, et al. present a Human Body Part Identification Strategy (HBPIS) that recovers all the body parts of a moving human based on the spatio-temporal analysis of its deforming silhouette using input from three mutually orthogonal views. However, they specify a protocol of movements that the subject is required to go through.
Brostow, et al., (“Novel skeletal representation for articulated creatures” European Conference on Computer Vision, 2004) present a skeletonization method that uses voxel data to estimate a skeleton representation.
Many methods assume some kind of human body model.
For example, N. I. Badler, et al. (Simulating Humans. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 1993) suggest several methods to represent human subjects in terms of the shape as well as the articulated structure. Modified super-quadrics to represent shapes for the human body model is suggested in D. Gavrila, et al. (“3-D model-based tracking of humans in action: A multi-view approach,” in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 1996, pp. 73-80).
M. Belkin, et al. (“Laplacian eigenmaps for dimensionality reduction and data representation,” Neural Comput., vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 1373-1396, 2003) describe the construction of a representation for data lying in a low dimensional manifold embedded in a high dimensional space and use Laplacian Eigenmaps for dimensionality reduction. While Laplacian eigenmaps and other manifold methods have been applied to dimensionality reduction problems such as classification and Face retrieval using Laplacian faces, none of them, however, map the voxels to a higher dimensional space in order to extract the 1-D structure.
There also exist other methods for dimensionality reduction such as Isomaps, charting a manifold (M. Brand, “Charting a manifold,” in Neural Information Processing Systems, 2002), Kernal Eigenvalue analysis (B. Schölkopf, et al. (“Nonlinear component analysis as a kernel eigenvalue problem,”, Neural Computation, vol. 10, pp. 1299-1319, 1998), the Locally Linear Embedding algorithm (S. T. Rowels, et al. “Nonlinear dimensionality reduction by locally linear embedding,” Science, vol. 290, no. 5500, pp. 2323-2326, 2000) and for reducing articulated objects to pose-invariant structure A. Elad, et al. (“On bending invariant signatures for surface,” IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 25, pp. 1285-1295, 2003). M. Belkin, et al. analyze the connection of Locally Linear Embedding algorithm proposed by S. T. Rowels, et al. (“Nonlinear dimensionality reduction by locally linear embedding,” Science, vol. 290, no. 5500, pp. 2323-2326, 2000) to the Laplacian.
M. Yamamoto, et al. (“Human motion analysis based on a robot arm model”, CVPR, pages 664-665, 1991) analyze human motion based on a robot model and M. Yamamoto, et al. (“Incremental tracking of human actions from multiple views), CVPR, pages 2-7, 1998) track human motion using multiple cameras. D. M. Gavrila, et al. (“3-D Model-based tracking of human in action,” Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pp. 73-80, 1996) present a multi-view approach for 3D model-based tracking of humans in action. They use a generate-and-test algorithm in which they search for poses in a parameter space and match them using a variant of Chamfer matching. R. Plankers, et al. (“Articulated soft objects for video-based body modeling”, ICCV, pages 394-401, 2001) use articulated soft objects with an articulated underlying skeleton as a model, and silhouette data for shape and motion recovery from stereo and trinocular image sequences. Christian Theobalt, et al. (“Combining 3D flow fields with silhouette-based human motion capture for immersive video”, Graph. Models, 66(6):333-351, 2004) project the texture of the model obtained from silhouette-based methods and refine the pose using the flow field. Q. Delamarre, et al. (“3D articulated models and multi-view tracking with silhouettes”, ICCV, pages 716-721, 1999) use 3D articulated models for tracking with silhouettes. They use silhouette contours and apply forces to the contours obtained from the projection of the 3D model so that they move towards the silhouette contours obtained from multiple images. Cheung, et al. (“Shape-from-silhouette of articulated objects and its use for human body kinematics estimation and motion capture”, IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pages 77-84, June 2003) extend shapes-from-silhouette methods to articulated objects. Given silhouettes of a moving articulated object, they propose an iterative algorithm to solve the simultaneous assignment of silhouette points to a body part and alignment of the body part.
There are also methods that attempt to estimate the pose from a monocular video sequence. They propose different techniques to resolve kinematic ambiguities faced in the monocular pose estimation problem.
Despite extensive research and development in the area of motion capture, further improvements are still needed.
It is highly desirable to have a markerless motion capture technique providing accurate capture of the motion in an effective automated fashion capable of handling poses of any complexity. | {
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The present invention is related to medical device programming, and more particularly to a system and method for detecting and displaying parameter interactions arising during the programming of a medical device.
As medical device feature sets become richer and more complex, medical devices are getting increasingly complicated to program. This is especially the case in situations where modification of one feature ripples through and interacts with other selected features.
For devices such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators it can be very difficult for physicians to deal with non-compatibilities with programming. Such devices may have many features to program and, when physicians go in to program, there may be some inconsistencies that are not allowed by logic or by concerns for safety of the patient. In the past, these inconsistencies were displayed as error messages and the physician often had to wade through a series of screens to determine the nature of the inconsistency and how to resolve it.
In addition, physicians were frustrated by error messages which noted an interaction but did not tell them what to do to resolve the problem. They were often reduced to trial and error programming which might create a second parameter interaction while resolving the first.
What is needed is a more intuitive way for the physician to resolve parameter interactions.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a system and method of detecting and displaying parameter interactions is described for use in a medical device system having a medical device and a programming interface, wherein the medical device includes a plurality of features which can be programmed via the programming interface. A plurality of icons is defined, wherein the plurality of icons includes a first icon, a second icon and a third icon, wherein the first icon indicates correctness, wherein the second icon warns of a parameter interaction and wherein the third icon warns of impermissible parameter settings. Parameter interactions between feature parameters are identified and each of the parameter interactions is associated with one of the plurality of icons. A parameter value is accepted and examined to determine if it causes a parameter interaction. If the parameter value causes a parameter interaction, the icon associated with the parameter interaction is displayed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a system and method of detecting and displaying parameter interactions is described for use in a medical device system having a medical device and a programming interface, wherein the medical device includes a plurality of features which can be programmed via the programming interface. A plurality of messages is defined, wherein the plurality of messages includes a first type of message, a second type of message and a third type of message, wherein the first type of message indicates correctness, wherein the second type of message warns of a parameter interaction and wherein the third type of message warns of impermissible parameter settings. Parameter interactions between feature parameters are identified and each of the parameter interactions is associated with one of the message types. A parameter value is accepted and examined to determine if it causes a parameter interaction. If the parameter value causes a parameter interaction, the message of the message type associated with the parameter interaction is displayed.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system and method of detecting and correcting parameter interactions is described for use in a medical device system having a medical device and a programming interface, wherein the medical device includes a plurality of features which can be programmed via the programming interface. Parameter interactions between feature parameters are identified. A parameter value is accepted and examined to determine if it causes a parameter interaction. If the parameter value causes a parameter interaction, a message representative of the parameter interaction is displayed. The message includes a description of the parameter interaction and one or more parameters. One or more of the displayed parameters is modified and the modified parameter value is examined to determine if it causes a parameter interaction.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a medical device system is described. The medical device system includes a medical device and a programming interface. The medical device includes a plurality of features which can be programmed via the programming interface. The programming interface includes a display for displaying a plurality of icons and rules identifying parameter interactions between feature parameters and rules associating each of the parameter interactions with one of the plurality of icons. The programming interface accepts a parameter value, examines the parameter value to determine if it causes a parameter interaction and, if the parameter value causes a parameter interaction, displays the icon associated with the parameter interaction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of preparing polymerizable phosphonic acid diesters by reacting N-hydroxymethyl derivatives of (meth)acrylic acid amides with tertiary phosphites (i.e., phosphorous acid triesters).
2. Discussion of the Background
A number of different processes have been described previously for preparing compounds of general formula I: EQU H.sub.2 C.dbd.C(R.sub.1)--CO--N(R.sub.2)--CH.sub.2 --P(O)(OR.sub.3)(OR.sub.4) (I)
where
R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; PA0 R.sub.2 is a hydrogen atom or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl group, which can optionally be substituted, or a C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alkenyl group; and PA0 R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are identical or different groups such as phenyl, or C.sub.1-4 alkyl groups (possibly substituted), or alkylene groups which form 5- to 7-membered rings with the oxygen atoms and the phosphorus atom.
The known methods for preparing these compounds start from (meth)acrylic acid amide derivatives of formula II: EQU H.sub.2 C.dbd.C(R.sub.1)--CO--N(R.sub.2)--CH.sub.2 --X (II)
where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 have the meanings given supra, and X is a dimethylamino group, a diethylamino group, an acetoxy group, a propanoyloxy group, a halogen atom, or a hydroxyl group. The compounds of formula II are then reacted with tertiary phosphites (phosphorus acid triesters), particularly aliphatic phosphorous acid triesters of formula III: EQU P(OR.sub.3)(OR.sub.4)(OR.sub.5) (III)
where R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are identical or different groups, such as phenyl or C.sub.1-4 alkyl groups, or R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are alkylene groups which form 5- to 7-membered rings with the oxygen atoms and the phosphorus atom.
Thus, German OS No. 22 15 434 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,618) describes the reaction of phosphorous acid triesters with compounds of formula II where X is a OH group, at temperatures of about 100.degree.-200.degree. C. to produce a raw product. German OS No. 22 17 746 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 1,380,675) describes reactions of (meth)acrylamide derivatives of formula II (where X represents the various moieties indicated supra) with phosphorous acid triesters of formula III.
The polymerizable phosphonic acid esters of formula I are relatively high boiling substances. Thus, in German OS No. 22 17 746, 0,0-dimethyl N-methacrylamido-methylphosphonate is obtained as a liquid with a boiling point of 170.degree. to 180.degree. C. (at 1.2 to 1.5 Torr) in a yield of 76% of theoretical, from N-(acetoxymethyl)-methacrylamide. A corresponding undistilled raw product obtained from N-(hydroxymethyl)-methacrylamide should be comprised of this compound in amounts of up to 78% by wt. according to gc analysis.
Attempts to prepare (meth)acrylamidomethylphosphonates in high yields and high purities have been unsuccessful. Reactions carried out under the known reaction conditions produce relatively large amounts of methylenebisamides of (meth)acrylic acid from N-hydroxymethyl derivatives of (meth)acrylic acid amide, etc. If these bisamides are not removed by purification processes which are costly and lead to substantial losses of materials, they act as spurious crosslinking agents in the manufacture of polymers. References to the inadequate purity of the reaction products obtained can be found in German OS No. 25 38 282, where it is stated that the reaction products of reactions according to e.g., German OS No. 22 17 746, are mixtures of monomeric and oligomeric phosphonates.
As indicated in 1962 Makromolekulare Chem. 57:27, starting compounds (II) in which X is an acyloxy (e.g. acetoxy or propanoyloxy) group (as described in German OS No. 22 17 746) may be prepared by esterification of the corresponding methylol compounds by the appropriate carboxylic acid anhydrides. These anhydrides are however relatively costly materials, and the yields achieved, e.g., a 67% of theoretical yield of acetoxymethyl-methacrylamide, are relatively low.
These substances are required for the manufacture of industrially important polymers. There is therefore a strongly felt need for an improved method to obtain these polymerizable phosphonic acid esters and derivatives produced from these phosphonic acid esters in increased yield and purity (e.g. by substantial suppression of side reactions). Such a method should ideally produce raw products which can be used directly. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to a non-lethal telescoping cartridge for deployment of non-lethal ordnance. In particular, a low impulse non-lethal telescoping cartridge is disclosed, having a payload cup containing non-lethal projectiles, telescopically mounted upon a cartridge case base which, when fired, telescopes out from the base and releases the non-lethal projectiles at a non-lethal velocity. The cartridge of the present invention may be fired from an automatic weapon, such as a 40 mm MK19 grenade machine gun.
Traditional non-lethal ordnance comprises cartridges that contain, for example, projectiles consisting of metal balls coated with a thin layer of plastic or rubber, fabric bags which are filled with lead shot (so-called “bean bags”), and “rubber bullets” formed of hard rubber, foam, plastic or wood. These traditional non-lethal projectiles have various problems, such as a short range, poor accuracy and possible lethality.
For example, non-lethal projectiles are generally aerodynamically unstable due to the shape needed for non-lethality (generally approximately round, such as rubber bullets, or amorphous, such as a bean-bag). As such, the aerodynamic forces exhibited by these projectiles tend to vary and be inconsistent, which leads to poor accuracy. In the case of a bean-bag projectile, the projectile tends to flatten out in flight, forming a flat high-drag flight surface. Furthermore, non-lethal projectiles are generally launched from smooth bored guns which, unlike rifled bores, do not impart spin to the projectile and, as a result, decrease accuracy.
To overcome the accuracy problems discussed above, spin-stabilized non-lethal projectiles have been proposed, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,712 to Lyon. However, various difficulties remain in the use of such devices. For example, when desiring to use non-lethal cartridges in automatic weapons such as the 40 mm MK19 grenade machine gun, the ammunition must produce sufficient blowback (i.e., energy transferred to the bolt) to recycle the weapon, and must accurately conform to the chamber dimensions of the weapon so as to avoid jamming of the weapon.
An automatic weapon such as the 40 mm MK 19 grenade machine gun is actuated by the direct blowback of the cartridge case against the bolt upon expansion of the propellant gas during the time between cartridge ignition and projectile exit from the barrel. The MK19 is designed to function when firing 40 mm cartridges with a cartridge impulse of approximately 13 to 15 pounds-seconds. Reduced cartridge impulses provided by lower mass projectiles (such as blanks, training cartridges and non-lethal cartridges) and/or reduced chamber pressure results in reduced energy transferred to the bolt. Consequently, the weapon cyclic rate, and potentially the ability of the cartridge to recycle the weapon at all, may be in question.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,178,889, 6,324,983 and 6,324,984 disclose a low impulse telescoping cartridge, a sub-caliber projectile for low impulse cartridges, and a payload mechanism for low impulse cartridges, respectively. The present invention differs from these disclosures in several respects.
For example, in the present invention, a step is provided on the cartridge case forward of the rim, to improve the interface with the MK19 bolt face and improve weapon functional reliability when firing low impulse telescoping cartridges. The present invention further provides a rifled payload cup for launching spin stabilized projectiles from smooth bore weapons and from rifled weapons where use of the weapon rifling is not desired or practical. In addition, an end cap is provided which snaps over the end of the payload cup or body to close the end of the payload cup and retain the payload within the payload cup until the moment of firing.
The present invention also provides a high/low adapter in the cartridge case which vents thru the side of the brass case containing the propellant charge, effectively using the brass case as a rupture membrane to assure that sufficient gas pressure is produced to provide consistent propellant burning. The high/low adapter in the cartridge also contains a forward vent hole and a pocket for retaining a firing pin for initiating the primer in the base of the high/low adapter in the payload cup.
One embodiment of the high/low adapter in the payload cup uses a pistol caliber brass case and pistol primer. A cover that attaches to the base of the pistol case serves as a retainer for the primer to ensure that the primer does not blow out of the brass case. Another embodiment of the high/low adapter in the payload cup uses a rifle caliber brass case.
A spring in the form of a hollow cylinder is used inside the cartridge to maintain the position of the payload cup relative to the cartridge case during chambering and firing. The spring is made of, for example, a polymer. The spring helps to ensure that the payload cup is against the forward stop at the moment of firing.
In contrast, the '983 patent, although disclosing a telescoping cartridge, utilizes a smoothbore sub-caliber payload cavity which is used with a sub-caliber rifled barrel insert when launching spin stabilized projectiles. The present invention provides for rifling the payload cavity for launching sub-caliber spin stabilized projectiles, thus eliminating the need to use a sub-caliber barrel insert.
The present invention improves upon the prior art through, among other features, the use of 1) a step on the case forward of the rim to improve the interface with the MK19 bolt face to improve the weapon functional reliability, 2) a rifled payload cup for launching spin stabilized projectiles, 3) an end cap that snaps over the end of the payload cup or body to close the end of the payload cup and retain the payload within the payload cup until the moment of firing, 4) a rear high/low adapter which has one or more holes thru the side thereof to allow venting directly thru the side of the brass case, eliminating the need for a separate rupture disk to control the propellant ignition, 5) provision of a firing pin and firing pin cavity in the forward end of the rear high/low adapter for initiating the forward high/low adapter in the payload cup, 6) a retaining cover for holding the primer in the base of the brass case in the forward high/low adapter in the payload cup, and 7) a spring used inside the cartridge case to maintain the position of the payload cup relative to the cartridge case during chambering and firing.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a low impulse non-lethal cartridge for use in conventional automatic weapons, such as the 40 mm MK19 grenade machine gun.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide non-lethal ammunition capable of accelerating a bolt to the rear of the weapons chamber independently of the impulse generated from launching of the non-lethal projectile.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a non-lethal cartridge for use in conventional automatic weapons, such as the MK19 grenade machine gun, which do not necessitate changes to the weapon itself in order to utilize the ammunition, but which also allow effective and accurate firing of the reduced velocity and/or reduced mass (non-lethal) projectiles.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an ammunition configuration which allows for reliable loading and firing of the ammunition in conventional automatic weapons, such as the MK 19 grenade machine gun.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide an ammunition configuration having high/low propellant chambers which allow for consistent propellant burn, and which provide consistent interior ballistics, while avoiding lethal propellant projectile characteristics.
The invention will be better understood, and further objects, features, and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program capable of providing information relating to restaurants.
2. Description of Related Art
There is an augmented reality (AR) technique that augments the sense of the reality by displaying contents of a virtual space in a reality space in a superimposed manner. The AR has already implemented in, for example, a smart phone or wearable devices, such as a head mount display (HMD) and or a see-through spectacles type.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-242816 (JP 2011-242816 A) describes a system in which a server ascertains an object, such as a building, included in a reality space captured by a portable terminal of a user, selects and reads a virtual display corresponding to the object from a database, and transmits the virtual display to the portable terminal of the user, and virtual display information is displayed on the captured reality space in a superimposed manner on the portable terminal of the user. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The advent of large radios contemporarily referred to as "boom-boxes" is a part of society, wherein the instant invention addresses the transport of such radios for prolonged periods of time without undue physical burdening of an individual. While other harness structure has been available in the prior art to transport various camping gear and the like, such as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,896 and 4,327,852, the harness structure has been of a generally generic nature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,794 sets forth a backpack structure arranged for the combination of a skate board assembly with associated structure therefore. Heretofore, however, the prior art has not addressed the transport and specific structure for the securement of radio members and in this respect, the invention overcomes such deficiencies in the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Conventionally, there has been known a sensor for detecting the concentration of nitrogen oxides (hereinafter, simply referred to as “NOX”), which is a specific type of gas contained in exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine. A proposed sensor control device which is connected to such a sensor is configured to amplify the output of the sensor by two amplification circuits operating in a wide range and a narrow range, respectively; selects one of the two amplified signals; and obtain the NOX concentration on the basis of the selected signal (see Patent Document 1). This proposed sensor control device can improve the detection accuracy of NOX concentration. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Paper pulp scrubbers generally comprise sieves provided either with slots or holes, these sieves being made of stainless sheet metal such as stainless steel.
Piercing holes through such sheet metal does not raise any manufacturing problems, but matters are different when having to make narrow calibrated slots, the edges of which are usually flared, at least on one face of the metal sheet, according to specified configurations and angles.
Indeed, the width of such slots is in the approximative range from 0.15 mm to 1 mm for sieves, the size of which may range, for cylindrical sieves, from 0.25 m to 1.50 m diameter with 0.30 m to 1.50 m height or length.
In the present practice, these sieves are made either by milling or sawing a sheet of metal, or else by placing side-by-side parallel thin bars forming a grid, these bars being assembled by welding with cross-members in the form of binding hoops which are perpendicular to said bars.
This latter method of manufacture presents major drawbacks, due to the presence of the welds which are fragile because of occurrences of crystallization of the stainless metal which these welds bring about and which have the further drawback of weakening the chemical resistance of the metal.
Moreover, such scrubbers generally include rotors carrying vanes or foils which move close to the surface of the sieve for generating pressure drops and pressure surges for helping in the cleaning out of the sieve and for preventing the slots from becoming plugged by an accumulation of fibers. These rotors run at a high speed, giving rise to very large tangential strains on the bars. These strains tend to tip the bars over when they are arranged along the generating lines of a cylindrical sieve, this being the more frequent case. They also subject the welds to alternating strains which cause these welds to break.
The object of this invention is to overcome these problems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present disclosure relates to a light emitting device.
Light emitting devices for lighting purposes are sometimes required to achieve high luminance and high color rendering properties. Color rendering properties of the light emitting devices can be improved by, for example, using a plurality of light emitting elements having different emission wavelengths. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-310613 discloses a light emitting device which includes light emitting elements which are capable of emitting white light, red light, green light and blue light. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Polymers have been reacted with various polyfunctional compounds capable of insertion reactions into C--H bonds. Such polyfunctional compounds having at least two functional groups capable of C--H insertion reactions are referred to herein as C--H insertion compounds. Those skilled in the art are familiar with such reactions and the functional groups associated therewith. For example, carbenes, as generated from diazo compounds, are disclosed in Tetrahedron, (1985), 41(8), pages 1509-1516, and nitrenes, as generated from azides, are disclosed in J. Org. Chem., (1977), 42(17), 2920-6, and J. Org. Chem., (1975), 40(7), 883-9. C--H insertion compounds include compounds such as alkyl and aryl azides (R--N3), acyl azides (R--C(O)N3), azidoformates (R--O--C(O)--N3), phosphoryl azides ((RO)2-(PO)--N3), phosphinic azides (R2-P(O)--N3), silyl azides (R3--Si-N3) and sulfonyl azides (R--SO2-N3).
Sulfonyl azides are reported to be useful for a variety of purposes including polymer crosslinking. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,058,944; 3,336,268; and 3,530,108 disclose the reaction of certain poly(sulfonyl azide) compounds with isotactic polypropylene and other polyolefins by nitrene insertion into C--H bonds. More recently, sulfonyl azides have been found useful in modifying the rheology of certain polyolefins as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 60/057,713 and 60/057,677, filed on Aug. 27, 1997; U.S. application Ser. Nos. 09/129,163, 09/129,161 and 09/129155 file on Aug. 5, 1998; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/140,603 fled on Aug. 26, 1998 and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/133,244 filed on Aug. 13, 1998; each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The result of reacting a sulfonyl azide with a polyolefin is the coupling of one polymer chain to another via a sulfonamide linkage. When polymer chains are thus coupled or linked, they are referred to as coupled or chain coupled polymers, and as rheology modified polymers.
As used herein, the term "rheology modified" refers to a change in the resistance of the molten polymer to flow. The resistance to flow is indicated by (1) the tensile stress growth coefficient and (2) the dynamic shear viscosity coefficient. The tensile stress growth coefficient is measured during start-up of uniaxial extensional flow as described by J. Meissner in Proc. XIIth International Congress on Rheology, Quebec, Canada, August 1996, pages 7-10 and by J. Meissner and J. Hostettler, Rheol. Acta, 33, 1-21 (1994). The dynamic shear viscosity coefficient is measured with small-amplitude sinusoidal shear flow experiments as described by R. Hingmann and B. L. Marczinke, J. Rheol. 38(3), 573-87, 1994.
Polymer compositions have also been rheology modified using nonselective chemistries involving free radicals generated by peroxides or high energy radiation. Although these techniques are useful for polyethylene, free radical generation at elevated temperatures tend to degrade the molecular weight of polymers such as polypropylene and polystyrene, due to the high rate of chain scission reactions along the polymer backbone.
Therefore, previous coupling technologies have been ineffective at high temperatures, e.g.>250.degree. C., due to the formation of undesirable amounts of free radicals and/or decomposition. There remains a need for successful coupling of polymers which are typically processed at temperatures above 250.degree. C., without degradation or crosslinking of the polymer. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates to a plug connector means comprising a main body having at least one connecting unit, which possesses an opening delimited laterally by an elongated, transversely elastic gripper rib, such opening forming a plug socket, into which a plug element, which is for example pin- or lug-like, can be so inserted that it is acted upon by the gripper rib. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates to an ink tank for containing ink and an ink jet printer incorporating the ink tank as an ink supply source, and more particularly to an ink tank having a mechanism capable of precisely detecting a condition where ink has run out (an ink end).
Among those for use in ink jet printers is a known ink tank of such a type having the ink absorbed by and held in an ink absorbent material such as foam and felt. A foam-type ink tank, for example, has a container in which foam that has absorbed and held ink is contained therein, an ink outlet communicating with the foam container, and an vent port communicating with the atmosphere for opening the foam container into the atmosphere. When ink is sucked from the ink outlet by the ejection pressure of an ink jet head, air corresponding to the sucked amount of ink is caused to flow into the foam container.
In the case of such a foam-type ink tank, the calculation of the consumed amount of ink is carried out according to the number of ink dots ejected from the ink jet head, the sucked amount of ink through an ink pump for sucking ink from the ink jet head and so forth, so that the detection of the presence or absence of ink therein is made according to the calculated results.
Incidentally, a condition where ink in the ink tank has almost run out is generally called a “real end” and a condition where a residual amount of ink in the ink tank has decreased to an amount smaller than the predetermined amount is called a “near end.” However, an “ink end” used in this specification includes both the conditions above unless otherwise specified.
However, the method of detecting the ink end by calculating the consumed amount of ink and the like has the following problem. Since the ejected amount of ink from the ink jet head and the sucked amount of ink through the ink pump undergo wide variation, the consumed amount of ink that has been calculated according to the above amounts also shows a variation far greater than that of the actually consumed amount of ink. Therefore, a great margin needs setting in order to settle the ink end. Consequently, a greater amount of ink may be left at a point of time that the ink end is detected, whereby ink may often be wasted.
Therefore, with a back surfaces of a reflective face of a prism as an interface with respect to ink, it is conceivable to directly detect the ink end by an optical detection system utilizing optical characteristics in that the reflective face of the prism is restored as its was when ink is used. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-323993A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,929 disclose such a detection system.
In the case of a foam-type ink tank, however, ink absorbed by and held in the ink absorbent material (foam) is always kept in contact with the reflective face of the prism even though the back surfaces of the reflective face of the prism is so arranged as to be exposed in the foam container, the reflective characteristics of the prism remain unchanged even when ink has run out. Consequently, the above disclosed detection system is not directly applicable to the foam-type ink tank.
It is also conceivable to adopt an arrangement wherein air is introduced into a sub ink chamber under pressure control with ink in the main ink chamber consumed to a certain degree by forming such a sub ink chamber that is small in capacity and capable of storing ink between the main ink chamber (foam container) and an ink outlet, and by disposing the reflective face of the prism in the sub ink chamber to make the back surfaces of the reflective face an interface with respect to ink.
Accordingly, when the amount of ink left in the main ink chamber decreases, bubbles become introduced from the main ink chamber into the sub ink chamber every time ink is supplied from the ink outlet into the ink jet head. When ink in the main ink chamber is completely used, the residual amount of ink in the ink tank comes to be substantially equal to only the amount of ink left in the sub ink chamber. As the residual amount of ink in the sub ink chamber decreases in amount further, the back surfaces of the reflective face of the prism as the interface with respect to ink is exposed from the liquid level of ink and the reflective condition of the reflective face changes. In other words, the reflective face kept from serving as a reflective face while the back surfaces thereof is covered with ink gradually recovers its reflective function with the liquid level of ink going down. Therefore, the condition where the residual amount of ink has decreased to the predetermined amount or smaller is detectable according to the amount of reflected light on the reflective face. Consequently, the ink end is detectable at a point of time the residual amount of ink has substantially completely used by making the capacity of the sub ink chamber sufficiently small.
However, the air introduced into the sub ink chamber causes bubbles to be generated in the sub ink chamber. In case there exists a condition where bubbles are adhered to or floating around the back surfaces of the reflective face of the prism, a condition where the reflective face of the prism is covered with the ink held among bubbles is maintained even when the liquid level of ink becomes lower than the reflective face of the prism. Consequently, the reflective condition of the reflective face of the prism will not change even though the liquid level of ink lowers. As it takes much time until bubbles covering the reflective face of the prism fade out, there occurs nonconformity in that the ink end is not detected until then. Hence, the detection timing of the ink end is delayed and this causes a harmful effect such as dot missing because bubbles are sent to an ink jet head as a result of lost suction of ink. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The invention relates generally to the construction of spring assemblies or the like. More particularly, it relates to the manufacture of strings of pocketed coil springs for use as the spring cores for mattresses, seat cushions or the like.
Mattress spring core construction over the years has been a continuously improving art with advancements in materials and machine technology. A well known form of spring core construction is known as a Marshall spring construction wherein metal coil springs are encapsulated in individual pockets of fabric and formed as elongate or continuous strings of pocketed coil springs. In an early form, these strings of coil springs were manufactured by folding an elongate piece of fabric in half lengthwise to form two plies of fabric and stitching transverse and longitudinal seams to join the plies of fabric to define pockets within which the springs were enveloped.
Recently, improvements in spring core constructions have involved the use of fabrics which are thermally or ultrasonically weldable to themselves. By using such welding techniques, these fabrics have been advantageously used to create strings of individually pocketed coil springs wherein transverse and longitudinal welds instead of stitching are used to form the pockets encapsulating the springs.
