A fuel injection device including an injector that injects fuel into a cylinder of an engine; a fuel injection amount obtaining unit that obtains a fuel injection amount of fuel injected by the injector; a heat generation amount obtaining unit that obtains a heat generation amount of the fuel injected by the injector and ignited; and a control unit that determines that injector abnormality occurs, when determining that a difference between a fuel injection amount obtained by the fuel injection amount obtaining unit and a reference fuel injection amount is within a predetermined range and that a heat generation amount obtained by the heat generation amount obtaining unit is greater than a reference heat generation amount corresponding to the reference fuel injection amount. Accordingly, whether or not injection hole corrosion occurs in the injector can be determined.

Recently, there have been proposed various measures for sulfur (S) that may be included in fuel used by an engine. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes reducing an EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) amount when SO3 is greater than a permissible value in consideration of corrosion of a fuel injection valve (injector).


A system and method are provided for helping implant a hip prosthesis in an individual, which includes an acetabulum intended to be placed in the hip bone of the patient and a femoral part intended to be integrally connected to the femur of the individual. The method includes: obtaining, before the operation, images issued by a device that images a human body and locates a position of images in space. The images are taken in at least three reference positions: standing; recumbent; and sitting. Before the operation, the method determines a pelvis version of the individual in different positions by analyzing the images. During the operation, the method measures a position of the acetabulum with relation to the pelvis of the individual, and simultaneously restores information representative of prosthetic mobility of the hip with relation to each of the reference positions, for a current position of the acetabulum.

A total hip prosthesis generally includes two parts: a first part integrally connected to the femur, known as the femoral part comprising a rod introduced in the femur, equipped with an essentially spherical head, and an acetabulum provided to receive the femoral head. The acetabulum, also known as a cup when it is hemispherical, is positioned in the corresponding housing (the anatomical acetabulum) of the hip bone.
Implantation of a prosthesis by a surgeon is a relatively complex operation, since the femoral part and the acetabulum even more so, must be placed in an optimized manner, particularly to prevent the prosthesis from dislocating during high amplitude movements.
According to conventional methods, the pelvis is palpated to locate the three points of the anterior pelvic plane (APP). This anterior pelvic plane (also known as the Lewinneck plane) is a frame of reference conventionally utilized in hip surgery. It is defined by the two iliac spines and by the pubic symphysis. This plane enables the prosthetic acetabulum to be adequately oriented in terms of inclination and anteversion.
The surgeon then inserts the acetabulum or cup at the end of a tool known as an impactor. He manipulates this cup so as to place it such that it presents an inclination of 45° and an anteversion of 15° with relation to the anterior pelvic plane.
However, these two angle values are average values, utilized by default, and do not correspond to all particular positions likely to be encountered.
An improvement to this approach was proposed in the document of patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,411, that proposes a computerized simulation of an optimized prosthesis implantation from a tomography of the bone envelope of the pelvis and femur, done before the operation.
During the operation, the surgeon is guided in placing the acetabulum, by using an inner body placed on the pelvis and the femur to ensure location in space, according to the simulation result.
This result is effective but presents the disadvantage of significant complexity (tomography, computerized simulation, etc.) that limits its use, particularly for reasons of cost.
Another approach was proposed in the document of patent FR-2 865 928. According to this technique, a "mega-head" is used, placed in the cotyloid cavity hollowed in the pelvis. A processing device enables a mobility cone and extreme positions to be simultaneously displayed, according the center of the cup and the geometry of the femoral prosthesis.
The surgeon may then manipulate the cup by using an impactor to bring the extreme positions into the mobility cone.
This technique is more simple than that described in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,411, and does not necessitate prior measurements. However, this technique may turn out to be insufficient in practice, since the measurements are performed during surgery, and the individual is put to sleep in a particular position (recumbent position).

Help system for implanting a hip prosthesis on an individual


The disk brake with a caliper (2) reaching over a brake disk (1) exhibits on one side a clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes a cam lever (4), which can be rotated around an axis parallel to the plane of the brake disk and interacts preferably by way of a traverse (6) with one or two adjusting spindles (7, 8), against which a brake lining (10) is braced. The two adjusting spindles (7 and 8) are coupled by means of a toothed belt (12). Into a recess of the one adjusting spindle (7) projects a rotating drive (14), which can be driven by the cam lever (4) and during the application stroke causes the adjusting spindle (7) and thus by way of the toothed belt (12) also the adjusting spindle (8) to be screwed in the direction of approach to the brake disk (1). The rotating drive (14) includes a one-way revolving coupling and a torque limiting coupling, thus preventing a screw connection of the adjusting spindles (7 and 8) during the fixed brake stroke and the release stroke.

Disk brakes of this type are well known in the prior art. Usually there is only one adjusting spindle on which the cam, arranged symmetrically relative to its axial direction, acts and which can be screwed down by means of any kind of drive during an excessive brake stroke. However, disk brakes with two adjusting spindles are also already known from DE-OS 36 10 569 and 37 16 202; these are screwed to the ends of a traverse extending parallel to the plane of the brake disk; the cams engage with the longitudinal center of the traverse which can be moved at substantially right angles to the plane. These disk brakes are equipped with a synchromesh device for the two adjusting spindles, which device may have a toothed belt or chain drive which couples the adjusting spindles relatively non-rotatably directly or by means of gear wheels. In these known disk brakes, the play is adjusted by converting the swivel movements of the cam lever into movements of the toothed belt, a process that is carried out by means of a friction drive from the cam lever to a deflecting roller for the toothed belt or by means of a pawl-like spring mounted on the cam lever and interacting with the toothed belt. Thus, in the two known designs, the toothed belt and/or the synchromesh device must transfer the forces for the simultaneous resetting of both adjusting spindles, whereby the toothed belt and/or the synchromesh device can be severely stressed.


A molten metal supplying system comprising a container having a main body capable of being hermetically sealed and having a passage through which compressed gas is received, a pipe having an outlet supplying molten metal in the container to the outside, the outlet downwardly extending, a reception dish receiving the molten metal capable of being placed below the pipe outlet, a holding member having a fulcrum to the pipe rotatably holding the reception dish, a wire with a first and second end, the first end connected to the reception dish or holding member, a pair of channel members at the outer bottom of the container main body, and a vehicle having a fork that can be inserted and removed from the channel members, a carriage on which the fork is mounted, a lift mechanism for lifting up and down the carriage, and a wire pull and return mechanism mounted on the carriage pulling and returning the wire with it's second end.

In a factory where aluminum is molded using many die-casting machines, an aluminum material is often supplied not only from within the factory but also from outside of the factory. In such a case, a container storing aluminum in a melt is carried from a factory on the material supply side to a factory on the molding side to supply to each of the die-casting machines the material kept in the melt.
A conventional container that stores molten metal has a pot-shaped structure of which a supply pipe is disposed on a side wall. When a container is inclined, molten metal is supplied from the pipe to a die-cast side holding furnace.
Japanese Utility Model Registration Laid-Open Publication No H3-31063 discloses a technology of which molten aluminum is supplied by a compression system.    [Patent Literature]JP-UM-A-3-31063

System for supplying molten metal, container and a vehicle


A device and method for taking to account the elasticity of materials during bending operations to cause the proper amount of overbending such that after springback and while at rest, the material assumes its intended shape.

In some manufacturing operations, usually in the final stages of production, bending operations are performed upon metallic or plastic structural members. The bending process is a complex process which seeks to avoid stress concentration of the points of bending. This is usually accomplished through a combination of stretching and bending across a preformed die.
The way that the workpiece is bent and stretched depends upon the shape of the workpiece and the sequence of bends to which it is subjected. Some of the modern workpiece stretching presses are computer controlled in order to give repeatable results in the bending process.
However, even these machines must be set up on a trial and error basis, and several workpieces must be destructively experimented upon in order to get first approximations of the ideal bending sequence.
Furthermore, even before this trial and error approach can be carried out, the bending die over which the workpiece is stretched must be present. The design of the bending die very nearly approximates the void which is surrounded by the finally shaped workpiece. Since the workpieces normally have a moment of elasticity, they tend to try to assume a shape having a radius of bend of lesser extent than was desired. This condition is known as springback and is defined as the elastic recovery of metal after a stress has been applied. The shape that the workpiece springs back to is almost never the shape optimally desired, nor the shape which conforms to the bending die. Reworking the workpiece to mitigate the effects of springback have been known to increase the unit cost of production by 50%.
Given the above limitations, one method has been to cause the workpiece to become excessively bent in the bending direction, such that upon springback the workpiece will assume the proper shape. This method invites the die designer to guess what the shape of the bending die should be. Even if a bending die designer were fortunate enough to guess the proper shape of the bending die for one particular type of workpiece, a slight change in workpiece construction can cause an improper springback. Such a change in workpiece might result from a change in suppliers.
In addition, all previous efforts at attempting to solve the springback problem was directed toward circumferential part configurations. This was due to the mathematical complexity of the problem. Although 70% to 80% of the frames formed are circumferential, significant utility advances in the ability to handle more complex shapes would be a most welcome addition to the part forming art.


