A print drive is present in an electronic pre-press workflow that includes a raster image processor (“RIP”) and an output device to receive, store, combine and transmit raster data processed by the raster image processor. A prepress imposition scheme is created at the front end and processed by the RIP. Prepress imposition parameters are used to generate a press sheet template image, which is transmitted to the print drive. The print drive is capable of applying the press sheet template to page raster data on demand to form a multi-page press sheet assembly so that raster images of individual pages remain independent. Among other benefits, this improves electronic prepress workflow by eliminating the need to generate combined raster images of multi-page press sheets to correct or modify a portion of the assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1, as known in the art of electronic prepress systems, output devices, such as imagesetters and platesetters, and, more recently, direct on-press imaging systems, have been served by a dedicated raster image processor ("RIP") connected between a front end computer ("front end") and an output device. In the prepress system of the prior art, page images 90 are designed and imposed on the front end 40.
Imposition application software electronically positions individual pages coded in a page description language onto an electronic representation of a press sheet to form a flat 95, i.e. a multi-page press sheet image. To accomplish this layout, the software combines the page description language data of individual pages and graphics files into a single page description language file and then adds cutting, folding, and other custom flat marks, thereby creating a fully-imposed flat 95. The flat 95 is transmitted to the RIP 34 for processing as a single file.
Various front-end software application programs produce output in a page description language. Page description languages, such as Postscript™ and PDF™, offered by Adobe Systems of Mountain View, Calif., allow text descriptions of large image data files to be transferred efficiently over communication lines and data networks, because page description language code is generally significantly smaller in data size than the raster data that results from the interpreted page description language code. When a page description language image file data is received by the RIP, operations such as font processing, image placement, trapping, and color separating result in a final output file, which is configured for a proofer 68, which is used to view images on paper in a simulation of the final, printed product, or another output device 46.
The raster data produced by the RIP for an imagesetter or platesetter is binary, meaning that each pixel in the image is either on or off. Color images are represented in separations. Each separation is imaged separately to the imagesetter or platesetter. The separations imaged by the output device are used to make printing plates (in the case of imagesetters) or are the printing plates themselves (in the case of platesetters).
Images generated for output by a RIP to a proofer are typically contone images (meaning that each pixel has some color value) rather than binary separations, and so the RIP output for a proofer will typically be different than the RIP output generated for an imagesetter or platesetter. Because the images are different, there is a danger of artifacts being present in the proofed image that are not present in the separations generated for a raster imaging system or vice-versa. It would be useful, therefore, to provide proof images that accurately reflect imaged separations.
If the rasterized flat 97 is submitted to the proofer 68, the proofer output is inspected. If no errors in the imposition scheme or color reproduction have been detected in the proofer output, the rasterized flat 97 is ready for output, and is transmitted again to the RIP 34 for processing for the output device 46. If a correction or other last-minute design or imposition change is necessary, the entire flat 95 is re-submitted to the RIP 34 for re-processing after the error has been corrected or the change has been made on the front end 40. The rasterized flat 97 may first be RIP-processed for the proofer 68, and the process is repeated if another error is detected.
Recent use of large-format imagesetters and platesetters goes well beyond creation of single pages. These output devices produce press size "flats" or "press sheets" in film or plate that contain four, eight, or more pages. After printing on a press, the press sheet is then cut and folded to become part of a paper document, such as a book or a magazine. Prepress imposition design of a press sheet is traditionally performed at the front end using imposition application software. This software electronically positions individual pages coded in a page description language, such as PostScript or PDF, onto an electronic representation of a press sheet. To accomplish this layout, the imposition software combines the PostScript or PDF data of individual pages into a single PostScript or PDF file and adds cutting, folding, and other custom marks, thereby creating a multi-page press sheet image. This image is then submitted for processing by the RIP to prepare a bitmap image file for transfer to the output device. It is, thus, necessary to have all individual pages of the print job available prior to RIP-processing. Moreover, a new imposition layout must be set for every new print job, even when processing a print job with the same number of pages of the same size as the job previously processed.
The page description language code that must be interpreted to image multiple pages in one press sheet is very complex, and the resulting bitmaps are very large. As a result, the RIP may be a bottleneck in creating press sheet films and plates. RIP-processing time for complex images can require several multiples of the imaging time. RIP-processing time has a greater impact on workflow when a change is required in a complex image. This is because a change in even a part of one page on a multi-page press sheet generally requires that the RIP reprocess the entire press sheet image. The bottleneck of slow RIP speeds affects the workflow both the first time the press sheet was processed by the RIP and a second (or more) time(s) when a modified version of the press sheet image is processed.
This method is inefficient and time-consuming, because a change in even a part of one page of the flat generally requires that the RIP reprocess the entire flat. In addition, the processing of a single raster image is further complicated by the necessity of processing all of the page image data at the same time. The page description language code that must be interpreted to image multiple pages onto a single press sheet is very complex, and the resulting bitmaps are very large. As a result, RIP-processing time for complex images can be much slower than the processing of individual pages separately. The bottleneck of slow RIP speeds affects the workflow both the first time the flat 95 is processed by the RIP and then each time when a modified version of the flat is processed.
One alternative to reprocessing the entire image, when a modification to a RIP processed image is desired, has been to physically modify the film that is output by an imagesetter to make a plate. To accomplish this modification, a portion of the image to be modified is physically cut from the film, and if necessary, a correction film inserted in its place. This can be difficult to accomplish without adding imaging artifacts. More importantly, this alternative is not available with direct-to-plate technology that does not use film. This alternative is also not possible when the change required is to lay out the various pages in a flat differently so as to accommodate a different press than the one that was originally intended.
It should be noted that one goal of modern electronic prepress systems is to keep the printing press, which is a very expensive resource, as busy as possible. It would be useful, therefore, to provide a prepress imaging system that could quickly accommodate addition of pages to a pending print job, or changes to content of individual pages, imposition layout of large-format multi-page press sheets, or press configuration, without having to wait for the modified press sheet to be re-processed by the RIP. If, for example, a first press breaks or is busy, and another (second) press is available, it would be useful to quickly provide flats that are configured for the second press.
In addition, when a multi-page flat has been imaged on a proofer, it is typical to measure the size and location of the pages in the flat to verify that the pages are aligned properly for the particular printing press on which printing is intended. It may not be easy, however, to determine whether the page has been positioned on the press sheet such that the bleed areas extend sufficiently over the cut marks. The measurements differ for each flat based on the pages in the flat and the layout and press for which the flat is intended. Because this is a manual measurement process, it is time-consuming and prone to error. It would, therefore, be useful to allow for faster measurement and verification of the layout when viewing a proof image.


The disclosure relates to a sprayer with a reservoir for a fluid, such as for a pesticide, with a pump device for pressurizing the fluid, whereby the pump device includes a pump drive, which is movably coupled to a pump piston by means of a pump connecting rod, whereby the pump connecting rod features a first connecting rod part and a second connecting rod part, whereby in order to connect the first connecting rod part and the second connecting rod part, at least one connecting device is provided, by means of which the connecting rod parts can be interlocked in at least two different latching levels.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Sprayers are used, for example, for gardening or in farming. In order to enable homogenous application of a pesticide, pump devices are normally provided, with which the pesticide can be pressurized. The pressurized pesticide can then be discharged from the reservoir, for example, by means of a nozzle or vaporizing device.
Pump devices designed as piston pumps have proved useful for pressurizing a pesticide. They feature a pump drive, whose movement is transmitted by means of a pump connecting rod to a pump piston.
Sprayers can be subjected to great strains, for example impact strains during transport or when shutting off the sprayer. In addition, sprayers should also function reliably with minimal maintenance and extended periods of non-use. Finally, it should be possible to manufacture sprayers at low cost, particularly when a sprayer is also intended for home use.


According to an embodiment of the invention, a sensor includes a housing with an annular track; a cylindrical contact within the annular track, the cylindrical contact being appropriately sized to allow movement within the annular track; and a plate coupled with the housing, the plate including one or more pairs of electrical contacts situated substantially adjacent to the annular track.

The present invention relates to position and motion sensors and, more particularly, to position and/or motion sensors that may be employed in electronically controlled toys.
Various position sensors and devices that sense motion, which may be employed in an electronically controlled doll or toy, are known. It is common for position/motion sensors to employ spatially distributed electrical contacts, such as on the interior of a spherical or other spatial cavity. In such position/motion sensors, a freely movable contact is typically employed that moves about the cavity when the sensor is moved. Examples of various position and motion sensors are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,611,345, 4,496,836, 4,503,299, 4,751,353 and 4,766,275, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention includes a position/motion sensor, such as for use in an electronically controlled toy. The sensor has a housing that defines, in part, an annular track. A cylindrical contact roller is contained within the annular track. The roller indicates motion, or relative position, by electrically coupling electrical contact strips arranged adjacent to the annular track. The contact strips are typically included in a plate that is coupled with the housing. A circuit board, or boards, is also typically coupled with the plate and may transmit electrical signals to and from the contact strips to indicate motion or relative position of the sensor and, in turn, a toy in which such a sensor is employed. In two of the depicted embodiments, a position/motion sensor is included in a doll and a toy vehicle.
The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.