Once strings of pocketed springs are constructed, they may be assembled to form a spring core construction for a mattress, cushion or the like by a variety of methods. For example, multiple or continuous strings may be arranged in a row pattern corresponding to the desired size and shape of a mattress or the like and adjacent rows of strings may be interconnected by a variety of methods. The result is a unitary assembly of pocketed coil springs serving as a complete spring core assembly.
One improvement upon pocketed coil springs as described is a compound nested pocketed coil spring in which each pocket of a string includes two nested coil springs. In such designs, a first inner spring is typically shorter and smaller than a second outer spring. The first inner spring is nested within the second outer spring.
Spring core constructions employing compound nested pocketed springs provide the advantage of offering differing degrees of hardness to the spring unit. Varying degrees of hardness are usually achieved by varying the number of springs per unit area, commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cspring countxe2x80x9d of the unit, or by changing the gauge of the wire from which the springs are manufactured. Compound nested pocketed spring coils are disclosed in PCT Application No. PCT/GB97/01759; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,192,510; 2,567,520; 1,254,314; 882,654; and U.K. Patent No. 20,583. The inner and outer coil springs are nested so that the lower portion of the combined spring unit is reinforced by the inner spring making this portion of the unit much stronger than the upper portion. The upper portion may be flexible enough to provide a resilient and comfortable seating or sleeping surface and the lower portion strong enough to absorb abnormal stresses, weight concentrations or shocks without discomfort or damage.
Commonly, the inner spring of the nested compound spring unit is individually encased in a pocketed fabric material such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,192,510, to minimize noise or interference during the flexing or compression of the compound spring unit.
Another advantage of such compound spring units when employed in a mattress or the like is that the inner spring of each compound nested spring unit is free floating or unsecured. As a result, when the mattress is inverted, the inner spring falls by gravity toward the lower face of the mattress. In this way, regardless of whether the mattress is inverted or flipped, the inner spring is always at the bottom portion of the spring unit and the compound nested spring units provide a varying degree of flexure from the top to the bottom of the spring unit.
Even though spring units constructed from strings of pocketed compound nested coil springs as described provide many advantages, the manufacture and construction of strings of pocketed compound nested coil springs has proven to be very complicated and often problematic resulting in increased expense for such strings. The construction of strings of pocketed coil springs with a single spring in each pocket is well known in the art and, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977 includes a spring coiler which forms a coil spring and deposits it about the upper end of an arcuate delivery horn. As such, the formed coil spring is delivered by gravity in a generally vertical orientation for subsequent compression and insertion into the pocketing fabric material.
Other systems for manufacturing pocket spring assemblies with single springs in each pocket are disclosed in PCT Patent Application No. WO94/18116 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/927,051 filed Sep. 10, 1997, each of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. In each of these identified patent applications, a formed coil spring is deposited from the coiler in a generally vertical orientation for subsequent processing, including pocketing in a fabric or similar material. In the identified PCT application, a spring feeding assembly includes a chute which delivers successive springs emerging from the spring coiler into a vertical tube. Each vertically oriented spring in the tube is compressed by a ram and advanced by a plunger into a passage which maintains the spring in a compressed state for subsequent pocketing. The system in the previously identified U.S. patent application includes a split cylinder which receives a coil spring from a coiling machine. A compression member compresses the coil spring in the cylinder and the spring is pushed into the space between the lower and upper plies of the folded length of fabric. The split cylinder is supported for pivotal movement between an inclined position in line with the spring coiling machine for receipt of the spring and an upright generally vertical position. The cylinder is pivoted between a 45xc2x0 angle for receipt of the spring and a generally vertically upright orientation for delivery of the compressed spring between the plies of fabric. In each of these systems, the compressed spring is not substantially reoriented prior to insertion between the plies of fabric. In other words, the longitudinal axis of the compressed spring is generally vertical from the time it is delivered from the coiler until after it has been encapsulated in a pocket.
Another well known system for pocketing coil springs is commercially available from Spxc3xchl AG in Switzerland. Examples of such machines include the Spxc3xchl TF 90, 190 and 290 series machines. In such machines, a coiler forms a spring and deposits the spring into a trough in a generally horizontal orientation. The spring is then compressed horizontally by a compression paddle, rotated through 90xc2x0 and then while remaining compressed is inserted between the plies of a folded fabric which is subsequently formed into a pocket around the individual spring. One system for pocketing compound nested springs from a horizontal orientation is disclosed in U.K. Patent Application Serial No. 9726333.9, published as PCT Application No. WO99/30853 on Jun. 24, 1999 and hereby incorporated by reference.
While these systems provide opportunities to manufacture pocketed coil springs, there is a need to provide a system which can be utilized on a production basis and lend itself to further automation of the procedure for the manufacture of pocketed compound nested coil springs, particularly for known systems which deposit the formed spring in a vertical orientation prior to the pocketing procedure and as a result do not require re-orientation.
It has therefore been a primary objective of this invention to provide a method and system for the manufacture of strings of pocketed compound nested coil springs.
It has been a further objective of this invention to provide such a method and system which is reliable and cost effective for application in a fully automatic production facility.
It has been a still further objective of this invention to provide such a method and system which is particularly adapted for use with existing production systems for pocketing coil springs, particularly those in which the coil spring is deposited in a generally vertical attitude and therefore does not require re-orientation prior to being compressed and pocketed.
These and other objectives of the invention have been achieved by a system and method for forming a string of pocketed compound nested coil springs in which, in a first embodiment, a first smaller spring is initially formed and preferably pocketed. The smaller coil springs can be produced by known pocketing coil spring machines in which the individual pocketed springs are separated from the string and collected. Larger coil springs are also formed and then deposited onto a platform in a generally vertical attitude. In the first presently preferred embodiment of this invention, the pocketed individual smaller coil springs are then deposited vertically into one of the larger outer coil springs located in a vertical orientation on the platform. The inner coil springs pass through the upper terminal coil of the larger coil springs and into the interior of the larger coil spring thereby becoming nested within the larger coil spring. The resulting compound spring unit is then compressed from a generally vertical reciprocating plunger with the longitudinal axes of the inner and outer springs generally vertical and preferably co-linear. The compound compressed nested spring unit is then inserted between the plies of a folded fabric by an insertion plunger for subsequent pocketing.
In a second alternative presently preferred embodiment, the smaller and the larger coil spring are each compressed with the longitudinal axes of the springs generally vertical. Each coil spring is seated on the operating end of an insertion plunger and a separator plate is positioned between the insertion plungers and the smaller and larger compressed coil springs. The insertion plungers and separator plate extend the springs between the plies of a folded fabric pocketing material. Initially, the separator plate retracts thereby allowing the smaller coil spring to pass through the terminal end coil of the larger coil spring thereby becoming nested within the larger coil spring while still being compressed and contained between the plies of the pocketing material and in the insertion plungers. The insertion plungers then retract leaving the compressed and nested springs between the plies of the fabric material. Subsequently, the pocket is formed around the compound nested spring unit for the formation of a string of pocketed compound nested coil spring units.
In still another presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the larger coil springs are individually pocketed in fabric which is folded on both sides with a small overlap of material on a side of the string of pocketed coils. The individual larger coil springs are separated by a transverse or lateral seam preferably in the form of a thermal weld. A string of pocketed coil springs of this type is commonly referred to as a side seam string of pocketed coil springs because the opposing terminal free edges of the fabric overlap one another on a side of the string and the coils springs as opposed to the top or bottom thereof. As such, a longitudinal weld or seam in the string extending perpendicular to the transverse seams or welds is not required. Once the string of pocketed coil springs is formed, a compressed smaller inner coil spring, preferably pocketed, is inserted through the side seam and into the interior of the expanded larger coil spring in each pocket. The overlapping flaps of fabric are separated to provide access to the interior of the larger coil spring within the pocket for insertion of the compressed smaller inner coil spring.
In other presently preferred alternative embodiments of the invention, the outer larger coil spring is formed or coiled around the smaller inner coil spring which may be compressed, expanded, pocketed or simultaneously being formed within the developing interior of the larger outer coil spring. Preferably, in specific embodiments, the outer coil spring is formed with left-hand or right-hand turned convolutions and the inner coil spring is formed with the opposite hand turned convolutions to avoid interference between the inner and outer coil springs if the inner coil spring is not pocketed.
As a result of the present invention, systems and methods for manufacturing strings of pocketed compound nested coil springs are provided which are compatible with conventional machinery for pocketing coil springs in a fully automatic production capability. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to managing transactions in three-tier distributed database systems, and more particularly relates to managing real-time transactions in three-tier distributed database systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
A three-tier distributed database system consists of mobile client databases, which synchronize data with mid-tier or mirror databases, which in turn contain data replicated from source databases. When a mobile client database performs synchronization, a set of client database operations is sent to a mirror database. During replication, these operations are transmitted from the mirror database to the source databases. Due to the existence of multiple mirror databases, the operations may be rejected because of conflicts with other pending operations submitted by clients of other mirror databases. Since the replication window can be arbitrarily large, the mirror databases are not always consistent with each other or with the source databases. Further, there is a need for an apparatus that enables mobile clients to directly submit mobile transactions to a mirror database (versus waiting for synchronization between the same). A mobile transaction is a database transaction that originates from a mobile client, but is executed on a mirror database, and the results are returned to the mobile client. When a mobile client submits a mobile transaction to a mirror database, the mirror database may not have the most up-to-date data until replication with the source databases and the other mirror databases is performed. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that determines in real-time whether a given mobile transaction or synchronization to be executed on a given mirror database may be rejected upon replication because of other pending transactions (awaiting replication). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The use of transparent glazing materials utilizing polycarbonate resin as a structural component for windows, windshields and the like are well known. While these polycarbonate resins are easily fabricated into the desired shape and have excellent physical and chemical properties, such as being less dense than glass and having more breakage resistance than glass, their abrasion and chemical solvent resistance is relatively low.
In order to overcome this relatively low abrasion resistance and to otherwise improve the surface characteristics of the polycarbonate substrate, various coatings have been applied to the polycarbonate resins. U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,398 describes a fabricated polycarbonate part having improved optical properties consisting of a polycarbonate substrate having a transparent coating thereon consisting of a thermoplastic polymethylmethacrylate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,652 describes a coating for polycarbonate resins comprised of (i) an acrylic resin which is a mixture of olefinically unsaturated organic monomers in combination with an acrylic polymer, and (ii) certain urethanes of hydroxybenzotriazoles and hydroxybenzophenones in combination with certain catalysts. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,838, 3,986,997 and 4,027,073 disclose organopolysiloxane coating compositions and techniques for the application of these organopolysiloxane coatings onto polycarbonate surfaces. While these coatings have many desirable properties, e.g., they are hard, abrasion resistant, and chemical solvent resistant, these organopolysiloxane coatings do not in all instances possess the requisite degree of uniform adherence to and durability on these polycarbonate surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,397 describes a process for providing a hard coating on, inter alia, polycarbonate articles, said process including priming the polycarbonate surface with an adhesion promoting thermosettable acrylic and applying an organopolysiloxane onto the primed surface. An article produced by this process, while possessing acceptable initial adherence of the organopolysiloxane to the substrate, suffers from the disadvantage that upon prolonged exposure to weathering, and particularly to sunlight, the organopolysiloxane generally tends to lose its initial adherence to the substrate. Furthermore, as the thickness of the thermoset acrylic primer layer increases, the abrasion resistance of the coated article generally decreases. There thus remains a need for non-opaque polycarbonate articles having uniformly, tenaciously and durably adhered abrasion and chemical resistant coatings thereon, and it is a primary object of the present invention to provide such articles and a relatively simple and economical process for producing these articles. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Today people routinely separate whole blood by centrifugation into its various therapeutic components, such as red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
Conventional blood processing methods use durable centrifuge equipment in association with single use, sterile processing systems, typically made of plastic. The operator loads the disposable systems upon the centrifuge before processing and removes them afterwards.
Conventional centrifuges often do not permit easy access to the areas where the disposable systems reside during use. As a result, loading and unloading operations can be time consuming and tedious.
Disposable systems are often preformed into desired shapes to simplify the loading and unloading process. However, this approach is often counter-productive, as it increases the cost of the disposables. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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A leading cause of lower back pain arises from lumbar intervertebral disc pathology caused by degeneration of the intervertebral disc. As a disc degenerates, the nucleus and annulus functions are compromised. The nucleus becomes thinner and unable to handle compression loads. The annulus fibers become redundant as the nucleus shrinks. The redundant annular fibers are less effective in controlling vertebral motion. The disc pathology can result in the bulging of the annulus into the spinal cord or nerves, narrowing of the space between the vertebra where the nerves exit, tears of the annulus under abnormal loads caused by excessive motion between the vertebra, and disc herniation. Additionally, lower back pain may be caused by collapse of the disc and the dysarthrosis of an unstable or degenerative vertebral facet joint. A technique for managing these problems is to remove the problematic disc and replace it with a porous intervertebral fusion device that restores disc height and allows for bone growth therethrough for the fusion of the adjacent vertebra.
In general, delivery of conventional intervertebral fusion devices requires significantly invasive implantation procedures. In some configurations, the intervertebral implants are not adjustable by the surgeon during an open surgical procedure. Therefore, the surgeon must choose the size that most closely matches the desired height, length, and width dimensions, and then make the implant fit. Because these implants are of a predetermined size and shape, the implant site must correspond to the implant configuration. This can require extensive site preparation to complete implantation. Fusion devices with parallel superior and inferior surfaces either fit tightly posteriorly and loosely anteriorly, or require removal of vertebral bone in order to fit posteriorly. Extensive site preparation such as this can compromise the success of the implantation procedure by causing excessive damage to the receiving vertebral elements. In addition, open surgical implantation of posterior implants requires excision of stabilizing muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bony structures such as facet joints. The implants must therefore overcome the destabilization caused by the surgery, as well as provide additional stabilization to promote bony fusion. In addition, open anterior surgery in the lumbar spine can present risks due to the close proximity of the aorta and bifurcation of the aorta.
To combat some problems associated with open anterior surgeries, minimally invasive procedures have been developed. Current implants, or inner body cages, used in minimally invasive procedures, however, are still unable to conform to the necessary lordotic angle between adjacent vertebra. In addition, surgeons must rely on high manual forces to distract (dilate) the disc space. Finally, current cages do not have a shape that is optimal in terms of support.
Accordingly, there is a need for instrumentation and techniques that allow for a self-distracting, self-leveling, and adjustable inner body cage that can be easily inserted and positioned. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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The present invention relates generally to cross flow trays used in mass transfer columns in which mass transfer and/or heat exchange processes occur and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for supporting such cross flow trays.
Cross flow trays are used within mass transfer columns to facilitate interaction between fluid streams flowing in countercurrent relationship within the column. The term mass transfer column as used herein is not intended to be limited to columns in which mass transfer is the primary objective of the processing of the fluid streams within the column, but is also intended to encompass columns in which heat transfer rather than mass transfer is the primary objective of the processing. The fluid streams are typically an ascending vapor stream and a descending liquid stream, in which case the cross flow trays are commonly referred to as vapor-liquid cross flow trays. In some applications, both fluid streams are liquid streams and the cross flow trays are commonly referred to as liquid-liquid cross flow trays. In still other applications, the ascending fluid stream is a gas stream and the descending fluid steam is a liquid stream, in which case the cross flow trays are referred to as gas-liquid cross flow trays.
The cross flow trays are positioned within the column in vertically spaced-apart relationship with each of the tray decks extending horizontally to fill the entire internal cross-section of the column. Each of the cross flow trays has a planar tray deck on and above which interaction between the ascending fluid stream and the descending fluid stream occurs, a plurality of apertures to allow upward passage of the ascending fluid stream through the tray deck and into the descending fluid stream to create a froth or mixture in which the desired mass transfer and/or heat exchange occurs, and at least one downcomer that directs the descending fluid stream from the associated tray deck to a tray deck on an underlying cross flow tray. The portion of the tray deck that receives the descending fluid stream from the downcomer of an overlying cross flow tray typically comprises an inlet panel that is either imperforate or contains bubble promoters or other structures that allow upward passage of the ascending fluid stream but impede the descending fluid stream from weeping through the inlet panel.
Cross flow trays having a single side downcomer located at one end of the tray deck are known as single-pass trays. In other applications, typically those involving higher descending liquid flow rates, multiple downcomers may be used on some or all of the cross flow trays. For example, in two-pass configurations, two side downcomers are positioned at opposite ends of one cross flow tray and a single center downcomer is positioned in the center of the adjacent cross flow trays. In four-pass configurations, one cross flow tray has two side downcomers and a center downcomer and the adjacent contact trays have two off-center downcomers.
The tray decks of cross flow trays are typically secured by clamps to support rings welded to the interior surface of the column shell. The downcomer walls are also normally bolted at their opposite ends to bolting bars that are welded to the interior surface of the column shell. In some applications, such as in larger diameter columns and in columns in which vibratory forces are a concern, it is known to add further support to portions of the tray deck by using a strut that extends upwardly from major beams, lattice trusses or a system of hangers to connect the tray deck of a cross-flow tray to the downcomer walls of a similar tray located directly above, or below. When hangers are utilized, the downcomer walls act as beams to carry a portion of the load of the coupled tray, thereby reducing sagging and bracing against uplift of the tray deck. These hangers and other structures, however, add complexity to the design and increase the cost of fabrication and installation of the cross flow tray.
In other applications, the inlet panel on the tray deck is formed as a structural beam to provide added support to the tray deck. The inlet panel must then be interconnected to the adjacent portions of the tray deck using fasteners of various types, thereby adding to the complexity in the design and the installation of the tray deck. A need has thus arisen for a method of supporting and bracing the tray deck while reducing the disadvantages resulting from the conventional methods of providing additional support in larger diameter columns and in columns in which vibratory forces are present. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer networks and more particularly to dispersing error encoded data.
Description of Related Art
Computing devices are known to communicate data, process data, and/or store data. Such computing devices range from wireless smart phones, laptops, tablets, personal computers (PC), work stations, and video game devices, to data centers that support millions of web searches, stock trades, or on-line purchases every day. In general, a computing device includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory system, user input/output interfaces, peripheral device interfaces, and an interconnecting bus structure.
As is further known, a computer may effectively extend its CPU by using “cloud computing” to perform one or more computing functions (e.g., a service, an application, an algorithm, an arithmetic logic function, etc.) on behalf of the computer. Further, for large services, applications, and/or functions, cloud computing may be performed by multiple cloud computing resources in a distributed manner to improve the response time for completion of the service, application, and/or function. For example, Hadoop is an open source software framework that supports distributed applications enabling application execution by thousands of computers.
In addition to cloud computing, a computer may use “cloud storage” as part of its memory system. As is known, cloud storage enables a user, via its computer, to store files, applications, etc. on an Internet storage system. The Internet storage system may include a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) system and/or a dispersed storage system that uses an error correction scheme to encode data for storage.
Some Internet storage systems can replicate data in different geographic locations to try and prevent data loss in the event of a catastrophic loss to the primary storage location. However, simple replication of data to multiple locations actually increases the likelihood that an unauthorized person can obtain access to that data, because now there are two separate copies of the data, each of which needs to be kept secure, because access to either copy provides access to all of the data. Furthermore, in conventional systems that store portions of data at different locations, storage allocation can be “lopsided,” such that the failure of a single storage location can result in the full data set being unrecoverable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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In the transmission of multiple phase-shift keyed (MPSK) signals, phase jitter caused by the transmission medium is a common problem. To reduce the performance loss caused by phase jitter, differential MPSK is often used, wherein the difference between the phases of two successive symbols, rather than the absolute phases of the symbols themselves, represents the information. This differential technique also avoids the necessity of establishing and maintaining a phase reference, a task which is often difficult in MPSK systems due to "node slips" in the reference.
In receiving and decoding MPSK signals, two approaches are commonly employed. The simplest is to take the difference between successive received phases and then compare this phase difference with a set of threshold values to decide upon the transmitted symbols. This technique results in a loss of 3dB in the signal to noise ratio relative to a coherent receiving system, since noise perturburances in both received phases add to perturb the difference. A second approach is to establish a coherent phase reference and make individual phase node decisions based on the reference, and then logically take the difference between these decisions to establish which symbols were actually transmitted. In many cases, this latter approach is preferable, since only one phase error is associated with each nodal decision.
Now, if the second approach is used on signals wherein phase jitter is present, it is conventional to use a phase-locked loop to attempt to track out the jitter, so that the effect of the jitter on the nodal decisions will be minimized. Since phase error measurements are normally available in MPSK receivers even when data is being transmitted, it is not difficult to establish such a loop. A problem arises, however, when the jitter frequency and amplitude are such that a substantial phase can occur in a few symbol times. If the loop attempts to average the phase measurements to reduce the effects on the noise, it is unable to track the phase jitter close enough. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Aluminum citrate is useful for crosslinking polymeric materials in subterranean formations to reduce the permeability of the formations to water. In oil producing formations, aluminum citrate has been used as a crosslinker for several years to improve oil recovery beyond what is recoverable by primary methods. Primary recovery involves production of the oil from the formation by natural driving forces such as gas expansion. Primary recovery normally only produces about one-third of the oil in the reservoir, leaving two-thirds of the oil still in place in the formation. Another one-third of the oil in the formation may be recovered by secondary or tertiary oil recovery techniques, referred to herein as improved oil recovery methods.
In an oil-bearing subterranean formation, oil, water, and sometimes gas, coexist in porous formation rock. Secondary recovery often involves injecting water into the formation via injection wells, in order to maintain pressure in the reservoir, and to drive the oil to producing wells. A disadvantage of using straight water to improve oil recovery is that water tends to move into the more highly permeable regions of rock, which are the easiest flow paths, and bypass the lower permeable rock. This results in uneven recovery of oil in the formation, where oil recovery is high in the highly permeable rock and the oil in the less permeable rock is left behind. Once the oil is recovered in the highly permeable zones, the zones become "watered-out" and increasing water is produced along with decreasing oil, making oil recovery uneconomic in a short time.
Secondary or tertiary oil recovery may involve adding a water-soluble polymer to the water injected into the formation in order to increase the viscosity of the water. This results in a more even flow of water into highly permeable and less permeable zones, and ultimately more oil recovery. The polymer performance can be improved substantially by crosslinking it after injection into the formation. Crosslinked polymer forms a gel in the formation rock in the highly permeable watered-out regions that selectively blocks these regions to additional flow of water. Because oil and water are immiscible, they occupy separate flow paths in the formation pores, so water flow in the rock is blocked to a much greater extent than oil flow with these water-soluble polymeric gels. The final result is higher oil recovery from the reservoir and less water production and recycling.
A material that is often used to crosslink polymeric materials in improved oil recovery operations is aluminum citrate. The trivalent aluminum metal acts as the active crosslinker for the polymer, and the citrate complexes the aluminum so that it is released slowly in the presence of the polymer after the solution is injected into the reservoir. A typical improved oil recovery operation may involve injection of a blended solution of dissolved water-soluble polymer and aluminum citrate into a reservoir over a period of several months.
A second area where gels are useful is in grouting operations. This would apply in certain construction projects where water encroachment is a problem. Grouts are injected into the subterranean formation to restrict the flow of water into the construction area. Grouts can also be used as a barrier to prohibit subterranean water movement in certain situations. For example, water encroachment on a foundation from a nearby pond might require use of a grout. Another use is in environmental remediation, where grouts can be used to temporarily block major water flow paths between a hazardous waste site and a potable water table.
When aluminum citrate was first used in the oilfield, according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,476 issued Oct. 2, 1973, aluminum sulfate hydrate and sodium citrate dihydrate were dry blended, then mixed with water at the desired concentration and pumped into the formation. There were several disadvantages of this method. First, the injected crosslinker solution had a very low pH, on the order of 2, which was corrosive to oilfield equipment. Second, the sulfate in the dry blend increased the tendency of certain oilfield waters to form sulfate scales. Third, the citrate and aluminum were not in contact for a sufficient time or in sufficient concentration for substantial chelation of the aluminum by the citrate to take place. As a result, aluminum release was more rapid, with premature and inconsistent gels formed too close to the wellbore, and aluminum lost to the formation via adsorption.
Manufacture of a liquid solution of aluminum citrate starting with aluminum chloride and aluminum sulfate is disclosed in British Patent No. 1,598,709. This liquid solution is unsuitable for improved oil recovery because the aluminum:citrate molar ratio is about 5.2:1, which results in unchelated aluminum in an acidic solution, with a pH of about 4 or less. The unchelated aluminum precipitates as the pH is increased to about 6.5, which is more suited for improved oil recovery. The maximum ratio of aluminum to citrate which allows for fully chelated aluminum is about 2.2:1.
An improvement over the original method of providing aluminum citrate to improved oil recovery projects was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,364. This method involves mixing a stable liquid aluminum citrate solution of pH 5.5 to 7.5 starting with aluminum chloride and citric acid. A 34 percent solution of aluminum chloride and a 50 percent solution of citric acid are blended such that the ratio of aluminum to citrate is from about 1.5:1 to 2:1. The pH of the acidic mixture is then adjusted upward with either ammonium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. An intermediate aluminum citrate solution has an aluminum concentration of about 1 percent to 3 percent by weight. The final solution has an aluminum concentration of about 2.25 to about 3% by weight. The aluminum is fully chelated by the citrate. This is the current preferred solution for oilfield use. In certain situations, the practical use of this aluminum citrate solution is limited. Transportation of the liquid product to remote areas is expensive due to the relatively low active aluminum concentration. Ground transport is extremely expensive over long distances because the liquid product must be hauled in a tanker, which is usually full one way and empty on the return trip. Because the final product is a liquid, it must be either stored indoors or in a heated tank in extremely cold areas, where the temperature drops below about -20.degree. F. Therefore, desirable improvements over the current technology include increasing the active aluminum concentration in the solution and making a dry aluminum citrate product which can be more easily transported over long distances and stored under harsh environmental circumstances.
An alternative method of mixing liquid aluminum citrate, starting with sodium aluminate, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,340. The citrate source is either sodium citrate or citric acid. The concentration of the final product may be from 3 to 3.5 percent by weight of aluminum, but the patent teaches that the aluminum concentration should be no greater than about 3 percent by weight.
Aluminum citrate compositions having a molar ratio of 1:1 aluminum to citrate have been disclosed, but this ratio is too low for practical use in gels because the aluminum is too tightly bound by the citrate, and therefore takes a long time to react with the polymer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,200,136 and 2,327,815 discuss the preparation of very dilute solutions with a 1:1 molar ratio of aluminum:citrate. The aluminum concentrations, which are much less than that provided by the current technology, are too low for practical use in subterranean formations. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,136, example 5 discloses a solid aluminum citrate material with an aluminum:citrate ratio of 2:1 which has a solution pH of about 3 at 10 percent solution, which would give a substantially lower pH in solutions having aluminum concentrations of 3 percent or more by weight. A pH of 3 is too low for practical use in gels. U.S. Pat. No. 2,327,815 discloses an aluminum citrate salt which is a 100 percent basic complex and does not have a chloride component. A solid aluminum citrate material made from aluminum nitrate and citric acid is discussed by Feng, et al., "Aluminum Citrate: Isolate and Structural Characterization of a Stable Trinuclear Complex," Inorg. Chem. (1990) 29:408-411, but again, the active aluminum concentration is too low for practical use.
Other liquid preparations comprising aluminum citrate in solution are known. See, e.g., Gallet, J. P. and Paris, R. A., "Etude Thermometrique de la Formation des Complexes du Fer(III), de L'Aluminium et du Gallium," Anal. Chim. Acta (1967) 39:341-348; Weise, G. and Veith, J. A., "Komplexbidung Zwischen Zitronensaure und Aluminium," Z. Naturforsch. (1975) 30b:446-453; Karlik, S. J. et al., "Aluminum-27 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Aluminum(III) Interactions with Carboxylate Ligands," Inorg. Chem. (1983) 22:525-529; Ohman, L. O. and Sjoberg, S., "Equilibrium and Structural Studies of Silicon(IV) and Aluminum(III) in Aqueous Solution. Part 9. A Potentiometric Study of Mono- and Poly-nuclear Aluminum(III) Citrates," J. Chem. Soc. Dalton Trans. (1983) pp. 2513-2517; Mak, M. K. S. and Langford, C. H., "Kinetic Analysis Applied to Aluminum Citrate Complexing," Inorg. Chim. Acta (1983) 70:237-246; Lopez-Quintela, M. A. et al., "Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Complex Formation Between Aluminum(III) and Citric Acid in Aqueous Solution," J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I (1984) 80:2313-2321; Gregor, J. E. and Powell, H. K. J., "Aluminum(III)-Citrate Complexes: a Potentiometric and .sup.13 C N.M.R. Study," Aust. J. Chem. (1986) 39:1851-1864; Ohman, L. O., "Equilibrium and Structural Studies of Silicon(IV) and Aluminum(III) in Aqueous Solution. 17. Stable and Metastable Complexes in the System H.sup.+ -Al.sup.3+ -Citric Acid," Inorg. Chem. (1988) 27:2565-2570; Shioyama, T. K. and Little, R. A., U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,783; and No. 4,601,340. However, to Applicant's knowledge, no previous workers have been able to achieve stable aluminum citrate solutions having greater than 3.0 weight percent aluminum.