A method of installing a self drilling anchor for use in a friable material mounted on a member comprising an elongated body having an axis, an axial bore adapted to receive an elongated fastener, a flared end having torque transmitting surfaces therein, a proximal portion, an intermediate portion, a distal portion, and a drilling tip generally opposite the flared end, wherein the proximal portion has a threaded exterior having a root, a crest diameter, and a thread height, the intermediate portion has a threaded exterior having a root, a crest diameter substantially smaller than the crest diameter of the proximal portion, and a thread height substantially smaller than the thread height of the proximal portion, and the distal portion has a threaded exterior with a root that tapers toward the drilling tip, a crest diameter substantially smaller than the crest diameter of the proximal portion, and a thread height substantially smaller than the thread height of the proximal portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method of installing an anchor for use in a friable material, particularly to a self-drilling anchor to be used in drywall mounted to a member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because drywall is a friable material, mounting articles thereto can be difficult. In the past, at least three methods have been used. For light weight articles, small plastic expansion anchors have been used. These expansion anchors have typically required three steps to install: first, a hole is drilled into the drywall; second, the anchor insert is driven into the drilled hole; and finally, a threaded fastener is advanced into the anchor, spreading the anchor into engagement with the drywall. However, expansion anchors can typically hold light loads only.
For heavy duty applications, toggle bolts have been used. While toggle bolts have been effective, they are also generally expensive because they involve parts which must move relative to one another. Toggle bolts also have been known to be difficult to install.
Self-drilling anchors for mounting heavier loads also have been used. These self-drilling anchors typically are installed by drilling into the drywall with the anchor itself. The anchor also includes threading having a high thread height to provide a high pullout in the drywall. Examples of self-drilling anchors include the anchor sold under the trademark E-Z ANCOR manufactured by ITW Buildex, and those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,601,625, 5,190,425, and 5,558,479, all of which are assigned to the assignee of this application.
Self-drilling anchors have proved effective for holding higher loads when installed in drywall alone. However, in most cases the drywall is mounted to wood support members, or studs, that are unseen by the user, and typically the location of these support members are unknown and unchecked by the user. When a user of a typical self-drilling fastener attempts to install the anchor in drywall at a location of a support member, the anchor is unable to drill into the support member, causing the anchor to spin in place so that the anchor's high threading strips out the drywall, resulting in failure of the anchor and creating an unsightly scar on the wall. Even if the anchor is able to drill into the support member slightly, the anchors have been known to tightly engage the support member and break due to torsion on the anchor.
What is needed is a self-drilling fastener for use in drywall that can be installed either in drywall only, or in drywall and a support member capable of handling a heavy load.

Method of installing a self-drilling anchor


Disclosed is a container warmer that utilizes the same compartment for heating and cooling. In optional embodiments, the unit may include a programmable timer operably connected to the heating and cooling units such that the timer may regulate activity of the units. In other embodiments, the invention may include a baby bottle warmer in which the baby bottle is placed in a water bath in a compartment, the water bath being heated or cooled by heating or cooling units, and optionally operably connected to a programmable timer.

Without a doubt, a newborn and infant will feed at its own schedule. This child cries until it is fed. The problem is that often, a parent is required to go downstairs (or elsewhere) and remove pre-prepared milk from the cooler (e.g., refrigerator) or prepare it from scratch, heat it, and then come upstairs, all while the child cries. Most parents recognize that the time spent making up the bottle is agonizing for the parent and the child. Any invention that minimizes the time interval between the child awakening and being fed would be greatly received. The first problem, therefore, is simply the need to avoid making trips to other rooms at night.
In addition, given the increasing cost of formula or the difficulty in obtaining breast milk by mothers who pump, it is desirable to save as much unused milk as possible. At the end of the feeding, any unused milk must be returned to the refrigerator otherwise it will spoil. The second problem, therefore, is to save formula or precious breast milk to avoid the need to later pump additional milk to compensate for that lost milk. The time saved by not having to pump is significant and also reduces the pain associated with pumping.
Most parents understand that the child will awake during the night many times. It is no wonder that many jokes are made about midnight or three a.m. feedings. This recognizes an important, but surprisingly overlooked characteristic; namely that children tend to be on a schedule. Accordingly, rather than trying to fight the nighttime feeding, the parent can work with the child's schedule. This is especially important if there is a primary care giver and the primary breadwinner in the same room, such that prolonged crying disrupts the breadwinner. The third problem, therefore, is not having a bottle ready even though a parent will precisely know when the baby will awake and cry for milk.
In addition, the fourth problem involves traveling. Traveling poses unique problems for the parents and the children. In automobile travel, it is nearly impossible to adequately transport milk because of cooling and then subsequent heating problems. Similarly, in overnight lodgings, often times the lodgings are not equipped with ovens, microwave ovens, refrigerators, etc. and accordingly portable devices that can substitute for cooling and heating units would be well received. In this regard, the unit can come equipped for car lighter adapters to provide electronic cooling/heating during long travels. Hotels can benefit from additional revenue, not by increasing the room rate, but by renting out the unit to guests in the same manner that extra cots, media games, or high-tech accessories are available for rent.
Partial solutions exist to some of the above-identified problems. But they fail in most respects. Some devices include flash warmers that heat a bottle quickly. Flash warmers, however, require removal of the bottle from the refrigerator. This definitely means a midnight trip to the refrigerator. Accordingly, even though flash warmers may reduce the time spent warming the bottle versus using a traditional stovetop method or the more dangerous microwave oven method, it still does not solve a problem associated with cooling a bottle or having a cooled bottle immediately on hand. Most importantly, though, the flash warmer cannot be adapted to have a bottle ready for when the child awakes. And yet another problem with flash warmers is that there is no way to transport it in the car for long trips. The travel requirement relegates the parent to carrying separate bottle bags, usually with freezable gel packs.
One of the problems with flash warmers is that there is no way to keep the bottle cool during the night. Trips to the refrigerator are standard procedures. Given the child's generally consistent sleep schedule, flash warmers are no use even if the child is scheduled. This is because flash warmers cannot turn on or off as a function of time. Flash warmers simply turn on when manually activated by the parent. A bottle cannot be set into the warmer overnight because the milk is left unrefrigerated and it will spoil. Accordingly, flash warmers have no timers to provide for automated warming or cooling.
Other devices discuss having separate warming and cooling compartments. For those units that purportedly are day-night warmers (also known as dusk to dawn units), these warmers are not timed and nor are they self-contained units. Human intervention is still required to manually move the bottle from the cooling portion to the heat portion. In use, these units generally require the following steps: freeze the gel pack ahead of time, prepare milk in the bottle, insert the bottle into the cold compartment alongside the frozen gel pack, remove the bottle when child awakens, insert the bottle into the warming compartment, manually activate the warmer, and finally remove bottle when warm.
As the frozen gel pack thaws during the night, it becomes incapable of maintaining a cold enough temperature to safely store unused milk as that milk will be hot when it is returned to the cold compartment and that hot milk must return to safe temperatures. Again, another trip the refrigerator may be necessary in the night to return unused milk. Accordingly, whilst the parent may save a trip to the refrigerator at the beginning of the feeding cycle, another trip will likely be required at the end of the cycle. Plainly, the dusk to dawn warmers fail to solve most of the problems associated with nighttime feedings. In addition, the cooling unit is simply a freezeable gel pack that must be removed each morning, frozen, and replaced into the unit each night. Therefore, if the parent forgets to remove it in the morning, no gel pack is available for that night and the unit is useless for that night. None of these units can be timer activated because the heating and cooling compartments are separate.
The other problem with flash warmers or other dusk to dawn warmers/coolers is that there is no uniform heating/cooling or temperature modulation to maintain constancy. Thus it is hard to maintain thermoequilibrium.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An elliptical exercise apparatus includes a base frame with two supporting frames, two swing sleeves each pivotally connected with one supporting frame, two sliding arms each having a top portion slidably inserted through one swing sleeve and a bottom portion extending transversely inwardly and coupled with a treadle, two swing arms each having an end pivotally coupled with the base frame, and two sliding sleeves each axially slidably sleeved onto one swing arm and pivotally connected with the bottom portion of one sliding arm through a pivot. A rotational shaft is transversely and rotationally coupled with the base frame. Two links each have an end vertically coupled with one of two ends of the rotational shaft, and an opposite end pivotally connected with a lower portion of one of the sliding sleeves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise apparatuses, and more particularly, to an exercise apparatus that generates an elliptical exercise track.
2. Description of the Related Art
To modern people who live a busy life with less opportunity and time to do exercise, it is important to keep healthy by taking exercise regularly. Thus, indoor exercise equipment is popular in both houses and fitness clubs for its availability and accessibility.
Since walking has been medically proven as a moderate and relaxing exercise suitable to average people, exercise equipment related thereto, such as fitness steppers and cross trainers, is taking a significant market share. However, a stepper only facilitates a simple "mark time" movement of legs. A known cross trainer trains not only lower and upper limbs, but also arms, thus being multifunctional and more interesting to exercisers.
The conventional cross trainer preliminary comprises a frame mounted thereon a pair of handle-shafts swingable backward and forward. Each said handle-shaft has an upper end provided with a handle portion and a lower end coupled with a treadle. Thereby, the alternately swing handle-shafts guide an exerciser stepping on the treadles and holding the handle portions to perform in-place striding. However, the swing handle-shafts themselves can only perform simple pendulum-like swinging and thus only a limited range of exercisers' muscles can get trained by the conventional cross trainer. For the same reason, the exercise motion guided by the conventional cross trainer is still far from genuine human striding. Besides, two treadle-shafts of the conventional cross trainer are configured to move independent of each other and are prone to get interfered by the hands' operation. During exercise, when exercising with rapidness or under uncoordinated limb movements, an exerciser may have difficulty in keeping continuity and balance and thus risks getting muscle strains or may fall down from the trainer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,648,445 disclosed an elliptical exercise apparatus capable of simulating human striding and running and increasing muscles of exerciser's legs and feet, achieving improved exercise effect. The apparatus disclosed in the aforesaid patent can direct exerciser's legs in two counter directions, thereby preventing the exerciser's two feet from simultaneously moving forward or backward and preventing the exerciser from exercising with only one foot due to the exerciser's poor coordination. As a result, the stepping motions of exerciser's feet may be performed smoothly and continuously.
In the aforesaid patent, the elliptical exercise track is achieved by a sliding motion of a sliding treadle assembly having a treadle portion and slidably sleeved onto a lead swing arm as well as a swing motion of the lead swing arm. However, because the sliding treadle assembly occupies a certain volume with a certain weight, the exerciser must pay much effort to raise the sliding treadle assembly along the lead swing arm when the exerciser uses he/her feet to push the treadle portions of the sliding treadle assembly, resulting in that the operating motion of the apparatus becomes heavy and lumberly and the exerciser may fell slack about the operating motion while the exerciser does exercise on the apparatus. In addition, because of the sliding treadle assembly occupying a certain volume with a certain weight, the rollers installed inside the sliding treadle assembly may wear badly during reciprocally up-and-down sliding motion of the sliding treadle assembly. Therefore, a great amount of rollers need to be used inside the sliding treadle assembly for sharing heavy load so as to increase lifespan of the apparatus. In other words, the apparatus disclosed in the aforesaid patent solves the problem of the conventional cross trainer but has some drawbacks needed to be improved.