A continuous process for production of maleic anhydride is disclosed wherein maleic anhydride is produced in high yield and catalyst productivity is in the range of from about 0.12 to about 0.18 pounds of maleic anyhdride produced per pound of catalyst per hour. The catalyst comprises vanadium-phosphorus-oxygen and a modifier, preferably molybdenum. The increased catalyst productivity substantially increases production rates without necessity for extensive equipment modification.

Catalytic vapor phase oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride in heat transfer, medium-cooled, tubular reaction zones is well-known. Typically, a gaseous feed comprising molecular oxygen, n-butane and ballast gas is passed over a fixed bed of oxidation catalyst in one or more reaction tubes at temperatures of about 300.degree. C. (572.degree. F.) to about 650.degree. C. (1202.degree. F.) and pressures of from about 10 to 75 psia. In general, catalysts for the oxidation of C.sub.4 hydrocarbons to maleic anhydride are based on vanadium and phosphorus. The difficulty with phosphorus-vanadium metal-promoted catalysts is that they tend to deactivate very quickly. It has been found by prior investigators that, contrary to some common reactions wherein the catalyst loses activity with time and the temperature is raised to compensate and to maintain the desired activity, in the oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride with vanadium-phosphorus catalysts, catalyst activity increases and selectivity decreases, with consequent loss in yield of maleic anhydride and increased production of carbon oxides and water. Since the oxidation reaction is highly exothermic, increased catalyst activity tends to increase oxidation temperature with consequent further increase in catalyst activity and decreased selectivity. In order to maintain the desired reaction zone temperature, heat transfer medium such as an oil or molten salt is circulated around the reaction tube or tubes. Typically, temperature of the heat transfer medium is adjusted to provide adequate cooling at the hottest point of the reaction zone. Given the positive dependency of reaction rates on reactant concentrations, the hottest point of the reaction zone is located where the reactant concentrations are greatest. Ideally, the hottest point of the reaction zone is maintained at a temperature wherein concentration of reactants is at a level to provide maximum conversion of the reactants and maximum selectivity to maleic anhydride without thermal runaway.
At present, known commercial processes for producing maleic anhydride from n-butane can be characterized as once-through air-oxidation processes in that air is used as the source of molecular oxygen, and, owing to the nitrogen content of air, levels of nitrogen in the reaction zone effluent build up to such an extent that recycle of effluent, with or without separation of nitrogen from unreacted n-butane, is economically impractical. In view of the flammability of mixtures of n-butane and air, concentrations of n-butane in a once-through air-oxidation process are limited typically to about a maximum of 1.8 mole %. Due to the impracticality of recycling unreacted n-butane at very low concentrations, the unreacted n-butane typically is discarded, further reducing total yield from n-butane consumed.
Suggestions have been proposed in the prior art to prepare maleic anhydride from n-butane in a continuous method wherein n-butane concentrations are higher than in the above once-through air-oxidation process. Substantially pure (at least 95%) molecular oxygen is used, and the temperature of the hottest point of the reaction zone, the so-called "hot spot", is controlled by the heat transfer medium to provide cooling. Continuous phosphorus addition is taught to maintain yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,699 teaches a batch process for production of maleic anhydride comprising contacting n-butane-rich feed consisting essentially of n-butane, molecular oxygen and ballast gas with an oxidation catalyst comprising a co-metal promoted vanadium-phosphorus catalyst. The co-metal is zinc, bismuth, copper or lithium. The reaction was in a heat transfer, medium-cooled tubular reaction zone, containing a fixed bed of catalyst graded in terms of reactivity wherein (1) n-butane is oxidized at relatively low per pass conversions, (2) reactor effluent is withdrawn from the reaction zone and a major portion of maleic anhydride is separated therefrom, and (3) a major portion of the effluent remaining after separation is recycled to the reaction zone. The feed consists essentially of about 2 to 10 mole % n-butane, about 8 to 20 mole % molecular oxygen and a balance of inert gas or gases. Air is taught as used on process start-up until inerts in the recycle gas build up, although oxygen instead of air can be used. An effluent comprising maleic anhydride, oxygenated by-product, unreacted n-butane and oxygen, and inert gas or gases is withdrawn from the exit end of the reaction zone, maleic anhydride and oxygenated hydrocarbon by-products are separated therefrom, and the remaining effluent is separated into a purge stream that is removed at a rate that substantially compensates for the buildup of inerts in the reaction zone. A recycle stream is recycled to the reaction zone with addition of make-up gas comprising n-butane and molecular oxygen. Reported yields ranged from 61.2 wt. % to 91.4 wt. % with recycle using pure oxygen. Runs of limited duration were from 1 to 4 days. Yields of up to 91.4 wt. % were achieved only by periodic regeneration of the catalyst by passing carbon tetrachloride over the catalyst. Accordingly, yields of about 90 wt. % are achieved with intermittent process down periods for catalyst regeneration. U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,699 does not teach or suggest a continuous process of extended duration with consistent high yields of at least 90 wt. %. Despite the use of recycle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,699 does not teach or suggest a continuous process for oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,205 teaches a continuous process using air as a source of oxygen for oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride wherein the catalyst is continuously regenerated by contacting it during the vapor-phase oxidation with a phosphorus compound and water. The feedstock contained from 0.2 to about 1.7 mole % butane. The reaction was on a once-through basis without recycle. Yields were increased by addition of phosphorous compounds from about 80 wt. % to about 92 wt. %.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,818 teaches the continuous addition of a phosphorus compound to maintain reaction temperature at a constant level. Recycle operation is simulated in Examples 6 and 7. Feed range was 2.4-5.5 vol. % n-butane, 10-12 vol. % oxygen and the balance nitrogen. The process comprised operating the process in the absence of added phosphorus compound at a preselected conversion to obtain a specific yield of maleic anhydride, determining the temperature of the reaction at that conversion and yield and thereafter maintaining the temperature substantially constant by controlled continuous addition of a volatile phosphorus compound to maintain the yield of maleic anhydride substantially constant. Operation was taught as on a single-pass basis for 600 hours. Catalyst operating temperature was taken at the outlet gas temperature. Conversion of butane was 25% with 65% selectivity to maleic anhydride. Nitrogen buildup in recycle was not disclosed. No provision was taught for recovery of n-butane in the effluent or recycle stream.
Despite the improvements reported in the above-described patents, these improvements are not entirely satisfactory from the standpoint of operation of a continuous process for long periods to prepare maleic anhydride from n-butane wherein recycle is required to recover unreacted n-butane. With recycle, impurities in the n-butane feed and carbon oxides from the oxidation reaction build up in the recycle stream to reduce oxygen partial pressure and reduce yield of desired product.
Although the prior art suggest that recycle of effluent from a maleic anhydride oxidation process, coupled with addition of a phosphorus compound in water, can result in a viable, long-term, continuous oxidation process, such has not been demonstrated heretofore wherein product yield and catalyst productivity are equal to or better than previously obtained product yields and catalyst productivity.
It has been found that continuous operation for extended periods to achieve high product yields of maleic anhydride and desirable catalyst productivity requires highly purified oxygen as the oxidizing agent, limitation of oxygen and n-butane in the feed stream to assure safety, limited conversion of oxygen and n-butane in the oxidation process to reduce production of carbon oxides as by- products, addition of a phosphorus compound and water to maintain catalyst selectivity, and use of a co-metal modified catalyst of vanadium-phosphorus-oxygen wherein the co-metal is preferably molybdenum.
The use of air as a source of oxygen in a continuous recycle oxidation process is not feasible because of nitrogen build-up in the effluent.
The presence of carbon monoxide in quantity in the recycle stream as an oxidation product, and its subsequent undesirable oxidation to carbon dioxide, liberates heat and increases reaction temperature with consequent increased hot-spot temperature and consequent possible runaway hot-spot exotherm. Accordingly, catalyst temperature control, within narrow limits, is required in a continuous process for oxidizing n-butane to maleic anhydride.
Highly pure oxygen as an oxidizing agent, instead of air, is required to limit the presence of nitrogen in the process effluent stream. Highly pure oxygen, however, can be present in the oxidation reaction only in limited amounts to limit the reaction of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide with production of excess reaction heat, thus increasing reaction temperature and hot spot temperature. Conversion rates of oxygen and n-butane are hot-spot temperature dependent, i.e. a high hot-spot temperature increases conversion of oxygen and n-butane.
Use of co-metal modified catalyst of vanadium-phosphorus-oxygen wherein the co-metal is molybdenum is required for increased yield and catalyst productivity over that obtained with a commercially available catalyst. Catalyst selectivity requires addition of a phosphorus compound and water.

Continuous process for the production of maleic anhydride


A flame-retardant epoxy resin composition includes an epoxy resin, a curing agent, and a metal hydroxide, wherein the curing agent as a phenolic resin (C) containing, in the molecular chain, structural units derived from a phenol (A) and structural units derived from an aromatic compound (B) other than the phenol (A), or the epoxy resin is a novolac epoxy resin CD) obtained by subjecting the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the phenolic resin (C) to etherification with glycidyl. The composition has a high degree of flame retardancy.