Aluminum citrate solutions have been used in oil recovery processes as described, e.g., in Mack, J., "Process Technology Improves Oil Recovery," Oil & Gas J. (1979) pp.67-71; Parmeswar, R. and Willhite, S., "A Study of the Reduction of Brine Permeability in Berea Sandstone With the Aluminum Citrate Process," SPE Reservoir Eng. (1988) pp. 959-966; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,762,476, 3,833,061, 3,952,806, 3,981,363, 4,018,286, 4,039,029, 4,120,361, 4,413,680, 4,488,601, 4,498,539, 4,526,231, 4,569,393, 4,579,176, 4,657,944, 4,644,193 and 5,151,615.
Aluminum citrate solutions have also been used in polymerization processes (as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,533,973 and 3,839,255) and in pharmaceutical and related products (as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,390, 3,924,642, 4,274,427, 4,645,662, 4,591,384, and 5,162,378). Miscellaneous industrial uses of aluminum citrate solutions include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,898,186, 3,910,805, 3,964,255, 4,116,931 and 4,612,175. Again, applicant is aware of no such solutions containing greater than 3.0 weight percent aluminum.
Recently a dry aluminum citrate material was developed by Haarman & Reimer, Elkhart, Ind., with two samples privately submitted to the inventor for evaluation. The first sample contained 10.99 percent aluminum and 1 percent chloride, with about 8 percent of the material unaccounted for. The second sample contained 10.21 percent aluminum and 0.3 percent chloride, with about 14 percent of the material unaccounted for. The test results on these two dry aluminum citrate samples suggest that both materials were made with a source of aluminum which is relatively free of chloride. A source of aluminum which is in a chloride form is desirable for making an aluminum citrate product, because the chloride, which will be present in the final product, is generally a non-scaling ion when mixed with water prior to subterranean injection.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,294,860, 4,888,136, 4,898,842, 3,674,726 and 5,019,401, and Japanese Patent No. 92065802 mention the existence of an aluminum citrate product as a powder or salt; however, no methods for making such a product are taught. No commercial source of a dry aluminum citrate product has been found by applicant herein. References to commercial availability of such a product in the prior art appear to be erroneous.
All publications and patents referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many structures incorporate a distributed network of sensors in order to successfully fulfill their function. For example, structural health monitoring (SHM) systems may use sensors distributed about a structure. SHM systems can provide the ability to detect and interpret adverse “changes” in a structure to reduce life-cycle costs and to improve reliability. SHM systems may utilize non-invasive detection sensors that are integrated into a structure to continuously monitor components for damage, such as cracks or de-lamination.
Implementing SHM can improve asset reliability, safety and readiness while reducing life-cycle costs. However, these improvements can come at the expense of weight, power consumption and computational bandwidth. For example, an SHM system may utilize various sensors (such as strain gauges, thermocouples and optical fibers) permanently mounted in regions of interest. The number and location of these sensors may be limited due to required infrastructure. The SHM system may have one or more analog cables (e.g., coaxial cables) from each sensing element (or sensor node) to a remote hardware location. These cables can be long, introducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) susceptibility and signal attenuation due to stray capacitance. Infrastructure of the SHM system, such as the cables, can add significant weight (e.g., more than about 6 kg/m^2 including connectors), and installation can be labor intensive. Furthermore, the cables and connectors introduce several failure points, as both the cables and the connectors are susceptible to environmental and mechanical durability issues. Traditional data acquisition units also can be bulky and expensive as hardware components are added to accommodate the sensors. These concerns may be further exacerbated when the RIM system is operated in a harsh environment, such as extreme temperatures, shock, vibration and g-loading. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Information Technology Systems
Typically, users, which may be people or other systems, engage computers to facilitate information processing. A computer operating system enables and facilitates users to access and operate computer information technology. Information technology systems provide interfaces that allow users to access and operate the various systems.
User Interface
The function of computer interfaces such as cursors, menus, and window components are, in many respects, similar to automobile operation interfaces. Automobile operation interfaces such as steering wheels, gearshifts, and speedometers facilitate the access, operation, and display of automobile resources, functionality, and status. Computer interaction interfaces such as cursors, menus, and windows similarly facilitate the access, operation, and display of computer hardware and operating system resources, functionality, and status. Operation interfaces are commonly called user interfaces. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) such as the Apple Macintosh Operating System or Microsoft's Windows provide a baseline and means of accessing and displaying information.
World Wide Web
The proliferation and expansion of computer systems, databases, the Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web (the web), have resulted in a vast and diverse collection of information. Various user interfaces that facilitate the interaction of users with information technology systems (i.e., people using computers) are currently in use. An information navigation interface called WorldWideWeb.app (the web) was developed in late 1990. Subsequently, information navigation interfaces such as web browsers have become widely available on almost every computer operating system platform.
Generally, the web is the manifestation and result of a synergetic interoperation between user interfaces (e.g., web browsers), servers, distributed information, protocols, and specifications. Web browsers were designed to facilitate navigation and access to information, while information servers were designed to facilitate provision of information. Typically, web browsers and information servers are disposed in communication with one another through a communications network. As such, information servers typically provide information to users employing web browsers for navigating and accessing information about the web. Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are examples of web browsers. In addition, navigation user interface devices such as WebTV have also been implemented to facilitate web navigation. Microsoft's Information Server and Apache are examples of information servers, i.e., their function is to serve information to users that typically access the information by way of web browsers.
Network Transfer Mechanisms
The proliferation and expansion of computer information systems coincides with an increase in network use. Often, transfers of data over a communications network requires the transmission of data packets. A piece of data on a computer system, for example a file, is broken up into pieces of data called packets, and sent to a destination computer system that assembles the received packets. One basic and underlying protocol for such packet transmissions is Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). The increased use of various communication networks has resulted in increased network traffic. Often, transfers of data over a communication network results in lost or missing data packets.
One model enabling file transfer is the peer-to-peer model. Peer-to-peer is a communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session. Peers are often referred to as nodes on a network.
Various transfer mechanisms and protocols exist enabling for the transfer of data from one computer system to another. There are at least two basic types of transfer mechanisms: Automatic Retransmission reQuest (ARQ) based implementations and non-ARQ implementations. ARQ based transfer mechanisms request retransmissions for packets of data that are lost in transmission. The receiving computer system triggers retransmissions by explicit or implicit (based on timeouts) ACK/NACKs. The ACK/NACKs are basically acknowledgements that a data packet was or was not successfully received. One old example of an ARQ based mechanism is File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Non-ARQ based mechanisms may sometimes use Forward Error Correction to add a level of reliability. Multicast is another transport mechanism that attempts to deliver a great amount of data to a great number of computers. (See A Reliable Multicast data Distribution Protocol based on software FEC techniques (RMDP), (with Lorenzo Vicisano, UCL), Proc. of the Fourth IEEE HAIEM'97 Workshop, Chalkidiki, Grece, June 1997 <http://www.iet.unipi.it˜luigi/hAIEM97.ps.gz; and Gemmell, Jim, Schooler, Eve, and Gray, Jim, Fcast Scalable Multicast File Distribution: Caching and Parameters Optimizations, Microsoft Research Technical Report, MSR-TR-99-14, June 1999 <http://www.research.microsoft.com/˜JGemmell/pubs/FcastTR-99-14.doc>).
Increased network traffic has strained current communication networks, leading to higher rates of data loss during transmission, and in turn, further worsening network transfers rates. Furthermore, new network applications increasingly involve larger sized transfers of data, which has resulted in increased bandwidth problems. The growing use of communication networks has resulted in an overall problem with regard to network transmission delivery speeds. Such network speed problems in many instances frustrate users. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing; more specifically, it relates to a method of forming a solder interconnect structure on a thin wafer.
2. Background of the Invention
Increasing density of semiconductor devices has allowed semiconductor chips to decrease in area. Along with the decrease in chip area, has come a need to make the semiconductor chips thinner. Current methods of thinning semiconductor wafers often lead to damage of the semiconductor chips. | {
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The field of this invention relates to methods for using data from multiple repeated experiments to generate a confidence value for each data point, increase sensitivity, and eliminate systematic experimental bias.
There is currently an explosive increase in the generation of quantitative measurements of the levels of xe2x80x9ccellular constituentsxe2x80x9d. Cellular constituents include gene expression levels, abundance of mRNA encoding specific genes, and protein expression levels in a biological system. Levels of various constituents of a cell, such as mRNA encoding genes and/or protein expression levels, are known to change in response to drug treatments and other perturbations of the cell""s biological state. Measurements of a plurality of such xe2x80x9ccellular constituentsxe2x80x9d therefore contain a wealth of information about the affect of perturbations on the cell""s biological state. The collection of such measurements is generally referred to as the xe2x80x9cprofilexe2x80x9d of the cell""s biological state.
There may be on the order of 100,000 different cellular constituents for mammalian cells. Consequently, the profile of a particular cell is typically complex. The profile of any given state of a biological system is often measured after the biological system has been subjected to a perturbation. Such perturbations include experimental or environmental conditions(s) associated with a biological system such as exposure of the system to a drug candidate, the introduction of an exogenous gene, the deletion of a gene from the system, or changes in culture conditions. Comprehensive measurements of cellular constituents, or profiles of gene and protein expression and their response to perturbations in the cell, therefore have a wide range of utility including the ability to compare and understand the effects of drugs, diagnose disease, and optimize patient drug regimens. In addition, they have further application in basic life science research.
Within the past decade, several technological advances have made it possible to accurately measure cellular constituents and therefore derive profiles. For example, new techniques provide the ability to monitor the expression level of a large number of transcripts at any one time (see, e.g., Schena et al., 1995, Quantitative monitoring of gene expression patterns with a complementary DNA micro-array, Science 270:467-470; Lockhart et al., 1996, Expression monitoring by hybridization to high-density oligonucleotide arrays, Nature Biotechnology 14:1675-1680; Blanchard et al., 1996, Sequence to array: Probing the genome""s secrets, Nature Biotechnology 14, 1649; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,588, issued Oct. 29, 1996 to Ashby et al. entitled xe2x80x9cMethods for Drug Screeningxe2x80x9d). In organisms for which the complete genome is known, it is possible to analyze the transcripts of all genes within the cell. With other organisms, such as humans, for which there is an increasing knowledge of the genome, it is possible to simultaneously monitor large numbers of the genes within the cell.
In another front, the direct measurement of protein abundance has been improved by the use of microcolumn reversed-phase liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to directly identify proteins contained in mixtures. This technology promises to push the dynamic range for which protein abundance can be measured in a biological system. Using LC/MS/MS, McCormack et al. have demonstrated that proteins presented in system mixtures can be readily identified with a 30-fold difference in molar quantity, that the identifications are reproducible, and that proteins within the mixture can be identified at low femtomole levels. McCormack et al., 1997, Direct analysis and identification of proteins in mixtures by LC/MS/MS and database searching at the low-femtomole level, Anal. Chem. 69:767-776. In a review of tandem mass spectrometry, Chait points out that an additional advantage of this technology is that it is orders of magnitude faster than more conventional approaches such as Edman sequencing. Chait, 1996, Trawling for proteins in the post-genome era, Nat. Biotech. 14:1544.
Other technological advances have provided for the ability to specifically perturb biological systems with individual genetic mutations. For example, Mortensen et al. describe a method for producing embryonic stem (ES) cell lines whereby both alleles are inactivated by homologous recombination. Using the methods of Mortensen et al., it is possible to obtain homozygous mutationally altered cells, i.e., double knockouts of ES cell lines. Mortensen et al. propose that their method may be generally applicable to other genes and to cell lines other than ES cells. Mortensen et al. 1992, Production of homozygous mutant ES cells with a single targeting construct, Cell Biol. 12:2391-2395.
In another promising technology Wach et al. provide a dominant resistance module for selection of S. cerevisiae transformants which entirely consists of heterologous DNA. The module can also be used to provide PCR based gene disruptions. Wach et al., 1994, New heterologous modules for classical or PCR-based gene disruptions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Yeast 10:1793-808.
Technological advances, such as the use of microarrays, are already being used in drug discovery (See e.g. Marton et al., 1998, Drug target validation and identification of secondary drug target effects using Microarrays, Nature Medicine in press; Gray et al., 1998, Exploiting chemical libraries, structure, and genomics in the search for kinase inhibitors, Science 281:533-538).
Comparison of profiles with other profiles in a database (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,888, issued Jul. 7, 1998 to Rine et al. entitled xe2x80x9cSystems for generating and analyzing stimulus-response output signal matricesxe2x80x9d) or clustering of profiles by similarity can give clues to the molecular targets of drugs and related functions, efficacy and toxicity of drug candidates and/or pharmacological agents. Such comparisons may also be used to derive consensus profiles representative of ideal drug activities or disease states. Profile comparison can also help detect diseases in a patient at an early stage and provide improved clinical outcome projections for a patient diagnosed with a disease.
The use of two fluorophores has been described by Shalon et al. Shalon et al., 1996, A microarray system for analyzing complex DNA samples using two-color fluorescent probe hybridization, Genome Research 6:629-645. The problem with the approach put forth by Shalon is that each species of mRNA molecule has a bias in its measured color ratio due to interaction of the fluorescent labeling molecule with either the reverse transcription of the mRNA or with the hybridization efficiency or both. Without any error correction scheme to account for this bias, the data from a single microarray experiment, or even a plurality of nominal repeats of a microarray experiment in which the various results are averages, will produce an unacceptable error rate. As used herein, the term nominal repeat or nominally repeated experiment refers to experiments that are run under essentially the same or similar experimental conditions such that it would be useful to combine the results of the repeated experiments.
While the technological advances have allowed for the generation of quantitative measurements of the levels cellular constituents, the experiments are expensive. A single microarray experiment, or a single gel electrophoresis place, can cost in the neighborhood of $100-$1000 and higher. Also, it has only become apparent after many initial attempts to apply the data to actual commercial needs that individual experiments suffer from high levels of false positives in the sense of declaring significance where there really is none. Because of the expense involved, and the high rate of false positives, no description of robust methods for repeating and statistically combining multiple, nominally identical experiments for the express purpose of data quality improvement have been provided in the prior art.
The power of genome-wide cell profiling accomplished with microarrays is in its ability to survey response to known perturbations across essentially the entire set of cellular mechanisms. However, in any given experiment, typically only a small number of cellular constituents may have dramatic changes in abundance, where the vast majority are unchanged. There are exceptions, but cells have specific, biologically fairly insulated responses to stimuli, and so most profiles involve a large set of constituents with xe2x80x98no-changexe2x80x99, and a much smaller set that are either up or down regulated. For this reason, even a small false alarm rate in the measurements can severely compromise their utility. For example, if one percent of cellular constituents actually respond in a typical experiment, the resolution in the measurement is twofold, and the errors exceed twofold one percent of the time, then there will be as many false alarms as true detections above a twofold threshold.
In general, the art has underappreciated the extensive amount of errors that are present in individual cellular constituent quantification experiments such as microarray or protein gel experiments. In addition to the difficulty posed by the fairly insulated response biological systems have to any given perturbation, a substantial amount of error is present in any nominal microarray experiment due to artifacts such as unevenly printed DNA probe spots on the microarray, scratches dust and artifacts on the microarray, uneveness in signal brightness across the microarray due to nonuniform DNA hybridization, and color stripes due fluorophore-specific biases of fluorophores used in the microarray process.
One method to reduce the effects of these serious errors is to repeat the experiment under identical conditions and to average the data. However, simple averaging of the data without any consideration of the nature of the underlying experimental errors does not provide an adequate solution to the problems the experimental errors introduce. If only simple averaging of the data is performed, an excessive number of nominal repeats would be required in order to reduce the effects of error down to an acceptable level. However, because of the expense involved in performing each cellular constituent quantification experiment, this is not a feasible solution. Accordingly, what is needed in the art are robust methods for combining the experimental results of repeated cellular constituent quantification experiments so that a minimal set of nominal repeats can provide an acceptable error rate.
Discussion or citation of a reference herein shall not be construed as an admission that such citation is prior art to the present invention.
This invention provides solutions for minimizing the number of times a cellular constituent quantification experiment must be repeated in order to produce data that has acceptable error levels. Accordingly, the methods of the present invention provide a novel method for fluorophore bias removal. This allows for the attenuation of fluorophore specific biases to acceptable levels based on only two nominal repeats of a cellular constituent quantification experiment. The present invention further provides methods for combining nomimal repeats of a cellular constituent quantification experiment based on rank order of up-regulation or down-regulation. In these methods, cellular constituent up- or down-regulation data determined from nominal repeats of cellular constituent quantification experiments are expressed by a novel metric that is free of intensity dependent errors. Application of this metric before combining based on rank order provides a powerful method for removing error from weakly expressing cellular constituents without an excessive number of nominal repetitions of the expensive cellular constituent quantification experiment.
Another aspect of the present invention is an improved method for computing a weighted average of individual cellular constituent measurements in nominally repeated cellular constituent quantification experiments. In particular, a novel method for calculating the error associated with each cellular constituent measurement is provided. By using this novel method for calculating error, the error bar in the weighted average is sharply attenuated. One skilled in the art will appreciate that these improved methods for computing a weighted average are applicable to two-fluorophore (two-color) or single fluorophore (one-color) protocols.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a method of fluorophore bias removal comprising the steps of:
(a) labeling a first pool of genetic matter, derived from a biological system representing a baseline state, with a first fluorophore to obtain a first pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter;
(b) labeling a second pool of genetic matter, derived from a biological system representing a perturbed state, with a second fluorophore to obtain a second pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter;
(c) labeling a third pool of genetic matter, derived from said biological system representing said baseline state, with said second fluorophore to obtain a third pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter;
(d) labeling a fourth pool of genetic matter, derived from said biological system representing said perturbed state, with said first fluorophore to obtain a fourth pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter;
(e) independently contacting said first pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter and said second pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter with a first microarray under conditions such that hybridization can occur and determining a first color ratio between said first pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter and said second pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter that binds to said microarray;
(f) independently contacting said third pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter and said fourth pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter with a second microarray under conditions such that hybridization can occur and determining a second color ratio between said third pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter and said fourth pool of fluorophore-labeled genetic matter; and
(g) computing an average color ratio by averaging said first color ratio and said second color ratio.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a method for determining a probability that an expression level of a cellular constituent in a plurality of paired differential microarray experiments is altered by a perturbation, wherein each paired differential microarray experiment in said plurality of paired differential microarray experiments comprises a first microarray experiment representing a baseline state of a first biological system, and a second microarray experiment representing a perturbed state of said first biological system, said method comprising the steps of
(a) determining an error distribution statistic by fitting a reference pair of microarray experiments with an intensity independent statistic, wherein said reference pair of microarray experiments comprises a first reference microarray experiment, and a second reference microarray experiment that is a nominal repeat of said first reference microarray experiment;
(b) selecting said cellular constituent from a set of cellular constituents measured in said plurality of paired differential microarray experiments, and, for each paired differential microarray experiment in said plurality of paired differential microarray experiments, determining an amount of change in expression level of said cellular constituent between the second microarray experiment and the first microarray experiment of said paired differential microarray experiment using said error distribution statistic; and
(c) determining said probability that said expression level of said cellular constituent in said plurality of paired differential microarray experiments is altered by said perturbation by combining said amount of change in expression level of said cellular constituent determined in step (b) for each paired differential microarray experiment in said plurality of paired differential microarray experiments using a rank based method.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a method for determining a weighted mean differential intensity in an expression level of a cellular constituent in a biological system in response to a perturbation, the method comprising:
(a) determining an error distribution statistic by fitting a reference microarray experiment pair with an intensity independent statistic, wherein the reference microarray experiment pair comprises a first reference microarray experiment and a second reference microarray experiment which is a nominal repeat of the first reference microarray experiment;
(b) determining an amount of differential expression of the cellular constituent a plurality of times;
(c) for each amount of differential expression determined in accordance with (b), calculating a corresponding amount of error based on a magnitude derived by the error distribution statistic; and
(d) computing the weighted mean differential intensity by inversely weighting each amount of the differential expression of the cellular constituent determined in step (b) by the corresponding amount of error determined in step (c) according to the formula X = ∑ ( x i / σ i 2 ) ∑ ( 1 / σ i 2 )
where x is the weighted mean differential intensity of the cellular constituent, xi is a differential expression measurement of the cellular constituent i and "sgr"i2 is a corresponding error for mean differential intensity xi. | {
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In targeted radiation therapy such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), it is critical to position a patient in a treatment position accurately and reproducibly. It is also highly desirable to have accurate and continuous localization of the patient throughout radiation delivery, especially for a patient having lesions in thoracic and abdominopelvic region. It is not uncommon to observe abrupt patient motion due to patient voluntary movement, cough, irregular breathing, or dyspnea. Without accurate and continuous monitoring of the patient, it is difficult to decide if the patient displacement is within the tolerance margin.
Known x-ray based image guidance systems provide adequate accuracy for initial patient positioning, but most of them are not appropriate for real-time and continuous monitoring during the treatment. Fluoroscopy makes it possible to view internal organ motion in real time with the help of surgical clips or fiducial markers. But continuous fluoroscopy during long treatment durations is associated with the risk of excessive radiation exposure to the patient. Gantry-mounted, kilovoltage cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) systems are quickly gaining popularity for patient positioning and target localization due to its superb capability of visualizing a soft-tissue target. However, CBCT is limited to an angle of a treatment couch of 0° and CBCT cannot acquire images in real-time.
Optical tracking systems present an attractive solution for continuous monitoring of patient during radiation delivery. There are two types of optical tracking systems developed for the purpose of radiotherapy: 1) a body marker-based optical tracking system uses infrared (IR) light to detect target position via active or passive reflective markers affixed to the patient, and 2) a three-dimensional (3D), surface image-based optical tracking system that captures patient surface images in real time and relates the surface images to target position. Both types of optical tracking systems are noninvasive and nonionizing.
Body marker-based optical tracking systems have been widely used for initial patient localization as well as for patient monitoring because of their high spatial resolution, real-time measurement and ease of implementation.
Ambiguity occurs when two cameras are coplanar with two true markers, and the cameras see four markers (two true markers and two ambiguous markers). When an ambiguous marker is present, all known body marker-based optical tracking systems fail to capture (reset zero after CBCT shifts). As a result, a time consuming trial and error process must then be used to remove one of the two true markers that caused the ambiguous marker. Additionally, a reduction in number of true markers for any reason, including the removal of a true marker to eliminate the ambiguous marker, degrades accuracy.
Several known commercially-available, marker-based, optical tracking systems have been developed for the use in radiation therapy.
The first known system, RadioCamera™ (ZMed/Varian, Inc., Ashland, Mass.), uses two ceiling-mounted charge-coupled device (CCD) infrared cameras to detect four passively reflective markers rigidly affixed to a reference array (“biteplate”) that links to maxillary dentition of the patient. There are at least two factors limiting use of the first known system in the treatment of lesions in areas such as thoracic and abdominopelvic region: 1) the first known system is specifically designed for the treatment of intracranial lesion and requires the patient to bite a biteplate, and 2) the first known system tracks a rigid, pre-defined marker pattern which disallows a user from choosing other marker patterns.
A second known commercially available optical tracking system, ExacTrac® (BrainLab AG, Munich, Germany), uses two ceiling-mounted CCD infrared cameras to track passively reflective markers. The second known system is designed to track non-rigid body markers affixed directly on the patient's skin. Patient positioning with the second known system has been reported to significantly improve overall setup accuracy at various treatment sites such as head and neck, lung, prostate and pelvic. The second known system is used for initial patient positioning as well as real-time monitoring for SBRT patients treating lung and liver lesions. Treatment flow begins with a CT simulation where six (6) to eight (8) IR markers are affixed to a patient's chest and abdominal region in an irregular pattern. Locations of IR markers and their relationship with respect to the treatment isocenter are semi-automatically identified with software. At a time of treatment, the patient is pre-positioned with the guidance of the second known system. Then, a CBCT scan is acquired with an x-ray volume imaging (XVI) system. A CT to CBCT registration is performed to correct residual target displacement. Isocenter shifts in the second known system need to be reset before continuous monitoring starts. To do this, the second known system captures current marker positions for tracking. Treatment can be interrupted when patient displacement exceeds predetermined tolerances. In such cases, the second known system provides a quick way to reposition patient without additional x-ray imaging. However, the second known system suffers from the ambiguous markers problem and may fail to capture the marker positions. Two ambiguous markers appear when two real markers fall in a same plane as the two CCD cameras. This phenomenon leads to a system failure in capturing new marker positions and consequently, a significant delay in patient treatment. It has been reported that the second known system failed to unambiguously recognize marker patterns in 21% of the fractions for prostate treatment, resulting in an inability to position the patient with the camera. It has also been reported that ambiguity was possible when more than five markers were used. For this reason, with the second known system, it has been reported that the number of external markers should be limited to five, although more markers has been deemed desirable in a study on a correlation between external markers and internal target. The second known system is used for various treatment sites including thoracic and abdominopelvic regions. Its accuracy has been proven for pre-treatment setup and real-time monitoring. However, the second known system suffers from ambiguous markers which limits flexibility in marker placement at CT simulation and leads to significant delay in patient treatment. When two markers are placed in the same plane as cameras, two ambiguous markers are created and the second known system disadvantageously cannot recognize the marker pattern for tracking.
A third known commercially-available, marker-based, optical tracking system is AlignRT® system (Vision RT Limited, London, UK). A fourth known commercially-available, marker-based, optical tracking system is the Real-time Position Management™ system (Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.).
All known, commercially-available, body marker-based optical tracking systems suffer from an ambiguous markers problem.
In an attempt to establish a one-to-one correspondence between reference markers and optical markers without manual marker labeling, one known method is based on 2D specificity of a marker disposition model. In such known method, all marker positions are projected onto the 2D plane of cameras for classification. This known method has two constraints: 1) missing markers or phantom markers are not allowed; and 2) patient motion must not alter the 2D geometrical peculiarities of the marker disposition model. | {
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A bus assembly system typically includes two or more bus assembly sections, one or more joint packs or bus assembly connectors, as well as a plurality of plug-in units. Each bus assembly section includes one or more phase-conductors and a housing. For example, in a three-phase system, the bus assembly section may include three live phase-conductors, or three live phase-conductors and one neutral-conductor, depending on the type of system architecture being employed. To draw power, various plug-in units or electrical components may be directly connected to one or more plug-in connection sites spaced along the bus assembly sections. Each joint pack is used to physically and electrically connect two sections or sets of bus assembly sections together.
A requirement in assembling a joint pack is that all of the required phase members which make up the joint packs must be assembled correctly and in the correct order to ensure that the joint pack will operate effectively. Many existing joint packs include discrete spacer standoffs that are inserted between phase members to ensure that the required spacing between the phase members is satisfied. However, these spacer standoffs are additional components that are not part of the phase members themselves, and one common problem is that such spacers may be inadvertently omitted during the assembly of the joint pack. This omission may prove costly as the joint pack will not operate effectively if one or more spacers are left out during assembly.
A common problem in assembling such joint packs is that one or more phase members may be incorrectly oriented with respect to the other phase members. Another common problem is that a conductor plate of one or more phase members may be placed at the incorrect phase location (i.e. phase A, B, or C) when assembling the joint pack. Another problem occurs when a portion of a phase member, such as a conductor plate, is inadvertently omitted when assembling the joint pack. These types of errors may cause the joint pack to not able to be installed in a bus assembly system.
Yet another problem occurs when the existing joint pack is decreased in size to make the overall size of the joint pack more compact. In particular, as a result of decreasing the sizes of the individual phase spaces within the joint pack, an unintended change may occur in the amount of creepage and/or through-air clearance that occurs between the phase members, thereby rendering the joint pack no longer satisfactory for the particular creepage and clearance guideline standards for which it is intended to be used.
Thus, a need exists for an improved joint pack that satisfies one or more of these needs and solves these problems. | {
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1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating the lower density fly ash particles from the overall mixture of various density particles contained in raw coal ash. More particularly, the particles of fly ash separated and collected by this method include generally solid particles with pervasive internal and external porosity that are frothy in appearance, thick walled hollow particles with a specific gravity in the range of from 1.0 to 2.0 and a minor amount of thin walled hollow particles with a specific gravity of less than 1.0 known as cenospheres. Specifically, the method involves changing the momentum of the exhaust gas; either by drastically changing the diameter of the feed stream to drastically change the velocity of the gas, or by de-energizing at least the first static electric charging field of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) through which the exhaust gases pass on their way to the stack of the power plant whereby these hollow, porous and other low density particles fall out and are collected in a collection hopper.
2. Background Information
Various types of filler materials have been used for decades to improve the properties and lower costs of various industrial and consumer products including concrete blocks; plastic composites such as shower stalls, automobile body panels, sinks and countertops; roofing materials; tires and other rubber products; caulking compounds; paper; and a multitude of other applications. For example, in plastic composites these fillers are commonly utilized to enhance their structural and mechanical properties, to improve the composite""s fire resistance, to thicken or stiffen the pre-formed mix prior to molding and to reduce costs.
These fillers include natural or mineral fillers such as clay, talc and calcium carbonate, and synthetic fillers, such as glass beads, ground polymers and ceramics. Both mineral and synthetic fillers have proven to be useful fillers in materials ranging from ceramics to a variety of plastics including thermosetting plastics such as polyesters, epoxies and phenolics and thermoplastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic lattices, as well as many other resin systems.