Cycling & Health Tech Industry R & D Center


The invention can be used for enabling service discovery. Service discovery can be enabled by requesting, by a first apparatus from a gateway entity, information on apparatuses capable of providing a predetermined service and being located in proximity of the first apparatus, receiving, by the first apparatus from the gateway entity, a predetermined resource identifier associated with a second apparatus capable of providing the predetermined service and being located in proximity of the first apparatus, the predetermined resource identifier being received as a response to the request, and sending, by the first apparatus, a resource request to the second apparatus using the predetermined resource identifier associated with the second apparatus. Service discovery can also be enabled by receiving, by a first apparatus, a resource request sent by a second apparatus using a predetermined resource identifier associated with a wireless service of the first apparatus, wherein the second apparatus is located in proximity of the first apparatus, determining whether the wireless service of the first apparatus is to be made available to the second apparatus, initiating the wireless service at the first apparatus in case it is determined, that the wireless service is to be made available to the second apparatus, creating a response to the resource request, inserting into the response a parameter required for establishing a connection to the wireless service of the first apparatus, and sending the response to the second apparatus.

In addition to voice calls, mobile phones and other wireless devices are also used for data services such that data is retrieved from a data provider via e.g. mobile communication network. Today it is commonplace to e.g. retrieve contents of web pages from servers in the internet for viewing the content in a web browser running on a mobile phone or another wireless device.
Today's mobile phones and other wireless devices are also capable of operating as content providers. For example, a mobile phone can run a mobile web server, the content of which can be made available to virtually anybody who has access to the internet. The content of the mobile web server is accessed from the internet via the mobile communication network, to which the mobile phone or other wireless device that is running the mobile web server is attached, typically through a web gateway. If the mobile web server is accessed through the web gateway, the gateway can e.g. provide the mobile web server related connectivity and security functions. For example, the web gateway can receive HTTP requests directed to the mobile web server and relay the requests to the mobile web server using an address of the mobile web server in the mobile network that is known to the gateway. The gateway can also operate as a firewall.
A user of a mobile phone with a web browser can access the content of a mobile web server run by e.g. another mobile phone in a similar manner as accessing the content of a web server in the internet. That is, the user enters or selects, using the web browser of the mobile phone, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) associated with the mobile web server, after which the protocol stack software of the mobile connects the mobile phone to the mobile web server and retrieves the requested content. Even if the mobile phone running the mobile web server is located close to the mobile phone requesting the content, e.g. in the same cell, the data communication path between the mobile phones may run a long distance in the network infrastructure of the mobile communication network and reserve two uplink and two downlink channels in the cell where the mobile phones are located. A similar situation may arise when the mobile web server is accessed e.g. from a laptop computer.
Today's mobile phones and other wireless devices are typically also equipped with short range wireless communication modules, such as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) and Bluetooth® modules. If a mobile phone accessing a mobile web server and a mobile phone running the mobile web server are located in proximity of each other, the connection between the mobile phones may be established through e.g. WLAN instead of a mobile communication network in order to save costs. However, the user of the mobile phone accessing the mobile web server may not know, whether the mobile phone running the mobile web server is located nearby or whether the WLAN service is started at the web server mobile phone.


A toner process comprising (a) providing at least one amphiphilic block copolymer prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization comprising: dissolving a hydrophilic monomer in water; adding a hydrophobic monomer; adding a feed initiator to produce a colloidal dispersion of amphiphilic block copolymer; and optionally, discharging the amphiphilic block copolymer; (b) contacting one or more of a latex polymer, a wax; and a colorant with the colloidal dispersion of amphiphilic block copolymer to form a blend; or contacting the discharged amphiphilic block copolymer with one or more of a latex polymer, a wax dispersion, and a colorant dispersion, and forming a further dispersion; (c) heating the blend or further dispersion at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the latex polymer to form aggregated toner particles; (d) adding a coalescing agent to the toner particles thereby coalescing the toner particles; and (e) recovering the toner particles.

Disclosed herein is a surfactant-free emulsion polymerization process for producing amphiphilic block copolymers. Further disclosed is a toner process comprising: (a) providing at least one amphiphilic block copolymer, wherein the amphiphilic block copolymer is prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization comprising: dissolving at least one hydrophilic monomer in water; adding at least one hydrophobic monomer; optionally, adding a feed initiator; optionally, heating; to produce a colloidal dispersion of amphiphilic block copolymer; optionally, cooling; and optionally, discharging the produced colloidal dispersion of amphiphilic block copolymer; (b) contacting one or more components selected from the group consisting of a latex polymer, a wax; and a colorant with the colloidal dispersion of amphiphilic block copolymer to form a blend; or contacting the discharged amphiphilic block copolymer with one or more latexes or dispersions selected from the group consisting of a latex polymer, a polymer dispersion, a wax dispersion, and a colorant dispersion, and forming a dispersion; (c) heating the blend or dispersion at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the latex polymer to form aggregated toner particles; (d) adding a coalescing agent to the toner particles thereby coalescing the toner particles; and (e) optionally, recovering the toner particles.
Raw materials for emulsion aggregation toners include various colloidal dispersions. Methods to obtain stable and functional colloidal dispersions are desirable for emulsion aggregation processes. It is desirable to develop improved, up-to-date methods for stabilizing organic, inorganic, and hybrid particles employed in emulsion aggregation toner processes. Dispersion agents, including surfactants and amphiphilic block copolymers, have been used in these processes. When used as surfactants, amphiphilic block copolymers have certain advantages over conventional small molecular weight surfactants, such as low critical micelle concentrations (CMCs), higher stability, less foaming, among other advantages. Further, amphiphilic block copolymers have application prospects in the fields of colloidal dispersions, adhesives, compatibilizers, dispersing agents for pigments and inorganic particles including quantum dots, and other fields.
Block copolymers can be prepared by living polymerization methods such as anionic polymerization, group transfer polymerization (GTP), nitroxide-mediated free radical polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), or reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.
Most of the living polymerization approaches, such as GTP polymerization, require special and costly raw materials including special initiating systems and high purity monomers. Some of them have to be carried out under extreme conditions such as low moisture or low temperature. Further, some of these methods are sensitive to the active hydrogen groups on the monomers such as the hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups. These groups would have to be chemically protected during the polymerization and recovered in a subsequent step. In addition, some of the initiating systems bring undesirable color, odor, metal complexes, or potentially corrosive halides into the product. Extra steps would be required to remove them.
Currently, the majority of the synthetic procedures for preparing amphiphilic block copolymers are based on controlled radical polymerizations (CRPs), which require elaborate and time-consuming synthesis. In fact, the implementation of CRPs in industry still remains limited due to the inevitable difficulties and disadvantages.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2010/0081769, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes in the Abstract thereof a process for producing a linear block copolymer, useful as a dispersant for pigment, wherein the block copolymer comprises acetoacetyl amine functional groups which serve as pigment anchoring groups. The acetoacetyl amine functional groups can be formed by reacting hydroxyl functional groups with an acetoacetate agent and then reacting the resulted acetoacetate functional groups with a primary amine. The linear block copolymer can be an AB, ABC, or ABA block copolymer. The linear block copolymer produced by the present invention can be useful in dispersing and stabilizing a wide range of pigments in solvent based systems, and are particularly useful in providing pigment dispersions that are used in coating compositions for automobiles and trucks, where they provide improved efficiency of pigment use, lower paint viscosity, and reduced emission of volatile organic solvent. See also U. S. Patent Application Publication 2011/0144263, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, which describes in the Abstract thereof a linear block copolymer, useful as a dispersant for pigment, wherein the block copolymer comprises acetoacetyl amine functional groups which serve as pigment anchoring groups.
Currently available stabilizing and dispersing agents are suitable for their intended purposes. However a need remains for improved stabilizing and dispersing agents. Further, a need remains for improved stabilizing and dispersing agents for emulsion aggregation toner processes. Further, a need remains for improved processes for preparing stabilizing and dispersing agents, in embodiments, improved processes for preparing amphiphilic block copolymers that are suitable for such purposes.
The appropriate components and process aspects of the each of the foregoing U. S. Patents and Patent Publications may be selected for the present disclosure in embodiments thereof. Further, throughout this application, various publications, patents, and published patent applications are referred to by an identifying citation. The disclosures of the publications, patents, and published patent applications referenced in this application are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