The present invention relates to a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition superior in flame retardancy and safety, as well as to a varnish solution, a prepreg and a laminate all made with the composition.
In an epoxy resin composition required to have flame retardancy for fire prevention, there have generally been used a halogen-based flame retardant and, as an auxiliary flame retardant, antimony trioxide.
Use of such a flame retardant and such an auxiliary flame retardant in an epoxy resin composition gives rise to a safety problem and, moreover, incurs metal corrosion. For these reasons, such an epoxy resin composition has had problems in application. For example, when such an epoxy resin composition is used as an insulating material for electronic part, there have occurred, in some cases, reduction in corrosion resistance of wiring particularly at high temperatures and resultant deterioration of reliability of the electronic part. Therefore, it has been desired to develop an epoxy resin composition using neither halogen-based flame retardant nor antimony trioxide.
As a means for imparting flame retardancy to an epoxy resin composition without using any halogen-based flame retardant or the like, it is known to compound a metal hydroxide in an epoxy resin composition. Expression of flame retardancy by metal hydroxide is due to the ignition-preventing action by the temperature decrease (endothermic reaction) of cured resin and is regarded as an auxiliary means for imparting flame retardancy. Therefore, use of a large amount of the metal hydroxide is required in order to obtain sufficient flame retardancy by such an endothermic reaction. This results in a significant reduction in moldability, etc. when such an epoxy resin composition is used in applications such as electronic part and the like, and the actual use of the epoxy resin composition has been difficult.
When a metal hydroxide is used in a large amount in an epoxy resin composition, particularly for production of a flame-retardant laminate by impregnation of the resulting epoxy resin composition into a glass fiber or the like and subsequent curing of the composition, various problems arise. These problems are described below.
The first problem is reduction in the processability of the laminate obtained. With respect to this, for example, the pages 270 to 271 of xe2x80x9cLatest Techniques of Flame Retardant and Flame Retardation (published on Jul. 30, 1999 from Technical Information Institute Co., Ltd.)xe2x80x9d describe that addition of a large amount (75% by mass relative to total epoxy resin composition) of aluminum hydroxide can achieve UL 94 V-0, but such an addition amount is unrealistic in practical application and xe2x80x9cgives rise to problems in punching and drilling in printed wiring board production as well as in soldering in parts mountingxe2x80x9d.
The second problem is increase in dielectric constant and reduction in moisture resistance and soldering heat resistance. While these properties must be maintained at sufficient levels in laminate applications, metal hydroxides are hygroscopic and have high dielectric constants; therefore, addition of a large amount of a metal hydroxide invites reduction in the above properties.
Thus, with the means of adding a metal hydroxide to an existing epoxy resin, it has been difficult to achieve a high degree of flame retardancy while keeping the properties required for laminate applications, at high levels.
Meanwhile, various studies have been made on imparting flame retardancy by change of the molecular structure of an epoxy resin or a curing agent. In JP-A-11-140277 is disclosed a flame-retardant-free epoxy resin composition used for encapsulation of semiconductor device, containing, as essential components, a phenolic resin of novolac structure containing, in the molecule, a biphenyl derivative and/or a naphthalene derivative, an epoxy resin of novolac structure containing, in the molecule, a biphenyl derivative and/or a naphthalene derivative, an inorganic filler and a curing accelerator.
In the above epoxy resin composition used for encapsulation of semiconductor device, the phenolic resin and the epoxy resin both having, in the structure, a polycyclic compound(s) such as biphenyl derivative, naphthalene derivative and/or the like are reacted to form a crosslinked structure; therefore, the composition, when ignited, shows rubber-like expansion at the surface to form a foamed layer. This foamed layer shields the supply of heat and oxygen to the unburnt portion, whereby a high degree of flame retardancy is expressed.
The above resin composition, however, is designed so as to fit an application of semiconductor device encapsulation and therefore, when used for applications such as laminate and the like, shows no sufficient flame retardancy. This is owing to the fact that since a laminate contains therein a substrate such as a woven and nonwoven glass fabric which prevents the deformation (expansion) of the resin component, formation of a sufficient amount of a stable foamed layer in the laminate during its ignition is difficult.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned situation and aims at providing a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition showing a high degree of flame retardancy and safety both of which have been unobtainable with the prior art.
The present invention aims, in particular, at allowing a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition used for production of a laminate, to have a high degree of flame retardancy while having the properties to be possessed by the laminate, i.e. processability, dielectric properties, moisture resistance, soldering heat resistance and the like.
In order to achieve the above aim, the present invention provides a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition comprising an epoxy resin, a curing agent and a metal hydroxide,
wherein the curing agent is a phenolic resin (C) containing, in a molecular chain, a structural unit derived from a phenol (A) and a structural unit derived from an aromatic compound (B) other than the phenol (A).
The present invention also provides a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition comprising an epoxy resin, a curing agent and a metal hydroxide,
wherein the epoxy resin is a novolac epoxy resin (D) obtained by glycidyletherifying a phenolic hydroxyl group of a phenolic resin (C) containing, in a molecular chain, a structural unit derived from a phenol (A) and a structural unit derived from an aromatic compound (B) other than the phenol (A).
The present invention also provides a flame-retardant epoxy resin composition comprising an epoxy resin, a curing agent and a metal hydroxide,
wherein the curing agent is a phenolic resin (C) containing, in a molecular chain, a structural unit derived from a phenol (A) and a structural unit derived from an aromatic compound (B) other than the phenol (A), and
the epoxy resin is a novolac epoxy resin (D) obtained by glycidyletherifying a phenolic hydroxyl group of a phenolic resin (Cxe2x80x2) containing, in a molecular chain, a structural unit derived from a phenol (Axe2x80x2) and a structural unit derived from an aromatic compound (Bxe2x80x2) other than the phenol (Axe2x80x2).
In the flame-retardant epoxy resin composition, the phenol (A), the aromatic compound (B) and the phenolic resin (C) may be the same with or different from the phenol (Axe2x80x2), the aromatic compound (Bxe2x80x2) and the phenolic resin (Cxe2x80x2), respectively. Incidentally, the descriptions on the phenol (A), the aromatic compound (B) and the phenolic resin (C), made in this specification apply also to the phenol (Axe2x80x2), the aromatic compound (Bxe2x80x2) and the phenolic resin (Cxe2x80x2).
The present invention also provides an epoxy resin varnish solution obtained by dispersing the above flame-retardant epoxy resin composition in an organic solvent; a prepreg obtained by impregnating the above flame-retardant epoxy resin composition into a substrate and curing the impregnated composition; and a laminate obtained by laminating a plurality of the prepregs and hot-pressing them.
In the present invention, a phenolic resin and an epoxy resin having the above-mentioned particular structure, and a metal hydroxide are used in combination, whereby a high degree of flame retardancy is realized. By using, in particular, a combination of a phenolic resin of the above particular structure and an epoxy resin of the above particular structure, even higher flame retardancy is obtained.
The flame-retardant epoxy resin composition of the present invention comprises a phenolic resin (C) containing, in the molecular chain, structural units derived from a phenol (A) and structural units derived from an aromatic compound (B); and/or an epoxy resin (D) obtained by subjecting the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the phenolic resin (C) to etherification with glycidyl; and further comprises a metal hydroxide. Owing to the synergistic effect of these components, a high degree of flame retardancy is obtained as described below.
As mentioned in the section of the prior art, the cured material of an epoxy resin composition in which a phenolic resin (C) and/or an epoxy resin (D) both containing an aromatic compound (B) in the molecular skeleton, form a crosslinked structure, generates a decomposition gas inside when ignited, gives rise to rubber-like expansion of the surface resin layer, and form a stable foamed layer; thereby, flame retardancy is expressed. With such an action alone, however, no sufficient flame retardancy is obtained in the case of an epoxy resin composition used in, for example, a laminate containing a substrate such as a woven and nonwoven glass fabric, which hinders the deformation (expansion) of the resin component, because, in such an epoxy resin composition, efficient formation of a foamed layer capable of showing a high degree of flame retardancy is difficult.
Hence, in the flame-retardant epoxy resin composition of the present invention, there are used an epoxy resin of the above-mentioned particular structure, a curing agent of the above-mentioned particular structure and a metal hydroxide. Owing to the synergistic effect of these components, strikingly high flame retardancy unobtainable with the prior art is obtained. The reasons are not clear; however, the present flame-retardant epoxy resin composition is considered to express its flame retardancy based on the following mechanism.
The cured material of the present flame-retardant epoxy resin composition, when ignited, gives rise to thermal decomposition of the metal hydroxide to generate water vapor. This water vapor allows the cured resin material softened by the heat of ignition to deform and expand, whereby formation of a foamed layer is promoted. Consequently, a sufficient amount of a foamed layer can be formed during ignition even when the present epoxy resin composition is used in a structure containing a substrate such as a woven and nonwoven glass fabric, which hinders the deformation (expansion) of the resin component. Further, this foamed layer has a high hot strength and is hardly broken by heat because of the particular crosslinked structure brought about by a particular epoxy resin and a particular curing agent; moreover, is filled with water vapor, etc. inside; therefore, can effectively shield heat and oxygen and can effectively act as a ignition-preventing layer.
The metal hydroxide, when ignited, is converted into a metal oxide and this metal oxide remains uniformly in the resin material. The metal oxide is considered to act as a support and allow the foamed layer to have a uniform size. Thus, the metal hydroxide is considered to allow the foamed layer to have a preferred structure and accordingly higher ignition preventability.
As mentioned above, in the present invention, an epoxy resin of particular structure, a curing agent of particular structure and a metal hydroxide are used in combination; thereby, formation of a flamed layer of high hot strength is promoted, the foamed layer is filled with water vapor inside and is allowed to have ignition preventability, and the metal oxide converted from the metal hydroxide becomes a support and allows the foamed layer to have a structure suitable for ignition prevention; as a result, a high degree of flame retardancy is considered to be realized.
In the present invention, since a metal hydroxide is used for such a purpose, its addition amount can be small to obtain sufficient flame retardancy, as compared with the prior art in which a metal hydroxide is used simply for temperature lowering.
In the present epoxy resin composition, addition of, in particular, a silicone compound having a branched structure main chain and containing, in the structure, aromatic compound-derived group can allow the epoxy resin composition to have significantly improved flame retardancy. The added silicone compound reacts with the epoxy resin and the curing agent in the epoxy resin composition to form a flame-retardant substance superior in thermal decomposition resistance; therefore, when the cured resin material is ignited, a foamed layer more resistant to foam breakage is formed and higher flame retardancy can be attained. Further, the addition of the silicone compound enables reduction in the amount of the metal hydroxide used, which allows effective prevention of the reduction in the moldability and electrical properties (dielectric properties) of the epoxy resin composition, because of lowering the metal hydroxide.