Generally, the selection of a filler for a specific application is based upon its physical characteristics (e.g. color, density, shape, thixotropic effect, reactivity, particle size distribution and handling features) and the mechanical properties of the filler (e.g. hardness and strength) and the resulting properties of the filled system. One of the important properties of a filler is its specific gravity.
When specific gravity is examined, two classes of fillers become apparent, namely high density mineral fillers, and low density materials, typically processed minerals or synthetic materials.
Most of the commonly used and economically priced fillers are high density minerals, usually having a specific gravity of 2.6 and higher. They are generally mined, are plentiful and include calcium carbonate (limestone), clay, silica and talc.
However, when the overall weight of the filled system is a concern, lower density fillers are much more desirable. As a result, the demand for economically priced low density fillers is increasing. Low density fillers are generally not plentiful in nature and therefore are man-made or derived by processing natural minerals. Low density fillers are generally expensive and include glass or plastic microspheres, hollow glass beads, expanded ceramic spheres and cenospheres.
Raw fly ash, a product created when coal is combusted in a generation facility is plentiful, and is being generated from coal fired power plants. More particularly, there are currently hundreds of coal fired power plants in the U.S. alone. These plants burn well in excess of one billion tons of coal per year, and as such, coal combustion by-products including fly ash have become one of the nation""s most abundant resources. Growth is further expected as nuclear power loses preference to more standard power sources such as coal. As a result, the need to safely dispose of fly ash, and the need to develop an economical use for fly ash is ever increasing. Fly ash is currently used as a filler material in many applications but has never achieved the status of a major filler. Some of the reasons why fly ash have been unable to capture a large portion of the filler market are its color, its difficulty to handle due to dustiness, its wide particle size distribution, its hardness, and the inconsistency of its composition and properties. Most sources of fly ash have a specific gravity in the range of 2.1-2.3, which is less that than the common mineral filler, but this apparent advantage is not enough to offset the disadvantages.
Fly ash with a low specific gravity, whether hollow or solid has been usually separated from raw ash using water as the separation medium. Those particles having a specific gravity less than 1.0 will float and the remaining portion of the ash sinks to the bottom of the separation pond. The cenospheres must be collected from the ponds, usually by a skimming process, cleaned of other floating materials, dried, and often further processed. Cenospheres, when they are present in raw fly ash, typically represent one percent or less of the weight of the ash. However, cenospheres have a specific gravity of less that 1.0, and are very valuable as a low density filler, selling at a price significantly higher than other types of ash. Similarly, all low density ash, when cleaned and processed, is extremely valuable as a filler material.
Functionally, fly ash is the finely divided ash material carried in the stack gases from the furnace of power plants which consume powdered and pulverized coal, and is collected before it leaves the stack usually in an electrostatic precipitator or other type of collector. The problem associated with disposal of fly ash is large because the tonnage produced by some utility companies is quite high. Numerous attempts have been made to utilize the material, and the suggestion that lightweight aggregate materials might be prepared from fly ash is the result of such an attempt.
The present invention provides a method for economically separating a low density fraction of ash from the entire particulate range of fly ash created as a by-product from the combustion of coal. The resultant low density ash has a specific gravity of 1.6-1.99. More particularly, the resultant ash is at least ten percent lower in density than raw fly ash and produces very little dust when handled. Although not as light as the thin walled cenospheres, the ash created from the present invention is significantly more durable, and is primarily composed of a frothy, relatively solid particles with both internal and external porosity and larger thick walled hollow particles. In addition to its increased durability over cenospheres, the material created by the present invention is plentiful, comprising more than thirty percent of the total raw fly ash produced, and is less expensive to produce and process than cenospheres. The product created by the present invention thus has advantages when compared to both raw fly ash and cenospheres, making it a valuable low density filler produced in an economical manner.
The need thus exists for an ash that which is relatively inexpensive to produce, which may be separated from the existing raw fly ash with limited cost, and which provides for a low specific gravity for use as a filler material. The need also exists for an apparatus and system for separating the above described ash for collection and use as a filler material.
Objectives of the invention include providing an improved device, system and method of separating and collecting the lower density fly ash particles including semi-solid frothy particles with internal and external porosity, thick walled hollow particles and a smaller amount of thin walled hollow particles (cenospheres) from the other higher density solid particles contained in raw fly ash.
A further objective is to provide a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that effectively separates the particles by size and density, without the use of water and subsequent de-watering and drying processes.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that lessens the amount of ash disposed in land fills.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle which has both internal and external porosity.
A still further objective is to provide a mixture of low density ash particles having a size in the range of from 30 microns to 400 microns.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that produces an inexpensive source of low density mineral filler.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that produces large quantities of low density ash particles.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that produces a low density filler that is useful in plastics, ceramics, concrete and other materials.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that is inexpensive to operate and uses existing equipment such as electrostatic precipitators.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device that incorporates one or more or all of the above objectives and advantages.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation and collection method and device which accomplishes its objective in a dry environment.
A further objective is to provide such a low density ash particle separation collection method and device which substantially decreases the momentum of the gas stream in order to remove low density fly ash from the gas stream.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention are obtained by the invention which includes a method of separating lower density ash from the exhaust gas stream which contain the entrained fly ash, and then collecting the low density ash that drops out below the de-energized fields of the electrostatic precipitator. The invention further includes an electrostatic precipitator or similar device that is designed in such a manner to cause the gas or air stream to rapidly decelerate causing the entrained particles to slow down and fall out suspension. The low density fly ash particles having less momentum (relative to their size and therefore subject to greater deceleration due to drag forces) tend to fall out sooner (i.e. in the inlet portion, first hoppers, of the precipitator or similar device). The denser ash particles, with greater momentum and affected to a lesser extent by drag forces, are carried further into the precipitator. The precipitator or other device is, in effect, a hollow body with a larger cross sectional area than the inlet and outlet ducts. The electrostatic precipitator further includes a plurality of energizable fields associated with one or more collecting plates longitudinally positioned next to one another within the hollow body where the plurality of energizable fields includes a first energizable field nearest the inlet. The electrostatic precipitator further includes a de-energizing mechanism for de-energizing the first energizable field(s) resulting in the separation of the lower density ash from the overall ash stream. The ESP is equipped with collection hoppers below the plurality of energizable fields. The ash falls out of the precipitator body, due to gravity, and is collected in the hoppers. Typically a hopper would span one collecting plate having one or more electrostatic fields associated therewith. The ash can be removed from individual hoppers or from rows of hoppers by modifying the existing transport system or by installing a separate system to extract the collected low density ash. | {
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The present invention relates generally to weight lifting exercise machines, and is particularly concerned with an exercise arm apparatus for such a machine having pivotal linkage system for linking the arm to an exercise resistance such as a weight stack, springs, or other load.
The pulldown exercise is one of the most basic and oldest exercises in fitness. It is designed to exercise the major muscles in the upper back. The earliest machines designed to perform this exercise consisted of little more than a pulley mounted on the ceiling with a rope reeved around it. The rope was attached to a load at one end and a horizontal bar at the other end. In order to perform exercises, the exerciser would sit or kneel on the ground beneath the bar, reach up and grab the bar, and pull it downward, stopping close to their head at approximately shoulder level.
In an effort to improve comfort, freestanding machines with seats attached for the exerciser were soon designed. One such machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,528 of Proctor. The major disadvantage in these machines is that it is difficult for the user to maintain strict form when performing the exercise. The bar is attached directly to a flexible line, such as a rope, cable, belt, chain or the like, and the user can therefore pull the bar off to one side or the other, or lean backward while pulling the bar downward, which could stress or strain the muscle in the lower back. Also, this machine has a reduced range of exercise motion. The single piece horizontal bar limits the amount of exercise travel because the user cannot pull it past their upper chest or back (depending on whether it is pulled down in front or behind the head). A further disadvantage is convenience and safety. The user must tilt their head either forwards or backwards at just the right moment in order to avoid hitting themselves with the bar.
The disadvantages of the original pulldown machines brought about the development of the rigid arm pulldown machine. This consists of a frame, a seat for the user mounted on the frame, a generally U shaped exercise arm equipped with handles set apart at a distance slightly greater than shoulder width, and a resistive force or load. The arm, which is resisted by the load, is pivotally connected to the frame and angles upward in the rest position, with the handles located high above the seat. In order to perform exercises, the seated user reaches up and grabs the handles, then pulls the arm downward slightly past shoulder level. The rigid arm pulldown works the same muscles as a traditional pulldown machine. However, because it does not have a free-swinging bar extending horizontally from hand-to-hand, it provides a safer, more restricted exercise movement with a greater range of travel.
Some rigid arm pulldown machines include a four-bar linkage system as a way to control the path of travel of the exercise arm, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,121 of Webb, or the resistance supplied to the exercise arm, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,432 of Habing. The four-bar linkage system has four major components: a stationary member or frame, two pivoting members each pivotally connected to the stationary frame member at spaced positions, and a connecting link that is pivotally connected to the two pivoting members. One of the pivoting members acts as the exercise arm to be engaged by the user.
One disadvantage to the rigid arm design is the weight of the exercise arm. Because most of the arm is forward of the pivoting connection to the stationary frame member, it must be counter-balanced so that it will stay in the up or rest position when resistance is being removed or adjusted. This can be accomplished in several ways, such as attaching a weight to the rear end of the arm, i.e. the opposite side of the pivot to the handle, attaching springs to the rearward end of the arm to return it to the rest position, permanently pinning some weights in a stack of selectorized weights in an amount greater than the balance weight of the arm, or providing an amount of framework for the arm or arm assembly which is greater on the rearward side of the main pivot than on the handle side. Each of these options is subject to some disadvantages.
A weight attached directly to the rearward end of an exercise arm needs to increase in size and weight the closer it is placed to the pivot, or it will not offset the weight of the handle end of the arm. If the counterweight is placed close to the pivot, it will be larger and more expensive. When placed further from the pivot, the arm grows in length and the rear end travels in a large arc. This takes up more space and can pose a safety issue for anyone walking behind the machine. One example of a machine in which weight is attached to the rearward end of an exercise arm to act as a counter-balance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,914 of Simonson.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,589 of Habing is an example of a rigid arm pulldown machine using springs as a counter-balance to return the exercise arm to the rest position. Springs strong enough to offset the weight of the handle and allow for adequate handle travel can end up being fairly long and this will affect the design of the machine. Springs do not maintain an even resistance throughout the length of their stretch, which could affect the resistance and smoothness of motion felt by the user. Over time, springs tend to lose their tension, which would lessen their ability to counter-balance the exercise arm adequately. Additionally, springs tend to fatigue and ultimately break after repeated use, resulting in machine “down time”, additional maintenance expense, and possible injury.
In some cases, a portion of the selector weight stack is permanently pinned to provide the required counter-balance weight, for example as shown in the brochure of Magnum Fitness. One disadvantage to such a system is that the amount of resistance available to a user is reduced. This results either in less weight for the weight stack or requires a heavier weight stack, increasing the cost to manufacture the machine.
Some pulldown machines have used an increased size of framework for the arm assembly for counter-balance, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,422 of Domzalski. This uses a complicated linkage system and increases both the size of the machine and the cost to produce it. | {
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Drumsticks have been used for centuries to strike drums and other percussion instruments in order to generate drum beats, cymbal clashes and other percussive sounds. During that time, the basic structure of the drumstick has remained relatively unchanged.
Modern developments in electronics and data processing have made possible improvements in musical instruments such as the harpsichord (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,270, to Gerardi et al., incorporated herein by reference), and stringed instruments (see, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/660,038, filed Feb. 18, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,669,458, to Piccionelli et al., incorporated herein by reference) which afford performers new modes of performance.
A need exists for an improved drumstick that incorporates electronic components and affords performers new ways of producing musical performances. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-127002) discloses a method of activating a p-type dopant in a semiconductor layer in a GaN semiconductor laser. When laser beam is applied to a nitride-based GROUP III-V compound semiconductor, such as GaN, doped with the p-type dopant Mg to activate the p-type dopant, the laser beam has a photon energy in a range of Eg-real±0.5 eV, where Eg-real, which is an actually measured bandgap of the semiconductor, is a photon energy for which the absorption coefficient “a” of the semiconductor is equal to a quantity defined by “a=1/d”, and “d” is a thickness of the semiconductor in which the dopant is to be activated.
Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-224957) discloses that, when a semiconductor layer contains a considerable amount of a group II-element impurity, activation is implemented by applying laser beam of not less than 10 W/cm2 nor more than 500 W/cm2 to the p-type nitride semiconductor layer in which the dopant is not activated. The activation is further promoted if the p-type nitride semiconductor layer is also doped with an n-type dopant.
Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-306854) discloses a method of activating a p-type layer in a gallium nitride (GaN) compound semiconductor device. This method irradiates the p-type layer at a temperature in the range of 200° C. to 500° C. with light containing wavelengths in the range from ultraviolet to visible light, thereby removing hydrogen bound to the p-type dopant in the p-type layer to activate the p-type dopant as an acceptor.
Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-266218) discloses a method of forming a p-type II-VI compound semiconductor or GaN compound semiconductor of low-resistance without annealing after crystal growth. The p-type II-VI compound semiconductor or GaN compound semiconductor epitaxially grown by MOCVD is irradiated with pulsed laser beam of the photon energy not less than the bandgap energy of these compound semiconductors to generate electron-hole pairs. Namely, since the pulsed laser beam has the wavelength corresponding to the energy not less than the bandgap energy of the irradiated semiconductor, an electron-hole pair is generated by a single photon. Bonding between the p-type dopant and hydrogen is cut by electric effect of carriers generated from the electron-hole pair, to remove hydrogen from the interior of the p-type compound semiconductor. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-127002 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-224957 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-306854 Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-266218 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Database query languages are computer-readable languages used in querying, updating, and managing relational databases. In database query languages such as standard query language (SQL), objects may depend on tables and other objects stored in the database. For example, an SQL view object may depend on a data table. Usually a database management system (DBMS) allows for an object to be changed independently of its existing dependent objects (e.g., via alter, drop, create, or replace statements). However, while modifying objects in the database may be a simple undertaking, the initial creation of objects may present several challenges because of the complexity of orchestrating all object creation statements in an appropriate order (e.g., an object can only be created successfully once all underlying objects and tables have been created). | {
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An ergonomic keyboard is a computer keyboard designed with ergonomic features which can minimize the degree of muscle strain, and a host of related problems, experienced by a user. Typically such keyboards are constructed in a V shape to allow right and left hands to type at a slight angle which can be more natural and comfortable to the human form.
Standard computer keyboards have evolved into devices having a plurality of alphanumeric and function keys. The inclusion of the numerous keys requires standard keyboards to be relatively large and of a substantial weight. This size and weight is further exacerbated with the inclusion of ergonomic features in the design of keyboards. As a desktop environment typically has less demanding size and weight restrictions as compared to a portable or laptop computer, these restrictions do not present a significant drawback in standard desktop computer design. However, this is not the case with most laptop computers.
Laptop computers are designed, by definition, to be portable. Thus, laptop computer design is constrained by device size and weight. These constraints dictate a compact size keyboard which typically incorporates a limited number of function keys and which, by necessity, does not typically include a numeric keypad or ergonomic design features. Given the general design constraints of size and weight, the keyboards included with most laptop computers are not ergonomic and may be un-natural, uncomfortable, and potentially damaging to the bodies of users. | {
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Many users access media content from services having large collections of media content items. Frequently, these services provide users with access to a history that shows the media content items that the user has consumed, so that the user can, for example, return to the media content item at a later time. Generally, these media consumption histories provide a name for the media content item that the user consumed, a thumbnail image, and/or a date or time that the user consumed the media content item. Users, however, may find it difficult to recall details concerning the name of the media content items that they have consumed, or recall the time at which they consumed these items. As a result, it can be frustrating for a user to determine which media content item they are looking for based on the information provided.
At the same time, it has become increasingly popular for users to share media content items that they find interesting with other users. In many instances, a user may recall that a particular media content item was shared by a certain user. In other instances, a user may recall that the user exchanged messages with another user concerning a media content item.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide new methods, systems, and media for providing a media consumption history annotated with social context. | {
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It is common to have interactive writing surfaces (eg. a digitizing tablet) on which an user may write, with the image being displayed on a separate monitor or screen. These devices are very accurate in terms of registering and displaying what is drawn on the writing surface. However, they can be very inconvenient and awkward to use, as the user can not simultaneously look where he is drawing and at the screen to view what is being drawn.
Consequently, computerized work stations have been developed which allow the user to interact directly with the screen on which the image is displayed. Typically, the user utilizes a photoelectric device for communicating with a computer through movement over a screen, known as a light pen, to draw directly on the screen on which the image is displayed. The computer registers the movement of the light pen over the screen, and projects the corresponding image directly onto the screen.
The screen on which the image is projected is usually made from clear glass, which does not show an image, so many rear projection screens have a fresnel lens or lenticular lens to improve brightness and display the image. The images are projected onto the surface of the screen closest to the projector, and not on the surface closest to the viewer. This creates parallax problems when trying to write on the screen, as the user does not see the image exactly where it is projected.
In addition, such screens are usually curved, and are difficult to write on. A lenticular lens or screen also tends to be too rough to write on, so it is often accompanied by a thin writing surface on top of the screen, which compounds the parallax problem. | {
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1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates an apparatus and methods for anastomosing two hollow body parts and, more particularly to apparatus and methods for anastomosing a urethral stump of a patient to the bladder following a radical prostatectomy.
2. Background of Related Art
Most body conduits are generally cylindrical in configuration and have a circular cross-section. When it is desired to suture such a conduit, typically for attachment to another body conduit, sutures are placed around the circumference of the conduit in order to maintain the patency of its lumen or channel. This type of attachment is commonly referred to as an anastomosis. It can be appreciated that the sutures made on top of the conduit (i.e., on the side facing the surgeon) in an anastomosis are made relatively more easily than the sutures made underneath the conduit (i.e., on the side facing away from the surgeon).
The complexity of anastomosis attachment is made manifestly apparent in a surgical procedure referred to generally as a radical prostatectomy (i.e., a well established surgical procedure for patients with localized prostatic carcinoma). In general, radical prostatectomy procedures require the removal of cancerous tissue while preserving sexual function and continence in the patient. There are two primary types of radical prostatectomy approaches for the removal of prostate cancer, the retropubic approach and the perineal approach.
In the retropubic approach, a long up-and-down incision is made in the midline of the abdomen from the navel to the pubic bone. After the lymph nodes have been removed for study by the pathologist and a determination has been made to proceed with the removal of the prostate gland, the space underneath the pubic bone is cleaned and dissected and the removal of the entire prostate gland is generally begun at the end that is farthest from the bladder, i.e., next to the external urethral sphincter. Next, the prostatic urethra is divided, the prostatic urethra and the prostate gland through which it goes are then pulled upwards toward the bladder while the dissection continues behind the prostate gland, separating it from the layer of tissue that is connected to the rectum on its other side. As the dissection continues between the prostate and the rectum, the seminal vesicles, which are behind the base of the bladder will be removed along with the prostate gland. Once the seminal vesicles are free, the entire prostate gland and the seminal vesicles are removed. The bladder neck is then stitched closed to a small enough diameter so that it is about the same size as the stump of the urethra from which the prostate was detached. The bladder neck is then pulled down into the pelvis and positioned against the urethral stump and stitched thereto. This stitching is done typically around a Foley catheter which has been inserted through the penis all the way into the bladder.
In the perineal approach, an inverted “U” shaped incision is made going right over the anus, with the center of the “U” about three centimeters above the margin of the anus. The prostate gland is then freed from its surrounding structures by gentle dissection, and the urethra at the end of the prostate farthest from the bladder is isolated and divided. The bladder neck is freed from the prostate, and, once the prostate gland has been removed and the bladder neck has been closed sufficiently so that the size of its opening approximates the size of the urethral opening, the urethra and the bladder neck are stitched together. Once again, a Foley catheter is left in place postoperatively for about two weeks.
In each of the above described procedures, it is the attachment of the urethral stump to the bladder neck which is particularly difficult and complex. This difficulty is complicated by the tendency of the urethral stump to retract into adjacent tissue. As a result, considerable time and effort must be expended to re-expose the urethral stump and begin the re-anastomosis procedure. Further complicating this procedure is the fact that the urethral stump is hidden beneath the pubic bone thus requiring that the surgeon work at a difficult angle and in positions that are uncomfortable and limiting.
Various devices have been proposed for facilitating this procedure. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,179, issued to Edelstein, there is disclosed a suturing device including a shaft with portions defining an interior channel extending between a proximal and a distal end of the shaft. This channel includes a generally axial lumen which extends to the proximal end of the shaft and a generally transverse lumen which extends from the axial lumen distally outwardly to an exit hole at the outer surface of the shaft. A needle and suture can be back loaded into the transverse lumen of the channel while a generally non-compressible member can be movably mounted in the axial lumen of the channel. At the proximal end of the shaft a handle is provided with means operative to push the member distally through the lumen to deploy or expel the needle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,164, issued to Roth, there is disclosed a suture guide with a curved distal portion. The distal portion of the suture guide has a plurality of exterior axial grooves which can be used to align and guide a curved needle and attached suture. In order to drive the urethral stump to an accessible position, the device is provided with a plurality of outwardly extendable members which engage the lumen of the urethra. These members make it possible to push the urethral stump into approximation with the bladder neck.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,039, issued to Avant et al., there is disclosed a surgical device for the ligation of a dorsal vein and subsequent anastomosis. This device contains a pair of enclosed needles each having an attached suture which needles may be driven from the shaft of the device into adjacent tissue.
In general, none of the devices disclosed in the prior art references above is simple to use or makes the anastomosis of the urethral stump to the bladder neck easier. As such, each surgical procedure using the prior art devices continues to be time consuming and to require great skill. In addition, these prior art references do not disclose a suture device which can accurately position a plurality of anchor and suture combinations, for use at or near the severed end of a body conduit, simultaneously. Accordingly, the need exists for radical prostatectomy anastomosis devices which overcome the drawbacks of the prior art devices and which are quick and simple to use. | {
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Tray sealing machines that cut a cover film in a sealing station before the cover film is applied to the tray to be sealed are known from the state of the art. A blade is typically arranged on a sealing frame in such a way that it juts out in the direction of movement so far that the cover film is cut before the cut cover film is clamped onto the tray by a sealing frame and the sealing subsequently takes place.
The disadvantage of this technique is that the position of the cut cover film on the tray is not process-reliable.
Other tray sealing machines, in which the cover film is cut after being clamped on and after or during the sealing process, have a device that allows the blade to be moved independently of the sealing frame and the cover film in such a way that the cover film is cut outside the tray.
The disadvantage of this execution is that the cut film is cut outside the tray edge and the area between the sealing seam and the outer edge of the cover film is not fixed in place or is loose. | {
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Electric circuits are frequently constructed by adhering components of the circuit to interconnects with conductive epoxy. Non-conductive epoxies are also utilized in circuit fabrication. Many epoxy systems comprise two components comprising a resin and a hardener. These components are kept separate and mixed immediately prior to application. Depending on the epoxy components, the mixed epoxy may cure in a matter of minutes or hours at room or elevated temperatures. Further, additional components might be added to the epoxy mixture, such as solid fillers.
Regardless, where the epoxy system comprises at least two components to be mixed, complete and thorough mixing to achieve homogeneity in the mix is highly desired to produce a suitable finished epoxy. Such can be achieved, for example, by manually or mechanically stirring a mix of such liquids or components with a stirring device. Static mixing systems have also been utilized in the prior art for mixing epoxy components. One example employs a double-barrelled syringe-like device having a static mixer received at the end thereof. The static mixing system comprises a tube having a static mixer received therein in the form of a plurality of end-to-end oriented split helixes over which the epoxy fluid passes. The nozzles from each syringe barrel feed opposite sides of the first helix. At the juncture with the next helix, the flows are split 50--50 and mix with each other. The split and mixing occurs again at the juncture with the next helix. Thus, longitudinal flow of the epoxy through the static mixing tube, assuming it is long enough, should result in complete homogenous mixing of the two-component system.
The volume of liquid within the mixing tube at the conclusion of processing is typically discarded along with the static mixing tube. Where the mixing tube needs to be of considerable length to achieve adequate mixing, the volume of discarded epoxy components can be significant. This can be costly, for example, where the epoxy being mixed is conductive epoxy. Such typically comprises silver or other metal flakes which significantly add to the cost of the epoxy system. Further, the ultimate volume of mixed epoxy might be quite small due to cost of the epoxy in utilization in the final bonding, such as 60 ml or less. The smaller the desired volume of mixed epoxy, the greater is the percentage of discarded epoxy components of the total mixed volume.
Further, the above static mixing system typically must be increased in length to achieve adequate mixing where the components being mixed differ greatly in volumetric ratio in the finished mix. For example, some epoxy systems use a volumetric ratio of 20:1 of resin to hardener. Typically, the greater the volumetric ratio of mixed components, the more difficult the mixing whether conducting static or dynamic mixing. Longer required static mixing tubes for large volumetric ratios of different components only adds to the discardable product problem.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop systems and methods which perhaps enable better epoxy mixing and minimization of discarded material. Although the invention spawned primarily from concerns associated with mixing relatively small volumes of expensive two-part epoxy systems, the artisan will appreciate applicability of the invention in other fluid mixing methods and systems. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a movable contact structure and a movable contact attaching method of a slide switch applied to an inhibitor switch for detecting a shift position of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
A movable board as shown by, for example, FIG. 10A or FIG. 10B is used for an inhibitor switch as a slide switch of a related art. FIG. 10A is a sectional view of a movable board, FIG. 10B is a disassembled perspective view of a movable board according to other related art and FIG. 10C is a partially enlarged sectional view in view from arrow marks Sc—Sc of FIG. 10B.
First, according to a movable board 101 of FIG. 10A, a movable contact 105 is fixed to a movable board main body 103 made of resin by calking a rivet 109 via a washer 107. The movable contact 105 is formed with a bent portion 111 and a contact arm 113 is arranged to incline relative to the movable board main body 103 by the bent portion 111. A contact portion 115 of the movable contact 105 is at a distance of H from the movable board main body 103 in a free state and the contact portion 115 is constituted to be brought into elastic contact with a side of a fixed contact by predetermined contact pressure (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
According to a movable board 101A of FIG. 10B, a movable contact 105A is inserted into a movable board main body 103A from a side direction to be fixed thereto by so-to-speak snap fit. That is, as shown by FIG. 10B and FIG. 10C, the movable main body 103A is provided with a stepped portion 117 and an engaging portion 119 and the movable contact 105A is provided with play preventive pieces 121 and 123. When the movable contact 105A is inserted into the movable contact main body 103A from the side direction, the play preventive pieces 121 ad 123 are engaged with the stepped portion 117 and the engaging portion 119 and the fixed contact 105A can be integrated to the movable board main body 103A by one touch motion (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2).
(Patent Literature 1)
JP-UM-A-4-123038 (FIG. 8, FIG. 9)
(Patent Literature 2)
JP-A-10-134672 (page 3, FIG. 2)
However, the movable board 101 of FIG. 10A needs the rivet 109 and the washer 107 as fixing parts and needs a step of integrating the rivet 109 and the washer 107 and a step of calking the rivet 109 in integration. Therefore, there poses a problem that integration and part control are very complicated.
In contrast thereto, according to the movable board 101A of FIGS. 10B and 10C, fixing is carried out by the snap fit and therefore, there is an advantage of dispensing with the rivet or the like and facilitating integration and part control.
However, there poses a problem that play is liable to be produced between the play preventive pieces 121 and 123 and the stepped portion 117 and the engaging portion 119 and the contact portion 115 of the movable contact 105A is rattled relative to a fixed contact and accuracy of switching ON/OFF is difficult to achieve sufficiently. | {
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In a conventional refrigerant circuit such as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, operation of the compressor is controlled by magnetic clutch 17. Activation of magnetic clutch 17 is controlled by serially connected main switch 12 and air conditioner switch 13. Main switch 12 may also be the ignition switch of an automobile. In order to protect the compressor from inadvertent damage, a number of safety devices are provided including thermostat switch 14, low pressure cutout switch 19 and high pressure cutout switch 15. As shown in FIG. 8, each of these safety devices is serially connected with one another between air conditioner switch 13 and magnetic clutch 17. Thermostat switch 14 is disposed on the air outlet side of an evaporator (not shown) to detect the outlet air temperature. Low pressure cutout switch 19 is disposed between the high pressure chamber of the compressor and an expansion valve (not shown) to detect refrigerant pressure, i.e., to detect the amount of refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant circuit. High pressure cutout switch 15 is disposed at the high pressure side of the compressor, e.g., in the discharge chamber of the compressor to detect dangerous high pressure levels. Thus, the operation of the compressor may be interrupted upon the occurence of abnormally high temperature or abnormally low or high pressure.
FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the arrangement of conventional control devices for a compressor. In this embodiment, magnetic clutch 17 is controlled by main switch 12 through relay 16. The coil of relay 16 is serially connected with compressor switch 13 and thermostat switch 14, high pressure cutout switch 15 and low pressure cutout switch 19.
In the above-mentioned embodiments of safety devices for a refrigerant compressor, a pressure cutout switch functions as a refrigerant leakage detecting device. Since the pressure cutout switch detects the saturation pressure of the refrigerant, which changes in response to outside air temperature, the pressure cutout switch cannot reliably operate to detect refrigerant leakage.