Toner process comprising synthesizing amphiphilic block copolymers via emulsion polymerization


Method and device for scavenging tainted escape gas at a location proximate the patient's mouth (24) before that gas diffuses into, or otherwise reaches the personal breathing space (32, 35) of attending health care providers (38, 39). The scavenging device (50) includes, but is not limited to a suction arrangement (52) suspendable from a patient's nasal mask (40) used for administering gaseous analgesia or anesthetic such as nitrous oxide to the patient (20). A suction inlet (54) is positionable proximate the patient's mouth (24) and an exhaust outlet (56) is provided that is interconnectable with a vacuum source (46).

It is well documented that persons can suffer negative consequences from exposure to certain analgesia and/or anesthetic gases; and particularly, nitrous oxide. The administration of nitrous oxide to patients is especially popular during dental procedures. The relatively short periods that the patient is exposed to the gas is generally accepted as being tolerable from a health perspective. A by-product of the administration of such gases, however, particularly during dental procedures in which the patient's mouth remains open and uncovered is a leakage of the administered gas into the care provider's breathing space from the patient's open mouth. Depending on the fit of the nasal mask against the patient's face, it is also possible for some leakage to occur thereabout while gas is administered.
The adverse health effects of exposure to low levels of nitrous oxide have been demonstrated in epidemiologic and laboratory studies. The effects range from those of the more bothersome type including irritability, headache, and nausea to the more severe including congenital abnormalities, spontaneous abortion, infertility, lymphoid malignancies, cervical cancer, and hepatic, renal and neurological disease.
In an effort to continue patient benefits from the administration of nitrous oxide, while minimizing, if not alleviating the negative effects upon the care providers, several air evacuation devices have been developed. One example is found in International Patent Application Number PCT/CA95/00504 in which a system entitled Ventilation of Medical Gases is described. The intake portions of this device, however, are positioned against each of the patient's cheeks in a space that the care provider may wish to occupy, or at least have clear during medical procedures, and especially dental procedures. Still further, the positioning of the intakes which are supported on, and substantially cover the patient's cheek areas can prove to be a disturbance to the patient.
Another attempted solution is found in International Patent Application Number PCT/SE89/00213 entitled Mouth Piece for Suction of Exhaled Air. This device is described as having wing members that are intended to be brought into the mouth of the patient and which rest upon the inner side of the mouth cavity. The facial and inner-mouth contact that this device requires also creates a disturbance for the patient which is desirably avoided.
Taking these exemplarily, but inadequate solutions into consideration, the need for improved and alternative methods has been recognized. Goals for such replacement options include patient comfort and effectiveness for minimizing care provider exposure to escape gas.

Method and arrangement for scavenging escape gas


The present invention is concerned with an improved automatic disk exchange device which is adapted to take out a selected one of a plurality of disks housed within a disk housing device by a transport device and to introduce the disk into and attach the disk to a recording/reproducing device, where the information is recorded on the disk or reproduced from the disk, the disk now attached to the recording/reproducing device being then taken out of the recording/reproducing device so as to be again housed in the housing device. The invention permits shortening of the distance through which the disk is moved within the automatic disk exchange device and reduces the number of operations accompanying the disk movement and the disk access time.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved automatic disk exchange device in which a large number of disks are stores in a disk storage device, one of the selected disks is automatically taken out of the storage space by a transport mechanism when required and transferred and attached to a recording/reproducing device for recording and/or reproducing the information, and in which the disk thus attached to the recording/reproducing device is again transported therefrom for storage to the disk storage device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The automatic disk exchange device of the type described above is disclosed for example in the Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 24 3865/1985 and illustrated in FIG. 3 as a well-known automatic disk exchange device.
In this figure, the reference numeral 1 denotes a disk contained in a square sheet-like cassette hereinafter referred to simply as a disk, the reference numeral 2 a disk storage device in the form of a bookcase for storing the disks 1 in the upright position, the reference numeral 3 a recording/reproducing device, the reference numeral 4 a transport device disposed at the backside of the storage device 2, and the reference numeral 5 a transport frame provided to the transport device 4 and having a built-in transfer means adapted for transferring the disk 1.
In operation, when a selected one of the disks 1 in the storage device 2 is attached to the recording/reproducing device 3, the transport device 4 is driven into operation for shifting the transport frame 5 to a position facing to the selected disk 1 stored in the storage device 2 both transversely or along the x-axis and vertically or along the z-axis. When the transport frame 5 reaches a predetermined position, the transverse transfer unit transfers the disk out of the storage device 2 into the transport frame 5. The transport frame is then turned 90.degree. and moved downward to the position of the recording/reproducing unit 3. The transfer unit is then driven in the reverse direction for transporting the disk 1 by way of an inlet/outlet port 6 into the inside of the recording/reproducing unit 3. When the disk 1 has been transported into and attached in position within the recording/reproducing unit 3, the recording/reproducing device is ready to start the recording/reproducing operation.
When the operation of recording the information on or reproducing the information from the disk 1 by the device 3 is terminated, the disk 1 is transported and returned to the original storage device by the operation reverse to what is described above.
In the prior-art method, as described above, there is employed a system of a construction in which the disks are housed in the upright position in the storage device 2 in the form of a bookcase and in which the recording/reproducing device provided with the horizontally extending inlet/outlet port disposed under the storage device 2.
Such a construction has, however, the following drawbacks (i) to (iv):
(i) The operation of taking a disk out of the storage device and attaching it in position in the recording/reproducing device is time-consuming. That is, the disk transport operation usually takes three to four seconds, while the disk position changing operation usually takes about one second, such that the total disk access time is four to five seconds. If the disk is housed at a position in the storage device remote from the recording/reproducing device, the transport time is correspondingly increased.
(ii) The transport device including the transfer unit performs a three-dimensional motion, to which a rotary motion is added to effect the position changing of the disk, so that the structure is complicated and naturally susceptible to troubles.
(iii) The disk storage space efficiency is low and the overall construction tends to be increased in size.
(iv) The transport frame is supported at one point by a rotary shaft in a cantilevered fashion and increased in weight because of the built-in transfer means, thus necessitating the weight counterbalancing means such as two springs as shown. In addition, a large-sized electric motor capable of developing a larger output needs to be provided as a driving source.
This results in a more complicated structure of the overall construction with the increased rate of trouble occurrence and the increased production costs.


In a rear structure of a vehicle body, a rear bulkhead is erected from a floor panel and the erected rear bulkhead is coupled to a vehicle body to separate a passenger compartment from a cargo compartment. First seat anchors are coupled to the rear bulkhead using multiple rivets. Second seat anchors are coupled to the rear bulkhead using multiple rivets. The first seat anchors and the second seat anchors support a child seat.