Flame-retardant epoxy resin composition and laminate made with the same


A combined snow plow/winch device is provided which includes a mouldboard for plowing snow and a winch for moving loads, both simultaneously mounted to a front of a vehicle. The mouldboard is pivotally mounted to the vehicle for limited movement about a horizontal axis against a biasing member. The winch includes a cable receiving drum, a cable wound about the drum by rotation of the drum, and drive structure for rotating the drum. The winch is mounted to the vehicle above the horizontal rotation axis of the mouldboard. A fairlead is affixed to the mouldboard above and forward of the horizontal rotation axis. During operation of the winch to move objects, the winch cable passes through the fairlead and exerts a force on the mouldboard such that the mouldboard pivots forward against the biasing member, allowing the cable to be straightened between the drum and the object to be moved.

A snow plow and a winch are common vehicle accessories. Previously, a choice had to be made between which accessory was mounted for use on the vehicle. During the cold weather months, there is often a need for both a snow plow and winch to be mounted on the vehicle simultaneously. Problems arise when combining these two accessories on the front of a vehicle because they compete for space and in operation may interfere with each other. The winch is typically located on or near the vehicle frame which typically lies below the top of a snow plow mouldboard. To operate the winch when the snow plow is present, the winch cable must travel up and over the mouldboard. Previous devices employing pulleys and/or guides to accomplish this have proven unsatisfactory. Typically, these devices reduce the horizontal pulling force of the winch because the winch cable does not travel in a straight path between the winch drum and the object to which the cable is attached These devices may also cause increased wearing of the winch cable and any guides employed. Because these devices alter the travel path of the winch cable, they must be designed to withstand the very heavy loads that the winch cable is capable of transmitting.
Prior art devices in this area include the device shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,496 which discloses a vehicle bumper permitting simultaneous mounting of a winch and a snow plow. That device threads the winch cable over a snatch block mounted on the plow lift arm to provide vertical clearance between the winch cable and the top of the snow plow. With this arrangement a large load on the cable will place a significant horizontal force on the plow bow member at a large height above the vehicle frame. The resulting stress or torque may, in time, cause the bow to fail. U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,071 discloses an adjustable, manually guidable snow plow. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,587,751, 2,420,591, 2,166,424, and 1,776,788 disclose snow plows that are designed to allow the blade portion to travel over objects on the plowing surface avoiding damage to the snow plow. Cables are used in these devices to lift or guide the snow plow blade.
The present invention allows the winch to be operated without removing the snow plow. This device allows the winch cable to travel in a straight or very nearly straight path reducing the amount of lost horizontal pulling force in the winch cable. It also reduces the amount of wear on the winch cable and guides. Strength considerations for the portions of the device that allow the cable to travel over the mouldboard are reduced in the present invention because very few parts are subjected to heavy loads during the winching operation.
These and other advantages of the invention over the prior art will become more apparent after reading the description and claims which follow.


The invention provides compositions containing a highly purified antiendotoxin compound and methods of preparing and using such compositions.

This invention relates to compositions containing a highly purified antiendotoxin compound and methods of preparing and using such compositions.
Since the 1930's, the increasing use of immunosuppressive therapy and invasive devices, as well as the increased incidence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, have led to a gradual rise in the occurrence of sepsis and septic shock. Currently, the estimated incidences in the U.S. of sepsis and septic shock are 400,000 and 200,000 patients/year, respectively. This results in about 100,000 fatalities/year, making septic shock the most common non-coronary cause of death in hospital Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Currently, ICU therapy for septic shock is limited to antibiotic therapy, cardiovascular resuscitation, vasopressor/ionotrope therapy, and ventilatory support. This ICU care can cost up to $1,500/day and average a total of $13,000 to $30,000 per patient. Clearly, any therapy that can reduce the morbidity and cost for the care of sepsis/septic shock will be of great value.
It is likely that antibiotics themselves can worsen morbidity associated with sepsis; their bactericidal action can result in the release of endotoxin from gram negative bacteria, which is believed to induce many pathophysiological events such as fever, shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and hypotension. Consequently, medicines for the treatment of gram negative sepsis have been desired for some time, especially drugs capable of blocking endotoxin or cytokines derived from endotoxin-mediated cellular stimulation. To this end, various strategies for treatment have included administration of antibodies or other agents against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or cytokines, such as TNF-α and interleukin-1. For various reasons, these approaches have failed.
While endotoxin itself exists in multiple molecular forms, the expression of many of the toxic properties of endotoxin is attributed to the highly conserved hydrophobic lipid A portion. An effective drug that acts as an antagonist to this conserved structure is known as E5564 (also known as compound B1287 and SGEA). This drug is described as compound 1 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,824, which is incorporated herein by reference. E5564 has the formula: (α-D-Glucopyranose, 3-0-decyl-2-deoxy-6-O-[2-deoxy-3-O-[(3R)-3-methoxydecyl)-6-O-methyl-2-[[(11Z)-1-oxo-11-octadecenyl)amino]-4-O-phosphono-β-D-glucopyranosyl]-2-[(1,3-dioxotetradecyl)amino]-,1-(dihydrogen phosphate), which can be provided as a tetrasodium salt. E5564 has a molecular weight of 1401.6.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


In one embodiment, a method, for estimating electrode resistance values, comprises: calculating an aggregate resistance value for each electrode in a group of electrodes of an implantable stimulation lead of the electrical stimulation system, wherein the calculating, for each electrode, comprises: (i) setting a respective electrode in the group of electrodes as an anode; (ii) setting electrodes in the group of electrodes other than the respective electrodes as cathodes; (iii) applying a predetermined electrical signal through the group of the electrodes using a pulse generator of the electrical stimulation system; (iv) measuring current flow or voltage resulting from application of the predetermined electrical signal through the group of the electrodes; (v) calculating the aggregate resistance value for the respective electrode in response to the measuring; calculating an individual resistance value for each electrode of the group of electrodes using the set of aggregate resistance values for the group of electrodes.

Neurostimulation systems are devices that generate electrical pulses and deliver the pulses to nerve tissue to treat a variety of disorders. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is the most common type of neurostimulation. In SCS, electrical pulses are delivered to nerve tissue in the spine typically for the purpose of chronic pain control. While a precise understanding of the interaction between the applied electrical energy and the nervous tissue is not fully appreciated, it is known that application of an electrical field to spinal nervous tissue can effectively mask certain types of pain transmitted from regions of the body associated with the stimulated nerve tissue. Specifically, applying electrical energy to the spinal cord associated with regions of the body afflicted with chronic pain can induce "paresthesia" (a subjective sensation of numbness or tingling) in the afflicted bodily regions. Thereby, paresthesia can effectively mask the transmission of non-acute pain sensations to the brain.
SCS systems generally include a pulse generator and one or more leads. A stimulation lead includes a lead body of insulative material that encloses wire conductors. The distal end of the stimulation lead includes multiple electrodes that are electrically coupled to the wire conductors. The proximal end of the lead body includes multiple terminals, which are also electrically coupled to the wire conductors, that are adapted to receive electrical pulses. The distal end of a respective stimulation lead is implanted within the epidural space to deliver the electrical pulses to the appropriate nerve tissue within the spinal cord that corresponds to the dermatome(s) in which the patient experiences chronic pain. The stimulation leads are then tunneled to another location within the patient's body to be electrically connected with a pulse generator or, alternatively, to an "extension."
The pulse generator is typically implanted within a subcutaneous pocket created during the implantation procedure. In SCS, the subcutaneous pocket is typically disposed in a lower back region, although subclavicular implantations and lower abdominal implantations are commonly employed for other types of neuromodulation therapies.
The pulse generator is typically implemented using a metallic housing that encloses circuitry for generating the electrical pulses, control circuitry, communication circuitry, a rechargeable battery, etc. The pulse generating circuitry is coupled to one or more stimulation leads through electrical connections provided in a "header" of the pulse generator. Specifically, feedthrough wires typically exit the metallic housing and enter into a header structure of a moldable material. Within the header structure, the feedthrough wires are electrically coupled to annular electrical connectors. The header structure holds the annular connectors in a fixed arrangement that corresponds to the arrangement of terminals on a stimulation lead.
The stimulation therapy provided by implantable neurostimulation systems may be affected by electrode impedance. Known neurostimulation systems include functionality to test the impedance of the various electrodes of the stimulation lead(s). The testing may identify short circuits and open circuits. Also, the impedance testing may be utilized for other purposes. For example, the amplitude of applied pulses may be adjusted in response to the impedance testing. Since the accuracy of the impedance testing may vary depending upon the details of the testing methodology, the effectiveness of adjustments in stimulation therapy may also vary depending upon the impedance testing methodology.

