text stringlengths 61 75.2k | meta dict |
|---|---|
It is known to carry out cyclic redundancy checks on data in many communication protocols and data storage formats. They increase the reliability of data transmission and storage by defining a check sum which may be appended to data when it is written or sent. A receiver or reader of the data can recompute the check sum to confirm the integrity of the data.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and improved apparatus for carrying out a cyclic redundancy check in a computer system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Prior attempts to provide a toilet seat lifting device have involved systems with numerous links, biasing members or cables. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,160 to Pettus discloses a toilet seat lifting device having a lever assembly mounted on a platform that rests on the floor such that depressing a foot pedal downward causes upward movement of a link connected to a lift arm attached to the toilet seat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,192 to Hodges, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,782 to Ratajac, U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,595 to Carmel, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,496 to Blair disclose a similar device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,446 to Crocker discloses a similar device including a cable which pulls on a lever attached to the toilet seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,741 to Ellison discloses a toilet seat lifter having a foot actuated lever 20 which is operably connected to the hinged toilet seat 14. The device includes a bracket 16 secured to the top of the toilet bowl 10. The bracket 16 includes a downward turned flange 22 which serves as an attachment point for the fulcrum point 24 of the foot lever 20 (col. 1, lines 63-68), and the fulcrum point 32 for a motion transmitting linkage 26 pivotally mounted at point 32 (col. 2, lines 1-3). The foot lever 20 has a roller 34 (see FIG. 3) mounted on a stud 36 to engage and actuate the underside of arm 28 of linkage 26. The other end 30 of linkage 26 has a roller 38 mounted on a stud extending at right angles to the arm 30 and extending under the toilet seat 14 to elevate the seat when the lever 20 is actuated (col. 2, lines 8-12).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,347 to King discloses a toilet seat lifting system having a bracket secured to a toilet seat of a toilet, a vertical member, a lever arm pivotally attached to a lower portion of the vertical member, a pair of support arms attached to an upper portion of the vertical member extending at an angle thereof, an air cylinder attached between the vertical member, and the lever arm, two pulleys rotatably attached to an upper portion of the vertical member, and a length of cord attached to the lever arm extending about the pulleys and attached to bracket (col. 1, lines 58-67). U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,335 to Gaston discloses a similar floor mounted, foot actuated, anti-slamming, toilet seat raising and lowering device which includes a hydraulic device which dampens the descent of the toilet seat to prevent the seat from slamming onto the toilet opening. U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,589 to Rice discloses a similar device except that it includes a pneumatic cylinder assembly to prevent the toilet seat from slamming onto the toilet bowl opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,165 to Wescott, Sr., discloses a commode flush and seat lift device in which foot pedals are linked to the flush lever 25 and to the toilet seat lid 11 via four conduits 15, 16, 17 and 18 which house the mechanical links between the foot pedals and their respective operable components (col. 3, lines 47-68).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,106 to Carter, et al., discloses a hand operated, lever actuated toilet seat lift having three componentsxe2x80x94namely, a right angle mounting bracket 16, a pivotal seat lifter 18 and a pivotal actuator lever arm 20 (col. 3, lines 14-16). The seat lifter includes a slot 41 which engages a driving pin 46 attached to the lever arm such that movement of the vertical lever arm causes the lifting bracket to move (col. 4, lines 4-11).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,084 to Greco discloses a lift mechanism which attaches to the rear edge of a toilet bowl which includes a flexible lever which pivots with regard to the rear edge of the bowl. The flexible lever includes a tang dimensioned such that it can be inserted between the toilet bowl and seat (col. 2, lines 11-16). The lever is may be used to lift the seat by trapping the seat between the tang and a stabilizer located on the lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,063 to Cotham discloses an automatic toilet seat lifting device having a lever arm 5 with a counter weight 6 attached at the end thereof which acts to raise the toilet seat to a vertical position (col. 3, lines 40-49), after flushing.
None of the prior toilet seat or toilet cover lifting devices are as simple as the present invention. There is a need for a toilet seat and cover system that is simple, self-supportive, durable and easy to maintain.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple toilet seat and cover system which operates using a foot pedal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a self-supportive toilet seat and cover system which lifts either the toilet cover, the toilet seat (if the cover is already open), or both the seat and cover.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet seat and cover system which is easy to maintain sanitary.
The self-supportive toilet seat and cover system for lifting and placing a toilet seat and cover on an open end of a toilet bowl includes a hinge assembly attached to one end of the toilet bowl opening which also attaches to an end of the toilet seat and toilet cover. The system also includes a first seat lever and first cover lever located on one side of the toilet bowl which are coupled via a second seat lever and a second cover lever, respectively, to respective collars attached to the hinge assembly such that downward pivotal movement of either the first seat lever or first cover lever causes respective second levers to move in a generally downward direction thereby causing rotational movement of the respective cylindrical members of the hinge assembly which are attached to the toilet seat and cover. The rotational movement of the hinge members causes the toilet seat and cover to swing from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
Another embodiment of the self supportive toilet seat and a toilet cover lifting system includes, in combination with the toilet, the toilet seat, toilet cover, a hinge assembly mounted on a distal end of the toilet bowl opening such that the toilet seat and toilet cover may swing about the hinge to a substantially upright position, and a fulcrum located on a lower side of the toilet; a toilet cover assembly having a cover collar mounted to an end of the hinge and a first cover lever having a first end rotatably coupled to the fulcrum and a second end extending proximally therefrom. The system also includes a second cover lever rotatably coupled intermediate the first cover lever and the cover collar such that downward pivotal movement of the first cover lever causes the toilet cover to swing from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position. The system also includes a toilet seat assembly having a seat collar mounted to the end of the hinge, a first seat lever located adjacent the first cover lever and having a first end rotatably also coupled to the fulcrum; and a second seat lever rotatably coupled intermediate the first seat lever and the seat collar such that downward pivotal movement of the first seat lever causes the toilet seat to swing from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
The system of the present invention may also include a bracket adapted to be attached to the distal end of a toilet such that a portion of the bracket defines the fulcrum at which the toilet seat and toilet cover levers are rotatably coupled. The bracket may include a pivot mount to couple the seat and cover levers, or may include two pivot mounts to couple same at two different locations such that the seat and cover levers are rotatably coupled about both pivot mounts.
The toilet seat and cover system cover collar and seat collar may be structurally defined as a third cover lever and third seat lever, respectively, that are attached to and radiating from the hinge to permit the rotation of the hinge upon force being applied to the second cover and seat levers.
The toilet seat and cover system may also include an extending tab located on the first seat lever such that at least a portion of the tab extends over a portion of the first cover lever such that the downward pivotal movement of the seat lever causes downward pivotal movement of the first cover lever as well. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Generally current prior art trim tabs may be attached to a vessel on an outside of the hull. Prior art trim tabs do not move at a rate sufficient to dampen motion of a vessel. Prior art trim tabs typically require running lines and hoses through the hull to actuate the trim tabs. Additionally current trim tabs may require bulky actuators that are not easily integrated into a vessel. Further current trim tabs may require large forces to actuate the tabs. There is therefore a need in the art for an improved trim tab that is easily integrated into a vessel and solves the problems of the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a mechanism for packet routing that is widely used in high-performance computer networks. In an MPLS network, data packets are assigned labels, and packet-forwarding decisions are made solely on the contents of the labels, without the need to examine the network address of the packet itself. The MPLS architecture and label structure were originally defined by Rosen et al. in Requests for Comments (RFCs) 3031 and 3032 of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Network Working Group (2001), which are incorporated herein by reference.
MPLS is a network-layer protocol (Layer 3 in the Open Systems Interconnection [OSI] model), which is implemented by routers in place of or in addition to address-based routing. At the ingress to an MPLS network, a prefix is appended to the packet header, containing one or more MPLS labels. This prefix is called a label stack. According to RFC 3032, each label in the label stack contains four fields: A 20-bit label value (commonly referred to as the label identifier or “label ID”). A 3-bit traffic class field for QoS (quality of service) priority and ECN (explicit congestion notification) signaling (also referred to as the “EXP” or traffic class—“TC”—field). A 1-bit bottom-of-stack flag, which is set to indicate that the current label is the last in the stack. An 8-bit TTL (time to live) field.
A router that routes packets based on these labels is called a label-switched router (LSR). According to RFC 3031, when an LSR receives a packet, it uses the label at the top of the stack in the packet header as an index to an Incoming Label Map (ILM). The ILM maps each incoming label to a set of one or more entries in a Next Hop Label Forwarding Entry (NHLFE) table. Alternatively, when packets arrive at the LSR unlabeled, a “FEC-to-NHLFE” function (FTN) maps each “Forwarding Equivalence Class” (FEC) to a set of one or more NHLFE table entries. In either case, each NHLFE indicates the next hop for the packet and an operation to be performed on the label stack. These operations may include replacing the label at the top of the stack with a new label, popping the label stack, and/or pushing one or more new labels onto the stack. After performing the required label stack operations, the LSR forwards the packet through the egress interface indicated by the NHLFE.
In Internet Protocol (IP) networks that support Differentiated Service (“Diff-Serv”), packet IP headers may contain a “Diff-Serv Code Point” (DSCP) value, which classifies packets according to different quality of service (QoS) levels. As a packet passes through the network, each transit node selects the scheduling treatment, and possibly the drop probability, for the packet depending on its DSCP value. This Diff-Serv architecture was defined initially by Blake et al., in IETF RFC 2475 (1998), which is incorporated herein by reference.
Le Faucheur et al. defined a framework for MPLS support of Diff-Serv functionality in IETF RFC 3270 (2002), which is also incorporated herein by reference. In this context, the EXP field in the MPLS label is generally used to indicate the scheduling class. In particular, in MPLS tunnels (as described in section 2.6 of RFC 3270), the EXP field of the outer packet label indicates the scheduling class along the entire length of the tunnel, and LSRs along the tunnel consider only this external label. In the “Pipe Model,” described in subsection 2.6.2, intermediate nodes along the tunnel consider only “LSP Diff-Serv Information,” which is carried in the outer MPLS label and is meaningful only within the tunnel. Diff-Serv information that is meaningful beyond the tunnel egress, such as an EXP value in an inner MPLS label or the DSCP value in the IP header that is encapsulated behind the outer MPLS label, is referred to as “Tunneled Diff-Serv Information” and is ignored by the LSPs along the tunnel.
Subsection 2.6.2.1 of RFC 3270 describes a variant on the MPLS Pipe Model, referred to as the “Short Pipe Model.” In this case, the Diff-Serv forwarding treatment at the egress LSR from the tunnel is applied based on the Tunneled Diff-Serv Information. Because the egress LSR does not use the LSP Diff-Serv Information in forwarding the packet onward, the Short Pipe Model can operate with Penultimate Hop Popping (PHP), in which the next-to-last (penultimate) LSR in the tunnel pops and discards the outer MPLS label containing the LSP Diff-Serv Information. PHP is thus useful in reducing the label-processing burden on the egress LSR.
A label-switched path (LSP) is also referred to as an MPLS tunnel. Formally, an LSP defined as a sequence of LSRs, beginning with an ingress LSR and ending with an egress LSR, which forward packets along the LSP based on the outer packet labels, which are at a certain level of the label hierarchy within the network (i.e., the outer label is at the top of a label stack that maintains the same depth throughout the tunnel). The term “pipe” is used specifically, in the present description and in the claims, to refer to an MPLS LSP that applies LSP Diff-Serv Information in forwarding packets through the LSP, as defined above.
Protocols for differentiated service levels also exist in Layer 2 networks. For example, in Ethernet networks, the IEEE 802.1Q standard defines a 3-bit field known as the Priority Code Point (PCP) in the frame header, which can be used to differentiate traffic into eight levels of priority for purposes of quality of service (QoS). The IEEE 802.1Qbb project authorization request (PAR) provides priority-based flow control (PFC) as an enhancement to the traditional Ethernet pause mechanism for flow control on a physical link. PFC creates eight separate virtual links on a given physical link and allows the receiver to pause and restart the virtual links independently. PFC thus enables the operator to implement differentiated quality of service (QoS) policies for the eight virtual links.
The references cited above use various different terms and parameters in defining QoS levels, such as “Diff-Serv information” and DSCP, EXP, TC, and PCP values, for example. The term “quality of service” (abbreviated as “QoS”) is used in the present description and in the claims to refer to and include all of these various terms and parameters, unless stated otherwise or required by the context of usage. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Most people are familiar with the term Information Technology (IT), which covers the spectrum of technologies for information processing, including software, hardware, communications technologies and related services. Operation Technology (OT) is a relatively newer term that refers to hardware and software that detects or causes a change through the direct monitoring and/or control of physical devices, processes and events in the enterprise. For example, OT networks interconnect industrial control systems such as programmable logic controllers, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, distributed control systems, process control domains, safety instrumented systems, and building management and automation systems.
As many organizations are discovering, the Industrial Internet is a huge new opportunity for growth and efficiency. To realize this value, OT environments need to be connected. With production systems becoming more interconnected, the exposure to cyber incidents increases. Attacks and disruptions on critical infrastructure put reputation, production, people, and profits at risk.
Traditionally, OT networks have operated separately from IT networks. For example, OT networks utilized proprietary protocols optimized for the required functions, some of which have become adopted as ‘standard’ industrial communications protocols (e.g., DNP3, Modbus, Profibus, RTU, CANBUS, HART, DeviceNet). More recently, IT-standard network protocols are being implemented in OT devices and systems to reduce complexity and increase compatibility with more traditional IT hardware (e.g., TCP/IP). This has led to a demonstrable reduction in security for OT systems.
Network security systems are designed to protect critical infrastructure, control systems and OT assets. Network security systems provide protection from cyber threats and vulnerabilities in OT environments by monitoring and blocking malicious activity and misconfiguration to promote OT safety and protect productivity. While effective, configuring a network security system is a difficult and time intensive manual task. For example, a network administrator is often tasked with manually generating whitelist policies that identify commands that should be allowed within the network. This requires the network administrator to analyze the software services running on the devices in the network and determine the commands that are likely to be transmitted to provide the software services. Accordingly, improvements are needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The vertebral or spinal column (spine, backbone) is a flexible assembly of vertebrae stacked on top of each other extending from the skull to the pelvic bone which acts to support the axial skeleton and to protect the spinal cord and nerves. The vertebrae are anatomically organized into four generalized body regions identified as cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral; the cervical region including the top of the spine beginning in the skull, the thoracic region spanning the torso, the lumbar region spanning the lower back, and the sacral region including the base of the spine ending with connection to the pelvic bone. With the exception of the first two cervical vertebrae, cushion-like discs separate adjacent vertebrae, i.e. intervertebral discs.
The stability of the vertebral column during compression and movement is maintained by the intervertebral discs. Each disc includes a gel-like center surrounded by a fibrous ring. The gel-like center, i.e. nucleus pulposus, provides strength such that the disc can absorb and distribute external loads and contains a mixture of type II-collagen dispersed in a proteoglycan matrix. The fibrous ring, or annulus fibrosus, provides stability during motion and contains laminated rings of type-I collagen. Thus, the annulus fibrosis and the nucleus pulposus are interdependent, as the annulus fibrosis contains the nucleus pulposus in place and the nucleus pulposus aligns the annulus fibrosus to accept and distribute external loads. The integrity of the composition and structure of the intervertebral disc is necessary to maintain normal functioning of the intervertebral disc.
Many factors can adversely alter the composition and structure of the intevertebral disc, such as normal physiological aging, mechanical injury/trauma, and/or disease, resulting in impairment or loss of disc function. For example, the content of proteoglycan in the nucleus pulposus declines with age, thus, it follows that the ability of the nucleus pulposus to absorb water concurrently declines. Therefore, in normal aging the disc progressively dehydrates, resulting in a decrease in disc height and possible de-lamination of the annulus fibrosus. Mechanical injury can tear the annulus fibrosis allowing the gel-like material of the nucleus pulposus to extrude into the spinal canal and compress neural elements. Growth of a spinal tumor can impinge upon the vertebrae and/or disc potentially compressing nerves.
Bones of the spine, and bony structures, generally, are susceptible to a variety of weaknesses that can affect their ability to provide support and structure. Weaknesses in bony structures have numerous potential causes, including degenerative diseases, tumors, fractures, and dislocations. Advances in medicine and engineering have provided doctors with a plurality of devices and techniques for alleviating or curing these weaknesses.
In some cases, the spinal column, in particular, requires additional support in order to address such weaknesses. One technique for providing support is to insert a spacer between adjacent vertebrae. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lifting trailers. In particular, the present invention is related to lifting tandem-axle trailers having air ride suspension systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Almost all of the cargo freight transported throughout the United States is carried for at least a portion of its journey by tractor trailers. The trailers used in this type of shipping typically have tandem rear axles. Many of these trailers now utilize air ride suspension systems, in which air bags are used as shock absorbers.
Many years ago, the railroad industry began offering “intermodal” transportation services in which cargo trailers are loaded onto flatbed railcars and transported by rail. The trailers are typically loaded onto the flatbed railcars by overhead cranes having arms that extend downward and terminate with lifting shoes, or hooks. The lifting shoes are configured to connect to the trailer below the lower side edges of the trailer. Usually the arms are positioned so that there is one lifting shoe on each side of the front end of the trailer and one lifting shoe on each side of the rear end of the trailer. This allows the weight of the trailer and its cargo to be distributed across the four arms of the overhead crane.
In a typical intermodal operation, a trailer is positioned near a flatbed railcar. Then, an overhead crane is positioned over the trailer, such that two lifting shoes are positioned on either side of the front end of the trailer and two lifting shoes are position on either side of the rear end of the trailer. The lifting shoes are then secured to the trailer and the trailer is lifted and placed onto the flatbed railcar. Once the trailer is placed onto the flatbed railcar, it is secured into a locking hitch assembly on the railcar so that it does not move.
However, air ride suspension trailers cannot be lifted unless the axle remains in a fixed vertical position. If the axle lowers during lifting, the air bags will stretch and can be damaged. In addition, if the trailer is raised and the air bags are allowed to stretch under the weight of the axles and wheel assemblies, the air bags can be misaligned and damaged when the trailer is lowered again.
Although there have been many developments in the area of intermodal transportation, many shortcomings remain. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This application is a 371 of PCT/EP98/06902 filed Oct. 31, 1998.
The present invention relates, inter alia, to the use of insoluble inorganic particles which absorb in the UVA region for improving the photostability of the organic light protection filter butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane in cosmetic formulations.
As is known, the skin is sensitive to solar rays, which can cause ordinary sunburn or an erythema, or also burns of greater or lesser severity.
Solar rays do, however, also have other negative effects: they cause the skin to lose its elasticity and wrinkles to form, and thus lead to premature ageing. In some cases, dermatoses can also be observed. In the extreme case, it results in the appearance of skin cancer in some people.
As is known, the most dangerous part of solar rays is formed by the ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of less than 400 nm. It is also known that, as a result of the presence of the ozone layer in the Earth""s atmosphere, which absorbs some of the solar radiation, the lower limit of the ultraviolet rays which reach the Earth""s surface is about 280 nm.
The problem with many sunscreen preparations is, however, that many light protection filters are sensitive substances and have low stability towards the ultraviolet rays; they break down at a greater or lesser rate. This results in problems with the shelf life and effectiveness of the corresponding cosmetic formulations. These preparations do not exhibit permanent effectiveness during prolonged solar irradiation, meaning that repeated application to the skin is necessary at regular intervals.
The sun protection filters customarily used today in cosmetics are divided into UVA filters and UVB filters. For both UV regions, there are many tried and tested compounds known from the specialist literature, compounds cited here merely by way of example being hose such as Eusolex(copyright) 6300 or Eusolex(copyright) 232, dibenzoylmethanes, such as Eusolex(copyright) 9020 or Eusolex(copyright) 8020, benzophenones and also octyl triazone (Uvinul(copyright) T 150).
Butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDM, Eusolex(copyright) 9020) is a UVA filter which is frequently used, but which is severely degraded by UV irradiation. If this substance is processed with other organic UVA filters in a formulation, the stability of the BMDM does not increase.
There is still, therefore, a lack of substances which can be added to the formulations to stabilize the light protection filter BMDM, but which otherwise do not negatively impair the action and the composition of the cosmetic preparations.
It therefore appears desirable to provide cosmetic preparations which are more stable with regard to the light protection filters and which comprise at least the light protection filter butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane and which can absorb predominantly the UVA rays having a wavelength between 320 and 400 nm, which cause the skin to tan, but also to age, favour the onset of an erythematous reaction or heighten this reaction in certain individuals, or can even trigger phototoxic or photoallergic reactions, but which also, if desired, can absorb the UVB rays having a wavelength between 280 and 320 nm, which play a decisive role in the formation of a solar erythema.
Surprisingly, we have now found that the photostability of butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane is increased if insoluble inorganic particles which have good absorption in the UVA region are added.
These substances have the great advantage that they do not display toxic or allergic reactions towards the skin.
The effectiveness of the inorganic UVA filters is to be attributed to the fact that, being insoluble substances, they cannot penetrate the skin, and as a result remain in a layer on the skin. BMDM, being an organic molecule, diffuses into the uppermost layers of the horny skin meaning that from one applied formulation a two-layer system is formed. The lower layer, i.e. the butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, is therefore reached only by relatively small amounts of energy, resulting in reduced degradation of the organic light protection filter.
This penetration effect can be further enhanced by the use of penetration promoters, such as, for example, dimethyl sulfoxide or diethyltoluamide.
The invention therefore provides for the use of insoluble inorganic particles which absorb in the UVA region for improving the photostability of the light protection filter butylmethoxybenzoylmethane in cosmetic formulations.
These particles include mainly microfine titanium dioxide, which is in the form of the rutile modification, but can also be in the form of anatase, microfine iron oxide, cerium oxide or zinc oxide. The particle size of these particles is in the range from 10 nm to 100 xcexcm, preferably in the range from 10 nm to 10 xcexcm.
In a very particularly preferred embodiment of this invention, titanium dioxide microrutile having a particle size of up to 10 xcexcm is used. This titanium dioxide microrutile is known under the name Eusolex(copyright) T-2000 and is available commercially (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt). The microfine titanium dioxide in rutile form has very good UVA absorption and is particularly highly suitable for the photostabilization of BMDM according to the invention.
It is also possible to use insoluble titanium dioxide particles which have been doped, for example, with cerium or iron ions.
The invention also provides a cosmetic preparation comprising the light protection filter butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, characterized in that, to improve the photostability of this light protection filter, insoluble inorganic particles which have good absorption in the UVA region are added.
The invention further provides a process for improving the photostability of butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane in cosmetic preparations, characterized in that insoluble inorganic UVA filter particles are added.
The content of butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane in the cosmetic preparation according to the invention is preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight, particularly preferably from 0.5 to 3% by weight.
The content of inorganic particles is from 0.1 to 30% by weight, particularly preferably from 0.5 to 10% by weight.
The light protection filter butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane can be present in the cosmetic formulations according to the invention on its own or in combination with one or more UVA filters from different classes of substance, which can in each case be present in an amount of from 0.01 to 40% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight.
The corresponding microfine pigments are known and can be obtained commercially, e.g. from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt.
They exhibit excellent properties, such as very good skin and mucosa compatibility without toxic, allergenic or sensitizing properties, and no skin penetration.
The substance also has high chemical stability, i.e. does not undergo hydrolysis, photooxidation or oxidation, and has high thermal stability and good perspiration resistance.
Furthermore, this substance is highly compatible and miscible with common cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulation bases.
The invention further provides a process for protecting the skin from solar rays, a cosmetic preparation according to the present invention being applied to the skin.
The formulations according to the invention can also be used for the preventative treatment of inflammations and allergies of the skin, and for preventing certain types of cancer.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the cosmetic formulation is in the form of a set of two separate formulations, one formulation of which, which is applied first, comprises butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, and the second formulation of which, which is applied subsequently, comprises the inorganic particles. This immediately forms the desired two-layer system.
If the cosmetic preparation according to the invention is used to protect the human epidermis against UV rays, it is in various forms customarily used for this type. For example, it can, in particular, be in the form of oily, oily-aqueous, aqueous-alcoholic or oily-alcoholic lotions, emulsions, such as cream or milk (W/O or O/W, where W=water and O=oil), in the form of oily-alcoholic, oily-aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic gels, or as solid sticks or powders, or formulated as a spray or aerosol.
The formulation according to the invention can comprise further cosmetic additives which are customarily used in this type of preparations, such as, for example, thickeners, emollients, moisturizers, surfactants, preservatives, antifoams, perfumes, waxes, lanolin, propellants, dyes and/or pigments which colour the composition itself or the skin, and other ingredients customarily used in cosmetics.
The solubilizing agent can be an oil, wax or other fatty substance, a lower monoalcohol or a lower polyol or mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred monoalcohols or polyols include ethanol, isopropanol, propylene glycol, glycerol and sorbitol.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is an emulsion which is in the form of a protective cream or milk and which, in addition to the organic light protection agents and the inorganic UVA filters, comprises fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters, in particular triglycerides of fatty acids, fatty acids, lanolin, natural or synthetic oils or waxes and emulsifiers in the presence of water.
Further preferred embodiments are oily lotions based on natural or synthetic oils and waxes, lanolin, fatty acid esters, in particular triglycerides of fatty acids, or oily-alcoholic lotions based on a lower alcohol, such as ethanol, or a glycol, such as propylene glycol, and/or a polyol, such as glycerol, and oils, waxes and fatty acid esters, such as triglycerides of fatty acids.
The cosmetic preparation according to the invention can also be in the form of an alcoholic gel which comprises one or more lower alcohols or polyols, such as ethanol, propylene glycol or glycerol, and a thickener such as diatomaceous earth. The oily-alcoholic gels also comprise natural or synthetic oil or wax.
The solid sticks consist of natural or synthetic waxes and oils, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, lanolin and other fatty substances.
If a preparation is formulated as an aerosol, use is usually made of the customary propellants, such as alkanes, fluoroalkanes and chlorofluoroalkanes.
If a formulation is formulated as a spray, use is usually made of aqueous-alcoholic solutions.
The cosmetic preparations according to the invention can be prepared using techniques which are well known to the person skilled in the art.
It is assumed that a person skilled in the art will be able to utilize the above description in the widest sense without further explanations. The preferred embodiments are therefore merely to be seen as a descriptive disclosure which is in no way limiting.
The complete disclosure of all applications, patents and publications given above and below are incorporated into this application by reference. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Blackjack is a highly popular and widely played game, both in casinos and online. Spanish 21 is a card game that is similar in play to Blackjack except that certain cards, such as the tens, are removed from the deck. The removal of these cards allows for desirable rules to be utilized including payouts that are different than Blackjack payouts. Spanish 21 is a patented game and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,888, which is owned by the assignee of this invention.
Blackjack and Spanish 21 are table games in which cards are dealt to the players and the dealer. Each player's goal is to beat the dealer. The dealer deals an initial two cards to each player in order from the dealer's left to the dealer's right. Each player has an opportunity or turn to make decisions regarding his hand. The player to the leftmost of the dealer, from the dealer's perspective, is the first player to make decisions about his hand. After that player has made all his decisions related to any additional card(s) he receives, then the other players, in turn, make their card decisions, in the same left-to-right order that was used when the initial two cards were dealt. Like the leftmost player, each such player makes all her/his decisions related to any additional card(s) being received by that player before any next player is able to express his or her decision(s) about receiving any additional card(s). After all table players are finished with their hands, the dealer makes decisions about his hand using set rules.
Such a method of play, which is common to both Blackjack and Spanish 21, can contribute to slow play of these games since the next-in-turn players are waiting to express their decisions about their hands while one player, higher in the order of dealt cards, is taking his turn related to receiving any additional card(s). In addition, relatively slow play occurs since each player that has already completed play must wait for any other player who has not completed play before the next round of the game can start. The known method for handling Blackjack and Spanish 21 card decisions has worked well in non-computerized environments. However, with the advance of computerized gaming table implementations, the present invention is able to increase the speed of play for these two table games, as well as any other game based on, derived from or sufficiently related to Blackjack. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
There has been known a thermally developable photothermographic imaging material which comprises a photocatalyst such as silver halide, a reducing agent and an organic silver salt reducible by the reducing agent and in which a latent image formed by exposure forms a black silver image by thermal development via oxidation-reduction (or redox) reaction between the organic silver salt and the reducing agent.
Organic silver salt particles, in general, are formed in a mixing vessel provided with a dynamic stirring means which conducts a stirring operation such as rotation. Formation methods of organic silver salt particles and preparation apparatuses thereof include, for example, a method using a closed mixing means, as disclosed in JP-A No. 2001-33907 (hereinafter, the term JP-A refers to an unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication). JP-A No. 2003-43607 also discloses a preparation method of organic silver salt particles using a micro-mixer.
However, formation of particles in a mixing vessel incorporating a stirring means causes problems that produced nucleus particles are cycled and returned, whereby nucleation cannot be performed under a homogeneous condition.
In the method disclosed in JP-A No. 2001-33907, the closed mixing means is internally installed with a stirring means, making a complex structure and problems such as retention of fluid cannot be ignored microscopically. In a closed-type continuous mixing system, retention of fluid not only becomes a factor of perturbing particle sizes of an organic silver salt or the distribution thereof but it also results in increased fogging caused by retained particles being exposed to silver ions at relatively high concentration.
In the use of the micro-mixer disclosed in JP-A No. 2003-43607, static mixing is conducted without using an internal mixing means and mixing is performed in a laminar flow state. In this method, the reaction zone is so small that mixing needs to be conducted not only at relatively low solution-supplying rate but also using a solution at relatively low concentration, resulting in reduced productivity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor products, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for simultaneously controlling multi-cup semiconductor manufacturing tracks.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technology explosion in the manufacturing industry has resulted in many new and innovative manufacturing processes. Today""s manufacturing processes, particularly semiconductor manufacturing processes, call for a large number of important steps. These process steps are usually vital, and therefore, require a number of inputs that are generally fine-tuned to maintain proper manufacturing control.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices requires a number of discrete process steps to create a packaged semiconductor device from raw semiconductor material. The various processes, from the initial growth of the semiconductor material, the slicing of the semiconductor crystal into individual wafers, the fabrication stages (etching, doping, ion implanting, or the like), to the packaging and final testing of the completed device, are so different from one another and specialized that the processes may be performed in different manufacturing locations that contain different control schemes.
Among the important aspects in semiconductor device manufacturing are RTA control, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) control, etching, and overlay control. Overlay is one of several important steps in the photolithography area of semiconductor manufacturing. Overlay process involves measuring the misalignment between two successive patterned layers on the surface of a semiconductor device. Generally, minimization of misalignment errors is important to ensure that the multiple layers of the semiconductor devices are connected and functional.
Generally, process engineers currently analyze the process errors a few times a month. The results from the analysis of the process errors are used to make updates to process tool settings manually. Generally, a manufacturing model is employed to control the manufacturing processes. Some of the problems associated with the current methods include the fact that the process tool settings are only updated a few times a month. Furthermore, currently the process tool updates are generally performed manually. Many times, errors in semiconductor manufacturing are not organized and reported to quality control personal. Often, the manufacturing models themselves incur bias errors that could compromise manufacturing quality.
Generally, a set of processing steps is performed on a lot of wafers on a semiconductor manufacturing tool called an exposure tool or a stepper, followed by processing of the semiconductor wafers in etch tools. The manufacturing tool communicates with a manufacturing framework or a network of processing modules. The manufacturing tool is generally connected to an equipment interface. The equipment interface to which the stepper is connected is also connected to a machine interface, thereby facilitating communications between the stepper and the manufacturing framework. The machine interface can generally be part of an advanced process control (APC) system. The APC system initiates a control script based upon a manufacturing model, which can be a software program that automatically retrieves the data needed to execute a manufacturing process. Often, semiconductor devices are staged through multiple manufacturing tools for multiple processes, generating data relating to the quality of the processed semiconductor devices. Many times, errors can occur during the processing of semiconductor devices. Furthermore, semiconductor wafers that are processed in different sections, such as different wafer cups on a manufacturing track, of a manufacturing area often have different characteristics. Often, crucial characteristics, such as critical dimensions, of a semiconductor wafer can be non-uniform due to variations between the different sections of a manufacturing area. The lack of uniformity can cause quality and efficiency problems. In some cases, multiple semiconductor wafer cups are not utilized in a single process to avoid semiconductor wafers that have non-uniform characteristics, resulting in inefficient use of manufacturing resources.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling multiple semiconductor wafer cups in photolithography processing tools. At least one process run of semiconductor devices is processed. A multi-wafer-cup process analysis is performed upon the processed semiconductor devices. At least one control parameter is modified for a subsequent process run of semiconductor devices using results from the multi-wafer-cup process analysis.
In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for controlling multiple semiconductor wafer cups. The apparatus of the present invention comprises: a computer system; a manufacturing model coupled with the computer system, the manufacturing model being capable of generating at least one control parameter input signal; a machine interface coupled with the manufacturing model, the machine interface being capable of receiving process recipes from the manufacturing model; a processing tool capable of processing semiconductor wafers and coupled with the machine interface, the processing tool being capable of receiving at least one control input parameter signal from the machine interface; a first wafer cup coupled with the processing tool for receiving semiconductor wafers, wherein the first wafer cup is capable of applying a photoresist material onto a semiconductor wafer; a second wafer cup coupled with the processing tool for receiving semiconductor wafers, wherein the second wafer cup is capable of applying a photoresist material onto a semiconductor wafer; a metrology tool coupled with the processing tool, the metrology tool being capable of acquiring metrology data; and a metrology data processing unit coupled with the metrology tool and the computer system, the metrology data processing unit being capable of organizing the acquired metrology data and sending the organized metrology data to the computer system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to a tool tray for a vehicle, and more specifically, to one that straddles the engine compartment.