Examples known as a rear structure of a vehicle body include a rear structure of a fuel cell vehicle in which a rear bulkhead is disposed on the floor panel to separate a passenger compartment from a cargo compartment (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4648733).
Some of rear structures of at vehicle body that include a seat belt anchor on the floor panel have been known (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3506367).
To install both a rear bulkhead and a seat belt anchor on the floor panel, the rear bulkhead and the seat belt anchor are generally separately mounted on the floor panel. Thus, the operation of installing the rear bulkhead and the seat belt anchor takes longer time and is susceptible to improvement in this view point.
Some of rear structures of a vehicle body include a seat anchor that supports a child seat. Such a seat anchor is usually mounted on the floor panel separately from the rear bulkhead in the same manner as the seat belt anchor. Thus, the operation of installing the rear bulkhead and the seat anchor takes longer time.


A technique of suppressing a decrease in dispersibility of nanostructures in a nanostructure dispersion liquid that is stored or transported after production is provided. A nanostructure dispersion liquid-containing container is formed by filling an airtight container with a nanostructure dispersion liquid containing nanostructures and a dispersion medium. The nanostructures include at least one selected from the group consisting of nanocarbons, nanofibers, and nanowires, and a filling rate of the nanostructure dispersion liquid is 97 vol % or more.

In recent years, a variety of nanostructures such as nanocarbons, nanofibers, and nanowires have been attracting attention as materials excellent in various characteristics such as mechanical characteristics. Of these, nanocarbons and especially fibrous carbon nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (hereafter also referred to as "CNTs") have been attracting attention as materials excellent in electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and mechanical characteristics.
However, nanostructures such as CNTs are fine structures with diameters in nanometer size, and therefore are poor in handleability and processability when used alone. Hence, a plurality of nanostructures are combined into an aggregate in film form as an example, or nanostructures are compound with a polymer material such as resin or rubber or metal to form a composite material. The resultant aggregate or composite material is then put to various uses. As a method of forming an aggregate of nanostructures, a method of removing, from a nanostructure dispersion liquid obtained by dispersing nanostructures in a dispersion medium, the dispersion medium has been proposed. As a method of forming a composite material including nanostructures, a method of precipitating or depositing, from a composite material composition obtained by mixing a matrix material such as a polymer material and a nanostructure dispersion liquid, a composite material has been proposed.
To achieve excellent characteristics of an aggregate of nanostructures or a composite material, there has been demand for a dispersion liquid obtained by favorably dispersing nanostructures in a dispersion medium, as a nanostructure dispersion liquid used to form an aggregate or a composite material. As a method of producing a nanostructure dispersion liquid, for example, a method of dispersing nanostructures in a dispersion medium using an ultrasonic homogenizer, a jet mill, or the like has been proposed (for example, see PTL 1 to PTL 4).

Nanostructure dispersion liquid-containing container, method of storing and method of transporting nanostructure dispersion liquid, and methods of producing composite material composition and aggregate using nanostructure dispersion liquid


A pulverizer for reducing the clumpiness or aggregation of soil into clumps or clods and for screening materials, the pulverizer having a frame mounting a substantially cylindrically configured screening drum for rotation and a scoop for aiding the delivery of the material to be pulverized or screened to the screening drum. The pulverizer may be mounted as an attachment onto an appropriate power source such as a tractor or a skid-steer loader.

The present invention relates to apparatus for reducing the number and size of clumps or clods or other aggregations of earthen material or for screening granular or aggregate material and in particular to such an apparatus that is attached to a skid-steer loader or other power source such as a tractor.
Landscapers typically smoothly contour the ground surface before laying sod or planting bushes or flowers. Nutrient rich earth is the preferred base for such a use and where such soil does not exist at a particular site, it is often times transported there from a seller, such as a garden nursery.
To be readily and easily usable, especially by a home owner using hand tools to distribute contour, and landscape the soil bed, it is preferred that the soil, whether utilized from on-site supplies or delivered from a seller, is available for use without significant clumping or aggregation of the earthen material into clods. As anyone who has worked soil where large numbers of clods are found can attest, the presence of clods contributes to either extra work to reduce them or to an uneven surface. If left alone, large dirt clumps or clods may tend to disintegrate over time, but in doing so they leave a small pile rather than the desired even surface. Where soil is purchased from a seller, then, delivery without significant amounts of clods is required to minimize reworking of the soil at the site.
Compacted and aggregated soils affect not only garden nurseries, but also landscapers, construction companies, trenching companies, or anyone else that disturbs a site and must refinish it. For example, during construction of a new home, new topsoil may not be brought in from off site because the existing top soil may be adequate for the desired lawn and garden uses. During the actual construction, however, the topsoil may be cleared and piled for later replacement. As the soil sits in the pile, it can accumulate moisture and compact or aggregate into clods, resulting in clumps that require considerable reworking after replacement. Trenchers will also disturb the top soil layer, requiring replacement. Once again, a smoothly contoured surface is desirable before laying new sod or seeding.
To address this problem of soil clumps, soil pulverizers have been constructed to reduce soil xe2x80x9clumpinessxe2x80x9d. Typically, these devices comprise rotating screening drums into which the soil is placed by another machine. These pulverizers are typically rather large and are designed to process significant amounts of soil at one time. Purchase and operation of such large scale pulverizers is therefore cost prohibitive for many, if not most, landscapers and soil retailers such as nurseries. Consequently, retailers such as garden nurseries tend to rent pulverizers on a short-term basis to process the soil in inventory while landscapers or construction companies may do the same to process soils used on-site. This processing may have to be done on a repeated and regular basis because even though once processed, as the newly pulverized and piled soil sits it absorbs moisture and once again clods can form. Pulverizing soil, then, is a continuing cost item for operators that do finish landscape work. Failing to pulverize the soil may result in the operation incurring additional labor and machine costs to achieve the desired soil bed contours while the present day pulverizing methods typically require bringing in the aforementioned large-scale pulverizers at additional cost.
It would be desirable to have a pulverizer that was economical to purchase and to use, that would readily process soil to reduce clumps; that provided the operator with the ability to readily change pulverizer screens; and that was easily transportable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus that is not subject to the foregoing disadvantages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for pulverizing material and screening the same.
It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for pulverizing soil clods and clumps and screening material that is cost effective for small businesses to own and operate.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide apparatus for pulverizing soil clods and clumps that is mountable to a skid-steer loader, tractor or other machinery.
The present invention provides a soil pulverizer for reducing the dumpiness or aggregation of soil into clumps or clods. In an embodiment of the present invention, the pulverizer may be mounted as an attachment onto an appropriate power source such as a tractor or a skid-steer loader. A pulverizer in accord with the present invention has a frame mounting a substantially cylindrically configured screening drum for rotation. The frame has a mounting bracket for attaching the pulverizer to the power source. The frame preferably mounts a protective shell or housing that partially encloses the screening drum. The frame may mount an attached scoop to the front thereof to facilitate guiding soil into the screening drum when attached to the tractor or loader. That is, the scoop may be pushed into a pile of dirt to push dirt into the screening drum.
A screening drum according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cylindrical screen mounted to a shaft for rotation about the shaft longitudinal axis. The rear end of the shaft includes an attachment head having a recess configured to be attached to a drive shaft from a hydraulic motor or other appropriate power source. In the present embodiment illustrated herein, the attachment head includes a recess to receive non-rotationally the end of a power source drive shaft. To facilitate mounting the screening drum within the housing the scoop may include a slot to allow the forward end of the drum drive shaft to pass through.
The foregoing objects of the present invention will be fully understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reading the present description in conjunction with the attached drawings illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention showing it attached to the front end of a skid-steer loader, which is shown in phantom outline.
FIG. 2 shows the present invention in a front elevation view.
FIG. 3 depicts the present invention in a bottom plan view.
FIG. 4 illustrates the present invention is a side elevation, cross sectional view taken along viewing plane 4xe2x80x944 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 shows that portion of FIG. 4 indicated by the circle xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d in greater detail.
FIG. 6 illustrates the attachment of the screening drum shaft and the hydraulic motor in a cross sectional view taken along viewing plane 6xe2x80x946 of FIG. 5.
FIGS. 7A-7D depict the present invention in operation.


An driving apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing bodies each of which is rotatable and capable of bearing a latent image and a developer image, a rotatable belt provided so as to face the image bearing bodies, a plurality of image-bearing-body-driving units for rotating the image bearing bodies, a belt driving unit for rotating the belt, and a control unit. The control unit causes the image-bearing-body-driving units and the belt driving unit to start rotating the image bearing bodies and the belt so that the image bearing bodies and the belt rotate at a first speed. When the control unit detects that the image bearing bodies and the belt rotate at the first speed, the control unit causes the image-bearing-body-driving units and the belt driving unit to accelerate rotation speeds of the image bearing bodies and the belt to a second speed faster than the first speed.

The present invention relates to a driving apparatus using a motor or the like, an image forming apparatus using the driving apparatus, a driving method using the driving apparatus, and an image forming method using the image forming apparatus.
There is an image forming apparatus including a plurality of image forming units and a belt that moves along the image forming units. The image forming units respectively include image bearing bodies (i.e., photosensitive drums) provided so as to contact the belt. The image bearing bodies are driven by direct current motors (i.e., ID motors). The belt is driven by another direct current motor (i.e., a belt motor). The belt motor and the ID motors are driven in synchronization with each other. Such an image forming apparatus is disclosed by, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-83232.
In the conventional art, peak current applied to the belt motor and the drum motors becomes relatively large.