Implantable neurostimulation system and method for estimating electrode impedance values for neurostimulation systems


Methods and devices for digital image templating are presented. According to example embodiments, a computing device may match a template image (e.g., an implant) to a target image (e.g., a bone structure). The both the target image and the template image may be displayed on an output of the computing device. The displayed template image may be oriented with respect to the displayed target image according to at least a scale (e.g., a magnification level of the template image). Based on received input, at least the scale of the displayed template image may be adjusted so that the adjusted displayed template image substantially fits the part of the displayed target image. Then, based on this fit, a physical template size may be selected from a discrete range of physical template sizes.

Orthopedic joint replacement and stabilization surgery has grown in popularity over the course of the last several decades. Advances in technology have made procedures such as hip replacement, knee replacement, and bone stabilization commonplace. Joint replacement procedures typically involve replacing a damaged joint with a prosthetic implant that is shaped in a way that allows movement similar to that of a healthy joint. Stabilization procedures typically involve bracing or fixating an injured bone so that it heals properly. Implants used in both types of procedures may be made from metal, plastic, ceramic, or some other substance.
In order for an orthopedic replacement procedure to be successful, a physician must be able to anticipate both the type and size of implant needed. Doing so reduces the risk of complications during the procedure, including nerve injury, instability, intraoperative fracture while inserting the implant, postoperative pain, and even failure to have the correct hardware available. Use of a proper implant also enables the procedure to be performed safely and accurately, providing strong fixation between implant and bone. Thus, being able to anticipate both the type and size of the implant is desirable to ensure the procedure's success.
Traditionally, a physician would manually size implants to radiographic (i.e., x-ray) images of the patient's joint and the associated bone structure. The physician would place a clear sheet, or template, containing an outline in the shape of the implant over the radiograph. This outline may include points, solid lines, dashed lines, or dotted lines, at least some of which may correspond to common bone structure or physiological reference points. Given that radiographic images are typically magnified by approximately 10% to 25%, the template is also typically magnified to account for the anticipated magnification of the patient's bone structure when a radiograph is taken.
The physician could then line up the template to a section of the patient's bone structure. By using multiple templates of different sizes in essentially a trial-and-error procedure, the physician would eventually determine a size for the actual implant hardware. However, this method is often inaccurate due to an inherent weakness. Traditional templates can only provide one magnification. As a result, it is usually an average for the entire population. Yet, magnification in the general population varies widely as it is proportional to body habitus. For example, extremely large patients have much greater magnification on their radiographs than small patients. As a result, this traditional procedure is subject to the risk that an implant of the wrong size will be used.
In order to overcome this problem, some physicians place a sizing marker on the radiograph which enables them to more accurately determine the magnification of the radiograph. Once the radiograph has been templated, the physician then adjusts the final result by the determined magnification. This method ultimately fails because the template is not resized to the correct magnification before being placed over the radiograph. As a result, the incorrectly sized template is placed in the incorrect position. Unfortunately, any template in the incorrect position cannot accurately determine the size of implant hardware needed. Therefore, using a magnification marker for traditional templating does not improve the accuracy of the templating process.
To improve the accuracy of traditional templating, many physicians now use digital templating. With digital templating, the physician views the radiographic image on a computer, and uses a computer representation of the template to attempt to fit the template to the bone to be replaced or stabilized. Digital templating has a significant advantage over traditional methods in that digital templates are not limited to one size magnification. Templating software enables either the templates or the radiograph to be adjusted to the correct magnification prior to placement of the template. Nonetheless, while digital templating addresses some of the problems of orthopedic templating, current systems have several disadvantages, in that they are proprietary, inflexible, prohibitively expensive, difficult to set up and maintain, and hard to use.


Disclosed are processes for the preparation of an azonitrile initiator having both a low salt and low water content of the formula ##STR1## This initiator is prepared by reacting a keto acid of the formula ##STR2## with M(CN).sub.x, a hydrazine source, and hydrochloric acid to form ##STR3## The hydrazo intermediate is reacted with chlorine gas in the presence of acetone to oxidize the hydrazo intermediate to the azonitrile initiator. After oxidation, the reaction mixture is permitted to separate into layers. The bottom aqueous layer is removed and discarded. The upper acetone-azonitrile initiator level is treated with solid calcium chloride or a saturated calcium chloride or sodium chloride solution. This salting out procedure generates an additional water layer that further contains (M(Cl).sub.x. The final acetone-azonitrile initiator solution has a low salt and low water content.. R.sub.1 is an alkyl group containing from about 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, R.sub.2 is non-existent or an alkylene group containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, or a cycloalkylene or alkyl cycloalkylene group containing from about 3 to about 12 carbon atoms, and M is a metal comprising lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, or calcium.

Diazocyano acids have been used as an initiator for polymerization such as homopolymerization of acrylamide or 1,3-butadiene or copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene with acrylonitrile (see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,949).
As means for the preparation of diazocyano acids, there is known a process comprising reacting a keto acid or its sodium salt with a cyanogen compound such as sodium cyanide or hydrogen cyanide and a hydrazine such as hydrazine hydrate or hydrazine sulfate in water to form a hydrazo compound, adding chlorine gas to the obtained solution to oxidize the hydrazo compound and form a diazocyano acid and filtering off the solid diazocyano acid from the obtained reaction mixture (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,949).
However, this known process has the following problems:
(a) Since sodium chloride is formed as a by-product in an amount of at least 2 moles per mole of a diazocyano acid when the diazocyano acid is synthesized, a large amount of sodium chloride is contained in the diazocyano acid product. A diazocyano acid containing a large amount of sodium chloride is not preferred as the initiator for homopolymerization of 1,3-butadiene or copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene with acrylonitrile. Diazocyano acids containing too much sodium chloride will cause a clarity problem when cured with epoxy resins; additionally, the sodium chloride is not desirable when insulating properties from the polymers are needed.
(b) If a refining step is arranged for removing sodium chloride contained in the diazocyano acid, the yield of the diazocyano acid is drastically reduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,717 (Ashitaka et al, Aug.4, 1987) provides a process for the preparation of diazocyano acid, which comprises reacting a keto acid or its sodium salt with a cyanogen compound such as sodium cyanide or hydrogen cyanide and a hydrazine in water to form a concentrated aqueous solution of a hydrazo compound, adding acetone or acetone and water to the concentrated aqueous solution to form an acetone water solution of the hydrazo compound. An oxidant, such as chlorine gas is added to the solution to oxidize the hydrazo compound and form a diazocyano acid. Transparent liquid layers are formed by adding acetone and/or water to the obtained reaction mixture during or after oxidation if necessary. Sodium chloride is added to the reactive mixture, if necessary, and separated and recovered in the uppermost layer of the acetone-water solution containing the diazocyano acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,718 (Ashitaka et al, Aug. 4, 1987) provides a process for the preparation of diazocyano acid, which comprises reacting a keto acid or its sodium salt with a cyanogen compound such as sodium cyanide or hydrogen cyanide and a hydrazine in water to form a concentrated aqueous solution of a hydrazo compound, adding acetone or acetone and water to the concentrated aqueous solution to form a solution of the hydrazo compound. Chlorine gas is added to the solution to oxidize the hydrazo compound and form a diazocyano acid which is separated out from the obtained reaction mixture.

Process for the preparation of an azonitrile dicarboxylic acid initiator in acetone having a low salt and low water content


Radiation-emitting semiconductor diodes in the form of diode lasers or LEDs are used inter alia in information processing systems. There is a particular demand for diodes having a low wavelength. A diode laser which emits at 633 nm is a particularly attractive alternative to a helium-neon gas laser. According to the invention, a method of making a the buffer layer of such a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode comprises aluminium-gallium arsenide, the aluminium content having at least a minimum value belonging to the band gap of the active layer. The minimum Al content is approximately 6 at % for an InGaP band gap of 1.88 eV, and approximately 9 at % for 1.92 eV. As a result, an active layer comprising InGaP emits, for example, at 650 nm while the semiconductor layers still possess a good crystal quality and morphology. When the active layer of a diode laser has a multiple quantum well structure with comparatively thick (approximately 5 nm) well layers, it even emits at 633 nm. In this method according to the invention, a comparatively high growing temperature--preferably approximately 760.degree. C.--and a buffer layer comprising AlGaAs with a suitable aluminium content are used. Ordering of the structure in semiconductor layers comprising InGaP and InAlGaP is counteracted by this.