2. Description of Related Art
Some vehicle tool trays have limited degrees of adjustment. For example, the devices of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,811,875 and 5,331,904 adjust to fit various widths of engine compartments and also adjust to accommodate various degrees of inclination of the fenders. However, the device fails to accommodate fenders that do not run parallel to each other.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,330 is so overly articulated that it would be difficult to set up, adjust, and stow. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A communication link with capability to support connections in both transmit and receive directions at the same time and over the entire frequency band is called full-duplex, or two-way. In contrast, a link that can support connection in only one direction at a time (over a given frequency band) is called one-way or half-duplex. Current wireless systems are one-way and rely on either separate time slots (time division duplex) or separate frequency bands (frequency division duplex) to transmit and to receive. These alternatives have their pros and cons, but both suffer from lack of ability to transmit and to receive concurrently over entire frequency band. Even in the context of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), where different frequency tones are used to simultaneously service multiple users, there is no method known to use the OFDMA tones in opposite directions. A similar shortcoming exists in the context of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Although full-duplex wireless is theoretically possible, its implementation is difficult due to an excessive amount of self-interference, i.e., the interference each transmitter generates to its own receiver(s).
Full-duplex communication is currently used in many applications, e.g., wired telephones, digital subscriber line, wireless with directional antennas, and free-space optics. The impact of full-duplex links in these earlier applications is limited to doubling the rate by providing two symmetrical pipes of data flowing in opposite directions. In contrast, in multi-user wireless systems, due to the broadcast nature of transmission (everyone hears everyone else), full-duplex capability has the potential to do more than merely doubling the rate. A summary of some of the benefits of full-duplex are as follow.
Full-duplex facilitates wireless networking. In particular, the ability to handle asynchronous users enables superimposing a half-duplex, low bit rate, low power, easy to detect network for control signaling superimposed (physical overlay, rather than logical) on top of the network of primary full-duplex data links. The superimposed links are separated from the primary full-duplex data links in the code domain, and use time multiplexing plus Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) among themselves. However, the conventional problems of CSMA are avoided as control links operate in parallel with primary full-duplex data links. The physical layer of control links is designed such that full-duplex data links can detect and cancel the interference caused by the superimposed control links.
Full-duplex enhances security through desirable jamming.
Full-duplex facilitates multi-node distributed & collaborative signaling, including realization of Network Information Theoretic setups, and cognitive wireless.
Full-duplex, through exploiting feedback, improves point-to-point throughput, and enables ultra-low power transmission.
Full-duplex doubles the point-to-point throughput. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventionally, a method for coating a surface with a hydrophilic resin is used for the fin of the heat exchanger of an air conditioner, etc. in order to more readily eliminate dew condensation water during operation. However, with traditional methods for making a surface hydrophilic, dew condenses and freezes, i.e., frost forms, particularly during winter in cold environments. This frozen water is difficult to eliminate and reduces operating efficiency. In fact, air conditioning operation must be occasionally stopped to melt and remove the frost which builds up.
Thus, both an extra heater, and enregy it uses, is required for removing frost. Also, such a process is not desired as air conditioning operation must be occasionally stopped. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
An Analog to Digital converter (ADC) takes samples of an analog signal and uses the samples to produce a digital signal. The samples are quantized so that at each sampling time only one of 2K numbers is generated by a K-bit ADC. The most common ADCs sample analog voltages and generate numbers, typically in binary form, representing the voltage.
The signal amplitude levels, or thresholds, that the ADC uses to generate the digital numbers are usually taken to be equally-spaced in amplitude for a general purpose ADC. In some ADCs, however, the thresholds are non-linearly spaced, such as converters conforming to the well-known μ-law or A-law conversion format used in many voiceband communication systems. These systems implement an approximate logarithmic transfer function using piecewise linear segments, each segment having a different slope so that the regions around the lower amplitude levels suffer less quanitzation error. In this way, these ADCs, using only eight data bits, are able to provide an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio for the low amplitude signals while maintaining a relatively wide dynamic range, whereas twelve bits would be required in a linear ADC to achieve the similar dynamic range and signal to noise ratio. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates generally to imaging systems and methods and more particularly to systems and methods for retrospective internal gating.
As a patient undergoes an imaging procedure, it is useful that the patient remain still. If a patient moves during the imaging procedure, the image may be blurred and thus lack clarity. For example, when an image is taken of a patient's chest or diaphragm area with a helical scan procedure as the patient breathes, the image lacks clarity. As another example, due to the respiratory motion of the patient, images of tumors or other areas of concern disposed within the patient's chest or abdomen tend to be blurred and lack clarity such that the tumor or area tends to appear larger or smaller than its actual size thus may render an inaccurate estimate of a size of a tumor.
Sometimes radiation therapy is used to treat a tumor. In radiation therapy, the area in which the tumor is located is exposed to a dose of radiation so as to irradiate the tumor. In order to lessen the chance of radiating normal tissue surrounding the tumor, it is useful to accurately locate the position of the tumor. This may be accomplished by imaging the tumor and the area surrounding the tumor using an imaging device such as a computed tomography (CT) imaging system, a Flouroscope, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and/or a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging system.
Although a helical CT scan can cover a typical scanning distance, for example, 20-30 cm, during a normal breathe hold, and thus completely scan the tumor during this breathe hold, the radiation therapy is a relatively long process and takes around 15 minutes. Therefore, it is not possible for the patient to hold his or her breathe during the therapy procedure. When the patient breathes, the internal organs move by as much as several centimeters, causing the tumors to move in and out of a radiation treatment field.
CT perfusion is another examination that requires an accurate image registration to compensate for the respiratory motion during the study. For example, during a CT liver perfusion procedure two types of image scans are typically performed, an arterial phase and a venous phase. The arterial phase of the imaging procedure normally produces images once a second for the first thirty seconds of breath hold time during which a contrast injection is administered to the patient. The venous phase of the imaging procedure is then performed and is normally measured in an interval of five to ten second intervals and may have a total image acquisition time of two to three minutes or longer. Because the arterial phase of the imaging procedure only takes approximately thirty seconds, holding the patient's breath can reduce or eliminate any image artifacts due to respiratory motion. However, because the venous phase may take a couple of minutes or longer, some patients may not be able to hold their breath for the entire venous phase and image artifacts may be in images obtained.
One method to address respiratory motion of the patient during imaging and application of a radiation dose is respiratory gating. In respiratory gating, movement during imaging is tracked, and even more tightly shaped conformal dose distribution is used. Respiratory gating allows therapists to track the patient's respiratory cycle both at the time of the CT scan for imaging and at the time of treatment. In effect, respiratory gating facilitates isolation of the position of the target during one specific phase of the respiratory cycle, generally, during either exhale or inhale. Thus, by isolating the target position, therapists can decrease the size of the radiation fields to closely match the target size and position.
Respiratory gating is accomplished by monitoring the patient's normal breathing pattern. For example, in a known method, every time the patient exhales, the radiation beam comes on instantly for half a second. The moment the patient starts to inhale, the radiation beam is terminated. The radiation beam is pulsed repeatedly in such a manner until the entire radiation dose has been delivered. Unfortunately, such a configuration increases the total time of radiation treatment. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Reliable storage of digital data in a memory system is effected by using error correcting codes, erasure codes, redundant data storage, or the like. One method of storing data in a reliable way is to use a RAID (Reliable Array of Inexpensive Disks) architecture. Except for RAID 0 (which does not provide redundancy), the various RAID types (e.g. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) store an extent of data by writing chunks of the data to several independent memories and redundancy data to other independent memories, with the objective that, should one or more of the memories encounter a failure, the data can be recovered from the remaining stored data.
Originally the concept developed using disk drives (mechanical rotating magnetic media platters). A stripe of data comprising a plurality of strips of data may be written, the strips being chunks of data of the extent of data, such that each of the strips of the stripe is written to a separate disk, and a parity strip is computed over the chunks of data and stored to another disk. In this single parity case, the loss of a disk storing a chunk of the extent may be overcome by computing the exclusive-OR of the remaining chunks and the parity data to produce the lost data. This is a simple example of single-parity RAID, but a person of skill in the art would understand the extension to multiple parity, distributed parity, and other similar techniques which may provide protection against the loss of multiple disks.
In many of the RAID mechanizations, considerable effort is expended to reduce the number of disk operations to be performed, as the number of operations per second and the bandwidth of mechanical disk devices is limited primarily by rotational and seek latencies. In particular, the time to assemble the data from all of the strips of a stripe is a significant limitation on the processing speed of a large data base system. Computer technology has far outstripped the ability of the rotating disk to store or retrieve data in a timely manner.
The cost of non-volatile solid state memory has been reduced, primarily due to the increase production of NAND flash devices for use in consumer electronics such as cell phones, tablets, audio players and the like. Memory systems using NAND flash have been produced that emulate the protocols of rotating disks, and such SCSI-compatible devices, for example, are now found in laptops and have been used in arrays to replace mechanical disks in larger storage systems. Flash memory, however, has its own limitations, which may be characterized as being related to timing and wear out.
Data is stored in a flash memory circuit in pages, with a plurality of pages forming a block, and a plurality of blocks being found in a memory circuit (“a chip”). A characteristic of NAND flash memory is that while data may be written in pages in sequential order, the memory cannot be overwritten without being first erased, and the erase operation must be performed on integral blocks. The page read time, page write time and block erase time are not the same time duration, with the write time typically being a multiple of the read time and the block erase time typically being a multiple of the write time. Although these times vary with the specific NAND flash type and manufacturer, an example would be read time (100 us), write time (500 us) and block erase time (5 ms). Moreover, a read operation cannot be performed on a chip when a write or block erase operation is in progress. We do not herein discuss the issue of wear out, or the details of the management of the memory so as to manage the pages of memory where the data has been modified, except to say that this important aspect of a flash memory system is addressed by a which may also include such operations as “garbage collection” and “wear leveling.”
If the data of a RAID stripe was written as strips to, for example, separate memory chips, then RAID may be used in a flash memory system. However, if the individual memory chips are operated as independent storage devices, each chip may be in a different state when a request for data from a RAID stripe is received. That is, the chip may be performing, for example, a write or an erase operation and not be available to read data until the write or erase operation has completed. This significant limitation on the performance of a RAIDed flash memory may be overcome by appropriately scheduling the operations of the memory circuits or processing the data received from the memory circuits, such as has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,200,887 entitled “Memory Management System and Method, issued Jun. 12, 2012, which is commonly owned, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
For convenience, the technique is termed “erase hiding.” This is not intended to exclude an aspect of the technique that may be called “write hiding”. As will be seen, the erase hiding and write hiding are both performed in a similar manner, and may often be combined, where the choice of performing a write operation or an erase operation may depend on the nature of the pending operations for any memory chip. In a broader sense, the term “erase hiding” is understood to mean that the operations of the memory system are scheduled or controlled such that there are periods of time where operations that could interfere with low-latency reading of data from the memory system are either inhibited or permitted so as to permit low-latency read operations to be routinely performed. Where such operations are not pending, the particular memory module may also perform read or write operations, some of which may be background operations. Typical operations that may result in increases in latency are erase of flash memory and writing of data. The term “chip” is used to signify a memory circuit having a plurality of blocks of storage locations, or pages, and may include a plurality of memory circuits in a memory package, a plurality of memory packages, and even larger scale assemblies that are operated in a coordinated and consistent manner.
Large flash memory arrays in a single chassis are being produced using these concepts, with scale sizes of 10-40 Terabytes (TB). Even larger scale memory arrays may be assembled from these building blocks. Along with the need for larger and larger memory arrays, with low-latency performance, the reliability requirements that led to RAID are even more stringent today, and the costs of lost data, or the need to perform restoral from a backup are significant to a business.
Today, one may distribute the strips of the data of a RAID stripe over a plurality of modules of memory in chassis, and widely distribute the data over the physical memory space. However, there is a need to protect against the unlikely event of the loss of a full chassis. So, the strips of the data of a RAID stripe may be spread over a plurality of individual chassis, and the chassis may not be located in a same rack or adjacent rack, or facility. Yet, the low latency performance of a memory system using erase hiding is still important. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods are widely used for radiotelephone communications. Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods generally employ at least one space-based component, such as one or more satellites, that is/are configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of satellite radiotelephones.
A satellite radiotelephone communications system or method may utilize a single satellite antenna pattern (beam or cell) covering an entire service region served by the system. Alternatively or in combination with the above, in cellular satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods, multiple satellite antenna patterns (beams or cells) are provided, each of which can serve a substantially distinct service region in an overall service region, to collectively provide service to the overall service region. Thus, a cellular architecture similar to that used in conventional terrestrial cellular radiotelephone systems and methods can be implemented in cellular satellite-based systems and methods. The satellite typically communicates with radiotelephones over a bidirectional communications pathway, with radiotelephone communications signals being communicated from the satellite to the radiotelephone over a downlink or forward link (also referred to as forward service link), and from the radiotelephone to the satellite over an uplink or return link (also referred to as return service link). In some cases, such as, for example, in broadcasting, the satellite may communicate information to one or more radioterminals unidirectionally.
The overall design and operation of cellular satellite radiotelephone systems and methods are well known to those having skill in the art, and need not be described further herein. Moreover, as used herein, the term “radiotelephone” includes cellular and/or satellite radiotelephones with or without a multi-line display; Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals that may combine a radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile and/or data communications capabilities; Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) that can include a radio frequency transceiver and/or a pager, Internet/Intranet access, Web browser, organizer, calendar and/or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and/or conventional laptop and/or palmtop computers or other appliances, which include a radio frequency transceiver. A radiotelephone also may be referred to herein as a “radioterminal”, a “mobile terminal” or simply as a “terminal”. As used herein, the term(s) “radioterminal,” “radiotelephone,” mobile terminal” and/or “terminal” also include(s) any other radiating user device/equipment/source that may have time-varying or fixed geographic coordinates and/or may be portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle (aeronautical, maritime, or land-based) and/or situated and/or configured to operate locally and/or in a distributed fashion over one or more terrestrial and/or extra-terrestrial location(s). Furthermore, as used herein, the term “space-based component” or “space-based system” includes one or more satellites at any orbit (geostationary, substantially geostationary, medium earth orbit, low earth orbit, etc.) and/or one or more other objects and/or platforms (e.g., airplanes, balloons, unmanned vehicles, space crafts, missiles, etc.) that has/have a trajectory above the earth at any altitude.
Terrestrial networks can enhance cellular satellite radiotelephone system availability, efficiency and/or economic viability by terrestrially using/reusing at least some of the frequencies that are allocated to cellular satellite radiotelephone systems. In particular, it is known that it may be difficult for cellular satellite radiotelephone systems to reliably serve densely populated areas, because satellite signals may be blocked by high-rise structures and/or may not penetrate into buildings. As a result, satellite spectrum may be underutilized or unutilized in such areas. The terrestrial use/reuse of at least some of the satellite system frequencies can reduce or eliminate this potential problem.
Moreover, the capacity of an overall hybrid system, comprising space-based (i.e., satellite) and terrestrial communications capability, may be increased by the introduction of terrestrial frequency use/reuse of frequencies authorized for use by the space-based component, since terrestrial frequency use/reuse may be much denser than that of a satellite-only system. In fact, capacity may be enhanced where it may be mostly needed, i.e., in densely populated urban/industrial/commercial areas. As a result, the overall system may become more economically viable, as it may be able to serve more effectively and reliably a larger subscriber base.
One example of terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,332 to co-inventor Karabinis entitled Satellite Telecommunications Repeaters and Retransmission Methods, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein. As described therein, satellite telecommunications repeaters are provided which receive, amplify, and locally retransmit the downlink/uplink signal received from a satellite/radioterminal thereby increasing an effective downlink/uplink margin in the vicinity of the satellite telecommunications repeater and allowing an increase in the penetration of uplink and downlink signals into buildings, foliage, transportation vehicles, and other objects which can reduce link margin. Both portable and non-portable repeaters are provided. See the abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,332.
Satellite radiotelephones for a satellite radiotelephone system or method having a terrestrial communications capability by terrestrially using/reusing at least some of the same satellite frequency band and using substantially the same air interface for both terrestrial and satellite communications may be cost effective and/or aesthetically appealing. Conventional dual band/dual mode radiotelephone alternatives, such as the well known Thuraya, Iridium and/or Globalstar dual mode satellite/terrestrial radiotelephones, duplicate some components (as a result of the different frequency bands and/or air interface protocols between satellite and terrestrial communications), which leads to increased cost, size and/or weight of the radiotelephone. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,560 to co-inventor Karabinis, entitled Satellite System Utilizing a Plurality of Air Interface Standards and Method Employing Same.
Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods that may employ terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Terrestrial Reuse of Cellular Satellite Frequency Spectrum; and Published U.S. Patent Application Nos. US 2003/0054760 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Terrestrial Reuse of Cellular Satellite Frequency Spectrum; US 2003/0054761 to Karabinis, entitled Spatial Guardbands for Terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies; US 2003/0054814 to Karabinis et al., entitled Systems and Methods for Monitoring Terrestrially Reused Satellite Frequencies to Reduce Potential Interference; US 2003/0073436 to Karabinis et al., entitled Additional Systems and Methods for Monitoring Terrestrially Reused Satellite Frequencies to Reduce Potential Interference; US 2003/0054762 to Karabinis, entitled Multi-Band/Multi-Mode Satellite Radiotelephone Communications Systems and Methods; US 2003/0153267 to Karabinis, entitled Wireless Communications Systems and Methods Using Satellite-Linked Remote Terminal Interface Subsystems; US 2003/0224785 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Reducing Satellite Feeder Link Bandwidth/Carriers In Cellular Satellite Systems; US 2002/0041575 to Karabinis et al., entitled Coordinated Satellite-Terrestrial Frequency Reuse; US 2002/0090942 to Karabinis et al., entitled Integrated or Autonomous System and Method of Satellite-Terrestrial Frequency Reuse Using Signal Attenuation and/or Blockage, Dynamic Assignment of Frequencies and/or Hysteresis; US 2003/0068978 to Karabinis et al., entitled Space-Based Network Architectures for Satellite Radiotelephone Systems; US 2003/0143949 to Karabinis, entitled Filters for Combined Radiotelephone/GPS Terminals; US 2003/0153308 to Karabinis, entitled Staggered Sectorization for Terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies; and US 2003/0054815 to Karabinis, entitled Methods and Systems for Modifying Satellite Antenna Cell Patterns In Response to terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
Some satellite radiotelephone systems and methods may employ interference cancellation techniques to allow terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057 to Karabinis, cited above, a satellite radiotelephone frequency can be reused terrestrially by a terrestrial network even within the same satellite cell that is using the satellite radiotelephone frequency, using interference cancellation techniques. Moreover, the terrestrial network can use a modified range of satellite band forward link frequencies for transmission, to reduce interference with out-of-band receivers. A modified range of satellite band forward link frequencies that is used by the terrestrial network can include only a subset of the standard satellite band forward link frequencies to provide a guard band, can include power levels that monotonically decrease as a function of increasing frequency and/or can include two or more contiguous slots per frame that are left unoccupied and/or are transmitted at reduced maximum power. Time division duplex operation of the terrestrial network may also be provided over at least a portion of satellite band return frequencies. Full or partial reverse mode operation of the terrestrial network also may be provided, where at least some of the forward link and return link frequencies are interchanged with the conventional satellite forward link and reverse link frequencies. See the Abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057.
Other radiotelephone systems and methods can monitor terrestrial reuse of satellite-band frequencies to reduce potential interference. For example, as described in Published U.S. Patent Application No. US 2003/0054814 A1, cited above, radiation by a terrestrial network, and/or satellite radiotelephones that communicate therewith are monitored and controlled, to reduce and preferably prevent intra-system interference and/or interference with other satellite radiotelephone systems. In particular, a satellite radiotelephone system includes a space-based component that is configured to wirelessly communicate with first radiotelephones in a satellite footprint over a satellite radiotelephone frequency band, and a terrestrial network that is configured to wirelessly communicate with second radiotelephones in the satellite footprint over at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band, to thereby terrestrially reuse the at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band. Wireless radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the second radiotelephones at the space-based component is monitored, and the radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the plurality of second radiotelephones is adjusted in response to the monitoring. Intra-system interference and/or interference with other satellite systems thereby may be reduced or prevented. See the Abstract of U.S. Published Patent Application US 2003/0054814 A1.
Finally, additional systems and methods may be used to monitor terrestrially reused satellite frequencies to reduce potential interference. For example, as described in Published U.S. Patent Application No. US 2003/0073436 A1, cited above, a satellite radiotelephone system includes a space-based component, a terrestrial network, a monitor and a controller. The space-based component is configured to wirelessly communicate with radiotelephones in a satellite footprint over a satellite radiotelephone frequency band. The satellite footprint is divided into satellite cells in which subsets of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band are spatially reused in a spatial reuse pattern. The terrestrial network is configured to wirelessly communicate with radiotelephones in the satellite footprint over at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band, to thereby terrestrially reuse the at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band. The monitor is configured to monitor wireless radiation at the space-based component that is produced by the terrestrial network and/or the radiotelephones in satellite cells that adjoin a satellite cell and/or in the satellite cell, in at least part of the subset of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band that is assigned to the satellite cell for space-based component communications. The controller is configured to adjust the radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the radiotelephones, in response to the monitor. See the Abstract of U.S. Published Patent Application U.S. 2003/0073436 A1. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a management system for a network. More particularly, it relates to a network management system in a large-scalenetwork which is constituted by a large number of nodes, and in which the nodes are structurally complicated and require many sorts of status information on subjects to-be-managed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a network such as local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), the simple network management protocol (SNMP) being the network management protocol of the Internet conformed to the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), with which even different types of machines can be managed by common specifications, is adopted as a protocol for managing the network.
FIG. 1A is a diagram for explaining the outline of a network management system based on the SNMP. In a management model adopted in the SNMP, a protocol for managing the Internet works in the application layer of the TCP/IP, and a manager and a managee assume the form of a client and a server. Referring to FIG. 1A, a managing apparatus 100 functions as the client and operates as the manager 102. An apparatus to-be-managed 101 functions as the server and operates as an agent 103.
The apparatus to-be-managed 101 includes therein a database 104 called "management information base (MIB)" in which status information items on subjects for management, for example, various modules constituting a node, lines etc. are accumulated.
With the SNMP, by way of example, the manager 102 requests the agent 103 to get the value of status information (an object) on a subject for management, through a GET request. The agent 103 responds to the request as a GET response, and notifies the status information to the manager 102 as information necessary for the management. Besides, the agent 103 notifies an abnormal situation or the like having occurred on the side of the apparatus to-be-managed 101, to the manager 102 through a TRAP. Employed here is a system wherein the manager 102 sends the GET requests to the agent 103 at, for example, regular intervals, thereby to poll the information necessary for the management.
FIG. 1B is a diagram for explaining a network management system in a local area network which utilizes the SNMP. Referring to the figure, a network managing apparatus 100 is connected to the local area network 106 in which a plurality of workstations 105 are interconnected. Information items (objects) to be managed for each workstation 105 are the two items of a system status and an interface (port) status. The network managing apparatus 100 manages the network by periodically repeating supervision sequences for the respective workstations 105, each of the sequence for one workstation 105 consisting of a GET request for acquiring the system status, a response to the request for the system status by the workstation 105, a GET request for acquiring the interface status, and a response to the request for the interface status.
Heretofore, apparatuses to be managed by the SNMP have usually been workstations which constitute a local area network, and routers, bridges, hubs etc. which interconnect LANs. As information items (objects) on the subjects to-be-managed, it has sufficed to define a comparatively small number of objects, for example, two objects for one workstation as explained with reference to FIG. 1B.
Recently, however, the structure of a node (apparatus) which constitutes a WAN, especially an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)-WAN, has become complicated, and the objects of subjects for management (the status information items of various control modules including line control modules, trunk lines, terminal lines, etc. as constitute the apparatus) have become large in the number of sorts and large in quantities. Moreover, the number of nodes constituting the network has enlarged to increase the loads of a manager in an MIB information acquisition process for one agent and in MIB information acquisition processes for many agents. This has led to the problem that a status information polling period for all the agents lengthens, making it difficult to incarnate the real time management of the network. In other words, the management of such a large-scale network by the use of the SNMP necessitates the adoption of a dedicated apparatus of high price and high performance or the installation of a plurality of manager apparatuses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The oil and gas industry has developed various tools capable of determining formation fluid properties. For example, borehole fluid sampling and testing tools such as Schlumberger's Modular Formation Dynamics Testing (MDT) Tool can provide important information on the type and properties of reservoir fluids in addition to providing measurements of reservoir pressure, permeability, and mobility. These tools may perform measurements of the fluid properties downhole, using sensor modules on board the tools. These tools can also withdraw fluid samples from the reservoir that can be collected in bottles and brought to the surface for analysis. The collected samples are routinely sent to fluid properties laboratories for analysis of physical properties that include, among other things, oil viscosity, gas-oil ratio, mass density or API gravity, molecular composition, H2S, asphaltenes, resins, and various other impurity concentrations.
The reservoir fluid may break phase in the reservoir itself during production. For example, one zone of the reservoir may contain oil with dissolved gas. During production, the reservoir pressure may drop to the extent that the bubble point pressure is reached, allowing gas to emerge from the oil, causing production concerns. Knowledge of this bubble point pressure may be helpful when designing production strategies.
Characterizing a fluid in a laboratory utilizes an arsenal of devices, procedures, trained personnel, and laboratory space. Successfully characterizing a fluid in a wellbore uses methods, apparatus, and systems configured to perform similarly with less space and personal attention and to survive in conditions that quickly destroy traditional lab equipment. Identifying the undesired phase change properties of a fluid is especially useful when managing a hydrocarbon reservoir. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touch pads and touch screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to manipulate user interface objects on a display. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargonium.times.peltatum known by the varietal name Mimi (Oglevee Ltd. No. 7044, French No. 541 Guidonal). The new variety was discovered in a selective breeding program by Messrs. Jacques, Maurice and Bernard Guillou. The new variety is a selection from the crossing of No. 14 Bouvet.times.No. 12. The new variety is more floriferous than its parentage.
The new cultivar was discovered in 1986 at 55 rue Godard, 35400 Saint-Malo, France, was first asexually reproduced by cuttings during 1987 at Saint-Malo, France, and more recently has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings at Oglevee Ltd. in Connellsville, Pa. It has been found to retain its distinct characteristics through successive propagations.
The new cultivar, when grown in a glass greenhouse in Connellsville, Pa., use full light, 60.degree. F. night temperature, 68.degree. F. day temperature, 71.degree. F. vent temperature, and grown in a soilless media with constant fertilizer of 200-250 parts per million nitrogen and potassium, has a response time from a rooted cutting to a flowering plant in a four inch (10 cm) pot of six weeks. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photolithography aligner system, and more particularly relates to alignment marks designed for aligner systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, the lithography process is one of the most important processes. The quality of the lithography process is evaluated by critical dimensions and alignment accuracy. Besides the performance of the alignment system and the accuracy of metrology, the alignment marks on the mask and wafer is another factor that affects the alignment accuracy. Circuit accuracy is profoundly affected by the alignment marks, especially when process error happens.
FIGS. 1A-1C show an alignment procedure using a conventional aligner system. First, referring to FIG. 1A, charge coupled devices (CCD, not shown) of the aligner system search the cross shaped alignment marks 104 on a mask and are aligned thereto. Referring to FIG. 1B, charge coupled devices of the aligner system search the alignment mark 102 on a wafer and are aligned thereto. After the charge coupled devices find positions of the alignment marks 102 and 104 on the mask and the wafer, as shown in FIG. 1C, the aligner system aligns the cross shaped alignment mark 104 on the mask to the alignment mark 102 on the wafer and then performs an exposure step.
FIGS. 2A-2C show a general error occurring on a conventional aligner system. Since fabrication processes for a product typically includes multiple steps, sometimes previously used exposed patterns are left on the wafers. For example, the patterns formed by exposing a negative resist may be left on the wafer. Specifically, referring to FIG. 2A, the cross patterns 202 formed by previous steps are left on the wafer. Therefore, when the charge coupled devices try to find the alignment marks 206 on the mask, some errors occur because the charge coupled devices mistakenly assume the cross shaped alignment mark 202 on the wafer as the alignment mark 206 on the mask, but the charge coupled devices indeed are not aligned to the alignment mark 206 on the mask. Referring to FIG. 2B, charge coupled devices of the aligner system search the alignment mark 204 on a wafer and are aligned thereto. Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the aligner system aligns the cross shaped alignment mark 206 on the mask to the alignment mark 204 on the wafer and then performs an exposure step. However, since the charge coupled devices did not find the real positions of the alignment mark 206 on the mask, there is deviation in the exposure. Therefore, a method to eliminate the above mentioned deficiencies is needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In recent years, computer printer technology has evolved to a point where very high-resolution images can be transferred to various media. One particular type of printing involves the placement of small drops of a fluid ink onto a surface in response to a digital signal. Typically, the fluid ink is placed or jetted onto the surface without physical contact between the printing device and the surface. The method that the ink is deposited onto the printing surface varies from system to system. However, two major systems include continuous ink deposit and drop-on-demand ink deposit.
With regard to continuous printing systems, inks used are typically based on solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone and ethanol. Essentially, continuous printing systems function as stream ink droplets are ejected and directed by printer nozzle. The ink droplets are directed additionally with the assistance of an electrostatic charging device in close proximity to the nozzle. If the ink is not used on the desired printing surface, the ink is recycled for later use. With regard to drop-on-demand printing systems, the ink-jet inks are typically based upon water and glycols. Essentially, with these systems, ink droplets are propelled from a nozzle by heat or by a pressure wave. Additionally, all of the ink droplets are used to form the printed image and are ejected when needed.
There are several reasons that ink-jet printing has become a popular way of recording images on various media, particularly paper. Some of these reasons include low noise, capability of high speed recording, and multi-color recording. Additionally, these advantages can be obtained at a relatively low price to consumers. However, though there has been great improvement in ink-jet printing, accompanying this improvement are increased demands on ink-jet printing, e.g., higher speed, higher resolution, full color image formation, etc.
There are several characteristics to consider when evaluating a printer ink in conjunction with a printing surface or substrate. Such characteristics include (a) edge acuity and optical density of the image on the surface, (b) dry time of the ink on the substrate, (c) adhesion to the substrate, (d) lack of deviation of ink droplets, (e) presence of all dots, (f) resistance of the ink after drying to water and other solvents, (g) long-term storage stability, and (h) long-term reliability without corrosion or nozzle clogging. Though the above list of characteristics provides a worthy goal to achieve, there are difficulties associated with satisfying all of the above characteristics. Often, the inclusion of an ink component meant to satisfy one of the above characteristics can prevent another characteristic from being met. Thus, most commercial inks for use in ink-jet printers represent a compromise in an attempt to achieve at least an adequate response in meeting all of the above listed requirements.
Papers used for ink-jet printing have typically included high-quality or wood-free papers designed to have a high ink absorptivity. These papers are functionally good for ink-jet printing because the ink-jet inks may be absorbed readily and dry quickly. However, such papers often do not allow for a crisp or sharp image.
In order to attain enhanced print quality and image quality as in a photograph, special media has been developed to work with aqueous inks. For example, various coated papers (art paper, coat paper, cast-coat paper, etc.) have been prepared by coating a layer comprising a hydrophilic binder and an inorganic pigment on a paper substrate. Additionally, recording sheets have been prepared by coating an ink absorptive layer on paper or other supports, e.g., transparent or opaque plastic film supports. An example of such specialty media utilizes a swelling-type ink absorptive layer, e.g., gelatin. Though swellable media provides a relatively good substrate with respect to certain image quality properties, a drawback includes the fact that swellable media requires longer dry-time than other types of media. Additionally, with some inks, swellable media performance is less than desirable with respect to humid hue shift and humid bleed. Because of these limitations, it has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop methods for providing fast drying, high quality images that exhibit only minimal humid hue shift and humid bleed. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Hitherto, many compounds have been known as active ingredients in a composition for controlling plant diseases (The Pesticide Manual-15th edition, published by British Crop Protection Council (BCPC), ISBN978-1-901396-18-8). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The embodiments relate generally to data processing, and more specifically to accessing and storing data in a Parallel Sysplex multi-system.
Parallel Sysplex multi-systems use a number of system processors in communication that read and write data stored in a data storage system (i.e., memory devices). The multiple system processors offer system redundancy such that if a particular system processor fails, other system processors may perform similar tasks.
The data is organized hierarchically in file systems that are accessible by the system processors. The file systems are organized and mounted to a system hierarchy tree and are accessible by the system processors. The system hierarchy tree includes a sysplex root file system that is mounted at the base of the system hierarchy tree. A failure of the sysplex root file system may render any file systems mounted to the system hierarchy tree inaccessible. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally are related to the field of information systems. Particularly, the embodiments herein are related to the field of information retrieval based on content processing. More particularly, the embodiments herein are related to the systems and methods for processing multimedia content to understand consumer preferences and enable external services and third party service providers to deliver personalized or customized information to users based on the processed multimedia inputs.
Description of the Related Art
People, as a part of their daily routine come across a multitude of objects, out of which certain objects might invoke an interest in certain people, thereby prompting them to search for further information about the object(s) of interest.
One of the popular ways of obtaining information about an object of interest is to search the World Wide Web for information about the object(s) of interest. However, searching the World Wide Web, solely depending solely upon the mental recollection of the attributes of the objects of interest may not yield expected results, if the description of the object provided by the searcher does not match the information available on the World Wide Web. Further, the World Wide Web may yield inaccurate results, if the searcher fails to provide an accurate description of the object under consideration. Moreover, World Wide Web comprises voluminous information about multitude of objects, and searching for the right object and obtaining the appropriate information will always remain a challenge for a novice user. Moreover, World Wide Web is typically prone to the phenomenon of information overloading, wherein voluminous information is provided to a user in return for a search query, thereby making the user spend time towards understanding the retrieved information set and identifying the relevant information from the retrieved information set. Further, World Wide Web may not be able to provide customized search results to the users given its limitations in accurately analyzing user interests and user knowledge.
In yet another strategy, consumers were asked for their preferences at the time of information retrieval or through settings. Such systems are limited by the capability for users to define their preferences and need for user to customize each of the services that he accesses.
At present third party service providers furnishes data to users on the respective portals based on last user logged in details, interests and queries. There is no method and system for the service providers to collate the personalized details of the users from the various community portals, web sites and social media networks to provide a more appropriate and user interested and required details at run time and on the fly after the logging in of a user to a third party service provider.
Therefore, to obviate the aforementioned shortcomings, the capabilities of content processing and information retrieval were combined together to develop the phenomenon of image search. The phenomenon of image search involves capturing the image of an object and searching for the information corresponding to the object, based on the image of the object. However, such image based searching techniques are gaining popularity in recent years, and leave much to be desired in terms of the relevance of the search results and the information retrieved and provided during the search exercises.