Driving apparatus, image forming apparatus, driving method and image forming method


A bearing assembly includes an outer race and an inner race. The outer race has a body extending between a pair of axial faces and defines a radially-inward facing bearing surface. The inner race is received in the outer race and has a radially-outward facing bearing surface that bears against the radially-inward facing bearing surface of the outer race. The radially-outward facing bearing surface has one or more flat surfaces removed from it. These flats on the inner race can reduce the dimensional entry requirements for insertion of the inner race into the outer race and either permits the receiving slots in the outer race to be reduced in dimension (thereby relatively thickening the wall of the outer race, which structurally strengthens the outer races) or permits the receiving slots to be eliminated altogether.

Bearings are used in various applications in which one object rotates with respect to another. An inner race is received in an outer race such that a radially-outward facing bearing surface of the inner race bears on a radially-inward facing bearing surface of the outer race. Usually, the inner race and outer race are affixed to other objects which can rotate relative to one another and, in some instances, the bearing surfaces are shaped such that there may be some axial misalignment between the inner race and the outer race during operation.
In many instances, to allow this axial misalignment during operation of the bearing assembly, the inner race has a frusto-spherical bearing surface that is captured in a negatively-shaped frusto-spherical bearing surface of the outer race. Given this geometry of the bearing surfaces, to accommodate insertion of the inner race into the outer race during assembly, the outer race often includes a pair of opposing entry slots on one axial face such that the inner race can fit through the slots of the outer race when the inner race is rotated approximately ninety degrees relative to the central axis of the outer race (i.e., the insertion of the inner race into the outer race occurs in an orientation where the inner race is perpendicular to its preferred rotation axis, which would generally align with the axis of outer race). To provide the required clearance during insertion, the sides of the inner race are typically truncated to generally correspond to, but to be slightly smaller than, the slot width of the opposing entry slots. This truncation gives the inner race a frusto-spherical shape. Once the inner race is inserted into the outer race, the inner race is turned 90 degrees to align with the outer race and the inner race is then sealed into the outer race to prevent the ingress of debris into the bearing space. At this point, the slotted entry bearing is ready for operation.

Bearing assembly with inner race having one or more flats


The present invention provides a commercially viable process for preparing rilpivirine and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof in high yields using novel intermediate.

Rilpivirine hydrochloride, chemically 4-[[4-[[4-(2-cyanoethenyl)-2,6-dimethylphenyl]amino]pyrimidinyl]amino]benzonitrile hydrochloride and has the structural formula:

Rilpivirine (TMC278) is an investigational new drug, developed by Tibotec, for the treatment of HIV infection. It is a second-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) with higher potency, longer half-life and reduced side-effect profile compared with older NNRTIs.
Rilpivirine and its hydrochloride salt were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,879.
Process for the preparation of rilpivirine was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,399,856 ('856 patent). According to the '856 patent, rilpivirine can be prepared by reacting the (E)-3-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)acrylonitrile hydrochloride of formula II with 4-(4-chloropyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile of formula III-a in the presence of potassium carbonate and acetonitrile under reflux for 69 hours. The synthetic procedure is illustrated in scheme I, below:

According to the '856 patent, 4-(4-chloropyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile of formula III-a can be prepared by reacting the 4-[(1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2-pyrimidinyl)amino]benzonitrile with phosphorus oxytrichloride in the presence of methylene chloride and 2-propanone.
Process for the preparation of rilpivirine was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,705,148 ('148 patent). According to the '148 patent, rilpivirine can be prepared by reacting the 4-[[4-[[4-bromo-2,6-dimethylphenyl]amino]-2-pyrimidinyl]amino]benzonitrile with acrylonitrile in the presence of palladium acetate, N,N-diethylethanamine and tris(2-methylphenyl)phosphine in acetonitrile.
According to the '148 patent, rilpivirine can be prepared by reacting the compound of formula IV with 4-(4-chloropyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile formula III-a in the presence of hydrochloric acid and n-propanol to obtain a compound of formula VII, and then the compound was treated with acetonitrile and potassium carbonate under reflux for 69 hours. The synthetic procedure is illustrated in scheme II, below:

According to the '148 patent, 4-(4-chloropyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile of formula III-a can be prepared by reacting the 4-[(1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-2-pyrimidinyl)amino]benzonitrile with phosphorus oxytrichloride in the presence of methylene chloride and 2-propanone.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,563,922 disclosed a process for the preparation of (E)-3-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)acrylonitrile hydrochloride. According to the patent, (E)-3-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)acrylonitrile hydrochloride can be prepared by reacting the 4-iodo-2,6-dimethyl-benzenamine in N,N-dimethylacetamide with acrylonitrile in the presence of sodium acetate and toluene, and then the solid thus obtained was reacted with hydrochloric acid in 2-propanol in the presence of ethanol and diisopropyl ether.
An unpublished application, IN 1415/CHE/2011 assigned to Hetero Research Foundation discloses a process for the preparation of rilpivirine. According to the application, rilpivirine can be prepared by reacting the 4-(4-chloropyrimidin-2-ylamino)benzonitrile with (E)-3-(4-amino-3,5-dimethylphenyl)acrylonitrile hydrochloride in the presence of p-toluene sulfonic acid monohydrate and 1,4-dioxane.
It has been found that the rilpivirine produced according to the prior art procedures involves higher number of chemical steps and results in low yields. According to the present invention rilpivirine can be obtained in higher yields and in fewer number of reaction steps than the prior art processes.
We have found a novel process for the preparation of rilpivirine and its pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof using novel intermediate.
The process of present invention is simple, inexpensive and reproducible and is well suited on an industrial scale.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel process for preparing rilpivirine and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof in high yields using novel intermediate.

Process for rilpivirine using novel intermediate


A fluid filled type vibration damping device includes: a main rubber elastic body elastically connecting first and second mounting members; a partition member supported by the second mounting member; a pressure-receiving chamber partially defined by the elastic body and having a non-compressible fluid sealed therein; an equilibrium chamber partially defined by a flexible film and having the non-compressible fluid therein. The chambers are formed to either side of the partition member and an orifice passage permits a fluid communication between the two chambers. A short-circuit passage is formed so that the pressure-receiving and equilibrium chambers are able to be short-circuited through the short-circuit passage. A valve is used for switching the short-circuit passage, and a metal spring is used for holding the valve in a closed state at a predetermined initial level of elastic deformation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid filled type vibration damping device designed to produce vibration damping action based on flow action of a non-compressible fluid sealed therein, and more particularly to a fluid filled type vibration damping device suitable for use as an automotive engine mount, body mount, difference mount, or the like, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of vibration damping devices for installation between components making up a vibration transmission system, it has been proposed to utilize vibration damping action based on the flow action, e.g. the resonance action, of a non-compressible fluid sealed therein. One type of such known device is a fluid filled type vibration damping device comprising: a first mounting member attached one of two components to be linked in a vibration damping fashion; a second mounting member attached to the other of the two components; a main rubber elastic body elastically connecting the first mounting member and the second mounting member which are spaced apart from each other; a pressure-receiving chamber whose wall is partially constituted by the main rubber elastic body and that gives rise of pressure fluctuations during vibration input; an equilibrium chamber whose wall is constituted by a flexible film and that readily permits change in volume; and an orifice passage through which the pressure-receiving chamber and equilibrium chamber communicate with each other. A fluid filled vibration-damping device of this type is effectively used for automotive engine mounts, for example.
In a fluid filled type vibration damping device of this kind, when a large vibrational load is input across the first mounting member and the second mounting member, noise and vibration are sometimes emitted by the vibration damping device. Specifically, in the event that an automotive vehicle employing a fluid filled type vibration damping device of the construction described above as an engine mount should happen to drive over grooved pavement or speed bumps, such noise and vibration can be produced at a level noticeable to passengers in the vehicle.
Such noise and vibration occurs when, during input of impulsive vibration, the flow of the fluid through the orifice passage between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber cannot keep up, so that a transitory high level of negative pressure occurs within the pressure-receiving chamber. In association with this, gas separates from the filled fluid to form bubbles, a phenomenon known as cavitation. The bubbles maintain generally spherical stable condition from initial occurrence through the growth phase, but during bursting undergo deformation and form tiny explosive jets (microjets). This produces water hammer pressure which is propagated to the first mounting member and the second mounting member, and then transmitted to the vehicle body, and the like. This may cause the problem of noise and vibration mentioned previously.
To address this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,793, for example proposed a structure wherein a slit is formed in a rubber partition film supported by a partition member which partitions the pressure-receiving chamber from the equilibrium chamber. With this rubber partition film, when the pressure difference between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber rises above a prescribed level, the rubber partition film undergoes elastic deformation due to the action of the pressure difference, whereby the partition member is induced to open up so that the pressure-receiving chamber and equilibrium chamber communicate. This arrangement makes it possible to eliminate the pressure difference between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber.
However, with the structure proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,793, the slit in the rubber partition film opens up to allow communication between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber through the slit, not only where negative pressure has developed in the pressure-receiving chamber but also where positive pressure has developed. Consequently, any pressure difference between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber is eliminated by the flow of the fluid through the slit, which can make it difficult to ensure adequate relative pressure fluctuations between the pressure-receiving chamber and the equilibrium chamber. As a result, it becomes difficult to ensure adequate fluid flow level through the orifice passage, posing the risk of difficulty in sufficiently attaining the desired vibration damping action on the part of the orifice passage.
To address this new problem, the Assignee proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JP-A-2003-148548) the use of valve means composed of a rubber elastic body. With this arrangement, when a level of negative pressure higher than the predetermined negative pressure should occur in the pressure-receiving chamber, the orifice passage will be short-circuited by means of a short-circuit passage.
Additional research carried out by the inventors has shown that the fluid filled vibration damping device taught in JP-A-2003-148548 is not yet satisfactory in all instances. Specifically, the valve means taught in JP-A-2003-148548 is composed of a relatively thin rubber elastic body. Due to repeated opening and closing or due to change over time, the rubber elastic body constituting the valve means can experience deformation or deterioration, posing the risk that it will no longer be able to maintain the short-circuit passage opening in the fluid-tightly closed state even where the level of negative pressure in the pressure-receiving chamber is lower than the predetermined negative pressure. Additionally, due to repeated elastic deformation, the rubber elastic body per se may rupture. Also, depending on the required properties, elastic deformation of the valve means composed of the rubber elastic body may not afford sufficient accuracy of recovery to initial shape. Furthermore, with valve means employing a rubber elastic body, variability in dimensions and shape tends to occur readily, making it difficult to attain opening and closing of the valve means with the predetermined negative pressure as threshold, at a high level of accuracy.