Such radiation-emitting semiconductor diodes, especially if the wavelength of the emission is in the visible part of the spectrum, are suitable radiation sources--if designed as diode lasers--for inter alia information-processing systems such as laser printers with which information is written, optical disc systems such as Compact Disc (Video) (CD(V)) players or bar code readers, by which information is read, and Digital Optical Recording (DOR) systems, by which information is written and read. There are also numerous applications in optoelectronic systems for LED versions of such diodes.
Such a radiation-emitting diode and such a method for manufacturing same are known from the article "AlGaInPP Double Heterostructure Visible-Light Laser Diodes with AlGaInPP Active Layer Grown by Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy" by K. Kobayashi et al., published in IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, vol. QE-23, no. 6, June 1987, p. 704. In this article, a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode is described on which an active layer of InGaP is present on a substrate of n-GaAs between two cladding layers of InAlGaP. The semiconductor materials of these layers each comprise a mixed crystal having two sublattices in which the phosphorus atoms are present on the one sublattice and the atoms of the other elements, in this case In and Ga atoms for the active layer and In, Al, and Ga atoms for the cladding layers, are present on the other sublattice. A buffer layer of GaAs is present between the substrate and the first cladding layer. The wavelength of the emission of the diode, which is constructed as a laser here, is approximately 670 nm (i.e. the wavelength in photoluminescence is approximately 660 nm, which corresponds to a band gap of approximately 1.88 eV).
A disadvantage of the known radiation-emitting semiconductor diode is that the experimentally found wavelength for the emission is higher than the theoretically expected one: for example, the wavelength expected for an InGaP active layer is approximately 650 nm, whereas approximately 670 nm or more is often found in practice. A similar effect occurs in the case of cladding layers comprising InGaAlP, where the experimentally found band gap again is less than the theoretically expected one. The band gap of both the active layer and the cladding layer may be increased by increasing the aluminium content of these layers. This possibility is limited, especially for the cladding layers which contain indirect semiconductor materials, because progressive addition of aluminium results in an ever smaller increase in the band gap, and doping of the cladding layers becomes more difficult. As regards the active layer, another possibility is to make the latter thinner, which, however, renders manufacture more difficult. It was found experimentally that the use of misoriented substrates, for example (311) or (511) substrates, causes the experimental band gap--and thus the wavelength of the emission--to lie (much) closer to the theoretically expected value. The use of misoriented substrates, however, is more expensive and has the drawback that it restricts the choice of the longitudinal direction of the resonance cavity.
The present invention has for its object inter alia to provide a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode--especially a semiconductor diode laser--which does not have the previous disadvantage, or at least to a much lesser extent, and therefore combines a lowest possible emission wavelength with a highest possible band gap of the cladding layers. The present invention has for its further object to realise a diode having an active layer which comprises InGaP with a band gap which is equal to approximately 1.94 eV, which corresponds to a wavelength of approximately 650 nm for a diode laser (the wavelength in photoluminescence is then approximately 640 nm). In particular, the invention has for its object to realise such a diode which emits at a wavelength of 633 nm, which is exactly the wavelength of a helium-neon gas laser. The invention also has for its object to provide a simple method of manufacturing such a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode.
According to the invention, a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode of the kind described in the opening paragraph is for this purpose characterized in that the buffer layer comprises aluminium-gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), of which the aluminium content has at least a minimum value belonging to the band gap of the active layer. Failure of the band gap to attain the theoretically expected value is found to be caused by an ordering occurring in the crystal (sub)lattice of the III-elements in the mixed crystals of the cladding layers and the active layer. It appears to be possible for such an ordering to occur in mixed crystals of various materials, the ordering taking place for the materials used here in the 178 (111)A planes and resembling the ordering of the so-called CuPt structure. Besides the substrate orientation, growing conditions such as the growing temperature were found to have an influence on whether or not this ordering takes place. Especially at a comparatively high growing temperature, little or no ordering takes place so that the band gap of the layer provided a maximum. In comparison, when the known buffer layer is used, however, the crystal structure of InGaP or InAlGap semiconductor layers manufactured at higher temperatures is poor, which is very detrimental to the quality of the radiation-emitting semiconductor diode. A buffer layer comprising AlGaAs with an aluminium content higher than or equal to a minimum value belonging to the band gap of the active layer is suprisingly found to render it possible to apply the InGaP or InAlGaP layers at higher than the usual temperatures--and consequently with a more disorderly distribution of the atoms of the remaining elements over the other sublattice--while nevertheless semiconductor layers having a very good morphology and crystal structure are obtained. The semiconductor layers obtained as a result have a band gap which corresponds to a more random distribution of the atoms of the remaining elements over the other sublattice. This means for the semiconductor materials used here that, for example, In.sub.0.49 Ga.sub.0.51 P has a band gap of approximately 1.85 eV (with a highly ordered structure) and a band gap of approximately 1.94 at a substantially completely disordered distribution, which corresponds to an emission wavelength of approximately 680-650 nm. In the case of In.sub.0.5 Al.sub.1.10 Ga.sub.0.15 P, for example, the band gap (in the case of substantially complete disorder) is approximately 2.05 eV and for In.sub.0.5 Al.sub.0.30 Ga.sub.0.20 P this is 2.3 eV, which are higher values than those found for the same materials in an orderly structure. For an InGaP active layer having a band gap of approximately 1.88 eV, for example, the minimum aluminium content of the buffer layer is approximately 6 atom percent. For an InGaP active layer having a band gap of approximately 1.92 eV, the minimum aluminium content of the buffer layer is approximately 9 atom percent. No upper limit for the aluminium content of the AlGaAs buffer layer was found. Preferably, however, the aluminium content is chosen to be smaller than 100 atom percent since pure AlAs is rather hygroscopic, which may lead to problems when the cleavage surfaces to be formed are exposed to the air. To safeguard a good electric conduction, the aluminium content may be further reduced to those contents at which a relatively low resistivity is still possible. No lower limit was found for the thickness of the buffer layer: buffer layers having a thickness of 6 .ANG. and an aluminium content of 20% were also very satisfactory. Good results were obtained with a buffer layer thickness between 0.1 and 1 .mu.m. It should be noted that there is an AlGaAs layer between a DH (Double Hetero) structure and the substrate in the device described in the article "Fabrication and optical characterization of first order DFB InGaP/AlGaInP laser structures at 639 nm" published in Electronics Letters, 26th Apr. 1990, vol. 26, no. 9, p. 614. This does not relate to a radiation-emitting diode, however, since no pn junction is present, neither is an aluminium content specified or suggested. In addition, it is apparent from the specified wavelength of the emission of the InGaP, namely a photoluminescence wavelength of 670 nm (i.e. the band gap corresponds to 1.85 eV) that the InGaP has a very strongly ordered distribution of the atoms of the remaining elements over the other sublattice (the wavelength of the emission will be approximately 680 nm in a version designed as a diode laser). In the radiation-emitting semiconductor diode according to the invention, the substrate used may be a (substantially perfectly oriented) (001) substrate, which is an important advantage, as explained above. Preferably, a substrate of gallium arsenide is used, but other substrates, for example a silicon substrate, may alternatively be used. In a favourable embodiment, the substrate comprises gallium arsenide which is provided with a conducting layer at the lower side, an intermediate layer of indium-gallium phosphide or aluminium-gallium arsenide and a contact layer of gallium arsenide, which layers are of the second conductivity type, are present in that order on the upper cladding layer, and the semiconductor body comprises a mesa-shaped strip adjoining its surface, which strip comprises at least the contact layer and is coated with another conducting layer which extends to outside the mesa-shaped strip and beyond. This strip forms a junction constituting a barrier with a layer situated below it. In this embodiment, the current is very effectively limited to the active region situated below the mesa-shaped strip, which promotes a low starting current. This embodiment has the additional advantage that the radiation-emitting semiconductor diode is of a simple structure and very easy to manufacture: the other conducting layer can be provided without a masking step. To realise a wavelength which is as low as possible, an active layer is preferably used which comprises a multiple quantum well structure with well layers of InGaP and barrier layers of InAlGaP. No very thin layers are required in a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode according to the invention for obtaining a substantial increase of the wavelength: quantum well and barrier layers having a thickness between approximately 4 and 6 nm are already sufficiently thin and are comparatively easy to manufacture. Thus radiation-emitting semiconductor diodes according to the invention were manufactured having an emission wavelength of 633 nm, which is equal to the wavelength of an He-Ne gas laser, where the active layer was formed with eight InGaP quantum well layers having a thickness of approximately 5 nm separated by barrier layers having a thickness of approximately 4 nm. The cladding layers formed a so-called SCH (Separate Confinement Hetero) structure with aluminium contents of 25 at % for the separate confinement layers and 35 at % for the cladding layers.
A method of manufacturing a radiation-emitting semiconductor diode according to the invention is characterized in that the semiconductor material chosen for the buffer layer is aluminium-gallium arsenide with an aluminium content which is at least equal to a minimum value belonging to the band gap of the active layer, while a growing temperature is chosen higher than 700.degree. C. In this way the disorder in the distribution of the atoms of the elements other than phosphorus over the sublattice in which these elements are present is promoted, so that diodes having the desired characteristics are obtained. Owing to the comparatively high temperature, semiconductor layer structures with excellent characteristics, such as a good morphology, a good crystal structure, and good interfaces, are obtained. Preferably, a growing temperature of at least 730.degree. C. is chosen, while the best results are obtained with a temperature of approximately 760.degree. C. with the use of MOVBE as the growing technique. A minimum aluminium content value for the buffer layer of approximately 6 at % belongs to a growing temperature of approximately 730.degree. C. At 760.degree. C. the minimum aluminium content is approximately 9 at %. In this process, the substrate chosen is preferably a (001) substrate, and the ratio of the quantity of III and V elements offered during the application of the semiconductor layers is chosen to lie between approximately 100 and 400. These V/III ratios were found to be favourable for obtaining the greatest possible disorder in the mixed crystals of the semiconductor layers formed.