Hence there is a need for a system and method for rendering the multimedia information retrieval and search in a more effective and efficient manner. Further there is a need for a system and method to provide all personalized data gathered from a plurality of community portals, web sites and social media networks to a third party service provider to provide a more appropriate and user interested and required details at run time and on the fly after the logging in of a user to the third party service provider.
The shortcomings of the prior art, the solutions proposed by the embodiments herein, and the manner in which these solutions are brought about will be better understood by reading the following description. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In recent years, LEDs (light emitting diodes) having excellent characteristics that a power consumption is low, and a lifetime is long have been used as light sources of various lighting devices extensively. Because fundamental lights emitted by the LED elements are limited to three lights of red, green, and blue as of now, in order to obtain a suitable while light as a general lighting intended purpose, there are used a method of obtaining the while light by additively mixing the above-mentioned three fundamental lights together, and a method of obtaining an artificial white light by combination of a blue LED with the phosphor that emits a yellow fluorescence having a complementary relationship with the blue. In recent years, the latter method has been used extensively, and the lighting device using the LED package combining the blue LED with a YAG phosphor is used for backlight of a liquid crystal panel (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
In the patent literature example, the LED package is configured in such a manner that after the LED elements have been mounted on a bottom surface of a recessed mounting portion having a reflection surface formed on a side wall, a silicone resin or an epoxy resin having YAG phosphor grains dispersed therein is poured into the mounting portion where the YAG phosphor grains are dispersed within the mounting portion to form a resin packaged portion. Also, the patent literature discloses an example in which for the purpose of achieving an even height of the resin packaged portion within the mounting portion into which the resin has been poured, an excess resin storage portion into which a poured excess resin of a defined amount or more is discharged from the mounting portion and stored is formed. With this configuration, even if the amount of discharge from a dispenser is dispersed at the time of pouring the resin, the resin packaged portion having a given amount of resin and a defined height is formed on each of the LED elements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to a novel gripping apparatus, particularly to that type of a steel-belt gripping apparatus which holds the weft to repeatedly traverse the upper and the lower layers of the warp without incurring any collision against the warp.
Shuttleless looms are usually classified into two types--a jet type and a weft-supplying type. The former is operated with water or air ejection to transfer the weft across the warp, while the latter is provided with a weft gripping device to perform the same function. Traditionally, the weft gripping device used in the latter type of looms includes a weft supplying a fork and a weft transfer hook. As shown in FIG. 1A, with the weft held in position, the weft supplying fork delivers the weft from an open side to a midway point wherefrom the weft is picked up by the weft transfer hook and carried to the other side. The drawbacks of the conventional gripping device are: (1) both the fork and the hook are bulky and heavy, easy to collide with or break the warp; (2) greater driving power is necessary; (3) if the speed of the gripping device is fast, it is easy to break the weft; and (4) the loom adapted to the conventional gripping device is also bulky, and greater installation space is required.
Shown in FIG. 1B is an improved gripping device in which the fork and the hook have been both reduced in size, and in which the fixed weft supplying and transfer mast is replaced with a relatively movable steel belt, main changes in minimizing the physical volume of the entire loom. However, the gripping device is still bulky and the operational speed cannot be fast. Moreover, as the weft supplying action is synchronized with internal weft gripping operation through a pair of parallel installed plates within two bottom sides of the gripping device, the gripping effect is not satisfactory and results in producing longer residual yarn from the weft tailings (the width of the residual yarn is about 40-60 mm). Besides, the operational speed is still slow, and greater power is still required. The main reason for this defect is that the size of the gripping device is too large. Referring to FIGS. 1, 1A, 1B and 1C represent different sizes of the gripping device, and the reference letters denote respectively: u the upper warp layer, d the lower warp layer, h the heald frame, and r the reed. The movement of the gripping device generally follows the back-and-forth motion of the reed's swing while the movement of the upper and lower warp layers is to swing up and down alternatively under the driving force of the heald frame. The gripping device holding the weft travels through the opening of the upper and lower warp layers u and d at each of therir intersections. However, if the size of the gripping device is as large as that shown in FIG. 1A, it must wait until the opening of the upper and lower warp layer is at its maximum so as to effect quick passing with the weft through the opening (as shown in FIG. 1A'). In addition, as the duration of the passing action of the gripping device is very short, the moving speed thereof must be increased. Consequently, owing to the higher tensile force applied by the gripping device, the weft is easily broken. Preferably, if the size of the gripping device is as small as that shown in FIG. 1C, the gripping device can quickly cross the upper and the lower warp layers u and d upon the initial intersection opening (as shown in FIG. 1C') at the time duration of c--c'. Therefore, the gripping device has sufficient time to travel through the two warp layers, and the weaving speed is substantially increased. Above all, weft breaking is greatly minimized. Owing to the small size of the gripping device, it seldom collides with the warp layers, and, therefore, no warp will be caused to break. According to the knowledge of the inventor, the size of the gripping device currently used in the European countries is about the same size as that shown in FIG. 1A, while the size of the gripping device presently in use in the States and in Japan as well as in Taiwan is about the same size as that shown in FIG. 1B. The operating speed of the known gripping device is limited accordingly.
The facts are numerous concerning the bulky size of the conventional gripping device. Except for the fact that a technical breakthrough remains to be made, the most important one is that the gripping elements of the weft supplying fork in the conventional gripping device are usually disposed in the inner portion of the device. In other words, the weft supplying fork must have a weft gripping element for delivering the weft to the hook member, and the weft gripping element must also be a movable part; therefore, if the gripping element is installed in the weft supplying fork, the physical volume of the weft supplying fork will certainly be maximized. Also a weft gripping element internally installed in the weft supplying fork suffers some problems: (1) since the gripping element is arranged within the inner portion of the weft supplying fork, the weft exchange actions of both the weft supplying fork and the weft transfer hook must be synchronized perfectly, otherwise, no exchange action will take place; (2) during the exchange action conducted by the weft transfer hook within the weft supplying fork, the gripping element is easily bumped and damaged; and (3) it is difficult to repair the damaged gripping element. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a bagging apparatus for feeding an article to be bagged into a bag opened by a bag opening means, thereby bagging the article.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A bagging apparatus constructed such that an article to be bagged is fed into a bag opened by a bag opening means, has been already proposed.
For instance, the apparatus which applicant proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 130,836/1991) is shown in FIG. 10. In this apparatus, a plastic bag conveyed is opened by a suction opening means 15 as disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 39,929/1989. Then, a bellows plate 23 is caused to pass into the plastic bag opened, and it inflates the bag in the form of a streamer. By putting a chuck 30 into the plastic bag, the bag is held expanded to the maximum degree by the chuck 30.
Into the plastic bag whose opening has been expanded as mentioned above, an article to be bagged is fed by a pushing means 33 which moves attached on a chain 32. However, this apparatus of the prior art is somewhat complicated in structure and lacks durability because it has a plurality of the pushing means 33 attached on the chain 32. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Modeling environments may be graphical or textual. Graphical modeling environments enable users to develop graphical models of systems, whereas textual modeling environments enable users to develop textual models of systems. Modeling environments may also use a combination of graphical and textual models. Modeling environments provide users with a variety of different types of modeling functionality, such as model development, analysis, simulation, and code generation. Model development allows a user to design a model of a system. A model may be made up of several smaller models. For example, models of individual components may be grouped to create a larger model.
Simulation enables a user to simulate or execute a model to see how the model behaves. For example, a simulation may generate results that can be interpreted by a user. These simulation results can be useful in one or more ways. For example, the results may indicate how the underlying system will behave under a particular set of circumstances, results may indicate how well the model captures the behavior of the underlying system, or the results may identify flaws in the underlying system.
Code generation generates instructions for executing a model, these instructions may be in a programming language such as C or in a hardware description language. For example, code generation enables a user to develop a model of a system and then implement the model on a target device. By way of example, a model of a control system or signal processing system may be developed by a user and the user may generate code from the model. The user may then execute the generated code on a controller to implement the control system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
With the increasing availability of broadband communication services, a plurality of users at dispersed locations may play a game together in the same virtual space formed on a computer. Such a game is generally referred to as “online game”. In an online game, a plurality of users may cooperate with each other or play against each other to advance the game. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field
The present invention relates to aircraft components. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for improving acoustic attenuation within an inlet of a nacelle.
2. Related Art
An aircraft nacelle (A) surrounds an aircraft's engine (B) and typically comprises a fan cowl (C), a thrust reverser (D), and an inlet (E), as illustrated in FIG. 1. The inlet (E) typically comprises an outer barrel panel (F), a forward bulkhead (G), an aft bulkhead (H), a thermal anti-ice spray tube (I), a lip skin (J), and an acoustic barrel (K), also referred to as an acoustic panel, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
The acoustic barrel (K) is designed to provide acoustic attenuation, reducing engine and engine fan noise. For example, the acoustic barrel (K) can be made of a sandwich honeycomb panel, shaped to comprise a plurality of honeycomb cells. However, prior art acoustic panels are insufficient under certain conditions for reducing fan flutter cause by certain engine fan harmonics.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for reducing fan flutter caused by engine fan harmonics of an aircraft that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to methods for inducing an immunological response in vertebrates, including non-avian vertebrates, using synthetic recombinant avipox virus. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for inducing an immunological response in a vertebrate, particularly a mammal, to a vertebrate pathogen by inoculating the vertebrate with a synthetic recombinant avipox virus containing DNA which encodes for and expresses the antigenic determinants of said pathogen, and to vaccines comprising such a modified avipox virus. Further, the invention relates to modified avipox virus, to methods for making and using the same, and to certain DNA sequences produced or involved as intermediates in the production of modified avipox virus and to methods for making such sequences.
Avipox or avipoxvirus is a genus of closely related pox viruses which infect fowl. The genus avipox includes the species fowlpox, canary pox, junco pox, pigeon pox, quail pox, sparrow pox, starling pox, and turkey pox. The species fowlpox infects chickens, and is not to be confused with the human disease called chickenpox. The genus avipox shares many characteristics with other pox viruses and is a member of the same subfamily, poxviruses of vertebrates, as vaccinia. Pox viruses, including vaccinia and avipox, replicate within eukaryotic host cells. These viruses are distinguished by their large size, complexity, and by the cytoplasmic site of replication. However, vaccinia and avipox are different genera and are dissimilar in their respective molecular weights, their antigenic determinants, and their host species, as reported in Intervirology Vol. 17, pages 42-44, Fourth Report of the International Conmmittee on Taxonomy of Viruses (1982).
The avipox viruses do not productively infect non-avian vertebrates such as mammals, including humans. Further, avipox does not propaqaze when inoculated into mammalian (including human) cell cultures. In such mammalian cell cultures inoculated with avipox the cells will die because of a cytotoxic effect, but show no evidence of productive viral infection.
The inoculation of a non-avian vertebrate such as a mammal with live avipox results in the formation of a lesion at the inoculation site which resembles a vaccinia inoculation. However, no productive viral infection results. Nevertheless, it has now been found that a mammal so inoculated responds immunologically to the avipox virus. This is an unexpected result.
Vaccines composed of killed pathogen or purified antigenic components of such pathogens must be injected in larger quantities than live virus vaccines to produce an effective immune response. This is because live virus inoculation is a much more efficient method of vaccination. A relatively small inoculum can produce an effective immune response because the antigen of interest is amplified during replication of the virus. From a medical standpoint, live virus vaccines provide immunity that is more effective and longer lasting than does inoculation with a killed pathogen or purified antigen vaccine. Thus, vaccines composed of killed pathogen or purified antigenic components of such pathogens require production of larger quantities of vaccine material than is needed with live virus.
It is clear from the foregoing discussion that there are medical and economic advantages to the use of live virus vaccines. One such live virus vaccine comprises vaccinia virus. This virus is known in the prior art to be a useful one in which to insert DNA representing the genetic sequences of antigens of mammalian pathogens by recombinant DNA methods.
Thus, methods have been developed in the prior art that permit the creation of recombinant vaccinia viruses by the insertion of DNA from any source (e.g. viral, prokaryotic, eukaryotic, synthetic) into a nonessential region of the vaccinia genome, including DNA sequences coding for the antigenic determinants of a pathogenic organism. Certain recombinant vaccinia viruses created by these methods have been used to induce specific immunity in mammals to a variety of mammalian pathogens, all as described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,603,112, incorporated herein by reference.
Unmodified vaccinia virus has a long history of relatively safe and effective use for inoculation against smallpox. However, before the eradication of smallpox, when unmodified vaccinia was widely administered, there was a modest but real risk of complications in the form of generalized vaccinia infection, especially by those suffering from eczema or immunosuppression. Another rare but possible complication that can result from vaccinia inoculation is post vaccination encephalitis. Most of these reactions resulted from inoculating individuals with skin diseases such as eczema or with impaired immune systems, or individuals in households with others who had eczema or impaired immunological responses. Vaccinia is a live virus, and is normally harmless to a healthy individual. However, it can be transmitted between individuals for several weeks after inoculation. If an individual with an impairment of the normal immune response is infected either by inoculation or by contagious transmission from a recently inoculated individual, the consequences can be serious.
Thus, it can be appreciated that a method which confers on the art the advantages of live virus inoculation but which reduces or eliminates the previously discussed problems would be a highly desirable advance over the current state of technology. This is even more important today with the advent of the disease known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Victims of this disease suffer from severe immunological dysfunction and could easily be harmed by an otherwise safe live virus preparation if they came in contact with such virus either directly or via contact with a person recently immunized with a vaccine comprising such a live virus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vaccine which is capable of immunizing vertebrates against a pathogenic organism, which has the advantages of a live virus vaccine, and which has few or none of the disadvantages of either a live virus vaccine or a killed virus vaccine as enumerated above, particularly when used to immunize non-avian vertebrates.
It is a further object of this invention to provide synthetic recombinant avipox viruses for use in such vaccines.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for inducing an immunological response in avian and non-avian vertebrates to an antigen by inoculating the vertebrate with a synthetic recombinant avipox virus which, in the case of non-avian vertebrates such as mammals, cannot productively replicate in the animal with the production of infectious virus. In this case, the virus is self-limiting, reducing the possibility of spreading to non-vaccinated hosts.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method for inducing an immunological response in a vertebrate to an antigen, which method comprises inoculating the vertebrate with a vaccine including synthetic recombinant avipox virus which comprises and expresses the antigenic determinant of a pathogen for said vertebrate.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for expressing a gene product in a vertebrate by inoculating the vertebrate with a recombinant virus containing DNA which encodes for and expresses the gene product without productive replication of the virus in the vertebrate.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for inducing an immunological response in a vertebrate to an antigen by inoculating the vertebrate with a recombinant virus containing DNA which encodes for and expresses the antigen without productive replication of the virus in the vertebrate.
In one aspect the present invention relates to a method for inducing an immunological response in a vertebrate to a pathogen by inoculating the vertebrate with a synthetic recombinant avipox virus modified by the presence, in a nonessential region of the avipox genome, of DNA from any source which encodes for and expresses an antigen of the pathogen.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for expressing a gene product or inducing an immunological response to an antigen in a vertebrate with a recombinant virus which does not productively replicate in the cells of the vertebrate but which does express the gene product or the antigen in those cells.
The virus can be a poxvirus, e.g., an avipox virus, such as a fowlpox virus or canarypox virus. As discussed below, a condition for expression of inserted DNA is a promoter in a proper relationship to the inserted DNA.
Thus, the invention comprehends a recombinant virus, for instance a recombinant poxvirus, e.g., avipox virus such as fowlpox virus or canarypox virus, or vaccinia virus, which contains a promoter operably linked to the inserted DNA for expression of the gene product or antigen. The promoter can be a vaccinia promoter, an avipox promoter, an entomopox promoter.
Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the invention provides a recombinant poxvirus synthetically modified by the presence of DNA not naturally occurring in the poxvirus operably linked to a promoter, e.g., a recombinant poxvirus containing the DNA and an entomopox promoter for expressing the DNA, or a recombinant vaccinia virus containing the DNA and an avipox promoter for expressing the DNA, or a recombinant avipox virus containing the DNA and an avipox promoter for expressing the DNA or a non-avipox promoter such as a vaccinia promoter, e.g., HH, 11K or Pi, or an entomopox promoter, for expressing the DNA.
The methods can comprise inoculating the vertebrate with the recombinant virus, e.g., by introducing the virus into the vertebrate subcutaneously, intradermally, intramuscularly, orally or in ovum.
The antigen can be an antigen of a vertebrate pathogen, e.g., a mammalian pathogen or an avian pathogen, such as a rabies G antigen, gp51,30 envelope antigen of bovine leukemia virus, FeLV envelope antigen of feline leukemia virus, glycoprotein D antigen of herpes simplex virus, avian influenza hemagglutinin antigen, a fusion protein antigen of the Newcastle disease virus, an RAV-1 envelope antigen of rous associated virus, nucleoprotein antigen of avian influenza virus, a matrix antigen of the infectious bronchitis virus and a peplomer antigen of the infectious brochitis virus.
Thus, the vertebrate can be a mammal or a bird, e.g., dog, cat, mouse, rabbit, cattle, sheep, pigs, chicken.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to synthetic recombinant avipox virus modified by the insertion therein of DNA from any source, and particularly from a non-avipox source, into a nonessential region of the avipox genome. Synthetically modified avipox virus recombinants carrying exogenous (i.e. non-avipox) genes encoding for and expressing an antigen, which recombinants elicit the production by a vertebrate host of immunological responses to the antigen, and therefore to the exogenous pathogen, are used according to the invention to create novel vaccines which avoid the drawbacks of conventional vaccines employing killed or attenuated live organisms, particularly when used to inoculate non-avian vertebrates.
It must be noted again that avipcx viruses can only productively replicate in or be passaged through avian species or avian cell lines. The recombinant avipox viruses harvested from avian host cells, when inoculated into a non-avian vertebrate such as a mammal in a manner analogous to the inoculation of mammals by vaccinia virus, produce an inoculation lesion without productive replication of the avipox virus. Despite the failure of the avipox virus to productively replicate in such an inoculated non-avian vertebrate, sufficient expression of the virus occurs so that the inoculated animal responds immunologically to the antigenic determinants of the recombinant avipox virus and also to the antigenic determinants encoded in exogenous genes therein.
When used to inoculate avian species, such a synthetically recombinant avipox virus not only produces an immunological response to antigens encoded by exogenous DNA from any source which may be present therein, but also results in productive replication of the virus in the host with the evocation of an expected immunological response to the avipox vector per se.
Several investigators have proposed creating recombinant fowlpox, specifically viruses for use as veterinary vaccines for the protection of fowl livestock. Boyle and Coupar, J. Gen. Virol. 67, 1591-1600 (1986), and Binns et al., Isr. J. Vet. Med. 42, 124-127 (1986). Neither proposals nor actual reports directed to the use of recombinaont avipox viruses as a method to induce specific immunity in mammals have been uncovered.
Sticki and Mayer, Fortschr. Med. 97(40), pages 1781-1788 (1979) describe the injection of avipox, specifically fowlpox, virus into humans. However, these studies relate only to the use of ordinary fowlpox to enhance nonspecific immunity in patients suffering from the after effects of cancer chemotherapy. No recombinant DNA techniques are employed. There is no teaching of an avipox into which DNA coding for antigens of vertebrate pathogens had been inserted, or of a method for inducing specific immmunity in vertebrates. Instead, the prior art depended upon a general and nonspecific tonic effect on the human host.
A more complete discussion of the basis of genetic recombination may help in understanding how the modified recombinant viruses of the present invention are created.
Genetic recombination is in general the exchange of homologous sections of deoxyribonucleic acidl (DNA) between two strands of DNA. (In certain viruses ribonucleic acid [RNA] may replace DNA). Homologous sections of nucleic acid are sections of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) which have the same sequence of nucleotide bases.
Genetic recombination may take place naturally during the replication or manufacture of new viral genomes within the infected host cell. Thus, genetic recombination between viral genes may occur during the viral replication cycle that takes place in a host cell which is co-infected with two or more different viruses or other genetic constructs. A section of DNA from a first genome is used interchangeably in constructing the section of the genome of a second co-infecting virus in which the DNA is homologous with that of the first viral genome.
However, recombination can also take place between sections of DNA in different genomes that are not perfectly homologous. If one such section is from a first genome homologous with a section of another genome except for the presence within the first section of, for example, a genetic marker or a gene coding for an antigenic determinant inserted into a portion of the homologous DNA, recombination can still take place and the products of that recombination are then detectable by the presence of that genetic marker or gene.
Successful expression of the inserted DNA genetic sequence by the modified infectious virus requires two conditions.
First, the insertion must be into a nonessential region of the virus in order that the modified virus remain viable. Neither fowlpox nor the other avipox viruses have as yet demonstrated nonessential regions analogous to those described for the vaccinia virus. Accordingly, for the present invention nonessential regions of fowlpox were discovered by cleaving the fowlpox genome into fragments, then separating the fragments by size and inserting these fragments into plasmid constructs for amplification. (Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules found as extra chromosomal elements in many bacteria including E. coli. Methods for inserting DNA sequences such as the genes for antigenic determinants or other genetic markers into plasmids are well known to the art and described in detail in Man iatis et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory New York [1982]). This was followed by insertion or genetic markers and/or genes coding for antigens into the cloned fowlpox fragments. Those fragments which directed successful recombination, as proved by successful recovery of the genetic marker or antigens, were those which comprised DNA inserted into a nonessential region of the fowlpox genome.
The second condition for expression of inserted DNA is the presence of a promoter in the proper relationship to the inserted DNA. The promoter must be placed so that it is located upstream from the DNA sequence to be expressed. Because avipox viruses are not well characterized and avipox promoters have not previously been identified in the art, known promoters from other pox viruses are usefully inserted upstream of the DNA to be expressed as part of the present invention. Fowlpox promoters also can be successfully used to carry out the methods and make the products of the invention. According to the present invention, fowlpox promoters, vaccinia promoters and entomopox promoters have been found to promote transcription in recombinant pox virus.
Boyle and Coupar, J. gen. Virol. 67, 1591, (1986) have published speculation that vaccinia promoters xe2x80x9cmight be expected to operate in (fowlpox) virus.xe2x80x9d The authors located and cloned a fowlpox TK gene (Boyle et al., Virology 156, 355-365 [1987]) and inserted it into a vaccinia virus. This TK gene was expressed, presumably because of recognition of the fowlpox TK promoter sequence by vaccinia polymerase functions. However, despite their speculation, the authors did not insert any vaccinia promoter into a fowlpox virus nor observe any expression of a foreign DNA sequence present in a fowlpox genome. It was not known before the present invention that promoters from other pox viruses, such as vaccinia promoters, would in fact promote a gene in an avipox genome.
Fowlpox and canarypox viruses have been particularly used according to the present invention as preferred avipox species to be modified by recombination in incorporating exogenous DNA thereinto.
Fowlpox is a species of avipox which infects chickens in particular, but does not infect mammals. The fowlpox strain designated herein as FP-5 is a commercial fowlpox virus vaccine strain of chicken embryo origin available from American Scientific Laboratories (Division of Schering Corp.) Madison, Wis., United States Veterinary License No. 165, Serial No. 30321.
The fowlpox strain designated herein as FP-1 is a Duvette strain modified to be used as a vaccine in one-day old chickens. The strain is a commercial fowlpox virus vaccine strain designated O DCEP 25/CEP67/2309 October 1980 and is available from Institute Merieux, Inc.
Canarypox is another species of avipox. Analogously to fowlpox, canarypox particularly infects canaries, but does not infect mammals. The canarypox strain designated herein as CP is a commercial canarypox vaccine strain designated LF2 CEP 524 24 10 75 and is available from Institute Merieux, Inc.
The DNA genetic sequences inserted into these avipox viruses by genetic recombination according to the present invention include the Lac Z gene, of prokaryotic origin; the rabies glycoprotein (G) gene, an antigen of a non-avian (specifically mammalian) pathogen; the turkey influenza hemagglutinin gene, the antigen of a pathogenic avian virus other than an avipox virus; the gp51,30 envelope gene of the bovine leukemia virus, a mammalian virus; the fusion protein gene of the Newcastle disease virus (Texas strain), an avian virus; the FeLV envelops gene of the feline leukemia virus, a mammalian virus; the RAV-1 env gene of the rous associated virus which is an avian virus/poultry disease; the nucleoprotein (NP) gene of the Chicken/Pennsylvania/1/83 influenza virus, an avian virus; the matrix gene and peplomer gene of the infectious bronchitis virus (strain Mass 41), an avian virus; and the glycoprotein D gene (gD) of herpes simplex virus, a mammalian virus.
Isolation of the Lac Z gene is described by Casadaban et al., Methods in Enzymology 100, 293-308 (1983). The structure of the rabies G gene is disclosed, for example, by Anilionis et al., Nature 294, 275-278 (1981).
Its incorporation into vaccinia and expression in this vector are discussed by Kieny et al., Nature 312, 163-166 (1984). The turkey influenza hemagglutinin gene is described by Kawaoka et al., Virology 158, 218-227 (1987). The bovine leukemia virus gp51,30 env gene has been described by Rice et al., Virology 138, 82-93 (1984). The fusion gene of the Newcastle disease virus (Texas strain) is available from Institute Merieux, Inc., as plasmid pNDV 108. The feline leukemia virus env gene has been described by Guilhot et al., Virology 161, 252-258 (1987). The rous associated virus type 1 is available from Institute Merieux, Inc., as two clones, penVRVIPT and mp19env (190). Chicken influenza NP gene is available from Yoshihiro Kawaoka of St. Jude Children""s Research Hospital as plasmid pNP 33. An infectious bronchitis virus cDNA clone of the IBV Mass 41 matrix gene and peplomer gene are available from Institute Merieux, Inc. as plasmid pIBVM63. The herpes simplex virus gD gene is described in Watson et al., Science 218, 381-384 (1982).
The recombinant avipox viruses described in more detail below incorporate one of three vaccinia promoters. The Pi promoter, from the Ava I H region of vaccinia, is described in Wachsman et al., J. of Inf. Dis. 155, 1188-1197 (1987). More in particular, this promoter is derived from the Ava I H(Xho I G) fragment of the L-variant WR vaccinia strain, in which the promoter directs transcription from right to left. The map location of the promoter is approximately 1.3 Kbp (kilobase pair) from the left end of Ava IH, approximately 12.5 Kbp from the left end of the vaccinia genome, and about 8.5 Kbp left of the Hind III C/N junction. The sequence of the promoter is:
(GGATCCC)-ACTGTAAAAATAGAAACTATAATCATATAATAGTGTAGGTTGGTAGTA GGGTACTCGTGATTAATTTTATTGTTAAACTTG-(AATTC),
wherein the symbols in parentheses are linker sequences.
The Hind III H promoter (also xe2x80x9cHHxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cH6xe2x80x9d herein) was defined by standard transcriptional mapping techniques. It has the sequence
ATTCTTTATTCTATACTTAAAAAATGAAAA TAAATACAAAGGTTCTTGAGGGTTGTGTTAAATTGAAAGCGAGAAATAATCATAAATT ATTTCATTATCGCGATATCCGT TAAGTTTGTATCGTAATG.
The sequence is identical with that described as being up-stream of open reading frame H6 by Rosel et al., J. Virol. 60, 436-449 (1986).
The 11K promoter is as described by Wittek, J. Virol. 49, 371-378 (1984) and Bertholet, C. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82, 2096-2100 (1985).
The recombinant avipox viruses of the present invention are constructed in two steps known in the art and analogous to those disclosed in aforementioned U. S. Pat. No. 4,603,112 for creating synthetic recombinants of the vaccinia virus.
First, the DNA gene sequence to be inserted into the virus is placed into an E. coli plasmid construct into which DNA homologous to a section of nonessential DNA of the avipox virus has been inserted. Separately, the DNA gene sequence to be inserted is ligated to a promoter. The promoter-gene linkage is then inserted into the plasmid construct so that the promoter-gene linkage is flanked on both ends by DNA homologous to a nonessential region of avipox DNA. The resulting plasmid construct is then amplified by growth within E. coli bacteria. (Plasmid DNA is used to carry and amplify exogenous genetic material, and this method is well known in the art. For example, these plasmid techniques are described by Clewell, J. Bacteriol. 110, 667-676 (1972). The techniques of isolating the amplified plasmid from the E. coli host are also well known in the art and are described, for instance, by Clewell et al. in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 62, 1159-1166 (1969).)
The amplified plasmid material isolated after growth within E. coli is then used for the second step. Namely, the plasmid containing the DNA gene sequence to be inserted is transfected into a cell culture, e.g. chick embryo fibroblasts, along with the avipox virus (such as fowlpox strain FP-1 or FP-5). Recombination between homologous fowlpox DNA in the plasmid and the viral genome respectively gives an avipox virus modified by the presence, in a nonessential region of its genome, of non-fowlpox DNA sequences. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Drill bits having tips of varying shapes and serving different purposes are well known in the art. In most instances, the drill bit tips form a chisel structure that effectively pushes the drilled material to the side while the drill is rotating. Unfortunately, however, these drill bit tips create friction and produce undesired heat. FIG. 1 is illustrative of this type of conventional solid type drill bit. The prior art drill bit 10 comprises a shank 12 with cutting edges 14 and 16. Each cutting edge 14 and 16 is defined by the intersection of one of the relief surfaces 18 and 20 and its respective rake surface 22 and 24. Further, the two relief surfaces 18 and 20 form a cusp or chisel edge 26 at the tip of the drill bit 10.
The prior art does disclose various different drill bit tips, but each fails to suggest a structure which would provide a relief angle. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,710 eliminates the chisel by forming recessed surfaces in the neighborhood of the axis of rotation of the drill. However, due to the inner cone of the "v" shape and the width of cone ".delta.", this structure makes the non-cutting zone smaller and provides no relief angle to the inner cutting edges.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are also illustrative of standard carbide drill tips having the cutting edges 38, 40 connected via a chisel 42. The cutting edges 38, 40 are parallel to each other, and to the diameter line of the drill bit. However, the cutting edges 38, 40 fail to pass through the center 44 of the drill bit tip.
Drill bit tips addressing the issue of heat generated by the friction of the rotating drill bit are disclosed in the prior art. This combination of friction and heat distort the shape of the drill by distorting the chisel, detracting from the efficiency of the drill to create more heat. The prior art devices inadequately solve the heat problem. As a result, a need exists for a drill bit with a tip structure that efficiently and effectively eliminates heat caused by friction while drilling a bore in an object. The present invention provides such a drill bit tip structure. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention concerns a method of controlling the resilience of variable vibration suppressors in a semi-active chassis with variable valves. The structure of a semi-active chassis is explicable in terms of an oscillator comprising two masses--a non-resiliently supported "wheel mass" consisting of the wheels and their bearings and, resting thereon, a "body mass" consisting of the vehicle's participating superstructure. The two masses are separated by a system of springs and dashpots. A chassis of this type attains two contradictory objectives. The wheels of a vehicle in motion over a to-some-extent necessarily uneven roadway will transmit vibrations to the body. The vibrating wheels and body will be detrimental to the passengers' comfort and safety. The purpose of the chassis is accordingly to guide the wheels as straight as possible over the roadway, to maintain as much resilience as possible between the wheels and the ground, and to compensate for motions of the axle deriving from irregularities in the roadway in order to increase the passengers' comfort. Varying the resilience of the suspension in accordance with excitation on the part of the roadway will result in extensive absorption of the vibrations and ensure a safe ride.
A known principle for varying the resilience of a suspension system is the skyhook algorithm. When the difference between the speed of the body and that of the axis opposes the body's vertical speed, the resilience is kept soft. When that difference is the same as the body speed, or when the resilience opposes the body speed, the resilience is hardened.
A principle for varying the resilience of a vibration suppressor with variable valves in accordance with irregularities in the roadway is known form German OS 4 015 972. The resilience is varied in accordance with this principle, Huang's algorithm, by closing a bypass when the product of the body acceleration and the difference between the speed of the body mass and that of the wheel mass is greater than zero and opening it when the produce is less than zero.
These procedures very satisfactorily ensure compliance with the demands for safety and comfort in the event of once-only roadway excitation by extensively absorbing any vibrations that occur. To maintain consistency, however, the resilience must be constantly varied between soft and hard, leading to annoying knocks in conjunction with periodic roadway excitation and having a negative effect on the passengers' perception of the drive. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document feeder provided to an image reader having a reading device that reads an image, at a reading position, from a document that is being conveyed. The present invention particularly relates to a thin document feeder having a substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway for conveying the document from a sheet feeding portion to a sheet discharging portion through the reading position.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is an imaging reader that is capable of reading an image recording surface of a stationary document and a moving document. Such the image reader is generally provided with two kinds of transparent plates (glass plates) for reading a stationary document and a moving document, on a body of the image reader. To read a stationary document, a document is placed on one of the transparent plates (flatbed type) and is pressed by a cover capable of opening and closing with respect to the body of the image reader. The document is then read by an image scanner (an image reading device) moving along an underside of the transparent plate (flatbed type). In the case of reading a moving document, a plurality of documents stacking on a feeding tray is separated one by one by an automatic document feeder (ADF) disposed on the cover, and is conveyed to the transparent plate. After the image recording surface is read by the image reading device halting under the transparent plate, the document is discharged to a discharging tray.
The document transporting pathway may be generally provided in automatic document feeders. One type of the ADFs may be an upper feeding type, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-76074 (FIG. 1). This type of the ADF has a substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway that extends from a sheet feeding portion located at the upper side to a discharging portion located at the lower side, through a document reading position. Another type of the ADFs may be a lower feeding type, for example, disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-335372 (FIG. 1). This type of the ADF has a substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway that extents from a sheet feeding portion located at the lower side to a discharging portion located at the upper side, through a document reading position.