Fluid-filled type vibration damping device


The present invention relates to a method for producing an electromechanical, for example piezoelectric, transducer in which a first polymer layer comprising cutouts is applied to a first continuous polymer layer by means of a printing and/or coating method, a cover is applied to the first polymer layer comprising cutouts in such a way that the cutouts of the first polymer layer comprising cutouts are closed off with the formation of cavities, and the cover is connected to the first polymer layer comprising cutouts. The invention also relates to electromechanical transducers produced by the method according to the invention, and the use of said electromechanical transducers.

The ability of some materials to generate an electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress is referred to as piezoelectricity. Established piezoelectric materials are lead zirconium titanate (PZT) and fluorinated polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Piezoelectric behaviour has also been observed in foamed, closed-pore polypropylene (PP). In order to achieve piezoelectricity, such a polypropylene foam is charged in a high electric field. As a result, electrical breakdowns occur within the pores, generating macrodipoles and polarising the material macroscopically. Such polypropylene ferroelectrets can have a piezoelectric coefficient of several hundred picocoulombs per Newton. In order further to increase the sensitivity of the sensor action, multilayer systems comprising a plurality of foams stacked one above the other have been developed.
Gerhard et al. (2007 Annual Report Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, pages 453 to 456) describe a three-layer ferroelectret in which a polytetrafluoroethylene film provided with a plurality of homogeneous through-holes by mechanical or laser-based drilling is arranged between two homogeneous fluoroethylenepropylene films. However, the incorporation of through-holes by mechanical or laser-based drilling is complex and unsuitable for large-scale production. For example, as is also disclosed in the above-mentioned source (p. 454), the perforated layer must be chemically cleaned after the mechanical or laser-based drilling in order to remove metal residues (burrs) or organic residues.
The three-layer ferroelectret disclosed in Gerhard et al. is produced by a lamination process. In this process, the polytetrafluoroethylene film provided with holes is joined to the fluoroethylenepropylene films by passing the layers between two heated rotating cylinders under high pressure and at elevated temperature (310° C.).
It would be desirable to provide a process for the production of an electromechanical, for example piezoelectric, converter that is suitable for large-scale production.

Process for the producing of an electromechanical transducer


The invention consists in a disposable module (31) for purifying a fluid, in particular water, adapted to form part of a thud purification system and comprising fluid purification means (25, 28), a housing (35) in which the purification means are housed, and means for removably connecting the purification module (31) to the purification system to establish fluid communication between the purification system and the purification module (31), characterized in that the housing (35) contains from the outset a cleaning agent (36) disposed to come into contact with the fluid caused to circulate inside the housing (35) to clean at least a portion of the purification system, it also consists in the purification system and corresponding fabrication and cleaning methods.

To guarantee correct operation of the system, it is necessary to clean, and in particular to disinfect, the component parts regularly, in particular the purification means employing tangential filtration.
In one prior art arrangement, using a message displayed on a screen, the system regularly prompts the user to introduce a cleaning agent into the system via an orifice of the system communicating with a pipe through which the fluid passes or an orifice formed in the receptacle of a purification module that may be recycled, i.e. a module in which the purification means housed in the receptacle, such as the reverse osmosis cartridge, for example, are replaced periodically.
On this occasion, the user is obliged to handle the cleaning products, for example tablets containing soda or chlorine, which are generally harmful to humans because of their caustic, irritant, toxic, etc. nature.
Another prior art system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,551 is provided with a device which, during a cleaning cycle, automatically injects an acidic or basic solution into a recycling pipe supplying one or more reverse osmosis modules with water to be purified.

Module for purifying a fluid containing a cleaning agent, and methods of fabricating and using this kind of module


An ink jet printhead assembly for ink jet printing apparatus and a method for the manufacture thereof. The piezoelectrically operable ink jet printhead assembly has two arrays of driving channels aligned with a single orifice array in which each orifice connects through a fluid channel to a single driving channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ink jet printhead assembly for ink jet printing apparatus and a method for the manufacture thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a piezoelectrically operable ink jet printhead assembly having two arrays of driving channels aligned with a single orifice array in which each orifice connects through a fluid channel to a single driving channel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ink jet printing systems use the ejection of tiny droplets of ink to produce an image. The devices produce highly reproducible and controllable droplets. Most commercially available ink jet printing systems may be classified as "continuous jet" or "drop-on-demand" systems. In continuous jet systems, droplets are continuously ejected from the printhead and either directed to or away from the paper or other substrate depending on the desired image to be produced. In drop-on-demand systems, droplets are ejected from the printhead in response to a specific command related to the image to be produced.
Drop-on-demand printing systems are based upon the production of droplets by thermal or electromechanically induced pressure waves. In one type of electromechanical printing system, a volumetric change in the fluid to be printed is induced by the application of a voltage pulse to a piezoelectric material which is directly or indirectly coupled to the fluid. This volumetric change causes pressure/velocity transients to occur in the fluid which are directed to produce a droplet that issues from an orifice in the printhead. According to such drop-on-demand printing systems voltage is applied only when a droplet is desired.
The use of piezoelectric materials in ink jet printers is well known. Most commonly, piezoelectric material is used in a piezoelectric transducer by which electric energy is converted into mechanical energy by applying an electric field across the material, thereby causing the piezoelectric material to deform. This ability to deform piezoelectric material has often been utilized in order to force the ejection of ink from the ink-carrying passages or channels of ink jet printers. Illustrative patents showing the use of piezoelectric materials in ink jet printers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,857,049, 4,584,590, 4,825,227, 4,536,097, 4,879,568, 4,887,100, 5,227,813, 5,235,352, 5,334,415, 5,345,256, 5,365,645, 5,373,314, 5,400,064, 5,402,162, 5,406,319, 5,414,916, 5,426,455, 5,430,470, 5,433,809, 5,435,060, 5,436,648 and 5,444,467.
In a representative configuration of a piezoelectrically actuated ink jet printhead, the ink jet printhead has, within its body portion, a single internal array of horizontally spaced, parallel ink receiving channels. The internal channels are covered at their front ends by a plate member through which a spaced series of small ink discharge orifices are formed. Each channel opens outwardly through a different one of the spaced orifices.
A spaced series of internal piezoelectric wall portions of the printhead body (typically formed from a piezoceramic material such as lead zirconate titanate "PZT") separate and laterally bound the channels along their lengths. To eject an ink droplet through a selected one of the discharge orifices, the two printhead sidewall portions that laterally bound the channel associated with the selected orifice are piezoelectrically deflected out of and then into the channel and then returned to their normal undeflected positions. The inward driven deflection of the opposite channel wall portions increases the pressure of the ink within the channel sufficiently to force a small quantity of ink, in droplet form, outwardly through the discharge orifice.
It can readily be seen that it would be highly desirable to provide an ink jet printhead, of the general type described above, in which the discharge orifice density (i.e., the number of ink discharge orifices per inch) is doubled without correspondingly doubling the size the printhead or the total number of components needed to fabricate the printhead. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such an ink jet printhead.