Also, even though as much as fifty percent of the liquid refrigerant may remain in a refrigerant circuit, the compressor still cannot operate efficiently. Accordingly, the temperature of the discharged gas from the compressor is increased due to a lack of refrigerant. In addition, the lubricating oil for the compressor cannot be circulated properly when the refrigerant level is low.
One solution to the above-mentioned deficiencies in refrigerant systems known in the art is to increase the minimum pressure at which low pressure cutout switch 19 operates to stop the operation of the compressor. Thus, the operation of the compressor may be prevented even if there is liquid refrigerant remaining in the refrigerating circuit. However, when the external temperature is below a certain level, low pressure cutout switch 19 has a tendency to operate even if there is no leakage of refrigerant. Thus, the minimum pressure at which the low pressure cutout switch operates cannot be readily increased. | {
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Liquid crystal compounds are widely used as materials for display elements, and most of these liquid crystal elements are based on a TN type display system and liquid crystal materials are in the state of nematic phase.
The TN type display system has advantages such as less tiredness of the eyes and extremely small consumption of electric power because of being of the non-emissive type, whereas it has disadvantages such as slow response and disappearance of display at certain visual angles. In recent years, this system is being improved in such a direction as to keep up characteristics of flat displays, and in particular, quick response and the enlargement of the visual angle are demanded.
In order to meet these demands, improvements in liquid crystal materials have been attempted. However, as compared with other emissive type displays (e.g., electroluminescence displays and plasma displays), it is apparent that the TN type display system is much poorer with regard to response time and the extent of the visual angle.
In order that characteristics of the liquid display element such as features of the non-emissive type and the small consumption of electric power may be maintained and in order that the quick response corresponding to that of the emissive type displays may be assured, it is essential to develop a novel liquid display system in place of the TN type display system.
As one of such attempts, a display system in which the light switching phenomenon of ferroelectric liquid crystals is utilized has been suggested by N. A. Clark and S. T. Lagerwall (see Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, p 899, 1980).
The presence of the ferroelectric liquid crystals was announced for the first time in 1975 by R. B. Mayer et al. (see J. Phys., 36, p 69, 1975), and from the viewpoint of a liquid crystal structure, these crystals belong to a chiral smectic C phase, a chiral smectic I phase, a chiral smectic F phase, a chiral smectic G phase and a chiral smectic H phase (hereinafter referred to simply as "S.sub.C * phase", "S.sub.I * phase", "S.sub.F * phase", "S.sub.G * phase" and "S.sub.H * phase", respectively).
In the chiral smectic phase, molecules form a layer and tilt to the surface of the layer, and a helical axis is vertical to this layer surface. In the chiral smectic phase, spontaneous polarization takes place, and therefore, when a DC electric field is applied to this layer in parallel therewith, the molecules rotate about the helical axis in accordance with their polarity. Display elements containing the ferroelectric liquid crystals utilize this switching phenomenon.
Nowadays, of the chiral smectic phases, much attention is particularly paid to the S.sub.C * phase. As the display systems in which switching phenomenon of the S.sub.C * phase is utilized, there is a birefringence type system using two polarizers and a guest/host type system using a dichoric dye. Features of these display systems are as follows:
(1) The response is very quick. PA1 (2) Memory properties are present. PA1 (3) Display performance is not quite so affected by the visual angle. PA1 (1) further improvement in the response properties, PA1 (2) the exhibition of the S.sub.C * phase in a wide temperature range inclusive of room temperatures, and PA1 (3) improvement in alignment.
Thus, the display systems have the possibility of achieving the high-density display and are considered to be effectively utilizable in the display elements.
However, in the case that this ferroelectric liquid crystal is used in the practical display elements, there are now many problems such as slow response properties and very difficult alignment.
Therefore, requirements which are necessary for the ferroelectric liquid crystal materials are
At present, no chiral smectic liquid crystal compounds in a single state which satisfy all of such requirements are present, and thus one attempt is to provide a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition satisfying the above-mentioned requirements by mixing several chiral smectic liquid crystal compounds or several non-liquid crystal compounds which can meet a part of the above-mentioned requirements.
In addition to the ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions each comprising the ferroelectric liquid crystal compound alone, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 195,187/1986 discloses a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition which can be prepared by mixing one or more compounds assuming a ferroelectric liquid crystal phase with fundamental materials of compounds and compositions assuming achiral smectic C, F, G, H and I phases (hereinafter referred to simply as "S.sub.C and other phases").
Furthermore, another ferroelectric liquid crystal composition is also reported in which one or more compounds having optical activity but not assuming any ferroelectric liquid crystal phase are mixed with fundamental materials of compounds and compositions assuming the S.sub.C and other phases (Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., 89, p 327, 1982).
The above-mentioned smectic liquid crystal mixture which comprises the fundamental material assuming at least one of the achiral S.sub.C and other phases and which has at least one of the S.sub.C and other phases will be hereinafter referred to as the base Sm mixture.
The preferable base Sm mixture is a liquid crystal mixture assuming the S.sub.C phase in an extensive temperature range inclusive of room temperatures. Components for the base Sm mixture are suitably selected from liquid crystal compounds such as phenylbenzole series, Schiff base series, phenylpyridine series and 5-alkyl-2-(4-alkoxyphenyl)pyridine.
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 291,679/1986 and the pamphlet of PCT International Publication WO86/06401, the ferroelectric liquid crystal prepared by mixing 5-alkyl-2-(4-alkoxyphenyl)pyrimidine with an optically active compound can assume the S.sub.C * phase in a wide temperature range inclusive of room temperatures. In the former publication, it is also described that when a light switching element is prepared by the use of a ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal material in which the above-mentioned pyrimidine derivative is used as the base Sm mixture, the thus prepared switching element has a shortened response time. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 291,679/1986, it is disclosed that the ferroelectric liquid crystal material comprising 5-alkyl-2-(4'-alkylbiphenylyl-4)pyrimidine, 5-alkyl-2-(4-alkoxyphenyl)pyrimidine and an optically active compound also assumes the S.sub.C * phase in an extensive temperature range including room temperatures, and that it is effective for the improvement in the response time. Nevertheless, improvement in the response properties at room temperatures is further demanded.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition having quick response properties, and a second object thereof is to provide a switching element containing the liquid crystal composition which has quick response properties. | {
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Prior art digital PWM modulators generate a pulse width modulated signal with a carrier frequency of minimum twice the signal frequency to comply with the Nyquist criteria. The objective for such a system implementation is to achieve noise and distortion artifacts lower than quantization noise of the sampled signals, which is a challenging task when operating with sampled audio signals of 24 bit resolution. The result is a complex and expensive system.
In the art well-known systems are known e.g. from the document WO 97/37433. Such a system is illustrated in FIG. 1, and comprises a sample rate converter 1, an oversampler 2, a noise shaper 4 and an error correcting algorithm unit 3.
This prior art approach suffers from several drawbacks.
Firstly, the carrier frequency is dependent on the sample frequency, making the use of a sample rate converter 1 necessary. Especially as audio media comes in many different formats, sample rate conversion becomes mandatory. The sample rate converter 1 can be complex to implement due to high order filtering. Quantization errors and aliasing will be introduced leading to reduced dynamic ranges.
Further, in order to increase the dynamic range, an error correcting algorithm 3 and a noise shaper 4 must be comprised in the design leading to unnecessary complexity and cost.
Further, the noise shaper 3 is limited in bandwidth, as the maximum loop gain to suppress the quantization noise is constrained by the stability of the noise shaping loop. Therefore, the noise shaper 4 does still not achieve a satisfactory dynamic range.
Analog PWM modulators where an analog input signal is converted into a PWM signal is also known from prior art systems. In order to obtain a stable system and shape the control loop characteristics, such prior art systems often require additional lead-, lag, lead-lag or lag-lead compensators in the control structure.
Prior art modulator systems based on non-oscillating triangular modulation are greatly reduced in loop gain by necessary demands of phase-margins for the loop to stay stabile. Self-oscillating systems, as described e.g. in WO 02/25357, do not need a phase margin and will have higher loop gain to suppress error and noise components. However, self-oscillating modulators have not yet been implemented successfully in the digital domain. | {
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The present invention is directed, in general, to integrated circuits and, more specifically, to a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit with a micromagnetic device employing a conformal mapping technique and an integrated circuit employing the same.
A magnetic device includes a magnetic core coupled to conductor windings such that magnetic flux flows in a closed path about the core. Magnetic devices are generally configured in an EE-type structure or a toroidal geometry. In the EE-type magnetic device, a first and second core-portion of the magnetic core surround the conductor windings. In the toroidal magnetic device, a first and second winding-portion of the conductor windings surround the magnetic core.
Micromagnetic devices (e.g., microinductors or microtransformers) are micron-scaled integrated circuit magnetic devices; the electromagnetic properties of the device are provided by the presence of the magnetic core and conductor windings. In the past, micromagnetic devices were only applicable to low-level signal applications (e.g., recording heads). With the advancement in production techniques for integrated circuits, it is now possible to fabricate micromagnetic devices for relatively large signal, power processing and high speed data transmission applications. For instance, micromagnetic devices may be employed in power systems for wireless communications equipment or in data transmission circuits.
While many power semiconductor devices (having ferrite cores, for instance) have been scaled down into integrated circuits, inductive elements at the present time remain discrete and physically large. Of course, there is a strong desire to miniaturize these inductive components as well. By extending thin-film processing techniques employed in power semiconductor devices to ferromagnetic materials, the size of the conventional discrete ferromagnetic-core inductive devices can be reduced significantly. Ferromagnetic materials such as alloys, however, have much higher saturation flux densities than ferrites (e.g., 10-20 kG verses 3 kG), thereby reducing the physical volume of the core for a given inductance and energy requirement. To limit the eddy current losses in the ferromagnetic materials, the materials must be fabricated in inordinately thin films. Processing thin-film ferromagnetic materials with traditional rolling and tape winding techniques proves to be very costly as the desired tape thicknesses drops below 0.001 inches (i.e., 25 xcexcm). It is thus advantageous to produce such thin films by other integrated circuit deposition techniques such as sputtering or electroplating.
Another germane consideration associated with manufacturing micromagnetic devices is securing the ferromagnetic material to a silicon substrate or the like. More specifically, forming an adequate bond between the ferromagnetic material and an insulator coupled to the substrate is an important consideration. Many factors (such as oxide formation, melting point temperature, interposed contamination, affinity between materials and mechanical stress at the interface) may influence the adhesion of a thin film to a substrate. For instance, one technique readily employed in thin film manufacturing processes is the formation of an oxide-metal bond at the interface between the substrate and the film. The oxide-metal bond may be formed by employing an oxygen-active metal (such as tungsten or chromium) on an oxygen-bearing substrate (such as glass or ceramic) in conjunction with a refractory metal (such as tantalum or tungsten). With regard to contaminants, it is advantageous to remove any impurities interposed on the substrate. Cleaning methods vary in effectiveness and the method selected depends on the ability of the deposition process to dislodge contaminant atoms. As an example, different cleaning techniques may be employed with sputtering or electroplating.
Of course, the ultimate consideration with regard to the adhesion properties depends on the materials employed. While others have attempted to address the adhesion of ferromagnetic materials to an insulator coupled to a substrate [e.g., Measured Performance of a High-Power-Density Microfabricated Transformer in a DC-DC Converter, by Charles R. Sullivan and Seth R. Sanders, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, p. 287-294 (July 1996), which is incorporated herein by reference], to date, the problem remains unresolved. The development of an adhesive material that simultaneously forms a bond with the insulator and the ferromagnetic material such that thin-film processing can be applied to inductive elements would provide a foundation for the introduction of power processing or data transmission micromagnetic integrated circuits.
Regarding the magnetic properties, current micromagnetic devices are typically isotropic in that their properties are the same when measured in different directions. Although anisotropic properties are generally known in the domain of magnetics, anisotropic properties have not been employed in the design of micromagnetic devices due, in part, to the limitations as addressed above regarding the fabrication of micromagnetic integrated circuits. Micromagnetic devices with the ability to induce a designed magnetic anisotropic property into the core, having a desired direction and characteristic, would be very useful.
A further problem arises with magnetic field fringing effects in the magnetic material such as near gaps of the core of the micromagnetic device. This problem has been addressed in the case of less complex magnetic structures through the use of conformal maps that map a curvilinear field from a z=x+iy domain to a uniform w=u+iv domain in which energy remains invariant under the transformation. The Schwartz-Christoffel transformation, T[w(z)], may be obtained for polygonal areas with any number of vertices including those at infinity. The present solutions, however, only apply to less complex magnetic structures.
W. J. Gibbs in Conformal Transformations in Electrical Engineering, Chapman and Hall Ltd., London 1958, which is incorporated herein by reference, addresses magnetic field fringing effects for magnetic devices having uniform pole faces. In this instance, the solution is possible by using symmetry and relatively large dimensions in non-critical directions, such as a small uniform gap and long uniform magnetic pole pieces. Then, a uniform faced pole may be modeled with one vertex at the corner and two others at infinity and the origin yielding three vertices altogether. (See also, Conformal Mapping: Methods and Applications, by R. Schinzinger and P. A. A. Laura, ElSevier Science Publications, Amsterdam, xc2xa77.3.1, 1991, which is also incorporated herein by reference). Other more complicated structures involving devices having parallel plates of finite thickness separated by a gap have been solved with an integral transformation with four vertices. (See A study of the field around magnetic heads of finite length, by I. E1Abd, IEEE trans, on Audio, AU-11, pp. 21-27, 1963 and xc2xa77.3.2. of Schinzinger, et al.). The solution for more complex magnetic structures, however, remains unsolved.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a conformal mapping technique that is applicable to micromagnetic devices that overcomes the deficiencies in the prior art and a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit having a micromagnetic device that employs conformal mapping to advantage.
To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit and an integrated circuit employing the same. In one embodiment, the method of manufacturing the integrated circuit includes (1) conformally mapping a micromagnetic device, including a ferromagnetic core, to determine appropriate dimensions therefor, (2) depositing an adhesive over an insulator coupled to a substrate of the integrated circuit and (3) forming the ferromagnetic core of the appropriate dimensions over the adhesive.
The present invention introduces, in one aspect, the broad concept of providing a micromagnetic device that employs a conformal mapping technique to determine the appropriate size therefor. The conformal mapping technique may be employed to optimize the dimensions of the micromagnetic device to meet specific design criteria and exhibit desired magnetic properties. For instance, very fine features may be designed into the core of the micromagnetic device or windings may be formed about the core to better utilize the space thereabout. As a result of the aforementioned technique, the magnetic field of the device may be mapped and the core reshaped to accommodate magnetic flux variations associated with different geometries thereby creating micromagnetic devices with substantially uniform flux densities and improving the operational efficiencies thereof.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the act of conformally mapping includes transforming the appropriate dimensions to a hyperelliptical representation. In a related, but alternative embodiment, the act of conformally mapping further includes reducing the hyperelliptical representation to at least one elliptical integral. In still another related, but alternative embodiment, the act of conformally mapping further includes solving the at least one elliptical integral to render at least an approximation of a fringing magnetic field magnitude of the micromagnetic device. While the derivation of the aforementioned steps in relation to a specific core geometry will hereinafter be described in detail, other conformal mapping steps capable of mapping a micromagnetic device to achieve the desired magnetic properties are well within the broad scope of the present invention.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, features of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form. | {
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A bore or pipe must be cleaned, polished, lubricated, and preserved in order to allow for the free and ideal flow of projectiles, liquids, gases, or particulate matter that go through it. The process extends the life of a barrel, pipe, or flue, or extends the life of a device connected to it. In the case of firearms, cleaning a bore improves the accuracy of projectiles shot from it. A firearm bore is lubricated and treated in order to preserve the integrity of the metallic inner wall, grooves, and lands. Undesirable wear and tear of the firearm bore include oxidation of the bore's surface, chemical pitting of the bore, and physical scratching of the bore due to projectiles trapping residual particles.
Properly maintaining the bore usually requires the two separate actions of brushing and wiping of the bore. The brushing step is accomplished with a brush having a uniform transverse diameter as shown in FIG. 5 while the wiping step is accomplished by inserting a patch into the bore with one of the jags shown in FIGS. 6-9. A brush with a transverse diameter that is slightly larger than the bore's inner diameter is used to brush the bore and scrape grime loose that has been baked on or chemically bonded to the inner wall or lands. After the brushing procedure is finished, a jag with a patch is used to wipe grime out of the bore.
Most cleaning devices for the barrels of firearms are single-purpose devices, meaning the cleaning device is used either for scraping residues off the inside of the barrel or for wiping and lubricating the inside of the barrel. To perform both functions, a user would require two separate cleaning devices, a brush to scrape, and a jag to wipe.
In addition, cleaning devices may be single-action, meaning that the device is sent through the bore in a single direction. In single-action cleaning devices, the device is either pushed or pulled through the barrel. However, due to the design, the device cannot be pushed and pulled repeatedly inside the gun barrel. Thus, cleaning the barrel can be a slow laborious process.
Single-action cable systems and pulled-only series systems have a long reloading time between strokes, and people in the market report that they use pulled-only systems when they want to clean quickly but not thoroughly. Prior art spiral brushes attached to rods make it easier to clean thoroughly because brushing strokes may occur with no time delay between strokes, and the time saved makes it more likely for a user to run the brush through the bore many times.
FIG. 6 shows prior art jags for firearms that are loops, eye-lets, or slots, through which a patch is drawn halfway. Some jags are twists of wire extending from the jag's front-end through which a patch is drawn and pinched or punctured as shown in FIG. 7. The jag is capable of holding the patch to perform successive strokes without having to re-load a patch. The patch, however, is not distributed symmetrically around the jag, and the result is that these jags do not press the patch evenly against the wall of the bore. Some grime can be by-passed or missed on any pass down the bore. Another disadvantage of these jags is that when using regular non-abrasive fabric, the jag-patch combination wipes but does not brush and is again not dual purpose.
Thus, there are some cleaning devices that are dual-purpose but not dual-action or dual-action but not dual-purpose. However, these devices only have a single transverse diameter that is either too large to add a patch or two small to apply constant and even pressure against the walls of the barrel.
For the foregoing reasons there is a need for a combination brush and jag that has the dual-purpose of scraping and wiping and has dual-action of being capable of being pushed and pulled through the bore in repeated strokes while maintaining constant and even pressure on the bore walls so as to make cleaning a gun barrel or other types of bores and pipes more efficient. | {
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This invention relates generally to seismic exploration of substrata beneath bodies of water and, more particularly, to a hydrophone assembly for use in a seismic streamer for exploring such substrata.
Marine seismic exploration is often conducted by towing a seismic streamer at a given depth through the ocean or other body of water. The streamer is provided with a plurality of acoustic sensitive transducers, i.e., hydrophones, disposed at appropriate intervals along the length thereof. Acoustic wave energy is provided in the vicinity of the cable by an air gun or other suitable means; this wave energy travels downwardly through the earth with a portion of it being reflected upwardly at levels where there is a contrast in the velocity propagation characteristics of the strata. The hydrophones sense the acoustic pressure waves produced in the water by the upwardly traveling seismic reflections and provide electrical signals indicative thereof to suitable processing and recording equipment located on the seismic vessel that is towing the streamer.
The magnitude of the reflected signals is extremely small, thus making it essential to minimize extraneous noise detected by the hydrophones and to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. One source of such noise is boundary layer or flow noise which is generated by the water flowing past the surface of the cable in a turbulent fashion. It has been found that flow noise is essentially a localized pressure disturbance, which is normal to the surface of the cable, and that flow noise does not propagate in the water in the acoustic sense but rather is convected by the water flowing past the cable.
Prior art hydrophone mounts, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,778, have a cavity in which the hydrophone is positioned in an elastic material, for example, polysulfide elastomer. A thin sheet of plastic film is positioned over the cavity, and a sheath or jacket of extruded plastic is provided over the outside of the cable and the mount. The flow noise or pressure fluctuations are transmitted through the cable sheath, the thin plastic sheet and elastic material to the hydrophone, thus being detected as undesired noise.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrophone assembly that reduces the flow noise sensed by a hydrophone mounted in a marine streamer. | {
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The present invention relates generally to continuous passive motion devices used in the rehabilitation of body limbs that have been disabled in some way. More particularly, the present invention provides improvements to a knee continuous passive motion (CPM) machine. Existing CPM devices have been used for sometime to assist doctors and patients in recovering all or part of the use of a body member such as a hand, wrist, knee, ankle, etc. that has been disabled in someway. Patients hurt in accidents or patients having limbs affected by disease have benefitted greatly from the mechanical assistance provided by a CPM device to assist the patient in reacquiring use of a damaged limb.
Existing CPM machines have been found by the present inventor to have at least three deficiencies which are addressed by the present invention. First, in existing machines there is no adequate way of securing the lower limb (below the knee) to maintain alignment of the lower limb throughout a machine cycle. This may be due to the second problem which is that there is no convenient means afforded the patient for locking (entering) and unlocking (exiting) the lower limb from existing machines. Third, the existing devices do not offer controlled resistance with respect to limb extension.
With respect to the first problem of locking the limb in place, the present inventor has discovered that a patient's limb must be secured adequately in the machine or otherwise the full benefits of the CPM device will not be realized. By more rigidly securing the limb in place in the machine it reduces the upward motion of the lower limb while the machine moves the limb into flexion.
With respect to affording the patient a convenient means for entering and exiting the machine, most patients find it difficult and uncomfortable to bend forward to a position where they could actuate any mechanism of the machine at or near their ankle position. Some patients may find it impossible due to obesity, pain, or overall weakness to reach this far.
The last of the three above mentioned problems is the lack of means for generating controlled resistance for patients having extension contractures. Existing CPM devices do not provide calibrated, reproducible, and controlled means for generating resistance and extension. Extension and flexion are not treated similarly by the CPM device. When flexion is set it is limited to within a patient's tolerance. The same should be considered with respect to extension. The machine should be designed to insure that extension is indeed taking place. Existing CPM devices provide extension motion but do not ensure that extension is actually being experienced by the patient.
The present invention provides answers to the above referenced problems. In the present invention the lower extremity is secured into place in the machine. The location of the securing structure of the present invention is preferably between the tibial length adjustment knob and the foot cradle on existing knee CPM machines. In the present invention an ankle lock is built into the frame of the carriage. Motion is restricted to the longitudinal axis of the frame. Within this range of motion, compensating for any forward and backward movement of the leg during a motion cycle, compression and expansion of controlled springs will tend to restore the distal member to a center position. A lock, latch or hinge of various types may be provided to allow opening and closing of the ankle lock for entering and exiting from the ankle cradle. When the lock is closed the lower extremity is completely surrounded and made immobile for motions perpendicular to the frame's longitudinal axis. This arrangement keeps the motion of the distal extremity parallel to the frame's longitudinal axis throughout a flexion and extension cycle. This accomplishes a calibrated and reproducible range of motion. Angular measurements made on the machine members therefore accurately represent the flexions experienced between the distal and proximal members of the patient. Having a calibrated and reproducible range of motion allows doctors' recommendations, regarding flexion settings and patients' tolerance, to be strictly followed.
Also in the present invention handle means attached to the machine may be provided for securing and releasing the distal member from the ankle lock. Therefore, even a patient in a prone position can operate the ankle lock device. A long handle may be specially equipped so that a rotary motion of the handle will be translated into locking or unlocking of the mechanism.
To solve the third problem, the present invention may be equipped with an extension piece. Clamping the proximal member affords a means for controlling the extension resistance to be generated. Similar to the ankle lock, the extension piece is preferably secured to the frame in an area above the normal knee position. Adjustment of the extension piece position along the frame may be provided to accommodate different proximal member lengths. An adjustable clamping arrangement is one preferred extension piece for fastening the proximal member to the machine. In one embodiment of the present invention a one time set-up adjustment of the extension piece may be made to fit a particular patient enabling quick release and locking to be accomplished during subsequent use. This added capability gives the clinician an accurate way to gauge and control the amount of resistance being applied to extension thus providing a reproducible method of treating extension contractures with the CPM device.
Further features of the present invention may include the placement of cushioned material or padding on all areas of the device that bear against the patient's skin and inflatable bladders which may form part of the inner portion of the ankle lock and/or extension piece to softly but firmly secure a limb in place. With the above listed improvements of the present invention there will be increased accuracy in the measurement and setting of the range of motion of the device relative to the actual range of motion experienced by the patient. The present invention further provides easier entering and exiting and will offer slight, constant, and controlled resistance to the upper leg which improves the device's capability of controlling resistance in extension.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings and following detailed description. | {
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The present invention relates to patient cervical curvature restoration, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a neck exercising device or rehabilitation tool and a method of restoring and/or maintaining proper cervical spine curvature.
Cervical curve reversal is a physical condition that is accompanied by forward displacement of the head thereby requiring the muscles of the neck and upper back to contract progressively tighter as cervical kyphosis worsens. This condition is one of the leading causes of patient symptoms and degenerative spinal changes. The increased muscular force required to hold the displaced head increases spinal compression, which leads to advancing disk and joint deterioration. A host of patient symptoms are related, including neck pain, headaches, TMJ pain, radiculopathy, myofacial syndromes, upper back pain and fatigue, occipital neuralgia, balance problems or in-coordination, and emotional stress.
Various devices for exercising and/or supporting the neck are known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No.: 5,498,218 issued to Proctor et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,999 issued to Bustamante; U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,154 issued to Mattox; D.447,779 S issued to Munger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,949 issued to Hathaway; U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,248 issued to Vani; U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,167 issued to Manley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,193 issued to Newman; U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,192 B2 issued to Edgeton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,093 issued to Forrest, Sr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,027 issued to Robinson; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,841 and 5,569,176 issued to Graham; U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,013 issued to Allen; U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,968 B2 issued to Pettibon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,104,926 B2 issued to Carlson; U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,269 B2 issued to Makofsky; U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,747 B1 issued to Kelley; U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,869 issued to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,359 issued to Moore; U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,940 issued to Morris et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,719 B2 issued to Meyer. Also see U.S. Patent Application Publications Nos. 2006/0052219 A1 of Roberts et al., 2007/0191187 A1 of Reynolds, and 2007/0021784 of Hurd.
While the neck exercising devices and methods disclosed in the above referenced patents and published applications may function in a satisfactory manner for their intended purpose, there remains a need for an improved neck rehabilitation tool and exercise device for use in correcting lordosis, for restoring proper cervical spine curvature, and for strengthening the muscles of the neck and upper back. The device and method of restoration should enable a patient to achieve permanent and lasting curve correction. Preferably, the device should be affordable, available for daily use, and easy to use. | {
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To produce a 3D holographic image suitable for use with a 3D display, such as a light field display, an array of hogels, each representing a different “camera” position on a display surface, are rendered. If the final 3D holographic image is to appear both in front of and behind the display, a double frustum rendering technique is used. With this technique, two opposing camera frusta, one on either side of the hologram plane, are simulated. One particular implementation of the double frustum rendering technique, developed by Michael Halle and Adam Kropp, is described in the technical paper, “Fast Computer Graphics Rendering for Full Parallax Spatial Displays,” Proc. Soc. Photo-Opt. Instrum. Eng. (SPIE), 3011:105-112 (Feb. 10-11, 1997).
Although the presently known double frustum rendering techniques, such as the one mentioned above, are generally robust, these known techniques do suffer certain drawbacks. For example, these presently known techniques typically require multiple (usually two) rendering passes for each hogel. This rendering technique can thus be relatively slow and processor intensive for 3D holographic images that consists of many hogels.
Hence, there is a need for a 3D holographic rendering technique that does not rely on multiple rendering passes for each hogel that comprises a 3D holographic image. The present invention addresses at least this need. | {
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Acoustic signals picked up by microphones in speech recognition, video production, or the like also include ambient sound signals such as background noise and music in addition to voice signals of voice of users or actors. There are source separation technologies as technologies for extracting only desired signals from acoustic signals in which voice signals and ambient sound signals are mixed.
For example, a source separation technology using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is known. The NMF is a technique of decomposing a plurality of spectra into a product of a basis matrix and a coefficient matrix. If a basis matrix of ambient sound is generated in advance by using training samples, a high-variance, non-stationary ambient sound spectrum can be estimated by adjusting a coefficient matrix according to the spectrum of an acoustic signal to be processed. A voice spectrum can also be estimated similarly to the ambient sound spectrum, and ambient sound signals and voice signals can be extracted.
In order to perform source separation with high accuracy on mixtures of various ambient sounds and scene changes, it is desirable to use acoustic signals previously picked up as training samples. On the other hand, in order to realize source separation at a low computational cost, such as to minimize delays, it is desirable to estimate ambient sound by using few samples smaller than several seconds, for example.
With the technologies of the conventional system, however, spectral distribution of ambient noise cannot be estimated with high accuracy by using a small number of samples. That is, there have been disadvantages that the accuracy of estimation of average components of ambient sound is lowered (estimated ambient sound components are insufficient) and that much ambient sound remains in extracted voice (separation performance is lowered). | {
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The present invention relates to sensor devices and, more particularly, to an bio-sensor system configured for wirelessly transmitting data to a remote transponder from an on-chip transponder having a sensor and which is implantable in a patient. The bio-sensor system is specifically adapted to apply a stable and precise voltage to an electrode system of the sensor such that glucose concentration levels of the patient may be accurately measured.