In the ADF disclosed in JP2003-76074, a pickup roller, a separating roller and first and second pairs of transporting rollers are disposed at positions upstream from the document reading position (the upper side of the body of the ADF) with respect to the document conveying direction in the substantially U-shaped document transporting pathway. A pair of discharging rollers is disposed at a position downstream from the document reading position with respect to the document conveying direction. A document stacking tray is tilted downward facing the pickup rollers and is disposed at a position upstream from the pickup roller with respect to the document conveying direction. A document discharging tray is arranged under the document stacking tray. In the ADF disclosed in JP2002-335372, a document feeding tray is disposed above and in parallel with a transparent plate for a stationary document. A pickup roller and a separating pad are disposed at a position downstream from the document feeding tray with respect to the document conveying direction. A pair of transporting rollers is disposed at a position downstream from the separating pad with respect to the document conveying direction. Contact rollers are disposed at the front and back of a reading position where a document that is being conveyed is read, in the document conveying direction. A substantially sideways U-shaped transporting pathway is provided at a position downstream from the contact rollers in order to turn a document so that a recording surface of the document faces up. A pair of discharging rollers is provided at a downstream position of the substantially U-shaped transporting pathway (at a discharging side) with respect to the document conveying direction. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Link aggregation is a term encompassing various methods of combining multiple network connections in parallel to increase the rate of data throughput beyond what a single connection could support, and to provide redundancy in case one of the data links forming the link aggregation fails. The term link aggregation does not only encompass vendor independent standards such as LACP (“Link Aggregation Control Protocol”), IEEE 802.3ad-2000 for Ethernet, and the technology independent IEEE 802.1ax-2008; but also other proprietary network solutions. Link aggregation technique is widely used in computer networking to increase bandwidth and enhance link reliability, and can be implemented at any of the lowest three layers of the OSI model, namely, physical, data link, or network layers. Common examples of aggregation at layers 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, power line (IEEE 1901) and wireless (IEEE 802.11); data link layer such as Ethernet frame in local area networks (LANs) or multiple-link point-to-point protocol (PPP) in WANs; and at the network layer (e.g. IP or IPX). | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a technique for updating software modules respectively embedded in an in-vehicle device and a mobile terminal that are connected so as to be able to cooperate with each other.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004=326689 (JP 2004-326689 A) describes a system for updating a software module embedded in an in-vehicle device. In this system, a rewriting software module for updating the software module of an ECU of a vehicle is transmitted to the in-vehicle device through wireless communication. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-043253 (JP 2012-043253 A) describes a system that causes an in-vehicle device and a mobile terminal to cooperate with each other. In such a system as well, it is assumed that a software module embedded in the in-vehicle device or a software module embedded in the mobile terminal is updated.
The technique for merely updating the in-vehicle device-side software module, as described in JP 2004-326689 A, may be applied to the system described in JP 2012-043253 A. However, for example, when it is not possible to ensure compatibility with the mobile terminal-side software module, it may be not possible to properly utilize a cooperation function between the in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal. Depending on a mobile terminal-side update status, there are a case where an in-vehicle device-side update is required and a case where an in-vehicle device-side update is not required. At the time of designing a system of this type, in order to enable the cooperation function between the in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal, for example, a technique is required to be able to timely update the in-vehicle device-side software module on the basis of the update status of the mobile terminal-side software module. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a combined, adjustable airing valve and fire protection valve comprising a valve head commensurate with a valve seat, a valve stem taking the form of an adjusting screw, a fusible element taking the form of a nut threaded on the valve stem, a support bracket supporting and guiding the valve stem and a biasing means arranged between the support bracket and the stop plate on the valve stem.
In the present case a fire protection valve means a valve which as known per se is provided with a fuse element which is easily influenced by heat so that the valve will automatically close when fire or overheating occurs.
From Swedish patent specification No. 204 381 there is known an airing valve having a valve head which is held in open position by means of a temperature sensitive element, e.g. a disc consisting of a fusion metal. This disc-shaped element is clamped between a lock nut and a spring-tensioned gliding piece, the lock nut abutting against a sliding sleeve so as during normal conditions to prevent the lock nut from being pulled into the sleeve. However, such a fusible arrangement is severely subjected to destruction during the calibration of the valve head, as the disc-shaped fusible element which is manufactured from a rather soft metal, is cut to pieces when the lock nut is tightened.
Due to the soft metal of the fuse disc a proper locking of the valve head in the calibrated position is difficult to obtain. This fact also entails that an unauthorized person may turn the valve head and thereby alter the original airing characteristic of the valve.
Finally, re-adjustment of the valve will be very difficult because the soft material of the fusible element will stick to the lock nut. Usually, loosening of the lock nut will, therefore, entail a cutting of the fusible element into pieces.
From U.S. Pat. No. 800 740 there is known a valve unit which is retained in a fully open position by means of a fusible element, e.g. a fusible nut, and which due to overheating is released to a fully closed position. However, this valve unit can only be used as a cut-off unit in ordinary T-couplings and will find no application as a combined airing and fire protecting valve in straight pipes or channels. Besides, the fully open position of the valve head cannot be altered by adjusting the valve head alone, since the same is secured in position by the fusible nut. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for detecting a security breach in a computer system.
2. Discussion of the Background
Standard methods for computer system security include passwords and other authorization tokens, use of encryption, and permission checking systems. In such standard methods, “security markers” (e.g., checksums, digital signatures, and permission levels) and “security properties” (e.g., an exact match between a data item that is supposed to be immutable and a hidden copy of that data item) can be used to validate the integrity of data and of the security system. However, all methods have flaws and costs. In practice, no security system is 100% effective.
The “defense in depth” concept of computer system security provides a series of barriers and counter-checks to decrease the probability of a successful compromise and to increase the probability of early detection that can lead to some reaction—such as a system halt, safe-restart, or a counter-measure against the attacker.
The more complex a security system is, the greater the difficulty in validating the implementation and design and the higher the cost in terms of computing resources and the engineering investment needed to construct and maintain the system. Different applications can realistically support different levels of security costs. For example, software controlling remote power transmission equipment is severely cost and resource constrained.
What is needed are system and methods for improving security that do not impose unrealistic costs and that can be scaled to different applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Vehicles may be equipped with bumper systems and crash protection structures that plastically deform to absorb energy in the event of a crash. When a vehicle impacts or is impacted by an object that is offset from the centerline of the vehicle such that the object overlaps a portion of the bumper, the ability of the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle to absorb energy associated with the impact may be reduced. In some impact configurations, the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle may not be activated or may be only partially activated because the object does not come into contact or only partially comes into contact with associated bumper or vehicle structures. Therefore, the bumper and the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle may have a reduced effect on the dissipation of the energy of the impact. Instead, the energy from the impact may be directed into various vehicle structures, including the front side supports of the vehicle.
In one example, a substantial portion of energy from an impact with a small front bumper overlap may be directed into a front side support. As energy is directed into the front side support, the front side support may tend to rotate toward an interior of an engine bay of the vehicle, deflecting away from the direction of the impact of the collision. When the front side support deflects away from the impact of the collision, the front side support absorbs less energy than when the side support does not deflect away from the impact of the collision.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative structures for transferring energy and absorbing energy from a small front bumper overlap collision. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a method of machining of flat parts, such as for example silicon wafers.
Machining of silicon wafers are known in the art. For producing silicon wafers, silicon ingots with a cylindrical shape are sliced into the thin wafers by cut-off grinding. The wafer circumference is ground with a profiled diamond wheel, so-called edge rounding. Then the wafers have to be lapped to ensure precise thickness, flatness, and parallelism. After this process, a chemical etch treatment is used. The wafer is then polished by chemical-mechanical polishing on one side, with surface roughness in the vicinity of 5 nm.
During edge rounding of silicon wafer distinct scratches are produced occasionally by silicon particles which break away from the wafer periphery. In order to avoid this edge-chipping, the wafer circumference is ground with a profiled diamond wheel in accordance with a traditional approach. During the cut-off grinding, edge-chipping of the wafer circumference takes place. This is precisely the etch chipping which is a source of breakage of wafers during the subsequent lapping. There is no other reason why the edge-rounding is used, in particular to avoid the edge chipping of the wafer circumference and to prevent breakages of wafers during lapping.
Double-side lapping process has several disadvantages. First of all, in order to perform the processing of cutting, rigid kinematic connection is used between a workpiece, abrasive grains and lapping plates. This rigid kinematic connection leads to necessity of utilization of rigid, massive, precise power tools with a rigid frame essential for vibration-free operation, and the lapping plates are machined together with the part to be machined, so that they change their shape and as a result, accuracy of machining is lost. In particular, it results in a spherical flatness of the upper and lower plate surfaces which affects thickness variations, parallelism and flatness of the workpiece. As a result, the lapping plates are continuously machined to obtain required shape. Also, brittle and hard workpieces (for example silicon wafers) are broken since they are integrated in the rigid kinematic system of the power tool.
For cutting a slurry is utilized. The slurry contains abrasive grains of various sizes in water or oil base. The presence of slurry leads to the fact that it is no longer possible to use liquid for removal of cutting products from a machining zone, since liquid washes off oil or water utilized for retention of grains in the machining zone. Swarf remains in the machining zone and is not removed, while abrasive grains engage into it. It is not possible to increase the speed of cutting, and the number of revolutions does not exceed 120 per minute, since oil and water can not retain abrasive grains in the machining zone in condition of high rotary speeds.
Provision of the rigid kinematic connection and the slurry leads to the use during machining of abrasive grains having different sizes, in particular large sizes in order to increase a material removal rate and small sizes in order to obtain a high quality surface of workpiece. The use of the large grains increases a depth of damage which results to unavoidable warping of workpieces and difficulties in obtaining parallelism and flatness. The use of small grains leads to a loss of efficiency of machining. Also, with the rigid kinematic connection and the slurry the requirements for a precise grading of abrasive gains are necessary. A tolerance of the grain size does not exceed several .mu.m. Such particles can scratch or fracture the workpiece and do not contribute to improvement of surface finish. Finally, it is necessary to provide several types of lapping plates in order to obtain the desired quality of surfaces to be machined.
It is known to provide machining of wafers with the use of magnetic-abrasive process, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,172. The disadvantage of this method is that an electromagnet with a yoke, coil and poles is utilized in this process. It is well known that in electromagnets with the increase of surface of pole faces, the field diminishes directly proportionally. For example,
______________________________________ S.sub.1 MM.sup.2 .phi., MM Field, T ______________________________________ 314 .phi.20 1.756 1'256 .phi.40 1.333 2'025 Square 45 0.916 3'300 .phi.65 0.202 ______________________________________
whereas an 5 is an area and 6 a diameter of pole faces. These values of the magnetic field are obtained with the pole gaps 5 mm, magnet current maximum 5.0 amps with water cooling (Operation Manual, Laboratory Electromagnet, Model 347 GMW).
Thus, for this invention, with the pole face formed as rings 25a and 25b, a field gradient will be insufficient for the magnetic abrasive machining with S pole equal to or more than 2000 mm.sup.2, since the powder will not be retained in a gap during machining. Moreover, the presence of yoke increases the size of the power tool, and the connection of the disks by a rotary shaft extending through the center of the disks makes impossible machining of a workpiece with a whole surface of the pole face. Therefore, the center of the workpiece can not be machined with this device if its diameter is greater than the diameter of disks. All above mentioned disadvantages result in a limitation to the diameters of the workpieces to be machined. On the other hand, currently the diameters of silicon wafers reach 400 mm, and the diameter of machining with setting of 10 wafers reaches 2000 mm.
Magnetic abrasive machining disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,041 has the disadvantages of a weak magnetic field and gradient between poles, due to the fact that poles of two electromagnet systems are not connected by yoke, but instead are connected by direct and feedback electrical connection. Also, when the pole of the rotor is located in a gap between the poles of the conductor. The machining is not performed at all. Between this extreme conditions, the workpieces are machined only partially. Finally, the electric circuitry is connected with changing of polarity of the rotor electromagnetic poles so that each counter opposed pair of inductors and rotor poles will have a different polarity which is very complicated.
The existing chemical-mechanical polishing has its own disadvantages. In particular, the wafer is hard to clean, it has a relatively high cost, it is of limited productivity, and single-pass system and end-point detection are unavailable. In this process, a polishing pad, slurry and special wafer clamping technique are utilized. Silicon wafer requires polishing in several stages, in particular initially the wafer surface has to be polished for removing surface defects, then oxide surface after each lithography step has to be removed and than action process must be formed to achieve planarization. The polishing fluid is an alkaline solution which contains chemical reactive particles with a size of approximately 100 nm. The material removal rate in this process involves chemical and mechanical process. A rise of temperature significantly increases the material removal rate. A significant part of the relatively high cost of this treatment is the cost of reactive particles with the size of 100 nm. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Field
The present embodiments relate to techniques for executing applications on computer systems. More specifically, the present embodiments relate to a method and system for executing web applications using hardware-accelerated graphics and native code modules.
Related Art
Computer systems often include a number of native applications that require complex three-dimensional (3D) scenes to be rendered, such as computer games and computer-aided design (CAD) systems. To render 3D scenes, these native applications may use graphics application programming interfaces (APIs) that direct calculations related to graphics rendering to dedicated graphics-processing units (GPUs). Furthermore, such native applications may include machine code that executes directly on one or more processors. The computational power provided by these processors and/or GPUs can greatly improve graphics quality and throughput
Web applications, which have become more prevalent in recent years, are typically written in scripting languages that are unable to utilize low-level graphics APIs that provide graphics hardware acceleration. Instead, graphics rendering for web applications is typically performed by CPUs instead of GPUs. The software-based nature of web-based graphics rendering may thus limit the graphics capabilities of web applications. Furthermore, the interpreted nature of scripting languages may result in significantly slower execution times for web applications than for native applications. However, unlike native applications, web applications provide a number of advantages. For example, web applications are capable of executing on multiple platforms, do not require installation, and can be more secure than native applications.
The tradeoff between web application security and native graphics performance may be addressed using a browser plugin that renders graphics for web applications by interfacing with a local graphics hardware device (e.g., a GPU). Such a plugin may correspond to a complex software system that includes various mechanisms for obtaining scene information from the web applications; storing the scene information; processing the scene information using transforms, effects, and shaders; and sending commands to the graphics hardware for rendering the scene. Furthermore, the processing demands of the plugin may require the plugin to be implemented using native code, which is traditionally insecure. Consequently, the plugin itself may include a number of potential security vulnerabilities that may be exploited by other applications and/or bugs that may lead to system failures.
Hence, what is needed is a mechanism for safety executing native code fix web-based graphics rendering while maintaining communication between the native code and graphics hardware. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a light duty liquid cleaning composition which is mild to the skin and which demonstrates improved sensory attributes and foam when used as a hand soap designed in particular for dishware and which is effective in grease and is high foaming and clear.
2. Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to light duty liquid detergent compositions with high foaming properties, which contains mixtures of anionic surfactants, amine oxide surfactant, alkyl polyglucoside surfactant and an oxyethylene functional organosilane.
The prior art is replete with light duty liquid detergent compositions containing nonionic surfactants in combination with anionic and/or betaine surfactants wherein the nonionic detergent is not the major active surfactant, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,985 wherein an anionic based shampoo contains a minor amount of a fatty acid alkanolamide. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,398 discloses a betaine-based shampoo containing minor amounts of nonionic surfactants. This patent states that the low foaming properties of nonionic detergents renders its use in shampoo compositions non-preferred. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,335 also discloses a shampoo containing a betaine surfactant as the major ingredient and minor amounts of a nonionic surfactant and of a fatty acid mono- or di-ethanolamide. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,204 discloses a shampoo comprising 0.8-20% by weight of an anionic phosphoric acid ester and one additional surfactant which may be either anionic, amphoteric, or nonionic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,334 discloses an anionic-amphoteric based shampoo containing a major amount of anionic surfactant and lesser amounts of a betaine and nonionic surfactants.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,129 discloses a liquid cleaning composition based on the alkali metal silicate content and containing five basic ingredients, namely, urea, glycerin, triethanolamine, an anionic detergent and a nonionic detergent. The silicate content determines the amount of anionic and/or nonionic detergent in the liquid cleaning composition. However, the foaming property of these detergent compositions is not discussed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,515 discloses a heavy duty liquid detergent for laundering fabrics comprising a mixture of substantially equal amounts of anionic and nonionic surfactants, alkanolamines and magnesium salts, and, optionally, zwitterionic surfactants as suds modifiers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,195 discloses an aqueous detergent composition for laundering socks or stockings comprising a specific group of nonionic detergents, namely, an ethylene oxide of a secondary alcohol, a specific group of anionic detergents, namely, a sulfuric ester salt of an ethylene oxide adduct of a secondary alcohol, and an amphoteric surfactant which may be a betaine, wherein either the anionic or nonionic surfactant may be the major ingredient.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,326,557 and 5,435,996 disclose oxyethylene functional organic silanes for use in body care formulations.
It has now been found that a light duty liquid detergent can be formulated with a mixture of anionic surfactants, alkyl polyglucoside, alkyl monoalkanol amide, surfactant, silicone polymer and water which has desirable cleaning properties, mildness to the skin and improved foam qualities.
An object of this invention is to provide a light duty liquid detergent composition which comprises a sulfate surfactant, a sulfonate anionic surfactant, alkyl monoalkanol amide, an alkyl polyglucoside surfactant, an oxyethylene functional organosilane, solubilizing system and water wherein the composition does not contain an amine, enzyme, propanediol, or an aminopolyphosphate.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention concerns lubricating compositions having improved properties. Another aspect of the invention relates to additive compositions which impart antiwear and antiscuffing properties to lubricating compositions used for internal combustion engines such as gasoline engine and diesel engine.
Additives known as antiwear agents are employed to increase the load carrying capacity of lubricants. The antiwear agents promote the formation of a surface film and thereby prevent wear of the contacting surfaces. The mechanical efficiency enhanced by decreased friction loss further results in decreased fuel consumption and energy savings.
It is known that certain organic molybdenum complexes possess antiwear properties as well as other desirable lubricating characteristics as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,647. Organic molybdenum complexes can be combined with sulfur donors as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,473. Surprisingly, it has been now discovered that the molybdenum complexes described therein produce a synergistic antiwear effect in combination with certain organic sulfur compounds. Unexpectedly, the synergistic composition lowers the friction characteristics of the protected surface by effecting changes in its metallurgy. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Many types of input devices are presently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens and the like. Touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility of operation as well as their declining price. Touch screens can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can be positioned partially or fully behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface can cover at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. Touch screens can allow a user to perform various functions by touching the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus or other object at a location often dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. In general, touch screens can recognize a touch and the position of the touch on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch in accordance with the display appearing at the time of the touch, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch. In the case of some touch sensing systems, a physical touch on the display is not needed to detect a touch. For example, in some capacitive-type touch sensing systems, fringing electrical fields used to detect touch can extend beyond the surface of the display, and objects approaching near the surface may be detected near the surface without actually touching the surface. However, devices that accept non-mechanical inputs, such as capacitive touch input, often do not provide tactile feedback to a user.
In addition to touch panels/touch screens, many electronic devices may also have mechanical inputs, such as buttons and/or switches. These mechanical inputs can control power (i.e., on/off) and volume for the electronic devices, among other functions. However, sometimes these mechanical inputs also fail to give a user tactile feedback, such as the “click-click-click” feeling of winding a mechanical alarm clock with a knob. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The disclosed technology relates to multicell photovoltaic semiconductor devices on a common substrate. The use of multiple monolithic cells on a common substrate where large photocurrents are generated is more desirable than the same area fabricated as a single cell or multiple interconnected single cell devices. The use of monolithic multi-cell construction reduces the output current and increases the output voltage linearly by the number of cells connected in a series string. Because of internal resistance losses are reduced in proportion to the square of the current, the overall internal power losses in multi-cell devices at high levels of illumination are greatly reduced.
In the fabrication of multi-cell devices on a common substrate, individual cells must be electrically isolated from one another. In the prior art, electrical isolation is created by the use of physical dielectric barriers between the cells, which increases fabrication cost and complexity. The subject technology described herein provides multiple diode strings that can be formed on a common substrate without the use of physical isolation. The disclosed technology does not require the use of a physical isolation barrier to achieve electrical isolation between cells in a multi-cell monolithic device. The subject technology is applicable to devices containing semiconductor materials where diodes can be fabricated with discrete P and N junctions.
In the prior art, multi-cell devices make use of physical trenches to achieve electrical isolation between cells. Most practical trench fabrication processes require the incorporation of multiple epitaxial layers into a multi-cell device. The requirement for multiple epitaxial layers further increases processing costs beyond the trench fabrication cost, and its implementation generally requires the participation of highly skilled technologists, as the multiple epitaxial layers have complex fabrication requirements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer systems. More particularly, this invention relates to memory transactions within a dual processor computer system.
2. Art Background
The heart of a personal computer system is usually a central processing unit (CPU) that resides on a microprocessor chip. When a microprocessor operates at a high speed, computer instructions and data must be supplied to the microprocessor chip quickly if the speed of the microprocessor is to be utilized effectively. The bus that provides instructions for the microprocessor to execute, and that also provides the data that the microprocessor will use when executing these instructions, can become a bottle neck in a computer system having a fast microprocessor.
If the next instruction to be executed is not available when the microprocessor needs it, then the microprocessor must wait idly while the required instruction is retrieved and provided to the microprocessor. This idling also occurs when the microprocessor has the next instruction to be executed available, but the next instruction to be executed requires data that is not immediately available to the microprocessor. In order to decrease the frequency with which the microprocessor encounters these wait cycles, many modern high performance microprocessors have a small internal cache sometimes called a primary cache. Instructions that are likely to be executed, and data that is likely to be required by the executing instructions, are stored in the internal cache so that they can be accessed immediately by the CPU of the microprocessor.
When an instruction is to be executed or data is required, the cache is checked to determine whether a copy of the required instruction or data is immediately available within the cache. If a copy is stored within the cache (called a cache hit), then the copy can be supplied to the CPU immediately from the cache, and there is no need for the CPU to wait while the instruction or data is retrieved to the microprocessor chip from wherever it is stored within the computer system. On the other hand, if a copy is not stored within the cache (called a cache miss), then the CPU must wait while the instruction or data is retrieved to the microprocessor chip from wherever it is stored within the computer system.
When executing a program, the CPU may modify the copy of a line stored in the cache. In a write through caching scheme, the main memory is immediately updated when a cached copy has been modified. A write through caching scheme has the advantage that data in the cache is always consistent with data in main memory. This is especially advantageous in multiprocessor systems and in systems having direct memory access devices because the main memory always contains the most recent copy of the data. A disadvantage of the write through caching scheme is that it increases the traffic on the bus. This is because the bus is immediately used to send the modified data to the main memory so that the main memory can be updated every time that data in the cache is modified. This is particularly disadvantageous when a memory location is used to store temporary results that change frequently because the main memory must be updated each time the temporary result data changes.
By contrast, in a write back caching scheme, the main memory is not updated every time that a copy stored within the cache is modified. Instead, in a write back caching scheme, the copy stored within the cache may be modified several times before the main memory is updated. This has the advantage of reducing the traffic on the bus because the main memory is not updated as frequently. Furthermore, because the main memory update can be deferred, it is frequently possible to select a time when the bus is idle to update the main memory with the modified data. A disadvantage of the write back caching scheme is that the main memory can contain stale data. This happens when the data within the cache has been modified and the main memory has yet to be updated with the modified data. In multiprocessor systems, or systems having direct memory access devices, care must be taken to maintain cache coherency by ensuring that stale data within the main memory is not used by a co-processor or direct memory access device.
A cache consistency protocol is a set of rules by which states are assigned to cached entries (lines) in order to help maintain cache consistency. The rules apply for memory read and write cycles. Every line in a cache is assigned a state dependent on both processor generated activities and activities generated by other bus masters (e.g., snooping).
The MESI cache consistency protocol consists of four states that define whether a line is valid (i.e., hit or miss), whether it is available in other caches, and whether it has been modified. The four states are: M (Modified), E (Exclusive), S (Shared) and I (Invalid). A M-state line is available in only one cache and it is also modified (i.e., it is different from main memory). An E-state line is also available in only one cache in the system, but the line is not modified (i.e., it is the same as main memory). A write to an E-state line will cause the line to become modified. A line with a S-state indicates that the line is potentially shared with other caches (i.e., the same line may exist in more than one cache). A write to a shared line will generate a write through cycle. The write through cycle may invalidate this line in other caches. Finally, an I-state indicates that the line is not available in the cache. A read to this line will be a miss and may cause a line fill operation (i.e., a fetch of the whole line into the cache from main memory). A write to an invalid line will typically cause the processor to execute a write through cycle on the bus.
Inquire cycles, also called snoop cycles, are initiated by the system to determine if a line is present in a code or data cache, and, if the line is present, what state the line has. Inquire cycles are typically driven to a processor when a bus master other than the processor initiates a read or write bus cycle. Inquire cycles are driven to the processor when the bus master initiates a read to determine if the processor data cache contains the latest information. If the snooped line is in the processor data cache in the modified state, the processor has the most recent information and must schedule a write back of the data. Inquire cycles are driven to the processor when the other bus master initiates a write to determine if the processor code or data cache contains the snooped line and to invalidate the line if it is present.
It is also common to implement the main memory using DRAM, and then to supplement the DRAM based main memory with a SRAM based external cache memory (i.e., a second level cache memory that is external to the microprocessor chip). Because the external cache is not contained on the microprocessor chip, it can typically be made to store more data and instructions than can be stored by the internal cache. Because the external cache is not located on the microprocessor chip, however, it must supply the data and instructions to the microprocessor using one of the buses that often form bottlenecks for data and instructions entering and leaving the microprocessor chip.
A high speed microprocessor chip typically interfaces with the rest of the computer system using one or two high speed buses. The first of these buses is a relatively high speed asynchronous bus called a main memory bus. The second of these buses is a relatively high speed synchronous bus called a local bus. High bandwidth devices such as graphics adapter cards and fast input/output (I/O) devices can be coupled directly to the local bus. Each device coupled to the local bus, however, has an associated capacitive load. As the load on the local bus is increased, the maximum operating speed for the local bus decreases and the power required to drive the bus increases. Therefore, one device coupled to the local bus can be a peripheral bus bridge from the local bus to another bus called a high speed peripheral bus (e.g., a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus). The bus bridge isolates the load of the devices coupled to the high speed peripheral bus from the high speed local bus. Another device coupled to the local bus is typically an expansion bus bridge that couples the high performance local bus to a lower performance expansion bus. The low bandwidth components of the computer system are then coupled to the lower performance expansion bus.
The standard PCI specification is targeted to support the functions of an I/O bus. A high speed peripheral bus, such as the PCI bus, has adequate bandwidth to be used as a memory bus for low end systems (i.e., memory bus functionality can be overlaid onto the I/O bus functionality). The trend in mobile computers is towards smaller, faster, less expensive and lighter units. In entry level or mobile systems, part or all of the system memory may be coupled directly to the PCI bus. This may include read-only program modules as well as DRAM, both of which must be cacheable by the processor. The PCI cache support option provides a standard interface between PCI memory agent(s) and the bridge (or caching agent), that allows the use of an inquiry (snooping) cache coherency mechanism. This caching option assumes a flat address space (i.e., a single address has a unique destination regardless of access origin) and a single level bridge topology. This support option is optimized for simple, entry level systems, rather than for maximum processor-cache-memory performance. Thus, advanced mechanisms for cache consistency cycles, cache attribute mapping, and dual processor support are all beyond the scope of a high speed peripheral bus such as set forth in the standard PCI specification. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Certain data storage devices operate by moving a sequential information storage medium across a read head having multiple read/write elements. To efficiently read and write data to and from the tape, it is necessary that the tape be in physical contact with the read head. To maintain contact between the sequential information storage medium and the read head, the sequential information storage medium is directed towards the read head at an angle, called the wrap angle, such that an air pressure differential is created which presses the tape against the read/write head.
Such a wrap angle is set by adjusting upwardly or downwardly the position of a roller disposed adjacent the read head. The roller position must be set during data storage device manufacture or maintenance. Prior art apparatus and methods require a time-consuming process to determine a nominal wrap angle, and then position the roller using that nominal wrap angle. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Track lighting systems are well known. The systems typically comprise a track which is mounted to the ceiling or wall and which is connected to an electrical supply source. The track is a hollow, elongated extrusion having neutral and voltage busses mounted within the track and running the length thereof. One or more lighting fixtures are sidably mounted to the track such that they can be moved to desired locations along the length of the track. Each lighting fixture is coupled to the track--both mechanically and electrically--by means of a track adapter. The track adapter includes neutral and voltage electrical contacts which are disposed to conductively communicate with the voltage and neutral electrical busses in the track. In addition the track adapter includes a ground contact which either engages a ground bus running the length of the track or contacts the track extrusion to ground the circuit. Thus the track adapter electrically connects the associated light fixture to the source of electrical power.
A variation on standard track lighting is the dual circuit track lighting system. In this arrangement two separate voltage busses are mounted within the track and run the length thereof. The ground and neutral contacts of the track adapter are fixed in position, but the voltage contact is movable with respect to the track adapter between a first position in which the voltage contact electrically couples to the first voltage bus of the track, and a second position in which the voltage contact electrically couples to the second voltage bus. By selectively mounting the lighting fixtures to contact either the first or second circuit, it is possible for one track light to be operated independently of a second track light mounted to the same track.
Conventional track adapters for dual circuit track lighting systems rely on frictional engagement between the voltage electrical contact and a corresponding slot in the track adapter to maintain the voltage contact in its first or second position. This arrangement is problematic, however, in that too much frictional engagement will make the voltage contact difficult to move between its first and second positions, while too little frictional engagement will permit the voltage contact to move unintentionally from one position to the other, or even to an intermediate position in which the voltage contact fails to contact either voltage bus.
Consequently there is a need for a track adapter for dual circuit track lighting systems which includes a mechanism for affirmatively maintaining the voltage contact in its desired position while permitting easy movement of the voltage contact between its two positions. There is a further need for a track adapter for dual circuit track lighting systems which reduces the likelihood that the voltage contact will be placed in an intermediate position in which the voltage contact fails to contact either voltage bus. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Users of electronic devices increasingly desire to communicate privately and securely with one another. Unfortunately, existing approaches to securing communications can be difficult and/or cumbersome to use. Such difficulties are often compounded where a sender of a communication intends for the communication to be received by multiple entities. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Conventional piston dampers include MR dampers having a tube containing an MR fluid and having an MR piston assembly including a piston which slideably engages the tube and including a rod which has a first end attached to the piston and a second end extending outside the tube. The MR fluid passes through an MR passageway (i.e., a magnetically energizable passageway) of the MR piston. Exposing the MR fluid in the MR passageway to a varying magnetic field, generated by providing a varying electric current from a controller to an electric coil of the MR piston, varies the damping effect of the MR fluid in the MR passageway providing variably-controlled damping of relative motion between the MR piston and the tube. The electric current is varied (including turning off the electric current) to accommodate varying operating conditions, as is known to those skilled in the art. The tube and the rod are attached to separate structures to dampen relative motion of the two structures along the direction of piston travel. In one known application, the MR damper is employed as a vehicle suspension damper to control vehicle ride and handling including damping during jounce and rebound. The controller of the MR damper system limits the vehicle's top speed should there be a power failure to the damper since such power failure would result in soft damping which would decrease vehicle maneuverability at high vehicle speeds.
A known design includes an MR piston having an MR piston core, two MR piston end plates, and an MR piston ring. The MR piston core is disposed longitudinally between and attached to the two MR piston end plates. The MR piston ring is attached to the MR piston end plates and is radially-outwardly spaced apart from the MR piston core to define an MR passageway portion between the MR piston core and the MR piston ring. An MR passageway is a magnetically energizable passageway. An electric coil is located in the MR piston core to magnetically energize MR fluid in the MR passageway. The MR passageway also includes a portion which extends through each of the two MR piston end plates. The MR piston core may include an MR bypass passageway (i.e., a magnetically non-energizable passageway) radially inward of the MR passageway and the electric coil. The MR bypass passageway also likewise includes a portion which extends through each of the two MR piston end plates. The outer circumference of the MR piston ring slidingly engages the inner circumference of the tube of the MR damper.
What is needed is an improved MR piston, MR piston assembly, and MR damper system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Amorphous (non-crystalline) oxide semiconductors used in a TFT have a high carrier mobility and a large optical bandgap as compared to generalized amorphous silicon (a-Si), and can be deposited at low temperature. Thus, the amorphous oxide semiconductors are expected to be applied to next-generation display devices required for large size, high resolution, and high-speed driving, as well as resin substrates with a low heat resistance, and the like. In formation of the above oxide semiconductor (film), a sputtering method is preferably used which involves a sputtering target made of the same material as the film. The thin film formed by the sputtering method has excellent in-plane uniformity of the composition or thickness in the direction of the film surface (in the in-plane direction) as compared to thin films formed by ion plating, vacuum evaporation coating, and electron beam evaporation. The sputtering method has an advantage that can form the thin film of the same composition as that of the sputtering target. The sputtering target is normally formed by mixing, sintering, and mechanically processing oxide powders.
The compositions of the oxide semiconductor used in the display device include, for example, In-contained amorphous oxide semiconductors, such as “In—Ga—Zn—O, In—Zn—O, or In—Sn—O (ITO)”. However, the oxide semiconductor composition contains “In” as a rare metal, which might lead to the increase in material cost during mass production processes. For this reason, another oxide semiconductor appropriate for the mass production is proposed which can reduce the material cost without using the expensive element “In”. The oxide semiconductor is a ZTO-based amorphous oxide semiconductor formed by adding “Sn” to “Zn”. Patent literatures 1 to 4 disclose sputtering targets useful for manufacturing a ZTO-based oxide semiconductor film.
Patent literature 1 proposes a method for suppressing the occurrence of abnormal discharge or cracking during sputtering by controlling the composition of an oxide sintered body not to contain a tin-oxide phase by burning for a long time. Patent literature 2 proposes a method for suppressing the abnormal discharge during sputtering by performing two-stage processes, namely, a temporary powder burning process at a low temperature of 900 to 1300° C. and a main powder burning process to increase the density of the ZTO-based sintered body. Patent literature 3 proposes a method for improving the conductivity of an oxide sintered body and increasing the density thereof by containing a spinel AB2O4 compound in the sintered body. Patent literature 4 proposes a method for obtaining a dense ZTO-based sintered body by performing two-stage processes of a temporary power burning process performed at a low temperature of 900 to 1100° C. and a main powder burning process.