Orifice array for high density ink jet printhead


A method of making a storage tank system comprises forming a series of circumferentially extending wall sections on the interior walls of a cylindrical-shaped ribbed storage tank. The storage tank has a contour surface with rib recesses. Each wall section is bonded to the tank's interior walls at a distance of less than about one inch in height from the tank wall and extends laterally across a rib recess.

Underground storage tanks used primarily for the storage of gasoline are currently made of metal or a fibrous reinforced resinous material. The all metal tanks are cylindrical shaped, normally with flat end caps. The fibrous reinforced resinous tanks also are cylindrical shaped, with one tank variation having a ribbed appearance with domed ends. The ribbed variation has a series of evenly spaced ribs extending circumferentially around the main body of the tank. The ribs significantly strengthen the tank. Additionally, they are able to absorb a certain degree of transport and installation external forces, which normally would have to be absorbed by the main body of the tank.
There are two methods which are widely used for building the ribbed fibrous reinforced resinous tanks. In one method, the main body of the tank is formed over a collapsible cylindrical shaped mold. Thus, a half mold having a smooth surface of proper shape has fibrous material and resinous material applied to its outer surface and cured. The basic wall forming components are applied separately or concurrently from separate spray guns. After proper curing, the mold is collapsed and removed. A second half tank is formed in a similar manner. The two half tanks are joined and secured together. A set of ribs are placed in desired locations on the exterior of the tank and adhered thereto by applications of fibrous and resinous materials.
A second method of building a ribbed fibrous reinforced resinous tank also uses a mold. However, in this method, the mold itself is shaped so that ribs are formed along with the rest of the main body. That is, the molds are provided with the mirror image of ribs. Fibrous material and resinous material are applied as in the first described method and ultimately cured.
Attempts have been made in recent years to build double walled steel and fibrous reinforced resinous tanks. Obvious methods have involved simply forming two tanks, one slightly smaller in diameter and length. The two properly dimensioned tanks are combined, normally with spacers, and used. Ribbed tanks having a double wall construction are not conducive to being formed in this manner.
There is a need for a strengthened ribbed storage tank system. Such systems would have the strength characteristics resulting from the rib feature. The problem has been how to build such a tank system in an efficient manner. There has now been discovered a method of building ribbed storage tank systems using a unique sequence of construction steps. The method is efficient in terms of labor savings and raw material savings.

Ribbed storage tank systems with interior wall sections for enhanced strength


A battery including an electrode assembly having electrode plates, a can defining a space receiving the electrode assembly, and a cap plate covering the space, wherein the cap plate is configured to deform away from the space when predetermined sides of the can are deformed toward the space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery. More particularly, the present invention relates to a battery and battery housing configured to accommodate externally-applied pressure in a safe manner, wherein a cap portion can be bent in a predetermined direction when the battery is subjected to a transversely-applied pressure, in order to increase a margin of safety against potential short circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is common for portable devices, e.g., video cameras, portable phones, laptop computers, PDA's, and other light weight multi-function devices to employ batteries, including secondary batteries, as a source of electric power. Types of secondary batteries include, e.g., nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries, etc. The lithium secondary battery, in particular, is commonly employed due to its rechargeability, large capacity and compact size. The lithium secondary battery also exhibits a high operational voltage and a high energy density per unit weight, making it increasingly popular for the latest portable electronic devices.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a conventional battery. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional battery may include an electrode assembly 112 having a positive electrode plate 113, a negative electrode plate 115 and a separator 114. The battery may further include a housing to enclose the electrode assembly 112, the housing including a can 110 for receiving the electrode assembly 112 and an electrolyte, and a cap assembly 120 for tightly sealing an upper opening 110a of the can 110.
The electrode assembly 112 may have the separator 114 wound between the positive electrode plate 113 and the negative electrode plate 115. A positive electrode tap 116 may be coupled to the positive electrode plate 113 and may protrude from an upper end of the electrode assembly 112. A negative electrode tap 117 may be coupled to the negative electrode plate 115 and may protrude from the upper end of the electrode assembly 112. The positive electrode tap 116 and the negative electrode tap 117 may be spaced apart by a predetermined distance and may be electrically insulated from each other. The positive electrode tap 116 and the negative electrode tap 117 may be made of metal, e.g., nickel.
The can 110 may be made of, e.g., aluminum or an alloy thereof, and may be formed by, e.g., a deep drawing method. The can 110 may have a substantially flat bottom surface.
The cap assembly 120 may include a cap plate 140, an insulation plate 150, a terminal plate 160 and an electrode terminal 130. The cap assembly 120 may be associated with a separate insulation case 170, and may then be coupled to the upper opening 110a of the can 110 so as to tightly seal the can 110.
The cap plate 140 may be made from, e.g., a metal plate, and may have a size and shape corresponding to those of the upper opening 110a of the can 110. The cap plate 140 may have a hole 141 formed therethrough at a center portion thereof. The hole 141 may have a predetermined size for receiving the electrode terminal 130.
The cap plate 140 may also have an electrolyte injection hole 142 formed therein in a suitable location, e.g., offset to one side. The electrolyte injection hole 142 may have a predetermined size and may be sealed by a sealing means 143. The electrolyte injection hole 142 provides for electrolyte to be injected through the cap assembly 120 after the cap assembly 120 is coupled to the upper opening 110a of the can 110. After injection of the electrolyte, the injection hole 142 may be sealed.
The insulation plate 150 may be made from an insulation material and may be attached to the lower surface of the cap plate 140. The insulation plate 150 may have a hole 151 formed therethrough corresponding to the hole 141, such that the electrode terminal 130 may pass through the hole 151. The insulation plate 150 may also have a receiving recess 152 formed in a lower surface thereof, in order to receive the terminal plate 160.
The terminal plate 160 may be made of a metal, e.g., a nickel alloy, and may be attached to the lower surface of the insulation plate 150. The terminal plate 160 may have a hole 161 formed therethrough corresponding to the hole 141, such that the electrode terminal 130 may pass through the holes 141, 161. The electrode terminal 130 may make contact with the terminal plate 160, e.g., along a contact region at the periphery of the hole 161. Accordingly, the electrode terminal 130 may pass through the holes 141, 151 and 161 and may be electrically connected with the terminal plate 160 while being electrically insulated from the cap plate 140 by a gasket 146 and the insulation plate 150.
The negative electrode tap 117, which is coupled to the negative electrode plate 115, may be welded to a side of the terminal plate 160. The positive electrode tap 116, which is coupled to the positive electrode plate 113, may be welded to a side of the cap plate 140 opposite to the negative electrode tap 117. Alternatively, the negative electrode tap 117 may be welded to the cap plate 140, and the positive electrode tap 116 may be welded to the terminal plate 160. Suitable welding methods may include, e.g., resistance welding, laser welding, etc. Of these, resistance welding may be particularly suitable.
The electrode terminal 130 may have the gasket 146 mounted thereon. The gasket 146 may be made of any suitable insulating material including, e.g., the material used for the insulation plate 150. The gasket 146 may be any suitable form, including, e.g., tubular, annular, flat with a hole defined therethrough, etc. The electrode terminal 130 may be inserted, along with the gasket 146, into the hole 141, such that the electrode terminal 130 is insulated from the cap plate 140.
The electrode terminal 130 may be connected to the negative electrode tap 117, and thus to the negative electrode plate 115, or it may be connected to the positive electrode tap 116, and thus to the positive electrode plate 113, so as to operate as a negative or positive electrode terminal.
The battery illustrated in FIG. 1 may be a conventional lithium secondary battery. Battery designs for the latest portable devices may take advantage of the lithium secondary battery's high energy density to provide small form factor batteries, e.g., thin batteries having an elongated, rectangular shape. However, such designs may have weak battery housings, i.e., the battery may not be able to withstand impact or externally applied pressure. In particular, if the battery is subjected to impact or pressure, the electrode assembly contained in the battery housing may be deformed due to deformation of the can. This may, in turn, result in internal defects such as an internal electric short circuit between the electrode plates. Such defects may have serious results, including fires and explosions of the battery.
FIG. 2 illustrates a generalized perspective view of a compressed conventional battery housing. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional battery housing that has been compressed by a force Fa applied in a transverse direction, i.e., applied to opposing sides of the can 110 in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis b. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when the battery is deformed by this transversely-applied force Fa, as is done during compression safety tests, the substantially flat bottom surface of the can 110 may deform inward and upward. Similarly, the substantially flat top surface of the cap assembly 120 may deform inward and downward.
The deformation or caving-in of the can 110 bottom may apply pressure to the electrode assembly 112 contained in the battery housing. In particular, it may force the electrode assembly 112 upward and against the cap assembly 120. This may result in the upper portion of the electrode assembly 112 coming into contact with various elements of the cap assembly 120, possibly causing an internal electric short circuit between the electrode plates and subsequent fire or explosion of the battery.