The blood glucose concentration level of a patient is normally controlled by the pancreas. However, for patients suffering from diabetes, the pancreas does not properly regulate the production of insulin needed to metabolize food into energy for the individual. For diabetic patients, glucose levels must be checked or monitored several times throughout the day so that insulin may be periodically administered in order to maintain the glucose concentration at a normal level. In one popular method, the glucose level is monitored by first obtaining a sample of blood from finger-pricking. The glucose level of the blood sample is then placed on a glucose measurement strip and a subsequent chemical reaction produces a color change that may be compared to a reference chart. In this manner, the reaction of the blood sample with the glucose measurement strip provides an indication as to whether the glucose level is abnormally low or high such that the diabetic patient may administer the proper amount of insulin in order to maintain the glucose concentration within a predetermined range. Such administration of insulin is typically performed by way of self-injection with a syringe.
Unfortunately, the finger-pricking method of glucose testing is uncomfortable as both the blood-pricking and the insulin injections are painful and time-consuming such that many diabetic patients are reluctant to check their glucose levels at regular intervals throughout the day. Unfortunately, glucose levels often fluctuate throughout the day. Therefore, even diabetic patients who are otherwise consistent in checking their glucose levels at regular intervals throughout the day may be unaware of periods wherein their glucose levels are dangerously low or high. Furthermore, the finger-pricking method is dependent on patient skill for accurate testing such that the patient may rely on erroneous data in determining the dosage level of insulin. Finally, self-monitoring of glucose levels imposes a significant burden on less capable individuals such as the young, the elderly and the mentally-challenged.
At the time of this writing, it is estimated that 17 million people in the United States, or about six percent of the population, have diabetes. Due in part to dietary habits and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, particularly among children, diabetes is expected to increase at the rate of about 7 percent every year such that the disease is predicted to eventually reach epidemic proportions. In addition, the current cost of diabetes in the United States alone is estimated at over $120 billion with the total U.S. sales of the glucose measuring strips alone estimated at about $2 billion. Thus, there is a demand for continuous, reliable and low-cost monitoring of glucose levels of diabetic patients due to the increasing number of people diagnosed with diabetes.
Included in the prior art are several implantable devices have been developed in an effort to provide a system for continuous and reliable glucose monitoring. In such implantable devices, an electrochemical sensor is embedded beneath the skin of the patient. The electrochemical sensor detects the glucose concentration level and transmits signals representative of the glucose concentration level to a receiving device. Unfortunately, such implantable devices suffer from several deficiencies. One such deficiency is that implantable devices may expend a substantial amount of power in sensing and processing bio-signals. The power requirement for such devices necessitates the use of large batteries in order to prolong the useful life. Unfortunately, implantable devices having batteries as the power source may require periodic surgeries for replacement of the batteries when the capacity drops below a minimum level.
Furthermore, some batteries contain materials that may present a risk of harm to the patient due to toxic substances or chemical within the battery that may leak into the patient after implantation. Also, due to the relatively limited power capacity of batteries, the range of functions that may be performed by the implantable device may be somewhat limited. Finally, it may be desirable to monitor multiple physiological parameters in addition to glucose concentration levels. In such cases, the implantable device may require multiple sensors wherein each sensor simultaneously monitors a different physiological parameter of the patient. For example, in addition to monitoring glucose concentration levels, the temperature and heart rate of the patient may also be monitored. Such an implantable device having multiple sensors may consume more power than can be supplied by a battery that is miniaturized for use in an implantable device.
One implantable device in the prior art overcomes the above noted deficiency associated with large power requirements by providing a bio-sensor system that is passively powered such that the operating life of the bio-sensor is theoretically unlimited. As understood, the passively powered bio-sensor system includes at least one sensor that is implanted in a patient. The implanted sensor monitors physiological conditions of the patient. An implanted passive transponder receives the sensor signals from the sensor, digitizes the sensor signals and transmits the digitized sensor signal out of the patient's body when subjected to an interrogation signal from a remote interrogator. The interrogator also energizes the implanted transponder such that the bio-sensor system may be passively powered. In this manner, the passively powered bio-sensor system requires no batteries such that it essentially has an unlimited operating life.
Another deficiency of implantable devices pertains to electrochemical sensors that are utilized therein to measure glucose concentration levels in the patient's blood. Such sensors typically use an amperometric detection method wherein oxidation or reduction of a compound is measured at a working electrode in order to determine substance concentration levels. A potentiostat is used to apply a constant potential or excitation voltage to the working electrode with respect to a reference electrode. In measuring glucose concentration levels in the blood, glucose oxidase (GOX) is typically used as a catalyst to oxidize glucose and form gluconic acid, leaving behind two electrons and two protons and reducing the GOX. Oxygen that is dissolved in the patient's blood then reacts with GOX by accepting the two electrons and two protons to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and regenerating oxidized GOX.
The cycle repeats as the regenerated GOX reacts once again with glucose. The consumption of O2 or the formation of H2O2 is subsequently measured at the working electrode which is typically a platinum electrode. As oxidation occurs at the working electrode, reduction also occurs at the reference electrode which is typically a silver/silver chloride electrode. The more oxygen that is consumed, the greater the amount of glucose in the patient's blood. In the same reaction, the rate at which H2O2 is produced is also indicative of the glucose concentration level in the patient's blood. Because the potentiostat controls the voltage difference between the working electrode and the reference electrode, the accuracy with which the sensor measures glucose concentration levels is dependent on the accuracy with which the voltage is applied. If the voltage that is applied to the sensor is excessive, the silver or silver chloride reference electrode may be excessively consumed such that the reference electrode may become damaged. Furthermore, erroneous measurements of glucose concentration levels may result such that the ability of the patient to administer insulin in order to correct for abnormalities in glucose concentration levels may be compromised
In an attempt to overcome the above-described deficiency associated with two-electrode electrochemical sensors, three-electrode electrochemical sensors have been developed wherein an auxiliary electrode is included with the working electrode and the reference electrode. The inclusion of the auxiliary electrode is understood to reduce the consumption of silver and silver chloride by reducing the magnitude of current flowing through the reference electrode, thereby stabilizing the electrode potential. Unfortunately, such three-electrode electrochemical sensors of the type describe above add complexity and cost to the bio-sensor system due to the increased difficulty in manufacturing and operating such electrochemical sensors.
As can be seen, there is a need for an implantable bio-sensor system that overcomes the above-described deficiencies associated with the stability of the reference electrode potential with respect to the working electrode. More specifically, there exists a need in the art for an implantable bio-sensor system that provides a stable and accurate voltage to the electrochemical sensor in order to improve the accuracy with which glucose concentration levels may be measured. In combination with the power requirements, there is also a need in the art for an implantable bio-sensor system that enables the simultaneous and selective monitoring of multiple physiological parameters of the patient through the use of multiple bio-sensors included with the implantable device. Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for an implantable bio-sensor system which allows full-duplex operation such that requests for data (i.e., physiological parameters of the patient) and transmission of such data can be simultaneously performed. Finally, there is a need in the art for an implantable bio-sensor system that enables continuous readout of the data at a remote device. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of utilizing information (when, where, who) related to a position of a user terminal (its user) that enters a communication area provided by a given radio LAN access point.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, in the case where a service provider provides an access point of a public radio LAN, it is necessary to locate a radio LAN access point (hereinafter referred to also as “AP”) at respective locations.
The location of AP requires considerable expense, and for that reason, most of the access point services are charged services such as a monthly rate system.
However, when the service starts for free but thereafter moves from free to fee based, there is a tendency to reduce the number of subscribers after moving to fee based, and therefore the service provider wants to provide the service with no fee.
Under the above circumstances, there has been proposed apparatus for showing a subscriber an advertisement, obtaining earnings as an advertising fee, and making an access point service free (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
The following are related arts to the present invention.
Patent Document 1
JP 2002-124993 A
Patent Document 2
JP 2001-111544 A
Patent Document 3
JP 2001-268125 A
Patent Document 4
JP 2003-67630 A
Non-Patent Document
RFC2865
However, because the conventional art presumes the advertisement with respect to the subscriber who presently exists on the access point, it is difficult to distribute the advertisement that is temporally free. This is because the advertisement delivery to a customer who is in the store presently can be performed by delivering the advertisement to a terminal accessing a network, but there arises a problem in that the above method cannot be performed in the case where the advertisement is to be delivered to the customer who has come to the store in the past but is not in the store presently. | {
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Control flow graphs are used in computer science to represent all of the paths a program may traverse during execution of the program. In a control flow graph, each mode may represent a block of code, and the edges of the graph represent possible jumps in the control flow. Control flow graphs are often used in static analyses of code, as well as various compiler optimizations. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to antennas reduced in size and having excellent reception characteristics and in particular to antennas receiving electric waves of ultrahigh frequency (UHF) band.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally a variety of antennas have been proposed for different applications. In recent years, in particular, a variety of miniature antennas, omnidirectional antennas and the like intended to be installed indoors, mounted in mobile terminals and the like are proposed.
For example Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2000-13130 discloses an antenna having a plurality of closed loop elements to be capable of reducing the size of a closed loop element for accommodating a desired frequency band and also of having large directivity.
Furthermore Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2004-282319 discloses an antenna having a main body member implemented by a flat plate of metal in a strip having a prescribed width and thickness and a prescribed geometry.
Furthermore Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2001-85928 discloses a folded dipole antenna having an antenna element of conductor formed in a folded square belt.
Furthermore Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 5-63435 discloses an antenna apparatus having a radiation element with an additional element arranged adjacent thereto to allow an antenna to cause complex resonance to achieve an increased band width. This antenna apparatus has the radiation element and the additional element with a reactance element loaded thereto to change a value in reactance to provide impedance-matching with the characteristic impedance of a feeder. The antenna apparatus can thus achieve sufficient reception over a wide band.
In Japan, digital terrestrial broadcasting started in 2003 and its viewable area is currently increasing. Accordingly, reception equipment with a digital high-definition (DH) reception mark attached thereto has been introduced in the market.
The DH mark is a symbol mark guaranteeing that equipment with the mark is reception system equipment registered with Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) and at least having a specified level of performance. Products subject to registration for the DH mark include ultrahigh frequency (UHF) antennas receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts.
For an antenna receiving a television broadcast signal, Yagi antenna is often used. For Yagi antenna, such improvements are generally introduced as increasing the numbers of guidewaves or the area of the reflector to improve gain, front-to-back ratio, and other performance.
Furthermore, as another approach to enhance an antenna in performance the antenna is changed in configuration to be different than conventional. For example as an antenna capable of improving gain a stacked antenna having a plurality of antennas combined together is conventionally known.
FIG. 25 shows an example of a configuration of a stacked antenna.
With reference to the figure, a stacked antenna 100 includes antennas ANT11 and ANT12 each being a Yagi antenna receiving a UHF band electric wave which is in turn input via matchers 101 and 102 to a mixer 103 mixing the two electric waves together for output.
Antennas ANT11 and ANT12 each have an output impedance of 300Ω. Mixer 103 has an input impedance of 75Ω. If antennas ANT11 and ANT12 are directly connected to mixer 103, a loss associated with mismatching in impedance is increased. To match in impedance, matchers 101 and 102 are connected to antennas ANT11 and ANT12, respectively.
Typically, Yagi antenna is installed outdoors for use. As such, if the antenna is increased in size, it requires a larger area for installation and is also more susceptible to wind. In particular, if a Yagi antenna having a reflector increased in area to achieve enhanced performance receives wind, it is susceptible to damage.
In particular, the tendency to increase antennas in size significantly appears for wide band antennas capable of receiving analog and digital terrestrial broadcasts. If a single Yagi antenna is used with an increased gain to receive an electric wave of a UHF low channel band (13–44 channels) such as digital terrestrial broadcasting, the antenna is necessitated to be larger. Larger antennas, however, tend to cause problems associated with installation area, damage, and the like as described above.
Furthermore, for the stacked antenna shown in FIG. 25, the matchers and the mixers provide losses, and the performance is not improved as theoretically expected.
Furthermore, the above described miniature and omnidirectional antennas do not have performance suitable for receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts. First, conventional antennas reduced in size are reduced in gain and other performance. Furthermore, omnidirectional antennas receive not only an electric wave from a transmitting antenna but also that reflected from any obstacle existing therearound. Thus omnidirectional antennas are susceptible to multipath propagation.
For analog broadcasting, multipath propagation causes a ghost on a television screen. For digital broadcasting, if multipath propagation exceeding a level is caused no image will not be shown on a television screen. As such, conventional miniature and omnidirectional antennas are unsuitable for receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts. | {
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With the widespread use of electronic devices such as smart phones, the smart phone can support an increasing number of applications and is becoming more and more powerful. The smart phone is developing in a diversified and personalized way, becoming indispensable electronic products in users' life. In the fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system, the electronic device generally adopts a single-antenna or dual-antenna radio frequency (RF) system architecture. Currently, in a new radio (NR) system of the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, an electronic device supporting a four-antenna RF system architecture is proposed. | {
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system peripheral devices, and more particularly to an information handling system automated wireless pairing of peripheral devices.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Portable information handling systems generally include integrated input/output (I/O) devices and an integrated power sources to allow end users to use the systems without coupling to external I/O devices or power sources. For example, an information handling system clamshell configuration generally has a main housing portion that contains processing components and an integrated keyboard, and a lid housing portion rotationally coupled with the main housing portion that contains a display. In normal use, an end user rotates the lid portion approximately 90 degrees to elevate the display into a viewing position and expose the keyboard in the main housing portion. During periods of non-use or transport, the end user rotates the lid closed relative to the main housing portion to protect both the keyboard and the display. In some instances, the lid housing portion or display rotates in a manner that exposes the display with the lid portion closed relative to the main portion, thus allowing the information handling system to be used as a tablet.
Portable information handling systems have shrunk in size and increased in capabilities as more powerful processing components have been developed. One general goal of information handling system manufacturers has been to decrease the thickness or Z height of information handling system housings. In particular, tablet information handling systems have sought to provide a minimal planar housing thickness that makes the system more convenient for end users to carry and use. Tablet information handling systems typically use a touchscreen display as the primary input device, such as by presenting a keyboard on the display that accepts keyed end user inputs with touches at the display. Eliminating the mechanical keyboard reduces housing size, however, tends to limit the usefulness of the system for performing tasks that generally require keyed inputs, such as word processing. As a result, end users tend to limit the applications run on tablet information handling systems to those that have minimal keyboard inputs, such as web surfing, e-mail and texting.
One solution that aids keyed inputs to a tablet information handling system is to interface with the tablet system through a peripheral keyboard device. As an example, a base or tablet stand holds a tablet display in an elevated viewing position and includes a keyboard that accepts inputs to the tablet system. For example, the tablet has a connector port located along a side of the housing that inserts into a connector of the base to communicate with a keyboard integrated in the stand. In some instances, tablet information handling systems include only a single USB port that is relied on to both charge the system and communicate data. In other instances, tablet housings will include pogo pins along one side that provide a touch interface to pogo pins of the stand and held in position by the weight of the tablet system or an attachment device in the stand. In essence, a base or tablet stand that integrates a physical keyboard converts the tablet into a clamshell configuration that includes an option for the user to separate from the stand and use the tablet separately as desired.
Another way for a user to interface a keyboard with a tablet information handling system is to interface through a wireless signal, such as Bluetooth. One difficulty with using wireless protocols is that the keyboard and tablet information handling system have to pair with each other in order to communicate data. A typical Bluetooth pairing process involves several steps. First the tablet information handling system wireless network interface card has to be put into discovery mode. Next the keyboard has to be put into an advertisement mode that can be seen in discovery. Finally, the end user selects the keyboard from a list of discovered devices to establish data transfer. In some cases, discovery may be automated and issued from the keyboard, such as with a button touch, with the tablet information handling system advertising to be discovered by the peripheral. One difficulty with the discovery and pairing process is that in an enterprise environment multiple systems and peripherals may be performing discovery and pairing within range of each other, thus presenting the end user with a complex selection of multiple devices or even pairing incorrect peripherals and information handling systems. Further, in an enterprise environment, peripheral devices are sometimes mixed and matched as needed so that an end user may have to repeat the pairing process every time the end user interfaces with a peripheral device. In some cases, end user confusion is intensified where automated pairing of an information handling system and previously-paired peripheral device results in the end user having an unintended association with a peripheral device previously used by the information handling system and stored in memory. | {
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This invention was made with government support under Contract No.: N00019-02-C-3003 with the United States Navy. The government therefore has certain rights in this invention.
The present invention relates to gas turbine engines having a cooling liner, and more particularly to an attachment hanger system for a circumferential cooling liner within a swivelable exhaust duct.
In order to improve engine operation and performance, the usage of exhaust duct cooling air is carefully rationed. Since the cooling air is generally extracted from the engine and is then not utilized for producing thrust, this extracted cooling air is a penalty to the overall performance of the engine. In current gas turbine engine exhaust ducts, a liner is disposed between the engine's working medium (exhaust gas path) and the engine outer casing or duct. Cooling air typically extracted from the engine's compressor is flowed between the cooling liner and duct then discharged over the seals and flaps of the nozzle located at the rear end of the exhaust duct.
A relatively significant quantity of cooling air is required to properly cool the generally annular area to maintain a positive pressure within the cooling liner while being subjected to large core pressure gradients at various operating conditions. The cooling airflow is typically based at an airflow required for the most adverse pressure gradient during the most adverse operating condition. Furthermore, recent aircraft include exhaust ducts which can vector through relative swiveling between exhaust duct segments which are interconnected through bearing arrangements may further complicate cooling liner arrangements.
To accommodate the multiple duct segments and intermediate bearing systems, a multitude of individual cooling liner segments are assembled within the duct to permit passage and assembly through the upstream bearing obstructions. Although effective, each liner segment needs to be individually fastened to the duct case and each liner segment needs to be sealed to the adjoining liner segment. This may result in a weight and manufacturing penalty for redundant parts, loss of sealing efficiency and a significant number of non-desirable joints between each individual liner segment.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a cooling liner assembly for a swivelable exhaust duct which minimizes the number of cooling liner segment joints to increase sealing efficiency while reducing weight, maintenance requirements, and assembly complications. | {
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Continuous glass filaments are normally made in high speed filament forming operations. In these operations filaments can be drawn at linear speeds in the order of 5,000 to 15,000 feet-per-minute and faster.
In the usual glass filament forming operation filaments are withdrawn from streams flowing from a source of molten glass. The speeding filaments are gathered into a strand that is forwarded to a collection zone. And it is common practice to collect the strand into a wound package by a winder. Also, a rotary pulley device, such as a "pull wheel, " can advance the strand to a collection surface to form a mat.
The high linear velocities of the continuous filaments draw a considerable amount of air from the surrounding atmosphere in the direction of filament travel. In fact, the high processing speeds induce such a flow of air that the speeding filaments and strand might be considered an air pump.
The energy of the large quantities of air moving with the filaments in filament forming operations makes treatment of filaments with coating substances difficult.
Yet in processes producing glass strand it is a practice to apply a liquid sizing a individual glass filaments before they are combined into the strand. The sizing protects the glass filaments from abrasion by each other and unites the filaments into an integral bundle.
But prior liquid applying apparatus does not closely control the amount of sizing liquid applied to the filaments. Energy of air moving with the filaments plays a large part in nonuniform treatment of the filaments. To overcome nonuniform treatment difficulties prior methods normally apply excess liquid to avoid strand locations that might otherwise have insufficient liquid on them. Consequently, in filament forming processes collected glass strand normally has excess liquid unevenly applied alone its length.
Subsequent drying of excessively wet wound strand packages is a long process that causes migration of solids in the sizing or other liquid as liquid moves towards the periphery of packages for evaporation. Such movement of liquid tends to concentrate solids along the strand portions located near the periphery of packages. Hence, strands from these packages possess varying amounts of solids along their length; strand properties are not uniform. Accordingly, these strands are not wholly satisfactory.
Of course, increased processing speeds increases air flow with the filaments. Hence, in processes forming continuous glass filaments air flow has a significant effect on processing speeds. This is especially true for treatment of the filaments with special coating substances. | {
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In the field of communication, multipath is a propagation phenomenon that results in radio signals reaching a receiver (receiving antenna) by two or more paths, thus, the same radio signals may arrive multiple times at the receiver at slightly different times, which may cause signal distortion. Multipath or multipath information may be caused by, for example, atmospheric ducting, ionospheric reflection and refraction, and/or reflection from terrestrial objects, such as mountains and buildings. Because there can be only one “direct” path, some process of reflection, refraction, or scattering must account for multipath information. Furthermore, multipath information may result in a form of echoing or one or more “ghost signals.”
Accordingly, equalizers are widely used to compensate for channel distortion, for example, multipath information, in signal transmitting and receiving systems used in the fields of communications, broadcasting, storage media, the military and the like. To effectively remove multipath information having a time delay with respect to a main signal, equalizers typically have a sufficient tap length, i.e., a sufficient number of taps, to handle multipath information. To remove multipath information from a signal, an equalizer typically includes an N-tap feed forward filter and an M-tap feed backward filter, which may reduce the ghost signals present before (pre-ghost signal) and after (post-ghost signal) the main signal.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic block diagram illustrating conventional fixed tap length equalizers 100 will be discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the fixed tap length equalizer 100 includes a feed forward filter 110 including a main tap 130, a feed backward filter 120, and an accumulator 140. The tap length (number of taps) in the feed forward filter 110 and the tap length in the feed backward filter 120 are fixed.
Based on the main tap 130, a pre-ghost signal is removed by the feed forward filter 110 and a post-ghost signal is removed by the feed backward filter 120. A ghost signal that exists in a short section behind the main tap 130 (or a main signal) and has a large magnitude (“strong short ghost signal”) may be removed by some of the taps of the feed forward filter 110, which are located behind the main tap 130 and/or some of the taps of the feed backward filter 120. Typically, a long pre-ghost signal and a long post-ghost signal, which have an enough magnitude to influence a main signal, do not exist simultaneously.
The accumulator 140 receives output signals of the feed forward filter 110 and output signals of the feed backward filter 120, sums the received output signals and outputs a summation result to a decision block (not shown).
Conventional fixed tap length equalizers 100 typically have enough tap length to cover most possible lengths of ghost signals and, therefore, typically use a lot of hardware. Conventional fixed tap length equalizer 100 may also be able to handle multipath information (or a ghost signal profile) that rapidly changes. However, when the amount of the change goes beyond the limit of conventional fixed tap length equalizers 100, coefficients of all taps included in the conventional fixed tap length equalizer 100 may be initialized.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic block diagram of conventional main tap moving equalizers 200 will be discussed. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 includes a feed forward filter 210 including a main tap 230, a feed backward filter 220, and an accumulator 240. The tap length of the feed forward filter 210 is the same as the tap length of the feed backward filter 220. The main tap 230 is moved based on multipath information so that a ghost signal may be removed.
For example, when a long pre-ghost signal exists in a channel, the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 may be configured to move the main tap 230 to the right (R) to increase a pre-ghost signal handling range. Similarly, when a long post-ghost signal exists in a channel, the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 may be configured to move the main tap 230 to the left (L) to increase a post-ghost signal handling range. Accordingly, the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 typically has a very wide ghost signal handling range.
However, the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 may not remove strong short ghost signals existing behind the main tap 230 effectively. Moreover, since a data bit width of a tap of the feed backward filter 220, which is smaller than a tap of the feed forward filter 210, is increased, the size of the hardware for the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 may also be increased. Furthermore, when multipath information changes, the main tap 230 is moved, and therefore, coefficients of all taps included in the conventional main tap moving equalizer 200 may be initialized. | {
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Conventional technology allows for a transmission device enabling communications in SISO (Single-Input, Single-Output) and MISO (Multiple-Input, Single-Output) systems (e.g., Non-Patent Literature 14). | {
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Database systems rely on data replication and synchronization to maintain continuous system availability. Typically, in such a system, a complete copy of the database is stored at a first database system and the same complete copy of the database is stored at a second database system. The first and second database systems may be in different locations. Since the data in the second database system needs to be the same as the data in the first database system, a synchronization mechanism is typically employed to handle synchronization of the data. If there is a failure associated with the first database system, the overall system can switch to using the second database system without significant issues.
Since the second database system may be asked to perform all of the same tasks as the first database system, typically, the second database system has the same hardware and software requirements as the first database system. Sometimes more than two database systems may be included within the overall system. | {
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This invention relates to a two-piece releasable coupling for anchoring a line to a support surface, for example, in securing a canopy web strap to a boat hull.
Prior art relating to releasable couplings is replete in teachings directed to the joining of free ends of cables, belts, jewelry, halters and similar devices. However, this invention is directed to securing rope, cord, strap, cable and line at either an end or intermediate the opposite ends of a line to a fixed surface while permitting pivoting movement of one component of the coupling to permit its automatic alignment with tensioning forces applied at various angles to the line, for example, in tying down a boat cover.
Conventional means for releasably anchoring boat covers or canopies to a hull or other suitable support surfaces commonly feature metal clips and U bolts, snaps, and various clamping devices.
Known metal parts tend to corrode, creating undesirable stains on the support surface. They are difficult to connect and disconnect under tension and even may cause injury from sharp corroded edges. Clips made of non-corrosive metals are expensive. In addition, repeated contact of metal connectors with adjacent surfaces such as a fiberglass hull may cause costly cosmetic or structural damage.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved releasable coupling particularly suited to be formed of high strength material with a minimum number of components for relatively inexpensive manufacture.
Another object of t his invention is to provide such a new and improved coupling which is quick and easy to install in a variety of different applications and which minimizes forces required of a user to engage and release a line under tension.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a new and improved coupling for securing a line and which automatically adjusts a movable line connector of the coupling toward alignment with the direction of tensioning forces being applied by the line.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide such a new and improved coupling particularly suited for reliable use over extended periods of time under adverse conditions. Included in this object is the provision of a coupling particularly compatible with coated, painted, fiberglass and wood surfaces and which is quick and easy to manipulate under adverse temperature and weather conditions.
Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.
To achieve the objects of this invention, a separable twist-to-engage coupling is disclosed having two components, namely, a base and a connector. The base is attachable to a support surface and has an exposed elongated slot and an underlying cavity communicating with the slot. The connector includes a body portion for anchoring a line and an end portion having a pair of arms joined to the body portion. The arms coaxially extend in opposite directions in perpendicular relation to a major axis of the connector. The arms are insertable through the slot of the base into its cavity and rotatable therein about the major axis of the connector into an operative position of the coupling. The body portion of the connector in the operative position of the coupling is free to swing between opposite angular positions with the arms serving as a pivot axis for the connector. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a RF recognition-based merchandise purchasing system and method and more particularly, to a system and method which is capable of implementing a service for allowing a user to create a merchandise purchasing wish list through an application installed in a user terminal, performing a payment process for a merchandise on the purchasing wish list when a user enters a store selling the merchandise, and delivering the merchandise to the user.
Description of the Related Art
With recent rapid spread of mobile terminals, a certain number of purchasing/payment services using mobile terminals have been introduced. In particular, high convenience in interlock with store sales systems (for example, POS (Point Of Sales) systems) is of main concern.
A POS system is a sales management system which manages sales information intensively by recording information on sold merchandises in-situ. That is, the POS system is a general sales management system which doubles the client reaction ability by integrating, analyzing and evaluating POS information in real time by connecting a store ordering system and an administer server on-line.
In general, the POS system is driven to calculate prices for merchandises and collect all information on the merchandises by scanning barcodes or OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tags attached to the merchandises.
However, since most POS systems are operated starting from a payment phase after decision of purchase by clients, even when a client enters a store after deciding merchandises to be purchased, it takes a long time to wait payment, make an order and deliver the merchandises to the client.
Therefore, there is a need of a more advanced sales management system which is capable of alleviating the above-mentioned client inconvenience. The present invention suggests a merchandise purchasing service which is capable of allowing a user to select a merchandise to be purchased through a merchandise purchasing application installed in its own terminal, detecting a signal output from a RF device installed in a store, and making payment for the selected merchandise when the user terminal acquires information related to the store. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the combination of a golf ball marker which incorporates a permanent magnet in its structure with a golf putter having a club head formed of a material attracted by magnetism and -the use of that combination as an aid for golf putting practice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During a round of golf quite frequently a golfer will arrive at a green in preparation for a golf putt, but will sometimes have to wait for several minutes for other golfers to complete their shots. During this time the golfer can contemplate the best way to execute the golf putt that is required to maximize the likelihood that the golfer""s next putt will drop in the hole. In this connection it is often useful for the golfer to practice a proper putting stance, manner of addressing the ball, and swing of the golf putter club.
Many golfers have difficulty putting because the line of movement of the golf putter during the putting stroke is not precisely perpendicular to the face of the putter. As a consequence, when the plane of the impact face of the putter strikes the golf ball, it does so at a slight angle which will cause the ball to travel along a path at a slight angle to the plane of the putter stroke. Even a very slight error in this regard will result in a putt that travels to one side or the other of the cup.
Numerous putting aids exist which are designed to allow a-golfer to improve their putting strokes. However, conventional training aids involve devices which are too large or cumbersome to be carried along during the actual golf match. Rather, many conventional putting aids are designed for the golfer to utilize in private at a practice location, but not while awaiting a turn on the actual field of play.