Patent literature 5 proposes a ZTO-based sputtering target having a low In content, as a sputtering target for formation of a transparent conductive film which has a low specific resistance and a high relative density even after the decrease in In content of the ITO. In general, when the In content of the ITO is decreased, the relative density of the sputtering target becomes lower, but the specific resistance of the bulk is increased. However, in the technique disclosed in Patent literature 5, a bixbyite structure represented by In2O3, and a spinel structure represented by Zn2SnO4 coexist in the target, which achieves the sputtering target having a high density and a small specific resistance, and which can suppress the abnormal discharge in the sputtering. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a cleaning device and a developing device incorporated in a facsimile apparatus, printer or similar electrophotographic apparatus. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a cleaner and toner magazine (abbreviated as CTM hereinafter) having a cleaning unit and a developing unit constructed integrally with each other. The cleaning unit has a cleaning blade for removing a toner left on a photoconductive element after image transfer, and a waste toner tank for collecting it while the developing unit has a fresh toner tank storing a fresh toner.
It is a common practice with an electrophotographic apparatus to form a latent image electrostatically on an image carrier e.g., photoconductive element, develops the latent image with a developer, i.e., toner to produce a corresponding toner image, and then transfer the toner image to a paper. The paper has the toner image fixed by heat and then driven out of the apparatus as a recording. The toner left on the photoconductive element after the image transfer is scraped off by a cleaning blade and then collected in a waste toner tank. A discharge lamp illuminates the cleaned surface of the photoconductive element to dissipate charges also left on the element. The current trend in the electrophotographic apparatuses art is toward user-oriented maintenance including replenishment of a fresh toner and the collection of a waste toner. For this purpose, the manipulation for maintenance should be simplified. However, a fresh toner tank and the waste toner tank have customarily been constructed separately from each other, forcing the user to replace them one by one by a troublesome procedure. Further, in the conventional apparatus, the waste toner tank has to be provided with a sensor responsive to a condition wherein the tank has been filled up with the waste toner.
To eliminate the above problems, there has been proposed a system in which the photoconductive element, developing device, fresh toner tank, cleaning device and waste toner tank are constructed into a unit: when, for example, the fresh toner tank runs out of toner, the unit is bodily replaced. This, however, increases the cost of the unit as well as the running cost per paper since, for example, the photoconductive element, developing device, cleaning device and waste toner tank which are still usable have to be discarded together with the empty fresh toner tank. Moreover, toxic substances are contained in the unit and apt to invite environmental pollution when the unit is discarded. Although the manufacture may collect and refill the fresh toner tank, even the photoconductive element, developing device, cleaning device and waste toner tank not directly contributing to toner replenishment have to be transported, resulting in an extra transport cost.
In the light of the above, there has also been proposed a CTM in which fresh toner tank and waste toner tank are constructed integrally with each other. The CTM, which is bodily replaceable, simplifies maintenance, eliminates the need for the sensor responsive to the full state of the waste toner tank, and solves the environmental pollution problem. In the conventional CTM, the fresh toner tank is fully independent of the developing device and replenishes it with a toner via a long transport path implemented by a motor, screw, guide, agitator, etc.
With an electrophotographic apparatus using such a CTM, the user is expected to perform maintenance including the replenishment of a fresh toner and the collection of a waste toner. It is, therefore, preferable that the manipulation for maintenance be simple, and the frequency of replacement of the CTM be low. To reduce the frequency of replacement, each of the fresh toner tank and waste toner tank should advantageously be provided with a great capacity. However, such bulky tanks are disadvantageous from a space saving standpoint. Further, the fresh toner tank run out of toner simply wastes the space and, in addition, degrades cost performance of the apparatus since it is made up of a number of members for effecting efficient replenishment. Moreover, since the toner is transported over a long transport path, the quality thereof and, therefore, image quality is apt to fall.
On the other hand, an electrophotographic apparatus of the type described is practicable with one or two different charging methods, i.e., a corona charging method and a contact charging method. The corona charging method, which uses a corona charger, is predominant today since it is capable of charging the photoconductive element uniformly over a long period of time. By contrast, the contact charging method holds a charger in contact with the photoconductive element. This kind of method is susceptible to the contact condition of the charger with the photoconductive element and the surface condition of the element. With the contact charging method, therefore, it is difficult to charge the photoconductive element uniformly over a long period of time. For example, it is likely that toner particles, paper dust and other impurities deposited on the photoconductive element are transferred to the charger, e.g., charge roller, lowering the charging ability of the charger due to contamination.
However, the contact charger is advantageous over the corona charger in that it produces a minimum of ozone during operation, and in that it is operable with a low voltage. The reduction of ozone, among others, meets the increasing demand for improved office environments. For this reason, the increase in the cost of equipment to be operated in offices is generally accepted. In this situation, the prerequisite is that the contact charger be replaced periodically, and that the deterioration of such a charger due to aging be slowed down. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
It is known that for open-end spinning, the cleaned and pre-drawn fibres which are for example in the form of "sliver" must be combed, i.e. they must be separated so that adjacent fibres do not cling together. The known combing rollers developed for this purpose generally comprise a combing means, i.e. a pinned ring or saw-tooth set which is secured to a core and usually pressed on to the same. These known combing rollers, however, have the disadvantage that, when a certain state of abrasion is reached, they must be removed from operation completely and replaced by new rollers. Also, the roller cores, which only undergo minimal wear and tear during the combing process, cannot be used again with the known structures.
A further disadvantage of the known combing rollers is that their combing means cannot be removed and replaced the other way round, i.e., are not reversible, and the working angle of the pins cannot therefore be changed.
These disadvantages are overcome with the present invention in that, for the purpose of replacement, the ring is located loosely on the ring core with one cylindrical take-up surface and is held in this position by a cover which is detachably fixed to the ring core. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Pneumatic controllers, such as thermostats, are connected between a sensing element located in a regulated space and a controlled device operable to change the conditions of the space (e.g. HVAC systems and components). The sensor is sensitive to changes in the controlled space and able to consistently provide an output signal proportional to the level of a controlled variable, e.g. temperature or humidity. In response to the output signal, the controller actuates the controlled device to prevent excessive deviation of the variable from the desired setpoint. Generally, there are two main elements in a controller, a sensing element and a relay which produces an output in response to the sensing element to actuate the controlled device. The controlled device may take a variety of forms including, for instance, a valve or damper for admitting warm air into a room.
Often with heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, pneumatic controllers are used to provide a controlled pressure output which regulates the position of the controlled device. For example, a typical pneumatic system includes a compressor for supplying a pressurized source of air, typically at 15 or 20 PSIG. This supply air is delivered through conduits to a pneumatic relay having a valve for selectively permitting passage of the supply air through the relay to the controlled device. The valve is typically a diaphragm type valve whose position is controlled by the pressure level in a pilot circuit. The pilot circuit is a passage which allows a portion of the supply air to pass along one side of the diaphragm before exiting through a control port. The amount of resistance to air passing from the control port controls the pressure build-up within the pilot circuit and thus the position of the control valve.
A sensor, such as a bi-metal element, is disposed in proximity to the control port to change the amount of resistance relative to the level of the controlled variable. For instance, when the controlled variable, e.g. temperature, is at an equilibrium level with the setpoint, the bi-metal element will be at an equilibrium position. However, if the temperature deviates from the setpoint in one direction, the bi-metal element will bend away from the control port allowing free passage of supply air. On the other hand, as the temperature moves beyond the setpoint in the opposite direction, the bi-metal element will bend towards the control port tending to further restrict passage of air from the control port as the temperature change continues. This will of course change the pressure in the pilot chamber which, in turn, changes the position of the control valve to thereby increase or decrease the airflow and pressure to the controlled device as required in a particular application.
Although pneumatic control systems like the one described above work well in certain applications, other applications present greater difficulties. One difficulty is that use of a bi-metal element to sense a given variable and then control the pneumatic relay is often less precise than desired. For example, the bi-metal element may not react consistently to temperature change or it may react too slowly. This type of system makes it more difficult to maintain the temperature, for instance, of a room within a close range from the setpoint.
In other systems, digital controllers have been used to control the flow of air to the controlled device. For example, in Lilja et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,070, a pneumatic thermostat is disclosed which uses an electronic to pneumatic transducer controlled by a microprocessor. This, of course, presents further obstacles because either electric wires must be run to the microprocessor to provide power or a remote power supply must be used. In Lilja, the use of a battery, solar cell, or air turbine is suggested to supply or supplement electric power to the microprocessor. One problem with this system is that when the battery goes dead the control system is no longer powered. Similarly, if there is an insufficient light or air supply to run the solar cell or air turbine, the pneumatic thermostat will not function.
The electronic to pneumatic transducer disclosed in Lilja uses a pair of solenoids to allow passage of air between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe of the transducer or between the outlet pipe and atmosphere respectively. The solenoid valves are controlled by the microprocessor. This system requires solenoids capable of regulating the substantial air volume and air pressure in the main air supply conduit. Manipulating such solenoid valves requires a relatively large amount of power from the power source which increases the rate at which the power source is depleted. It would be advantageous to have a digitally controlled system that did not operate directly in the main air supply conduits and thus did not require such a substantial amount of energy. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP CVD), and more particularly to an ICP CVD apparatus for preventing pollution of impurities from a dielectric shield constituting, in part, a reaction chamber.
2. Related Art
The laid-opened publication of Japanese Patent Application (No. 95-60704) discloses an ICP CVD apparatus capable of forming a thin film. The above ICP CVD apparatus includes: a ring shaped antenna where a radio frequency (RF) power is applied; a dielectric shield disposed adjacent to the antenna; a chamber having the dielectric shield, capable of maintaining an air-tight seal; a stage disposed within the chamber for heating a work piece to be processed; a gas supply unit for supplying at least two or more reactant gases in predetermined quantities to the chamber; and an exhaust unit for exhausting the remnant gases inside the chamber.
The above ICP CVD apparatus operates as follows. If, radio frequency power is applied to the ring shaped antenna, plasma is induced on the opposite side of the dielectric shield, that is, the inside of the chamber. The dielectric shield is made of quartz and is disposed adjacent to the antenna. The stage is arranged in the inside of the chamber, and the work piece, that is loaded onto the stage, is heated. The exhaust unit exhausts the remnant gases inside the chamber, leaving a vacuum. The gas supply unit then supplies at least two or more gases in predetermined quantities to the chamber.
In the ICP CVD apparatus, however, the dielectric shield is made of material containing oxygen, such as quartz. Accordingly, there is a disadvantage in that oxygen or impurities dissociate from the dielectric shield to adversely affect film quality.
Furthermore, in the above ICP CVD apparatus, because an inlet port of the gas supply unit is disposed at the side portion and not the central portion of the vacuum reaction chamber, the gas is not uniformly spread over a large area so that an uniform plasma of high density is not induced. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication system switches through which digitally coded call signals are coupled to effect call switching.
2. Prior Art
Various types of signal switches are known in the art and some examples include space division switching matrices, resonant transfer systems, and systems in which pairs of time gated subscriber lines are interconnected through a time-shared bus. Most of the existing switching systems have been primarily designed for handling continuous analog signals or discrete samples of such analog signals. However, the space division matrices have been utilized, often in conjunction with time slot interchangers, for switching digitally coded signal samples. In addition, techniques are known for effecting limited call signal switching by writing digitally coded signal samples into a buffer memory and then reading them out in appropriate time slots to effect their transfer to a second party on a call connection. However, none of the foregoing systems has convenient arrangements for processing call signals for, e.g., custom insertion of loss or gain to compensate in part for factors such as different line lengths between the switch and the subscriber's terminal equipment.
In prior art switching systems the conference capability has often been satisfied by employing an add-on type of conference bridge in which call signals of all conference participants are combined and the combined result is returned to each individual participant's line circuit where that particpant's input signal is substantially subtracted out. The need to balance these conference circuits against signal regeneration is a problem that is usually present, and it becomes particularly acute as the number of conference participants increases. Here again the conference bridge usually serves no other useful purpose in the system in the absence of a current need for the conferencing function. Electronic switching systems, to the extent that they have been applied to the switching of digitally coded signals, can provide many services to subscribers by utilization of the common control processor capabilities, but those services usually are limited to call administration services as distinguished from call signal modification services. In addition, such systems still generally depend upon the employment of separate, controlled, space division switching matrix for call path switching; and they generally are not deemed to be practical for processing call signals for providing, e.g., customized loss or gain in individual call connections.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to improve communication system switches.
It is another object to facilitate the provision of special services in addition to the primary call signal switching service performed by a system switch. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
As for liquid crystal display devices, it is possible to realize thinness, low-power consumption, and high definition. Recently, liquid crystal display devices have been becoming larger rapidly due to progress of manufacturing technology and diffuse in the field of television in which cathode-ray tubes (CRT) are mainly used conventionally.
However, it has been pointed out that display images of liquid crystal display devices have problems in image quality such as a low contrast feeling and blurred moving images due to its display method, compared to images of CRT.
To begin with, the low contrast feeling of images of the liquid crystal display device is described, comparing with CRT with reference to FIG. 10 (a).
As for CRT, peak brightness changes dynamically according to average luminance level (APL) of image signals in one frame. For instance, contrast between bright parts and dark parts in a display screen is enhanced by displaying images of high APL (i.e., an entire display screen is bright) with low peak brightness or displaying images of low APL (i.e., an entire display screen is dark) with high peak brightness. Thus, a CRT can display sharp images giving a high contrast feeling.
In contrast, general liquid crystal display devices employs a display method in which the intensity of illumination light from a backlight is always constant and a liquid crystal panel controls the light transmittance of the illumination light. As a result, an image gives a low contrast feeling and lacks sharpness compared to an image of a CRT because a peak brightness does not change according to an average luminance level (APL) in the general liquid crystal display devices.
The causes why the performance of moving image display of the liquid crystal display devices is said to be inferior to that of CRT is described as to each of their display methods below with reference to FIG. 10 (b).
CRT adopts so-called an impulse type display method. In the impulse type display method, the image is displayed by scanning pixels with an electron beam in one frame thereby causing fluorescent material of the pixels to emit light. Thus, the pixels do not emit light except when they receive the electron beam. As a result, observer's eyeballs smoothly follow a moving object in a moving picture.
In contrast, the general liquid crystal display device adopts a hold type display method. In the hold type display method, an image is displayed by controlling transmittance of the illumination light from the light source by applying an electric field on liquid crystal in a liquid crystal panel. In each pixel, the transmittance is “held” by applying a voltage on the liquid crystal in one frame period. Thus, the moving picture, which changes time to time, is displayed as one still image in each frame period. As a result, there is a difference between the moving picture to be displayed and the still image that is actually displayed. A viewer perceives this difference as blurring.
In order to solve the problems of liquid crystal display devices above, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 40390/2002 (Tokukai 2002-40390 (published on Feb. 6, 2002)) discloses a liquid crystal display device which improves a contrast feeling by changing the ratio of an illumination period to a non-illumination period according to a display image in order to control the intensity of illumination light and has excellent performance in moving image display.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a liquid crystal display device disclosed in the publication above.
As illustrated in the figure, a liquid crystal display device 100 includes a liquid crystal panel 101 and a backlight 110 including a light source 111, a lightguide 112, and a liquid-crystal shutter 113.
The liquid crystal panel 101 is, what is called, an active-matrix liquid crystal panel. Pixels are arrayed in a matrix pattern corresponding to intersecting points of a plurality of scanning lines with a plurality of signal lines. Switching elements are provided corresponding to the pixels. An input image signal is supplied from a signal line to each pixel on one row selected by a scanning line. This is repeated by performing sequential scanning so as to apply the electric field to the liquid crystal of each pixel thereby controlling the light transmittance of the illumination light from the backlight. In this way, the display images are displayed.
The liquid crystal shutter 113 is divided into four parts in a stripe pattern in the direction of scanning lines of the liquid crystal panel 101 (in a horizontal direction). The electric field is applied on the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal shutter 113 in order to control transmittance and absorption of light thereof. Thus, the backlight 110 has four divided illumination areas in a stripe pattern and controls turning on/off of illumination in the divided illumination areas independently.
A peak luminance level detector circuit 121 is a circuit for measuring a peak luminance level of a display image signal. The peak luminance level detector circuit 121 measures a peak luminance level of an image displayed in a frame period in each divided area of the liquid crystal display device 100 corresponding to each of the divided illumination areas of the backlight 110.
The peak luminance level detector circuit 121 is connected to a backlight illumination control circuit 122. According to the measured peak luminance level, the backlight illumination control circuit 122 controls illumination ratio (illumination lump), that is, the intensity of illumination light in one frame period each divided illumination area of the backlight 110 independently.
A gradation converter circuit 123 converts a gradation of a display image signal on the basis of relation between the display image signal and the intensity of illumination light of each divided illumination area of the backlight 110, thereby generating an input image signal to be inputted to the liquid crystal panel 101.
FIG. 12 (a) and FIG. 12 (b) illustrate timing of when to input an input image signal to the liquid crystal panel 101 and the timing of when to turn on/off the backlight 110 in the liquid crystal display device 100. In FIG. 12 (a) and FIG. 12 (b), the horizontal axis indicates time; the vertical axis indicates vertical display positions of the liquid crystal display device.
As illustrated in FIG. 12 (a), in every one frame, the liquid crystal display device 100 controls the intensity of illumination light by changing the ratio of an illumination period to a non-illumination period of each of the divided illumination areas of the backlight 110 according to the peak luminance level of an image displayed on each of the divided areas of the liquid crystal display device 100. In other words, an illumination period of the backlight 110 is long and thereby the intensity of illumination light of the backlight is high in that divided area of the liquid crystal display device 100 whose display image is bright. On the other hand, in a divided area whose display image is dark, an illumination period of the backlight 110 is short and thereby the intensity of illumination light of the backlight 110 is low. Thus, it is possible to display sharp images giving a high contrast feeling due to enhanced contrast between the bright parts and the dark parts in a display screen.
In a case of moving image display, there are an illumination period and a non-illumination period of the backlight 110 according to the peak luminance levels in one frame period when brightness of a display image in each of the divided areas changes every frame period. With this, the liquid crystal display device of, so-called, the hold type display method can act like a liquid crystal display device of the impulse type display method, and thus attain better performance of moving image display.
However, the conventional liquid crystal display device 100 has problems described below.
As illustrated in FIG. 10 (b), with regard to the timing of when to and not to cause light emission of a specific pixel of the CRT of the impulse type display method, the specific pixel repeats illumination and non-illumination in a specific timing in one frame period. This timing does not change depending on a display image.
On the other hand, as for the conventional liquid crystal display device 100, the timing when to and not to display (i.e., the timing of when to and not to cause illumination of the backlight 110) in a specific divided area changes in one frame period according to a display image as illustrated in FIG. 12 (b). That is to say, a time center of a display image in a frame period, in other words, a time center of the intensity of illumination light fluctuates depending on a display image. This causes flickers perceivable to a viewer. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Ethylene copolymers are a well-known class of olefin copolymers from which various plastic products are produced. Such products include films, fibers, coatings and then no molded articles such as containers and consumer goods. The polymers used to prepare these articles are prepared from ethylene, optionally with one or more additional copolymerizable monomers. Low density polyethylene ("LDPE") as produced by free radical polymerization consists of highly branched polymers where the branches occur randomly throughout the polymer, that is on any number of formed segments or branches. This structure exhibits easy processing, that is polymers with it can be melt processed in high volumes at low energy input. Machinery for conducting this melt processing, for example extruders and film dies of various configurations, was designed into product finishing manufacturing processes with optimal design features based on the processing characteristics of the LDPE.
However, with the advent of effective coordination catalysis of ethylene copolymers, the degree of branching was significantly decreased, both for the now traditional Ziegler-Natta ethylene copolymers and the newer metallocene catalyzed ethylene copolymers. Both, particularly the metallocene copolymers, are essentially linear polymers, which are more difficult to melt process when the molecular weight distribution (PDI=M.sub.w /M.sub.n, where M.sub.w is weight-average molecular weight and M.sub.n is number-average molecular weight) is narrower than about 3.5. Thus broad PDI copolymers are more easily processed but can lack desirable solid state attributes otherwise available from the metallocene copolymers. Thus it has become desirable to develop effective and efficient methods of improving the melt processing of olefin copolymers while retaining desirable melt properties and end use characteristics.
The introduction of long chain branches into substantially linear olefin copolymers has been observed to improve processing characteristics of the polymers. Such has been done using metallocene-catalyzed polymers where significant numbers of olefinically unsaturated chain ends are produced during the polymerization reaction. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,800. The olefinically unsaturated polymer chains can become "macromonomers" or "macromers" and, apparently, can be re-inserted with other copolymerizable monomers to form the branched copolymers. International publication WO 94/07930 addresses advantages of including long chain branches in polyethylene from incorporating vinyl-terminated macromers into polyethylene chains where the macromers have critical molecular weights greater than 3,800, or, in other words contain 250 or more carbon atoms. This document describes a large class of both monocyclopentadienyl and biscyclopentadienyl metallocenes as suitable in accordance with the invention when activated by either alumoxanes or ionizing compounds providing stabilizing, noncoordinating anions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,272,236 and 5,278,272 describe "substantially linear" ethylene polymers which are said to have up to about 3 long chain branches per 1000 carbon atoms. These polymers are described as being prepared with monocyclopentadienyl transition metal olefin polymerization catalysts, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,798. The copolymer is said to be useful for a variety of fabricated articles and as a component in blends with other polymers. EP-A-0 659 773 A1 describes a gas phase process using metallocene catalysts said to be suitable for producing polyethylene with up to 3 long chain branches per 1000 carbon atoms in the main chain, the branches having greater than 18 carbon atoms.
Reduced melt viscosity polymers are addressed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,303 and 5,294,678. "Brush" polymer architecture is described where the branched copolymers have side chains that are of molecular weights that inhibit entanglement of the backbone chain. These branch weight-average molecular weights are described to be from 0.02-2.0 M.sub.e.sup.B, where M.sub.e.sup.B is the entanglement molecular weight of the side branches. Though the polymers illustrated are isobutylene-styrene copolymers, calculated entanglement molecular weights for ethylene polymers and ethylene-propylene copolymers of 1,250 and 1,660 are provided. Comb-like polymers of ethylene and longer alpha-olefins, having from 10 to 100 carbon atoms, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,075. The polymers are prepared by copolymerizing ethylene and the longer alpha-olefins which form the side branches. Improvements in end-use properties, such as for films and adhesive compositions are taught.
A limitation with the polyethylene compositions of the prior art is that though the processability, ease of melt processing or increase in shear-thinning properties, can be improved with the introduction of branching in the polymers, the molecular weight distribution as measured by the polydispersity index (PDI) tends to increase with increased branching even though the melt strength remains well below that exhibited by traditional LDPE. Typically the improved processing was achieved by blending different molecular weight polyethylene copolymer components or introducing various levels of branching into polyethylene copolymers. Accordingly, it has been generally thought that the advantages of the narrow PDI made possible by metallocene catalysis needed to be sacrificed, at least in part, if improved melt strength polyethylene copolymer compositions were sought. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A lighting device of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from the patent publication U.S. 2010/0096974-A1. This document describes a device comprising a LED having an encapsulant, which acts as a wavelength converting element. Said encapsulant is formed as a shell of a suitable plastic or glass, in which a phosphor or a phosphor blend in particle form is dispersed. Said phosphor (blend) acts as a luminescent material that absorbs radiation energy in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and emits radiation energy in another portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this manner, (part of) the light with a primary wavelength emitted by the LED is converted into light with another (secondary) wavelength.
The inventors have found that phosphors with metal-ion activators which are to be excited via a partially forbidden absorption band show limited interaction with light of an appropriate wavelength. Such forbidden absorption bands are especially found in phosphors having a transition metal-ion activator in the host lattice. In these metals, specific d-d electronic transitions are forbidden. Such phosphors show relatively low absorbance upon interaction with light having a suitable wavelength. Nevertheless sufficient light conversion of the primary wavelength can be achieved when using relatively long interaction paths of the light with the primary wavelength through the converting element. In practice this solution implies rather thick elements. However, such long interaction paths usually gives rise to undesired large scattering losses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Worldwide there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of skin cancer occurring over the past two decades, particularly in the populated Sunbelt regions. This near epidemic of skin cancer has resulted in many organizations, including the National Skin Cancer Foundation, heightening public awareness of the problem of solar radiation, and encouraging preventative measures. One of the most notable preventative changes that has occurred in the world has been the development of the sun protection factor (SPF) which provides rating for sun protection given to various sun screen products. The SPF system for sunscreens is based on units of time required for a given skin type to reach erythema condition under selected radiation exposure and ranges from 0 to 50 with increasing protection.
Other than the skin, the only other human organ directly exposed to sunlight is the eye. Although other parts of our body, including the immune system, may be adversely affected by sunlight, damage to the eye from certain wavelengths of sunlight is now well documented. Examples of such damage include cataract, pterygium, keratitis (snow blindness) and possibly macular degeneration. Since virtually all traditional sunscreens are toxic to the cornea and would interfere with vision, the typical method of sun protection for the eye, beyond normal anatomical and physiological protection, has been the use of sunglasses.
The spectrum of solar radiation incident on the earth's surface extends from 290 nm to 23 um. Wavelengths between approximately 400 and 1400 nm are transmitted by the ocular lens to the retina. The ocular lens of the human eye absorbs wavelengths below 400 nm. Consequently, the lens provides the primary protection for the retina from the hazardous effects of short-wavelength radiation.
The damaging effect of radiant energy upon the eye is dependent upon the wavelength or energy content of the photons. Long wavelength radiation, in the near infrared, is relatively harmless, whereas shorter wavelength radiation, in the near ultraviolet, is very damaging. For example, there is approximately 3000 times more energy required at 1064 nm than at 350 nm to produce a retinal lesion of equal severity.
Within the visible range (400-700 nm), the damaging, or toxic effects, of radiation increase progressively as photon energy rises, but not in a simple, linear manner. However, there is a sudden rise in the amount of damage produced in the retina when the photon energy reaches a wavelength of approximately 510 nm. This is followed by a precipitous increase in the severity of deleterious effects through the remainder of the visible part of the spectrum and continuing into the ultraviolet. The high-energy segment of the visible region (400 to 500 nm) is more hazardous to the retina than the low-energy portion (500 to 700 nm). Moreover, because this increased toxicity occurs at the border between the perceived colors of green and blue, the phenomenon is referred to as the blue-light hazard.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation comprises invisible high-energy rays from the sun that lie just beyond the violet/blue end of the visible spectrum. Although more than 99% of UV radiation is absorbed by the lens of the eye, a portion reaches the light-sensitive retina. The UV radiation present in sunlight is not useful for vision. There are good scientific studies that support that UV absorption by the eye contributes to age-related changes in the eye and a number of serious eye diseases.
Ultraviolet radiation in sunlight is commonly divided into three components: UV-A (315 to 400 nm) radiation that causes tanning but is also thought to contribute to aging of the skin and skin cancer; UV-B (280 to 315 nm) radiation that can cause sunburn and predispose to skin cancer;; and, UV-C (110 to 280 nm) radiation that is nearly completely absorbed by the ozone layer before reaching the Earth's surface. UV radiation plays a role in the development of various ocular disorders including age-related cataract, pterygium, cancer of the skin around the eye, photokeratitis and corneal degenerative changes, and may contribute to age-related macular degeneration.
Clinical experience, evidence from accidental exposures, and other experimental studies show that UV-B is more damaging to the eye, presumably because it has higher energy than UV-A. The cornea and lens of the eye absorb most of the UV-B; therefore it can cause damage to these tissues but will not normally damage the retina. However, the retina, if exposed to UV-B radiation, can be damaged. UV-A radiation has lower energy than UV-B and penetrates much deeper into the eye to cause injury to the retina and lens. Neither UV-B nor UV-A has been shown to be beneficial to the eye.
Cataracts are a major cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. Cataracts are a cloudiness of the lens inside the eye that occurs over a period of many years. Laboratory studies have implicated UV radiation as a causal factor for cataract. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have shown that certain types of cataracts are associated with a history of increased UV radiation exposure.
Age-related macular degeneration is the major cause of reduced vision in the United States for people over age 55. Exposure to UV and intense violet/blue visible radiation is damaging to retinal tissue in laboratory experiments; thus scientists have speculated that chronic UV or intense violet/blue light exposure may contribute to the aging processes in the retina.
Pterygium is a growth of tissue on the conjunctiva of the eye that may extend onto the clear cornea where it can block vision. It is seen most commonly in people who work outdoors in the sun and wind, and its prevalence is related to the amount of UV exposure. It can be removed surgically, but often recurs, and can cause cosmetic concerns and visual loss if untreated.
Photokerititis is essentially reversible sunburn of the cornea resulting from excessive UV-B exposure. It occurs when someone spends long hours on the beach or in the snow without eye protection. It can be extremely painful for 1-2 days and can result in temporary loss of vision. There is some indication that long-term exposure to UV-B can result in corneal degenerative changes.
Children are not immune to the risk of ocular damage from UV radiation. They typically spend more time outdoors in the sunlight than adults do. Also, in young children, transmittance to the retina is greater because much less light is absorbed by the lens. Solar radiation damage to the eye appears to be cumulative and increases the risk of developing an ocular disorder later in life. Therefore, it is prudent to protect the eyes of children against UV radiation by wearing a brimmed hat or cap and sunglasses.
The use of glasses with absorptive properties when the eyes are exposed to intense sunlight represents a simple, safe, practical, inexpensive, and prudent measure designed to prevent unnecessary radiation damage to ocular tissues. Reducing damage to the outer layers of the center of the retina should slow the rate of deterioration and retard the beginning of macular degeneration. A delay in the onset of age-related macular degeneration by even a few years would significantly lower the prevalence of blindness by allowing many more individuals to complete their lifespan prior to the transition from macular senescence to one or more degenerative diseases.
In the past, sunglasses have customarily been selected and worn primarily for comfort and/or fashion as opposed to use as a medically protective device. As with sunscreens, there is now increasing public awareness of the use of sunglasses to also protect against the harmful effects of sunlight. Unlike the SPF rating system for sunscreens, there has not yet been developed an easy to use, scientifically acceptable, and understandable rating system for sunglasses.
The only generally accepted rating of sunglasses was established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1983 which classified sunglasses into one of three broad categories; cosmetic, general purpose and special purpose, according to the filtration/absorption properties of the lens. Labeling of these three categories, however, is voluntary, and unfortunately, provides the consumer with little to no information about the protective value of the product.
There is presently no uniform, or standardized, labeling of sunglasses that provides adequate information to the consumer. Thus, there is a great need for a uniform testing and labeling system that will provide consumers with information about the solar radiation protective properties of sunglasses and other optical lenses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to expandable seals. In one aspect, the present invention relates to sealing systems for use in wellbores.
2. Description of the Related Art
To recover hydrocarbons from the earth, wells are drilled through one or more subterranean hydrocarbon reservoirs. The wells often include a cemented a casing/liner string that strengthen the well (i.e., provide structure integrity) and provide zonal isolation. Typically, the portion of casing adjacent a hydrocarbon reservoir to be drained is perforated so that the hydrocarbons (e.g., oil and gas) can flow into the wellbore.
During the drilling, completion, and production phase, operators find it necessary to perform various remedial work, repair and maintenance to the well, casing string, and production string. For instance, in addition to perforations, holes may be accidentally created in the tubular member. Alternatively, operators may find it beneficial to isolate certain zones. Regardless of the specific application, it is necessary to place certain down hole assemblies such as a liner patch within the tubular member, and in turn, anchor and seal the down hole assemblies within the tubular member.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional seal arrangement 10 provided on an end 12 of a tubular member 14 that is to be conveyed and fixed in a wellbore (not shown). The seal arrangement 10 includes metal ribs 16 that act as an anchor and a liquid seal and an elastomer seal 18 that acts as a gas seal. The end 12 is adapted to be expanded diametrically by a swage 20 that is driven axially into the end 12 in a telescopic fashion. In one conventional arrangement, the elastomer seal 18 is positioned approximate to the outer portion of the end 12 and has a rectangular cross section. The radial expansion of the end 12 by the swage 20 expands the seal 18 until it contacts the casing wall (not shown). Further expansion of the seal 18 increases the compressive force applied to the casing wall (not shown) by the seal exterior surface 24. Of note is that the substantially rectangular cross-section of the seal 18 causes all of the exterior sealing surface 24 to contact the casing wall (not shown) at substantially the same time. Therefore, there is a distributed loading of the compression forces applied by the seal 18.
The FIG. 1 embodiment has performed satisfactorily in a variety of applications. Nevertheless, there is a persistent need for wellbore anchoring and/or sealing devices that can meet the ever increasing demands posed by evolving wellbore construction techniques. The present invention is directed to meet these challenges. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Routers are often configured to have a capability commonly referred to as proxy ARP. Proxy ARP responds to machines in one subnet that are trying to resolve addresses that are outside of the range of addresses in its own subnet (e.g., a host within another subnet). The router will provide the IP address/Media Access Control (MAC) address association for the router interface address as a response to such requests. As known in computer networking, a MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to most network adapters or network interface cards (NICs) by the manufacturer for identification, and used in the MAC protocol sub-layer. Proxy ARP can help a machine on a subnet reach a machine on a remote subnet without the need to reconfigure routing or provide a default gateway in the network.
Certain plants (e.g., petrochemical plants) include embedded process controllers that utilize secure networks to avoid the embedded process controllers from being manipulated by unauthorized individuals. In such arrangements, the router's proxy ARP is disabled and the embedded processor (s) utilize a separate IP address range, or subnet, that is not in the main plant subnet, and is not contactable through the plant's bridge or router. Static routes are added to embedded controllers and one or more machines in the main plant subnet (e.g., a server) to enable the machines in one subnet to know how to reach machines in the other subnet. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
For background regarding the invention, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,929, entitled APPARATUS FOR THE DISPLAY OF A MULTIPLICITY OF OBJECTS OR PICTURES, issued on Aug. 29, 1995, to Michael Joseloff, who also is the inventor herein (hereinafter the "Joseloff '929 patent"). The Joseloff '929 patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective means of securing a frame or other object to the display apparatus which is the subject of the Joseloff '929 patent. Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention may become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the nature of the invention is better understood from the accompanying drawings and detailed description. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to a liquid crystal display device used for a personal computer, a work station, or the like, and particularly to a technique effective in reduction in picture frame width of a liquid crystal display device, and in reduction in thickness thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An STN (Super Twisted Nematic) system or a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) liquid crystal display module is widely used as a display device of a notebook-size personal computer or the like.
The liquid crystal display module is constituted by a liquid crystal display panel in which a driving circuit portion is arranged at its periphery and a backlight unit for illuminating the liquid crystal display panel.