Method of manufacturing radiation-emitting semiconductor devices


A rewinder for winding a web to produce a rolled product. The rewinder includes a web transfer device that is used for conveying the web. The web transfer device communicates with a core in order to wind the web via surface winding. At least one pair of rotationally driven end chucks are located proximate to the web transfer device. The end chucks engage the core and the web is wound onto the core via center winding by the rotating end chucks. Also, the web is wound onto the core to form a rolled product by a combination of the center winding and the surface winding.

Web xe2x80x9cwindersxe2x80x9d are typically used to form large rolls of wound paper known as parent rolls. From the parent rolls, xe2x80x9crewindersxe2x80x9d are employed in order to wind the web into a rolled product. The rolled product is then cut at designated lengths into the final product. Final products typically created by these machines and processes are toilet tissue rolls, paper toweling rolls, paper rolls, and the like.
There are essentially two types of techniques known in the art for performing the step of rewinding, that is winding the web from a parent roll into a rolled product. The first of these techniques is known as center winding. In center winding, a core is rotated in order to wind a web into a roll on the core. Typically, this core is mounted on a mandrel that rotates at high speeds at the beginning of a winding cycle and then slows down as the size of the rolled product being wound increases. Center winders work well when the web that is being wound has a printed, textured, or slippery surface. Also, center winders are very useful in producing softer rolled products.
The other type of technique used in winding a web to form a rolled product is known as surface winding. In surface winding, the web is wound onto the core via contact with belts and/or rotating rolls. A nip is typically formed between two or more co-acting belt systems. The belt systems typically travel in opposite directions at different speeds. The reason for having different speeds lies in the fact that a core that is being driven by the belts will advance in the direction of the faster moving belt. Usually, these belts are divergent so that the rolled product that is being built up on the core will have enough space to be produced, and will be able to contact the two diverging belts. Typically in surface winding, the core and the web that is wound around the core are driven by belts and/or rotating rolls that operate at approximately the same speed as the web speed.
In order to assist transfer of the web onto the core, it is known in the prior art to apply an uninterrupted line of glue or adhesive onto the core. The web will therefore contact this adhesive and adhere to the core as it is being wound onto the core.
In the prior art, a xe2x80x9cwinderxe2x80x9d or reel is typically known as a device that performs the very first wind of that web, generally forming what is known as a parent roll. A rewinder, on the other hand, is a device that winds the web from the parent roll onto a roll that is essentially the finished product. However, the prior art is not consistent in designating what is and is not a winder or rewinder. For instance, rewinders are sometimes called winders, and winders are sometimes referred to as rewinders. It is to be understood that as used in the present application, the words xe2x80x9cwinderxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crewinderxe2x80x9d are interchangeable with one another in assessing the scope of the claims. In other words, the claims cover both xe2x80x9cwindersxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crewindersxe2x80x9d even though only one of these words may be used in the claims.
The prior art lacks a rewinder capable of performing both center winding and surface winding in order to take advantage of the positive attributes both processes enjoy.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned from practice of the invention.
The present application discloses a rewinder for winding a web to produce a rolled product. In one embodiment, the rewinder includes a web transfer device that conveys the web. The web transfer device communicates with a core in order to wind the web onto the core via surface winding. At least one pair of rotationally driven end chucks are also provided. The end chucks are located proximate to the web transfer device. The end chucks engage the core and the web is wound onto the core via center winding by the rotating end chucks. Also, the web is wound onto the core to form a rolled product by combination of the center winding and surface winding.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes a rewinder as discussed above which further has an applicator located proximate to the web transfer device for applying adhesive to the web.
In addition, the present invention may also have an embodiment as immediately discussed which further has a tension roll located upstream from the applicator. The tension roll engages the web and applies tension to the web.
Also disclosed according to the present invention, is an embodiment of a rewinder as originally discussed which further has an odd set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks. This rewinder also has an even set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks. The odd and even sets of end chucks are staggered such that when one pair of the odd set of end chucks finishes winding the web to produce a rolled product at the same time as one pair of the even set of end chucks begins winding the web to form another rolled product.
Also disclosed according to the present invention is another embodiment of a rewinder for winding a web to produce a rolled product. This rewinder has a web transfer device that is used for conveying the web. The web transfer device communicates with a core in order to wind the web onto the core. Also included is an air blast device that is located proximate to the web transfer device. The device delivers an air blast that aids in transferring the web from the web transfer device to the core. Further, an applicator is located upstream from the air blast device and is used for applying adhesive to the web. Also, a tension roll is located upstream from the applicator. The tension roll engages the web and applies tension to the web. Also, as is known in the art, the tension roll may sever the web on a part line for transfer from one wound log to the next.
Also disclosed is an embodiment of the rewinder as immediately discussed which further has an odd set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks. This rewinder also has an even set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks. The odd and even sets of end chucks are staggered such that when one pair of the odd set of end chucks finishes winding the web to produce a rolled product, one pair of the even set of end chucks begins winding the web to form another rolled product.
A still further embodiment of the present invention includes a rewinder as discussed above where adhesive is applied by the applicator to the leading edge of the web. This is facilitated in order to assist in the transfer of the web from the web transfer device onto the core. Another embodiment exists where adhesive is applied by the applicator to the trailing edge of the web in order to fix the trailing edge of the web onto the web that is wound on the core.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a rewinder that is used for winding a web to produce a rolled product. This rewinder has a web transfer device that is used for conveying the web. An odd set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks are present. The odd set is located proximate to the web transfer device for engaging a core onto which the web is wound. An even set of a plurality of rotationally driven end chucks are also present. The even set is located proximate to the web transfer device and is used for engaging a core onto which the web is wound. Also, the positioning and rotation of the odd set of end chucks is controlled independently from the positioning and rotation of the even set of end chucks.
A still further embodiment of the present invention is an embodiment as immediately discussed where the sets of chucks are staggered so that when one pair of the odd set of end chucks finishes winding the web to produce a rolled product, one pair of the even set of end chucks begins winding the web to form another rolled product.
Another embodiment of the present invention exists in a rewinder as set forth above where the web is wound onto the core to form a rolled product by a combination of center winding from the end chucks and surface winding by the core and the web transfer device.
The present invention also provides for a rewinder that is used for winding a web to produce a rolled product. The rewinder includes a web transfer device for conveying the web. A core is located proximate to the web transfer device and the web is wound onto the core to form the rolled product. An applicator is located proximate to the web transfer device for applying adhesive to the web.
The present invention also includes an embodiment of a rewinder as previously discussed where the applicator applies adhesive to the leading edge of the web to assist in transfer of the web from the web transfer device onto the core. The applicator also applies adhesive to the trailing edge of the web to fix the trailing edge of the web onto the web that is wound onto the core.

Mandrelless center/surface rewinder and winder


The present invention relates to a premix composition of glutinous rice cake for baking in microwave oven and a preparation method thereof, the present invention have effect on providing premix composition of glutinous rice cake which have a good shape retainability after heating and to maintain softness for 24 hours without adding inhibitor of aging and to distribute for above 6 months at room temperature with glutinous rice of water content of below 15% by using glutinous rice powder having 200 to 400 μm of average grain size and comprising less than 5 wt % of glutinous rice powder of below 200 mesh and 40 to 70 wt % of glutinous rice powder of 200 to 400 mesh.

A rice cake which is a Korean traditional food based on rice, is classified by nonglutinous rice cake and glutinous rice cake, in which glutinous rice can be used to make a various of cake such as Ingeolmi (i.e. glutinous rice cake covered with bean flour), well-nutrished glutinous rice cake etc., because it can be easily digested and be kept with softness for a long time without hardening compared to nonglutinous rice. A traditional production method of rice cake consists of soaking a rice into water and powdering the rice and then putting the rice powder through sieve and steaming the sieved rice powder with steamer and separately preparing a nut or flour for powdering rice cake and thus it is difficult and complicate to make rice cake at home.
Since a structure of glutinous rice starch is constructed with only amylopectin having branched structure, in which various of glucose chain are connected with α-1,4 bonding to glucose chain back bone of α-1,6 bond, glutinous rice cake, different from nonglutinous rice cake, has a tendency to stretch without maintaining shape after heating or reheating prepared rice cake. When glutinous rice cake is prepared at a specialty store or a home, glutinous rice is steamed in a steamer and shaped in hot state and then cut and eaten after getting cold and thus shape retainability of the cooked rice cake is beside of the question. However, because the premix composition of glutinous rice cake of the present invention for baking in microwave oven is for the convenience of a consumer, shape retainability is very important.
With regard to the prior art for rice powder and premix of rice cake, the Published Korean Patent Application No. 2002-0050656 disclosed a method for preparing rice cake in which the rice cake was prepared with rice powder made by soaking a rice in water and grinding and then completely drying, and cereal flour made by steaming and grinding. However, the above invention only relates to the rice powder made by grinding rice and drying and the dried cereal flour, there is still complicate problem that water is added to the rice powder and the cereal flour and then the mixture is steamed in a steamer.
The Published Korean Patent Application No. 2003-0072094 disclosed a premix composition comprising as a main component wheat flour for rice cake or noodles containing resistant starch.
The Published Korean Patent Application No. 2006-0024118 disclosed a quality improving agent for rice cake and a premix of rice powder comprising the same, in which the quality improving agent for rice cake comprises α- and β-denatured starch at ratio of 17:83 to 75:25 and the premix of rice powder comprises 60 to 80 wt % of the dried rice powder and 20 to 40 wt % of the quality improving agent, and the premix is characterized in inhibiting aging as containing the denatured starch compared to that of made by 100% unglutinous rice powder. The premix is for the conventional method for preparing rice cake in which water is added to and mixed with rice powder and the mixture is shaped and steamed.
In addition, the Published Korean Patent Application No. 2007-0007652 disclosed a composition of instant rice cake for baking in microwave oven and method for preparing the same in which a premix of rice cake for baking in microwave oven is prepared by the process of washing unglutinous rice to remove impurities and soaking it into water and going through the steps of dehydrating, grinding, drying, re-grinding and drying and then selecting to the grain size, and using the selected rice powder to make the premix. The above invention disclosed the premix of rice cake for baking in microwave oven, however, the premix has the starch damage of 5 to 10% and use unglutinous rice having grain size of 80 to 200 mesh and it has defects that the rice cake prepared by the premix is maintained only for 2 hours after cooking without using inhibitor of aging and is also impossible to distribute at room temperature due to the possibility of the propagation of microorganism or a change in quality as it has water content of above 25%.
Accordingly, as considering the above facts, the present inventors accomplish the present invention by confirming that a premix composition of glutinous rice cake can be prepared to have a good shape retainability after heating and to maintain softness for 24 hours without adding inhibitor of aging and to distribute for above 6 months at room temperature with glutinous rice of water content of below 15% by using glutinous rice powder having 200 to 400 μm of average grain size and comprising less than 5 wt % of glutinous rice powder of below 200 mesh and 40 to 70 wt % of glutinous rice powder of 200 to 400 mesh.
The present invention is different from the prior arts and have advantages to provide convenience that glutinous rice cake similar to that of available in commercial specialty store can be cooked only by microwave oven at a home by using glutinous rice which has the controlled grain size obtained by grinding via understanding properties of glutinous rice.