The present invention involves the use of a flat golf ball marker which incorporates a permanent magnet in its structure in combination with a golf putter as a practice aid to golfers for practicing putting. The construction of such a golf ball marker is described in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/426,786 filed Oct. 22, 1999. This application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As described in that application, a golf ball marker into which a magnet has been incorporated may be carried externally on an article of golf clothing into which an iron or steel object has been embedded. Golf ball markers with magnets in them may thereby be worn and prominently displayed on golf hats, caps, sun visors, golf gloves, golf towels, golf bags and other golf accessories.
However, I have devised yet another use of a golf ball marker having a magnet in it. By utilizing such a golf ball marker on a golf putter having a golf club head formed of iron, steel, or any other material that is attracted:.by magnetism, a most effective golf putting training aid is created.
The unique combination of elements of the present invention may be utilized in several different ways to improve the proficiency of a golfer""s putting game. The use of a single golf ball marker into which a permanent magnet has been incorporated can be used to advantage in this connection. However, even greater advantages are gained by utilizing a pair of golf ball markers each having a magnet within its structure in combination with a golf putter.
The club head of the golf putter employed in the practice aid of the invention must be formed of a material attracted by magnetism, such as iron or steel. While some golf putter club heads are formed of brass or aluminum, the vast majority are now made of steel, which is attracted by magnetism. A golf ball marker having a magnet within its structure will be attracted to such a golf putter club head and will adhere to it due to the force of magnetic attraction. As a consequence, such a golf ball marker may be utilized in combination with such a golf putter to fine tune a golfer""s putting game.
To illustrate, it is well-known that for putting accuracy it is important for the ball-impact face of the golf putter club head to remain vertical throughout a golf putting stroke. In a correct putting stroke the putter club head should be brought straight back and then forward again close to the ground with a rhythmic movement. The ball-impact face should remain vertical during the putting back stroke and also during the putting stroke follow through in order to assure that it is vertical at the critical moment, which is the moment of impact against the ball.
It is also extremely important for the plane of the ball-impact face to be perpendicular to the intended path of travel of the golf ball at the moment of impact. To assure that the ball-impact face is at this orientation when it strikes the golf ball it should be perpendicular to that intended path of travel during the putting backswing and also during the follow through of the putting stroke. Furthermore, it is very important for the sole of the putter club head to remain very close to the putting green during the back stroke and the follow through. However, there is a tendency by many golfers to lift the golf club putter head during the back stroke and during the follow through. As a consequence, the putter club head moves in an arc, rather than in a linear path during the putting stroke. This greatly increases the likelihood of a misdirected putt.
To improve the consistency of a golfer""s putting stroke a golf ball marker having a magnet therein may be placed upon the flat ball-impact face of the golf putter club head at a location offset from the xe2x80x9csweet spotxe2x80x9d at the center of the club face in the direction of either the heel or the toe of the club head. Therefore, during practice putts a golfer will immediately become aware of an impact against the ball marker if there is an error in execution of the putting stroke that brings the ball marker into contact with the golf ball. The tactile sensation transmitted to the golfers hands through the shank of the putter if the ball marker rather than the center of the ball impact putter face strikes the golf ball is unmistakable.
While use of a single magnetic golf ball marker in this manner is advantageous, the use of a pair of golf ball markers, each having a magnet therewithin, is of considerably greater benefit. That is, one of the magnetic ball markers can be placed on the ball-impact face of the putter between the heel of the club and the midpoint of the ball-impact face. The other magnetic ball marker can be placed on the ball-impact face of the putter between the toe of the club and the midpoint of the ball-impact face. If the golfer executes the putting stroke in such a manner as to strike the golf ball with the club head either too close to the heel or to close to the toe one or the other of the ball markers will strike the golf ball. The golfer is thereby provided with an unmistakable indication of a faulty putting stroke.
Similarly, one or a pair of golf ball markers containing a magnet therein can be utilized to improve a goffer""s putting game in another way. Specifically, a magnetic golf ball marker is placed on the putting practice surface a few inches behind the golf ball. During the proper execution of a putting backswing, the putter club head will remain close to the putting surface so that the magnetic ball marker will be pulled onto the sole of the club head as the putter head passes over the ball marker. The transfer of the golf ball marker onto the sole of the putter club head produces an audible sound, namely a xe2x80x9cclickxe2x80x9d. However, if the putter head is lifted slightly from the putting practice surface during the back stroke, as will occur if the putter is swung in an arc in a vertical plane, the distance of separation of the club head sole from the magnetic ball marker resting on the putting practice surface will be too great for the ball marker to be attracted onto the club head sole.
Likewise, another magnetic ball marker may be placed a few inches ahead of the golf ball. If the golfer lifts the putter head away from the putting practice surface during execution of the putting stroke, the distance between the magnetic ball marker resting on the putting practice surface in front of the position of the golf ball and the sole of the putter club head will be great enough so that the ball marker will not be lifted by the force of magnetism up to the club head sole. On the other hand, if the putter club head sole remains close to the putting practice surface during the putting stroke follow through, the magnetic attraction of the magnetic ball marker to the sole of the putter club head will cause the magnetic ball marker to be lifted from the putting practice surface and to magnetically attach itself to the club head sole. This transfer is accompanied by an audible sound.
In one broad aspect the invention may be considered to be a golf putting training aid comprising in combination: a golf putter having a club head formed of a material attracted by magnetism and having a flat front ball-impact face and a sole extending rearwardly from the front ball-impact face, and at least one flat golf ball marker including a permanent magnet permanently incorporated therein, wherein the golf ball marker is removably detachable relative to the golf putter club head. While a single golf ball marker having a magnet in it may be used to advantage, the invention preferably is comprised of a pair of such golf ball markers.
In another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be a method of golf putting training on a putting practice surface utilizing a golf ball, a golf putter having a shaft with opposing ends and a grip at one hand and a club head formed of a material attracted by magnetism at an opposite end. The putter club head has a heel, a toe, a sole, and a flat front ball-impact face. At least one flat golf ball marker that includes a permanent magnet permanently incorporated therein is also utilized.
The steps of the invention comprise: placing the golf ball upon the golf putting surface; placing the golf ball marker on the ball-impact face offset from a point midway between the heel and the toe, whereupon the golf ball marker is held in position by magnetic force; holding the putter by the grip to address the golf ball with the club head ball-impact face oriented in a plane perpendicular to the putting practice surface while holding the sole of the club head proximate to the putting practice surface; drawing the putter club head away from the golf ball while holding the ball-impact face of the club head perpendicular to the putting practice surface and the sole of the club head proximate thereto; and bringing the putter club head toward the golf ball to strike the golf ball with the ball-impact face perpendicular to the putting practice surface while avoiding contact between the golf ball marker and the golf ball.
In still another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be a method of golf putting training on a putting practice surface utilizing a golf putter having a shaft with a grip at one end and a club head formed of a material attracted by magnetism at an opposite end. The club head has a flat, front ball-impact face and a sole extending rearwardly from the front ball-impact face. The method further utilizes at least one flat golf ball marker that includes a permanent magnet permanently incorporated therein.
The steps of this aspect of the invention comprise: establishing a spherical golf ball position atop the golf putting practice surface; placing the golf ball marker on the golf putting practice surface within six inches of the golf ball position, whereby an imaginary straight horizontal ball travel alignment line passing directly beneath the centers of both the golf ball position and the golf ball marker defines a desired direction of golf ball travel when the golf ball is putted and an imaginary flat vertical impact-face plane is tangent to the golf ball position and intersects and is perpendicular to the straight horizontal ball travel alignment line between the centers of the golf ball and the ball marker; holding of the putter by the grip to address the golf ball with the ball-impact face of the club head parallel to the impact-face plane and between the golf ball and the ball marker and with the club head sole located proximate to the putting practice surface; drawing the putter club head away from the golf ball and toward the ball marker in a backswing stroke while holding the putter ball-impact face parallel to the impact-face plane and the sole proximate the putting practice surface, whereby the ball marker is drawn by magnetism up into contact with the putter club head sole while making an audible noise as it does so; and bringing the putter club head toward the golf ball position in a putting stroke while maintaining the ball-impact face perpendicular to the desired direction of golf ball travel and with the club head sole remaining proximate the putting practice surface. In this aspect the method of the invention may be performed with or without a golf ball.
Preferably the method of practice is performed utilizing a pair of golf ball markers, each of which includes a permanent magnet within its structure. In the aspect of putting practice in which a magnetic ball marker is placed upon the ball-impact face of the putter club head to ensure that the center of the ball-impact face strikes the golf ball, one magnetic ball marker is placed between the club head heel and the point of the ball-impact face midway between the heel and the toe. The other magnetic ball marker is placed between the club head toe and the point of ball-impact face midway between the heel and the toe.
In the aspect of putting practice in which a magnetic ball marker is placed upon the putting practice surface to ensure that the sole of the putter club head remains close to the putting practice surface during the putting stroke, one magnetic ball marker is to placed a few inches to the rear of the golf ball position, while the other magnetic ball marker is placed a few inches in front of the golf ball position. If the putting back stroke is correct, the magnetic ball marker to the rear of the golf ball position will be lifted from the golf putting practice surface by the force of magnetism and attach itself to the sole of the club head as the club head passes over it during the backswing. If the putting stroke follow through is correct, the magnetic ball marker in front of the golf ball position will be lifted from the golf putting surface by the force of magnetism and attach itself to the sole of the club head as the club head passes over it during the follow through of the putting stroke.
The invention may be described with greater clarity :and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings. | {
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The present invention relates to a process for making a ceramic green body of a type which may be fired into a thin ceramic sheet or tape for use in a multilayer capacitor.
A multilayer capacitor is a stack of a number of ceramic capacitor sheets connected in parallel to produce a capacitor of high total capacitance. These capacitors may be very small, and typically comprise between 40 and 50 ceramic sheets, each about 20 .mu.m thick. The entire capacitor may be only about 1 mm thick. These devices find many uses in microcircuitry.
However, there is a need for even thinner ceramic bodies, within the range of about 3 to about 10 .mu.m in thickness. This is due to the fact that equivalent capacitance could be achieved using only half as many of these thinner sheets, since capacitance is inversely proportional to the thickness of the ceramic sheet. The reduction in the number of sheets would then result in a savings in material costs, because the electrode layers interspersed between the ceramic layers are made of expensive noble metals, and with fewer, thinner sheets, fewer electrode layers would be required. In the past it has been very difficult to make sheets of this reduced thickness because current commercial methods of producing the green (unfired) tapes involve processing of solids, including ceramic powders.
These ceramic powders, which are dielectric, are dispersed into an organic solvent such as a methyl ethyl ketone/ethanol mixture. The powders are often barium titanate admixed with other compounds such as strontium titanate, lead titanate, calcium zirconate, lead oxide, borates and silicates. Ball-milling is generally necessary to maximize dispersion in the solvent, and often requires several hours at a minimum. The dispersed powders are then mixed with polymeric organic binders, plasticizers and surfactants to form a slip, which is tape-cast onto a nonporous substrate and dried in an oven to form a flexible "green tape."
To produce a capacitor, this green tape or green body is screen-printed with a noble metal electrode ink. Forty or fifty layers, typically, of the printed tape are then laminated and, after dicing into chips or sheets, fired to burn off the organic binder. The inorganic chips are sintered at high temperatures, typically between about 1000.degree. C. and about 1400.degree. C., to densify the sheets and improve their strength and conductivity. The result is a mechanically and electrically acceptable device.
A problem very commonly faced in this process, however, that tends to militate against reducing the thickness of the sheets or tapes beyond thicknesses currently being produced, is the fact that ceramic powders are usually agglomerated when received and remain so to some extent even after lengthy ball-milling prior to and after dispersion in a solvent. This agglomeration makes it difficult to produce sheets of only about 3 .mu.m to about 10 .mu.m in thickness that are of uniform quality, since the size and shape of the initial ceramic particles is a critical factor in producing a good quality final product. It also tends to produce sheets that exhibit less than optimum loading levels, and the reduced density increases the degree of shrinkage of the tape during firing. Ideally, the particles should be uniformly sized and equiaxially shaped, and should also demonstrate high purity.
Therefore, because of the problems associated with the ceramic powders and their general unsuitability to producing the thinner ceramic sheets now sought, it would be desirable to have a ceramic green body prepared from a slip formulation which does not generally require ball-milling or other milling steps at any point and for which powder agglomeration does not present a significant problem, which exhibits good ceramic loading levels, and which therefore does not generally require processing of dry ceramic powders, with the accompanying quality problems and thickness limitations that such processing entails. The present disclosure describes such an invention and involves an in situ finely dispersed slurry that may be used to produce a ceramic green body. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer data storage devices such as tape reel cartridges. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for rotary stabilization and drive engagement of a tape reel housed within a tape reel cartridge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer systems presently use a variety of devices to store processed data. One such storage device is a cartridge with encodable magnetic tape therein. The tape passes over a sensory head which encodes data onto the tape in a magnetically recognizable pattern. The sensory head may also be used for data retrieval which includes decoding the magnetic pattern and reading the data from the tape. This encodable magnetic tape is used in VHS videocassettes and high fidelity audio cassettes with respective tape drive systems. Typically, the cassette is engaged by a tape drive system to allow indexing of the tape across the sensory head to encode and retrieve data magnetically stored on the tape.
One type of tape cassette consists of two reels laterally spaced from one another with magnetic tape connected to and circumferentially wound about each reel. A drive mechanism engages one or both of the reels to rotate the reels thereby transferring the tape from reel to reel. As the tape is wound from one reel to the other, it passes over the sensory head for encoding or retrieval of data.
A second type of tape cassette consists of a single cassette reel design. A loose end of the tape engages a reel or tape winding structure that is part of the tape drive mechanism. The tape winding structure pulls the tape from the single cassette reel, over a sensory head for encoding and retrieval of data. The tape may be wound on an external reel, or may be fed back onto the cassette's reel as an "endless loop" of tape.
In either cassette type, the reels are typically enclosed in a tape reel housing and each reel has a circular platter connected to a hub about which the tape is wound. The hub is typically engageable by a drive mechanism to cause rotation of the hub and platter. By controlling rotation of the hub and platter, the tape is either wound onto or unwound from the hub.
One such cassette of the single reel type is used for computers with 1/2 inch magnetic tape. The hub on the reel in this cassette is mounted on the housing on a rotational axis perpendicular to the platter by a center pivot between the hub and the housing. The center pivot includes a self-enclosed radial commercial ball bearing with its outer race affixed to the hub and its inner race affixed to a stem mounted to the tape reel housing. The circular platter is engageable with reel locks mounted on the tape reel housing which can be moved into engagement with the edge of the circular platter to constrain rotation of the reel.
A coil spring is used to urge the hub against an external tape cassette drive mechanism, thereby maintaining the hub in alignment for proper rotation within the housing, and in appropriate alignment for engagement with the drive mechanism. However, the use of a coil spring as the sole mechanical connector between the hub and housing provides a less stable arrangement than is desired, since the spring may have a tendency to bend during rotation. Since the current bearing is essentially a radial load design and is being used to transmit a thrust load, the bending and vibration of the spring is transmitted through the bearing's outer race to the reel.
This direct influence of the dynamic forces from the spring on the reel can cause a variety of problems. One such problem is undesirable vibrations which can occur during rotation of the hub. The vibrations result because the coil spring reacts to varying loads which are placed on it as the hub and platter rotate. The reel tilts randomly in response to the vibrations that can lead to nonuniform tape winding about the hub. Poor tape winding may result in damage to the tape and possible data loss.
Another concern with the present tape reel cartridges involves the relative cost of the commercial self-enclosed ball bearing used in the center pivot of the hub. The self-enclosed bearing is disproportionately expensive relative to the other parts of the cartridge.
For these reasons, there is a need for an inexpensive tape reel cartridge bearing for the 1/2 inch computer tape cartridge that provides stable rotation and drive engagement of the tape reel and which is easy to assemble. Desireable characteristics for such a bearing include a stable center pivot and rotational axis for the tape reel so that spring bending and spring vibrations during tape reel rotation are minimized. | {
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a power saw machine, and more particularly to a tile cutting guide arrangement specifically incorporated with the power saw machine, which can guide the tile to be cut into a predetermined shape quickly and easily.
2. Description of Related Arts
Power saw is a common machine specially used in cutting and shaping tile or other construction materials made of granite, marble, slate, pave, brick, ceramics, and masonry. A conventional power saw comprises a supporting frame comprising a cutting table slidably mounted thereon, a cutting head arrangement overhanging on the cutting table with a circular saw blade that is powered by an electric motor.
However, the conventional power saw has a major drawback that the power saw does not provide a tile guider for cutting the tile precisely. Especially when the tile is needed to be cut diagonally, a user merely use his or her experiences to adjust the position of the tile on the cutting table. Even though a right triangular shaped tile guider is incorporated with the power saw for guiding the tile on the cutting table, the tile guider can only guide one side edge of the tile such that the tile may force to be misaligned during cutting. Thus, due to the various sizes of the tile, the user always has difficulty to guide the tile by the standard size tile guider.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a tile cutting guide arrangement for power saw machine, which can easily and quickly guide a tile on the cutting table in a corrected alignment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tile cutting guide arrangement for power saw machine, which comprises a tile guider having a plurality of rip guides each having a predetermined size for fittedly guiding a corresponding size of tile. In other words, the tile cutting guide arrangement fits for guiding any size of the tile.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tile cutting guide arrangement for power saw machine, wherein a tile guider securely holds two corners of the tile to ensure the tile is in a right alignment when the tile is cut diagonally.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a tile cutting guide arrangement for power saw machine, which does not require to alter the original structure of the power saw machine, so as to minimize the manufacturing cost of the tile cutting guide arrangement incorporating with the power saw machine having a cutting table.
Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a tile cutting guide arrangement for power saw machine which comprises a supporting frame, a cutting head arrangement, having a circular saw blade, supported on the supporting frame, wherein the tile cutting guide arrangement comprises:
a cutting table, slidably supported on the supporting frame, having a main cutting channel wherein the saw blade is arranged to overhanging travel along the main cutting channel; and
a tile guider slidably mounted on the cutting table comprising a plurality of rip guides spacedly formed on the tile guider wherein each rip guide has a guiding edge, which is 45 degrees with respect to the main cutting channel, adapted for guiding an edge of the tile, so as to align a diagonal of the tile with the main cutting channel of the cutting table. | {
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Polyolefins, preferably polyethylene, having a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, and having methyl branches and at least 2 other different lengths of branches of 6 carbon atoms and less, form heat seals at exceptionally low temperatures, thereby allowing good seals to be formed rapidly. This is advantageous when heat sealing so-called flexible packaging made from single or multilayer films.
Polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene have been used in many applications, for example in packaging such as bags and cartons. In many instances in order to form the package, it is necessary to effect a seal between two different pieces or two different parts made of the same polyolefin. This may be done using adhesives, but is more commonly done by applying heat to the surfaces to be joined to soften or melt them while applying some pressure to the place where they are to be joined to form a single piece of thermoplastic. This operation is called heat sealing, and is commonly used to join thermoplastic parts. See for instance K. R. Osborn, et al., Plastic Films, Technomic Publishing Co., Inc., Lancaster, Pa. U.S.A., 1992, especially p.152-153 and 173-175; H. Mark, et al., Ed., Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, Vol. 1, McGraw Hill Book Co., New York, 1985, p. 527; and ibid., Vol. 7, 1987, p.117.
Most commonly, the heating is carried out by contacting the surfaces opposite those to be joined with a hot object such as a hot bar, or heating the surfaces with hot air or infrared radiation. In any event, the speed at which one can heat the surfaces to be joined to the proper temperature for joining often determines the speed at which one can heat-seal the surfaces. This is particularly true for thermoplastics such as polyolefins, because they often have relatively low thermal conductivities. High-speed heat sealing is important because many such operations are high volume continuous operations where slow heat sealing speeds significantly increase costs.
One way to increase heat sealing speeds is to lower the temperature at which the seal may be formed. This is typically done by lowering the melting point of the polymer being sealed, but has its limits since if the melting point of the polymer is lowered too much the seal itself may be too weak or the polymer characteristics may be detrimentally affected. Therefore, ways of forming satisfactory seals at lower temperatures are constantly being sought.
Numerous attempts have been made to find polymers with improved heat sealing properties, see for instance U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,358,792, 5,372,882, 5,427,807, 5,462,807, 5,530,065, 5,587,247, 5,741,861, 5,770,318, 5,773,106, 5,773,129, 57,925,49, WO93/03093, WO95/32235 and WO97/28960. None of these references uses the polymers described herein.
WO98/27124, WO98/47934, WO99/05189, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,714,556 and 5,866,663 and 6,060,569 (all of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth) describe generally certain branched polyolefins, and their uses. The specific polymers used herein are not particularly noted in these publications for use in heat sealing applications.
This invention concerns a process for lowering the heat sealing temperature of a polyolefin-based thermoplastic, comprising the step of replacing at least a portion of the polyolefin in the thermoplastic with a branched polyolefin having a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, and having methyl branches and at least branches of two other different lengths of six carbon atoms or less, provided that said methyl branches are at least 10 mole percent of total branching in said branched polyolefin.
This invention further concerns a first article having a first thermoplastic surface suitable for heat sealing to a second thermoplastic surface of the same or another article, wherein said first thermoplastic surface comprises a branched polyolefin having a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, having methyl branches and at least branches of two other different lengths of six carbon atoms or less, provided that said methyl branches are at least 10 mole percent of total branching in said branched polyolefin.
The invention still further concerns a process for preparing an article comprising the step of heat sealing a first thermoplastic surface to a second thermoplastic surface, wherein the first thermoplastic surface and the second thermoplastic surface comprise a branched polyolefin having a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, having methyl branches and at least branches of two other different lengths of six carbon atoms or less, provided that said methyl branches are at least 10 mole percent of total branching in said branched polyolefin.
This invention also concerns an article made at least in part from a first thermoplastic surface and a second thermoplastic surface joined together by heat sealing, wherein the first thermoplastic surface and a second thermoplastic surface comprise a branched polyolefin having a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, having methyl branches and at least branches of two other different lengths of six carbon atoms or less, provided that said methyl branches are at least 10 mole percent of total branching in said polyolefin.
The polymers used herein are hydrocarbon polyolefins, that is polymers made by the addition polymerization of olefinic bonds of one or more hydrocarbon olefins. Preferably the polymers are made from one or more monomers (olefins) of the formula R1HCxe2x95x90CHR2, wherein R1 and R2 are each independently hydrogen or alkyl; more preferably wherein one of R1 or R2 is hydrogen, and the other is hydrogen or n-alkyl, and especially wherein both R1 and R2 are hydrogen (the olefin is ethylene). A specific preferred polymer is polyethylene, that is a polymer containing about 80 mole percent or more of repeat units derived from ethylene, and another specifically preferred polymer is homopolyethylene, which contains about 98 mole percent or more of repeat units derived from ethylene.
The polymers useful herein are obtainable (and preferably obtained) by polymerizing olefins in the presence of a catalyst component comprising a late transition metal catalyst such as, for example, disclosed in previously incorporated WO98/27124, WO98/47934, WO99/05189, U.S. / Nos. 5,714,556, 5,866,663 and 6,060,569, as well as 5,852,145, 5,880,241, 5,932,670, 5,942,461, WO98/30612, WO98/37110, WO98/40374, WO98/40420, WO98/42664, WO98/42665, WO98/47933, WO98/47934, WO99/30609, WO99/49969, WO99/41290 and WO99/62968 (all of which are also incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth). Preferably, the polymers are made by polymerizing an olefin component comprising a predominant amount of ethylene, in the presence of a catalyst component comprising a late transition metal complex (more preferably wherein the late transition metal is Ni or Pd) of a diimine ligand. One such preferred late transition metal complex is set forth in the examples appended hereto. The catalyst component may also optionally contain various suitable catalyst activators and co-catalysts. Further details regarding the catalyst component may be had by reference to the previously incorporated publications.
Although any type of polymerization process, gas phase, slurry, or solution, continuous, batch or semibatch, may be used to prepare the branched polyolefins suitable for use herein, because of the relatively low melting point of these polyolefins, it is preferred to make them in a solution or slurry process, more preferably a solution process.
The branched polyolefins have a density of about 0.86 to about 0.93 g/mL, preferably about 0.86 to about 0.91 g/mL, and especially about 0.88 to about 0.90 g/mL, at 23xc2x0 C. The density, as is usually done, is measured on solid polymer without filler or other materials (except for normal small amounts of antioxidants) using the method of ASTM D 1505.
Consistent with the requirements for density and as otherwise set forth above, the polyolefins utilized in accordance with the present invention contain at least some branching. Measurement (usually by 13C NMR) and calculation of branching levels in these polymers is described in the previously incorporated publications, and reference may be had thereto for further details.
These polymers have branches of at least three different lengths containing 6 carbon atoms or less, or in other words at least any three of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-amyl and n-hexyl. Usually n-hexyl is lumped together as hexyl+, meaning n-hexyl plus any other longer branches. For the purposes herein n-hexyl means hexyl+ also (for branches longer than ethyl the xe2x80x9cnxe2x88x92xe2x80x9d may be omitted), and all hexyl+ branches are considered to contain 6 carbon atoms. It is preferred that at least four different branch lengths containing six or fewer carbon atoms be present.
Some of the polymers suitable for use in accordance with the present invention, and prepared in accordance with the previously incorporated references, have unusual branching, i.e., they have more or fewer branches than would be expected for xe2x80x9cnormalxe2x80x9d coordination polymerizations, or the distribution of sizes of the branches is different from that expected, and xe2x80x9cbranches on branchesxe2x80x9d may also present. By this is meant that a branch from the main chain on the polymer may itself contain one or more branches. It is also noted that the concept of a xe2x80x9cmain chainxe2x80x9d may be a somewhat semantic argument if there are sufficient branches on branches in any particular polymer. Thus, a xe2x80x9cbranchxe2x80x9d hereunder refers to a methyl group connected to a methine or quaternary carbon atom, or a group of consecutive methylenes terminated at one end by a methyl group and connected at the other end to a methine or quaternary carbon atom. The length of the branch is defined as the number of carbons from and including the methyl group to the nearest methine or quaternary carbon atom, but not including the methine or quatemary carbon atom. If the number of consecutive methylene groups is xe2x80x9cnxe2x80x9d then the branch contains (or the branch length is) n+1. Thus the structure (which represents part of a polymer) xe2x80x94CH2CH2CH[CH2CH2CH2CH2CH(CH3)CH2CH3]CH2CH2CH2CH2xe2x80x94 contains 2 branches, a methyl and an ethyl branch.
At least about 10 mole percent of the branches in the polymer, preferably at least about 25 mole percent, more preferably at least about 60 mole percent, are methyl branches. By this is meant that the total length of the branch (as defined above) from the nearest branch point is one carbon atom. In this calculation, ends of chains are excluded (corrected for), using the number average molecular weight determined by Gel Permeation Chromatography, using a suitable standard (calibration by light scattering is preferred). It is also preferred that the polymer have (in combination with the above) one or more of: at least about 10 mole percent, more preferably at least about 15 mole percent of the branches are ethyl; at least about 3 mole percent, more preferably at least about 5 mole percent of the branches are propyl; at least about 3 mole percent, more preferably at least about 5 mole percent of the branches are butyl; at least about 2 mole percent, more preferably at least about 4 mole percent of the branches are amyl; and/or at least about 3 mole percent, more preferably at least about 5 mole percent of the branches are hexyl+.
In one preferred embodiment, the polymer contains about 30 to about 150 branches per 1000 methylene groups, and which contains for every 100 branches that are methyl, about 30 to about 90 ethyl branches, about 4 to about 20 propyl branches, about 15 to about 50 butyl branches, about 3 to about 15 amyl branches, and about 30 to about 140 hexyl+ branches.
In another preferred embodiment, the polymer contains about 20 to about 150 branches per 1000 methylene groups, and which contains for every 100 branches that are methyl, about 4 to about 20 ethyl branches, about 1 to about 12 propyl branches, about 1 to about 12 butyl branches, about 1 to about 10 amyl branches, and 0 to about 20 hexyl+ branches.
It is further preferred that the branched polyolefins are polyethylenes, more preferably homopolyethylenes.
Another preferred embodiment is a homopolyethylene containing the structure (XXVII) in an amount greater than can be accounted for by end groups.
More preferably this homopolyethylene contains about 2 or more of (XXVII) per 1000 methylene groups.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the heat sealing temperature of a polyolefin-based thermoplastic can be lowered by replacing at least a portion of the polyolefin in the thermoplastic with the branched polyolefin as described above. The branched polyolefin can simply be used in place of the original polyolefin, or can be blended in various proportions with the original polyolefin in order to replace a portion of the same. Such a blend can be a standard physical blend, melt blend, or even a reactor blend prepared by polymerizing the desired olefins in the presence of the catalyst composition referred to above, along with a second active polymerization catalyst (a co-catalyst) such as a Ziegler-Natta and/or metallocene-type catalyst known in the art, used to prepare the original polyolefin. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,483, WO97/48735, WO97/38024 and WO98/38228 (all of which are also incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth).
The resulting thermoplastic can be used to form articles with surfaces possessing a lower heat sealing temperature and, thus, improved processibility.