The backlight unit is constituted by, for example, a light guide body for guiding light radiated from a light source to a portion distant from the light source and for uniformly irradiating the whole liquid crystal display panel with the light, a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp as a linear light source arranged in the vicinity of the light guide body, along a side of the light guide body, and in parallel with the side, a diffusion sheet arranged on the light guide body, a lens sheet (also called a prism sheet) arranged on the diffusion sheet, and a reflection sheet arranged to extend to a lower side of the light guide body, which are housed in a mold.
Incidentally, the technique like this is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 19474/1985, Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 22780/1992, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,139. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The interactive nature of the World Wide Web has proved to be a powerful marketing tool, allowing businesses and consumers to communicate on a one-to-one basis. A cookie file (also know simply as a “cookie”) is a tool used on the web to facilitate and interpret this one-to-one interaction. Cookie files offer businesses the potential for more effective direct marketing of goods, services and information. For many e-businesses that operate over the Internet, cookie files are considered to be vital to the future success of on-line advertising and thus the generation of future business.
A cookie file is a small file that is stored on an individual's computer. The cookie file allows a website to tag the browser of the individual's computer with a unique identification. When the individual visits the website, a server at the website requests a unique identifier from the browser of the individual's computer. If the unique identifier is not received, the server delivers one, in the form of a cookie file, to the individual's computer, where it is stored for future access by that particular server.
Many cookie files used by on-line business actually benefit on-line computer users, such as by providing easy access to a website that an on-line computer user desires to interface with on a regular basis. Cookie files may be used by advertisers to avoid repeatedly showing the same advertisement (e.g., a banner) to the same on-line computer user. Additionally, cookie files make it easy for consumers to shop on their favorite websites. Once a consumer returns to a previously visited website where he or she purchased one or more items, the consumer can conveniently purchase additional items without having to re-enter his or her credit card number or shipping address, assuming that the consumer is using the same computer and a cookie file was stored in it during the consumer's first visit.
Cookie files are also used to track information about an on-line computer user's behavior. It is believed by many that cookie files invade a computer user's privacy because they reveal the user's identity and link it to the user's history of Internet usage. Thus, a cookie file may be used as a tool of surveillance by monitoring the computer user's browser and revealing website addresses that the computer user visits to the entity that “planted” the cookie file. Additionally, businesses that receive information obtained from using cookie files may share such information with other businesses. Thus a privacy issue may arise due to companies that abuse the technology of using cookie files. When linked to tracking databases, the storage of cookie files may reveal a particular person's most private information, such as their medical or financial history. Some companies further extend the privacy threat by cross-referencing cookie file identifiers with massive off-line marketing databases.
Several software programs have been developed and are on the market for the purpose of screening cookie files. Internet Explorer and Netscape allow a computer user to set the computer's browser such that all received cookie files are either automatically accepted (enabled) or rejected (disabled). In another user selectable browser mode, the computer user is prompted for a decision every time an individual cookie file is received.
There are software programs that let users create a profile of which types of cookie files they will accept. However, there is no guarantee that cookie files generated by companies with a history of abusing the use of cookie files will be screened out, nor is there a universal reference source for determining which cookie file sources should not be accepted. What is needed is a professional service that constantly researches and evaluates cookie file sources (e.g., websites), cookie files, consumer complaints and other statistical data, and develops and electronically distributes to subscribing computer users, on a periodic basis, a list of those cookie file sources that the service recommends should not be permitted to store cookie files in the subscribing user's computer. What is also needed is a user-friendly interface for enabling a user to easily and automatically modify the distributed list once it is received by the user's computer, such that the user may customize the list to meet his or her individual or organizational requirements. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present disclosure relates generally to hydraulic systems and, more particularly, to aircraft hydraulic fluid distribution lines.
Known aircraft hydraulic systems use a pressurized supply line to transport hydraulic fluid to a load, and a separate return line for returning the hydraulic fluid from the load back to a storage tank or reservoir. Known pressurized supply lines and return lines are fabricated with a wall thickness that is sufficient to withstand pressure differentials that may exist within the hydraulic system. Separate pressure and return lines may require extra space and hardware. In an aircraft, space is limited, and the additional hardware increases weight, part cost, and installation time. Additionally, pressure lines are generally unprotected and thus, may be susceptible to damage during handling and installation and may be thicker and heavier than necessary. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Glycosylation is the covalent linkage of an oligosaccharide chain to a protein resulting in a glycoprotein. In many glycoproteins, the oligosaccharide chain is attached to the amide nitrogen of an asparagine (Asn) residue and leads to N-glycosylation. Glycosylation represents the most widespread post-translational modification found in natural and biopharmaceutical proteins. It is estimated that more than half of the human proteins are glycosylated and their function frequently depends on particular glycoforms (glycans), which can affect their plasma half life, tissue targeting or even their biological activity. Similarly, more than one-third of approved biopharmaceuticals are glycoproteins and both their function and efficiency are affected by the presence and composition of their N-glycans.
Leafy crops, such as the tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana, are an attractive system for the production of therapeutic proteins, as plants are generally considered to have several advantages, including the lack of animal pathogens such as prions and viruses, low cost and the large-scale production of safe and biologically active valuable recombinant proteins, the case of scale-up, efficient harvesting and storage possibilities. However, N-linked glycans from plants differ from those of mammalian cells. In plants, beta(1,2)-xylose and alfa(1,3)-fucose residues have been shown to be linked to the core Man3GlucNAc2-Asn of glycans, whereas they are not detected on mammalian glycans, where sialic acid residues and terminal beta(1,4)-galactosyl structures occur instead. The unique N-glycans added by plants could impact both immunogenicity and functional activity of the protein and, consequently, may represent a limitation for plants to be used as a protein production platform. Indeed, the immunogenicity of beta(1,2)-xylose residues and alfa(1,3)-fucose in mammals has been described (Bardor et al., 2003, Glycobiology 13: 427).
The enzyme that catalyses the transfer of xylose from UDP-xylose to the core β-linked mannose of protein-bound N-glycans is beta(1,2)-xylosyltransferase (“XylT”, EC 2.4.2.38). The beta-1,2-xylosyltransferase is an enzyme unique to plants and some non-vertebrate animal species and does not occur in human beings or in other vertebrates. WO2007107296 describes the identification and cloning of beta-1,2-xylosyltransferases from the genus Nicotiana such as Nicotiana benthamiana.
The enzyme that catalyses the transfer of fucose from GDP-fucose to the core β-linked N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) of protein-bound N-glycans is alfa(1,3)-fucosyltransferase (“FucT”, EC 2.4.1.214). WO2009056155 describes an alfa(1,3)-fucosyltransferase cDNA sequence from Nicotiana benthamiana.
Various strategies have been applied to avoid alfa(1,3)-fucosyl and beta(1,2)-xylosyl structures on glycoproteins produced by plants. WO2008141806 describes knock-outs in two alfa(1,3)-fucosyltransferase genes and in one beta(1,2)-xylosyltransferase gene in Arabidopsis thaliana. WO2009056155 describes an RNA interference strategy for the generation of Nicotiana benthamiana plants which are deficient in the formation of beta-1,2-xylosyl structures as well as devoid of alfa-1,3-fucosyl structures on heterologous glycoproteins. Yin et al. (2011, Protein Cell 2:41) report downregulation of the expression of the endogenous xylosyltranferase and fucosyltransferase in Nicotiana tabacum using RNA interference (RNAi) strategy. They found that xylosylated and core fucosylated N-glycans were significantly, but not completely, reduced in the glycoengineered lines. WO2010145846 describes knock-outs of the two beta(1,2)-xylosyltransferase genes in Nicotiana benthamiana. The homozygous combination of the four beta(1,2)-xylosyltransferase null alleles proved to be sufficient for the elimination of the complete beta-1,2-xylosyltransferase activity in Nicotiana benthamiana.
Knock-out alleles of the alfa(1,3)-fucosyltransferase genes of Nicotiana benthamiana have not been described thus far.
The current invention provides methods and means to reduce the levels of core alfa(1,3)-fucose residues on N-glycans on glycoproteins in Nicotiana benthamiana, as will become apparent from the following description, examples, drawings and claims provided herein. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to an improved process for preparing telomers of chlorotrifluoroethylene, hereinafter designated as "CTFE". CTFE telomers are saturated low molecular weight polymers, typically of general formula CCl.sub.3 (CF.sub.2 CClF).sub.n Cl, where n, the molecular number (the number of repeating units in the telomer chain) is in the range of 1 to 20. Fluorination of the telomer results in replacement of one or more chlorine atoms in the terminal group(s) with fluorine and gives products which are inherently nonflammable, thermally stable, and are particularly suitable for use as hydraulic fluids and high temperature lubricants. Such fluorination can be achieved using a variety of fluorinating agents. For example, British Pat. Nos. 712,184 and 761,053 disclose the fluorination of CTFE oils using both chlorine trifluoride and cobalt trifluoride. The use of hydrofluoric acid as a fluorinating agent for CTFE oils is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,636,908, while U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,607 illustrates the use of antimony trifluoride and antimony pentachloride as fluorinating agents.
Various methods of preparing CTFE telomers are known in the prior art and have been practiced commercially for many years. An article by William T. Miller, Jr. et al in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, pages 333-337 (1947), entitled "Low Polymers of Chlorotrifluoroethylene", describes a process for producing low molecular weight polymers of CTFE by carrying out the polymerization in a solution of chloroform using benzoyl peroxide as a polymerization promoter. Other solvents disclosed in the reference as being useful for this purpose include carbon tetrachloride and tetrachloroethylene. The solution is heated in a pressure vessel for 13/4 hours at 100.degree. C. and the unreacted CTFE monomer and chloroform are removed by distillation, leaving a "crude" telomer of the general formula CHCl.sub.2 (CF.sub.2 CClF).sub.n Cl, which can be further heated and distilled to yield products ranging from a light oil to a semi-solid wax or grease.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,201, issued May 21, 1957, discloses improved promoters for polymerizing CTFE monomers to produce low molecular weight polymers. Specific promoters disclosed in the reference include various peroxides such as bis-(trichloroacetyl) peroxide and bis-(perchloroacrylyl) peroxide. The use of such promoters produces a more stable polymer by eliminating the amount of reactive hydrogen present in the polymer.
Another process which has been developed for producing low molecular weight CTFE polymers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,375, issued Apr. 9, 1957. This process comprises reacting CTFE with a saturated organic bromo compound, such as bromotrichloromethane, in the presence of actinic light in a de-oxygenated system to obtain saturated bromopolychlorofluoro compounds containing one or more CTFE units per molecule. These saturated bromopolychlorofluoro compounds can then be converted to corresponding polychlorofluoro compounds by treatment with chlorine, and subsequently fluorinated using, for example, cobalt trifluoride or chlorine trifluoride, in combination with antimony catalysts, to yield more highly fluorinated products.
A more recent development in this field is described in a series of articles by Y. Pietrasanta et al entitled "Telomerization by Redox Catalysis" appearing in the European Polymer Journal, Vol. 12 (1976). This technology involves the reaction of a chlorinated telogen, such as carbon tetrachloride, with CTFE in the presence of benzoin and a suitable redox catalyst, such as ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl.sub.3.sup.. 6H.sub.2 O). The telomerization reaction is suitably carried out in acetonitrile which is a common solvent for the reactants and catalysts. The telomerization reaction can be illustrated as follows: ##STR1##
The redox method has the advantage of directly preparing a high yield of low molecular weight product without the necessity of cracking or fractionating a higher molecular weight polymer.
It is known that benzoin acts as a reducing agent for Fe.sup.+3 ions in solution and that, in the absence of benzoin, product yield falls to less than 5%. See European Polymer Journal, supra. However, there are certain disadvantages associated with the use of benzoin in the redox telomerization process which could effectively render uneconomical any commercial scale process based on this technology. For example, benzoin must be removed from the crude telomer prior to fluorination or the fluorinated product will contain unsaturation as determined by the KMnO.sub.4 test and, as a result, will not meet product specifications. Removal of the benzoin from the crude telomer requires the use of an absorption column, such as a column of activated alumina, which not only removes benzoin but retains a significant amount of telomer which must be reclaimed using, for example, solvent extraction. The use of an activated alumina column is a costly and time-consuming procedure.
It has also been proposed to substitute nickel or some equivalent metal reductant for benzoin in reaction (1). See, in this regard, commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 374,561, filed May 3, 1982. This has the advantage of simplifying the reaction by eliminating the necessity for removing benzoin from the reaction mixture, which is a time-consuming and costly operation. In addition, when telomers prepared using such a substituted system are directly fluorinated, the resulting product will not contain unsatisfactory levels of unsaturation. However, the substitution of nickel for benzoin produces a telomer distribution having an increased proportion of higher molecular weight telomers. This is unfortunate since the higher weight telomers are less useful commercially than the lighter telomers. Consequently, it is desirable to reduce the higher weight fraction to more acceptable levels.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved process for preparing CTFE telomers with enhanced levels of lower molecular weight material. It is a further object of this invention to provide a process for preparing CTFE telomers which can be directly fluorinated after removal of solvent and unreacted materials without containing unacceptable levels of unsaturation. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Marketing experts are coming to recognize that engendering customer loyalty is a crucial ingredient in generating increased profitability. Typical tools for measuring customer loyalty include surveying customers after completion of interaction between customers and company employees. Results of such surveys can be employed to improve employee training and designs of customer service practices. Such improvements may lead to future increases in customer loyalty. However, such surveys are likely to be ineffective in regaining customer loyalty in regard to particular customers who have found their interactions with company employees to be unsatisfactory. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Various types of pulse generators are known, and one particularly suitable construction utilizes a Wiegand wire. Wiegand wires, now well known, have the characteristic that, upon being subjected to a variable magnetic field, the transition of magnetization is abrupt and independent of the rate of change of a magnetic field to which the wire is exposed. Thus, the amplitude of the output pulse will not vary with rate of change of flux.
A contactless pulse source utilizing a Wiegand wire to trigger ignition pulses has been described in "Electronics", 1977, page 85. In the structure there disclosed, a Wiegand wire is embedded in, or forms the core of, a pick-up coil. Two permanent magnets are located in the magnetic field of the coil, and spaced therefrom. The permanent magnets are of opposite polarity. A rotating magnetic shield forming a diaphragm or mask rotates between the magnets and the coil, such that the magnetic field through the Wiegand wire changes its direction each time an opening in the mass or diaphragm passes the pick-up coil. This pulse source requires two permanent magnets and associated mounting structure to position the two permanent magnets relative to the coil. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to a system for handling rotary cylinder type cell culturing containers (hereinafter called "roller bottles") particularly for animal cell culture, in which a series of processes such as filling of culture medium into the roller bottles, cell inoculation, and rinsing of the roller bottles are automatically performed.
Conventionally, in general, a hollow fiber, a microcarrier suspension culturing container, or the like is used as a culturing system for adhesive animal cells. However, there are some kinds of cells which can be cultured only in a roller bottle or small volume, and in the cultivation of the cells by using the roller bottle of this character, generally having an inner volume of about 500-1,000 ml, the culture medium filling process, the cell inoculation process, and the like process are manually performed.
Accordingly, when much volume of cells is to be cultured by using the roller bottles, much manual work or labour is required, which results in increasing in the contamination degree to the cells, and moreover, in the case where a DNA recombinant cell is processed, there is a fear of harming the body of the operator.
In order to eliminate the disadvantages or drawbacks described above, the full automated cultivating process under the aseptic condition with no operator, using a playback type robot, has been considered. With this operation, however, substantially the same numbers of robots as those of operators are required, and thus the whole system or equipment is enlarged and sophisticated. In addition, the control or handling of the robots is considerably troublesome. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
As the movement toward faster speeds and better quality images in office automation equipment continues at an increasing pace, the precise control of semiconductivity in the intermediate transfer belt is now indispensable to optimize transfer efficiency. Particularly important is the technique to precisely control the electrical resistance of the intermediate transfer belt.
A carbon black-dispersed polyamic acid solution composition, used as a feedstock of the intermediate transfer belt, is generally produced by dispersing and mixing the carbon black added to a polyamic acid solution prepared by polymerization of tetracarboxylic dianhydride and diamine. For operability such as ease of belt formation, the polyamic acid solution is generally a solution of a high-molecular polyamic acid with a weight-average molecular weight of 30,000 or more. This has limited the solubility of the polyamic acid resin in organic polar solvents, making it difficult to increase the content of the resin (for example, at most 20 weight % in terms of a solid content of the solution).
Further, because adding the carbon black to the polyamic acid solution increases the viscosity of the solution, it is difficult to grind the carbon black even with the force of impact between the balls of a disperser such as a bead mill. Formation of a uniform dispersion of carbon black in the polyamic acid solution must involve grinding of the carbon black by a disperser, and a surface phenomenon known as “wetting”, in which the pulverizing carbon black is wet by the solvent. Currently, a uniform dispersion of carbon black is obtained by adding a large amount of organic polar solvent with the carbon black. Consequently, the solid content of the resulting high-carbon black-content polyamic acid solution composition can only be increased to generally about 15 to 20 weight %.
With such a low solid content, the polyamic acid solution cannot be easily molded into a thick belt at once. Further, since a large amount of organic polar solvent is required, evaporating and removing the solvent takes a great deal of time. These factors add time and cost to complete the entire process, and accordingly, improved efficiency and economy in the process is necessary.
Patent Document 1 describes a conductive polyimide seamless belt in which conductive carbon blacks having a relatively small powder resistance, such as acetylene black and Ketjen black, are dispersed in polyimide resin.
However, because the conductive carbon blacks used in this publication greatly increase the amount of polyamic acid or solvent adsorbed or retained, there is problematic increased viscosity, reduced dispersibility, and poor dispersion stability, which lead to deficiencies such as reduced processibility.
Further, with the intermediate transfer belt containing such a conductive carbon black, non-uniform images are formed even when the volume resistivity is adjusted within a predetermined range. Conceivably, this is due to the structure formation caused by primary aggregation, or conductive chains created by secondary aggregation, both of which occur when the conductive carbon black is dispersed in the polyimide resin, and create severely impaired images.
Patent Document 2 discloses a semiconductive belt that contains 1 to 30 parts by weight of one or more kinds of carbon black having a volatile content of at least 2% and less than 30% with respect to 100 parts by weight of binder resin. According to the publication, a carbon black content in excess of 30 parts by weight is not preferable because it makes the molded semiconductive belt brittle, and destroys the characteristic mechanical properties (here, high tenacity) of the binder resin.
Patent Document 3 discloses a semiconductive polyimide belt that uses a conductive carbon black whose volatile content, primarily volatile acids, is 10% to 25%. According to the publication, a carbon black volatile content of less than 10% reduces the dispersibility of the carbon black, and cannot provide a sufficient electrical resistance.
According to a channel process, carbon black is produced in low-temperature air; the surface of the product carbon black therefore contains large numbers of oxygen-containing functional groups, such as a carboxyl group, a phenolic hydroxyl group, a quinone group, and a lactone group. These oxygen-containing functional groups are known to improve the dispersibility of the carbon black in the polyamic acid solution. However, the volatile content of the carbon black produced by a channel process contains large amounts of impurities such as sulfur and undecomposed feedstock hydrocarbons (PAH), in addition to hydrogen and oxygen. The undecomposed feedstock hydrocarbons (PAH), in particular, react with nitrogen oxide to produce nitro compounds, which are converted into highly carcinogenic, polycyclic aromatic nitro compounds. Therefore, the use of carbon black produced by a channel process is not desirable in terms of safety and environmental adaptability.
On the other hand, in an oil furnace process, the carbon black is produced by the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons in a reducing atmosphere under the heat of a high-temperature gas of combusting fuel equal to or greater than 1,400° C. The carbon black produced by an oil furnace process is preferable because it contains only small amounts of oxygen and impurity inside or on the surface of the particles, and therefore permits the formation of crystallites. Drawbacks of the carbon black produced by an oil furnace process, however, are poor dispersibility in the polyamic acid solution, aggregation during storage, and the like.
Patent Documents 4 through 7 report various oxidation methods in which carbon black produced by an oil furnace process is modified to add oxygen functional groups to the surface, in order to produce carbon black that can be suitably used in applications such as in liquid toners, ink, and coating materials.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-5-77252
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2000-309712
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2001-47451
Patent Document 4: JP-A-11-181326
Patent Document 5: JP-A-2000-7937
Patent Document 6: JP-A-2000-290529
Patent Document 7: JP-A-2001-40240 | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Video game systems may utilize depth cameras to capture images of game players and convert the information to depth maps which are used to model virtual skeletons of the game players. Frequently, depth cameras use projected infrared light to determine depth of objects in an imaged scene. Accurate determination of the depth of objects in the scene can be hindered when environmental factors disrupt the camera's ability to receive the projected infrared light. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to file control based on an electronic computer and more particularly, to a file control method based on unique file control information and file structure.
There is conventionally suggested such a method for storing files in an external memory in a computer system as provided by a UNIX (which is a registered trademark in U.S. and other countries exclusively licensed by the X/Open corporation) operating system. In the UNIX operating system, the external memory is controlled as divided into units called blocks to provide a means for recording data to be stored therein by computer's user into a file corresponding to a set of such blocks. In the UNIX operating system, the file is controlled based on control information known as i node. The i node stores therein a list of serial numbers of the blocks constituting the file. The i node is stored in the external memory while the computer's user does not use the file, whereas, when the user actually starts using the file to refer to or update the file, the i node is read into a main memory of the computer. When it is required to add a new block to the file to newly add data to the file, the UNIX operating system records the allocation of the new block only in the i node of the main memory and the updating of the i node of the external memory is postponed to reduce its overhead. Such a UNIX operating system as operates in the aforementioned manner is disclosed in a book entitled "THE DESIGN OF THE UNIX OPERATING SYSTEM", written by M. J. Bach, pp. 100-103 (1986). Under this condition, when the computer becomes faulty and stops during writing operation of the data into the external memory, the contents of the i node in the main memory are lost and the i node of the external memory is not updated yet, which results in that information on which block was newly allocated to which block is lost and it becomes impossible to extract data concerning the newly added block after the start of use of the file.
Further, in order to prevent the loss or missing of control information of the file even when a failure occurs in the computer, there has been provided a file storage method for leaving such an operational record as a block addition to a file in an external memory simultaneously with the writing operation of user's data in the external memory. Such a file storage method as carried out in the aforementioned manner is disclosed in a book entitled "INSIDE THE Windows NT File System", written by H. Custer, pp. 36-43 (1994). In this method, even a failure takes place in a computer, it can be avoided that control information of a file is lost. This method is however disadvantageous in that the number of write requests to the external memory is increased and thus overhead at the time of writing data in the file is also increased, because an area for storage of user's data on the external memory is separated from an area for storage of its operational record thereon. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
In some routers, L2 forwarding components on all line cards and control modules run independently. Changes to system objects like global layer 2 configuration parameters (L2-global), routing-instances (RTB), bridge-domains (BD), logical-interfaces (IFL), interface family (IFF) and bridge interfaces (IFBD) are notified to L2 forwarding components at different times and order. For example, as new Media Access Control (MAC) addresses are learned, these MAC addresses are forwarded between L2 objects. Most implementations keep a separate MAC state for each object. This increases code complexity, impacts code maintainability and has an impact on system responsiveness. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Multilayer materials made up of a plurality of layers of different material are become increasingly important and are finding use in many different areas. These areas include, for example, X-ray optics coatings, superconducting materials, decorative and wear resistant coatings, catalytic materials and semiconductor materials. The layers in such materials may range, for example, from several angstroms (10,000 angstroms=1 micrometer) to several hundred angstroms or more in thickness. Such multilayer materials may comprise a regular repetition of layers where, for example, repeating layers have the same composition, thickness and spacing. The multilayer material may comprise an irregular repetition of layers where repeating layers have a different layer thickness.
Determining the structure of such multilayer materials is necessary to assess performance, to check reliability and for quality control, for example, and for otherwise evaluating these materials. It is desirable to determine the number of layers, layer thickness, whether the structure has been degraded as a result of heating and whether the layer spacing is uniform, for example. Thus, an effective, rapid and low cost analytical technique is needed for the analysis of such multilayer materials.
While several methods are known which can be used to analyze multilayer structures, each has limitations rendering its use impractical in many applications.
Auger spectroscopy is a surface technique in which electrons bombard the surface of the material to be analyzed, inside an ultra high vacuum chamber. In response, the surface emits characteristic electrons. These characteristic electrons are then measured with an energy sensitive sensor. The Auger technique can be combined with ion sputter etching to remove material at the surface and analyze the new surface by the Auger technique. However, this technique is subject to certain limitations and inaccuracies because mixing and resputtering at the surface of the sample can result in compositional changes. In addition, preferential sputter etching can occur which also changes the surface composition.
Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) is similar to the Auger technique except that ions are utilized instead of electrons. SIMS is thus another surface technique and requires ion sputter etching of the surface with the same attendant problems previously described.
X-ray fluorescence can be utilized to provide an average composition and can be used in conjunction with X-ray diffraction techniques. However, conventional X-ray equipment requires a total sample thickness of several thousand angstroms.
Rutherford backscattering is a process by which helium atoms are bombarded at very large energies into a sample. Some of these ions are backscattered and by a complex computer unfolding process it is possible to obtain a depth profile. Complicated and expensive equipment is required for this process.
A need exists for a multilayer profile technique that is simple, inexpensive, rapid and provides excellent resolution. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a kidney-ureter catheter assembly particularly adapted to evacuate crumbled calculi. More specifically the invention is designed to be used to achieve the drainage of calculus fragments resulting from the destruction of renal calculi through modern techniques using shock waves, ultrasounds or the like.
At the present time calculus fragments obtained as a result of the above therapy are directly evacuated through ureter and urethra. However this solution can give rise to a series of complications because, above all when calculi of great sizes are concerned, the obtained fragments can obstruct ureter owing both to their relatively important dimensions and to the fact that they are numerous.
On the other hand, it is to be noted that at the present state of the art the evacuation of said fragments through drainage cannot be obtained in a satisfactory manner. This is essentially due to the fact that ureter is a very delicate canal and has a very reduced clearance, so that it is almost impossible to introduce catheters or probes of appropriate sizes thereinto without the risk of its tearing.
For the above reasons the modern and advantageous techniques consisting in "bombarding" calculi by means of ultrasounds or the like cannot be used when renal calculi have relatively important sizes. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink composition and a method of producing a processed product of printed matter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various methods such as electrophotographic methods, sublimation-type thermal transfer methods, fusion-type thermal transfer methods, and inkjet methods are known as image recording methods in which images are formed on recording media, such as paper, according to image data signals. For example, an inkjet method is an excellent image recording method because it can be carried out using inexpensive apparatus, it enables efficient use of ink and lower running costs since an image is directly formed on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets only onto the region in which the image is to be formed, and it is less noisy.
The inkjet method enables printing not only on plain paper, but also non-water-absorbing recording media such as plastic sheets and metal plates. However, high speed printing and high quality images have been issues needed to be addressed, and the time periods required for drying and curing the ink droplets printed by the inkjet method significantly affect, for example, the productivity of printed matter, the sharpness of a printed image, and the like.
In one inkjet method, an inkjet recording ink which can be cured by irradiation with radiation is used. In this method, ink droplets are cured by irradiation with radiation immediately after ink ejection or after a certain period of time has passed after ink ejection, whereby the productivity of printing is improved and sharp images are formed.
By increasing radiation sensitivity of the inkjet recording ink which can be cured by irradiation with radiation such as ultraviolet rays, a high curing property against the radiation is imparted to the ink, leading to various advantages such as improvement in productivity of inkjet recording, reduction in electrical consumption, longer life time of a radiation generator due to load reduction thereto, and prevention of evaporation of low-molecular-weight substances which may be caused by insufficient curing. In particular, by increasing the radiation sensitivity of the ink, the strength of an image formed from the inkjet recording ink is increased.
It is preferable that an image formed from an ink have flexibility and adhesiveness with a base material. In particular, the flexibility of an image is an important factor when the image is formed on a surface of a non-flat base material or on a surface of a flexible base material such as a resin film, or when a shaped product of printed matter, such as a resin-made bottle, is produced by forming a printed matter in which the image is printed thereon into a shaped product. However, it has been difficult to achieve a favorable balance between the curing property and the flexibility. Specifically, when a proportion of a monofunctional monomer is increased to improve flexibility, the curing property tends to decrease, or the image surface tends to be sticky owing to leaking of uncured low-molecular-weight components.
In order to improve adhesiveness, flexibility, and curing property, a technique in which a low-viscosity urethane acrylate is used in an inkjet ink composition has been suggested (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2002-167537). However, even when this ink composition is used, it is difficult to attain a satisfactory curing property when a content of a monofunctional monomer is increased to produce a more flexible ink film.
In order to obtain a photopolymerization initiator composition which is cured at high sensitivity and has excellent storage stability, a technique is known in which a polyfunctional thiol compound having a specific structure is used as a component of a photopolymerization initiator composition for a photosensitive composition (see, for example, JP-A No. 2004-149755, or EP 1983017). However, by the technique disclosed in JP-A No. 2004-149755, it is difficult to completely prevent the blocking due to leaching of a slight amount of uncured components, such as degradation residues of a polymerization initiator and a solvent.
JP-A No. 56-75643 discloses that polymerization inhibition caused by oxygen can be reduced by adding a specific disulfide.
JP-A No. 2006-160824 discloses that an ink composition having a favorable curing property can be obtained by using a polymerizable compound having a specific structure having a polymerizable group and a disulfide bond. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present disclosure relates to a light-emitting device.
Semiconductor light-emitting elements, typically LED, have been widely used for a light source for display devices. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-108994 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-093226 describe light-emitting devices in which a LED chip is disposed in a recess of a package and the recess is filled with a light-transmitting resin. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates generally to jewelry rings, and more particularly, is directed to jewelry rings having great strength and a method of making the same.
In making jewelry rings, such as wedding bands and the like, it is known to first invert a flat, annular washer in a first inversion forming machine, so as to form the washer into a frusto-conical or truncated cone shape. Thereafter, in a second inversion forming machine, the frusto-conical element is formed into a cylindrical element having a constant inner and outer diameter.
In order to present a rounded outer circumference to the cylindrical element, the outer surface can be shaved in a milling or other machine to provide the resultant ring. In such case, the inner surface has a flat, cylindrical shape, and is not rounded.
Alternatively, rounding machines are known for rolling rings in order to change the profile and/or size of rings. With these machines, an inner wheel is provided on which the cylindrical element or ring is mounted, with the inner wheel having a convex outer surface, and an outer wheel has a circumferential groove with a concave surface. Thus, when the inner wheel is rotated in one direction and the outer wheel is rotated in the opposite direction, a ring is formed with an arcuate inner and outer surface. This differs from the aforementioned shaved ring where the inner surface is flat, that is, with the latter arrangement, the inner and outer surfaces are both arcuate.
Although the rolling of the rings in a rounding machine increases the strength of such rings, the strength of such rings in a crush test is still not completely satisfactory.
It would therefore be desirable to substantially increase the strength of such rings, while providing a simple construction and a simple method of making the same. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a free-form surface generation method for generating a free-form surface, and particularly to a method and arrangement for generating a multisided patch used in a surface modeler for design.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior surface design system, a surface is usually generated by inputting and editing the control points of its surface model (a method for mathematical definition of a surface). Most of the conventional design systems have handled only four-sided patches represented by tensor product surfaces, because the object of interest often had a surface shape formed mainly of rectangular regions as in a car body. However, as the shape of the object of interest became complicated, a method for generating a patch defined by an arbitrary number of sides (topology) has become a technical problem.
The following are rough classifications of the mathematical models proposed up to now of patch surfaces which are free from topology restrictions:
(a) A surface generation method using a three-sided patch which is represented by a rational polynomial of three variables representing a barycentric coordinate system. PA0 (b) An algorithm for generating a multisided patch by a polynomial consisting of a multivariable coordinate system.
This approach is disclosed, for instance, in:
Hagen, H. and Portmann, H., "Curvature continuous triangular interpolants", Lyche, T. and Schumaker, L., eds., Mathematical Methods in Computer Aided Geometric Design, pp. 373-384, Academic Press, (1989); and PA1 Nielson, G. M., "Transfinite, Visually Continuous, Triangular Interpolant", Farin, G. ed. , Geometric Modeling: Algorithms and New Trends, pp. 235-246, SIAM, (1987).
This approach is disclosed, for instance, in: Loop, C. T. and DeRose, T. D. , "A Multisided Generalization of Bezier Surfaces", ACM Trans. on Graphics, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 204-234, (1989).
The restriction common to the above-mentioned approaches resides in that, since a multisided patch is to interpolate the data corresponding to each vertex of a polygon representing a region, the form of expressing a curve corresponding to each side of the polygonal region is limited. For instance, in Loop's approach, each boundary curve should be expressed by one Bezier polynomial.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 80373/1991 official gazette, there is described a method for generating a free-form surface in a solid shape including rational curves. In this invention, an extended cubic rational Bezier patch is used as a formula-defining curve. Since this type is to generate only a four-sided patch, the surface of which is defined by two variables u and v, in order to span a surface over a region other than a four-sided shape, the region needs to be subdivided into a plurality of four-sided regions as depicted in FIGS. 5, 6 and 12 of the application. A surface formula has a restriction that the curve formula representing the boundaries of a surface is expressed by one rational cubic formula, so that there are many restrictions on the form of parametric expression of a curve formula. In addition, only continuity of G1 class is guaranteed to continuity of the connection between the generated surfaces. Although it may be possible to generate a surface having continuity of a higher degree (Gn, n.gtoreq.2nd class) by increasing the degree of a surface, no specific calculation method of control points in that case is shown.
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 221073/1987 official gazette, a method for creating a free-form surface using a Bezier surface is disclosed, but it can deal with only a four-sided patch surface as in the invention described in the previously stated official gazette, and there are also restrictions on the form of parametric expression of boundary curves. Moreover, a cubic Bezier patch surface does not guarantee even continuity of G1 class in regards to the connection between patches.
In addition, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 216076/1987, 135965/1987 and 248280/1989 official gazettes, methods for generating a free-form surface are disclosed, wherein continuity of the connection between surface patches is of G1 class, but in any of them, the restrictions on the number of sides of a patch and the form of parametric expression of boundary curves still remain unresolved.