Premix composition of glutinous rice cake for baking in microwave oven and a preparation method thereof


A technique for validating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for roaming user terminals is presented. A method implementation of the technique performed in a home network of the roaming user terminal comprises obtaining Service level-related Performance Data (SPD) that have been collected by the user terminal while roaming in a visited network. Additionally, subscription information associated with the user terminal and indicative of an SLA is obtained. Next, the SLA is validated based on a comparison of the SPD, or data derived therefrom, with the subscription information.

The provision of wireless network services to user terminals typically requires a so-called subscription with an operator of the wireless network providing the services. The persons operating the user terminals and having such subscriptions are called subscribers.
Network operators conclude roaming agreements with each other to permit their subscribers to also access the wireless networks of the other operators. The operator that manages the subscription for a particular user terminal is called home operator, and the home operator's network is called home network. An operator that provides network services to a user terminal governed by a roaming agreement is called visited operator, and the visited operator's network is called visited network.
A user terminal is roaming when it is serviced in a visited network in which no subscription information for the user terminal is available. Before a roaming user terminal can access the services of the visited network, the required subscriber information must first be requested from the home network so that the subscriber can be properly authenticated, any authorization for using the services of the visited network can be checked, and the services can be charged to the subscriber.
Subscriptions often include so-called Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that grant particular data rates, data volumes or other preferred conditions to the associated subscriber. Customer care systems, on the other hand, collect various Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), service usage data, location data and other information to answer and promptly act on customer requests and complaints. The customer care systems thus permit SLA validation, for example by comparing the actual data rates provided to a subscriber's user terminal with a data rate guarantee as defined in the subscriber's SLA.
It has turned out that SLAs cannot be reliably verified in roaming scenarios and, as a result, it is not always possible to immediately take associated technical measures (such as data rate or data volume increases). This applies both to the scenario in which a user contacts a customer care system of a visited network while roaming and the scenario in which a user contacts a customer care system of the home network afterwards for problems that were encountered while roaming. The resulting drawback is believed to be become more pronounced in the future as roaming fees will decrease and, therefore, roaming will become increasingly popular in terms of the number of roaming users and the traffic volumes generated by roaming users.

Technique for handling service level related performance data for roaming user terminals


Systems and methods are disclosed for selecting resources for direct device to device (D2D) communications in a cellular communication network. In one embodiment, a downlink resource is selected as a resource for a direct D2D communication link between a first wireless device and a second wireless device if a base station serving each of the first and second wireless devices is equipped with an interference cancellation receiver and both the first and second wireless devices are less than a predefined threshold radio distance from their serving base station. An uplink resource is selected as a resource for the direct D2D communication link if the base station serving each of the first and second wireless devices is equipped with an interference cancellation receiver and at least one of the first and second wireless devices is more than the predefined threshold radio distance from its serving base station.

Network-assisted direct device to device (D2D) communication is expected to be a key feature supported by next generation cellular communication networks. FIG. 1 illustrates a cellular communication network 10 that enables direct D2D communications. As illustrated, the cellular communication network 10 includes a base station 12 that serves a corresponding cell 14 of the cellular communication network 10. While only one base station 12 is illustrated, the cellular communication network 10 includes numerous base stations 12 serving corresponding cells 14. In this example, wireless devices (WDs) 16, 18, 20, and 22 are located within the cell 14. The wireless devices 16 and 18 are in proximity to one another. As such, when the wireless devices 16 and 18 desire to establish a bearer link, rather than establishing the bearer link through the base station 12, the cellular communication network 10 assists the wireless devices 16 and 18 to establish a direct D2D communication link (i.e., a direct D2D bearer link) between one another. More specifically, through signaling with the base station 12 or some other mechanism, the wireless devices 16 and 18 discover one another using a D2D device discovery process and then establish a D2D communication link directly between one another rather than through the base station 12.
Direct D2D communication is possible regardless of whether the cellular communication network 10 is Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) (i.e., uses different uplink and downlink frequency bands) or Time Division Duplex (i.e., using the same frequency band but different time slots for uplink and downlink). However, it is commonly accepted that direct D2D communication links, such as that established between the wireless devices 16 and 18, is preferably a TDD communication link where transmission by one wireless device uses the same resources as reception by the other wireless device. These "resources" are physical frequency and/or time resources depending on the particular implementation of the cellular communication network 10. TDD (i.e., half duplex operation) is preferred because operating a transmitter and receiver in the same frequency band in a half duplex fashion is easier to implement than a full duplex FDD implementation.
In order to provide spectral efficiency, it is preferable for the D2D communication links to use the same resources as those used by the cellular communication network 10 where the cellular communication network 10 performs actions such as mode selection, network-controlled scheduling, and power control. In this example, the D2D communication link uses either an uplink resource or a downlink resource of the cellular communication network 10 that is also assigned to the wireless device 22. While using the same resources as the cellular communication network 10 provides spectral efficiency, doing so also gives rise to new intra-cell and inter-cell interference situations. For example, due to the presence of D2D communication links, intra-cell orthogonality is no longer maintained.
Specifically, when the D2D communication link between the wireless devices 16 and 18 uses a downlink (DL) resource of the cellular communication network 10, strong intra-cell interference may be caused for the wireless device 22, which also uses the same DL resource, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In addition, the transmissions over this D2D communication link between the wireless devices 16 and 18 may cause inter-cell interference to wireless devices located in neighboring cells in the cellular communication network 10. For simplicity and for the clarity of presentation, the case of intra-cell DL interference is displayed in FIG. 2. The case of inter-cell, or other cell, interference resulting from the direct D2D communication link between the wireless devices 16 and 18 can be easily deduced. The transmission from, for instance, the wireless device 16 over the D2D communication link to the wireless device 18 using the DL resource of the cellular communication network 10 may result in interference to a wireless device located in a neighboring cell that uses the same DL resource. It should also be noted that transmissions by the wireless devices 16 and 18 over the direct D2D communication link result in interference to other nearby wireless devices (not shown) regardless of whether those other wireless devices use the same DL resource (e.g., the same resource blocks in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) downlink frequency band).
Similarly, when the D2D communication link between the wireless devices 16 and 18 uses an uplink (UL) resource of the cellular communication network 10, strong intra-cell interference may be caused to the base station 12 serving the cell 14 for the uplink from the wireless device 22, which uses the same UL resource, as illustrated in FIG. 3. For instance, transmission by the wireless device 16 over the D2D communication link to the wireless device 18 using an UL frequency band of the cellular communication network 10 may result in interference to the base station 12 for an uplink from the wireless device 22 using the same UL frequency band. As with the DL interference, the case of inter-cell interference resulting from D2D communication using UL resources can easily be deduced. Transmissions from, for example, the wireless device 16 over the D2D communication link to the wireless device 18 using the UL resource may also generate interference to base stations serving neighboring cells for uplinks from wireless devices in the neighboring cells that use the same UL resource, which are referred to herein as neighboring base stations. It should also be noted that transmissions by the wireless devices 16 and 18 over the direct D2D communication link using the UL resource result in interference to the base station 12 regardless of whether other wireless devices (not shown) use the same UL resource (e.g., the same resource blocks in an OFDM uplink frequency band).
From the discussion above, it is readily understood that D2D communication using the same resources used for downlinks and uplinks in the cellular communication network 10 results in new interference scenarios not envisioned in conventional cellular communication networks. As such, there is a need for systems and methods for minimizing, or at least substantially reducing, interference resulting from D2D communication in a cellular communication network.

Dynamic resource selection to reduce interference that results from direct device to device communications