In preparing articles by heat sealing thermoplastic surfaces, it is preferred that all of the respective surfaces comprise the branched polyolefin as described herein. More preferably, the various surfaces are made essentially only with the branched polyolefins described above as the thermoplastic polymer, still more preferably from such branched polyolefins prepared from the same monomer(s), and especially when each of the surfaces is the same polymer. Of course, in addition to the branched polyolefins (and other thermoplastic polymer components), the surfaces can contain other additives and adjuvants commonly found in heat sealing thermoplastics such as, for example, antioxidants and stabilizers, colorants, processing aids and the like.
More than two surfaces may be sealed together, for example three films may be sealed together, and preferably all of the surfaces being sealed are of the same branched polymer as described herein.
Heat sealing may be done by any variety of methods well known to those skilled in the art. See for instance Plastic Films, Technomic Publishing Co., Inc., Lancaster, Pa., U.S.A., 1992, especially p.152-153 and 173-175. Preferably the heating of the areas to be sealed is done by thermal conduction from a hotter material (e.g., sealing bar(s) or roller(s)), by microwave heating, dielectric heating, and ultrasonic heating. The amount of pressure used may vary from that needed to contact the two (or more) surfaces to be sealed, for example finger pressure to pressure applied by presses or rollers, for example up to 700 kPa (100 psi). The heating may be before, or simultaneous with the application of pressure. Although pressure may be applied before heating, it will normally not be effective until the heating is carried out. Generally speaking, the temperatures of the polyolefin surface that is being sealed will be about 50xc2x0 C. to about 110xc2x0 C. This temperature will depend to some extent on the amount of pressure used, higher pressures allowing lower temperatures, since higher pressures cause more intimate contact between sealing surfaces. It also depends on the polyolefin of the heat-sealing surface, and those with lower densities will usually have lower sealing temperatures. Since much of the heat sealing done commercially is on high speed lines, the lower the temperature needed to give a seal of sufficient strength, the faster the line may often run, since it will take less time to heat the sealing surfaces to the required temperature.
The materials which may be heat-sealed are any whose surface to be heat-sealed is of the polyolefins used herein. Useful materials which may be heat sealed include single and multilayer films, polyolefin coated paper or paperboard, polyolefin coated metal foil (which can be considered a multilayer film), polyolefin coated articles made by injection or blow molding, polyolefin injection or blow molded articles, rotationally molded parts. Preferred materials for heat sealing are single and multilayer blown and/or oriented films and sheet, coated paper and paperboard, and single and multilayer films are especially preferred. A single layer film will simply be a layer of the polyolefins described herein. A multilayer film will have two or more layers, and one or both of the surface layers will be a polyolefin described herein. For example other layers may be present for the purposes of increased barrier properties to one or more materials, for added strength and/or toughness, for decorative purposes (for example to have been or be printed on), adhesive layers to improve adhesion between other layers, or any combination of these. These other layers may be polymers such as polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates, acrylics, or mixtures of these, paper, and metal (foil).
The present process is particularly useful to form packages, which are also particularly useful articles. By a xe2x80x9cpackagexe2x80x9d is meant any container that is meant to be sealed most of the time (sometimes called xe2x80x9cprotective packagingxe2x80x9d), especially before the contents are used, against ambient conditions such as air and/or moisture, and/or loss of the package""s content as by evaporation. The package may be designed so that the seal against ambient conditions may be broken permanently broken as by cutting or tearing to open a sealed bag. The package may have one or more inlets and/or outlets to store a material that may be added to and/or withdrawn from the package without further opening the package. These packages are preferably made from single or multilayer films, especially multilayer films, in which the present polyolefins are at least the xe2x80x9csealing layerxe2x80x9d that is the layer that forms a heat seal. These include flexible bags which are sealed, such as solid or liquid food containers, intravenous bags, pouches, and dry food containers (cereal and cracker liners in boxes). | {
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The early studies on the treatment of wounds have laid emphasis on a close examination of the functions of the cell stage, i.e., the functions of inflammatory cell and platelet [Allgower M. and Hulliger L., Surgery, 47, 603 (1960); Dicoreto P. E. and Browen-Pope D. F., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 80, 1919 (1983); and Houck J. C. et al., Biochem. Pharmacol., 17, 2081 (1968)].
Recently, growth factors to promote tissue growth have been used in the treatment of wounds such as chronic ulcers. The growth factors stimulate mitogenesis, which is the proliferation of cells such as fibroblast. The growth factors also stimulate angiogenesis, resulting in the ingrowth of new blood vessels. Moreover, the synthesis of collagen and extracellular matrix proteins is stimulated by the growth factors (L. Greenhalgh, J. Trauma 41:159 (1996)).
Cytokines have been found as growth factors associated with wound healing. Representative examples of such cytokines include basic fibrogrowth factor which is produced by keratinocytes and fibroblasts and promotes the growth of epithelial cells; platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) which is produced by platelets and the endothelium and other cell types and promotes the abnormal proliferation of epithelial cells in association with epidermal growth factor (EGF); transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) which is produced by fibroblasts and platelet and promotes the growth of connective tissue; epithelial cell-growth factor which is generated in salivary glands-stimulatory glands and promotes the proliferation of epithelial cells; fibroblast growth factor (FGF); and interleukin-1 which is produced by macrophages and epithelial cells and promotes the growth and mobility of epithelial cells. Becaplermin is a genetically engineered recombinant PDGF that is commercially available as an agent for the treatment of wounds in topical formulations by Johnson & Johnson under the trade name of Regranex®. EP 0 575 484 B1 discloses a pharmaceutical composition for the regeneration and repair of mammalian tissues which includes PDGF and dexamethasone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,606 discloses a pharmaceutical composition for treating wounds which includes TGF-β. WO 96/30038 discloses a pharmaceutical composition for wound healing which includes TGF-β and fibric acid together with antioxidants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,805 discloses a pharmaceutical composition having the effect of the regeneration of tissues which includes EGF. Japanese Patent No. 05070365 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,978 disclose wound healing formulation containing FGF.
Formulations utilizing hyaluronic acid as an active agent have also been reported as being useful in the treatment of skin ulcers (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,880). Formulations including sodium hyaluronate are marketed by LAM Pharmaceutical Corporation under the trade name of IPN Wound Gel®.
Topically applied fibronectin (glycoprotein found in blood plasma) has also been reported as being useful for increasing the rate of wound healing in corneal wounds (Nishida, Larch Opthalmology 101:1046 (1983)) and leg ulcers (Wysocki et al., Arch. Dermatol. 124:175 (1988)).
Although such treatments provide some patients with partial wound relief, they need long healing time and fail to exhibit optimum response to the treatment. As wounds, especially, chronic skin ulcers, become serious clinical problems, much effort has been made in finding effective treatments of the wounds. The underlying causes responsible for poor wound closure are complex and still poorly understood.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop new and improved methods of treating wounds. Use of the present formulations either alone or in combination with various known therapeutic agents overcomes the limitations of the prior art. | {
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This invention relates generally to nonvolatile memories and particularly to electrically erasable nonvolatile memories.
Nonvolatile memory cells are advantageous since they retain recorded information even when the power to the memory is turned off. There are several different types of nonvolatile memories including erasable programmable read only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs) and flash EEPROM memories. EPROMs are erasable through light exposure but are electrically programmable by channel electron injection onto a floating gate. Conventional EEPROMs have the same programming functionality, but instead of being light erasable they can be erased and programmed by electron tunneling. Thus, information may be stored in these memories, retained when the power is off, and the memories may be erased for reprogramming, as necessary, using appropriate techniques. Flash EEPROMs are block erased, typically giving them better read access times than regular EEPROMS.
Currently, flash memories have gained considerable popularity. For example, flash memories are often utilized to provide on-chip memory for microcontrollers, modems and SMART cards and the like where it is desirable to store codes that may need fast updating.
While flash memories and EEPROMs are closely related, in many instances flash memories are preferred because their smaller cell size means that they can be made more economically. However, flash memories and EEPROMs often have very similar cell attributes.
Nonvolatile memory cells differ in certain respects from the transistors that are generally utilized in electronic components called logic devices, such as microcontrollers, that work with the memory cells. Logic devices are formed of transistors that use a single gate electrode. Nonvolatile memories usually include two gate electrodes, known as the control and floating gate electrodes, situated one over the other. Because of this structural difference, nonvolatile memories and logic devices may be made by different processes. This may contribute to a substantial increase in process complexity and manufacturing cost.
Particularly with an EEPROM, the electrical programming of the cells normally requires substantial potentials to be applied to the cells. These potentials induce electron tunneling from an N+ region onto the floating gate. Additional complexity may arise from the need to provide substantially larger voltages to memory cells than are needed for normal transistor operation.
While the industry has come to accept the need for separate process technologies for logic and nonvolatile memories and while those in the industry have also come to appreciate that significant voltages are needed to program EEPROMs and significant currents to program flash EEPROMs, there would be a substantial demand for a nonvolatile memory which was both electrically erasable and programmable without the need for special process technologies or for relatively higher programming voltages and higher currents.
Furthermore, with the conventional FLASH EEPROMs, the electrical programming of the cells normally requires high current to be applied to the cells. A relatively minute amount of this electron current becomes injected from the drain depletion region onto the floating gate. Therefore, the injection efficiency (e.g., 10.sup.-6 to 10.sup.-9) is relatively low. The requirement of high current adds additional complexity because of the design of the high current pump operated at low voltage. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to voltage or current sources which generate a reference voltage or current as a predetermined function of temperature, and which can offset changes in a supply voltage.
2. Description of Related Art
Controlled voltage and current sources have a wide variety of applications in integrated circuit technology, and in other technologies. A variety of circuit design techniques have been developed for the purpose of generating a reference voltage which is stable with changes in temperature, or a reference voltage which does not change with fluctuations in the supply voltage. These circuits are relatively complex which require significant area on integrated circuits which implement them.
It is desirable to design a reference voltage or current source which uses a small number of transistors and can be adapted to provide a constant reference independent of temperature, or a reference which rises or falls with temperature in a predetermined relationship. Also, it is desirable to have such a reference source which is capable of offsetting any changes in the source voltage driving the circuit. | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video data transmitting apparatus and a video data receiving apparatus used for the transmission of compressed and encoded video data and to a video data transmitting and receiving system using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a video signal transmitting and receiving system for conveying a video signal from a news site to a broadcasting station via a satellite communication line, for example, the video signal is subjected to analog frequency modulation and transmitted at the signal speed, that is, the real time speed, of the video signal at the time of filming as is.
Since the video signal transmitting apparatus and the video signal receiving apparatus do not allow a video recorded using a single-unit video camera-recorder, that is, a camcorder, etc. at the news site to be transmitted at a higher speed, it is often not possible to secure sufficient time for editing the video before broadcasting.
Some apparatuses are therefore designed to transmit the video signal at a higher speed. However, this is costly and it is not always necessary to transmit the signal at a higher speed to allow editing, such as when covering a live sports event. | {
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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Chronically elevated blood glucose leads to debilitating complications: nephropathy, often necessitating dialysis or renal transplant; peripheral neuropathy; retinopathy leading to blindness; ulceration of the legs and feet, leading to amputation; fatty liver disease, sometimes progressing to cirrhosis; vulnerability to coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, gastroparesis, diseases associated with the autonomic nervous-system, nerve condition abnormalities, i.v. contrast induced nephropathy, small vessel diseases (both within the brain and outside the brain), hypogonadism, and heart failure.
DM is a group of disorders characterized by high levels of blood glucose. Prevalence of DM is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States and the world. In 2005, approximately 21 million people in the U.S. had DM of which 90%-95% had type-2 DM (DM-2). Every hour, in the United States, approximately 4100 new cases of DM are diagnosed, and 810 people die from complications of DM. In 2002, DM was the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and cost $132 billion. In 2005, DM was responsible for 11.2 million deaths world wide. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, DM affects all socio-economic strata in the world. Cardiovascular complications are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in DM-2, accounting for up to 70% of the mortality. Interestingly pre-diabetes, where people have high blood glucose but not sufficient to be classified as DM-2, affects 54 million in the U.S. with age greater than 20 years. These people are at increased risk of DM-2 and cardiovascular disease. Despite significant decline in the coronary heart disease mortality, the effects of such a decline are less significant in diabetics as compared to non-diabetics.
There are two primary types of diabetes. Type I, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), is due to autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets. The onset of this disease is usually in childhood or adolescence. Treatment consists primarily of multiple daily injections of insulin, combined with frequent testing of blood glucose levels to guide adjustment of insulin doses, because excess insulin can cause hypoglycemia and consequent impairment of brain and other functions. Type II diabetes (DM2), or noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), typically develops in adulthood. NIDDM is associated with resistance of glucose-utilizing tissues like adipose tissue, muscle, and liver, to the actions of insulin. Initially, the pancreatic islet beta cells compensate by secreting excess insulin. Eventual islet failure results in decompensation and chronic hyperglycemia. Conversely, moderate islet insufficiency can precede or coincide with peripheral insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance can also occur without marked hyperglycemia, and is generally associated with atherosclerosis, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and essential hypertension. This cluster of abnormalities constitutes the “metabolic syndrome” or “insulin resistance syndrome”. Insulin resistance is also associated with fatty liver, which can progress to chronic inflammation (NASH; “nonalcoholic steatohepatitis”), fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Cumulatively, insulin resistance syndromes, including but not limited to diabetes, underlay many of the major causes of morbidity and death of people over age 40.
DM-2, which accounts for 90%-95% of all DM, is characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. In the early stages, this may manifest as glucose intolerance with relatively non-specific symptoms and may not be diagnosed. However, these patients are at increased risk for continuing progression of the disease with associated clinical complications involving multiple organs. Attempts to delay the onset and progression of DM-2 have met with mixed success. Published in 2002, the Diabetes Prevention Study (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle modification consisting of moderate exercise regimen and dietary modification can be effective in preventing/delaying the rate of onset of DM-2. However significant barriers like behavioral modification make the routine implementation of this strategy difficult. Pharmaceutical agents such as metformin have also demonstrated the effectiveness of preventing/delaying the onset of DM-2. Despite advances in the medical and lifestyle therapies, the incidence and prevalence of the DM-2 continues to increase. Even more interesting is the fact that cardiovascular disease in DM-2 is more aggressive with earlier onset. DM-2 demonstrates characteristic lipoprotein changes including lower high density lipoprotein (HDL) and higher triglycerides (TG) concentrations. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) in DM-2 may not be markedly elevated as compared to control cohort. However, small dense LDL is present in greater concentration. This characteristic diabetic dyslipidemia is associated with markedly increased cardiovascular disease mortality (MRFIT) as compared to non-diabetics. Statins are a class of drugs that predominantly lower LDL. These medications are effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risks in both DM and non-DM, however the residual CVD risk in DM despite LDL lowering remains higher than non-diabetics taking placebo. Elevated HDL may provide an additional mechanism of cardiovascular disease risk reduction in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Multiple trials are ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of increasing HDL in decreasing CVD risk in both diabetic and non-diabetic population.
Despite the existence of drugs to treat such disorders, diabetes and other insulin-resistant disorders remain a major and growing public health problem. Late stage complications of diabetes consume a large proportion of national health care resources. There is a need for new active therapeutic agents which effectively address the primary defects of insulin resistance and islet failure with fewer or milder side effects than existing drugs. What is needed in the art are compositions and methods for treating insulin resistance.
Apolipoprotein E is a protein that binds lipid and has two major domains (Mahley, R. W., et al. J. Lipid Res. 1999, 40:622-630). The 22 kDa amino terminal domain has been shown by X-ray crystallographic studies to be a 4-helix bundle (Wilson, C., et al. Science 1991; 252: 1817-1822) and to contain a positively-charged receptor binding domain. For this region to mediate very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) binding to its receptors, the apolipoprotein must associate with the lipoprotein surface; this is enabled by the C-terminal amphipathic helical region. If the 4-helix bundle that contains the positively charged receptor-binding domain does not open up on the lipoprotein surface, then the VLDL is defective in binding to receptors. Thus, the positively charged arginine (Arg)-rich cluster domain of the Apo E and the C-terminal amphipathic helical domain, are both required for the enhanced uptake of atherogenic Apo E-containing lipoproteins.
Apo E is secreted as a 299 amino acid residue protein with a molecular weight of 34,200. Based on thrombin cleavage of apo E into two fragments, a two-domain hypothesis was initially suggested to explain the fact that the C-terminal region of apo E (192-299) is essential for its binding to hypertriglyceridemic VLDL, and the N-terminal 22 kDa domain (1-191) binds to the LDL-R (Bradley, W. A., et al., (1986) J. Lipid Res. 27, 40-48). Additional physical-chemical characterization of the protein and its mutants have extended this concept and have shown that the region 192-211 binds to phospholipid while the amino terminal domain (1-191) is a globular structure that contains the LDL receptor binding domain in the 4-helix bundle (Wilson, C., et al., (1991) Science 252, 1817-1822). Studies with synthetic peptides (Sparrow et al.) and monoclonal antibodies pinpointed the LDL receptor binding domain of apo E between residues 129-169, a domain enriched in positively charged amino acids, Arg and Lys (Rall, S. C., Jr., et al., (1982) PNAS USA 79, 4696-4700; Lalazar, A., et al., (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 3542-2545; Dyer, C. A., et al., (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 296, 22803-22806; and Dyer, C. A., et al., (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15009-15015).
Further studies with synthetic peptides were used to characterize the structural features of the binding domain of apo E that mediates its interaction with the LDL receptor (Dyer, C. A., et al., (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 296, 22803-22806; Dyer, C. A., et al., (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15009-15015; and Dyer, C. A., et al., (1995) J. Lipid Res. 36, 80-8). Residues 141-155 of apo E, although containing the positively charged residues, did not compete for binding of LDL in a human skin fibroblast assay, but did so only as tandem covalent repeats [i.e., (141-155)2]. N-acetylation of the (141-155)2 peptide, on the other hand, enhanced LDL binding to fibroblasts (Nicoulin, I. R., et al., (1998) J. Clin Invest. 101, 223-234). The N-acetylated (141-155)2 analog selectively associated with cholesterol-rich lipoproteins and mediated their acute clearance in vivo (Nicoulin, I. R., et al., (1998) J. Clin Invest. 101, 223-234). Furthermore, these studies indicated that the prerequisite for receptor binding is that the peptides be helical (Dyer, C. A., et al., (1995) J. Lipid Res. 36, 80-88). Enhanced LDL uptake and degradation were also observed (Mims, M. P., et al., (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 20539-20647) using synthetic peptides modified to increase lipid association by N,N-distearyl derivation of glycine at the N-terminus of the native 129-169 sequence of Apo E (Mims, M. P., et al., (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 20539-20647). Although LDL binding is mediated by the cationic sequence 141-155 of human Apo E, Braddock et al. (Braddock. D. T., et al., (1996) Biochemistry 35, 13975-13984) have shown that model peptides of the highly conserved anionic domain (41-60 of human Apo E) also modulate the binding and internalization of LDL to cell surface receptors. However, these peptides do not enhance LDL degradation.
Chylomicron is a lipoprotein found in blood plasma, which carries lipids from the intestines into other body tissues and is made up of a drop of triacylglycerols surrounded by a protein-phospholipid coating. Chylomicron remnants are taken up by the liver (Havel, R. J., 1985, Arteriosclerosis. 5:569-580) after sequestration in the space of Disse, which is enriched with Apo E (Kwiterovich, P. O., Jr., 1998; Deedwania, P. C., 1995; and Watts, G. W., et al., 1998). Apo E is the major mediator of hepatic remnant lipoprotein uptake by the LDL receptor or LRP. Lipolysis of normal VLDL Sf (subfraction) of more than 60 permit binding of the lipolytic remnant to the LDL receptor (Catapano, A. L. et al. 1979, J. Biol. Chem. 254:1007-1009; Schonfield, G., et al. 1979. J. Clin. Invest. 64:1288-1297). Lipoprotein lipase (LpL) may facilitate uptake through localization of Apo B-containing lipoproteins to membrane heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG) (Eisenberg, et al. 1992. J. Clin. Invest. 90:2013-2021; Hussain, M., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2000, 275:29324-29330) and/or through binding to the LDL-receptor-related protein (LRP) (Beisiegel, U., et al., 1989, Nature 341:162-164). Cell-surface HSPG may also function as a receptor and has variable binding affinities for specific isoforms of Apo E. In particular, Apo E is synthesized by the liver and also by monocyte/macrophages, where it exerts its effect on cholesterol homeostasis. In vivo evidence for the local effect of lack of Apo E comes from the observations of Linton and Fazio, who showed accelerated atherosclerosis in C57BL/6 mice transplanted with bone marrow from Apo E-deficient mice (Linton, M. F. and Fazio, S. Curr. Openi. Lipidol. 1999, 10:97-105). Apo E-dependent LDL cholesteryl ester uptake pathway has been demonstrated in murine adrenocortical cells (Swarnakar, S., et al. J. Biol. Chem. 2001, 276:21121-21126). This appears to involve chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG) and a 2-macroglobulin receptor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,880 denotes the first effort to synthesize apolipoprotein E-mimicking peptides based on the hypothesis that since lipid binding is essential for surface localization of the peptide on lipoproteins and for the receptor binding domain of apo E to be appropriately accessible to bind to the LDL receptor, joining a well-characterized, lipid-associating peptide such as the model class A amphipathic helix, 18A, to the 141-150 peptide sequence of apo E should be sufficient to confer biological activity.
The present invention provides novel synthetic ApoE-mimicking peptides wherein the receptor binding domain of ApoE is covalently linked to 18A, the well characterized lipid-associating model class A amphipathic helical peptide as well as possible applications of the synthetic peptides in lowering human plasma glucose levels. | {
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In the related art, a maintenance schedule is laid out on the basis of the experience and the intuition of an individual serviceperson. Therefore, the risk of damages to a user caused by the unavailability of a product and the cost required for maintenance cannot be balanced.
If it is attempted to replace a component, which is highly likely to be broken, before the component reaches the end of durable life and reduce the risk of a product failure, replacement work has to be performed more than necessary and the cost of maintenance increases. Conversely, if it is attempted to use up the component until the component reaches the end of durable life to reduce the maintenance cost, the component is replaced after the component is broken. Therefore, downtime is long and damages to the user caused by unavailability of the product increase. In other words, there is a tradeoff relation between the risk of failure of the component and the maintenance cost.
In a technique disclosed in JP-A-2007-4298, a maintenance schedule is laid out on the basis of a failure probability. In this technique, the maintenance schedule is laid out on the basis of a failure probability of a product as a whole. However, it is not determined whether components should be replaced. Further, the laid-out maintenance schedule does not present how the components should be combined and replaced. | {
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A public transportation vehicle generally includes an engine, a suspension system and chassis and a body which includes a passenger compartment. The manufacturers of passenger compartments for the public transportation vehicles typically design and build the compartments based on a known common standard design as seen in buses, trains and passenger airplanes which are currently in use.
For example, buses may have different classes based on their length, number of axles, number of stories or decks (e.g., double-decker buses), and having pivoting joints (e.g., articulated buses). Various bus classes include, single-decker, 2 axles, 12.5 meters long buses; single-decker or double-decker, 3 axles, 15 meters long buses; single-decker, 3 axles, 18 meters long articulated buses (typically used for urban transportation); and single-decker, 4 axles, 25 meters long articulated buses (typically used for urban transportation).
In addition, various standards are applied on manufacturing buses for example the maximum height of 4 meters, and maximum width of 2.6 meters which may not be violated. Some other less strict restrictions include maximum net and gross weights of the vehicle, maximum weight on each axle, minimum engine power and maximum length of the vehicle.
The two axle buses may have a maximum length of 12.5 meters. The weight of recent two axle buses is 18 to 19 tons which includes 4 tons for total weight of passengers and cargo. The engine power of these buses is usually 420 horsepower while their older generation had 260 horsepower and 16 tons maximum weight.
Double-decker buses should have three axles because the total weight of the vehicle is drastically higher than single-deckers and reaches to 27 tons. The length of the double-deckers may also increase by 15 meters. However, the number and popularity of this type of bus is decreasing.
The most common buses in the world are single-decker buses which mostly have two axles and some have three axles. For longer buses with lengths around 18 to 25 meters the number of axles need to be increased and for lengths above 15 meters articulating joints need to be added. Due to accessibility and lower cost, buses are still one of the most common transportation means in the world. However, passenger comfort during bus travels has not received as much attention as other transportation vehicles such as trains or airplanes have received. For example, buses typically lack sleep facilities such as flat beds.
In recent years commonly used buses have been equipped with facilities, some above expectation, such as close to perfect air conditioning, heat, seamless double pane windows, comfortable seats, pleasant environment, higher safety features, and various other features for passenger and driver comfort. However, in long distance travels the above features do not sufficiently provide passenger comfort.
The current bus compartment arrangements cause discomfort to passengers in long distance trips. After about an hour of sitting still in a limited space without moving the body starts to get tired and painful and as a result this tiredness may cause short term and sometimes long term physical and mental distress to the passenger. The narrow space between the seats does not allow the passenger to move and enjoy the trip. For this reason, people may be reluctant to travel by bus unless they have no other travel means available to them.
Some efforts for manufacturing more comfortable bus compartments have led to manufacturing of ceremonial buses which include beds and other furniture. However, such vehicles have very low capacity and can hold at most a handful of people such as members of a family and therefore are not suitable for commercial use. Some other bus compartments include only beds in two or three decks or half the compartment includes seats and the other half includes beds. These bus compartments, however, still have limited capacity for commercial transportation and therefore have not attracted interest.
Yet, other types of buses having beds have been manufactured which include narrow beds in two or three decks where there are no cabins separating beds and no privacy is provided. In recent years bus compartments similar to train compartments have been introduced where the central hallway is omitted and therefore no contact between bus driver and passengers exist. This compartment includes five cabins each having 8 passenger capacity where each cabin has a folding door and the cargo is place at the end of the bus. In addition, various VIP buses are introduced which are similar to ordinary busses with more space between seats and as a result lower capacity. The VIP buses include classes 32 passenger buses and special 24 passenger buses having a foot rest for each passenger.
Efforts for providing a more comfortable bus compartment may include manufacturing double-decker buses. However, manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of a double-decker bus may increase by 50 percent compared to the single-decker busses. In addition, increased height of double-decker buses and lower heights of the hallways inside these buses may cause limitations. For these reasons double-decker buses are not popular. Long buses with lengths higher than the regular 12.5 meters may need extra axles and to be articulated and these additional features may cause increase in manufacturing costs. Moreover, various technical issues such as turning in narrow roads decrease popularity of such buses.
VIP buses have recently attracted attention. The VIP buses have the same length as the ordinary 12.5 meter long buses with half or a third of the capacity of ordinary buses. The reduced capacity causes increase in passenger fees and ticket prices. Classis VIP busses include 34 seats and no beds. The seats provide more comfort than ordinary buses with each row having 3 seats two on one side and one on the other side. Special VIP buses include 22 to 26 seats, which is almost half the capacity of an ordinary bus. However, amidst the reduced capacity no beds are provided in special VIP buses. Each seat has a foot rest and can be reclined to provide a resting position for the passenger. However, the passenger cannot turn on the seat and the reclined seat may cause distress to other passengers in the behind.
The foregoing issues are not limited to buses and exits in other forms for transportations. For example, airplanes are typically designed with cylinder shapes. The airplane bodies may have geometric shapes such as oval egg shapes. Components and compartments of the airplane can be affected by the oval shape. For example, doors, windows, ceiling and floor may be semi-circular, narrow and caved. Since the airplane floor is in the shape of a half oval, the passenger seats may be curved backward and passenger leg positions may be inconvenient. The cylinders are in the full package like a puzzle. Various features can be introduced to save space for passenger convenience. In current airplane designs due to the cylinder shape of the airplane seats are inconvenient, entering and exiting the seats is hard, a passenger is not able to stand upright above their seat, and other issues and problems also arise from the cylinder shape of the airplane body.
Some other issues with currently used public transportation vehicles include lack of storage boxes, lack of monitors or small and not-fixed monitors behind the front seat which move with reclining of the front seat and restriction of sounds to earphones due to lack of separate and private cabins for each passenger.
Hence, a need exist for transportation vehicles (e.g., buses) providing more comfort and more space for passengers without reducing the total capacity of the transportation vehicles. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention is directed to a longitudinally split collar or sleeve consisting of shrinkable material having reinforced edge zones with a closure system extending along each edge zone wherein the closure system consists of mutually interlocking closure elements which are disposed in the area of the reinforced edge zones.
A longitudinally split cable sleeve or collar consisting of a thermoplastic synthetic material which has a shape memory and is provided by a closure system disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 313,342, filed Oct. 20, 1981, which U.S. application issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,153, on Apr. 10, 1984 and was based on German patent application P 30 48 051.4. In the device of the above mentioned patent application, reinforcements are introduced into the edge zones of each of the cable sleeves and the side zones of the cable sleeve are supported by the reinforcements during the shrinkage operation. The closure elements in the form of hook and latch elements are disposed in the area of this reinforcement so that the shrinkage forces which occur during the shrinkage operation can be uniformly transmitted thereto. As a result, irregularities of the softening material during the shrinking operation are avoided. This closure system, however requires closure elements which are either attached as individual parts or which already have been formed into the reinforcements. When utilizing additional closure elements which are attached, this additional step of assembling the closure elements onto the edge zones of the cable sleeve increases the assembly cost. In the second type wherein the closure elements are previously formed in a specially designed reinforcing element, the handling of the cable sleeve can be impaired. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
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