As described above, since the prior methods have many restrictions on the form of expressing a patch, the relationship between the control points of a surface model and a generated surface is defined by the used surface model when the control points are inputted and edited, and it does not always coincide with the intuition of a designer. For example, in a B-spline model, the control points need to be inputted as points which are not existing on a target surface, and it is also required to observe a restriction that they must be disposed on a two-dimensional lattice. For this, complex work must be performed even if a shape such as of an egg is inputted, which seems simple to the human eye.
Accordingly, in a site where a free-form surface is actually designed, a designer expresses the shape desired to be designed by a sketch or model, an operator familiar with the internal model of a surface design system inputs a surface model while measuring the above-mentioned sketch or model, the designer instructs the operator to perform more detailed editing work while checking the input figure, and the operator translates it to an edit operation prepared by the design system and inputs it. Such work is obviously inefficient because a third party called an operator intervenes between the designer and the design system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pattern forming method, and in particular to a resist pattern forming method including both a grating pattern, which is a fine pattern, and a pattern of arbitrary shape, in a lithography step in the course of a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Background Art
The shrinking of semiconductor circuit patterns in recent years is largely attributable to the progress of optical lithography technique, which mainly results from wavelength shortening of an exposure light source. However, ways of shrinking patterns other than the wavelength shortening have been studied in many fields due to price increases in exposure device. For example, as a result of the progress such as enlargement of the aperture of a lens by scanner-type exposure technique, modified illumination technique, super-resolution mask technique or the like, there is a growing trend to shrink manufacturing dimensions of a pattern while maintaining an exposure wavelength. A reversed phenomenon has taken place from a 0.18 μm (180 nm) generation on down in which manufacturing dimensions are less than an exposure wavelength (KrF Excimer laser: 248 nm).
In forming a fine pattern less than the wavelength of light that is used for exposure, techniques using a half-tone phase shift mask, a phase shift mask, and a modified illumination technique are well known. In techniques using the masks, a special mask is used having a portion thereon for inverting the phase of light of an exposure wavelength, for example, to enhance optical intensity contrast on an image-forming surface by an optical interference effect.
In the modified illumination technique, a mask surface is illuminated by optimizing the shape of illumination such that all complicated circuit patterns designed on the mask are formed with stability in dimensions and two-dimensional shapes thereof, to enhance optical intensity contrast of all the patterns on an image-forming surface.
For example, with a fine circuit pattern that includes a pattern (grating pattern (repetition pattern)) in a lattice having fine lines and spaces being repeated alternately, and a pattern (standard pattern) provided to be partly continuous with the grating pattern and to have larger dimensions than the grating pattern, the shape of illumination has been optimized such that excellent optical contrast is obtained for the fine circuit pattern.
A typical example is the optimization of an outer contour radius (outer diameter R1) and an inner contour radius (inner diameter R2) of annular illumination that blocks light circularly at the center of an illumination optical system. The sizes of four openings of four-lens illumination have been optimized as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,580 discloses forming a fine circuit pattern by a two-exposure process, in which a wiring portion thinner than an exposure wavelength is formed using a phase shift mask and the other portions are formed using a standard mask. This method is being put to practically use.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,835 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-349010 disclose forming a fine circuit pattern by a multiple exposure process including a two-exposure process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,835 discloses a technique of fabricating a fine pattern by performing a dual beam interference exposure with a device other than standard reduced projection exposure devices. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,580, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-349010, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,228,539, 6,258,493 and 6,566,023, and United States Patent Application Publication No. 2004-197680 disclose a method in which a standard exposure step and a fine isolated wiring pattern (gate pattern) or fine periodic pattern exposure step are performed without intervention of a development process, the fine isolated wiring pattern or fine periodic pattern exposure step being performed using a Levenson type phase shift mask (Alternative Phase Shift Mask) in which phase-inverted complete transmissive areas are juxtaposed to each other. Furthermore, International Patent Application Publication No. WO99/65066 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-021718 disclose a method of forming a periodic pattern using dipole illumination, and forming an isolated pattern by erasing the periodic pattern other than a partial wiring in the periodic pattern with a standard pattern by means of exposure.
The following equation (1) is the Rayleigh equation indicative of optical resolution:R=k1·(λ/NA) (1)where R is pattern resolution, λ is an exposure wavelength, NA is a lens numerical aperture, and k1 is a process factor.
It is now assumed that a resist pattern for a fine circuit pattern that includes a grating pattern having a process factor k1 of less than “0.3”, and a standard pattern having an arbitrary pattern such as fine isolated space and a process factor k1 of “0.5” level, is subjected to patterning. It may be required in some instances that a grating pattern and standard pattern be connected in such resist pattern.
In the conventional techniques described above, it is difficult to resolve this fine circuit pattern with stability no matter how optimized the shape of illumination is. For example, setting the NA to “0.85” with the ArF wavelength (193 nm), the grating pattern of 65 nm L/S will have a process factor k1 of “0.28”. In this case, it was extremely difficult even with a phase shift mask technique having a process factor k1 of less than “0.3” to form the fine circuit pattern with high accuracy that includes the fine grating pattern and the arbitrary standard pattern having a process factor k1 of “0.5” level.
This is because when a phase shift mask suitable for the grating pattern is used, a phase mismatch associated with the principle of phase shift mask occurs inevitably due to the pattern arbitrariness, leaving an unintentional and unnecessary pattern on the standard pattern side. Although a negative type resist is commonly used in order to avoid this problem, a resist material having excellent resolution characteristics for the ArF wavelength is nonexistent, and if it does exist, then the resolution between the same phases will inevitably be insufficient due to the circuit structure. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for communicating information between distributed stations. More particularly, the present invention relates to a timed token loop which provides three or more classes of service with a priority relationship between classes. The three classes of service provided allow guaranteed bandwidth, interactive and batch services. These casses are implemented by timing the rotation time of a write token to measure instantaneous load and limiting transmission of information by class of service and the observed write token rotation time.
The synthesis of the architecture for future office automation systems will be effected to a large extent by the available communication mechanisms supporting those systems. Circuit switched communication as provided by PBXs is efficient for handling voice traffic, but is limited by the maximum bandwidth available for data traffic. The inefficiencies inherent in using circuit switched service for communication of bursty data traffic are being solved for low data rate devices through submultiplexing in the PBX. In contrast, local area networks have been optimized for efficient transmission of data at high burst rates with little consideration for handling of digital voice.
Broadband systems provide the capability for carrying both voice and data over the same media through separate logical networks for voice and data on the same physical media. This hybrid approach solves some problems by using a single media, but does not allow the flexibility given by integration of data on the same logical network.
Distributed communication systems based on token loop structures are well known in the prior art. Thus, in the article by David J. Farber titled "A Ring Network", Datamation, February 1975, pp. 44-46, a collection of minicomputers connected by a ring-like digital communication system is disclosed. Similarly, the work by Newhall and Farmer on token controlled rings is exemplified in a paper titled "An Experimental Distributed Switching System To Handle Bursty Computer Traffic", in Proc. ACM Symp. Problems in the Optimization of Data Communications Systems (Pine Mountain, GA, Oct. 1969), pp. 31-34.
The work of both Newhall and Farber was primarily applicable to data type traffic where all stations were given an essentially equal opportunity to transmit. Thus the drawback of both systems is that they cannot support a guarantee of bandwidth.
The inability to guarantee bandwidth is also a drawback of the Ethernet system and all CSMACD-type protocols for local area networks.
The Cambridge ring, which is based on the work of Pierce, is more adapted to a circuit type of service. In such a system, you essentially have a boxcar (which corresponds to available bandwidth) into which data may be inputted or extracted. A fixed allocation procedure may be implemented which reserves the boxcar for a station to use. The drawback of the Cambridge ring is that there's no simple or obvious way to use the boxcar when its not being used by the station that has a fixed reservation on it.
It is the general object of the present invention to overcome these and other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a timed token protocol method and apparatus which integrates the favorable characteristics of both circuit switched and packet switched communications and provides these characteristics to a station through a single physical and logical interface.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protocol adaptable to either a physical or logical loop which provides three or more classes of service with a priority relationship between classes, the three classes allowing guaranteed bandwidth, interactive and batch services.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a timed token protocol for a loop communications network which allows the bandwidth guaranteed to a first station to be used by the first station when needed and further allows the same guaranteed bandwidth to be used by another station when it is not needed by the first station.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a token controlled loop which provides efficient utilization of available bandwidth by the stations configured on the loop.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a timed token protocol adaptable to either a physical or logical loop which provides for stations configured on the loop, each station being of one or more of the multiple classes of priority.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a timed token protocol for stations interconnected in a continuous loop structure, the protocol providing for stations with different priority levels, wherein stations of the highest priority level are capable of allocating a guaranteed minimum bandwidth to themselves to the exclusion of other stations of the same priority.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a timed token protocol for stations interconnected in a continuous loop structure, the protocol providing for stations with different priority levels, wherein stations not of the highest but of equal priority level are guaranteed a pool of bandwidth which may be fairly shared between them.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the drawings. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A metal-oxide gas sensor has a dielectric base carrying two electrodes that are typically embodied as an interdigital structure (IDT) and a gas-sensitive element whose electrical conductivity varies according to the concentration of a measured gas component. Two electrodes form the interdigital structure and are connected to the gas-sensitive element. The base also carries a resistive heater element having energizing electrodes. All the electrodes terminate at one edge of the base, which typically is formed as a basically rectangular plastic plate.
Such a sensor is described for instance in DE 196 06 272 of O. Kiesewetter. Its heater element surrounds the interdigital structure, the actual sensor element being formed by means of the interdigital structure and the sensor element in contact with it. Compared to such sensors where the heater element and the interdigital structures are mounted on different faces of the base or insulator, production engineering advantages result due to the provision of the interdigital structure, the sensor element, and the heater element on the same face of the base or insulator. However, heat distribution is not uniform because the resistive heater element surrounds the interdigital structures. Very frequently this causes sensor behavior that is too non-specific, rendering it difficult or sometimes impossible to reliably control corresponding concentrations of measured gas values. Another disadvantage of this arrangement is that, given a required minimum surface area of the sensor element, the space needed on the base is greater than this minimum surface area and requires that the sensor unit be relatively large. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mass spectrometry systems. In recent years there has arisen a need to analyze small sample volumes. This need arises, for example, where there is only a limited quantity of a unique sample, the sample being distributed in a particulate or other form in a matrix. Thus modern materials analysis problems require a spatial resolution over the sample region of 1 micron or less, together with the ability to find the specific locations of the sample in the matrix prior to analysis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most known magnetic sector or quadrupole mass spectrometry systems do not include means for lateral imaging of the sample surface combined with precise means of sample manipulation controlled through the image. Those that do, consume significant amounts of sample material in the process thus destroying the areas from which detailed information is sought. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Such a card is known from the prior EP 163880 (GAO Ges.), in which the weakening is arranged on the outside of the perimeter of the cavity in which the integrated circuit is arranged and within the overall thickness of the card. This solution is particularly suitable in the case of cards having three layers which are laminated together.
So-called "vignettes" are also known from the French Patent Application FR-A-2 617 668, filed Mar. 7, 1987. Retention and use of these cards imply mechanical stresses applied to the support of the card, which is flexible or semi-flexible, which stresses are retransmitted to the vignette and to the circuit which it carries.
The reliability of the integrated circuit cards of all types bears a direct relation to their capacity to resist the repeated application of such stresses without an adverse effect on its electrical properties (connections, wholeness of the circuit).
Therefore, mechanical resistance tests have been defined according to which an integrated circuit card should nominally be capable of withstanding one (or even several) thousand(s) of standardized longitudinal or transverse bending operations without deterioration. During such bending operations, and especially during bending operations caused by the application of forces parallel to a longitudinal direction of the card, the circuit is subjected to high stresses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sheet feeding separators having a pneumatic bottom feed and more particularly to blank feeding machines having an adjustable backstop means for maintaining a portion of the weight of the stack off the bottom sheet and providing a means for automatically positioning the backstop means along the support table for accommodating different size stacks on the support table.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blank feeders for feeding the bottom blank a stack of paperboard blanks are well known in the art and are used for feeding the blanks into adjacent processing machinery.
There are basically two types of blank feeders used in industry today. One type of feeder utilizes a kicker bar which reciprocates back and forth along the feed table picking up the bottom blank on its rearward position and then pushing the bottom blank through an opening in a gate and into the adjacent processing apparatus. The use of a reciprocating feed bar by itself has inherent disadvantages. In a typical blank feeding machine there is a gate that is spaced above the feed table approximately the same as the thickness of the bottom blank to be fed. The stack of blanks are placed upon the feed table so that the stack of blanks is resting against a front stop which forms the gate. The bottom blank is then fed through the opening by the reciprocating feed bar. This type of feeder works well when all the blanks of the stack are flat. However, the blanks that are processed in the corrugating paperboard industry are not always flat but are warped. When a warped blank becomes the bottommost blank of the stack it is unable to be fed through the opening in the gate by the reciprocating feed bar. This then necessitates a shut down of the machinery until the warped blank can be removed from the machinery.
To pull the leading edge of the warped bottom blank flat against the feed table so the kicker bar can feed the warped blank through the opening in the gate the corrugating industry developed suction feeders. One type of suction feeder utilizes a stationery suction chamber such as shown in Ward et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,095 and Thayer U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,752. Such suction feeders are designed to hold the bottom blank against the support table. The reciprocating feed bar then engages the trailing edge of the bottom blank and moves it through the opening in the gate and into the processing apparatus. These suction feeders utilize the reciprocating feed bar to move the bottom blank through the gate mechanism and as previously explained were developed to eliminate the problem of feeding warped blanks which prevent them from passing through the opening in the gate mechanism. These suction feeders generally do their job very well. The suction chamber pulls the warped botttom blank against the support table and the suction pressure is strong enough to flatten the warped blank and allow the feeder bar to engage the trailing edge of the blank and move it through the gap in the gate mechanism.
Although the reciprocating feed bar type suction feeder has the above mentioned advantage, it does have a number of disadvantages. First, the suction pressure in the suction chamber must be continuously applied so that the warped blank will stay flat during movement through the opening in the gate mechanism. This continuous suction pressure creates friction between the blank and support table which the feeder bar must overcome to advance the blank. The feeder bar pushes against the trailing edge of the blank and tends to bend or deform the trailing edge thus damaging the product.
Another disadvantage of the reciprocating feed bar type feeder whether used singularly or in combination with the stationery suction chamber is that the feeder bar reciprocates rapidly in the area where the machine operator stands at the rear of the stack. As he loads the stack onto the support table, his hands are in close proximity to the feeder bar. Should the operator be careless or make a mistake, his hands may contact the moving feeder bar and injure his hands.
A second type of suction feeder is shown in E. L. Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 2,331,533 and T. D. Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,108, which is an improvement over the E. L. Bishop patent. In this type of suction feeder the suction box itself reciprocates along the plane of the feed table eliminating the need for a feeder bar and consequently the disadvantages associated with the feeder bar. Suction in the box draws the bottom blanks downward into flat contact with the top of the suction box. The suction box moves the blanks forward until its leading edges are gripped by a pair of pull rollers beyond the gate which pull the blank into the processing machinery. When the pull rolls grip the blank the vacuum in the suction box is released to atmosphere which releases the blank from the suction box and allows easy pulling of the blank by the pull rolls. The suction box then moves rearward until it is below the next bottom blank at which time the vacuum is reapplied to the suction box to feed the next blank.
On all three of the above mentioned type feeders, the operator places a stack of box blanks on the support table so that the leading edges of the box blank are in contact with the gate mechanism. In addition, it is customary to have a backstop means which is movable along the support table and which rests against the trailing edge of the box blanks. Thus, when the backstop is in contact with the trailing edge of the blanks in the stack of blanks, it will maintain the leading edge of the box blanks in contact with the gate mechanism. This is to insure that the box blanks that are placed upon the support table are not cocked sideways and thus when fed through the opening in the gate mechanism would not enter the processing machinery at the correct angle and thus cause the processing machinery to stop or produce a box blank which is not processed correctly.
A disadvantage of the above type feeders is that a stack of blanks are placed upon the support table by the operator and this stack of blanks places a lot of weight upon the bottom blank. In those type feeders that utilize a reciprocating feeder bar the feeder bar contacts the trailing edge of the bottom blank and moves the bottom blank through the opening in the gate mechanism. When the weight of the stack is on the bottom blank, there is a great amount of friction between the bottom blank and the blank above it and between the bottom blank and the support table. Thus, the reciprocating feed bar must overcome the weight of the stack above it and the various frictional forces before moving the bottom blank through the opening. In many instances, the feed bar is unable to overcome the weight of the stack above it, and consequently it damages the trailing edge of the bottommost blank.
The above disadvantage is also inherent in the suction type feeders that utilize both the stationery suction chamber and the reciprocating feeder bar. In fact, the disadvantages are even greater in this type of feeder because in addition to the weight of the stack of blanks on the bottommost blank the stationery suction chambers also cause additional friction on the bottommost blank. The above disadvantage also presents problems for the reciprocating suction chamber in that the reciprocating suction chamber must create a sufficient amount of suction to overcome the weight of the stack on the bottommost blank and thus the friction between the bottom blank and the blank just above it. This necessitates large machinery to create the great amount of suction pressure that is needed to move the bottommost blank through the opening in the gate.
Another disadvantage of the above type blank feeders is that different width blanks are stacked on the support table and thus the backstop must be movable along the support table to accommodate the different size blanks that form the stacks on the support table. Conventionally, the backstop is moved manually by the machine operator each time different size blanks are to be run. When a different size blank is to be run, the operator manually unlocks the backstop from the support table and moves the backstop forward or rearward to accommodate the proper size blanks. The operator then relocks the backstop in place on the support table and places a new stack of blanks thereon.
Hottendorf U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,402 has overcome the disadvantage of manually moving the backstop when associated with a kicker bar type feeder. Hottendorf utilizes a pair of rotatable shafts each connected to the backstop and the kicker bar respectively. The pair of rotating shafts are interconnected by gearing which is connected to a conventional motor for rotating the two rotatable shafts simultaneously. When it is desired to adjust the backstop and the kicker bar, the operator energizes the motor which simultaneously turns the pair of shafts moving the backstop and kicker bar forward and backward along the support table until the desired position is reached that will accommodate the desired size of blanks. However, Hottendorf still has the disadvantage of having to overcome the entire weight of the stack upon the support table when the kicker bar tries to move the bottom blank through the opening in the gate mechanism. Thus the disadvantage of the kicker bar is still inherent in Hottendorf. In addition, the backstop cannot be moved independently of the kicker bar. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Automatic garage door openers are used to open and close garage doors. Special safety switches are used in garage door openers to prevent a garage door from closing if the safety switch is triggered. The triggering of a safety switch will cause a closing garage door to fully open, which may result in an open garage door, when the user had thought it was closed. At other times, the user may drive away from a garage door and forget to close it. An open garage door invites theft of items in the garage, and possibly items within the house, and also presents a danger to those remaining in the house.
When a vehicle is in the garage, it is not desirable to have an alarm indicate that the garage door is open, otherwise the user might manually switch off the alarm, or ignore it. Switching off the alarm or ignoring it, will make the user less likely to use the alarm, when the user needs it, such as when the user is driving away and the garage door remains open.
Such alarms are not desirable or useful as long distance alarms, since the user may not desire to know that the garage door is open when the user is a long distance away, since the user would not be able to close the garage door at such a distance. In addition, long distance signals require more power, crowd the bandwidth, and require additional licenses. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an annealing process of a strip sheet, which is manufactured by rolling mills in a hot rolling plant, a cold rolling plant or an electrical steel plant, is performed by releasing a strip sheet 100 from a pay off reel 120 mounted to an inlet of an annealing furnace 110 and winding the strip sheet 100, which has passed through the annealing furnace 110, around a tension reel 130 mounted to an outlet of the annealing furnace 110.
Hearth rolls 140 are provided to feed the strip sheet 100 having a constant tension in the annealing furnace 110 between the pay off reel and the tension reel.
For example, a grain oriented or non-oriented electrical steel sheet is produced by continuously feeding the strip sheet from the pay off reel to the tension reel and beat treating in the annealing furnace.
A reference numeral 112 in FIG. 1 is a wall of the annealing furnace, and a reference character C in FIG. 2 is an auxiliary heater coil which is arranged as shown in FIG. 2 on an inner surface of the annealing furnace wall (see FIG. 6) and heated by radiation.
FIG. 3 is a structure view showing a conventional hearth roll for the annealing furnace schematically depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a mounting state of a conventional hearth roll to the annealing furnace.
A conventional hearth roll 140 shown in FIG. 3 is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-0054539. The hearth roll 140 is mounted in the annealing furnace 110 to feed the strip sheet 100 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
The conventional hearth roll 140 includes a ceramic tube 142 having a good thermal resistance, a roll shaft 144 inserted through the ceramic tube 142, and tube fixing sleeves 146 coupled to both ends of the ceramic tube 142 to fix the roll shaft 144.
As shown in FIG. 3, the tube fixing sleeves 146 are fixed to the ceramic tube 142 by using first fixing pins 148a.
And, the tube fixing sleeves 146 are fixed to the roll shaft 144 by using second fixing pins 148b.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, bearing blocks 148 are coupled to both end portions of the roll shaft 144 for rotation of the roll shaft.
As shown in FIG. 4, each of the bearing blocks 148 is mounted to a bracket fixed to an external steel frame 114 of the wall 112 of the annealing furnace, so that the roll shaft 144 can rotate by the bearing block.
A cover is coupled to an outer surface of the bearing block so as to surround the end of the roll shaft, and the cover is filled with grease G which is injected through an injecting pipe (not shown).
The grease G prevents external air from flowing into the annealing furnace in which hydrogen gas atmosphere is formed.
Such grease is also used in a hearth roll apparatus according to the present invention, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.
A plurality of hearth rolls 140 pass through the wall 112 of the annealing furnace 110, and are driven individually. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, by a driving motor and a driving chain connected to the driving motor, the hearth rolls 140 rotate individually and feed the strip sheet 100.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a sprocket 150, which is engaged with the driving chain, is coupled to the end of the roll shaft of the hearth roll 140.
However, in the present, different from the structure of FIG. 1, driving motors are separately connected to the respective hearth rolls, so as to independently drive the hearth rolls.
For example, a coupling ring S (see FIG. 6, which will be described later), which is connected to a driving shaft (not shown) of the driving motor, may be connected to the roll shaft to independently drive the hearth rolls.
Because a temperature in the annealing furnace is kept to be high, about 1050° C., for the heat treatment of the strip sheet, the hearth roll 140 in the annealing furnace 110 is affected by heat.
In general, the roll shaft 144 of the hearth roll 140 is made from heat resistant steel (e.g., SCH 24), and the tube 142 is made from ceramic.
When the hearth roll is driven in the temperature of 1050° C. in the annealing furnace, a problem occurs because a coefficient of linear expansion of the roll shaft 144 made from heat resistant steel is different from that of the ceramic tube 142.
For example, the coefficient of linear expansion of the roll shaft 144 is about 30 times as large as that of the ceramic tube 142.
Accordingly, if comparing the roll shaft with the ceramic tube, because an elongation of the roll shaft is much larger than that of the ceramic tube, thermal deformation like creep is generated at the roll shaft 144 rather than the ceramic tube 142 in the high temperature.
The problem caused by the difference of the elongation of the ceramic tube 142 and the roll shaft 144 in the conventional hearth roll 140 is as follows.
For example, when the ceramic tube 142 has an outer diameter of 150 mm and an inner diameter of 75 mm and the roll shaft 144 made from heat resistant steel (e.g., SCH24) has an outer diameter of 74 mm, the elongation of the roll shaft 144 is measured to be about 5 times as large as that of the ceramic tube 142 in the temperature (about 1050° C.) of the annealing furnace.
In other words, the elongation of the roll shaft is larger than that of the tube made from ceramic which has a larger heat resistance than the heat resistant steel.
However, because of the difference of the elongation between the roll shaft and the ceramic tube in the conventional hearth roll 140, when the ceramic tube 142 and the tube fixing sleeves 146 are coupled to each other, gaps are generated at contacting portions (X and Y in FIG. 3), and coupling force between the components 142, 144 and 146 is loosened.
Especially, if heat in the annealing furnace is transferred to the roll shaft 144 through the gaps at the contacting portions (X and Y in FIG. 3) between the ceramic tube and the tube fixing sleeves, the roll shaft is subject to the thermal deformation (bending) like creep.
Thus, as illustrated by a dotted line at the roll shaft in FIG. 3, the center of the roll shaft 144, which is elongated more than the ceramic tube 142, hangs down.
If the center of the roll shaft hangs down, the load of the roll shaft is concentrated inward of an inner race of the bearing block 148 supporting the roll shaft 144. This hinders normal concentric rotation of the roll shaft 144.
Therefore, the conventional hearth roll 140 rotates eccentrically, and vibration is highly increased. When the conventional hearth roll is used for about 2 weeks to 2 months, the hearth roll malfunctions, and the strip sheet cannot be fed normally in the annealing furnace. Thus, the hearth roll should be replaced frequently.
Because the hearth roll 140 used in the annealing furnace is very expensive, when considering that about two hundred hearth rolls are necessary in the annealing furnace, the frequent replacement of the hearth roll 140 causes much costs for materials and labor.
Further, because the operation of the annealing furnace stops for a long time during the replacement of the hearth rolls, the normal production flow is cut, thereby deteriorating the productivity and the product quality.
On the other hand, in the real working field, in order to decrease the influence of the centrifugal force due to the deformation of the roll shaft on the strip sheet, for example, that the hung-down center of the roll shaft strikes the strip sheet when rotating and generates the defect on the surface of the strip sheet, the line speed in the annealing furnace is reduced.
For example, in case of the electrical steel sheet manufacturing process, even though the normal line speed in the annealing furnace is about 160 mpm, the line speed in real is reduced to about 120 mpm.
Accordingly, if a tensile force is forcedly applied to the roll shaft for stretching the roll shaft, the elongation of which is larger than that of the ceramic tube, because the hanging-down of the center of the roll shaft by the thermal effect is prevented, the operating performance of the hearth roll is improved, and the line speed of the strip sheet in the annealing furnace can be increased. Such an improvement of the hearth roll has been required.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hearth roll apparatus for an annealing furnace which can improve an operating performance by restraining thermal deformation (creep) by which a roll shaft of the hearth roll apparatus is bent down in an annealing furnace of a high temperature.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hearth roll apparatus for an annealing furnace which can increase a rotating speed of a hearth roll, thereby increasing a line speed of a strip sheet and improving productivity. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
TGF-β1 belongs to a large super-family of multifunctional polypeptide factors. The TGF-β family includes three genes, TGFβ1, TGFβ2 and TGFβ3, which are pleiotropic modulators of cell growth and differentiation, embryonic and bone development, extracellular matrix formation, hematopoiesis, immune and inflammatory responses. These genes have high homology with one another. In mammals, the TGFβ super-family includes various TGFβ genes, as well as the embryonic morphogenes, such as the family of the activins, inhibins, “Mullerian Inhibiting Substance”, and bone morphogenic protein (BMP). Roberts and Sporn, The Transforming Growth Factor-βs in Peptide Growth Factors and Their Receptors. I. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol. 95/I, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 419–472 (1990). Each member of the TGF-β family exerts a wide range of biological effects on a large variety of cell types, e.g., they regulate cell growth, morphogenesis, differentiation, matrix production and apoptosis. Lagna et al., Nature, 383:832–836 (1996). TGF-β acts as a growth inhibitor for many cell types and appears to play a central role in the regulation of embryonic development, tissue regeneration, immuno-regulation, as well as in fibrosis and carcinogenesis. TGFβ1 inhibits the growth of many cell types, including epithelial cells, but stimulates the proliferation of various types of mesenchymal cells.
In addition, TGFβs induce the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, modulate the expression of matrix proteinases and proteinase inhibitors and change the expression of integrins. ECM is a dynamic superstructure of self aggregating macromolecules including fibronectin, collagen and proteoglycan. ECM is the chief pathologic feature of fibrotic diseases. ECM disorder has been proposed to play a central role in pathogenesis disorders such as hypertensive vascular disease and diabetic renal disease. Sato et al., Am. J. Hypertens., 8:160–166 (1995); Schulick et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 95:6983–6988 (1988). Moreover, TGFβs are expressed in large amounts in many tumors. Derynck, Trends Biochem. Sci., 19:548–553, (1994). This strong occurrence in neoplastic tissues could indicate that TGFβs are strategic growth/morphogenesis factors which influence the malignant properties associated with the various stages of the metastatic cascade. TGFβs inhibit the growth of normal epithelial and relatively differentiated carcinoma cells, whereas undifferentiated tumor cells which lack many epithelial properties are generally resistant to growth inhibition by TGFβs (Hoosein et al., Exp. Cell. Res. 181:442–453(1989); Murthy et al., Int'l J. Cancer, 44:110–115(1989). Furthermore TGFβ1 may potentiate the invasive and metastatic potential of a breast adenoma cell line (Welch et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 87:7678–7682(1990), which indicates a role of TGFβ1 in tumor progression. The molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of TGFβs during tumor cell invasion and metastasization do, however, require further explanation.
The cellular effects of TGFβ are exerted by ligand-induced hetero-oligomerization of two distantly related type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors, TGFβR-I and TGFβ R-II, respectively. Lin and Lodish, Trends Cell Biol., 11:972–978. (1993); Massague and Weis-Garcia, Cancer Surv., 27:41–64(1996); ten Dijke et al., Curr. Opin. Cell Biol., 8:139–145 (1996). The two receptors, both of which are required for signaling, act in sequence; TGFβR-I is a substrate for the constitutively active TGFβR-II kinase. Wrana et al., Nature, 370:341–347 (1994); Wieser et al., EMBO J., 14:2199–2208 (1995). Upon TGFβ1 binding, the type II receptor phosphorylates threonine residues in the GS domain of ligand occupied type I receptor or activin-like kinase (ALK5), which results in activation of type I receptors. The TGFβ1 type I receptor in turn phosphorylates Smad2 and Smad3 proteins which translocate to the nucleus and mediate intracellular signaling. The inhibition of ALK5 phosphorylation of Smad3 will reduce TGFβ1 induced extracellular matrix production. Krettzchmar et al., Genes Dev., 11: 984–995 (1997); Wu et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 17:2521–2528 (1997); U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,493.
TGFβ is a powerful and essential immune regulator in the vascular system capable of modulating inflammatory events in both leuko and vascular endothelial cells. Shull et al., Nature, 359:693–699 (1992). It is also involved in the pathogenesis of chronic vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. Grainger & Metcalfe et al., Bio. Rev. Cambridge Phil. Soc., 70:571–596 (1995); Metcalfe et al., J. Human Hypertens., 9:679 (1995).
Genetic studies of TGFβ-like signaling pathways in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans have led to the identification of mothers against dpp (Mad). Sekelsky et al., Genetics, 139:1347–1358 (1995) and sma genes respectively. Savage et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93:790–794, (1996). The products of these related genes perform essential functions downstream of TGFβ-like ligands acting via serine/threonine kinase receptors in these organisms. Wiersdorf et al., Development, 122:2153–2163 (1996); Newfeld et al., Development, 122:2099–2108 (1996); Hoodless et al., Cell, 85:489–500 (1996). Vertebrate homologs of Mad and sma have been termed Smads. Derynck et al., Cell, 87:173 (1996) or MADR genes. Wrana and Attisano, Trends Genet., 12:493–496 (1996). SMAD proteins have been identified as signaling mediators of TGFβ superfamily. Hahn et al., Science, 271:350–353 (1996). Genetic alterations in Smad2 and Smad4/DPC4 have been found in specific tumor subsets, and thus Smads may function as tumor suppressor genes. Hahn et al., Science, 271:350–353 (1996); Riggins et al., Nature Genet., 13:347–349 (1996); Eppert et al., Cell, 86:543–552 (1996). Smad proteins share two regions of high similarity, termed MH1 and MH2 domains, connected with a variable proline-rich sequence. Massague, Cell, 85:947–950 (1996); Derynck and Zhang, Curr. Biol., 6:1226–1229 (1996). The C-terminal part of Smad2, when fused to a heterologous DNA-binding domain, was found to have transcriptional activity. Liu et al., Nature, 381:620–623 (1996); Meersseman et al., Mech. Dev., 61:127–140 (1997). The intact Smad2 protein when fused to a DNA-binding domain, was latent, but transcriptional activity was unmasked after stimulation with ligand. Liu et al., supra.
TGFβ initiates an intracellular signaling pathway leading ultimately to the expression of genes that regulate the cell cycle, control proliferative responses, or relate to extracellular matrix proteins that mediate outside-in cell signaling, cell adhesion, migration and intercellular communication.
There exists a need for effective therapeutic agents for inhibiting TGFβ activity, as well as for inhibiting the phosphorylation of smad2 or smad3 by TGFβ type I or activin-like kinase (ALK5) receptor and for preventing and treating disease states mediated by the TGFβ signaling pathway in mammals. In particular, there continues to be a need for compounds that selectively inhibit TGFβ, especially the ALK5 receptor. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct current (DC) block with a band-notch characteristic using a DGS. More particularly, the present invention relates to a DC block with a band-notch characteristic using a defected ground structure (DGS) to superiorly block a certain frequency band in the UWB.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the ultra wideband (UWB) communications can perform high-speed data transmission in a very wide frequency band with a very low power. The frequency band used for the UWB communications is 3.1˜10.6 GHz, and 5.15˜5.825 GHz of that range is used for HIPERLAN/2 or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, wireless local area network (WLAN) standards. The power used in the WLAN band is 70 dB higher than that in the UWB. Accordingly, a UWB communication signal in a WLAN frequency band can be subjected to interference so that methods of removing signals of the WLAN frequency band among the UWB communication signals have been suggested.
A primary method applies a band stop filter (BSF) at the end of the radio frequency (RF) communications system. However, as a result of using the BSF, the communications system decreases in efficiency and increases in size.
Meanwhile, an active circuit is usually a circuit including a nonlinear element such as the field effect transistor (FET), bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and diode. There are active circuits such as an amplifier, oscillator, mixer, frequency doubler and phase shifter.
In order to use the active circuit in the RF communications system, a DC block which keeps a signal line transmitting signals in the system and the active circuit from being directly connected with each other is needed.
The DC block keeps a DC power from flowing in an RF signal line and having influence on RF signals, and conventionally, a capacitor has been mainly used for the DC block. However, if the capacitor is used in the super high frequency and ultra wideband system such as the UWB system, self-resonance or undesired parasitic components may sometimes occur. Accordingly, features of the capacitor are not guaranteed, efficiency of the capacitor decreases and the cost increases.
To solve the problems, a DC block using micro strip lines has been suggested. The DC block is formed with a pair of micro strip lines parallel to each other, and both ends of each micro strip line are electrically cut off so that it can function as a DC open circuit.
A configuration has been suggested to use as a low pass filter (LPF) by applying a DGS to the DC block using the micro strip lines.
Usually, the DGS is a structure with an etched defect pattern on a ground surface of a transmission line, so that a slow wave of small loss and a stop band in a certain frequency band can be formed. In addition, the DGS effectively increases the capacitance and inductance of the transmission line and has features of the LPF with one pole. Accordingly, the DGS is conventionally used as the LPF or the band pass filter (BPF).
As described above, when the DGS is used in the DC block, if the DGS is used as the LPF or BPF, the DGS can also be used as the BSF. However, until now such application has not been tried, and the DGS has to be modified in order to use the DC block with the DGS as the BSF. Accordingly, a method of forming a band-notch of a desired bandwidth in a desired frequency band has to be studied by applying the DC block with the modified DGS to the RF system. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The present invention relates to a cathode ray tube (hereinbelow, called a color picture tube in the specification) and an image display apparatus using the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a color picture tube which is characterized by an elastic support member used to support a frame across which a mask is stretched in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto and to an image display apparatus using the same.
A color picture tube has, as shown in FIG. 1, a structure including an envelope constructed by a panel 52 and a funnel 53 joined to the panel 52. In the periphery of the panel 52, a side wall 51 is formed. A phosphor screen 54 having three colors of R, G, and B is formed on the inner face of the panel effective portion. A shadow mask 55 in which a number of electron beam-passing apertures are formed is disposed so as to face the phosphor screen 54. The funnel 53 has a neck 56 in which an electron gun 57 for emitting three electron beams is disposed. By deflecting the three electron beams by a magnetic field generated by a deflection yoke 80 attached on the outside of the funnel 53, and by horizontally and vertically scanning the phosphor screen 54 via the shadow mask 55, a color image is displayed.
From the viewpoint of a smaller amount of entering external light and good looking, the panel of a recent color picture tube is being flattened and the shadow mask 55 is being accordingly flattened. When the shadow mask 55 is flattened, the plane of the shadow mask 55 cannot be maintained only by supporting the body of the shadow mask 55 by a frame 58. When the shadow mask 55 is simply supported only by the frame 58, the shadow mask 55 easily vibrates by external vibration, so that an adverse influence is exerted on a display image of the color picture tube. Consequently, the shadow mask 55 is stretched across the frame 58 in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto.
In a doming phenomenon that the surface of the shadow mask 55 is thermally deformed by collision of electron beams with the shadow mask 55, when the shadow mask 55 is flattened, a displacement amount of the electron beam becomes large especially around both the left and right edge faces of the screen. In order to absorb the thermal expansion caused by the collision of electron beams, a practically maximum tension close to the elastic limit is applied to the shadow mask 55.
In order to display an accurate color image on the phosphor screen 54 in such a color picture tube, it is necessary to hold the shadow mask 55 in a predetermined alignment relationship to three-color phosphor layers constructing the phosphor screen 54. One of the factors that deteriorate the alignment relationship between the shadow mask 55 and the phosphor screen 54 is vibration of the shadow mask 55. Although a tensile force is applied to the shadow mask 55 as described above, it is difficult to completely suppress the vibration of the shadow mask 55 only by the tensile force. The vibration of the shadow mask 55 occurs when external vibration or impact (for example, the vibration of a loudspeaker disposed on a side of the panel 52) is transmitted from the panel 52 via an elastic support member 59 and the frame 58 to the shadow mask 55. When the shadow mask 55 vibrates, the distance between the shadow mask 55 and the phosphor screen 54 changes, and thereby a landing displacement of the electron beam occurs. It is consequently desired that the vibration of the shadow mask 55 be attenuated as much as possible in a short time.
In order to suppress the vibration of the shadow mask 55, it is necessary to suppress the vibration of the shadow mask 55 itself and the vibration of the frame 58.
As a method of suppressing the vibration of the shadow mask 55 itself, a case where a damper is provided on an edge face of the shadow mask 55 has been reported. FIG. 2 shows an example of the damper. This damper 61 has a structure obtained by bending the ends of a wire. The damper 61 is provided by passing the bent portions into openings 62 in the shadow mask 55. The size of the opening 62 in the shadow mask 55 is set so that the damper 61 can freely vibrate. When the shadow mask 55 vibrates, a part of the energy for vibrating the shadow mask 55 is used to vibrate the damper 61, so that the vibration of the shadow mask 55 is attenuated. Even the structure in which such dampers 61 are provided is insufficient to demonstrate a vibration attenuating effect over the entire shadow mask 55.
On the other hand, in order to suppress the vibration of the frame 58, it is necessary to add a function such that the vibration can be absorbed by converting the vibration energy of the frame 58 to, for example, thermal energy (hereinbelow, called a damper function). As is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-293459, a conventional method in which a sliding portion is provided with the elastic support member 59 itself so as to suppress the vibration of the frame 58 by the generated friction has been reported. FIGS. 3A and 3B show the structure of the elastic support member disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-293459. FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view. The structure has a matching portion 65 having a matching opening 64 to be matched to a stud pin 63, a fixed portion 66 to be fixed to the frame 58, and connecting portions 67 for connecting the matching portion 65 and the fixed portion 66. The connecting portions 67 are joined together by welding in their mid-portions so as to form a V shape. The fixed portion 66 has a blade 68 that is inserted into an opening 69 formed in the matching portion 65. When the elastic support member expands and contracts in the directions indicated by the two-headed arrow as the frame vibrates, the blade 68 slides in the opening 69, thereby obtaining a damper function. However, such an elastic support member has a complicated structure and is not easily produced. Due to a problem of a high cost, it is difficult to actually adopt the elastic support member.
In addition, the shadow mask 55 has to be attached and detached a plurality of times during a process of forming the phosphor screen 54 by a photo printing method using the shadow mask 55 as a photo mask. Consequently, the elastic support member 59 for holding the frame 58 across which the shadow mask 55 is stretched in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto has to be easily attached and detached in the same position with excellent reproducibility.
Further, in addition to the suppression of the vibration, the elastic support member 59 is required to have the following characteristics:
(1) improvements in terms of doming characteristic and low/high temperature characteristic; and
(2) assurance of impact resistance.
Doming characteristic (phenomenon) of (1) is a phenomenon such that the temperature of the shadow mask 55 rises due to the collision of electron beams as described above, creating a temperature difference between the shadow mask 55 and the panel 52 (usually made of glass), and therefore the predetermined alignment relationship deteriorates due to a thermal expansion coefficient difference between the material of the shadow mask 55 and that of the panel 52. Low/high temperature characteristic is similar to doming characteristic and is a phenomenon such that a positional alignment relationship between the shadow mask 55 and the panel is displaced due to the temperature difference between the shadow mask 55 and the panel 52 caused by the ambient temperature of the panel 52. Both of the characteristics are phenomena that the positional alignment relationship between the shadow mask 55 and the panel 52 is displaced due to the temperature difference between them. The phenomena cause a color shift and color unevenness. The displacements cannot be completely compensated even if a tensile force is applied to the shadow mask 55. When the shadow mask 55 expands relatively, the displacements between the shadow mask 55 and the inner face of the panel 52 on which the phosphor screen 54 is formed has to be compensated by shortening the distance between the shadow mask 55 and the inner face of the panel 5. On the contrary, when the panel 52 expands, it is necessary to widen the distance between the shadow mask 55 and the panel 52. In this manner, the elastic support member 59 has to have the function of displacing the position of the shadow mask 55 in accordance with the temperature difference between the panel 52 and the shadow mask 55.
At the time of carrying the color picture tube, there is a case such that the color picture tube is subjected to an impact that cannot be imagined in a normal use state due to an unexpected event (such as collapse of a cargo). When the shadow mask 55 is displaced due to plastic deformation of the elastic support member 59 or buckling of the matching portion by the impact, the positional alignment relationship between the shadow mask 55 and the panel 52 is displaced. The elastic support member 59 therefore has to be strong enough not to cause a displacement in the shadow mask 55 even when a specific impact (acceleration) is applied.
The structure including the frame, the shadow mask, and the elastic support member (hereinbelow, called a frame structure) is desired to have overall excellent characteristics with respect to the suppression of the vibration of the shadow mask, doming and low/high temperature characteristics and impact resistance.
An example of the conventional frame structure will be described hereinbelow. FIG. 4A is an entire view showing a state where a frame 58 is disposed in the panel 62 with strip-shaped elastic support members 59. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the strip-shaped elastic support member 59. The strip-shaped elastic support member 59 has a catching portion 60(a) to be caught by a stud pin 63 of the panel 62, a fixed portion 60(b) to be fixed to the frame, and a connecting portion 60(c) for connecting the catching portion 60(a) and the fixed portion 60(b). Such a strip-shaped elastic support member is called a TCM type and has a characteristic of excellent impact resistance. As a countermeasure against doming and low/high temperature characteristics, the elastic support member has a bimetallic structure made of two kinds of materials a (hatched portion) and xcex2 (not-hatched portion) having different thermal expansion coefficients. The bimetallic effect of the elastic support member 59 is not, however, displayed unless the temperature of the elastic support member 59 itself changes. Therefore, there is a problem of a slow response to a change in environment or a sudden rise in temperature of the shadow mask. Since the temperature change amount of the elastic support member 59 is small, a large correction amount cannot be set. Consequently, there is another problem that a material of the shadow mask having a thermal expansion coefficient largely different from that of the material of the panel cannot be used.
In the frame structure, since corners 74 of the frame 58 are not supported, vibration easily occurs. Moreover, since the elastic support member of the TCM type has no damper effect, once vibration occurs, it is not attenuated easily. As a result, the shadow mask also vibrates, thereby causing a problem that an adverse influence such as a color shift is exerted on the picture quality.
FIG. 5A shows a frame structure of another conventional technique. As shown in FIG. 5, stud pins 71 are provided on the inner walls at the opposite corners of a panel 70. Each of elastic support members 72 has a catching portion 72(a) to be caught by the stud pin 71, a fixed portion 72(b) fixed to a frame, and a V-shaped connecting portion 72(c) for connecting the catching portion 72(a) and the fixed portion 72(b). The connecting portion 72(c) is attached to the phosphor screen side. However, the configuration has the following problems.
(1) The clearance between the panel 70 and the frame 73 is narrow since the elastic support members 72 are disposed at the opposite corners of the panel 70, so that the assembling is difficult. It is not easy to assemble the frame 73 to the panel 70, and reduction in yield due to damage in the elastic support member 72, the stud pin 71, and the panel 70 is a problem.
(2) Since the elastic support members 72 are disposed at the opposite corners of the panel 70, the elastic support member 72 cannot be widened. Consequently, the impact resistance is poor.
The present invention is intended to solve the conventional problems mentioned above and provide a color picture tube that is resistant to external vibration and is excellent in terms of doming and low/high temperature characteristics and impact resistance, and has a suitable configuration for easy assembling, and an image display apparatus using the color picture tube.
The first aspect of the present invention is a cathode ray tube comprising, at least, a panel having a phosphor screen formed thereon, a shadow mask having a plurality of electron beam-passing portions, and a frame across which the shadow mask is stretched in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto, the frame being securely attached to the panel by an elastic support member while the phosphor screen is opposed to the shadow mask, wherein the elastic support member is located substantially in the middle portion of a frame portion and the shadow mask is configured such that the tension in the middle portion of the shadow mask is larger than the tension at the edge portions of the shadow mask.
In the configuration described above, since the elastic support member is located substantially in the middle portion of the frame portion, the assembly and frame support may be improved, and since the tension in the middle portion of the shadow mask is larger than the tension at the edge portions of the shadow mask, the vibration attenuating effect of the elastic support member may be found not only at the edge portions of the shadow mask but also at the middle portion of the shadow mask.
The second aspect of the present invention is a cathode ray tube comprising, at least, a panel having a phosphor screen formed thereon, a shadow mask having a plurality of electron beam-passing portions, and a frame across which the shadow mask is stretched in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto, the frame being securely attached to the panel by an elastic support member while the phosphor screen is opposed to the shadow mask, wherein the elastic support member is fixed to an elastic support member-holding plate located substantially in the middle of the frame portion and the shadow mask is configured such that the tension in the middle portion of the shadow mask is larger than the tension at the edge portions of the shadow mask.
In the configuration described above, since the elastic support member is fixed to the elastic support member-holding plate located substantially in the middle of each frame portion, the elastic support members are located in the same plane by adjusting the extension direction of the elastic support member-holding plate even when the frame portions are not in the same plane, and therefore the effects of the first aspect of the present invention are demonstrated further.
In these first and second aspects of the present invention described above, the elastic support member desirably comprises a fixed portion to be fixed to the frame, a matching portion to be matched to a stud pin provided on the inside of the panel side wall, and a connecting portion for connecting the matching portion and the fixed portion. The connecting portion preferably has an approximately V-shaped configuration. With this configuration, better doming and low/high temperature characteristics may be obtained.
In this configuration, the fixed portion of the elastic support member preferably has an area of at least 5 cm2. This is because when the area of the fixed portion is made large, a force applied to the frame is dispersed, and this prevents the tension distribution pattern of the shadow mask from varying due to the frame deformation. To increase the effect described above, the ratio of the area of the fixed portion of the elastic support member to the area of the frame portion to which the elastic support member is fixed is preferably at least greater than {fraction (1/25)}.
Furthermore, the elastic support member desirably includes a vibration suppressing structure, because the vibration of the frame is transmitted to the shadow mask even when the vibration of the shadow mask is attenuated unless the vibration of the frame is attenuated.
The spring constant of the elastic support member may be altered relatively easily without changing the size of the elastic support member by is forming an opening in the connecting portion of the elastic support member and adjusting the size of the opening.
The force applied to the frame portion by the elastic support member is preferably in the range of 1 kgf to 8 kgf and the spring constant of the elastic support member is preferably in the range of 0.1 kgf/mm to 2.5 kgf/mm.
The stretched shadow mask is provided with a damper for attenuating the vibration and has a tension distribution such that the tension is largest in the middle portion of the shadow mask and decreases gradually toward the edge portions to ensure that the vibration may be attenuated in the entire shadow mask. In order to extend the attenuating effect of the damper to the entire shadow mask, it is preferable that the tension distribution satisfy the relationships T1xe2x89xa7T2xe2x89xa7T3 and T1xe2x89xa71.1xc3x97T3, where the tension of the shadow mask middle portion is T1, the tension of the shadow mask edge portions is T3, and the tension of the intermediate portions between the middle and the edge portions is T2.
Preferably, the damper has a structure that is freely movable with no portion thereof fixed to the shadow mask in order to improve the attenuating effect.
Specifically, the damper is preferably so constructed as to be inserted into an opening formed in the shadow mask and is preferably a wire-like member or a ring-like member.
As the material for the shadow mask, Fexe2x80x94Ni alloy is preferable since its creeping rate is small even when heated to higher temperatures.
The third aspect of the present invention is a cathode ray tube comprising, at least, a panel having a phosphor screen formed thereon, a mask having a plurality of electron beam-passing portions, and a frame on which the mask is held, the frame being securely attached to the panel by a plurality of elastic support members while the phosphor screen is opposed to the mask, wherein the plurality of elastic support members are such that at least two elastic support members having substantially different spring constants are combined.
In the composition described above, when the plurality of elastic support members are such that at least two elastic support members having substantially different spring constants are combined, single vibration mode, in which the vibration is easily suppressed, predominates, and therefore the vibration of the frame may be suppressed.
In this third aspect of the present invention described above, desirably, each of the elastic support members is located substantially in the middle of a frame portion to suppress the vibration of the mask.
To obtain better doming and low/high temperature characteristics, desirably, the elastic support member comprises a fixed portion to be fixed to the frame, a matching portion to be matched to a stud pin provided on the inside of the panel side wall, and a connecting portion for connecting the matching portion and the fixed portion. The connecting portion preferably has an approximately V-shaped configuration.
Of the elastic support members, opposing elastic support members desirably have the same spring constant in order to increase the intensity of single vibration further.
The fixed portion of the elastic support member preferably has an area of at least 5 cm2. This is because when the area of the fixed portion is made large, the force applied to the frame is dispersed, and this prevents the tension distribution pattern of the shadow mask from varying due to the frame deformation. To increase this effect described above, the ratio of the area of the fixed portion of the elastic support member to the area of the frame portion to which the elastic support member is fixed is preferably at least greater than {fraction (1/25)}.
The elastic support member desirably includes a vibration suppressing structure, because the vibration of the frame is transmitted to the shadow mask even when the vibration of the shadow mask is attenuated unless the vibration of the frame is attenuated.
The spring constant of the elastic support member may be altered relatively easily without changing the size of the elastic support member by forming an opening in the connecting portion of the elastic support member and adjusting the size of the opening.
The force applied to the frame portion by the elastic support member is preferably in the range of 1 kgf to 8 kgf and the spring constant of the elastic support member is preferably in the range of 0.1 kgf/mm to 2.5 kgf/mm.
Preferably, the mask is stretched across the frame in a state where a tensile force is applied thereto, and more preferably, the tension in the middle portion is larger than the tension at the edge portions in the tension distribution of the mask. The reason for this is that the stretched shadow mask is provided with a damper for attenuating the vibration and has the tension distribution in which the tension is largest in the middle portion of the shadow mask and decreases gradually toward the edge portions to ensure that the vibration may be attenuated in the entire shadow mask. In order to extend the attenuating effect of the damper to the entire shadow mask, it is more preferable that the tension distribution satisfy the relationships T1xe2x89xa7T2xe2x89xa7T3 and T1xe2x89xa71.1xc3x97T3, where the tension of the shadow mask middle portion is T1, the tension of the shadow mask edge portion is T3, and the tension of the intermediate portions between the middle and the edge portions is T2.
Preferably, the damper has a structure which is freely movable with no portion thereof fixed to the shadow mask in order to increase the attenuating effect.
Specifically, the damper is preferably so constructed as to be inserted into an opening formed in the shadow mask and is preferably a wire-like member or a ring-like member.
As the material for the shadow mask, Fexe2x80x94Ni alloy is preferable since its creeping rate is small even when heated to higher temperatures.
Furthermore, the first, second, and third aspects of the present invention described above may be applied not only to the foregoing cathode ray tube but also to a general image display apparatus such as a television set which includes an electron beam controlling circuit, a cabinet, and the like in addition to the cathode ray tube. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The invention concerns a device for securing a compact disk to an upright player, with a means of mounting the disk and a means of preventing it from dropping out.
Upright compact-disk players are generally inexpensive embodiments without costly disk accommodations or compartments. The disks are forced against a turntable and accordingly centered by means of a pressure-application lever in this simple and economical design. When the user disengages the aforesaid mechanism in order to remove the disk, it can readily slide off center and drop out unless carefully handled. One reason for this is that the disk does not stop instantaneously subject to a stop pulse when the lever is disengaged. A falling compact disk can not only be damaged but can cause injuries.
To reliably secure the compact disk to the turntable, the pressure-application mechanism is usually provided with a permanent magnet that functions in conjunction with a soft-iron turntable. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
The loss of the protection expected of a sanitary napkin product may be caused by a lack of close contact with the body of the wearer, as well as a failure to provide adequate coverage over the requisite area of an undergarment. Those skilled in the art of sanitary protection have attempted to overcome these problems by introducing absorbent products having members disposed longitudinally in order to attempt to create raised edge portions adjacent a central absorbent area. These raised edge barriers are intended to act as barriers against lateral leakage. For example, McFarland, U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,556; Widlund, et al., EPO 0091412, filed Mar. 17, 1983; and Mokry, EPO 0155515, filed Feb. 2, 1985, and Van Tilburg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,876 have made attempts to solve failure problems using such means.
Some of the more recent napkin designs, in order to address further the lateral leakage problem, have included side panels, flaps or wings that extend laterally from the longitudinal sides of the central absorbent. Mattingly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,047, and McNair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,343. These products were designed to protect undergarments by providing side extensions that wrap around the crotch of an undergarment, such as a panty, to prevent body fluids from seeping over the longitudinal sides and staining the panty. The flaps of these napkins preferably have adhesive disposed on their body fluid impervious surfaces for attaching them to an undergarment. The McNair patent, for example, describes the use of adhesive under the central absorbent which is exposed by removing release paper releasably attached to the adhesive. The napkin is then attached to the crotch portion of the undergarment. The user removes the release paper from the adhesive on each of flaps and attaches the flaps to the underside surface of the undergarment. Attaching the flaps in this fashion, however, is known to be a time-consuming and tedious task. The procedure is, moreover, conducive to misplacement of the product.
Accordingly, a need exists for a sanitary napkin having panty protecting flaps which can be adhered to and removed from the panty more conveniently.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a winged sanitary napkin that is relatively easy to remove after use compared to those of the prior art.
It is another object of this invention to provide a winged sanitary napkin having resilient hinge portions which enable an adhesive-free placement of the flaps around the sides of the crotch portion of a panty.
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination, arrangement of parts and methods substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined in the attached claims. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
This invention relates to a baud-rate sampled-data system and, more particularly, to a method and circuitry for achieving timing recovery in such a system.
Timing recovery in digital synchronous data systems is a critical function. In the receiver of such a system, timing signals must be continuously adjusted in frequency and phase to compensate for drift that typically occurs between clocks utilized in the transmitter and receiver of the system. In that way, the respective sampling instants of successive received data signals can be optimized. With such optimization, the likelihood of being able to accurately reconstruct high-speed data received from a lossy transmission channel is significantly enhanced.
For a Nyquist-rate sampled-data system, conventional timing recovery techniques are available. Moreover, techniques have been proposed for achieving timing recovery in a baud-rate sampled-data system. These latter techniques are described, for example, in "Timing Recovery in Digital Synchronous Data Receivers", by K. H. Mueller and M. Muller, IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. COM-24, No. 5, May 1976, pp. 516-531, and in "A Digital Hybrid for Two-Wire Digital Subscriber Loops", by P. T. Nielsen and M. W. Gram, National Telecommunications Conference, 1978, pp. 21.2.1-21.2.7. These known baud-rate techniques are based on the assumption that the so-called post-cursor response of the channel is relatively invariant and predictable. But for a data system that includes a dispersive channel, such as an unloaded twisted-pair with bridged taps (of the type employed in a telecommunications network), this assumption is often an undependable basis for reliable timing recovery. In such a network, the post-cursor behavior of the channel is typically variable and unpredictable.
Accordingly, workers in the art have continued to search for reliable approaches on which to base timing recovery in a baud-rate sampled-data system of the type that includes a dispersive channel. It was recognized that such a search, if successful, would be one of the keys to realizing a high-speed full-duplex data system having considerable practical importance. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A large proportion (some estimates are as high as twenty-five percent) of the electricity generated in the United States each year goes to lighting. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide lighting which is more energy-efficient. It is well-known that incandescent light bulbs are very energy-inefficient light sources—about ninety percent of the electricity they consume is released as heat rather than light. Fluorescent light bulbs are more efficient than incandescent light bulbs (by a factor of about ten) but are still less efficient than solid state light emitters, such as light emitting diodes.
In addition, as compared to the normal lifetimes of solid state light emitters, incandescent light bulbs have relatively short lifetimes, i.e., typically about 750-1000 hours. In comparison, light emitting diodes, for example, have typical lifetimes between 50,000 and 70,000 hours. Fluorescent bulbs have longer lifetimes (e.g., 10,000-20,000 hours) than incandescent lights, but provide less favorable color reproduction.
Color reproduction is typically measured using the Color Rendering Index (CRI Ra). CRI Ra is a modified average of the relative measurements of how the color rendition of an illumination system compares to that of a reference radiator when illuminating eight reference colors, i.e., it is a relative measure of the shift in surface color of an object when lit by a particular lamp. The CRI Ra equals 100 if the color coordinates of a set of test colors being illuminated by the illumination system are the same as the coordinates of the same test colors being irradiated by the reference radiator. Daylight has a high CRI (Ra of approximately 100), with incandescent bulbs also being relatively close (Ra greater than 95), and fluorescent lighting being less accurate (typical Ra of 70-80). Certain types of specialized lighting have very low CRI (e.g., mercury vapor or sodium lamps have Ra as low as about 40 or even lower). Sodium lights are used, e.g., to light highways. Driver response time, however, significantly decreases with lower CRI Ra values (for any given brightness, legibility decreases with lower CRI Ra).
Another issue faced by conventional light fixtures is the need to periodically replace the lighting devices (e.g., light bulbs, etc.). Such issues are particularly pronounced where access is difficult (e.g., vaulted ceilings, bridges, high buildings, traffic tunnels) and/or where change-out costs are extremely high. The typical lifetime of conventional fixtures is about 20 years, corresponding to a light-producing device usage of at least about 44,000 hours (based on usage of 6 hours per day for 20 years). Light-producing device lifetime is typically much shorter, thus creating the need for periodic change-outs.
Accordingly, for these and other reasons, efforts have been ongoing to develop ways by which solid state light emitters can be used in place of incandescent lights, fluorescent lights and other light-generating devices in a wide variety of applications. In addition, where solid state light emitters are already being used, efforts are ongoing to provide solid state light emitter-containing devices which are improved, e.g., with respect to energy efficiency, color rendering index (CRI Ra), contrast, efficacy (lm/W), and/or duration of service.
One group of solid state light emitters are light emitting diodes. Light emitting diodes are well-known semiconductor devices that convert electrical current into light. A wide variety of light emitting diodes are used in increasingly diverse fields for an ever-expanding range of purposes.
More specifically, light emitting diodes are semiconducting devices that emit light (ultraviolet, visible, or infrared) when a potential difference is applied across a p-n junction structure. There are a number of well-known ways to make light emitting diodes and many associated structures, and the present inventive subject matter can employ any such devices. By way of example, Chapters 12-14 of Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, (2d Ed. 1981) and Chapter 7 of Sze, Modern Semiconductor Device Physics (1998) describe a variety of photonic devices, including light emitting diodes.
The commonly recognized and commercially available light emitting diode (“LED”) that is sold (for example) in electronics stores typically represents a “packaged” device made up of a number of parts. These packaged devices typically include a semiconductor based light emitting diode such as (but not limited to) those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,918,487; 5,631,190; and 5,912,477; various wire connections, and a package that encapsulates the light emitting diode.
As is well-known, a light emitting diode produces light by exciting electrons across the band gap between a conduction band and a valence band of a semiconductor active (light-emitting) layer. The electron transition generates light at a wavelength that depends on the band gap. Thus, the color of the light (wavelength) emitted by a light emitting diode depends on the semiconductor materials of the active layers of the light emitting diode.
Although the development of solid state light emitters, e.g., light emitting diodes, has in many ways revolutionized the lighting industry, some of the characteristics of solid state light emitters have presented challenges, some of which have not yet been fully met. For example, the emission spectrum of any particular light emitting diode is typically concentrated around a single wavelength (as dictated by the light emitting diode's composition and structure), which is desirable for some applications, but not desirable for others, (e.g., for providing lighting, such an emission spectrum provides a very low CRI Ra).
Because light that is perceived as white is necessarily a blend of light of two or more colors (or wavelengths), no single light emitting diode junction has been developed that can produce white light efficiently. “White” light emitting diode lamps have been produced which have a light emitting diode pixel/cluster formed of respective red, green and blue light emitting diodes. Other “white” light emitting diode lamps have been produced which include (1) a light emitting diode which generates blue light and (2) a luminescent material (e.g., a phosphor) that emits yellow light in response to excitation by light emitted by the light emitting diode, whereby the blue light and the yellow light, when mixed, produce light that is perceived as white light.
In general, the 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram (an international standard for primary colors established in 1931), and the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram (similar to the 1931 Diagram but modified such that similar distances on the Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color) provide useful reference for defining colors as weighted sums of colors.
A wide variety of luminescent materials (and structures which contain luminescent materials, known as lumiphors or luminophoric media, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,175, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference) are well-known and available to persons of skill in the art. For example, a phosphor is a luminescent material that emits a responsive radiation (e.g., visible light) when excited by a source of exciting radiation. In many instances, the responsive radiation has a wavelength which is different from the wavelength of the exciting radiation. Other examples of luminescent materials include scintillators, day glow tapes and inks which glow in the visible spectrum upon illumination with ultraviolet light.
Luminescent materials can be categorized as being down-converting, i.e., a material which converts photons to a lower energy level (longer wavelength) or up-converting, i.e., a material which converts photons to a higher energy level (shorter wavelength).
Inclusion of luminescent materials in LED devices has been accomplished by adding the luminescent materials to a clear or substantially transparent encapsulant material (e.g., epoxy-based, silicone-based, glass-based or metal-oxide based material) as discussed above, for example by a blending or coating process.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,963,166 (Yano '166) discloses that a conventional light emitting diode lamp includes a light emitting diode chip, a bullet-shaped transparent housing to cover the light emitting diode chip, leads to supply current to the light emitting diode chip, and a cup reflector for reflecting the emission of the light emitting diode chip in a uniform direction, in which the light emitting diode chip is encapsulated with a first resin portion, which is further encapsulated with a second resin portion. According to Yano '166, the first resin portion is obtained by filling the cup reflector with a resin material and curing it after the light emitting diode chip has been mounted onto the bottom of the cup reflector and then has had its cathode and anode electrodes electrically connected to the leads by way of wires. According to Yano '166, a phosphor is dispersed in the first resin portion so as to be excited with the light A that has been emitted from the light emitting diode chip, the excited phosphor produces fluorescence (“light B”) that has a longer wavelength than the light A, a portion of the light A is transmitted through the first resin portion including the phosphor, and as a result, light C, as a mixture of the light A and light B, is used as illumination.
As noted above, “white LED lamps” (i.e., lamps which are perceived as being white or near-white) have been investigated as potential replacements for white incandescent lamps. A representative example of a white LED lamp includes a package of a blue light emitting diode chip, made of indium gallium nitride (InGaN) or gallium nitride (GaN), coated with a phosphor such as YAG. In such an LED lamp, the blue light emitting diode chip produces a blue emission and the phosphor produces yellow fluorescence on receiving that emission. For instance, in some designs, white light emitting diode lamps are fabricated by forming a ceramic phosphor layer on the output surface of a blue light-emitting semiconductor light emitting diode. Part of the blue ray emitted from the light emitting diode chip passes through the phosphor, while part of the blue ray emitted from the light emitting diode chip is absorbed by the phosphor, which becomes excited and emits a yellow ray. The part of the blue light emitted by the light emitting diode which is transmitted through the phosphor is mixed with the yellow light emitted by the phosphor. The viewer perceives the mixture of blue and yellow light as white light.
As also noted above, in another type of LED lamp, a light emitting diode chip that emits an ultraviolet ray is combined with phosphor materials that produce red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light rays. In such an “RGB LED lamp”, the ultraviolet ray that has been radiated from the light emitting diode chip excites the phosphor, causing the phosphor to emit red, green and blue light rays which, when mixed, are perceived by the human eye as white light. Consequently, white light can also be obtained as a mixture of these light rays.
Designs have been provided in which existing LED component packages and other electronics are assembled into a fixture. In such designs, a packaged LED is mounted to a circuit board or directly to a heat sink, the circuit board is mounted to a heat sink, and the heat sink is mounted to the fixture housing along with required drive electronics. In many cases, additional optics (secondary to the package parts) are also necessary.
In substituting solid state light emitters for other light sources, e.g., incandescent light bulbs, packaged LEDs have been used with conventional light fixtures, for example, fixtures which include a hollow lens and a base plate attached to the lens, the base plate having a conventional socket housing with one or more contacts which are electrically coupled to a power source. For example, LED light bulbs have been constructed which comprise an electrical circuit board, a plurality of packaged LEDs mounted to the circuit board, and a connection post attached to the circuit board and adapted to be connected to the socket housing of the light fixture, whereby the plurality of LEDs can be illuminated by the power source.
There is an ongoing need for ways to use solid state light emitters, e.g., light emitting diodes, to provide white light in a wider variety of applications, with greater energy efficiency, with improved color rendering index (CRI Ra), with improved efficacy (lm/W), and/or with longer duration of service. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
A structure of a 3GPP LTE (3rd Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution; hereinafter, referred as “LTE”) system which is an example of a wireless communication system to which the present invention may be applied will be described.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structure a network structure of an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system (E-UMTS). An E-UMTS system is an evolved version of the UMTS system and basic standardization thereof is in progress under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The E-UMTS is also referred to as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. For details of the technical specifications of the UMTS and E-UMTS, refer to Release 7 and Release 8 of “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network”.
Referring to FIG. 1, the E-UMTS includes a User Equipment (UE), base stations (or eNBs or eNode Bs), and an Access Gateway (AG) which is located at an end of a network (E-UTRAN) and which is connected to an external network. Generally, an eNB can simultaneously transmit multiple data streams for a broadcast service, a multicast service and/or a unicast service.
One or more cells may exist for one BS. The cell provides a downlink or uplink transmission service to several UEs using any one of bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz. Different cells may be set to provide different bandwidths. A BS controls data transmission or reception to or from a plurality of UEs. The BS transmits downlink scheduling information to a UE with respect to downlink (DL) data so as to inform the UE of time/frequency domain, coding, data size, Hybrid Automatic Repeat and reQuest (HARQ) associated information of data to be transmitted, or the like. The BS transmits uplink scheduling information to a UE with respect to uplink (UL) data so as to inform the UE of time/frequency domain, coding, data size, HARQ associated information used by the UE, or the like. An interface for transmitting user traffic or control traffic can be used between BSs. A Core Network (CN) may include the AG, a network node for user registration of the UE, or the like. The AG manages mobility of a UE on a Tracking Area (TA) basis. One TA includes a plurality of cells.
Wireless communication technology has been developed to reach the LTE based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), but demands and expectations of users and providers have continuously increased. In addition, since other aspects of wireless access technology continue to evolve, new advances are required to remain competitive in the future. There is a need for reduction in cost per bit, service availability increase, the use of a flexible frequency band, a simple structure and an open type interface, appropriate power consumption of a UE, etc. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.